The Final Countdown

<p>Sorry to hear about your image hosting issues. I was in the same boat when Photobucket went down. </p><p> </p><p> It sounds like we did things in much the same way too, because when I was using Photobucket I would copy and paste from templates and then just put in the file names of the pictures. When I switched over to Imgur, what I did was create a Word document with alphabetical links to all my worker pictures, and then I paste whatever links I need when I'm putting a show together. There were some growing pains as I adjusted to it, but now I think it might actually be more efficient than what I used to do. </p><p> </p><p> That Warrior meeting was <em>fantastic</em>, and I am now 100% in favor of him being brought in even if just to see more of his antics behind the scenes. I do think Vince should throw a monkey wrench in at the very end and demand a second worker in addition to Lex though.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="42193" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Thanks, TFC. I'm currently binge-reading your TGAAB WWF diary (currently just finished KOTR '89) and couldn't resist using the same Vince photo I think you used in that diary - a little tribute to James Hill and co!</div></blockquote><p> Yep, 'smirking announcer Vince' was a crowd pleaser in TGAAB!</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43111" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Also, let me know what you think of the versus screen being the button to look at the matches! I think it looks a little neat myself, but I may be biased because I thought of it </div></blockquote><p> I did a double take on your first show with the drop down segments; I think I skipped over the first match and was like halfway through reading the next segment before I thought "Hey, wasn't there supposed to be a match there?" <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> Once I figured it out though, I really dug it. It's unique and it looks cool. Of course, it won't be unique anymore after I steal it for Heart and Soul!</p><p> </p><p> <em>(Kidding. I do have a new format I'll be rolling out though, at least for the buildup to the PPV.)</em></p><p> </p><p> The show itself was strong as usual. The pre and post show stuff gave it an interesting flair, and the panel discussion segments can be really effective if done well.</p><p> </p><p> The Okerlund/Borash comedy team is your version of Tony Schiavone's moustache in Crossface's JCP. I think you were a follower of that diary, so you should appreciate that as the high praise it is intended to be. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43111" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>“Hey, um, boss… I have a proposition for you. Let’s just say that if you accept it, all of WCW’s money problems will be over.”</div></blockquote><p> MILLION DOLLAR MAN CONFIRMED.</p><p> </p><p> (I will also accept Dixie Carter, for the lols.)</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="42193" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>OOC: Fair warning, the next several posts are not going to be shows – instead, Ric has a mission to complete and an open WCW chequebook to pay for it with. So we will have Ric Flair spending Ted Turner’s money... Should be fun!</div></blockquote><p> No complaints here! These posts are at least as entertaining as the shows themselves, if not more! I love behind the scenes stuff like this; it's actually what got me hooked on this thread in the first place.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Mootinie" data-cite="Mootinie" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26106" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It makes me wonder if New Japan and/or Ring of Honor backed themselves into a corner. Was Ibushi genuinely going to lose an ROH title match in the midcard of New Japan's biggest show?</div></blockquote><p> It honestly wouldn't shock me if Cody wins even now. Ibushi's the favorite now that it's non-title, especially if they're eyeing him vs. Kenny headlining a major show later in the year (and if they aren't, they're stupid.) But he's never a guy they've gone out of their way to protect, even when he actually had a contract.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="evileddie10" data-cite="evileddie10" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26106" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>As a casual ROH fan, I am surprised about Dalton winning the belt. Will he be at WrestleKingdom 12? Wasn't Cody vs Ibushi planned for the title at WK12? From what I've seen of Dalton, he always seemed like a midcard level face. My bullet club bias might be setting in, but not sure why take it off Cody now, just before WK12.</div></blockquote><p> The match is still Cody vs. Ibushi. It's just non-title now.</p>

No way. The only way Bryan's ever wrestling in WWE again is if their doctor reverses course and decides he can safely return. Unless he "wrestles" in the sense that Bret Hart did when he returned, where he took nothing resembling a bump.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="CQI13" data-cite="CQI13" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Not sure they will go with a heel Bryan - the reception he will get upon a return will be huge!</div></blockquote><p> I can see them turning him heel if they believe he's going to leave and wrestle on the indies/NJPW once his contract expires.</p>

I can't say for sure as I haven't been following the WTL, but I would assume GOD won their matches against the other two teams during the block matches. That's the usual tiebreaker in those situations in NJPW.

<p>No story update this time. I just wanted to note that I'm going to try shifting to a format more like what I had in mind before I started. You'll see what I mean next time. Basically it'll just be Bret summarizing how the storylines have progressed before each PPV.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="James The Animator" data-cite="James The Animator" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>How long is he under contract for? Surely it wouldn't cost that much money to fire him.</div></blockquote><p> It wouldn't, no, but I don't feel any need to do it. I'll just use him as occasional jobber fodder until he eventually quits (which I'm betting will happen before his contract expires, because he's still got over two years left.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="NathanielKern" data-cite="NathanielKern" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It was a relatively short lived thing and because the last time it was referenced was just before the company really started to take off not a ton of people gave it much credence; interestingly if you watch the 95 induction ceremony (I think it was Starrcade? I keep thinking it was Superbrawl but I can't remember for sure) it was actually a very cool piece with the inductees all present at ringside; they were treated as legends watching those that came after them carry the torch and the show wasn't about them but they were still being honored. Really classy.</div></blockquote><p> It was Slamboree actually. That's where the 'Legends Reunion' logo I used for the show preview came from. I happened to rent that show on VHS years and years ago, which is probably why I chose to bring the HOF back with Slamboree as opposed to imitating what WWE does now and moving it to Starrcade.</p>

Indian Strap Match “Da Man” Goldberg vs. “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner -Goldberg wins here to tease for an eventual title shot down the line (maybe not until Starrcade? Or possibly Halloween Havoc?) Pride Match Steel Cage I Quit Match featuring Prideful Wagers If Booker T loses, all his WCW championship victories transfer to Lance Storm If Lance Storm loses, he must stop playing the Canadian National Anthem and putting down America Booker T vs. Lance Storm -Lance being forced to stop playing up the Canadian hero gimmick could be interesting. Sting vs. “The Dog-Faced Gremlin” Rick Steiner “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger -Nash needs help dealing with these guys, chico. WCW United States Heavyweight Championship Match Billy Kidman vs. “The Chosen One” Jeff Jarrett © WCW X Division Championship Match Rey Mysterio Jr. © vs. “The Franchise” Shane Douglas Ernest “The Cat” Miller vs. Kanyon “The Prodigal Son” Dustin Rhodes vs. C.W. Kid Kash vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. Bonus Question: What person who we haven’t seen in some time in WCW will join the WCW Panel for the evening? Dusty Rhodes? Tiebreaker: How long will the main event last? 13:03

The WCW Hall of Fame

<p>March 2003: Slamboree Wrap-up</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Slamboree was another big success for us, right on par with SuperBrawl. Vince is going to have a tough time putting on a better show for next week's WrestleMania!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I congratulated Shane Douglas for stepping up to the plate and contributing to an excellent main event. He was happy with the performance and the praise, but I'm sure it's bittersweet for him because he realizes this might be as close as he ever gets. Anything can happen though; I wouldn't have expected him to rise nearly this high when I first bought the company.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I praised Lance Storm for another great performance, and told him with his wrestling skill and ring generalship, he reminds me of me.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I shook Steve Austin's hand and said he'd proven beyond any doubt that he can still go at the highest level. Steve is going to be a huge difference maker as the war is well and truly reignited, and I have some big plans for him.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Jeff Hardy let me know he thinks the fans just don't care about Mike Sanders. That's funny, because I don't either. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/syuSRKH.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/HLY8nvy.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>There could be a bidding war in the making, because the Observer says that NOAH is interested in stealing Kensuke Sasaki from All Japan. Sasaki jumped to All Japan from his longtime home of New Japan just this past October, so he may receive a real mercenary reputation if he moves on again so quickly. But NOAH is the only major group in Japan showing growth, so it might be a good career decision for him.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="jHGeEtO.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jHGeEtO.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>It looks like Scott D'Amore's Border City Wrestling might have run its last show. The group has been losing lots of money, and they've really struggled to build their fanbase even in their local Ontario region. It'd be a real shame to see them go, because it would leave Stampede as the only Canadian-based group of note. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Prediction Scores (out of a possible 11 points):<p> </p><p> 2Sweet: 10</p><p> Smasher1311: 10</p><p> </p><p> Satyr24: 9</p><p> James The Animator: 9</p><p> sportsfanmas: 9</p><p> </p><p> Uncrewed: 8</p><p> Dead_Jester: 8</p><p> K-Nection: 8</p><p> michgcs: 8</p><p> The OGI: 8</p><p> deanohbk: 8</p><p> BHK6: 8</p><p> GingeyOne: 8</p><p> </p><p> DGenerationMC: 7</p><p> JMike: 7</p><p> ElectricX: 7</p><p> Kijar: 7</p><p> bonnie: 7</p><p> cbacon87: 7</p><p> Rateddc: 7</p><p> crackerjack: 7</p><p> Wolfman84: 7</p><p> DavidCorperial: 7</p><p> </p><p> evileddie10: 6</p><p> Happy0wns: 6</p><p> chrismday: 6</p><p> jscotty: 6</p><p> Nobby_McDonald: 6</p><p> Danny H22: 6</p><p> </p><p> odan: 5</p><p> kinnikuniverse: 5</p><p> Beejus: 5</p><p> Cro Cop Rules: 5</p><p> Ian carlisle: 5</p><p> </p><p> NathanielKern: 4</p><p> Warhawk8492: 4</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><strong>Final Standings</strong> in prediction contest after four shows:<p> </p><p> <strong>Satyr24: 32</strong></p><p> </p><p> Rateddc: 31</p><p> BHK6: 31</p><p> K-Nection: 31</p><p> </p><p> cbacon87: 30</p><p> Uncrewed: 30</p><p> </p><p> jscotty: 29</p><p> Dead_Jester: 29</p><p> deanohbk: 29</p><p> 2Sweet: 29</p><p> </p><p> DavidCorperial: 28</p><p> GingeyOne: 28</p><p> </p><p> Wolfman84: 27</p><p> JMike: 27</p><p> </p><p> odan: 26</p><p> evileddie10: 26</p><p> Happy0wns: 26</p><p> DGenerationMC: 26</p><p> </p><p> bonnie: 25</p><p> Kijar: 25</p><p> </p><p> Warhawk8492: 24</p><p> Ian carlisle: 24</p><p> chrismday: 24</p><p> crackerjack: 24</p><p> michgcs: 24</p><p> </p><p> Beejus: 22</p><p> kinnikuniverse: 22</p><p> Cro Cop Rules: 22</p><p> GnarlsFunk: 22</p><p> </p><p> sportsfanmas: 21</p><p> </p><p> Danny H22: 19</p><p> The OGI: 19</p><p> </p><p> tg01: 18</p><p> </p><p> smw88: 16</p><p> Nobby_McDonald: 16</p><p> </p><p> KnowYourEnemy: 13</p><p> ElectricX: 13</p><p> </p><p> Destiny: 10</p><p> Smasher1311: 10</p><p> </p><p> DiamondKnucklez: 9</p><p> James The Animator: 9</p><p> </p><p> Inic: 8</p><p> </p><p> thecoolestjedi12: 6</p><p> </p><p> NathanielKern: 4</p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> AJ vs. Storm was a 98, while Rey vs. Douglas just barely edged it out at 99.</p><p> </p><p> My continued thanks to K-Nection for the Slamboree poster!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Cro Cop Rules" data-cite="Cro Cop Rules" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: <strong>Slamboree might shape up to be your best event yet grade-wise! Hopefully the game recognizes it.</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> Starrcade was still better, but it was a great one!</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="NathanielKern" data-cite="NathanielKern" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>If his promo skills weren't great and his position as an Upper Midcard Gatekeeper wasn't solidified, I'd think the only reason you kept Scotty around was to write up who he's badmouthing backstage in these updates.</div></blockquote><p> They're great fun!</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="TsuMirren" data-cite="TsuMirren" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Oh my God, the UK flag for German news. I mean, I know the Queen is basically German but still!</div></blockquote><p> If it makes you feel any better. that was done out of laziness rather than ignorance. I didn't feel like going in and uploading the European flag graphic for that one instance, so I just used the UK flag that was already there. </p><p> </p><p> ...Does that make it better or worse? <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Damn I thought a show posted lol! I think Minoru is in development at the moment until "Bret" has a spot for him.</div></blockquote><p> Nope, only Nakamura is in developmental. Minoru didn't want to go down, so he's just wrestling in dark matches until I'm ready to properly introduce him on TV.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Beejus" data-cite="Beejus" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> Hell of a show, worth the wait that we had; but real life always comes first. I'm a little surprised to see no titles change hands during the show, but honestly all the champs are performing great, so there isn't much need to change things up anywhere. I'm guessing Shane may need to establish himself just a little more before he grabs the brass ring, but at his age he may start some light time decline any time now, so this may have been his last grasp for the top strap. And especially now with guys like Austin in the mix, it feels like only a matter of time before the hell he raises gives him the big gold belt. Once that happens, someone like Shane just feels like small potatoes. Even Rey holding the belt feels like a placeholder now until you drop it on a transitional heel and then Austin takes it from there.</p></div></blockquote><p> Knoble was tentatively going to win the cw title, but I decided the ending I went with would work better for the story I'm trying to tell.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>You've moved shows around a fair bit, so while I'm not sure what PPV we are going to start building for next, I'm excited to see the next Nitro that starts the push for it!</div></blockquote><p> It's Clash of the Champions. It was in March last year, but I swapped COTC and Slamboree for 2 reasons:</p><p> </p><p> 1) I wanted to do the AJ/Storm rematch before having the winner challenge Rey at COTC;</p><p> </p><p> 2) I thought it would be fitting for the UFS to end at COTC.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Great Show as always bud! I just had surgery on my left arm so i cant type very much.</div></blockquote><p> Hope you're doing alright!</p>

