WCW 2001-Quest for Redemption

tg01 · January 15, 2013

OOC: First off I just want to say a big thanks to Genadi and his crew for all of the amazing mods they have made through the years. Next of course a big thanks to Adam for all the joy his games have brought me through the years, all the way back to the EWR days. Finally a thank you to Wildfire, The Final Countdown, and more recently BigPapa whose dynasties through the years are my inspiration.

[The images flew through my mind too quickly to get anything more then a snapshot of what was going on. There was Vince on my show....MY show, and he was pissing all over my legacy, and then....somehow all of a sudden there was Shane too? Next thing you know it was all over, somehow two companies that had always hated each others guts were now allies....and their leaders were people that hadn't even worked for the company? There was Diamond Dallas Page, a three time world Champion, reduced to a joke at the hands of the Dead Man. Booker T, as fine a World Champion as there has been in years, all of a sudden needing to rely on a non-wrestler to somehow just compete against an ACTOR! And there it was, everything ended, it was dead....all that I had worked for was dead....because my legacy was defended by four guys who weren't even a part of the company in the end....it made no sense.....it couldn't be...it couldn't be!]

Eric! Eric, wake up....wake up!!

No...no....I can't let it happen....I can't....

Eric, you're dreaming...you need to wake up!

What? Wait....what....it was a dream.....just a dream.

Yes Eric, just a dream...and a pretty awful one from the sound of it.

I rolled out of the bed, and stood up to walk around a bit, my body still covered in sweat.

"Just a dream...." I said quietly to myself.

Loree came to me then and wrapped her arms around me and snuggled up close.

Yes, it was just a dream, and a really bad one from the sound of it....what happened Eric?

Hearing the worry in her voice, I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at myself for how crazy it was going to sound when I spoke about it out loud.

I dreamed Vince....

Oh boy...this again....

She let go of me then and walked back to the bed, and I quickly turned around, I had to explain it to her, she needed to know why it meant so much to me.

No, you have to listen. I dreamed Vince bought WCW right out from under me...and he killed it, he just outright killed it. It was awful...

Seriously Eric, you are sounding a little obsessed, why does it matter that much?

Because WCW is my legacy Loree, I can't let it go out with a whimper....I can't let it die because of the mistakes I made. I will not be known as the person who killed an international company!

Well were you in your dream? I thought you said it was Vince who killed the international company?

Well, yes, but....

I'm going back to bed!

Loree, you have to understand....this is about more then just a company to me...this is about redemption. This is about fixing all the mistakes I made through the year. Guys like Hogan, Nash, Luger....they stopped caring about the company a long time ago, it became all about the dollars to them. And who can blame them, I was the same way, I mean how many times have I said 'controversy..."

"...creates cash" yeah, yeah, Eric....I've heard it a million times.

I know...but I was wrong....so wrong. So...very wrong. And now I have a chance to fix it....that`s what this opportunity with Fusient is all about, it`s about fixing my mistake. It`s about making WCW great again, about getting back to what made it great. It's guys like Booker, and Dallas, and Lance, and all of the young guys who love this sport. If Vince gets WCW he's going to kill the industry. He stopped caring about it so long ago, now it's all about his ego.

Ha! Talk about the kettle calling the pot black!

Okay, you got me there, I can't deny it....but, that's just it, this time I know it can't be all about me. If I'm going to get WCW to the top again, I'm going to need help, and lots of it! But I'm going to do it, I'm going to succeed because I need too. For my sake, for their sake, for the fans sake...I cannot let Vince win!

As I was saying this I had started to pace around the bedroom like a general to this troops, and I had stopped listening to Loree but she finally managed to grab my attention by throwing a pillow at me.

Settle down Eric...I get it, I understand why it's so important to you, but what are you going to do about it right now?

I'm going back to Fusient, I'm going to get them to put more money into it, I"m going to find a network, and....

No Eric, I mean what about you going to do about it...right...NOW. It's THREE AM!

She had me there, and I had to chuckle as I got back into the bed, the war would indeed have to be fought the next day, but that didn't stop me from muttering as I was falling back asleep.

He won't win...I won't let him.....I won't!

tg01 · January 15, 2013

Good afternoon. We're in the midst of publishing a series of articles covering WrestleMania XII (or X-2 for the Roman Numeral Impaired wrestling fans) from five years ago. Also we've published an update on Vince Russo, plus a new batch of letters reacting to Wednesday night's "Guest Editorial" on the Fusient Media Ventures-WCW purchase and a number of Radio Reviews. Last night I published a batch of letters reacting to my latest "Keller's Take." The eighth installment of our marathon "Torch Talk" with Steve Austin is now available for the first on the website, also. For a complete list of all of our recent updates, check out the Latest 50 Articles page. Remember, too, that you can check for the latest version of various features on the left menu bar that you may have missed on our Top 50 List, including for instance our latest "Torch Talk Archive" with Steve Austin just as he was entering the WWF, originally published in the Torch Newsletter.

Now on the Torch 900 Line: My new Friday update features my in-depth analysis of the WrestleMania line-up, plus thoughts on the WCW sale to the Eric Bischoff and Fusient Media Ventures. My new update from yesterday (Thursday) includes a lot more info on the last minute WCW sale to the Eric Bischoff, including additional details on just how close Vince McMahon and the WWF came to buying WCW, and what the future may be for the company that doesn't even have a TV outlet going into the immediate future. We also go into detail on what we know about the Shawn Michaels situation, following up on our hotline update from Wednesday that broke the news about his problems. Plus I go through a lot of other rapid-fire hotline-exclusive insider newsbits regarding other happenings in recent days. As always, the previous four days updates are also available on options two through five. The Torch 900 Hotline is 1-900-288-5288. Calls cost $1.29 per minute. You must be at least 18 or have parent's permission to call

tg01 · January 15, 2013

<a href="

http://s1338.photobucket.com/albums/o687/th3gr81/?action=view&current=WCWNitro3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1338.photobucket.com/albums/o687/th3gr81/WCWNitro3.jpg" border="0" alt="WCW Nitro"></a>

March 26th, 2001

The Night of Champions-The Final Monday Night Nitro

Booker T, the WCW United States Champion, defeated Scott Steiner for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

This match was a short match, with Scott Steiner clearly being slowed down by recent injuries, but it ended with Booker T being a dual Champion as well as a FOUR TIME, FOUR TIME, FOUR TIME, FOUR TIME WCW Champion!

The Filthy Animals team of Rey Mysterio Jr and Billy Kidman defeated the team of 3 Count (Shannon Moore and Evan Karagis) and the Jung Dragons (Kaz Hayashi and Yun Yang)

This exciting match was a really quick reminder of what made WCW great, and also set up the Filthy Animals challenging for the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship later on in the show.

Shane Douglas defeated Rick Steiner by disqualification when Rick smacked him with a chair

Post match Rick Steiner continued to beat on Shane Douglas broken arm with a steam chair, going so far as to try and jump off the rope with Shane's arm trapped between the steel chair. Fortunately for Shane, Bam Bam Bigelow ran out from the back and chased Rick away, before celebrating with longtime friend Shane Douglas.

"Sugar" Shane Helms defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo defeated Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell in under thirty seconds to retain their WCW Tag Team Championship

A rematch from WCW Greed, this victory took even less time for the Tag Team Champs to defeat the veterans after they quickly nailed Buff Bagwell with Double Superkicks to get the quick pin. Post Match Lex Luger went nuts on Bagwell, throwing him into the guard rail, before putting him in the Torture Rack. O'Haire and Palumbo ran back out to chase Luger away, and as we went to commercial break O'Haire and Palumbo were helping Bagwell to his feet.

Sean Stasiak defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in a Loser Gets a Tatto match

In revenge for his earlier actions, Rick Steiner attacked Bam Bam Bigelow post match, and this time it was up to Shane Douglas to make the save.

Rey Mysterio Jr and Billy Kidman defeated "Prime Time" Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo for the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship

After the match, and before the commercial break Diamond Dallas Page gave a spirited interview leading too....

Diamond Dallas Page defeated Jeff Jarrett

In the final interview of the evening, both Ric Flair and Sting spoke about their long rivalry, how big the night was, and prepared for their upcoming mach against each other.

Sting defeated Ric Flair in the Main Event of the final WCW Nitro

As Nitro ended this

played to close out an era, and left the fans wondering....what's next?

Jaysin · January 15, 2013

Not a bad start at all.

