World Championship Wrestling 2002: Rebuilding the Empire

[juggaloninjalee]

I do the same. Nothing better than a good writer giving us an easy read. An awesome re-imagining BigPop!

 

We need more diaries like this that are easy to read and top notch quality. So what can we do until October to pass the time?

[jstarr187]

We need more diaries like this that are easy to read and top notch quality. So what can we do until October to pass the time?

 

We learn to live with ourselves.

[Bigpapa42]

Thanks guys. Been on the road for a few days and probably won't get home for close to two weeks yet. It won't take until October for things to get rolling again, don't think. have got a small amount of writing done while travelling. You may get February's recap before too long. Have to admit that I'm happy to be missed :-)

 

In the meantime, loyal readers, I might suggest to check out some of the other fantastic writers here on the board and see what they have to offer, if you don't already read them regularly. There are the likes of TigerKinney, JamesCasey, PhantomStranger, Dragonmack, Tristram, angeldalyette, Yuu Onuki, Eisen-Verse, NoNeck, Stennick, PeterHilton, and many others for CornellVerse diaries. For real world, there are TheFinalCountdown, DSE81, Old School, Nobby, Totti, and others quality writers as well. You can also check out some classic diaries, like J Silver's USPW, Monkeypox's DAVE, Self's FCK, Tristram's WCW, Nevermore's ECW, or Keefmoon's WWE. Mistaken has taken the time to PDF Self's project (as well my own Generation Supreme) so its even easier to read. If you are waiting for my WCW to continue, there is plenty of amazing quality to check out in the meantime if you have not already done so.

[Guest cmdrsam]

Vacation is over get back here. Just kidding. Take your time, enjoy yourself and we will see you when you get back.

[Hyde Hill]

Enjoy your vacation and it gave me the time to catch up. Almost didn't when I saw Michaels as champ as I personally do not like him. I understand the reasoning behind Guerrero as a horseman, Michaels and Austin. I just don't agree with it. Still despite those gripes loving the diary so far.

[juggaloninjalee]

I have had the chance to read back thru and all it did was make me love this diary more. I am trying to learn how to write well in this style for my own diary. Hope everything is going as planned for you on the road.

[franticloser]

I just read all 26 pages of this and had to say this make me miss wcw i grew up as a wcw fan was sad to see it go even as bad as it was. This is only the second diary i have enjoyed enough to comment on how great it is, I would love a copy of your data

[Bigpapa42]

Alright, I'm back home now. Going to be a couple of days before I get rolling again - that vacation was a lot of work! I am most appreciative that you readers stuck around while I took my trip. For those curious, I drove all through the western US - 8 states and about 8,500 KMs over the course of 15 days. I did all the driving, so yeah, I'm still a bit tired.

 

Looking to have February posted in the next day or two, but no idea how quick I'll have the next update beyond that.

[Kijar]

I look forward to reading.

[Bigpapa42]

Sorry, missed a few comments here. Figured I wouldn't be me if I didn't respond properly...

 

Enjoy your vacation and it gave me the time to catch up. Almost didn't when I saw Michaels as champ as I personally do not like him. I understand the reasoning behind Guerrero as a horseman, Michaels and Austin. I just don't agree with it. Still despite those gripes loving the diary so far.

 

I figured that some of those booking decisions would be stuff that people wouldn't necessarily agree with. It was bound to happen. Hope you keep reading.

 

I have had the chance to read back thru and all it did was make me love this diary more. I am trying to learn how to write well in this style for my own diary. Hope everything is going as planned for you on the road.

 

"This style" is really no style. Its just giving an overview description of what I see as the important moments of the month. The tone is my natural writing style, which is pretty much my natural speaking style. The best advice I could probably give is to approach each month like its a self-contained magazine article, but making sure to link things to both past events and future plans.

 

I just read all 26 pages of this and had to say this make me miss wcw i grew up as a wcw fan was sad to see it go even as bad as it was. This is only the second diary i have enjoyed enough to comment on how great it is, I would love a copy of your data

 

Thanks for taking the time to read. As for sharing the data, no can do. I deleted all my backups to open up some space on my laptop, and I ended up doing a "resign and sim ahead" on the primary copy of the game. I'm fairly certain I backed that up onto an external drive beforehand, but all my backup drives are a mess at the moment. If I can find that, I'll see about putting it up in the game save share thread. Wouldn't hold my breath....

 

I look forward to reading.

 

Thanks.

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/WCWSmall.jpg

 

February 2003

 

Momentum is a funny thing. In the professional wrestling business, it can swing or change for what seems like no reason at all. Whether it's the momentum of a worker or the momentum of an entire promotion, it is simply unpredictable. After its near-death experience in early 2001, WCW had virtually no momentum coming out of the down time and network switch. Things slowly built through 2001, and WCW entered 2002 with some positive momentum. That continued through pretty much all of that year, and 2003 looked to be starting the same way. Yet after a a fairly strong January, the momentum for WCW seemed to stall out in February. It isn't really possible to point at any one thing and blame the momentum stall on that. Most likely, a series of factors added up to make it happen. Factors such as the continued absence of two big stars (Brock Lesnar and Goldberg), an underdog babyface champion who looked to be in constant peril (as opposed to an all-powerful heel champion for the past year), a new star in Steve Austin who's role was unclear, and a few other such issues. Not major issues, but they seemed to have a cumulative effect. That effect was probably made to seem worse since the WWE's build toward WrestleMania had them rolling and with some solid momentum for probably the first time since the Civil War storyline went sour in 2001. That is not to say the WWE product was stagnant or stale that entire period, but they never really caught fire and had that "can't miss" feel for fans. After the Royal Rumble, they found that to a degree.

