Let There Be War: A WCW Tale

Dawn · September 20, 2014

TFC, do you have any notices on TGA?

The Final Countdown · September 22, 2014

October 1995, Week 4 <div style="text-align:center;">Hall of Champions: World Heavyweight Champion: http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/World.jpg~original Hulk Hogan http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Hogan.jpg~original Won: Sunday, Week 3, July 1994, from Ric Flair United States Heavyweight Champion: http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/US.jpg~original Sting http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Sting.jpg~original Won: Sunday, Week 3, June 1995, from Meng in a tournament final World Television Champion: http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/TV.jpg~original Diamond Dallas Page http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/DDP.jpg~original Won: Monday, Week 1, September 1995, from The Renegade Previous Champions (since September 1995): The Renegade: June 1995, Week 3-September 1995, Week 1 World Cruiserweight Champion: http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Cruiser.jpg~original Eddie Guerrero http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Eddie.jpg~original Won: Monday, Week 4, October 1995, from Brian Pillman Previous Champions (since September 1995): Brian Pillman: September 1995, Week 3-October 1995, Week 4 World Tag Team Champions: http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Tag.jpg~original Harlem Heat http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Booker.jpg~originalhttp://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Ray.jpg~original Won: Sunday, Week 3, September 1995, from Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater Previous Champions (since September 1995): Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater: June 1995, Week 3-September 1995, Week 3 </div> <hr noshade size=3> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Smasher1311" data-cite="Smasher1311" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="38016" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>TFC, do you have any notices on TGA?</div></blockquote> Nope. If I did, I would post them in the TGAAB thread. It's not dead, I'll say that much.

HEEL · September 22, 2014

The Final Countdown has a dynasty? I will follow instantly <img alt="

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Basmat01 · September 23, 2014

this is seriously the only diary i have any interest in reading ATM. With Nitro up on WWE network (only $9.99 PEOPLE!) and watching everyone from the start and the PPV in between. I like how different you shows are to the real life version yet are similar to the real life version if that makes sense lol your shows are easier to follow then the real Nitro Im finding the earlier nitro abit of a mess to follow I mean why would Harlem Heat WANT to defend the titles against someone for NO reason at all after they just won it the night before.

The Final Countdown · September 25, 2014

November 1995, Week 1

We turned a healthy profit of $944, 692 in October. We began this war with big backing from Turner, but it’s nice that we’re already becoming a financial success. Hopefully the profits will continue to rise as we expand our product into new territories.

Speaking of international expansion, I’m making a concerted effort to land a deal to air Nitro in either Canada or Japan to go along with its current coverage in the US and throughout Europe. Most TV networks aren’t big fans of wrestling, so it may be a tough sell. We have to do all we can to build our brand though.

My sources indicate that quite a few WWF talents are in the renegotiation stage. The likes of King Kong Bundy and Waylon Mercy don’t interest me, but I am considering getting in touch with Bam Bam Bigelow and Carl Ouelett. Signing Bam Bam would mainly be about taking away a guy the WWF is pushing at the main event level, and who in fact headlined their last PPV. Ouelett is more of a middle of the card guy, but his potential value to me is hurt by the fact that his former partner Jacques Rougeau doesn’t have interest in signing with WCW.

Our 60 man battle royal at World War 3 is a rather ambitious idea. In order to try and avoid throwing too many relative unknowns into the match, I’m bringing in some surprises. I’ve spoken to New Japan about sending some of their talent over for the night, and I’m also in talks with some free agents. Most of the prospective signings would be brought in for one night only, but there’s one who I might sign to a long term contract instead.

I’m hearing that Rocky Johnson’s son Dwayne is entering the business. Not sure how he’ll turn out, but he did play college football at Miami so he is a great athlete if nothing else. I’d imagine he has an in with the WWF and will wind up there some day, but I’ll keep an eye on the kid just in case.

The Final Countdown has a dynasty? I will follow instantly

Glad to have you! And welcome back to the board!

this is seriously the only diary i have any interest in reading ATM. With Nitro up on WWE network (only $9.99 PEOPLE!) and watching everyone from the start and the PPV in between. I like how different you shows are to the real life version yet are similar to the real life version if that makes sense lol your shows are easier to follow then the real Nitro Im finding the earlier nitro abit of a mess to follow I mean why would Harlem Heat WANT to defend the titles against someone for NO reason at all after they just won it the night before.

