WCW 2001

[Hewey]

Leaving my thoughts as I read.

I was surprised to see The Cat beat Steiner. I thought for sure Steiner would pick up the win since he jobbed to David Flair. But oh well, I prefer The Cat over Steiner anyday of the week. I'm interested in seeing where these two or going to go next. Maybe The Cat can feud over the US title? I just hope you don't plan on pushing Steiner like WCW did. Better guys can get pushed in his place. (Wright, Disco, Chavo, O'Haire ) I knew Awesome would win, But I liked The Wall coming out to help him. Is The Wall in team Canada or did he just try to make an impact? I liked Konnan coming out, But failing. Tygress getting choke slammed was great. If you are releasing her, That'd be a good way to take her off of TV. I guess a feud between Wall and Konnan will take place since Wall beat up Konnan's hoochie. Glad to see JTB around. And glad to see The Mamalukes back together. I think, A feud between Mamalukes/O'Haire/Jindrak could go over well for the titles. That is, If the NBT walk out with the titles. Glad to see Chavo retaining. Sucks that the crowd sucked though. Lash/Chavo could be good, But I don't think Lash is the one to take the belt away from Chavo. I think Chavo should be in for a long reign, All though as not charismatic, Chavo could do what Jericho did as CW champion back in '98. (though you'll need to build a Malenko like contender for him) I don't like Funk beating Crowbar, I'm a fan of Funks, But at his age, He should be putting people over and not beating them. Maybe next month we'll get a rematch? Or Meng will get involved? I was surprised to see Nash and DDP walk out with the win. I was even more surprised to see Stasiak and Palumbo get the title shot. Though, This could mean a singles push for O'Haire. I'd love to see Nash versus O'Haire at Superbrawl. Holy crap! Goldberg lost! I can't believe Goldberg lost here. I doubt the stipulation will hold though. I sense Goldberg/Steiner for Uncensored possibly. Goldberg will have to do something at Superbrawl to get him the number one contenders spot. Or maybe Goldberg isn't the man to beat Steiner? Could it be Sting? Or a returning Booker T? I'm so glad Douglas didn't get the US title. As much as Morrus sucks, Douglas would have been much worse. Looks like Lash is still Hugh's lackey. Maybe Chavo can get The Wall on his side, If Wall isn't with Team Canada. I wonder who Morrus' next challenger in? I don't really see any worthy contenders on the current roster, Maybe Kanyon can return? Damn, Steiner won. I was even more shocked to see Sid attack Sting. I think Sting would make a good World Champion. I mean, Sure, The guy isn't exactly a young hoss, But he's better than Steiner.

Overall, Good show. There were some screwjobs, But I didn't mind them. Did your plans change for the tag team title match up? Did Nash or DDP use creative control? Hopefully the next PPV has Alex Wright and Disco

Can't wait for Nitro

[SpiceDawg]

Power Pro Wrestling Main Event Wrestling Results

01.15.01

www.indywrestlingbeat.com

I’m a few days late with my report on the PPW tv taping from this past Saturday night. I’m guessing the deal is they tape it on Saturday and then will put it out for syndication on the Sunday & Monday. At this point, it’s mainly being seen in Georgia. I’m sure I’m a little too late for spoilers but I can at least give my view on each match up.

Arn Anderson came to greet everyone to the show. He promised weekly tapings here at Center Stage and declared great wrestling will return to this arena. He also said a tournament to crown the first ever PPW World Champion will start next week. He said the first round matches would be Brock v. Hail v. Afa Jr, Charlie Haas v. AJ Styles, OG Ekmo v. Shelton Benjiman, Kimo v. Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore v. Christopher Daniels, Russ Haas v. Joey Matthews, Christian York v. Bob Sapp, Air Paris v. Michael Modest. Interesting having a 3 way dance in the first round but it’s obvious the company wanted to use all it’s stars for the next big show. Arn Anderson once again thanked everyone for being here and then flashed us the Four Horsemen sign (SWEET!!!)

Island Boyz (w/Queen Victoria) defeated Joey Matthews & Christian York (w/Tracy Brooks): Guess you mind as well cart out the eye candy nice and early. No real reason was given why Queen Victoria (recent WWF developmental cast off) and Tracy Brooks were managing these two teams. Though Joey Matthews was overly touchy with Tracy Brooks which makes me think the gimmick is that they are going out. Joey & York keep the Island Boyz off their feet with some quick, fast, flying offence in the early goings. The big Samoans eventually over power the smaller foes. The Samoans work fairly well together and have a decent power move set. At one point, Tracy hits a spring board hurricanrana on one of the Samoans to show she isn’t just a pretty face. This brings out Queen Victoria to hit a moonsault on Christian York to outdo Traci. The two chicks get into a cat fight that got a decent response from the crowd but I was hoping for more skin. Dang kids in the audience ruining my skin fix. Anyway, this one ends with the two fat Samoans squashing York with a double frog splash from the top ropes. Like I said, this was a pretty surprisingly good tag team match.

Bob Sapp beat Air Paris & AJ Styles in a handicap match: Wow, this one would have pissed off some of the big indy fans. Air & AJ have been touted to be the next big things in the indy wrestling and WCW signed them up with such knowledge. Tonight, Sapp made them out to be his bitches by causing both men to tap out to a rings of Saturn type submission. The match was pretty good with the two smaller guys running circles around the monster Sapp. In the end, Sapp got a ahold of them and totally turned them into minced meat. Not sure if this is a sign that WCW doesn’t care for AJ & Paris or if they are really high on Sapp. Considering that Sapp already has been mentioned on WCW TV, I’ll got with the latter.

An angle is done where Russ Haas & Charlie Haas declare they are the best amature wrestlers in all of North America. They offer $100 to anyone who can last two minutes with them in an amature wrestling match. An obvious plant comes out from the crowd and gets schooled by Russ Haas in a match. Charlie asks for another sucker to come out which bring some guy with a fake wig, big sunglasses and a trench coat. The Haas Brothers make fun of him but allow him to wrestle Charlie. Charlie gets totally schooled by the goof which upset the Haas boys. It is then revealed it is Shelton Benjamin which causes the Haas Brothers to attack Shelton but Brock quickly comes to his aid. Shelton gloats in the ring with the Haas boys' $100. You know it’s an indy fed when $100.00 is considered a big deal.

Nick Dinsmore & Trinity defeated Afa Jr & Gail Kim: Weird match because Afa played the crowd like a face but Gail played up like a heel. Dinsmore & Trinity were definite faces. Gail is a pretty spot-tastic wrestler but with some seasoning can be something special. Trinity had a habit of blowing most of her spots. Trinity is pretty ugly for a hot girl if you get my drift. Nick and Afa strung together a respectable match when they were in together. Finish came when Gail accidentally dropkicked her man and allowed Dinsmore to score the German suplex for the pin. Gail berated Afa for his failure after the match. Pretty hum ho affair and probably the shows big piss break.

Bob Sapp came out for an interview where he declared he would be the new PPW Heavyweight champion. His interview was pretty decent for a guy who never really cut one before. Sapp declared he was still in a mood for hurting after his match tonight. Sapp dragged a poor photographer(plant!) into the ring and applied his submission hold on him. This brought out Brock Lesnar to break up the hold and send Sapp to the back. It’s obvious who the focal point of this company will be.

Queen Victoria beat Bobcat & Tracy Brooks in a 3 way match: This was a fairly good match with Tracy providing the aerial, Bobcat doing some mat wrestling and Victoria doing the power. The plus side is all three looked really hot while doing it. This one ended when Victoria put Brooks away with a brainbuster variation. Victoria beat down Bobcat after the match for good measure.

Rob Conway defeated Hail: Hail dominated the whole match but then put his head down setting himself up for a DDT. It was really odd to see a monster heel dominate then go down after one move. Not sure if something was botched here or what. Hail really sucks by the way and can’t hit anything smoothly while Conway has a really bright future. Match was crap due to the odd finish and Hail having crap offence.

Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin and Michael Modest beat Christopher Daniels(w/Gail Kim) & the Hass Brothers: Wow, this was a classic match. All these guys really rock the casbar and proved that in this hot contest. The fans were really into the action in this one and I had to agree with them. Brock tossed all the heels around the ring with some awesome suplexes. I’d like to add how dumb WWF is for letting the Haas brothers, Shelton and Lesnar go. Anyway, Shelton ended playing the face in peril as the Haas hit a ton of suplex combos and amature take downs. Man, that Christopher Daniels is smooth in the ring and has some decent natural charisma. Gail Kim interferes a lot but eventually Afa Jr arrives to chase her away from the ring. Finish comes when Brock catches Charlie trying to do a cross body and he tosses Hass onto his shoulders. Brock does this amazing move that is is sort of like a TKO but instead, of being tossed into a diamon cutter it is into a DDT (F5). Amazing match and I can’t wait for these guys to meet up again.

A really decent show and I’ll definitely return next week. Next week is the big first round of the tourney. Based off this show, I’d say it’s fairly easy to predict the first round matches. I’m sure we will probably see Brock and Sapp in the finals of this thing. I’d definitely have them passing their first round matches. Anyway, a really solid first effort and they’ve got a fan in me.

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WCW Sin Backstage Notes

01.15.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

- Apparently, the plan all along was for Goldberg to do the job last night. That was part of the reason they changed the stip on Monday so they didn’t have to adhere to the deal where Goldberg was to be fired. Sources say, Goldberg is set to start filming for an action flick about a Cyborg trying to save post apocalyptic America from fire breathing serpents (expect it to be at a Blockbuster near you rather soon) thus WCW needed to get a way to allow Goldberg some time off (but not too much time off like a firing angle would cause). Taylor reasoned the no title shot stip wouldn’t hurt Goldberg too much if he isn’t around regularly but would cause some controversy since Goldberg rarely loses.

- Golberg was said to be very upset about having to do the job at WCW Sin. He originally threatened to walk out of the PPV if it wasn’t rewritten. Apparently, WCW promised that this match would open the doors for some big plans in the future. Also the match was apparently rewritten in order to have Goldberg remain strong (the mass amount of interference). Rumours are despite the rewriting, Goldberg still complained to anyone who would listen about his reputation being tarnished by losing to ‘two past their prime hacks’.

- Word is Shane Douglas was not happy with how he was portrayed in his match with Morrus. Word was he was willing to lose but wanted to make sure he maintained some ‘heat’ after the match. WCW disagreed with Douglas ‘getting his heat back’ since they wanted to end the feud and such a move would only continue it. Douglas was heard whining about being misused and underappreciated by the company again. Word was he was even bad mouthing Flair again even though Ric Flair wasn’t even in the building last night.

- Word is, O’Haire & Jindrak were booked to win the WCW World Tag Team titles last night. Kevin Nash and DDP both didn’t want to lose the titles to O’Haire or Jindrak. Kevin Nash pulled his creative control right before the match was to begin which meant WCW was forced to change the outcome. Word is, WCW is furious at Nash as the deal was the Insiders would win the tag titles at Starrcade as long as they would do the return job at WCW Sin. Nash seems to have changed his mind on such a deal. WCW tried every Thriller combination possible in order to try to get Nash to agree to job. Rumour is that WCW even offered O’Haire & Scott Steiner as a possible tag combination despite such a team making very little sense storyline purposes. WCW was desperate but Nash wasn’t biting. In the end, O’Haire was pulled from the match once it was apparent that a Thriller needed to do the job. Thus O’Haire’s involvement changed to an after match beat down where Nash was ordered to blade for O’Haire. Word is WCW is putting a lot of pressure on Nash to do a single job to O’Haire in the future.

- Chavo Guerrero Jr. was heard backstage asking to be elevated up the card. Chavo was feeling that his match with Shane Helms should prove his worth to the company. Guerrero would also want to raise the status of the Cruiserweight division and have the title considered World title status.

- Despite the hard time Nash & DDP pulled, some agents are still very high on the Insiders as a team. Ceative head Terry Taylor still believes that it’s best to take the titles off the team and to split them up for now. It’ll be interesting to see who wins out.

- After the PPV, Lex Luger was seen complaining to Terry Taylor about his match with Goldberg. Luger claimed that Goldberg was deliberately making Luger look bad in his match to make it look like he shouldn’t be pushed. Word is, Luger was claiming Goldberg’s head was getting too big and he doesn’t understand the importance of ‘giving back’. Rather interesting comments from someone notorious for not wanting to do jobs to elevate talent.

- Buff Bagwell was seen with the trainers complaining from serious bruising and pain from his match with DeBruce & Goldberg. Buff claimed that Wayne DeBruce worked way too stiff in his match.

- Official buy rate was a 1.04 along with a PPV income of $2, 600 000, a gate revenue of $775 200 and an attendance of 12 920. WCW is said to be very happy with these numbers for what was considered an off month PPV.

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Sunday Night Heat Ratings

01.15.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

Last night, WWF Heat put on a strong show headlined by Dean Malenko defeating Crash Holly & Ron Killings in a triple threat match for light heavy title. The show scored a solid 1.16 despite it being a slight drop from last week. The in arena attendance was 7 535 which brought in a gate revenue of $301 400.00.

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CZW Accepting the Challenge Results

01.15.01

www.indywrestlingbeat.com

A decent big monthly show from CZW this time around with the yearly Accepting the Challenge event emanating from Sewell, NJ. The show drew in a house of 403 which raked in $8 060.00. A pretty good showing from the rising company. Most of the fans left the show feeling they saw a decent night of wrestling action.

In the opener, Ric Blade defeated Jun Kasai after hitting a Michinoku Driver off the second rope in a highly competitive lightheavyweight contest. Both men were given a standing ovation after the contest

The Briscoe Brothers defeated the Backseat Boys when Mark Brisco pinned Johnny Kasmere after a Screwdriver. This was a highly competitive match up that the fans were really digging. After the match. The Briscoes declared their desire for the CZW tag team championship.

An angle was run where Wifebeater, Mad Man Pondo and Justice Pain threw a mock funeral for John Zandig since they claimed they had killed his career. This lead to Nick Gage, Nick Mondo and Nate Hatred to run off the three heels

Reckless Youth defeated CZW Junior Heavyweight champion Men’s Teoh after hitting a 450 splash to win the CZW Junior Heavy championship. Teoh shook the hand of Youth after the contest.

Lobo & Jeff Rocker defeated Divine Storm (Chris Storm & Quiet Storm) after Lobo pinned Storm with a chokeslam. Lobo layed out both Chris Storm & Jeff Rocker after the contest.

Ruckus won a triple threat involving Danny Rose & Adam Flash after Ruckus pinned Rose with Stardust DDT. It was said to be a fairly decent contest with a few botched spots.

In a Texas Tornado Hardcore match, Nick Mondo & John Dahmer defeated Mad Man Pondo & Eddie Valentine after Dahmer pinned Valentine from opponent miscommunication of a chair shot. This was a fairly violent match and lots of crimson was shown.

The Iron Man title was on the line when the Champion Nate Hatred defeated Wifebeater after a variation of the pedigree put Wifebeater down for good. It was said to be a fairly decent contest.

In the Main event, Justice Pain defeated Nick Gage to retain the CZW World title after the interference from Mad Man Pondo and Wifebeater. After the match, John Zandig arrived to fight off the heels and celebrate his return with Nick Gage in the ring. This was John Zandig’s return after a brief hiatus from the company.

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ECW Guilty As Charged Results

01.15.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

ECW put together a fairly decent PPV last night though there was some concern that this could be one of the final ever shows of ECW. If this is the case, the company most definitely went out with a bang. I would like to thank ECW for some amazing memories and moments. ECW pulled off a decent buyrate for a National company with a .68 which garnered PPV dollars in the sum of $1, 700 000. The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York saw an attendance of 8 028 which brought in $321 120.00 of revenue. Heyman has to be happy with such numbers.

In a show opening angle, Jerry Lynn came out to confront Joel Gertner because he took exception to some recent comments from him. Joel tried to plead his case but was in the end cradle piledriven by Jerry Lynn. Dawn Marie then came out to do commentary in the place of a stretchered out Gertner. Before Lynn left the area, Spike Dudley came out to confront Jerry Lynn for his actions but was jumped from behind by Curt Hennig which lead to the impromptu opening match.

Curt Hennig was able to put away Spike Dudley after interference from Jerry Lynn. After the match, Jerry Lynn re-entered the ring to continue the attack on Spike Dudley. Lynn did a prolonged promo about wanting respect in ECW and he would get it tonight. This promo brought out RVD to confront Jerry Lynn but this time it was Rhyno who jumped RVD which lead to. . .

ECW Television title match took place really early in the evening and saw ECW TV Champion Rhyno pin RVD(w/Bill Alfonso) after the gore. Rhyno even gored Bill Alfonso after the match as well. Jerry Lynn did an extended beat down on RVD after the match.

In a Fatal Four Way for the ECW World Tag Team Titles, Mikey Whipwreck & Taijiri (w/Sinister Minister) won the titles by defeating ECW Tag Team Champions Danny Doring & Roadkill, Kid Kash & Ultimo Dragon and The FBI(Tony Mamaluke & Jame Maritato) (w/Sal E. Graziano) The order of elimination saw Mamaluke pin Kash with a brainbuster, Doring beat Maritato with a Wham Bam Thank You Maam, Taijiri won the match with a karate kick to the head of Doring.

Super Crazy & Juventud Guerrera defeated Chris Candido & Chris Hamrick after Juvi pinned Hamerick with the Juvi Driver. This was considered the match of the night by many people. Candido seems to be the best shape of his life and I’m sure WCW is wishing they had signed him back.

In a ‘I Quit Match’ Tommy Dreamer defeated CW Anderson after causing CW to declare I Quit after having barbed wire rubbed against his face. This was a really bloody and brutal climax to this feud.

Jerry Lynn won the ECW World championship after defeating ECW Champion Steve Corino (w/Jack Victory), The Sandman & Justin Credible (w/Francine) in a Ladder, Singapore Canes, Chairs and Table match. Lynn then declared it was his destiny to be the ECW Champion. Lynn challenged anyone to try to take the title off of him. This brought RVD to throw an instant challenge.

RVD defeated ECW World Champion Jerry Lynn with the frog splash to win the ECW World Championship in what was a fantastic match. Curt Hennig and Road Warrior Hawk both got involved in this contest. To end the show, all the face came out to celebrate with the new champion.

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JCW No Clowning Around

01.15,01

www.indywrestlingbeat.com

This was the first major event under the Verne Gagne regime. It’ll be interesting to see what the former head of the AWA and a huge supporter of old school wrestling does with JCW. If tonight was any indication, Verne isn’t planning to change the product too much when it is concerned to content but he has a lot of new talent in JCW now.

Ted Dibiase opened the show to introduce himself as the new JCW Commish. Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope and Vampiro arrived to announce the company didn’t need any Commish and that they weren’t going to follow rules passed down by ‘that old f**king fart’. All of a sudden, Ricky Steamboat & Jake Roberts showed up to declare they were fighting for tradition. The segment ended with the legends sending the Juggalo’s packing. Really odd seeing all these wrestling names in such a crap company.

First match was a Triple Threat Elimination to decide the #1 contender to the JCW Junior heavyweight title, Nova defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & Johnny B. Badd. Liger eliminated Badd with a moonsault but then was eliminated via the Kryptonite Krunch against Nova. I have to admit I never thought I’d see this kind of talent in JCW.

Nova then called out Shaggy 2 Dope to defend the title right now. Instead, Evil Dead came out to demolish and assault Nova. Who came to Nova’s rescue? Ken Shamrock!!!!

This lead to a match where Ken Shamrock defeated Evil Dead by submission via the anklelock. This match kept Evil Dead very strong as Shamrock was taken to the limit. This lead to Psychopatrick to attack Shamrock which brought out Rude Boy leading to a impromptu tag match. . .

Ken Shamrock & Rude Boy defeated Psychopatrick & Evil Dead when Shamrock caused Psycho to tap out to the ankle lock. Both Shamrock and Evil Dead where pretty gassed by the time this match happened. It wasn’t a very good match. A nice attempt at doing an ECW type flowing segment.

