Every WCW "On A Pole" Match, Explained
It's been over two decades since WCW closed its doors and a large portion of the pro wrestling audience still misses the dysfunctional promotion. Throughout the late '80s and '90s, WCW was the only true alternative to WWE programming. Much like WWE, WCW could get a little too silly for its good at times.
WCW had silly gimmick matches all through the '90s. However, the number of whacky matches saw an uptick when Vince Russo started booking the card. Russo had a soft spot for "On A Pole" matches in particular, though he wasn't the first WCW shot caller to book an "On A Pole" match.
14 Coal Miner's Glove On A Pole
In 1992, Jake "The Snake" Roberts surprisingly showed up in WCW and began targeting Sting. They were scheduled to have a match at Halloween Havoc 1992. The two would ultimately be pitted against each other in a Coal Miner's Glove On A Pole Match. Whoever got the glove off the pole could use it on their opponent.
The finish of this match saw Sting grab the coal miner's glove just as Cactus Jack threw Jake the sack containing his snake. Sting would use the glove on Jake, causing the snake to "bite" Jake, allowing Sting to pick up the win.
13 Chair On A Pole
In the late '90s, pro wrestling fans became more bloodthirsty. This led to both WWE and WCW introducing Hardcore Championships. That plan worked a lot better for WWE than WCW. By early 2001, WCW's Hardcore Division would be more of a misfit playground if anything. On the 1/3/2001 WCW Thunder, Meng would face Crowbar in a Chair On A Pole Match. The match was bowling shoe ugly. The finish saw Meng throw Crowbar into a chair in the corner and use the Tongan Death Grip for the pin.
12 Flag On A Pole
A Flag On A Pole Match is probably the most logical of all the "On A Pole" match options. For the match to end, one competitor has to secure their country's flag. This match was popular in WWE in 1997 while the company had a heel proud Canadian in Bret Hart. Flag On A Pole Matches was still featured in WWE sporadically in the years to come.
On the 11/22/1999 edition of Monday Nitro, Dean Malenko took on a Canadian competitor in Flag Match. The match was decent considering the participants, but it was nothing special. Malenko would pick up the win and be WWE bound by the start of 2000.
11 Key On A Pole
Throughout 1999, The Filthy Animals and The Revolution had been at odds. The two stables were constantly ambushing each other. At one point, The Revolution abducted Torrie Wilson and kept her in their possession. This would ultimately come to a head in a Key On A Pole Match for Wilson.
On the 11/1/1999 edition of Monday Nitro, Eddie Guerrero would defeat Perry Saturn to win back possession of Wilson. The ending of the match saw Saturn get too close to Wilson's cage, allowing her to restrain him while Guerrero got the key.
10 Lead Pipe On A Pole
In the final days of WCW, Scott Steiner was finally given the spotlight as the company's top heel. On the 8/7/2000 episode of Nitro, Steiner would be on a warpath looking for Kevin Nash and Goldberg. He'd find Sting instead. After an altercation that saw Sting get choked out by Steiner and a lead pipe, a Lead Pipe On A Pole Match was booked for that night.
The match itself was a quick three-minute affair that was solid. In the end, Rick Steiner would come out and distract Sting enough for Scott to pick up the win. After the match, Sting would get put in a Steiner Recliner with the lead pipe.
9 Crowbar On A Pole
In late 1999, Diamond Dallas Page and Ric Flair entered a feud that would eventually grow to include Page's wife Kimberly and David Flair. The feud would ultimately lead to David Flair "snapping" and going crazy when DDP destroyed his dad at Halloween Havoc 1999. After some silly booking with Kimberly and David Flair, a Crowbar On A Pole Match was booked between Page and Flair. At Starrcade 1999, Page and David had a match where whoever retrieved the crowbar could use it on his opponent. After a surprisingly good but short match, DDP would hit a Diamond Cutter for the win. Surprisingly, the crowbar never really came into play during the match.
8 Stickball Bat On A Pole
By late 2000, WCW was as poor, creatively speaking, as it had ever been. The booking was all over the place and few things made sense. The Stickball Bat On A Pole Match between Reno and Big Vito on the 9/11/2000 edition of Monday Nitro is a great example of that.