 

The return of Brock Lesnar did not happen in February. "The Prototype" was ready to return after his hard-earned time off, but the plan changed because Bischoff received nearly constant requests from all three major Japanese promotions for Brock Lesnar to return. When the young superstar admitted he would love a chance to return to Japan, Bischoff decided to put off Lesnar's WCW return for another month. After some hasty arrangements by the three Japanese promotions, Lesnar worked shows for all of them. In New Japan Pro Wrestling, Lesnar defeated Yugi Ngata. In All Japan Pro Wrestling, Lesnar defeated Keiji Mutoh. In Pro Wrestling NOAH, he was cleanly defeated by Kenta Kobashi. All three shows drew strong crowds, but the month-ending NOAH show did particularly well in Tokyo. The rematch between Lesnar and Kobashi was a heavily-anticipated war that went forty-five minutes. Despite the defeat, "American Godzilla" was made into an even bigger star on the isle of Japan. Lesnar was kept busy throughout his time in Japan, doing constant press junkets, photo sessions, and filming lucrative advertisements. Paul Heyman spent much of the month at Lesarn's side, the two having become good friends. WCW is rumored to have profited quite nicely by getting a cut of the house from each of the shows, and they certainly earned the gratitude of all three promotions. In allowing Kobashi to go over in the rematch, the relationship with NOAH was cemented into an unshakeable bond. That would pay off for World Championship Wrestling down the road in several ways.

 

Back on North American soil, WCW and Nitro continued to roll on. After defeating - or surviving, more accurately - Booker T, Shawn Michaels had a clear choice as his next challenger - Ric Flair. "The Heartbreak Kid" wanted to face the man he had long idolized, "The Nature Boy". Flair respectfully declined, offering up a man who "clearly deserved a chance at the WCW World title"... Eddie Guerrero. Michaels mulled over this, but never made a decision. This went on for several weeks, and while HBK refused to give on his hopes of facing Flair in the ring, "The Nature Boy" seemed to get annoyed that the champion was not taking his "friendly suggestion". In the end, it was Commissioner Cat who made the decision and made Shawn Michaels versus Eddie Guerrero the main event for WCW Greed.

 

To many, it appeared that the Four Horsemen were on the path to becoming a traditional heel stable again. In addition to past incidents - such as no-selling the Goldberg save - the Horsemen added some questionable wins through February. The WCW World Tag Team champion in particular seemed to be reverting to their "do whatever it takes to win" approach as they defended their belts several times through the month. The champions were stalked by former champions, The Triad. While some fans decried the demotion of Diamond Dallas Page to a regular tag team wrestler, he was reportedly another WCW veteran battling through some notable injury issues. Both DDP and WCW management realized he would struggle to work regular main event level matches, so working with Kanyon not only helped the burgeoning star but physically protected Page at the same time.

 

The Four Horsemen were not the only stable undergoing some changes. Without "The Prototype" at his side, Paul Heyman was losing control in his own stable. The declining influence began in January, and it became undeniable by the start of February. Heyman's orders were dismissed as "unneeded advice" by the wrestlers. It was not the sexy vixen Torrie Wilson who was gradually overthrowing Heyman - it was United States champion Sean O'Haire. He staged a successful coup d'etat and overthrew Heyman early in the month, with the talented manager expressing his sheer disbelief at the situation. Then Heyman disappeared off Nitro for the time being. In actuality, he headed to Japan to accompany Brock Lesnar. O'Haire, who developing quite nicely into the role of a charismatic bully, clearly coveted the Shot at the Top briefcase that Rob van Dam held. He challenged RVD for the case at the SuperBrawl pay per view.

 

There were a great many eyes on Steve Austin through February, after he spent all of January simply talking. He spent February talking as well, but it was on WCW Nitro instead of ECW Warfare. “The Texas Rattlesnake” showed up on the first Nitro, getting a huge pop at first. After that, it was more of a mixed reaction – but it was always a big reaction. Austin spent the first two weeks seeking out Eric Bischoff. Austin got in people's faces and simply did not take “no” for an answer. He appeared set to attack Commissioner Cat before he was finally told that Bischoff would be at Nitro the following week. The segments were notable for the fact that WCW rarely did backstage vignettes any longer. When Austin finally got to confront Bischoff, he started by demanding an apology for firing Austin nearly a decade before. Bischoff did apologize, but he apologized for not recognizing the potential that Austin had. The owner then told "The Rattlesnake" that he was welcome to "stick around" WCW today, but that he had to follow a few rules, just like everyone else. Apparently not satisfied with the answer, Austin demanded to know what Bischoff was going to do if Austin didn't... The response from Bischoff was that WCW had its loyal soldiers who would help keep him in line. At that point, Sting walked into the office, making sure that Austin wasn't able to cause any bodily harm to the owner. It did set off a feud between Austin and Sting, with Austin interfering in several of Sting's matches. But Austin would not step into the ring yet. The choice of the feud with Sting was interesting, but it still really wasn't clear whether Austin was supposed to be a face or heel. He continued to receive a very big mixed reaction. The feud with Sting seemed to position him as a heel, but in many ways, it was just "Stone Cold" being "Stone Cold".

