The Final Countdown

<p>I'll admit it: I'm shocked Flair didn't turn on Sting in the main event. I thought that was pretty much mandatory in these situations. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> Great show as always, bro.</p>

If you're someone who normally skips 'Road to' shows, make sure to watch the Golden Lovers vs. Tanahashi/Ospreay main event from 12/15. I'd be pretty surprised if there are more than two or three matches at Wrestle Kingdom that are better than that one.

<p>November 23rd, 2003: Calgary Stampede</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="WiYIFgR.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WiYIFgR.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <strong>November 23rd, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 15,905</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="2nqjRO5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2nqjRO5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="nG8aWZm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nG8aWZm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms (w/Buff Bagwell)</strong></p><p> <img alt="ICMDAHo.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ICMDAHo.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hlbUlLo.jpg</span><img alt="qMgusCH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qMgusCH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The match with the least amount of build opened the show, but just because it was a late addition didn't mean it wouldn't be good. AJ has grown into one of the best workers in the company, and he had another great performance tonight with some fine aerial moves and quick counters and transitions to thwart Shane's offense. Helms was pretty good himself, even though his contributions weren't all about wrestling. I told him to focus on telling the story that Buff Bagwell's influence has turned him into a shameless womanizer. Indeed, Buff frequently encouraged him to stop mid-match and strike a pose to impress the ladies, wasting several opportunities to press an advantage in the process. Helms and Buff make a good duo; Buff's timing on when to make himself scarce and when to encourage a good flex is already down pat, and Shane plays off of him really well. I'm glad I've found something for both of these guys to do.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Helms rolled out to the floor to escape some furious Styles offense, and while he was out there a pretty blonde caught his eye. Buff waved him over to her, and Shane did a little strut and bicep flex. The girl laughed, but Shane wasn't laughing when he turned around right into a </em><a href="https://imgur.com/iOxfBe0" rel="external nofollow"><em><strong>Fosbury Flop!</strong></em></a><em> From there AJ had no trouble rolling his opponent back in to the ring and finishing this very good opener in about ten minutes with the Styles Clash.</em></p><p><em> </em> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 85</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/q5GmbOH.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>We showed Harry Smith warming up before the biggest match of his young life, but this wasn't a simple transition.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="e6Tpw6t.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e6Tpw6t.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>In a surprise, his dad Davey Boy walked into the dressing room! Harry was surprised to see him, saying he didn't think he was "allowed" at WCW shows anymore (a subtle reference to his stint with us as an active wrestler ending when I sent him to rehab in January). Davey apologized for letting him down and bringing their run as a tag team to an end as he dealt with his own personal demons, but said he wouldn't miss this for the world. He knew Harry was a big underdog tonight, but he told his son that he if he put in the work and gave it his all, he just might be able to do what Davey himself had never done: become the World Heavyweight Champion! He said he was going to be proud to sit here in the back and watch it all on a monitor, but Harry immediately shook his head. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "There's only one place I want you, dad, and that's in my corner!" he said. Davey agreed to the request, and they shared a hug as we cut back to ringside. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 62</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg</span><p> <strong>Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.{©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="waBVEEI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/waBVEEI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="0qRNVUJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0qRNVUJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Our first of four title matches (plus the tournament final) saw cocky youngster Brian Kendrick challenge the veteran Chavo Guerrero Jr., who had many years of experience under his belt despite being only 33 years old. They had a decent little match, going back and forth as Kendrick pressed the offense, tried to back up his bold words and win his first title, while Chavo wrestled a more defensive match and waited for his opponent to make a mistake he could capitalize on. Both guys were pretty good in their roles, with Chavo just a bit better. Ironically that was the story of the match as well. Kendrick's mistake came when he took a bit too long to preen and taunt the fans after a hurricanrana off of the top rope, and got caught with a small package for the pin. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 78</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="frhLUo7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/frhLUo7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CtEcIzq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CtEcIzq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="OSPVvmB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/OSPVvmB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The Jung Dragons were in the stands, holding "Objection!" signs and encouraging the fans to chant along with them. Yang had a megaphone, and he used it to talk about the injustice of the "uncrowned World Tag Team Champions" being left off of the show while an inferior team like The Shooting Stars are set to challenge for the titles.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="tUGU31v.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tUGU31v.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Their protest dragged on long enough for Arn Anderson to show up, and he wasn't pleased. He said they had a tight schedule to adhere to, and the TV Championship match would've already been underway if it weren't for the Dragons causing a disturbance. They refused his order to leave at first, but did eventually back down once he called security over. Even though we let Yang handle the bulk of the talking for the team this time, I thought Stacy Keibler was a real plus here. She does so much for their act, and her star presence stood out and got the people more interested in the segment. Not like I can blame them. I mean...look at her.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 78</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="rrRBDgP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <strong>Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©} </strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/5Xhxf90.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="bH5oivJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bH5oivJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The bell had barely even sounded before Hardy and Finlay met in the center of the ring and started trading blows. No feeling out process or mat work to be found here; just a fight. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> While Jeff is generally regarded as the star of the Hardy brothers, Matt is looking pretty comfortable as a solo act in his own right. He was very good tonight, and that was fortunate because Fit really struggled here. The guy was so good for so long, but his near 30 year career is starting to catch up to him. He had a hard time keeping up physically, and even in a match that only went about 11 minutes at a fairly standard pace he was still looking winded before the end. Matt did a nice job carrying the load here, helping guide his aging opponent to a good match before finishing him off with the Twist of Fate. With his restless schedule this was already Matt's fourth successful title defense, bringing him nearly halfway to the ten required for the US title option in his first month as champion. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 83</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="c5XJDHD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/c5XJDHD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="eTShQmA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eTShQmA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="0exeVr7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0exeVr7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/4CP35O5.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>As we went backstage ostensibly to get a shot of the Dangerous Alliance prepping for RVD and Douglas' tag match (up next), they happened to pass Salvation's Unnatural, Destroyer and Father Isaac in the hallway. It looked as if the two groups would pass each other without incident, but then Heyman decided to take the opportunity to ask why Salvation had interfered and helped Jeff Hardy win his Stu Hart Classic Semifinal against CM Punk. "Because if you intend to do something similar tonight in the finals, it is my duty to inform you that the Dangerous Alliance stands ready, willing and able to fight fire with fire!" Heyman warned.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The Unnatural answered, saying that he and Salvation weren't lying when they told Jeff Hardy they had his best interests at heart. "It's now clear to me that our plan of shielding young Jeffrey from the crushing emptiness of catastrophic failure was faulty," he said. "Much like myself when Salvation first reached out to me in what now feels like a lifetime ago, the gentle touch will not work. Jeffrey must be broken before he can be healed, and losing in the Semifinal would not have sufficed. He must get tantalizingly close to achieving his dreams, only to then reach out futilely as they slip through his grasp. If that is my duty at Starrcade, so be it. But I believe losing in the finals would work as well, so you have my word that Salvation will play no role in your match tonight. Whether Sean O'Haire succeeds or fails tonight is entirely in his own hands--and for his sake, I hope he succeeds. I don't know if his mental state could handle another disappointment like the one I dealt to him on that August night in Tokyo." </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> O'Haire looked like he wanted to rip Dustin's head off for that reference, but at a word from Heyman, RVD and Douglas held him back. "Save your energy, Sean, because you'll need it," Heyman said, before turning his attention to The Unnatural. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "As for myself, Dustin, I'd like to thank you. If it wasn't for that title match on August 24th, 2003, I don't know if we'd all be standing here right now. You're right; that night was a crushing blow to the psyche of Mr. Sean O'Haire. He had the world at his feet. Fifteen straight successful defenses of the World Television Championship, against some of the best WCW has to offer. The likes of Booker T, our own Shane Douglas, and even your "brothers" Mortis and Destroyer all tried and failed to stop the path of destruction Sean O'Haire cut through the WCW roster in the first half of this year. Has anyone ever done more to earn a shot at the heavyweight championship of the world? Physically, he was inarguably your better. We all know he's bigger and stronger than you, and I'll say with confidence that he's faster and more athletic than you too! He had everything he needed to get the job done on that night! All, except for one thing." </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Heyman paused and tapped his finger against his temple. "You couldn't match Sean athletically, so you won the match using your smarts, and all credit to you for doing so. But everything's changed now, Dustin. Three months ago Sean stood alone. Now he has the backing of the Dangerous Alliance. He has ME in his corner, and I feel very confident in saying that there's no a man in this business who can outsmart me! With Rob-Van-Dam and Shane Douglas to watch his back and me to provide guidance at the critical moment, Sean O'Haire is UNSTOPPABLE! Jeff Hardy will learn that to his sorrow tonight, and unless Harry Smith has a horseshoe up his rear end, it'll be your turn at Starrcade! Gentlemen, Salvation has had a nice little run here in WCW, but it is the Dangerous Alliance's time now!" </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I definitely think leaving the talking to Heyman and Dustin was the right call here. Paul was on fire with some passionate delivery on his improvised lines, and I have no complaints with Dustin's effort. Even RVD was awesome here in the background, with some perfect timing as he smirked and made physical gestures at just the right moments during Heyman's promo. Great stuff all the way around. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 100</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>"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (w/Paul Heyman)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/k45HPCq.jpg</span><img alt="lAlFtSW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lAlFtSW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="eTShQmA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eTShQmA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dcrMvyP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dcrMvyP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The Dangerous Alliance needed to shift gears and put the altercation with Salvation behind them quickly, because RVD and Douglas had business to handle. The story in this match was built around answering the question of whether or not Steiner and Danielson would be able to work together, because as Mike and I pointed out, Heyman was sure to have RVD and Douglas operating like a well-oiled machine. Interestingly, Rob and Shane working well together wasn't merely storyline. As it turns out, they seem to have some excellent natural chemistry as partners. It was in part because of that that RVD was just about flawless in his performance tonight, and Douglas was almost at the same level. Those two could make for a fantastic full-time team if we ever choose to go that route. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Scott was pretty great here as well, executing some nice suplexes and power moves in short bursts while Danielson did a lot of face in peril work. If there was a weak link in this match it was Danielson, but weak link in this case meant he was merely good in the face of greatness. Yet despite all of these positives, the match was only okay. I do think it did what it needed to though.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Mike and I pointed out the many differences between Danielson and Steiner on commentary, and they worked some of that into the match as well, but ultimately they were on the same page and pushed the DA hard. In a cool spot that took advantage of the oddball pairing, Steiner lifted Danielson over his head in a military press and tossed him over the top rope, where he wiped out Van Dam on the floor! With Rob taken care of, the legal man Danielson was able to climb to the top rope and hit a diving headbutt to pin Douglas in what we pushed as an upset. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 78</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="g1BYlVy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/g1BYlVy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bH5oivJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bH5oivJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The Hardys were chatting in their dressing room when the True Heroes walked in uninvited. Punk accused Jeff of working together with Salvation, and openly wondered whether he might secretly have been part of the group all along. Jeff protested that suggestion and insisted that he had nothing to do with Salvation getting involved in their Stu Hart Classic match. He didn't need or want their help, and he wanted to win his matches on his own. Punk remained doubtful.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "We know you two well," Punk said. "REALLY well. The four of us, we've been through wars that will live on in WCW history forever. Even if you don't like someone, you learn things about them when you share experiences like that. You learn about their spirit, you learn about their heart, and you learn about what they're willing to do in order to get ahead. And what I know about you, Jeff Hardy, is that you are willing to do absolutely ANYTHING in the name of winning a match. With the stunts you pull out there, you've proven you have no regard for your own health. And if you're willing to sacrifice your own body, who's to say you aren't also willing to sell your soul to The Unnatural, Isaac and the rest of those whackjobs?"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Jeff remained adamant that he had no association with Salvation, but Punk was still unconvinced (and maybe he shouldn't have been, because Jeff's delivery was terrible here as he tried and failed to keep up with Punk in speaking without a script.) "Actions speak a heck of a lot louder than words. So I guess your actions will reveal the truth about who you really are inside, Jeff Hardy." </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 92</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/S0cu0uO.jpg</span><p> <strong>The Shooting Stars (w/Torrie Wilson) vs. The Unbound (w/Father Isaac) {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="uOGLnPZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uOGLnPZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vtYAboC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vtYAboC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/0QMJTAT.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="CsQnr5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CsQnr5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>So Mortis was allegedly "off of his game", but it was hard to tell because he was too busy being awesome. Maybe there were a couple of minor hiccups, but nothing that actually detracted from his excellence. Kidman did a great job as well on the other side with some crowd-pleasing aerial moves. Teddy and Alexander were fine, but there was no doubt about who was leading the way in this tag title match. The match itself was fine, but nothing special.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The story here was the Shooting Stars trying to make lots of fast tags and execute aerial attacks and double teams, while the champions tried to slow things down and cut the ring in half. They were able to work Teddy over for a bit, but he freed himself by countering an Alexander German suplex into a bulldog and then made the hot tag. Kidman went to town on both members of The Unbound, and after ducking an Alexander lariat, he knocked him to the mat with a dropkick to the jaw. Mortis tried to surprise him with a Flatliner, but Kidman slipped out and dropped him with the BK Bomb. Billy had everything going his way, but was surprised when Teddy slapped him on the back with a blind tag. Teddy tried to deal the finishing blow with a Shooting Star Press, but Alexander was there to grab his foot and yank him down for a rough landing back-first on the canvas. Mortis went straight to the Flatliner, and since the Shooting Stars had already used their one allotted save Kidman could do nothing but watch the 3 count.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 79</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>The champions didn't even have time to receive their belts before True Heroes ran down the ramp for a surprise attack, Storm making an immediate impact as he flew in and dropped Alexander with a spinning heel kick off the top rope. (Unfortunately Alexander was out of position and Lance had to wait awkwardly until he turned.) Mortis took a swing at Punk which was blocked, and then he was on the receiving end of the Devil Lock DDT. Punk gave Mortis a couple of kicks in the ribs before demanding a microphone.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I think we all know by now that I'm not exactly a forgiving person," Punk said. "I hold grudges, so if you screw me over, you better be prepared to deal with the consequences. And you, Mortis, cost me a spot in the finals of the Stu Hart Classic, so it goes without saying that you've got payback coming your way! Oh, and don't think Lance and I have forgotten the fact that it would be us holding those tag team titles right now instead of you if you hadn't had that big goon Mike Awe--Destroyer, whatever, jump me during our three way match in Tokyo! Make no mistake, we want those belts back. And since I'm out of the Stu Hart Classic because of you, that means my schedule is wide open. See you soon."</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Punk is usually sharp on the mic when speaking without a script, but he stumbled a bit here as evidenced by the slip-up when talking about Destroyer. Mortis was pretty good though, both in selling the initial attack and in limping back up the ramp.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Unrelated note: how did I not book LANCE STORM in a match on our one televised show a year in Calgary? Ugh. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 89</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>Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble (w/Tammy Sytch)</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpg</span><img alt="wZR2OGz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wZR2OGz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Eddie Guerrero sat with me and Mike on commentary for this match, and he called our suggestion that he's afraid to wrestle Rey in a singles match stupid. "If little Rey wants to wrestle someone as good as me on the 20th anniversary of Starrcade, he needs to prove he deserves it!" he boasted. That wasn't a bad line, but on the whole Eddie didn't do a great job. He was a little too concentrated on mocking Rey and it hurt the match slightly for the viewers at home.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> As for the match itself, I told these two to try and build something great here. All the matches up to this point had finished in under fifteen minutes, so we had plenty of time to devote to this match, which I felt had the potential to steal the show. It was definitely the best match up to this point, with Rey doing a great job as a babyface who built sympathy from the fans and wowed them with spectacular lucha-inspired offense. Knoble was nearly as good in his role as the aggressive technician who tried to clinically break Mysterio's spirit with painful submission holds. He paid particular attention to Mysterio's surgicially-repaired knees, and Eddie gleefully mentioned that it was his own suggestion for Jamie to utilize that strategy. The match was very good, borderline great. I honestly thought it would be even better than it was, but I can't exactly complain with what we got.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> After Mysterio crawled to the ropes and forced a break of the figure four leglock, Knoble held onto his foot so he could drag him right back out to the center of the ring. But Rey was able to kick him away with his free leg, and got back to his feet in time to knock Knoble down with a back elbow to the jaw. Rey was hobbled and moving gingerly thanks to Knoble's focused assault on his lower limbs, but he still had enough left to connect with a springboard leg drop and pin Knoble, thus earning the match against Guerrero at Starrcade.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 88</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="womNFVP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/womNFVP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="m936mtC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/m936mtC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Sting and Becky Bayless were backstage to promote the 20th anniversary of Starrcade on December 28th. He talked about how fitting it was that we'd be going back to where it all started in 1983, the Greensboro Coliseum, and said he couldn't wait to be there and feel the energy from the fans for the 20th anniversary of the ORIGINAL wrestling supercard! (Take that, Vince!) Becky asked him what was in store for him at the event, and he said he honestly didn't know. "Obviously I wish that I could've won the Stu Hart Classic and tried to win the WCW title for the 7th time, but unfortunately that's out. I don't know what Starrcade has in store for the Stinger, but I can't wait to find out!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Are you kidding me, Stinger?"</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/BSCxEF8.jpg</span><img alt="6Q4ZNvd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6Q4ZNvd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Ric Flair and Bobby Roode strutted into view, and Flair shook his head in disappointment.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I don't think I've ever seen anything more pathetic in my entire life," Flair said. "Where's the fire, Stinger? Where's the passion? Where's the chest-thumping, howling, relentless maniac that pushed the Nature Boy to his limit time after time, night after night? My career might be over, or so the powers-that-be say, but yours isn't! How can you be satisfied with sitting on the sidelines on the biggest show of the year? How can you accept being put on the backburner? We're talking about STARRCADE, baby! The show that the Nature Boy built, WOOOOOOO! It's the granddaddy of 'em all, the 20th anniversary, in GREENSBORO, and you're fine playing second fiddle to Dusty's kid and whichever greenhorn wins the main event tonight?! Your career isn't over yet, Sting...BUT MAYBE IT SHOULD BE!" This was Ric at his best, being given a live mic and no net and going on a rant like only he can.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Roode agreed with his manager's comments, saying that he would never settle for mediocrity like Sting clearly has. He was very underwhelming here, especially on the heels of Ric's greatness, but simply being on screen for this was probably beneficial for him. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 88</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/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Just before he was set to walk through the curtain, Unnatural cut a promo on Harry Smith.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Tonight, it falls on me to shatter young Harry Smith's dreams. It is an unpleasant task, but this is precisely why I accepted the burden of becoming World Heavyweight Champion. If the unthinkable were to happen and young Harry won this title tonight, it would be the worst thing that ever happened to him. His 18-year old shoulders would collapse under the pressure of being champion, pressure that would destroy his life. Fortunately for him, I am here to make certain that doesn't happen."</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Unnatural was fantastic here, and he came across like a big time star. The segment itself didn't have as much heat as you'd like, but that's just because his subject matter (Harry) isn't a star at this point of his career, so the crowd wasn't going to get as invested in a promo about him.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 76</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/haJKoFv.jpg</span><p> <strong>Harry Smith (w/Davey Boy Smith) vs. The Unnatural {©} (w/Father Isaac) </strong></p><p> <img alt="v0lxp69.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v0lxp69.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/q5GmbOH.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>As we all know, this was a very different caliber of opponent compared to the others Unnatural has defended his title against. This was part of the storyline, and it factored into the style of match they worked. Dustin has been putting on tremendous performances in lengthy title matches, but I didn't think that booking him to go 20-plus minutes in a back and forth epic with Harry was the right way to approach this. Harry isn't on his level yet, and trying to portray him as such wouldn't have made sense. Instead of a slow-paced, well-built epic, they kicked it into high gear right away. Though I still think this was the right story to tell and both guys did do well with the quick tempo, I did notice that Dustin was starting to move a little slower as we got close to the end of this 13 minute match, so I'll need to avoid having him work this all out style in any big matches in the future. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The idea was that Harry knew he wasn't on Unnatural's level, so he needed to just try and catch him with one big shot. Davey cheered his son on from the floor, and I thought he was a natural fit as Harry's manager and added to the emotion of the moment. Unnatural got in most of the offense and easily countered the majority of Harry's telegraphed attempts, but every once in awhile the challenger would catch him with a power move and try to steal the pin. Harry was okay here, but of course that Dustin was the star. It was no surprise that this wasn't nearly as good as all of Unnatural's other title defenses, but it was a very good match and easily the best singles bout Harry has ever had.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Harry nearly shocked the world when he hit his dad's own Running Powerslam, but the champion got the shoulder up before the 3 count. When he tried to follow up with a military press, Dustin slipped free and hit Unnatural Selection to retain the title. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 85</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/FIVYBul.jpg</span><img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Roddy Piper and Steve Austin took the ring for Piper's Pit, and they had plenty of beer on hand to commemorate the occasion. They bantered back and forth about whether or not Goldberg would accept the invitation. Austin had lots of fun coming up on the fly with creative ways to call Goldberg a coward, but Roddy's own attempts to keep up weren't that great. The crowd was entertained by this, but the noteworthy stuff came once Austin and Piper had company. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg</span><img alt="Z3xclCp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z3xclCp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>King Corino led TAKA and Tammy Sytch to the ring, but Goldberg was nowhere in sight. And Corino was quick to tell us that he wouldn't be.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Run your mouth all you like, Austin, but Goldberg doesn't answer to you and he sure doesn't answer to these morons here in Calgary!" Corino said. "He answers to the man who owns his contract, and that's ME! You want this match, these people want it, WCW wants it, even Goldberg wants it...but I DON'T, and that's all that matters! The Empire has nothing to gain from giving that match away and letting WCW reap the rewards, so until you get these delusions out of your head and Bill cools down, he'll sit at home collecting his paycheck and you people can stuff your fat faces full of popcorn for all I care! If you don't like it, too bad, because I'm the one who holds the power here, and... </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="oWRzmsy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oWRzmsy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Corino stopped speaking in mid-sentence, because he was just as preoccupied upon seeing Goldberg walking down the ramp as the crowd was. The crowd roared, and Austin put his can of beer down and stood up, suddenly alert. Corino was there to intercept Goldberg as he stepped through the ropes.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Bill, this wasn't what we talked about. I know you're angry, but you need to..."</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Goldberg's hand shot out and grabbed Corino's wrist, physically pulling the microphone away from Corino's mouth. "Make it happen!" Goldberg shouted into his face. Corino frowned, shook his head and tried to pull the microphone back up to his mouth, but Goldberg's strong grip didn't allow it. "MAKE IT HAPPEN!" Goldberg screamed, spit flying from his mouth. He finally let go, and Corino took a few hasty steps backwards. He rubbed his sore wrist with his free hand as he glared at Goldberg, who glared right back. Corino wasn't going to win a staring contest with Goldberg, so he turned around to look at Austin, who was watching everything with a huge smile on his face. Corino scowled at him, then shook his head in disgust. He looked back and forth between Austin and Goldberg, realizing that he was trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Corino, resigned, slowly nodded his head.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I see there's no reasoning with you idiots," Corino said as he began to pace back and forth. "You want this match so bad, Austin?" Austin nodded and grinned, waving his arms and encouraging the cheering fans to get even louder. "You want this match, Bill? You want it so bad you're willing to disobey a direct order from the man who controls your fate?" A resolute stare was the only answer he got from Goldberg, but it spoke volumes.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Fine!" Corino shouted. "You can get your way, and WCW can get the huge dream match that'll make them tons of money! But if this is happening, The Empire is getting their pound of flesh! So I'll sign off on this match, but I have three conditions!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "First, to the suits: obviously this match can only happen at Starrcade. You don't need me to tell you that. But if I agree to sign off on MY employee Goldberg wrestling WCW's Steve Austin at Starrcade, you will have to deposit 25% of all revenue generated from Starrcade directly into my bank account! I know you're all panicking right now listening to me make this demand live in front of the world instead of at a negotiating table, but if there's an agreement reached between the rest of us right now and the match falls apart, every WCW fan will know who to blame! Just be thankful I'm not asking for 50%!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> His greed sated (at least for the moment), Corino next turned his attention to Austin. "Austin, in the Starrcade match contract, there will be an official clause that if you lose, you agree to join The Empire! If you lose, your contract is transferred over to me and I control you just like I control Goldberg!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "There ain't no way I'm losin', so you got yourself a deal, son!" Austin replied. Corino nodded, pleased.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Good," Corino said. "I'd just as soon fire you, but let's face it: Steve Austin sells lots of merchandise, and those royalty checks will look awfully nice on my bank statements!" Then he turned to Goldberg. "As for you? I've had enough of your stubbornness and insubordination! You want this match so bad? Well you've got it, and you'd better get the job done and get Austin under our control! Because if you don't....</em><em><strong>YOU'RE FIRED!</strong></em><em>!"</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Goldberg's expression didn't change despite the gravity of Corino's condition. He gave one short, sharp nod, and the fans erupted as the dream match became official. This segment was exactly as hot as you'd expect. If there was a problem, it was that Mike and I couldn't really measure up on commentary. But honestly, I'm not sure any commentary team in history could've done this justice given the level of enthusiasm from the fans. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 100</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/1qogKhQ.jpg</span><p> <strong>Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire (w/Paul Heyman)</strong></p><p> <img alt="g1BYlVy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/g1BYlVy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="c5XJDHD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/c5XJDHD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dcrMvyP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dcrMvyP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>With that electric Piper's Pit segment in the books, it was up to Hardy and O'Haire to bring the show home on as high a note as possible. There was a feeling out process here in this first time singles match, with both guys probing for possible weak points to explore. Our fans have come to expect a certain style to our PPV main events. They aren't all out action right from the bell. They're lengthy matches, ones that start off slow and gradually build up to huge emotional crescendos. We did our best to give them more of the same here despite some legitimate concerns I had, mainly about the fact that there wasn't a ring general in there who could adjust to how the crowd was reacting and lead the match accordingly to ensure it peaked at the perfect time. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Sure enough, Jeff and Sean struggled with their pacing at points, unable to keep things as tight as Unnatural has been in these spots. The good news is that the match was still fantastic. O'Haire was borderline great, seeming to really enjoy his new monster heel role as he tossed Hardy around the ring. He also showed off some improved agility, and Mike and I openly wondered how any wrestler could handle a monster like O'Haire now that he had Paul Heyman in his corner. As for Jeff, his performance was slightly better than Sean's. The crowd loved him and were fully behind him, popping for all of his signature offense and cheering for him to get the victory. This match wasn't quite as good as most of our PPV main events have been lately, but it was still tremendous and an easy match of the night.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> In what had been a great David vs. Goliath story, Hardy was poised to strike with his signature Whisper in the Wind, only for O'Haire to step out of the way and watch as Nick Patrick went down in a heap. The fans groaned, sensing what was coming next.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="eTShQmA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eTShQmA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>The Dangerous Alliance wasn't going to pass up on this opportunity to swing things in O'Haire's favor. RVD and Douglas raced down the ramp, with Van Dam taking the time to grab a steel chair and bring it into the ring with him. Douglas grabbed Hardy's arms, leaving him helpless for RVD to lay waste to him with the chair.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ICMDAHo.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ICMDAHo.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Before any damage could be done, AJ Styles ran down the ramp at full speed, used the ropes as a springboard and dropkicked the chair into RVD's face in his own sort of Van Daminator! Douglas tried to take the intruder out with a running clothesline, but AJ was ready and used his own momentum against him with a back body drop over the top rope and onto the ramp! Styles took a long look at O'Haire, but didn't attack him. Instead he vacated the ring and allowed Hardy to fight this battle on his own now that the odds were even. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> O'Haire went on a tear, delivering several painful slams and connecting with a huge flying clothesline that very nearly brought him the tournament, but eventually found himself reeling after a Hardy mule kick. A sitout jawbreaker put the big man on his back, and Heyman watched in horror as Hardy scaled the ropes and took flight with the Swanton Bomb! Nick Patrick slid into position and counted once...</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> twice...</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> ...three times!</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 95</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>I left the desk to hand Jeff the Stu Hart Classic trophy, and he celebrated with his prize as we went off the air.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 77</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Overall Grade: 94</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p>

