TCW XI: The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Pre-Show: Footage was shown of the Alpha Males, Bruiser Brody and Mad Dog Vachon, attacking Stan Hansen at Heenan's direction. As they left the big man laying and bleeding from his mouth, Heenan yelled at their victim, "You missed a big opportunity, Hansen, and you're going to be sorry!"

The Destroyer vs. Larry "The Axe" Hennig
The Destroyer defeated Larry Hennig via pinfall (cross-body into power slam) at 13:08. **3/4

Hennig put on a good showing in his TCW debut, but the Destroyer showed why he's the number one singles contender. He duplicated one of his season one feats of strength by catching Hennig in a cross-body attempt and turning it into a power slam for the win.

"The Man of a Thousand Holds" Johnny Saint vs. Bruiser Costa
Johnny Saint defeated Bruiser Costa via pinfall (double arm stretch and cradle) at 7:35. *3/4

Johnny Saint showed off his incredible chain wrestling ability in this match, finishing it off by locking Costa into a lengthy cradle sequence alternating submission stretches with rolls into the pin before keeping Costa's sholuders down.

Backstage: As the Rock and Roll Express got ready to start an interview, Marty Jannetty blindsided Gibson with a dropkick, sending him and his broken arm into a nearby wall. Security cleared the scene quickly, but with the way Gibson clutched his arm, the damage had clearly been done.

Points in Play (Somewhere)

The Fantastics vs. Masked Superstar and "Jumpin'" Jim Brunzell
Bobby Fulton defeated Jim Brunzell via pinfall (cross body block) at 4:21. 3/4*

It was a quick match, and the Fantastics were clearly inspired to show that they belonged in the ranks of TCW's tag team division.

"Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase vs. Marty Jannetty and Brian Christopher
Ted DiBiase defeated Brian Christopher via pinfall (FULL POWER SLAM) at 22:52. ***1/2
The Million Dollar Team scored two points.

After a long, technical match, DiBiase and Williams got the better of their opponents, but both teams made a good showing of themselves. As the bell rang, confetti shot off from launchers on the ringposts, signifying that this was one of the points in play matches for the night. As Slick slid into the ring to celebrate with his men, he grabbed the mic and announced, "The Rat Pack is back, brutha!"

F.A.L.S.E. vs. Curt Hennig and Nick Bockwinkel
Curt Hennig defeated Mike DiBiase via pinfall (HENNIG PLEX) at 3:41. DUD

Bockwinkel opened the match by winding up DiBiase with an armbar, then immediately tagged in Hennig and made him finish the match. Hennig hit two HENNIG PLEXES on DiBiase to get the quick win, with an elevated angle on the second one.

Post-Match: The medical staff came down to check on a motionless DiBiase, ultimately putting him a neck brace and strapping him to a back board to be wheeled to the back. He gave the crowd a thumbs up to applause as he was taken up the ramp.

Diamond Dallas Page and Angelo Poffo vs. "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko and Magnum T.A.
Larry Zbyszko defeated Angelo Poffo via pinfall (PILEDRIVER) at 12:33. ***3/4
The Chicago Winners scored two points.

There was a lot of good back and forth action in this match, with a flurry of nearfalls at the end before Zbyzsko put Poffo away with a devastating PILEDRIVER. Confetti launched off once again, and Magnum and Larry Z high-fived as it fell on them.

Jerry Lynn and Steve Regal vs. Ladies' Choice
Jerry Lynn defeated Chris Candido via pinfall (CRADLE PILEDRIVER) at 2:03. DUD

Jerry Lynn's TCW debut was a chaotic showcase, with him hitting two big dives to the outside on Candido and Prichard before finishing the former with a CRADLE PILEDRIVER. Regal never entered the match.

The Alpha Males vs. "The King" Harley Race and Stan Hansen
Bruiser Brody defeated Harley Race via pinfall (JUMPING KNEE DROP) at 5:07. *1/2
Natural Selection scored two points.

Despite the attack earlier in the evening, Hansen insisted on starting the match. His intestinal fortitude didn't quite rise to the occasion of overcoming the beatdown. Race mostly fought the match two-on-one, and against this caliber of competition, even he stood no chance. As Brody celebrated, the confetti fired off one last time, awarding two points to Natural Selection.

King's Guard vs. The Armstrongs
Lou Thesz defeated Bob Armstrong via pinfall (GREGO-ROMAN BACKDROP) at 3:49. DUD

It was another impressive debut on the night, with the King's Guard dominating the Armstrongs for a strong first showing.

The Sheepherders vs. The Midnight Express
Stan Lane defeated Luke Williams by pinfall (DARK SIDE) at 3:06. DUD

The Midnight Express continued their winning ways and gave the Sheepherders a rude welcome to TCW in a short match.

Post-Match: The Sheepherders were met on the ramp by Pampero Firpo, who embraced his new teammates and patted them on the back to encourage them before heading into the ring. Luke and Butch, clearly pleased to have a kindred spirit on their team, followed him back to the ringside area and set up chairs by the announce table to watch the action alongside Lance Catamaran.

TCW US Heavyweight Championship Match

"The Raging Bull of the Pampas" Pampero Firpo (C) vs. "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers (#4)
Pampero Firpo defeated Buddy Rogers via ref stoppage (EL GARFIO) at 6:49. **
The Order of the British Empire scored one point.

Rogers controlled the action early, easily outwrestling Firpo and getting him into the FIGURE FOUR GRAPEVINE. That's when the Sheepherders sprung into action, distracting the ref and Rogers both to save Firpo. The action spilled out to the outside there, and Firpo's brawling ability and the presence of the tag team at ringside were too much for Rogers to overcome. Firpo slammed his head full force into the turnbuckle, knocking him cold, then rolled him back in the ring and locked in his finisher to get the win.

TCW US Tag Team Championship Match

The Blackjacks (C) vs. The Rock and Roll Express (#3)
Barry Windham defeated Robert Gibson via pinfall (LARIAT) at 13:39. **3/4
The Mavericks of Wrestling scored one point.

The two teams seemed evenly matched, but when Ricky got his signature hot tag in to Robert, the Blackjacks went right for the arm. With Robert unable to defend himself, there was little doubt left in the outcome of the match.

TCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy (C) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (#3)
Terry Gordy defeated Randy Savage via pinfall (POWER BOMB) at 12:22. ****
The Million Dollar Team scored two points.

It was an explosive and violent match from the opening bell, with Gordy hitting the BAMM BAMM SLAM just a minute in for a nearfall, only for Savage to come back with a neckbreaker for a pinfall of his own shortly after. The Machines' newest addition, Maria Bamford, at ringside in full "Ladykind" gear, tried to get involved in the match, but Ted DiBiase - of all people - streaked down to ringside to inform the ref and get her tossed out from the ringside area. In her frustration, she grabbed a chair and chased a confused DiBiase back to the back as the two heavyweights continued to brawl in the ring. Savage ended up taking five finishers from the champ before finally succumbing to the third POWER BOMB of the match.

TCW World Tag Team Championship

The Road Warriors (C) vs. The Machines (#1)
Animal defeated Brutus Beefcake by pinfall (DOOMSDAY DEVICE) at 4:25. 1/2*
The Chicago Winners score two points.

The Road Warriors picked up right where they left off last year, overpowering their opposition and defending their title in dominating fashion.