WCW Worldwide - Sunday, 04/01/01

By The Cubs Fan

• Something seems cosmically correct with this report being on this date.

• The WCW logo has different music.

• The music carries over into a different opening sequence.
  • We see, in time lapse photography, the crew putting together the WCW Worldwide set.

• Now the normal close in on the announcers - Scott Hudson and "The Professor" "Iron" Mike Tenay
  • We hype up the rest of the show, but segue right into Greed hype.
  • Back to Greed and a highlight reel - clips, not stills.
  • Amazingly how short the road is from jobbing to Essa Rios on Jakked to Cruiserweight Tag Team gold
  • I believe we see 75% of the tag team title match.
  • Oh no, not the Stinkface.
  • We don't see how Scott Steiner wins.
  • Back in the studio, Tenay and Hudson go over the high points again.
  • Hudson talks about Flair having to kiss the..donkey on Nitro

• Worldwide Trivia: What is Dusty Rhodes' signature move?

• Till the end, Buff enjoys the finer things in life with the WCW Mastercard.
  • New designs! Great rates! All the benefits that go along with it!

• More hype for Jason Jett
  • Why did they feel the need to change the bumper music?
  • You know, Jason did good, but listing off his victories as against Alex, Kwee-Wee and Disco doesn't really help him much.
  • Anyway, back to Nitro so we can see that match against Disco.
  • I wonder where the "Disco and Sanders are best friends now and Disco and Alex aren't" angle was supposed to go.
  • Also, who attacked Midajah?
    • Wait, what am I talking about?
    • Quite obviously, it was the Benefactor.
  • Someone forgets to turn down Tony's sound as they go back to the studio.
  • Tenay recounts the early history of the cruiserweight division.
    • The first wave of wrestlers saw a lot of new moves
    • and now we're seeing another wave with the new group of wrestlers.

• Perhaps someone will now let Randy Savage out of that asylum.
  • He must be sick of the Slim Jims.

• Ask WCW.com
  • I don't think your questions will be answered if you send them to askwcw@wcw.com anymore, but feel free to try.
  • This week's question is from Jerry in San Diego and to Tony

    What is your favorite wrestler to interview?

  • I'm only transcribing Tony because this will hopefully be the last time we'll hear from him.

    Jerry, thanks a lot for the question. I started out doing interviews in sports entertainment many years ago. And back then, I enjoyed talking with Ric Flair, Wahoo McDaniel, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Dusty Rhodes. But the one man that I enjoyed talking with more than any - give him one subject and he can for hours on end - and that is the Living Legend Larry Zybszko.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ...

    (Tony cracks up laughing)

  • Back in the studio, Scott starts to talk: "Well, Tony Schiavone interviews them all and he picks the Living Legend Larry Zybszko."
  • And then Tenay snaps.
    • "Boy, am I hitting them!"
    • A "Larry" chant breaks out from the crew, as Tenay does the Larry salute.
    • Hudson gets a pained expression on his face. 
    • "They still don't forget. Over twenty glorious years of LarryLand, and they're really running amuck as of late. But in this human game of chess that is World Championship Wrestling..."
    • Hudson tries to interrupt, but Tenay isn't stopping.
    • "Did I ever remind of you that time I wrestled in Shea Stadium, against Bruno Sammartino?"
    • Hudson: "Not today."
    • Tenay (back to normal): "Wow, that was a dead on Larry Zybszko."
    • Hudson: "That's the worst Tony Schiavone I've ever head in my life."
  • That was the funniest thing ever.
  • To take us down, Scott plugs WCW Magazine.
    • Tenay makes a Larry face while Scott talks.

• Reel Time Wrestling
  • Scott talks about that Reel Time Wrestling breaks down the fourth wall, letting people in on the backstage gossip.
  • Tenay says it's his second favorite segment.
  • Hudson can't figure out what his first favorite is.
    • "Ask WCW.com? The PPV recap? The feature on Jason Jett? The Spring Break Out Stuff we did?"
    • Sometimes, I wonder how much I'll miss this show.