Yeah, I know what you mean--similar in tone to the early Nitros, but with different stories. Glad you're enjoying!

The Final Countdown · September 29, 2014

November 1995, Week 1

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Nitro.jpg~original

Monday, Week 1, November 1995

From the New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut

Attendance: 10,000 (sell-out!)

Announce Team: Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan

Pre-Show: Meng defeated Tim Horner in 05:13 © and Jushin Liger defeated Devon Storm in 06:01 (C-).

At the announce table:
We had a lot of fun with this week’s show hype. I encouraged everyone to watch Raw if they wanted to see a wannabe Chippendale’s dancer (Shawn Michaels) get flattened by the fat king (Mabel.) Dusty and Bobby talked about our show, which included Lex Luger vs. Arn Anderson and Sting vs. Booker T. We also discussed some of the names who had already been announced for the World War 3 battle royal and questioned whether or not we’d hear from Hulk Hogan tonight (Bobby said that coward would be too ashamed to show his face any time soon.) All three of us had some great lines here and played off of each other really well.
(Grade: B)

The Nasty Boys vs. The Blue Bloods:
We ran this Halloween Havoc rematch to kick off the show, and even if it wasn’t quite as good as their PPV effort , I was pretty pleased with it. They put on a match pretty similar to the first, with the brawling of the Nastys clashing against the technique of the Blue Bloods. After Regal took Sags out of the picture with a cheap shot on the floor, Eaton finished Knobbs with his Tower of London legdrop off the top at 09:04.
(Grade: B-)

Backstage:
Arn Anderson talked to Ric Flair, trying to convince him to put his spat with Brian Pillman to bed because he knew that with the three of them on the same page, Lex Luger would have no chance tonight. Ric was supposed to assure Arn that he would have his back like always, but as he so often seems to do, he started telling completely unrelated stories. I think I might need to start forcing Ric to work with scripts.
(Grade: B)

Ken Shamrock vs. Bunkhouse Buck (w/Col. Parker):
Shamrock had his second match in as many weeks. You more or less know what you’re getting with Buck; a pretty basic brawl. That’s all this was, really. About the only thing that stood out was Col. Parker, who kept the fans involved. Shamrock got another submission win, this one via Heel Hook at 06:28.
(Grade: C-)

In the ring:
Shamrock got on the mic and said that if Scott Norton wanted a piece of him, that was fine with him. He challenged Norton to step into the ring with him next week on Nitro. Norton came out from the back, stood in the aisle and nodded with a menacing glare on his face. Even though he had a non-speaking role, I thought Scott showed some improvement as it pertains to his overall performance skills. I’m not sure how well this storyline is connecting with the fans, but we’ll see what happens when they actually work with each other next week.
(Grade: C+)

In the ring:
Before The Giant’s massacre--err, match, Taskmaster got some interview time. He said he’d listened to the things Lex Luger had to say about Hulk Hogan, and he agreed: Hulk has changed. But unlike Lex, Sullivan sees Hulk embracing the darkness in his soul as a good thing. He also hinted that he and Giant just might get involved in Lex’s main event match against Arn Anderson and soften him up before his World War 3 title match as a gift to their new “brother in evil” Hogan. Kevin’s up and down pattern continues; this was a down night. Some of his lines were supposed to sound evil but just sounded silly and melodramatic. The overall segment was still strong though, because the fans were very attentive and interested in the subject matter (Hogan.)
(Grade: B+)

Cobra vs. The Giant (w/Taskmaster):
Yeah, this was a squash. Utter destruction, nothing to see here. The Giant dropped Cobra with a Chokeslam and pinned him with one hand across his chest at 02:52. I should note that the fans don’t seem to buy Cobra as a babyface, so it might be time to think about turning him.
(Grade: C-)

Backstage:
It was Brian Pillman’s turn to listen to Double A plead for him to set his disagreement with Flair aside so the three of them could focus on the main event against Luger. Arn did some poor improvising here. Part of that might have been that his delivery didn’t feel as authentic when he wasn’t speaking to his best friend. Pillman said that he would be more than happy to help Arn against “Flexy Lexy”, but warned that he wouldn’t hesitate to take Flair out if “the old man” got in his way. Arn was frustrated, but knew that was the closest thing to agreement he was going to get.
(Grade: B-)