Rainbow Express (Lodi & Lenny) defeated Simon Diamond & Chuck Hogan after Lenny pinned Hogan with Memory Lane (Stroke). Chuck Hogan isn’t very good at all but the Express is a solid team. I’m guessing, Simon wishes he worked the ECW PPV.

Vader suddenly arrived in the arena and took out both Rainbow Express members with Vader bombs. Out from the back to save them was King Kong Bundy which lead to a. . .

King Kong Bundy battled to a no contest with Vader in what was pretty brutal match (as in hard to watch). The match never really got started as neither guy ever entered the ring. The battled all over the arena for about 12 minutes with lots of alleged brawling. Both men bladed for the contest.

Jake Roberts, Donvan Morgan & Madusa defeated Vampiro, Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope when Madusa pinned J. A total overbooked mess which included almost half the roster running in. The originally advertised match had been Vamprio v. Tommy Dreamer for the JCW championship but JCW obviously didn’t know there was an ECW PPV tonight. This match was thrown together with the opening angle and somehow Madusa became a proper substitute for Commissioner Dibiase and Donavon was a replacement for Steamboat. Neither Dibiase or Steamboat is going to come out of retirement to actually wrestle for JCW -- they'll just take their money. I wonder what a Christian like Dibiase thinks about a match where the majority of it appeared to have ICP trying to get Madusa to give them a blow job??? In the end, Jake Roberts hit a DDT on J and allowed Madusa to pin the clown. Really crazy match that at times was more like a battle royal.

All in all, JCW had some good and some awful. Who even knows if the company will be afloat for much longer. I’m sure Verne Gagne would rather not have a second company he owns to go under. Tonight they pulled in an attendance of 489 & a gate of $14 670 which isn’t too bad of numbers though I wonder how many upset fans there where when the advertised main event didn’t happen?

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Les Thatcher Takes Over CZW

01.15.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

It’s been an odd month with two new owners taking over wrestling organizations. This past weekend, the news spread that long time wrestling promoter Les Thatcher has become the new owner of Combat Zone Wrestling. The deal was made final shortly after the CZW Accepting the Challenge event. Apparently, Les has high hopes for the wrestling promotion. He wants to start promoting outside of New Jersey and aiming to become a Cult promotion by next year.

The change in management has caused a few wrestlers to part ways with the company. Quiet Storm, Chris Divine, Men’s Teoh, Danny Rose, Eddie Valentine, Jeff Rocker and Jun Kasai all wrestled their last show at CZW this past weekend. Which would now explain why Men’s Teoh dropped the Junior title at Accepting the Challenge in a move that seemed to come out of nowhere.

CZW also gained some talent with the Thatcher acquisition of CZW. Low Ki, Jody Flrisch, Joel Maximo, Jinsei Shinzaki, Scoot Andrews, American Dragon and Spanky have all signed with the company. Word is Thatcher is very high on all these signing but especially Low Ki who should be in line for a main even push.

It should be very interesting to see what Thatcher does with CZW and if he can take the company to heights it’s never seen before. It should be interesting to see what he does with his new talent and the current roster. On a quick business note, Thatcher was able to get some more sponsors for CZW after taking the company’s risk level down to 30%. Wrestlecrap & Blockbuster Video have both agreed to have a relationship with CZW. This is more great news for the fledging company.

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WCW Sends Stars Down to PPW

01.15.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

WCW is serious about wanting to improve it’s current product. One of the strategies seems to be improving the skills and talent of their female roster. At this point, most of the females are not much more then eye candy for the fans. Terry Taylor wants to end that philosophy and either get them to be solid mouthpieces for talent or to become capable in-ring competitors. Some of the recent PPW signings show that WCW may want to start a women’s division by the year’s end. This recent shuffling of several females down to Power Pro Wrestling may be more proof of a desire to start a competitive Women’s division.

Paisely, Miss Jones and Tygress have all been sent down to developmentals. The reason for the table spot with Tygress & the Wall was to write Tygress out of current storylines. Word is WCW has contemplated releasing Tygress but she was very good friend’s with Rey Misterio. Instead, she is now down in developments. There is rumours that more women are set to be sent down. Word is that Stacy Kiebler & Midajah had been sent down but Arn Anderson claimed that both women had nothing more to gain by being in the territory. He felt they had peaked. No word if that means WCW will release them or allow them to remain on the full roster.

On the male side, Reno & David Flair have been sent down to developmentals. The purpose of the beat down of Flair on Thursday was to write him out of storylines while he works down in PPW. The cryptic ‘you’re being benched’ comment by Sanders to Reno at Sin was WCW’s way of writing out Reno while he develops his skills. Word is that WCW is very high on Reno and actually didn’t even want to job him to Vito at Sin. It was decided that if Reno was being taken off the air then he probably shouldn’t get the win.

Word is that both Wall and Mark Jindrak are set to be sent down to developmental along with most of the female talent. It’s not confirmed as to when they’ll be taken off TV. Especially since the Wall seems to be set for a feud with Konnan after Sunday.

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WCW Nitro Preview

01.15.01

www.wcw.com

WCW Sin was an absolutely unforgettable PPV spectacular. It saw the return of Sid Vicious and Johnny the Bull, the dastardly dark side of the Wall, the outright assault Sean O’Haire committed against Kevin Nash, the shocking loss of Bill Goldberg and the match of the year candidate in Chavo Guerrero Jr v. Shane Helms. WCW Sin will definitely be an event to be remembered for a very long time. Tonight, WCW moves forward with another exciting addition of WCW Nitro. Nitro will come to you live from Fort Wayne, IN at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

Ric Flair and his son, David, were brutally attacked by Big Poppa Pump at this past Thunder. Ric has not been seen since the horrific event. Tonight, the CEO of WCW has promised to be live at Nitro and will deliver a huge announcement. WCW.com does not know what this announcement pertains to but it is sure to be a blockbuster. One could assume it will involve the Apocalypse and especially the WCW World Champion Big Poppa Pump after his disgusting actions from Thunder.

Last night, the Insiders successfully defended the WCW World Tag Team titles but they ended up not leaving like victors. Kevin Nash was brutally mauled by Sean O’Haire after the title match. Only 24 hours later, the Insiders have agreed to defend the WCW World Tag Team championships despite Nash not being fit to wrestle. Minutes after Totally Buff scored one of the most shocking victories in wrestling history, the egotistical duo had challenged the Insiders to a championship match for Nitro. Will Kevin Nash be able to compete tonight? Will DDP have to defend the championships on his own? Can the Insiders battle the odds again and defeat the red hot Totally Buff? Will the win streak of Totally Buff continue and lead to brand new WCW World Tag Team Champions? This is a match that you’ll definitely not want to miss.

Plus Bill Goldberg will be on hand and he isn’t in a very good mood after the events of last night. Word is that he is on a mission to take out any member of the Apocalypse that he can find.

Why did Sid Vicious attack and cost Sting his match for the WCW World Title? Sid will be on hand this evening and should be able to shed some light on the situation. Sting will also be in the arena and he will definitely have some words for Sid.

Please join us at 9:00pm live on TNT for two hours of the best wrestling action on Monday night.

[SpiceDawg]

WCW Nitro

Date: 01.15.01

Venue: Fort Wayne, IN at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Network: TNT

Timeslot: Prime Time

Commentators: Tony Schiavone & Scott Hudson

Ring Announcer: David Penzer

WCW Nitro opens up with a video/stills package highlighting the major events of WCW Sin that included Sid turning on Sting, Goldberg losing his match, Sean O’Haire mauling Kevin Nash and Wall putting Tygress threw a table. The usual WCW Nitro open begins after the package which then segues into a shot of the inside of the Allen County Memorial Coliseum. The camera pans the ecstatic WCW crowd while pyro and fireworks go off in the background. Tony Schiavone and Scott Hudson run down the key events from WCW Sin and then hype tonight’s card line-up.

Stepping Up To Be The man

The crowd rains down boos as a new remixed theme brings out the Apocalypse including Midajah so WCW must have decided to keep her employed. The six members pose in the ring while the fans greet them with more jeers. Scott Steiner unstraps his WCW World Title and lifts it high in the air for all to see. Jeff Jarrett grabs a nearby arena mic.

Jeff Jarrett: [pointing his guitar at Scott Steiner] Ladies and slappy men, still the WCW Heavyweight champion of the World, Big Poppa Pump, Scott Steiner!!!! [Jarrett slips off his sunglasses and looks right at Steiner] Scott, we’ve had our problems these last few weeks but last night, has to be seen as the biggest victory in Apocalypse history. We not only worked as a magnificent team and fought back the challenge of Sting. [Jeff Jarrett makes broad gestures with his hand and faces back to the crowd] WCW Sin saw the demise of the almighty Bill Goldberg. Totally Buff not only pinned him but sent him hobbling to the back as a broken man. Now, for 12 months Bill Goldberg can only watch as other men compete for the WCW World Championship. A championship that will be proudly defended by the flagbearer of WCW, Scott Steiner. [Jeff Jarrett hands the mic over to Scott Steiner while Totally Buff, Rick Steiner and Midajah clap for the champ.]

Scott Steiner: Big Poppa Pump is your hook up, holla if you hear me! [some cheers are mixed in with mostly boos] [looks over at other Apocalypse members] Despite being the key to every freaks ecstasy, having the largest arms in all of professional wrestling and still being the world champion after making Sting my bitch, I’m not in a good mood. It’s because the Big Booty Daddy has to come to a toilet bowl like Fort Wayne, Indiana, [the heels all laugh as the fans give their cheap boos] There isn’t anybody worthy of the champ, not in this dump of a town. You might hate it but you need admit I am the dominator of WCW. I am the World Champion. I proved last night that nobody can dethrone the champ. Dick Flair tried to make me fall and where is he? Probably crying over the battered body of his ugly son. Flair’s dead. I’ve sent the old man packing. Sting? [name recognition pop] I beat him to the point where he begged for the mercy of the Booty Daddy. I give no mercy. Goldberg? [pop for his mention] You can cheer but he ain’t fighting me for a year. Totally Buff took care of him. [buff and Luger start to congratulate each other] I said Apocalypse would rule this company. Right now, we stand strong while no one else is even standing. Huh? [looks over at a fan] Yeah, I’ll make your lady scream oh Big Daddy, oh Big Daddy, all night long. Because to the victor goes the spoils.

Rick Steiner: [has gotten another mic] Scotty, I told you. Didn’t I tell you? You could trust Jarrett? I said it was Flair to blame for all our problems. No Flair means no more problems. You’re the champ. I told you that Jarrett can be trusted. Together, the two of you beat down Sting. Just like [evil grin] together we took Goldberg out of the game. Right now Scotty, I want you and Jarrett to officially mend fences. I want to be united. I’m asking you to shake the hand of Jarrett. Let’s be one again,

Both Scott Steiner and Jeff Jarrett stare directly at each other. All the other members are encouraging the two to shake hands. Finally, Scott reaches out his hand and Jarrett immediately shakes it.

Jeff Jarrett: Steiner, together we will rule this company.

Scott Steiner: Jeff, I know it was that Dick Flair’s fault. I know. . .

Steiner’s words get cut off by the theme from 2001: Space Odyssey. The crowd gives out a thunderous pop as the wrestling legend and CEO of WCW comes strutting out from the back. ‘Flair’ chants are heard throughout the arena. The Apocalypse seem none too please by the man’s arrival.

Ric Flair: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Steiner, I’m not dead. I’m still breathing. [Flair starts to get worked up and a vein can be seen pulsing from his forehead] You beat me down. You beat my son down. But. . .we. . . are. . .not. . . DEAD! WOOOOOOO! Since day one, I’ve tried to make you the man. I’ve tried to make you a proper champion. Somebody that these people can respect and look up to. But you’ve tried to piss all over my reputation at every step. But last Thursday, you crossed the imaginary line that does not get crossed. You laid your hands on my son. You brutalized my son before my very eyes. [Flair is pacing back and forth on the top of the ramp] These last few weeks I’ve thrown wrestler after wrestler at you. I’ve tried to get other men to take care of this issue. I was trying to be a CEO. I was trying to not return to the ring. [fans start to buzz as they sense where Flair is going with this] Steiner, to be the man you’ve got to beat the man. These last few weeks, I haven’t been a man because I haven’t been able to beat you. I’ve been getting other men to take care of my business. Well, Steiner, I’ve got another opponent for you. You are going to go one on one with him at Superbrawl XI.

Scott Steiner: Whose he now, Flair? Who do I destroy now?

Ric Flair: You son of a bitch, it’s me!!!! WOOOOOOOO!!! February 18th, 2001. The Nature Boy Ric Flair is going after his 17th WCW World Championship. You’ve crossed the line. Now, you’ve got to deal with me! One on one. Steiner, it’s going to take more then a couple Steinerlines and suplexes to keep me down, pal. I’m the dirtiest player in the game and at Superbrawl XI. I’m taking you to school. WOOOOOOOOO!

Rick Steiner: Wait. Wait. This is a abuse of power. You aren’t in contention for my brother’s title.

Ric Flair: Shut up! I tried to avoid it. You drove me to this. You want me to put something on the line? You want me to offer something? Fine. If I don’t beat you and win the World title then I will officially step down as the CEO of WCW. If I don’t win, then the very next night I’m just one of the boys. I’m just an employee. I call no more shots. Superbrawl, it’s my last chance at glory. You better bet that I’m taking it. WOOOOO. Right now? [Flair throws off his suit jacket] I’m so fired up. I’m going to take you on right now.

Ric Flair power walks down to the ring. The crowd pops for this new aggression from Ric Flair. The Apocalypse is right at the front of the ring trying to block the Nature Boy from entering. Flair doesn’t stop and stride right up the ring stairs.

Jeff Jarrett: Hey slap nuts, you are a little outnumbered.

The crowd lets out an even louder pop as Sting, the Cat, and the Insiders [though Nash’s head is extensively bandaged up from the PPV] come running out from the back. Before Apocalypse knows what hit them, the faces are in the ring taking it to the heels. The heel stable doesn’t stay around for long as they scatter from the ring and head up to the backstage area. Scott Steiner is screaming at Flair while the other try to drag him back.

Ric Flair: Steiner, right now, I am still the CEO of this company. What you guys did last night was wrong. It was wrong it took every single one of you to beat Goldberg [ fans pop to the name dropping]. It was wrong how Sting was screwed out of the title. Tonight, I am still the CEO of this company and I still have some say. Steiner, I’m putting you in a non title match tonight against Sting. [big pop with the announcement of that match] To make sure that what happened last night doesn’t happen tonight, I’m putting a special ref into the contest.

Scott Steiner: [yelling] Who is he?

Ric Flair: ME! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! See ya later, champ!

Ric Flair does his crazy man dance while the other faces keep an eye on the heels. Flair shakes the hands and thanks all the faces in the ring. Each face strikes a pose to the crowd, which gets a big pop. The announcers rant and rave about the huge main event announcement for Superbrawl, CEO Job v. WCW Title. The announcers hype up Sting v. Steiner with Flair as the ref as we cut to a

92%

COMERCIAL BREAK – A slick video montage encourages all to order the replay for WCW Sin. Konan shills Pepsi. We are all told about the goodness that is SI for Kids

Non Title Cruiserweight Showcase

Kaz Hayashi (w/Yang & Leia Meow) v. Chavo Guerrero (w/Shannon Moore & Evan Karagious)

Referee: Charles Robinson

The announcers are still rambling on about the events that just transpired and the big main event for Superbrawl & Nitro. Chavo Guerrero not only comes down to the ring with his shiny WCW Cruiserweight title and his cocky swagger but he also brings Shannon Moore & Evan Karagious with him. The announcers mention how 3 Count where instrumental in Chavo’s successful title defence last night. This match is an instant classic and almost as good as last night’s MOTY candidate. Contests like this will be what gets Chavo and the division elevated up the card. Kaz’s quick offence frustrates Chavo early and causes him to roll to the outside for consultation often. Kaz eventually gets upset with this strategy and eventually, propels himself over the top on to the three heels. Back in the ring, Kaz controls Chavo with a variation of stiff kicks to the legs and torso. A variety of quick pinning combinations almost gives Kaz the victory but Chavo is always able to barely escape. Kaz hits Chavo with a picture perfect moonsault but isn’t able to score the win when Shannon pulls Chavo’s foot on the ropes. Kaz tries to get at Shannon but it only provides as distraction for Chavo to plants a knee to Kaz’s back. Chavo mixes his attacks with a ground and power arsenal. Kaz is taken down for a two count after a swinging neckbreaker. While the crowd doesn’t get entirely behind Kaz, they do allow Chavo know they think he sucks. Chavo begins to show more sign of frustration as his high impact moves like tornado ddt, spinebuster and flapjack aren’t enough to keep Kaz down for the count. The tide shifts in the match after Chavo goes up for the frog splash but the pool turns out to be empty. Kaz rallies with some stiff karate chops and round kicks. Chavo is even taken down for another near fall with a hurricanrana. Kaz pops the crowd after he is able to lift up Chavo and put him down hard to the mat with a Kaz Driver (Michinoku Driver). Kaz pulls Chavo into position and scales up the ropes. At this time, Karagious has decided he has something to tell the ref and jumps up onto the apron to get his attention. Shannon Moore seems to want to get the attention of Kaz and does so by pushing him off the top rope. The ref turns around to see a recovered Chavo take down Kaz with a brainbuster which leads to the easy three count. Chavo celebrates with his championship in hand while 3 Count congratulate him on his hard fought victory. Meanwhile, Leia Meow seems to be reprimanding both Yang and Kaz for Kaz’s loss against Guerrero. She can be seen whacking Yang with her whip she always brings to the ring.

After the Yung Dragons have left, Chavo grabs the ringside mic. He glances over to the 3 Count and then gesture to them both broadly.

Chavo Guerrero: As you all know, I am the king of the Cruiserweights. Pound for pound, the greatest star in professional wrestling history. With such accolades, there tends to be a lot of jealous people. As you all saw last night, I was attacked by a very jealous individual. A man who has tried to ride my coattails in the past. Someone who begged to be my friend. The truth is, he is only a peasant compared to me, the king of the cruisers. But still, a jealous and untalented man can be a very dangerous man. You’re cruiserweight champion[pointing out to the crowd] was brutally attacked last night by this petty, jealous individual. Realizing as my greatness grows that jealous will only get worse. I have aligned myself with two men who will watch my back. Two men that are truly worthy of my company and friendship. Together, we are now known as The Count. Everyone will eventually be down for the Count. [Chavo and company laugh to themselves.]

The crowd begins to buzz as three individuals are seen coming out from the audience. The three men jump into the ring and it soon becomes clear that it is Lash Laroux, Jamie Noble, and Shane Helms. Helms and Noble immediately take it to 3 Count while Lash exchanges blows with Chavo. Lash eventually is able to knock down Chavo with his Whiplash 2000 finisher. The heels bail out of the ring and hobble to the back. The faces celebrate the moral victory while the fans grace them with a moderate pop but they mostly seem happy that Chavo got his.

WINNER: Chavo Guerrero Jr.

79/60/99

Commercial – Be sure to buy the Best of Starrcade, Goldberg:Who’s Next & Starrcade ’00 on DVD. TNT wants you to watch Jurassic Park this Friday night!!!

Trouble With The Thrillers???

The boos of the crowd fill the arena as the theme music of the Natural Born Thrillers bring out the five cocky, young athletes. Every members seems to embrace the disdain from the crowd. Each members strike a cocky pose in order to sustain more heel heat. Though it does seem that the group is a little more down trodden than usual and the announcers speculate it is due to their losses last night. At this time, announcers do mention that the Thrillers must have scored a moral victory after the mass damage that Sean O’Haire inflicted on Kevin Nash. Mike Sanders grabs the ring mic to address his booing audience.

