Horrible. Dreadful. Horrendous. Awful.
None of these words do this show justice for just how terrible Uncensored ’95 was. It was, with the benefit of 25 years of hindsight, an unmitigated disaster. Of course, I’m pretty sure it was seen that way in 1995, too. People got fired because of this show.
Uncensored ’95 does not fall into the category of “so bad it’s good.” It’s just bad. I’d venture to say it’s probably one of the worst WCW shows of all time. Take, for instance, the main event. It’s a non-title strap match between WCW Champion Hulk Hogan and the monster Vader. After a gaga finish at SUPERBRAWL the previous month where Hogan won by disqualification, they’re going at it again here without the title on the line. It’s a great opportunity to put Vader over and set up a final rematch for the title. Instead, Hogan wins the strap match by dragging “Nature Boy” Ric Flair – who is still “retired” from competition and not at all in the match – to all four corners!
So very little about this show makes any sense, right up to how anyone who booked the show thought any of it was a good idea. Most of the roster comes out of this looking stupid (or fired) and there’s very little reason to look forward to the next show.
Best Match: Big Bubba Rogers defeated Sting – This is mainly because I enjoy the energy surfer Sting brings to his matches and I wasn’t expecting a win for Big Bubba. In a night where weird finishes and screwy fights were the norm, a one-on-one match with a clean finish wins as best of show.
Worst Match: King of the Road Match: Blacktop Bully beat Dustin Rhodes – I don’t even know where to start with this match. Everything about the concept is so exceptionally stupid. Two guys fighting on the back of a flatbed truck while the truck drives around for a while. The only way to win is to blow a horn. They’re not supposed to bleed, because of company policy and the show being low-key booked as violent, but agent Mike Graham tells them it’s OK. Since the “match” was taped the day before, the whole thing had to be edited and censored to avoid the blood. As a result, Bully, Rhodes and Graham were all fired. The match was so bad it had casualties.
It’s Uncensored! Or Is It: For a card that was promoted as being unsanctioned by WCW because of all the violence, all the matches should have been filled with over-the-top action, with wrestlers going all-out to win. Then you have the match between “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Avalanche, which ended in a disqualification when Ric Flair – in a dress, wig and makeup – came out to attack Savage. A disqualification. And Flair in eyeliner and lipstick is one of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen.
Ranking the Uncensored ’95 matches:
1 – Big Bubba Rogers defeated Sting
2 – “Macho Man” Randy Savage beat Avalanche by disqualification
3 – Strap Match: Hulk Hogan beat Vader
4 – Falls Count Anywhere Match: The Nasty Boys defeated Harlem Heat
5 – Boxer vs. Wrestler Match: Johnny B. Badd beat Arn Anderson
6 – Martial Arts Match: Meng beat “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
7 – King of the Road Match: Blacktop Bully beat Dustin Rhodes
*DISCLAIMER* The Top 10 rankings are for discussion purposes only and in no way reflect an official or authoritative list. It is simply my opinion. If you disagree, let me know in the comments. New arrivals to the Top 10 are in bold. Let’s be real, though. Nothing from this show was making the Top 10
1 – WWF Championship Match: Diesel (c) and Bret “Hitman” Hart battle to a draw – Royal Rumble 1995
2 – WCW World Championship Match: Hulk Hogan (c) beat Vader by disqualification – SuperBrawl V
3 – WCW TV Championship: Arn Anderson (c) defeated Johnny B. Badd – Clash of the Champions XXX
4 – Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage defeated the Butcher and Kevin Sullivan – Clash of the Champions XXX
5 – WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Final Match: The Kid and Bob “Spark Plug” Holly defeated Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka – Royal Rumble 1995
6 – Sting and “Macho Man” Randy Savage defeated Avalanche and Big Bubba – SuperBrawl V
7 – The Undertaker defeated Irwin R. Schyster – Royal Rumble 1995
8 – Sting defeated Avalanche by submission – Clash of the Champions XXX
9 – WCW World Tag Team Championship Match: Harlem Heat defeats The Patriot and Marcus Alexander Bagwell – Clash of the Champions XXX
10 – Intercontinental Championship Match: Jeff Jarrett defeated Razor Ramon (c) – Royal Rumble 1995
Next up, it’s time for WrestleMania XI!