The Final Countdown

<p>September 2002: Pre-War Games 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>Some big things are going on in our women's division. For one, Chigusa Nagayo and I agreed to terms on a buyout of GAEA. We purchased the company's titles and brought in about a dozen employees, Nagayo included. I didn't stop there though. In the immediate aftermath of that purchase I began planning for the launch of a new developmental territory in Japan which we'll use exclusively to develop our female prospects. The new child promotion will be called 5 Star Supreme Wrestling (5SSW), and I've appointed legendary former joshi wrestler Bull Nakano as the owner/booker. I'm also sending Johnny Ace over to help train the girls. A few of the GAEA acquisitions will be heading there, as will any of the girls who'd been down in Wildside and still aren't quite ready. I'm also sending Katarina Waters over there, as her angle with Luger is dead and she could use a lot of seasoning if she's going to be part of our main roster women's division. All of this set us back a few million dollars, but I think it's worth the investment.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Two injuries occurred during the September 2nd Nitro, but they were on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I think anyone who saw it knew right away that Buff Bagwell was severely injured, and they weren't wrong. He injured his spinal column and will likely be out for at least a year, if he even wrestles again. He'll still be collecting a nice paycheck though, because there's still over a year left on the long-term deal he was under when we first re-launched. Shane Douglas strained his right calf during the main event that night. It did slow him a bit for the duration of that match (which may very well have been match of the year otherwise. I'm not even kidding. It was very nearly that anyway.) He was good as new by the time the next Nitro rolled around though.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I guess Chris Candido was hard at work during his suspension. He returned looking noticeably more ripped. He looks more like a superstar now, but I hope this isn't a sign of further failed drug tests to come. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> We're doubling the field of the Stu Hart Classic this year, going from 16 entrants to 32. As a result we'll be starting it on Nitro the night after War Games. There will be several tournament matches at Halloween Havoc, and we'll end it at Calgary Stampede in November just like last year. With it being dedicated to Stu, I decided to do a favor to Bruce's relaunch of Stampede by including one of his top guys in the tournament and plugging the company in the process. He'll be sending us Kenny Omega, a 19-year old from Winnipeg who is already showing great promise and is someone my talent scouts are high on. We'll loan Yang of the Jung Dragons to Stampede in exchange. I'm also in negotiations with New Japan about sending over one of their top stars to participate in the tournament.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Scott Steiner suffered a strained back doing that belly to belly off the top on The Destroyer during the September 16th Nitro, but he was looking fine days later and should be good to go for War Games.</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 'Departure' PPV on September 7th. It was a very strong show; one of their best so far this year. For a change, Misawa wasn't the standout this time. He did have a pretty good match in the semi main event, as he and Yoshinari Ogawa beat The Last Hard Men (Kentaro Shiga and Takashi Sugiura), but the easy match of the night was Akira Taue retaining the GHC Heavyweight title against Kenta Kobashi in a fantastic main event that will probably appear on most peoples' top ten lists of matches at the end of the year.</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>Rumor has it that New Japan took their tag titles off of TenKoji so they could split the team up, and perhaps even position them for a big feud.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The company held their 'Temples of Flight' PPV on September 14th. It wasn't their best big show of the year, but it was above average in comparison to their usual PPV outings. The booking was interesting here, as Tatsumi Fujinami retaining the IWGP Heavyweight title over Masahiro Chono was only the semi main event. It's hard to argue with that decision, since the main event of Manabu Nakanishi and Kensuke Sasaki retaining the IWGP Tag Team titles over Riki Choshu and our own Shane Douglas (there on loan) was slightly better. The runaway match of the night actually happened in the midcard though, when Koji Kanemoto beat Osamu Nishimura.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p> </p><span>http://i.imgur.com/JO5PDMM.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>After putting on their best show last month, TNA fell back down a bit with one of their worst thus far. BJ Whitmer retained the TNA Heavyweight title over Sonjay Dutt in the main event.</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 held their 'Front of War Lines' PPV on September 17th. It was basically the definition of an average show by their current standards; not among their best big events of the year, but in line with normal performance. They headlined with Hiroshi Hase making his first defense of the Triple Crown against Jim Steele.</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 sad news, Gangrel and Luna Vachon have gotten divorced.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I saw footage of Jerry Lawler doing color commentary on a recent show for Jersey All-Pro Wrestling, and he seemed a lot bulkier than I remembered. </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="Beejus" data-cite="Beejus" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Hooray, it's back! Now I just need to get back to my own writing again and people will be back to all the great 2001 goodness that we've been missing out on lately. Way stoked for War Games, can't wait to see that one play out!</div></blockquote><p> I'll look forward to your return!</p>

<p>I actually thought that wouldn't be a bad spot to have Okada drop one. You have to figure he loses at least two, probably three matches during the tournament, and a loss to Yano would protect him in the sense that it would obviously be a "banana peel" loss. I thought a good finish would've been Yano ducking the Rainmaker and catching him with a backslide.</p><p> </p><p> Ibushi vs. Naito was fantastic. It'll be difficult for anything in the rest of the tournament to top it, but considering we still have stuff like Okada/Suzuki, Ibushi/Tanahashi and obviously Omega/Okada III to look forward to, I'm sure it'll have competition.</p><p> </p><p> Lots of people seem to be expecting an Omega/Ibushi final, but I don't think so. I think this is Naito's year, and I think he'll beat a dark horse candidate from the B block. (Maybe Sanada, which would be a fun matchup.) I think we're getting Naito vs. Okada at the Tokyo Dome, and Omega vs. Ibushi will be saved for the semi main event there.</p>

September 2002: Road to War Games, Part II <hr noshade size=3> IT'S ALIVE! So yeah, almost all of the previous posts are still broken for now. K-Nection and Rateddc have volunteered to help me clean them up, but even with three of us I'm sure it'll take some time. I've done a couple of months already (starting from the very beginning), but I wanted to get the thread going again, and I also can only do a little bit of that cleanup at a time without wanting to throw my computer and curse Photobucket, so I'll be alternating between doing that and working on continuing the story.

<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>For some reason I'm having trouble grasping what Smartman is suggesting. I'm pretty old school so this whole search tags, image list and dropbox thing sounds a bit too complicated for me. I feel embarrassed to even ask this but can someone chew this up for me in more simple terms.</div></blockquote><p> The image list is just a word document with the links to all of the pictures. I've actually got that document set up already, and after doing so I can't believe I was considering trying to do this any other way! <img alt=":o" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/redface.png.900245280682ef18c5d82399a93c5827.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> I'm not sure exactly what smartman meant by coding in the board tags, but the only changes that need to be made to posts are replacing the Photobucket image links with the ones from Imgur, and that's a simple copy and paste job.</p><p> </p><p> My original suggestion was sharing my login info so anyone (who volunteered, and who I trust) could go in and make those changes within the posts themselves. smartman was suggesting copy and pasting the shows into word documents so the changes could be made externally and without requiring anyone else to be logged into my forum account, and then I'd go in and paste the new text into the actual board posts. He suggested we share those files via email or Google Drive. Using a Dropbox folder was my alternative; that way I'd share the link to a folder with all of the documents and you guys could go in, replace the picture links in the documents, save your work and the documents would update automatically. I'm still thinking it might be easier to go with my original idea with everyone having access to my GDS account and changing the links directly in this thread, since that would eliminate the step of me copy & pasting everything back in from the word documents to the forum posts. </p><p> </p><p> Hopefully I didn't just confuse you even further! <img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="smartman" data-cite="smartman" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm actually wondering if it wouldn't just be easier to do the pages externally (wish you could do the whole thing at once so you could just mass replace each person's pic across the whole diary) by copying and pasting it to a word processor just in case there are multiples of the same pics in one show. We could code in all the board tags, which you could double-check as we'd just email you the files or use google drive. That would keep people out of this log in. <p> </p><p> Heck, if you wanted to just create an image list (I have one for my diary just Name--pic file name in alphabetical order along with a common tag teams list with both pics maybe with a manager too) and pass that to people that were going to do this, you wouldn't even need to open up your Imgur account either, and it would save time as it would be simple copy and paste instead of having to find the correct pic, open each pic, click copy on the link, then paste it in.</p><p> </p><p> That would keep you secure, and you could catch any errors when posting.</p></div></blockquote><p> Yeah, in retrospect the image list is obviously the way to go. I was planning to create one for my own uses later anyway with links to just the current pics.</p><p> </p><p> Maybe the way to go would be for me to copy and paste all the story posts into word documents and put them all in a shared Dropbox folder that anyone could edit?</p>