Mike Sanders: How do I put this? [small pause] Last night sucked! [crowd cheers knowing that the heel isn’t happy] It will not go down as a banner evening for the Natural Born Thrillers. It will be known as a small misstep on our quest to be the ultimate force in World Championship Wrestling. I’m not going to stand out here and cry to all of you. I’m not going to give you that satisfaction. What I’m going to do is tell you what I’m going to do about last night. First off, you may notice we are a man short. My man Reno didn’t do the job after he promised me he would. So, he’s been benched until further notice. But when he’s ready, he will be back and better than ever before. I guaran-damn-tee it. Which leads me to the happy reunited couple of Johnny the Dumb Bull and Not-So-Big Vito. You guys might be all happy to be together again. I don’t know if you guys have a wedding date set or not. The simple fact is, cancel all your plans because I’ve got two jacked up Thrillers ready to make your life a living hell. These boys right here, the Perfect Event? [the two nod their heads and rub their hands with anticipation] They’re going to permanently wipe you out of the wrestling landscape. Nobody double crosses me, Johnny. You will pay. Which leads to the other tag team that is causing headaches. The WCW World Tag Team champions, the very washed up and lucky Insiders. You see Insiders, I’m still the commissioner which means I still call the shots around here. Especially since our wonderful CEO is distracted with other issues right now. You guys look a little battered. A littler bruised. You can thank the Thrillers for that little gift. You can also thank me for your title defense tonight. You guys are in no shape to defend the titles. You guys will lose them tonight. Totally Buff will be the next World Tag Team Champions! You see, things aren’t so bad for the Thrillers after all. Or at least, [looks down at his shiny Rolex & his fine pressed suit] for me! [sean O’Haire glances Sanders warily] Now, since I’m the Commish, I’m going to make another championship match for Nitro for next week. Right here next week, one on one for the United States Championship [sean O’Haire starts doing warm up hops in the ring], it will be Hugh Morrus defending his title against the number one contender and future of this industry, [O’Haire give a huge smile] the Chosen One Jeff Jarrett!

Sean O’Haire: [rips the mic out of Sanders’ hand] What the hell is going on here??? First you give Totally Buff the title shot tonight. Next week, we’ve got Jeff Jarrett facing Hugh Morrus. What is with all these favours to the Apocalypse, Sanders? What is with the new suit and the new Rolex? Are you getting paid off? Are you forgetting what stable you are in? Dammit Mike, if you are going to be a crooked Commish then be crooked for us! Why didn’t me and Jindrak get the shot tonight? We both know we deserve a chance at the tag team titles. We both know that I’ve had Nash’s number for weeks. Yet we get ignored and Totally Buff get the shot? Sanders, what is going on here?

Mike Sanders: Calm down, Frankenstein. Totally Buff pinned Goldberg last night. If anyone deserves a title shot it’s a team that can do that. Have you pinned Goldberg? [O’Haire mouths that he never faced him] We are a team and an unit, Sean. Don’t start getting selfish on me now. I’m making decisions that will benefit the group as a whole. You can start trying to focus on the team and not just what will benefit you. We’ve got the Insiders to take care of. You did something good last night with leaving Nash a mess but he still was able to walk into the building tonight. I’m saying, you just didn’t get the job done. You didn’t achieve what you claimed to have done.

Sean O’Haire: You want an impact? You want something these fans won’t forget? You want Nash to not be able to compete tonight? I’ll give you that. I don’t plan on finishing Nash off completely. I want Nash. I want to face Nash one on one. [turns to the camera] I want Nash at Superbrawl. Tonight. I’m going to make a personal challenge he will not forget. I will prove I am the future of this company.

Mike Sanders: WE are the futures of this company. [he lets out a sly smirk while tapping O’Haire on the chest] Ha ha, Nash, with a fired up O’Haire I’d say you are SOL and you know what that means.

The music starts up and the Thrillers strike a few poses while making their way back. O’Haire keeps an eye on Sanders the whole time.

85%

COMMERCIAL BREAK - You want to see Thunder because it’s the best wrestling show on Thursday nights (or so this ad says). THQ made a killer WCW wrestling game. PS2 will make you cool so buy one.

The War Continues

Lance Storm & Mike Awesome v. Rey Misterio Jr & Billy Kidman

Referee: Randy Anderson

A quick highlight package showcase the devastation caused by The Wall at Sin. When things return to inside the arena, announcers mention that Hacksaw & Konnan are convalescing at their homes while Tygress is being taken care of at her local hospital. The announcers wish a speedy recovery while also cursing the evil Wall. The entire Team Canada stable enters the ring but the Wall is not included in this group. Announcers speculate if the Wall has joined the group or not. Lance Storm takes the ringside mic and start talking about how Team Canada is back on their winning ways and scored a huge blow against the Filthy Animals in this war between both factions. Major Gunns angrily rips the mic out of Lance Storm’s hand and tears into him for condoning last night’s actions. Gunn says that it was deplorable what the Wall did and it shouldn’t be endorsed by anyone. She asks Storm how he can condone violence against women. Lance responds by saying ‘easy’ and superkicking Major Gunns in the jaw. Gunn lays unconscious while Elix Skipper drags her to the back. These actions immediately bring out a very fired up Filthy Animal team. The smaller face duo instantly jumps the Canadians and goes on the offensive against the heels. At this point, WCW goes to a quick commercial break but returns with the Animals still on the offensive. Kidman and Rey use quick tags to rock Lance Storm. Storm is sent rocking all over the ring courtesy of dropkicks, headscissors, victory rolls and leg lariats. Storm eventually catches Rey Misterio in mid air and plants him with a shoulder breaker. Storm tags out to Mike Awesome and allows the big man to toss the small Mexican all over the ring. Awesome uses a bearhug to crush the life out of the smaller high flyer. Kidman starts up a chant to get the fans into support for Misterio. Misterio eventually cymbal claps Awesome in order to break the hold. A fresh Kidman enter the ring to knock down both Awesome and Storm with dropkicks. Though a Storm superkick does put the control back into Team Canada’s favour. It is team miscommunication that allows Kidman to make the tag back to Misterio and put things back in the Animal’s favour. Misterio hits Awesome with a hurricanrana that knocks him clear out of the ring. A charging Storm is tripped up into the ropes and set up for Misterio’s 619 (which isn’t named as such). Storm crash hard to the mat while Misterio sets himself up to hit his springboard hurricanrana (West Coast Pop). Rather then hit the returning to his feet Storm with the move, Misterio falls flat on his face to the mat. The ref immediately rings the bell as it comes clear that the fall was assisted by a Wall chairshot to the back. The suddenly emerged Wall enters the ring and chokeslams Kidman hard to the mat.

Before more damage can be done, Hugh Morrus comes running out from the back. Morrus is immediately seen yelling at Wall and asking why he is causing this carnage. The Wall grabs a nearby mic and says that all this is the fault of Hugh Morrus. Blames him for all the problems that MIA members are now having. He claims it wasn’t right that Hugh Morrus accepted back Hacksaw for his actions while he decided to disown Chavo. The Wall declares he attacked Hacksaw in order for him to pay for his past sins, which is what Hugh Morrus should have done. Hugh Morrus said that Hacksaw was truly apologetic and while Chavo continues to go the wrong direction. Hugh Morrus says that at least Hacksaw has returned to his country now. The Wall then reveals that he was talking about Hacksaw wronging Team Canada. Once those words are said, the Wall throttles Hugh over the head with a chair shot. The Wall surveys the damage he had done in the ring and leaves with Team Canada. The announcers ramble about the continued wrongs that the Wall is committing and how much of a monster he has turned out to be.

WINNER: Rey Misterio Jr & Billy Kidman by DQ

81/73/90

COMMERCIAL BREAK – Subscribe to WCW Magazine to stay informed. While you are it, check out Sports Illustrated and get the new Swimsuit issue.

That’s An Impact

Kevin Nash is seen in a locker room being looked over by one of the trainers and medics. Nash continues to claim that he is fine to wrestle tonight while the medics claim Nash needs some serious rest and healing. Nash says he feel fine and is ready to defend his tag title. Before Nash can get up to leave, a large body is seen diving into the picture. A medic is heard screaming and the personnel rushes out of the scene. It comes clear that Sean O’Haire has tackled Kevin Nash to the ground and is raining down a flurry of punches to the head of Nash. O’Haire grabs Nash’s deserted WCW Tag Team title and bashes the weapon over the head of Nash when he returns to his feet. O’Haire continues to smash the title against the head of Kevin Nash. It soon becomes clear that Nash is wearing a crimson mask and the floor is getting red too. O’Haire doesn’t stop his assault and starts to throw locker room furniture onto Nash. Nash is soon buried in chairs, benches and medical equipment. O’Haire digs Nash from the debris and drags him to his feet. O’Haire causes Nash to crouch over after a gut shot and causes Nash to crash onto a bench via a jackknife powerbomb. O’Haire bad mouthes Nash and then spits a loogie onto Nash. O’Haire leaves the carnage while issuing a challenge for Superbrawl.

75

Sending A Message

Wayne DeBruce v. ‘The Dogfaced Gremlin’ Rick Steiner

Referee: Mark Johnson

The announcers talk incessantly about the attack that was just witnessed. They mention how O’Haire seems to have the number of Nash but most attacks have been when Nash wasn’t ready for him. Rick Steiner enters the ring by mocking the entrance of Bill Goldberg and over exaggerates the mannerisms of da man. Rick Steiner uses most of Goldberg’s arsenal during the match with DeBruce. The match turns out to be a one sided squash for Steiner. Steiner tosses DeBruce all over the ring with various power moves. Steiner will constantly lean get the rope and stick out his tongue ala Goldberg. Finally, Steiner crushed DeBruce hard to the mat via the spear. Rick strikes the famous Goldberg pose he does after the spear and then sets up DeBruce for the jackhammer. Before the move can be completed, the real Goldberg appears in the ring and spears Rick Steiner to the mat. The ref immediately summons for the bell and tries to get DeBruce out of the ring. Goldberg lands a series of hard strikes to the head of Rick Steiner and finally spin kicks the Dog Face Gremlin out of the ring. Steiner lays stunned on the floor while Goldberg grabs a nearby mic.

Goldberg: Last night, I was royally screwed! [big pop for that revelation] I shouldn’t have lost that match. I should be the WCW World Champion right now. The Apocalypse are cowards and needed each other to ensure I didn’t get the championship. So once again, Goldberg is denied his rightful shot at the World Championship. A title that I haven’t been given one fair shot at since I was screwed out of the title at Starrcade ’99. It’s ’01 and I’m still waiting for a fair shake. But thanks to the Apocalypse, I now need to wait one more year. You know who I blame for all this? [the fans start to murmur while some just scream their heads off because it’s Goldberg in the ring] I blame Sting! [some gasps and some boos] I blame Ric Flair! [the same] I blame the Cat! [boos] I blame DDP! [you guessed it, boos] I blame all the apparent fan favourites. [the boos and shock from the fans continue] I blame all my supposed friends. Because where were they last night when I needed them? Where were they when I was being jumped last week? How come they were so easy to be found when Ric Flair or Sting needs help? Well, I realized they aren’t my friends. [half the fans now are booing Goldberg] They don’t care about me. They know that I’m a threat to their chance at a World Title. So, they purposely turn their back on me because they don’t want me to be champion. They all screwed me over. I say, screw them! [now the arena is filled with lots of boos] Now, don’t think this translates to you guys. [all off sudden, the fans seem confused but the boos die down] I love you fans. I always have loved you. I will be here for you. From this point on, I have no friends in the wrestling business. It’s just me and my Goldberg fans.[that gets a pop from lots of the crowd] As for Apocalypse, I’m going to make it my goal that 2001 is a living hell for every one of you. I can’t concentrate on being World champion. Instead, I’ll concentrate on tearing each of you scumbags to pieces. Because. . . You’re Next!!! [now, the majority of the crowd seems to have been won back as it seems Goldberg is still the man they love]

Golberg drops the mic to the mat and then goes to the outside of the ring where a woozy Steiner returns to his feet. Goldberg stalks Steiner and then spears him hard to the concrete floor. Goldberg then drags Rick to the back while levelling him with a flurry of blows. The announcers claim to be awestruck but still find a way to ramble to the. . .

WINNER: Rick Steiner by DQ

57/58/57

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Be sure to order the WCW Sin encores this week. Don’t forget that WCW.com is a mandatory internet stop. PS2 is good for you.

Turning His Back On The Ones He Loved

The screams of Daffney start the theme for Crowbar and bring out the crazy duo. Daffney giggles and screams her way to the ring while Crowbar skittishly eyes the entire arena. Once in the ring, Daffney bounces around the ropes like a goof but Crowbar grabs the arena mic for some words.

Crowbar: Last night, I made a fool of myself by throwing a temper tantrum in the ring. I did not behave appropriately for a WCW superstar. I also realize, these last few weeks that I haven’t acted in a manner befitting a wrestler you fans can look up to. Most of all, I haven’t been acting like a very good friend. [looks towards the backstage area] Terry, you are my wrestling idol and hero. But more importantly, you have become my friend. Tonight, Terry, I want to ask you to come out here so that I can publicly apologize for my recent actions. Please Terry, allow me to make some amends this evening.

For a few seconds, there is nothing but silence but finally, Terry Funk’s theme music brings out the hardcore icon. Terry points to his fans and give each a heartfelt salute by blowing kisses and pounding his fist to his heart. Terry spends much time outside acknowledging the fans while Crowbar waits patiently in the ring. Finally, the legend enters the ring and steps right up to Crowbar.

Crowbar: Terry, I’ve called you out because you have been a wrestling hero to me. You are my idol. But these last few weeks, I have become obsessed with beating you for the hardcore title. In an effort to ensure that I defeat you, I have constantly got involved in your matches. I’ve stuck my nose in places where it doesn’t belong. My head hasn’t been in a good place. I’ve acted inappropriately and foolish. Tonight, I am asking. . . no, I am begging that you find in your self to forgive me for my poor behaviour.

Terry Funk: Hell, son, the answer to that is easy. I definitely forgive you. Tonight, such an apology has made you into a man. Come here boy.

Terry pulls Crowbar in for a big hug. The two embrace for a few seconds while the fans cheer for such a great display. Terry releases the hug while raising the arm of Crowbar. Daffney looks on with delight and claps her hands with glee. Crowbar seems to even have some tears in his eyes. The announcers declare that this is one of the most heart warming moments in WCW history. It all ends when Crowbar clobbers Terry Funk with a hard clothesline. Crowbar has an evil, sadistic look come across his face. He rolls to the outside to grab a chair and brings it in to plant across the back of Terry Funk. The chair is quickly buries into the ribs of Funk. The fans let Crowbar know of their very strong disapproval. Crowbar shows his feelings by blasting the chair over the head of Terry Funk. A few more chair shots are thrown into Terry Funk as he lays lifeless on the mat. During this whole assault, Daffney is screaming at Crowbar to stop. Daffney even tries to pull the chair out of Crowbar’s hands but she is only violently shoved to the mat. Crowbar grabs the mic he had earlier dropped.

Crowbar: What do you mean stop! This man isn’t a friend. He isn’t on the same team. He is the enemy. He has my title. It’s my job to pound his wrinkled ass to a pulp to guarantee victory. [Daffney starts asking why he would do this to his hero] Why? I already told you. You know what Daffney, I’ve been thinking lately. You’ve made me become soft. You are the reason I have lost my edge. Because of you, I lost my title at Starrcade. Because of you, I went on a nasty losing streak this month. You are the reason I lost last night. If it was for you, I’d still be hugging this old geezer. No way! No more Mr. Nice Guy. I’m getting my edge back. I’m getting it by getting rid of you. [Daffney starts to tear up and begs him to not do it] I can’t believe I ever liked you. I can’t believe I once wanted to be with you. You make me a worse person. You make me someone I despise. And Daffney, hon, I don’t want to ever see your ugly face again. Get out my ring. Don’t ever come near my presence. At this point, I am a 100% Daffney free. That is probably the best thing I have ever done. [points out to the backstage] Now, get to stepping, bitch!

The words cause the usually tough Daffney to become a ball of tears. The poor girl goes running to the back while tears continue to flow. The fans boo Crowbar relentlessly for his nasty actions. The announcers continue to mention what a despicable human that Crowbar turned out to be. Crowbar stands in the ring with a evil smile on his face. The announcers continue to jabber all the way to. . .

75

Daffney gained 3 points of overness from this segment

Crowbar gained 3 points of overness from this segment

Crowbar’s turn is now complete and he is now a heel

Crowbar gained 4 points of overness from this turn

COMMERCIAL BREAK- CNN is good for news. Turner seems to backing another motion picture and they want you to pay to see it. WCW Superbrawl XI is Flair’s last chance at glory and you’ll want to order the PPV to see it.

WCW World Tag Team Titles

Totally Buff v. The Insiders ©

Referee: Nick Patrick

A video highlight package recounts the recent attacks that O’Haire has inflicted on Kevin Nash and it also replays what happened earlier. Totally Buff enters the ring in a highly cocky mood but still find time to taunt and tease the fans. In the ring, the egotistical team strike some poses that are met with several boos. Finally, ‘Self High Five’ blares over the speakers and out comes DDP alone. The announcers immediately mention that it appears that O’Haire was able to get the job done tonight and Nash is out of the match. DDP salutes the fans with the diamond cutter sign and the fans met him with strong cheers. DDP doesn’t have much time to prepare himself as Totally Buff jumps the champion. For the next few minutes, Totally Buff uses a variety of double team moves to keep DDP down. The gutsy Page doesn’t remain on the mat forever and starts to fire back with punches and discus lariats. Page finds himself able to knock down both members several times and starts to mount a comeback. The fans elicit big cheers for the Jersey Native and his attempt to keep the titles. Page hits Luger with a clothesline that knocks them both out of the ring and Page then immediately slips back in the ring to deliver punches to Buff. Such a delivery knocks Buff hard on his tush and the fans show their approval. DDP takes Buff down hard to the mat with a flapjack suplex. Buff returns to his feet to only be met with a crossbody block but the move only gets a two. DDP’s comeback is cut short when Luger topples Page with a top rope axehandle smash. The two challengers start to unleash a barrage of forearms and shots to the body of Page. The crowd lets out a pop as The Cat rushes down the ringside area and hops up on the ring apron. The Cat yells at the ref that he is indeed the partner of DDP and he is not leaving the ringside area. Buff goes over to the Cat’s corner to taunt him but is met with a stiff karate kick to the head. The Cat springs over the top rope and feed both Totally Buff members with hard kicks to the body and head. The Cat dances with glee as he has both challengers out on the mat. The ref demands that The Cat return to his corner and with the job done, The Cat returns with no problem. Page has a second wind and put Buff down with a big spinebuster. He almost scores the 3 but Buff barely kicks out at the last minute. The fans cheer for Page to make the tag and Page starts to crawl his way over to The Cat. Unfortunately, once Page makes it his corner, The Cat is no longer there for the tag. The Cat was pulled hard to the arena floor by an angry Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett drops The Cat hard with a fist shot on the unsuspecting karate master. The Cat pops back to his feet and unleashes some chops to Jarrett. The two men start to exchange blows and find themselves battling up the rampway. Jarrett can be heard yelling at The Cat for causing him to lose his chance to be the WCW World Heavyweight champion. The two brawling wrestlers finally disappear to the other end of the curtain. In the ring, Totally Buff is back to double-teaming the hapless Page. Buff holds DDP while Luger scales to the second rope to unleash a forearm shot. The fan pop with glee when DDP is able to move out at the last second and Luger knocks Buff silly to the mat. DDP takes down a distracted Luger with a tilt-a-whirl slam. The fired up DDP strikes a diamond cutter pose to signal it’s time for the end. Suddenly, DDP’s theme music blares over the speakers and DDP starts to look quizzically at the ref. The announcers start to apologize for this technical difficulty as the sound man must have thought Page won the match. Then it comes clear that this music is to signify an entrance for a wrestler. As a man comes out from the back totally dressed up as DDP and is even wearing a blond wig. The man continues to strike diamond cutter poses and shouting ‘Bang!’ at the top of the stage. The announcers suddenly realize who the man is and the words on his trunks also give him away as Positively Kanyon. Chris Kanyon has returned to WCW to imitate Page again. This distraction allows Luger to recoup and load up his forearm. Page finally turns around to be met with a flying forearm shot to the head. Luger immediately makes the cover and the ref hits his hand 3 times. Totally Buff jump to their feet and embrace each other in the ring and start to jump up and down. The ref hands the tag titles to the new champions and the men showboat their newly won prizes. Meanwhile, Kanyon seems to be oblivious to all things in the ring and continues to shout ‘Bang’ while striking his diamond cutter poses. The announcers remark on how much of a travesty this is and that Kanyon cost DDP from making one of the greatest comebacks in WCW wrestling history.

