June 1995 WCW: Will Savage Get His Revenge on Flair?
A complete recap from watching June 1995 World Championship Wrestling, including match recommendations, key takeaways, and show-by-show notes.
The Ric Flair and Randy Savage feud reached a personal level back at Slamboree, with Flair attacking Savage’s father. Savage was on the warpath heading into June and used the U.S. Title Tournament to secure a match with Flair on the June 3 episode of Saturday Night, but Flair refused to come out. Savage chased him backstage and attacked him. A big brawl ensued, forcing Flair to escape to his limo. Commissioner Bockwinkel once again imposed strong consequences for things getting out of hand. He kicked both men out of the U.S. Title Tournament and signed a match for The Great American Bash. This left Sting versus Meng as the final for the U.S. Title at the Bash.
What you’ll find below:
Recap: A rundown of the major happenings this month.
Recommendations: A mix of interesting matches, promos, and segments.
Takeaways: My key points that stood out from the month.
Show-by-Show Notes: Comments from going through each show.
Flair needled Savage in his promos leading up to the match, insisting it was Savage’s fault for pushing the issue and claiming Savage was never satisfied being second place. Flair played off their history, saying he once took Savage’s wife and beat his father to a pulp. This deep, personal grudge set the stage for the main event of The Bash, delivering my top match of the year up to that point. With Angelo Poffo watching from ringside, Savage and Flair went at it in a relentless fight that lived up to the build. Savage’s nose became bloody during a great exchange. He had the match won but let his rage get the best of him, pulling Flair up for more punishment instead of finishing the match. As Flair had said, Savage had violence in his heart. Flair used a chain to secure the victory. The feud continues as the focus shifts to Bash at the Beach, which will take place on Huntington Beach in California. Flair and Savage are set to face off in a Lifeguard Match, with Savage vowing to take Flair to school this time and finally get the win.
The U.S. Title Tournament concluded at The Bash, with Sting defeating Meng to become the new champion. Arn Anderson’s great run as WCW World Television Champion ended at The Bash when he lost to The Renegade. The fans in attendance were not pleased with this outcome. During the match, the still unnamed Giant was seen watching from the audience. Renegade primarily competed in quick TV matches and moved on to defend his title against Paul Orndorff at BATB.
The tag team division heated up, with multiple feuds intersecting. The Blue Bloods were looking to take the WCW World Tag Team Titles from The Nasty Boys, while Harlem Heat battled the Stud Stable. The Nasty Boys and Blue Bloods clashed several times on TV, with matches often ending in disqualifications. The Blue Bloods proved to be natural rivals for the Nastys, with Regal horrified at even touching them. Meanwhile, Harlem Heat expressed outrage at not receiving a title rematch against The Nasty Boys. They were also upset with Sister Sherri for involving them in a feud with Col. Parker’s Stud Stable members, “Dirty” Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck. Despite these distractions, Booker T and Stevie Ray kept piling up wins on TV to make their case for a title shot. At The Bash, Sherri outsmarted a lovestruck Col. Parker, helping Harlem Heat secure a win over the Stud Stable.
Harlem Heat later became involved in the Nasty Boys vs. Blue Bloods match, which led to the Nasty Boys retaining the titles. Harlem Heat finally got their rematch against The Nasty Boys on the June 24 episode of Worldwide, regaining the World Tag Team Titles in the best match of their series after interference from the Blue Bloods. Harlem Heat’s victory set up a three-way feud heading into BATB.
Other developments included Steve Austin briefly aligning with Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in what seemed like a tease of a new Four Horsemen. Flyin’ Brian and Alex Wright had a mentor-versus-student feud that culminated in an terrific match at The Bash. Pillman attempted to sucker Wright in, but Wright ultimately got the win. Wright continued to gain experience, competing in lengthy matches against veterans, including a notable one with Ric Flair. Pillman’s attitude seemed to be taking a darker turn. Diamond Dallas Page continued picking up wins with the Diamond Cutter. However, he lost an arm-wrestling match to Evad at The Bash, granting Evad a date with the Diamond Doll. Sgt. Craig Pittman maintained his winning ways but was disqualified at The Bash for refusing to release his armbar on Hacksaw Duggan. Road Warrior Hawk continued his solo run, mainly as a close ally of Sting.
Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan is back from the beach, cutting promos hyping up a big Cage Match with Vader to headline BATB in July. This on-location event is another creative experiment from WCW, making the promotion feel bigger. Kevin Sullivan continued his transformation, arriving at the Dungeon of Doom and meeting The Master, the last link to darkness. Sullivan, now known as The Taskmaster, began his mission to lead the warriors of the Dungeon of Doom in their quest to crush Hogan.
June 1995 WCW Recommendations
Full credit to everyone out there who makes all of this accessible. You know who you are!
Arn Anderson interview (June 3 Worldwide)
Ric Flair and Randy Savage brawl outside Center Stage (June 3 Saturday Night)
Alex Wright vs. Ric Flair (June 10 Saturday Night)
Ric Flair promo (June 17 Worldwide)
Nasty Boys vs. Blue Bloods (June 17 Saturday Night)
Harlem Heat vs. The Fantastics + interview (June 18 Main Event)
Alex Wright vs. Flyin' Brian (June 18 Great American Bash)
The Nasty Boys vs. The Blue Bloods (June 18 Great American Bash)
Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair (June 18 Great American Bash)
DUNGEON OF DOOM: Kevin Sullivan arrives at The Master (June 24 Worldwide)
Nasty Boys vs. Harlem Heat (June 24 Worldwide)
Road Warrior Hawk & Sting vs. Harlem Heat (June 24 Saturday Night)
Steve Austin vs. Scott Armstrong (June 26 Prime)
Wrestler of the Month: Randy Savage
Match of the Month: Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair (June 18 Great American Bash)
Promo of the Month: Ric Flair promo (June 17, 1995 Worldwide)
June 1995 WCW Takeaways
Ric Flair and Randy Savage become the focal point for Great American Bash and headline with Hogan not around until the PPV. It’s the first time he hasn’t wrestled on PPV since Fall Brawl 1994. Flair and Savage carry it well and deliver a truly great match.
The Dungeon of Doom skits start slowly, mainly with Kevin Sullivan becoming The Taskmaster. Watching in context, it’s surprising that they don’t start the actual full on cartoony skits until June. It’s also at total odds with how the rest of the promotion is evolving. It’s very isolated which was for the best in hindsight. They could have easily just let this be the vibe of the whole promotion. The unnamed Giant is also lingering around.
DDP’s been given an inch and is taking a mile. They used the Vegas winnings as a way for him to upgrade his whole presentation. He’s also got the Diamond Cutter now and getting on Saturday Night more.
The Blue Bloods have been a great addition to the tag division. They do a lot of goofy stuff but they’re so crisp and good in the ring that it balances out well.
Arn Anderson sadly ends his great TV Title run by losing it to The Renegade. Arn was the first half MVP of the promotion. Based on the TV, Alex Wright would have been my choice to take it.
June 1995 WCW Show-by-Show Notes
Current Champions
WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan
WCW United States Champion: Vacant
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Nasty Boys
WCW World Television Champion: Arn Anderson
June 3, 1995 WCW Worldwide
Stars & Stripes squash.
WCW TV Champ Arn Anderson interview. Holding the title like the NWA TItle. He thinks Renegade has tremendous presence but it’s a bluff. He’s doing his best here. Good promo.
Steve Austin squash.
Great American Bash Control Center: Randy Savage promo on Flair. Not about championship belts. IN THE DANGER ZONE!
Johnny B Badd squash
Jim Duggan squash
Frank Andeson squash. Anderson has some great suplexes
Power Plant Commercial
Sting v Tex Slazenger. Decent match. First time seeing Tex in 95. Sting wins.
June 3, 1995 WCW Pro
Nasty Boys squash
Alex Wright squash
Stud Stable (Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater) squash.
Big Bubba Rogers v Jim Duggan. Ok. Bubba knocks out ref for DQ.
Savage/Flair quick promos on tonight
June 3, 1995 WCW Saturday Night
Alex Wright squash.
Sting v Dick Slater. Ok. Meng kicks Slater by mistake and Sting wins. Sting and Meng have a cool faceoff after with Meng shadow boxing and Sting beating his chest.
Renegade squash. TV wrestling debut.
Harlem Heat squash. Post-match interview. Can’t believe they don’t get a rematch.