Pre-Show Meeting November 23rd, 2003 12:23 pm Calgary, Alberta, Canada http://i.imgur.com/1Jl40Ai.jpg "So we're in agreement then?" I asked. "Starrcade stays in the Greensboro Coliseum?" Every head around me nodded in approval. I knew the money counters in our offices would not be happy with this decision. It was already clear that demand would be much higher than supply when it came to tickets for our biggest event of the year. The Coliseum was hardly tiny, seating more than 21 thousand fans, but we could probably more than double that total if we moved Starrcade to a bigger venue. Heck, we DID more than double it with Renaissance's Grand Prix show last month at Jingu Stadium. We are leaving a lot of money on the table by standing by our original decision to host this year's Starrcade at the Greensboro Coliseum. And yet... "It's the right move, Hitman," Flair said confidently. "Holding the 20th anniversary of Starrcade at the Coliseum, where it all began, is a great message to our longtime fans. We're acknowledging our heritage and our history, which is something Vince seems to have no interest in doing." "Ric's right," Arn said. "No one's saying this has to be an annual thing. Next year, go ahead and host Starrcade in the biggest building you think you can sell out. There's no harm in running somewhere a little bit smaller just this once, especially given all the sentimental value. And besides, it's not like we're exactly hurting for money, right?" "Definitely not," I said, cracking a smile. We'd been making healthy profits from the moment we'd re-launched, so we'd built up quite a war chest over the previous two and a half years. The additional revenue from selling more seats to Starrcade wouldn't be missed all that much, and if the previous two and a half years were any indication, we were sure to have a nice profit in December regardless. "Does anybody else have anything they want to bring up before we end this meeting?" "I do," Steamboat said. "You know how I spent a few days down in Wildside recently, observing our guys?" "Of course," I answered. "Anybody stand out?" "Plenty," he said. "We've got a talented crop of kids down there. But that Nakamura, he's really going to be something special." "I figured as much," I said. "New Japan usually turns out pretty high quality workers in their dojo, and everybody raved about him in particular." "It's not just that," Ricky said with a shake of the head. "We could already tell he had a world of potential even then, but he's progressed beyond my expectations. He already knew how to work, and he projected well, but he has so much swagger to him now. The kid carries himself like an absolute superstar." "Not exactly what I'd expect from an Inoki trainee, especially these days," Arn mused. "Isn't he really focused on developing straightforward fighter types now? Almost like a worked shoot kind of deal?" "Yeah, and Nakamura came to us knowing how to do that stuff," Ricky said. "But in the nine or ten months he's spent down in Wildside he's figured out the other stuff, the stuff they don't teach in New Japan's dojo. He doesn't carry himself like the usual Japanese star. He told me one of his idols is Freddie Mercury from Queen, and it shows." "Freddie Mercury, huh?" That wasn't something I expected to hear about a young Japanese wrestler, but it sounded intriguing. To hear Steamboat tell it, we might have a very unique prospect on our hands. "I'm telling you, Bret, dropping this kid to cut costs was the worst decision Inoki's ever made," Ricky said. "He's going to be an international superstar." I wasn't used to hearing The Dragon gush about a prospect like this. After this meeting I'd need to devote all my attention to running tonight's PPV, but after it was over I was going to be requesting all the tape Wildside had of Shinsuke Nakamura. <hr noshade size=3> I wrote this little teaser in part as an excuse to give a warning. You might have been expecting a slow turnaround from preview to show based on how things have been going recently, but the show is actually completely written and WILL be posted tomorrow (Sunday.) I normally don't offer these sorts of warnings, but given the recent pace of this diary I thought it was a good idea, especially since this is the second to last show in the contest to qualify for the UFS. That's cool; glad I could offer some inspiration! I took the plunge and bought 2k19 on Black Friday despite not following the actual WWE product, and I'm really enjoying it. I recently finished the Career mode, and I totally picked Goldust as my partner for one particular match in the story because of his run as The Unnatural here.

