Barry Windham, Big Van Vader & Paul Orndorff vs. Cactus Jack, Dustin Rhodes & Sting

[8.0] "I really enjoyed it, so I'm somewhat surprised by the reception. The tagging rules weren't necessary, but at least it felt like the referee was trying to keep some order out there and keep the guys on the apron, so they felt justified. Sting and Dustin both delivered great babyface performances, but it was Cactus who stole the show with his interference near the end, getting the pin and cutting an amazing promo afterward. The heels were aggressive and vicious, and they made it feel like an actual fight. Vader was especially convincing with his stiff work and overall presence, but he also knew when and how to sell. It flowed very nicely, had a big match feel, and the fans were into everything they gave them."

[3.0] "Why they are wearing street clothes? Why the tag rules in a cage match when they keep yapping that the match has no disqualifications? I'll do one better, what was the point of the cage if we just gonna have a basic tag match and the cage won't come into play? ! they were killing time waiting for Cactus Jack run-in, which happens to be an absurd finish to an atrocious match."

[7.0] "This match had a lot going for it. For one, multiple storylines are weaving their way through this match. This match also marks the complete babyface turn for Cactus Jack. At the same time, the match feels like a bit of a hot mess. First, it was supposed to be a 4-on-4. Then a 3-on-4. Then a 3-on-3. Then down to a 2-on-3. It remained a handicap throughout most of the match until the end when Cactus Jack ran out, cut off the lock of the cage, and went in to help Dustin Rhodes and Sting. The wrestling was good, especially since you get to see heat in some of these feuds. I think what was most disappointing to me, however, was that the ThunderCage played little to no role in the match besides making it a barrier for Cactus Jack, thus prolonging that moment. The rules weren't super clear to me; it seemed like an "anything goes" sort of match, yet it also felt quite structured, following many of the rules most of the time. I also wasn't sure how the ending worked as Cactus Jack got the pinfall. Was he the legal man? Did he even have to be in this style of match? I'm not sure. It was still a good match to round off the card, and it plays an important role in how things evolve in the coming months. I will admit, seeing Cactus Jack come in was quite a surprise to me as I didn't know to expect it. Overall, it's a good match and worth a watch if you want to see something that has some good wrestling and good moments. 7/10"

[7.0] "Ron Simmons was taken out by a pre-match assault from Vader (in one of many substitutions this bout had), leaving Sting and Dustin to battle the heels alone. This was essentially a 2-on-3 handicap up until the ending, but they made it entertaining enough by focusing on what the fans wanted to see and covering most of it up with a frenzied brawl. Dustin continued his revenge tour against Windham in dynamic fashions, and of course, you can never really go wrong with the greatness that was Sting v. Vader, even if it was as brief as this. The ThunderCage gimmick was one of those wacky WCW concepts based on another media franchise that never really clicked, and the actual structure felt more like a decoration than a stipulation with how much it was utilized here. Cactus Jack cemented his face turn by breaking into the cage with bolt cutters to aid the good guys! He got his revenge on Harley Race's crew by nailing Orndorff from behind with his boot and pinning him. It was a solid, if unspectacular main event that set things going well. Besides, the crowd loved the hell out of it, and it also led to one of the best rivalries of 1993 -- which is always a bonus! [***1/4]"

[7.0] "I thought this was a lot of fun. There was a convincing sense of hatred between the participants (Dustin was especially great in the way that he came after Windham), and the match felt appropriately chaotic for the era. They do adhere to the rules a lot more than some fans might expect, but that was about what I expected for an early 90s WCW match. The Cactus Jack babyface turn was a really fun moment that ended the match on a high. It's not the most logical or well crafted bout that you'll ever see, but for pure entertainment value I had a good time with this."

[6.0] "I actually liked this. The crux to this match was a really good babyface turn for Cactus Jack; who turned because he was overlooked and disrespected by Harley Race to be on the other team. Surprisingly fun and solid Cage match for this time period."

[3.0] "Not sure if there's too many matches who got card-subject-to-change'd as much as this one did and was still billed as the same match. As a piece of art to turn Cactus Jack face (and to keep Ron Simmons over), this is stellar entertainment. As an actual match, though, this is a awful mess. It's a cage match, we're repeatedly told it's no DQ, yet both teams politely wait for tags for almost the entirety of it until Cactus's inevitable run in to even up the teams. The cage almost never comes into play, either, except for Jack's entrance. It is horrifically bad psychology from "the era where psychology mattered! " as some older fans would have you believe. Schlock though it may have been, though, I still liked a few bits n bolts of it--it's hard to hate anything that puts Vader and Sting together, Ron Simmons attack before the match was incredible (and the way he got Vader up for that slam was a thing of beauty), and Jack's usage of his boot to hit everyone during his rampage was extremely funny. Jack gets the pin on Orndorff to get the three. The crowd's also hot throughout this, it's worth mentioning. Finally, I'd like to say that Windham looked better in street clothes than in wrestling gear--there was an attempt to "roughen up" the image of everyone in the match by having them wear non-wrestling gear, but only Windham really benefited from it (and Vader, hilariously, just wore his normal singlet anyways.)"

[7.0] "Lots of shuffling the deck before this match began. It was originally supposed to be Sting, Dustin Rhodes, Ron Simmons, & Van Hammer against Vader, Rick Rude, Barry Windham, and The Barbarian. But Van Hammer and Rick Rude dropped out of the match due to injury. Orndorff replaced Rude and then their group fired Barbarian for being associated with Cactus Jack. Then, Ron Simmons was beat up before the match and injured out of it. Then, during the match, Cactus Jack joined Sting's team. The match itself was fun, but I don't think the Thunder Cage added anything significant to the match."

[7.0] "It was more of an angle that an actual match per-se, so it's a bit tougher to rate. However, this was really good overall. There were enough stories being told here to keep it engaging all the way through. The Sting-Vader showdowns are always cool to see, even if it's just a small preview like it happened here. Dustin Rhodes constantly trying to go after his former partner Barry Windham was a great touch. He also tried to make a 3-on-1 comeback near the end, until Cactus Jack came in to save the day. The finish could've been stronger, but it did get the point across that Cactus was now a good guy. This gets an extra point for the successful angle, Cactus' face turn as well as his awesome post-match promo. [***]"

[5.0] "This was deeply mediocre. They wore street clothes and it's in a cage but they follow normal tag rules and it begins as a 3 on 2 before Cactus runs in. The faces were never actually in peril and mostly dominated. Great promo from Cactus post match"

[6.0] "This was an okay, but not, great match, and kind of disappointing considering the talent involved in this match. It was booked a 3 vs. 2 cage match with a heel advantage, and somehow they booked it with the faces dominating. Still, pretty entertaining."

[7.0] "Good little 6-man cage match. Started off as a 3-2 handicap match and Sting and Rhodes did a great job of selling. Cactus's save was awesome but could have done with a better weapon. Cactus's post-match promo was awesome and a sign of the things to come. Good clash of the champions main event for 1993"