SuperBrawl II

February 29, 1992

MECCA Arena - Milwaukee, WI

Storylines

In his first act of power as WCW Commissioner, Nick Bockwinkel secured Lex Luger for a title defence at SuperBrawl II. However, Luger refused to wrestle anyone currently under contract with World Championship Wrestling. Bockwinkel fortunately had a plan though, bringing in WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart. Debuting at Clash of the Champions XVIII, Hart signed two contracts, first to wrestle Luger and then, to become a member of the WCW roster.

Hart made his in-ring debut that weekend, scoring a win over Rip Rogers. In response to Hart’s arrival, Paul E. Dangerously began to hint at a potential alliance, referencing ‘The Hitman’ regularly. That attracted the attention of Richard Morton, who was seeking his own place within The Dangerous Alliance. Hoping to stand alongside two of his greatest rivals in Anderson and Eaton, Morton looked to prove his worth against Hart in a television main event.

Ultimately, he competed admirably, but fell well short. Even still, Morton’s effort was enough to earn another chance, with Dangerously motivating him for a tag team match alongside ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin. Battling Dustin Rhodes and Sting, Morton hoped to rejuvenate his suddenly waning career with an upset.

Meanwhile, Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton had their own concerns, desperately trying to avoid a title defence against The Steiner Brothers. That inevitably couldn’t be avoided though, with Rick and Scott securing a shot by defeating The Fabulous Freebirds on TV.

Barry Windham continued to seek revenge against Larry Zbyszko also, with ‘The Cruncher’ often barely escaping. At one point, Zbyszko almost destroyed Windham’s hand once again, pinning it inside the steel steps only to be ran off by Dustin Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat and Sting.

Elsewhere, Vader brought an end to his team with Mr. Hughes, obliterating his prior partner after he’d taken the fall at Clash of the Champions XVIII. Moving onto singles competition, Vader appeared immediately dominant in the weeks that followed his destruction of Hughes. 

In the tag team ranks, The Young Pistols remained United States Tag Team Champions, cockily picking on Marcus Alexander Bagwell, the promotion’s emerging prospect. Armstrong and Smothers were certain that Bagwell’s allies had bigger fish to fry but Bockwinkel brought a solution, giving Bagwell a shot at the champs alongside international superstar Jushin Thunder Liger.

With consistent wins, Ron Simmons broke into the top ten rankings, creating a natural contender clash against Cactus Jack, who was fast approaching the top five.

Meanwhile on television, Alexandra York was promising a new tag team while elsewhere, Brian Pillman, The Taylor Made Man and Vinnie Vegas were scoring steady wins.

Event

On the PPV’s televised pre-show, Alexandra York’s new tag team was revealed, putting Diamond Dallas Page alongside ‘Hollywood’ Bob Holly. The pair scored a win in their first outing together, defeating The WCW Patriots. Vinnie Vegas followed, dominating Pat Rose while Diamond Studd looked on approvingly. Finally, Brian Pillman scored a win over The Taylor Made Man, combining for an athletic, competitive bout.

The PPV portion started in eventful fashion, as Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Jushin Liger claimed gold in their first match together, stunning The Young Pistols to become champions. Liger pinned Armstrong after an exciting affair.

The first piece of Dangerous Alliance involvement followed, as Larry Zbyszko couldn’t avoid Barry Windham’s revenge any longer. Windham defeated Zbyszko in emphatic fashion, winning a match in which ‘The Cruncher’ could only briefly delay the inevitable.

In a clash of top ten contenders, Cactus Jack and Ron Simmons then collided, brawling with great physicality before pouring over the rail. Abdullah the Butcher then appeared, revealing himself as a disguised member of staff selling soda. Jack and Abdullah went to work on Simmons, bringing the match to an inconclusive end as Big Josh made a timely save.

Up next, the makeshift tag team of Richard Morton and Steve Austin went about as expected, with the latter ultimately bailing on his partner. Beforehand, they’d surprisingly fared rather well, testing Dustin Rhodes and Sting more than expected in a somewhat extended bout.

The Dangerous Alliance rebounded quickly though, with ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude capitalising on an opportunistic swing of Paul E.’s phone, pinning Steamboat via Rude Awakening. The pair had the show’s longest singles match, sharing a gruelling United States Title tilt.

By contrast, Vader made short work of El Gigante, violently squashing the giant in what would be his final match in World Championship Wrestling.

In their much-anticipated World Tag Team Title match, Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton went thirty minutes with The Steiner Brothers, resulting in a time-limit draw. The champions stalled often early and were on the ropes late but remained champions, avoiding the looming threat of Rick and Scott for now.

Finally, Bret Hart stood tall, claiming the World Heavyweight Title by submitting Lex Luger via Sharpshooter. Hart even halted Harley Race’s attempted interference, flooring Race with a punch that sent him flying from the apron. The crowning of a new World Champion closed SuperBrawl II, as WCW entered a new era with Bret Hart at the forefront.

The PPV was also Jesse Ventura’s first for World Championship Wrestling, announcing alongside Jim Ross throughout.

Results

World Championship Wrestling/Pre-Show


Main Show