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BLUE RHINO CUP TOUR, RECAP OF NIGHTS 1-4 Taking place at the tail end of December 2020, the first four nights of UPJ's Blue Rhino Cup Tour saw not only "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo's return to a UPJ ring with a searing promo that put all of United Promotions Japan on notice: 2021 will the biggest year of the Kinjo Era yet! Claiming those in his stable to be untouchable, Kinjo promised a "reign of terror" the likes of which UPJ has never seen will come to be in 2021. After a singles victory over Koji Yamada in the main event of Night Two, Ignite Muscle Army leader Kato said at the post-show press conference that he planned to be a roadblock on Kinjo's path to a dominant year, and challenged Kinjo to pick a partner and meet him in the ring for a tag team main event on Night Five of the tour. On Night Three, Kinjo's heir apparent, Katsuhiko Ishii, claimed victory over former UPJ International Heavyweight Champion "The Lone Dragon" Oda Yamawaki and revealed at the post-show press conference that he would team with Kintaro Kinjo as Explosive Spark to take on Kato & Erik van Rijn for that main event match on Night Five. In Blue Rhino Cup action, Night One saw Block A action with Filipino Fire Power and Vanguard both logging victories. Block B action on Night Two saw Kinjo-jidai's Waotaka Eda & Torture victorious, as well as Ignite Muscle Army's Pure MUSCLE, keeping the factions neck-and-neck as anticipation for their collision on Night Five builds. Filipino Fire Power was again victorious on Night Three of the tour, this time over Vanguard, and Strength Through Honour picked up their first Cup victory. On Night Four, Block B took center stage again, this time with Kinjo-jidai's Eda & Torture meeting Pure MUSCLE in the main event. In a hard fought battle, defending Blue Rhino Cup champions Atonga & Ebisawa fended off the challenge of Kinjo-jidai and the show ended with a massive face-off between Kinjo-jidai and Ignite Muscle Army. After two rounds of Blue Rhino Cup match-ups, the current points standings look like this: Nights Five, Six, and Seven of the tour will see a break from Blue Rhino Cup action with attraction matches featuring the competing teams taking place. Night Five will see two eight-man tag team matches taking place, one pitting two Block A teams against the other two Block A teams; and the same for Block B. Night Six will see current Block A leaders, Filipino Fire Power, taking on current Block B leaders, Pure MUSCLE, in a possible preview of the Blue Rhino Cup finals! Night Seven will see UPJ Junior Heavyweight Champion Kozue defend against Hall of the United Throne's SHOGUN; other nights will see top junior heavyweights Ryotaro Naruto, Furosuto, and Jin Fujiwara competing as all three men vie to be named top contender for the title at the Blue Rhino Cup Finals show in Tokyo. Block A will see round three action on Night Eight, and round four takes place on Night Ten; Block B will have round three on Night Nine, and finish up with round four on the last stop of tour for Night Eleven. Other than the Blue Rhino Cup finals match, the card for the actual Blue Rhino Cup Finals show in Tokyo remains up in the air; rumors persist that Kintaro Kinjo will be on the card for the show, but whether he puts the UPJ International title up for grabs or competes in a multi-man match against Ignite Muscle Army is yet to be seen.

p { margin:0; padding:0; line-height: 1.5em; } United Promotions Japan was formed in 1951 as a conglomeration of the smaller regional federations across the country after the government introduced strict regulations for the sport. The promotion quickly established professional wrestling as one of the most popular sports in Japan, thanks in large part to trailblazer Ozeki who really established the sport throughout Asia. UPJ has gone through many different "eras" during its 70 year history - from the Ozeki days of the 1950s, the gaijin-heavy 1980s and the slim pickings of the early 2000s. In 2002, Ozeki's twin nephews Jun and Kenji Matsumoto purchased a controlling stake in UPJ but their poor management led to both the DIASPORA and HONOUR walkouts. With the promotion looking to be on its last legs, multinational drinks company Blue Rhino bought the company in 2015 and placed fan favourite veteran Tetsuo Nagata in charge. UPJ is finally back on top in Japan and looking set for a very successful 70th year. 2020 was a hot year for UPJ with a loaded calendar of events that saw tenacious superstar Kato become only the second man in company history to win back-to-back Ozeki Summit honors, the rise of Jin Fujiwara as a top junior heavyweight as he won his first ever Junior Mountain Cup, and the complete domination of the main event scene by the members of Kinjo-jidai. Sitting atop the heavyweight division is reigning UPJ International Heavyweight Champion, "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo, having reclaimed the title from "The Lone Dragon" Oda Yamawaki at UPJ's season finale event, Hall of the Immortals, in November. Surrounded by his cabal of allies, collectively known as Kinjo-jidai, Kintaro Kinjo has become perhaps the biggest star in Japanese wrestling history. Indeed, Kinjo claims to have eclipsed even Ozeki himself, though more than a few of his contemporaries claim this is a massive disrespect. As 2021 begins, Kinjo has not stepped foot inside a UPJ ring since winning the UPJ International Heavyweight in November; his absence from the annual Winter Spirit tour was highly scrutinized by the Japanese wrestling media, but he reemerged on Night One of the Blue Rhino Cup Tour to proclaim that 2021 would see him cement his legacy as the greatest of all time. This proclamation did not sit well with Kato and his Ignite Muscle Army allies, however, and it seems that the two factions are now on a path to war with the Kinjo-jidai tandem known as Explosive Spark, Kintaro Kinjo and his chosen heir Katsuhiko Ishii, taking on Kato and Erik van Rijn of Ignite Muscle