The Four Horsemen VS. Ass-Whippers, Inc.: Round I., Pt. 1

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

ORLANDO, FL

The setting is Orlando, FL for a special WCW Monday Nitro from the O'rena. "Mean" Gene Okerland is about to introduce the Four Horsemen for an interview. Little did "Mean" Gene Okerland realize that he was about to become part of a wild melee:

OKERLAND: "Ladies and Gentlemen!!! May I introduce to you The Four Horsemen!!!"

The Four Horsemen come out with on extra with them, Barry Windham has come out with Tully Blanchard, Arn & Ole Anderson and NWA World Champion Ric Flair.

OKERLAND: "Excuse me, gentlemen but may I ask why is Barry Windham here?"

With that, Arn Anderson comes to the mic:

ARN: "Mean" Gene, we have kept this quiet for as long as possible but I guess this is as good a time as any to make this announcement. "The Rock" Ole Anderson is one of the founding members of the Horsemen. He started this whole thing that has grown into a supreme power in pro wrestling. Well, one of our founding fathers wants to take it a little bit easy now and has selected Barry Windham to take his spot in the Four Horsemen.

This announcement is greeted with shock from the crowd and Okerland.

OKERLAND: My goodness, Barry Windham!!! What do you make of all this!!!

WINDHAM: First off, I just want to say that I was proud to be part of the Horsemen organization before and it is an honor to be among them again. Second, although I am taking Ole's slot, I can never take his place in this group. He is one of the founding fathers of the Horsemen and that's something that I can never have. I just hope that I can continue to make this unit just as strong or stronger as it has been in the past.

As Okerland was getting ready to talk to Flair, something comes over the sound system!!! The music starts off with a voice that says "You Are Completely Pathetic!!" followed by shattered glass and driving guitars (check out the WWF Music, Volume 2 to hear that version)!!! Then, out comes all members of Ass-Whippers, Inc. The Unified World Tag Team Champions Bruiser Brody & Stan "The Lariat" Hansen, NWA World Television Champion Perry Saturn, TAZ, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin!!! Austin has his own mic:

AUSTIN: What the hell is this sh*t?!!! You know something, I always heard that the Four Horsemen where the baddest of the bad but all that I have seen from you in the last three months is a bunch of over the hill, crybaby jackasses that need help from old enemies just to stay in the game!!! Well, I have a newsflash for you!!! There is a new kid on the block in the NWA and in WCW and that's Ass-Whippers, Inc. We don't style and profile, we don't have a harem of beauties on each arm, and we don't claim to be sixty minute men!!! All we are is five guys who get in the ring, kick ass, take names and enjoy a brew when it is over!!! Now, for the real reason we are here!!! Ric Flair, you claim to be "the man" but every since Sturgis, your candy ass has been bobbing and weaving more than Muhammad Ali did on his best day!!! What's a matter?!!! Scared of the future!!!

With that Flair responds:

FLAIR: Let me tell you something "Stone Cold". The Horsemen have kicking ass and taking names long before you showed up here pal. If you and the rest of your crew want to jump on this, your more than happy to do so. Hey, "The Rock" wants to take it easy but....well, I'll let him talk.

OLE: Hey, Ass-Whippers, Inc.!!! Don't think just because I'm retired that I can't climb back into that ring to help out the guys against you!!!

HANSEN: Well, Ole Anderson!!!! I sure hope you do get into the ring with the rest of the Horsemen!!! In fact, Austin, what do you say we do it now?!!!!

AUSTIN: (Looking at Hansen with a devilish grin) You know something guys. That's not a bad idea.

With that, a five on five fight breaks out with members of A.S., Inc. going at it with the Horsemen in the aisleway!!! It is Austin VS. Flair, Anderson VS. TAZ, Saturn VS. Blanchard, Ole VS. Hansen, and Brody VS. Windham with neither faction gaining a clear advantage!!! Security and officials are deperately trying to break them up but to no avail!!! This carnage continues as Nitro goes to a commercial break!!!

LATER THAT NIGHT.....

