WWA Eruption
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional wrestling |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia, United States |
Key people | Sid Vicious (Commissioner) |
| Products | Professional wrestling pay-per-view events |
The Eruption marked the third pay-per-view event organized by World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), taking place on April 13, 2002, at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was broadcast in the United States on April 14, 2002, via tape delay.
The card featured nine contests, with the headline bout showcasing Nathan Jones defending the WWA World Heavyweight Championship against Scott Steiner, while Sid Vicious served as the special outside enforcer. Steiner emerged victorious to claim the championship. Notable matches included Sabu overcoming Crowbar in a steel cage encounter and A.J. Styles securing the vacant WWA International Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Jerry Lynn in the tournament final. The title had been vacated following Eddie Guerrero’s departure from WWA to join WWE.
Event
| Position | Individual |
|---|---|
| Commentators | Jeremy Borash |
| Disco Inferno | |
| Commissioner | Sid Vicious |
Preliminary matches
The show began with a two-round tournament to determine the new International Cruiserweight Champion. In the opening bout, Nova took on A.J. Styles; Styles reversed Nova's Kryptonite Krunch into a Styles Clash to secure victory.
Following that, Jerry Lynn defeated Chuckie Chaos utilizing a cradle piledriver maneuver. Puppet the Psycho Dwarf triumphed over Teo in a hardcore midget match after executing a ladder splash.
In tag team action, Brian Christopher and Ernest Miller bested Buff Bagwell and Stevie Ray, with Christopher concluding the match by performing a Hip Hop Drop on Miller.
Allan Funk claimed a win against Pierre Ouellet by emulating Hulk Hogan’s signature moves, finishing with a big boot, piledriver, and leg drop combination.
In the tournament final, Styles defeated Lynn by thwarting a superplex attempt and landing his Spiral Tap finisher to capture the International Cruiserweight Championship.
Sabu secured victory over Crowbar in a steel cage match by delivering a diving leg drop from the cage’s top, driving Crowbar through a table.
The penultimate contest was an evening gown match where Midajah slammed Queen Bea and stripped off her gown to claim victory. Subsequently, Puppet and Teo removed Midajah’s gown after the match, prompting her to chase them off.
Main event match
The main event featured Nathan Jones defending his WWA World Heavyweight Championship against Scott Steiner, with Commissioner Sid Vicious acting as special outside enforcer. Near the conclusion, Jones executed a chokeslam and went for the pinfall; however, Midajah interfered by leaping onto the referee. Vicious attempted to powerbomb Midajah but was restrained by officials. Steiner then struck Jones with the championship belt and locked in his Steiner Recliner, leading Jones to lose consciousness and Steiner to capture the title.
Reception
Greg from DDT Digest commended A.J. Styles’ performances against Nova and Jerry Lynn during the International Cruiserweight Championship tournament as well as Sabu’s match against Devon Storm but criticized WWA’s pay-per-view production for weak storytelling and subpar performances.
The staff of Crazy Max described the event as "fairly solid," highlighting that while the Styles/Nova bout was brief, it was effective; conversely, they found the tag team match disappointing due to lackluster effort. They praised the three matches preceding the main event, especially the steel cage contest. The main event was deemed watchable but somewhat diminished by its disorderly finish.
Related topics
- Professional wrestling within Australia
- Catalogue of professional wrestling promotions in Australia
- Compilation of WWA pay-per-view shows