<p>Okay. First of all, thanks a bunch to everybody for their words of support. I appreciate all of them.</p><p> </p><p> I was pretty much resigned to being done with this after the Photobucket debacle. The thought of going back and fixing every image in every story post sounded unbearably dull, and I certainly didn't expect anyone to volunteer to help with this tedious process. But since multiple people have brought up the possibility... </p><p> </p><p> I was able to painlessly download the Photobucket folder I was using for this dynasty, and have transferred it all over into an Imgur account. If any brave souls are willing to help me, this is what I'm thinking:</p><p> </p><p> 1) I share my account info with the volunteers: the GDS info so they have the ability to edit my posts, and the Imgur info because in the little bit of playing around I've just done, I get the feeling it would be much, MUCH easier to do this if you're logged into my Imgur.</p><p> </p><p> 2) We divide up the story posts between us, as evenly as we can between however many people are willing to help (plus myself.) (Or if someone didn't want to commit to that degree and only wanted to do a handful of posts or a specific post or whatever, that would be cool too.) Using my account, we go in and replace the images in each story post with the Imgur link. (It seems that if you're logged in to the Imgur account, you can bring up a thumbnail view of many images at a time and sort them by their original filename. Since the original filenames are identical to what they were on Photobucket, this is why it'd be a good idea for anyone helping to be logged into my Imgur account. For example, if you had a Photobucket link ending in 'Bagwell.jpg', you'd know you would find the correct picture high on the first page on Imgur.)</p><p> </p><p> So yeah, that about sums it up. It wouldn't be complicated, just boring. I really didn't ever expect anyone to volunteer to try and help me clean the thread up and so would never have even thought to suggest this, but since more than one person brought it up with no prompting from me I figured I might as well float the idea out there. Going through this with the help of even one additional person would make the task seem much less daunting, to say nothing of if there were multiples. If you're interested in helping with this you can let me know in here or via PM, or if you have any suggestions to add, feel free. And DON"T feel pressured or obligated to do this! I feel weird even asking, but the posts from K-Nection and Rateddc got the ball rolling, and here we are.</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>This has seen a huge outcry for support, I'm pretty impressed. Then again, your work will be incredibly missed if you were to call it a job, so I see where they're coming from. I completely see where you're coming from though, as you said it isn't just this game that's become unbearable to scroll through but the past ones as well.<p> </p><p> So I guess as Jerry Lawler would say, I'd hate to see you go but I'll like watching you leave... wait, that didn't come out right... <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> Yeah, I don't even want to go back and look at TGAAB or the old ROH diary right now. That would be seriously depressing. <img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> Don't run from your feelings, bro! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></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>Thanks bud.....I'm not the best at image manipulation (I'm working on it) but my cut game is coming along nicely (in my opinion). PM me details when you get a chance.<p> </p><p> TFC I hope you burry the hatchet on this photobucket thing and who knows... maybe if I ever accumulate enough free time I might help you with changing pics. I can quote any page and see what links you use and what you need to change them to. It might be a project I would like to call Make TFC's Dynasties pretty again!!!</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rateddc" data-cite="Rateddc" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>As someone you inspired to start their own game on here I can safely say I'd chip in if it'd help you keep this going.</div></blockquote><p> Hmm...</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="tg01" data-cite="tg01" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Totally understandable with what you are feeling, but I truly hope this is not the end. I was sad when Wildfire1324 stopped writing, but you managed to pick up the torch and run with it and filled that spot, just would not be the same if you stop writing.</div></blockquote><p> That hit me right in the feels, bro. <img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I still miss Wildfire's work. As I've said many times, he was my inspiration to first try my hand at this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="KnowYourEnemy" data-cite="KnowYourEnemy" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Sh!t. I'm really sad to see you go. I hope you come back. <p> </p><p> Honestly, this whole photobucket thing really blows. They won't even let us drag + drop the images to imugur any more. I don't think I'll ever forgive the company for this stunt -- my only hope is that someday, they'll learn the err of their ways. </p><p> </p><p> This community has always will be a blessing, even with this temporary setback.</p></div></blockquote><p> I'm not ruling it out or anything. If the mood strikes and the right scenario comes along, it could happen.</p><p> </p><p> I'm guessing Photobucket will be shut down within the next two to three years. A move like this suggests to me that their previous ad-based structure wasn't working for them, and I can't imagine hardly anyone would actually pay $400 a year for their service.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="smartman" data-cite="smartman" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I too hope that you'll come back. Honestly, uploading to Imagr took me all of about 20 minutes, which was mainly finding the right pics. If you just drag them out to a separate folder first (copy and paste), it won't take any time. The only downside is that the links are named jibberish, unlike Photobucket so you'll have to copy and paste them into a word folder.<p> </p><p> We've lost some amazing diary writers over the years, and I'd hate to see one of the best go.</p></div></blockquote><p> I'm sure it wouldn't take me all that long to get set with the pictures I'd be using going forward. My problem is that everything I've done to this point is now broken, and I'm not going to go back and fix it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="eldandythedoubter" data-cite="eldandythedoubter" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Can we get an epilogue of the rest of the year?</div></blockquote><p> Eh, maybe. It's kind of hard because some stuff wasn't really set in stone. Even the main event of this year's Starrcade wasn't locked in.</p><p> </p><p> (The main event of Starrcade <em>2004</em> was pretty much decided, though. <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-username="Danny_H22" data-cite="Danny_H22" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>You are the reason I purchased the game and I was gripped by your dynasty. Sorry to see you leave</div></blockquote><p> I'm glad you enjoyed my work that much (and I'm sure Adam Ryland is too!)</p><p> </p><p> Thanks for the kind words, guys. It sucks that this happened, but it is what it is. In the meantime, I'm just waiting for Steam to upload the Bryan Danielson CAW I just finished on the new Fire Pro. Nothing to brighten people's days like elbows and Cattle Mutilations! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="odan" data-cite="odan" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm guessing by the lack of updates. the whole photobucket debacle has claimed another victim?<p> </p><p> would be a terrible shame, i loved reading this dynasty. <img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> Not 100% certain yet, but probably. Photobucket essentially wrecking not just this, but my old ROH dynasty and TGAAB that I worked on for years apiece has kind of soured me on everything. I'm not sure that I'll be back, for this or anything else.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="jjohns44" data-cite="jjohns44" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>news just broke that Austin Aries was released from WWE today! I am surprised because I thought the staff backstage was high on him and his work.</div></blockquote><p> It sounds like he requested it.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="jjohns44" data-cite="jjohns44" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Writing is on the wall. Another team seems to be on the way to split. <strong>They are going to push Chad Gable as a singles and leave Jason Jordan out of the equation.</strong> Vince seems to hate tag teams</div></blockquote><p> I haven't watched in months, but I'd imagine it'll be the other way around.</p>