World Television Championship-- Dave Sullivan vs. Diamond Dallas Page {©} (w/Maxx Muscle and the Diamond Doll):
Dave Sullivan is...limited inside the ring, to say the least. Thankfully, both DDP and the Doll brought their working shoes. She showed the proper amount of concern as Page’s valet, and Dallas looked good out there. You can really see him becoming more practiced and confident in his character and how he portrays that character to the live audience. Dallas hit the Diamond Cutter and cleanly retained his title at 04:39.
(Grade: C-)

In the ring:
DDP was gloating after the match, posing over and taunting a motionless Sullivan. As his celebration dragged on, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan came down to the ring and got in Page’s face, yelling at him to leave Sullivan alone. Page backed off and left ringside, clutching his title. Page came across well here in really heeling it up, but Dave Sullivan’s mere presence hurt this segment. People just don’t care about him, so DDP’s antics didn’t get quite as much heat as they probably should have.
(Grade: D)

In the ring:
New Cruiserweight champion Eddie Guerrero was the guest for Larryland. They conducted a fairly generic interview in which Eddie thanked the fans for welcoming him to WCW and supporting him and promised to be a fighting champion. Dean Malenko interrupted things. He reminded Eddie that they’d had two one-on-one matches, and were currently tied at 1-1. He felt that they should meet at World War 3 and find out not just who was the better man, but also who deserved to be the Cruiserweight champion. Dean once again showed improvement in his overall performance during this segment. Eddie accepted the challenge, adding that to truly find out who was better, they should make it a two out of three falls match as well. We had all three of these guys stick closely to a script here, as I felt too much could go wrong with both Eddie and Dean working off the cuff.
(Grade: C-)

Backstage:
Gene interviewed Lex Luger, who insisted that he was not worried about the possible presence of Ric Flair and/or Brian Pillman. He would run through Arn Anderson no matter the odds, and he hoped Hulk Hogan was watching somewhere. The focus naturally shifted to Hulk, and that’s when things got really good. Lex said that Gene had known Hulk longer than maybe anyone in all of WCW, so he should know better than anyone that the things he’s done over the past couple of months are totally out of character for the man he used to be. Gene seemed to have a hard time denying that. Gene did a good job playing his uncertain role, and Lex was even better, delivering a powerful speech that hopefully cast further doubt in the minds of the fans. This program with Hulk seems to have motivated him to take his game to a higher gear.
(Grade: B+)

Sting vs. Booker T (w/Sherri):
I have no intention of splitting Harlem Heat any time soon, but if and when I ever do, I think Booker T might have a future in singles. Tonight I gave him a chance to work with one of our premiere talents, and they delivered a good semi main. Along the way, Sting showed Booker a thing or two about how to work a crowd that I think will stick with him. Sherri also did good work on the floor, and her great chemistry with Booker carried over even without Stevie there. She got involved in the match several times, and eventually Scott Steiner came out to get in her way and even the odds. Booker turned to yell at him, and quickly fell victim to the Stinger Splash and Scorpion Deathlock at 13:47.
(Grade: B)

In the ring:
As the Stinger was in the ring basking in his big win, Jeff Jarrett slipped in from behind and smashed his guitar over his head! He didn’t stop there either, putting the boots to Sting and placing his foot across his chest in mockery before grabbing Sting’s United States title belt from the timekeeper. Jarrett held the belt aloft, reveling in the jeers from the fans as we cut to commercial. With Sting being Sting, Jarrett quickly settling in as one of our top heels and the heat this storyline already has all being factored in, this was one hell of a segment.
(Grade: A)

Pre-taped vignette:
We packaged rapid fire comments from several World War 3 participants together into one segment. Randy Savage, Johnny B. Badd, Bubba Rogers, VK Wallstreet, Hawk, Alex Wright all gave their thoughts on the battle royal and why they were going to win. We also heard from Ed Leslie and John Tenta, the former Zodiac and Shark who are going by their real names now that the Dungeon of Doom is no more. Savage was the unquestioned star here. Tenta, on the other hand, was terrible. The segment as a whole was pretty meh despite Randy’s involvement. But Alex Wright seems to be getting better at the acting side of the business, so I guess there’s that.
(Grade: C)

Lex Luger vs. Arn Anderson:
It wasn’t that this match was bad. It just wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping it would be. Both guys know their roles well though, and if anything they seemed to play those roles even more effectively than usual. Maybe I was just expecting too much from this match.

