January 16, 1988 WCW Saturday Night results

The January 16, 1988 Edition of WCW Saturday Night was a taped professional wrestling television show which took place on January 13, 1988 at the WTBS Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

This show is considered to be building up towards the Bunkhouse Stampede 1988 PPV.

Recap
Cold open with Dick Murdoch and Jim Cornette talking across the ring from NWA TV Champ Nikita Koloff. The announcers mention that Cornette's mother has a $50,000 bounty on Dusty Rhodes and Murdoch is looking to collect.

The opening graphics play, then we go to Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross in the backstage announcer area. They welcome the fans and hype the TV title match later tonight.

We head over to the opening match of Michael P.S. Hayes and Gorgeous Jimmy facing George South and Tony Suber with Teddy Long officiating. Schiavone mentions that Hayes and Jimmy are currently the number 1 contenders for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. South and Suber put up a bit of fight, but Hayes and Jimmy hit their new finisher the "Old MF" (a double spinebuster) after nearly seven minutes.

Afterwards David Crockett interviews the winners. Jimmy Garvin complains that they can't get Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in the ring. Hayes adds that anyone who knows professional wrestling knows that they get what they want and he warns Ric Flair that he's also in their sights.

Next we have the promised NWA World Television Championship match between Koloff and Murdoch. Koloff relies on his brawling and power skills, but this match is mostly dominated by Murdoch's cheating ways. At one point Koloff hits the Russian Sickle on referee Dick Worley and takes him out. This causes the Midnight Express to come and try to revive the ref for Murdoch's pinfall attempt. Dusty Rhodes and Barry Windham also come out to cheer on Koloff. Murdoch repeatedly attempts to put away Koloff, but can't do it before the time limit ends the match.

Crockett interviews Koloff in the backstage area. Koloff mentions that Murdoch is different then any of the other tough wrestlers he's ever wrestled. He even says his match against Murdoch was the toughest match he ever had. He welcomes another match but Murdoch needs to fight fair and leave Cornette in the back.

The Barbarian and the Warlord dominate a tag team match against Clement Fields and Keith Steinborn. They took their time brutalizing their opponents to give Paul Jones time to join the announcers and trash-talk the Road Warriors and hype their upcoming $50,000 body press challenge. Finally, Warlord holds Fields over his knee as Barbarian delivers a diving headbutt at six and a half minutes for the pin.

After the match the winning team gets interviewed. As Warlord and Barbarian flex, Paul Jones again promises a victory over the Road Warriors, Ivan Koloff promises his training will pay off and this team is ready to win.

After a commercial, Crockett welcomes Ric Flair and James J. Dillon of the Four Horsemen. Dillon first brags about the high society lifestyle of being a Horseman. Flair explains that the Horsemen are what make wrestling great. He also promise a victory over Michael Hayes in Los Angeles with the Lakers looking on. Flair tells Barry Windham that he's under consideration as a potential Horsemen in the future.

Ron Simmons wins a two minute squash match over Cody Starr. He got the pin after a flying football tackle from the second rope.

Post-match, Simmons talks about how he's had to work for everything he's gotten and he appreciates the fans that do the same. He promises to be ready for any title shot but he's going to keep working up the ladder.

The Rock 'n' Roll Express won a squash match over Alan Martin & Steve Atkinson with their patented double dropkick after about 4 minutes.

David Crockett interviews them after the match. Ricky Morton tells the Sheepherders that the R'n'R Express is tried of being used and abused. They show a clip of the Sheepherders and Johnny Ace attacking Morton's leg with the New Zealand flag.

Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard of the Four Horsemen win a squash tag match over Ed Franks and Lee Peek. In the four minute match, Franks and Peek didn't land a single bit of offense. Blanchard gets the pin after a slingshot suplex.

David Crockett interviews Lex Luger about why Luger left the Four Horsemen. Luger first talks about how he's the best in the sport of wrestling and that the Horsemen were in his way in his path to success. He says he's going to take down the Horsemen individually starting with Anderson. The show plays a clip of Luger calling out Anderson and Horsemen Blanchard & Anderson attacking him, then Barry & Kendall Windham making the save, then other wrestlers breaking up the fight. After the clip, Luger also says he'll eventually take down Flair as well. He worries about having no allies in this fight. He plays another clip, this time it shows Ole Anderson helping Luger fight off Arn Anderson. Luger then doesn't really explain anything, but promises to destroy Flair.

Mike Rotunda defends the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship against Larry Wayne through a lot of cheating and suplexes.

Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan get a post-match interview. Sullivan says that he watched the Koloff match and he saw an intense athlete that being chased by many people. He tells him it's because Dusty Rhodes is using him as a dope to protect himself from attacks. He also announces that they signed a new member of the Varsity Club: Rick Steiner. Rotunda adds that people should respect him more because he's a college graduate.

After a commercial, Dillon is back for an interview with Anderson & Blanchard. He starts by saying that he doesn't care about Luger. That Luger as unimportant. Anderson tells Luger not to worry about Flair until he deals with them first.

Dick Murdoch has another match, this time against Dave Spencer. He wails on him and even tosses him outside and finishes him off with the brainbuster in a minute and a half.

Jim Cornette and Dick Murdoch get an interview. Cornette calls Murdoch the most miserable, disagreeable person he's ever met, but he found his sweet spot: money. Cornette promises Dusty Rhodes that Murdoch will take care of him. Murdoch will face Koloff in a Texas Barbed Wire match in a match in Lakeland, FL.

In the final match, Ivan Koloff defeated Mike Jackson with the Russian Sickle. Jackson got a notable amount of offense for a jobber, but Koloff's dirty moves and power took him out.

Results

 * Michael Hayes & Gorgeous Jimmy (w/ Precious) def. George South and Tony Suber (6:48)
 * Dick Murdoch (w/ Jim Cornette) vs Nikita Koloff (c) ends in a time limit draw (20:00, 13:00 shown). Koloff retains the WCW Television Championship.
 * The Barbarian & The Warlord (w. Paul Jones & Ivan Koloff) def. Clement Fields & Keith Steinborn (6:36)
 * Ron Simmons def. Cody Starr (2:24)
 * The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) def. Alan Martin & Steve Atkinson (4:38)
 * Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (c) (w/ James J. Dillon) def. Ed Franks & Lee Peek (4:18) to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
 * Mike Rotunda (c) (w/ Kevin Sullivan) def. Larry Wayne (1:38) to retain the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship.
 * Dick Murdoch (w/ Jim Cornette) def. Dave Spencer (1:27)
 * Ivan Koloff (w/ Paul Jones) def. Mike Jackson (3:02)

Other on-screen talent

 * Commentators
 * David Crockett
 * Jim Ross
 * Tony Schiavone
 * Jim Cornette (Only Dick Murdoch match)
 * Paul Jones (Only Barbarian/Warlord match)
 * Referees
 * Dick Worley
 * Teddy Long

Other credits

 * Executive Producer: Jim Crockett
 * Producer: Virgil Runnels
 * Director: Tommy P. Edwards
 * Associate Producer: Wayne Daniel
 * Electronic Graphics: Alice Airth
 * Audio: Ken Carter
 * Video Tape: Domenick Esposito
 * Studio: D. Wilson, Tim Smith, Ian Forsyth, Cliff Stroud, Jimi Stricklin, Angela Walker, Ricky Lassiter
 * Production Engineer: Phil Dickey