<p>August 2002: 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>August 28th, 2002</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> I picked up my phone with a smile and placed a call to Stamford. This was going to be fun.</p><p> </p><p> "What do you want, Bret?" came a gruff voice on the other line.</p><p> </p><p> "You sound angry, Vince. Get some bad news?"</p><p> </p><p> "Very funny," he grumbled. "You're a real comedian, pal. Almost as funny as the jokers who wrote that rag sheet."</p><p> </p><p> "'You sound awfully upset about this so-called 'rag sheet'," I teased.</p><p> </p><p> "I know it's garbage, and you do too," he insisted. "But there are people in the business world, investors and advertisers and such, who give it more weight than it deserves. THAT'S why I'm upset."</p><p> </p><p> "It's only the most respected wrestling publication in the world. Clearly people should just ignore it," I said derisively. "Still, it's a pretty big story, huh? You're demoted from International to National, AND New Japan rises from Cult to National on the same day? Looks like that monopoly you've always wanted might be slipping through your fingers."</p><p> </p><p> "In your dreams. New Japan is a tiny little insect compared to us, and I'll squash them beneath my boot soon enough. We'll do the same to you as well, if you ever even make it to 'National' status in that worthless dirt sheet."</p><p> </p><p> "Oh, we'll make it there," I said confidently. "I have every confidence that we'll be there before the year is out. And you can try and pretend you're not worried about New Japan, or us, but I don't buy it for a second. You're in for a fight, old man."</p><p> </p><p> He cut the connection rather than replying, but it didn't affect my good mood at all. Vince likes to think that he's some creative genius that's operating on a different level from everyone else in this business, but stories like this are a much-needed wound to his pride. WWE is still the unquestioned number one, but there are chinks in the armor. </p><p> </p><p> He thought the war was over last year. He's dead wrong.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg</span><p> <span>http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww224/kevincumpton/SummerSlam_2002_Poster_zpsgd2srbsu.png</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The 'biggest event of the summer' was held on August 25th in a sold-out Madison Square Garden. It was a decent show, though below the level of most of their recent PPVs (clearly better than WrestleMania though.) Hogan lost to Eddie Guerrero in the WWE title match...but retained the title because the match ended via count out. That match was only third from the top though, as after a buffer IC title match between Rikishi and Rhyno, Kurt Angle retained the ECW title against reigning King of the Ring Undertaker in the main event. That was one of the better matches of the night, but Jericho and Michaels stole the show in a midcard match won by Chris. The show also featured three title changes: Juvi won the Light Heavyweight title in a 4-way against Funaki, Jerry Lynn and X-Pac, Lita took the Women's title in a 3-way with Jacqueline and Chyna, and the Dudleys won the tag belts for the fourth time in a 3-way against Edge & Christian and Steve Blackman and Brian Christopher. Scott Hall looked like he was seriously messed up on something during his match with Kane; I wonder how long he'll stick around there? It was also obvious that WWE's decision to try and get younger at the commentary position hasn't been the brighest. Tazz is just not fit to be the color guy for the biggest company in the world.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Chyna is apparently dating Billy Gunn now. I wonder how Hunter feels about that.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> My God, Vince is such a child. He had his lackeys write up some goofy article on the company website mocking Michinoku Pro as a second-rate joke promotion. The company has rightly received some backlash for it, with the hardcore Internet fanbase coming down on them hard for this ridiculous stunt against a company that's a tiny fraction of WWE's size. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>In a pre-show match, Daffney and LuFisto seemed to work really well together as a tag team. With Akira Hokuto in rehab, maybe this gives me a new direction to go with Daffney.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Alexis Laree suffered some damage to her rotator cuff in that same dark match. It thankfully won't require surgery and the doctors tell me she could work through it if need be, but I'd rather keep her out of the ring until she's fully healed. I've given her a month off for now, but she likely won't be 100% by then.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>NJPW finally took their IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles off of Tenzan and Kojima. The over two-year reign ended with a bang, as Kensuke Sasaki and Manabu Nakanishi dethroned the longtime champions in the main event of New Japan's weekly TV show in a fantastic match. This is Nakanishi's third reign with the titles, as he previously won them with Kojima and Yuji Nagata. It's the eighth reign for Sasaki, who has held the belts with numerous different partners. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/HLY8nvy.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>NOAh held their Vengeance of Pride PPV on August 25th. It was a very good show, one of their stronger PPV efforts so far this year. Misawa continues to be the unquestioned top performer in the company even after dropping the belt, as his win over Yoshihiro Takayama in the third-to-last match was clearly the best thing on the show. The main event was pretty good as well, with Akira Taue retaining the GHC Heavyweight title against Yoshinari Ogawa.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/1eeVS9d.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Magnum Tokyo, a talented junior heavyweight trainee of Ultimo Dragon who has been splitting time between Toryumon and Big Japan, suffered a torn rotator cuff during a match with Ricky Marvin on a recent Toryumon show. It'll apparently keep him out for about a year, which is bad news for him as well as the promotions he works for.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Both of the Buschwackers have retired. Good guys. Kind of funny that Vince turned them into comedy figures after they spent most of their careers playing bloodthirsty heels. </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>See what happens when you take so long to post Nitro! <img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I'm joking btw.<p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> I'm truly pumped for WAR GAMES!!!</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="michgcs" data-cite="michgcs" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It wouldn't have gone that long if you hadn't taken your sweet time posting the next batch of shows, buddy! <p> </p><p> (and I feel like this is partly my fault LOL)</p><p> </p><p> I can see Booker joining Flair's Faction for some reason, just so he can say he made it to the main event. I still expect The Empire to win at this point, though. AmDrag vs. Daniels sounds like fun, too.</p></div></blockquote><p> You act like I went months without posting. There were only eight days between the Supershow and this batch of TV shows. <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>August 2002: Road to War Games, Part I</p><p> </p><p> <em>((I interrupt this discussion on the legal drinking age to return to our regularly scheduled programming. </em><img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><em>))</em></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>August 19th, 2002</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From Hartford, Connecticut</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 7,600</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> Billy Kidman and Psychosis had an entertaining cruiserweight match to open the show, won by Psychosis when he caught Kidman with a La Magistral Cradle. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Scott Steiner promo on The Unnatural: "You can't run from me forever, you damn freak! Sooner or later I'm gonna get my hands on you, and you ain't never gonna be the same!" <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The newest member of The Empire, Chuck Palumbo (with Tammy Sytch in his corner) dominated local rookie Eddie Edwards and finished him with the Spinning Bossman Slam we're now calling 'Thrill Ride.' <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Sean O'Haire rushes the ring with vengeance on his mind, but Palumbo flees before his ex-partner can strike. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Booker T promo: "The Japan Supershow was the Booker T show, dawg! I'm the leader of this company, and everybody better start givin' me my respect!" <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Veteran Dave Taylor resurfaced for one night to take on Jamie Knoble. It was a very technically-sound bout, with Knoble earning a submission via the Guillotine Choke. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> DDP interview; he and Bobby Heenan discuss the behind-the-scenes issues between Dallas and Kimberly with the end of their marriage. DDP says he wants to keep that part of his life separate from his career, but he doesn't know what Kimberly's thinking or why she showed up during his match at Bash at the Beach. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Video footage of Rick Steiner eliminating Davey Boy Smith to win a pre-show battle royal at the Japan Supershow; as a result of that victory, Steiner is being given a United States title shot against Shane Douglas at the next PPV on September 22nd. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Mike Sanders simply couldn't handle the speed of Hayabusa; the masked man beat him handily with the Phoenix Splash. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Jung Dragons attack Hayabusa after the match. Hayashi and Yang perform tandem diving sentons off the top rope as Stacy Keibler smiles and claps from the aisle. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Eric Bischoff comes to the ring to finally answer Ric Flair's challenge. "You want War Games, Ric? You want The Empire in "the match beyond?" We've got nothing to fear from you, old man! I accept your challenge!" <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> In a battle of powerhouse wrestlers, Davey Boy Smith was the stronger against Shawn Stasiak. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> New Cruiserweight Champion American Dragon cuts a celebratory promo backstage with the belt around his waist until Chavo Guerrero Jr. angrily interrupts. "After all I did for you, this is the thanks I get?" he complains. He advises Dragon to watch and learn, because tonight he and Shane Helms will be victorious in the main event against The Hardys! <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Vignette: Rob Van Dam is signing autographs for fans when he's attacked by Mortis! The Flatliner through the autograph table renders RVD unconscious, after which Mortis says that if Rob won't join them and accept Salvation, he will take it upon himself to destroy him! <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> As promoted by Chavo earlier, he and Shane Helms took on the Hardys in non-title action in the main event of the night. The talents of Helms and Guerrero made this an entertaining bout, but there was no answer for the tag team experience of the brothers Hardy. After the champions reeled off several combination moves, Jeff held Chavo off and Matt beat Helms with the Twist of Fate. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Hardys are still having their hands raised when they're attacked from behind by True Heroes! Punk and Storm drop the champions and pose with the belts. <strong>(B)</strong></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> <span>http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Booker came down to the ring, unannounced and uninvited as Mike and I were preparing (or pretending, kayfabe) to sign off for the night. He said that the show wasn't over until the champ said it was over, and he wasn't leaving until Arn Anderson came down to the ring.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/zAUQMDu.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Out came the commish, who didn't look amused about being ordered around. Booker paced around the ring as he aired his grievances.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em><em><strong>"You done screwed with me long enough, Arn, and it needs to stop, man! Earlier tonight I heard Bischoff come out and accept Ric Flair's challenge to a War Games match. Hey, that's great, man! Flair and The Empire can beat the hell outta each other inside those two rings and rip each other's flesh apart in the cage. They can do that all night for all I care! But that match ain't stealin' the spotlight from Booker T! I'm the champ, dawg, and you betta not be plannin' on bumpin' me out of MY main event spot for that freak show!"</strong></em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Booker was really good here; he's embraced this neurotic, insecure "top guy" character and made it his own. Arn's response was calm and measured. First, he complimented Booker on a hard-fought successful title defense against Kensuke Sasaki in Japan. He proved on that night that he's a worthy champion and deserves his position in the company. But as for September 22nd, Arn had some bad news.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em><em><strong>"You're the champ, Book, and nobody's going to deny it. But War Games is a spectacle. War Games is something special. This War Games match is front page news, and it's going to be in the main event of the PPV, which will appropriately be titled 'War Games.'</strong></em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> That set Booker off, of course. He got right in Arn's face and said this was a travesty.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em><em><strong>"This ain't happenin', Arn! I'm not takin' a damn back seat again! You wanna put War Games in the main event? Fine, knock yourself out, man! But if I ain't needed to defend my title in the main event of the PPV, then I ain't needed at all! So if that's the way it's gonna be, then I ain't showin' up, sucka!"</strong></em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Grade: B+</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/pBTSX2H.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Taped immediately after Nitro</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Disco Inferno beat Air Paris. <strong>(C-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Cash defeated Eddie Edwards. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Etsuko Mita and Eric Bischoff cut a promo about Mita remaining the premiere women's wrestler after beating Akira Hokuto at the Supershow. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Sean O'Haire's size and athleticism won out over the mat wrestling skills of Dave Taylor. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> O'Haire post match promo: "Chuck...I'm coming for you." <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: C</span></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/u9bsFuK.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong>August 26th, 2002</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 8,900</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> In Fit Finlay's second title defense he had to deal with Jamie Knoble. Knoble spent most of the match proving his own technical skills to be superior to Finlay's, but the champion took control with some roughhouse brawling and retained his title. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Backstage: The Unnatural tells Scott Steiner that if he wants a match with him, he can have it. "Do not let the paint fool you, Mr. Pump. If it is a war you want at War Games, then it is a war you shall have." <strong>(A*)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Psychosis is being interviewed by Bobby Heenan about his desire to become a 3-time Cruiserweight Champion when Billy Kidman interrupts. He congratulates Psychosis on getting the better of him last week, but says the result would be different if they had a rematch, <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Christopher Daniels defeated local wrestler Xavier in impressive fashion. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Post-match: Daniels runs through his resume since coming to WCW and declares that it is past time for God's gift to the cruiserweights to finally get his chance at the Cruiserweight Championship. American Dragon comes out and agrees with him, so as long as the matchmaking committee approves it, Daniels is next in line. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Stacy Keibler and the Jung Dragons gloat about their attack on Hayabusa last week and say that the result at the Japan Supershow was merely a blip on the radar. <strong>(D+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> In their first match since Bash at the Beach, True Heroes ran right through Air Paris and Jason Jett. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Post-match: True Heroes let the Hardys know that the honeymoon is over, their fifteen minutes of fame are up, and the true champions are coming to take their belts back! <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> In a #1 contender's match for the World Women's Championship, Manami Toyota outlasted Takako Inoue and finished her with the Ocean Cyclone Suplex to earn another title shot at Etsuko Mita. <strong>(B)</strong> </p><p> </p><p> Mita and Eric Bischoff step out into the aisle after the match and let Toyota know that Toyota's second title shot won't go any better than her first: she'll leave empty-handed again. Manami points out that their match at the Great American Bash ended in a no contest thanks to the interference of Chaos, and promises that this time she'll win and take that title before anyone else can even think about interfering. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Davey Boy Smith is being interviewed by Bobby Heenan about coming back from some personal problems and trying to rebuild his career here in WCW when he's cut off by the music of the Disco Inferno. "Nobody came here to listen to you tell your boring life story in that terrible accent--these people came to see the Disco Inferno dance!" Disco is all smiles as he busts out his dance moves, but Davey is not amused. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Douglas sat in on color and observed as his next challenger, Rick Steiner, hit a top rope bulldog to defeat Buff Bagwell. <strong>(C-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Backstage: Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo are brawling backstage. Several wrestlers and officials pull O'Haire off as Corino and TAKA of The Empire escort Chuck to safety. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Booker T is summoned to Arn Anderson's office. Arn says that if Booker wants to pass up on a PPV pay day by refusing to defend his title at War Games, so be it. But that doesn't mean he'll get out of defending his title. Next week there will be a battle royal, and the winner of that battle royal will challenge Booker for the title in two weeks right here on Nitro! Booker scoffs and says at least he'll actually get to be the main event of Nitro that week. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Jeff Hardy went one-on-one with Mortis in the main event of the evening. It was an even match until Lance Storm came down the aisle. While the ref cut Storm off and warned him not to get involved, CM Punk came in through the other side and hit the Devil Lock DDT on Hardy. Mortis picked up the pieces, hitting the Flatliner to win the match. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Mortis appears prepared to bash Hardy with a chair after the match, until RVD runs to the ring. After a standoff, RVD challenges Mortis to a rematch at War Games and says that since it ended in a DQ last time, this time they should make it no DQ. Mortis accepts the challenge, saying that no rules will make it that much easier for him to destroy Van Dam. <strong>(A*)</strong></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> <span>http://i.imgur.com/u4Nhu66.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/LuHGjH3.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/cxjgZpP.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/I7app7W.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/cCdOWIq.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Our closing segment of the show saw Ric Flair and Sting come out to the ring. Sting confirmed that he would be fighting by Ric's side in War Games. He'd been in more than a few War Games matches himself, he knows what the match is all about and the price a man has to pay inside that cage, but it's worth it to oppose Eric Bischoff and prevent him from gaining any more power here in WCW. Sting was good here, but this segment wasn't really about him.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Flair took the microphone and said that while he, Sting and two partners were going to be stepping inside the match beyond against The Empire, this has always been about the personal animosity and hatred between himself and Eric Bischoff. Since he knew Bischoff wouldn't be man enough to fight in the match himself like JJ Dillon had sometimes done back in the Horsemen days, Ric had a proposal to make sure this will truly be the end. If--</em><em><strong>when</strong></em><em>--his team wins, the rest of The Empire leaves the cage, the rest of Flair's team leaves the cage, and Bischoff steps inside it. The door is locked, and for five minutes he and Bischoff are in there, just the two of them, with no backup and no corporate protection and no threats of legal action. Just two men, if Bischoff can really be called a man, surrounded by a steel prison and free to do whatever they liked to each other. Ric was really good tonight as well, getting the crowd into it as Bischoff and The Empire appeared on the big screen.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> From their locker room, King Corino taunted both Flair and Sting alike. Sure, they'd been in plenty of War Games matches in the past, but this wasn't about the past. It was about the future, and The Empire was going to be at the forefront of that future. Corino was pretty bad tonight, with some unconvincing dialogue. He was really the only negative about this promo, but thankfully things picked right back up when Bischoff took over. With regards to Flair's proposal, he suggested that Ric be careful what he wished for. Eric might not be a wrestler, but he was a fighter and a skilled martial artist, so five minutes inside a cage might not go the way Flair expected it to. He declared that he was not afraid of Flair, but he did a great job with his facial expressions, making it clear that this was just false bravado. He cleared his throat and said that even if he had nothing to fear by agreeing to Ric's proposal, he had nothing to GAIN from it either. He would be a poor businessman if he accepted a wager without receiving something in return.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Name your price, Bischoff!" Flair shouted. "You want my cars? They're yours! You want my ring robes? They're yours! All the title belts I've earned throughout my career? Yours! My house? Yours! This Rolex I'm wearing? Yours!" He took the watch off and tossed it on the mat for emphasis. "You love to talk about my bank account and all the money I've spent. I've still got quite a bit left even after all these decades being the Nature Boy, but if you want, I'll take every last dime I've got and give it to you. Your guys win, and you can take it all!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Eric smirked and shook his head. "I don't want your cars or your house, and I wouldn't be caught dead with those ridiculous robes! I don't want your money either. I've got money of my own. There's only one thing you have that's of any value to me, Ric. There's only one thing that I want, and it's the only thing that has ever truly mattered to you. It's that thing you're standing in right now. The only place you've ever felt at home is inside that ring. Your legacy, your accomplishments, your reputation as the Nature Boy, it means more to you than any money or jets or limos ever have. You would be nothing without pro wrestling, Ric. And that's what I want: I want to reduce you to nothing. I want to take away the only thing that's ever mattered to you, and I want you to have to watch from the sidelines as The Empire and I remake this company, this BUSINESS, that you love so much. I'll accept your stipulation, Ric, but when we win, your career is OVER!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Eric was fantastic tonight, with just the right mix of smarmy, arrogant and vindictive. Ric's response was simple:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "You're on!" </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Grade: A*</strong></p><p> </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/pBTSX2H.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Taped immediately after Nitro</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Konnan defeated Alan Funk. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Disco Inferno beat Xavier. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The WCW matchmaking committee have confirmed that Christopher Daniels will challenge American Dragon for the Cruiserweight Title at War Games. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Helms beat Lash Leroux with the Vertebreaker. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> DDP says that since Kimberly hasn't returned his calls or responded to his emails so they can handle this in private, he's requesting a face-to-face meeting Monday on Nitro. <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>