 

There were also many eyes on Samoa Joe, who debuted on Nitro several weeks into the month. It was a debut that carried with it some questions, in addition to the hype. With the big Samoan being the first worker to move from the ECW developmental brand to Nitro, both WCW insiders and industry observers were keen to see how the fans would take to Joe. He had certainly won over the ECW faithful. When he debuted with a dominant win over Mike Sanders, he got a strong reaction from a moderate segment of fans – those who followed ECW Warfare. The rest would be won over quickly enough, with Joe's hard-hitting yet daring style and no-nonsense overall approach.

 

The “minor” feuds on Nitro continued, as well. Mark Jindrak continued to harass Rey Mysterio, trying to steal the mask of the luchadore. Despite having been unmasked previously in WCW, Rey was not about to let it happen again. The battle over the Cruiserweight title continued as AJ Styles was determined to get the belt back. In a short feud that was clearly aimed as bringing back memories of the feared Four Horsemen of yore, Ric Flair battled Dustin Rhodes, who had not been relevant in any real sense in months.

 

The SuperBrawl pay per view kicked off with a 3-team battle for the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships. The New Filthy Animals retained over 3-Count and The Jung Dragons in a fun ladder match. That was easily topped in quality by Jamie Knoble and AJ Styles putting on another very entertaining battle that Knoble won with some shenanigans. It took some timely interference from Stacy Kiebler for the champions to retain their titles in the match between Alpha and The Triad. The match itself was very good, but the cheap finish took away from the match a bit. Sting defeated Hugh Morrus in a short match that was only notable for Steve Austin coming down to ringside and getting involved. Another battle between Rey Mysterio Jr. and Markus Jindrak was a near show-stealer, with Jindrak continually trying to rip the mask from Mysterio's head, which eventually lead to the pin as Jindrak used the mask for leverage. The match between Ric Flair and Dustin Rhodes was rather random, as Rhodes had appeared only sporadically in recent months, and it was simply a showcase for Flair to go full heel in the ring. He scored a rather easy win with the Figure Four, using the ropes for leverage. The secondary main event saw Rob Van Dam put his Shot at the Top briefcase on the line against Sean O'Haire. The match was a back-and-forth affair that kept fans enthralled, with RVD eventually pinning the United States champion to keep his open chance at any title he chose.

 

The main event of SuperBrawl was a match that carried a lot of expectations – both champion Shawn Michaels and challenger Eddie Guerrero were regarded as amongst the best workers on the planet. Their previous matches were very good. This one was better. It went back and forth, with the challenger putting a fantastic effort. The lingering injuries of the champion were less of an issue in the match than previous defenses. After some twenty-five minutes of battle, the rest of the Four Horsemen came down to ringside, clearly looking to help Guerrero claim the belt. It looked as though the fantastic match would end with some type of schmozz finish... but Rob Van Dam came down to ringside. He managed to keep the three Horsemen at ringside from interfering so the match could finish properly. After several near-falls, Guerrero countered HBK's Sweet Chin Music by hitting the superkick himself. Guerrero then went up to the top rope to deliver his patented Frog Splash, but Michaels sprang to his feet to huge a reaction and nailed Guerrero with a Sweet Chin Music while in the air. The champion pinned the challenger to defend the WCW World Heavyweight championship once again. HBK and RVD had a brief staredown after the victory, which culminated in the pair shaking hands. The Four Horsemen were still at ringside and they weren't done, slowly surrounding the ring and then attacking the fan favorites pair viciously, highlighted by RVD flattening Ric Flair with the Shot at the Top briefcase before he was taken out by both of the tag team champions. The attack completed the slow-burn heel turn for the Horsemen.

 

The main event was a great finish to a very solid show. WCW certainly experienced no decline in their in-ring product through February, and the storylines seemed no less compelling. Yet to both industry observers and fans, it seemed clear that the feeling of positive energy that the promotion had built over months had ebbed. It was not gone, but it was less prominent. The loss of momentum for WCW was made to seem all the worse for the WWE building momentum. It has often been said that the WWE is at its best when its building toward its flagship show, WrestleMania, and that proved very true in 2003. It was really down to the work of four men that the WWE "got hot". On the Raw brand, the main feud was between Kevin Nash and WWE World Heavyweight champion Triple H. Although the WM main event was dismissed by many fans as "the main event no one wants to see" when Nash won the Royal Rumble, that changed to a large degree as the two feuded week after week on Raw. They individually cut some fantastic promos, which had such a "shoot" feel to them that rumors persisted there had to be legit heat between the two long-time friends. There wasn't, but that edge that it gave the feud really made fans take notice. On the Smackdown brand, there was no major title to feud over. That really didn't matter as The Rock challenged The Undertaker and his undefeated streak at WrestleMania. It was widely believed this would be The Rock's final match in the WWE, which added to the already strong allure of the match. As in the primary Raw feud, this one was built around some great promos and segments. Ironically, the feud was almost scuttled, as some within the WWE - and not naming any names - were worried that the match could outshine the main event, so The Rock was almost put in a feud against Rikishi for his final run. It reportedly took some serious pressure from both The Rock and The Undertaker to allow the feud to happen as planned.