<p>I completely skipped the tag league aside from watching the final night. That tournament is a slog to get through. They should remove the tag title at WK aspect from it, because having EVIL and SANADA go through that whole thing only for it to be turned into a three way is just a gigantic waste of time. </p><p> </p><p> I guess it's still not as bad as a couple of years ago when Yano and Ishii randomly got thrown into the title match because Yano stole the belts. At least the Bucks were former champions that never got their rematch, as they cited in their promo. That's better than the jr tag thing too, where Shingo and Bushi are getting thrown in because NJPW, like WWE, feels like they HAVE to get everyone on WK.</p>

<p>So I just ran the show. Won't say anything about that, because duh, but I did get a message right afterwards that I wanted to share with you guys.</p><p> </p><p> Guess who just went up to Middleweight, and in the process hit a 91 in Star Quality (higher than HHH and Orton)?</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="3XbagXS.gif" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/3XbagXS.gif" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Hashasheen" data-cite="Hashasheen" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Salman was pretty legit, though. He had some fun exchanges with Vader and him and Zangrief were probably as good or better than the Koloffs. The Soviet imports into Japan in the early 90s also worked really cheap because of the USSR collapse, so having them around didn't hurt at all.</div></blockquote><p> More importantly, Zangrief was the inspiration for ZANGIEF! <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> I wasn't really a follower of NJPW back then, but I definitely heard about Yasuda's title reign.</p>

<p>November 2003: Pre-Calgary Stampede News and Notes</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>I decided to give Johnny Parisi, Tony Mamaluke and Dawn Marie a couple of months' vacation so Mamaluke can hopefully fully heal from this nagging neck injury he's been trying to work through. I've tried to get them on the show here and there, and Parisi was in the Stu Hart Classic, but trying to keep them on TV while also keeping Tony out of the ring hasn't been working too well. Hopefully in a couple of months Tony will be 100% and the team can come back rejuvenated.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> After more than two years down in Wildside, Kid Romeo is finally going to be rejoining WCW proper. Romeo felt he'd learned all he could down there and requested a return, and our trainers agreed that it was time. I guess we'll see what he can bring to the table with two more years of training and experience under his belt. Maybe we can reform his team with Elix Skipper? Or maybe he'd be a good fit as some kind of ally with the new Helms/Bagwell act?</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I got word that Takako Inoue had heat in the Renaissance locker room for loudly saying that the show would be better if she were in the main events. She had no track record of causing problems, so I took it fairly easy on her by just sitting her down and warning her that there's no room for that kind of attitude in WCW. She seemed to take the warning to heart, promising me there'd be no further problems, and she also thanked me for not coming down harder on her.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> We've agreed to a one year extension of our PPV deal with Britain's Telewest. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Dustin approached me in the back after a show and stated his case on why he deserved a raise. I couldn't disagree with anything he said, so I gave him the full amount he asked for. With the raise he's now the fourth highest paid person in the company, trailing Rey (who won big in a bidding war between myself and Vince), Austin and Goldberg. With the run he's been on, I think he deserves every penny.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler seem to have been talking a lot more recently. I guess they've formed more of a friendship. I kind of thought they were already friends before I even took over...</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I've brought in young Canadian Petey Williams to work as an enhancement guy under a per date deal. Petey worked as local talent for us on a Nitro last year.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Hailey Hatred will be doing the same on the Renaissance side of things.</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>After their rise back up to national recognition, NJPW went into acquisition mode. They hired Kensuke Sasaki, Kazushi Sakuraba, Jinsei Shinzaki, Tom Howard, Kendo Ka Shin, Susumu Mochizuki, Tomoaki Honma, Takanori Imamura, Keiki Sakoda, Akira Nogami, El Oriental, Sanshiro Takagi and Super Shisa.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="fOS5DO2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/fOS5DO2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Once Kazushi Sakuraba signed with New Japan, Zero-One and the NWA had to scramble to find a new NWA World champion. It was fortunate for all involved that Zero-One was on tour when the deal happened, so they were able to have Sakuraba drop the belt to Tadao Yasuda on November 9th before he started with NJPW. Yasuda is okay but he's no Sakuraba. Still, at least they didn't have to vacate the title.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The company held their 'Strike For Retribution' show on November 18th. Ken Shamrock beat Yasushi Kanda in a stellar 84-rated opener, which wound up being the best match of the night. The semi main (Tadao Yasuda retaining the NWA title over Katsuyori Shibata) and main event (Shinya Hashimoto beating Wataru Inoue in a Zero1 World title defense) were both just behind it at 83. Altogether it was a show with a rating of 80, which isn't their best big event of the year but is a strong showing nevertheless. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Hunter dislocated his jaw working a non-title Raw main event with Rocky on November 17th, but he shrugged it off pretty quickly.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Undertaker and his wife have divorced, as have Chris and Nancy Benoit.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Spike Dudley has put on some muscle recently. I hate to break it to you kid, but Vince is never going to take you seriously.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/JO5PDMM.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>They held 'Back From The Dead 2' (God what a stupid name) on November 11th. Marc Mero retained the TNA title over Matt Sydal in the main event. The Observer gave that match a 59 rating, which made it match of the night and far and away the best match in that title's history. The show also included Tadao Yasuda making the first defense of the NWA World title over Sonjay Dutt in the semi main event, and Selina Majors winning the NWA Women's title from Sara Del Rey. The show got a 55 overall rating, which was a bit of a step down from last month but is still their third best show in history. Things may finally be looking up for these guys now that they took their top title off of Mantaur.</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>Black Warrior's run with the TV title was a very short one. He made only one defense before they had him drop it to Pentagon on the November 22nd NOAH TV show.</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>All Japan put on their 'Fighter Warrior' show on November 22nd. The Unified Tag Team titles changed hands in the main event, as Keiji Mutoh and Takao Omori beat previous champions Hiroshi Hase and Genichiro Tenryu. That was a very good match which earned an 89 rating, but it was overshadowed by a thrilling 99-rated semi main where Toshiaki Kawada beat Taiyo Kea. Poor match placement aside, the show was still good enough to earn an 81 overall from the Observer. While it's a far cry from a couple of their events in the first quarter of the year, it was their best big show in quite a few months.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="JMike" data-cite="JMike" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: We're back and rolling! I hope</p></div></blockquote><p> That's certainly the plan! I'm going to run the PPV right after I post this and I'm pretty motivated to work on this right now, so hopefully I can make some solid progress on this for awhile.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="James The Animator" data-cite="James The Animator" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. <strong>The Unnatural</strong> {©} <em>(Sheesh. I know your options for a WHC challenger at this show were limited because a bunch of people got eliminated from the Stu Hart Classic and therefore could not get a title shot, but this seems like pretty severe nepotism on Bret's part. Harry's </em><em><strong>eighteen</strong></em><em>, for God's sake! Then again, I guess Bret would probably do this in real life. Good job with committing to character here!)</em></p></div></blockquote><p> You know how in storyline I teased that Dustin would just have the night off? That was actually something I was considering when I first started planning for this show. I wasn't really in a position where there was a credible challenger who I could slip in without disrupting what I had planned for them, so I really was thinking about just not having a world title match. Then I got the idea to do this story with Harry, which I liked for several reasons. That it's Bret's nephew is one of them, yes. <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="smartman" data-cite="smartman" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I was all set to try in move into that world you've created where wrestling is awesome and WCW is thriving, and then that CM Punk vs Bryan match got that rating.<img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I'll stay here instead. I didn't think that was possible in any mod ever.</div></blockquote><p> I don't watch, but I hear that Baron Corbin is the authority figure on Raw and dominates screen time. </p><p> </p><p> ...I think I'll stick with this fake world. <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="crackerjack" data-cite="crackerjack" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. <strong>The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)</strong></p><p> <em>Steiner can't be long for this world, can he?</em></p></div></blockquote><p> He's still capable of decent to good matches, so we'll see. If nothing else, I need to keep him around so I can write the derogatory things he says about everyone else after the show!</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Hashasheen" data-cite="Hashasheen" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Buff Bagwell and Sugar Helms being buds sounds like a nightmare for Shane. Buff was a pain to all the WCW rookies in 2000. How well behaved has he been here?</div></blockquote><p> He hasn't been a problem.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques: Man that Sean O'Hare turn is what that guy needed but there is no way you are headlining starrcade with a Heel vs. Heel match and there is even less of a chance it will be Harry Smith vs. Sean O' Hare.</p></div></blockquote><p> What an unlikely main event THAT would be!</p>