Forgot to comment after reading the PPV! The Booker/Steiner match was presented really well. I got sucked into the story and at the end was thinking, "Man, Steiner, you got lucky!" I think we can all agree that whoever made the call for Booker to get that title shot is a creative mastermind.

August 2002: Japan Supershow Wrap-up and Hall of Champions <hr noshade size=3> Hall of Champions: World Heavyweight Champion: http://i.imgur.com/haJKoFv.jpg Booker T (5th reign) http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg Won: May 19th, 2002 from Rob Van Dam at Mayhem in Worcester, Massachusetts Previous Champions (since March 2001): Rob Van Dam: December 30th, 2001-May 19th, 2002 (140 days) Scott Steiner: July 15th, 2001-December 30th, 3001 (168 days) Booker T: March 26th, 2001-July 15th, 2001 (111 days) World Women's Champion: http://i.imgur.com/741TrEA.jpg Etsuko Mita http://i.imgur.com/cAw5Dl8.jpg Won: January 9th, 2002 against Zap I during the AJW Glass Grave Yard tour in Annaka, Japan after Aja Kong vacated the title when she left AJW ((Mita was the reigning WWWA World champion when AJW was bought out by WCW. The title was adopted into WCW with its lineage intact, and Mita was recognized as WCW's Women's World Champion.)) Previous Champions (since January 2002): None United States Heavyweight Champion: http://i.imgur.com/mitTbCm.jpg Shane Douglas (2nd reign) http://i.imgur.com/mS6Goca.jpg Won: April 1st, 2002 from Rey Misterio Jr. at Monday Nitro in Pikeville, Kentucky Previous Champions (since March 2001): Rey Misterio Jr (#2): October 14th, 2001-April 1st, 2002 (169 days) Kanyon: August 5th, 2001-October 14th, 2001 (70 days) Rey Misterio Jr: May 13th, 2001-August 5th, 2001 (85 days) Booker T: March 18th, 2001-April 30th, 2001 (44 days) Cruiserweight Champion: http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg American Dragon http://i.imgur.com/xJ35HqH.jpg Won: August 11th, 2002 from AJ Styles and Chavo Guerrro Jr. in a Three Way match at Japan Supershow in Nagoya, Japan Previous Champions (since March 2001): AJ Styles: April 21st, 2002-August 11th, 2002 (112 days) TAKA: December 30th, 2001-April 21st, 2002 (112 days) Jushin Liger: August 5th, 2001-December 30th, 2001 (147 days) Shane Helms: March 18th, 2001-August 5th, 2001 (140 days) World Television Champion: http://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg Fit Finlay (2nd reign) http://i.imgur.com/5Xhxf90.jpg Won: July 29th, 2002 in a tournament final against Hugh Morrus at Monday Nitro in Bozeman, Montana Previous Champions (since July 2002): None World Tag Team Champions: http://i.imgur.com/S0cu0uO.jpg The Hardys (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) http://i.imgur.com/YIpiDFE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/1tytiqE.jpg Won: July 14th, 2002 from True Heroes at Bash at the Beach in Melbourne, Australia Previous Champions (since March 2001): True Heroes (Lance Storm and CM Punk): December 30th, 2001-July 14th, 2002 (196 days) The Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire): January 14th, 2001-December 30th, 2001 (351 days) <hr noshade size=3>