Army in the main event of the Blue Rhino Cup Tour on Night Five. In the junior heavyweight world, charismatic performer Kozue has recently claimed the UPJ Junior Heavyweight Championship from fierce rival Furosuto to begin his fourth reign with the title. The division has continually struggled since the DIASPORA walkout and subsequent rise of their rival promotion in perception among the Japanese wrestling world, but the buzz among the Japanese wrestling media is that 2021 will see a refocus on the junior heavyweight division that is due to include an influx of talent from Japan and across the globe, as well as through their recently repaired relationship with Campeonato de la Lucha Libra de Mexico (CLLM). Welcome to United Promotions Japan, the summit of professional wrestling. CHAMPIONS ROLL CALL UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION "THE GOD EMPEROR" KINTARO KINJO of KINJO-JIDAI (November 2022 to present, defeated Oda Yamawaki) UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN INTERNATIONAL TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS PURE MUSCLE (ATONGA & TAHEJI EBISAWA) of IGNITE MUSCLE ARMY (July 2020 to present, defeated PunkRockCity - Danger Asahara & TOKI INK of HardRockCity) UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION KOZUE (November 2020 to present, defeated Furosuto) UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS CAMERON CODY & JUNICHI MATSUO of HARDROCKCITY (November 2020 to present, defeated Kinjo-jidai's Akito Nakada & Haruko Yamada)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TO MAKE DEBUT AT WORLD-FAMOUS MADISON SQUARE GARDEN FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH PPV It seems that, under new ownership, new doors are being opened for Shane McMahon's WCW, as the company will be occupying Madison Square Garden for the first time in it's storied history. Long a stronghold for Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation, the Garden has recently opened up it's stance on only renting to one professional wrestling company; Shane's relationship with the management of the venue is said to be a major reason the booking opened up. Broadcasting this month's Great American Bash PPV from the world-famous venue will certainly be seen as a major coup for reeling professional wrestling organization.

Raven is one of my all-time favorite characters, but, as I said, I'm letting things play out naturally rather than tampering with anything. He may or may not show up in WCW sooner or later.

p { margin:0; padding:0; line-height: 1.5em; } RAVEN TO LEAVE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION? In a surprising bit of news, Dave Meltzer revealed today that he expects Raven to be leaving the World Wrestling Federation imminently; this comes on the heels of news that the WWF would be looking to expand their roster by bringing back several wrestlers who had been working in smaller territories, like Mark Henry and former Raven affiliate Steven Richards, and bringing on female talent like Daffney and Jazz. These expansive plans, apparently, do not include the controversial figure and former ECW World Champion. Where Raven turns up next is anyone's guess, but many expect that he'll turn up in Shane McMahon's World Championship Wrestling sooner rather than later. Raven's departure comes on the heels of months of toiling in WWF's lackluster hardcore division; his final WWF appearance was a loss to K-Kwik on WWF Sunday Night Heat this past weekend.

p { margin:0; padding:0; line-height: 1.5em; } LIVE ON FX FROM THE STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY ARENA ANNOUNCE TEAM: SCOTT HUDSON AND LARRY ZBYSZKO ATTENDANCE: 4,000 CAPACITY SELLOUT The announce team briefly recap some important events from last week, including Mike Awesome's decimation of the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Booker T, "Mr. Wednesday Night" Rob Van Dam becoming WCW United States Champion, and a wealth of post-match attacks that Zbyszko reiterates are just sore losers frustrated about not getting the job done. Attention turns to Juventud Guerrera attacking WCW Crusierweight Champion Sugar Shane Helms after their Nitro-opening bout; they send it to the ring for Helms defending in our first match of the night. WCW CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH SUGAR SHANE HELMS (C) VERSUS CHAVO GUERRERO JR Sugar Shane continues an impressive run here against legacy wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr, who seems focused on getting his career back on track in recent weeks. The pair work a signature-style opening bout for Nitro: fast-paced, one spot after another, enthralling chain sequences, and jaw-dropping high spots. Helms picks up the win with a Vertebreaker. WINNER, AND STILL CHAMPION: SUGAR SHANE HELMS Following the match, Scott Hudson joins Sugar Shane in the ring for a quick promo about Juventud Guerrera; Helms says that he was always impressed with The Juice... until last week, where Guerrera showed his true colors. He isn't a proud cruiserweight warrior, he's a dirty, yellow dog for jumping the champ after the bell had rung. But, if he wants to do it again, they can run it back one more time... at The Great American Bash! Back from a commercial break, and Scott Hudson is once again in the ring... he announces a huge main event tag team match, Diamond Dallas Page and Rob Van Dam taking on Buff Bagwell and Chris Kanyon, before introducing the first team, DDP and RVD! The pair make their way to the ring in separate entrances to maximize the pop from the crowd before they each cut promos on their singular enemies in tonight's tag match; DDP says that Kanyon has always been jealous of his success, and RVD says he's already had enough of Buff. DDP says that, since we're out here making matches for The Great American Bash... how about The Great American Street Fight? DDP versus Kanyon. RVD says he can top that; how about another title match? Mr. Pay-Per-View himself against Buff Bagwell for the United States title. He says he doesn't