• Reel Time Wrestling: Souled Out 2000 Diamond Dallas Page vs Buff Bagwell, last man standing
  • Since Big Mike did a good job of covering this way back when it happened, I'll just worry about the interesting pop-ups.
  • DDP: "Only man in WCW to go from Manager to Announcer to Wrestler and to become a respected champion."
  • Buff: "One of the most recognizable and handsome faces in wrestling - he even has his own WCW Mastercard."
  • They mention Buff winning tag team titles with four different wrestlers.
    • And then they actually show pictures off all them.
    • Well, not Scorpio - just a "2 Cold Scorpio" graphic
    • But they show a picture of Scotty Riggs from the American Males video.
    • That warms my heart.
  • WCW.com started in 1997 - and gets a million hits a day.
  • Talk about DDP's DDPBang.com "Their website set a precedent for wrestlers to supply 'behind the scenes' info to the fans."
  • DDP (and Booker T) want to be motivational speakers when they get done with wrestling.
    • Like now?
  • They show off a couple counter moves DDP does, when talking about his Power Plant training.
  • "What does every girl want to know about Buff's Stuff?" And then they give his measurements.
    • But not that measurement.
    • Thank God.
    • Anyway, 19" arm, 56" chest and 30" waist.
  • They give an definition for Reckless Abandon, in case we don't know what it is.
    • rek-less a-ban-don (trans verb)
    • 1) to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly
  • They explain the 10 count rule about half way in.
  • As Kim appears in the match, we get her favorite quote: "Brains are an asset. If you hide them. (Mae West)"
  • Kim's advice to female fans: "You always have choices. You can do anything you want. Just strive to be the best at it...no matter what it is!"

• Time for the Professor's Pick of the week
  • By special order (or court request), we have two segments for this, this week.
  • Anyway, last week Tenay mentioned that Dusty hadn't wrestled in six years before Greed.
  • So, we're gonna to see that last match at Fall Brawl 94.
  • Even better, we're going to see the events that led up to it.
  • You know, they could've and should've been doing this from the beginning.
  • Anyway, Dusty talks to Dustin to convince him to be his partner at Clash of Champions.
  • Later, Dusty and the Nasty Boys have a discussion.
    • He needs two more partners for War Games
    • He doesn't think they're nasty enough.
    • Insulted, they prove they are, they beat up random people.
    • I think we're in a bar someplace.
    • Dusty warns them they're going up against a tough bunch.
    • But the Nasty Boys are ready.

• Dusty Rhodes' signature move is the Bionic Elbow

• Back to the studio
  • Hudson says nothing matches the violence of War Games.
  • Tenay mentions that Dusty created the idea of War Games, and he was involved in the '94 one.
  • Tenay runs down the rules:
    • The match is held in two adjacent rings, covered by cages.
    • Two men start.
    • After (usually) five minutes, there's a coin toss.
    • The winning team gets the next person in.
    • For every two minutes after that, the teams take turns sending wrestlers in, till everyone's in the match. 
    • You can only win once everyone's in, and you can only win by submission.
      • Well, you can win by "surrender" too, but I still haven't figured out the difference. 