<p>March 23rd, 2003: Slamboree</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="0btaU1j.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0btaU1j.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <strong>March 23rd, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From Baltimore, Maryland</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 28,000</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="2nqjRO5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2nqjRO5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="nG8aWZm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nG8aWZm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Official Theme Song: </strong></p><p> </p><p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e9vrfEoc8_g?rel=0" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/e9vrfEoc8_g?rel=0"</a> frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>The Shooting Stars (w/Torrie Wilson) vs. The Unbound (w/Father Isaac)</strong></p><p> <img alt="uOGLnPZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uOGLnPZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vtYAboC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vtYAboC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/0QMJTAT.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="CsQnr5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CsQnr5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>I put what I hoped would be an entertaining tag team match in the opening spot. This match maybe wasn't as psychologically sound as we would have liked, but there were lots of positives to this matchup chemistry-wise, between both teams as well as their managerial pairings. All in all I would consider this match a success, and it did its job as far as getting the fans into the show right away. The Shooting Stars did their exciting aerial stuff, Mortis and Alexander did their thing, and Torrie and Isaac contributed in their roles as well.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Most considered The Unbound the clear favorites here, but this was a result that was very much up in the air all the way until the day of the show. The finish was always going to feature a Shooting Star Press, and that's what we got as Teddy Hart got Alexander in a prone position and took flight. Unfortunately for him, Alexander rolled to safety at the last second. He was able to take that chance to tag in Mortis, and together they hit the Fatal Flatliner to end the match.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="rrRBDgP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <strong>Yang (w/Stacy Keibler) vs. Sean O'Haire {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="paNPh85.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/paNPh85.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CtEcIzq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CtEcIzq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/zbQxlTu.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Since we did O'Haire vs. Kaz Hayashi as part of the UFS, I thought it would be a natural progression to continue on and have the other Dragon challenge the champ here on PPV. There were some storytelling issues here, as it felt a bit odd with the smaller high flyer Yang playing the heel against a big powerhouse babyface like O'Haire. The action was solid though, and the fans enjoyed it well enough. The result was never in any real doubt though: O'Haire hit the Widow Maker to finish his fourth title defense.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="6Q4ZNvd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6Q4ZNvd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="YTlzaR2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/YTlzaR2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/JtXyw9X.jpg</span><img alt="VvYDOHn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VvYDOHn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tUGU31v.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tUGU31v.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/l0qRIIJ.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Arn Anderson and Bobby Heenan came onto the ramp and introduced all of the 2003 Hall of Fame inductees: Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Tony Schiavone and the late Rikidozan (who was represented by his son, Pro Wrestling NOAH's Mitsuo Momota.) The actual ceremony was held the night before, but this was just a chance for the new Hall of Famers to appear on the PPV and get a pop. Or that was the theory at least, until Ric Flair grabbed the microphone away from Heenan. He complained about anyone being inducted the same year as him. Sure, the rest were all worthy of being in the Hall of Fame in their own way, but none of them deserved to share in his spotlight. Savage took exception to that and acted like he wanted to knock Flair out, but Arn convinced him that violence would tarnish the moment. Flair strutted up the ramp and into the ring.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I stand alone in this ring, just like it should be, because no one is good enough to compare to the Nature Boy, WOOOOOOO! But I won't be in here alone for long, not if Rob Van Dam has any guts! RVD, tonight is supposed to be my night, but I promised I would make time for you! So come out here and look greatness in the face!"</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/uj4FkBt.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Everyone who had been on the ramp returned to the back, and RVD came out to respond to Flair. Ric again ripped into him as someone who didn't have the killer instinct required to be anything more than a one hit wonder on top. Ric turned in a good performance here as he taunted Rob and made light of his laid-back character. Rob continued to show a more aggressive side. He batted Ric's microphone out of his hands and backed him into a corner as Ric begged off.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/BSCxEF8.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Bobby Roode ran down the ramp and hit RVD from behind with the Northern Lariat! Roode and Flair high fived and got some good kicks in on Van Dam. Roode picked up the microphone that had been knocked out of Flair's hands and said that since Booker T left him in the dust to join The Empire, it was up to him to move on. And who better to help him become the star he's destined to be than the greatest of all time, the Nature Boy himself? Bobby unfortunately did not look like he belonged in the ring with stars of this caliber, but rubbing shoulders with them should help change that perception. Flair bragged that unlike punks like RVD, Bobby Roode paid him the respect he deserves, and it's because of that he will take Roode under his wing and teach him how to follow in his Hall of Fame footsteps.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series Semifinal Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few (series tied 2-2)</span></strong></p><p><strong> Bryan Danielson (Crew) vs. The Unnatural (S.H.F.) (w/Father Isaac)</strong></p><p> <img alt="lAlFtSW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lAlFtSW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This was a pretty big moment for both guys. For Danielson it was probably the biggest match of his career to this point, and for Dustin it was a chance to turn in another quality outing and erase the memory of his disappointing match with RVD last month. Trusting in the psychology of both guys, I gave them the freedom to read the fans and call the match in the ring. I thought they handled that well, and I was pleased with the match. Both guys are capable of even more, but this match wasn't supposed to be an all-time classic and they weren't given the time for such.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Danielson shrugged off the psychological warfare of The Unnatural and focused on grinding out a win with good old-fashioned technical wrestling. He maneuvered The Unnatural into vulnerable positions and looked like he might force a submission several times, particularly when he locked in a crossface chickenwing. But The Unnatural continued to fight through the pain and refused to submit, leading Tenay and I to wonder if he was simply tough or if perhaps he actually enjoyed the pain. In the end he brawled his way into a dominant position and hit Unnatural Selection to win the match and send the Hopeful Few to the finals.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="CsQnr5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CsQnr5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/GoltiY2.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/OophliK.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The rest of the Hopeful Few joined Dustin in the ring to celebrate. All of them got a chance to speak on the microphone. Melissa was supposed to say she was excited to be in the finals while getting across how uncomfortable she was being around the eccentric male members of the team, but her performance wasn't the best. Alexander's performance was very underwhelming as well, as was Isaac's as he called himself an evil genius for assembling this winning group (since three of the members are from Salvation), but at least he showed some improved acting skills. Mortis was pretty good, but the star of the segment was The Unnatural.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Standing beside me are two men I am proud to call brothers. We are no mere faction or team; we are family. Christopher Daniels is not part of our family, but he operates on a similar plane of existence. Perhaps he can be an honorary cousin. Melissa, darling, I know you feel out of place in our presence, but please believe that we all want only the best for you.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "This is what I fight for. Before, when I was trying to succeed for my own selfish interests, I was doomed to fail every time. But now that I have noble comrades who believe in me and a cause that is just, there will be no stopping me this time. Dustin Rhodes was a failure. The Unnatural is something else entirely." </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg</span><p> <strong>Jamie Knoble vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels {©} (w/Brian Adams) </strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/GoltiY2.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/9hagqOD.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Daniels remained in the ring following that promo, and Knoble came out for his Cruiserweight title match. The new member of The Empire walked out alone and he wrestled a clean match, wanting to win the title on his own merits as opposed to some of the tactics the rest of the group relies on. This match was built around high spots, which might not have been the best idea since Knoble is more of a technician. The match was fine, but nothing to get excited about. Knoble's technical wrestling was working well to combat the champion, but he could never quite get him to submit. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpg</span><img alt="Z3xclCp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z3xclCp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>The Empire got tired of waiting on Knoble to try and win it his way, so they sent TAKA, Palumbo and Tammy Sytch to ringside to take matters into their own hands. Sytch distracted the referee and Palumbo went after Brian Adams, leaving TAKA free to come into the ring and go on the attack. But before he could strike, Knoble stepped in the way and yelled at him to leave so he could do this his way. They argued, but Knoble refused to move and allow TAKA to attack Daniels. This would prove to be his undoing, because Daniels hit Knoble with a dropkick that sent him into a collision with TAKA. He then hit the Last Rites to retain his title.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B-</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>"The Hellraiser" Steve Austin vs. Booker T</strong></p><p> <img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Before the introductions, Austin cut a backstage promo. He came across well, effortlessly connecting with the crowd as he talked about what a long time it had been since he'd wrestled in a WCW ring.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I ain't the same guy I was when I left," he said. "I shaved the rest of my hair off, I stopped tryin' to be somebody I'm not, and I stopped doing what I was told. I cut through all the crap, I did it my way, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do now that I'm back in WCW! Now tonight I got Booker T, the five time former WCW Champion. Book, I done had nothin' against ya, but you decided to attack Steve Austin from behind and drop my ass on the concrete floor, so now you got an ass kicking comin'! Tonight WCW gets to see just what The Hellraiser is all about, and Booker, you're up first, son!"</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A*</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>All eyes were on Austin here. Everyone, me included, was anxious to see if he could physically adapt to our in-ring style, which is less about entertainment, more about action and is tougher on the body. Could his body adjust and hold up?</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> He didn't just pass this test; he aced it. He was absolutely fantastic, with his bell to bell work matching up with his ability to entertain on the microphone. If this match is any indication, this signing is going to be a slam dunk success for us. Anyway, this match was very good but not a classic or anything, but it wasn't really intended to be. I didn't give them enough time for that kind of epic, and I also told them to focus more on telling a story instead of trying to tear the house down. They did exactly what I asked them to. It was also pretty interesting to see these two veterans still showing improvements in their games at this stage of their careers (Booker in technical wrestling and Austin in flying, respectively.)</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I think everyone was waiting for some Empire involvement, but that wasn't in the cards here. Booker tried to hang with Austin on his own, and did so very well. Both guys racked up a lot of near falls as we entered the home stretch, but Austin elbowed his way out of a Book End and hit the Stunner to get the pin. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>It was only after the match that anyone else from The Empire showed his face, and it was King Corino. He ran in to check on Booker, and Austin stood in center ring and dared him to come and fight him. Corino glared at him, and they had a staredown that the fans enjoyed (even if Tenay's job trying to put it over wasn't great.)</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="LEPRnye.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LEPRnye.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Before all hell could break loose, a returning Eric Bischoff stepped onto the ramp, wearing a neck brace to go along with his jeans and leather jacket. He stopped halfway up the ramp and signaled for Corino and Booker to leave the ring. Neither guy looked happy about it, but they followed their CEO's instructions. Austin theatrically mocked all three of them, and he did a great job of it, really getting the fans into it. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A*</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series Semifinal Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #3 Sin-free Society (series tied 2-2)</span></strong></p><p><strong> Jeff Hardy (Enigmas) vs. CM Punk (Society)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/1tytiqE.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>It was time to find out who would join Satyr's Hopeful Few in the finals of this year's UFS. I had very high hopes for this one, and that's part of the reason I didn't try and have Austin and Booker put on the best match they possibly could right before. I told Jeff and Punk to go out, steal the show and prove to everybody that they're the future of WCW. Unfortunately it didn't really work. I don't know if maybe they tried too hard to live up to that, but this match fell well short of expectations. It didn't help that they didn't tell a compelling enough story to engage the fans, instead rushing from spot to spot. They did get the crowd buzzing and excited for more, so at least there's that.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> What was supposed to be an epic and dramatic closing sequence to decide whose team moved on didn't have the crowd heat we were hoping for, but I'm sure the managers of those two teams were on the edge of their seats watching at home. Hardy had it all set up for the Swanton Bomb, but Punk rolled out of the way and his high risk offense came back to bite him. Moments later, Punk hit the Devil Lock DDT to put this one away. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/5Xhxf90.jpg</span><img alt="frhLUo7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/frhLUo7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="paNPh85.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/paNPh85.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ZHerQIf.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Just like earlier when the Hopeful Few won, the rest of the Sin-free Society joined Punk in the ring to celebrate their victory. Not everyone got a turn with the microphone in this one; only Punk, Finlay and Daffney got any promo time, but all three did a good job at improvising their lines. Punk's overall performance was good as well, as he ably stepped into the role of de facto team leader.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Jeff Hardy thought tonight was going to be just like Starrcade, but tonight was my night! That stupid ladder match is just a distant memory now, because I'm off to greater things! Now, the Sin-free Society is onto the finals of the UFS. I keep hearing Dustin Rhodes talk about his "noble cause" and all this other garbage, but he doesn't know the first thing about dedicating himself to something bigger than any one person!" </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Steiners' UFS tag title shot is at stake:</span></strong></p><p><strong> The Steiner Brothers vs. Made in Italy (w/Dawn Marie)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/k45HPCq.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/JJpe0Lr.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/h1ELRYf.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/racEiy5.jpg</span><img alt="wjcJIfQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wjcJIfQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Initially I'd planned to have these teams focus on calming the crowd down to make sure they didn't get burnt out before the final two matches, but the day of the show I decided it wasn't needed and didn't put any restrictions on them. Perhaps my brain saw the disappointing Hardy/Punk match coming, because there was definitely no need to let the fans cool off. This was a solid match; roughly on the same level as the match before it, but without the same kind of expectations. Scott was predictably the clear star of the match. Johnny Parisi was the weak link, but he did at least show some improvements in his technical wrestling game during some mat exchanges.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Unlike last month, Made in Italy were more than willing to fight the Steiners now that the title shot was on the line. Parisi and Mamaluke showed good teamwork and based their strategy on isolating Rick in their half of the ring and wearing him down with mat wrestling, but he was able to hit Parisi with a Steiner Line and then make the hot tag to Scott. "Big Poppa Pump" went on a tear, dishing out suplexes to both Italians and forcing Parisi to submit in the Steiner Recliner. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/mitTbCm.jpg</span><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">No Time Limit:</span></strong></p><p><strong> Lance Storm vs. AJ Styles {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/Ht8KF88.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This one had a lot to live up to after their early match of the year contender at SuperBrawl. They had plenty of time to play with, and I trusted them to put it together themselves and call it in the ring. That's something I do frequently in Lance's matches, because he's a true ring general who I consider one of the best in our company, if not in the entire business, at holding a match together and structuring it properly. He did it once again here, because he and AJ put on another absolutely fantastic match. It was just ever so slightly below last month's classic, but it was still great. Both guys brought it here with great performances, but Lance was the leader.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> This match played out similarly to last month's, with a slow pace early on and lots of ground work that gradually built into some dramatic high spots from AJ. The story here was that Lance knew he had all the time in the world this time, and he was focused on a slow and methodical ground effort. This time he worked over AJ's neck, which Mike and I put over as a setup for his Calgary Clutch submission. Sure enough, he dragged AJ down to the mat after a missed discus clothesline and applied his signature hold right in the center of the ring. Styles struggled, but Lance's perfect bridge prevented him from being able to crawl towards the ropes.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> AJ's only recourse was to use his hands to try and break Lance's grip, and after a desperate struggle, he succeeded. From there he was able to roll through and get back to his feet, where champion and challenger traded forearms. Lance won the exchange and threw a superkick, but AJ blocked, spun him around and nailed the Styles Clash. A three count later and he'd retained his championship, finally getting that elusive win over Lance Storm.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/haJKoFv.jpg</span><p> <strong>Shane Douglas vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. {©} </strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/mS6Goca.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>For the second month in a row, Rey Mysterio had to follow an incredible semi main event between AJ Styles and Lance Storm. But as much as I know Rey welcomed the challenge of proving he deserved his spot, this was an even bigger match for Shane Douglas. For years Shane has felt he deserves to be a headliner in a major company, and here he got a chance to main event a PPV in the big time. Shane answered the call. He was very good here, and with Rey also rising to the challenge and performing even a little bit better than Douglas, this match earned its slot on the card. As great as the semi main event was, this was slightly better. Mysterio delivered his second straight match of the year contender on PPV, and all three of his title defenses have been excellent. He's proving his doubters wrong month after month.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Much like the previous match, this one started slow. Douglas used stall tactics to disrupt the timing of Rey's offense and did some brawling, and he also did a lot more strength-based throws and slams than usual, owing to Rey's small size. Shane doesn't really get to work as a big man too often, but he did it here and did it well. I thought he did a great job wrestling like a man possessed, a man who had been craving this opportunity for over a decade and would do whatever necessary to make the most of it.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Douglas worked over the neck and looked for his crossface on several occasions, but Rey was always able to counter or squirm free before the hold could ever be fully applied. With that option continuously denied, Shane's best option was to try and deliver a big high impact move that could keep the champion down for a pin. He had an opportunity to do just that when he cut Rey off on the top rope and set him up for a belly to belly superplex. That surely would've spelled the end of the match and Rey's title reign, but Mysterio hooked his legs around the top rope to prevent it. A shove sent Douglas tumbling backwards off the top rope and back into the ring, and Rey capitalized with a diving hurricanrana off the top rope to end Shane's world title hopes.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Overall Grade: A*</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p>

Anyone is welcome to make those kinds of suggestions anytime. You may want to do it via PM though.

