WCW US Championship Tournament – 1993

The tournament was devised to determine a #1 contender to WCW US Champion Rick Rude. It wasn’t until the day of the finals that it was announced Rude had been stripped of the title due to injury and the tournament would fill the vacancy.

– Quarter Finals

12/14/92; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theatre
WCW Saturday Night – 1/2/93
– Dustin Rhodes pinned Vinnie Vegas at 6:22 with the bulldog after Vegas hit the corner

12/14/92; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theatre
WCW Saturday Night – 1/2/93
– Tony Atlas (w/ Cactus Jack) pinned Van Hammer at 5:07 when Cactus tripped Hammer as he attempted to suplex Atlas into the ring and then held the leg down during the cover

12/14/92; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theatre
WCW Saturday Night – 1/2/93
– Barry Windham pinned Johnny B. Badd at 7:32 with the DDT following a lariat; during the bout, Madusa briefly came out to watch the match

12/14/92; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theatre
WCW Saturday Night – 1/2/93
– WCW/NWA Tag Team Champion Ricky Steamboat pinned Dan Spivey at 8:21 with a crossbody off the top; during the bout, Madusa briefly came out to watch the match

– Semi Finals

12/14/92; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theatre
WCW Saturday Night – 1/9/93
– Dustin Rhodes pinned Tony Atlas at 4:18 with the bulldog after avoiding an elbow drop; Madusa appeared ringside during the bout to scout both men; prior to the contest, Cactus Jack escorted Atlas ringside

12/14/92; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theatre
WCW Saturday Night – 1/9/93
– WCW/NWA Tag Team Champion Ricky Steamboat defeated Barry Windham via disqualification at 17:34 when Windham threw Steamboat over the top rope after referee Nick Patrick was knocked to the floor; during the match, Madusa appeared ringside to scout both men; after the bout, Windham attempted a DDT on the floor until WCW/NWA Tag Team Champion Shane Douglas made the save; moments later, Dustin Rhodes, Steve Austin, and Brian Pillman also got involved in the fight

– Finals

1/11/93; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theatre
WCW Saturday Night – 1/16/93
– Dustin Rhodes defeated WCW/NWA Tag Team Champion Ricky Steamboat via count-out at 15:00 when, after the referee was knocked down from a collision, Barry Windham interfered and dropped Steamboat with a DDT on the floor; after the commercial break, Jim Ross showed Rhodes how the match ended and he said that’s not how he wanted to win the title and walked off to find Steamboat