Ric Flair v Randy Savage - US Title Tournament Semi Final. Flair’s not coming out so Savage chases him backstage and attacks him. We actually get to see what it looks like behind Center Stage. Arn and Flair beat on Savage. Sting and Renegade help. Big brawl all the way out to the street and Flair escapes in his limo. When we come back Commissioner Bockwinkel is on the phone. Both are out of the tournament. Sting vs Meng will be for the US Title at Great American Bash. Recommended.
June 4, 1995 WCW Main Event
Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Steve Austin v Sting, The Renegade, Alex Wright. Decent while it lasted. Austin’s positioned as an associate of Arn and Flair. Would have been a good addition if they reformed the Four Horsemen. Arn throws Renegade over the top for a DQ.
June 5, 1995 WCW Prime
Stud Stable (Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater) squash.
June 10, 1995 WCW Worldwide
Meng squash
Sting interview on facing Meng. Very casual.
Harlem Heat squash.
Great American Bash Control Center: Ric Flair promo mocking Macho. Parallel each other. Comes to a close. Savage forced the issue.
Sgt Craig Pittman v Tim Horner. Squash. Pittman is 100% armbar focused
Meng and Col Parker interview on Sting. Run down different people Meng has taken out.
Randy Savage promo on GAB. Father’s Day. Going to take care of family business. Danger zone.
Brian Pillman v Bunkhouse Buck. Ok match. Pillman wins.
June 10, 1995 WCW Pro
Jim Duggan squash
Dave Sullivan squash. He has his rabbit now. Gets a present from Diamond Doll.
GAB Control Center: Ric Flair promo. Savage never satisfied being second place to him
Meng squash
Sgt. Craig Pittman v Brad Armstrong. Ok. Not as good as the other one. Pittman wins with armbar.
June 10, 1995 WCW Saturday Night
The Renegade squash. Post match interview with Jimmy Hart. Jimmy going over the top with the Hogan love. Renegade speaks. Arn will know what intensity is all about
Diamond Dallas Page squash. Uses the Diamond Cutter. Its more of an early running variation. Dave Sullivan out giving a rabbit to a fan. Post-match interview. Dallas wants Evad. Arm Wrestling at Bash. DDP given an inch and taking a mile.
WCW World Tag Team Champs The Nasty Boys squash. Post-match interview on Blue Bloods. Going to meet on Main Event first.
Alex Wright vs. Ric Flair. Good match. Get about 10 minutes this time. Flair works like a veteran. Makes Wright earn more this time instead of just plugging him into a Flair match. Flair wins with the tights. Savage attacks Flair after. He’s the best when he’s locked into a feud like this. Feel the danger.
June 11, 1995 WCW Main Event
WCW World Tag Team Titles The Nasty Boys v Blue Bloods. Good preview for the Bash. Brawl around venue. Regal reacting to Nastys is very funny. Cheap over the top DQ.
June 12, 1995 WCW Prime
Paul Orndorff squash.
June 17, 1995 WCW Worldwide
Tony and Brain mainly talking about Flair and Savage at Great American Bash. It’s a non-Hogan PPV.
Sgt Craig Pittman squash
Meng & Col. Parker interview on Bash.
DUNGEON OF DOOM: Master calling his son. Follow the darkness.
Stars & Stripes squash.
GAB Control Center: Macho Man promo on Flair.
Paul Orndorff squash
Vader squash
Sting interview. Not gonna be classy. Sting and Meng will collide in the ring. That rhymes.
Ric Flair promo. Violence in the heart of Macho Man. Runs down history. Took his wife and beat his dad to a pulp. Recommended
Harlem Heat v Tim Horner & Scott Armstrong. Solid match. Heat win. Getting wins even if they’re not in title program right now.
June 17, 1995 WCW Pro
GAB weekend
Meng squash
Nasty Boys squash
Alex Wright squash
Stud Stable (Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater) v Brad Armstrong & Tim Horner. Ok match. Brad selling arm injury from Pittman. Buck uses ropes to win.
June 17, 1995 WCW Saturday Night
Flyin Brian squash. Post-match interview on Wright GAB match. Very babyface promo on his home state.
Harlem Heat squash. Post-match interview. Got the shaft for not getting a return match.
Vader squash. Announcers talking about Kevin Sullivan’s transformation to The Taskmaster. There will be a Vader/Hogan announcement on Main Event. Post-match interview. Vader time. Hogan knows what time it is. Going to send Hogan back to Hollywood.
Dave Sullivan squash. Post-match interview. Evad communicates with his rabbit.