WINNERS: Totally Buff, New WCW World Tag Team Champions

68/74/57

Lex Luger gained 1 point of overness from this match

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Be sure to catch the best wrestling on Thursday nights when TBS presents WCW Thunder. Be sure to buy the new THQ WCW Wrestling game. I hear WCW has some wrestling DVDs to purchase too.

Payback Time

Boos fill the arena as Sid Vicious makes his way out to the arena. Sid tries to bang fists with a few ringside fans but there appears to be no takers. Sid continues to try to pump up the crowd but the fans aren’t willing to cheer him on. Sid starts to act like he is shocked by the lack of love from the fans. Sid procures himself the arena mic to address the booing crowd.

Sid Vicious: Where is all this hate coming from? [that is answered by some more boos] The last time I was in a WCW ring, you fans were chanting my name. Sid, Sid, Sid, Sid. [fans respond with a Sting chant] Oh, I see, you guys are a little bitter over last night. You didn’t like the fact that I chokeslammed your hero and left him a battered mess. [that gets more boos] But you see, Sting isn’t anything special. He doesn’t deserve your cheers. I should be your hero. Didn’t you see last night? I took out Sting with the most devastating chokeslam in wrestling! [more boos] Maybe you want to know why I did that to Sting. The questions all day have been ‘Why, Sid, Why’. [sid starts to mock crying] Why did you chokeslam our hero Sting? Why did you make a million little Stingers cry? Why? [starts to laugh to himself in a sadistic manner] [then he gets a very serious face] I’ll tell you why. At WCW Starrcade, I took Scott Steiner to the limit and gave him the match of his life time. I automatically suspected that I would be the number on contender to the WCW World Title. But NO! Flair calls me up and asks me to stay home. He tells me that I need to recover from the shots from the pipe. He says that I need a break. [looks directly into the camera] Flair, we both know I didn’t need a break. I didn’t need any time to rest up. What I needed was another shot at the WCW World Title. If I did get the shot last night, I wouldn’t have choked like Sting did. I would be standing before you as the WCW World Champion. But that wasn’t what happened. Instead, Sting gets rewarded for taking a 3 month vacation by getting a WCW World title shot. Sting is off filming for direct to video releases while I’m battling it out here in the trenches of WCW. What happens? Sting gets to be the number one contender. That’s bogus! That is the most bogus thing I have ever heard. Sting, I’m sick of you getting everything handed to you. I’m sick of hearing how you are the Franchise of WCW. Sting at one time you were something special. You were an amazing athlete. Now, you are only a broken shell of your former shelf. Instead, you spend your time trying to hold down great talent like me. You keep me from being the World Champion. Well, Sting! I’m going to prove to all your little Stingers that you don’t have it anymore. I should be the hero for all these fans. You are nothing more then a choke artist. You proved that last night by not being able to win the big one. Sting! I’d beat you down right now if you had the guts. You don’t. Because you just don’t have it in you anymore. You. . .

The lights go out and the arena is covered in black. Then a silver spotlight covers the ring and Sid is left looking worried in the ring. The fans give out a huge pop as the Stinger is seen rappelling down from the rafters. Sting pulls a bat from his trenchcoat and plants it hard into the gut of an unsuspecting Sid. Sting clotheslines Sid down to the mat with another bat shot. Sting returns Sid to his feet to only drop him back down with a Stinger Death Drop. Sting drags Sid to a corner of the ring and presses the bat against his throat. Sting lifts a mic to his mouth.

Sting: I could end it all now, Sid. But I won’t. Because I want you in the ring. I want to settle this man to man. As for sneak attacks, we are even now. And Sid, you’re a dead man walking.

Crowd pops for those words from Sting. Sting attaches himself back to the rope and flies back up to the rafters. Sid is left in the ring sore and shocked. The announcers talk about Sting finding an edge again based off last night’s assault by Sid.

88

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Buy yourself a PS2. Get yourself a SI subscription. Drink some Pepsi.

It Was Their Choice

Goldberg is seen carrying his wrestling gear out of the building. While Goldberg makes the long walk down the hallway, many wrestlers are seen standing back and giving Goldberg disapproving looks. The Cat, Hugh Morrus, DDP, Shane Helms and many other faces all look at Goldberg with disdain as he tries to leave the arena. Goldberg tries to not make any eye contact. Right when Goldberg is about to exit the door, Sting blocks the path of Goldberg.

Sting: Is it true? Did you really mean what you said out there? Screw us? Screw your friends? Screw Sting? You don’t care about friendship anymore?

Goldberg: It was a decision you guys made.

Goldberg then pushes past Sting and exits out of the arena. Sting looks on with a upset facial expression.

84

Non-Title Chaos With Special Guest Ref

Scott Steiner (w/Midajah) © v. Sting

Referee: Ric Flair

A quick video package shows the attacks Steiner perpetuated on the last episode of Thunder against the Flairs. The packages cuts to earlier tonight about Flair’s challenge to Steiner for Superbrawl XI and the making of this contest. The announcers stress that Flair is returning to the ring for the first time since June when he wrestled his own son. Vince Russo gets absolutely no mention nor does the fact it was a retirement match. A graphic is shown depicting a Ric Flair v. Scott Steiner match at Superbrawl. All three wrestlers make individual entrances and then WCW cuts to their final commercial break. The majority of the match surprisingly sees Flair calling the match impartially. In the beginning Sting doesn’t need Flair’s help anyway as he just tears into the World Champion. Sting puts Steiner down hard to the mat courtesy of the Stinger splash. Sting keeps Steiner down with several jumping elbow smashes. Stinger gets the crowd pumped by yelling out a big ‘WOO’. Flair gets inspired by such a call and yells out one of his own. The tide shifts when Stinger tries to put Steiner down with a splash but is met with a knee to the gut. Steiner returns to his feet to toss Sting across the mat with a belly to belly release suplex. Steiner starts to get into Flair’s face some but Flair tells him to focus on the match. Stinger continues to find the mat after some stiff Steinerlines. Stiner gets cocky and throws in some push ups during this attacks. Steiner tries to wear down Stinger but cinching in a bearhug. The fans continue to encourage the Stinger while Steiner tightens his grip with the hold. The Stinger begins to fade and Flair starts to check the arm. The fans give out a big pop as the third time shows that Sting still has life. The Stinger starts to rain a bevy of blows onto the head of Steiner until he breaks the move. Sting peppers the big man with several clotheslines and finally rocks him to the mat with a flying shoulderblock. The momentum is cut very short when Steiner drops Sting with a low blow. Flair won’t stand for such a move and starts to get in the face of Steiner. Flair continues to yell at the Steiner and the fans pop big as they sense a brawl may begin. Flair doesn’t try to land any shots but just yells at the champion. Steiner finally responds by hitting Flair with a forearm shot and tossing him to the outside. Steiner returns his attention to Sting but he has no time to do any damage. Flair has popped immediately back into the ring and hammers Steiner with several chops. The crowd goes crazy as Flair does a number on Steiner with chops and punches. Finally, Steiner is sent flying out of the ring with a clothesline. Flair is right on the champ and continues to battle Steiner to the backstage while delivering chops and punches. The crowd roars their approval with this reinvigorated Ric Flair. Sting tries to recover in the ring but doesn’t have much time to breath. Sid Vicious jumps into the ring and floors Sting with a clothesline. Sid waits for Sting to get back up in order to hit a big boot to the face. He awaits Sting to return to his feet in order to plant Sting back down with a chokeslam. Sid decides to add a big powerbomb to his attack. Sting is then dragged to the outside and the announcers go scurrying when they realize Sid’s plan. The fans let out a gasp as Sid powerbombs Sting through the announce table. The show fades to black as Sid stands over the fallen body of Sting

WINNER: No Contest

79/89/56

OR:76

OCC: Hewey, I'm sure you caught it in my news report but it was indeed the World Tag Team match that creative control affected how I booked things. It was supposed to be O'Haire & Jindrak taking the titles. As you can see, I'm willing to roll with it and go some new directions now.

[Hewey]

Very solid Nitro coming off of Sin. It was kinda obvious Luger and Bagwell were taking the titles, But I never expected Kanyon to return. I can't wait for DDP Vs. Kanyon to happen, My guess being at Superbrawl. Superbrawl is already looking like a good event too. I doubt Flair will win the title, But he should give Steiner a good fight. I just wonder who will be in charge of WCW next. I enjoyed the NBT segment, But I hope O'Haire doesn't leave them. He's just too big of a heel right now to turn face. I guess Jarrett gets the US title next week. I think it's a good move since there's no one else to fight Hugh Morrus at the time. (except Alex Wright or Disco, But they need to be on TV first) I like Chavo with three count. They make a good alliance. As for Goldberg, I like him being on his own, But he just seems like a Steve Austin wanna be with being a bad ass on his own with no allies. Goldberg versus Rick Steiner could be a ugly match for Superbrawl, But I'm sure the crowd will be pumped for that. Keep up the good work, Looking forward to seeing what will go down on Thunder. (Y)

[SpiceDawg]

Raw Crushes Nitro. . . In Other News, The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow

01.16.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

Remember when Eric Bischoff said that checking the ratings on Tuesday morning stopped being fun? Vince must be bored out of his skull right now. Once again Nitro has been trounced in the ratings with Raw. Many are saying that Raw is costing Nitro viewers at this point and some claim no end is really in sight.

Nitro scored a 5.29 rating with a main even that saw Ric Flair be the guest referee in a match with Sting & Scott Steiner. Many people have been praising this past Nitro as the best Nitro in a very long time and hopes it has started some momentum for the company. The attendance at Fort Wayne’s Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was 5021 people which drew in a revenue of $200840. This is WCW’s best Nitro rating in at least a year which should translate in WCW heads being rather pleased with how things turned out.

Raw saw a main event of The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin defeating HHH & Kurt Angle after The Rock pinned Angle from a miscue from HHH. Angle & HHH had a show closing brawl to highlight the show. This gained WWF Raw a rating of 6.85 which is one of their higher ratings in several months. Raw brought in 7539 fans into the Bradley Centre in Milwaukee. WWF brought in a pile of cash in the form of $200840. Many also thought this was a really good episode of Raw which once again saw really great matches in the form of Chris Jericho & the Hardyz defeating Chris Beniot, Dean Malenkos & Eddie Guerrero when Matt pinned Malenko, Edge & Christian defeating Too Cool, and Val Venis beating Al Snow.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Nitro Backstage News & Notes

01.16.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

- Chavo Guerrero was heard backstage asking Terry Taylor again if he could be elevated up the card. The word is, Guerrero wants for the entire Cruiserweight division to be pushed up the ranks. He seems to be at least happy with being with Three Count.

- Creative appears to want to elevate Chavo as well. Taylor doesn’t want to push the division too fast and too hard. Though the belief is that Chavo is now one of the top 5 most over heels in the company.

- Word is, the entire tag division is being reshuffled now that the Insider refused to do the job on Sunday. The goal was to put the titles on a fairly over or established team in order to give the rub to when a younger team takes the championship.

- The Totally Buff v. DDP match was booked in such a way so that they didn’t have to deal with Nash vetoing another match. They automatically just asked Nash to do the beat down for O’Haire since they knew Nash has been more then willing to put over O’Haire when it’s not a match.

- Word is WCW was really impressed with Kaz’s match with Chavo. Creative is trying to come up with something to do for the Yung Dragons since everyone seems very high on pushing them and trying to get them more over.

- The angles with Major Gunns & Daffney were done in a way to write out both females as they are being sent down to developmentals at this point.

- Leia Meow was also sent down to developmentals and was the first of all the people being sent that openly complained. Apparently, Leia caused quite a fuss and said she was too good to have to slum it down in the territories. Word is, this behaviour may lead to the firing of Leia very soon. WCW had been contemplating her release before this incident.

- Observers caught both Dustin Rhodes & Booker T backstage for Nitro but neither were used, obviously. One must believe that their return to the ring will be very soon now. Maybe in time for Superbrawl???

- Dark matches aired before Nitro where Elix Skipper over Kwee Wee, Shane Helms & Jamie Noble beating Three Count & Jeff Jarrett beating Meng.

- After Nitro went off the air, Flair & Steiner brawled back into the arena. Flair eventually got Steiner in a figure four leglock, which was said to have got a big pop from the crowd. Sid tried to help Flair but Sting recovered in order to fight him off. Flair & Sting stood in the ring to send the fans home happy. None of this stuff will be mentioned on TV, I’m sure.

- Word is, Booker has been healthy for a few weeks but WCW wanted to make his return was a very big deal. WCW may hold off until after the Flair v. Steiner feud is wrapped up.

- Apparently, WCW believe they haven’t made the Sid heel turn clear enough yet. Despite feuding with Sting, the belief is that the fact Sid played up the crowd may have still painted him as a face. [OOC: Silly me, forget to make the angle on Monday a ‘turn’ angle forgetting that EWR didn’t give me the option to make Sid a heel during the match on Sunday. L]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW House Show Results

01.17.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

I just got back from a really solid house show at the Chrysler Fieldhouse in New Castle, IN. With WCW being the solid #2, they seem to hit some of the smaller venues now which benefits me just fine. I would say at least 4000 were on hand for the event which left for some empty seats in the upper deck. The crowd was pretty hot for most of the night.

1. Three Count (Evan Karagious & Shannon Moore) won a four way elimination match against Yung Dragons (Kaz Hayashi & Yang), Kwee Wee & Jamie Noble and the Boogie Knights. The Dragons eliminated the Knights after Yang hit Disco with the Yang Time. Shannon Moore pinned Kwee Wee after the Bottom’s Up which got rid of Kwee & Noble. The final two teams battled for another 8 minutes before Shannon Moore rolled through a Kaz body block to gain the win. A really awesome match that was close to 25 minutes of action and the crowd really picked up as time went on. Disco & Wright were seen arguing after they were eliminated but they’ve been doing that for weeks on Wildside, so I don’t know if that is going anywhere.

2. Dangerous Devon Storm (which is how the announcers were billing Crowbar) defeated Meng after hitting him with a fire extinguisher. Alright, so it looks like Storm’s heel turn has cured his jobberitis. A match that wasn’t really good nor had much fan response. Though the fans are starting to not like Crowbar.

3. Mamalukes (Johnny the Bull & Big Vito) beat the Perfect Event (Chuck Palumbo & Shawn Stasiak) (w/Mike Sanders). A pretty good match that didn’t really garner a huge crowd response. It is pretty cool being able to say that I was able to see the Mamaluke’s first match back as a team!

4. Chavo Guerrero won a classic against Shane Helms for the WCW Cruiserweight title. Fans where really into giving it to Chavo and fairly into Shane Helms. The crowd definitely picked up while the match went on. I never thought Shane would win the title since it was a house show but I started to doubt myself while the match went one. Really close match and definite match of the night, easily.

5. Hugh Morrus & Lash Laroux defeated Shane Douglas & Bam Bam Bigalow. Pretty meh affair where no one was massively over. The guys put together a pretty decent brawl and Hugh & Lash had some cool double team moves. These guys have worked against each other enough where they were able to string something decent together.

6. Sean O’Haire and Kevin Nash battled to a double count out. I think this will be their first one on one match. It was actually pretty good for a Nash match. In the end, they just ended up battling into the crowd while the ref counted to 10. Crowd definitely got more into this the longer it got. O’Haire seems to be getting himself a following.

7. Lance Storm, Mike Awesome & Elix Skipper defeated Konnan, Rey Misterio Jr & Billy Kidman when Elix Skipper pinned Kidman after the play of the day. A really excellent match that also had some decent fan response. All these guys really work well together. I’m thinking we will see this match on TV soon.

8. Golberg beat Totally Buff (Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell) in a handicap match. Not really the best way to get the new World Tag Team Champions over. But maybe the reasoning is it’s a house show and thus wouldn’t really affect Buff’s overness. A case where the crowd was hot but the match pretty much blew.

9. Sting, The Cat & DDP defeated Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett & Rick Steiner after the Cat pinned Rick Steiner with the Feliner. The crowd was way into this match especially with Sting, Steiner or DDP. The match itself was pretty crappy and had some blown spots. It was a good way to end the night seeing the faces get the big win.

It was a good night of wrestling action. All the big names were on hand which is good. WCW seems to be taking their House Shows seriously now. This is a good thing for the fans. If they stick to this line up then I recommend anyone to go out see them if they are in the area.

------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Thunder Preview

01.18.01

www.wcw.com

WCW Thunder will be coming to you live from the Lexington Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, KY. It is promising to be one of the most explosive episodes of Thunder in WCW history. On the heels of Ric Flair’s major announcement that he will be going after his 17th WCW World Title, tonight will see both the challenger and the champion in the same arena. It is common knowledge that these two men hate each other. Who knows what will happen when their paths cross in Lexington? Will the CEO have any plans to soften the champion up before Suerbrawl? Will the two men continue the vicious brawl that they started this past Monday? Whatever happens, it should be absolutely unforgettable.

Mike Sanders has been recently reasserting his authority as the WCW Commisioner. Sanders feels it is a perfect time to step up as an authority figure now that Flair is seemingly occupied by his World title pursuits. Tonight, Mike Sanders has promised some big announcements concerning WCW. No word on what these announcements pertain to but with Sanders invovled, it will promise to be very interesting and unique.

One booking by Sanders is already known by WCW, Terry Funk has bee ordered to defend the WCW Hardcore championship against the Dog Faced Gremlin. It is becoming very clear that Sanders has the interest of the Apocalypse in mind. As this is yet another title match rewarded to a member of this stable. Will Sanders get involved in this match? Or will the hardcore icon be able to battle any challenges that come his way? Will Rick Steiner have to watch his back for Goldberg? What shape is Funk in after the brutal attack perpetuated by Crowbar? Will Crowbar stick his nose into this match?

Sean O’Haire has been sticking his nose in Nash’s business for close to a month now. Yet O’Haire’s meddlings have been disastrous for Nash. Currently Kevin Nash has been deemed unfit to enter the ring and compete. Despite this, O’Haire is obsessed with getting a one on one match with Nash for Superbrawl XI. Tonight, Sean O’Haire has promised a special presentation highlighting the history between Nash & O’Haire. It is sure to promise to be bias and skewered. Who knows what affect this will have on Kevin Nash? Whatever O’Haire has planned, it will sure to be memorable.

Goldberg has turned his back on all his former allies in wrestling. He has promised that from this point on it will only be himself and his fans. Tonight, Goldberg will be action. It will be interesting to see what this new attitude Goldberg has will translate in the ring. I’m sure it will promise to not be good news for his opponent.

The Wall has been causing much havoc in the last few days. Most notably was his horrific attack on Tygress at WCW Sin. This evening, Konnan has returned to exact revenge on The Wall for his actions. Konnan will go one on one with the Wall in what promises to be an explosive affair. Will the Wall be concerned about winning or only injuring Konnan? What is the mind frame of Konnan after witnessing a good friend be put through the table of the Wall? Be sure to catch this wild match up.

Plus Sting, Sid, DDP and Jeff Jarrett will all be on hand in what should be one of the greatest editions of Thunder ever. Be sure to catch all the action live on TBS starting at 8:00pm. Be sure to not miss the best wrestling show on Thursday nights!

[SpiceDawg]

WCW Thunder

Date: 01.18.01

Venue: Lexington Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, KY

Network: TBS

Timeslot: Prime Time

Commentators: Mike Tenay & Stevie Ray

Ring Announcer: David Penzer

WCW Thunder opens with a video package highlighting the altercations involving Ric Flair & Scott Steiner this past Nitro. The voice over promises that these two men will be in the same arena and chaos is sure to follow. This segues to the usual WCW Thunder opening which then cuts to inside the Lexington Memorial Coliseum which is holding a rabid crowd of WCW fans. While the pyro and fireowork go off, Mike Tenay & Stevie Ray go over key events from WCW Sin & Nitro while also running down tonight’s card.