March 2003: Pre-Slamboree News and Notes http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg Big news in the Fed: Scott Hall's the new WWE Champion. He won the belt on the episode of Smackdown taped on March 11th, beating Eddie Guerrero and Big Show in a 3 way main event. Scott's a solid hand when his head's on straight and he's got plenty of charisma, but this feels like a downgrade to me. http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg Rey Mysterio Jr. and Christopher Daniels worked well together as opponents, and it showed. That was a fantastic match. TAKA and Jamie Knoble did not work together well at all as a team on the March 10th Nitro. That's not a big deal because I had no plans to turn them into a regular pairing. Aguila hurt his bicep during that same match, and the initial diagnosis was it'd keep him out for about a month. I've signed Brian Adams to a short-term contract extension. Jeff Hardy isn't generally a negative person, but he told me he doesn't think the fans will ever really care about Cash. He said the same thing about Shane Helms, and that surprised me since they came up together in the Carolinas and I'd always thought they were friends. I guess Shane's closer to Matt though. Both CM Punk and Konnan have spoken up in praise of Harry Smith's work in the ring. Unfortunately he's pretty aimless right now with Davey gone. "Jason Jett? What kinda stupid name is that? He gonna fly a toy plane to the ring? Even if he did no one would care, 'cause he sucks!" -Scott Steiner http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg They held another match for the vacant IWGP Heavyweight tag titles, and this time there was actually a winner. Manabu Nakanishi and Masahiro Chono beat Tatsumi Fujinami and Koji Kanemoto in the main event of the March 15th World Pro Wrestling TV show to win the belts. http://i.imgur.com/syuSRKH.jpg All Japan held their 'Dragon's Fire Excel' PPV (what a catchy name) on March 13th. Hiroshi Hase retained the Triple Crown over Taiyo Kea in an excellent main event, and there was also a very good match earlier in the night when Keiji Mutoh beat Tomohiro Ishii. This was a fantastic show that was better than any PPVs the current leader in Japan, NJPW, has put on in quite some time. http://i.imgur.com/1eeVS9d.jpg Bad news for several of the major Japanese promotions, as Super Delfin broke his leg in a match for Osaka Pro and could be out up to a year. Aside from Osaka Pro, he also works dates for New Japan and Michinoku Pro. http://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg ECWA put on their annual Super 8 tournament on March 22nd. It's considered something of a benchmark for up and coming indy wrestlers, and this year it was Cheetah Master who won the tournament by beating the Inferno Kid in the finals. <hr noshade size=3> Yeah, I never thought much of Shane's in ring work either. He was a really good heel promo though. Helms needs some direction for sure. Kimberly was supposed to help with that, but that pairing didn't work. Hopefully I'll eventually stumble onto something for him to do, much like I finally did with Knoble. It's not like he doesn't have tons of great guys himself. (I'll be making attempts to try and steal some of them though, and I might actually be able to pull it off now that I've hit national.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Mootinie" data-cite="Mootinie" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I get tired of there being so many "insiders" with their SCOOPZ, most of whom don't know for sure and admit as much but know their "source" can never be challenged.</div></blockquote><p> Most of whom say "according to Dave Meltzer" and then write a bunch of stuff he never said or wrote. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>For what it's worth, no dirtsheet reported that WWE fired Austin Aries but if you're to believe the man himself that's what actually happened.</div></blockquote><p> I THINK Meltzer said something along the lines of "It wasn't his choice, but he's happy with it" not long afterwards.</p>

<p>March 2003: Road to Slamboree, Part II</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u9bsFuK.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong>March 10th, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 10,360</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #3 Sin-free Society (Society leads 2-0) </span></strong></p><p> Sean O'Haire was fighting not only to retain his title against Kaz Hayashi, but to keep the Enigmas alive as well. Kaz wrestled a smart match with plenty of flying and leg work, but O'Haire softened him up with a few big power moves and finished him with the Widow Maker to make his third title defense. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Douglas cuts a promo while lounging in the locker room with his feet propped on a chair: "Enjoy yourself in your champion vs. champion match tonight, Rey. I know I'll be enjoying it!" <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Unbound made quick work of Jason Jett and Lash Leroux. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> After the match, Mortis grabs the microphone and issues an open challenge to any team who dares test themselves against The Unbound. The Shooting Stars come to the ring, and Kidman accepts the challenge on behalf of he and Teddy. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bobby Heenan interviews Bryan Danielson and The Unnatural, who are tentatively scheduled to wrestle at Slamboree if the UFS series between Uncrewed's Crew and Satyr's Hopeful Few is still going at that point. Unnatural advises Danielson to pray to whatever deity he believes in that the series ends prematurely, because he won't like the outcome otherwise. Danielson is not intimidated. He reminds Dustin that he beat The Destroyer to clinch the opening round series for the Crew, and he'd be happy to do the same against another Salvation member if necessary. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Volador and Aguila wrestled Jamie Knoble and TAKA of The Empire in tag action. The tag experience of Volador and Aguila had them in the driver's seat, until King Corino got in a cheap shot on Aguila. Knoble saw it and got down off the apron to argue with Corino, but in the meantime TAKA was happy to hit the Michinoku Driver and win the match. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> As The Empire celebrates the win in the ring, Knoble gets on the mic and says that he saw the footage of TAKA interfering to help him win his #1 contender's match against Chavo, and now he caught Corino in the act. He doesn't appreciate this interference in his matches and wants it to stop. Corino tells him his opinions don't matter. "You played by the rules like a good country boy, and it got you nowhere! You're on a winning team now, and we'll show you how winners operate!" <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Vignette: Made in Italy tell the Steiners that they can rearrange their schedule and squeeze in a match with them at Slamboree, but in order to make it worth their while, they will require the Steiners to put their guaranteed tag team title match (earned in last year's UFS) on the line. Scott immediately accepts, telling them that the Steiners will still have that title match in their pocket at the end of the night, so if Dawn Marie wants to go home with a future champion she knows where to find Big Poppa Pump! <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Rob Van Dam survived an aerial assault from Psychosis and beat him with a split-legged moonsault. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Ric Flair steps into the aisle and goes on a tirade about Van Dam daring to put his hands on him last week. "Slamboree's going to be the highlight of my life, the night that I take my place in the Hall of Fame. But I'm also gonna make time for you, Van Dam, because I've got something special planned for you!" <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Phenomenal Enigmas and Sin-free Society come face to face backstage. CM Punk says that O'Haire's win tonight just delayed the inevitable. If by some chance AJ beats Finlay next week to tie the series, there's no way he'll let Jeff Hardy beat him at Slamboree. Jeff says we'll see about that (and holds his tag title in Punk's face to remind him what happened the last time they were on opposite sides of the ring.) <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Harry Smith gave everything he had in a match against Booker T, but the experience of the 5-time World Champion was too much. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Post-match: Booker is celebrating when Steve Austin runs to the ring. Booker narrowly escapes a Stunner and slips through the ropes. As he slowly backs up the aisle, Chuck Palumbo enters the ring from the other side and tries to attack Austin from behind. He swings, but Austin ducks, boots him in the gut and drops him with the Stunner! He locks eyes with Booker and talks trash as the latter backs towards the curtain. <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few (S.H.F. leads 1-0)</span></strong></p><p> The UFS frequently provides unique match-ups, and such was the case here as we saw the World Heavyweight Champion competing against the Cruiserweight champ. Daniels did not look at all unnerved to be in the main event. He took the fight right to the champion, and came very close to giving the Hopeful Few a 2-0 lead in what would have to be considered an upset. Rey persevered in the end though, countering an Angel's Wings with a back body drop and then hitting a swinging hurricanrana off the top rope to win the match. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Mysterio's celebration is short-lived: Shane Douglas knocks him down from behind and then slaps on the crossface! He eventually releases the hold and taunts Rey. "At Starrcade, you realized a lifelong dream, and what a story it was! Straight out of a fairy tale! Well, at Slamboree the fairy tale will come to an end! You've had your moment, but mine has been denied to me all these years by jealous, bitter old men! But now, I TAKE my moment!" <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: A*</span></strong> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>March 15th, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Sapporo Ice Arena in Sapporo, Japan</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 8,839</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Takako Inoue stayed one step ahead of freelancer Tanny Mouse and beat her with a Dragon Sleeper. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> A brief graphic announces that we'll see a Dancing with the Devil rematch next week when Our Generation faces Daffney and LuFisto. <strong>(D)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Chigusa Nagayo is chosen to come to the ring and announce the final member of the 2003 class of WCW's Hall of Fame: the legendary Rikidozan, the father of Japanese puroresu and one of the most influential wrestlers of all time. She informs the fans that the late legend's son Mitsuo Momota will be on hand at Slamboree to accept on his father's behalf, and then she's cut off by Etsuko Mita. Mita says everyone in Japan knows that Rikidozan belongs in the HOF, and she suggests Chigusa retire immediately and hope WCW puts her in the 2004 class, because that's the only accomplishment she still has any hope of getting. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Kyoko Inoue, Toshiyo Yamada and Alexis Laree defeated Sonoko Kato, Aki Kombayashi and Yuu Yamagata in a six woman tag when Laree hit Kombayashi with a tornado DDT. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> A video recap shows Booker T narrowly avoiding a Stunner on Nitro. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few (series tied 1-1)</span></strong></p><p> Devil Masami and Melissa Anderson met in a match to give their team a 2-1 advantage in the series. Melissa had Devil well scouted and was successful at avoiding and countering her sleeper hold, but Masami drilled her with a sitout powerbomb to put her away. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Since she couldn't apply it during the match, Masami wants to put Melissa in the sleeper after the bell. Meiko Satomura runs down to prevent it. She says she's tired of Devil thinking she can do whatever she wants to whoever she wants, and wants to put a stop to her in the ring. Devil laughs and says she's welcome to try, but she'll fail and fail painfully. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> I came in from Japan to oversee the contract signing between Manami Toyota and Aja Kong. Both women sign the contract, agreeing to put their respective championships on the line in a title unification match. Kong says that both belts belong to her anyway, again referencing the fact that she vacated what is now the WCW World Women's Championship when she left All Japan Women. She'll take them both at Unified and prove that she's the undisputed best. Toyota thinks Kong shouldn't whine so much, since it was her decision to leave and give the belt up in the first place. But if anyone has any doubt whether or not she deserves to be recognized as the top woman in the world, she'll erase all doubt at Unified. Kong laughs--then nails Manami with the Uraken! That backfist rocks Toyota, and Kong follows it up by powerslamming her through the table! Kong holds both belts in the air as Toyota is left laying among the rubble of the table. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: B+</span></strong> </p></div><p></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u9bsFuK.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong>March 17th, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, South Carolina</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 11,389</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> We opened with a preview of a tag match on Slamboree, with Kidman of The Shooting Stars wrestling Mortis from The Unbound. Mortis won a competitive match with the Flatliner. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Post-show footage from last week: The Jung Dragons corner Sean O'Haire in his locker room. Yang says Sean was lucky to beat Kaz Hayashi earlier that night, but he wouldn't get that lucky again if he defended the TV title against the other Dragon. O'Haire seems amused by Yang's swagger and agrees to give him a title match (officially announced for Slamboree.) <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few (Uncrewed's Crew leads 2-1)</span></strong></p><p> Shane Helms had a chance to wrap this series up for the Crew by defeating Alexander. Helms looked like he had a renewed focus now that Kimberly was no longer in his corner, but Alexander slipped out of a Vertebreaker and used a German suplex to even this series at 2 wins apiece. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bobby Heenan conducts a sit-down interview with Rey Mysterio Jr. Rey says he's heard everything Shane Douglas has to say, and he isn't impressed by it. "When things don't go Shane's way, he just complains. His career hasn't turned out the way he wanted and he hasn't fulfilled his potential, and he tries to blame everyone else for that. But if you ask me, he's got no one to blame but himself." He openly wonders what Shane will say and who he will blame if he fails to make the most of his opportunity on Sunday. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Made in Italy didn't have much trouble against Ernest Miller and Lash Leroux, beating Lash with the Catwalk. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Parisi and Mamaluke cut a promo after the match mocking the Steiners, saying they'll be taking that guaranteed tag team title match for themselves. Rick and Scott begin to make their way to the ring, and the heels quickly back off. Scott picks up the microphone dropped by Parisi and says that if Dawn Marie wants to hang out with a real man, she can join Big Poppa Pump after the match for a night on the town in Baltimore! <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bryan Danielson is cutting a backstage promo on his Slamboree match against The Unnatural when the man in question interrupts. "You shall look back and remember the night that my brother Alexander extended this series as one of the worst nights of your life," he vows. "Because now you stand between me and my calling, and I will be forced to remove you from my path." <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Sandman popped in for a surprise appearance, but he was rudely welcomed by Chavo Guerrero Jr, who defeated him with a frog splash. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Douglas cuts an in-ring promo on Rey Mysterio Jr. "Rey, you think I have no one to blame but myself? Clearly you know nothing about the way pro wrestling really works! The establishment, the old guard, they've done all they could to hold me back from day one! I had to go into the hardcore underground and desecrate the most historic championship in wrestling history in order to carve out any notoriety for myself! But now, at last, I will do something I should have done a decade ago, and become the World Heavyweight Champion in a truly worldwide promotion. Rey, it's not me who will be looking for answers and trying to pass blame after Sunday. It'll be you, and let me help you out with that: you can blame Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Ric Flair and every other jealous 'superstar' who ever held me down! Because on Sunday at Slamboree, I'm going to take every bit of that frustration that's built up for more than a decade and use it as fuel to kick your ass all over Baltimore!" <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Corino, Palumbo, TAKA and Knoble of The Empire worked together in a six man tag against Christopher Daniels, Harry Smith, Hugh Morrus and Konnan. Knoble didn't approve of some of the tactics employed by his partners, but there was even more distrust between Daniels and the rest of his team. An argument between Daniels and Morrus led to Hugh's downfall, with Corino beating him with a piledriver. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Both RVD and Ric Flair give pre-taped promos. RVD says he doesn't know what Flair's "something special" is, but he's tired of Ric's games, and he'll be at Slamboree to deal with whatever Flair has planned. Flair doesn't give anything away, but he promises that his Hall of Fame induction won't be the only highlight of Slamboree for the Nature Boy. <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #3 Sin-free Society (Society leads 2-1) </span></strong></p><p> AJ Styles could've been forgiven for giving less than maximum effort here considering that he'll be defending his United States title against Lance Storm on Sunday in a rematch of their classic at SuperBrawl. He did no such thing, however. He busted out his full arsenal of exciting offensive moves in an attempt to defeat Fit Finlay. Fit responded with a physically bruising brawling style. The 44 year old kept up and made this a very competitive match, but youth was served as AJ tied this series with the Styles Clash. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The rest of the Phenomenal Enigmas hit the ring to celebrate the series-saving win with AJ, but they're interrupted by CM Punk and Lance Storm. Lance stands back and allows Punk to do all the talking. Punk congratulates AJ on digging deep to beat Fit Finlay tonight, but says he can't beat Lance on Sunday no matter how deep he digs. He couldn't do it at SuperBrawl and he won't do it at Slamboree, and this time there won't be a time limit to save his title. Punk then turns his attention to Jeff Hardy. "Jeff, as much as I was pulling for Fit to end this here tonight, I think it's fitting that it'll come down to me and you to decide who goes to the finals and who gets eliminated. You and your brother have been a real nuisance from the day you showed up here in WCW. You've taken our tag titles away not once but twice, and it's because of you that people doubt the fact that True Heroes are the best team in the world! But after Slamboree there will be no doubt that straight edge means I'm better than you, Jeff!" <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Steve Austin comes to the ring to cut a promo on Booker T. He says that people are making a big deal out of Slamboree being his first match in WCW in eight years, but he doesn't see it that way. Sure, a lot's changed since 1995, both here in WCW and in his own career, but the name of the game has always been the same. "It's all about stepping into this ring and beating the hell out of the man standin' across from ya, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do to Booker T this Sunday!" </p><p> </p><p> Booker offers a response...but via satellite, from his home in Houston. He says that Austin can try and tell himself nothing has changed, but EVERYTHING has changed. "You see Austin, I did what you couldn't. You could never make it to the top here in WCW, so you had to go somewhere else. But me, I didn't give up when I saw that glass ceiling. I broke that dang thing down, man! You're lookin' at a FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME WCW World Heavyweight Champion! And at Slamboree, you're gon' find out just what that means, SUCKA!" <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: A</span></strong> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>March 22nd, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Kyoto Prefectural Gymnasium in Kyoto, Japan</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 8,200</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Toshiyo Yamada employed a kick-heavy offense to defeat freelancer Tsubasa Kuragaki. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Yamada is enjoying the win when Takako Inoue enters the ring and mocks her. She says that it was quite strange seeing Toshiyo out here on her own; after all, she's best known as Manami Toyota's sidekick and flunky these days! Toshiyo says she's more than capable of winning on her own, and she'd be happy to prove it to Takako. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Meiko Satomura and Devil Masami cut pre-taped promos on not only their announced match on the Unified PPV, but a big tag match next week on Renaissance where Satomura and Manami Toyota will face Masami and Aja Kong. Meiko says it'll be an honor to team with the reigning champion of the world next week, while Devil says she still has unfinished business with Toyota and will be happy to put her to sleep once again. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> In a Dancing with the Devil rematch, Our Generation was back in the ring against Daffney and LuFisto. Nattie was interested in revenge on Daffney for blinding her with the mist in that match and was chasing her around ringside when Melissa finished off LuFisto to end the match. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Last week's contract signing is recapped, with Aja Kong putting Manami Toyota through the table. Afterwards we cut to backstage post-show comments from both women. Kong finds the whole thing funny, saying that looking down at that broken table and Manami's broken body will always be a fond memory for her. Toyota is doubled over, clutching her neck and back, but vows that she'll be the last champion standing at Unified. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Tomorrow night's Slamboree event is hyped; some of the major matches are previewed, and viewers are given information on how to watch the show in their corner of the world. <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Tonight's main event saw two serious vets going at it; there was nearly forty years of experience between Chigusa Nagayo and Shinobu Kandori. There were no major mental mistakes or errors in execution here, so it came down to who could hit that one move at a crucial time. It was Nagayo in this case, as she pinned Kandori with the Super Freak. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Nagayo grabs the mic after the match and is thanking the fans for coming when she's attacked by Etsuko Mita! Mita says she's tired of Chigusa trying to hog the limelight and convince the fans and her fellow wrestlers that she's still someone to be respected. She wants to prove it's time for Chigusa to step back, and that's why she's challenging her to a match at Unified! <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: B+</span></strong> </p></div><p></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="KJnKs3h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KJnKs3h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Fan Scorecard:</p><p> </p><p> World Heavyweight Championship: Shane Douglas vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. {©}</p><p> </p><p> No Time Limit for the United States Heavyweight Championship: Lance Storm vs. AJ Styles {©}</p><p> </p><p> World Television Championship: Yang vs. Sean O'Haire {©}</p><p> </p><p> Cruiserweight Championship: Jamie Knoble vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels {©}</p><p> </p><p> Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round (#1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few): Bryan Danielson (Crew) vs. The Unnatural (S.H.F.)</p><p> </p><p> Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round (#2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #3 Sin-free Society): Jeff Hardy (Enigmas) vs. CM Punk (Society)</p><p> </p><p> "The Hellraiser" Steve Austin vs. Booker T</p><p> </p><p> Steiners' guaranteed title shot from last year's UFS at sake: The Steiner Brothers vs. Made in Italy</p><p> </p><p> The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound</p><p> </p><p> What will be match of the night?</p><p> </p><p> How many championships will change hands?</p><p> </p><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques:</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="JMike" data-cite="JMike" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>No! Don't put Aries in the Cruiserweight division! He's just gonna walk out! <img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> Don't worry; I won't leave his matches off of the DVD. <img alt=":cool:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/cool.png.f00d2562b2c1d873a09323753efdb041.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Beejus" data-cite="Beejus" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I am really liking Booker joining up with Uncle Eric and his Empire here. It's a natural move for him in this position of not being sure of himself, and the add-on effect is that his overness should rub off on all other members of the group, who I would imagine have almost capped off after their previous feuds ran their course. In that I mean to say that there's only so much that they were going to gain by just hanging around Bischoff and having matches with aging Flair and Sting, but being around Booker and Austin are going to add a whole new level for them to reach.</div></blockquote><p> It gives the group another legit top star for sure. Corino at least doesn't need any help from Booker to get over, because he's already over in his own right. He's basically right at Booker's level in US popularity, and the only people in the company clearly above him would be RVD and Austin.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I always liked Tony Mamaluke, he may not have been quite as sound as Guido was but he definitely is a solid hand. If I remember correctly, his selling is through the roof as well, which will help if the Steiners ever get their hands on him!</div></blockquote> <p> His selling is adequate, but nothing to jump for joy about or anything. He really doesn't have any one area that stands out aside from maybe basics and safety, but he's developed into a good utility player.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I like the signing of Aries as well, he should improve pretty fast in Wildside and be a strong player soon. I don't think he'll be quite "A-Double, Best Wrestler in the World" or anything for some time, but he can for sure be the intense killer that he was in his early Ring of Honor career.</div></blockquote><p> Wrestling Machine Aries was pretty cool. He probably had his best matches during that phase of his career, even if he became a more well-rounded performer after he started letting his "greatest man that ever lived" charisma shine through.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I can't help but say if you ever need a gimmick change for Tony you could start calling him the "Ultimate Opportunist" Tony Mamaluke as a rib.</div></blockquote><p> I feel like such a gimmick change would require him to hook up with Lita. (Something tells me Tony would be fine with that!)</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Yay, Aries! Should be a feud against arn over the double a nickname! Speaking of Aries, he wouldn't have been the one to dethrone joe for the roh title. It should have been punk, as he was more over and he had a feud with him.</div></blockquote><p> I actually thought it was a good idea the way they did it. Punk was so over with the ROH crowd that he didn't really need the title. Letting Aries win the title and end Joe's legendary run basically built a new star overnight.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Anyway, how's nakamura?</div></blockquote><p> He's fine; just down there working and improving in Wildside.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Man, waiting for a new update is so frustrating! Yet I know it's worth the wait, cause it's just so good! Can't blame ya for the wait tho, since it's the busiest time of the year, what with the holidays and all.<p> </p></div></blockquote><p> Yep, I'll only be busier over the next several weeks. I think getting away from the game for a few days every once in awhile is good for my long-term interest in it anyway.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="James The Animator" data-cite="James The Animator" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>TFC, I've gotta say I love your diary so far. I'm VERY far behind (page 46!), but I'm determined to catch up with everyone else.</div></blockquote><p> Happy reading! <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<p>Tag Team Main Event</p><p> The Steiner Brothers (with Midajah) vs. <strong>Sting and Goldberg</strong></p><p> -Does Goldberg's "win or you're fired" gimmick come into play here? Either way I'm picking he and Sting.</p><p> </p><p> Eight-Man Tag Team Match</p><p> <strong>The World</strong> (with Major Gunns) vs. Booker T & The Natural Born Thrillers</p><p> -The Thrillers seem to be a mess.</p><p> </p><p> Kaz Hayashi vs. <strong>“Sugar” Shane Helms</strong></p><p> #GiveDragonsAChance! <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/mad.png.69834f23b9a8bf290d98375f56f1c794.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> “The Franchise” Shane Douglas vs. <strong>Rey Mysterio Jr. </strong>(with Tygress)</p><p> -Firmly a midcard match here, but the main event of my next PPV. Should I be worried my match is going to bomb? <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/confused.png.d4a8e6b6eab0c67698b911fb041c0ed1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> (Judging by what Rey just did with Christopher Daniels...probably not. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />)</p><p> </p><p> “Screamin’” Norman Smiley vs. <strong>Kanyon</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>AJ Styles</strong> vs. Yang (with Leia Meow)</p><p> </p><p> Also featuring: words from Eric Bischoff, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, and “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash!</p><p> </p><p> Bonus Questions:</p><p> 1. One match will end via DQ. Which will be it? <strong>Steiners vs. Sting and Goldberg</strong></p><p> 2. There will be one impromptu six man tag team match take place featuring someone not listed on the show. Name one person from the winning side? <strong>Sid</strong></p><p> 3. How many people will debut? <strong>Uh...three?</strong></p><p> 4. There is a pre-show battle royal featuring every active wrestler who isn’t on the show. Who won? <strong>Mr. Global Force Gold himself, Jeff Jarrett!</strong></p><p> </p><p> Tiebreaker question: How long does the main event last?</p>