<p>August 11th, 2002: Japan Supershow</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww224/kevincumpton/Japan%20Super%20Show%20LOGO_zps8vvssuq4.png</span><p> </p><p> <strong>August 11th, 2002</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Nagoya, Japan</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 11,000 (sell-out!)</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> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Tenay.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Hart.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Official Theme Song: "Cosmopolitan Bloodloss" by Glassjaw </strong></p><p> </p><p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P4F9SCY84K4?rel=0" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/P4F9SCY84K4?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>Manami Toyota vs. Shinobu Kandori</strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Toyota.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Kandori.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Both of these women are good workers, and are obviously more well-known here in Japan than back in the US, so I thought they'd be a good way to open the show and get the fans excited right away. The action wasn't bad, but unfortunately something about their styles just seemed to make this a bad matchup. I think the problem was that Shinobu's judo-based shoot style forced Toyota to work at a slower pace than she usually prefers. Manami is an elite level worker though, and she was able to lead the way and make sure the match still got the show off to a good start even if the match wasn't quite as good as I'd anticipated. She counted a Power Bomb with a Hurricanrana, then hit the Ocean Cyclone Suplex for the victory.</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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Hayashi.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Yang.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Keibler.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Asking Stacy Keibler to cut a promo in front of a Japanese audience would've been a recipe for disaster, so she just stood in the ring and posed while Hayashi and Yang did the talking. They called themselves the most underrated team in wrestling and the future World Tag Team Champions, and it didn't matter what team Arn Anderson was putting them against because they were going to get their hands raised once again. Both guys did fine with their promos, but Jimmy looked nervous and didn't really come across like a big time wrestler.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Hayabusa.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Shinzaki.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>The same could not be said for their opponents. Jinsei Shinzaki, formerly Hakushi in the WWF, got a nice reaction from the fans in Nagoya, but Hayabusa looked like an absolute star when you combine his music, ring gear, entrance and the pop from the old FMW faithful happy to see him back. </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>Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons (w/Stacy Keibler) </strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Hayabusa.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Shinzaki.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Hayashi.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Yang.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/SKeibler.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This match was built around high spots, as I figured the best way to utilize these four was to let them fly around at full-speed. I thought both teams performed well in that environment, wowing the fans with numerous spectacular aerial moves and dives to the floor. There were no weak links in this match, but Hayabusa stood above the pack as one of the best performers of the entire night. If we can get him over globally, he could be a big star and top talent for us. Shinzaki and Hayabusa came away with the win after Jinsei hit the Praying Powerbomb on Yang and Hayabusa followed with the Phoenix Splash. This won't be the last of this team either, as Jinsei will be sticking around WCW (though not exclusively.)</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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Cruiser.jpg</span><p> <strong>American Dragon vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. AJ Styles {©} </strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Dragon.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Chavo.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Styles.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>We didn't advertise it as such beforehand, but this match was under elimination rules. We didn't announce it because I went back and forth on that, but I went this way because I've never been a big fan of the idea that a champion could lose their title without actually suffering a loss. Anyway, with that setup, there wasn't the sense of urgency when it came to breaking up pinfall or submission attempts. Instead the story was built around Chavo trying to convince American Dragon that they needed to work together and eliminate AJ first, and then they could settle it between the two of them after that. Dragon went along with this to a certain extent, only for Chavo to commit a double-cross by rolling him up from behind. Dragon got a shoulder up just in time though, and in the blink of an eye he had Chavo in a Crossface Chickenwing. Chavo was too far from the ropes and couldn't find an escape, so he tapped out.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> It was down to AJ and Dragon, and while Chavo did perfectly fine tonight, I have to say the match gained steam at this point. These two amazing young athletes in their early 20's showed a glimpse of how bright the future of WCW is, because they had a captivating, back-and-forth athletic exchange. AJ blended aerial moves and high-impact throws and slams, while Dragon focused mainly on submission grappling. Dragon had AJ on his stomach and was attempting to lock in his Arms Across America submission, but AJ was struggling and not letting him complete his forward bridge. Dragon improvised, using his grip on the arms to roll AJ into a modified crucifix-style pin. He got the three and won the championship to cap off a very good match. Much like the elimination setup, this result wasn't something set in stone. I considered all three guys to potentially win, but I think this was the best result for our future plans.</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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Kojima.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Tenzan.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>TenKoji cut a backstage promo. It would be more accurate to say that Kojima cut a promo while Tenzan admired his shiny new G1 Climax trophy. Kojima made note of that big victory for Tenzan. Between that trophy and the IWGP tag team titles, the two of them were in the habit of collecting hardware. But there was always room for more. He made it clear that TenKoji were not underestimating the Hardys. They knew Matt and Jeff were a great team and beating them tonight would not be easy. But TenKoji was the best tag team in the world. All of the New Japan fans had known this for years, and tonight WCW fans would learn it as well.</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>Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis (w/Father Isaac)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/RVD.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Mortis.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/SIsaac.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>My god, RVD is over in Japan! This crowd popped huge for every single thing he did. And a good thing too, because there were several things that hurt this match a bit. For one, Rob wasn't at his sharpest. Some of his stuff looked a little sloppy and his timing was off in spots, but he's so over that I don't think it was anything other than a minor blip. A bigger issue was the match's failure to tell an appreciable story. Instead it was more a series of moves, though with RVD's kicks and acrobatics and Kanyon's cool-looking throws, at least it was an entertaining series of moves. Maybe they could've told a better story if the match had been longer.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> RVD had things going his way after hitting a step-over spinning heel kick, but just when he went to the top rope for the Five Star Frog Splash...</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Unnatural.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The Unnatural ran down and shoved Rob off the top rope for a DQ.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Both members of Salvation put the boots to RVD as Isaac cheered them on. Even without Destroyer, who was busy preparing for his US title shot later in the night, the 2-on-1 attack was poised to do a number on Van Dam.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/SSteiner.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Scott Steiner, returning from his injury angle/appearance in New Japan's G1 Climax, lumbered down to the ring. Salvation retreated before Big Poppa Pump could do any damage. In a nice little twist, Steiner didn't check on RVD or pay even the slightest attention to him, because they aren't friends and he only came out to try and get his hands on The Unnatural. This was a good segment continuing off of the finish, and I think a lot of it can be attributed to the fans loving RVD and getting really heated as he was being attacked.</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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Womens.jpg</span><p> <strong>Akira Hokuto (w/Daffney) vs. Etsuko Mita {©} (w/Eric Bischoff) </strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/SDaffney.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Hokuto.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Mita.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/SBischoff.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Our second women's match of the night started at a built-in disadvantage because both women are heels, and it was further diminished by Mita. The champion had an off night, hurting the momentum of what was supposed to be an all-out match with a couple of key botches. Hokuto is a very strong worker though, plus this match got a bigger reaction than our women's matches can hope to get anywhere outside of Japan at this point. Thus, despite the factors working against it, this was the best women's match we've had since bringing the division back. It gives me hope for the future of our division and the show I'm hoping to launch, especially since we'll be running it exclusively in Japan to begin with.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> This match was largely built around Mita attempting to hit the Death Valley Driver, with the 17-year vet Hokuto always having a counter or escape ready. Mita and Bischoff were frustrated at her inability to hit her premiere offensive move, but she showed she's not a one trick pony by surviving everything Akira could throw at her, including a Superplex and a Northern Lights Bomb. Daffney decided to swing things in her partner's favor by climbing onto the apron and spitting her poison mist while the referee argued with Bischoff, but Mita saw it coming and got out of the way--Daffney accidentally hit her own partner with the mist! With Hokuto blinded, Mita was finally able to hit the DVD and retain the 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;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Luger2.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Katarina.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Okerlund.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>We aired a brief vignette of the Flex Express touring Japan, with Lex having Gene pull the bus over frequently so he could get out and pose in front of bewildered Japanese citizens. This was designed as brief filler, and it did what I wanted it to. This unfortunately might be the end of the road for the Flex Express (pun fully intended), but that's a story for another time.</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>Natural Born Thrillers vs. The Empire (w/Eric Bischoff) </strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/OHaire.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Palumbo.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Corino.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Taka.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/SBischoff.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Palumbo, as per usual, was the weak link of this match. He's not bad, but O'Haire is the star of this team, and Chuck is nowhere near the performer of either of the guys on the other team. I don't think we lost anything in subbing out Candido for TAKA, especially in Japan. Even though the action was secondary to the story in this match, I was really surprised at how much this got over. This match truly exceeded my expectations.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The Thrillers physically dominated early on, but The Empire was able to take O'Haire's legs out from under him and get some heat going. They focused on the legs and stranded him in their half of the ring, until Sean finally bought himself some time by catching TAKA out of mid-air and launching him with a Fallaway Slam. He slowly crawled to the corner and extended his hand to tag in Palumbo.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Except Palumbo had his back turned, apparently staring into the crowd for some reason. O'Haire shouted to get his attention, and he turned back around. O'Haire, now on his feet, held his hand out. Palumbo stared at him---then punched him right on the jaw! O'Haire was rocked back by the blow, and then TAKA hit a Springboard Dropkick to the back of the head that knocked him down. Palumbo entered the ring and gave O'Haire a few stomps to the weakened leg before picking him up, shooting him into the ropes and hitting a Spinning Bossman Slam. From there he simply stood and watched as TAKA made the cover. Palumbo's heel turn was very effective, maybe because most people thought the Thrillers might break up last month and weren't expecting it as much now.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Bischoff entered the ring and gave Palumbo a hug before telling all three guys to "get him." Corino, TAKA and Palumbo gave the fallen and defenseless O'Haire a triple team beating. Corino was good here, doing some believable-looking damage to O'Haire's knee that made the segment more heated. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Flair.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Sting.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Ric Flair and Sting ran down the ramp and came to O'Haire's aid, chasing The Empire off. The Empire retreated up the aisle, but were happy with their handiwork as Corino and Bischoff each raised one of Palumbo's arms in the air.</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>Wataru Inoue vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels</strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Wataru.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Daniels.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Inoue's a decent worker, but he's fairly low in the NJPW pecking order. We could've gotten a better and more highly anticipated match if we'd brought in somebody like Liger or Koji Kanemoto in this spot, but this match was basically just a platform to get Daniels on the PPV and give him another win as we continue to try and heat him up. This match was about Daniels, and so was the performance as he led the way and more or less carried Inoue here. Inoue got in pockets of offense here and there, but Daniels won convincingly with the Last Rites in another match that was better than I expected. </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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Tag.jpg</span><p> <strong>TenKoji vs. The Hardys {©} </strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Kojima.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Tenzan.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/MHardy.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/JHardy.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Learning from the lessons of last month, I made sure to tell these four guys to pace themselves and try to build up to a dramatic climax. While I thought all four of them did pretty well at handling those instructions, the match was missing a certain something. It was great, but the story didn't fully fall into place and draw the maximum investment out of the fans the way that most truly classic matches do. Some of my aides insisted that Jeff was really off his game tonight. Maybe it's true that he messed something up here or there, but when his overall performance is still off the charts and better than anyone else on the entire show, is there really any room to complain? There was no weak link though. All four of these guys are very good, and they proved it tonight.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> This was a nice change of pace from the Hardys' great matches with True Heroes, since Tenzan and Kojima work a very different style. They performed lots of strikes, slams and suplexes, showcasing their abilities as big-time puroresu heavyweight stars. The Hardys responded with their usual crowd-pleasing, fast-paced offense, filled with high-risk moves and double team combinations. It was a very even match the entire way through, as I wanted to protect our relationship with NJPW by making sure that their top tag team felt like the equals of our own champs. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> We teased a title change several times, including a dramatic moment where Tenzan seemingly had Jeff beaten with a Diving Headbutt only for Matt to leap over a defending Kojima to make the save. In the end though I think most realized there wasn't much chance of a switch since Kojima and Tenzan are both full time with NJPW (maybe that hurt the drama of the match slightly?), and so it didn't come as much of a surprise when the Extreme Combination finished Kojima off. </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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/US.jpg</span><p> <strong>The Destroyer (w/Father Isaac) vs. Shane Douglas {©} </strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/SIsaac.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Destroyer.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Douglas2.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This was the second all-heel match of the night. That's not ideal, but I didn't feel like there were any compelling face challengers set up for Douglas, at least not ones that I was prepared to put him against for this particular show. So we got this match. I thought it made for an interesting dynamic in the build, and that carried over into the match as well. Neither guy was doing much to try and get cheered; Douglas was playing the cautious and tactical champion, and even if Destroyer's power moves could get him cheered under other circumstances, his brutal tactics plus Father Isaac's sinister presence had him firmly entrenched as a heel. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Something about it just worked though. Shane and Mike seemed to know just what to do and just when to do it as far as bringing out the best in each other. I think the psychology of the match was hurt some just because both guys' styles are designed to get their opponents cheered, but I was satisfied with the end product here.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> With two heels fighting over a championship, there was a good bet that the match would end under less than honorable circumstances. Sure enough, Douglas poked Destroyer in the eyehole of his mask as he was being lifted into the air for the Destruction Bomb. That was all the opening Shane needed to hit a quick DDT and pin his challenger.</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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/World.jpg</span><p> <strong>Kensuke Sasaki vs. Booker T {©} </strong></p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Sasaki.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/vs.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Booker2.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>A pre-match video was used to showcase the accomplishments of Kensuke Sasaki and build him as a legit threat to our home viewers watching outside Japan.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>No such build was needed for the fans in Nagoya. They know all about Sasaki, who has been amongst the upper echelon of New Japan for years. They treated him like a star very much on Booker's level, and at least in Japan, that's accurate. As a result, the fans were very into this one. The action itself was very strong too. They went well over thirty minutes of a match that was largely called in the ring. Sasaki has a reputation of being very good at putting matches together, and he lived up to it tonight. This match built perfectly and was psychologically sound. Combine the action, the story, the pacing and the hot crowd, and this was a fantastic match. Best of the night for sure, and one of the four or five best we've put on so far this year.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The build to this match was about Booker being so arrogant and dismissive of Sasaki that he rarely even mentioned him by name in his promos, so naturally we had Kensuke dominate early on to prove himself. On commentary, Mike and I sold the idea that Booker's behavior in the previous weeks had all been an act; he knew full well how good Sasaki was, and he knew that he would need to be at his best to retain his title tonight. He did a lot of mat wrestling work early on to try and avoid Kensuke's powerful slams and suplexes, and I thought he upped his game in that department with some improved technical skills. Another key component of the story here was Booker, having been on the receiving end of Sasaki's Volcanic Eruption on the go-home Nitro, was trying to avoid that particular move at all costs, even if it meant bailing out to the floor and stalling. It was all for naught though, as in a really cool moment Sasaki caught him on a Harlem Sidekick and turned it into the Volcanic Eruption! The Japanese fans counted along as Nick Patrick counted once, twice...</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> ...but Booker got a foot on the bottom rope just before three. That was as close as Kensuke would come to the title, because a few minutes later Booker ducked a lariat and executed a backslide that Sasaki, in his exhaustion, just couldn't quite escape before the three count. (So a clean finish, but a somewhat lucky flash pin to protect Sasaki on his home turf.) </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><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> </p><p> </p><p> Credit as always to the legendary K-Nection for the poster.</p>

