- Ryan writes in on the subject of "The Business That Cried Wolf"
I've seen some good stuff and some bad stuff in both of the big two federations, and tonight, I think I saw the peak of both.
It was a very good thing to see the people chant the name of what was once the biggest "heel" in WCW, not just because he was wearing a back brace, not just because he was crying, not just because he was retiring, but because they'd miss him. Whether the people liked his character or not, they knew he was an entertainer, and a damn good one at that, and it made me extremely happy to see their response to in my view a legend.
But I've never been more, pardon my French, pissed in my life when the New World Order came out and told Scott "to get his ass out of the ring before he's seriously hurt". Angle or not, that was EXTREMELY cheap heat, and way beyond the limit of taste.
The next time WCW complains about the WWF's bad taste and filth, I'll personally walk down to Atlanta, forget I'm a gentlemen, and show them filth.
- W. Perry writes:
It's pretty bad when Jerry Flynn is getting title shots for the purpose of being spray-painted. I'm telling you and everyone else that this is a big conspiracy. Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara are still working for McMahon. They HAVE to be. Like who could not have predicted that Steiner would turn heel? COME on!! And the worst part about it all is that people are actually CHEERING this. I don't know, they must LIKE watching the same show for three years.
Did you ever think that six months ago, you'd find David Flair and Devon Crowbar the most intriguing thing on WCW?
- Mark has a theory on the person in the Scream mask:
About the midget in the scream costume. Now, who's that short in wrestling other than Rey Rey? Who always fires in those rapid kicks when the other guy is on the ground? Who's kind of, well, "out there?" I think it's none other than the Insane Clown Posse's Shaggy 2 Dope. The stature, his signature kick, and then looking and seeing that the mask was kind of clown-like sold me.
- Kevin also has a theory on the Scream mask:
I was just wondering if anyone else thinks the person wearing the scream mask is a woman? The person is pretty small and runs rather femininely.
- Buzzkill makes his way out with his ripoff schtick.
- Mike Rotundo comes out with Kevin Sullivan and Leia Meow.
- Sullivan makes Leia drag a trampoline to ringside.
- Leia jumps on the trampoline.
- Rotundo gets on the mic to talk smack about Clemson.
- The Harris Boys make their way out.
- Rotunda with an avalanche and an elbowdrop.
- The Harris hits a powerslam and a clothesline.
- Buzzkill tags in.
- Buzz with a nice flying forearm.
- The Harris (Ron) with a spinning side suplex.
- Buzz has to hold on to his fake dreads.
- Don Harris tags in, and the Harris boys hit a double back-elbow.
- Standards & Practices come out to get Leia Meow.
- Sullivan and Rotunda go off to beat on S&P.
- The Harris Boys hit a double press-drop on Buzzkill for the pin.
- Post-match, Sullivan and Rotunda dump Buzzkill and attack the Harrises, but the Harris Boys get the advantage.
- S&P's woman, the Nitro Girl Skye, is now known as Miss Hancock. Sigh.
- Aldo: Be sure to read Vince Russo's new book: 101 Ways to Screwjob a Match.
- Sid Vicious suffered a compressed vertebrae in his neck.
- They talk about the new commissioner.
- We cut to the airport, and a motorcade is leaving the airport.
- Kevin Nash theorizes that Tom "Z-Man" Zenk will be the commish.
- Bret Hart arrives to the building, only to get jumped by the neck-brace-wearing Sid Vicious.
- The nWo attacks the paramedics.
- DDP has his match against Buff Bagwell at Souled Out.
- Curt Hennig tells DDP that the Powers want him in the ring tonight.
- DDP asks who's in the ring now.
- Hennig says it's PG-13.
- DDP: "Works for me."
- PG-13 makes their way to the ring.
- PG raps.
- DDP's music hits.
- DDP hits the ring, and PG-13 starts to beat on him.
- DDP with a double-clothesline, Wolfie D goes over the top, and JC Ice gets hit with a Fireman Carry Diamond Cutter.
- Wolfie gets caught up top with a Top Rope Diamond Cutter.
- DDP leaves through the crowd.
- nWo music hits, and Nash and Steiner come down the aisle.
- Nash sets up like a real tag match, drops an elbow on a prone PG-13'er, and gets the pin.
- Nash hooked the tights for good measure.
- More spray-paint at the end for good measure.
- Hart talks about getting jumped in the back parking lot.
- Hart talks about not getting any respect.
- Hart passes the mic to Jarrett.
- Jarrett: "Slappy new year".
- Jarrett talks about his Triple Threat Theatre match with Benoit.
- Nash gets the stick.
- Nash: "It's a new millennium, but things haven't changed."
- Nash says the commish will make rules that the nWo will just break.
- Steiner talks about his "retirement."
- Steiner says all his fans are educated, wear suits, and work on Wall Street.
- David, Daphne, and Crowbar make their way out.
- Their opponents in this tournament match: Lash LeRoux and Midnight.
- Lash makes the sign of the cross to keep Daphne away.
