- Scott Keith

· Live from Chicago, IL (duh)

· Your hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum TA.

· Opening match: Michael Hayes v. The Russian Assassin

The Assassin is Jack Victory, doing double-duty tonight. This is before Hayes' 1989 heel turn and US title victory. Mercifully clipped to the 10 minute (!) mark, which shows how bad it must have been. The "Russian" controls with a chinlock for a couple of minutes, but Hayes comes back with the few moves he knows (bulldog, suplex, DDT) for the pin. Looked to be about 1/2*

· "Hacksaw" Butch Reed v. Sting

Okay, I have to ask: What the hell is a soupbone and why does Jim Ross only use in reference to Butch Reed? Pretty boring match, with Sting working on the arm and then Reed responding with heel stuff. This was just another placeholder match until Sting got the TV title in March. Long chinlock spot from Reed (with requisite feet on the ropes to work up the crowd). Reed is managed by Hiro Matsuda here, the guy who took over all of JJ Dillon's contracts when he left for the WWF.

Reed badly blows a clothesline spot, missing Sting and going tumbling out of the ring. It looked really awkward and Sting looks like he's having trouble keeping a straight face. Reed does everything from hair-pulling to tights-pulling to hammer home the point that he's a heel. Sting makes the superman comeback, but Reed tosses him to the apron. Sting sunset-flips his way back in, but Reed holds onto the ropes for two. Teddy Long breaks the hold on the ropes and Sting finishes the sunset flip for three. Sting is just crazy over. 1/2* No way this thing deserved TWENTY MINUTES. Ugh.

· Loser-leaves-NWA: The Midnight Express & Jim Cornette v. The Midnight Express & Paul E. Dangerously

Well, not quite. Dennis Condrey is already fired, so Jack Victory (last seen jobbing in the opening match) is subbing. That pretty much gives away the fact that Randy Rose would be the one leaving here. Lane and Rose start out. It always struck me as odd that someone named Jack Victory would be a jobber. Cornette gets into the act right away, dropping a double-team elbow on Victory along with Eaton. In a cute spot, Eaton holds Rose and Cornette gets a shot in, then Rose holds Lane for Dangerously, but Lane reverses and Paul E nails his own man. Eaton takes a Pillman-esque bump to the steel railing to become Ricky Morton. Oh, the irony. More...