 

The decline in forward momentum did not seem to affect ECW... though that simply further enforced the separation between Nitro and Warfare even further, even with Samoa Joe moving from ECW to WCW. The key storyline on Warfare was crowning a new ECW Champion, which was done in a four-way elimination match that featured Tommy Dreamer, Kensuke Sasaki, Low Ki, and Raven. Many expected Sasaki to take the title, as his hard-hitting style was getting over with the fans. Instead, it was Raven cheating his way to another title reign. The reason why became clear immediately after the match, when he demanded that his Dark Carnival followers bow down to pay him homage... Daniels and Keenan did, but Punk refused. The bleach-blond young wrestler was beat down for it, turning him face. The following week, Punk remained defiant and cut the first of a series of fantastic promos that fans would dub “The Straight Edge Monologues”, railing against his former mentor and the lifestyle Raven led. It emphasized the straight edge credo that Punk legitimately followed. Raven responded with his own prototypically excellent promo and it set off a feud that would dominate ECW for months. The fans took to the feud and it almost immediately elevated Punk from the ECW midcard to title contention.

 

The ECW Tag Team titles changed hands on the final Warfare of the month, as a four-team elimination match saw the UK Saints eliminate the team of Low Ki and Kensuke Sasaki to claim the belts. It took plenty of assistance from Katarina. The tag ranks continued to expand as February saw the introduction of a new tag team and their manager – a pair of skinny young brothers and their peppy cheerleader manager. The Briscoe Brothers looked similar enough to be twins, although there was actually a year difference between them. The manager went by the name Alexis and was rumored to be a trained wrestler herself. The new tandem actually earned WCW some criticism within the industry, as the brothers looked very young and Mark was actually only 18 years old. Despite their youth, they had two years pro experience already. It was quickly obvious why such young and inexperienced workers would be given a chance on ECW, as the brothers featured some of the best timing and teamwork seen in a long while. In addition, the ECW Television title lived up to its name as it was defended each week on Warfare. Bryan Danielson impressed fans and pundits alike in virtually every match – the youngster seemed incapable of having a poor match.

 

The loss of momentum did not have a major negative effect on WCW's fortune. They did not lose ground in the chase of the WWE... but it did remind fans that things could change and rather quickly. In many ways, February would serve as a wake-up call for this inside World Championship Wrestling – a reminder that the high of 1996-1998 had lead directly to the decline of 1999-2001. And that history can repeat itself.

 

 

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/PPV/WCW/WCWSuperBrawl.jpg

WCW SuperBrawl 2003

 

New Filthy Animals © d. 3-Count & The Jung Dragons for the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships

 

Jamie Knoble © d. AJ Styles for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship

 

Alpha d. The Triad for the WCW World Tag Team Championships

 

Sting d. Hugh Morrus

 

Mark Jindrak d. Rey Mysterio

 

Ric Flair d. Dustin Rhodes

 

Rob Van Dam d. Sean O'Haire

 

Shawn Michaels d. Eddie Guerrero for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

[Lo-Drew]

So you pulled the trigger on a Horseman heel turn. Personally, I'm all for it as HBK Vs Flair is being hyped up so I'm interested to see what the Horseman do going forward.

 

Heyman being overthrown. Masterful work right there I think. This will really help O'Haire further his push and it will be quite interesting once Lesnar returns.

 

Austin Vs Sting? Now that's a dream feud right there even though both men have nagging injuries. You got me interested right there. Can't wait to see more of "The Texas Rattlesnake" in the near future.

 

Personally, I'm loving the battles between Styles and Noble simply because nowadays you don't see that many great cruiserweight battles and those two are some of my favorite cruiserweights.

 

The Straight Edge Monologues sounds awesome and so does this new push for Punk against his former mentor. There feud in ROH was awesome and I bet it will be the same.

 

That's all I have to say. Keep up the good work man.

[juggaloninjalee]

I am so happy this diary is back.

 

Hopefully Brock Lesnar returns soon. I would love to see him take the title from HBK and once again run with it for awhile.

[KrisKatana]

I am so happy this diary is back.

 

Hopefully Brock Lesnar returns soon. I would love to see him take the title from HBK and once again run with it for awhile.

 

That would not be a smart move for WCW realistically. A major complaint for real life WCW was that the Heels (nWo) where always on the top and holding the big belts, for Brock to win it again this soon would seem far to close to that.

[Bigpapa42]

So you pulled the trigger on a Horseman heel turn. Personally, I'm all for it as HBK Vs Flair is being hyped up so I'm interested to see what the Horseman do going forward.

 

Heyman being overthrown. Masterful work right there I think. This will really help O'Haire further his push and it will be quite interesting once Lesnar returns.

 

Austin Vs Sting? Now that's a dream feud right there even though both men have nagging injuries. You got me interested right there. Can't wait to see more of "The Texas Rattlesnake" in the near future.

 

Personally, I'm loving the battles between Styles and Noble simply because nowadays you don't see that many great cruiserweight battles and those two are some of my favorite cruiserweights.

 

The Straight Edge Monologues sounds awesome and so does this new push for Punk against his former mentor. There feud in ROH was awesome and I bet it will be the same.