<p>November 2003: Road to Calgary Stampede</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/WiYIFgR.jpg</span><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:18px;">The Backstories:</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Stu Hart Classic: And Then There Were Two</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>We had four weeks of TV between Halloween Havoc and the Calgary Stampede. Every one featured Stu Hart Classic matches, getting us down to our final two.</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>10/20:</strong></p><p> <em>-Despite being distracted by Father Isaac observing from the aisle, Jeff Hardy won an action-packed second round match against Kidman.</em></p><p><em> -The power of Scott Steiner was too much for the speed of Kaz Hayashi, who tapped out to the Steiner Recliner.</em></p><p><em> -Their styles didn't mesh as opponents, but a Jackhammer gave Goldberg the win over new TV Champion Matt Hardy and sent him to the Quarterfinals.</em></p><p><em> -CM Punk defeated Bryan Danielson in a lengthy main event to wrap up the second round.</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>11/3:</strong></p><p> <em>All four Quarterfinal matches took place here.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Sean O'Haire powered his way through the skills and tricks of Christopher Daniels, pinning the Fallen Angel after the Widow Maker.</em></p><p><em> -Paul Heyman had a ringside seat for the next match, and he got a great laugh on commentary as CM Punk defeated Scott Steiner.</em></p><p><em> -All kinds of shenanigans went down in the match between Jeff Hardy and Goldberg. King Corino was in Goldberg's corner, and he deliberately caused a ref bump so he could interfere on Goldberg's behalf. But just when things seemed bleakest, Steve Austin came in through the crowd dressed as a beer salesman (more on that later), threw the beer in Corino's face and dropped Goldberg with a Stunner! When the dust settled, Jeff Hardy had pulled off the upset!</em></p><p><em> -Lance Storm and AJ Styles took the ring for another clinic in our main event, with the Styles Clash sending AJ into the Semifinals against Sean O'Haire.</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>11/10:</strong></p><p> <em>Our first Semifinal match was AJ Styles against Sean O'Haire. It was a very good match despite its all-babyface setup, with Styles impressing with his speed and O'Haire executing good power offense while also using his athleticism to do an admirable job of keeping up with his smaller opponent.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Unfortunately, the match was destined to become mired in controversy.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="0exeVr7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0exeVr7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Paul Heyman walked down the aisle to distract referee Nick Patrick, and that allowed Rob Van Dam to blindside Styles with a flying martial arts kick off the top rope. He gave a nod to O'Haire before hopping over the top rope. O'Haire returned it, then finished a dazed AJ off with the Widow Maker to "earn" a spot in the Finals. RVD and Heyman entered the ring after the match, and Shane Douglas joined them as well. Heyman and O'Haire hugged, signifying that this wasn't just a random act that O'Haire took advantage of, but a plan between them. Heyman grabbed the microphone to explain all.</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><strong>Paul Heyman, 11/10/03</strong><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> "Ladies and gentlemen, while in later years I've come to be associated with a certain Extreme wrestling promotion that is currently being bastardized on ABC, before that I made a lot of money and had a lot of success building a faction from the ground up. In that faction I had a blend of the best wrestlers in the world at that time, and the best in the future. It wasn't enough for me to acquire the services of the likes of "Ravishing" Rick Rude and "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson. No, I wanted to showcase a man who would lead professional wrestling into the next millennium. And the man I chose, the man I tabbed as the future of wrestling? You might have heard of him--his name is Steve Austin, and a few short years later he became perhaps the biggest star in the history of this business!</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> "And what do I have assembled before me right now? I have Rob Van Dam and Shane Douglas, a pair of former World Champions who are still in their athletic prime! And now I have the next "big thing", the next superstar, the future World Champion. Sean O'Haire's potential is limitless, and now that he has me in his corner nothing will stop him from realizing it! In thirteen days he will defeat either CM Punk or Jeff Hardy to win the Stu Hart Classic, and on December 28th at Starrcade he will become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion! But tonight, he's formally welcomed alongside Rob Van Dam and Shane Douglas as a member of the once and future most dominant entity in all of WCW--THE DANGEROUS ALLIANCE!"</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> <strong>11/17:</strong></p><p> <em>The second Semifinal match was between a pair of old rivals in Jeff Hardy and CM Punk, who last year headlined Starrcade on opposing ends of a tag team title ladder match and now looked to break through into the singles picture. They had an excellent back and forth match, but unfortunately it was marred by outside involvement just like the first Semifinal. Both Jeff Hardy and referee Nick Patrick were distracted by The Unnatural and Father Isaac showing up in the aisle, but Jeff was confused when rather than attacking him, Unnatural clapped his hands and waved him on in some bizarre form of encouragement. While that was happening, Mortis snuck in from the back side and blasted CM Punk with the Flatliner. He was gone as soon as he'd entered, with Jeff having been none the wiser. Once he turned around, he looked a bit surprised that Punk was still flat on his back from the Whisper in the Wind he'd hit earlier, but didn't pass up the opportunity to go up top and land the Swanton Bomb to move on to the Finals.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> At the end of it all, we were left with two men from our original field of 32: Sean O'Haire and Jeff Hardy.</em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Honoring Our Forefathers</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>As Salvation was cutting a promo following a successful eight man tag on the 10/20 Nitro, they were surprised by Harry Smith interrupting. The surprise only increased when Harry revealed the reason for his interruption: to challenge The Unnatural to a match for the World Heavyweight Championship! He freely admitted that he hadn't truly worked his way up the ladder to become a legitimately deserving contender, but said that he felt like he'd let his entire family down by losing in the first round of the tournament named after his grandfather, the Stu Hart Classic. He wanted to make them all proud when he went home for the Calgary Stampede, and since he couldn't do that by winning the tournament, the only option he had left was to ignore all the rules about "paying your dues" and "working your way up", and go straight for the top man! The Unnatural was quick to respond.</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><strong>The Unnatural, 10/20/03</strong><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> "I admire your spirit, young Harry, but your ambition exceeds your capability. You are an unpolished diamond. Yes, you are an athletic specimen just like your father, and you do seem to be a...'natural', pardon the pun. You remind me of a young man named Dustin Rhodes who walked the same road you're currently on, a decade or so ago. Just like you, he had a famous forefather he wanted to honor and big shoes to try and fill, and just like you, he thought it would all just come with a snap of the fingers. He was wrong. That young pup was nowhere near prepared for the burdens of success, and neither are you. I will spare you a painful lesson by refusing your challenge. Maybe one day you will find your own form of 'salvation' and achieve all that you desire, but attempting to do so now would end only in heartbreak for you."</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> <em>Harry pled his case to Arn Anderson next, but Double A agreed with Unnatural's assessment that Harry simply hadn't earned his way into being deserving of world title consideration. When Harry asked him who would be getting the shot at Calgary Stampede instead, Arn revealed that they were planning on giving Unnatural the night off so the focus could be on the finals of the Stu Hart Classic. Harry wasn't happy to hear that, and he left the office with a dejected expression on his face.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Desperate times call for desperate measures. On 11/10, The Unnatural was backstage cutting a promo about the Stu Hart Classic when Harry attacked him out of nowhere, capping it off with a running powerslam on the floor!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Far from being angry at the attack, Unnatural was actually impressed with Harry's initiative and spirit, saying he'd shown a single-minded ruthlessness that "the immature boy known as Dustin Rhodes" had lacked at this point in his career. He requested a meeting with Harry and Arn Anderson on the 17th, during which he said he would be willing to give up his planned night off and defend the title against young Smith at Calgary Stampede, but only if Harry could beat The Destroyer that night on Nitro. Harry was tossed around the ring for the majority of the match, but he managed to take advantage of a momentary lapse and hit the running powerslam to score the upset and earn himself an improbable shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. </em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Next and Last</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>After beating King Corino at Halloween Havoc, Steve Austin came out the next night to issue a challenge. </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><strong>Steve Austin, 10/20/03</strong><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> I've done exactly what I said I was gonna do months ago, back when ol' Uncle Eric was still in charge. I've torn your damn Empire down, brick by brick. I've gone through every single SOB you can throw at me, Corino, even bastards who ain't even in WCW anymore! And last night, I stomped a mudhole in you too! And now there's only one thing left. Give me the match I've wanted since April. Give me the match the whole damn world has wanted since 1998. Goldberg, you like to ask 'who's next'? Well you're lookin' at him son, because on my list, you're 'next and last!'" </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> <em>The crowd erupted when Goldberg emerged from the back, looking ready to rip someone's head off. But Corino ran down to cut him off before he could make it to the ring. He and Goldberg had a shouting match, but Corino pulled out Bill's contract (which is a personal contract with Corino, "inherited" from Bischoff, rather than a regular WCW employee contract.) He reminded Bill that his career was in his hands, and he would make life hell for him if he didn't go to the back right now and prepare for his Stu Hart Classic match later in the night. Goldberg glowered at Corino but followed his orders, reluctantly walking back behind the curtain as the crowd booed. That wasn't all for the night though, as before leaving the building Austin said that no matter what Corino said, he was going to get his hands on Goldberg sooner or later and they were going to settle this!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Corino was waiting for Austin when he arrived on 11/3, and let it be known that he wasn't stupid. He knew Austin would try something during Goldberg's Stu Hart Classic match with Jeff Hardy, something that would piss Bill off enough to get him to do something stupid. Corino was too smart to fall for it though, so he was going to have the entire Empire watching to make sure Austin couldn't take one step through that curtain while Goldberg handled business. Sure enough, Corino left the entire force of the group guarding the only path from backstage to ringside while he personally accompanied Goldberg to the ring for his match. But he'd neglected to consider less conventional routes from the building and into the seats, which Austin exploited by sneaking through the crowd disguised as a beer vendor! He helped Jeff Hardy fend off a 2-on-1 assault, dropped Goldberg with a Stunner and played an instrumental role in getting "The Man" knocked out of the tournament! </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> On 11/10 Austin again called Goldberg out, now sure that he'd pissed him off enough to force the issue. But it was Corino, not Goldberg, who answered the call. He begrudgingly gave Austin credit for outsmarting him and finding a way in to screw Goldberg out of the Stu Hart Classic, and admitted that his actions had worked exactly as intended and had Bill ready to tear his head off. For that reason, he'd given Bill some time off to cool his head, and he wasn't going to bring him back until he was rational enough to follow orders again. So he wouldn't be out to answer Austin's challenge that night, or any other night!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> In stepped Roddy Piper, who approached Austin backstage on the 17th and invited both him and the absent Goldberg to an episode of Piper's Pit during Calgary Stampede. Austin said he'd be more than happy to show up and drink a few beers with Roddy, so he'd be there--but he doubted Corino would let his "mindless little attack dog" Goldberg out of his cage long enough to make the trip to Calgary! </em></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">It's Your Fault!</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The post-Havoc Nitro opened with a clip taken just after the PPV, where Becky Bayless tried to get answers from Eddie Guerrero on why he attacked his best friend Rey Mysterio Jr. with a steel chair during his title match against The Unnatural. Eddie brushed her off and said he'd tell everyone everything they want to hear, but he'd do it on his schedule, not hers. His schedule didn't include the following night on Nitro because he wasn't there, but Rey was. He was crushed as he came to the ring for an emotional promo, wanting to know why Eddie would do this. But since Eddie wasn't returning his calls, he'd have to wait just like everybody else for when Eddie finally gave his reasons--and when he did, Rey would be close by to hear them. The answers did come on November 3rd when Eddie, still carrying the chair he'd used at Halloween Havoc, cut an in-ring promo where he blamed Rey for everything. </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><strong>Eddie Guerrero, 11/3/03</strong><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> "The whole world saw it, Rey! At War Games I had The Destroyer BEATEN! That title shot was MINE! But then you swooped in and stole it from me, because you're a selfish person and a fake friend! It wasn't me who turned my back on this friendship, it was YOU! All I did at Halloween Havoc was give you exactly what you deserved! When I used this lovely steel chair to bash your head in, that wasn't betrayal. It was JUSTICE, holmes!"</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> <em>There was a brief shot of Rey watching Eddie's promo in the back and shaking his head, but we got a more formal response the following week. After an Eddie squash match, Rey confronted him. He called Eddie bitter, accused him of snapping that night at Halloween Havoc as he watched his nephew Chavo win the Cruiserweight title and his friend Rey prepare to regain the World title, and said that he took his anger for his own failings out on him instead of looking in the mirror. With that said, he challenged Eddie to a match, one on one, any time and any place! Eddie said he would be happy to accept the challenge, but only at Starrcade, and only if Rey could win a match at Calgary Stampede against an opponent of Eddie's choosing. Rey accepted those conditions, and Eddie smirked. Moments later Jamie Knoble attacked Rey right in the aisle and trapped him in the guillotine choke until he passed out, with Eddie laughing all the while. He made it clear that Knoble was his choice via special arrangement with King Corino; this was something we teased with a couple of brief segments where Eddie and Corino were seen talking backstage.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Rey won a nice little match against Bobby Roode to warm himself up on the go-home show, but he was assaulted in the ring by Knoble and TAKA moments after the bell rang. A Michinoku Driver took the fight out of Rey, and for the second week in a row he was helplessly trapped in Knoble's guillotine choke while officials tried to pull the Virginian off of him. The segment ended with a shot of Eddie and Corino near the curtain, shaking hands and sharing a laugh at a job well done and a successful business transaction. </em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Freaks, Peaks...and Dragons?</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>With their first title defense in the books, Rob Van Dam and Paul Heyman wondered who would be next up in the US title picture now that Scott Steiner was in the rear view mirror. Steiner disagreed, taking the microphone after his SHC victory over Kaz Hayashi and saying that RVD wasn't finished with him until he said so. Heyman sat in as a guest commentator during Steiner's Quarterfinal match against CM Punk on November 3rd, during which he again stated that he and RVD were finished with Steiner, who had tried and failed to unseat RVD just like he always has. He laughed in amusement when Punk won the match, and that didn't sit well with Steiner. He grabbed Heyman by the jacket and pulled him over the table, intent on beating the hell out of him, and that's when RVD and Shane Douglas ran down from the back to save their manager. The two of them working together were able to overwhelm Steiner, and with a ruffled Heyman urging them on they dished out quite a beating, ending in them lifting Scott up and ramming his head into the ring post.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Steiner wanted more the next week, and he and Heyman got into a war of words as Paul said that RVD had no desire to give him yet another wasted title shot. Scott said the title could wait, because all he wanted right now was to beat the hell out of RVD AND Douglas at the same time, and maybe slap Heyman around when he was done! Heyman scoffed, saying that an egomaniac like Steiner would never be able to find someone willing to team with him now that his brother was on the unemployment line. Scott seemed more than willing to fight them both by himself, but it was at that moment that Bryan Danielson arrived. He said that he doubted he'd ever be friends with Scott Steiner, but this would be a big opportunity and his future bookings were wide open now that he was out of the Stu Hart Classic, so he'd be happy to offer his services as a partner. Steiner quickly accepted, not because he was impressed with Danielson but so Heyman couldn't wriggle off the hook.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Steiner and Danielson worked together well enough in a warm-up match on the 17th, but the Dangerous Alliance appeared on the video screen afterwards so Heyman could assure them it wouldn't be nearly so easy on Sunday. Danielson and Steiner agreed with Heyman's assessment that they would never be friends, but also agreed that they'd have no trouble working together to take down the DA at Calgary Stampede. </em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Three Times? Who Cares!</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>New Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. was interviewed on the heels of his big victory. He was subdued in discussing his Uncle Eddie's actions at Halloween Havoc, saying that he didn't know what had gotten into him and he wasn't answering his calls. He was much happier when talking about how proud he was to have become a 3-time Cruiserweight titleholder. He talked about the heritage of this belt and the reputation it had built up since its introduction in 1996, and said what an honor it was to join the likes of Rey, Chris Jericho, Kidman and Dean Malenko as men who held the title at least three times. The tribute to the title was interrupted by Brian Kendrick, who told him to shut up before he started gagging. In Brian's words, nobody cared about what Chavo, Mysterio, Jericho or anybody else had done in the past. It was the future that mattered, and it was him, Brian Kendrick, the greatest thing since sliced bread, who would become the greatest Cruiserweight champion of all time!</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> In another interview on 11/3, Chavo revealed that he'd gone to management and gotten them to sign off on a title match between he and Kendrick at Calgary Stampede, so he could find out exactly what "the kid" had to offer. This led to Kendrick telling him to polish the belt real good before the PPV so it would be shiny enough to deserve to be in his possession. Chavo was on color for Kendrick's match on 11/10, and got a good look as Brian scored a nice victory over a top cruiserweight contender in Hayabusa. Chavo admitted to being impressed with what he'd seen, and as he left the table said he was looking forward to the PPV even more now. Promos from both men were aired on the 17th, with Kendrick appearing supremely confident and Chavo eager to show the cocky youngster that he still had lots to learn. </em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">The Stars are Unbound</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Alexander walked into his singles match on 11/3 with plenty of confidence as 1/2 of the World Tag Team Champions, but suffered a decisive defeat courtesy of Billy Kidman's Shooting Star Press. Kidman's partner Teddy Hart joined Kidman and Torrie Wilson to celebrate the huge win, while in the other corner The Unbound looked stunned. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The Shooting Stars opened Nitro the next week with a win over The American Outlaws, after which The Unbound took the stage. Mortis handled most of the talking as he said that last week's setback had been a shock to the system, and they couldn't allow this stain to remain on their own personal Salvation. That's why they'd gone to Arn Anderson and set up a title shot for the Shooting Stars at Calgary Stampede. The new challengers were more than happy about that. Teddy was particularly hyped, saying it was going to be a dream come true to win his first WCW title in Calgary of all places! </em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Are You Fit to be a Fighting Champion?</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>On 11/3, Matt Hardy held off the technical skills of Minoru Tanaka to make his first successful TV title defense. Afterwards he cut a promo about being a fighting champion who would come to Nitro each and every week to take on anyone who wanted a shot. This brought out Fit Finlay, who reminded Matt that he was a 2-time TV champion, including being the first man to hold the belt after it was reintroduced last year. If Matt wanted to prove that he could measure up as champion, Fit dared him to do so by defeating him.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The match took place the following week, but the end result was to neither man's satisfaction. Both fought tooth and nail and didn't back down a bit, but they were still battling when the fifteen minute time limit expired.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Matt's third title defense came on the 17th with a win over Konnan, but Finlay ran in afterwards and spiked him with a Tombstone, then demanded another shot at the title.</em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">AJ's Anger</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>I had been planning for Great Sasuke to defend his UWA Welterweight title on the PPV, but by the time the go home show rolled around I didn't think we'd established him to our fanbase enough to avoid any of his potential opponents suffering a hit to their image by putting him over. So I threw together another match on the 17th to take its place.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> AJ Styles was doing an interview, vowing revenge against Sean O'Haire and the rest of the Dangerous Alliance for screwing him over the previous week, when Shane Helms and his new manager/"life coach" Buff Bagwell walked in and said AJ sounded really angry and needed to relax. Their suggestion was that he go find a "Canadian honey" to kiss. AJ's counterproposal was that he work out his aggression in the ring against Helms, and that's how we set up our 8th match.</em></p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="color:#FF0000;"><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Summaries:</span></span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>10/20:</strong></p><p> <img alt="JbHswJO.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JbHswJO.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <em>Notes from this show:</em></p><p><em> -Stacy Keibler and new backstage interviewer Becky Bayless have bonded quickly. I heard them planning a surfing trip when the weather gets warmer here in North America.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -He might be a heel now, but Eddie Guerrero is still loved by the boys. He had them rolling with cartoon drawing on the backstage blackboard before the show. He perfectly captured Triple H's nose, I'll give him that.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Sting was discussing babyface psychology with Johnny Parisi before the show.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -As I was watching his pre-show match, I was pleased to note that Paul London seems to be more comfortable in his gimmick.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Father Isaac watched Jeff Hardy's match from ringside, smiling and clapping when he won.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -CM Punk and Bryan Danielson sadly proved to be a terrible fit together, turning what I'd envisioned as a tremendous match to end the round into a disappointing main event. Punk tried to save the match by calling an audible and shifting to more of a heel mindset midway through, but it only made things worse and threw him off of his game.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -RVD and CM Punk were backstage watching the segment where Harry Smith interrupted Salvation, and they both praised the strides Harry has made as a worker and talked about looking forward to seeing how he did wrestling Dustin at the PPV.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>11/3:</strong></p><p> <img alt="SCsQGD6.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SCsQGD6.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <em>Notes from this show:</em></p><p><em> -I noticed that Becky Bayless seemed to be growing more comfortable in her gimmick during the Hardy/Finlay promo.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Alexander disagreed with the decision to have him put over Kidman cleanly and decisively, and he let me know about it. That's just too bad. It was required for the storyline to go where I wanted it to. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Sean O'Haire showed some improved aerial skills during his match with Daniels.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Eddie improvised well during his promo, really coming across as believable in his rant against Rey.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Goldberg was even more unhappy than Alexander when he first heard the booking plans that had him losing to Jeff Hardy. In his case it was more understandable, because he is a top drawing card and Jeff is nowhere near his level of mainstream notoriety. He didn't have as much of a problem once I explained how the finish would be booked though. He realized the nature of the finish wouldn't damage him too much, and it was an important development for his storyline with Austin.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Unnatural was awesome during his promo on Jeff, and he looked like a real star.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -"Are you serious 'bout givin' Bulldog's kid a title match on the PPV? He's got some muscles, but he ain't no Big Poppa Pump! I know he's your nephew, but ain't nobody payin' to watch him! Give the people what they really want and put me back in the main event!" -Scott Steiner </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>11/10:</strong></p><p> <img alt="k8kmLu2.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k8kmLu2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <em>Notes from this show:</em></p><p><em> -Eric Young provided food for the boys before the show. Pretty nice gesture, especially from a job guy we pay on a per date basis.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Hayabusa spent hours before the show trying to find his mask, only to eventually discover that Aguila had hidden it in a freezer. Hayabusa took the prank in good humor and promised Aguila he'd get him back soon.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -It's a good thing for Teddy he has Kidman to lean on, because Billy really carried that tag match with the American Outlaws.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Chavo's color commentary during Kendrick's match with Hayabusa was pretty weak.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Judging by the fan reaction, O'Haire's heel turn was a complete success.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -I overheard CM Punk and Jeff Hardy chatting about some of the up and coming guys in the company after they finished shooting their angle. Punk was praising the skills of Harry Smith, while Jeff said he didn't know if Paul London was really clicking with the fans.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -"Why'd you do that dumb skit with Helms and Buff? That skinny wimp ain't no ladies' man, not like me!" -Scott Steiner</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>11/17:</strong></p><p> <img alt="bqYf6ys.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bqYf6ys.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <em>Notes from this show:</em></p><p><em> -Ric Flair was working with James Storm on the art of the promo. I doubt James or anyone else will ever be able to talk quite like Ric, but I appreciate the effort.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -The Destroyer was protected in his loss to Harry Smith. Harry needed the win to give him a bit of credibility before his title match, but I didn't want to totally sacrifice Destroyer so I let him get lots of offense in.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -The timing between Matt Hardy and Konnan was off from the opening bell. That probably isn't a match we should revisit unless it's in a throwaway spot (which, to be fair, is kind of what this was.)</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -"I ain't gonna blow no smoke up your ass, Bret, but I see money in this Kendrick kid. I know he's still an underneath guy right now, but I think one day he's gonna be so good at flappin' his gums that people will pay good money hoping to watch him get his ass kicked." -Steve Austin</em></p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> </p><p> Fan Scorecard:</p><p> </p><p> Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire</p><p> </p><p> World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}</p><p> </p><p> If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble</p><p> </p><p> World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}</p><p> </p><p> World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}</p><p> </p><p> Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}</p><p> </p><p> "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)</p><p> </p><p> "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms</p><p> </p><p> What will be match of the night?</p><p> </p><p> How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)?</p><p> </p><p> Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit?</p><p> </p><p> General diary comments/questions/critiques:</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="JMike" data-cite="JMike" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>For some reason I had a dream about this save, where you several characters from this anime game I've been playing recently as road agents or personalities. Once I woke up, I actually tried to reply to this very thread saying "hey that's cool" but then I double checked the thread and it was fake, thank god. <p> </p><p> In an actual note that makes sense, M-Pro always dies in these saves once they get to cult, and they always have a bunch of guys that are great to sign. Sasuke in particular always gets the sick ratings. Didn't you say you might resign Jinsei if M-Pro died?</p></div></blockquote><p> That's an interesting dream. I mean, I DO watch a fair bit of anime, but I doubt you'll ever see Edward Elric or Faye Valentine show up here! <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> I probably did say that, but I decided to leave him out of it since my roster is very full, I didn't have any particular idea for him and he was getting regular bookings with All Japan. He's no longer available for me to sign anyway, but we'll get to that in the next news update. <img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<p>Finally caught back up. Just in time!</p><p> </p><p> WCW World Heavyweight Championship</p><p> <strong>“Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner</strong> © vs. Winner of the Wrath match!</p><p> </p><p> Wrath</p><p> <strong>Sting</strong> vs. “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. Buff “The Stuff” Bagwell vs. “The Road Warrior” Animal vs. Mike Awesome vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger</p><p> A Caged Heat match which opens with two competitors in the ring, with another joining after five minutes. Every three minutes, another joins at random. Once all six men are in the ring, it’s one fall to a finish!</p><p> Due to pre-match stipulations, Sting will be the first man in the ring and Lex Luger the last.</p><p> </p><p> Goldberg’s Streak #120</p><p> <strong>“Da Man” Goldberg</strong> vs. “Beast from the East” Bam Bam Bigelow</p><p> </p><p> WCW United States Heavyweight Championship – Triple Threat match</p><p> <strong>Booker T</strong> © vs. Shane Douglas vs. Chuck Palumbo</p><p> </p><p> WCW World Tag Team Championships</p><p> Sean O’Haire and Mark Jindrak © vs. <strong>Kronik</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Curt Hennig</strong> vs. “The Chosen One” Jeff Jarrett</p><p> </p><p> Flag Match</p><p> “The Prodigal Son” Dustin Rhodes vs. <strong>Lance Storm</strong></p><p> If Dustin Rhodes wins, he gets back his father’s prized boots; if Lance Storm wins, he can badmouth America again!</p><p> </p><p> Mexican Deathmatch</p><p> Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. <strong>Vampiro</strong></p><p> </p><p> Konnan vs. <strong>Big Bill</strong></p><p> </p><p> Jimmy Snuka Jr. and Rebel Pride vs. <strong>The Problem Solvers</strong></p><p> </p><p> Bonus Question: Who will Madusa reveal as her new client? <strong>Stasiak</strong></p><p> Said client is already a member of the main roster.</p><p> Bonus Question: Who takes the fall in the Wrath match? <strong>Animal</strong></p><p> Bonus Question: One match does NOT take place as advertised. Which match is it? <strong>US title 3 way</strong></p><p> This match will not count in the prediction card, but this question does.</p><p> </p><p> Tiebreaker Question: How long does the Wrath match last? <strong>21:20</strong></p><p> Price is Right rules apply, closest to the right answer without going over!</p>