An Eric Bischoff redemption story could be super good.

tg01 · January 15, 2013

Thank you Jaysin, I'm also going to use this to boost my message count a bit so I can get to posting images.

tg01 · January 15, 2013

<a href="

http://s1338.photobucket.com/albums/o687/th3gr81/?action=view&current=pwi.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1338.photobucket.com/albums/o687/th3gr81/pwi.gif" border="0" alt="pwinsider"></a>

April 2001 in Review

April, 2001 was a very interesting month in wrestling. It was a month where everything seemingly was in limbo, and yet there was so much going on that it would be impossible to say it was boring. As March ended, WCW had gone through a series of 'almost owners'-Bischoff, McMahon, Bischoff, McMahon again, before finally ending up with Bischoff and Fusient-and had also gone through the tumultuous situation of being kicked off of Turner Networks, yet the company was continuing its war with WWF. It was a somewhat humorous situation, here was WCW without a place to show its product, but it was looking at hiring new employees, some which WWF wanted. The key acquisition for Eric Bischoff turned out to be Rob Van Dam after a very heated competition between WCW and WWF. In the end it seemed to be a promise of a Main Event push, as well as a lighter work schedule that seemed to woo RVD over to WCW. As an added bonus, Eric Bischoff managed to turn the signing of RVD into the signing of Jerry Lynn who had also been undecided on which company he wanted to go into business with.

Not all was good for WCW as they had to deal with the TV issue, but also more pressing was wrapping up some of the final legalize in relation to who would be able to perform for the company. Some workers quickly agreed to have their contracts bought out from AOL Time Warner to allow them to transfer to the 'new' WCW, but many of the big stars (Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, Rey Mysterio Jr) chose instead to stay at home, and collect their big paychecks as opposed to giving up their guaranteed money to go back to work. While this was good in some ways as it allowed Eric Bischoff and Fusient Media Ventures to spend that money on some new and younger talent, it also left many wondering if the 'new' WCW would have any star-power.

Of course, all issues paled in comparison when considering the fact that WCW had no TV presence, and thus there was no way for fans around the world to watch WCW. While WCW did put on eight house shows through the month, allowing some fans to still see the WCW workers, but Eric Bischoff frantically went from network to network trying to find someone willing to give his WCW a chance. In the end, it actually was a decision out of his control that worked in his favor and got WCW back onto the air. FX was a network that Eric Bischoff had contact with numerous times throughout the years, but each time nothing was able to come out of it, and that included his first couple of visits in April. And then someone high up was shown the initial ideas of a show that would go on to become The Shield. Seeing it, the higher up saw the potential to recreate the image of the network, taking it more mainstream. Looking at the success WWF was having with Raw and Smackdown, the network decided adding a wrestling company to the lineup may bring in some of the younger audience they were going to be looking for. And so with a few days to go in April, and Eric Bischoff at his wits end, he got a phone call. That phone call led to some negotiation, and out of it came three hours of programming a week. It wasn't going to be Nitro, but it did mean the return of WCW Saturday Night.

With everything set for TV, and new workers signed it was finally time, on May 5th for the return of the newly revamped....

Jaysin · January 15, 2013

You should be good to go once you get to 5 posts

tg01 · January 16, 2013

OOC: When it comes to establishing my WCW roster, I tried to stick with the workers who joined WWF at the time of the buyout or who joined other companies shortly after the buyout, as well as other wrestlers who worked the independent scene, but there will be a few exceptions that will become obvious as I go along. This story details how one of them is explained. Also, yes I am using the WCW logo that WWF created, I know it's not realistic, but I was quite smitten with that logo.

I looked at the work in my hand, and I have to admit, I was in love. Whoever had created the new logo needed a raise. Just as important, and what may have been feeling my giddiness was the contract right beside me. It was all finalized now, we would be going live every Saturday of the month with WCW Saturday Night. I was also quite excited I had managed to get FX to agree to give me an extra hour for Sunday afternoon as a place to showcase some of the new talent I couldn't wait to infuse into the Cruiserweight division. It sucked that we wouldn't have the prime time slot on Saturday night, at least for this year, at least until the baseball season ended on F/X. But even while I was on the top of the world, something was bothering me. And even as I tried to ignore it, my mind wouldn't stop nagging me. I knew there was a phone call I desperately needed to make, and it was time to stop putting it off. I picked up the phone, and I dialed a number, waiting for the familiar voice on the other line.

What do you want?

Hello Ric, it's me Eric.

I already had my lawyers tell yours, I don't want anything to do with you or your WCW....good by....

Whoa, hold on Ric....come on, you have to at least give me a chance to explain my position.

No, I don't need to do anything, not after everything you've done to me.

Listen Ric, I know we haven't always got along...

Hmmphf...there's an understatement.

...and I know it was usually my fault...

Ha!

Fine, it was always my fault. But this is bigger then both of us Ric, we have to look beyond the past, and instead look at the future. As much as WCW means to me, I know it means just as much to you!

Well, yes, but....

I was there in '93 Ric, when you came home after being in WWF. I remember how much it meant to you. I remember how special it was when you won the title from Vader at Starrcade, you cried all night! And what about September 14th, 1998 when the Four Horsemen were reunited for the final time? I got goosebumps that night Ric, you wouldn't get that anywhere else!

There's history, I won't deny that...

There is, a lot of history, you've been a part of this company longer then anyone else, do you really want to give up that status?

Look Eric, I know what you're trying to do....

All I'm trying to do is what is best for you, what's best for WCW, what's best for the fans, and yes, I'll admit it, what's best for me. Ric, I've invested everything I have into WCW, if it flounders and goes down, it's going to take me with it. My house, my cars, my business ventures, everything I have is riding on the line. That's how much WCW means to me, and we need you, I need you Ric!

Eric, even if I wanted to come back, my body isn't what it used to be.....

At this point I start to smile, I think I may be getting through to him, and I see what I have to do now.

That's okay Ric, we don't you to come in and wrestle every night, in fact I was thinking we'd keep you as a special feature, and we'd only use you a couple times a year. But when you do wrestle, we'll promote the heck out of ya. Everyone will want to watch the Nature Boy....WOOOOO!

Yeah, that sounds good...but Vince....

Oh come on Ric, you know better then that, you know Vince will never believe in you like I do. You aren't one of 'his guys,' so his ego wouldn't ever let him treat you like the 21 time world Champion you are! Every time he looks at you, all he sees is you aren't Hogan, and you deserve better then that! You deserve to be in the company where you became a star, you deserve to be with the company that YOU made! What do you say Ric?

Well....

Come on Nature Booooy!

Fine...I'll call my lawyers....if you can get the paperwork to me....

I'll fax it myself!

....alright Eric.....you better now screw this up, because if you do.....

I won't, I won't...I swear it! And Ric.....thank you!

I hung up the phone, and I looked down at all the paperwork around me, and it finally all felt right, I was ready for Saturday Night.

Oh yes, I definitely won't screw it up Ric....not for you, not for me...not for anyone. WCW is going right back to the top!

Jaysin · January 16, 2013

I think it's okay to use the "WWF" WCW logo. I think if Eric would have been able to get WCW he would have changed the logo anyway as a way of showing things are changing.

ttj0001 · January 17, 2013

Interested to see where this goes. As Jaysin said earlier, an Eric Bischoff redemption story has potential.

tg01 · January 17, 2013

Thank you to both of you, my first show will be out tomorrow, after this week I hope to start with predictions but want to make sure there is a base established first. And as for the logo....all I can say is, I needed to use something, because I still have no idea what the 'real' WCW's last logo was even supposed to be!

Genadi · January 17, 2013

I think it's okay to use the "WWF" WCW logo. I think if Eric would have been able to get WCW he would have changed the logo anyway as a way of showing things are changing.

Agreed.

I'm always a little bias towards diaries done with my mods for the simple reason it gives some great insight into how other peoples games are going

You have a reader in me.

hammerglenn · January 17, 2013

First off, your diary seems promising. It will be interesting to see what you have planned.

Finally, if I remember right, I believe that the new logo was supposed to be the WCW Magazine logo. Here's the logo:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b83/rvm123/wcwmaglogo.jpg

tg01 · January 18, 2013

D.A's Dynamic Reviews

Hello everyone, my name is D.A and I have been given the misfortune of having to review the new WCW Saturday Night weekly for all of your reading pleasures! I hope you enjoy it!

Location: US Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, Illinois

Attendance: 7549

TV Rating: 0.59

Just like the final Nitro ended with a video, the first episode of the new Saturday Night started with a video. It was noticeable right away that Eric Bischoff and crew must have invested in some new technology, because the video was crisper and looked better then Nitro used too. I’m not saying it was the same quality as just about any WWF video, but they’re no longer leagues apart. I was a bit shocked to hear that the music used was actually something from an Indie label, and no don’t bother to ask me what the band’s name is as I don’t know, as opposed to the usual knockoff music WCW has been known for. Anyways, good start let’s see how the rest of the show goes.

I guess the rumours are true, both Schiavone and the Brain are gone and replaced by the Professor and the King. While I can’t say I’m going to miss Tony, it is a bit of a surprise as he’s been the voice of WCW for so long. Jerry Lawler spent most of the night siding with the bad guys, but it was nice he got a moment right at the beginning to thank all the fans who have supported him since he left WWF in support of his girlfriend.