WCW World TV Champ Arn Anderson squash. Post-match interview on Renegade.
Paul Orndorff v Barry Houston. Decent match. Houston usually gets squashed but this goes like 10 minutes for some reason. Orndorff wins with a piledriver. Post-match interview. Doesn’t care who wins TV Title match. He has the winner.
Hawk squash. Hawk knows how to do a squash well. Post-match interview. Gotta deal with this now like a virus. Haven’t followed up on Meng and Hawk.
Sgt Craig Pittman squash. Post-match interview. Open challenge for Great American Bash.
WCW World Tag Team Titles Nasty Boys v Blue Bloods. Good long match. There’s some funny lines in the little promos they do throughout the show. This was meant to be non-title but the babyface Nasty Boys put them on the line early. Regal’s reactions are great again. They have much better chemistry than Nastys and Heat. Heat come in for a DQ. Sherri takes an atomic drop. One of the better tag division matches of 1995.
June 18, 1995 WCW Main Event
Harlem Heat v The Fantastics. Strong pre show tag. Fantastics wrestle to their size well. Use speed and double teams to get advantage. Impressive Heat Seeker. Heat win. When they’re around, The Fantastics are the best actual in-ring team in WCW. Post-match interview. Sick of favoritism. Demand their return match. Sherri’s freaking out.
June 18, 1995 WCW Great American Bash - Dayton, OH
Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan. Savage seeking revenge for his father. Vader and Hogan are both in the building tonight! The return of the Great American Bash kicking off an exciting summer
Alex Wright vs. Flyin' Brian. Very good match that gets better as it goes along. Starts off as a bit of a bland babyface v babyface match. Brian starts increasing the physicality and wakes things up. Getting more and more aggressive. The action itself escalates very nicely and the people respond. Pillman feigns a knee injury to sucker Wright in. However, Wright counters a sunset flip for an upset pin. A style of match that’s been missing from WCW in 1995. Pillman showed signs of going heel.
Diamond Dallas vs eVad - Arm Wrestling. Diamond Doll and Ralph the rabbit are on the line. Dallas gives him a chance to back out. Evad wins and it actually gets a big pop from the crowd. Dallas blames the Doll. She’s going on a date with Evad.
Sgt. Craig Pittman vs Jim Duggan. Ok. Duggan filling in for injured Bagwell. Pittman’s a believable psycho. Not over at all, though. Again there’s a big disconnect from TV and PPV crowds. Pittman won’t let go of the armbar and gets DQ’d. Duggan chases him off.
Blue Bloods interview. Talk about history and compare Nasty Boys to Hitler!
Harlem Heat vs. The Stud Stable (Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater). Solid match. This was set up on Main Event earlier. Parker gave Sherri a kiss and got decked for it. Heenan thinks it’s a love connection. Seems like Stevie Ray’s working hurt. Sherri outsmarts Parker and Heat win. Unclear if this was a face turn for Harlem Heat or not.
From Main Event, Vader stormed out shoving Bischoff and Bockwinkel. Hogan hits him with a chair and they fight. Commissioner Bockinwkel orders a Cage Match for Bash At The Beach.
Ric Flair interview. Black robe. Vader got what he wanted. Tonight Flair’s taking out Savage. He comes off like WWF Flair here. Reiterates that he took his wife in 1992. Took out his dad at Slamboree. Good play off history without overdoing it.
WCW World Television Title Arn Anderson (c) vs. The Renegade. Ok. Renegade has new gear. Arn gets cheered for cheapshotting him. Renegade gets booed on offense. Big cheers for spinebuster. Renegade wins title with a splash. Arn saved this from being awful but it’s a terrible way for his great TV Title run to end. The Giant is there watching on and is still unnamed.
Nasty Boys pre-match interview.
WCW World Tag Team Title The Nasty Boys (c) vs. The Blue Bloods. Good title match. Enjoyed this quite a bit. Blue Bloods proved to be a good team beyond the gimmick. The fans like the Nasty Boys. Bloods do their best faces and reactions to Nastys. Fans are more up for this than anything on the show to this point. Regal and Knobbs have a great exchange of stiff forearms and punches. Eaton hits a great flying knee drop. Harlem Heat get involved. Knobbs pins Eaton to retain.
