Clash of the Champions XVIII: The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko) w/ Paul E. Dangerously vs. Barry Windham, Ron Simmons, & Dustin Rhodes
Date: January 21, 1992
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v32366805
Background: I'm really not up on what the Dangerous Alliance angle really entailed. Mostly it just seemed to be a takeover by a Paul E. Dangerously stable who wanted to take down the top babyfaces in the company. This six-man featured three of the guys they were targeting.
The Match: Paul E. cuts a great pre-match promo promising that at least one person facing off with the Dangerous Alliance tonight would be done for good. That included Sting and Ricky Steamboat, who would be facing Rick Rude and Steve Austin in the main event. Jim Ross is on the call here. The Alliance enters first, the babyface team staggered out next. Barry Windham is last to the ring and tries to pick the fight immediately, chasing the Alliance members to the outside to clear the ring. The referee (same dude who reffed Sting vs. Cactus from the last writeup, but I still don't know his name) gets some order and forces two from each side to get to the apron.
We start on Windham vs. Eaton. Windham goes right for a whip and a back bodydrop, but ducks too early and Eaton capitalizes with a swinging neckbreaker. Eaton sets Windham up on the corner and delivers a superplex. Windham pops straight up and no-sells. Oh come on; Barry Windham as a no-seller? That's like Jeff Hardy doing a bearhug.
Eaton, impressed with his own move and unaware of the no-sell, gets caught by surprise when he turns around and eats a clothesline. And another one. And now it's Bobby being set up top for Windham's superplex. Eaton should have just shoot no-selled that on principle. Windham goes for a cover, gets two, Anderson breaks up the count and suddenly all six men are in the ring, and the three faces all have figure-four leglocks on the heels. And then within seconds, Arn eye-rakes his way out of the hold that he's in, and the other two pairs have their leglocks magically dissipate as well. Stuff like that just comes off too over-the-top choreographed for me.
Match settles in to Ron Simmons vs. Larry Zbyszko (apparently now being called "the Crusher") even though neither man possibly actually tagged in. Hammerlock by the Crusher puts Simmons down on his shoulders, but Simmons powers his way back up to his feet. As the referee is distracted, Arn enters to make it a double-team, but Simmons fights both of them off and then hits a running double shoulderblock that knocks both men over.
Eaton attempts to jump in at Simmons, Simmons catches him in a bearhug, but Anderson comes in for the double-team. Again Simmons fights off both, this time going for a double clothesline…he connects with Eaton, Arn ducks his, but Arn showboats about how clever he was to duck there and turns around to get press-slammed. Simmons tags out to Dustin, and Larry quickly tags out to Beautiful Bobby.
Eye gouge by Eaton quickly gets him to the advantage, but after a whip into the corner Dustin fights his way back out, plays a bit dirty with an eye gouge of his own and then blatantly throws Bobby over the top rope to the ramp as the referee's back is turned. As Eaton gets his footing, Dustin gets a running start from the ring and flies over the top rope with a clothesline. Nice spot; I didn't know Dustin was really able to do stuff like that in 1992.
We get both men tagging again, and now it's Zbyszko vs. Windham. Zbyszko attempts a piledriver, but can't quite get Windham up for it, and instead gets backdropped for his efforts. Eaton, not legal in the match, heads up top, but Windham knocks him off all the way to the floor. Arn is in illegally now to attack Windham from behind, but quickly falls victim to a Windham facebuster. Larry back in. Windham runs the ropes, makes a blind tag to Dustin Rhodes, and due to the blind tag Rhodes is able to catch Larry off-guard with a hard uppercut. Dustin sets up with a running start for another flying move, but misses everything, dives out over the top rope and lands hard on the ramp.
Bobby Eaton over to capitalize, picks and holds Dustin up as Paul E. runs in and hits Dustin in the gut with his 80s-sized cell phone. As Barry Windham starts to go at Paul E. for this, the action has returned to the ring, as Zbyszko is now in control of Rhodes. Tags to Anderson, who hits him with the signature spinebuster after a whip off the ropes. Only a two-count. Sets Rhodes up near the corner, goes for a…Vaderbomb (I don't know what that move is generically called), and Rhodes gets his knees up. Arn is hobbled, Dustin tries to capitalize, but Arn recovers quickly, goes behind, and plants him hard with a DDT. Loved, loved, loved Arn's DDTs.
Tag to Eaton, who enters with a bodyslam and then a top rope elbow. Two-count. Whip into the corner, follows up with a jumping attack that Rhodes avoids. Eaton is hurt, but is able to tag out to Anderson, who prevents Rhodes from doing likewise. Attempted elbow drop from second rope by Anderson, but again no good as this time he eats the raised boot by Rhodes instead. Dustin makes the hot tag to Windham.
Couple of flying clotheslines by the man from Sweetwater, a back bodydrop as well, but his momentum gets broken as Arn knees him from the outside as he comes off the ropes. This sends the match back into a six-man chaotic brawl. Eaton off the top, Windham catches him with a hard right on the way down, and amidst the chaos that's enough of a blow to enable him to pin for the 1-2-3.
Result: Windham, Simmons, & Rhodes via pinfall when Windham pins Eaton (9:28)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: Nice pace, a number of decent spots, finish seemed kind of abrupt and happened on a garden-variety counter-punch that never pins anyone. Was a bit annoyed at how wrestlers just came and went as they pleased without the referee ever seeming to care, but whatever. Good match; wouldn't go as far as calling it great. ***1/4