WCW US Heavyweight Championship Match: Booker © vs. Kanyon w/ Road Warrior Animal

The first match started out with a bang as Booker T ran down the entrance and slid into the ring and started throwing punches at Kanyon before he even had a shot to get his shirt off. One particularly hard shot was enough to send Kanyon against the ropes, and he quickly dropped down and slid out to get some advice from the Road Warrior. Even that was not a reprieve for Kanyon though, as Booker quickly hit both of them with a baseball slide under the ropes. Both wrestlers went flying back, and the US Champion continued to press his attack on Kanyon, sending him flying into the guard rail with an Irish Whip. Next he bounced Kanyon’s head off of the table, before rolling him back into the ring. Booker T quickly slid in after him, and Kanyon tried to gain some momentum by punching Booker in the gut and going for a Russian legsweep, but Booker elbowed out, before dropping down and flipping Kanyon over with a Snapmare. And so it continued, with Booker T pressing his advantage and hitting a bunch of moves that made it seem like he wanted to end it quickly so he could rest for his World title match. Perhaps that over eagerness was a bad idea though, because when he went up to hit his patented Missile Dropkick, Kanyon was able to move out of the way. Booker hit the mat, and as we went to commercial Kanyon was over to take over the match.

~Commercial Break~

We returned from the commercial with Kanyon taking Booker T down with a Neckbreaker. He went for a quick cover, but Booker T managed to get his arm up at two. Kanyon popped up and started dropping elbows down on Booker T, before going for another pin and only getting a two count. It was clear the Challenger was starting to get frustrated that the Champion wouldn’t go down. He would get more frustrated when he went to hit Booker T with a Superkick, only to run into a Superkick of his own when Booker T thought the same thing. Both men were down, and the referee had to start counting both men out. Both men managed to beat the count at seven, with Kanyon using the ropes assistance, but as Kanyon went to attack Booker, he walked right into the Harlem Sidekick for his efforts. The fans rose to their feet as Booker T fell to his knee…..it was time for the SPINAROONIE! Perhaps if Booker T hadn’t been showing off he would have noticed that Road Warrior Animal had jumped up onto the ring apron and had the ref distracted. That allowed someone to run in from the crowd with the US title, which was quickly smacked across the head of Booker T as he came out of the spinaroonie. It was real quick, but judging from the blonde mop of hair, I think it’s save to assume that Ric Flair is one wrestler that did come over to the new WCW, no matter what the report had said contrary to that. Of course, now Booker was down so Kanyon went for the pin as Road Warior Animal finished up whatever it was that he had to say to the referee. ONE….TWO….TH….BOOKER T kicked out!! Kanyon was shocked!! He pulled Booker T up and tried to go for the Flatliner….but Booker reversed it…he’s going for the BOOK END! No, Kanyon reversed and sent Booker into Road Warrior Animal who had climbed back up onto the ring apron when it looked like Booker was going to hit his finishing move. It sent Animal flying off the apron, and weakened Booker T enough that Kanyon was able to nail the Flatliner and claim the US title at 13:14.

My Rating: C- I thought they did pretty good job, potentially having to shake off some rust after a month of not too much activity. I could have done without the interference right out of the gate of what is supposed to be a ‘new’ WCW, but they had to get the US title off of Booker in a hurry so he could concentrate on the World title, and it also started Saturday night off with a title change.

~Commercial Break~

Up next another video played, this one promising the debut of a new superstar. They didn’t say who it would be for sure, just promised someone new and exciting debuting in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we get something a little more detailed next week, because I don’t know if it was supposed to be another Cruiserweight, the rumoured debut of RVD or Jerry Lynn, or just the return of Glacier.

Mike Sanders vs. Low Ki

Speaking of Cruiserweights, I know that Eric Bischoff really wants to push the WCW division, and that he needs new stars, but I don’t think this is what he had in mind. Low Ki came out wearing pants similar to what Tajiri is wearing, and he sure liked to kick a lot, but he lacked anything close to psychology from what we got to see of him. Mike Sanders controlled much of the match, but whenever Low Ki got in offense it was always based around a kick somehow. The finish came when Mike Sanders went to hit the 3.0, only to have Low Ki break out of it and start throwing kicks at the back of his leg until Sanders fell forward on his knee and Low Ki locked in a Dragon Sleeper, that Mike Tenay called the Dragon Clutch, to get the submission victory at 7:58.

My Rating: E+ While I appreciated the fact that Low Ki is something different, and both men seemed to be going all out without taking time for any sort rest, this just was not a great debut for Low Ki. The fans seemed to have no idea who he was, and that carried through right to him winning the match.

~Commercial Break~

As soon as the commercial break ended there was a loud “WOOOOOOOOOOOO” over the sound system and the familiar strains of Also Sprach Zarathustra began to play and out walked Ric Flair in a nice suit. The fans were all on their feet cheering him on as he climbed into the ring and grabbed a microphone.

“WOOOOOOOO, yes it’s me, the Nature Boooy Ric……WOOOOOOOOO…..Flair! Now as some of you may have heard, the new owners of this company decided that a new WCW needed a new leader, which I think we all know is absolute bull! There is no one who has bled, sweat or cried for this company like I have. There is no one who has styled or profiled like me, no one who has wrestled as many matches for this company as I have, there is no bigger legend then me! I am the single greatest Champion in the history of WCw…..no, the history of this whole damn world and someone from the back is going to come out here, and they are going to reinstate me as President of this company….and right….NOW!”

“No Ric, that’s not going to happen, not tonight or any night.”

The familiar voice brought the fans to their feet once more, as out from the back walked the very familiar presence of Eric Bischoff. He walked down the aisle and climbed into the ring with his own mic in his hand. Meanwhile in the ring at the sound of Eric’s voice, Ric Flair had gone red to the face, ripped his jacket off and started freaking out.

“Whoa, calm down there Ric, the last thing we need is you having any sort of medical issues in the ring! No, I’m actually out here to offer you my hand in truce….perhaps even friendship.”

“Over…my….dead….body!”

“Well, I certainly hope not, because Ric I’m out here to admit one thing. And that is that you are without a shadow of a doubt…the single….greatest wrestler….not just in WCW history…but in the history of professional wrestling. I don’t care who you are. Whether you be Sting, or Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin or The Rock…no one, and I mean no one, is better than you are Champ!”

“That’s the first truthful thing I’ve think you’ve ever said in your whole stinkin’ life!”

“Ric Flair, you are without a shadow of a doubt the greatest limousine ridin’, jet flyin’…”

“Don’t forget kiss stealin’!”

“….kiss stealin’, wheelin’ dealin’ son of a gun to ever lace up their boots….but that’s only your in ring accomplishments we’re talking about. When it comes to your runs as President of this company it has always ended in disaster because as some point you let your ego get in the way of you running a successful company. That is why you will NOT be named as President of this company, not now….OR ever! I am the President of this company and I have some very simple mandates. First, I am going to make sure that the WCW Cruiserweight division continues to be revived and takes its rightful place once more as one of the highlights of the company. Second, I am going to make sure that the Tag Team division here in WCW becomes something we can all be proud of. I know through the years I have done some major damage to the tag team division, but that’s going to change. Third, I want to make sure that all of our titles mean something, just like they used too when guys like you, and Harley Race, and Ricky Steamboat, and Dusty Rhodes were competing for them! Finally, and most importantly, I am going to take WCW to the top again! I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past, and I owe a lot of peoples apologies for that, but this time it’s going to be different! So now Ric, I need to know. Are you going to be part of the solution, or are you going to be another problem that I’m going to have to rectify?”

“Listen up boy, you may be the President of this company, and you can have fun going around trying to convince people you have changed, but I know the truth. Deep down you will always be the same man who sided with the nWo, and the same guy who drove the white hummer and tried to end the career of his best friend, and finally you’ll always be the same waste of skin that has always been a thorn in my side. And I have no intention at all of letting you enjoy your time as President. Oh no, I’ll always be here Eric, and you won’t be able to stop me from doing what I what….when I want……WOOOOOOO”

With that Ric dropped the microphone, before rolling out of the ring, and walking up the ramp As the camera followed him, Ric threw his jacket over his shoulder, before giving one last WOOOOOO.

~Commercial Break~

#1 Contendership to the WCW Tag Team Championship: KroniK vs. Boogie Knights vs. Team Canada vs. Konnan and Hugh Morrus

Eric immediately seemed to back up his promise to build up the Tag division at this match was up next, although there is only one team here that I really care about. Fortunately for me they started the match off with Lance Storm and Konnan and the two traded some technical wrestling to start the match off. Lance of course managed to come out on top of that, and he traded in Mike Awesome who leapt into the match off the top rope with a Double Axe Handle, while Storm had Konnan’s arm extended. Next Awesome threw Konnan around as only he can, but one of the bounces put Konnan too close to Kronik’s corner, and he quickly tagged in Bryan Clark. Perhaps a little bit too hard though, as Clark got into the match he wouldn’t stop staring at Konnan and started to yell at him a bit. Awesome used the distraction a bit to his advantage as he blindsided Clark, but Clark shook that off and pushed Awesome off of him and sent him towards the Boogie Knights corner. With a smirk on his face, Awesome tagged in Disqo who came in with a look of horror on his face. Clark dismantled Disqo with punches, before picking him up in the air and dropping him back to the mat with a Military Slam. While Clark posed, Disqo used the distraction to tag in Hugh Morrus.