have a catchy name like The Great American Street Fight, but he says how about they suspend the title high above the center of the ring and whoever can climb a ladder and retrieve it gets to keep it? The crowd seems to approve, and the announce team wonders if Shane McMahon will make the matches official for their next big show. JUVENTUD GUERRERA VERSUS RECKLESS YOUTH World Championship Wrestling debut for the cruiserweight Reckless Youth here, and he gets off to an impressive start by controlling the opening moments of the match, starting with a huge suicide dive before Guerrera has even completed his entrance to the ring. Hudson and Zbyszko talk about Youth's regional accomplishments and his cult-like following bringing him to the WCW cruiserweight division. Youth looks impressive, but he doesn't get the job done here, Guerrera turning the tables and eventually picking up the win for some momentum headed into The Great American Bash. WINNER: JUVENTUD GUERRERA After a brief plug for the upcoming pay-per-view, Don Callis is here with Mike Awesome. Callis begins the promo by asking, "do we have your attention now?" He recaps the assault on Booker T last week and says that it was just the beginning. The talent, the capacity for destruction, the sheer awesome force that Callis has brought to WCW is undeniable, and he's far from finished. While Shane McMahon may see World Championship Wrestling as his little vanity project, his way of showing up daddy, Don Callis sees something much greater. He sees the future of professional wrestling, in men like Mike Awesome... he sees the past of professional wrestling, in traditions like The Great American Bash and Starrcade... and he sees redemption for the monsters of professional wrestling. Mike Awesome is the first beast he's unleashed, and, next week? Callis promises another. This brings out Shane McMahon, who says he's heard enough of Don Callis. Last week, Callis and Awesome took out Booker T, which might impress some people, but Shane sees it as two men messing with his bottom line. If there's one thing you don't do, it's mess with a McMahon's money-- Callis and McMahon go back-and-forth on this for a minute with Callis taking a risque verbal shot about McMahon seeing Booker T as "his boy" before McMahon gets into Callis' face and dares him to say it again. This brings Awesome between them, but Shane is unphased to be staring down the big man... but he does, eventually, back off, nodding his head and telling Callis, "it's on!" GLENN GILBERTI VERSUS JASON JETT Glenn Gilberti makes his way out to the ring to his old "Disco Fever" entrance music, but he's not wearing the bell bottoms or dancing-- in fact, he looks annoyed at hearing the song. He says that he isn't just some dancing idiot or some wannabe Filthy Animal. He calls himself a national treasure, a golden god, and God's gift to professional wrestling before Jason Jett's entrance interrupts him. Gilberti tells Jett off on the mic for a minute before begging off when Jett tries to start the match; Jett turns his back, which Gilberti tries to take advantage of by going on the attack. It works for a moment, but Jett eventually takes the momentum and the match. WINNER: JASON JETT Shawn Stasiak and Stacy Kiebler are out when we get back from break to play up his narcissistic gimmick for a moment before turning their attention to Billy Kidman and Torrie Wilson. Stasiak calls them pretenders to the throne, and says that he & Kiebler are the King & Queen of WCW. He says that he and Kidman can go back-and-forth, costing each other matches, or they can settle this like men. He calls out Kidman & Wilson, who make their way to the ring. Kidman says this isn't about being King & Queen or any made-up titles... this is about the real United States Championship, which Stasiak cost him. The couples go on arguing for several minutes before Kidman fires off the first blow, starting a brawl between he and Stasiak while the women stand by screaming for their beaus in opposing corners. WCW security eventually has to fill the ring to separate the two men, the announce team pitching to commercial just as the action is dying down. LANCE STORM VERSUS TAJIRI Storm cuts a brief promo before the match about how he excels in all forms of wrestling, including the cruiserweight division. The pair work a stuff, technical match as opposed to the normal, high flying cruiserweight style WCW fans are used to seeing, but the crowd appreciates them all the same. Tajiri busts out the Tarantula for the first time in WCW here, and nearly finishes Storm with a stiff Buzzsaw Kick at one point, but Storm eventually picks up the win with his Canadian Maple Leaf submission hold. WINNER: LANCE STORM Following the match, we get another promo from "The Sinister Minister" James Vandenberg where he teases the arrival of The Black Watch. "All that glitters is not gold, but all the creatures of the dark are to be feared. The Black Watch is coming to take all you hold dear, and we're going to start right... here..." Vampiro emerges from the darkness behind Vandenberg, holding a photograph of Rob Van Dam posing with the United States title, which is already burning at one corner and quickly goes up in flames as the scene fades to black with Vandenberg cackling. Nitro returns with the entrance of The Entourage, hyping up their win last week and the celebration that ensued. "The Main Man" Elix Skipper says that when The Entourage brings home some gold, it'll go down in history as the night they burned Malibu down, because the Hypnotiq will flow and "ain't no telling what'll happen when the pack gets back." Kid Romeo says he's looking for a hunny for himself and one for Low Ki, so things can get a little extreme this evening... LOW KI VERSUS SABU As soon as the word "extreme" crosses Romeo's lips, the lights go out. When they come back on, Sabu is in one corner of the ring, pointing to the sky; Skipper and Romeo throw Low Ki in front of them, and The Entourage's enforcer goes to battle with the maniac known as Sabu. Ki shows