<p>October Renaissance Update, News and November National Battle Report</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>October 23rd, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> Tokyo, Japan</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> The translator gave me a nod, indicating that everything was in order and the terms had been agreed to. Satisfied, I reached across the table to shake the hand of The Great Sasuke.</p><p> </p><p> I knew Sasuke was disappointed about having to sell the company he founded a decade ago, but the cold hard truth is that Michinoku Pro was a sinking ship. They usually put on shows of a fairly high quality for their size, and even drew decent crowds in the Tohoku region of Japan which served as their base. The problem came during their tour stops elsewhere in the country, where they frequently drew attendance in the low hundreds and sometimes even dipped into double digit crowd figures. Considering a good number of their roster was under written contracts, they just couldn't sustain that financially. Sasuke knew it, and that's why he agreed to sell to me.</p><p> </p><p> What do we get in exchange for eating Michinoku Pro's debt? The handful of contracts I chose to take on, basically. Sasuke is obviously included in that, and he'll be debuting straight on the main roster, bringing the UWA World Welterweight title with him. I chose not to bother with the company's two other titles because I simply saw no use for them.</p><p> </p><p> There are three other wrestlers previously under written deal with Michinoku that are now part of WCW. Samoa Joe was my top target of the bunch, and someone I've had my eye on for a long time. He's an excellent brawler, a good technical wrestler and has a good menacing look. At 24 years old, he's someone I see as a main event player in WCW's future.</p><p> </p><p> 22 year old Irishman Fergal Devitt is part of the deal as well. He might not be tabbed as a no-brainer superstar like Joe is, but he's a very good flyer, a solid technician, can do a bit of brawling and has a decent look as well, so he may have a bright future of his own.</p><p> </p><p> The other wrestler I've acquired, and the only native Japanese of the young trio, is Daisuke Sekimoto. Sekimoto, 22 just like Devitt, is in many respects a lesser version of Joe at this point in that their strengths are similar, but Joe is at a higher tier in most or all of them.</p><p> </p><p> Unlike Sasuke, the other three will all begin in Wildside so they can hopefully get more comfortable speaking on the microphone (or in Sekimoto's case, working on his English.) I doubt any of them will be down there for an overly long time though.</p><p> </p><p> There were a few other names I considered bringing in as part of the deal but passed on for various reasons. Dick Togo could've been a solid addition, but I didn't feel a pressing need to add him with how loaded we already are. Naruki Doi is a talented young athlete that I had interest in for the cruiserweight division, but he still has lots of rehabilitation left on his way back from a broken neck. As for Naoya Ogawa and Yoshihiro Takayama, both are still active in mixed martial arts and we would've had to work around their training/fighting schedule, which I didn't feel would be worth it. </p><p> </p><p> I also accepted the contract of referee Hideki Kobayashi, who will serve as the new "B" ref on Renaissance and lighten Charles Robinson's workload.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">October 2003 Update</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> -Manami Toyota and Grand Prix tournament winner Akira Hokuto had a face to face in-ring meeting on the October 11th Renaissance. Hokuto said it would be her pleasure to welcome WCW to the age of darkness when she took the title away from the golden girl, but suggested that if Toyota truly wishes to be a fighting champion and truly wants to dispel the darkness, she should defend her title against the other members of The Darkness first. Manami agreed, and up first was LuFisto on October 25th. It was a great match, but Toyota retained in the end.</p><p> </p><p> -Aja Kong and Devil Masami (now collectively known as 'Devil Kong') wondered who would be foolish enough to step up and think they could take their tag titles away, only to surely fail. We got our answer on October 18th when Our Generation knocked off Etsuko Mita and her bodyguard Kaoru Ito in a #1 contender's match, but the champions didn't look the least bit intimidated or impressed as they mocked their next challengers after the match. They also surrounded Melissa following her singles match on the 25th. Nattie ran in for the save, and Devil Kong walked away laughing.</p><p> </p><p> -Wesna Busic thoroughly shed her former enhancement talent status by attacking and laying out Chigusa Nagayo on the October 18th Renaissance. She also destroyed a departing Lisa Moretti on the 25th, after which Chigusa cut a promo where she said she didn't know or care what Busic was doing or why. She was going to be put in her place when Chigua got her hands on her.</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="color:#FF0000;"><span style="font-size:18px;">Show Summaries:</span></span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>10/11:</strong></p><p> <img alt="7WlWRzE.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7WlWRzE.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <em>Notes from this show:</em></p><p><em> -Lisa Moretti was furious about putting over Mariko in her debut, but I ignored her. Unfortunately Mariko wasn't at her best; maybe she was nervous?</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -Busic and Apache had great chemistry during their squash.</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>10/18:</strong></p><p> <img alt="QTQf5Zs.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/QTQf5Zs.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <em>Notes from this show:</em></p><p><em> -Toshiyo Yamada entertained the girls before the show with some light-hearted stories about herself and Manami Toyota in their AJW days.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>10/25:</strong></p><p> <img alt="rQhYogZ.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rQhYogZ.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <em>Notes from this show:</em></p><p> -Moretti threw a tantrum about being asked to put Yoshida over yet again, but she was told to suck it up and do her job. This was her final night with us anyway. I don't know if she thought she was going to be a featured star or what, but the plan was always for her to come in and put our faces over for a few months, giving whatever rub she could as a former WWE wrestler. </p><p> </p><p> -Great Sasuke's on-air debut where the two of us announced the purchase of M-Pro was a great segment, and I've been told his Martial Artist gimmick got an above average initial reception on the message boards from our fans who weren't familiar with him.</p><p> </p><p> -The main event between Toyota and LuFisto was great, bar one very scary moment where LuFisto nearly dropped Manami on her head with a poorly executed suplex. Our champion and star of the brand thankfully was unhurt, but she was not at all happy with her opponent afterwards. </p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></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>New Japan has again risen to national recognition in Japan. I honestly think that's bad news for them, because they still aren't in any position to compete with us or Vince. They'll probably be bumped back down again before long, continuing this unfortunate trend they've been on.</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>Kenny Omega is someone we've been extremely high on for years, and we've finally decided to pull the trigger on signing him to a developmental contract. I was in a bit of an odd position since he's been working for Stampede, owned by my brother Bruce and booked by my brother Ross. If they were running more regularly I would've been content to let Kenny stay with them for awhile longer, but they only put on one show a month. Kenny needs regular work if he's going to fulfill the potential we see in him, and he can get that work in Wildside.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Some of my talent scouts have been raving about the potential of a 16-year old Irish girl named Rebecca Knox, but said that with the current state of women's wrestling over there she wasn't going to get many opportunities to improve. Based on their recommendations, I decided to sign her to a developmental contract and send her to 5SSW, where she'll get plenty of chances to work with quality opponents and hone her craft. Maybe one day she can be an impact player on Renaissance.</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 'Demolition of Ancients' PPV on October 24th. The final two matches of the show saw Mitsuharu Misawa beat Akira Taue, and then Jun Akiyama making his first defense of the GHC Heavyweight title against Masao Inoue. Both of those matches stood above the rest of the show with identical ratings (89), and led to an 87 overall for the show. Not as good as last month's Departure event, but still one of their stronger big shows of 2003. Also of note from this show was the masked Black Warrior beating inaugural TV Champion Daisuke Ikeda to become the second holder of NOAH's newest title.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>They've paired original ECW alums Tommy Dreamer and Steven Richards together as a team under the name Hardcore Soldiers. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/JO5PDMM.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>Apparently they plan on booking Evan Karagis on upcoming events. I'm happy for him and hope he does well there.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:24px;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">National Battle Report: November 2003</span></span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ebDwXEW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <span style="color:#FF0000;"><span style="font-size:18px;">USA</span></span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#1:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Championship Wrestling</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) Steve Austin (1000 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Bill Goldberg (990)</em></p><p><em> 3) CM Punk (803)</em></p><p><em> 4) Rey Mysterio Jr. (779)</em></p><p><em> 5) Rob Van Dam (769)</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,341</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#2:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Wrestling Entertainment</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) The Rock (999 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Hollywood Hogan (827)</em></p><p><em> 3) The Undertaker (809)</em></p><p><em> 4) Triple H (790)</em></p><p><em> 5) Big Show (742)</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,167</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ieBLbQ1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ieBLbQ1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <span style="color:#FF0000;"><span style="font-size:18px;">British Isles</span></span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#1:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Championship Wrestling</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) Steve Austin (1000 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Bill Goldberg (990)</em></p><p><em> 3) Rey Mysterio Jr. (770)</em></p><p><em> 4) Rob Van Dam (760)</em></p><p><em> 5) CM Punk (756) </em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,276</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#2:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Wrestling Entertainment</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) The Rock (998 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Hollywood Hogan (858)</em></p><p><em> 3) The Undertaker (808)</em></p><p><em> 4) Triple H (790)</em></p><p><em> 5) Big Show (741)</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,195</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="1eeVS9d.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1eeVS9d.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <span style="color:#FF0000;"><span style="font-size:18px;">Japan</span></span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#1:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Championship Wrestling</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) Steve Austin (1000 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Bill Goldberg (990)</em></p><p><em> 3) CM Punk (813)</em></p><p><em> 4) Rey Mysterio Jr. (786)</em></p><p><em> 5) Rob Van Dam (772)</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,361</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#2:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Wrestling Entertainment</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) The Rock (1000 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Hollywood Hogan (818)</em></p><p><em> 3) The Undertaker (808)</em></p><p><em> 4) Triple H (791)</em></p><p><em> 5) Big Show (741)</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,158</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="mUExTtD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mUExTtD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <span style="color:#FF0000;"><span style="font-size:18px;">Europe</span></span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#1:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Championship Wrestling</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) Steve Austin (1000 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Bill Goldberg (939)</em></p><p><em> 3) CM Punk (773)</em></p><p><em> 4) Rob Van Dam (747)</em></p><p><em> 5) Rey Mysterio Jr. (744) </em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,203</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>#2:</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>World Wrestling Entertainment</strong></p><p> </p><p> <em>Top 5 Stars:</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> 1) The Rock (999 points)</em></p><p><em> 2) Hollywood Hogan (827)</em></p><p><em> 3) The Undertaker (808)</em></p><p><em> 4) Triple H (791)</em></p><p><em> 5) Big Show (741)</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Total Points: 4,166</strong></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> Hey look, another post! Some of my other commitments are out of the way, so I have a bit more time to work on this now. Work is still busy, but that should calm down at least somewhat once the holidays are done. I'm pretty motivated to work on this right now, so hopefully it won't take TOO long to get through the remaining three weeks of TV and post the preview for Calgary Stampede.</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>Did you notice your photobucket pics are back with a dumb looking watermark <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> Yep, I saw that. The watermark looks silly, but I guess it's better than everything being broken. Especially in my original ROH diary and TGAAB, because there was no way I was going to go back in and fix those links.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rhyme1234" data-cite="Rhyme1234" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Well it kind of makes sense, as Taichi & Takashi Iizuka can be used as pineaters. This can also help both Zack Saber Jr. & Minoru Suzuki as neither of them taking the pin won't kill their momentum.</div></blockquote><p> Plus won't they have a match against each other during the tourney? I'm not entirely sure how that'll work this year with the teams not being split into blocks. But yeah, even a tease of Suzuki vs. Sabre would be all kinds of fun. Personally I don't want Minoru and Zack teaming together in WTL unless they're going to win it, or at least go to the finals.</p>