Hugh Morrus came rushing into the match and him and Clark started throwing haymakers at each other, before taking turns bouncing off the ropes and trying to tackle the other off of their feet. They each did it once with no success, before Clark tried one more time, only to run into Hugh who sent him flying with a tackle. Clark got up and angrily tagged in big Brian Adams. Adams came into the match, and quickly got in a few boxing shots right the jaw of Hugh, who stumbled a bit. Adams pushed him into the ropes, before pulling him back into a knee to the gut. That stood Hugh up, until Adams dropped him with a Chokeslam! Adams went for the pin, but Konnan was quick to get into the ring and break that up. Of course now Bryan Clark had to get involved, and him and Adams teamed up to send Konnan over the top rope with a Double Hip Toss. They smacked each other on the chest with pride, before turning around just in time to get sent flying over the ropes with a double Clothesline from Hugh Morrus. Outside the right, Clark and Adams started fighting with Konna, and thus didn’t notice Hugh climb to the top rope, and dive onto all three of them with his No Laughing Matter moonsault. All four were down and out, and the referee had started a double count. When all four climbed to their feet, instead of trying to get back into the ring they started fighting down the aisle, and were counted out of the match. As we went to commercial break, we were left with the Boogie Knights and Team Canada battling to determine who would face the WCW Tag Champs at Slamboree.

~Commercial Break~

As we came back from the commercial, Alex Wright was down on the mat locked in a Chinlock that had been placed on him from Lance Storm. Wright struggled out of the hold, and Storm tried to force his advantage by sending Wright towards the corner of the ring with an Irish Whip. Following in behind him Storm looked to be going for a Clothesline in the corner, but Alex used his momentum to jump up in the air, and he landed behind Storm as Storm was the victim of a ring buckle to the chest. Alex followed that up with a quick roll up, that brought Mike Awesome half way into the ring, for a two count. Taking advantage of the change in momentum, Alex quickly ran over to tag in Disqo. Disqo managed to stop Lance from making the tag, and instead picked Lance up into a biiiiig Inverted Atomic Drop, followed by a clothesline off the ropes. Pulling Lance up, Disqo went for his finishing move, but Storm reversed into an Inverted DDT. This time it was Lance going for a pinfall, but Alex broke it up, which was enough for Mike Awesome. Awesome ran into the ring and managed to throw Alex threw the ropes and out of the ring, before following up by diving over the top rope with a Crossbody to put him out of the match. In the ring Lance had tried to pull Disqo up, only to fall victim to a School Boy pin attempt for a two count! Both men climbed to their feet, but Lance quickly took Disqo down with a drop toe hold turned into his finishing maneuver the Canadian Maple Leaf for the victory at 14:04!

My Rating: D+ The match kind of plodded a bit when Kronik was in the ring, but once they got out the finish sped up to a decent finish.

~Commercial Break~

Shane Douglas vs. Shawn Stasiak

This match featured some hard hitting, but not a whole lot else….well not a whole lot else beside the very lovely and leggy Stacy Keibler who was walking around outside during the entire match. Surprisingly at no point did she try to interfere, although it came clear at the end of the match that may have actually been on purpose to drawn Shane Douglas into a false sense of security. The finish came when Shane Douglas caught Shawn Stasiak with a Belly to Belly Suplex, followed by a piledriver for the pinfall at 8:21

My Rating: D-, Shane Douglas has never been the greatest worker in the world, and Shawn Stasiak doesn't seem like he's going to be much of one either, but those sure are some nice legs!

Post match Shane Douglas didn’t get to celebrate his victory as Shawn Stasiak attacked Shane Douglas. At first it was even going, but Rick Steiner ran out from the back with a steel chair to quickly turn the tide against Douglas. While Shawn and Rick were beating down on them, I couldn’t help but notice that Stacy had climbed onto the ring apron and seemed to be yelling instructions that both men were following. Security was quick to break up everything, but that didn’t stop Rick from getting a couple of really stiff shots with the chair on the arm of Shane Douglas that only recently had been taken out of its cast.

~Commercial Break~

After the commercial another brief video played, this time highlighting the history of the Cruiserweight division, showing some of the great former champions including surprisingly Dean Malenko and Eddy Guerrero, but also Rey Rey, Billy Kidman, Psychosis and ending with the current champion “Sugar” Shane Helms. It ended promising a Cruiserweight six man tag match after the commercial break.

~Commercial Break~

Billy Kidman, Psychosis and “Sugar” Shane Helms vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr, El Loco Uno (Super Crazy from ECW fame) and James Maritado (Little Guido)

Now this is more like the Cruiserweight division we promised, with people flying everywhere too quickly for me to recap. Even though they had been the main feud of the Cruiserweight division prior to the break, Shane and Chavo actually had very little interaction with each other throughout the match. The end came with Helms and Maritado in the ring, and Billy Kidman, Chavo, and El Loco Uno all outside of the ring after big dives onto each other. Kidman had taken both Chavo and El Loco Uno out with a Shooting Star Press, and he was dazed as he stood on his feet. What he couldn’t have expected was his own partner taking him out, but that’s exactly what happened. Psychosis entered the ring behind Shane Helms, nailed him in the back of the head with a dropkick and used the momentum off the move to dive over the top rope and onto Billy Kidman with a Moonsault. The dropkick sent Shane Helms flying into a Sicilian Drop from James Maritado that ended the match at 6:53.

My Rating: D-, definitely an improvement over the first Cruiserweight match of the evening, but still nothing more than a spotfest. Tenay and Lawler mentioned there would be an update on the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team title situation on Worldwide, so I guess that will at least be answered.

~Commercial Break~

One final video for the evening, this time a black and white special! The video opened in a gym of some sort, where a man was boxing away at a punching bag with a robe on. It then switched to headlines from newspapers that were talking about violent mixed martial arts was, which seemed to give away who the video was going to be about. It ended with a promise that next week the “World’s Most Dangerous Man” would be coming to WCW, and indeed the final shot showed the man in the ring throwing off the robe and it was Ken Shamrock! Before going to Commercial break we got the entrance of former 3-time WCW World Champion Diamond Dallas Page, which brought the fans to their feet.

~Commercial Break~

Main Event: WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Booker T© vs. Diamond Dallas Page

They are promoting this as a first time ever match, which I find hard to believe, but I can’t think of any other time they laced up so it could be true. Booker T clearly wanted this match to take a different pace from his first match of the night, and so it was a slower build to the finish. Both men started with a handshake as a show of good sportsmanship before circling each other in the ring a bit. Finally they met up with an elbow and collar lock up, that ended in a stalemate so they broke it up. They tried again, and got the same result. On a third attempt, they actually managed to end up rolling out of the ring and to the floor, still tied up with each other. DDP ended that finally, by breaking the hold and nailing Booker with a hard chop across the chest. Taking advantage of that, DDP rolled Booker into the ring, but Booker met him as he climbed back on the apron by driving his shoulder through the second and top rope into the gut of DDP. Next Booker T tried to bring DDP back into the ring with a Suplex, but DDP landed on his feet, spun Booker T around….AND WENT FOR THE DIAMOND CUTTER! Unfortunately for him, Booker was close enough that he was able to grab the ropes and that blocked the move. DDP pulled away with a grin on his face, and it was obvious the mind games were officially on, even between these two friends. Once more they went for the elbow and collar tie up, but this time it was Booker T who broke the hold and went for the Book End! DDP elbowed Booker T in the back of the head to break it up, and then went for the Diamond Cutter once more. Booker T quickly pushed off, and DDP rolled out of the ring to regroup as we went to the final commercial break.

~Commercial Break~

As we returned to the ring, Diamond Dallas Page had Booker T locked into an Abdominal Stretch, and Booker T was straining mightily against it. In a double screen we were shown some of the action from outside of the ring during the commercial break. Booker T had slid out to take the fight to Page, but DDP responded by throwing Booker T back first against the guard rail, before sending him into the steel steps with an Irish Whip. Back in the ring DDP had taken the attack directly to Booker’s ribs, and the end result was the move that DDP had him in now. Just when it looked like Booker was about to break out the move, DDP transformed it into a backslide for a pin fall attempt, but Booker T kicked out at two. Booker T came up out of the pinfall with a hard forearm smash that put DDP down on the mat, and both man took a few moments to catch their breath. It was DDP who managed to get up first, and so he managed to resume the attack, nailing Booker T with a Running Bulldog out of the corner. Continuing on with his momentum, DDP climbed to the top rope and waited for Booker T to climb to his feet, when he went for a Flying Clothesline. Booker T dragged him out of the air with an Arm Drag and once more both men were down on the mat.