off some stiff kicks and martial arts blows, but nothing he throws out seems to be enough to best Sabu. WINNER: SABU CURT HENNIG VERSUS HUGH MORRUS Back from commerical, Curt Hennig is out from his locker room and he cuts a promo to the camera about legacies before asking what his own legacy will be; he says some people will remember perfection, while some will remember the guy who never won the big one. He says it's time he forgot about groups like the New World Order, and leaves behind meaningless culture wars like "Rap is Crap." From now on, there will be no rest until he reaches the top of the mountain. His promo is interrupted by manic laughter, and Hugh Morrus makes his way out for the match-- Hennig makes short work of Morrus, and picks up another win. WINNER: CURT HENNIG DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE & ROB VAN DAM VERSUS CHRIS KANYON & BUFF BAGWELL This match is tonight's main event, and features a phone call to the announce team from Booker T, where he rants about Don Callis & Mike Awesome and what happened to him at their hands last week. He tells Shane not to worry about the bottom line, because Booker T will be back next week with every intention of calling out Mike Awesome for The Great American Bash. Meanwhile, in the ring, a typical TV tag match is playing out, each man getting a chance to shine with a signature spot or two. The end of the match sees DDP catch Buff with a Diamond Cutter to pick up the win for his team and send the fans home happy. WINNERS: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE & ROB VAN DAM

I sincerely appreciate the interest in my writing and the WCW story I'm telling, but, yeah, the rapid fire questions about the roster every post are a little tiresome. Things will be revealed as they come up, lots of debuts in the first month or so worth of shows while I set the stage for the new WCW.

p { margin:0; padding:0; line-height: 1.5em; } LIVE ON FX FROM THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY CROWN COLISEUM ANNOUNCE TEAM: SCOTT HUDSON AND LARRY ZBYSZKO ATTENDANCE: 7,576 The Turner Era is officially over, and the first edition of Wednesday Nitro on FX is LIVE from Fayetteville, North Carolina! All of the fallout from The Big Bang and more is scheduled for this debut episode from the show's new home-- Hudson and Zbyszko give a brief rundown of the show before sending things to the ring for our first match! WCW CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH SUGAR SHANE HELMS (C) VERSUS TAJIRI VERSUS JUVENTUD GUERRERA A classic, cruiserweight triple-threat match opens the show-- Juvy makes his way out to the ring first, followed by the debuting Tajiri who gets a warm reception from the crowd while the announce team put over how the Japanese Buzzsaw should feel right at home in the WCW cruiserweight division. Sugar Shane Helms makes his way out to a big pop, and the action begins with Tajiri taking out the champion with a sick looking Buzzsaw Kick but Juvy quickly moves in to keep Tajiri from capitalizing. The trio work a fast-paced sprint, never giving the crowd a second to rest from the action before Helms puts an end to it by taking out Tajiri with the Vertebreaker. WINNER, AND STILL CHAMPION: SUGAR SHANE HELMS Sugar Shane takes a moment to celebrate in the ring with his title, but Juventud Guerrera jumps him from behind! The Juice puts the boots to Sugar Shane for a moment before posing over him with the WCW Cruiserweight title and dropping it on his fallen body. When we come back from a commercial break, Shane McMahon makes his way out into the arena to a huge ovation from the crowd; he takes it all in for a minute before putting over the WCW fans, thanking them for making The Big Bang the must successful WCW pay-per-view in a long time and again for showing up tonight for the relaunch of Nitro. He says that he wants to congratulate WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Booker T, on a hard-fought, successful defense against Diamond Dallas Page at The Big Bang before mentioning that he wants to talk about establishing a new challenger for WCW's next big event, The Great American Bash! Before he can get much further, he's interrupted by Don Callis and Mike Awesome! Callis says that Mike Awesome has been overlooked, undervalued, and flat-out denied his rightful place at the top of World Championship Wrestling by the previous regime, but, surely, Shane McMahon will right this wrong. McMahon warns Callis and Awesome not to threaten him, because he's not a man to sit back and smile when someone tries to disrespect him. Callis tries to back off the threat, but McMahon says he's also a man who respects drive; he understands that Awesome is out to make a name for himself but he's not going to do it off the back of the WCW World Heavyweight Champion without earning it first. Callis says that maybe Shane doesn't understand, and as he and Awesome get in the face of the WCW owner, the music of the World Champion hits! Booker T charges to the ring, ready to throw down with Mike Awesome but Don Callis holds his monster back; after a brief argument, Booker T asks Shane to make the main event tonight, here on Nitro, a WCW World title match between he and Awesome! Shane says that if that's what Booker wants, he's happy to make the match official for later tonight! Callis laughs, and says that he loves when a plan comes together as he exits the ring with his client to end the segment. THE ENTOURAGE (ELIX SKIPPER & KID ROMEO) w/ PAISLEY VERSUS HUGH MORRUS & LASH LEROUX The Entourage make their way out with their over-the-top, Hollywood-inspired entrance while their opponents wait in the ring; a brief, lightly competitive match ensues, but it all comes to an end when Low Ki hits Hugh Morrus from the outside, and Morrus stumbles back into a Snapshot from Skipper & Romeo for The Entourage to pick up their first win in WCW. WINNERS: THE ENTOURAGE Following the match, the announce team briefly remind the audience of James Vandenberg, the former "Collector of Human Oddities" who