JJ Dillion met with board members of the NWA and WCW and decided to let two members of the Four Horsemen meet two members of A.S., Inc. The Horsemen chose Barry Windham and Ric Flair to represent them and A.S. chose Austin and Saturn to represent them. We are now at the two and a half hour mark when David Penzer is standing in the ring:

PENZER: Ladies and gentlemen, the following special grudge tag team contest is scheduled for one fall (at this point, the recorded voice of Austin blares over the speakers saying "You Are Completely Pathetic!!!", followed by shattered glass and driving guitars!!!). Coming to the ring are members of Ass-Whippers, Inc. The NWA World Television Champion Perry Saturn and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin!!!

Both Saturn and Austin come to the ring with "assasin"-like looks etched on their faces. Saturn comes without his belt dressed in black jean shorts, big black boots, and a headband on his head while Austin comes with his usual black tights and black boots attire. They hit the ring and stand in the center, awaiting the arrival of the Horsemen!!!:

PENZER: Their opponents represent The Four Horsemen!!! They are Barry Windham and NWA World Heavyweight Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair!!!

Flair and Windham have come out in just wrestling tights and boots, and are running to the ring together. Austin and Saturn allow them to come into the ring and, as soon as they entered, they attack!!! All four men are battling furiously. It is Flair VS. Austin on one side and Windham and Saturn on the other. Windham and Saturn fight outside the ring while Austin and Flair stay in the ring. Flair is working on Austin with his famous chops but that just fires up "Stone Cold"!!! Austin reverses field and has Flair trapped in the corner and is firing kicks and punches on Flair. The ref is trying to restore order but is letting it go for now. Flair reverses things again with a kick to the gut and another chop to the chest. He whips Austin into the ropes but Austin comes out with a hard clothesline that nearly tears Flair's head off!!! Austin goes down in a push-up position and talks trash to Flair!!! He then picks him up, puts him a front-face lock and brings him over to his corner and tags Saturn. Saturn comes in and kicks Flair in the ribs. He then picks him up in a suplex variation that rocks the back of Flair. Saturn moves in on Flair with kicks to the chest and adomen of Flair. He then takes Flair, shoves him into a corner and executes his head-lock suplex that drops Flair on the back of the head and on his neck!!! Flair is still in the match but he is hurt!!! Saturn quickly tags Austin back in. Austin goes to work on the neck and shoulders of Flair. The gameplan is clear now. Work on the neck and shoulders of Flair to set up either the "Stone Cold Stunner" from Austin or "The Rings Of Saturn" from Saturn. They also have an extra move in the "Death Valley Driver" from Saturn. Austin now has Flair face-down with his foot on the back of his head. He is now using that as a brace as he pulls up Flair's arms in a surfboard hold!!! "Who's the 'styler and profiler' now you b*stard!!!", screams Austin as he applies more pressure to the hold. Windham comes in illegally but understandably with a flying clothesline that knocks Austin off of Flair. Flair is still hurting but is trying to make the tag to Windham. Windham quickly gets back to his corner to receive the tag but Austin has already tagged Saturn back in. Saturn drops the elbow on the back of Flair, which has been worked on as well. Saturn then hooks Flair in a "Texas Cloverleaf" in the middle of the ring!!! Windham comes in again and kicks Saturn in the face, breaking the hold. Saturn, however, recovers quickly and mounts the second rope for a double-axhandle blow to Flair. Flair counters by punching Saturn in the guts as Saturn was coming down. Flair then executes a belly to back suplex. This turns out to be a bad move for Flair as his back, neck and shoulders had been worked on repeatedly for about seven mintues. He still, however, makes the tag to Windham. Windham comes in and nails Saturn with a flying lariat as Saturn was getting to his feet. Austin comes in and gets a reverse atomic drop from Windham followed by a dropkick that sends "Stone Cold" out of the ring. Windham then goes back to Saturn. He puts Saturn on the top turnbuckle and executes his superplex from the ropes on Saturn. He then holds up his right hand, signaling for his version of the "Iron Claw"!!! He waits for Saturn to get up and gets it on him!!! Austin comes in but is cut off by the referee and Flair. In the confusion, Saturn "field-goal" kicks Windham in the n*ts, breaking the "IC". He then picks up Windham for his "DVD" but Flair, as he was going back to the corner", clips Saturn in the left knee, causing Windham to fall on top of Saturn!! Flair returns to his corner as the ref counts down Saturn!!! The Horsemen have won but, to Austin, this wasn't over. He comes in and catches Windham with a clothesline as Windham was getting up!!! Flair comes in fighting but gets caught with a fist to the jaw and a "Stunner"!!! Meanwhile, Brody, Hansen and TAZ have blocked the entranceway and were holding off the remaining Horsemen (which were Arn, Ole, and Tully)!!! In the ring, Saturn has executed his "DVD" on the concrete to Windham as Austin put the "figure-four" on Flair!!! Saturn joins in the fray and hooks in his "ROS" double armbar on Flair as Austin has the "FF" on him as well!!! Flair is screaming to the heavens with no help in sight!!! Arn, Ole, and Tully are trying their best to get to the ring but Brody, Hansen, and TAZ are holding them off. Then, from the crowd, Ron "Hands Of Stone" Garvin, (one of Flair's oldest enemies) comes out and goes after Saturn!!! Saturn and Garvin goes at it in the ring!!! Austin breaks the hold and goes to help Saturn!!! Windham, by this time, comes in to help his former NWA US Tag Team Championship partner!!! Garvin and Windham are holding off Austin and Saturn!! The latter, who rarely run from a fight, decide that discretion is wise here as they have done what they already set out to do and that is send a message to Flair!! Austin and Saturn retreat into the crowd while Brody, Hansen and TAZ do the same. The Horsemen quickly hit the ring. They see Garvin and start to move in on him but Windham stands in-between them!!! Flair, now back on his feet, also stands with Windham to explan to the others what happened. While it is clear that Garvin and the Horsemen are not friends, Flair (in a rare show of appreciation) allows Garvin to leave. Garvin nods in acknowledgement to Flair and Windham and takes his leave. Flair made this statement later that night in a taped interview:

"Let me state, for the record, that Ron Garvin and The Horsemen are on opposite sides of the tracks. But, Ass-Whippers, Inc., is the enemy of everyone in profession wrestling. They don't care who you are, they just want to rule. Now Garvin, I don't know why you came to my aid but because of that, I backed the Horsemen off of you. Don't make the mistake, though, of thinking we are your friends because we just as soon would've did you in. As for A.S., Inc., I have a message for their boss "Stone Cold"!!! Austin, if that donkey-ass of yours has the guts, you will face me at WCW World War III for the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a cage with a roof on top!!! No Horsemen, no Ass-Whippers, just two men getting it on for the richest prize in wrestling, the NWA World Title!!! WHHOOOOOOOO!!!"

In response, Austin had this to say:

AUSTIN: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. You ask will I accept the challenge for you NWA strap in the cage on November 22 at World War III? OH, HELL YEAH!!! You bet you ass I'll accept!!! Let me tell you something, you call yourself the sixty minute man and that you go all night long with the ladies. Flair, everyone in the locker room knows that you can't stay in your old lady for two minutes!!! In fact, the women say that it takes sixty minutes for you to get it up!!! Now, as far as wrestling goes, you are a legit legend. I can't take that away from you but Flair, your time is coming to an end as well as the Four Horsemen!!! So, come November 22, prepare for the dawning of a new era!! The era of "Ass-Whippers, Inc." and the reign of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as NWA World Champion and that's the bottom line cuz' "Stone Cold" said so and so does "A.S., Inc."