This time it was Booker T who recovered first, and as DDP struggled to his feet, Booker T was able to hit him with his famous Scissors Kick. Instead of going for the Spinaroonie like usual, Booker T instead went for a pinfall right away. ONE….TWO….TH….NOOOO! Booker T was as shocked as the fans were, but he knew he needed to concentrate only on getting the victory. So he pulled DDP to his feet, which was exactly what DDP was waiting for because he quickly nailed Booker T with the Discus Clothesline! Now it was DDP who crawled over for the pinfall, only for it to be a two count. DDP waited for Booker T to climb to his feet, before quickly slapping on a Sleeperhold. Tightening the hold, DDP slowly forced Booker T to the ground, calling for referee Mark Johnson to check on him. Mark raised Bookers hand, and let it go, watching it drop quickly to the side. Up it went once more, and down it came just as quickly. Fans were on the edge of their seat as Mark raised it again……and of course that was when Booker T came away and fought back to his feet. With the fans cheering loudly, Booker T reversed the hold and now he was trying to put DDP to sleep! Reaching up with his arms, DDP wrapped his hands around Booker’s head and dropped to the mat driving Booker’s jaw down into the top of his head.

This time it was Diamond Dallas Page was first to his feet, and he ran at Booker T to inflict more harm upon him. Booker was waiting though, catching DDP and went for the Book End once more, only this time DDP was able to turn it into a DDT! DDP struggled to his feet, before throwing up the Diamond symbol. Booker T was on his feet….AND DIAMOND CUTTER!! Unfortunately for DDP, he was too winded to go for the pin attempt right away. Slowly…painfully….he crawled across the ring and flipped Booker T onto his back before draping one arm across him. ONE….TWO….THREE…….WAIT, BOOKER’S FOOT WAS ON THE BOTTOM ROPE. DDP was in complete disbelief as the referee told him what had happened. Slowly DDP pulled Booker to his feet looking for another Diamond Cutter to put it away once and for all. Booker stopped that with a few shots to the abdomen, before nailing DDP with a Spinebuster. With DDP flat on his back, Booker T rolled out to the apron, before slowly making his ascent to the top turnbuckle. Booker T got a shock when he got to the top though as DDP met him there….and DDP went for the Diamond Cutter! Booker managed to push him off, and DDP hit the mat, before bouncing back up to his feet….just in time for BOOKER TO NAIL THE MISSILE DROPKICK! ONE….TWO…THREE….IT’S OVER at 17:34.

My Rating: C-, probably just a little bit better than the first of the evening, I’m glad they got a clean ending.

After the match Booker T and DDP slowly helped each other to their feet, staring at each other from across the ring. Mark Johnson grabbed the WCW World title for Booker T, and he slowly stumbled towards DDP, whereby they embraced in the middle of the ring. What should have been a great moment was quickly ended though, as Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett ran in from the ground and quickly attacked both men. Ric Flair took DDP out of the right and threw him into the ring steps, while in the ring Jarrett took Booker T out with The Stroke. As the show ended, Jeff was holding the World Heavyweight Championship belt in the air

Overall Thoughts: I’m going to give the show a C-, which while maybe not the greatest, I’d say it’s certainly an improvement over where they were last year. Considering they are missing most of their big name stars, they managed to turn in a decent two hour show, but I hope that next week there will be a little more time spent in the ring. The new videos are great, but got repetitive after a while.

tg01 · January 20, 2013

Worldwide began with Eric Bischoff sitting in a desk, the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team titles propped up in front of him.

“Hello everyone, and thank you for tuning in for the return of WCW Worldwide! It is our intention to debut some of the world’s greatest new wrestling talents right here on Worldwide, so I promise there will always be a lot of excitement. Next, I’d like to introduce to the WCW family, the NEW “Voice of Worldwide,” JOEY STYLES! Finally, I’d like to announce the future of the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship of the World. Since one of the Champions is unable to defend the title belts, they have been vacated, and new champions will be determined by a tournament that will take place each week on Worldwide leading up to WCW Slamboree where our Champions will be decided in the Tournament Final. To be fair to Billy Kidman as the defending Champion, I offered him and a partner of his choice a Bye into the Semi-Finals of the Tournament, but he declined, and so we will have an eight team tournament, starting with the first two of four quarter final matches….TONIGHT! Enjoy the show everyone!”

In the first match of the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team title Tournament the team of Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo def.the team of rookies Paul London and Brian Kendrick in 8:09 when Elix pinned Brian with the New School

Ernest Miller def. Johnny the Bull with the Feliner

After a commercial break, the video opened with a man in a brown suit standing in the middle of the ring with his bleached blond hair gelled back.

“Some of you may know me, and some of you may not, but for all of you,” here the blond pointed towards the fans in the crowd, “and for you at home,” here he turned and pointed directly at the camera, “I am here to apologize. My name is Steve Corino, although some of you may know me the moniker of ‘King of Old School.’ Which is what brings me to the point of my apology. When I entered this business the first thing I noticed was that more and more wrestling stopped mattering. Guys used to go out and wrestle hour long broadways because there was no way that one man was able to best the other, but slowly, gradually this was replaced by something else. Instead of beating a wrestler, making them quit or putting them to the mat for the one….two….three….men were instead turning to shortcuts. The sanctity of the ring started to be invaded by steel chairs, table, ladders, barbed wire and so forth…and it’s sickening. Legends like Bruno Sammartino and Lou Thesz have stopped watching this sport that they made their names in because they are ashamed of what it has become. And sadly…regretfully…I must admit that I was a part of the problem. Those of you who saw me wrestle previously in another company know how I sunk to the level of my peers, and I started resorting to the garbage, instead of the beauty of our sport. And I apologize to each and every one of you, and promise it will not happen again. Starting today I am changing myself, and I am going to change this sport into something we can all be proud of again. Thank you.” With that Steve Corino dropped his microphone and left the ring, with the fans not being sure whether they should cheer or boo him.

After the commercial break, Joey Styles let us know that Scott Hudson was in the back with one of the teams who would be competing next for the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team title. Quickly the camera switched to the back interview area where Scott Hudson was standing by with the wrestlers known as Air Styles and “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels. “Thank you Joey, I am standing here with Christopher Daniels, and surprisingly his partner, the wrestler formerly known as Air Styles. I’m a little bit shocked by this, because when we last saw you Styles, you were teaming with Air Paris as a part of Air Raid, why the change?” With that Scott turned the mic towards the wrestler former known as Air Styles. “First off, for all the fans who may not know I am now going by my real name of AJ Styles. As for why I changed partners, when I had the opportunity to team with a veteran who has already been wrestling for eight years, I couldn’t pass it up. We are here to make and impact, and the best way to do that is to win the Cruiserweight Tag Team titles, and our race for the belts starts tonight!” Instead of Scott taking the microphone back, he instead turned it to Christopher Daniels. “AJ is right, tonight is a new beginning for both of us, and I personally think it is going to be simply phenomenal!”

The tag team of AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels def. the tag team known as Money on the Fly (the new team of Jason Jett and Cash) in 5:52 when AJ hit the Styles Clash on Jason Jett

Big Vito def. Michael Modest in 6:22 with the Butterfly DDT

In the Main Event of the evening The Natural Born Thrillers made a defense of their WCW Tag Team Championship when they defeated the Jung Dragons in 7:55 when Sean O’Haire pinned Kaz Hayashi after he and Chuck Palumbo nailed Double Superkicks .

Before Worldwide ended, we got one last message from Eric Bischoff who announced that Diamond Dallas Page would face Jeff Jarrett in the Main Event of next week’s WCW Saturday Night to determine who would face Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Slamboree!

tg01 · February 10, 2013

D.A's Diatribic Review

Well here we go with week two of the new WCW, with Slamboree just a few weeks away we look to get a Main Event scheduled tonight as Jeff Jarrett faces Diamond Dallas Page in a #1 Contenders match.

Location: Carlson Center in Anchorage, Alaska

Attendance: 5703

TV Rating: 0.60

Buff Bagwell vs. Lance Storm (w/ Mike Awesome)

Lance Storm tried to say something on the microphone, but was stopped by all the girls screaming at the sight of the Buff Daddy himself, still looking ‘jacked’ as could be. Still not any smarter either as he started the match off by posing, which allowed Lance Storm to quickly ambush him from behind. Finally Buff did manage to escape to the outside, where he once more busted out a pose. This angered Storm to the point where he attempted to dive onto Buff with a top rope assisted crossbody, but Buff outsmarted him and moved quickly out of the way. Picking Storm up, Buff pushed his advantage by throwing Lance at the ring post. Getting back into the ring, Buff dropped to his knee for another pose. Outside the ring, Lance and Mike Awesome had a quick strategy session. Slowly Lance walked up the ring steps, and climbed back into the ring. Buff tried to run at him, but Lance backed up and forced the referee to make Buff give him some space. Once Buff was backed up, Lance entered the ring and called for a mid-ring lock up. Buff accepted, but Storm quickly broke it with a thumb to the eye. He followed that up with a quick snap Suplex, rolling over to get quick one count. Both men popped up quickly, but Buff put Lance back down with a running Clothesline. Lance was down, and Buff didn’t want to let him back up as he followed up with a few kicks on the downed Calgarian. He went for too many though, as Lance caught his leg and sent Buff to his back with a Legwhip.