Anyway, the real story in this match was the continuation of the Arn/Flair/Pillman saga. Pillman came down to ringside about midway through to offer encouragement and advice, and Flair turned up a few minutes later. Both men tried to help out, but inevitably wound up getting into an argument with each other on who should be doing what. Thus, neither one of them were able to prevent Lex from getting Arn up in the Torture Rack for the submission at 13:30.
(Grade: B)

In the ring:
The Giant and Taskmaster hadn’t gotten involved in the actual match, but they did attack Luger not long after the bell. He wasn’t able to offer up much resistance, and they beat him down pretty swiftly. Or at least they were until Hulk Hogan came out through the crowd, pipe in hand! The crowd really came alive when Hulk showed up; he came across as the big time star he has been for years and still is.

Giant and Taskmaster saw him coming and got out of the ring quickly, though Sullivan narrowly dodged a mighty swing from the pipe. It actually came closer to hitting him than it was supposed to, which was a gaffe on Kevin’s part. Luger slowly got up and did NOT look happy to see Hogan standing in the ring, especially as he was still holding the pipe. The two men stared each other down in mistrust, providing a gripping moment for us to sign off with.
(Grade: A)

Show Overall: B+

TNT Rating: 7.02

Raw Overall: B-

Raw USA Rating: 5.77

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/SN.jpg~original

Saturday, Week 1, November 1995

From the O’Neill Center in Dansbury, Connecticut

Attendance: 2,056

Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay

Dean Malenko defeated Mr. JL at 06:29. (C-)

In an interview with Mean Gene, DDP called out the WCW front office for deciding to give Jim Duggan a shot at his World Television Championship at World War 3. (B-)

Ultimo Dragon defeated Maxx Muscle at 05:24. (D)

Hugh Morrus defeated Joey Maggs at 05:13. (D)

Gene interviewed Hugh Morrus after the match. Morrus was unaffected by the dissolution of the Dungeon of Doom, and through his laughter he declared that, he would step out on his own by winning World War 3. (C+)

The American Males defeated Horace Boulder and Fidel Sierra at 05:18. (D-)

Ken Shamrock joined Gene to discuss his showdown with Scott ‘Flash’ Norton this Monday on Nitro. ©

Johnny B. Badd defeated Dick Slater (w/Col. Parker) at 08:59. (C-)

Tony and Mike rehashed the rules of World War 3, reminded everyone that a World Heavyweight Championship match at Starrcade would be the prize, and speculated over what familiar faces would be entering the match as mystery participants. ©

Show Overall: C-

The Final Countdown · October 4, 2014

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/WW3.jpg~original

WCW HOTLINE OFFICIAL PREDICTION GAME

Battle Royal Rules:

The 60 participants will be spread across three rings with 20 wrestlers in each.
Each ring will compete under traditional battle royal rules until there are only two wrestlers remaining, at which point action will cease in that ring
Once all three rings are down to their final two wrestlers, those six survivors (the Super Six) will meet in the center ring for the final stage of the battle royal. Whomever emerges as the victor from the Super Six will earn a world heavyweight championship match at the granddaddy of them all, Starrcade!

Battle Royal Participants:

Alex Wright
Arn Anderson
Big Bubba
Billy Kidman
Booker T
Brian Knobbs
Brian Pillman
Bunkhouse Buck
Cobra
Dean Malenko
Devon Storm
Diamond Dallas Page
Dick Slater
Disco Inferno
Earl Robert Eaton
Ed Leslie
Eddie Guerrero
Hugh Morrus
Jeff Jarrett
Jerry Sags
Jim Duggan
John Tenta
Johnny B. Badd
Jushin Liger
Ken Shamrock
Kensuke Sasaki
Kurasawa
Lord Steven Regal
Marcus Bagwell
Masahiro Chono
Maxx Muscle
Meng
Mr. JL
Randy Savage
Rey Misterio Jr.
Ric Flair
Rick Steiner
Road Warrior Hawk
Sabu
Scott Armstrong
Scott Norton
Scott Steiner
Scotty Riggs
Sgt. Craig Pittman
Steve Armstrong
Stevie Ray
Sting
Tatsumi Fujinami
The Giant
The Great Muta
The Renegade
The Taskmaster
Ultimo Dragon
VK Wallstreet
Loser of championship match between Hulk Hogan and Lex Luger

Plus 5 mystery entrants!