brought the likes of Mortis & Wrath to World Championship Wrestling. Calling him "The Sinister Minister," Hudson sends it backstage for a word from Vandenberg; the Minister cuts an ominous, metaphor-driven promo about death, decay, and rebirth before revealing that The Black Watch is coming to World Championship Wrestling. Vandenberg lets loose an evil cackle before the scene fades to black and the show goes to commercials. When the show returns, Shawn Stasiak and Stacy Kiebler have made their way to the ring for a brief moment of posing before cutting a promo. Kiebler calls Stasiak a perfect specimen, and claims that he has a perfect record despite this not being true as he lost at The Big Bang; Kiebler then turns her attention to Torrie Wilson, calling her a floozie and warning her not to cross them a second time. SHAWN STASIAK VERSUS JASON JETT Jason Jett makes his way out for the match, and is quickly attacked by Stasiak; the pair work a competitive match, showing that Jett's push from the dying days of the Turner Era may not be over. When it looks to be all but over, with Stasiak about to pick up a victory, Torrie Wilson shows up at ringside and the ensuing argument between Wilson and Kiebler draws the referee's attention long enough for Billy Kidman to jump out of the crowd and and help Jett take control of the match! A Crashing Landing ends it at around eight minutes. WINNER: JASON JETT After another commercial, Diamond Dallas Page is out to the entrance ramp for a promo; he gets a minute or two to talk about his loss to Booker T and what's next for DDP before getting blindsided by Chris Kanyon! The Innovator of Offense attacks Page with a chair, going after his ribs and delivering quite a thrashing, ending with a Flatliner on top of the chair. Kanyon grabs the microphone and rants about DDP, about how he can't stand to live in Page's shadow any longer, and about how the fans blindly love DDP when it's men like Kanyon himself who bust their asses to make WCW what it is today. He says that WCW isn't big enough for Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon to coexist, and that, sooner or later, he's going to rid World Championship Wrestling of Diamond Dallas Page. 3 COUNT (EVAN KARAGIAS & SHANNON MOORE) VERSUS CHUCK PALUMBO & SEAN O'HAIRE (C) This is a non-title match, and 3 Count get a few minutes at the beginning to play to the crowd and hype up their new song, which they plan to perform... right now! As the crowd boos, a few bars of a generic-sounding pop song play but before any lyrics can be sang, the song is interrupted by the music of WCW World Tag Team Champions Palumbo & O'Haire! The champions make their way to the ring, and make short work of their opponents. WINNERS: PALUMBO & O'HAIRE We catch up with Buff Bagwell backstage, who cuts a brief promo on the United States Championship tournament finals tonight-- he says he's never even heard of Rob Van Dam, so he's not scared because he's tough, he's Buff, and he has the stuff to be US Champion! CURT HENNIG VERSUS BILLY KIDMAN w/ TORRIE WILSON Hennig comes out before the match to cut a promo on how it feels good to be back in WCW, and how it feels good to have a perfect record here in the relaunch; he downplays cheating to beat Chavo Guerrero Jr. and reiterates that he has perfect record before heading to the ring. His opponent tonight is Billy Kidman, and the pair work a good, solid match that leads into a near-replay of what happened in Shawn Stasiak's match-- Stacy Kiebler comes out and begins arguing with Torrie Wilson, allowing Shawn Stasiak to hit the ring and help cause Kidman to lose just like he did at The Big Bang. WINNER: CURT HENNIG Following the match, a huge fight breaks out between Kidman and Stasiak in the ring while Torrie and Stacy roll around on the outside of the ring, clawing and slapping at each other. Security hits the ring to break things up, but they prove to have a harder time separating the women than the men as this rivalry rages on! WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT FINAL WCW UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH BUFF BAGWELL VERSUS ROB VAN DAM Not even Rob Van Dam can drag a good match out of Buff Bagwell right now as Buff's run of poor form continues here, but not even his poor performance can overshadow how good RVD is in the ring and how into him the crowd is at this moment in time. A competitive match ends with RVD nailing a Five Star Frog Splash to win his first taste of WCW gold. WINNER, AND NEW CHAMPION: ROB VAN DAM Rob Van Dam gets a moment to celebrate with the title in the ring, calling himself "Mr. Wednesday Night" and raising the belt high before Buff attacks from behind. Incensed at losing his bid for the title, Bagwell puts the boots to RVD as Hudson says, "a lot of people turning sour at their inability to win gold here tonight," to which Zbyszko responds, "a lot of losers crying about their inability to get the job done, if you ask me." Bagwell has to be escorted from the ring by security while the ringside doctor checks on the new champion, who does a great sell job back in the ring. WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH BOOKER T (C) VERSUS MIKE AWESOME w/ DON CALLIS What starts as a match quickly turns into an assault as Mike Awesome pummels Booker T with some intensely physical blows; becoming increasingly violent, the ref tries to step in and finds himself thrown from the ring with a sickening Awesome Bomb for his troubles. With the match officially called a disqualification and thrown out, that doesn't stop Awesome's attack. WINNER, BY DQ: BOOKER T Don Callis and Mike Awesome go about physically dismantling the World Heavyweight Champion on live television to end the first episode of Nitro on FX; the assault, and show, end with Mike Awesome hurling Booker T from the inside of the ring to the outside, and through the announce table, with a sickening Awesome Bomb! As Booker T lays atop the wreckage, Scott Hudson wonders if anyone can stop the unholy alliance of Don Callis and Mike Awesome.