Back on his feet, now it was Lance who looked to keep Buff Bagwell grounded. Holding Buffs leg straight up into the air, Lance started kicking Buff in the quadriceps muscle, trying to knot up Buff’s leg. Next Lance pushed his leg down and dropped down on it with a couple of quick elbows. Thinking that maybe he could end the match quickly, Lance Storm tried to lock on the Canadian Maple Leaf, but Buff was still strong enough to fight against it. First he kicked Lance in the chest a few times, before grabbing his head and pulling him down to the mat with a Small Package for a two count. Once again both men were on their feet for only a few moments, because Buff quickly picked Lance Storm up and dropped him with a Scoop Powerslam. Storm bounced back to his feet, and Bagwell nailed him with a Shoulderblock off of the second rope. Buff went for the pinfall, but referee Mark Johnson was distracted by Mike Awesome who had climbed up onto the ring apron. Angrily Buff pulled Mark away from Awesome and pointed down at Storm. Frustrated, Buff Bagwell continued his attack hitting Lance Storm with a hard Neckbreaker. Following up with a Double Underhook DDT it looked like the match was over, but as the referee dropped to count to three, Mike Awesome acted again. Grabbing Mark Johnson by the foot, Awesome was able to drag the referee out of the ring and stop the count. Mark Johnson had had enough, and he started gesturing Awesome to the back. Of course Mike Awesome was less then pleased, and Mark Johnson had to keep on telling him he was ejected from the match as we went to break.

~Commercial Break~

As we came back from the commercial break, Storm had managed to take back control of the match and had Buff Bagwell in a Chinlock. Using the fans cheers, Buff Bagwell was able to climb to his feet and break out of the hold after a few reverse elbows into the ribs of Lance Storm. Bagwell pushed Storm forward off of him, and Lance bounced off the ropes right back towards Buff Bagwell who had bent forward to send Storm flying with a Back Body Drop. Instead Storm leapt forward over Buff and tried to get the pin with a Sunset Flip. Bagwell was fighting against the momentum of Storm, and almost looked like he wouldn’t fall over, but then his knee went out and Lance managed to get a two count. Buff climbed to his feet, but Storm took him down with a low Dropkick aimed at the knee. Quickly Storm managed to lock on his Canadian Maple Leaf, and Bagwell was in big trouble! Once more it was up to the fans to loudly get behind him, and it worked as Buff was able to pull himself to the ropes to get the rope break. Storm was angry of course, but was determined to win so he quickly spun around to go after Bagwell. Instead Buff picked him up and dropped him throat first across the top rope with a Hot Shot. Holding his throat, Storm was an easy victim for a Buff Blockbuster!! ONE….TWO…TH….LANCE STORM KICKED OUT! Bagwell looked on his disbelief, but pulled Storm to his feet and nailed him with his Yellow Jacket Suplex (think PerfectPlex) and got the three count at 13:09.

My Rating: D, not sure what the point of this match really was other than to try and start the show off with a good match. Storm was game, but unfortunately Buff has really slowed down and he just couldn’t keep up.

Backstage Joey Styles stood with the new United States Champion Kanyon and Road Warrior Animal:

“Kanyon, first off congratulations on your win last week, the United States has a long history….”

“It sure does, a long history of great champions, from Ric Flair, to Ricky Steamboat to Lex Luger, Bret Hart, and yes, even D….D….P….but that brings us back to the age ol’ question…..who….better…than….KANYON!”

Before Joey Styles could interrupt, Road Warrior Animal quickly spouted off a “NOBODY!”

“That’s right Animal, and you know what sounds better than NEW United States Champion? And you’re NEW….WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION…..Kanyon!”

“I’m sorry Kanyon, but you didn’t beat Booker T for the world belt….”

“Not last week, but I will next week, right here, on Saturday Night! You see Joey, everyone knows that back in the day when the US title meant everything, whomever held the belt was automatically recognized as the #1 Contender to the World title, and was given a title shot. That was a practice that I thought was just great, and since I became the US Champion by beating the World Champion, well, I think I am doubly deserving of a title shot, wouldn’t ya say?”

“I guess….”

“So Booker T, I’m throwing down the challenge, I want you next week with your big gold belt on the line. I hope you’re not too much of a coward to accept the challenge!”

Chavo Guerrero Jr vs. Kwee Wee

Immediately following Kanyon’s little challenge, we went right to the ring for this first Cruiserweight match of the evening. Kwee Wee is still doing the effeminate hair dress routine, which is a shame because he has some good moves in the ring. The end came for Kwee Wee when he charged at Chavo in the corner, only to run arm first into the ring post when Chavo was able to roll out of the way. Like a shark to blood in the water, Chavo was on the injured arm, pulling Kwee Wee out of the corner by the injured arm, before quickly jerking him back into the corner with it. Wrapping the sore arm around the top rope, Chavo followed up with a dropkick right into the arm. Kwee Wee fell out of the corner holding his sore arm, and Jr quickly grabbed the injured body part and dropped down to the mat dragging Kwee Wee by the arm. Before Kwee Wee could protect his arm, Chavo had leaped from the top rope with the family signature Frogsplash with the impact directly on the arm. Finaly Guerrero locked in an arm bar, and with Paisley screaming with worry from the outside, Kwee Wee tapped to end the match at 8:13.

My Rating: D-, this had a nice finishing sequence, but we still aren’t getting the great Cruiserweight action that used to define this company, I think it might almost be time for them to make some new stars for this division if Bischoff really wants to make it mean something.

~Commercial Break~

KroniK vs. Konnan and Hugh Morrus

I wasn’t expecting much out of these two teams, but they came out ready to hit. And hit, and hit, and sometimes throw in a kick. Hugh Morrus started the match off, but as soon as Konnan got in Kronik managed to take over. Adams picked Konnan up and dropped him with a Gorilla Press Slam, but when he went for the pin fall attempt, Morrus ran in and broke up the count with a kick to the head. Nick Patrick forced Morrus back out of the ring, and Adams tagged out to Clark. Now it was Clark who went for the pin fall after hitting Konnan with the Cobra clutch slam, and once again it was Hugh that broke the pin fall attempt up. Once more Morrus had to be forced out of the ring, and Adams snuck into the ring without tagging in and he went to pin Konnan again, for Konnan to instead pull him down into an pin fall attempt of his own. Now it was Clark who broke up the hold, which once more brought Hugh into the ring. This time there was no getting him out, as Hugh and Clark started punching away at each other. Nick Patrick tried to get in between both of them to break it up, and both men sent him flying with a double shove. Meanwhile Konnan and Adams were also exchanging blows, but it didn’t matter as Nick Patrick had seen enough and he called for the bell disqualifying both teams at 8:28.

My Rating: D+, I was a bit impressed with this match. No, not from the action that was mostly just kicking and punching, but both teams brought an intensity that lifted the match a notch above my expectations.

Before the we got a really nicely done video that looked at the confrontation between Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair last week, emphasizing Eric promising to make changes for WCW.

~Commercial Break~

Billy Kidman vs. Psychosis

This match featured a more aggressive Billy Kidman, who clearly had revenge on his mind after the sneak attack by Psychosis in last week’s tag match. Psychosis had come to the ring first, and Billy Kidman came running out from the back and slid into the ring and started punching away at Psychosis. This continued until Kidman got a little over eager, and Psychosis was able to send Kidman over the top rope and to the floor with a back body drop. Psychosis was quick to follow that up with a dive through the ropes, nailing Kidman perfectly and putting both men to the ground. It was Psychosis who was on his feet first, and he rolled Kidman into the ring before climbing to the top rope. As Kidman stumbled to his feet, Psychosis came flying off of the top rope and connected with a Flying spin kick to the back of the head. That was good enough for only a two count, so Psychosis pulled him to his feet and dropped him with a Reverse Suplex. Thinking that Kidman was worn down, Psychosis went to the top rope, but Kidman had been playing possum, and he got to his feet and started punching away at Psychosis. That dropped Psychosis, and Kidman climbed up and brought him from the top rope with a Superplex. Kidman climbed slowly to the top rope, and it looked like he was going to end the match with the Shooting Star Press. It was that moment that El Loco Uno came running out from the back and distracted Kidman. That allowed Psychosis to recover and bring Kidman off of the top rope with a Hurricanrana, followed up by a Guillotine Leg Drop at 8:29 to win the match.

My Rating: D-, it was a quick match between two guys who knew each other well, but this match was mostly just one spot followed by another.