 

That's all I have to say. Keep up the good work man.

 

The Horsemen as babyfaces just didn't feel right. I'm not so sure fans would really take to Flair as a true heel by this point, but the stable just seems more natural as heels. k

 

As for the on-going war between Styles and Noble... There are two reasons for one. One, the division isn't that deep right now, and with the tag team titles as well, I've decided to keep the focus of the Cruiserweight title simple. Two, they are two very very talented workers who I think could have been putting on some really good matches.

 

The Punk-Raven feud is absolutely based on their actual feud in ROH. The "This is straight edge" promo that Punk cut after the one match is quite possibly my single favorite promo of all time.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

I am so happy this diary is back.

 

Hopefully Brock Lesnar returns soon. I would love to see him take the title from HBK and once again run with it for awhile.

 

Brock will be returning... but as to what he'll be doing, that you'll have to wait and see...

 

That would not be a smart move for WCW realistically. A major complaint for real life WCW was that the Heels (nWo) where always on the top and holding the big belts, for Brock to win it again this soon would seem far to close to that.

 

Putting the belt right back on him immediately might be overkill, after he held it for an entire year. That said, pretty much anything can get old if its overdone. One thing that WCW was seemingly incapable of in the mid to late 90s, right up until its end, was moderation. Any type of champion - dominant heel, heroic babyface, cowardly heel who constantly has to cheat, whatever - will get old if its overdone. The key is having some diversity - not just to the champions themselves, but the type of feuds used as well.

[Lo-Drew]

The Punk-Raven feud is absolutely based on their actual feud in ROH. The "This is straight edge" promo that Punk cut after the one match is quite possibly my single favorite promo of all time.

 

Yeah that promo was awesome. I've been surfing the web looking for it but I haven't. I just loved Raven Vs Punk promos. My favorite Punk promo was in FWA when he was walking to the ring, berating the fans. That was awesome.

 

Not that I think of it, the Horsemen are just a great heel stable. Makes a lot of sense.

[Bigpapa42]

Yeah that promo was awesome. I've been surfing the web looking for it but I haven't. I just loved Raven Vs Punk promos. My favorite Punk promo was in FWA when he was walking to the ring, berating the fans. That was awesome.

 

Not that I think of it, the Horsemen are just a great heel stable. Makes a lot of sense.

 

The Horsemen were a heel stable at their pinnacle. The ideological tenets of the stable are fairly heelish. The Four Horsemen as heels just seems so natural, especially given the current four members.

 

I have not been able to find that particular promo online either. I have it attached to the match that preceeded it. I just love the pure intensity that Punk has there - the pure conviction that makes it seem like there is no acting involved. "This is true... This is real... This is... STRAIGHT EDGE"... And then Colt piping up with the "You are a monster, Punk" comment. I've always enjoyed Punk's work in the WWE, but no promo he's done that I've seen in the WWE has quite lived up to that. Hell, I'm not sure any WWE promo since Austin, The Rock, or Foley has lived up to that.

 

Its not that the current WWE roster can't cut a good promo - many of them can. But few of them can cut a great promo. Personally, I think its that the WWE has them playing characters. So they aren't able to go out there and be themselves like Austin, Rock, and Foley could. They're like actors trying to play a role... and few are truly great at it. Even Punk and Cena seem like they are playing a role too often.

[Lo-Drew]

The Horsemen were a heel stable at their pinnacle. The ideological tenets of the stable are fairly heelish. The Four Horsemen as heels just seems so natural, especially given the current four members.

 

I have not been able to find that particular promo online either. I have it attached to the match that preceeded it. I just love the pure intensity that Punk has there - the pure conviction that makes it seem like there is no acting involved. "This is true... This is real... This is... STRAIGHT EDGE"... And then Colt piping up with the "You are a monster, Punk" comment. I've always enjoyed Punk's work in the WWE, but no promo he's done that I've seen in the WWE has quite lived up to that. Hell, I'm not sure any WWE promo since Austin, The Rock, or Foley has lived up to that.

 

Its not that the current WWE roster can't cut a good promo - many of them can. But few of them can cut a great promo. Personally, I think its that the WWE has them playing characters. So they aren't able to go out there and be themselves like Austin, Rock, and Foley could. They're like actors trying to play a role... and few are truly great at it. Even Punk and Cena seem like they are playing a role too often.

 

I actually just found it. That promo is here: http://www.gamespot.com/users/sephy37/video_player?id=dXMxlmD-5bkEszfb

 

By yeah you bring a good point. You can tell when a wrestler's playing a role or being himself. Like for instance, as you said, you could tell that the Rock was being himself and not just that, you can tell they're having fun. But yeah the only people in WWE that can cut great promos are HHH, Punk, Cena, Jericho and that's probably it.

[youngkidd]

yea that promo is part of the reason i love CM Punk..i still know that promo word for word

[Bigpapa42]

I actually just found it. That promo is here: http://www.gamespot.com/users/sephy37/video_player?id=dXMxlmD-5bkEszfb

 

By yeah you bring a good point. You can tell when a wrestler's playing a role or being himself. Like for instance, as you said, you could tell that the Rock was being himself and not just that, you can tell they're having fun. But yeah the only people in WWE that can cut great promos are HHH, Punk, Cena, Jericho and that's probably it.