<p>March 2003: News and Notes</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>In what is a pretty huge deal for us, we've signed a yearlong deal with Televisa to air Nitro in Mexico. This is a massive jump up in network exposure from our existing deal with Canal 5. Canal 5 is also the current home for Raw and Smackdown, so this gives us a big leg up on Vince in Mexico. Clearly our recent push to national status has inspired confidence in us as a brand, because even having a meeting with a broadcaster the size of Televisa would've been a pipe dream at the start of the year. The new contract won't begin until we finish up our commitments on Canal 5 next month, but it'll be exciting to see how our reputation begins to grow in Mexico after that. We may need to consider trying to tape some TV and hold a PPV down there later in the year.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> We've signed Austin Aries away from NWATNA on a two year contract. I would've been content to let him stay in TNA for the foreseeable future as I have no immediate plans for him, but despite announcing him as a roster member when the company opened last May, they've never actually booked him in a match. He's someone my scouting team is high on, and he sure wasn't going to get any better sitting on the sidelines doing absolutely nothing while Russo pushes Mantaur to the moon. He'll be starting down in Wildside on a developmental deal, and when he eventually gets called up he would seem a good fit for the Cruiserweight division. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Shinobu Kandori has signed a contract extension to stay with us for the next six months. I did have to throw her a cash bonus first though, because she was still furious about being asked to put over Kyoko Inoue on TV last October.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Two weeks in a row now, I've seen Sting giving Johnny Parisi some tips on how to draw sympathy from the fans if he ever turns babyface. No plans to turn him any time soon, but it's good that he's trying to help him prepare for any possibility.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Harry Smith broke his toe during the eight man tag on the February 24th Nitro, but that healed after just a few days. There was also a feeling that he was used too much on that show given his current position in the company, but I think sharing the ring with so many stars in a main event match was good for him.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I reached an agreement with Mexican female wrestler Mary Apache, who will be working for Renaissance under a PPA deal as a glorified enhancement talent basically.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> CM Punk and Hugh Morrus both praised Tony Mamaluke's in-ring work. I've been pretty impressed as well. For a guy who was brought in on a one night jobber deal, and then was signed to a developmental contract because of chemistry between he and Johnny Parisi, he's really made the most of his chance so far.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Jason Jett, Mike Sanders and Shawn Stasiak all came up to me after the February 24th show to say they're unhappy with their booking and want to be pushed harder. It's not going to happen for any of those guys. I might just let all three walk when their contracts are up and rotate some fresh faces into the mix in those roles.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Big Vito did the same the following week. Yeah, I don't care.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Etsuko Mita has been pretty complimentary of Sonoko Kato's in-ring work, and she seems to think I should give Kato a legitimate push instead of using her as a jobber to the stars. We'll see.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>The WWE have called up Leviathan from OVW. Leviathan, real name Dave Bautista, apparently isn't a great worker but he does have a great superstar look.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>I'm not sure how this slipped my notice before, but reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata tore his quad in a tag match taped for TV in late January. Obviously he had to vacate the title, which is a big shame for him just one month after winning it for the first time. It's also a big blow to NJPW, who honestly can't afford it right now. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> They held their 'Wave Rising Formation' PPV on February 24th. The main event of the show was Tatsumi Fujinami and Masahiro Chono battling for the vacant IWGP Heavyweight title. The match ended in a double count out though, so there's still no champion. It was a decent match, but nowhere close to the best of the night. That honor went to Koji Kanemoto over Osamu Nishimura in an absolute classic two matches earlier. Kanemoto's name seems to pop up a lot in matches of the night on these big shows, so maybe Inoki should put the title on him.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 'Elements of Battle' followed on March 3rd. They still didn't crown a new heavyweight champion. Instead the main event was Manabu Nakanishi and Masahiro Chono battling Koji Kanemoto and Tatsumi Fujinami for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles (which also were vacated after Nagata's injury, as he and Fujinami held the belts.) The match was pretty good, but it ended in a double countout. So two straight PPVs main evented by matches for Nagata's vacated titles, both of which ended in double countouts. What strange booking. The show itself was just slightly below the previous one, with the best match being Taiyo Kea retaining the Junior Heavyweight title over Hiroshi Tanahashi in the third to last match. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/1eeVS9d.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Matt Sydal's reign as NWA World Champion came to an end on a Zero-One event on March 7th, where he was defeated by Kazushi Sakuraba. Sakuraba is a legit star in Japan from his work in MMA group PRIDE, but his name isn't very widely known anywhere else. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Florida businessman Sal Hamaoui has begun advertising his new independent promotion, Full Impact Pro, or FIP for short. Seems like he'll be aiming to build the promotion around a cult atmosphere.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> If that's what he's shooting for, the decision to hire former CZW owner John Zandig as his head booker probably makes sense. I never thought much of CZW when it was around, but at least he's not Russo. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><img alt="ieBLbQ1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ieBLbQ1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Germany's Westside Extreme Wrestling is gone. They put on some decent shows for a company of their level, but their regular touring events didn't draw well enough for them to be profitable. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> Glad to see Nattie doing well after recovering from injury.</p></div></blockquote><p> It was a fake injury, so it's not THAT impressive. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>God has returned! Rejoice!</div></blockquote><p> I was going to embed a picture of the Guerillas of Destiny from NJPW, but I'm feeling lazy. <img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Holy slinky, I didn't see the booker twist coming! Though why would bischoff use a note? I mean, a stunner just stuns, for crying out loud! I guess he was just lazy.</div></blockquote><p> The note was just to set up a private meeting away from the arena, so no one could spot them talking backstage.</p><p> </p><p> I have to give nods to both MisterRomanini and Bluestillidie00 for their avatars. Nicolas Cage and Toni Storm are both amazing (though for very different reasons!)</p>

That was a very cool reveal. I think Omega vs. <span style="color:#FFFFFF;">Ibushi</span> would have been a better match as far as match quality goes, but they can do that match anytime. What they went with will make more of a splash outside of Japan, which is obviously a major point of focus for them right now. It's a smart move and was a genuinely shocking moment for me, which isn't something I can say very often these days.

