If I sound mad at WCW, it's because I am. If Eric Bischoff and the WCW booking committee want to find the answer as to why they slipped this week, they have to look no further than themselves. Live by the Hogan, die by the Hogan, that should be their motto. From what I can tell, they've got too many people in the back with veto power over their matches for us to hope for anything but the occasional clean finish, and I think that WCW is too scared to deviate from the tried-and-true formula to adapt to new tactics by the WWF.
So I'm Eric Bischoff, I'm staring down the barrel of a promotion with far less talent and a penchant for injuries to its major stars. What could I do to bring WCW back from this setback, to the top of the charts once again:
Fire Ric Flair?
OK, so it's not really clear WHAT has happened to the Nature Boy, but it's obvious that something has gone down. Most reports indicate that Flair has either been fired (probably not too likely) or suspended/punished (more likely) for no-showing at Thunder and Nitro. First off, Flair's been sitting on the shelf since they made him kiss Bret Hart's Canadian tail for a few weeks (got Hart over REAL well, didn't it?) So Flair (according to reports) asks for the night off to see his son wrestle. Bischoff conveniently chooses that night (again, allegedly) to bring Flair back to the spotlight, reform the Horsemen, and find a cure for cancer. Flair doesn't show, Bischoff flips, and the rest, well, you know the rest.
WrestleManiacs is reporting:
Wade Keller reports that there has been no communication between Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff since last Friday. Apparently some WCW officials are encouraging Bischoff to talk to Flair. The general feeling is that Bischoff wants to get rid of Flair with out having him go to the WWF. Insiders have been quick to point out how neatly Flair would fit in the current WWF storyline. He would easily "suit" the champion that Vince McMahon wants.
After signing his three year extension, Flair had received legal threats from WCW because he was in negotiations with the WWF.
The WCW website has been ordered to remove all references to Ric Flair.
Now, this could certainly all be a big ol' work, and I don't know one way or the other. But if it isn't, I gotta say that's one of the dumbest moves I've heard out of Bischoff. The guy hires and fires wrestlers more often than most people change socks. That's gotta be keeping the morale REAL high in the locker rooms, dontcha think?
I guess all a WCW fan can do is hope that this ratings turnaround by the WWF will spur Bischoff & Co. to actually work for the fans' attention, rather than coasting on the success of the nWo and the ineptitude of the WWF.
The show started late due to the Braves game going overtime. Interestingly the baseball announcers knew something about wrestling and were saying how great Ric Flair is. They even knew who Goldberg was.
- Johnny Attitude gets a lot of good moves in.
- At one point, Attitude gets a 2 and 9/10ths count.
- Definitely the same crowd as last week's show. The same guy is there with a "Nitro Girls 4:69" sign. Nice.
- They're still talking about the "bat match" like it was something incredible. I just don't see it...
- Oh Lord no, it's Jimmy One-Eye himself.
- Tenay calls Duggan "one of the most outspoken member of Team WCW."
- Tony Carr from Camp Pendleton, CA, is his opponent.
- The irony of Hacksaw Duggan starting a "USA" chant while fighting a U.S. Marine is totally lost on him and the announcing team.
- Scott Hudson actually mentions the fact that the nWo has the tag belts. He says "We'll probably never see those guys defend those belts again." Truer words were never spoken.
- Duggan starts chanting: "USSR! USSR!" Uh...my bad.
- Dugan does his Bushwhacker impression and stomps across the ring.
- Duggan breaks cleanly against the ropes, and Carr attacks.
- Duggan hasn't sold anything yet.
- Duggan with a series of clotheslines.
- They talk about Nitro coming here to D.C. I'm all about it.
- Carr tries to grab Duggan's leg from outside the ring, but Duggan stomps on his hand.
- Carr snaps Duggan's neck across the top rope, but Duggan just keeps punching.
- Duggan hits a spinning bodyslam, and gets in the three-point-stance.
- Duggan with the clothesline, and drops Old Glory for the win.
- Mercifully short. Hooooo!!!!!!
- Why the hell they're keeping Savage in the main event is beyond me. They better have a REAL good plan to make up for this.
- Actually, they just said "If Savage can't wrestle, who will replace him? Nash? Hogan? DDP?" Ok, that's a little better.
- Hammer, nipple ring quite prominent, drags to the ring.