I'm really not sure why you'd make that leap. I just don't enjoy writing comedy wrestling all that much.

Glad you enjoyed the show! To answer your question, I'll refer back to what I said about Colt Cabana-- comedy wrestling isn't really my thing, so I don't have any plans to morph Sugar Shane Helms into The Hurricane anytime soon. The Entourage are about as close as I'll get to comedy in the beginning, as well as one other character who debuts on the first or second Nitro.

p { margin:0; padding:0; line-height: 1.5em; } LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW FROM CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA ATTENDANCE: 36,000 SELLOUT CROWD The first show of Shane McMahon's WCW begins with a panning shot of the crowd, showcasing the largest audience WCW has experienced for any show in quite some time. There are signs for WCW favorites like the World Heavyweight Champion, Booker T, and veteran babyface Diamond Dallas Page, along with others that declare "The War Is Far From Over" and "WCW Lives." The television shot finally settles on Scott Hudson and Larry Zbyszko at the ringside announce table, who welcome us back to World Championship Wrestling and welcome us to The Big Bang. Hudson says that, just like they always have, WCW is set to showcase some of the best talent in professional wrestling today; from the cruiserweight division to tag team action, to singles superstars and main eventers in the making, you'll see it all right here in World Championship Wrestling! The Living Legend, Larry Zbyszko, says that he couldn't agree more, and that's why he's excited to send it to the ring! WCW CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH SUGAR SHANE HELMS (C) VERSUS JUVENTUD GUERRERA The WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Sugar Shane Helms, is out first to a loud pop from the crowd; Hudson & Zbyszko briefly recount Helms' rise to the top of the crusierweight division in the latter days of the Turner Era before the arrival of Juventud Guerrera brings a pop of surprise from the crowd. Though an established presence in the WCW cruiserweight division, Guerrera hadn't been seen for some time, nor has he looked as fresh-faced and toned as he does here tonight. "The Juice is loose!" Guerrera cries at the top of the entryway before making his way into the ring for the match. The bout is signature cruiserweight action from start-to-finish, Helms showing off his modern American style while Juvy matches it perfectly with his luchador antics. The match is a ten-minute sprint full of crowd-pleasing high spots and impressive chain sequences; Juvy shows why he is a former three-time champion, but becomes another victim of the Vertebreaker in the end. WINNER. AND STILL CHAMPION: SUGAR SHANE HELMS Following a very brief in-ring celebration by Helms, the cameras focus on the announce team again, who begin going over the WCW United States title tournament. They announce that we will see the quarter-finals and semi-finals tonight on pay-per-view, with a new champion to be crowned very soon; to learn more about that, they pitch to the ring. HERE COMES THE MONEY New owner of WCW, Shane McMahon himself, makes his way out to a massive pop from the North Carolina crowd; it takes a minute or two for the "Thank You Shane" chant to die down before he can even speak, but his first words are, "no, thank you." He thanks the fans for keeping WCW alive, for making it what it is, and for making it what it was; he says there's a rich history in WCW but he's focused on the future... and, in the immediate future, we're crowning a new United States Champion. He tells the crowd in the arena what the announce team has already told the fans watching at home about the first and second round matches tonight before announcing that the new champion will be crowned... this Wednesday night, LIVE on the FX Network... because Nitro is coming to late night! 10pm every Wednesday, live on FX for two hours... WCW is alive and well, and anyone who tells you differently, is probably named Vince McMahon. Shane allows his announcement to soak in for a moment before saying that he'd like to introduce the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, a man he calls The Real People's Champion... Booker T! Booker makes his way out to the ring with the championship belt around his waist, and cuts a promo about putting WCW on his back and clawing their way to the top of the mountain once again. He says no one has worked harder than him for everything they've achieved, and that's about the time the familiar music of Diamond Dallas Page begins. The crowd gives another big pop for DDP, who is quick to say that respects Booker but takes issue with a few things. First: Shane called Booker T "The Real People's Champion?" DDP has been the peoples' choice all along, which draws a load of cheers from the crowd. Second: no one has worked harder than Booker T? Then why has DDP had to fight through being too old, too clumsy, not good enough, not young enough? They used to say that WCW is "where the big boys play," but both DDP and Booker T know that you can't play around and make it to the top. It takes work, grit, guts-- tonight, in the main event? May the best man win. The pair shake hands to a round of cheers to end the segment, and we head back to the ringside announce desk for some more from Hudson & Zbyszko; Hudson says they've been trying all night to find out who the eight men that make up the United States title tournament bracket, but that Shane McMahon has played it close to the chest. The production team has told them, however, that the next two bouts this evening are both first round matches. The Living Legend sends it to the ring to find out who the first two men to enter the tournament will be... WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER FINAL MATCH BUFF BAGWELL VERSUS JOHNNY THE BULL