• Fall Brawl '94: Dustin Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes and the Nasty Boys vs Col. Parker, Arn Anderson, Terry Funk and Bunkhouse Buck
  • To make this a little bit easier to picture with the two rings, I'll call the one on the left (with the normal camera shot) Ring #1 and the one on the right is Ring #2
    • Col. Parker's side enters into Ring #1.
    • The Rhodes' side enters into Ring #2.
  • We come in with Dustin hitting a dropkick on Arn and 30 seconds left in the first period
    • Dustin and had started already in the ring (Ring #2).
    • Typically, War Games starts with two people who have a personal issue.
    • Here, Arn was originally recruited by Dustin to help him face Terry Funk and Bunkhouse Buck.
    • Arn, who'd been a baby face for a while, told Dustin that he'd get the old, mean and tough Arn.
    • Dustin said okay.
    • Arn promptly turned on Dustin during the tag match.
    • Dustin's still not over it.
  • They brawl back into ring #1.
  • Arn tries an enzuiguri (!?!?) and Dustin ducks it, locking on a half crab as the time runs out in the first period.
  • There's the coin flip.
    • Randy Anderson catches it on his arm, but then 'accidentally' drops it
    • What do you know - Col. Parker's calls heads and wins.
    • The heels ALWAYS win the coin toss.
    • I wonder if a two tailed coin.
  • Bunkhouse Buck is in and a house on fire. Stomping, whip, and a big boot for Dustin
  • Running stomps by Bunkhouse.
  • Arn and Buck team up here, double whip, double back elbow.
  • Arn and Buck pick up and Dustin chuck him head first into the cage.
  • We look outside the cage to notice that Dusty is wearing a modified Nasty Boys T-Shirt.
  • Arn holds Dustin's left arm for Bunkhouse to stomp repeatedly.
    • The old Anderson technique on working that left arm.
    • Doubly important in a match where you need to get a submission to win.
  • Arn and Bunkhouse throw Dustin back into ring #2.
  • Double take down - double Boston crab for the last 30 seconds.
  • They let go just as Sags comes in, with the intention of beating on him as he comes in.
  • As those things often go, they end getting double clotheslined.
  • Sags is a house a fire; right for Arn, right for Buck, slam for Arn, running slam into the cage for Buck.
  • Arn is thrown in the cage head first.
    • No one's bleeding yet, so I don't think they ever will.
    • The perils of WCW 1994
  • Sags hits a piledriver on Buck, as Dustin hits the 10 punches in the corner
  • Low blow headbutt by Sags.
  • Sags works over Buck in a corner.
  • Whip, and a sleeper on Arn by Dustin.
  • Whip, clothesline by Sags.
  • While Dustin still has the sleeper down to the mat, Sags does a double choke lift on Buck, knocking Buck's head into the ceiling, then throwing him in the corner.
  • Dustin drops a knee on Arn's head.
  • Terry Funk, getting ready to come in, throws a chair over the cage wall.
    • See, he forget there was a top to it, as he was trying to get it in.
    • Terry goes to his back up plan - a boot, possibly loaded.
  • Terry runs through ring #1, and swings so hard with the boot into ring #2, he falls over the top rope and onto the gap in between the two aprons.
    • The boot misses, too.
  • Terry manages to get himself up and hit Sags with the boot in the head and stomach a few times.
  • Dustin is over to make the save, but get a shot in the back form Buck and a shot to the head.
  • Terry works over Dustin in one corner, while Arn and Buck double whip Sags, who ends up running right into the cage wall, falling hard.
    • I think he forgot it was there.
    • Arn and Buck were slightly confused, expecting him to come back.
    • Good enough, I guess.
  • Dustin is run head first into the cage.
  • Buck holds Sags for a second rope ax handle from Arn.
  • Funk slams Dustin in to the cage right in front of Dusty, while talking trash.
  • The announcers start hyping the Flair/Hogan cage match for the next PPV all of the sudden.
    • Tony started it.
  • Buck's holding Sags for Arn to hit.
    • He even gets another boot shot in.
  • For reasons known only to him, Terry Funk climbs the ropes to reach down and kick Dustin on the mat.
  • Dustin manages to get up to his feet and crotch Terry on the top rope.
  • Arn is quickly over to remedy the problem with a boot to the back of the head.
  • Col. Parker, outside the ring, doesn't look too eager to get in this match.
  • Buck goes to the top rope and hits an ax handle on Sags, but he doesn't really pay it much mind.
  • Sags, who's got Terry, also ignores a couple punches, pushing Buck away with an elbow.
  • Sags then tries a piledriver onto the empty place between the apron - it kinda works.
  • Terry Funk falls down the hole between the apron, and then pulls himself up with some sort of brace or something he found there.
  • Meanwhile, Arn and Dustin are working on Dustin, who's crawled over to help.
  • They also get in a few shots on Sags to take him out.
  • Funk never actually uses whatever he's found
  • Knobs comes in, and he's met with a triple team.
  • Terry and Arn try to run Knobs into the far wall of Ring #2, but Knobs reverses it and throws both of them into the wall.
  • And then he throws Buck into the wall.
  • And then Terry again.
  • And then Knobs helps to throw Arn again.
  • Knobs rakes Arn's head against the side of cage, but he's not gonna bleed now.
  • Dustin works on Buck, while Sags takes out Funk, all in the same ring.
  • Now Dustin throws Buck into Ring #1, while Arn gets thrown in to the wall yet again.
  • Legdrop on Arn by Sags, who then hits Funk with a boot shot.
  • Windup, and a boot shot for Arn.
  • Meanwhile, Dustin's taking it to Buck, and Funk is drunkenly staggered into Ring #1.
  • Sags follows him, with the boot in hand.
  • Terry's managed to get some shots on Dustin, but doesn't see the boot coming.
  • It takes two shots for him to go down, but he goes down.
  • Funk goes to work on Dustin, and Sags starts clubbing him with the boot.
  • Dustin throws Buck into a shot as well.
  • Arn appears to be back in control in Ring #2.
  • Dustin knocks Terry and Buck's heads together.
  • In his confusion, Terry ends up swinging and knocking down Buck.
  • Dustin is thrown the boot. One shot for Terry. Two shots for Terry. Windup third shot.
  • I think Arn ended up helping, because next thing we know, Bunkhouse has control of Knobs, and Terry managed to get a hold of the boot to smack Dustin with it.
  • Col. Parker is the last man in for his team - but he wants Meng to go in and take his place.
  • He stalls.
  • In Ring #2, Sags is beating up on Arn, but Buck and Funk seem in control of the ring Parker's coming in.
  • He starts to get in and Dustin breaks loose - Parker backs up.
  • Bunkhouse Buck gets Dustin from behind and now Parker is happy to get in, until he hurts his fists on Dustin's face.
  • Parker decides to kick instead.
  • Buck has a bull rope or a belt from some place, maybe he got it from Parker.
  • At any rate, he's using it on Sags, first a shot, then a choke.
  • Look at Dusty on the floor.
  • Spinebuster on Knobs by Arn.
  • Arn chokes him on the mat.
  • We watch Arn and Knobs slowly fight while we can hear belts shots in the other ring.
    • And fans reacting to them.
    • The whole drama of the moment was ruined by crappy camera work.
  • Now Parker is in to hit Knobs with the belt shot, and we zoom out.
  • Now Dustin is over to get Parker, and he does.
  • Dustin with belt shots for Parker and Arn.
  • Meng, on the outside, is shaking the cage - he wants in.
    • Meng's looking awesome, if weird, wearing a black suit and a white tie.
  • Dustin's working of Arn with the belt in the corner, as we took at Dusty again.
  • In Ring #1, Buck (and presumably Funk, who's changing rings) have laid out the Nasty Boys.
  • Over in Ring #2, Funk's getting ready for Dusty, as Arn's still working on Dustin.
  • Buck is over as well as the second go down.
  • Three on One Dusty as he comes in, but the shots have no effect.
  • Bionic elbows for everybody.
  • Arn and Terry Funk meet minds, and Terry is thrown into the wall.
  • Arn into the wall.
  • Buck into the wall.
  • That leaves Parker, who had came over to watch his team beat up Dusty.
  • Parker begs off and tries to escape back into Ring #1
  • He does - but runs right into Nasty Boys.
  • Double whip, double shoulderblock.
  • Meng is banging the cage, even trying to climb up it, just to find some way in.
  • Corner whip by Sags, corner splash by Knobs.
  • Dusty sets up Parker - and puts on the figure four.
  • Dustin is holding off the guys in the other ring from crossing over to help
  • Terry Funk slips through, but Dustin grabs him by the pants and pulls him back.
  • Elbow drop by Sags, with the figure four still on Parker.
  • Elbow drop by Knobs.
  • Double elbow drop.
  • Double elbow drop.
  • Parker submits.
  • Your Winner: Dusty and Dustin Rhodes, and the Nasty Boys (19:05, 13:43 shown)
  • Back in the studio, we note that the same group, Dusty and Dustin, were also victorious at Greed.
  • Hudson is having a fit - of happiness, for getting a Bunkhouse Buck match.
  • Hudson says goodbye - "WCW gone, WCW Worldwide gone."
  • "We'll see you down the road, somewhere else."