- That's gotta hurt.
- He'll be facing Chase "The 'Roids With Jack Daniel" Tatum. The jobber comes out second.
- Hammer with a shoulderblock, followed by some leaning.
- Tatum answers with a shoulderblock of his own.
- Hammer wants a test of strength, and Tatum accepts.
- Hammer with kicks to the gut, but Tatum powers back up and flips Hammer.
- Tatum with an armlock, but Hammer gets to the ropes.
- Tatum with forearms to Hammer's head on the top rope, but Hammer crotches him.
- Hammer drops Tatum with a spinebuster, and drops to one knee.
- Hammer puts Tatum on the to, and flips him to the mat.
- Hammer mounts Tatum, and starts beating Tatum's head into the mat.
- Hammer goes to apply more punishment, but Tatum flips him.
- Hammer applies a spinning crucifix into a clothesline.
- Both men hit clotheslines on each other.
- Hammer applies a version of the Cobra Clutch, lets Tatum almost go to sleep, and then slams him for the win.
- Jericho says it's Prince Nackamackie tomorrow night.
- Jericho asks what Iaukea's done to deserve a match with Jericho?
- Jericho says it's not his fault that Nackamackie has been eating too much at the training table (too much pineapple surprise), and it's not his fault that Iaukea slipped on the scale and hurt himself.
- Jericho says that he's going to be the bus driver tomorrow night, because he's taking the Prince to school.
- Horshu comes out, looking "Dy-No-Mite!"
- My, Janetty's colorful.
- Janetty's also a mite "spry" for a geriatric.
- They trade hammerlocks to start off, but Horshu gets to the ropes to stop the series.
- Horshu tries to punch off of the break, but gets armdragged.
- He tries it again, with the same result.
- Janetty gets flipped with a left-handed lariat from Horshu.
- Horshu drops an elbow to the back of Janetty's head, goes to the camera, and says "There's no business, like 'Shu business."
- Janetty with a sunset flip, but the Shu gets out of it.
- 'Shu sets up for a double-underhook suplex, says his line again, and takes Janetty over.
- Horshu misses a kneedrop, and Janetty hits a flying fist.
- Janetty with a kneelift, and a high dropkick.
- Janetty with a swinging neckbreaker for two.
- Janetty tries a second-rope fistdrop, but eats Horshu's, er, shu.
- Horshu misses his rope-walk elbowdrop, and Janetty immediately hits the Showstopper for the win, giving us a great view of Horshu's haircut.
- They show Chad Fortune and Dale Torborg, who will become WCW's newest "really dumb gimmick" tag team, with a NASCAR pit-crew gimmick.
- El Dandy will be taking on Evan Kourageous. OK, I'll bow to the pressure, and spell his name the way WCW is doing it.
- Kourageous starts off quickly with an armdrag, and several other flips.
- The announcers talk about how dangerous Dandy's punches are.
- Dandy goes to work on Kourageous' leg.
- Kourageous is limping.
- Dandy levels him with a clothesline.
- Dandy with a stiff kick to Kourageous' chest.
- Kourageous charges the corner, gets met with a foot, and Dandy hits a bulldog.
- Kourageous with a springboard cross-body for two.
- Kourageous flies over the top onto Dandy on the outside.
- Kourageous avoids a dropkick.
- Dandy ducks a Kourageous chop, decks him with a punch, and pins him!
- Who does Dandy think he is, Ronnie Garvin? Are we going to be seeing the Dandy Stomp next week?
- Lane comes out, the heat machine boos, but Lane's slapping hands. Huh?
- Lane's making the "money" motion with his hands?
- Oh, its because he's facing Chris Jericho in a re-rematch.
- Jericho breaks cleanly against the ropes, and Lane slaps him.
- Mark "Shooter" Curtis is the referee.
- Jericho shoulderblocks Lane, and blows a kiss to the crowd.
- The announcers talk about Dean Malenko being MIA.
- Lane works on Jericho's arm.
- Jericho kicks and chops Lane.
- Lane clotheslines Jericho over the top rope, and chases him around the ring.
- Jericho slides back in, and starts putting the boots to Lane.
- Jericho snapmares Lane over, and kicks him in the back.
- Jericho with a suplex.
- Lane jumps on Jericho's shoulders and rolls him up for two.