This match was obviously designed as a showcase for Buff, but neither performance was up to snuff here-- Bagwell takes the win to advance with a Blockbuster. WINNER: BUFF BAGWELL WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER FINAL MATCH LANCE STORM VERSUS JASON JETT Jett looked poised for a big push towards the end of the Turner Era in WCW, and he gets a good showing here against the immensely talented Lance Storm. Storm is continuing to use his Pro-Canadian gimmick here, though the announce team makes it clear that he's been abandoned by his Team Canada cohorts, Elix Skipper and Mike Awesome. Storm takes the win to advance with his Canadian Maple Leaf submission, causing Jett to tap out in just under six minutes. WINNER: LANCE STORM UNDENIABLY AWESOME Scott Hudson and Larry Zbyszko go to recap the first two matches of the United States title tournament at the announce desk, but they are interrupted by new music and a new video, introducing Mike Awesome who comes out with a previously unseen manager in-tow. The manager introduces himself as Don Callis, but he says that wrestling fans have known him by many names over the last several years; the World Wrestling Federation had him play guru dress-up and call himself The Jackyl, while Paul Heyman would have you believe he's a network representative named Cyrus. He says that many companies have tried to keep him down, but that talent and drive are undeniable; he turns his attention to Mike Awesome, an amazing specimen of a man. He is one of the most powerful men in the business, a heavyweight that can fly like a cruiserweight; no one in World Championship Wrestling can do what Mike Awesome can do. The previous regime would have you believe he's a Fat Chick Thriller... a 70's guy... a Canadian turncoat... but all of these things were just distractions and window dressing for a man who doesn't need any of them. From here on out, Don Callis will do the talking for Mike Awesome, and Mike Awesome will do his own talking in the ring. Callis demands an opponent, and we have our next match. MIKE AWESOME VERSUS JAMIE KNOBLE Jamie Knoble makes his way out very cautiously for the match; Don Callis even has to coax him into the ring while the announce team remind us that Jamie Knoble is a cruiserweight about half the size of Awesome. Once in the ring, the match doesn't last long-- Knoble doesn't manage a single offensive move, and meets his end with an Awesome Bomb. WINNER: MIKE AWESOME WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER FINAL MATCH SHAWN STASIAK w/ STACY KEIBLER VERSUS BILLY KIDMAN w/ TORRIE WILSON Two familiar faces to the WCW audience, former Filthy Animals member Billy Kidman with his real-life fiance Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler's handpicked man, Shawn Stasiak. This match turns into being just as much about the antics of Keibler and Wilson on the outside as it does Stasiak and Kidman back in the ring. Towards the end, it all descends into chaos as Wilson and Keibler claw at each other at ringside, Keibler having tried to distract Kidman but the ensuing fight allows him to pick up the win instead. Shooting Star Press finishes Shawn Stasiak, allowing Billy Kidman to move on to the semi-finals. WINNER: BILLY KIDMAN Following the bout, we return to the ringside announce desk where Scott Hudson and Larry Zbyszko discuss the next match being the last quarter-final of the tournament; whoever wins this match will face Lance Storm later on tonight to earn a place in the title match on Nitro. WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER FINAL MATCH CHRIS KANYON VERSUS ROB VAN DAM Kanyon makes his way out to the ring first, and then Shane McMahon appears on the video screen-- he announces that World Championship Wrestling has finalized the signing of the hottest free agent in professional wrestling today, and he's about to make his debut. The crowd goes wild as Pantera's "Walk" plays in the arena, and Rob Van Dam makes his way out to the ring! Kanyon feigns being impressed before reminding RVD and everyone watching that he is "The Innovator of Offense," and he's not scared of Rob Van Dam. What follows is a somewhat competitive match that serves more as a showcase for RVD in his first WCW appearance. RVD picks up the win with a Five-Star Frog Splash to move on and face Lance Storm. WINNER: ROB VAN DAM DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE Once the first round of the tournament has wrapped up, the announcers recap the matches and discuss the semi-finals: Buff Bagwell vs Billy Kidman, and Rob Van Dam vs Lance Storm. During the brief discussion, some new music begins to play that sounds vaguely like a Kid Rock song. A man, dressed in a fur coat over his wrestling attire, enters the arena with a beautiful woman on either side of him. He announces himself as Kid Kash, calling himself a variety of nicknames including "The Devil Without a Cause," "The Bull God," and "The King of Extreme" throughout his promo. He runs down the crowd and says he only came to WCW to make a little bit of that cold, hard cash, pulling out a wad of bills from the pocket of his fur coat to show off. He once again calls himself "The King of Extreme," and the lights in the arena go out immediately after that. KID KASH VERSUS SABU When the lights come back on, Sabu is standing in one corner of the ring, pointing to the sky; Kash goes to attack, still wearing his fur coat, and is met in kind by the madman known as Sabu! A hardcore brawl ensues, spilling all around the ringside area and even into the crowd at one point-- when the action finally returns to the ring, Shane McMahon appears in the entryway, waving a referee into the ring. "Looks like we've got a sanctioned match!" Scott Hudson crows as the bell rings, and Sabu hits a Triple Jump Moonsault off the chair that had already been in the ring from a previous