WCW Thunder - January 3, 2000
- Well… Welcome to my first TV
report for DDT Digest. I’ve done
house shows (Remember when they still had those?) and I’ve contributed
some stuff for the front page (most notably the Jim Duggan Exploding
Head).
- Watching the “Best” of
Thunder last week reminded me that the WWF still steals angles from WCW,
as they replayed one of the La Parka overdub-promos, which seem awfully
similar to a certain Kaientai gimmick currently being run.
- We are TAPED from Memphis,
Tennessee in the legendary Mid South Coliseum
- Show Starts with Team Canada
in the back talking about a “surprise” Mike Awesome has for them, which is
the disco bus repainted with a big Canadian Flag on it. So would that make him that 70’s
Canadian Guy?
- Opening Montage
- Ric Flair comes out to open
the show, to a moderate ovation.
- Ric Flair first calls
WCW “The Greatest Wrestling Organization in the World Today.”
- Yeah Ric, we believe
you, we really do.
- Goes over the Main
Events for Sin
- Goldberg’s streak is
on the line as he and The Sarge take on Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger.
- Scott Steiner defends
the World Title against Jeff Jarrett and, as Flair puts it, a “Mystery
Partner.”
- Fat Tony has the
nerve to correct the legend immediately.
- Shutu p and drink a
Slim Fast shake fatty, don’t interrupt Flair.
- Talks about Steiner’s
ongoing suspension and when he comes back next week how he better learn
to control his behavior and “live by the rules.”
- Stevie Ray brings up
Mike Tenay’s two month suspension without pay.
- For no apparent reason
Jeff Jarrett decides to come out.
- Jarrett is sick and
tired of Steiner looking for and whining about the mystery man and thinks
Steiner should be worrying about him.
- Jarrett then threatens
Flair by saying that unless he tells him who the mystery man is by the
end of the night or he’s going to make him “wear the guitar”
- Flair then tells
Jarrett that if he loses his match tonight against Sid (ugh) he loses his
spot in the three way dance.
- So here comes Sid, and
Jarrett quickly bails.
- Flair then wants
footage shown from Starrcade so he can correct the mistake he made, and
he’s giving Sid another chance
- Sid gets on the mic
(ugh) and threatens Jarrett by using his tribute catchphrase of mild
irritation.
- Note, about a fifth
of the crowd knew it.
- Backstage, Flair Meets Up With
the Commish Mike Sanders
- He wants to know why
Nash and Page aren’t booked on tonight’s card.
- Sanders says that he
gave them the night off because they have been working hard.
- Flair asks if that is
truly the case, or if he screwed around with their travel schedule and
“Sent them to Egypt or Something”
- Sanders walks into the
office to find Stasiak on the phone talking to someone, and then he says
that the Insiders won’t be there tonight because of him messing with
their rental car stuff.
- Sanders tells The
Perfect Event and O’Haire/Jindrax to go out and talk down the Insiders
since they won’t be here
- He then tells Reno
that he was thinking of booking him in a match tonight against Johnny the
Bull, since Johnny the Bull hit him in the face last week, but instead
gives him an opponent who he already destroyed in The Cat
- Backstage Mean Gene with
Crowbar and Daffney
- They discuss his
Hardcore title match at Sin against Terry Funk and Crowbar’s chair match
tonight against Meng.
- Crowbar talks about
how he grew up idolizing Funk and how it hurt him so much to see him get
attacked by Funk
- Crowbar threatens that
he’ll beat Funk an inch away from his life.
- Crowbar talks about
getting the Hardcore Torch passed to him from Funk after he beats him
- Fat Tony hawks T Shirts from
WCWGear.com
- Match #1 Shane Helms vs. Jaime Knoble
- Match starts with a stare down and what I call a “fan reaction posedown.”
- When Knoble goes up, Helms biels him off.
- Helms with a back elbow off of an Irish Whip
- Cover gets two.
- Butterfly Abdominal Stretch by Helms.
- Reversed into a backslide by Knoble for two
- Helms with a Snap Mare and a flying fistdrop from the middle rope that gets a two count.