- Jericho, however, responds with a big axehandle.
- Jericho locks on the Canadian Resthold.
- Jericho: "I'm your role model!"
- Jericho misses the Lionsault.
- Lane hits his rope-spring bulldog for two.
- Lane with his inverted Russian legsweep.
- Lane tries another rollup on Jericho, who turns it into the Liontamer. The finish seemed to be edited really weird.
- Lane submits immediately.
- Prince Nackamackie runs in, and chases Jericho away.
- Haven't seen Ray Traylor in a while.
- He'll be facing Bret "The Zitman" Hanmer.
- Hanmer's pretty big.
- Hudson tries to make us think that the nWo losing Traylor was bad for them.
- Hanmer kicks Traylor on a test of strength.
- Traylor with a rollup for two.
- Traylor with a clothesline, and starts punching him.
- Traylor flips Hanmer over the top, slides out of the ring, and hits an uppercut.
- Hanmer connects with a clothesline, and locks on a bearhug.
- Traylor fights out of the hold.
- Hanmer slams Traylor, tries a clothesline, but Traylor turns it into the Traylor Trash (called as the Bubba Slam tonight) for the win.
- Thuder is on Wednesday this week.
- Chavo Guerrero is still wearing his Eddie Guerrero shirt.
- He'll be facing Trevor Blanchard. Trevor's wearing a red robe. Any relation to Tully? [Note from Bill: Definitely not.]
- Hudson is pronouncing Ultimo Dragon's name "Ul-TEE-moe Dra-GO-nuh".
- Chavo with a nice dropkick.
- Chavo drops Blanchard, and locks on an armbar.
- Blanchard punches Guerrero in the corner.
- Chavo charges the corner, and gets met with a knee.
- Blanchard slams Chavo, and drops a knee.
- Chavo gets mad, and fights back with European uppercuts.
- Hudson asks if Blanchard is related to Tully.
- Chavo drops Blanchard with a suplex.
- Blanchard locks on a chinlock.
- Belly-to-back from Chavo for two.
- Blanchard has been using the eyerake quite a bit in this match.
- Blanchard charges the corner and gets met with a boot.
- Chavo then hits the Tornado DDT for the win!
- "Rabbit Tooth" Jerry Flynn comes out.
- He'll be facing Big Poppa Pump.
- Steiner's carrying his own weightlifting trophy tonight.
- Flynn starts off by faking some kicks.
- They're still talking about Goldberg getting his first shot at gold Monday night, conveniently forgetting about his TV title shot against Disco.
- Steiner runs Flynn into the corner, ties him to the Tree of Woe, and chokes Flynn.
- Steiner whips Flynn into the ropes, and Flynn knocks the trophy off the apron.
- Flynn gets a boot up as Steiner charges the corner, and Flynn hits a spin kick.
- Flynn climbs the ropes to punch Steiner.
- Flynn hits a spin kick on Steiner in the corner.
- Flynn tries another spin kick, but Steiner catches him and suplexes him.
- Steiner hits a double-underhook suplex.
- Steiner puts Flynn on the top rope, and hits a big belly-to-belly over-the-head. That landing looked painful for Flynn.
- Steiner goes out, puts the trophy in the ring so Flynn is forced to look at it, and locks on the Steiner Recliner for the submission win.
- Reese stalks to the ring.
- Zamfir and his Pan Flute announce Barbarian's entrance.
- THIS is a main event?
- Barbarian shows that, unlike Riggs, he has no tongue ring.
- Commercial.
- Reese is a big guy. Allegedly, he's bigger than Giant.
- Barbarian doesn't sell any Reese kneelifts.
- Sheesh, neither guy has sold anything yet.
- Neither man budges with shoulderblocks.
- Reese takes Barbarian down with a clothesline.
- Reese headbutts Barbarian, but hurts his own head.
- Reese hits a big belly-to-back suplex.
- Reese drops an elbow.
- Mark Curtis comes up about to Reese's waist.
- Reese slams Barbarian, hits the ropes, but Jimmy Hart grabs his leg.
- Reese picks Hart up and chokes him.
- Barbarian hits the Kick of Fear to Reese's back, and kicks him in the head when he turns around.
- Barbarian hits the ropes and connects with another Kick of Fear for the win!