<p>Halloween Havoc Wrap-up, Hall of Champions and Prediction Standings</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>Halloween Havoc was a resounding success for us. The Observer was quick to call it not just the best show of the year so far, but one of the best ever. It was the first show in our history to score a perfect 100 rating, which is a great feeling. We had a very positive post-show meeting where I praised Steve Austin and Mortis for their tremendous performances and led a round of applause for team player Jamie Knoble, who went along with a last-minute change in the Cruiserweight title match without complaint. I also gave a nod to Sting, who I'd seen giving young Johnny Parisi pointers on babyface performance earlier in the day.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Unfortunately I'd be giving Sting a very different look hours later, when I received word that our medical staff determined he had an issue with pain killers. I wanted to send him to rehab but didn't have that option since he's not under written contract with us any more, so all I could really do was fine him. He wasn't happy about that, and neither was Parisi. An unfortunate situation all the way around.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Down in our developmental territory, I've been told Nigel McGuinness has added a lot of muscle mass to his frame, to the point he's now classified as a middleweight. This has brought a decent gain to his star quality, though it's still doubtful he'll ever be among our best in that area.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -"When are you gonna give me and Chris (Harris) a shot? We can be a great team for you, but you've gotta stop booking us like job guys." -James Storm</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -"Paul London impresses me more every time I see him work. He's going to be great, and soon." -CM Punk</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> -"Why do you keep booking that Paul Germany kid? He ain't got what it takes to make the people give a crap about what he does!" -Scott Steiner </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg</span> </div><p></p><p></p><p> <em>WWE ran their Anarchy Rulz show head to head against us. It was technically an ECW-branded show, but WWE guys freely appeared on it as well with no rhyme or reason so I'm not sure what the point was. The Rock retained the WWE World title against Undertaker in an excellent main event (94), but the match of the night was the semi main where Kurt Angle defended the ECW title against Chuck Palumbo. That was a great match (98), though our top two from Halloween Havoc were better. The other noteworthy thing from the show was Brock Lesnar winning the ECW TV title in a three way against defending champion Al Snow and Albert, so I guess they didn't lose faith in him after all even though he dropped the Intercontinental belt to X-Pac last month. The show as a whole was good enough to get a 92 rating from the Observer. That's strong, but head to head against Halloween Havoc and its 100 score, we all know who had the better night!</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:18px;">Hall of Champions:</span></span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="u9bsFuK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/u9bsFuK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <span style="color:#FF0000;"><em><span style="font-size:14px;">NITRO BRAND</span></em></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">World Heavyweight Champion:</span></strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/haJKoFv.jpg</span></p><p> <strong>The Unnatural</strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span></p><p> <strong>Won:</strong> June 15th, 2003 in a triple threat match against Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero at Great American Bash in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania</p><p> </p><p> <em>Previous Champions (since March 2001):</em></p><p> Rey Mysterio Jr.: December 29th, 2002-June 15th, 2003 (168 days)</p><p> Booker T (#5): May 19th, 2002-December 29th, 2002 (224 days)</p><p> Rob Van Dam: December 30th, 2001-May 19th, 2002 (140 days)</p><p> Scott Steiner (#2): July 15th, 2001-December 30th, 2001 (168 days)</p><p> Booker T (#4): March 26th, 2001-July 15th, 2001 (111 days)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">United States Heavyweight Champion:</span></strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/mitTbCm.jpg</span></p><p> <strong>Rob Van Dam</strong></p><p> <img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Won:</strong> September 21st, 2003 from AJ Styles at War Games in Houston, Texas</p><p> </p><p> <em>Previous Champions (since March 2001):</em></p><p> AJ Styles: December 29th, 2002-September 21st, 2003 (266 days)</p><p> Shane Douglas (#2): April 1st, 2002-December 29th, 2002 (272 days)</p><p> Rey Misterio Jr (#2): October 14th, 2001-April 1st, 2002 (169 days)</p><p> Kanyon: August 5th, 2001-October 14th, 2001 (70 days)</p><p> Rey Misterio Jr: May 13th, 2001-August 5th, 2001 (85 days)</p><p> Booker T: March 18th, 2001-April 30th, 2001 (44 days)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Cruiserweight Champion:</span></strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg</span></p><p> <strong>Chavo Guerrero Jr. (#3)</strong></p><p> <img alt="0qRNVUJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0qRNVUJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Won:</strong> October 19th, 2003 in a triple threat match against Jamie Knoble and Hayabusa at Halloween Havoc in Fresno, California</p><p> </p><p> <em>Previous Champions (since March 2001):</em></p><p> Jamie Knoble: September 21st, 2003-October 19th, 2003 (28 days)</p><p> Bryan Danielson (#2): April 20th, 2003-September 21st, 2003 (154 days)</p><p> Christopher Daniels: September 22nd, 2002-April 20th, 2003 (210 days)</p><p> American Dragon: August 11th, 2002-September 22nd, 2002 (42 days)</p><p> AJ Styles: April 21st, 2002-August 11th, 2002 (112 days)</p><p> TAKA: December 30th, 2001-April 21st, 2002 (112 days)</p><p> Jushin Liger: August 5th, 2001-December 30th, 2001 (147 days)</p><p> Shane Helms: March 18th, 2001-August 5th, 2001 (140 days)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">World Television Champion:</span></strong></p><p> <img alt="rrRBDgP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Matt Hardy</strong></p><p> <img alt="bH5oivJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bH5oivJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Won:</strong> October 19th, 2003 from Bobby Roode at Halloween Havoc in Fresno, California</p><p> </p><p> <em>Previous Champions (since July 2002):</em></p><p> Bobby Roode: August 24th, 2003-October 19th, 2003 (56 days)</p><p> ((O'Haire reached the maximum fifteen title defenses, thus vacating the title on 7/21/03 and earning a World Heavyweight Championship match))</p><p> Sean O'Haire: January 26th, 2003-July 21st, 2003 (176 days)</p><p> Fit Finlay (#2): July 29th, 2002-January 26th, 2003 (181 days)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">World Tag Team Champions:</span></strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/S0cu0uO.jpg</span></p><p> <strong>The Unbound (Mortis and Alexander) (#1 as a team, #3 for Mortis, #2 for Alexander)</strong></p><p> <img alt="CsQnr5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CsQnr5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpg</span></p><p> <strong>Won:</strong> August 24th, 2003 from Christopher Daniels and Brian Adams and True Heroes in a three way at the Japan Supershow in Tokyo, Japan</p><p> </p><p> <em>Previous Champions (since March 2001):</em></p><p> Christopher Daniels and Brian Adams (#3 for Adams): June 15th, 2003-August 24th, 2003 (70 days)</p><p> The Hardys (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) (#2): December 29th, 2002-June 15th, 2003 (168 days)</p><p> True Heroes (Lance Storm and CM Punk) (#2): October 27th, 2002-December 29th, 2002 (63 days)</p><p> The Hardys (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy): July 14th, 2002-October 27th, 2002 (105 days)</p><p> True Heroes (Lance Storm and CM Punk): December 30th, 2001-July 14th, 2002 (196 days)</p><p> The Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire): January 14th, 2001-December 30th, 2001 (351 days)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">ANNUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:</span></span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Mayhem Battle Royal (held every May):</span></strong></p><p> <img alt="DZfKm2b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DZfKm2b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>2003:</strong> Eddie Guerrero</p><p> <strong>2002:</strong> Diamond Dallas Page</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Stu Hart Classic Tournament (held every November):</span></strong></p><p> <img alt="1qogKhQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1qogKhQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>2002:</strong> Rey Mysterio Jr.</p><p> <strong>2001:</strong> Rob Van Dam</p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><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><span style="font-size:14px;">The Ultimate Fan Series</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>2003:</strong> Satyr's Hopeful Few, managed by Satyr24 (Mortis, The Unnatural, Alexander, Christopher Daniels and Melissa Anderson)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>2002:</strong> The Agents of Chaos, managed by Beejus Pilgrim (Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, Mark Jindrak and Dustin Rhodes)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>2001:</strong> The K-Nections, managed by Kevin Gaines (Booker T, Sting, AJ Styles and Alex Wright)</p><p> </p><p> <span style="color:#808080;"><strong><em>1989?</em></strong></span><span style="color:#808080;"><em> Championship Pedigree, managed by Bernie Klein (Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase, Tito Santana, Robert Gibson and The Rougeau Brothers)</em></span> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Prediction Score (out of a possible 14 points):<p> </p><p> Forrest01: 11</p><p> </p><p> michgcs: 10</p><p> Danny_H22: 10</p><p> Rateddc: 10</p><p> The Pitbull: 10</p><p> </p><p> Uncrewed: 9</p><p> Dead_Jester: 9</p><p> JMike: 9</p><p> DHK1989: 9</p><p> James The Animator: 9</p><p> cbacon87: 9</p><p> Beejus: 9</p><p> Satyr24: 9</p><p> Theheel: 9</p><p> GingeyOne: 9</p><p> Cro Cop Rules: 9</p><p> ThorJ: 9</p><p> </p><p> Happy0wns: 8</p><p> franticloser: 8</p><p> 123Kidd: 8</p><p> Kijar: 8</p><p> Wolfman84: 8</p><p> K-Nection: 8</p><p> tg01: 8</p><p> </p><p> 2Sweet: 7</p><p> DGenerationMC: 7</p><p> Warhawk8492: 7</p><p> kinnikuniverse: 7</p><p> chrismday: 7</p><p> NathanielKern: 7</p><p> Nobby_McDonald: 7</p><p> </p><p> DavidCorperial: 6</p><p> evileddie10: 6</p><p> bonnie: 6</p><p> crackerjack: 6</p><p> deanohbk: 6</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Standings in UFS prediction contest after 6 shows:<p> </p><p> Dead_Jester: 58</p><p> </p><p> Rateddc: 54</p><p> </p><p> cbacon87: 53</p><p> </p><p> evileddie10: 51</p><p> Happy0wns: 51</p><p> JMike: 51</p><p> </p><p> Uncrewed: 50</p><p> Cro Cop Rules: 50</p><p> </p><p> GingeyOne: 49</p><p> </p><p> deanohbk: 48</p><p> K-Nection: 48</p><p> DHK1989: 48</p><p> James The Animator: 48</p><p> </p><p> DavidCorperial: 47</p><p> Satyr24: 47</p><p> Theheel: 47</p><p> </p><p> crackerjack: 45</p><p> chrismday: 45</p><p> Wolfman84: 45</p><p> Kijar: 45</p><p> </p><p> Warhawk8492: 44</p><p> </p><p> DGenerationMC: 43</p><p> Danny_H22: 43</p><p> </p><p> bonnie: 42</p><p> </p><p> jscotty: 41</p><p> </p><p> Beejus: 40</p><p> </p><p> kinnikuniverse: 38</p><p> michgcs: 38</p><p> Texasrangers13: 28</p><p> </p><p> The Lariat: 36</p><p> </p><p> 123Kidd: 34</p><p> </p><p> Nobby_McDonald: 32</p><p> </p><p> Smasher1311: 30</p><p> </p><p> ThorJ: 28</p><p> </p><p> CobheadJake: 20</p><p> </p><p> KnowYourEnemy: 19</p><p> </p><p> Ian carlisle: 18</p><p> franticloser: 18</p><p> </p><p> smw88: 17</p><p> </p><p> ElectricX: 16</p><p> 2Sweet: 16</p><p> </p><p> Chaos Zarak: 15</p><p> </p><p> Forrest01: 11</p><p> </p><p> Chaossy: 10</p><p> The Pitbull: 10</p><p> </p><p> Destiny: 8</p><p> tg01: 8</p><p> </p><p> The Lloyd: 7</p><p> RKOwnage: 7</p><p> NathanielKern: 7</p><p> </p><p> Mr. Jones: 6</p><p> Bluestillidie00: 6</p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> MANTAUR HAS BEEN SLAIN!! by Marc mero... How old is he in 2003??? Is Jarrett unable to put the title on sydal? What's his booking skills and preferences?</p></div></blockquote><p> Mero is 43. I don't think there's anything preventing Jarrett or head booker Russo from putting the title on Sydal. They booked him to win the NWA title on a TNA show, after all.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Hey, TFC, i recently researched TNA's world X cup, and I thought that was a brilliant idea! Maybe with WCW, you could organise a world cup of professional wrestling at some point in the future, with nations being represented by both WCW wrestlers, wrestlers from affiliated promotions and wrestlers hired for the world cup just to fill up the numbers.<p> </p><p> Let me know what you think! Can't wait for the show to be uploaded!</p></div></blockquote><p> I remember the X Cup well. I was pretty into TNA at that time, and I thought the X Cup was cool. I did a country-based tournament like that in my old ROH diary. The big reason I haven't done one here is I feel like it would be tournament overload to throw in something else of that size when I've already got the UFS and Stu Hart Classic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Neoteros" data-cite="Neoteros" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I <em>devoured</em> this diary over the last few days, it's quite well done. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> I'm glad about how WCW has bounced back, less so about how every single company in Japan is going under - I suppose that with WWE losing ground in the West, they looked for a new market in the East. How's John Cena doing? Without him, I wonder who will Vince try to push as the face of the company in the future, since his top stars all peaked a few years ago in game, and you signed most of the young male and female talent. Don't sign Cena though, he doesn't fit your WCW.</p></div></blockquote><p> My advantage over WWE is probably bigger in Japan than it is in the US, so no dice for Vince there!</p><p> </p><p> I agree that Cena doesn't fit in my WCW product, which is why I signed him to a developmental deal with WWE during one of the periods where they were temporarily under human control (so either when I set up the brand split, or had someone else guest book one of their big PPVs.) I did the same thing with Mr. Anderson/Keneddy and Khali, who I had no interest in but have qualities that appeal to Vince McMahon.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Don't worry, TFC, we'll make sure this diary doesn't get bumped! It's too good to be left alone!<p> </p><p> On another note, I think you should keep a close eye on Austin Aries. What he did at bound for glory was simply irredeemable! Not even Hogan would ruin a match like that! WTF happened to the Aries I knew from ROH?</p></div></blockquote><p> I have a general idea of that BFG incident but don't know all the details, since I haven't watched TNA in years and didn't really care enough to look into the story. All I can say is that Aries has long had a reputation of being difficult to work with and usually seems to leave promotions on bad terms.</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>You book The Unnatural like Bray Wyatt should've been booked all along. Sorry for flaking on the poster. I'm working so much I just can't bring myself to do them. Your booking is unmatched on this board my friend.</div></blockquote><p> It's a pretty good comparison.</p><p> </p><p> No apologies necessary for not producing a poster! I know all about work sapping the motivation to spend any time on this. I don't want you stressing out about this, so please only whip something up if and when you have the time and motivation to do so. <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>October 19th, 2003: Halloween Havoc</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="S8R6TjK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/S8R6TjK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <strong>October 19th, 2003</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> From Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Attendance: 37,740</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="2nqjRO5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2nqjRO5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="nG8aWZm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nG8aWZm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Official Theme Song: </strong></p><p> </p><p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hpczwtWbdO0" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/hpczwtWbdO0"</a> frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Stu Hart Classic: Second Round in Group A </span></p><p> <strong>Lance Storm vs. Brian Kendrick</strong></p><p> <img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="waBVEEI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/waBVEEI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>No talking here; we opened up with some wrestling right away. Obviously Storm is a real workhorse for us, and Kendrick has shown loads of potential already. These two had the job of opening the show off hot, and they succeeded. Brian was good, and I thought he showed some improved aggression as he worked Storm over with some brawling. As for Lance, he was borderline great in this match. While this wasn't a show stealer or anything, the match did exactly what it needed to do.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Kendrick got progressively more cocky the more offense he got in, and that arrogance led to him making several youthful mistakes that the veteran Storm was more than capable of making the most of. When Brian took far too much time to taunt and play to the crowd as he had his opponent's head hooked for the Sliced Bread, Storm broke free, took him down to the mat and slapped on the Calgary Clutch for the submission win.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 80</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="lAlFtSW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lAlFtSW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>After the match, we cut to a backstage hallway where CM Punk had been watching on a monitor. He pumped his fist and applauded his partner's victory, and then Bryan Danielson happened to pass by. The two got into a bit of a "friendly" argument about their second round match tomorrow night. I wanted them to establish that there was no true animosity between them, but still there was tension there just because both of them badly wanted to win the match and move on to the next round. I let them improvise it all, which is something Punk always wants anyway. His delivery was fine, but Danielson's was honestly exceptional as he more than kept up with Punk's off the cuff lines. The fans seemed to react well to Danielson matter-of-factly calling himself a superior technical wrestler, and Punk getting in a verbal jab about Bryan losing the Cruiserweight title went over well too. This was just supposed to be filler, an excuse to get both of these guys on the show while also promoting a match for tomorrow's Nitro, but it wound up being one heck of a segment.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 92</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><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Stu Hart Classic: Second Round in Group B </span></p><p> <strong>Eddie Guerrero vs. Sean O'Haire</strong></p><p> <img alt="JJHE89M.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JJHE89M.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/zbQxlTu.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>As this match started, Mike and I sold the idea that these might be the two tournament entrants who were most desperate for a win, with O'Haire's title challenge coming up short and Guerrero feeling like it should've been him wrestling for the title tonight. That story carried over into their work, with both guys selling how much they wanted to win not only with their moves, but their facial expressions and body language. It honestly went better than I expected, especially since they're both babyfaces. While the fans may not have had anyone to roundly boo, they still loved the match based on the performances of the guys involved. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Eddie was great, no surprise there, as he used everything he could think of against the bigger man. That obviously included high flying, as well as some ground wrestling to avoid his power, and even some little veteran tricks to try and gain the upper hand by any means necessary. But even though Eddie was the standout of the match and the one who I trusted to call it in the ring as the ring general, O'Haire wasn't too far behind him. He was borderline great himself, doing his usual impressive power spots as he tossed the lighter Guerrero around the ring, and I swear he looked more agile than usual when he worked in some spots to showcase his athleticism. While this wasn't the best match on the show, it was damn good.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> With two men desperate for a win and pulling out all the stops to try and move on to the Quarterfinals, it was ultimately going to come down to execution in the critical moment. Guerrero picked his spot, waited for an opening and took the big man's legs out from under him with a chop block. He took that opportunity to hurry over to the corner for the Frog Splash--but O'Haire was somehow already back on his feet! He caught Eddie out of mid-air, flipped him over onto his shoulders and nailed the Widow Maker for the minor upset!</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 88</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Moments after the match, The Unnatural appeared on the video screen with Father Isaac standing behind him. He shook his head and lamented Eddie's loss.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "I know you feel crushed right now. You feel like your whole world is crashing down around you. Deep down, you know that you should be the one challenging me for the heavyweight championship of the world tonight. You know that you did the work in War Games, only for your supposed friend to swoop in and snatch the opportunity right out of your grasp. And now you've tasted the bitter sting of defeat against another desperate man. You had another avenue, another, harder road back into the title picture, but now even that is closed to you.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "But take heart, Eduardo! You shall not be alone in your despair. Your friend's greed and theft will not be rewarded. Tonight I will defeat Rey Mysterio Jr. and ensure that he experiences the same dejection you currently feel. And perhaps that common ground will be enough to repair the recent tension between you two. Or perhaps not. Either way I will take solace in knowing I have done my part."</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Dustin delivered a really compelling promo here with some good improvised lines, and Father Isaac's quiet presence and silent approval helped lend weight to The Unnatural's message. If there is any complaint to be made about this promo it would be that I started to get the feeling that it might be time to make some tweaks to the character to keep things fresh, but that didn't stop this from being a home run. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 100</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg</span><p> <strong>Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Hayabusa vs. Jamie Knoble (w/Tammy Sytch) {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="0qRNVUJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0qRNVUJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/p13CqOT.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpg</span><img alt="wZR2OGz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wZR2OGz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>With his skills and his rising popularity, I was trusting Knoble to stand out in this match and he did just that. While Hayabusa's high flying got over fairly well, and Chavo's mix of flying and technical wrestling a bit better than that, it was Knoble who shined the brightest with some great technical wrestling that drew the crowd in. Thanks in no small part to his presence, this match was more well received than most cruiserweight title matches are. In fact, it would've been the best in a year or more if it wasn't for the classic Knoble had with Bryan Danielson just last month. This wasn't on that level, but it was still darn good.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> To the surprise of most, it was Knoble who was actually the first eliminated when the two challengers successfully double teamed him, finishing him with a Chavo brainbuster immediately followed by Hayabusa's Stardust Press. That left Guerrero and Hayabusa to battle it out amongst themselves to decide who would become the new champion. The two went back and forth, the match seesawing with plenty of near-falls on both sides, but in the end Chavo got his knees up to block the Stardust Press and then hit another brainbuster to become a 3-time Cruiserweight Champion. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 84</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tUGU31v.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tUGU31v.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Steve Austin was in Arn Anderson's office, with the authority figure expressing his concern about allowing Austin's match against King Corino to proceed as scheduled after the parking lot assault Monday on Nitro. Austin told him there was no way in hell he wasn't going to fight Corino tonight. If Arn refused to let him do it in the ring, he'd just do it somewhere else, whether it be The Empire's dressing room, the parking lot, or hell, he'd even beat Corino up on the crapper if that's what it took! Arn was still very reluctant, but since the medical staff said the injury wasn't severe enough to require surgery, the match was still on.