Making Some Big Decisions

The theme for the Thrillers blares over the speakers while the fans fill the arena with boos as Mike Sanders makes his way out to the ring. Mike Sanders, decked out in an expensive suit, cockily swaggers down the aisleway. Sanders throws out a few snide comments to some ringside fans. Sanders seems to be adorned with some new accessories this week as he has a WCW Championship belt slung over his shoulder. Careful examination shows that it is the WCW World Television Championship. Mike Sanders basks in a few boos before grabbing the ring mic.

Mike Sanders: Wassup Louisville? [the crowd boos harder for being incorrectly indentified and Mike Sanders knowingly smiles at the incorrect name dropping] I feel really out of place being in the state of Kentucky. Because I have all my teeth, I don’t own a rusted Chevy with it’s wheel’s missing on my front yard, I don’t have a filthy pet possum as my best friend, I don’t drink moonshine for special occasions and I am not married to my sister. [that little rant gets more boos and Mike smiles even broader] Not that I’m judging you. I just feel a little out of place. Anyway, I am here to announce that Ric Flair is not in the building. [fans show their disapproval for such news] It appears [Mike smiles even more broadly] that Mr. Flair has had some transportation difficulties. Which means, at this moment, I am the most powerful person in this building. As the Commisioner of WCW, I will call all the shots since poor Mr. Flair can’t be troubled to get here on time. Now, I’ve got some plans for this evening and I even have tonight’s main event to announce. I’m sure they are a little different then what Ric had in mine but he isn’t here so he’s SOL. [Chuckles to himself] You know what that means. But before I get to tonight’s main event and my plans for it. I would like to address this title here on my shoulder. [sanders taps the WCW championship] This belt here, has a long history in WCW. Some of the greatest names in professional wrestling can lay claim to this championship such as Rick & Scott Steiner, and Lex Luger. [Announcers mention how Sanders just name dropped all Apocalypse members] You see, this is the World Television Championship. It has all been forgotten over the last few years but I have decided it is time to reinstate this belt. I’m going to officially activate it for this Monday night on Nitro. [scans the audience] You didn’t really think I’d bring back this belt here in Kentucky, did you? You’re lucky I even lowered myself to be here. Don’t be selfish now. [fans greet Sanders with the expected response] Anyway, this Monday on Nitro it will be a 20 man invitational battle royal for the WCW World Television title. I can even announce the first entrant into this prestigious match-up. He is probably one of the most gifted pure athletes in the history of this sport. He may be hands down the best pound for pound wrestler of any era. He is also rather fetching and charming, ladies. He is from the amazing Natural Born Thrillers [sanders points to the back but no one is buying it] Mike Sanders! Ha ha ha. Folks, you are looking at the next World Television champion. No doubt.

Sanders readjusts the title on his shoulder. Scans the crowd a bit before resuming his diatribe.

Mike Sanders: So now, that I’ve got that piece of booking out of the way. I would like to remind you that I have booked a championship for tonight. In this very ring, the WCW Hardcore title is scheduled to be defended by that old geezer Terry Funk against one of the true futures of this company, Rick Steiner! [fans don’t seem to appreciate the comments about Steiner] I guara-damn-tee you’ll be witnessing a new champion later this evening. Ha ha. Since I am the Commisioner it is my job to make sure every show here in WCW is jam packed with excitement. That is why I’ve got an amazing tag team contest scheduled for WCW Wildside this week. Those ingrateful, overrated, hacks the Mamalukes will meet their match in the formidable Kronik! [look directly into the camera] Bryan and Brian, I hope you guys remembered to check your gymbags. I hope you guys have a little more incentive to make that tag match a very special and memorable affair. [sanders winks] [announcers butt in by wondering what Sanders means by such comments] And now hicks of Kentucky [obvious disrespect from the fans to Sanders fo those words] I will grace you with the news for tonight’s main event. You see, there has been lots of talk about Stinger being screwed this past Sunday at WCW Sin. Lots of people seem to believe that Sting could have won the World Title. Now, I don’t believe that Sting has earned any right to fight for the World Championship. I do feel that Sting should be given the chance to re-prove himself. Which is why from the goodness of my heart, I have found it fit to grant the match everyone felt Sting could have won. Tonight, as a favour to Sting, I will put him up against Jeff Jarrett & Scott Steiner in a handicap match. [fans don’t seem to appreciate that booking] What? Everyone said Sting should have one this Sunday? I’m just letting him prove it. Let’s be honest, it was just a handicap match on Sunday under the guise of Triple Threat rules. Tonight, I’m just booking what it really is. [Tenay yells out in disgust that it isn’t the same thing because Jarrett had reason to not work with Steiner on Sunday] [sanders seems to be about ready to leave until acting like he forgot something] Oh yes, I have a special stipulation for tonight’s main event. Of course, this is once again a big favour to Sting since he felt that Sid was the reason he lost last time. I am putting in a clause that if anyone interferes then he will be suspended from World Championship Wrestling. I would like to add that this specifically goes to The Cat who seems to not know how to mind his own business. Ernest babee, you’ve been making it a habit to get involved in a lot of Apocalypse business but tonight, you will be suspended indefinitely if you are anywhere near the ring during the main event. So everyone, have yourself a wonderful night and keep your tongue out of your sisters’ mouths! Hah ha!

Sanders strikes a cocky pose to soak up a little more heel heat. The Above Average one, with the title still over his shoulder, makes his way to the back of the arena. The announcers ramble about the unfairness of tonight’s main event and also touch on some of Sanders’ other comments as well.

87

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Don’t miss the thrilling encore of WCW Sin. Be sure to buy your kid’s the brand new WCW Action figures that include Goldberg, Booker T, Sting and Scott Steiner!!!

Out For Revenge

The Wall v. Konnan

Referee: Mark Johnson

A quick video package showcases what The Wall did to Tygress at WCW Sin in order to explain the reason for this match. The announcers observe that the Wall is not out with any member from Team Canada and it still isn’t clear if he is aligned with the stable. Such things don’t get to be contemplated for long as Konnan immediately jumps Wall once Konnan arrives to the ring. Konnan uses an assortment of clotheslines and shoulderblocks to attempt to knock the Wall off his feet. Eventually, Wall counters the attack with a solid boot to the face. The Wall uses his typical big man offence to toss Konnan around the ring. Surprisingly, the formula leads to a fairly decent match but doesn’t necessarily get the crowd really into the contest as they still seem to not buy the Wall as a big player. The Wall tries to finish off Konnan with a chokeslam but the Mexican star shocks the crowd when he reverses the hold into a ddt. Konnan only gets a two count but momentum is back on his side. Wall hits the mat hard after a stiff rolling clothesline from Konnan. Konnan does his grabbing his pants dance to not only show his excitement but to get the fans into his rally. The Wall tries to stop the flurry but Konnan responds by hitting a carpet muncher (X-Factor). Before Konnan can go for a vicotry, Lance Storm slides into the ring and starts to attack Konnan. The Wall quickly gets back to his feet and joins in on the beating of Konnan. The 2 on 1 doesn’t last for long as Hugh Morrus charges into the ring and stand landing punchs onto the Wall. Hugh Morrus hits Wall with a clothesline that takes both men out of the ring. Hugh Morrus continue to exchange blows with the Wall as they battle to the back. Unfortunately for Konnan, the save didn’t do him much good and Lane Storm continues to assault him with stomps and kicks. The crowd gives out a big pop as Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio come charging from the back. Before they make it to the ring, Mike Awesome and Elix Skipper quickly intercept them. On the outside, the two Team Canada members start to exchange blows with the Filthy Animals. In the ring, Storm has applied the Maple Leaf submission hold on Konnan. Officials pour from the back in attempt to stop the chaos in the ring. Mike Teny constantly shouts how we are in amidst a war between these two factions. Team Canada is finally being pulled off the Animals while the show cuts to. . .

WINNER: Konnan by DQ

67/64/71

COMMERCIAL BREAK – WCW Magazine now has exclusive photos from the amazing WCW Mayhem event in November!!! If you suscribe to SI, you’ll get even more up to date sports news!!! K-Dawg still thinks you should all be drinking Pepsi.

Getting The Fans Involved

Hard rock chords bring out the psycho one, Sid Vicious. The entrance is accompanied by mostly boos but still some scattered cheers for Sid. Sid still positively acknowledges the fans and does his fist touch with them. Following Sid down the aisle is a young man wearing a ‘Sid Vicious: Rules The World’ t-shirt. Sid parts the ropes for the gentleman and then enters himself. Sid tries to start a chant of his name but it doesn’t quite work for him. Instead, a strong Sting chant is started up by the crowd.

Sid Vicious: I’m out here tonight because I feel we have reached a misunderstanding. I want you to know the real Sid. I want to remind you all that I am indeed your hero. Because I am Sid Vicious. I am the franchise of this company. I am the uncrowned champion. [stares right into the camera with a very serious look] I am the ruler of the world. Tonight, I am out here to show you what kind of man I am. How much I love my fans. [during this entire rant Sid will go from talking quietly to almost yelling] I have brought out this young man with me. Sir, what is your name?

Man: Kevin Serling, sir.

Sid Vicious: [chuckles to himself] You can call me Sid, son. Now, I notice you are wearing my brand new ‘Sid Vicious: Rules the World’ t-shirt.

Kevin Serling: Yeah, you told me if I came out here that you’d give me th. . .

Sid Vicious: [quickly jumps in before the statement can be finished] But you are a fan, am I right?

Kevin Serling: Oh yeah, Sid Vicious rules the world! Woo hoo! [pumps his fist in the air]

Sid Vicious: Be civil now, boy. Often people will wear the merchandise of their wrestling hero, right?

Kevin Serling: Sure, but. . .

Sid Vicious: And you have admitted that you are a fan of Sid Vicious right?

Kevin Serling: Yes, I do. . .

Sid Vicious: Boy, just answer what I ask you. But please tell the fans here what we did earlier tonight.

Kevin Serling: You took me out to dinner. You gave me a signed poster of yourself. Of course, you gave me this t-shirt too. It was all really nice. All I had to do was come. . .

Sid Vicious: [turns to the audience] You see, I spend time with my fans. I give back to my fans. Not like that bogus fraud Sting! I really care. I believe that a man who cares for his fans is a man who should be declared the Franchise. I am the cornerstone of WCW. I am the hero of this company. Son, please tell these fans who is your all time favourite wrestler.

Kevin Serling: Honestly?

Sid Vicous: Of course. I want them to all hear who is the wrestler who will always have a special place in yoyr heart. Who is your wrestling hero?

Kevin Serling: Well, my favourite wrestler is . . . well. . . Sting! [the fan delivers it in a very matter of fact tone]

Sid Vicious: [sid’s face gets very red and he bites his lower lip] Sting? I see. Sting is you favourite wrestler. Well, everyone has the right to cheer for who they want. I can understand that. Um. To show what kind of man I am, I have a little present for you. [sid pulls a Stinger mask from his back pocket] Here is a mask of your favourite wrestler in WCW. Here you go. Just to show what kind of man I am.

The fan grabs the mask from Sid. Sid urges the young man to put the mask on. The guy is hesitant but finally relents. He puts on the mask but Sid starts to ask him to strike some Stinger poses. The man strikes a poses like Sting would. Sid requests that he give out a Stinger yell. Once again, Kevin gives out a yell. Kevin seems to be much more comfortable now. He starts running the ropes back and forth while giving out a war cry. Kevin suddenly stops his bouncing off the ropes when he is met with a giant Sid Vicious boot. The crowd gives out a monstrous boo for such an action. Sid drags Serling up by his throat and then is brought down with a thunderous chokeslam. Sid brings him back up to only bring him back down with a powerbomb. Sid starts to laugh like a maniac to himself. Sid seems to not be done with the fan but he isn’t able to continue the beating as he is intercepted. Stinger has arrived to cheers and fires off many punches to Sid. Stinger whips Sid into the turnbuckles and collides with Sid using the Stinger Splash. Sid crumples to the outside in pain. Sting tends to the fallen fan. Sid isn’t as hurt as Sting thinks and comes back in the ring with a chair. Sid cracks the chair over the back of Sting. Sid lifts up the chair and blasts over the back of Sting again. Sting lays battered beside Kevin Serling. Sid poses triumphantly over the bodies of Kevin and Sting. The announcers mention that the odds are even more against Sting now for tonight’s main event as he has been brutally attacked tonight. Sid tries to start another Sid chant while the scene cuts to a. . .

87

Sid Vicious’s turn was completed and he is now a heel

Sid Vicious gained 5 points of overness from this turn

COMMERCIAL BREAK – TBS will be airing BladeRunner this Saturday! PS2 allows you yo enjoy Halo! THQ made a killer WCW Wrestling game.

Everyday Friendly Neighbourhood Squash

Shane Douglas (w/Bam Bam Bigelow) v. Goldberg

Referee: Randy Anderson

A video package, detailing Goldberg’s comments from Nitro, opens up this segment. The actual match is nothing more than a glorified squash. Goldberg absolutely no sells everything that Douglas hits Goldberg with. Douglas even executes his finisher, the Pittsburgh Plunge, which Goldberg pops right up after. Douglas tries a move off the top rope but is greeted with the spear. A jackhammer follows which gives Goldberg the quick victory. Bam Bam Bigelow attacks Goldberg after the match but is quickly met with a spear and jackhammer as well. Goldberg stands tall while his opponent lay beaten on the mat. The crowd roars with the approval over Goldber finding that killer instinct again.

WINNER: Goldberg

73/79/60

Beating A Dead Horse or Nash

A camera cuts to the back where Sean O’Haire is seen talking to a video guy. O’Haire seems to be giving very strict instructions and then hands the man a video. O’Haire then gives an award winning smile and cockily struts his way over to the arena entrance. The announcers speculate what was on the video while we cut to a commercial break.

The theme music of the Thriller starts up when we return from the commercial break. Sean O’Haire is graced with a shower of boos as he makes his way to the ring. O’Haire leaps over the top rope and strike a pose for the not so adoring fans. O’Haire gives a look as if he couldn’t care less about the opinions of the audience. O’Haire soaks in some heel heat before taking a nearby mic.

Sean O’Haire: You guys might not like me but you have to admit I am the future of this company. You want proof? Just ask Kevin Nash, who I have left laid out on several occasions now. This past Monday, I beat Nash’s ass all the way to the local hospital. The fact is, Nash isn’t here tonight. You know why? Because he can’t be here because the doctors ordered him to stay home. You see, Sean O’Haire can be bad for your health, [lets out a devious smile] The simple truth is, I have Kevin Nash’s number. I have been in total control over Mr. Big Sexy. You see, I still don’t have what I want. I have beat up Nash, I have battered him and I have proven I am superior. But what I have not done is pinned Nash in the middle of this ring. [looks right into the camera] Kevin, I could have gone farther. I could have beaten you even more. But I didn’t. Because I want to face you in a man to man contest. I want to have an official victory. I want it on a big stage. I want you at SuperBrawl, Kev. Do you have the balls? [looks up at the audience] Some of you may think, this guy is nothing more than a bunch of hot air. Does Sean know who Kevin Nash is? Doesn’t Sean know the kind of damage Kevin Nash can do? I want to tell you that I do respect Kevin Nash. I do know what he has accomplished in this business. I’m not under estimating what he can do. To prove this, I want to show a special video montage that will showcase the greatness of Kevin Nash. It is a package highlighting the kind of man Nash is and the threat I will need to face when we meet. Roll that footage.

A very slick video package is shown. The beginning of the video shows a truimphant Kevin Nash striking his famous one armed raised pose in the ring. It even shows, after a big victory, Nash holding a WCW World Tag Team championship high in the air. The video quickly turns to another form of highlights. The package displays O’Haire attacking Nash over and over. The brutal beat downs in the ring are shown and the attacks in the baskctage are showcased. The shot zooms into the bloodied and battered face of Kevin Nash. Things cut back to the ring where O’Haire is laughing to himself and the fanse are relentlessly booing him.

Sean O’Haire: Ha ha, see it’s Kevin Nash that isn’t in my league. Nash, the best days of your life were when I decided to attack you. Because the simple fact I am targeting you must show that you have some worth in this world. I’m giving you the rub here. Nash, understand that your days are numbered. This war will end with m on top and you a battered shell of your former self. Nash, I own you. At SuperBrawl, if you have the balls to accept, I will put you out for once and for all. I am the future. I am . . . [cut off by the speakers blaring ‘Self high Five’ and playing DDP’s theme music]

86

A Different Opinion On This Matter

The crowd gives out a big pop for an emerging Diamond Dallas Page. Page strikes a diamond cutter sign and gives out a big ‘BANG!’ Page maigcally has a mic on his person.

DDP: Shawnie, Shawnie, Shawnie, that was a great prject for your video class. It’s real brave of you to bad mouth my pal Kevin Nash when he isn’t even in the same state as you. I would admit that it is impressive the way you have manhandled Nash. I would almost want to give you a hearty clap if wasn’t for the fact you’ve never been able to do it to his face. It’s been all sneak attacks, bud. You’re nothing but a corwardly little weasel. You talk big when my friend isn’t around. You show video packages. You fail to mention you haven’t had the guts to fight Nash straight up. Until then, you’ll never be the future of this company. I won’t ever respect you.

Sean O’Haire: I’ve beat you straight up, Page. [Page gives a sour look] Did I hit a hot spot? Let’s face it Page, I have your number too. Last time we were in this ring, I pinned your ass. You know what, Page? I’d love to do it again. How about we get in this ring, right here tonight. I can make another example out of Nash’s little buddy. What you say, Page? You ready to step up and experience the future of this company?

DDP: Am I ready? You better be ready. To. . . Feeel. . . The . . . BANG!!!! [DDP obviously does his diamond cutter’crotch chop thingie]

The music of Page blares over the speaker and the crowd gives a decent pop to Page. It would appear the crowd started to warm up to O’Haire and not really believe DDP as a good threat to him. The announcers rattle on excitedly about another big match being signed for tonight.

71

Diamond Dallas Page lost 2 points of overness from this segment

COMMERCIAL BREAK – WCW Merchandise will make you the coolest of cool. Pepsi will cool your thirst. Watching Bladerunner on TBS is cool.

WCW Hardcore Championship

Rick Steiner v. Terry Funk ©

Referee: Billy Silverman

A quick clip shows the Crowbar heel turn from Nitro. Terry Funk brings out a wheel barrel of plunder and has intentions of using everything in there. Announcers ponder if Terry is in any shape to defend the title against Steiner. The two brawlers take turns whacking each other with an assortment of goodies. They find themselves beating each other up inside and outside the ring. Steiner takes a 2x2 board and buries into the chest of Funk. Steiner drops the use of weapons and starts to use his stiff blows in it’s place. Steiner hits Funk with a solid Steinerline that drives the champion through an ironing board. Steiner uses the pieces of the board to choke out Terry Funk. The fans start up a decent chant to get Funk back in the match. Funk makes a big rally when he grabs the tights of Steiner and flings him hard into the solid, steel ring post. Rick grasps his shoulder from the impact. Terry is now sensing momentum and starts to pepper Steiner with right. Back inside the ring, Terry Funk hits Steiner with a swinging neckbreaker. Funk tries to set Rick up for a piledriver but the powerful challenger is able to back drop out of it. The crowd shows even more disdain when an unwlecomed guest comes out from the back. It is Crowbar sporting a chair in hand. Except Crowbar doesn’t look like his usual self. Crowbar’s hair is no longer jet black but rather has some blond highlights in it. Crowbar isn’t wearing his torn jeans but rather a pair of slacks and a collared shirt. Crowbar isn’t there just to look pretty but rather assist Steiner in the match. Crowbar enters the ring to whack the chair over the back of the recovering Terry Funk. Crowbar lays the chair on the mat and asks Rick Steiner to climb to the top rope. Rick Steiner applies his top rope bulldog to Funk onto the awaiting chair. Rick Steiner rolls over the carcass of Funk and makes the cover for the 3 count. Crowbar looks excited by the damage he has done and quickly goes outside to hand Steiner his newly won title. Steiner poses with the championship, which only gets boos from the crowd. Crowbar doesn’t seem to be done with Funk yet and grabs the mic to address him.