• We get the credits to close it out, with everyone getting a funny nickname.

• And we see the set being torn down.

• That's it.

• Well, for them.

  For me - I don't haven't (figuring out past tense sucks) usually said all that much here, but I figure I ought to say something. I'm just not sure I can do the serious "this is the end" thing, so I'll do what I can.

  You know, if you think about it, this whole decline of WCW deal can be linked to the decline of Worldwide in the summer of '98 - once they stopped taping in Orlando, the quality Nitro shows got worse and they did worse ratings. And once they stopped taping matches for Worldwide, only using scrap matches in November '00, the bottom fell out of the company and you knew it was just a matter of time before things completely fell apart.

  So now you know.

  I'd like to thank Bill for giving me this shot - and then not firing me all those times I was late or a horrible typist. And thanks to all the people who read and dropped me a line - it was to nice to know that there really was someone out there.

  Despite the video packages, the sometimes really awful interviews, the random time and channel changes, the WCW MasterCard commercials (and every other one they'd play twice a week, every single week) and Lee Marshall, it's been fun doing this. It's gonna be weird not sitting down some weekend night (well, sometimes Tuesday night) and writing a report on the world's only D-Level show.

  I don't think I needed to be insane to keep watching this show, but it probably helped.

  Maybe they'll change my mind between now and then, but I think I'm gonna give the WWF's WCW a chance. If I was delusional enough to believe that the Russo, Sullivan, Russo/Bischoff and Russo II era of WCW stood a change of turning things around, the least I could do is give WWF a chance to make me want to turn the channel.

• That's it. See you nex-aw, dang it.

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