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Both guys were free to improvise here. Austin did decently, and his overall performance was fantastic as the crowd ate up whatever he said. There wasn't anything that particularly stood out, good or bad, when it came to Arn's actual delivery, but he was very underwhelming overall when measured against Steve. Fantastic segment though, as per usual whenever Austin's on screen.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 100</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/BSCxEF8.jpg</span><img alt="Zbmlytw.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Zbmlytw.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Roode and Flair came to the ring for the scheduled TV title defense, and they said it didn't matter which member of the roster accepted the open challenge because there wasn't one man in WCW who could take the championship from him. Flair invited the victim to come on down so they could get title defense #5 out of the way and Roode could officially be halfway to cashing in for a US title match (or a third of the way to the 15 needed for a world title match.) Out came the challenger...</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="bH5oivJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bH5oivJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Matt Hardy! The confidence from moments ago was gone, with Roode shaking his head adamantly and Flair arguing with the referee that Hardy already had his title shot last month at War Games and failed, so he shouldn't be eligible. But as we pointed out on commentary, they'd issued the open challenge to any member of the roster, so Roode and Flair had no leg to stand on here. During this segment I started to think that it was past time to move Roode on from his current obnoxious gimmick, which never really clicked with fans in the first place.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 78</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="rrRBDgP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Matt Hardy vs. Bobby Roode (w/Ric Flair) {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="bH5oivJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bH5oivJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/BSCxEF8.jpg</span><img alt="Zbmlytw.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Zbmlytw.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>I didn't really trust either of these guys to lead or put a match together, so I had our road agents script out a specific plan for them to follow. That plan saw Roode go into total stall mode, wrestling defensively, minimizing the risk to himself, going to the floor, arguing with the referee and just in general doing whatever he could to try and waste time. He was good in that role, and Matt was great as the pursuer. The time limit had run out on him last month because he was too focused on beating Roode up when he thought he'd been the one to ambush his brother backstage, but this time around he was focused solely on the title. He impatiently chased Roode around and tried to keep the action in the center of the ring. It was a simple story to tell and a common trope for the TV title over the years, but I thought some of the things they did actually interfered with the story we were trying to tell, and because of that this match wasn't quite as good as their better-than-expected match at War Games.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> When the announcement rang out that we'd hit the fourteen minute mark in the match, Roode knew he only needed to kill sixty more seconds to be saved by the bell for the second month in a row. He broke away from Matt's lockup with a thumb to the eye, then rolled out to the floor. Flair stepped in front of him to block Matt from coming out to get him, and Hardy, knowing he couldn't let things continue as they were, threw caution to the wind and performed a flipping suicide dive, jumping clear over Flair and onto Roode! He quickly dragged Roode back into the ring and nailed the Twist of Fate! Flair climbed onto the apron to distract the referee and kill the clock, but the ref understood the circumstances and ignored him to count the pin instead! Hardy got the win with an official match time of 14:45, and we had a new World Television Champion!</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 82</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>"The Hellraiser" Steve Austin vs. King Corino (w/Tammy Sytch)</strong></p><p> <img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="wZR2OGz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wZR2OGz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This match started off hot, with Austin sprinting down the ramp, tackling Corino and pummeling him with punches. But the fast and furious start was only temporary, because after Corino blocked a clothesline and drove Austin's injured arm into the mat with a single arm DDT, things settled into a far more deliberate pace. That was intentional on their part though. They knew they were getting plenty of match time to slowly build things up, and they crafted a compelling story centered around Austin's legitimate arm injury. Corino worked over the arm with blows, slams and submission holds, and got plenty of heat by using heel tactics to cut off any of Austin's brief comeback attempts. It's a simple and well-used formula in wrestling but it still works to this day, especially when done by workers as talented and over with the crowd as these two. The fans gave Corino plenty of heat and cheered the uber-popular Hellraiser on, willing him to make his comeback. Corino was excellent as the heel on top, and Austin was simply flawless.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> The comeback finally started in earnest when Austin broke free of an armbar with a well-placed elbow to the jaw, then hit a succession of clotheslines (using his good arm), dropping Corino every time he got back up. Corino staggered back towards the corner, with Austin pursuing him with punches and kicks. When Corino's back was against the buckles Austin continued to throw punches, ignoring referee Nick Patrick's repeated warnings. Patrick finally stepped in to physically pull Austin back, situating himself in between the two combatants. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> As Austin argued with Patrick, Corino gave the referee a hard shove in the back, causing his skull to collide with Austin's. It affected both of them; Austin dropped down to one knee, groggy, but obviously Nick was completely incapacitated. The fans kept an eye on the entrance ramp after that, and sure enough... </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="oWRzmsy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oWRzmsy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Out came Goldberg! He charged down the ramp, stood in the corner and measured Austin, waiting to lay him out with a massive spear as soon as he got back to his feet...</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> But Austin dove out of the way at the last possible second, and it was Corino who ate the spear instead! Austin clotheslined a shocked Goldberg over the top rope and to the floor. He probably could've simply covered Corino as soon as Nick Patrick recovered, but instead he decided to deliver a parting shot by pulling the Empire leader to his feet and dropping a Stunner. Then, and only then, did he hook the leg and win the match. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 99</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Austin celebrated in the ring as The Empire regrouped on the floor. Austin stood on the second rope and dared them to come in for more, but Corino showed no interest in that. He yelled at Goldberg about the spear before shoving past him and departing. Goldberg remained on the floor, looking into the ring, and he and Austin had a lengthy staredown. Austin did plenty of off-mic trash talking and stood ready for a fight, but Goldberg just glared at him before slowly going back up the aisle. The fans gave Austin and Goldberg the superstar treatment and were white hot for the idea of a showdown, but the time wasn't right just yet.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 100</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><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Stu Hart Classic: Second Round in Group A </span></p><p> <strong>"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. Shane Douglas (w/Paul Heyman)</strong></p><p> <img alt="ICMDAHo.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ICMDAHo.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="eTShQmA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eTShQmA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dcrMvyP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dcrMvyP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>The previous match and angle were going to be a tough act to follow. This was the fourth singles match between these two in their careers. All three previous bouts had been great, with each one being a slight step forward from the one that came before, but unfortunately this one suffered a major regression. It wasn't an awful match, but it was a disappointment given the talent level as well as what they've done together in the past. It's not like there was anything to complain about with either of their individual performances (Shane was very good and AJ was great), so I can't even identify what the problem was. I guess we'll just have to chalk this one up as one of those things that's impossible to figure out.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Paul Heyman gave plenty of encouragement and guidance to Douglas, telling him to "rearrange (AJ's) pretty face", but he didn't have much opportunity to actually get involved on Shane's behalf. AJ was focused on the task at hand, and Mike and I complimented his focus as he stuck to his game plan and didn't get sidetracked trying to make Douglas pay for interfering and costing him the US title last month at War Games. Instead he was all about using his athleticism to try and punch his ticket into the Quarterfinals, and punch it he did after finishing Douglas with the Spiral Tap. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 79</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="g1BYlVy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/g1BYlVy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/4Hgahfk.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/4CP35O5.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Jeff Hardy came out to the ring for the answers Father Isaac promised to give him. Isaac had The Destroyer with him "for his own protection", but the two of them did join Jeff in the ring. Isaac told Jeff that despite what he might believe, they didn't attack him because they wanted to destroy his career. On the contrary, they wanted to SAVE it. Isaac performed somewhat poorly here, and Mike Tenay's attempt to call Isaac a liar on commentary failed as well. Jeff wasn't buying it either. He grabbed Isaac by the lapels of his jacket, and that was the cue for this angle to really get going. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "Stop this!" shouted a familiar voice over the microphone.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>The Unnatural hurried down to the ring, and Jeff released his hold on Isaac to prepare for a two on one attack from the champion and Destroyer. It didn't happen though, because Unnatural was only there to talk. He came across well here, as he usually does these days. He said that Isaac was blameless in all of this because it had actually been his decision to attack Jeff at the Japan Supershow.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "And why did we do it, you might ask? As Isaac said, we had your best interests at heart. Later that very night I was due to shatter the dreams of Sean O'Haire, a promising talent who had parlayed great success as Television champion into a chance to challenge me for the heavyweight championship of the world. And as we all know, his destiny was to come up short. As I feared, that loss has mentally broken poor Sean. How could I allow the same to happen to you, Jeffrey? It was no secret to me that you were the most talented man in that four way match to crown a new TV champion, and I believed that there was a good chance you would not only win the title, but follow O'Haire's path by successfully defending it fifteen times and then challenging me. I couldn't do it, Jeffrey. I couldn't break your spirit like that, and that is why I got together with my Salvation brothers and dealt you that minor blow to prevent a catastrophic failure in the future. Hate if you must, Jeffrey, but leave my brothers out of it. Direct your hate solely at me, because I am strong enough to take it."</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 92</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><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Stu Hart Classic: Second Round in Group B </span></p><p> <strong>Sting vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels</strong></p><p> <img alt="womNFVP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/womNFVP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/GoltiY2.jpg</span> </p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>As is routine by now, we focused on storytelling here to try and mask Sting's physical weaknesses. He unfortunately was pretty subpar, but I thought Daniels was very good at leading him through it. The match was pretty solid; one of Sting's best all year in fact. Chris did a good job letting Sting get his signature spots in and building fan support for the longtime WCW mainstay, but youth was served when Daniels hit the Angel's Descent to set up a somewhat unlikely quarterfinal match against Sean O'Haire.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 83</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/S0cu0uO.jpg</span><p> <strong>The Jung Dragons (w/Stacy Keibler) vs. The Unbound (w/Father Isaac) {©} </strong></p><p> <img alt="paNPh85.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/paNPh85.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="frhLUo7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/frhLUo7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CtEcIzq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CtEcIzq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="CsQnr5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CsQnr5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><span>http://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Since the Jung Dragons had plenty of momentum and were logical challengers after beating the Steiner Brothers at War Games, I went ahead and set this match up even though both teams were heels. The match suffered both in crowd heat and psychology as a result, with both teams out of their element without faces to play off of. I expected that, and had no problem with it since I didn't feel we needed this match to be a standout given the strength elsewhere on the card. Yet despite not necessarily needing it, we got something pretty tremendous here anyway. The Dragons pulled off some great high flying and looked impressive as sort of faces by default, and Alexander was great as well at heeling it up, but the true star was Mortis. He was completely flawless, from his crisp execution of moves to his ability to generate a reaction from the fans. If it weren't for his previous issues with drugs making him a bit of a risk, he'd be a strong candidate to become an upper echelon singles heel.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Even if the fans couldn't completely invest in the Dragons due to their usual heel presentation, they got into the near falls and popped for the idea of new champions being crowned. Alas, Yang failed to connect with Yang Time and fell victim to the Fatal Flatliner, with Alexander holding Hayashi off while Mortis made the cover. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 88</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/hlbUlLo.jpg</span><img alt="m936mtC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/m936mtC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Shane Helms was dejected in his backstage interview with new addition Becky Bayless. Becky's bubbly babyface personality was pretty well received, but Shane was the opposite of bubbly. He said that he was supposed to be a leading man, one of WCW's top stars in the new millennium, but nothing was going his way anymore. He blamed "that hussy" (Kimberly Page) for getting him sidetracked, and said that he was so sure that his match against Scott Steiner this past Monday was going to be his big chance to get his name back in the headlines. Instead he was used as nothing more than target practice, a mere warm-up for Steiner to toss around to try and send a message to Rob Van Dam! What was he supposed to do now?</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> "What are you supposed to do now? I'll tell you what you're supposed to do now!"</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="yaQ7UIE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/yaQ7UIE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Buff Bagwell strutted into the camera shot and said he knew exactly what Shane needed, and if Helms followed his lead he'd get his career exactly where he wanted it to go. Intrigued, Shane followed him off-set for further discussion. This was just a short, transitional segment to finally give both of these guys something to do.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 63</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/mitTbCm.jpg</span><p> <strong>"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner vs. Rob Van Dam (w/Paul Heyman) {©} </strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/k45HPCq.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dcrMvyP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dcrMvyP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>This was the first singles match between these two since SuperBrawl XII in February 2002, when RVD followed up his win in the main event of Starrcade two months earlier by retaining his World Heavyweight Championship. A lot has changed since then, including the title they're fighting for, the face/heel alignments and the manager in the corner of the heel (trading out Midajah for Paul Heyman, which is a big improvement in sheer presence even if its a major downgrade visually.) One thing that hasn't changed was a fairly disappointing end result hampered by the lack of a ring general to piece together a strong story that captivated the crowd. Scotty was great and RVD was nearly perfect, yet the match was much less than the sum of its parts.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> Steiner busted out every suplex in the book, and I thought RVD did a nice job bumping around for him and putting him over as a force to be reckoned with. They even teased a tap out via Steiner Recliner until RVD made it to the ropes, though the moment didn't mean as much as it would have if they'd told a more gripping story. But in the end the result was the same as it had been in their first two matches: RVD got his hand raised, this time via the Five Star Frog Splash, and made the first defense of his US title. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 81</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/ffZqipS.jpg</span><img alt="JJHE89M.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JJHE89M.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="0qRNVUJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0qRNVUJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Rey Mysterio Jr. received some last second motivation from Chavo Guerrero Jr, who encouraged him to go and take back the world title the same way Chavo had become a 3-time Cruiserweight champion earlier in the night. Eddie had been sitting in the corner of the locker room with his head down, obviously dejected after getting knocked out of the Stu Hart Classic earlier, but he did get up to give Rey a hug and tell him to "go get it." Chavo was very underwhelming here, as he just doesn't look like he belongs on the same screen with his friend Rey or his Uncle Eddie.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 90</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i.imgur.com/haJKoFv.jpg</span><p> <strong>Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. The Unnatural {©} (w/Father Isaac) </strong></p><p> <span>http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpg</span><span>http://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <em>Mike and I made a big deal of playing up the fact that The Unnatural won the World title from Rey in a triple threat match, and it had actually been Eddie Guerrero who pinned and eliminated Mysterio in that match. How would The Unnatural fare now that it was one on one, as it had been at January's Sin when Rey retained the title against him?</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> That match at Sin was enormous for Dustin's career. It was supposed to be a one month "filler" title challenge on a B PPV but he handled himself so well that I refigured him into my main event plans, and here we stand. Both guys were clearly keen to recapture that same magic as we settled in here. I gave them nearly a half hour and just let them go, trusting they would pace things out well and could gauge the crowd and adjust their storytelling on the fly. They didn't let me down. If Sin had been a coming out party for Dustin and validation for Rey that I hadn't been wrong in putting the title on him at Starrcade, this was two guys secure in their main event positions delivering what was expected of them. Rey was great, and Unnatural was even better. I think one thing that may have put this match over the top and helped it inch past their great Sin bout was some increased fire from Rey as he brought the intensity in some key spots.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> After an early flurry of quick-strike offense from Rey, Unnatural was able to yank him down by his mask and largely control with mat wrestling and some aggressive brawling and heel tactics. He couldn't hold Rey down forever though. The challenger slipped out of an attempt at Unnatural Selection, pulled off a drop toehold that caused Unnatural's head to bounce off of the middle turnbuckle, and snapped off a hurricanrana for a near-fall. Unnatural popped back to his feet and tried to drop his feisty challenger with a lariat, but Rey turned it around on him into a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. A punch was blocked and turned into a Japanese-style arm drag, and a wild charge was met with a dropkick to the chest. Everything Unnatural tried, Rey was ready for. The momentum was firmly in the masked man's favor, and Father Isaac could feel the title slipping away from Salvation control. In desperation he climbed onto the ring apron, hoping to distract Rey and give Unnatural some much-needed time to regroup. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="JJHE89M.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JJHE89M.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <em>Eddie raced down the ramp, and when Isaac saw him coming he actually darted through the ropes and into the ring. Eddie tried to go after him, but Nick Patrick got between them to try and hold onto whatever scrap of control he still had left. As the three of them argued and Rey watched in bemusement, Unnatural snuck a steel chair into the ring and prepared to ambush his opponent with it. Eddie saw it coming though, and broke away from the ongoing argument between Isaac and Patrick to yank the chair out of his hands. Unnatural fell to his knees and backed into the corner, begging for mercy. Eddie glared at him--then swung the chair in the other direction, connecting with a (protected) chair shot to the face of Mysterio! Unnatural looked as surprised as anyone as Eddie left the ring and walked back up the ramp, carrying the chair with him, his face blank as he was showered with boos. Thus his heel turn was completed, and it was a home run for sure. </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> He may not have been expecting the help, but the opportunistic champion was more than happy to pull his unconscious opponent to his feet and deliver Unnatural Selection to retain his title.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Grade: 99</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: 100</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <hr noshade size=3></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> After a much longer wait than anyone expected, myself included, here's Halloween Havoc! It'll probably be pretty slow going at least through the end of the year. Things may slow down for me a bit as we get into 2019, giving me more time and energy to write, but either way I certainly don't expect to go another six months between PPVs! <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="ViperVenom" data-cite="ViperVenom" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Really enjoyed this Dynasty. Is it going to resume???</div></blockquote><p> Yes, it will. I know things have gotten off the rails in recent months, but I promise I haven't abandoned this. </p><p> </p><p> Shortly after I got back from my vacation in late June, my hours at work have started going up. That's good news for my paycheck, but not so great for my free time as well as my energy and motivation to sit down and write when I have the time to do so. </p><p> </p><p> I'm not sure when Halloween Havoc will be posted. In addition to my work, I've committed to another writing project that will monopolize most of whatever writing time I have for the next month or so. But it WILL come...eventually. I still have lots of stories that I want to tell here, and hopefully you guys will keep coming back even if my posting schedule continues to be less consistent and more erratic.</p>