<p>March 2003: Road to Slamboree, Part I</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u9bsFuK.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong>February 24th, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From The MARK of the Quad Cities in Moline, Illinois</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 12,000</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> We begin with backstage footage after SuperBrawl went off the air last night. Rey Mysterio Jr. returns from ringside after having retained his World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk, but out of nowhere he's attacked by Shane Douglas! Douglas slams Rey's head against the wall, slams him on the floor and bashes him in the face with his own title belt! In a voiceover, Mike and I let fans know that Douglas will step into Piper's Pit tonight to explain his actions. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> With his tutelage under Booker T seemingly over and having just lost to Fit Finlay in a decisive UFS match, Bobby Roode's career looked to be in flux. He got his hand raised tonight with the Northern Lariat in a convincing win over Jason Jett. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Satyr's Hopeful Few are cutting a promo on tonight's 4 on 4 elimination-style tiebreaker against The K-Nections (with The Unnatural doing most of the talking) when Ric Flair struts into the camera shot. He tells "Dustin" that this tiebreaker never would've been necessary if he hadn't been disrespectful just like his old man, because Ric would've been more than happy to help him beat RVD. Unnatural begins to chastise Flair, but Father Isaac cuts him off. "I think we got off on the wrong foot," he says to Flair. "Perhaps you and I could go and speak in private?" Flair agrees to that, walking off with Isaac after a parting "woo" in Dustin's face. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Shooting Stars soared (get it?) to victory against independent wrestlers Chris Bosh and Jerrelle Clark. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> One of the UFS Semifinal series is already set: The Phenomenal Enigmas will take on the Sin-free Society. All the male members of those teams assemble in the ring for a promo, and it unsurprisingly gets heated. Of particular notice was CM Punk, who did almost all of the talking for his team, trashing AJ Styles on Lance Storm's behalf and saying that he should just hand that US title over to the real champion. No blows were thrown, but the series will get underway next week when Rick Steiner wrestles Lance Storm. <strong>(A)</strong> </p><p> </p><p> The Empire (sans Eric Bischoff and Etsuko Mita, but including reluctant new member Jamie Knoble) are gathered backstage by King Corino, who rallies the troops. "The CEO extended his hand to Steve Austin in friendship last night, and that SOB bit that hand like the snake he is! Tonight, we're going to call him out to the ring and make him pay for it!" <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Last night's "Armani emergency" had apparently been resolved, because Made in Italy competed tonight. They had no trouble disposing of Lash Leroux and Big Vito. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Steiners attempt to attack Made in Italy after the match, but Dawn Marie catches Scott's attention long enough for Parisi and Mamaluke to escape. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> 24 hours after overcoming a massive size difference to beat The Destroyer and send Uncrewed's Crew into the Semifinals of the UFS, Bryan Danielson took on someone his own size in Cash. Cash gave a good effort but was defeated by Cattle Mutilation. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bobby Heenan interviews the male members of The K-Nections. After Scott Steiner, DDP and Harry Smith get their turns to comment, RVD says that he would've ended this series last night if it wasn't for Ric Flair, but tonight all four of them would work together to do so. With three former World Heavyweight Champions and a future superstar among them, they were going to be a winning combination. <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The legend Sting showed he's still a force to be reckoned with by tapping Shawn Stasiak out to the Scorpion Deathlock. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bobby Heenan visits the locker room of Steve Austin for a reaction to King Corino's comments earlier in the night. Austin says that he's not in a match tonight and was just going to drink some beer and have a good time, but if Corino calls him out, you can bet your last dollar that The Hellraiser will answer the call, son! <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Volador and Aguila recovered from their loss last night by defeating the team of Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Psychosis, Volador taking care of Chavo while Aguila finished Psychosis with a beautiful moonsault. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Douglas on Piper's Pit: "Why did I attack Rey Mysterio Jr. last night? It should be obvious: because it's past time for me to get my shot at the title! After that punk AJ Styles allegedly made me submit in my US title rematch, I could only watch as Bobby Roode came up short and got my team eliminated from the UFS. My stock was fading, and who knows if I would ever be given a fair shot? Front offices don't like someone like me, someone unafraid to speak his mind and unafraid to call them out on their garbage. I couldn't afford to wait for an opportunity to be given to me: I had to take it. And I took it by laying Mysterio out last night. Now he'll have revenge on his mind--and he'll be willing to put that title on the line to try and get it." <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Main event time. One team advances, one team goes home. The K-Nections were dealt a horrible blow early on in the match when, during a wild brawl between the two teams that the referee couldn't control, Ric Flair snuck in and knocked RVD out with brass knuckles. He was the first elimination of the match moments later, and the K-Nections were trying to play catchup from then on. DDP eventually found himself in an unenviable 3-on-1 situation. He opened the door after hitting the Diamond Cutter on Alexander and pinning him, but The Unnatural and Mortis exploited their two on one advantage to the fullest. Page fought hard, but Unnatural Selection finished him off and set up a Semifinal series between Uncrewed's Crew and Satyr's Hopeful Few. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Spotlight Segment:</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpg</span><img alt="Z3xclCp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z3xclCp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <em>As promised, The Empire came to the ring and Corino called out Austin. He promised that the unprovoked assault of Eric Bischoff would not go unpunished. Since he figured Austin would be too afraid to come down there and get his butt kicked by the entire group, he'll personally guarantee that only one member of The Empire will make any attempt to beat him down tonight. "After all, we don't need the numbers! One's all we need to take you out, you stupid redneck!" </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Whether Austin believed Corino's guarantee or not probably made no difference, because he stepped out from the back like he was fully prepared to take on every last member of The Empire. The crowd rose to their feet as Austin started walking down the aisle. Before he could make it all the way down, though...</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>He was attacked from behind by Booker T! Austin was too surprised by the ambush to mount much of a defense, and he was soon laid out with a Book End on the floor! Corino had a huge grin on his face as he watched.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I'm a man of my word, Steve. I promised that only one member of The Empire would attack you, and that's just what happened! Eric might not be here with us tonight physically, but his presence is still being felt. He reached out and offered Booker T a position in our growing Empire, and Booker made the wise decision to join our ranks. You could have too, Austin. You could have shook Eric's hand and joined the winning side, but instead you chose to stand alone. And now you'll be destroyed, alone." </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Grade: A*</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: B+</span></strong> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>March 1st, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Sendai City Gymnasium in Sendai, Japan</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 7,000</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> In the opener, Chigusa Nagayo beat Sonoko Kato with the Super Freak. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Post-match: Nagayo grabs the microphone and says that she was just trying to pass some of her wisdom as a 22-year veteran on by reassuring Etsuko Mita that her failure to regain the title wasn't the end of the world, but Mita threw it in her face, and she won't let that stand. Mita comes into the aisle and tells her she didn't ask for or want her advice, and she doesn't care if Chigusa is insulted or not. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Aja Kong and Meiko Satomura cut brief pre-taped promos for tonight's singles main event, with Kong's AAAW Singles title "unofficially" on the line. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shinobu Kandori used her judo skills for a submission win over luchadora Mary Apache. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Backstage: Our Generation confront Daffney and LuFisto. Melissa tells them that Nattie has been cleared to return to action after being hit with Daffney's mist at Dancing with the Devil, and she'll be wrestling LuFisto one on one next week. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Veteran Kyoko Inoue and youngster Momoe Nakanishi joined forces to defeat Takako Inoue and Katarina Waters (borrowed from 5SSW for this show) when Momoe pinned Waters with the Momo*Latch. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Recap video: King Corino goads Steve Austin into a trap, where he's attacked and laid out in the aisle by Booker T, the newest member of The Empire! <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/7IEXPEL.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> Many feel that Meiko Satomura could be the standard bearer for Renaissance in the future, but facing Aja Kong was a big test to find out where she stands in the present. She acquitted herself very well, executing a smart gameplan that was all about fast, high-flying offense and not allowing Kong to use her size and strength. She even showed veteran poise in ignoring the presence of Devil Masami when she showed up halfway through and began watching the match from the aisle, but she made one big mistake. As she came off of the top rope for an aerial attack, Kong smacked her with her Uraken backfist. That was all it took for Aja to maintain her grip on the title she's held since January 2002. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Post-match: Manami Toyota comes to the ring to confront Kong. She says that a showdown between them has been a long time coming. She's the officially recognized Women's World Champion in WCW, but Kong keeps calling herself the true champion--and it's a fact that Aja never lost the belt Manami now holds. She says there's only one way to settle this: Manami puts up her belt, Aja puts up hers, and we have a title unification match to determine once and for all who the champion truly is! A grinning Kong says that sounds like a great idea to her. She'll happily bash in Manami's pretty face, the face that WCW has sold Renaissance on, and in the process she'll prove she's the most dominant wrestler in the world today, regardless of gender! <strong>(A*)</strong> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: B+</span></strong> </p></div><p></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u9bsFuK.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong>March 3rd, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 11,286</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Spotlight Segment:</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/cAw5Dl8.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpg</span><img alt="Z3xclCp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z3xclCp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <em>We opened with The Empire in the ring. They were out to explain how and why Booker T came to join the group. Booker said that everyone saw what happened to him after Starrcade, after the World Heavyweight Championship was taken from him. After spending over a year trying to get that belt back, he couldn't cope with losing it all over again. He hadn't known what to do next--and that's where Eric Bischoff came in.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Corino took over and explained the Bischoff side, since Eric was still selling the Stunner and wasn't here to handle this part. He said that it had been Eric who saw the potential in Booker in the first place and brought him to WCW, and he'd always believed that Booker would be great one day. Even though their paths hadn't often diverged, he was proud of Booker for achieving so much success. Eric was content to leave Booker to do his own thing, but he saw what happened to Booker after Starrcade and felt that he needed a helping hand. Eric was happy to provide that, and with Booker now joining the fold, the World Heavyweight Championship would soon belong to The Empire! Both of these guys did a pretty good job with their delivery </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <em>Out came Austin to crash the party, steel chair in hand. He said that he didn't give a damn about empires, helping hands or anything else. What he cared about was Booker T whipped his ass last week, and he wasn't about to let that stand. He said that he knew the odds were against him, with all of The Empire standing there and him being by himself. But he did have a steel chair in his hands, and even if they did eventually overwhelm him, you could bet he was going to take a couple of them out first!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Corino hastened to say that wouldn't be necessary. There was no reason for Austin to enter a fight he had no hope of winning; The Empire was all about sportsmanship and fair play! (Mike and I were quick to say that Corino just didn't want anything to do with a chair-wielding Hellraiser.) Booker agreed, saying that he can beat Austin up all on his own any time he wants, just like he did last week. This led to Austin challenging Booker to a one on one match, right then and there! Booker agreed to face Austin in his first match back in WCW--but not tonight. "If I'm gonna send 'The Hellraiser' back where he came from, I'm gonna do it on pay-per-view! I'll see ya at Slamboree, sucka!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Steve was really good here, and this was a great start to the show. The fans loved it and are already looking forward to Austin versus Booker in Steve's WCW (re)debut.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Grade: A*</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #3 Sin-free Society </span></strong></p><p> This Semifinal series opened with Rick Steiner taking on Lance Storm. Steiner connected with a couple of Steiner-lines and used a few effective suplexes, but Storm was able to outwrestle him and earn a tapout with the Calgary Clutch. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> After the match, AJ Styles steps into the aisle. He says Lance has a right to be upset with the way their match at SuperBrawl ended. AJ's upset about it too, because even if he was still the champion, he still didn't get to prove he can beat Lance. That's why he went to Arn Anderson and requested a rematch at Slamboree--this time with no time limit! Storm nods in approval, obviously happy to be getting a second shot at the US title. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Per Rey Mysterio Jr's request, both he and Shane Douglas are summoned to Arn Anderson's office. Rey says there was no need for Douglas to attack him from behind like a coward; if he wanted a title shot, all he needed to do was ask. Douglas laughs and says Rey knows nothing about the politics of wrestling if he really believes that, because people have been denying him the things that he's deserved for years. Rey asks Arn to sanction a title match between he and Douglas at Slamboree, and despite his unease about rewarding bad behavior, Arn gives the champion what he wants and makes the match official. He also reminds Shane to prepare himself, because he's wrestling Bryan Danielson in tonight's main event. <strong>(A)</strong> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few</span></strong></p><p> It was The Empire against Salvation here: Chuck Palumbo against Mortis. Fans might not have known who to cheer for here, but the match was of critical importance to both teams as they tried to start the series off right. It was Mortis who did so for the Hopeful Few with his Flatliner. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Stacy Keibler leads the Jung Dragons to confront Sean O'Haire at an autograph signing. Stacy brags that Kaz will not only beat O'Haire in their UFS match next week, he'll be taking the World Television Championship while he's at it. O'Haire grins and says he looks forward to it. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The entirety of Satyr's Hopeful Few gathers backstage, where The Unnatural delivers what is apparently supposed to be a motivational speech. Mortis and Alexander naturally follow their fellow Salvation member's line of thinking, and Christopher Daniels seems receptive to it as well. This leaves Melissa Anderson as the only one standing there looking absolutely baffled as she tries to decipher what was just said. <strong>(B+)</strong> </p><p> </p><p> Jamie Knoble took on Chavo Guerrero Jr. in a #1 contender's match, with the winner to challenge Christopher Daniels for the Cruiserweight title at Slamboree. Knoble wrestled his normal mat-based style of match, but received unexpected aid when TAKA attacked Chavo on the outside of the ring. Knoble's back was turned when it happened and he was seemingly unaware of it, but it worked to his benefit and allowed him to win the match not too much later. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Sin-free Society gather backstage. CM Punk congratulates his friend Lance Storm on getting the series started with a win over Rick Steiner. Daffney cackles and says she'll do the same to "pretty little Alexis Laree" this week on Renaissance and put the team one win away from the finals. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Harry Smith is still trying to find his way in WCW, especially now without his father there to support him, but he did get his hand raised tonight when he beat Shawn Stasiak. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Steiners confront Made in Italy backstage, and Scott wants to know when they'll "stop runnin' and stand and fight!" Mamaluke says they are not afraid of the Steiners and will be happy to prove it at the appropriate time. Scott asks when that will be, and Parisi says they'll check their schedules and get back to them. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Shooting Stars have shown some promise in their early days as a team, but they had a huge test tonight as they met the Hardys in a non-title match. Kidman and Teddy Hart put up a good fight against the champions, but Teddy missed on a Shooting Star Press and was subsequently finished with a Twist of Fate from Matt. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Post-show footage from last week: Rob Van Dam is unwrapping his wrist tape when Ric Flair struts into his locker room. Flair taunts him, saying he'll soon be forgotten after being eliminated in the first round of the UFS, but promises to make sure he gets an invite to Slamboree so he can watch the Nature Boy get inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame. RVD gets up and shows uncharacteristic anger as he shoves Flair backwards. Ric, surprised and no longer smiling, hurries out of the room. <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Douglas now has the World title match he wanted, but he needed to get his head in the game if he wanted to defeat one of the brightest young superstars in WCW, Bryan Danielson. Danielson used his masterful technical wrestling skills to put Douglas on the defensive, and Shane, while a fair technical wrestler, could not match him in that department. Danielson proved himself a capable brawler as well when Douglas tried to turn the match into more of a fistfight. This left Shane to try and win the match with his mind. When Danielson attempted a top rope headbutt, Shane proved that he'd been playing possum as he jumped up, ran over and brought him back down to the mat with a huge superplex for the pin. <strong>(B)</strong> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: B+</span></strong> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>March 8th, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 8,164</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> In her first match since Dancing with the Devil, Nattie Neidhart looked as good as ever in defeating LuFisto via submission. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> It is officially announced that Manami Toyota and Aja Kong will meet in a title unification match in the main event of the next Renaissance PPV on April 6th, which will appropriately be titled 'Unified.' Both women give pre-taped comments about the match and plug the contract signing that will take place next week. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series, Semifinal Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #3 Sin-free Society (Society leads 1-0) </span></strong></p><p> Alexis Laree looked to get the Enigmas on the board in a match with Daffney. She performed well and seemed to be closing in on the victory, but Daffney rolled her up and held onto her pants for additional leverage to get the pin and put the Society up 2-0. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Vignette: Meiko Satomura approaches Melissa Anderson during a public appearance and wishes her luck during her UFS match against Devil Masami next week. Devil is also on hand, and she mocks both of them. She says Meiko should just be happy it'll be Melissa getting beat up next week instead of Meiko. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> A video promotes a battle of champions coming up Monday on Nitro, where Rey Mysterio Jr. of Uncrewed's Crew will wrestle Christopher Daniels from Satyr's Hopeful Few. <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Her title unification match is already official, so tonight's match pitting Manami Toyota against Momoe Nakanishi was obviously not for the title. That didn't mean it wasn't a huge match though, especially for Momoe. She gave the Women's World Champion everything she had. The 'Genius of Pin' nearly pinned Manami several times with some of her sudden pin combinations, but Toyota prevailed by brilliantly countering a Nakanishi victory roll attempt into her Ocean Cyclone Suplex. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: B</span></strong> </p></div><p></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="James Casey" data-cite="James Casey" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>TFC, I've been reading this one on and off for a while now, but every time I seemed to make real headway your page count leapt ahead again <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> It probably helps that my pace has slowed down quite a bit! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It's such a good read, and I'm really pleased to be caught up. I've enjoyed the rise of Rey Mysterio, the fantastic tag matches, the slow dismantling of the old big names... you've even found a use for Shane Douglas, who I thought peaked around about 1994 and then fell off a cliff.</div></blockquote><p> Big night coming up for Douglas, too. He's got some big shoes to fill, trying to follow some of Rey's recent big matches.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>For a resurgent WCW to have Steve Austin on board is great news. I'm curious how good he'll be in the ring - Austin in 2003 was just about done, match-wise, I think? But maybe in-game he'd dinged up but can still go.</div></blockquote><p> It still remains to be seen since I haven't actually put him in a match yet, but it at least looks like he should be up to the task.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I love the fan interaction you've got going - the prediction contests, the UFS... I know that must be so difficult for you to keep organised, but it really works (and I love seeing the UFS winners get their own angle on a show, too!)</div></blockquote><p> It can be difficult to track at times, yeah. Tallying up the prediction scores is pretty tedious. It usually takes me a bit to try and piece together how the UFS will play out each time, but it's also led me in some interesting directions I probably wouldn't have taken on my own.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I also like that Bret hasn't become the focus of the show too much. Obviously in real life he was physically incapable, but in a diary it would be excusable for him to get involved to some degree. It's cool you haven't gone that way (says someone who does often go that way...)</div></blockquote><p> I don't think there's any other way you COULD go, playing as Ric Flair. Especially when he's still an active wrestler! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Excellent work all 'round, and now to see what Vince can put together for WrestleMania!</div></blockquote><p> Thanks man! I appreciate the comment, and I'm a big fan of Dangerous Territory. As for Mania, well...that'll be in the hands of the winner of this prediction contest, assuming they want it.</p>