In late WCW fashion, the stickball bat never came into play during the match. Big Vito tried to use it one time but was unsuccessful. The match ended when Vito's partner, Johnny The Bull, came out and turned on Vito. Johnny would hit Vito with a Kendo Stick, allowing Reno to pick up the win.
7 Champagne Bottle On A Pole
Heading into 2000, Kanyon was struggling to find his identity as a wrestler. For some reason, he landed a playboy persona as Chris "Champagne" Kanyon. On the 1/12/2000 episode of WCW Thunder, Kanyon would face Bam Bam Bigelow in a Champagne Bottle On A Pole Match.
Mercifully, the match lasted under five minutes. Kanyon would retrieve the champagne bottle, but Bam Bam would beat him with his Greetings From Asbury Park finisher before the bottle could ever be used as a weapon.
6 49ers Gold Rush Match
By late 2000, the writing was on the wall for WCW. On the 10/2/2000 episode of Nitro, fans that tuned in got an especially bad match in the form of the 49ers Goldrush Match between Booker T and Jeff Jarrett. The match was for the WCW Championship that Vince Russo had won and vacated.
In this match, there would be poles in each corner of the ring with boxes on top. Only one box contained the WCW Championship. It was as silly as it sounds. The match's highlight, or lowlight, came when Booker T finally grabbed the correct box, only for the title to fall out of it.
5 Leather Jacket On A Pole
In late 1999, UFC fighter, Tank Abbott was brought into WCW for a potential big-money feud with Goldberg. Not only would that feud never materialize, but Abbott's entire WCW run would be a disaster. There's perhaps no better example of this than Abbott's SuperBrawl 2000 Leather Jacket On A Pole Match against Big Al.
The match was extremely hard-hitting and tough to watch. In the end, Abbott would grab his jacket off the pole for the win. After the match, a visibly angry Abbott would pull a knife on Big Al right in front of the camera. Surprising but not completely shocking for late-stage WCW.
4 Piñata On A Pole
Heading into the new millennium, the WCW Cruiserweight Division was actively being buried by WCW management. This was on full display during the offensive Pińata On A Pole Match that took place on the 11/8/1999 edition of Nitro. On that show, Vince Russo had the brilliantly racist idea to throw all his Mexican wrestlers in a match where the objective was to grab a piñata with a $10,000 check inside. The match would break down into a melee almost immediately. In the end, the match was just a way to introduce "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Oklahoma. What a joke.
The participants of this five-way match were Silver King, El Dandy, Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera, and Villano V. It resulted in a no contest.
3 Viagra On A Pole
In the summer of 2000, Torrie Wilson turned on Billy Kidman. She would eventually join forces with Shane Douglas. This would set off a feud between Kidman and Douglas. The feud got a little whacky when sex tapes and performance issues were written into the storyline but that was par for the course for this era of WCW.
On the 7/31/2000 episode of Monday Nitro, Kidman and Douglas would square off in a Viagra On A Pole Match. The wrestling in the match was decent, but the performers were hindered by the silly stipulation. In the end, Douglas would win the match as Kidman was left laying in a pile of Viagra.
2 Judy Bagwell On A Forklift
In 2000, Buff Bagwell and Kanyon were in the middle of a heated feud. Kanyon would turn the heat up on Buff when he began stalking Buff's mother, Judy. Eventually, Kanyon would abduct Judy, leading to a match between Buff and Kanyon for the possession of Judy Bagwell. That's how the infamous Judy Bagwell On A Pole Match was born.
At New Blood Rising 2000, Buff and Kanyon fought as Judy Bagwell was perched on top of a forklift. The match would feature a run-in by David Arquette, but Buff would ultimately win and get back possession of his mother. Cringe-worthy doesn't even begin to describe this booking.
1 Hardcore Title On A Pole
WCW's Hardcore Division never lived up to its potential. Instead of being a vehicle for creating stars, the division became a purgatory for low-level performers. This is evident during the 4/1/2000 episode of WCW Saturday Night which featured a Hardcore Championship On A Pole Match.
The match featured the champion Brian Knobbs, Norman Smiley, and a bunch of relatively unknown performers. The bout was a weapons fest cluster. In the end, Knobbs survived the free-for-all to retain his irrelevant title.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKeoqqSowaa%2BjZympmenmMRuu81mmGaon6GybrnArZqhnaNixLOx0q2joqaXZA%3D%3D