Watch WCW Slamboree 1996 For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Instead of doing a match-by-match breakdown of this show, I'm just gonna rant about it here, because no match on here is worth your time. There are 14 matches on this card. 14! That's more than any Wrestlemania card I've seen, and the longest match on the card is 10 and a half minutes. The entire event revolves around this "King of the Ring" rip-off tournament, and there are so many matches that either just exist, end in a countout, end in a DQ, or just waste your time.There's not really a "bad" match on the show, mostly because they're all so short, but how hard is it to book good matches? You don't need 14 freakin' matches on a card for any show! Cut the number of matches in half, double their time, and you would probably have a decent show. Turns out Hogan wasn't the main source of WCW's problems after all, because he's nowhere near this show and it still sucks. I'm seriously debating whether or not to just stop watching WCW entirely, because their shows for the past year have been borderline torturous. I'm not saying every PPV has to be phenomenal, but put some freakin' effort in once and awhile. I'm giving WCW 3 more shows to impress me before I just pull the cord on their life support. If the next 3 shows score lower than a 5, I'm done with WCW forever!

(05.19.96)Live from Baton Rouge, LouisianaAttendance: 7,791Your hosts are Tony Schivaone, Bobby Heenan & Dusty RhodesThis is Battle Bowl. It's made up of tag team matches with partners that were randomly chosen in a lethal lottery. They can be friend or foe, it doesn't matter. They are forced to work together to advance to the Battlebowl later in the night.Battle Bowl: Round OneRoadwarrior Animal & Booker T Vs Roadwarrior Hawk & Lex LugerIt turns out, nobody can get along in this match. Both teams brawl to a double countout. This was really disappointing that Hawk and Animal didn't wrestle against each other at all. Poor stuff all around.*Public Enemy Vs Kevin Sullivan & Chris Beniot (W/Jimmy Hart)Public Enemy wins after putting Beniot through a table. This one had some intensity, at least. Sullivan and Beniot would have a memorable feud in WCW.*Sgt. Craig Pittman & Scott Steiner (W/Teddy Long) Vs The Booty Man & Rick Steiner (W/Kimberly)Rick and The Booty Man win after Rick pins Pittman with a back suplex into a bridge. This one had some fun moments, mainly because of Rick and Scott wrestling each other. The crowd ate it up as well.*1/2The Blue Bloods (Steven Regal & Dave Taylor) Vs "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & V.K. WallstreetDuggan wins after drilling Taylor with a taped fist. Duggan and Wallstreet were another team that didn't get along. I really don't understand how anyone can like Duggan.½* (half a star)"Dirty" Dick Slater & Bobby Eaton (W/Col. Robert Parker) Vs Alex Wright & Disco InfernoSlater and Eaton beat Wright and Inferno after Slater drills Inferno with his shoe from behind. What is it with WCW and shoes? A lot of finishes involve shoes for some reason.3/4* (quarter of a star)Diamond Dallas Paige & The Barbarian Vs Meng & Hugh MorrusDDP and The Barbarian win in a really weird finish. Schiavone was correct when he said this is one of the better tag team matches of the evening. *1/2Big Bubba Rogers & Stevie Ray Vs Fire & Ice (Scott Norton & Ice Train)Fire & Ice win after the hit a double shoulderblock on Big Bubba. This was more of the same. I don't really have much to say on it.3/4*Eddie Guerrero & Arn Anderson Vs Ric Flair & Randy Savage (W/Woman & Miss Elizabeth)Flair and Savage hate each other's guts and everyone is expecting them to turn on each other. Sure enough, Flair and Anderson setup Savage. Throughout the match, Savage and Flair pound on each other. Anderson ends up giving his own partner, Eddie Guerrero the DDT and Flair pins Guerrero. Flair and Anderson beat up Savage some more after the match with Elizabeth adding insult to injury by slapping Savage.