WCW WORLD WAR III

The card is originating from Norfolk, VA at The Scope. This is one of the most anticipated cards in the history of wrestling because of the double main event of Austin VS. Flair in a cage and the 60 man battle royal!!! The winner will receive a shot at the WCW World Champion at a later WCW PPV. The commentators for this one is Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Jim Ross with rotating appearances by Lee Marshall, Tony Schivone, "Iron" Mike Tenay, Gordon "The Dean" Solie, Gorrilla Monsoon, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Larry Zybyzco and Joey Styles!!! Here is the undercard, which includes the WW3 battle royale:

Bruiser Brody/Stan "The Lariat" Hansen VS. Ole & Arn Anderson (Unified World Tag Team Championship Match)

In the first of two confrontations between the Horsemen and A.S., Inc., Ole and Arn Anderson made a bid to unseat the awesome and vicious World Tag Team Champions. This ten minute thriller saw the Andersons keep Hansen in the ring and work on his left arm. The left arm, by the way, is the arm that he executes the "lariat" with. Still, Hansen fought back like he always does and tagged in Brody!!! Brody cleaned house on both Andersons but Ole snuck in a knee to his back!!! Brody goes out of the ring, leaving Hansen by himself inside. The Andersons double teamed Hansen unmercifully and then threw him into the ropes for a double-clothesline. Hansen, however, ducked the Andersons and they went into the ropes where Brody was!!! Brody grabs Ole by the legs and drags him out!!! Arn momentarily turned his head to see what was going on. That mometary lapse was all the time Hansen needed as he leveled "The Enforcer" with the "lariat" and covered him for the pin as Brody and Hansen retain their titles in a hard fought bout!!!

Yokozuna VS. Kevin Nash (WWF World Title Match)

The near 600 pound Yokozuna put his WWF title on the line against Degeneration X's Kevin Nash (who is 6'11", 320 pounds). This match was not a classic wrestling match but was brutal nonetheless!!! The turning point was at the twelve minute mark when Yoko (who dominated most of this match) went for his "Banzi Drop" (aka "Kamakasi Splash", "Ass-Splash", "Booty Drop" and "Sun-Blocker") from the second rope. Nash, however, got up while Yoko was going up the ropes and nudged Yoko forward just enough for him to go into the top of the ringpost headfirst!!! Yoko came down off of the ropes and on his feet but he was stunned!!! When Yoko turned around, Nash hit the ropes and nailed him with a running version of his big boot!!! Nash then followed up with an elbow and covered Yoko for the three count and the title!!! DX now had two of the three world singles title in the world as WCW World Champion and DX member Shawn Michaels came down to congradulate his stablemate as he headed for the dressing room!!! Before he left, he had this to say:

NASH: This is the WCW World Champion (pointing to Shawn Michaels)!!! I am now the WWF World Champion!!! Now, there is only one more world championship to be had and that's the NWA World Title!!! So, Austin and Flair, which ever one of you happens to come out with the title tonight, you better look over your shoulder because "HBK" or "Big Sexy" or another member of DX will be coming for that belt!!!

Jushin "Thunder" Liger VS. Syxx VS. Kidman VS. Rey Mysterio, Jr. (Four Way Match/J-Crown Title)

This is for the belt vacated by Shawn Michaels when he won the WCW belt from "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. All four of these men would be allowed in the ring and whoever got the first fall would be the champion. All four of these men went all out in this bout with revolutionary ground and arieal moves!!! The match ended when Kidman hit his "Shooting Star" splash Liger (the man that originally invented it)!!! He would've had the pin but Syxx broke up the pin!!! Kidman and Syxx battle and Syxx backdrops him out of the ring on his shoulder!!! Kidman is down and Syxx is caught by surprise by Mysterio's "Hurracanrana" move from the top strand!! Strangely, Liger breaks up that pin attempt!!! Liger then powerbombs Mysterio and rolled him up for a possible pin but Syxx came up from behind and hooked in his "Buzz-Killer" (crossface chickenwing hammerlock). Liger struggled to escape but was taken down in the center of the ring!!! After about 30 seconds, Liger finally tapped out and Syxx claimed another title for DX as he is now the J-Crown champion!!!