<p>February 2003: SuperBrawl XIII Wrap-up</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>SuperBrawl was an exercise in frustration for most of the night with several matches that underachieved, but the show ended on the strongest note possible. Between a couple of great promos and two absolutely amazing final matches, it actually wound up being our second best event ever, ahead of last month's Sin and behind only Starrcade, 2002's Show of the Year. There was no real distinction between the last two matches, both of which were nearly perfect. I heavily praised Punk for his great delivery in both the match and the promo earlier in the night, and said I had no doubt he would be the world champion one day. I also complimented Styles and Storm on their match. It would have worked just fine as the main event and world title match, and I said as much. Between those three guys and Mysterio, the last two matches featured guys who never would have been given a legitimate chance to headline under the old regime. That's why that regime failed, and we're gaining momentum. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Vince ran his No Way Out PPV head to head with SuperBrawl. I'll be fair: it was a great show. The ring work in the main event wasn't the greatest, but the star power had the fans eating out of their hand anyway. It was a six man tag where Hollywood heel Rock joined forces with original nWo members Hogan and Scott Hall to defeat Hunter, Kurt Angle and Big Show. That was match of the night based solely on the crowd reaction. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Not far behind it was the great semi main event where Benoit retained the ECW title over William Regal. That was obviously much better as an actual match, but the crowd reaction in the main event put that over the top. WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero did not wrestle on the show, because he got into a brawl with Rock at the very beginning of the show that led to Big Show taking his spot in the main event. Royal Rumble winner Chris Jericho was left off the show entirely. While this was admittedly a great show, I think everyone would agree that SuperBrawl was even better. Try harder next time, Vince!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Ron Simmons hurt his back in a dark match with Marty Jannetty, and he's expected to be out for two or three months. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Prediction Scores (out of a possible 13 points):<p> </p><p> K-Nection: 11</p><p> </p><p> 2Sweet: 10</p><p> Rateddc: 10</p><p> Nobby_McDonald: 10</p><p> GingeyOne: 10</p><p> </p><p> Uncrewed: 9</p><p> Warhawk8492: 9</p><p> deanohbk: 9</p><p> DiamondKnucklez: 9</p><p> BHK6: 9</p><p> </p><p> Happy0wns: 8</p><p> jscotty: 8</p><p> JMike: 8</p><p> Dead_Jester: 8</p><p> evileddie10: 8</p><p> odan: 8</p><p> cbacon87: 8</p><p> Kijar: 8</p><p> Satyr24: 8</p><p> Cro Cop Rules: 8</p><p> crackerjack: 8</p><p> Danny_H22: 8</p><p> </p><p> DGenerationMC: 7</p><p> michgcs: 7</p><p> sportsfanmas: 7</p><p> kinnikuniverse: 7</p><p> chrismday: 7</p><p> GnarlsFunk: 7</p><p> Ian carlisle: 7</p><p> Wolfman84: 7</p><p> tg01: 7</p><p> </p><p> bonnie: 6</p><p> ElectricX: 6</p><p> DavidCorperial: 6</p><p> Beejus: 6</p><p> The OGI: 6</p><p> </p><p> smw88: 4</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Standings in prediction contest after three shows:<p> </p><p> Rateddc: 24</p><p> </p><p> Satyr24: 23</p><p> cbacon87: 23</p><p> jscotty: 23</p><p> BHK6: 23</p><p> K-Nection: 23</p><p> </p><p> GnarlsFunk: 22</p><p> Uncrewed: 22</p><p> </p><p> DavidCorperial: 21</p><p> Dead_Jester: 21</p><p> odan: 21</p><p> deanohbk: 21</p><p> </p><p> Wolfman84: 20</p><p> JMike: 20</p><p> evileddie10: 20</p><p> Happy0wns: 20</p><p> Warhawk8492: 20</p><p> GingeyOne: 20</p><p> </p><p> DGenerationMC: 19</p><p> Ian carlisle: 19</p><p> 2Sweet: 19</p><p> </p><p> bonnie: 18</p><p> chrismday: 18</p><p> tg01: 18</p><p> Kijar: 18</p><p> </p><p> Beejus: 17</p><p> kinnikuniverse: 17</p><p> Cro Cop Rules: 17</p><p> crackerjack: 17</p><p> </p><p> smw88: 16</p><p> michgcs: 16</p><p> </p><p> Danny H22: 13</p><p> KnowYourEnemy: 13</p><p> </p><p> sportsfanmas: 12</p><p> </p><p> The OGI: 11</p><p> </p><p> Nobby_McDonald: 10</p><p> Destiny: 10</p><p> </p><p> DiamondKnucklez: 9</p><p> </p><p> Inic: 8</p><p> </p><p> thecoolestjedi12: 6</p><p> ElectricX: 6</p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> The last two matches both scored a 99, so both of those counted as MOTN. The 'correct' answer for who Austin speaks to was Bischoff, but I gave Nobby credit for 'the fans' as well, because it amused me and he technically wasn't wrong. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="JMike" data-cite="JMike" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Bring in Low Ki as a manager. I don't know why, just do it.</div></blockquote><p> A manager with no popularity and horrendous promo skills? <img alt=":confused:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/confused.png.d4a8e6b6eab0c67698b911fb041c0ed1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Happy0wns" data-cite="Happy0wns" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>THE FANS? THE FANS? I hope he just shows up now and says absolutely nothing <img alt=":rolleyes:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/rolleyes.png.4b097f4fbbe99ce5bcd5efbc1b773ed6.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> Like the Chris Jericho gimmick in his 2012 comeback, where he wore the light-up jacket, walked around with a cheesy smile on his face and said nothing? I seriously loved that!</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> Toryumon closing, hopefully to become dragon gate?</p></div></blockquote><p> I think the way the game is set to handle it is to use a narrative to turn Toryumon into Dragon Gate. That's obviously not going to happen now, so Dragon Gate will never come to be unless I use the editor to import them as a new promotion (which I might very well do.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> Yeah Adam said in the dev journal that time is a factor in match grades. anything under 15 minutes can create a ceiling on the match grade.</p><p> </p><p> And I think I'm the only one who guessed him and Bischoff would be having a confrontation! And it appears Corino and and Austin are going to be walking into some epic matches!</p></div></blockquote><p> Yeah, I'm aware of the match length thing--I thought it was 20 minutes though? Or maybe I just have 20 in my head because that's what you need to hit for the slow build note to be useful. </p><p> </p><p> I think there were actually 4 or 5 people who guessed Bischoff. And there was certainly a tease for Austin/Corino!</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The OGI" data-cite="The OGI" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> So we got a good old country boy in Knoble forced into the Empire, who are now at war with wrestling's most famous redneck? That could lead to some real interesting things.</p></div></blockquote><p> Hmmm....</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> Srsly though, you should thank true heroes, aj and rey for saving the show.</p></div></blockquote><p> I did, as you can see. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Punk plunge? 1/10 not sponsored by Pepsi.</div></blockquote><p> I renamed it for obvious copyright reasons...but maybe I COULD just say that Pepsi has taken notice of WCW's recent rise in importance and offered to partner up with them, especially with the dude with the Pepsi tattoo on his arm.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Beejus" data-cite="Beejus" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> Maybe SuperBrawl was hampered by being "one of those nights"? Does TEW even do that? I remember EWR used to have a random RNG that caused everyone to just have an off night.</p></div></blockquote><p> I'm about 99% sure that that feature didn't make it past the EWR days. Thank goodness for that too, because it made no sense. Within an individual segment, sure, but for an entire show? That was one of my least favorite things in EWR.</p>

<p>WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Steel Cage Match</p><p> “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner vs <strong>“Big Sexy” Kevin Nash</strong></p><p> -Hey yo.</p><p> </p><p> WCW World Tag Team Championships</p><p> <strong>Lance Storm and Shawn Stasiak</strong> w/Major Gunns vs The Natural Born Thrillers</p><p> </p><p> WCW United States Heavyweight Championship</p><p> “The Chosen One” Jeff Jarrett vs ???</p><p> Bonus Point – Who is ???:</p><p> Hint: He is a young, rising star who does currently work for WCW and has been seen during this diary.</p><p> </p><p> WCW Hardcore Championship</p><p> “The Franchise” Shane Douglas vs <strong>???</strong></p><p> Bonus Point – Who is ???:...<strong>Big Vito?</strong></p><p> Hint: He has defeated Douglas during this diary.</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Goldberg</strong> vs Disqo</p><p> -LOL</p><p> </p><p> WCW Cruiserweight Championship</p><p> Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs <strong>Rey Mysterio Jr.</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bonus Point: Will Steve Austin turn heel at the end of WrestleMania? <strong>No</strong></p><p> Bonus Point: What is Ric Flair’s challenge? <strong>Something to do with Sting?</strong></p>