*1/2Thoughts: This was extremely predictable. Even a casual wrestling fan could see how this one was gonna play out. Cruserweight TitleDean Malenko (C) Vs Brad ArmstrongMalenko retains with a gut buster from the top. The announcing team went on about how great this match was, but in reality, its average. The crowd fell asleep for it as well. **Second Round."Dirty" Dick Slater & Bobby Eaton (W/Col. Robert Parker) Vs "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & V.K. WallstreetEaton and Slater advance, thanks to all the animosity with Duggan and Wallstreet. These matches are starting to get tiresome. Most of them are uneventful and boring. *Public Enemy Vs Randy Savage & Ric Flair (W/Miss Elizabeth & Woman)Savage attacks Flair in the entrance way and a huge brawl commences. Flair and Savage end up being counted out, giving Public Enemy the win. The battle bowl at the end is shaping up to be very anti- climatic, but having Savage and Flair's hatred get in the way made perfect sense.DUDDiamond Dallas Paige & The Barbarian Vs The Booty Man & Rick Steiner (W/Kimberly)DDP & The Barbarian advance after The Barbarian pins Booty Man. All I have to say is thank god Booty Man didn't advance to the Battle Royal. '*United States ChampionshipKonnan (C) Vs Jushin "Thunder" LigerKonnan retains with a Razor's Edge into a sit-down powerbomb. I'm predicting this will be the best match on the show. This was a solid match with both men pulling out some fun stuff.***Ric Flair and Arn Anderson challenge Steve McMichael to a tag team match with a partner of McMichael's choosing. McMichael chooses Kevin Greene.Eight Man Battle BowlThe winner faces the WCW Champion at The Great American Bash. Scott Norton, Ice Train, Dick Slater, Bobby Eaton, DDP, The Barbarian & Public Enemy are the participants. DDP becomes Lord of The Ring by pinning The Barbarian with the Diamond Cutter. I'm giving this a 2 star rating, simply for the solid wrestling between DDP & The Barbarian. **WCW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Giant (C) (W/Jimmy Hart) Vs Sting (W/Lex Luger)Luger tries to get the megaphone away from Jimmy Hart,"accidentally" moves the megaphone in Sting's direction, and nails Sting in the head. The Giant chokeslams Sting and retains. This was a mediocre main event to cap off an atrocious PPV. The storyline of "is Luger conning Sting" is pretty stale.*1/22/10 ranking overall.

All tag matches were worth win because of qualification to BattleBowl.1. Road Warrior Animal/Booker T. Vs. Road Warrior Hawk/Lex Luger - Double count out ending in a match that was worse than average. 5.5/102. Public Enemy Vs. Taskmaster/Chris Benoit - PE nicely took Benoit through table and won. 6/10 3. Sgt. Craig Pittman/Scott Steiner Vs. One of the worst wrestlers in history of wrestling Booty Man/Rick Steiner - Decent bout between brothers, but that's the only. 6.5/10 4. Blue Bloods Vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan/V.K. Wallstreet - Another squash. 5.5/105. Dirty Dick Slater/Earl Robert Eaton Vs. Alex Wright/Disco Inferno - Finally some decent match. 7/10 6. Diamon Dallas Page/Barbarian Vs. Hugh Morrus/Meng - Page and Barbarian work as a team, that looks well. 7/10 7. Big Bubba/Stevie Ray Vs. Fire & Ice - Big Stiffa never should wrestle. Awful "athlete". 6/10 8. Eddie Guerrero/Arn Anderson Vs. Ric Flair/Macho Man - Screw on Macho and Eddie. 7/10 9. WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Brad Armstrong Vs. Champ-Dean Malenko - Clean victory for Malenko in a non-so high fly match. Holds & Holds. 7/10 Second Round for battle Bowl 10. Dirty Dick Slater/Robert Earl Eaton Vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan/V.K.Wallstreet - About nothing. Slater and Eaton was advancing. 5/10 11. Public Enemy Vs. Macho Man/Ric Flair - Match didn't start because Flair and Savage couldn't wrestle as a team.12. Diamond Dallas Page/Barbarian Vs. Booty Man/Rick Steiner - Yes BM is out! Super, that i mustn't look at that weirdo at Slamboree anymore. 7/10 13. WCW U.S. Heavyweight Championship: Jushin Liger Vs. Champ-Konan - Watchable match, maybe too much submission. And pity Liger's lost. 6.5/10 14. Battle Royal: Won by Page , what was strange in these booker's times. And last 3 minutes of the royal were exciting. 8/10 15. WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Sting Vs. Champ-Giant - Maybe better match than you would expect. Fine booking, I'm satisfied. 8.5/10