The Ultimate Warrior VS. Scott Hall (WWF Intercontiental Title Match)

The former "Razor Ramon" was going for a trifecta as he faced UW for UW's I-C title. Hall wrestled smartly by grounding UW and keeping him from exploding on him. Still, UW came back and at the 14 minute mark, he nailed Hall with his "gorrilla press" move and hit the ropes for his splash. Hall, however, was not as hurt as UW thought as he moved out of the way of UW!!! With the Warrior down, Hall quickly put UW in the "Razor's Edge" and hit it!!! Hall covers the Warrior and, to insure that UW wouldn't kick out, he used the ropes and hooked UW in a half-nelson to keep UW from kicking out!!! The ref saw none of this and Hall had the I-C title for DX!!!

Jacqueline VS. Chyna (WCW Ladies Title Match)

This match was for the vacant WCW Ladies title. Jacqueline went in with both an edge and a disadvantage. She had a psych edge because she had defeated Chyna in their previous encounter but Chyna also injured Jacqueline's back after that match. Chyna smartly went to work on the back of Jacqueline. Working it over with backbreakers, surfboards and camel clutches. It did not look good for Jacqueline as Chyna decked her with a clothesline. She then signaled for her "Chyna Rack" (similar to Lex Luger's Human Torture Rack). As she picked up Jacqueline, Jacqueline somehow slid behind her and hooked her DDT on Chyna!!! Jacqueline barely covered Chyna for the pin and her first WCW Ladies title!!! She left the ring hurting but victorious!!!

Tully Blanchard VS. Saturn (NWA World Television Title Match)

In this rematch from Road Wild in Sturges, SD, Blanchard used every shortcut that he knew against Saturn. Saturn, much like he did in Sturges, worked on the left leg of Blanchard but Tully was better prepared for the attack this time. Still, Saturn had the match won until a stray right from Blanchard decked the referee!!! Saturn, undaunted, went for the Death Valley Driver but Blanchard slid out of it, put a knee into the b*lls of Saturn, and hooked in his "Slingshot" suplex for the pin as another ref came in to count!!! But, as Blanchard was being declared the winner, the original ref came back in and DQ'ed Tully for the right hand earlier!!! Saturn was given the match and title as an angry Tully stood in the ring!!!

Magnum TA VS. Goldberg (NWA United States Heavyweight Title Match)

Magnum used an approach similar to Scott Hall's earlier as he grounded his bigger and stronger foe in defense of his US title!!! The main focus was the legs of Goldberg to try to neutralize his "spear" tackle and "Jackhammer" suplex. Still, Goldberg showed heart and some good skills of his own as he did counterwrestle Magnum very well. The match, at the 15 minute mark, saw Goldberg get in his "spear" tackle despite the punishment he took on his legs!!! He then went for the "JH" but Magnum shifted his weight and turned it into a small package. Goldberg, however, was ready as he reversed it on Magnum at the two count and got the pinfall!!! Goldberg has won the NWA US title!!! Magnum, defeated but gracious, went over and shook the hand of Goldberg who returned the gesture. Magnum then left the ring to the applause of the crowd as Goldberg celebrated his victory!!!

Owen Hart VS. Diamond Dallas Page (WCW World Television Title Match)

The crafty Owen Hart went into this match after an impressive string of victories since his August SummerSlam win over Dusty Rhodes for the belt. He now faces a determined DDP for his WCW TV strap. Both men showed good determination and work rate as both wanted the title. The match ended at the eight minute mark when Owen went for the "Sharpshooter" but DDP managed to get to the ropes before it could be completely applied. Undaunted, Owen sent DDP into the ropes and went for a "Hurracanrana" but DDP held him there, flipped him into the air and hooked the "Diamond Cutter"!!! DDP covered him for the win and the title in the fifth title change tonight!!!

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper VS. TAZ

This wild bout saw the unorthodox Piper take the usually sound TAZ out of his gameplan by befuddling his larger foe with his quick hand tactics. Both men used moves both legal and illegal in the bout. At the ten minute mark, the ref tried to get between them. Piper and TAZ both looked at the ref and then looked at each other. They then double belly to back suplexed the ref and went back to fight each other!!! An alternate ref called for the bell and ruled the bout a "no-contest" as both men fought back to the dressing room!!!