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Starrcade '92: Battlebowl – The Lethal Lottery II

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Starrcade '92: Battlebowl – The Lethal Lottery II
Official cover of the VHS tape, featuring Sting (left), Rick Rude (center), and Ron Simmons (right)
PromotionWorld Championship Wrestling
DateDecember 28, 1992
CityAtlanta, Georgia
VenueThe Omni
Attendance8,000
Tagline(s)The Ultimate Challenge Of Skill, Luck, and Survival
Only One Man Can Survive
Pay-per-view chronology
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Halloween Havoc
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WCW/New Japan Supershow III
Starrcade chronology
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1991
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1993

Starrcade '92: Battlebowl – The Lethal Lottery II was the 10th annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was broadcast December 28, 1992, from The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.

The show's focus was the second-ever "Lethal Lottery" / "Battle Bowl" tournament, where randomly paired tag teams competed for a spot in the Battle Bowl battle royal at the end of the night. Unlike the previous Starrcade, it was only a 16-man tournament with 8 finalists in a single ring battle royal. It also saw Ron Simmons defend the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against "Dr. Death" Steve Williams; the team of Shane Douglas and Ricky Steamboat putting the WCW World Tag Team Championship on the line against the team of Brian Pillman and Barry Windham; and Masahiro Chono defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against The Great Muta. In addition, Sting faced off against Big Van Vader in the finals of the "King of Cable" tournament.

It was the last WCW Pay-Per-View for announcer Jim Ross, who left for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) shortly thereafter.

This was also the last Starrcade featuring championships from the National Wrestling Alliance, WCW would leave the NWA for good in September, 1993.

In 2001, WCW, including all rights to their television and pay-per-view shows, was bought by WWE. In 2014, all WCW pay-per-views were made available on the WWE Network.

Storylines

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The event featured wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. The first match of the "Lethal Lottery" was drawn at random as part of the Clash of the Champions XXI show on November 18, 1992, which paired up Johnny B. Badd and Cactus Jack to face the team of Van Hammer and Danny Spivey, who won as part of the Starrcade show.[1] Sting won the first BattleBowl at the 1991 Starrcade and thus was guaranteed to be one of the 16 wrestlers in the tournament.

Event

[edit]
Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
Commentator Jim Ross
Jesse Ventura
Interviewer Tony Schiavone
Battlebowl Commissioner Larry Zbyszko
Ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta

Ron Simmons was originally scheduled to defend the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Rick Rude, but Rude was injured in the weeks prior to the show and had to be replaced by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams instead. The "King of Cable" tournament was an eight-man tournament conducted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of wrestling airing on TBS Superstation.

Reception

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J.D. Dunn of 411Mania gave the event a rating of 5.0 [Not So Good], stating, "Bill Watts got fired almost immediately following this show, and Verne Gagne's coffee boy Eric Bischoff would take over and surprisingly not get fired himself after a dismal 1993. I appreciate that Watts tried to bring back realism and sportsmanship to WCW, but he booked to his tastes and not the audience when it came to who to push, and that came back to bite him. The show, like a lot of early 1990s WCW shows, had a hebetudinous pace and deathly atmosphere. The two matches worth seeing are on the Essential Starrcade, so no need to pick this one up. Thumbs down."[2]

Aftermath

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Ron Simmons would lose the WCW World Heavyweight Championship two days later back to Big Van Vader in Baltimore, MD, on the same site Simmons had defeated Vader on August 2.

Rick Rude appeared at the event distraught over being unable to challenge for the WCW World title and even more upset over WCW’s decision to strip him of the WCW United States Championship if he failed to defend by January 23, 1993. A tournament that was to begin the following month to determine a number one contender would eventually become a tournament final to determine a new champion, won by Dustin Rhodes. When Rude returned he would feud with Rhodes over the title. Rude’s next shot at a World title came at Fall Brawl '93: War Games, where he defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship.

Results

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No.Results[3][4]StipulationsTimes
1DBrad Armstrong defeated Shanghai PierceSingles match07:30
2Van Hammer and Danny Spivey defeated Johnny B. Badd and Cactus JackLethal Lottery tag team match06:51
3Big Van Vader and Dustin Rhodes defeated Kensuke Sasaki and The BarbarianLethal Lottery tag team match06:56
4The Great Muta and Barry Windham defeated Brian Pillman and 2 Cold ScorpioLethal Lottery tag team match06:59
5Steve Williams and Sting defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Erik WattsLethal Lottery tag team match09:08
6Masahiro Chono (c) defeated The Great Muta by submissionSingles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship12:49
7Ron Simmons (c) defeated Steve Williams by disqualificationSingles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship15:12
8Shane Douglas and Ricky Steamboat (c) defeated Barry Windham and Brian PillmanTag team match for the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championships20:02
9Sting defeated Big Van Vader (with Harley Race)King of Cable tournament final16:50
10The Great Muta won by last eliminating Barry WindhamBattleBowl II14:01
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
D – this was a dark match

^1 Other competitors were Big Van Vader, Dustin Rhodes, Van Hammer, Danny Spivey, Sting, Steve Williams and Barry Windham

King of Cable Tournament brackets

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Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Big Van Vader
Tony Atlas
Big Van Vader
Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes
The Barbarian
Big Van Vader
Sting
Rick Rude
Barry Windham
Rick Rude
Sting
Sting
Brian Pillman

References

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  1. ^ "Clash of Champions Results (XX)".
  2. ^ "Dark Pegasus Video Review: Starrcade '92: Battlebowl/Lethal Lottery II". 411Mania. 2009-03-15. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  3. ^ Cawthon, Graham (2014). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 4: World Championship Wrestling 1989-1994. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1499656343.
  4. ^ "Starrcade 1992". Pro Wrestling History. December 28, 1992. Retrieved August 29, 2015.