<p>February 23rd, 2003: SuperBrawl XIII</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="J6EqhnQ.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/J6EqhnQ.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <strong>February 23rd, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 30,878</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="2nqjRO5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2nqjRO5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="nG8aWZm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nG8aWZm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Official Theme Song: "Cochise" by Audioslave </strong></p><p> </p><p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KDMvN45sjo4" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/KDMvN45sjo4"</a> frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Aguila and Volador vs. The Unbound (w/Father Isaac)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/lbbhIiU.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/1MyVk8f.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="CsQnr5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CsQnr5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Volador and Aguila have been undefeated since being called up, competing exclusively in prelim matches and on the pre-show. This was obviously a big step up for them, both in kayfabe and in actuality. I thought they did a good job in their first PPV appearance, both performing well as they executed some flashy lucha libre-inspired offense. Alexander was fine, but Mortis was head and shoulders above everyone else in the match. No surprise there. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The luchadors got in plenty of offense and were put across as a team to keep an eye on, but it was The Unbound who got the win with the Fatal Flatliner on Volador. This match was a solid way to start the show, and a good showcase of two of our newer teams as we begin to reload that division. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg</span><p> <strong>Hayabusa vs. TAKA (w/Eric Bischoff) vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels {©} (w/Brian Adams) </strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/p13CqOT.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/eX0IXCy.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/GoltiY2.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/9hagqOD.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This was the traditional cruiserweight spotfest. The guys crammed as much flying into the match as they could, and all three did well in that style. Hayabusa and Daniels looked good, but TAKA led the way. He got the biggest reaction from the crowd, and he also produced the most memorable high spot when he wiped out both of his opponents on the floor with a no-handed suicide dive over the top rope.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> This was an elimination match as opposed to one fall wins it, so there wasn't the breaking up of pins and submissions you often see in multi man matches like this. (Personally I don't think you should ever book a title match where the champion can lose the title without being beaten.) The first fall of the match came when Hayabusa fought off a Michinoku Driver and pinned TAKA with a Falcon Arrow. He had no time to even take a breath after the elimination though, because Daniels swooped right in and hit the Last Rites to beat Hayabusa and retain his title once again.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Booker T came to the ring to cut a promo. He admitted that he'd lost his way ever since losing his World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I was lost, man," he said. "I didn't know how to move past it. But now I know what I gotta do, and I accept it. I accept it all. Yeah, I accept. There's your answer."</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> And with that deliberately vague and confusing promo, Booker returned to the back. We were left with more questions than answers, but this was a segment that had the crowd invested and got them hotter.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="rrRBDgP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series Opening Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #7 Bonnie's Dingos (series tied 2-2)</span></strong></p><p><strong> Sean O'Haire (Enigmas) {©} vs. Brian Adams (Dingos) </strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/zbQxlTu.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/uY8UroB.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>It was originally supposed to be Chris Candido in this spot against O'Haire, but we all know how that worked out. His decision meant that Brian Adams, who has slotted into a role as the bodyguard of Christopher Daniels, had his first match on PPV since the Great American Bash last June. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Wanting to emphasize the one thing Brian does well in the ring (which also happens to be what O'Haire does best), I told these two to just go out and brawl. They did just that. Scientifically it wasn't the greatest, and there wasn't much of a story told, but the match went about as well as expected. Most of the credit for that belongs to O'Haire, because he was leagues better than Brian and really carried him through this. To the surprise of pretty much no one, Sean hit the Widow Maker to make the second defense of his TV title and send the Enigmas to the Semifinals.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">If Jamie Knoble loses, he must join The Empire:</span></strong></p><p><strong> Jamie Knoble vs. King Corino (w/Eric Bischoff)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/eX0IXCy.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>These two had a lot to live up to after their excellent match last month, and there was something tangible at stake this time around. Could they deliver another match of the same quality?</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Unfortunately, no. I told them to focus less on the work and more on the story this time around, with Corino going out of his way to try and embarrass Knoble by making him submit once again, and Jamie showing the determination to fight through any pain. That story was told, but it just didn't seem to captivate the audience the way they did last month. The action was fine and it's not like the match was terrible or anything, but it was a huge step down from last month at Sin.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> All of Corino's work finally paid off when he applied the figure four right in the center of the ring. Knoble tried to find some means of escape, but Corino's leverage meant he went nowhere. He tried to pull the old standard 'roll over and reverse the pressure' gimmick, but when he got close to succeeding Corino stopped him short with a thumb to the eye. Still Knoble refused to submit, but the pain affected him so much that when referee Marty Rubalcaba made a count with his shoulders on the mat, he was unable to get them up in time. He was true to his word and did not submit, but he'd still suffered defeat and would now have to join The Empire.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/k45HPCq.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/JJpe0Lr.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/h1ELRYf.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/racEiy5.jpg</span><img alt="wjcJIfQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wjcJIfQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Made in Italy came to the ring, but they were not dressed to wrestle. They were still wearing their customary suits, as Mamaluke explained that there was an "Armani emergency" that required their immediate attention, and so they would not be able to compete tonight. Tony actually did pretty good with his delivery tonight. The Steiners came out, with Rick standing back and letting Scott do all the talking. In his own inimitable way, Scott called both of them cowards and threatened to rip their suits off and stuff them down their throats. The fans got a kick out of that, and out of Scotty in general.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Parisi tried to explain that they weren't cowards but instead busy men with busy and diverse lives unlike the simple Steiners, but he struggled to try and follow Scott on the microphone. Made in Italy fled the ring quickly when the Steiners started marching down the ramp, and I think I capped the segment off nicely on color by remarking that Parisi and Mamaluke might have run tonight, but they wouldn't be able to hide from the Steiners forever. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B-</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series Opening Round: #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few vs. #5 The K-Nections (series tied 2-2)</span></strong></p><p><strong> The Unnatural (S.H.F.) (w/Father Isaac) vs. Rob Van Dam (K-Nections)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/uj4FkBt.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This was a huge match in the sense that it would decide the winner in this UFS series between two teams that are viewed as strong contenders and got solid fan support in our online prediction game, but it was also big because these two guys had a match on Nitro last month that was an absolute classic. They would theoretically work even harder this time with the match being on PPV, so my expectations were very high. What we got was a second straight disappointment. Like the Knoble/Corino match before it, this one was okay, but 'okay' is a massive step down from their unforgettable first match. Neither guy had a noticeable off night or anything like that, but the match just wasn't great. It was a bit shorter than their first encounter, but I wouldn't have expected a few minutes to make THIS much of a difference.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> RVD had been beaten cleanly by Unnatural Selection the first time around and had since done his homework, as any time The Unnatural went for his signature move RVD always had a counter or escape ready. By the same token, The Unnatural rolled out to the floor the first time Van Dam was thinking about the Five Star Frog Splash, and he got his knees up on the second attempt. Both wrestlers were prepared, and neither could seem to solve the other. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="6Q4ZNvd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6Q4ZNvd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Ric Flair ran down the ramp, steel chair in hand, and whacked RVD across the back with it! The ref was about to call for the bell--but then Ric hit Unnatural with a (protected) chair shot to the face! He threw the chair down, spit on RVD, then gave Dustin a kick to the face and shouted "that's what you get for disrespecting the Nature Boy!" The official threw the match out, ruling it a no contest, and Mike and I were quick to point out that based on Arn Anderson's previous comments about the series between Uncrewed's Crew and Scotty's Band of Misfits, there would have to be an elimination eight man tag between the Hopeful Few and K-Nections tomorrow night on Nitro to decide the winner of this series.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series Opening Round: #3 Sin-free Society vs. #6 The Dead Jesters (series tied 2-2)</span></strong></p><p><strong> Fit Finlay (SfS) vs. Bobby Roode (Jesters)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/5Xhxf90.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/BSCxEF8.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Having figured that Van Dam and Unnatural would put on a fantastic match that had the crowd on the edge of their seats, I told Fit and Bobby to focus on cooling the fans off so we could let them breathe and then build them back up before the end of the night. Even though the previous match hadn't lived up to the hype, Finlay and Roode did their job effectively. They had a basic, unspectacular match with some brawling, where Fit had the upper hand, and some chances for Roode to showcase his power advantage. Roode had him all sized up for the Northern Lariat, but Finlay ducked it and then delivered the Tombstone to win the match and the series for the Society.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: C</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/hlbUlLo.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/jAnziwr.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/FIVYBul.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>We had Shane Helms and Kimberly on Piper's Pit, where Kimberly was interested in trying to smooth things over with Helms, and Roddy kept trying to stir the pot. Roddy's performance was good here, standing out all the more because it's not like Helms or Kimberly really command attention. Helms was unmoved by Kimberly's appeals. He said she'd promised to help take his career to the next level, but all she'd done was drag him down and make him completely irrelevant. He told her that associating with her had been the biggest mistake he'd ever made, and as of this moment he was back on his own. While this segment was nothing special, it was effective at getting the crowd a bit more excited for what was still to come tonight.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: C+</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/S0cu0uO.jpg</span><p> <strong>The Jung Dragons (w/Stacy Keibler) vs. The Hardys {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="paNPh85.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/paNPh85.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="frhLUo7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/frhLUo7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CtEcIzq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CtEcIzq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/YIpiDFE.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/1tytiqE.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Figuring that this could be in the running for the most athletically impressive match of the night, I told both teams to go out, hold nothing back and try to steal the show. They attempted to do so, but the results were less than inspiring. In what was becoming a trend at this point in the night, they had a match that was fairly good but failed to live up to my expectations and the expectations of a lot of fans. It didn't help that none of the participants are exactly ring generals, and the lack of logical storytelling was evident. About the only real positive note I can make is I thought Matt Hardy's brawling looked more believable than usual. Other than that, not much to get excited about here.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The Dragons believed they had the match all sewn up as they had both Hardys down on the mat and went for a pair of moves off the top rope, but Matt and Jeff both rolled out of the way. That high risk came up empty and took the wind out of the challengers' sails, and it wasn't much later that Matt hit the Twist of Fate for the win.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="tUGU31v.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tUGU31v.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/l0qRIIJ.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/JtXyw9X.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Arn Anderson and Bobby Heenan introduced Tony Schiavone as another entrant in the Hall of Fame class of 2003, joining Ric Flair, Randy Savage and one name we've yet to announce. Arn complimented him for all his years of service in WCW and JCP before that, Tony expressed his gratitude to Arn, WCW and the fans, and Heenan cracked some jokes. Pretty basic stuff.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: C</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Ultimate Fan Series Opening Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #8 Scotty's Band of Misfits (Crew leads 2-1)</span></strong></p><p><strong> Bryan Danielson (Crew) vs. The Destroyer (Misfits) (w/Father Isaac)</strong></p><p> <img alt="lAlFtSW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lAlFtSW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/4CP35O5.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>There were no special instructions here, and this wasn't a match I expected a ton out of. I figured it'd be pretty good because both guys have talent, but I assumed there'd be four or five matches on this show that were better. But with several key matches underachieving earlier, this was actually tied with the Cruiserweight title match as the best on the show to this point. While it was in the same B range that seemingly the entire show hit, it was on the higher end of that range. It was a good little match that got the crowd hotter, so I was pleased with both guys here.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> They obviously worked the big man/little man dynamic, but whereas the smaller guy in that scenario usually relies on quickness and aerial attacks, Danielson's answer to The Destroyer's size and strength was to utilize his submission grappling. It was a challenge to get the big masked man off his feet at times, but after staggering him with a series of elbows and finally knocking him down with a missile dropkick, Danielson applied a grounded chickenwing for a submission win. Uncrewed's Crew wins the series and moves on to face the winner of the SHF/K-Nections tiebreaker.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>CM Punk cut a promo in his locker room. He pointed out that we were only about an hour away from Chicago, where he was born and raised, and that's going to make all the difference tonight.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "A lot of people don't like the things that I say, and that's fine," he said. "I could not care less whether someone loves me or hates me, because as long as I'm true to myself, to my beliefs, to my morals and my straight-edge lifestyle, nothing else matters to me. But one thing Rey Mysterio Jr. will learn tonight is that Chicagoans stick together. On a personal level, those people in the crowd drinking their beers and living their unclean lifestyles will never be able to coexist with someone like me. But tonight, they'll look at me and see a Chicago kid fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world, and they'll put their personal feelings for me aside and support the Second City!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I'll be honest: their support doesn't matter much to me. Luck is for losers and sympathy is for suckers. But I know you, Rey. You're a suck-up. You crave the cheers of the fans, the moral support and the kids wearing your replica masks; you feed off of it. You even thanked THEM for helping YOU win the World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade! But what are you going to do tonight when you walk down that ramp wearing that big shiny gold belt and hear the boos? What are you going to do when you realize that in one of the few times in your entire career, little Rey-Rey isn't the sentimental favorite of the fans? Everyone knows you're a world-class athlete, Rey, but tonight we'll find out just how mentally tough you are. And you? You'll find out that straight-edge means I'm better than you." </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Punk nailed this promo. He came across like a true main event superstar and got the feud and the match even more over than it already was, which is saying quite alot.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A*</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/mitTbCm.jpg</span><p> <strong>Lance Storm vs. AJ Styles {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/Ht8KF88.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>After a string of highly-anticipated matches that underachieved, this show was starting to feel like it was going to be a large step down from our last couple of PPVs. We still had some hope though, if these last two matches could deliver.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> They started off tentative, with AJ willingly engaging Lance in some technical exchanges. He held his own, but that was obviously going to work out in the challengers' favor in the end since Lance is portrayed as an elite scientific wrestler. Storm focused on the champion's legs, wanting to ground him and eliminate his high flying. AJ fought back with some hard strikes and picked the pace of the match up, but he missed a springboard attack and was subsequently grounded. That's pretty much how the match played out, going back and forth and changing tempo frequently.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Styles ducked a superkick, hit the ropes and snapped off his beautiful springboard inverted DDT, but when he attempted the Spiral Tap Storm rolled out of the way. From there Lance positioned him so he was in the middle of the ring and bridged back into the Calgary Clutch. Styles refused to tap out but could find no means of escape. The referee threatened to end the match if AJ couldn't demonstrate a reasonable defense, but the bell rang while that argument was ongoing. After initial confusion, the announcement came: the 30 minute time limit for the match had expired, so the result was a draw. Storm released the hold and shouted at the referee to hand him "his belt", but that fell on deaf ears.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Leave it to these two guys to turn the show around. As great as their Nitro match during the Stu Hart Classic was, this was even better. This was a true match of the year contender that thrilled the crowd, and notice was served to Mysterio and Punk. If they wanted to stand out as a worthy main event on this show, they were going to need to be at their absolute best.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Austin got another huge reaction as he came out to the ring. He made it clear that no one was safe from "The Hellraiser"; he was going to stomp mudholes in anyone who got in his way, and that was the bottom line! You know the basic shtick here, but the fans loved it and Austin already seems to be settling into his new gimmick as a rebel, knowing how to get himself over despite having a few more restrictions than he did in WWF, such as no middle fingers, etc. He was continuing on when he was interrupted by...</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/LuHGjH3.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Eric Bischoff. Eric smiled as he walked down the ramp, but Austin didn't join in the smiling. Eric said he was sorry for interrupting Austin, but he wanted to formally welcome him back to WCW.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I know things ended...badly between us the last time you were here," Bischoff said, in one of the biggest understatements ever. "But I hope there are no hard feelings between us. I know there are none on my end. I'm sure you were upset at the time, but I hope now you can see that I actually did you a favor. "Stunning" Steve Austin was never going to make it to the top. You had the talent; I could see that. But what you needed was not only a change of scenery, but the motivation to prove people wrong. And you got that motivation when I fired you."</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Mike and I called that a ridiculous thing to say, but Austin's reaction was unreadable. He just stood there with a neutral expression and let Eric continue talking.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "People have since called me every name in the book for firing Steve Austin, one of the biggest stars of all time, but what they fail to realize is that without me firing you, you could've never become the star that you did. I put that gigantic chip on your shoulder, and you've spent the last seven or eight years using that chip as motivation to prove the entire world wrong. Everyone knows I'm a humble man who doesn't like to sing my own praises, but I think I can say that I helped create 'The Hellraiser.' But think about this, Steve: how much more dominant could you be if you and I were on the same side? Think about it. You became the biggest star since Hogan--some say the biggest of all time! I set the trends and revolutionized this business forever in the late '90s! Together, nothing could stop us! Whaddaya say? Join The Empire, and 'The Hellraiser' will carve a path of destruction through WCW like nothing anyone has ever seen before!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The fans obviously booed loudly at that idea, and they urged Austin not to do it. Eric plastered his huge phony grin on his face and held out his hand for Steve to shake. Steve looked at it, then spoke.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I normally don't like it when people interrupt me, but I'm glad ya came out here Eric," he said, causing Eric's smile to widen. "'Cause there's somethin' I been wanting to say to you for years. And since you're standin' right here in front of me, I ain't gotta send you a damn FedEx. I can look you right in your beady little eyes and tell you that you are one stupid S.O.B!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Austin booted Eric in the gut, then dropped him with the Stunner to a massive pop from the crowd! He got in Eric's face and talked trash afterwards. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/cAw5Dl8.jpg</span><img alt="Z3xclCp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z3xclCp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The rest of The Empire started running down the ramp, with King Corino leading the way. Corino came to a screeching halt when he saw that Austin had picked up a steel chair and was ready to take a swing at anybody who dared step into the ring. Austin and Corino had a staredown, with Austin daring him to come and get him and Corino glaring at him from the ramp. Corino and The Empire stayed put until some officials hurried out from the back, and only after Austin had left the ring did they come in and tend to Eric. This was an electric segment.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A*</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/haJKoFv.jpg</span><p> <strong>CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The Storm and Styles match ended the string of big matches that underachieved, and that great segment with Austin and The Empire kept the crowd pumped heading into this main event. Now it was time to see if Punk and Mysterio could end the show on a high note.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> After an initial fast start from Rey, Punk started brawling and threw the champ off his game. It wasn't long before we saw evidence that the fans reacted in the way we'd figured and Punk had even played up during his promos. A lot of the kids popped for Rey, but most of the adults cheered for the hometown guy despite him being the heel. Since we anticipated that heading in, the guys were prepared for it and worked it into their storytelling, with Rey looking kayfabe confused by it and Punk working subtly more facelike. It made for a really interesting dynamic, and the fact that I let the guys call this one in the ring allowed them to perfectly cater to the crowd's reactions. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Both guys were awesome in this match, but Punk was slightly better. This was a big test for him in his first singles PPV main event, and he more than delivered. This match didn't top Storm/AJ, but that was all but impossible to do. They did match it, which is amazing in its own right. What had been a show that was underachieving was completely turned around in these last two matches.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Punk showed his versatility as he attempted to win the match in a variety of ways. He tried to apply the Second City Stretch, but Rey made it to the ropes before serious damage could be done. He went for the Devil Lock DDT but Rey slipped free. He even cut Rey off on the top rope and tried to execute his rarely-used Punk Plunge (Hunter's Pedigree, except way cooler because it's off the top rope.) That move is difficult to execute though, and as a result Rey was able to block it and hit Punk with forearms and a headbutt to knock him back down into the ring. From there Rey jumped off the top rope and hit a swinging hurricanrana, hooking Punk's legs and holding him down for the 3 count to end this excellent main event with a successful title defense. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Overall Grade: A*</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p>