This was my first thought as well, but unfortunately I don't think it's going to be a viable option. I played around and tested a bit by actually buying out GAEA as a developmental territory and seeing what I could do with it, but as best I can tell, I can't use any of their workers on my main roster by doing this.

<p>August 2002: Pre-Japan Supershow 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>I put down the latest copy of the Observer and took a sip of water, deep in thought.<p> </p><p> Reports are that despite consistently putting on quality shows, GAEA, the last major joshi promotion still standing in Japan, are in deep financial trouble. Barring a miracle, it's expected that they'll go out of business within the next few months. I was disappointed, though not necessarily surprised, to read this. I'd planned on rekindling a working arrangement with them down the road, but that seems like a pointless gesture at this point. It'll be a massive blow to the future of women's wrestling, particularly in Japan, but that's not something I have any control over. What I do have control over is what this means in the immediate future of WCW and our own women's division.</p><p> </p><p> If GAEA is really as bad off as these reports indicate, I have no doubt that Chigusa Nagayo will be willing to sell the company and its assets off to me. We'd have to cover their debts as well, but that's a minor thing for us with our profit margins. But is this in our best interest?</p><p> </p><p> On the surface it feels like a no brainer, especially since I'm hoping to give the women their own hourly TV show coming up in the fall. Said show would be held exclusively in Japan, at least to begin with, and buying GAEA would give our division a boost in both talent and star quality (especially in Japan.) Adding the likes of Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue and Mariko Yoshida would be a major plus to our division as we make preparations for the new show. On the other hand, I worry that if I go through with this, our Western fanbase could be turned off by a women's division that is made up of 50% or more Japanese workers. But then again, maybe having a greater variety of talented workers to wrestle regularly will help the development of the likes of Alexis Laree, Melissa and Katarina.</p><p> </p><p> I have a lot to consider, and I'm not entirely decided on the best course of action. Whatever decision I make, I need to make it soon.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/WCW.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Very disappointing news, as Chris Candido failed a test for pain killers after the July 29th Nitro. This was his second issue with drugs (the first being a failure for hard drugs in November.) I was lenient on him before but this time I felt a message needed to be sent, so I suspended him for a month and replaced him with TAKA in the PPV tag match against Palumbo and O'Haire. I'm not sure how effective the message was though, because he and Tammy were both pretty upset when they left. That's just too bad. I've invested a lot in him, and he's more over now than he's ever been in his career. Stuff like this is just unacceptable.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> TAKA, Air Paris and Shannon Moore all approached me about pay raises. I like TAKA and am pleased with his performance so I agreed to give him 75% of what he asked for, which made him happy. Shannon has some value so I gave him 50% of what he asked for, which he took even if he was hoping for more. Air Paris is nothing but a jobber so I refused him outright. He's very upset about that. Oh well. Maybe I'll just fire him, because it's not like it'd be hard to find somebody else to fill that spot. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/WWE.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Stevie Richards broke his pelvis and will be out for a couple of months.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Highly-touted prospect Brock Lesnar made his main roster debut on the episode of Heat taped on July 22nd. What did Vince do with this incredible athlete? He jobbed him to Crash Holly. No, I'm serious. The Hollys beat Lesnar and Juventud Guerrera in a tag match. Genius.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/NJPW.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>NJPW held the conclusion of their annual G1 Climax tournament on August 6th. Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Riki Choshu in the finals to win the tournament for the first time, so we'll be sure to make mention of that during his match at our PPV. Choshu is a legend, but he's 50 years old and has definitely seen better days, so that match wasn't as good as a lot of others in the tournament. The best match of the entire tournament was Tenzan's win over his partner Satoshi Kojima, which was a great match. The tournament also featured Scott Steiner, who we sent over as part of an exchange for the NJPW guys we're using on our PPV.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/USA.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>You could really put this in either the US or Japan sections. I put it in the US, but it actually happened in Japan. On a show on Zero-One's 'Circuit' tour on July 18th, Shinya Hashimoto won the NWA World title from Keiji Sakoda. I kind of figured they'd put the title on an American to go with the recent launch of the TNA group, but the move to Hashimoto is a good one. Sakoda's a good worker; Hashimoto's a great one. He's a much bigger star in Japan too, so it should make the belt feel like a bigger deal over there.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Rick Bassman's UPW is the latest company to go out of business. They generally put on pretty good shows considering their size, but they just couldn't seem to grow their audience and draw a crowd to their product. At one point they served as a feeder promotion for Vince, but with both HWA and OVW filling that role, there wasn't any real need for a third child company. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/NOAH.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>NOAH's big PPV of the month fell on July 27th. It was a pretty good show; about the median for them really, as it was better than some of their recent PPVs but not at the heights they routinely hit when Misawa was champion. No main event title defense this time; champion Akira Taue actually didn't even appear on the show, so I guess they wanted to give him a little rest. The main event was just fine without him though, as Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa beat Vader and Daisuke Ikeda in a very good main event tag match. Nothing else on the show was all that good, and this was very much a one match card.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/AJPW.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>All Japan ran a PPV on July 25th, and it was their worst major show in a long time. That's mainly because their main event, in which Genichiro Tenryu fought to an unsatisfying double countout in a Triple Crown title defense against Mike Barton (the former Bart Gunn) was not nearly as good as the company's main events usually are. The semi main event of Shigeo Okumura over Taiyo Kea was much better.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> They were right back in the saddle on August 4th with 'Impactful Warriors.' This was a much better show, more in line with the current quality their fans expect from them. It was also a very noteworthy show, as Tenryu lost the Triple Crown to Hiroshi Hase (interesting, because those two guys are the current co-holders of All Japan's Unified Tag Team titles.) This is Hase's first major heavyweight singles title in his career. He had success in his NJPW career, where he was a 4-time tag champ and also held the Junior Heavyweight title twice, but he was never pushed as THE guy. I sort of figured it would be Keiji Mutoh who took the title off of Tenryu, but I guess they wanted to reward Hase for giving up his NJPW commitments and signing with them exclusively. That was a very good main event, but the semi main of Jushin Liger over Takao Omori was just slightly better. It's interesting that Liger has continued to work for both All and New Japan even after the collapse of their working arrangement, but I have to think that he'll be forced to choose sooner or later.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/TNA.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>TNA presented 'Lashing Out' on August 4th, and it was a pretty solid step forward in quality compared to their first three shows. They brought in new NWA World champion Shinya Hashimoto for a successful defense over Ace Steel in the semi main event, but the main event and match of the night was a tag match in which X Division champion Frankie Kazarian and Sonjay Dutt defeated TNA World champion BJ Whitmer and Matt Sydal. This show wasn't great by any means; for example, it was not nearly as good as most of the shows that the now-defunct UPW put on. It was still an improvement for them though, so maybe they can build on it. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> So yeah, I'm open to opinions/suggestions about whether or not I should buy GAEA. If I want to get any of those women, this is my only way to do it until and unless I hit International since none of them are active in America.</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>WAR! I'm assuming that the September PPV will be Fall Brawl again then? Or are you going to give it a different name? Either way, I'm excited.</div></blockquote><p> I haven't decided yet. I could call it Fall Brawl, or maybe Wrestle War to go a bit more old school. I kind of want to call it simply 'War Games', but I'm not aware of a logo I could use.</p><p> </p><p> I'm glad you're excited for War Games! It's an awesome match type, one I've never really been able to play with before. (I did have one in the very beginning of Let There Be War, but that was a match already in place when the game started, so I don't really count that. Plus it included Zodiac.)</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>Also, I thought it awesome (pun intended) that Douglas attacked Desotroyah on Nitro after making a deal about no sneak attacks. That's our Franchise!<p> </p></div></blockquote><p> No honor amongst thieves (or heels.) <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="Gravyb0y" data-cite="Gravyb0y" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I've caught up with this diary over the last few lunch breaks at work (Since Saturday to be exact) and I'm absolutely loving it. Excellent to see a young Punk and AJ proving their worth. I'll be keeping a close eye on this in future. Well done FNC!</div></blockquote><p> Happy I could provide some entertainment as you ate lunch! <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="Gravyb0y" data-cite="Gravyb0y" 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> Amazing so far, love your writing style, and love the info given on what is going on around the rest of your save. It's a shame the WWE booking seems to be so </strong><strong><em><span style="color:#FF0000;">strange</span></em></strong></p></div></blockquote><p> Exactly why I'm turning control over to guest bookers for the big three PPVs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="KnowYourEnemy" data-cite="KnowYourEnemy" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: Great work! I always like bringing in Sasaki as "Power Warrior" -- any chance we see the Hell Raisers at some point?</p></div></blockquote><p> They're both under contract with NJPW, plus Hawk is a drug addict and terrible backstage presence. If it happened, it'd probably only be a one-off.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Warhawk8492" data-cite="Warhawk8492" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: I like your booking, any chance we will see a program with Styles and Daniels?</p></div></blockquote><p> I'd definitely expect the likes of Styles, Daniels, Punk, Danielson, etc. to all have programs against each other eventually.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="SIser187" data-cite="SIser187" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> <strong>Rob Van Dam</strong> vs. Mortis</p><p> RVD is one of your biggest stars.</p></div></blockquote><p> That goes double in Japan. Not only is he my biggest star in Japan, he's bigger there than any active wrestler in <em>New Japan!</em> (Inoki is slightly higher, but he's retired and is just a road agent now.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Crossface" data-cite="Crossface" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: Look admirer of your work TFC... but never loved this time period so I had a hard time investing in this diary early on. The adjustments to the product and presentation that you've made have led to me catching up and getting more and more interested lately however. This should be a cool show and I'm looking forward to it.</p></div></blockquote><p> I hear that. I'd probably have the same issue trying to follow a modern day WWE diary.</p><p> </p><p> (Semi-related note: I'm currently working my way through 'Jet Planes'; just finished with the Clash. Great stuff so far!)</p>