Crowbar: Terry, you aren’t looking much like a legend now, are you? You look pathetic. That is because you are pathetic. You don’t have your precious WCW Hardcore Title anymore. You may wonder why I allowed you to lose the championship that I so badly wanted to win from you. I think, the title is as pathetic as you are. I don’t want it anymore. The man you are staring up at right now Terry isn’t the same man you met on Sunday. Crowbar is dead. My name is Dangerous Devon Storm. It is my goal to take everything you have away from you. I started with the Hardcore championship. Next, I will take away your legacy and everything you ever stood for. Hardcore wrestling is dead, Funk. Just like you will be. Now, you have no title. Me? I will have a new championship added to my resume come this Monday. I have been entered into the WCW World Television title tournament. I will become the new World Television Champion. I will add it to my legacy. It will be another sign I have passed you by. You lose a championship and I become a champion. Very, very, very soon Funk there will be nothing left of you and I will become the biggest name in this company. I will be the greatest World Television Champion ever. See you this Monday, my hero. [storm adds the exclamation mark by spitting on the batter body of Terry Funk]

The crowd serenades Devon Storm with boos. The announcers talk about what a creep Storm has turned into. Storm goes to the back while Terry struggles to get back to his feet.

WINNER: Rick Steiner, New WCW Hardcore Champion

64/67/58

Devon Storm debuted his new gimmick (Man on a Mission) and it got a positive response.

The WCW Hardcore Title has gained in image

COMMERCIAL BREAK – 3 minutes of corporate America trying to invade your piggy bank.

Threats All Around

Hugh Morrus is seen carrying his bags out the arena and one must wonder if he came all this way just to save Konnan from the Wall. Morrus doesn’t make it all the way out of the arena as he is blocked by Jef Jarrett & Totally Buff. The threesome give out a devious laugh and share an evil grin.

Jeff Jarrett: I just wanted to remark how great you’ve been as the Uniter States Champion. I really hope you’ve liked your run on top. I wanted to remind you that you’re scheduled to go against the Chosen One this Monday on Nitro. At this point, the Apocalypse has been on a roll these last few days. What you just saw in the ring and what you saw this past Monday is exactly what you will experience at Nitro. I’m going to beat your ass and take your title, slapnuts! What do you have to say about that?

Hugh Morrus starts laughing hysterically. He drops his bags and steps right up to the face of Jarrett. He continues to laught at Jarrett.

Jeff Jarrett: [looks over at Totally Buff] I’m thinking we need to serious up this situation a little.

The Apocalypse members start to surround the Laughing Man. Totally Buff & Jarrett seems ready to maul Morrus until a huge bang is heard. The three mean turn around to see the Cat smashing a chair against the wall. The Cat holds up the chair and aims it at the mob. The Cat stalks towards the group while getting closer to Hugh Morrus.

The Cat: It appears you guys are really brave when you have the numbers in your favour. How do you feel when you’ve got me and my friend here? [holds up his chair] Why don’t you guys get to stepping before I take my foot and shove it up all yo asses. Get out of here. Somebody call my momma cause I’m going to be whipping these fools asses.

Jeff Jarrett: Cat, you have a bad habit of sticking your nose in business that isn’t your own. After I beat this slap ass for my United States title, I’m going to get rid of you for good.

The Cat: Aw shuttup and git yo ass outta here!

The heels realize that the Cat is ready for a fight and with that knowledge, they decide to slink away. The Cat looks over Hugh Morrus, who is still laughing insanely.

70

Sticking Up For Nash

Sean O’Haire v. Diamond Dallas Page

Referee: Charles Robinson

A quick clip is shown on what happened earlier in the evening to set up this match. The camera cuts to the back and shows both men make the walk from their dressing room all the way to the ringside area. The announcers are hyping this up like it is a big time match up and a possible career maker for O’Haire. Funny that they seem to already have forgotten that O’Haire beat Page only a few weeks ago on Nitro. After the entrances have been made WCW cuts to a commercial break. This match actually spans yet another commercial break. The story is that DDP brings a flurry of offense to O’Haire but the youngster is constantly able to stop him. At one point, O’Haire presses DDP over his head and drops him hard all the way to the outside floor. O’Haire mixes in some aerial assult such as doing a no hand tope from the inside to the outside of the ring onto DDP. O’Haire even wows the crowd by pulling off a hurricanrana on Page. Another crowd pleaser is when the big man bounds up to the top rope and leaps off with a missile dropkick directly onto the face of Page. Page proves his gustiness by kicking out of all the devastating moves. O’Haire decides to work on the seemingly always injured ribs of DDP. O’Haire crushes Page with a Samoan drop. That move is followed up with a press slam into a backbreaker. The crowd starts up a DDP chant and the cocky O’Haire even encourages the chant to continue. O’Haire wraps his large arms around Page and sinks his shoulder into the sternum. O’Haire cinches the bear hug tightly as Page gasps for breath. This move is an opportune time for the crowd to increase their encouragement and chanting for the veteran. O’Haire continues to dig the hold deeper and deeper as Page seems to start to drain. The ref decides it’s a perfect time to check the arms and the arms indeed fall two times. The third attempt also sees the arm fall but falls much faster on top of the head of O’Haire. The arm drops a dozen more times onto O’Haire cranium. Page continues to punch at the head of O’Haire. A final stiff punch to the head causes O’Haire to break the hold. Page winds up and drops O’Haire with a discus lariat. The crowd cheers Page on while he holds his tender ribs. Page bounces off the ropes but unfortunately, is met with a vicious spinebuster. O’Haire decides to continue damage on the ribs by thrusting his elbows into the tender area. The viciousness continues as O’Haire headbutts the ribs and rams his knees into Page’s side. DDP isn’t going down without a fight and slams forearms against the head of O’Haire. DDP begins to fight to his knees while throwing hard shots at O’Haire. The fans start to cheer as Page mounts a big comeback. O’Haire decides to fight dirty and stops the momentum by biting Page on the nose. The dirty tactic allows O’Haire the opportunity to lift DDP onto his shoulder for a rack backbreaker. O’Haire leaves him over his back for several seconds before dropping to his own knees thus crushing DDP’s back into the shoulder of O’Haire. O’Haire tries to get the win but DDP is able to roll a shoulder at the last second. O’Haire continues to pound on the injured ribs of Page. O’Haire whips Page off the ropes and readies to hit Page with a big powerslam but DDP swings over O’Haire to connect with the Diamond Cutter. Both men lay hurt on the mat as the crowd buzz over Pager hitting his finisher. DDP rolls on top of O’Haire and the ref smacks the mat 3 times. But he doesn’t ring for the bell and it becomes clear why as O’Haire was able to lift his shoulder up at the last second. Page gets back to his feet and hits O’Haire with a second Diamond Cutter and hooks the leg of O’Haire. Once again, O’Haire is able to avoid being pinned for 3 seconds. Page brings O’Haire back to his feet and bounces off the ropes to hit Sean with a crossbody block. The powerful rookie is able to catch Page in mid air and then position Page for a Tombstone piledriver. O’Haire jumps in the air and crushes Page’s head to the mat. O’Haire jumps to the top rope and strikes a cocky pose for the crowd. O’Haire leaps into the air and squashes Page with the Seanton bomb. The ref starts the count and this time, he makes it to 3. O’Haire gets to his feet and raises his arm in victory. O’Haire eyes the fallen body of DDP and gets a look of pure evil on his face. O’Haire pushes away the tending referee and lifts Page back to his feet. O’Haire throws DDP back down to the mat violently courtesy of a Jackknife powerbomb. O’Haire decides that such a move works better in twos and plants Page with a second Jackknife powerbomb. O’Haire starts to yell out Nash’s name and starts to mock Nash’s mannerisms. O’Haire lifts up DDP for a third jackknife. From the back comes running a DDP dressed Chris Kanyon. Instead of immediately getting in the ring to help Page, Kanyon runs around the outside yelling ‘Bang!’. DDP gets planted by a third powerbomb and Kanyon slowly slips into the ring. He stares down O’Haire and the powerful youngster decides he’ll back off. O’Haire leave the arena being showered with boos and jeers. Meanwhile, Kanyon continues to run around the ring in an overexagerrated version of DDP. Finally, Kanyon turns to DDP and starts to help him to his feet. Page deicdes to show his appreciation of Kanyon’s help by diamond cuttering him. Page hobbles to the back while Kanyon lays stunned in the ring. The announcers debate the sincerity of Positvely Kanyon.

WINNER: Sean O’Haire

76/80/70

Sean O’Haire gained 2 points from overness from this match

COMMERCIAL BREAK – TBS is pumped to be able to show you Bladerunner this weekend. On Sunday, TBS has a Rocky marathon for all boxing buffs to enjoy. Don’t miss WCW Nitro on TNT every Monday because it is the best wrestling action anywhere on a Monday night!

Handicap Action

Jeff Jarrett & Scott Steiner (w/Midajah) v. Sting

Referee: Nick Patrick

Sting does waste any time taking it to the heels as he jumps them immediately after entering the ring. Sting dishes out punches for both men. Stinger knocks Jarrett down with a high elevation drop kick. The face whips Scott Steiner directly into the self proclaimed Chosen One. Jarrett finds himself sailing over the top rope which leave it Sting against Scott Steiner. Sting peppers Steiner with several stiff chops across the chest. Sting whips Steiner hard into the turnbuckles which causes Steiner to stumbles out of the corner into a bodyslam. Stinger gives out his war cry that gets the crowd jacked. Sting drags Steiner into a corner and mounts him for the ten punch count along. Stiner staggers out of the corner and is met with a bulldog. Sting goes for the first pinfall attempt but is immediately cut short by Jeff Jarrett, who is now recovered. Jarrett lifts up Sting to plant him with a back suplex. The ref demands for Jarrett to return to his corner but the damage has been done. Steiner begins to toss Sting all over the ring with his suplex variation. Occasionally crushes Sting to the mat with elbowsmashes and knee drops. Steiner finally tags in Jarrett and hold Sting for Jarrett to drop an elbow from the top rope. Jarrett takes Sting over for a gut wrench suplex and gets a solid two count from the move. Jarrett decides to put the focus on Sting’s back and brings him hard to the mat with a side suplex. The follow up is Jeff applying a Boston crab to the herioc face. It becomes a game of cheating as Jarrett will grab the hand of Steiner for extra leverage every time the ref checks on Sting. The fans display their obvious dislike for this strategy by Jarrett & Steiner. Eventually Nick Patrick gets wise to this plan and forces Jarrett to break the hold. Jarrett argues his innoncence but it’s no good for him. Jarrett resorts to stomping on the back of Sting. At this point, Steiner and Jarrett make some quick tags to work over the injured back of the Stinger. The heels whip Sting across the ring and attempt to plant him with a double clothesline but Sting is able to duck underneath the move and come back with a flying clothesline to both men. Sting gets an energy surge and tosses Jarret over the top rope. The Stinger goes through his big move set, which accumulates with Sting crushing Steiner with a Stinger splash in a corner. Sting is ready to lock on the deathlock but Jeff Jarrett enters the ring which causes the ref to attempt to send him back to his corner. Midajah climbs up to the top turnbuckle and flies into Sting. The Stinger is able to catch Midajah but it provides the necessary distraction for Steiner to low blow Sting. Steiner drills Sting to the mat with his screwdriver suplex. The ref turns around to count the 3 for the heel side. The three enter the ring to celebrate their victory over Sting. It looks like they are ready to rough up Sting some more until they hear a giant ‘WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’

The crowd pops as Ric Flair appears on the TunerTron. It’s a shot of Ric Flair in the parking lot. Flair’s wearing an overcoat and has bags slung over his shoulder. He seems to be ready to say something to the heels.

Ric Flair: I’m here! I made it to WCW Thunder. Steiner, I want your ass! I made it here to Lexington despite 4 flat tires. I’m not going to blame anyone for my lateness or my travel problems. Not wait! Hell, I am. Steiner, you are a chicken. You tried to make sure I couldn’t make it to the arena tonight. I know it! Maybe you put that worm Sanders up to it. Now, I’m here. I want to beat you up so bad Steiner. Get in this parking lot and fight me like a man. Come on! Get over here, dammit!

Steiner looks over at Jeff and Jarrett asks if he wants him to come. Steiner tells Jarrett to wait back here and Steiner makes his way to the back. The crowd starts to stir as they get excited about this upcoming brawl. The announcers ramble on about how this could turn real ugly. The scene cuts to one last. . .

WINNERS: Jeff Jarrett & Scot Steiner

81/88/68

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Don’t you just love how these things come exactly when it starts getting good?

Still The Dirtiest Player In The Game

The show continues with Steiner now in the back stage area. Scott Steiner enters the parking lot and immediately makes a beeline for the awaiting Ric Flair. The two men exchange punches with each other. Steiner lifts Flair and rams him into a car. Steiner ties to club Flair down with forearms but Flait blocks them then fires back with punches of his own. Flair decides chops are a good thing to bring to a fight and starts to light up the chest of Steiner. Scott Steiner unleashes a hard right to Flair’s head, which drops the legend. Steiner goes over to deliver another shot but Flair turns around to crack a tire iron into the gut of Steiner. The blow causes Steiner to crumple hard to the ground. It becomes clear that Flair was hiding the tire iron in the overcoat he was wearing. Ric Flair lets out a truimphant ‘WOOOO!’ The announcers mention that it appears the challenger got the best of the champion on this night.

84

OR: 77

Edited December 16, 2005 by SpiceDawg

[Hewey]

Thunder was a good show. You definitely put Sean O'Haire over big time. I can't wait to see him battle Nash. I got a kick out of Kanyon messing around and getting diamond cut. I kinda like Rick Steiner as Hardcore champion. Atleast it keeps him out of the US title scene. Crowbar changing to Devon Storm was good too. Glad to see the TV title being brought back. Maybe a certain boogie knight can get the title? I enjoyed the Sid/Sting/Kevin segment. Also glad to see Goldberg get his killer instinct back. I'm hoping the Team Canada/Filthy Animals feud ends soon. I'm just not into it.

[SpiceDawg]

Thunder Gives Smackdown A Fight!

01.19.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

The ‘wrestling experts’ are saying that Smackdown & Thunder were too close in the ratings to declare who has the clear advantage in the Thursday Night war this week. I’d say the numbers would dictate WWF Smackdown as the hands down winner once again. WWF Smackdown scored a 6.43 rating which is .02 points higher then last week's rating. The Allstate Arena in Chicago saw an attendance of 7518 while bringing in a gross of $300720 from sales. It’s a definitely good sign that WWF continues to score higher ratings every single week. This week’s show saw an all locker room brawl to end things in order to put some last minute hype for the Rumble. The wrestling main event of the evening pitted HHH & Rikishi battle Undertaker & Steve Austin which saw Austin score the pinfall on HHH after Angle interfered. The responses to the show have been extremely positive and people are viewing WWF at a creative high at this point.

WCW Thunder had a main event of Sting battling both Scott Steiner & Jeff Jarrett which lead to a back lot brawl with Ric Flair & Scott Steiner. This show gained WCW a huge 5.70 rating which is WCW’s highest rating for any television in over a year. The house for WCW at the Lexington Memorial Coliseum was a 5003 which brought in a gate revenue of $200120. WCW is very happy with these numbers and believe they put on an excellent show. As stated before, people in WCW feel that there wasn’t a clear winner in the ratings and that thing were very close between both shows.

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WCW Thunder Backstage News & Notes

01.19.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

- Shane Douglas is still complaining about his treatment to anyone who will listen backstage. Shane Douglas did not want to be squashed by Goldberg and then not get any ‘heat’ back after the match. WCW officials refused to listen to Douglas since their goal is to begin to ‘rehab’ the Goldberg character.

- WCW wanted to include an Evan Karagious v. Shane Helms match for Thunder but unfortunately, they couldn’t find another segment they wanted cut out. Some officials felt that O’Haire monopolized a lot of the spots but Terry Taylor & Creative are very high on getting O’Haire over thus weren’t willing to cut any of the O’Haire segments. Apparently, it came down to either having Shane v. Evan or Wall v. Konnan. It is believed that the Konnan v. Wall segment had the bigger stars involved thus it deserved to be on Thunder. Despite this, WCW officials were said to be rather disappointed that no Cruiserweight match was showcased. Apparently, Shane v. Evan will be a match on Wildside now.

- The Mamalukes v. Kronik match that Sanders announced was also originally planned to be put on Thunder. It would appear WCW is having some struggles juggling all of their roster. This may mean that WCW Wildside may start getting more and more storyline development.

- Road agents were said to be very impressed with the Wall and Konnan and felt the two men gelled great together. No word if this will lead to an extended program.

- Pre-Thunder dark matches saw Shane Helms & Jamie Noble beat Three Count (again!), Lash Laroux beat Chavo Guerrero by count out, and Totally Buff defeated Mamalukes after Perfect Event interference

- Post Thunder saw a match where The Cat, Hugh Morrus & Ric Flair defeat Lance Storm, Mike Awesome & Sid Vicious. A rather random pairing of wrestlers there.

- Dustin Rhodes & Booker T were backstage again but neither was used. Kevin Nash was also said to be backstage but wasn’t used in order to sell his injuries.

- There is talk that WCW still wants to send both The Wall & Mark Jindrak down to developmentals as soon as possible. Jindrak would be easy since his partner has all but abandoned him for a super push. The Wall would appear to be pencilled in for a match with Hugh Morrus at SuperBrawl (though, that would only be my own guess).

- Apparently, Creative is split on the decision to bring back the WCW World Television title. Some are saying the company is overloaded with titles. While others feel the title will be a good midcard title for wrestlers that aren’t brawlers. There seems to be talk to retire the Hardcore title in the very near future.

- Since WCW Sin, the line up for Superbrawl has been rewritten and organized close to 8 times. WCW still isn’t sure which matches they want to be on the PPV. Due to the roster size, they realize that not all current stories/feuds will be able to be showcased. The plan had been to include several multi-person type matches but now WCW is feeling the ‘money’ is in the one on one or tag bouts but keep one possible multi person as a special attraction.

- Yet another example of time issues, WCW wanted a whole angle where Crowbar transformed to Devon Storm but due to how the show was structured, it was decided they would go with what they did on Thursday. Of course, it seems WCW has plans to still run the angle on Wildside.

- Word is, Sean O’Haire, Shane Helms, Chris Kanyon and Mike Sanders have fallen under the ‘pet project’ banner and are all wrestlers WCW wants elevated within the next several months.

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WCW House Show Results

01.20.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

I just got back from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA. WCW put on a really excellent house show. It’s obvious this is an area of the company they want to improve and concentrate on. I will definitely be back when they return to the area.

1. Shane Helms & Jamie Noble won a four way elimination bout against Three Count(Evan Karagious & Shannon Moore), the Boogie Knights (Alex Wright & Disco Inferno) and the Yung Dragons (Kaz Hayashi & Yang). A really, really great opener to the show. Crowd wasn’t as into as I would have liked but a really great contest here. Yang eliminated Wright early in the match which left the Knights arguing with each other. The three teams really showcased their high flying moves. Karagious put away Yang eventually with a hangman neckbreaker. The Vertebreaker by Helms got the pin over Shannon Moore. Such a terrific match up.

2. Devon Storm defeated Meng after Storm hit Meng with a fire extinguisher. Remember when Crowbar couldn’t beat Meng on TV? This match was actually advertised to be Terry Funk v. Crowbar but I heard that WCW doesn’t want Funk to do house shows right now and would rather him get some rest in. This was okay but crowd was only so so

3. Lance Storm, Mike Awesome, and Elix Skipper beat Konnan, Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio Jr when Elix Skipper pinned Kidman with the play of the day. This was another super wrestling match. Crowd decent throughout but the biggest reactions went with Lance Storm and Rey Misterio. A really great workrate contest and I was shocked by the finish.