Arabian Facebuster, and wins the match in short order. WINNER: SABU THE POWER OF LEGACY After some back-and-forth at the announce desk about the debuting Kid Kash and the shocking appearance of Sabu, Chavo Guerrero Jr. makes his way into the arena to a mixed reaction. He says he deserves that... things have been weird for him here in his WCW career. He's always felt like the other members of his family cast a long shadow, and he's always struggled to shine in his own light. But, fro m here on out, the Guerrero family name is being carried in WCW by one Chavo Guerrero Jr. and he intends to make sure everyone in the wrestling world puts some respect on his name. He says there's no more Uncle Eddy, no more Pepe, no more Misfits in Action... Chavo Guerrero Jr. is a lone wolf out for respect, and it all starts tonight with a big win on pay-per-view. He demands an opponent, and expects to be presented with a real challenge. CHAVO GUERRRO JR. VERSUS CURT HENNIG The announcers put over what a real challenge this will be as Hennig makes his way out to the ring, no trace of the West Texas Redneck version of the man to be found... he's back in his Mr. Perfect singlet, carrying a towel, and even does his behind-the-back toss-and-catch of the towel before making his way to rthe ring. What follows is an athletic, competitive match that seems to be taking place between two babyface wrestlers-- until Hennig uses a low blow behind the ref's back to double Chavo over and catch him in a Fisherman Suplex for the cheap victory. WINNER: CURT HENNIG WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT SEMI FINAL MATCH BUFF BAGWELL VERSUS BILLY KIDMAN w/ TORRIE WILSON The first of two semi-final matches in the United States title tournament, and another stinker from Buff, who seems to be in consistently poor form tonight. The finish sees Kidman about to pick up the win before Stacy Keibler makes her way down to the ring to fight with Torrie Wilson and distract the referee long enough for Shawn Stasiak to hit the ring and take out Kidman, putting Buff on top of him for the pinfall. WINNER: BUFF BAGWELL THE ENTOURAGE ARRIVES A new, Hollywood-inspired, rock music entrance plays with raucous music and a fast-paced, jet-setting video to accompany it... after an extended entrance complete with a stretch limo, a quartet of people make their way out of the back of the limo: Elix Skipper, Kid Romeo, Low Ki, and Paisley. They announce themselves as "now residing" in the hills of Malibu and give a roll call of the group. Elix Skipper calls himself "The Main Man," refers to Kid Romeo as "The Heartbreaker," introduces Low Ki as "The Enforcer, and I don't mean Double A," and calls Paisley the star of the group. They share some in-ring antics, playing up the serious-yet-goofy nature of their gimmick before being interrupted by the WCW World Tag Team Champions, who say they've been looking for a challenge and this is the first tag team they've seen all night. The match is set. WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH CHUCK PALUMBO & SEAN O'HAIRE (C) VERSUS THE ENTOURAGE (ELIX SKIPPER & KID ROMEO) The one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions show themselves to be the talented athletes WCW fans know them to be in this match, despite the new gimmick. A competitive match ensues, but a miscalculation by Low Ki when he attempts to interfere causes him to level Kid Romeo with a roundhouse kick and allows O'Haire to pick up the win for his team. WINNERS, AND STILL CHAMPIONS: PALUMBO & O'HAIRE WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT SEMI FINAL MATCH ROB VAN DAM VERSUS LANCE STORM When it comes to the in-ring action, this was hands down the match of the evening-- Shane McMahon smartly allowed these men enough time to tell a story, and he was rewarded by the performers for it. After several false finishes, RVD picks up his second WCW victory with a Five-Star Frog Splash to advance to Nitro and the finals against Buff Bagwell. WINNER: ROB VAN DAM WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH BOOKER T (C) VERSUS DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE The two biggest stars retained by Shane McMahon's WCW main event the first pay-per-view, Booker T showing why he's become one of the greatest homegrown talents in the history of the company while Diamond Dallas Page shows that he is undeniably The Peoples' Champion. The two babyfaces work a strong match, each man giving it everything he's got to overcome the other; unlike Chavo vs Hennig, there is no heel swerve in this match, just two babyface wrestlers vying for the biggest prize in the company. Just when it looks like DDP is about to catch Booker T with a Diamond Cutter, Booker ducks out and hits a big side kick and Harlem Hangover to retain and end the show, sending the crowd home happy. WINNER, AND STILL CHAMPION: BOOKER T

I definitely see a few names on that list that'll be popping up. You just gotta enjoy the ride to see who and when.

Tenay is also close to $16k in monthly wages, and doesn't have a WCW contract like Hudson, so I elected to use that $16k on in-ring talent instead.

WCW.COM REPORT - MONDAY, MAY 7, 2001 ANNOUNCE TEAM FOR THE BIG BANG CONFIRMED WCW.com has just learned the names of the announce team for the upcoming Big Bang pay-per-view event! Anchoring the announce desk as WCW's head play-by-play man will be Scott Hudson, longtime WCW announcer who is stepping up to the plate as lead man for the first time. Joining him at the desk for color commentary, returning to WCW, is none other than "The Living Legend" himself, Larry Zbyszko! Join Scott Hudson, Larry Zbyszko, and the rest of the professional wrestling world on Sunday, May 27, 2001 as World Championship Wrestling presents The Big Bang LIVE on pay-per-view!

Just like Shane McMahon, I'm playing that one close to the chest until The Big Bang gets posted.