 

Nice!

 

Being themselves (for the most part) and doing unscripted promos... Those are key, I think. Wrestlers aren't actors. And it seems like the WWE is essentially asking them to be that.

 

Actually looking through the WWE at this point... Triple H is still solid on the mic, as was Michaels before he left. Again, they are basically just being themselves. The Miz can cut some great promos and I don't think he's playing a character for the most part. Jericho has become fairly repetitive, I find, but he's still damned good. Orton is not bad on the mic, but his slow and measured deliver doesn't typically carry the emotion to be great (kinda like the Undertaker, to be honest). Cena is obviously good. I kinda like Swagger's promos, but he's not great - the arrogance seems real enough, though, and that makes a difference.

 

I just find too many of the characters in the WWE don't feel real anymore. I guess its kinda like the 1992-1994 era in that sense...

 

yea that promo is part of the reason i love CM Punk..i still know that promo word for word

 

I never even saw the promo until maybe two years ago. I obviously enjoy Punk's WWE work and had aleady seen a lot of his ROH stuff. Not much of his feud with Raven and I kept reading/hearing that it was good. The rest of the feud, including Raven's promos, were obviously very good as well But that one... Wow... Its just pure emotion.

[juggaloninjalee]

That is the 1st time I have ever seen that promo. Very intense promo. Seemed realistic for sure. Where is that passion in the WWE?

[Bigpapa42]

World Championship Wrestling

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WCW/Logos/Small/WCWSmall.jpg

 

March2003

 

Paul Heyman has often talked about the need to look forward, stating that promoters too often get caught up in what they did yesterday instead of worrying about what they will do tomorrow. It seems like sound enough advice, and one has to think Heyman, Bischoff, and the WCW creative team were eagerly looking toward March after a forgettable February. Even an outstanding SuperBrawl main event between Shawn Michaels and Eddie Guerrero couldn't buoy what felt like a down month. While the numbers were still there - whether one looks at TV ratings, the PPV buy rate, house show attendances - its hard to deny that February simply felt like a lesser month for World Championship Wrestling. There was little reason to expect a downward trend to continue, however... Especially with the eminent return of Brock Lesnar.

 

Although Lesnar could have been brought back right at the start of March, WCW decided to spend several weeks hyping the return instead. It was a big moment for World Championship Wrestling and it was presented as such. The hype got the fans excited and engendered a great deal of debate – would Lesnar still be dominant? Would he still be a heel? Still managed by Paul E. Heyman? Those questions were all answered a few weeks in March, when Lesnar made an appearance on Nitro. Paul Heyman was at his side. The mouthpiece did the talking, chiding fans and wrestlers who thought that a defeated Lesnar was now less dangerous. “The Prototype” would get his WCW World Heavyweight Championship back, Heyman promised. Brock Lesnar would get his revenge.

 

It would not happen immediately, however. Rob Van Dam decided to make use of his Shot at the Top open contract. He spoke to Commissioner Cat on the first Nitro of March, handing over the briefcase and asking to have the match against Shawn Michaels made for the Greed pay per view. Given the contract could be cashed in at any time and without prior notice, it was an odd way to make use of it. The WCW Commissioner asked RVD repeatedly if he understood how the Shot at the Top worked and whether he was certain this was how he wanted to do it. Van Dam continually confirmed that this was how he wanted to use the open contract. The following week, RVD cut a promo that was one of his finest in a long time, explaining that he knew he could have waited for the right moment and cashed in that open contract, when it was virtually certain he would be able to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship... but that wasn't how a true champion was made. Becoming champion is about proving yourself, and that approach would prove nothing. Having respect for HBK, the challenger wanted to legitimately defeat him in a straight-up match. The following week, RVD and his decision were mocked by Ric Flair, who promised RVD that even if he was successful, it would not matter for long since one of the Horsemen would be taking the belt anyway. It looked like renewal of the popular Flair-RVD feud from 2001, but with the roles reversed and the numbers now favoring “The Nature Boy”.

 

The feud between Sting and Steve Austin rolled on, with “The Texas Rattlesnake” apparently equating Sting's long tenure in WCW to somehow representing the entire World Championship Wrestling promotion. For the most part, the feud was Austin talking and stalking, while Sting seemed relatively unconcerned. Until Austin got involved in a match between Sting and Shawn Michaels on Nitro. With the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the line, the match was a great back and forth affair that went past twenty minutes. There were a series of near falls that had the fans enthralled, up until Austin appeared and distracted Sting, who gave up on the Scorpion Deathlock to argue with Austin. Sting ended up getting a “Snake Bite” outside the ring while the referee wasn't watching, after which HBK took advantage with obvious reluctance to score the win. Despite the interference in the finish, the match between the two legends was nearly fantastic. The match lead to two things. The first was the obvious Sting-Austin match for the pay per view. The second was speculation that Austin was working with Michaels and that the WCW World champion would be turning heel. It turned out to be mere speculation... at least for the time being.

 

Although clearly no longer the primary stable in WCW, the Dangerous Alliance remained.... well, dangerous. Markus Jindrak was finally made an official member of the stable as he continued his feud with Rey Mysterio. Still United State champion, Sean O'Haire was presented with a new challenge – the rampaging Samoa Joe. They first met on Nitro, with the champion taking the count out loss when it became clear he could not defeat the challenger either straight up or even with his trademark cheating. Commissioner Cat was not too impressed, and made a No Disqualification match between the two for the pay per view.