I'm watching the pre-show on WGN right now, but won't be watching the show itself live. I think it's like $40, which is hard for me to justify spending on a single show in modern times when I pay under $10 a month for NJPW World. I do kind of want to watch it live because it feels like a special atmosphere, but apparently it'll be up on NJPW World shortly afterwards.

Wow, really? I thought their WK match was pretty underwhelming. I do agree that Jay has been developing nicely throughout the year though. He's really settling into the Switchblade character, and I think he'll be the next first time IWGP champion. (That's probably still at least two years off, but I don't see any other fresh blood winning the title before that. Maybe Ibushi, but it doesn't seem like they're ever going to go all the way with him.) They did have one singles match before that ladder match. After Nakamura left, Omega beat Tanahashi to win the vacant IC title. That was in February 2016 I believe, and it was Omega's first big singles match as a heavyweight, so it's almost ancient history compared to where Kenny is at now. One good thing is that there's going to be serious drama in that Okada vs. Tanahashi match. Usually the briefcase defenses don't have that because there's not much doubt about the outcome, but there's a legitimate chance that Okada could win and set up another match with Omega. I don't expect it, but it is a real possibility.

I didn't have a strong rooting interest heading into the finals, as the idea of either guy potentially headlining WK sounded cool to me. (I love Okada, but I'd really rather he be second or third from the top this year.) But the moment I looked, did a double take and said "Hey, is that Shibata holding the ropes open for Tanahashi?!", I was 1000% behind him. That moment of Shibata carrying Tanahashi on his shoulders after the match legit gave me goosebumps.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rhyme1234" data-cite="Rhyme1234" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I smell some authority story-line coming, as Firing Squad gets suspended! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> I do too...and I don't like it. <img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I read he told a fan on twitter to kill him self. Guy ended up being a veteran, so it turned into Tama bashing a veteran in some people’s eyes. Not sure how true it is, don’t use Twitter.</div></blockquote><p> That'd actually be really funny if it's true, since Tama was in the Air Force. Does that mean all the people who bash Tama on Twitter owe him an apology? <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>I'm fine with it if true. I'm not bothered by the swearing, but it doesn't add much of anything to the show either.</p><p> </p><p> I heard Tama Tonga got in trouble for something, but I'm not entirely clear on what it was. I've had my fill of this NWO Red vs. NWO B-Team storyline, so I've skipped the last several G1 matches of Tama and Fale, aside from the Ibushi match since it was important to the standings.</p>

I think the G1 winner challenging for the title at WK is too ingrained now to go away, though I do get your point. They do have the briefcase defense matches to give at least a little wiggle room, but I don't think those mean much until someone actually loses the shot in one of them. I do actually think Omega vs. Ibushi could happen at WK, but if it did I don't think it would be the main event. Before the G1 I kind of thought Naito would beat Omega to set up a title match at KOPW, which he would win to set up a rematch against G1 winner Okada in the Dome. Obviously that didn't happen. Now I'm leaning towards Omega vs. Okada in the main event with Jericho vs. Naito as the semi main, but honestly I hope they do something different. I'm sure those would be two great matches to close the show, but I'd rather see them switch it up instead of rehashing the top matches from Dominion.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Derek B" data-cite="Derek B" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm getting caught up with Day 4 now and it's just making me look forward to seeing Suzuki annihilate Yoshihashi on Day 5 in their block match... I would lose to see Yoshihashi just run away and cry instead of fight him, but I suspect we're not going to get that. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> Also, I like EVIL... I don't think he's great or anything, is probably the weakest member of LIJ but there is something about him that I like, I do seem to be in the minority on that one though. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> The English commentay on all shows is great, I tend to zone out a bit when I listen to Japanese commentary for too long. Just a shame it's not Don Callis instead of Rocky Romero.. Rocky isn't bad of course... but Don is great. <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> And yeah, Block B is clearly the better block. When I saw the blocks announced ti was obvious that B was going to be better when they have guys like Ibushi, Omega, Goto and Naito all in there. While Block A is carried by Tanahashi, Okada and Suzuki with no other guys in there that even look like they belong anywhere near that level. Still some fun matches in there though, and Jay White is doing well in his performances, particularly the storyline and character work so far. Just not sure he can keep that going with some of the lesser opponents in the group... though I could see him being someone who would legit walk out on fighting Suzuki if his points tally looks like it can handle it. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> I kind of want Suzuki to go 0-9, just so I can keep watching him go crazy in the post-match press conferences on Youtube. </p><p> </p><p> Yeah, Don is better. Though to be honest, I think Don is kind of wasted when Rocky is also in the booth. Too many cooks in the kitchen, I guess.</p><p> </p><p> I knew Block B would be better, but it's been a much bigger gap than I'd expected so far, and easily the biggest I can remember in the three previous G1s. They probably should've swapped somebody like ZSJ, Ishii or Ibushi with a YOSHI-HASHI or Fale to even things out a bit more.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Derek B" data-cite="Derek B" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>ZSJ and Ibushi just can't have bad matches against each other, it's always a joy to watch them go at it. <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> I've watched the first 3 events so far too, there has definitely been some good action so far and a fair number of unexpected results as NJPW throw in some very interesting story ideas. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch how the rest of the G1 rolls out, I just hope I have the time to watch as much of it as I possibly can. I suspect the spaces between some of the shows is there to give people that very chance, as having shows every day makes it hard for even the most dedicated of fans to watch everything.</p></div></blockquote><p> Yeah, I've watched everything from the first four shows, except I skipped EVIL'S tag match from today's show (I hate EVIL. Seriously. I want him to go away. Or stop acting like such a nerd at least.) But later on I'm sure I'll reach the point where I skip all the tag matches and just watch the actual tournament stuff. That's what's ended up happening all three of the previous years. </p><p> </p><p> It is nice to have English commentary for every night for the first time. I'm starting to warm up to Rocky Romero on commentary too. Feels like he's improved quite a bit recently.</p><p> </p><p> The B Block is blowing A out of the water right now. I don't think I'd put a single A block match in the top 5 of the tournament so far. Naito and Omega have killed it both nights.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="milamber" data-cite="milamber" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26106" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>ROH/New Japan show. It's possible Mark Cuban the billionaire owner of AXS and the new NJPW President Harold Meij (who is pro global expansion) convinced MSG to play ball.</div></blockquote><p> I've heard it was more about ROH/NJPW already having an agreement in place with MSG, and threatening legal action when WWE seemingly got MSG to back out of it.</p>

October 2003: Pre-Halloween Havoc News and Notes Some very bad news here, as reports are surfacing that Michinoku Pro has accumulated a lot of debt and may be forced to close up shop soon. That'd be a shame if true because their touring events are usually good, but I guess the cost of running those events is too high. I've considered reaching out to The Great Sasuke and making an offer for the company, as there are several guys there I'm interested in, but I figure I can always just sign whomever I'm interested in if and when the company folds. Shinjiro Otani hurt his spine working a match with Jinsei Shinzaki on October 13th and will be out for a couple of months. This hurts not only Michinoku Pro but Zero-One as well, since he is a top tier star for both groups. The company held their 'Kings of Spandex' event on October 14th. Main event and match of the night was Jinsei Shinzaki and Great Sasuke beating Tiger Mask IV and Yoshihiro Takayama. That match was okay, but they routinely put on better matches on their smaller touring events. The show overall got a 71 rating, which is pretty disappointing by their standard. http://i.imgur.com/syuSRKH.jpg Despite being given a main event push and winning the Champion's Carnival tournament earlier this year, Jushin Liger has left the company. This seems like a clear sign that he's remaining loyal to NJPW, and will probably sign an exclusive deal with them once it's time to negotiate. http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg NJPW held their King of Pro Wrestling event on October 13th. Riki Choshu retaining the IWGP Heavyweight title over Kazuyuki Fujita was a pretty disappointing match, which might explain why it was only the semi main event. The actual main event saw Manabu Nakanishi, Osamu Nishimura and Tatsumi Fujinami prevail in a six man tag against Satoshi Kojima and the Crew Cutters, which was quite a bit better. But both matches were blown away by Koji Kanemoto stealing the show in his excellent successful Junior Heavyweight title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi. The show could've been excellent if that was the main event, but instead it got an 85 rating. http://i.imgur.com/HLY8nvy.jpg Ricky Marvin, who is being pushed at a main event level in NOAH, tore his ACL working a TV tag match with Chris Candido against Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa, so they'll be without him until the spring of 2004. http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg AJ Styles and Kanyon have both been hitting the gym hard recently, and it's paid off in improved, more muscular physiques that should help both come across as bigger stars. That's always great to see, especially from guys who are so talented in the ring. I signed Wesna Busic to a written deal. She'd impressed in her handful of per date appearances with us, so I decided to make her a full-time member of Renaissance and start pushing her as a legitimate threat instead of enhancement talent. Commentary has been stressing her experiences in amateur wrestling and boxing, both of which she took up when she couldn't find a wrestling school to enroll in, and we've also made a big deal out of her competing against and beating men regularly during her days in Europe. Everyone agreed it was time for Mariko Yoshida to get the call up from developmental. Upon her Renaissance debut, we presented her as a wholesome wrestling machine, someone with a gentle disposition away from the ring but who possessed the ability to tie her opponents up in knots. Since I paired Bobby Heenan up with Colt Cabana in a managerial role, I needed a replacement backstage interviewer. I hired Becky Bayless off of the indies to fill the role, though I get the sense she'd rather be a wrestler. She doesn't have the skill to do that though, not on this roster. Speaking of Heenan, I signed him to a new one year written contract. He'd been operating under a per appearance deal, but I wanted to have him readily available any time I book Cabana. I'm told that Kyoko Inoue and Sonoko Kato have struck up a friendship over, of all things, a shared love of tea. Hey, whatever keeps the locker room morale up, I guess. http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg DDP opened Raw with an in-ring promo one week after he wrapped up with us. The promo was interrupted by Jerry Sags, who DDP beat in a quick squash with the Diamond Cutter. That wasn't the most inspiring debut, but things picked up dramatically the next week when he won in the main event against none other than The Rock. Safe to say he's happy about his move for the time being. Speaking of DDP, it didn't take him long to make new friends in the WWE. I hear he and Kurt Angle have been chatting a lot backstage at events. http://i.imgur.com/JO5PDMM.jpg TNA held their latest show, Hell or High Water, on October 18th, and there were a pair of title changes. The new team of Matt Cross and Sonjay Dutt, now known as Team Thunder, beat Team Pillage to win the TNA tag titles, which were vacated when we signed Ace Steel to a developmental deal. The bigger story is that Mantaur's reign of terror and crappy matches is over, because he dropped TNA's World title to Marc Mero in another stinker. If I were Jarrett I would've either put the title on myself or given it to Matt Sydal, but Mero's still a massive step up from Mantaur. That match was wisely stuck in the semi main, and the headliner and easy match of the night was Jarrett and Nicho (aka Psychosis) winning a tag match over Sydal and BJ Whitmer. The show scored a 58, which is their best ever. Just a couple of months after dropping the NWA title to Kid Romeo in a surprise, Kazushi Sakuraba became a two time champion by winning the title off of Yoshiaki Fujiwara during Zero-One's Regeneration tour. Fujiwara wound up holding the title for less than a month, but Sakuraba's a much better choice anyway. http://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg PWG has hit the scene with a few very impressive shows given their size, and they also continue to ruffle some feathers around the business. There was already hostility between them and ROH, and now I'm hearing the same applies to both TNA and IRON. Hopefully stuff like this doesn't cost them talent down the road if guys are forced to choose sides. <hr noshade size=3> Yeah, that might be a good way to put it. I really need to find something, anything, for him to do. It's interesting that you say that. It was actually remembering a very recent huge change I'd made in my Starrcade plans that finally motivated me to dive back in, because it's something I'm really looking forward to.