Classic Review: WCW Beach Blast 1993
It’s the summer of 1993! One month after the WWF’s King of the Ring, WCW has Beach Blast! They’ve got Davey Boy Smith in the company and they’re dead certain he’s a main eventer! Ric Flair is back to challenge for the increasingly useless NWA title held by Barry Windham! Rick Rude is given a 30-minute time limit you know he’s gonna see all of, and putting Rude in over 15 is always a gamble! The Four Horsemen are back, there’s not four of them, and one is Paul Roma! Erik Watts!
It was a time to be alive for sure.
Live from Biloxi, Mississippi, at the Gulf Coast Coliseum.
Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura are on the call. Underrated team! I’ve said this enough that maybe they aren’t now. We also have Eric Bischoff as the, like, “host,” like they would do. He was not underrated, and he’s paired with Missy Hyatt. They’re wearing beach gear on the cool beach set. We need fucking SETS again at pay-per-views. Wild to me that the more money and more focused on “production” and being “a show” American wrestling companies get, the less extravagant they are, visually. Look at broke ass 1993 WCW putting together this cool set! What do we get now? Sometimes the big TV is … bigger.
This is right in the midst of the “mini-movie era” of WCW. Lots of dwarves blowing shit up and the like. Not as cool as that sounds.
Paul Orndorff vs Ron Simmons
For Orndorff’s WCW Television Championship
Ron Simmons would like you to wave your hands in the air, like you just don’t care. Orndorff loses the TV title if he gets disqualified in this one. Lots of “Paula” signs in the crowd because the prevailing thought at the time was that Orndorff sucked so much he was basically a woman, of all the rotten things someone could be.
As Orndorff argues with the fans from the apron, Simmons has finally had enough and jumps him before the bell. “Typical Bobby Bowden, Florida State football!1” Ventura says. Using his unfair opening advantage, Simmons tries to keep the momentum, hitting a dropkick for two, but Orndorff is too wise a veteran and rolls out of the ring, where he again is too emotional and stupid to ignore the fans. Lots of layers to Paul Orndorff.
Simmons reveals his lack of ring IQ when he tries to slow down the pace and wear Orndorff down with holds, which is not the advantage he has in the style matchup with Orndorff. Orndorff hits a belly-to-back suplay and takes control at his pace, which is what Simmons allowed to happen. But Simmons is able to target the knee, and that reveals his increasing maturity and ruthlessness. Lots of layers to Ron Simmons.