 

One of the top undercard feuds for WCW as the long-running battle between Jamie Knoble and AJ Styles. The pair were the top two cruiserweights and consistently put on really good matches, whether in singles or tag action. The feud was tired to a few fans, but most seemed to enjoy the quality of high-flying action it resulted in. It was perhaps never better than a ladder match the two had to lead off the Greed pay per view. The daring affair culminated in Styles winning the WCW Cruiserweight championship for the third time. The second match on the card was Brock Lesnar's in-ring return. He took only a few minutes to put down Hugh Morrus with a huge F-5. The victim being Morrus was seen as notable by some fans, as it was Hugh Morrus who was the first victory for Bill Goldberg when he embarked on his epic winning streak back in 1997, which had some fans believing that Brock Lesnar would once again be launched on such a streak. Of course, it could have simply been a coincidence, especially since Morrus had taken on a role as a “jobber to the stars” since the latter part of 2002. Though it was not realized at the time, the loss to Lesnar would turn out to be the final match in Morrus' WCW career.

 

The next match saw the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team belts change hands, as the Jung Dragons defeated the New Filthy Animals to claim their third run with the belts. The Mysterio-Jindrak feud finally seemed to final a conclusion. Jindrak spent much of the match trying to rip Mysterio's mask off his head, finally succeeding to reveal that the luchadore had another partial mask plus face paint beneath it. Mysterio took advantage of his surprised opponent, shortly after hitting his 6-1-9 and getting the pinfall. The United States championship was on the line next, and Samoa Joe showed exactly why he was considered a major rising star in the business. The “Samoan Submission Machine” helped Sean O'Haire to his best match as US champion, then ended that reign when he forced the champion to tap out. Joe even had to overcome interference by some of O'Haire's Dangerous Alliance cohorts in the No-DQ match. The loss was, ironically, more of a promotion for O'Haire than a demotion. The semi main event was a clash between two legends – Steve Austin facing Sting. Although “The Rattlesnake's” limitations in the ring were quite apparent, the two veterans managed to put on a very good and very dramatic match. Austin went over with some heavy cheating.

 

The main event was a battle between two of WCW's top fan favorites. As both were great athletes and outstanding workers, expectations were high. The result exceeded those expectations. To many, the match was the finest that either wrestler had in WCW up to that point. The match went back and forth throughout, building up to an endless series of near falls and false finishes. It was the number of pinfall attempts and false finishes that some felt took away just a little from what was a near-perfect match. The two babyfaces seemed to split the crowd fairly evenly through the first portion of the match, though most expected Michaels to retain. As the match went on, RVD built a tidal wave of support that added a real sense of emotion to all of the false finishes and near falls. The emotion built beautifully as they traded finishers until Rob Van Dam pinned the champion and claim the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Chicago's United Center was rocking as RVD was handed the belt. In a show of respect, the two competitors shook hands, then embraced. Although some still identified RVD with ECW due to his time there, the reaction of the WCW fans to the unexpected title win showed that he had truly become a star for World Championship Wrestling.

 

Although it would still be some time before he returned, WCW finally began to talk about Bill Goldberg. His absence due to injury was finally acknowledged and discussed by the commentators. The reason behind Goldberg being almost ignored was apparently due to the significant degree of uncertainty with regard to Goldberg's health. There apparently were legitimate concerns that his on-going shoulder issues could force an early end to his career, and WCW didn't want to push themselves a certain direction creatively and then have to backtrack if plans changed. Once his rehab went far enough that it became clear he would return

 

On ECW, it was notable that the role of the younger talent on the brand continued to grow while some of the more experienced veterans - such as Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Steve Corino, Shane Douglas, even Kensuke Sasaki - began to play less prominent roles. While some fans complained that this trend made ECW Warfare less "real ECW", many fans seemed to enjoy the younger workers being elevated in importance. That was the point of the secondary brand, after all. The primary feud continued to be Raven versus CM Punk. The quality of the promos in the feud - both the "Straight Edge Monologues" and Raven's dark ramblings - was outstanding. Outnumbered by Raven's Dark Carnival minions, Punk turned to newfound friends – Dreamer, Danielson, and the Briscoe's. For their part, the Briscoe Brothers were quickly elevated to one of the top teams on the brand, feuding with both the UK Saints and the Dark Carnival pair of Daniels and Keenan. Arn Anderson cut some trademark promos with his small stable of talent, but the veteran found himself outshone by the two female managers – Katarina and Alexis. Bryan Danielson continued to win himself fans as he engaged Kensuke Sasaki in a series of epic wars over the ECW Television championship. Boasting a frame typical of a cruiserweight and a look best described as generic, Danielson was anything but typical or generic in the ring. He already had his own cheering section at every ECW show, proclaiming the young wrestler "the best in the world". Although Eric Bischoff and WCW had received a fair degree of cristiism for the decision to turn ECW into a "developmental brand", the approach was clearly paying off

 

World Championship Wrestling putting on a very good pay per view headlined by a nearly-great main event was overshadowed to a large degree by WrestleMania. The WWE's biggest show of the year casts a long shadow. Especially when the WWE puts a significant amount of effort into building toward a great show, as they did for WM XIX. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit put on a show-stealing masterpiece on the undercard, which was outdone in emotion but not quality by The Undertaker and The Rock. It was The Rock's final match in the WWE and since everyone in attendance in Seattle realized it, the emotion was enormous. There was no way the main event of Triple H defending the WWE World Heavyweight title against Kevin Nash could live up to that and it didn't really attempt to. Instead, champion and challenge put on a vicious war that was certainly the most hardcore main event in WM history, culminating in an expected Triple H victory. The WWE had once again outdone itself when it came to WrestleMania.