<p>August 2002: Road to Japan Supershow, 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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Nitro2.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong>July 29th, 2002</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Montana</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 6,378 (sell-out!)</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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/TV.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p> The show began with the finals of the tournament to crown the first TV Champion in years. Fit Finlay found himself in the unusual position of being in the ring with a man who was able to keep up with him in a brawl, but he showed impressive strength in spiking the big man with a Tombstone to win the title. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> A brief teaser shows Ric Flair and Arn Anderson chatting in the parking lot. Arn apparently likes what Ric has to say and invites him into the building to continue their conversation. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> With Etsuko Mita watching on commentary, Akira Hokuto picked apart the unsigned veteran luchadora Esther Moreno. <strong>(C-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bobby Heenan interviews AJ Styles, American Dragon and Chavo Guerrero Jr. about the announcement that since last week's #1 contender's match ended in a draw, they'll meet in a triple threat for the title at the Japan Supershow. AJ and Dragon have no problem with the decision and look forward to the match, but Chavo complains that his "stupid rookie" has no business in the match and it should be him alone challenging for the belt. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> All three male members of The Empire joined up to defeat Billy Kidman, Animal and Ernest Miller in a six man tag match. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The post-match celebration is interrupted by the Natural Born Thrillers, who challenge The Empire to a tag match "any time, any place." Corino steps up to accept, saying the Thrillers proved they were losers by rejecting an offer to join the group, and he and Candido will prove it even further by defeating them at the Supershow. <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> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Flair.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Bischoff.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>After the Thrillers left ringside, Ric Flair stepped out into the aisle. He requested that Bischoff send the rest of The Empire to the back, because this is about the two of them and no one else. He promised to stay in the aisle and not try to attack Bischoff, but Eric was skeptical, asking why he should trust the word of "Slick Ric." Flair swore on his legacy, on his honor and on his kids that he would not step one foot closer to the ring. Eric gave his smarmy little smirk and said Ric had clearly listed those in order of personal importance, but he did as Ric asked and sent the rest of his group to the back. (Though they had quite the staredown with Ric as they passed him, and Eric made it clear that they would be close by and ready to "put the Nature Boy down like Old Yeller" if he broke his word.)</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Once it was just the two of them, Bischoff asked what the point of all this was. Was he here to celebrate being let back into the building by Arn Anderson? Or did he wish to congratulate King Corino on his glorious victory at Bash at the Beach, and finally admit that Eric was the better man, The Empire was the future of this business and Ric's star was already burned out? Ric more or less ignored Eric's taunts. He wasn't in the mood for bickering or jokes tonight; it was serious business. At first he'd felt betrayed when Double A hadn't let him into the building, but after a week to reflect he'd come to realize that Arn's words had been correct.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em><em><strong>"Arn Anderson's the best friend I've ever had in my life. He knows me better than maybe any human being walking this planet, even myself, and what he said to me last week was a wake-up call. It's no secret that I hate your guts, Bischoff. I hate you more than I've ever hated another man, in this business or outside of it, and I've been letting that hatred blind me. Sting, a man who I've gone to war with hundreds of times in my career, if not thousands, and a man that I've always respected even when we were bitter enemies, has had my back through all this. He's the conscience of WCW, and he knows what a scumbag you really are, Bischoff. He's offered his support in this fight, but I've been trying to do it alone. We took your boys on in a tag match at Slamboree, and I let you distract me and walked into an obvious trap because that's how much I hate you. I sent Stinger away at Bash at the Beach and took on Corino alone, knowing damn well that you and your little cronies would get involved. I tried to march into Nitro the past two weeks to fight my way through every last member of The Empire, by myself, just so I could get to you. To make a long story short, I wasn't acting like Ric Flair. I was acting like the kinds of guys that Ric Flair and Arn Anderson were one step ahead of for our entire careers, and it took Double A's tough love to make me take a long, hard look in the mirror and admit it.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong> </strong></em></p><p><em><strong> "Arn told me to take a week and think about how I would've handled this ten or twenty years ago, and I took his advice. The old Ric Flair never would've allowed anyone, especially a little worm like you, to goad him into obvious traps. The old Ric Flair never would've been stupid enough to try and tear the entire Empire down by himself. How would Ric Flair and Arn Anderson have dealt with this when we were riding in the limos and flying in the jets every single night? For one thing, we never would've allowed ourselves to be at a disadvantage. But how would we end this war, once and for all? How do you settle something like this, Bischoff?"</strong></em></p><p><em><strong> </strong></em></p><p><em><strong> "Here's how. On September 22nd, WCW's got a big PPV event set for Charlotte, the heart of Flair Country, and that's where I'm going to get you out of my life for good, Bischoff. Two teams. Two rings. No pinfalls, no disqualifications, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Bischoff...I want The Empire in a match that will take all of us beyond our limits. I want them in THE match beyond. I want....WAR GAMES!"</strong></em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> That got a nice pop. Eric stood there with a stunned look on his face and made no reply before we cut to commercial. This was a really good segment though. I let both guys go without a script, and while they didn't excel, neither of them screwed up either. Most importantly, it advanced this storyline in a major way. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Grade: A</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> The Destroyer dominated Air Paris. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Douglas comes out to berate Destroyer and Father Isaac after the match, calling Destroyer a "witless idiot" and Isaac a fool for thinking that he was some easy target. Isaac explains the attack wasn't personal and they have nothing against Douglas; they just want his title, and they'll hurt him to get it. Shane backs off a bit but agrees to give him a title shot, so long as Isaac agrees not to instigate any additional sneak attacks. The bargain is struck. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Backstage: The Unnatural is bragging about suckering "the arrogant Mr. Pump" into his carefully laid trap last week when Scott's brother Rick attempts to attack him. Unnatural flees with no real harm done. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shane Helms prevailed over Cash in cruiserweight action. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Stacy Keibler and The Jung Dragons go to Arn Anderson's office to complain about "outsiders" Kojima and Tenzan getting a title shot, especially after their huge victory over the Thrillers recently. Arn arranges for a PPV spot where they can try and impress him, in a match against a new addition to the tag team division. He refuses to give any hints as to the identity of this mystery team. <strong>(C-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Hardys prepared for the title defense against Kojima and Tenzan with an emphatic victory over Shawn Stasiak and Elix Skipper. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> DDP and Kimberly are seen talking backstage, though they both break off once they see the camera around the corner. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Booker T cuts an in-ring promo before the main event. He again brags about being the biggest star and the premiere athlete in all of WCW, the only man deserving of the main event. He all but ignores his next challenger, Kensuke Sasaki, not even referring to him by name, showing just how little he apparently respects him. <strong>(A)</strong></p><p> </p><p> It was a non-title match, but Konnan knew just what a win over Booker T would do for his career. K-Dawg gave it his best shot, but Booker countered his rolling thunder clothesline with an axe kick and then finished the match off with the Book End. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> RVD and Mortis pay a visit to Piper's Pit. RVD states how important his individuality and independence is to him. "You might be okay with being just another cog in the machine, Mortis, but that's not me! I'm Rob Van Dam, and I'm one of a kind!" Mortis says that he used to be just like RVD (the whole 'Who betta than Kanyon?' shtick), and that's why he wants to help him. "You're a great athlete, Rob, but you could be so much more with the support of Salvation. At the Supershow, I'm gonna show you that you're wasting your 'one of a kind' talent." <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><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Saturday.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Taped immediately after Nitro</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Takako Inoue used her Night Night finisher to defeat Esther Moreno. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bobby Heenan interviews new TV champion Fit Finlay, who dares anyone who wants a good fight to come and try to take the title off of him. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Psychosis defeated Jason Jett. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Christopher Daniels promo; "Give me your best shot, Japan!" <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Chavo Guerrero Jr. beat Lash Leroux with a frog splash. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Grade: C+</span></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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Nitro2.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong>August 5th, 2002</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Namihaya Dome in Osaka, Japan</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 6,513</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 young New Japan junior Wataru Inoue having a showcase match and defeating Flash Flanagan. It was revealed that Inoue had accepted Christopher Daniels' challenge for a match at the Supershow, and Daniels was on color for the match to insult his opponent and call it an easy victory. <strong>(D+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Footage of Booker T arriving earlier in the day, blowing off the group of Japanese fans who hoped to get an autograph from him. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> The Japanese fans were happy to welcome Manami Toyota back to her homeland, and she had a successful outing against independent worker Kyoko Ichiki. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Shinobu Kandori confronts Toyota in the ring, telling her she's sick of constantly hearing about how great she is and she wants to embarrass her in front of the Japanese fans on Sunday. Manami accepts the challenge. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> On Sunday they'll be opponents in a three way match for the cruiserweight title, but tonight AJ Styles and American Dragon worked together to defeat 3 Count when Dragon forced Evan Karagis to submit. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> A backstage confrontation sees the Natural Born Thrillers chase King Corino and TAKA (no Chris Candido) out of the building. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/TV.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> Fit Finlay made his first title defense, taking on Katsushi Takemura, a former Tatsumi Fujinami trainee who was previously in New Japan and is now a free agent. Takemura has decent brawling and technical skills and so gave Fit an interesting match, but the champion retained. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> We get a video recap of last week's big segment where Ric Flair challenged Eric Bischoff and The Empire to a War Games match in Charlotte. We plug the idea that Bischoff will respond to the challenge next week on Nitro. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Women's champion Etsuko Mita took on Daffney in non-title action. Daffney's wild and unpredictable style made things interesting, but in the end Mita hit the Death Valley Driver and sent a message to Daffney's partner in Chaos and Mita's challenger on Sunday, Akira Hokuto. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Hokuto comes down to check on her partner after the match, and Mita begins taunting her, telling her she'll do the same to her at the PPV. Hokuto says maybe Mita forgot just who she is and why she should be deathly afraid of stepping into the ring with her, but on Sunday she'll remember it all too well. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Hayabusa's high flying skills were too much for Cash to handle. The masked cruiserweight prevailed in his home country with the Phoenix Splash. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> With Scott Steiner still recuperating from a backstage ambush by The Unnatural, RVD and Rick Steiner tagged up against Unnatural and Mortis. The match ended without much satisfaction, as Salvation walked out for an intentional count out less than ten minutes in. <strong>(B)</strong></p><p> </p><p> With their IWGP Tag Team belts over their shoulders, Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan cut a promo on the Hardys. They say that the whole world might be impressed with Matt and Jeff for what they've done, but their achievements as a team pale in comparison to that of TenKoji. They say that while the Hardys have been winning titles, losing titles and changing home promotions, Kojima and Tenzan have been completely dominating. They've held the IWGP Tag Team titles for over two years now, and on Sunday they'll prove they are unquestionably the best team in the entire world when they win WCW's tag belts as well. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Main event time, as Kensuke Sasaki took on the massive Destroyer. Sasaki took some punishment, but his great physical brawling style allowed him to take the fight right to The Destroyer in a way almost no one else is capable of. Destroyer's opponent on Sunday, Shane Douglas, made his presence felt by sneaking down to ringside and ramming his challenger's head into the ring post behind the backs of both the ref and Sasaki. None the wiser about the unexpected help, Sasaki finished Destroyer off with a stiff running lariat. <strong>(B+)</strong></p><p> </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> <span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Sasaki.jpg</span><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Booker2.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Sasaki began cutting a post-match promo in which he thanked the fans for coming out and promised to give his best effort at the Supershow, but he was soon interrupted by Booker T. The champion strolled down to the ring with his title belt over his shoulder and made a show of adjusting and polishing it so everyone in the arena focused on it. With an interpreter on hand to translate for Booker, Sasaki spoke directly to the champion. He said he'd heard Booker was disrespecting and underestimating him as a worthy challenger, and this was a major mistake for him to make. He went over his credentials: 7 time IWGP Tag Team champion. 2-time winner of New Japan's annual G1 Climax tournament. Three time IWGP Heavyweight champion. Even a reign as the United States champion in WCW, which he earned by defeating the legendary Sting. Booker was going to need to bring his very best if he wanted to have a chance at retaining his title on Sunday. Sasaki said he'd had a wonderful 16-year career to this point, and he intended to make that career even greater by winning the WCW World Heavyweight championship this Sunday.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Throughout it all, Booker continued to dismiss the idea of Sasaki as a threat. He smirked, laughed and sarcastically clapped as the interpreter delivered Sasaki's message and accomplishments. Sasaki didn't take kindly to Booker's attitude. He walked up to the champion, slapped him across the face and dared him to fight right on the spot! Booker scowled, but after several seconds' pause turned to leave the ring. It was merely a ploy though, as the moment Sasaki turned away from him to address the fans again, he took the belt off of his shoulder in order to bash him in the back of the head with it!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Kensuke saw it coming though. He blocked the strike and connected with several chops to the chest before slamming the champion to the mat with an authoritative </em><a href="http://www.puroresucentral.com/gif/SasakiVolcanicEruption.gif" rel="external nofollow"><em>Volcanic Eruption!</em></a></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Sasaki posed with the belt as Booker writhed in pain on the mat, and that was the closing shot of the go-home Nitro. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Grade: B+</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://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Saturday.jpg</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Taped immediately after Nitro</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Tracy Brooks </strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Psychosis defeated Jason Jett. <strong>(C+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Jung Dragons promo; it doesn't matter what team Arn Anderson throws at them, because they'll prevail. <strong>©</strong></p><p> </p><p> Melissa Anderson defeated Kyoko Ichiki. <strong>(D+)</strong></p><p> </p><p> Jamie Knoble grounded Elix Skipper and earned a submission win. <strong>(B-)</strong></p><p> </p><p> A video package promotes the major matches for the Supershow, with major focus on the World and US title matches. <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-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW/Supershow.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> Fan Scorecard:</p><p> </p><p> World Heavyweight Championship: Kensuke Sasaki vs. Booker T {©}</p><p> </p><p> World Tag Team Championship: TenKoji vs. The Hardys {©}</p><p> </p><p> United States Heavyweight Championship: The Destroyer vs. Shane Douglas {©}</p><p> </p><p> Three Way Match for the Cruiserweight Championship: American Dragon vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. AJ Styles {©}</p><p> </p><p> World Women's Championship: Akira Hokuto vs. Etsuko Mita {©}</p><p> </p><p> Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis</p><p> </p><p> Natural Born Thrillers vs. The Empire (King Corino and TAKA)</p><p> </p><p> Wataru Inoue vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels</p><p> </p><p> Manami Toyota vs. Shinobu Kandori</p><p> </p><p> The Jung Dragons vs. ???</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> What team will the Jung Dragons face? (Hint: the team already existed in the database, and one of them is already part of WCW.)</p><p> </p><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques:</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote>