- Helms ducks and Knoble gets a Sunset Flip for one.
- Knoble follows up with a delay swinging neckbreaker that is reversed into the “Nightmare on Helms St” by Helms, which is then re-reversed into a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count.
- Knoble went for another Northern Lights Suplex, reversed into the Vertebreaker by Helms
- Helms follows that up with the “Nightmare on Helms Street” (it’s a Reverse-DDT clothesline, hard to describe).
- YOUR WINNER Shane Helms via “Nightmare on Helms Street” in 3:39
- Karagis comes in afterward and gives Helms a Swinging Neckbreaker.
- Shannon Moore comes down and gets the same.
- Knoble then gives Moore a Tombstone Piledriver.
- Then Helms gives Knoble the “Nightmare on Helms Street” AGAIN.
- Chavo then comes in and hits Helms with the Title Belt.
- Good match for the time frame, and the run-ins were held until after the match.
- We return to see Konnan putting the Tequila Sunrise on “Prime Time” Elix Skipper on the 12/20 edition of Thunder.
- This leads Konnan and Skipper meeting in the back
- Like normal, I can’t understand what Konnan is saying.
- Skipper pushes him, and runs, and Mike Awesome appears from around the corner to take Konnan out.
- Mean Gene is backstage with the Cat
- The Cat is wearing some Christian-esque shades tonight.
- The Cat polishes Mean Gene’s dome.
- The Cat tells Gene to start watching BET
- He calls Reno “Egor” and says that after he’s done with him, he’ll kick Sanders around as well.
- The Cat changes his mind and tells Mean Gene to instead watch what old people watch, when asked what they watched, the Cat replied “Lassie.”
- Backstage, Jarrett walks in to find both of the DOA Harris Boys laid out.
- Match #2 Misfits in Action (Leroux and Wall) vs. Natural Born Thrillers
- Mike Sanders comes out and makes Rection go to the backstage area.
- In the “you never know who it’s going to be” angle, it’s O’Haire and Palumbo to start for the NBT.
- NBT quickly takes advantage and pummels both members of MIA.
- Double Suplex by NBT in Leroux.
- Leroux comes back off a reversal with a springboard face buster.
- Tag to A-Wall who plants Palumbo and then hits an ugly front Belly-to-Back for a two until O’Haire makes the save.
- Leroux back in with a powerslam for two.
- He covers him again for another two.
- Back Elbow by Leroux for another two count.
- O’Haire pulls down the top rope, which allows Palumbo to connect with a double jump drop kick.
- A-Wall catches O’Haire off the top with a Urinage
- Leroux gets tossed back in.
- Seanton Bomb connects
- YOUR WINNERS NBT via Seanton Bomb in 4:43
- Heel beatdown continues.
- Chavo comes out to make the save.
- Shane Douglas comes out to beat up Rection.
- We come back to Mean Gene and Shane Douglas.
- They talk about his match at Sin with General Rection (or as they both call him Hugh Morrus) for the U.S. Title in a “Title on a Chain Tied to a Pole Match.”
- Rection attacks Douglas
- Meanwhile, Elix Skipper is in the bus singing his theme music when Jim Duggan comes out of nowhere to beat him up.
- Filthy Animals are in the back talking about Team Canada.
- Johnny the Bull and Big Vito are in the back talking.
- They run into the Cat, who talks about how he wants Reno tonight.
- Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger join Mean Gene in the Back.
- I’m sorry, but I can stand Luger.
- Both of them talk about beating up the Sarge, who Buff will face later tonight.
- Sarge Video Montage is Shown.
- We come back with Team Canada tending to Skipper in the back.
- Awesome vs. Duggan Tonight.
- Filthy Animals in the back with revenge in mind for Team Canada.
- NBT in the back celebrating their victory.
- Flair comes in telling Reno that he will fight alone tonight against the Cat.
- Flair tells Jindrak he was a match tonight.
- Mean Gene is in the back with Sid.
- Jeff Jarrett yadda yadda yadda.
- ENOUGH WITH THE INTERVIEWS!
- Match #3 Crowbar (w/Daffney) vs. Meng (w/Paisley) (Chair on a Pole Match).