 

Below the WWE and WCW, a battle was emerging between Total Nonstop Action and Ring of Honor. Although they nominally catered to different markets, TNA majority owner Tony Schiavone was apparently determined to pick as many fights as possible. He took some apparent perverse delight in using talent also used by Ring of Honor, but making the talent look weak or foolish. As TNA was enjoying some success with their weekly pay per view formula, this actually did some damage to ROH, but its unclear how exactly this approach was supposed to help TNA. The big news for TNA was Scott Steiner winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Jarrett. Its unknown if Steiner followed through on his thread and phoned Paul Heyman to gloat...

 

In retrospect, the "decline" of February was really simply a blip. March was right back to the same quality of product that WCW had enjoyed since late 2001. However, the gap between WCW and the WWE remained significant. While it was hard to argue against the theory that WCW was on the right track, many in the professional wrestling industry questioned whether Bischoff, Heyman, and company could ever bridge that gap and truly create another wrestling war. Both promotions had changed, as had the wrestling public. Perhaps, some insiders questioned, WCW was simply destined to remain at number two...

 

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WCW Greed 2003

 

AJ Styles d. Jamie Knoble © for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship

 

Brock Lesnar d. Hugh Morrus

 

The Jung Dragons d. The New Filthy Animals © for the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships

 

Rey Mysterio d. Markus Jindrak

 

Samoa Joe d. Sean O'Haire © for the WCW United States Championship

 

Steve Austin d. Sting

 

Rob Van Dam d. Shawn Michaels © for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

[Hashasheen]

World Championship Wrestling

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March2003

 

5 stars. Didn't think RVD would pick up the belt yet. Was looking forward to an HBK-Eddie feud.

 

But still, its all good. Wondering why you're not pulling the trigger on Goldberg yet, but hey between him, Lesnar, RVD and Michaels, we've got a ready group to take on the Horsemen while Mysterio, Samoa Joe, and whatever Tag Team you add destroy the Dangerous Alliance.

[JOSHG]

Started reading this yesterday and now I'm caught up...WOW!

 

Incredible diary!

 

I love what you've done with Brock Lesnar. That guy had the potential to be the top guy in wrestling for a LONG time and now he's continuing to show why in UFC. I must say that I miss Brock at the top when reading this diary, however, in real life they way you built him would have had me hating him in real life.

 

Great job!

[Bigpapa42]

In case anyone is wondering slash concerned about Michaels getting a pretty short world title reign... That was always the plan. My logic is that HBK really doesn't need the world title. Sure, more world title reigns add a bit to his legacy, but it doesn't really make any more of a draw. It doesn't establish him as any more of a star. I think its much the same reason he didn't win multiple world titles after he came back to the WWE in 2002. I wanted the chase and epic win to take away the "WWF taint" from him. Now that's he won it, he really doesn't need it, no more than he needed a long reign. That's not to say he won't be in the world title scene or will never win it again, but he doesn't need it. It doesn't help him in the way that it helps some guys.

 

5 stars. Didn't think RVD would pick up the belt yet. Was looking forward to an HBK-Eddie feud.

 

But still, its all good. Wondering why you're not pulling the trigger on Goldberg yet, but hey between him, Lesnar, RVD and Michaels, we've got a ready group to take on the Horsemen while Mysterio, Samoa Joe, and whatever Tag Team you add destroy the Dangerous Alliance.

 

You may still get HBK-Eddie. Maybe even more than once...

 

The whole Goldberg thing came about for a few reasons. The first was that I didn't want everything to be "up". As in, no big problems that WCW has to deal with. Continual concern over the biggest home-grown star seemed liked a good choice. Back when I was still using TEW for the game, it also seemed like a good way that I could justify taking Goldberg off screen for a few months if I wanted to put him in develompent, as his in-ring skills were still pretty mediocre.

 

At this point, I'm just holding back because I wanted WCW to have a few early-year issues, especially during the period when the WWE typically gets hot and does their best work, leading into WrestleMania. And there are other reasons that will become apparent upon his return...

 

Started reading this yesterday and now I'm caught up...WOW!

 

Incredible diary!

 

I love what you've done with Brock Lesnar. That guy had the potential to be the top guy in wrestling for a LONG time and now he's continuing to show why in UFC. I must say that I miss Brock at the top when reading this diary, however, in real life they way you built him would have had me hating him in real life.

 

Great job!

 

Glad you enjoyed.

 

To be honest, I was only watching wrestling intermitently during Lesnar's run in the WWE, but he always facinated me. When I first started playing around with the idea of this project, it was obvious he had to be a major player but I really wasn't sure how much I liked the idea. By this point, I can't imagine doing the 2 years of WCW without him...