<p>February 2003: Pre-SuperBrawl News and Notes</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>February 18th, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> Early morning</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> I laughed when I looked at the caller ID. I'd been expecting, and I have to say looking forward, to this call.</p><p> </p><p> "Good morning, Vince," I said by way of greeting. "Calling to congratulate me?"</p><p> </p><p> "Is that supposed to be funny?" Oh, so not in the joking mood today. I wonder why.</p><p> </p><p> "I thought it was," I quipped.</p><p> </p><p> "I don't have time for your nonsense," he grumbled. </p><p> </p><p> "You're the one who called me, you know." I could practically picture him gritting his teeth on the other end of the phone, and it made me smile. </p><p> </p><p> "I'm very disappointed in you, Bret," he said, ignoring my banter. "I thought you wouldn't stoop as low as Bischoff did."</p><p> </p><p> "<em>Stooping</em>? How exactly am I <em>stooping</em>?"</p><p> </p><p> "You know what you did. <em>We</em> built Austin. <strong>I</strong> built him! And now you're trying to profit off of my hard work!"</p><p> </p><p> I could only shake my head at his audacity. "First off, it was YOU who decided to let his contract expire. Was he just supposed to never work again?"</p><p> </p><p> "He could've come back as an ambassador! Just like I would've used you, if you hadn't sold me out for Ted Turner's money!" Okay, now I wasn't sure whether to be angry or confused. Was he just trying to get under my skin, or had he told his lies so often that he'd convinced himself they were true?</p><p> </p><p> "I TURNED DOWN Turner's money out of loyalty to you," I reminded him. "I signed a twenty year contract with you. And then a year later you told me you couldn't afford to pay me and you wanted out of the deal."</p><p> </p><p> "And I helped you get the most money you could out of Turner!" he shouted. "And this is how you repay me? Not only do you swoop in and steal WCW right out from under my nose, now you bring in my greatest creation?!"</p><p> </p><p> "You didn't CREATE Steve," I said calmly. "Steve is Steve. He saved your ass, he saved your entire company, and you rewarded him by kicking him to the curb as soon as you decided to present Rocky as the figurehead. That's what you do. But Steve still has a lot left to give, so do I, and so does WCW. Now you've got all three of us to deal with, because this war is only just beginning."</p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>We're all-in on our national expansion. The great success of our past couple of PPVs made a believer out of Austin, who now saw us as a legitimate competitor and was willing to come to the negotiating table. I gave him a number of concessions to coax him into lowering his asking price, including assuring him he'd be presented as a main event icon, giving him house shows and B level TV shows off (not that we even have a B show anymore), and giving him the authority to nix any new hires if he has a personal issue with them. That incentive package got him to drop his fee quite a bit, but he'll still be our highest-paid employee by far. His wage is more than double that of everyone in the company except for Booker T, and he's only a few thousand away from doubling up Booker too. I think it's a worthwhile investment though. If we're truly going to try and directly compete with WWE again, we need star power. Even with Steve we're still well behind WWE in that respect, but at least he narrows the gap somewhat.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Another plus in all of this is our television partners were willing to renegotiate and give us better time slots. Almost all of our broadcasters for both Nitro and Renaissance will now be airing the shows in prime time, with the only exception being Renaissance on Much Music in Canada. It also meant that we were able to move on from FX and get Renaissance onto USA, so that program will reach more homes in the US once the FX deal expires next month.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Our production quality has always paled in comparison to WWE's. That wasn't as much of a problem before when we were focused on just rebuilding faith in WCW and winning fans back, but we couldn't afford to look second rate now that we're heading back into prime time TV. We had to pump quite a bit of money into upgrading our production and it will be much more expensive to maintain on a monthly basis as well, but there's no room to cut corners there. Part of the expenses include shelling out top dollar for music from major licensed bands, which started with getting an Ozzy Osbourne song for Austin's theme and will probably continue with most, if not all, of our PPV themes going forward.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Eric Bischoff called me when he heard I was negotiating with Austin and said he didn't think it would be a good idea, because there's still some hard feelings between the two over the way Eric fired him from WCW in 1995. If he actually expected that to stop me from hiring one of the biggest stars ever, I think he overestimated his own value to us. Eric's pretty annoyed now, but he'll just have to live with it.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> A botch by Konnan gave enhancement talent Billy Kim a minor concussion in a dark match on the February 17th Nitro, and he caught some heat with the locker room for it.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I saw Austin chatting with Harry Smith backstage on his first night in. He told Harry he's turning into a really good worker and could wind up being even better than his dad.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Why're you still tryin' with this Elix Skipper? He's been here for years and nobody gives a damn about him! He calls himself Primetime, but ain't nobody got time to watch him 'cause he sucks!" -Scott Steiner </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Takako Inoue thinks Allison Corino is struggling to connect with the Japanese fanbase.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Amidst the backstage hustle and bustle as we got ready for SuperBrawl to go on the air, I saw Sting giving some pointers on psychology to Johnny Parisi. He took the kid under his wing when he was just a job guy and the mentorship has continued after Johnny's return from developmental. He improved quite a bit down in Wildside, and if Sting continues to help him out he could get even better.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/HLY8nvy.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>NOAH held their Big Egg Rebellion PPV on February 17th. There was some great stuff on the show, but the match placement hurt the overall feel. The main event was Mistsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa defeating Masao Inoue and Tatsuhito Takaiwa in a tag match that was very good, but was only the third best on the show. Akira Taue retained the GHC Heavyweight title against Kenta Kobashi in a great semi main event, but the highlight of the night came just before that when Jun Akiyama beat Akitoshi Saito in a show-stealer. It was still a very good show, but missed out on being a great one like we saw from them last month.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Misawa has been dealing with a nagging back injury recently. I was strongly considering bringing him in for a show or two very soon, but I may hold off on that until he's all healed up.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/1eeVS9d.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>The Japanese branch of Ultimo Dragon's Toryumon held their last show on February 11th. It ironically was the best big show they've put on in several years. The group did have some talent, but they were never able to break out of the pack and establish themselves in a crowded Japanese indie scene before their debts caught up to them.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The rather odd pairing of Samoa Joe and Kendo Kashin won the NWA World Tag Team titles from Kory Chavis and Eddie Colon on a recent Zero-One show.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> MEN's Teioh, formerly of Kaientai and currently working for Big Japan, suffered a gruesome knee injury in a recent match which will apparently keep him out for at least a year and possibly even longer. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/JO5PDMM.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Vince Russo's attempt to get the former Mantaur over continues into 2003. He's really going all-out with it too, because he's the new TNA champion after beating reigning champion BJ Whitmer and Ice Train in a three way at TNA's Early Warning show on February 14th. That was a pretty bad main event which was totally overshadowed by the much better semi main where Sonjay Dutt beat Matt Sydal (non-title), but at least the show was better than last month. This show also had Sara Del Rey win the NWA Women's title from Selina Majors.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>In news that happened a few months ago but only caught my attention recently, independent worker Low Ki officially announced his retirement as an active wrestler. He showed some promise and was someone that was on my radar for potentially bringing in on a developmental deal down the road, but he never returned after a severe injury to his neck and spine in the summer of 2001. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/syuSRKH.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>AJPW put their All-Asian Tag Team titles (their second-tier, midcard tag team titles) on the team of Masanobu Fuchi and Mike Barton (the former Bart Gunn.) They ended the more than year-long reign of Hideki Hosaka and Gran Naniwa on the February 15th AJPW TV show.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/sM8DaHV.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>The Mexican branch of Toryumon, which from now on I'll simply call Toryumon since the Japanese version has folded, just became a member of the National Wrestling Alliance. I'm assuming the end of the Japanese branch had something to do with this based on the timing. The NWA hadn't had any alliance members in Mexico in recent years, so this deal makes sense for both sides.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> What will be match of the night? I'm torn so there is probably a good reason you are headlining <strong>Punk vs. Mysterio</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> I'm torn too! I'm about to run the show, and I feel like there are three or four matches that could conceivably win it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>General diary comments/questions/critiques: FYI If I win the UFS I have an interesting pick on my team on who I will give the shot to. (no its not Harry lol)</div></blockquote><p> I'm guessing you'd suggest Manami Toyota vs. Rey Mysterio.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Kijar" data-cite="Kijar" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> <strong>The Steiners </strong>vs. Made in Italy</p><p> #WheresGuido</p></div></blockquote><p> Uhhh...I <em>think</em> he's in ROH. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="sportsfanmas" data-cite="sportsfanmas" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: Loving this dynasty, wish I could write a dynasty half as good as you do, and wish I had more time to commit to mine. Getting Steve Austin is a big pick-up, hopefully he can still give you a few good years and his neck injuries won't hold him back. If anything, you've got another guy that is golden on the mic. Keep up the good work</p></div></blockquote><p> I wouldn't worry too much about comparing your dynasty to any others; just write at your own pace and have fun with it. It's not like we're getting paid or anything! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> Austin's obviously great on the mic and it seems like he should still be able to put on great matches too. He doesn't show up on time decline or anything, so that's good. I really don't need him for show quality purposes though. His big contribution will be giving me a point total in the national battle that's way above everyone in WWE aside from Rock. I'll still need to do more to try and get into the fight though.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> The tide of battle has changed! Oh I can't wait to see vince's reaction!</p></div></blockquote><p> Hopefully it didn't disappoint!</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Yay, the king of swag style has arrived. I'm surprised that noah didn't grab him! And I like minoru. Very good MMA style worker. Them having Chem as a tag team is also great for the division!</div></blockquote><p> It's weird because some of the guys that NJPW fired, like Wataru Inoue, got scooped up pretty much immediately. Guess nobody sees a future in this Shinsuke kid. <img alt=":rolleyes:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/rolleyes.png.4b097f4fbbe99ce5bcd5efbc1b773ed6.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> He and Minoru should make for an interesting team once Shinsuke gets called up.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DiamondKnucklez" data-cite="DiamondKnucklez" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: Got to say man, still really enjoy reading this. Its just crazy how far you have come with this and I hope there are many more in game years to come. I ain't going to lie, was really shocked when Steve Austin made his return. Its great man, I cannot wait to see where you go from here.</p></div></blockquote><p> I don't plan on ending any time soon. I'm as invested as ever, especially after hitting national and signing Austin. The thought of being in a position to get into a legit war is really cool, because that's something I've never really done in TEW before. In my other two long running games I was either a small regional company (ROH 2002) or a giant already far ahead of everyone else (WWF 1987.)</p><p> </p><p> That Austin debut is one of my favorite things in this dynasty so far. I had a lot of fun writing it. I've got well defined plans for Austin for the rest of 2003 which I think should be really interesting.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The OGI" data-cite="The OGI" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> United States Heavyweight Championship: <strong>Lance Storm</strong> vs. AJ Styles {©}</p><p> <em>Storm winning the US title while Punk loses his shot could be interesting</em></p></div></blockquote><p> ...Or they could both win, and if they retain at Slamboree next month, they'd meet champion vs. champion at Clash of the Champions! <img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>General diary comments/questions/critiques:<p> <em>I'm interested in seeing what you do with Austin. He's a major star but isn't exactly the best fit for the current product. Also emotionally distraught Booker T is amazing.</em></p></div></blockquote><p> Poor Booker. Hopefully he gets things figured out soon!</p>