By now in this series, we have defined our hero and our monster. We have seen both gain victories over the other. Now we have established a true rivalry between Sting and Vader to the point where the stakes have to be raised. As with all good stories, you need a plot twist. Vader would follow his King of Cable Tournament loss by recapturing the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a victory over Ron Simmons. Sting, by virtue of both winning the King of Cable Tournament and defeating Vader at the same time, was a viable #1 Contender. But again, even the WCW Championship was not enough to build this up. No, ladies and gentlemen. Instead, WCW brought in one of the more historically brutal stipulations in wrestling history: the leather strap.
That's right. Vader and Sting would be tied to opposite ends of a leather strap. The first person to touch all four corners of the ring in succession (without interruption) would be the winner. Again, this sounds easier said than done. And when you add the fact that his opponent was a 400lb monster that he would have to drag around to touch those turnbuckles, Sting had a major uphill battle waiting for him. Keep in mind that WCW built this match as being so violent, so destructive, that they refused to "sanction it." (I always love how wrestling companies refuse to sanction matches yet let them air on their big events.) So, the WCW Championship would NOT be on the line here. It's just a match to settle the score once and for all between the two combatants.
Can the hero overcome the monster one more time?
Let's go back to SuperBrawl III (1993) to find out.
 |
WCW SuperBrawl III (1993)- White Castle of Fear Leather Strap Match (rendered black and white by me due to blood)
WWE Network: "The Man They Call Vader" Collection
|
WCW SuperBrawl III (1993)
Asheville, North Carolina
February 21, 1993
White Castle of Fear
Unsanctioned Lights Out Leather Strap Match
Vader (w/Harley Race) vs. Sting
Vader comes out with Race, the WCW Championship, and a White Cape. Sting comes out to fireworks and the roar of the crowd. (By the way, you can see the definite increase in production value in this show compared to even Starrcade a couple months back.) Vader and Sting meet up in the ring. They get tied up to the strap.
The bell rings. Both men continue to feel out the strap early on, with Vader using it to "flip" Sting over a couple times. Vader pulls in Sting for a clothesline and drops the elbow a few times. Now, the strap is used to whip Sting. Vader climbs the corner and splashes Sting on the mat below. Sting a moment later gets up and uses the strap to cause Vader to low blow himself a couple times. Sting goes on the attack and knocks Vader down. A dropkick knocks him down again as does a flying clothesline out of the corner. Sting hits a pair of HUGE splashes off the top rope (as in great elevation). Sting starts whipping Vader with the strap to the roar of the crowd. Race gets some too once he gets on the apron. Vader is now on the floor, and Sting uses the strap to ram Vader into the ring post a couple times. Slam on the floor by Sting. Sting is dragging Vader around ringside to touch the corner turnbuckles. Vader throws Sting into the barricade, breaking the count. Vader is bleeding from the back where Sting whipped him.
Back in the ring, Sting hits a Samoan Drop on Vader. Vader catches Sting running at him with a few splashing attacks. Sting backdrops Vader out of a Powerbomb position. Sting goes for another Top-Rope Splash, but Vader moves out of the way. Splash in the middle of the ring by Vader. The mauling begins. Vader hits his own Samoan Drop. Vader Bomb out of the corner. Sting is now getting whipped by Vader. Vader puts Sting on his shoulders and climbs up the corner. SAMOAN DROP OFF THE CORNER! Vader is going for the corners now. He gets 2 of them, but Sting stops Vader there. Vader drops Sting again and climbs up the corner. Sting rolls out of the way from a Vader Bomb. Vader gets back up and climbs over the ropes to the top. Sting uses the ropes to saddle Vader on the top turnbuckle. Vader then gets flipped off the top rope into the middle of the ring.
They fight on their knees until Vader gets one blow in to get the advantage. He puts Sting on the corner and climbs up. SUPLEX OUT OF THE CORNER BY VADER! Vader starts going to the turnbuckles. He gets 3, but Sting stops him from getting the 4th one by wrapping his legs around the bottom rope. The count is broken. Vader starts striking Sting in the corner repeatedly. Sting is now bleeding in the head as Vader keeps pulling in Sting to get beat up. Sting gets a rolling kick in to knock Vader down. Sting starts fighting back and hits the German Suplex. DDT by Sting. Sting just decimates Vader in the corner with a plethora of punches and strikes. Vader is on Sting's back. Sting is touching the turnbuckles. He trips over the referee trying to get to the fourth one, sending him falling and Vader FALLING ON TOP OF HIM! Vader goes back on the attack with blood coming out of his ear now. Vader ties up Sting's feet with the strap. Vader gets one buckle. A second one. A third one. Sting is holding on for dear life on the ropes. Sting kicks away Vader, but Vader falls back into the fourth buckle! Vader wins. Sting is attacking Vader violently with strap shots. Vader seemed to be bleeding profusely from the face as the video ends.
Winner: Vader
Match Grade: A. A bloody war in a time period where blood, or "color" as it has been called, wasn't exactly welcomed in a G-era of wrestling. Vader and Sting worked their style of match and upped the level of violence with the strap. While as a match I don't consider it to be as great as the King of Cable Tournament match a month before, this is probably the biggest spectacle that these two men have had in terms of the brute nature of the match. The ending again protects everyone involved as Vader gets his win on a fluke, and Sting continued to attack Vader even as the match was over. This may be one of the greatest strap matches I have ever seen (including the bull-rope matches as well).
_ _ _ _
This was supposed to be the match that ended the feud. But Sting and Vader continued to find ways to beat each other up over the years. And at times, others would get involved in their rivalry. Next time, we will look at an example of that dynamic. The next match will be Sting teaming with Davey Boy Smith (aka The British Bulldog) to take on The Masters of the Powerbomb (Vader and Sid Vicious) from Beach Blast 1993.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
For earlier reviews on the Sting vs. Vader series, check out the links below:
Focus: Sting vs. VaderThe Great American Bash 1992
Starrcade 1992
Comments
Post a Comment