The Night Ron Simmons Made History

-

 

The day of August 2nd, 1992 wasn't a special day as far as the wrestling world was concerned. There was no pay-per-view special to order. It wasn't even the day for WWE or WCW's biggest weekly shows. So there was little reason to think that history was about to be made that day in Baltimore, Maryland. However, the fans who showed up that night were in for something special, a perfect moment in time. 

The card for the show was nothing special. The second biggest match was Barry Windham versus Tracy Smothers, while the match of the night was supposed to be a World Heavyweight Championship rematch between Sting and Big Van Vader. A few weeks prior, Sting, who was easily the most popular wrestler in WCW, had lost the belt to Vader. Fans were eager to see him try and win it back. It didn't quite work out that way.

Nikita Koloff was another popular wrestler, and friend of Sting's at this time. He was engaged in a feud of his own, with "Ravashing" Rick Rude over the United States Championship belt. They had already had a few run-ins and brawls, and just before Sting was to receive his shot, Koloff received his. He and Rude went at it, and "The Russian Nightmare" appeared to have the match won, but the referee was down. Cactus Jack came to the ring and he and Rude double-teamed Koloff until Sting, who was at the broadcast table, came to the rescue. He cleared the ring, but suddenly Jake "The Snake" Roberts came out of the crowd and attacked Sting from behind. After a chair shot and a DDT onto the chair, Roberts left Sting laying in the ring, injured and in trouble.

Fast Forward to August 2nd, and WCW needed someone to face Vader for the title. They chose by "random" draw. Barry Windham, Rick Rude, and others were among the names available, but it was Ron Simmons who won the draw and would get the title match. 

The match itself was solid enough. Two big powerful men hit each other with a lot of slams, clotheslines, punches, and kicks. There would be no aerial moves. The crowd was into it, though, cheering at the near falls, and buzzing when Simmons was on offense. Jim Ross was on commentary, and in typical Ross style, kept the match feeling important. Both wrestlers took some punishment, but it appeared that Vader was gaining momentum as the match wore on.

As the climax of the match approached, Vader nailed Simmons with a series of blows and set the Former Florida State Seminole up for the finish, and the crowd seemed ready for Vader to put him away. As Simmons was hoisted into the air, he wiggled free, and slipped off behind the champion. Vader went to the ropes, lining up a high impact move, but Simmons caught him with a huge powerslam that shook the ring. The ref leaped to the mat as JR screamed "HE GOT HIM IN A POWERSLAM! HE GOT HIM IN A POWERSLAM!" As the ref counted three, it was bedlam. The crowd exploded. A young, black teenager in the front row jumped up and down. Simmons pounded his fists on the mat, then leapt to his feet, fists in the air, screaming to the sky. All this happened to a chorus of Jim Ross thundering "HE GOT IT. SIMMONS HAS WON THE BELT! SIMMONS IS THE CHAMPION!" Other wrestlers poured into the ring to congratulate the new champion, and the crowd roared around them. It was chaos everywhere.

A number of things combined to make that moment. The match was well done, and the ending was great. The crowd was into it and seemed to recognize the power of the moment at its conclusion. Jim Ross was the perfect version of himself, taking an amazing occurrence, and somehow managing to make it even more powerful. The hot finish, the announcing, the crowd, the celebration, and the look on Ron Simmons face were all priceless, all pieces of a historic moment.

The match wouldn't air on television until approximately two weeks after it was taped, and only about eight thousand fans saw it live. However, those 8,000 sounded like 50,000, and maybe it made the moment even more special. Instead of a pay per view spectacle where there were multiple announcers, multiple cameras, and too many things going on at once, WCW crowned the first recognized black World Champion in wrestling in a much simpler format. Now, when viewed, it's hard to not get goosebumps, and maybe even tear up a little. Instead of fireworks, and music, and pay per view pomp, perhaps the greatest moment in wrestling history came down to Ron Simmons, pointing to the heavens, with JR screaming in the background, and a kid in the first row, jumping in absolute joy. And that's just perfect.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Grandfather

-
My grandfather was always larger than life. His massive pot belly preceded the rest of him by a few seconds wherever he went, but I'm not talking about that. His booming voice could be heard, as he called for his chickens, far and wide across the property we shared when I was growing up, but I don't mean that either. He wasn't just my mother's father, my neighbor, and the slightly crazy guy who talked to chickens on his little farm. He was the farm. Even as a small child, he seemed ancient, with a grey buzz-cut, weathered skin, and rough, gorilla-sized hands. Those hands were something. His balled-up fist was the size of a watermelon, and it was easy to imagine that if you angered him, those hands could twist off any appendage that he wished. Even as an old man, he looked like he was a just a few years removed from bench-pressing a tank. He also moved slowly, sometimes with a limp, and could be heard sighing anytime he stood up from the couch where he took his daily n...
Read more

My Week 14 Recap

-
We're in the process of closing out the season, and the good teams are showing it, while the bad teams are, well, really bad. This week the Packers flex, the Cowboys flop, the Jags romp, and the Broncos do it again. Week 14 Power Rankings: 32. Indianapolis Colts-I really don't see how they could possibly win a game at this point. Move over Lions, you've got company. 31. St Louis Rams-Injuries have killed them, but injuries had nothing to do with not getting Stephen Jackson the ball on the goalline. That's pure idiocy. 30. Cleveland Browns-The defense held Pittsburgh to 14 points. Unfortunately for them, if a team can score 10 against the Browns, it's enough. 29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-How bad is this team you ask? They gave up 41 points to the Jags, a team whose season-high up to that point had been 20 points. THAT'S MORE THAN DOUBLE THEIR PREVIOUS BEST. Raheem Morris, go stand in line with Haley and Sparano. 28. Kansas City Chiefs-Todd Haley goes from loo...
Read more

WWE Recap: Saturday Night Main Event (March 1988)

-
We open with the usual introductions from the wrestlers participating in the show. Hulk Hogan tells the camera that "He will never bow. He will never break." I'm guessing that's where Breaking Benjamin got the idea for the song. Ok. Maybe not. Anyway..... Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake vs Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/ Jimmy Hart These two are former tag team partners, and they did mention that in the pre-match interviews, which was good story-telling. Beefcake's ring attire leaves little to the imagination, and Jesse Ventura asks Vince McMahon if that excites him. Vince responds that Elizabeth excites him. Wild. As the action starts, they have a little back and forth. Brutus hits a high knee that takes The Hammer off his feet. A boot to the face follows, and Beefcake struts like Ric Flair. A pair of atomic drops are hilariously sold by Valentine. The referee steps in between the two as they grapple in the corner, and Valentine takes the op...
Read more