Meng & Col Parker pre-match interview on Sting
Bash At The Beach on the actual beach promo
Sting interview on US Tournament. He’s been champion. Does Meng know what to expect?
Sting vs. Meng - US Title Tournament Final. Decent match. Meng’s an interesting case. He’s been presented very strong but he just doesn’t connect with these crowds like how he should. Does a lot of no selling. Best part is Sting throwing himself at Meng. Crowd comes up big for Sting firing up. Meng actually breaks the Scorpion. Sting responds by chopping Meng down and hitting a DDT for the win! Sting is the new US Champion.
Randy Savage interview. Congratulations Sting and Renegade on their title wins. Positive momentum in WCW. Inspiration makes him tick. No way out for flair
Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair. Great Main Event. The best match of 1995 to this point. Angelo Poffo is at ringside. Savage and Flair start hot. It’s a fight and Savage is laying it all in. They work at a relentless pace. Flair posts Savage to slow him down and taunts Poffo. Flair’s much more himself instead of the cartoon version he’d been against Hogan. The match lives up to the animosity of the feud. There’s great drama as Poffo bangs his cane to root Randy on when he’s in the Figure Four. Savage learned from him how to turn it. There’s a great chop and punch exchange. Must be some live rounds because Savage’s nose is bloody. Savage has it won but he pulls up Ric to hurt him more. Crashes into the barricade. Angelo chokes Flair with the cane. Flair winds up using a chain to get the win. Savage’s rage cost him.
Good show that opened and closed strong. They seem to be getting better people into good spots. This was the first non-Hogan PPV since Fall Brawl.
June 19, 1995 WCW Prime
Bunkhouse Buck v Tim Horner. Ok. Buck wins after Slater gets involved. Brad Armstrong helps Horner after.
June 24, 1995 WCW Pro
Nasty Boys squash. Nastys still had tag titles here.
Nasty Boys interview with the gold. Heat not getting titles.
BATB Control Center: Hogan on beach promo. Jimmy talking more. Vader not from hood. Like the on location stuff. It makes the promotion feel bigger getting outside of Disney and Center Stage.
Blue Bloods squash. Harlem Heat watch on.
WCW TV Title The Renegade v Mark Starr. Squash. No belt for Renegade
Paul Orndorff squash.
Vader squash. Not a fan of the purple gear
Vader interview. Chased Hogan to the west coast. Cage match with the most feared wrestler. Promises worst beating of his life
June 24, 1995 WCW Saturday Night
WCW World TV Champ The Renegade squash.
Johnny B. Badd squash.
Alex Wright squash.
Randy Savage promo on BATB. Big shark attack
Diamond Dallas vs. Chris Kanyon. Squash. Post-match interview. Diamond Doll goes on her date next week with Evad.
Road Warrior Hawk & US Champ Sting vs. Harlem Heat. Decent match with a hot start. Sting wins with a crossbody. Post-match interview. Hawk cuts a nutty promo. Sting will get the Scorpion on Meng in the rematch.
June 24, 1995 WCW Worldwide
Tony and Bobby talk Bash fallout. It seems like Tony has permanently taken over from Bischoff at this point.
Blue Bloods squash
The Renegade and Jimmy Hart interview. Defending the TV Title against Paul Orndorff at Bash at the Beach. There will be 70k people there.
DUNGEON OF DOOM: Kevin Sullivan arrives at The Master. Last link to darkness. Warriors gathering. Sullivan will lead them from the Dungeon of Doom. Etched in stone. Take the final step. Taskmaster now has the power. Crush Hogan. I guess the problem was that the stuff earlier wasn’t cartoony enough! Recommended
Diamond Dallas squash. Diamond cutter.
Flyin Brian squash.
Paul Orndorff interview. Renegade is a souped up spider monkey.
Randy Savage interview. Lifeguard Match with Flair at BATB. Will take him to school and get it done.
WCW World Tag Team Titles Nasty Boys v Harlem Heat. Good match. The best they’ve had. A condensed sub ten minute version of the matches they were having that dragged. Blue Bloods take out Knobbs. Heat win the belts back!
Nasty Boys post match interview. Not over. Blue birds.
June 26, 1995 WCW Prime
Steve Austin v Scott Armstrong. Fun little match. Dusty’s talking about Austin looking for a new tag team partner so that was the direction.
Great stuff as always. I really enjoyed that Flair/Savage match. Such a fun brawl.