WCW Spring Stampede 1997 Results and Review A Better VHS Experience

Here we go again, the year was 1997, the April pay per view for WCW went to Tupelo, Coliseum and put in 8,356 in attendance for this show that was headlined by two of the best in the business ever. 8 matches were shown on the program, and there was a lot to enjoy and well, I liked this event a great deal. I’m going to be reviewing this from the WWE network, but I recommend that you get it on VHS. You can purchase WCW Spring Stampede 1997 on VHS here, unedited, uncensored, and without WWE’s editing squad. Here we go, the results and review of Spring Stampede 97.

WCW Spring Stampede 1997 Results and Review

Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Ultimo Dragon

This opener was absolutely great. A young Rey Mysterio Jr. before all the knee surgeries took on the iconic Ultimo Dragon in a stellar match up. Mysterio was crisp, young, and flying around the ring. Meanwhile, Ultimo was so crisp in his movements. He was able to counter Mysterio often and really put on a showcase of the Japanese style mixed with Lucha elements. This 15 minute opener is worth your time, a seriously classic cruiserweight match.

Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa (WCW Women’s Championship)

A five minute throwaway match. WCW failed to use Madusa well, and this match showed that.

Prince Iaukea defeated Lord Steven Regal (WCW Television Championship)

This was another interesting bout for the night. Steven Regal’s style didn’t fit Iuakea’s in this match. It went just over 10 minutes and it was still good, but it just started awkwardly. Regal is always fun to watch, as his mat work is second to none. It’s an adequate match, but nothing great.

The Public Enemy defeated Steve McMichael and Jeff Jarrett

This was an interesting match that featured Public Enemy going over. It was a nice little match, but nothing too grand. Public Enemy wasn’t treated well in WCW, but they were on a win streak at this point, so they get the win, and yes, someone does go through a table. Overall, not bad, but definitely not a great match. Lots of slow moving, and despite the table spot, it was a bit boring overall.

Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit ended in a No Contest (WCW United States Championship)

This went 17 minutes and it was a slow one. It was like watching a human chess match. The ending came with Kevin Sullivan coming through and hitting Chris Benoit with a kendo stick, knocking him out for the 3 count. This was a good match, if you like old school wrestling, because it was definitely old school, and methodical. The ending would continue the feud with Benoit and Sullivan, leading to their epic retirement match at Bash at The Beach 1997.

Kevin Nash defeated Rick Steiner (WCW World Tag Team Championship)

This match ended up being a single’s match for the titles. Scott Steiner was arrested earlier in the show, and Nick Patrick was the referee here. Overall a hard hitting match, Steiner working very stiff. Eventually Nash would win overall, but this was not a great match at all.

Lex Luger defeated The Giant, Booker T, and Stevie Ray in a Four Corners Match

Lex Luger got the win, but the story here was that whomever got the pinfall, would get a title shot against Hollywood Hogan. As I recall, Luger would get a title shot and actually win, only to get the title stripped away from him on Nitro. Whatever the case is, this was a good overall match, with The Giant and Luger on the same page, while the Harlem Heat ended up arguing. This was the night where Booker T called Hogan the N word, if you’re curious.

Diamond Dallas Page defeated Randy Savage

Macho Man was super stiff working with DDP. DDP ended up getting the win, but only after taking a serious beating by Randy Savage. After a diamond cutter, a ref bump, and Nick Patrick’s return, DDP would win. This was a brawl, nothing more than a sheer fight, and Macho eventually went down to DDP, but the feud was far from over.

Overall Spring Stampede 1997 was an underrated event and definitely deserved a lot more attention. The WWF at the time was running Revenge of Taker, and only received 6,477 in attendance in New York. Their main event was Stone Cold versus Bret Hart, so you know. Taker fought Mankind for the title, and well, that show I didn’t get live, I got Spring Stampede and recorded the VHS tape off the event. It was a classic in my view. Anyways, this night was cool for WCW, but there was a lot of dissension and disarray in the ending. The NWO seemed to be breaking apart.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

The cruiser weight match and the main event made this one above average. However, the rest of the card left something to be desired overall.

Again, if you’re going to watch this one unedited, you’ll want to look into Spring Stamped 1997 on VHS by clicking here. Don’t watch it on the Network, it will be edited, and censored, without the real music and reactions.