<p>So I went to an ROH event a couple of days ago, which was the first show I'd been to with any sort of Bullet Club presence.</p><p> </p><p> Some of those fans really are annoying as heck. Chanting "2 Sweet" after every near fall would be tolerable if they only did it during the two Bullet Club matches on the show, but they did it all night, <em>every single time</em> anyone got a 2 count. Kenny King even mocked them for it. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="GingeyOne" data-cite="GingeyOne" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I hope the issue can be resolved soon!</div></blockquote><p> I've already brought it up in the tech support forum, and Adam indicated that the issue was probably that regens WERE turned on at the time that the original workers retired, because the regeneration happens right then even though the new worker doesn't debut for about a year. Assuming he's right, this will only be a temporary problem.</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 would say it's TEW itself. Because that is what dojos do; they spit out randomly created workers once they don't have any more graduates to release. Tough Enough as a dojo will work fine for a few years, because it will keep bringing out people like Maven and Nidia. But the Power Plant doesn't have that, so it can only make new workers.<p> </p><p> Too bad there's no way to turn the Power Plant into a child company instead of being a dojo. Because then you could just send workers down to it instead of it bringing people into the world.</p></div></blockquote><p> Yeah, I think you're right, as they're all attached to a dojo, whether it's the Power Plant, OVW's school, the Funking Conservatory, etc.</p><p> </p><p> I guess that means there's no way for me to stop this from getting out of hand. I would've thought that turning off Regeneration and New Worker Frequency would've prevented this, otherwise why are those options even there?</p><p> </p><p> How disappointing.</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>It might be a glitch that was created from Adam fixing another problem. <p> </p><p> You could also try setting the date on the worker generation to January 2017 and see if that stops it. I know sometimes the game will create workers out of pure necessity if it thinks the world is just not populated enough....</p><p> </p><p> You might just end up needing to report the issue to Adam though.</p></div></blockquote><p> I don't think it's patch related. I just tested it out using several older patches I still had zipped up on my computer, one going back as far as September, and it made no difference.</p><p> </p><p> It's not the balancing issue either. I've seen that in action, in previous saves as well as this one, where the game will occasionally spit out a generic announcer or referee or something if it doesn't think there are enough. That's not what's happening here.</p><p> </p><p> On further inspection, this seems to have only cropped up the past three months. I can't find any examples of a single one before then. They threw 4 at me at the beginning of June, including a 19 year old fake Mr. Fuji Power Plant graduate. There were a couple in July as well, but then the game goes freaking haywire at the start of August, giving me <strong>24</strong> regens of old wrestlers. This is a pretty severe problem. I can cope with it for this month if I have to, setting them to out of the business or assigning them random generic pictures, but I'm not taking the time to do that every month. If this becomes a pattern they could overrun the game world very soon, which would kill any immersion I have in the game world (as well as my interest in continuing.)</p>

No story update, but I'm at my wit's end right now. I have new worker frequency off. I have regeneration off. So why does the game keep spitting out these randomly generated rookies who use regenerated faces?! No, game; I DON'T want to sign this 20 year old guy from the Power Plant who looks exactly like Hector Guerrero! And I don't want Ax from Demolition (and old man Ax at that!) to be signed to WWE by way of Tough Enough! Is there any way for me to stop this from happening, because it's seriously starting to annoy me. I wasn't sure if it fit the darker sort of character I'm trying to give Dustin as opposed to the goofier Goldust, but I liked it so much that I kept it. One thing I wanted was for both of the finalists to be heavyweights. Not that cruiserweights won't be challenging for it and we won't have cruiserweights who win the belt, but at least at first I wanted to feature the heavyweights. It's an interesting dynamic for sure. It's kind of interesting here with Flair as an active wrestler and Arn as an authority figure, because I'm trying to play up their friendship while still having Arn come across as an impartial commish. Arn's definitely had nice growth in his popularity compared to where he started the game, but it's not as high as where he would've been in his prime. He's roughly comparable to some of the upper midcard guys. Putting two midcard guys in the main event would never fly in WWE (unless it's a guy who's suddenly going from Opener to #1 contender in one match), but I thought I might be able to get away with it given my product. It worked out pretty well. The Flair segment was pretty fun to write. Hopefully the coming direction of the storyline will also be well received. Congrats on catching up! You might've been in too big a hurry, because the pace is slowing down now. (Not that I'm tiring of it or anything; I'm just taking days away more frequently now.) Surely it won't be THAT bad! (Unless you miss the show entirely, I guess.)

Wow. That seems a little...excessive. Personally I'm not really a fan of the Bullet Club as a whole, though I do love Kenny Omega. That dude's one of the two or three best in the entire world right now. For the record, they had to kick Adam Cole out of the Bullet Club for reasons beyond their control. (He's left ROH, and will almost assuredly turn up in NXT before the year is out.) I think Scurll was fine on his own and didn't need to join the BC, but I guess they figured they needed to try and replace Cole with someone of equivalent value.