4. The Wall defeated United States Champion Hugh Morrus by DQ when Morrus put Wall through a table. An okay match but the crowd was pretty dead. I’m thinking it’s time to move the title off Hugh because he doesn’t seem to be that over. This match had some alright brawling and they kept it short enough.

5. Lash Laroux defeated WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero by count out after Chavo walks out. Chavo is mad over right now. The man should be elevated up to upper midcard at this point. This match was great and a lot of fun. If house show booking means anything, I’d say WCW has plans for Lash to take the title. Otherwise, why didn’t Chavo get the duke?

6. Sean O’Haire & Perfect Event (Chuck Palumbo & Shawn Stasiak) beat Mamalukes (Big Vito & Johnny the Bull) & Jim Duggan when O’Haire pinned Jim Duggan. This was pretty blah to be honest. I love the Thrillers but this match just didn’t seem to take off. It was cool to see O’Haire press slam Duggan. Man, is that guy a hoss!

7. DDP & Kevin Nash defeated Sid Vicious & Chris Kanyon in a surprisingly decent match. This match wasn’t advertised previously and actually, we were supposed to get a O’Haire v. Nash match tonight. I’m shocked they put Kanyon up against DDP since television would dictate Kanyon is trying to befriend Page. Maybe the philosophy is that since it isn’t on TV then they can do whatever thus allowing them to work out the kinks before the matches become televised.

8. Goldberg destroyed the WCW World Tag Team champions Totally Buff (Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell) in a handicap match. If it wasn’t on TV then it didn’t really happen so I’d say Buff still have their credibility. Crowd was pretty hot for this one.

9. Sting, The Cat & Ric Flair beat Scott Steiner (w/Midajah), Jeff Jarrett, & Rick Steiner in what had a really hot crowd. It was really sweet seeing Ric Flair back in the ring. He does need to knock off a little ring rust at this point. The ending came when Jarrett tapped out to the figure four leglock that got a monster pop. A really great way to end the evening.

Like I said, I’m glad I went. Highly recommend all to check out a WCW House Show. Though I’m curious to see how close these shows are to WCW’s actual booking plans in regard to feuds & pushes. Some interesting anomalies with the matches they booked and the guys who went over. Key one that sticks out is Skipper getting a pin over Kidman and Lash actually beating Chavo by CO.

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Friday Night Hardcore Ratings

01.20.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

ECW continues to be the king of the ratings on Friday nights. ECW Hardcore TV scored a .50 which exactly what they earned last week. The show was headlined by ECW World Champion RVD & Road Warrior Hawk defeating Jerry Lynn & Curt Hennig in what was a pretty good match. The event brought in a house of 2504 which allowd ECW to pick up $75120 in revenue. It will be interesting to see how well RVD draws as champion. Looks like ECW is going for a RVD v. Jerry Lynn rematch at the next PPV.

XPW actually saw some drop in their ratings this week as they only mustered a .06. I’m sure KJLA can’t be happy with that. Some may think the low rating could be due to directly competing with ECW on America One. XPW did draw in 212 fans and gained $3180 in dough. The main event saw New Jack beat Mustafa to a bloody pulp in what may have been a match. Tammy Fytch continued to be heavily spotlighted and hyped up her upcoming catfight with Lizzy Borden.

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WCW Wildside Preview

01.20.01

www.wcw.com

It has been an absolutely wild week in WCW. This Saturday night shouldn’t be any exception, as WCW Wildside finds it way to Davidson, NC at the John M. Belk Arena. Tonight’s edition of Wildside promises to be it’s best show yet. It will showcase some more great WCW Cruiserweight action plus highlight the week that was WCW.

Tonight’s main event will see two members of the Filthy Animals, Rey Misterio Jr & Billy Kidman, do battle with the dancing fools known as the Boogie Knights, Alex Wright & Disco Inferno. Last week, Rey Misterio defeated Disco Inferno after Alex Wright accidentally cost his partner the match. Tonight Boogie Knights will be out for revenge as they take on two of the premier cruiserweights in all of wrestling. Will Boogie Knights be able to work as a team and get this all important victory? Or will trouble continue to finds it’s way for Disco & Wright? It should be a marvellous main event.

Mike Sanders announced on Thunder that the Mamalukes will do battle with Kronik tonight. It would appear that Sanders has given Kronik some motivation to be extra special tonight. What is the goal that Sanders has in mind? What will the hired guns of WCW have in store for the Mamalukes? It should be a great contest that sees the return of one of WCW’s all time great tag teams.

Plus Shane Helms will go one on one with Evan Karagious. Helms will be out for revenge after Three Count cost Shane the Cruiserweight title at WCW Sin. Don’t be surprised if Shannon Moore and Chavo Guerrero Jr stick their nose into this match up.

Plus Elix Skipper, Bam Bam Bigelow and Devon Storm will all be on the show. Plus a special look at all the highlights of this past week in WCW. Don’t you even think about missing the best wrestling show on the weekend. Be sure to tune into TBS at 6:05pm!

[SpiceDawg]

WCW Wildside

Date: 01.18.01

Venue: John M. Belk Arena in Davidson, NC

Network: TBS

Timeslot: Early Evening

Commentators: Scott Hudson & Larry Zbysko

Ring Announcer: David Penzer

The usual WCW Wildside open showcasing some great WCW wrestling which accumulates with a shot of Scott Steiner standing with the WCW World Title around his waist. The scene cuts to inside the arena where pyro and fireworks go off to the delight of a packed house. The camera pans the arena while the announcers go over the evening’s card.

3 Count Explode

Evan Karagious v. ‘Suga’ Shane Helms

Referee: Charles Robinson

Shane Helms comes out to his hot intro with the techno music and the Nitro girls dancing with him. Shane wastes no time taking it right to Evan Karagious. Helms flies all over the ring hitting Karagious with a variety of dropkicks and springboard moves. Karagious is sent flying from the ring after a stiff Suga Smack (superkick). Helms follows Karagious out with a moonsault from the top rope to the outside floor. The crowd pops big for that move but unfortunately, that is the most over they would ever be in the contest. Some of the reason for lack of response could be that this turns out to be one of the weaker matches Shane Helms has had in a very long time. Back in the ring, Evan Karagious gains control with a swinging neckbreaker. Karagious tries to control the match with a variety of power moves. At one point, Karagious catches an attempted Helms cross body block and responds by lifting Helms high over his head with a military press slam. The fans start a small rally for Helms while Karagious goes up top for a corkscrew moonsault but Karagious ends up hitting nothing but mat. Helms starts his rally using all his signature moves like the shining wizard and Nightmare on Helms Street. This offensive flurry brings out Shannon Moore who tries to swing things back in the favour of Karagious. Moore hops on the apron to attempt to cause a distraction but instead gets a face full of Karagious via an irish whip from Helms. The stunned Karagious is put away with the patent Vertebreaker.

After the win, Shannon Moore re-enters the ring to start an attack on Helms. The attack causes Jamie Noble to run out from the back and helps fight off the Three Count members. The crowd starts to boo as Cruiserweight champion Chavo Guerrero runs out from the back and uses his title as a weapon. The advantage for the heels is short lived as Lash Laroux comes out to run off all the heels. The faces celebrate in the ring while The Count slink to the back.

WINNER: ‘Suga’ Shane Helms

67/60/75

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Buy the new WCW Wrestling DVDs!!!!! Watch the best wrestling on Monday nights by tuning into TNT for WCW Nitro!

Week That Was

Another well put together and thorough WCW highlight package showcasing the major events of this past week. A considerable amount of time is given to the story of Steiner/Flair displayed by the challenge for a match at Suprebrawl and the subsequent brawls between the two men. Other focuses of the package are Goldberg’s statement from Nitro; Jarrett & Cat confrontations from both shows; Devon Storm turning heel and his related actions; the attacks Sting and Sid have exchanged with each other; O’Haire bruttally attacking Nash which suprisingly includes the blood; Mike Sanders confrontation with O’Haire plus his announcement of the WCW World Television title; and the two title changes from this past week involving Totally Buff & Rick Steiner.

99

COMMERCIAL BREAK – WCW Action Figures are all the rage. Konnan still thinks you should be drinking Pepsi. THQ makes good video games.

Advanced Payment

The show returns to Mike Sanders walking the hallways of the backstage area. Sanders stops at a dressing room labelled ‘Kronik’. Apparently, WCW wants us to start believing each wrestler has their own dressing room, now. Sanders begins to knock at the door and it eventually gets opened by Bryan Clarke. Clarke acknowledges Sanders by a nod of the head and allows Sanders into the room. Sanders pulls an envelope out of his suit pocket and hands it over to Clarke. Brian Adams gets off a bench he was sitting on and goes over to Clarke to examine the envelope.

Mike Sanders: There is about ten thousand reasons why I want something special tonight in your match with the Mamalukes.

Brian Adams: [gives out a sinister laugh] Oh don’t you worry, we will deliver, brah.

Bryan Clarke: [Clarkes notices the camera and starts to close the door] You folks will have to wait until the match to get your daily dose of Kronik!

Door is slammed shut. The announcers go into overdrive contemplating what exactly the three have in store for the Mamalukes.

86

Battle of the Big Men

‘The Beast from the East’ Bam Bam Bigelow v. ‘Hasksaw’ Jim Duggan

Referee: Scott Dickenson

Poor Jim Duggan has gone from being on a PPV at the beginning the week to doing job duty on a C-show at the end of the week. Duggan gets lots of ‘Hooos!’ and ‘USA’ chants from the crowd to kick this match off. This match leads to the announcers acknowledging Duggan as the last World Television champion and that the title is being reinstated via a battle royal this Monday on Nitro. The announcers also mention that both these man are entered into the battle royal. If this match is any sign, Duggan has no chance this Monday despite never losing the title. The majority of the match is Bam Bam displaying his power and overhwhelming Duggan. Except that Duggan didn’t really want to cooperate and despit allowing Bam Bam to be on offense, he didn’t want to sell the moves as devastating. Hacksaw does get some offensive rallies but they were kept short with Bam Bam quickly cutting him off. Though, my guess is that Duggan ‘improved’ a few times but cutting off rallies of Bigelow’s that weren’t supposed to be shortened. Bam Bam displayed his strength by powerslamming and back breakering Duggan but the vet didn’t stay on the mat as long as one would expect. A miscued splash by the Bammer allowed the American patriot to start another big rally on the Beast from the East. Duggan rocked the big man with several punches in bunches and lariats. The tattooed monster was stunned enough for Duggan to give him a scoop slam. The crowd started giving a mild pop to Duggan as he started to get back into the match. Bam Bam actually was willing to make Duggan look good even though that was not the intended purpose of this contest. The rally ended again when Duggan missed a charge into the turnbuckle and smashed his shoulder into the ringpost. Bam Bam followed up with a shoulderbreaker and then climbed up to the top rope. The big man came crashing down onto Duggan with a flying headbutt. Scott Dickenson was immediately in position for the easy three count. The announcers hyped Bam Bam as a huge favourite for the battle royal on Nitro. The announcers definitely made Bigelow seem like a major threat even if Duggan didn’t want to.

WINNER: Bam Bam Bigelow

60/65/49

Jim Duggan didn’t really sell very much, which hurt the match quality

COMMERCIAL BREAK – Be sure to watch Ric Flair’s final chance at glory when he battles Scott Steiner on February 18th at Superbrawl XI only on PPV!!!

Hot Cruiser Action

Yang v. ‘Prime Time’ Elix Skipper

Referee: Billy Silverman

Wow! Charles Robinson actually doesn’t ref a cruiserweight match. Elix Skipper comes out adorned in bling and gets on the mic asking everyone what time it is. Apparently, it is indeed Prime Time. This has been Elix’s usual entrance when he is in single competition. Neither guy comes out with any partners, which does get noticed by the announcers. It is also announced that Elix Skipper is indeed in the World Television Title battle royal and so are members of the Filthy Animals. Yung Dragons continue to prove their worth as this is the second fantastic match from members of the team this week. Yang and Skipper both attacks each other with a variety of exciting high flying moves. Yang pops the crowd when he hit Elix with a diving senton from the top onto a standing Skipper. Unfortunately, the fans are sitting on their hands for the majority of the contest. The announcers spend the time detailing the recent war between Team Canada & Filthy Animals. But the announcer perk up when Yang almost scores a near fall after hitting a springboard rolling neckbreaker (ala Buff Blockbuster). Yang quickly follows that up with a top rope leg drop but Elix has some fight still thus kicks out at the two count. Yang continues to try to remain on offence by hitting Elix with some very stiff karate kicks. Elix is able to duck a big shot to the head by pulling off the Matrix dodge. Elix strikes back with a leg sweep knocking Yang hard to the mat. Elix tries to set up Yang for the Play of the Day but the Japanese star is able to counter the move with a leg drag. Immediately, Yang follows up with a seated dropkick the face of Elix. The next few minutes sees a variety of exciting counters and attacks but is met with mild excitement from the crowd and no attention from the announcers. Yang reverses a atomic drop into a bulldog and follows up by scaling the ropes. Yang comes off the ropes and connect with a cannonball splash (Pierre’s finisher). Elix barely gets the shoulder up to remain in the match. Yang lifts up Elix and whips him hard into the corner turnebuckle to set up for a big splash. Elix is ready for it and move out of the way but Yang is able to prevent hurting himself by landing feet first on the turnbuckles. Yang leaps off the ropes for an attempted hurricanrana but instead is stopped with a powerbomb. Elix delivers the Play of the Day and scores the easy three count. Elix grabs his ‘bling’ and shouts out his greatness to the audience. The announcers talk up the roll that Elix is on while going to a. . .

WINNER: 'Prime Time' Elix Skipper

72/49/95

COMMERCIAL BREAK – Be sure to watch the very best wrestling on Thursday nights with WCW Thunder on TBS!!! PS2 should be your next big purchase!

Burning The Past

A new hard rock themed songe brings out Dangerous Devon Storm. Storm comes out in a nice red, collared shirt and a pair of dark slacks. Storm looks much like he did on Thursday and nothing like the old Crowbar. Storm has a pair of tattered jeans, a black tank top and a garbage can in his arms. He soaks in some of the heel heat before entering the ring to address the crowd.

Devon Storm: First off, you should all be happy that I’m slumming it her in Davidson, North Carolina for your enjoyment. None of you really deserve me or my time. The fact is, I won’t be doing C-caliber shows or venues for very much longer. [this of course gets the expected fan reaction – boos] After this coming Monday night, I will be the WCW World Television champion. I will be a somebody and a star while your pathetic hero, Terry Funk, will just be a has been. Terry, I’m ready to move past you. I am ready to exceed all that you have accomplished. I said on Thursday, the Hardcore title is nothing more then a meaningless piece of tin. You see Terry, Hardcore wrestling was a fad and it’s time is over. I will no longer dabble in that little experiment. I am going to be the best in this sport. This is professional wrestling. It all begins this Monday when I win a real title. I will become the next great star while you will be nothing but a beaten up old man. Terry, I’ve already forgotten you and the fans will do the same after this Monday.

Storm sets down the garbage can. He briefly looks over the tattered jeans and the black t-shirt. It is revealed that the black shirt is actually a spaghetti strap t-shirt that Daffney used to wear. This shirt has sparkly lettering that reads, ‘Crowbar & Daffney Rule.’ Storm spits on the two items and tosses them in the trash. He then pulls out a container of gasoline from the trash can and starts to douse the inside of the can with the substance. Devon procures a book of matches from his pocket and strikes a match before throwing it into the can. The inside of the can is engulfed with flames that gets a rather decent reaction from the crowd.

Devon Storm: Tonight, I officially allow the old self to be burned. There is no more Crowbar. No more Daffney. I am Devon Storm from this point on. I am shedding myself of my filthy past. Cleansing myself through the flames of the future. The future will be me. Terry, you are the last bit of my past I want to burn away. That my ol’ pal, will happen this Monday night when I become the next WCW World Television champion and you become the ashes of my past. 19 men will fall at Nitro and Devon Storm will rise to the top.

Storm looks down at the furious flames. A wicked smile comes across his face. Many of the fans just sit in shock of the display. Or they sit in boredom depending on your view. The announcers talk about how much of a change has come over Devon Storm. They both declare Storm will be out for something to prove this Monday at Nitro.

64

COMMERCIAL BREAK – A hype ad for this Nitro, which will showcase a Battle Royal for the WCW Television title and a US title match between Jeff Jarrett v. Hugh Morrus.

The Big Pay-off

Kronik(Bryan Clarke & Brian Adams) v. Mamalukes (Johnny the Bull & Big Vito)

Referee: Randy Anderson

A quick clip shows the Mamalukes reuniting at WCW Sin. The announcers hype that there will be no more commercial breaks tonight and we will be getting two back to back matches. The announcers also mention that all four of the men are entered into the WCW Television Battle Royal. They spend a good amount of the match speculating what effect this will have on them as regular teams. Especially if one is able to successfully win the title on Monday. Kronik jumps the Italian duo immediatley upon their entrance into the ring. Kronik use a ground and pound attack with double forearm sledges and stiff boots. Eventually, they isolate the attack on Johnny the Bull and beat him down in their corner. It soon becomes clear that Kronik isn’t out to win the match but rather to hurt the Mamalukes. Kronik members will be choking or punching Johnny but refusing to stop at the count of 5. One member will distract the ref while the other with use closed fists or chokes to keep Johnny down. They also use they variety of power moves to keep Johnny out. Vito will often try to assist his partner but it only leads to distracting the referee. Johnny the Bull is able to start a comeback by knocking Adams to the ground using a leg lariat. Adams quickly tags off to Clarke but isn’t able to stop Bull from making the hot tag to Vito. Or at least, the very luke warm tag as the crowd gives out a courtese pop to the fiery Italian. Vito immediately greets Clarke with a swinging neckbreaker. Puts down an interfering Adams with a follow through lariat. Both Kronik members are on the receiving ends of scoop slams. A recovering Johnny the Bull enters to send Adams flying out of the ring. On the outside, Adams propels Johnny into a ring post. Adams picks up a folding steel chair and enters the ring to do damage to Vito. The ref immediately intercepts Adams and demands him to drop the weapon. This allows Clarke to grabs his own chair from the outside. The chair doesn’t meet Vito but rather crashes into the face of Clarke courtesy of a Johnny the Bull jumping leg lariat. The ref turns around to see Big Vito tag in Johnny in order to do the their tag finisher. Vito powerslams Clarke to the mat while the Bull jumps of the top rope with a leg drop. Johnny makes the cover while Vito takes care of the Adams. The crowd gives out a decent face pop as the Mamalukes claim the win.

The announcers remark that Sanders won’t be happy with Kronik not living up to their end of the deal. Mamalukes don’t get much time to celebrate their big win as they are immediately jumped in the ring. The Perfect Event have entered the ring with muscle flexors and are using the objects on the Mamalukes. The flexors are slammed hard against the back of the Mamalukes. The Perfect Event pose with Kronik over the fallen bodies of the Mamalukes. Scott Hudson complains about the vile actions of the heels while Zbysko remarks it’s all about getting ahead in the game. The crowd show their disapproval with a round of boos.