- Midnight scares Lash again when she appears in the ring.
- Lash starts off against Torgo.
- Lash with a side suplex.
- St. Stevie joins the announce booth.
- David gets atomic dropped into a tag to Crowbar.
- Crowbar bites Lash on the head as Stevie and Tenay argue.
- Lash drop-toeholds Crowbar to the floor.
- David accidentally eats a baseball-slide dropkick from his partner.
- Crowbar gets slingshotted into the stairs.
- Stevie wants Lash to tag Midnight in, and Lash does.
- Midnight sorta' press-slams Lash onto Crowbar.
- SWEET cartwheel from Midnight, and a high dropkick.
- Stevie grabs Midnight, and pulls her to the floor.
- Lash fights both men in the ring.
- Disco Inferno and Tony Marinara come to the ring, as does Booker T.
- Booker and Stevie argue, and Booker gets Slapjacked.
- WhipLash on Crowbar.
- Vito and Johnny the Bull attack Lash while the ref is distracted.
- Vito hits his implant DDT on Lash.
- Crowbar throws David on top of Lash for the pin.
- The WCW motto has been officially changed from "Where The Big Boys Play" to "Where Overbooking Is Our Middle Name".
- Disco says he's in a lot of trouble with the "family."
- The "family" attacks Lash, and Disco can't do anything.
- TP (dressed as Sting) and Liz come out.
- Smells like ratings to me.
- "Sting" talks about TP beating him up.
- "Sting" says there's a no-name wrestler here for him to face.
- Tank Abbott comes out.
- TP bails, and avoids the stalking Abbott.
- Liz maces Abbott, DQ'ing TP.
- TP hits the road.
- Jerry Flynn attacks Abbott to NO crowd reaction.
- TP sees a crow, and poops his pants in fear, or something else melodramatic.
- Garner says he's been sent out to take a message.
- He mentions the "writers" have ironclad contracts.
- He says "swerve".
- He says people who WCW has depended on can't help them now, guys like Sting and Goldberg.
- He says Bill Busch has one guy .
- He says the man made hardcore fashionable.
- He introduces the new commish: Terry Funk.
- Terry Funk makes his way out with a security escort.
- Funk gets a decent, if mild, reaction.
- Funk gets the mic.
- Funk says he accepted the job as commissioner of "The WCW."
- He says he loves pro wrestling, and he loves real pro wrestling.
- Funk calls the nWo a bunch of fat hogs following behind the slop wagon.
- Funk says he needs help. He needs an enforcer.
- He calls out his enforcer: Arn Anderson.
- Crowd: "We Want Flair! We Want Flair!"
- Arn: "Do you hear that in the back, Powers That Be?"
- Arn talks about putting his heart into the business.
- Arn says he's man enough to do what he wants to do, so is Terry Funk.
- Crowd: "We want Flair!"
- Arn: "You hear that in the back? That's another guy who earned his respect."
- Arn: "If you want us out of here, you'll have to drag us out by the balls of our feet."
- nWo music hits, and Hart/Nash/Steiner/Jarrett.
- Hart talks smack about Funk.
- Hart offers Funk a spot in the nWo.
- Hart says Funk can go the easy way, or the hard way.
- Funk puts a couple of stipulations on the Hart/Goldberg match.
- They are that the title can change hands on a DQ, and Arn Anderson will be the guest referee.
- Arn: "Bret, if you get so much as a half-inch out of line, I won't be the only one wearing stripes."
- Funk makes a match for Jarrett against Sid for the US title tonight in a powerbomb match.
- Funk promises to see that Nash and Steiner get screwed in their matches tonight.
- Nash promises to do things their way.
- Nash threatens Arn's godson David Flair.
- Nash rants, and we go to commercial.
- Buff Bagwell makes his way out.
- His partner: Chris "Champagne" Kanyon.
- Kanyon comes out with three women, but no Mr. Biggs.
- Kanyon says he's been to Hollywood, and this town ain't Hollywood.
- Kanyon says he's seen Bagwell's movies, and they sucked.
- Kanyon offers Bagwell his champagne as a peace offering.
- Bagwell: "Greenville IS Hollywood. Number two, we think you suck."
- Bagwell breaks the champagne bottle over Kanyon's head.
- Norman Smiley comes out dressed as the mascot for the Greenville Grrrowl mascot, Grrrruff.
- His partner: Asya.
- Kanyon has been taken to the back.
- Norm shakes his "tail" at Buff. The tail is about a foot or so long and stiff, and sticks up at about a 30 degree angle. The Brain notes "Imagine what he'd look like if he turned the tail around to the front!"
- Norm with a back-elbow, and he mocks Buff's dance.
- Buff backdrops the pooch, and hits a pair of clothesline.
- Asya knees Buff in the back, and Norm clotheslines him.
- Norm does the SMBU.
- Asya tags in.
- Asya drops a big elbow.
- Buff blocks a suplex, and hits one of his own.
- Norm tags back in.