Who will be the five mystery entrants?
Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations?
Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)?
Who will be the runner up?
Who will win?

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)
United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)
World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)
World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)
World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match?

KnowYourEnemy · October 5, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Jason The Terrible, Road Warrior Animal, Masato Tanaka, Silver King and Dr. Wagner

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? Ken Shamrock

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Lex Luger, The Giant, Ric Flair, Johnny B. Badd, Marcus Bagwell, Ken Shamrock

Who will be the runner up? Lex Luger

Who will win? Ric Flair

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match? Jeff Jarret/Sting will edge Luger/Hogan due to Luger's lackluster in-ring work.

Basmat01 · October 5, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, Konnan, Jake Roberts

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? The Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Sting, the Giant, Rey Jr, Ken Shamrock

Who will be the runner up? Sting

Who will win? The Giant

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match? Jarrett/Sting

Beejus · October 5, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Animal, El Dandy, Dusty Rhodes, Tracy Smothers, and Tully Blanchard

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? The Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Sting, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, The Giant, Eddy Guerrero, Brian Pillman

Who will be the runner up? The Giant

Who will win? Randy Savage

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match? WW3

Zergon · October 5, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? I don´t really have good knowledge who would be available so I´m going to skip this one.

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? The Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Sting, The Giant, Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Brian Pillman and Ken Shamrock

Who will be the runner up? The Giant

Who will win? Sting

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

I don´t see Hogan dropping the belt just yet and not to Luger.

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

Jarrett takes the belt so that Sting could go hunt the big one.

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

Could go either way but when I doubt, I go with champs.

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

Nope, Duggan isn´t going to be the next champ.

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

Could go either way but Eddie just won the belt so I go with him.

What will be the best match? Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting

smwilliams · October 5, 2014

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? The Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Ric Flair, The Giant, Sting, Lex Luger, Brian Pillman, Arn Anderson

Who will be the runner up? Lex Luger

Who will win? The Giant

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match? Jarrett vs Sting

rtcrules · October 5, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Bam Bam Bigelow/Kevin Nash/Scott Hall/Road Warrior Animal/British Bulldog

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? The Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? The Giant, Sting, Jarrett, Shamrock, Savage, Luger

Who will be the runner up? Shamrock

Who will win? The Giant

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

Not going to be clean but Hogan will "find a way"

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

DQ finish setting up a rematch at Starcade

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

DQ or countout will keep the belts on the Heat

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

Can't see a title change here.

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match? Jarrett vs Sting

The Final Countdown · October 18, 2014

November 1995, Week 1

I did make a qualifying offer to Bam Bam, but Vince countered by throwing more money and some perks at him. I'm sure I could have outbid him if I'd really wanted to, but I don't think Bigelow is worth it. I'll pick my battles; if I have an opportunity to poach someone like Bret or Michaels, Vince will see the kind of financial resources I have to play with.

I've arranged for our PPVs, starting with World War 3, to air throughout Europe/the UK via public broadcasting. It's not ideal and will not do much for us financially, but I'm hoping the exposure will help us build up our fanbase over there and eventually lead to a more lucrative home for our megasahows.

Young Canadian worker Chris Jericho is the newest WCW signee. Jericho has been doing a lot of work internationally, most notably with WAR in Japan and CMLL in Mexico, and my foreign scouts are very high on him. Look, charisma, in-ring ability: he's a very well-rounded talent, or so I'm given to understand. We actually approached him with a developmental contract offer when we first opened the USWL but he respectfully declined, believing that it would be best for him to continue with his international tours until and unless we deemed him fit to be on the main roster. As it so happens, I have a role I think he'll be perfect for. Even though I'm not ready to debut him just yet I went ahead and got him under contract after the latest WAR tour wrapped up. He'll be on paid vacation until we're ready for him.

We've also assigned another new prospect to USWL. Christopher Daniels is another jack of all trades. His size would likely hold him back in the WWF, but with the advent of our cruiserweight division he should have a chance to get over with us. I imagine he'll be down in developmental for quite some time though, sharpening his skills before showing up in the big leagues.

franticloser · October 19, 2014

Took awhile to predict as this is a daunting to predict ppv, but here goes.