WINNERS: The Mamalukes (Johnny The Bull & Big Vito)

77/69/86

Wildside Main Event

The Boogie Knights (Disco Inferno & Alex Wright) v. The Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman & Rey Misterio Jr)

Referee: Nick Patrick

A quick video clip shows the match between Disco & Rey last week which set up this week’s tag contest. The Boogie Knights start arguing with each other before the match even begins. Both men verbally fight over who should start the match. Announcers mention that all four men will be in the battle royal this Monday on Nitro. The first serveral minutes see the faces completely overwhelm the heels with a high flying arrange of moves. Rey even monkey flips Disco right into Alex Wright which causes the duo to start yelling at each other again. A missed moonsault by Billy Kidman finally gives the advantage to the dancing fools. Wright and Disco decide that making use of their size is the best strategy for staying on top. Wright uses a variety of moves that propels Kidman into the air and flat onto to his face. Disco hurts Kidman with a tilt a whirl powerslam. None of the moves are able to keep Kidman down for the three. Disco uses an impressive slingshot suplex to knock Kidman hard to the mat but once again, Kidman is able to escape from the pin. Wright is tagged in and attempts a top rope elbow smash but instead meets the empty mat. Wright immediately tags out back to Disco but the Italian is met with a freshly tagged Rey Misterio. The crowd is very much into the Animals even if they don’t seem as into their opposition. Misterio tags both heels with high dropkicks to the face. Misterio trips Disco into the ropes and hits the unnamed 619. The springboard hurricanrana is stopped when Wright is able to trips up poor Misterio. Kidman rushed the ring to conplain but this only gets the ref distracted. Disco holds Rey as Wright warms up the arm for a big lariat. The lariat connects but with the wrong wrestler. The crowd pops as Misterio spin wheel kicks Wright out of the ring. Misterio drags the stunned Disco to his corner and tags Kidman into the match. The revitalized Kidman scales the ropes and comes off with a picture perfect shooting star press. Kidman makes the cover and gets the three on Disco.

In the ring, the Filthy Animals celebrate their big victory on Wildside. They start to dance to the strains of their theme rap. Meanwhile, Wright and Disco are both verbally tearing a hole into each other. Both yell at one another while they make their way to the back. The Animals continue to the dance while the announcers encourage us all to watch Nitro this Monday.

WINNERS: The Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman & Rey Misterio Jr.)

78/69/87

OR: 75

Edited December 21, 2005 by SpiceDawg

[Hewey]

Good Wildside. I'm hoping you keep pushing the Cruiserweights on this show. I'm liking The Count. You mentioned Chavo was seriouslt over, And as much as I like him as Cruiserweight champion, Maybe it's time to make him drop the title and go onto bigger things? I'm sensing a big cruiserweight six men tag team match at Superbrawl between the count and Helms/Noble/Lash. I don't really remember Kronik being heels at the time, But I like 'em. It's good to have them as "bounty hunters" of sorts. I actually think Bigelow could probably make a good heel. Well, Atleast he's got a certain look to him. But it'll take alot to make him seem special since he was made to look bad for like three years in WCW. I could care less about Hacksaw getting depushed. The guy adds nothing. I'm seriously hoping Elix Skipper gets a push into the Cruiserweight division. He's just too much of a great talent to be fighting on Wildside. The Devon Storm segment was good, He's my favorite to win the TV title since no one else has really been built up. I wonder if Mike Sanders will punish Kronik on Nitro. Sucks to see Alex and Disco losing, Those guys just rule. Oh well, Atleast they didn't lose to some scrubs. Can't wait for Nitro (Y)

[SpiceDawg]

OCC: Glad you're still liking all the shows. Maybe one day I'll even book Alex Wright or Disco Inferno to win a match?!? As for Kronik, WCW never seemed to figure out if they wanted them to be heels or faces once they started the 'bounty hunter' gimmick. They were definite heels against Goldberg at Halloween Havoc & heels when they fought Vito & Reno at Starrcade. Soon after they started to feud with Totally Buff & Team Canada. But I started things right after Starrcade, I'm treating Kronik like heels since that is what they most recently were plus they had most recently been hired by Reno who is a Thriller. I thought, it would make sense that Sanders would want their services at some point since they've been used successfully before. I honestly, didn't plan to go anywhere with Kronik after Wildside but your interest in the gimmick has changed my mind.

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WCW Wildside Ratings & Backstage Notes

01.21.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

- WCW is very happy with scoring their highest ratings for Wildside yet with a 2.18. WCW feels they put on an excellent episode of Wildside. It made use of the less established star but also pushed some of the important stories along. The John M. Belk Arena housed an attendance of 5031 fans which raked in $201240 of revenue.

- Dark matches before the show saw Harris Boys beat Norman Smiley & Glacier, Shannon Moore pinned Jamie Noble, Lance Storm & Mike Awesome beat the Yung Dragons.

- Post show saw a huge 10 man tag match where Ric Flair, Sting, Kevin Nash, DDP & The Cat beat Scott Steiner, Totally Buff, Rick Steiner & Jeff Jarrett when Sting pinned Buff Bagwell after a Stinger Death Drop. The crowd was said to be really into the match though it was said to be overly short.

- WCW Road Agents felt that Evan Karagious & Shane Helms didn’t click in their match due to different styles.The simple truth is, Helms is a way better wrestler then Evan and he wasn’t able to bring him to his level on that night. It was probably the first time that Helms didn’t have close to match of the night honours.

- Scott Steiner was seen talking to creative and asking for a match with Kevin Nash in the future. No word if this something creative is considering.

- TBS executives were said to not be happy with this weekend’s show. Apparently, they didn’t like the video package that showcased Kevin Nash bleeding and felt it was way too much for the family hour. WCW has been asked to tone down the content for upcoming Wildside shows. WCW has gone on record that it was a complete oversight and will not allow it to happen again [OCC: Silly me forgot to knock down the risk level for Saturday!]

- WCW Creative apparently have been contemplating a heel turn for Kaz Hayashi. They’ve been very high on both Yung Dragons and would like to find something to give the men more air time. The belief is a possible feud could help both men while a Cruiserweight team doesn’t have as much value.

- WCW officials especially Terry Taylor were said to not be very happy with Jim Duggan not selling well for Bam Bam. Word is, if it wasn't for the goodwill that Duggan has in the locker room that some kind of action would have been taken. They can't really threaten the guy with a depush since he doesn't seem too high on the pecking order anyway. He never even got a match the Wall after he attacked him on Sunday.

- Word is, WCW SuprBrawl matches are still being decided on at this point. The goal is to still get as many of the top names on the show as possible. WCW is finding they have a large pool of talent at this point and is having some struggle juggling all the talent they want pushed. The company still wants every match to feel special rather then a match to try to get lots of people on the show.

- Jimmy Hart was seen backstage talking with Creative. They were trying to come up with the best way to use Hart for television. He will obviously be a manager but they haven’t decided who can benefit from him most. [OCC: Any ideas???]

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CZW Fake You TV Ratings

01.21.01

www.indywrestlingbeat.com

CZW scored their second highest ratings of the year with .47 on America One. This was CZW’s first television show since the new management change which resulted in a risk level change of 30%. The majority of the show concentrated on the fall out from their big show last Sunday, CZW Accepting The Challenge. A house of 186, bringing in a gate revenue of $2790, saw a main event of John Zandig & Nick Gage defeating CZW Tag Team Champions Wifebeater & CZW Heavyweight champion Justice

Pain when Zandig pinned Pain after a DVD in a non title match up.

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Power Pro Wrestling Main Event Wrestling Taping Results

01.21.01

www.indywrestlingbeat.com

It was another great night at the Center Stage in Atlanta. The production values even seemed to be a step up this week. PPW seems to constantly wanting to improve and put on an excellent show for the fans. They definitely did that again this week. Before the camera came on, Arn Anderson thanked us all for being here this evening. He shilled the times that PPW would be on syndication in the surrounding areas. It seems the show will only be making it in the state of Georgia and some of the surrounding counties. Arn also encouraged us to check out Thunder & Nitro and said that is the big stage that all PPW talent is hoping to make. I personally hope all these guys make it up there because they work their asses off each week (or at least, the two whole weeks they’ve been here). The majority of the evening was the first round of the PPW Heavyweight title tournament.

1. In a first round match, Bob Sapp beat Christian York (w/Tracy Brooks) Bascially was a squash for Sapp. York put up little offence but the majority was Sapp stretching or suplexing York. Sapp won the thing with an armbreaker submission. He kept on the hold until Matthews came from the back to try to stop him. Sapp left without any problems after Matthews arrived.

2. Michael Modeat beat Air Paris in another tourney match: A great high flying match. Both men came off looking really strong. Lots of crazy moves from both men that I’ve never seen before. Paris just flung his body all over the place. Ending saw Paris miss a 450 splash and Modest followed up with what he calls the Reality Check which is basically the Kryptonite Krunch or a back drop driver.

3. Yet another first round contest, Rob Conway defeats Kimo (w/Queen Victoria): Conway tried to keep the big Samoan off his feet by using a lot of speed. The Samoan eventually takes down Conway with a superkick to the face. A nice little big man against a smaller foe match develops from this and the Samoan can move when he needs to. Botched interference from the Queen causes Conway to score a roll up victory.

4. First rounder, Russ Haas beat Joey Matthews (w/Tracy Brooks): Matthews & Brooks kissed before the match which reaffirmed they are doing a ‘couple’ gimmick. Matthews acted very ‘Hardy Boyish’ and tried to take it to the air a lot. Hass tried to keep Matthews grounded with mat skills. Haas started to get frustrated because Matthews kept countering moves and coming off the top with an aerial attack. In the end, Haas caught Matthews with a inside cradle and hooked the tights for the win. Brooks complained after the match but the ref wouldn’t reverse the decision. My oh my, isn’t she hot when she is upset.

5. Trinity won a PPW Diva battle royal by last eliminating Daffney: The particpants in this thing by order of first eliminated to last were Ms. Jones, Major Gunns, Leia Meow, Bobcat, Tygress, Queen Victoria, Tracy Brooks, Gail Kim & Paisley. Paisley really impressed me in this match and it looks like she could be a viable contributor to the future WCW Women’s division. It looks like they want to pattern this division around Trinity which I don’t understand other then she maybe sort of resembles Lita. She isn’t the best looking of the bunch and she is far from the most talented.

6. Christopher Daniels (w/Gail Kim) pinned Nick Dinsmore in another tournament match: A really excllent match where Daniels got to showcase his heelishness. Kim would distract the ref often and Christopher would take advantage with constant cheating. Dinsmore did well with a variation of brawling and mat wrestling. The match ended when Kim distracted the ref again, David Flair arrived from the back and knocked Dinsmore out with a pair of brass knuckles. Flair was dressed up in a custom made suit and seems to be doing a ‘Nature Boy’ lite kind of gimmick.

7. Another first round contest, Shelton Benjamin beat O.G. Ekmo(w/Queen Victoria): This match saw Benjamin try to overcome the interference of Victoria & Ekmo’s partner Kimo. Victoria was finally disposed of when Tracy Brooks came out from the back. HOTNESS ALERT! I’m telling you, this Tracy is definitely the best diva that WCW has on the payroll and she’ll get over really quick with the WCW fans. Anyway, here in PPW, Benjamin pulled out a pretty good match with the big Samoan. Shelton hit a Stinger splash which lead to a fisherman suplex for the pinfall win. Shleton had to fight off both Samoans to be left standing tall in the end.

8. Charlie Haas defeated AJ Styles in another first round match: This match was awesome and both these guys are brimming with potential. AJ had a much better opponent this week to showcase his stuff. It was a combo of high flying and mat wrestling which I really dug. The fans seemed to be into it too. Finish came when Haas caught AJ on the top rope and plants him with a DVD. Charlie put in a sumbmission move that is apparently called the Haas of Pain which got the tap out from AJ. Haas didn’t let go of the move right away which caused officials to come out to stop him.

9. In the main event and the final first round match, Brock Lesnar defeated Afa Jr & Hail after Lesnar pinned Hail with a move known as the F5 (a fireman carry into a ddt type move): This was the exact same finishing move that Brock used last week in the 6 man tag. Afa was pulled out of the match when Gail Kim came out to distract him and to yell at him. Afa went to chase off Gail but was then jumped by a debuting Reno! Sweet! Reno did a Roll of the Die on the outside which took Afa Jr completely out of the match. After the match, Charlie Haas was taunting Brock which lead to Russ Hass attack Brock from behind which brought out Shelton Benjamin to make the save. This was okay but Brock is so much better then both his opponents are. Brock should have an amazing match in the second round against Charlie Hass.

The next round will be Brock Lesnar v. Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin v. Christopher Daniels, Russ Haas v. Michael Modest, and Bob Sapp v. Rob Conway. It’s looking like they want to do a Lesnar v. Sapp final but I’d rather someone like Benjamin or Daniels take on Lesnar in the finals. Whoever it is, I’m positive Lesnar will win the PPW tournament unless WCW calls him up before this thing is done. It was also announced that Nick Dinsmore will go against David Flair next week. I’ll be here to recap all the action once again.

[OCC: Not sure if anyone would be interested but I'd be willing to let someone book and post weekly (game time) shows of Power Pro Wrestling's Main Event Wrestling. I'd tell you who needs the major pushes or what type of gimmicks some guys need, since WCW would really be telling their developmental that type of stuff, but you'd get a lot of creative control. It could be lots fun though hard to juggle all the talent that WCW would start recalling from you. PM me if this interests you.]

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WWF Royal Rumble Q&D Results & Numbers

01.22.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

Everyone seems to be praising last night’s WWF Royal Rumble. I have to say it was a great way to kick off the road to Wrestlemania. This is like the Christmas for wrestling fans as everything always seems to be a little bit better. I’m thinking we have a really great next two months on the way to ‘Mania.

Lots of people wanted to see the Rumble last night as it scored a 1.62 buyrate which soundly beat WCW Sin’s 1.04. 16,743 crowded into the New Orleans arena which brought in a house of $1,004,580.00. The PPV revenue was $4,050,000.00.

Here are the quick results for what was a great Rumble:

Dudley Boyz defeated Edge & Christian to win the WWF World tag team titles after Bubba pinned Edge from the 3D. A really hot opener.

Chris Jericho defeat Chris Beniot to win the WWF Intercontinental title in a Ladder match. Both guys were really over in this one.

Ivory defeated Chyna after the ref stopped the match due to Chyna suffering a stinger. Though the entire thing was an angle and I’d consider pretty tasteless.

WWF World champion Kurt Angles continues to be a Honky Tonk champ by beating HHH only after interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin allowed Angle to score the win.

Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the Royal Rumble to earn the right to be in the main event at Wrestlemania. Austin last eliminated Kane in what many people widely consider one of the best Rumbles. The Rumble also saw the debut of previous developmental talents Maven, The Prototype (John Cena) and Rico Constantino though Maven was the only one who got a really good pop from the crowd probably due to him being on the reality show, Tough Enough (OCC: for the sake of the scenerio, I’ll pretend the show was aired a few months earlier then it really was).

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XPW’s New Year Revolution

01.21.01

www.indywresltingbeat.com

XPW, the wannabe western coast version of ECW, put together their first big show of the year, New Year’s Revolution. I have to say, for the reports, it’s got a ways to be ECW still. The 515 that packed an LA nightclub seemed to be happy with what they saw. It was enough to make Rob Black happy as he raked in $10300.00 in revnue for the event.

1. Halloween won a four corners elimination match between GQ Money, Dynamite D and Damian 666. This was an excellent match and by far the best of the night. Halloween last pinned his partner Damian to win the match after hitting a moonsault.

2. Big Dick Dudley & Josh Lazie defeated Big Rott & Chronic after Dudley pinned Chronic with a chokeslam. A very meh match. The crowd was into Dudley.

3. James Mariato defeated Nosowa in another very decent match. Mariato got the win with the Sicilian slice from the top rope.

4. An angle was run where New Jack declared he would be winning the vacated (after Sabu was fired) XPW World Title tonight but then Vic Grimes came out to dispute this which lead to an ambush by Mustafa & Kronus. Out for the save came, Simond Diamond & Johnny Webb which lead to a tag match.

5. Simon Diamond & Johnny Webb beat John Kronus & Mustafa after Diamond pinned Mustafe after hitting him with a keyboard. How ’97 of them. Diamond is good but eveyrone else can only brawl and it wasn’t even a great brawl.

6. Pogo the Clown & Kid Koas beat Angel & Kraq in a bed of nails match match after Angel was powerbombed on to a bed of nails. Youch! The dynamic gay duo took a beating in this one. Pogo & Kid Koas came off as ultra face dues to who they were fighting in this one.

7. Tammy Sytch beat Lizzy Borden in a catfight. Both women were stripped to their bare undies. Lots of T&A in this one. Sytch remains the most over person in this company by even having a few nip slips.

8. Lester defeated Messiah for the XPW King of the Death match title in a barbed wire match. Messiah got torn up really bad in this one. Apparently, it was really gruesome near the end.

9. New Jack defeated Vic Grimes to win the XPW World Heavyweight title after a Jack dived on to Grimes from a balcony. Real life enemies really tore down the house in a sick brawl. In the end, Jack won the XPW title to the biggest ovation of the night.

XPW put together a big effort tonight. We will have to see what they follow up with in the coming weeks. A realy big show is apparently planned for February and word is XPW might be looking for some fresh talent to showcase on the show.

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Wrestling Experts Declare A New War & WWF Is Winning It!

01.21.01

www.grapplefanatics.com

The dirtsheets are saying that the WWF & WCW have resumed the wrestling war. Many consider the two close enough in public image to be considered battling each other now. In this supposed war, WWF is still kicking some butt. The word is both companies are taking this ‘win’ for WWF very seriously. Mostly WCW, is attempting to find ways to fix the problem. At this point, the ‘experts’ feel that WWF has the better workers which will cause fans to choose them over WCW. In what WCW conisders a real shot, WWF has the bigger stars between the two wrestling promotions. Apparently, WCW knew that WWF had more talented workers due to scoring the Radicalz last year but they had still hoped to have the edge in star power but that is no longer the case. WCW’s strategy is to conitnue to refine their guys in the developmentals and to make a concerted effort of making new stars For now, consider WWF the easy leader in this battle.

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WCW Nitro Preview

01.21.01

www.wcw.com

WCW continues to march towards WCW SuperBrawl XI which promises to be one of the biggest PPVs in the history of wrestling. Tonight WCW will roll into Winston Salem, NC for what will definitely be an explosive chapter in the road to SuperBrawl XI. On Thursday, we saw the final image of Ric Flair stand over top the fallen body of the WCW World Heavyweight champion, Scott Steiner. No doubt, Scott Steiner will be out for revenge and be ready for the dirtiest player in the game. What could possible happen with these two sworn enemies in the same arena tonight. What do the two SuperBrawl main event opponents have in store for each other? Will it result in another brawl in the parking lot of the arena?!?

Mike Sanders signed two huge championship matches for tonight. First off, the WCW World Television title has been reinstated into the company. Tonight, a 20 man over the top battle royal will decide the new champion. Mike Sanders had announces himself as the first entrant into the event but since then, we have discovered several more big names. Some of the top stars expected in the battle royal include as follows: the last WCW World Television champion Hacksaw Jim Duggan, The Beast from the East Bam Bam Bigelow, all members of the Filthy Animals, all members of Team Canada, Terry Funk, Dangerous Devon Storm, Shane Douglas, Meng and so many more huge stars!!!

The other signed championship match will see US Champoin Hugh Morrus defend his crown against the Chosen One Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett is the only member of the Apocalypse with out any gold. Jarrett will be sure to try to fix that tonight. Is it true that Sanders is on the Apocalypse payroll? Will he try to make sure that Jarrett wins the title? Will the Cat once again make his presnce known to Jeff Jarrett? Nobody should underestimate Hugh Morrus who has been on a roll ever since returning to the laughing man. It will be an amazing contest for the United Stated championship.

Goldberg will be in action tonight as he continues to find back his killer instinct. Tonight he battles one of the men responsible for taking Goldberg’s chances at the World title in 2001 away. He does battle with Buff Bagwell. As we have learned, Apocalypse members never stray too far from each other. Goldberg should be ready for possible interference from more of his hated rivals. It should be an explosive battle as the phenom vs. one half of the WCW World tag team champions.

Plus all your other WCW favourites will be in attendane such as Sting, Sid Vicious, DDP, Lash Laroux, and Sean O’Haire. Be sure to not miss a second of the action on the best wrestling show anywhere on Monday nights. It will be only on TNT at 9:00pm EST!

[Draevyn]

If you plan to continue using KroniK, then I think Hart could be a very good mouthpiece for them. As far as I can remember, neither are good on the mic and could use Hart in that regard, and he could also act as a go-between for them and their clients. Make them seem more professional.

[JStarr]

lol, america