- Buff with a back-elbow.
- Asya gets slammed.
- Asya hits a low-blow on Buff.
- Norm tells Asya to hold Buff so he can hit him with the mascot head.
- Buff, of course, ducks, and Asya eats the head.
- Buff hits the Blockbuster on Norman to win the match.
- Saturn and the Revolution run in.
- Saturn dumps Buff.
- Douglas and Malenko keep Saturn and Asya apart.
- Jim Duggan makes his way down.
- Duggan, of course, fights off all three men for a while.
- The Filthy Animals run down to save Duggan.
- Nash and Steiner make their way out for their semifinal match.
- Their opponents, already in the ring, the Harris Boys.
- Steiner joins the announce booth.
- The Harrises open up early on Nash.
- Nash gets a baseball bat.
- The Harrises go to the floor, but the Varsity Club runs out and chairs them.
- Sullivan rolls a Harris into the ring, where Scott Steiner kneels on him for the pin.
- Daphne leaves, but Jarrett grabs her.
- Bagwell makes his way out for the second semifinal match.
- Kanyon follows behind, but gets jumped by Bam Bam Bigelow.
- Bigelow wipes the stage with Kanyon, and bodyslams him off the stage through a table.
- David and Crowbar make their way out.
- Vampiro makes his way down the aisle.
- Vampiro argues with Bagwell, and it appears that Vampiro will be Bagwell's partner.
- Vampiro and Crowbar start off.
- Vampiro with a spin kick on Crowbar, then hits a top-rope spinwheel kick on Crowbar.
- Running clothesline from Vampiro on Crowbar.
- Bagwell tags in.
- Arn and Funk come down to talk to David.
- Crowbar with a German suplex on Vampiro.
- Vampiro catches him up top, and hits a HUGE superplex on Crowbar.
- Buff wants Vampiro to finish Crowbar.
- Ligerbomb from Vampiro on Crowbar.
- Vampiro goes out to argue with Arn, but Funk punches him.
- Funk rolls Vampiro back in.
- Arn slaps David.
- Buff hits a Blockbuster on Vampiro, and walks away.
- David crawls in the ring and covers Vampiro for the pin.
- David and Crowbar go down the aisle.
- The nWo brings out Daphne in a headlock.
- Steiner makes a reference to the Flair's taste in ugly women.
- Sid makes his way out with his neck brace on.
- US Champ Jarrett comes out to defend his belt.
- Sid shoves Jarrett off.
- Sid with kicks on the champ.
- Jarrett ducks a clothesline, and hits Sid in the neck.
- Jarrett backdrops Sid over the top, and introduces himself to guardrail.
- Team Power Plant is at ringside.
- Jarrett with a neck snap over the top rope, and a top-rope bodypress.
- Sid kicks out with authority.
- Sid hits a big boot.
- Sid chokeslams Jarrett, and signals for the Powerbomb.
- Jarrett takes out the ref, and Sid sets up for the Powerbomb.
- Sid powerbombs Jarrett, but the ref didn't see it.
- Sid gets the ref up, but Bret Hart attacks with the baseball bat. Referee Slick Johnson DQs Jarrett.
- Yet MORE spray paint for Sid.
- Paramedics come out, and of course the nWo attacks them, too.
- Nash and Steiner make their way out.
- It's all about putting the belts on a cripple and a gimp just so the nWo can have all the gold.
- Flair and Crowbar hit the ring.
- Flair eats a big boot, Crowbar gets sent over the top rope.
- Nash with a short-arm clothesline.
- There's no ref in the ring.
- The bell rang, though.
- Big side suplex from Nash.
- Nash slams Crowbar off the top rope.
- Nash continues to dominate Flair and Crowbar.
- Nash with a Stooges eye-poke on Crowbar, then a low blow.
- Aldo: This is a friggin Superstars squash.
- Arn Anderson comes down in ref stripes, with Terry Funk and security by his side.
- Steiner rants about Tenay calling a Frankensteiner a Hurricanrana.
- Nash powerbombs Crowbar.
- Nash goes to powerbomb Flair, but Arn hits Nash with David's crowbar.
- Arn pulls David on top of Nash, and counts the pin. David and Crowbar are the tag champs!
- Jarrett and Hart come out with Daphne.
- David turns around, sees Daphne, and crowbars ARN in the back.
- David, Crowbar, and Daphne take the belts and run.
- Steiner attacks Funk in the aisle, and tosses him in the ring.
- Funk tries to fight back, but Steiner and Nash are too much for him.
- In the aisle, Hart and Jarrett attack Arn, and take him to the back.
- The nWo Apathy rule is effect. That rule being that we've seen every possible nWo beatdown that can possibly exist in this universe, thus seeing a show end with an nWo beatdown like we did for, oh, three years or so, really doesn't mean anything.
- Nash jackknifes Funk in the ring.
- Arn gets put into the trunk of a car.
- The nWo gets into the car, and drives off as we fade to black.
- WCW: Sending the fans home happy.