After the match we got a short video that highlighted the major moments from last weeks Worldwide, mostly focusing on the teams of ” Prime Time” Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo, and AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels advancing in the Cruiserweight Tag Team title tournament.

~Commercial Break~

We came back to a sight for sore eyes, namely the loooooong legs of Stacy Keibler. Sadly on either side of her were Rick Steiner and Shawn Stasiak, with Scott Hudson right in the middle.

“I’m here with Rick Steiner, Shawn Stasiak and Stacy Keibler, and boys I have to ask, do you really think you deserve this title shot?”

“First off Scott, all questions you may have should be directed to me as the manager for this fine team. As for your question, could you be any more stupid? You are talking to Rick Steiner, a ten time Tag Team Champion, and Shawn Stasiak the future of this business, how could you ask if these two men deserve a shot at the titles?”

“Well, they’ve only been a team for what, a week?”

“Whether they’ve been a team for a week or a month or a day, that isn’t what is important. What matters is the fact that they WILL be Champions. So why wait when we can get it over with right away? And Eric Bischoff agreed with me, that’s why they’re getting a shot tonight. And that is why they will be Tag Team Champions of the World by the time tonight is over. Let’s go boys!”

WCW World Tag Team Championship

The Natural Born Thrillers vs. Rick Steiner & Shawn Stasiask (w/ Stacy Keibler)

The champions came out a house of fire and were throwing kicks and punches on everyone, before settling on dismantling Shawn Stasiak. This worked until Keibler distracted the referee long enough for Rick Steiner to come into the ring and nail Sean O’Haire in the back of the head. A double Clothesline allowed Shawk Stasiak to take over as we went for a quick commercial break. Coming back from the break, Shawn Stasiak had O’Haire locked into a neck vice. He broke the hold to tag out ot Rick Steiner, who came into the ring and climbed onto the second turnbuckle. As soon as O’Haire had stumbled to his feet, his back to the Dog Faced Gremlin, Steiner launched off the ropes looking for a Bulldog. Unfortunately for him, O’Haire managed to move out the way and Steiner crashed into the mat. Quickly Sean tagged Palumbo in, and Palumbo came in with a Superkick on the veteran. ONE…TWO….STASIASK BROKE UP THE PIN FALL ATTEMPT. O’Haire came running back into the ring and sent Stasiak out of the ring with a Clothesline. Meanwhile Palumbo dropped Steiner on the mat face first with a Military Press slam. O’Haire came off the top turnbuckle with a Seanton Bomb on the back of Steiner, before sliding out of the ring to start throwing punches with Shawn Stasiak. Palumbo picked Steiner up with the Torture Rack, and after a few moments got the submission victory at 8:02.

My Rating: D-, this was fine, but the truth is we’ve seen a lot of punching and kicking tonight and I’m getting a little tired of it.

Post match the Tag Team Champions were celebrating with their belts, when Stasiak slid a chair into the ring to Steiner, and came into the ring with his own. The challengers started beating away on the Champs with the chairs, with Stacy Keibler giving orders from the ring apron, when someone came running from the ground. BAM BAM BIGELOW IS HERE! “The Beast from the East” had a chair of his own, which he used to knock the chair right out of the hands of Shawn Stasiak. Quickly Steiner bailed from the ring, and as we went to a commercial break Bam Bam Bigelow stood with the Champions.

~Commercial Break~

Backstage Scott Hudson was standing the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Booker T.

“Booker T, I don’t know if you heard, but Kanyon has challenged you for a match next week, and for your World title, how do you respond?”

“Chris Kanyon is a sucka, but he is a sucka who made a good point. He was listing off great United States Champions, but I think he forgot to name one. Namely the guy who held that belt until a week ago, namely me! But with that put to the side, I can do one better. Let me name some of the men who have held THIS belt. Namely Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Lex Luger, Vader, Sting, Hogan, Golderg, and of course….ME! Who hasn’t held this belt? KANYON! You want your shot at this title? Fine, you got it, but next week you still won’t be added to the list of names that have held this belt. That means MY game is better then yours. One other rule of the game you should remember, namely that when a Champion loses his belt, he gets one shot at the new Champion to get his belt back. What that means for you Kanyon, is someday, somewhere, if you are still Champion I will get my rematch. And then I will once again be the holder of the two most prestigious belts in this company. So you want to play games with me Kanyon, that’s fine, I’d say mine are better then yours. And you know what I say Kanyon? Don’t hate the player…..hate the game…..SUCCCCKA!”

WCW Cruiserweight Championship

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that during the match James Maritado had joined the announcers booth and spend the entire match talking down Helms, and discussing how he deserved a title shot after his victory last week. The match itself was pretty fun, although hard to keep up with these two wrestlers who knew each other very well. Yang started off with kicks, and a quick Fireman’s Carry, followed up by a Standing Moonsault. He followed that up with a Tornado DDT attempt, but Helms blocked and sent Yang flying over his head and into the corner with a Release Northern Lights Suplex. With Yang hanging in a Tree of Woe, Helms backed up and slid into his face with a Baseball Slide. Going for the move for a second time was a mistake though, because as Helms slid into the corner, Yang managed to pull himself up to the top rope. Yang went for a Moonsault, but Helms moved out of the ring, and Yang smacked directly into the ring mat. Helms went for the Vertebreaker to end the match, but instead Yang reversed into a backslide for a pin fall attempt. Helms climbed to his feet, but kept their arms linked, and managed, with a spin, to turn the pin fall attempt into a Vertebreaker for the pinfall at 8:01.

My Rating: D-, while this match was pretty decent, I don’t think the fans were every buying into Yang having a chance, and they weren’t buying any near falls between the two.

After the match we got a video once again promoting a new worker next week, but this time they revealed it was indeed Rob Van Dam who would be making his debut.

~Commercial Break~

“Hello everyone, my name is Joey Styles, and I am the ‘Voice of WCW Worldwide,’ here tonight to do an interview on the latest member of the WCW roster. He is a former UFC Superfight Champion, he is a former World Tag Team Champion, and some may even call him a King in this Ring,” here Joey did his trademark grin toward the crowd, “but the moniker that most people will remember him as is as the World’s….Most….Dangerous Man….please welcome….KEN SHAMROCK!”

Out from the back walked Ken Shamrock, wearing a t-shirt that promoted his Lion’s Den mma training center, and some jeans. He walked to the ring and climbed in without really looking at the fans who had given him a warm welcome.

“First off Ken Shamrock, welcome to WCW….”

Before Joey Styles could say anymore Ken Shamrock grabbed the microphone away from Styles.

“Listen, I didn’t come here for talk, and I certainly didn’t come to WCW to listen to you talk, now I want you to get out of my ring.”

Styles looked around, before quickly got out of the ring when Shamrock took another step towards him. Once Styles was out of the ring, Shamrock turned around to look right into the camera, which quickly focused in on his eyes.

“Everyone in the back, you better look in my eyes and listen to me very carefully. This is your one and only warning. I didn’t come to WCW to win titles, or to have my arm raised, or to beat the other wrestlers. All of those things ARE going to happen, but that’s not what is most important to me. What keeps me going, what puts a smile on my face is hurting….people. Whether it’s by knocking your teeth out, or stretching your arm, or breaking your ankle….my only goal is to hurt….you. And if any of you are foolish enough to think it’s only words, TRY ME!”

With that Ken Shamrock threw down the microphone, and in a surprise move he went over to join the announcers booth as we got ready for the Main Event.

~Commercial Break~

Main Event: #1 Contendership to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Jeff Jarrett

The two men started by circling around each other, but when DDP went to go lock up in the middle of the ring, Jarrett instead dropped down and rolled out under the bottom rope to the outside. Outside the ring, Jarrett took the time to argue with some of the fans, while DDP was left to stew in the ring. After arguing with the fans, Jeff went to climb into the ring, but not before he made Nick Patrick force DDP into giving him some room. This time DDP was able to get the lock up, but Jarrett quickly took control with a Side Headlock. That lasted only until DDP had managed to lift Jeff up and drop him on his back with a Side Suplex. Once more Jarrett rolled out of the ring, and this time he took the time to do a little strut on the outside. DDP wasn’t willing to give Jarrett any space this time when he had climbed up the ring steps, pushing Nick Patrick out of the way so he could run at Jeff. Jarrett took advantage of that by jabbing a thumb into the eye of DDP, following that up by dropping off the ring apron and pulling the head of DDP down across the top rope. Next Jarrett reached under the ropes and grabbed DDP by the legs, pulling him to his back, and dragging him outside. Outside the ring, Jarrett sent DDP flying into the guard rail with an Irish Whip. Quickly JJ rolled back into the ring to break up the count, before rolling back out to the ring apron. He stood up, and launched himself at DDP with a Double Axe Handle, but the “Peoples Champ” moved out of the way and Jarrett smacked down hard on the guard rail. As we went to commercial, both men were down outside ring and were in danger of being counted out.