- Crowbar gets the chair 39 seconds in.
- A Meng version of the Kick of Fear with Chair.
- Dropkick into the Chair by Crowbar.
- Pescado by Crowbar.
- Standing side kick by Meng.
- Drop-toehold into the steps by Crowbar.
- Samoan Drop by Meng.
- Daffney and Paisley fight on the outside.
- Meng sets up the chair on the top turnbuckle.
- Reverse DDT by Crowbar.
- Slingshot into the chair by Meng.
- Tongan Death Grip of Mild Irritation applied by Meng.
- It’s Over.
- YOUR WINNER Meng via Tongan Death Grip in 4:46.
- We see Flair Shaking Hands in the back with Bagwell and Luger.
- Match #4 Mark Jindrak vs. Goldberg.
- I give Jindrak 1:15 and no sold offense.
- Thank God for Fast Forward.
- Spear.
- Jackhammer.
- Pin.
- YOUR WINNER Goldberg via Jackhammer in 1:18.
- After the match, Goldberg grabs the stick, and I don’t care.
- We come back to Jeff Jarrett with Mean Gene.
- Same stuff from earlier in the show.
- Do they have anything else to show besides this stuff?
- We see Kronik in the back talking to Bagwell and Luger.
- Match #5 The Cat (w/Ms. Jones) vs. Reno
- Mike Tenay says “Breakin’ Necks and Cashing Checks” and our Patron Saint does nothing about it.
- Cat on the stick makes fun of Reno.
- Reno with heel tactics to start the match.
- The Cat with a series of Martial Arts kicks.
- Ugly Small Package by the Cat for 2.
- The Cat does the DX chop when Reno attempts a Sunset Flip.
- Feliner out of nowhere for the three count.
- YOUR WINNER The Cat via Feliner in 2:54.
- Match #6 “That Canadian 70’s Career Killer Guy” Mike Awesome (w/Team Canada) vs. Jim Duggan (w/Old Glory w/o talent).
- Censors edit out the fans flipping Team Canada off.
- Anthem plays for awhile, and then Hacksaw comes out w/Old Glory
- Big U.S.A. chant starts
- There’s the “OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
- There’s the thumb up
- And Duggan is now out of moves.
- Fast Forward……..
- Frogsplash
- 1, 2, 3.
- YOUR WINNER Mike Awesome via Frog Splash in 2:38.
- They attack Duggan post match.
- Animals make the save.
- And they Graffitied the Bus.
- Catchphrases of Doom.
- Thank God that segment is over.
- Mean Gene with Team Canada in the back.
- They complain about the bus.
- They challenge the Animals to a match at Sin
- Match #7 Buff Bagwell vs. The Sarge.
- The Sarge comes out to no response.
- Sarge attacks Buff from behind.
- Rams Buff’s head into the Guardrail.
- Swinging neck breaker by Buff.
- Buff breaks out the rest holds 2:20 into the match.
- Sarge fights back with a hip toss and a powerslam.
- He follows it up with a dropkick
- Double Arm DDT by Bagwell.
- Luger comes down to Ringside with a chair while Kronik beats up Goldberg in the back. They beat up Terry Taylor as well in the process, and they wheel Goldberg out of the arena in a box by way of forklift.
- Buff hits him with the steel chair.
- YOUR WINNER The Sarge via DQ in 5:11.
- They double team The Sarge by Pillmanizing his arm.
- Sarge shown in the back with EMT’s talking about hearing his arm snap.
- Match #8 Jeff Jarrett vs. Sid
- I don’t do commentary for Sid matches (if you ever have seen my do reports before you would know this), so I’m pulling out the old “Long Story Short.”
- Before the match starts, we see the Insiders beat up NBT as they leave.
- Ok… regular Sid match until the “Mystery Man” comes out at the 4:00 mark for the DQ.
- The “Mystery Man” unmasks to show, Scott Steiner
- That’s It.
- The Good: Helms vs. Knoble was good given the time restraints.
- The Bad: Everything Else.
- The Ugly: Interviewing people multiple times during the show about the same subject to fill time.