~Commercial Break~

Coming back from the commercial break, Jeff Jarrett had Diamond Dallas Page backed into the corner and was kicking away at him. Pushing DDP to his feet, Jarrett went for an Irish Whip out of the corner, but DDP managed to block it, and instead puled Jarrett close enough that he was able to take him down with a Clothesline. Pulling JJ to his feet, DDP was quick to put him back on the mat with a Fireman’s carry slam. While Jarrett climbed to his feet, DDP climbed to the top turnbuckle, looking to hit a Flying Clothesline. Instead Jarrett managed to meet him on the way down with a Dropkick. Both men were slow to their feet, but it was Jeff who managed to get to his feet first and he nailed DDP with a few stiff shots that had Page wobbling on his feet. With a kick to the gut, Jarrett set DDP up for a Swinging Neckbreaker which he managed to nail perfectly. Walking around, DDP grabbed Jarrett by the legs and sent him flying into the corner with a Slingshot. JJ followed that up by grabbing Page and dropping him with a Russian Legsweep. ONE…TWO….DDP kicked out! Pulling DDP to his feet, Jarrett looked to go for a Suplex, but DDP managed to block hit, and reversed it instead into a DDT. Slowly both men climbed to their feet, but that didn’t last very long at all as DDP mustered up some energy to take out Jarrett with a Discus Clothesline.

The fans were getting behind DDP, and that seemed to cause him to get a second wind, because again he was the first one to his feet. Helping Jarrett to his feet, only to kick him in the gut to bend him over, DDP placed his head between his legs and pulled his body straight up into the air. Turning around DDP dropped forward, dropping Jarrett with a Pancake. ONE….TWO…..JARRETT KICKED OUT! Once more DDP went to pull Jarrett up, but this time fell victim to a draw breaker. Next Jeff took DDP down with a Drop Toe Hold. Grabbing Page’s leg, Jarrett pulled it high into the air, before driving it down into the mat. He did this once more, before flipping Page over and locking on a Figure Four. Desperately DDP started to pull himself towards the rope, but Jarrett was pulling back with all of his might. Knowing he wasn’t going to make it to the ropes, DDP instead started to fight against the hold. The end result was he managed to spin Jarrett over, and now all of the force of the hold was on him. Of course Jarrett was quick to break the hold, and now both men were slow to get to their feet again. It was Jarrett who managed to get the first offensive move in as he caught DDP with an Enziguri. That put DDP back to the mat, but he also had the smarts to roll out of the ring. Jarrett rolled out to go after him, but DDP managed to grab him by the trunks and use his momentum to send him flying into the ring steps. Both men were battered outside the ring, and were breathing deeply as they climbed to their feet, ready to continue their battle.

Fighting outside the ring, DDP sent Jarrett flying onto the ring announcers table, where he rolled off and right into the lap of Ken Shamrock. DDP didn’t give Jarrett a chance to get up on his own, and instead he pulled Jarrett away from Shamrock and sent him flying into the ring. Back at the announcers table, Ken Shamrock had stood up and thrown his headset off in anger. In the ring, DDP pulled Jarrett up and went for a Diamond Cutter, but instead JJ blocked it and DDP flying into Nick Patrick. Once more Jarett went for The Stroke, but this time DDP successfully reversed it into the Diamond Cutter. He rolled Jarrett over for the pin, but Nick Patrick was still out. DDP went to try and revive the referee, but didn’t see Shamrock rolling into the ring with a steel chair which he proceeded to smack across the flat of the back of DDP. Down went Page, and now Shamrock smacked him on the same knee that Jarrett had already worked over, with the steel chair a couple of times. Throwing the chair down in disgust, Shamrock left the ring and walked towards the back, still clearly pissed off. While this was going down, Jarrett had managed to position himself in front of Nick Patrick’s prone form so he wouldn’t see anything. Getting the referee to recover, Jarrett quickly followed up on the body part that Shamrock had attacked. After a few dropped elbows on the knee, Jarrett pulled DDP into the middle of the ring and locked on the Figure Four. DDP desperately tried to struggle out of the hold, but Jarrett had positioned him perfectly. After a struggle he had no choice but to tap at 18:25, and now Jarrett will get the title shot at Slamboree!

My rating: C, easily the best match of the new WCW thus far. These two men started off slow with Jarrett stalling like usual, but the tempo picked up by the end. Once more the interference was annoying, but it seems to be building towards Shamrock and DDP locking up which could be an interesting match.

Overall Rating: C, this show was about the same quality as last week, although it was also apparently that they seem to be lacking overall depth to their roster, which will hopefully change next week with the debut of RVD.

tg01 · February 11, 2013

Billy Kidman/Crowbar def. Moore Courageous(Shannon Moore and Evan Karagis) in a WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship tournament match at 8:18 when Billy Kidman hit the Shooting Star Press on Evan Karagis

A video played highlighting the first hour of last nights Saturday Night.

Mike Awesome def. Michael Modest with the Awesome Bomb at 8:05

The team of Psychosis and El Loco Uno def. The Noble Dragons (Jamie Knoble and American Dragon) when El Loco Uno pinned American Dragon following an Asai Moonsault at 8:10

A video played highlighting the second hour of WCW Saturday Night

Reno def. Air Paris at 5:30

After a commercial break, a pretaped interview of Steve Corino played. Corino was shown in the backstage of the arena wearing a brown suit.

"Hello, my name is Steve Corino, or if you prefer you may also call me 'The King of Old School.' I was given that nickname because I embodied all that was great about old school wrestling. Wristlocks, headlocks, sleepers, suplexes, and even ol' fashioned Lariats, that was what I did. But somewhere along the way I got lost. I started resorting to all the easy ways; chairs, ladders, tables, barbedwire, whatever weapon I could get my hands on, all used to try and win matches. But I have seen the light, I know that isn't what wrestling is about. Wrestling is about two wrestlers getting in the ring, and one man getting the pinfall or a submission victory, and then having their arm raised. That's the wrestling I embrace, and I owe it to all of you, the fans to make sure we get back to that. WCW is where wrestling NEEDS to matter, and I'm going to make sure it does. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of the show."

Kanyon def. Lash Leroux with a Northern Lights Suplex at 7:32 in his first defense of the US Championship

tg01 · February 15, 2013

WCW Saturday Night Preview

Low Ki vs. Evan Karagis

James Maritado vs. Lash LeRoux

Once more the WCW Cruiserweight Champions are in action, with rising star Low Ki facing the veteran and former Cruiserweight Champion. Meanwhile the newcomer James Maritado will be facing the Ragin' Cajun!

Konnan vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr

While these two haven't been around each other lately, Konnan asked for this match against his former Filthy Animal teammate, looking to get a little revenge on his former good friend.

Chuck Palumbo vs. Mike Awesome

Lance Storm vs. Sean O'Haire

With their Tag Team Championship match at Slamboree on the horizon, the four wrestlers will be facing each other in singles matches over the next couple of Saturday Night shows.

Rob Van Dam vs. Road Warrior Animal

Finally the time is now, as the high flying, ever entertaining RVD will be facing the legendary Road Warrior Animal in his debut!

Jeff Jarrett vs. Buff Bagwell

'The Chosen One' will be facing off against 'The Buff One' in a battle of two of WCW's very best.

The United States Champion has had a long history of being the #1 Contender to the World Championship, and Kanyon will be cashing in on that status in an attempt to win both of the top two singles titles in WCW.

Predictions list:

Low Ki vs. Evan Karagis
James Maritado vs. Lash LeRoux
Konnan vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr
Chuck Palumbo vs. Mike Awesome
Lance Storm vs. Sean O'Haire
Rob Van Dam vs. Road Warrior Animal
Jeff Jarrett vs. Buff Bagwell
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Booker T© vs. Kanyon

NewZealandfan · February 15, 2013

Low Ki vs. Evan Karagis

James Maritado vs. Lash LeRoux

Konnan vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr

Chuck Palumbo vs. Mike Awesome

Lance Storm vs. Sean O'Haire

Rob Van Dam vs. Road Warrior AnimalJ

Jeff Jarrett vs. Buff Bagwell

Beejus · February 15, 2013

Low Ki vs. Evan Karagis

James Maritado vs. Lash LeRoux

Konnan vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr

Chuck Palumbo vs. Mike Awesome

Lance Storm vs. Sean O'Haire

Rob Van Dam vs. Road Warrior Animal

Jeff Jarrett vs. Buff Bagwell

Just a quick note, unless you've changed it purposely the right spellings are "Karagias" and "Maritato". I'm interested to see where you go with Corino, if he's on the straight-and-narrow as a good-natured bastion of old school, or if he's using his heel persona of it right off the bat. O'Haire, Storm, and Awesome are guys you can probably build a lot of your future main events around.

tg01 · February 15, 2013

Thank you Beejus, that was entirely me spelling it incorrectly, but it will be adjusted for the future. As for the future, I'd certainly agree with you about the three you mentioned...and of course Corino....who I hope to definitely be one of those characters with depth....hopefully I can keep him that way.

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