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Animal, Jake Roberts, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, British Bulldog

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations?The Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Flair, Sting, The Giant, Luger, Shamrock, Savage

Who will be the runner up?Sting

Who will win?The Giant

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match? Jeff Jarrett vs Sting

ttj0001 · October 19, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Animal, Dusty Rhodes, Dustin Rhodes, Chris Benoit, Rob Van Dam

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? The Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? The Giant, Luger, Sting, Flair, Savage, Shamrock

Who will be the runner up? The Giant

Who will win? Luger

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

I don't see this one ending quite so soon. Maybe Hogan actually uses the pipe again?

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

Like in the WHC match, I can't see this being a one month thing.

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

The Steiners get the job done with no shenanigans this time around.

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

Can't see you going with Duggan here

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

I really wish I could watch this match.

What will be the best match? Luger v Hogan

Dawn · October 19, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Animal, Jake Roberts, Dusty Rhodes, Steve Austin and Cactus Jack.

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? The Giant.

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Sting, Ric Flair, Macho Man, Brian Pillman, The Giant and Steve Austin.

Who will be the runner up? Macho.

Who will win? Sting.

World Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan (©)

United States Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting (©)

World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat (©)

World Television Championship: Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page (©)

World Cruiserweight Championship (2/3 Falls): Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero (©)

What will be the best match? The pop might give it to Luger vs. Hogan.

The Final Countdown · October 23, 2014

November 1995, Week 2

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Monday, Week 2, November 1995

From the Hulman Center in Terra Haute, Indiana

Attendance: 10,000 (sell-out!)

Announce Team: Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan

Pre-Show: Hugh Morrus defeated Julio Sanchez in 04:59 (D+) and Disco Inferno defeated Chris Kanyon in 04:31 (D).

At the announce table:
I sarcastically urged everyone to flip to the USA Network if they wanted to see Bret's little brother and a fake sumo wrestler take out Vinnie Vegas and HBK. I think my lines were pretty good, but after looking at the replay I've noticed that I made some weird facial expressions that dragged my overall performance down. Bobby and Dusty talked about what was set to happen on the final Nitro before World War 3.

Dusty was excited about the main event of Sting, Randy Savage and Hawk taking on Jeff Jarrett, VK Wallstreet and Ed Leslie in a six man tag starring major participants in Sunday's battle royal. Bobby was most excited about Mean Gene's interview with Hulk Hogan in the champ's first comments since the controversy at Halloween Havoc. Bobby was magnificent here, appearing genuinely disgusted as he talked about what a lying coward Hulk is.
(Grade: B-)

Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Billy Kidman:
This was not only a cruiserweight showcase, but also a chance for us to plug the fact that both of these wrestlers would be taking part in the battle royal. As we speculated on whether one of these smaller wrestlers could overcome the odds on Sunday, they had a solid fast-paced bout won by Misterio with a Flying Victory Roll of sorts at 04:58. Rey and his exciting offense seems to be getting over with the fans, but I like what I see from Kidman and hope we can raise his popularity eventually as well.
(Grade: C-)

In the ring:
We sent Gene into the ring so Rey could get some interview time. I made sure to give the kid a script to stick to, and he did just fine on the mic as he promised to give it everything he had on Sunday even if he was the smallest man among the field of sixty
(Grade: C-)

Backstage:
Lex Luger gave a promo in which he said he was going to be watching Hulk Hogan's interview very closely. He also urged the fans not to take Hulk at his word just because of his storied reputation. Another tremendous segment from Luger here. He's really flourished since this program with Hogan began; a far cry from how he was treading water in the WWF a few short months ago. Take that, Vince!
(Grade: A)

The Renegade (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Kurasawa (w/Col. Parker):
Two guys who aren't doing a heck of a lot here. The match itself was okay, helped along by positive contributions from both managers. The Mouth and the Colonel arguing may have even been the most interesting part of the match. Regardless, Kurasawa took the win with his Fujiwara Armbar submission in 08:25. If you get the feeling that Renegade's stock has plummeted recently, you're right.
(Grade: C)

Pre-taped Vignette:
We tried something a little bit different here. I narrated a video package recapping the feud between Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko, and both men gave some comments about each other and why they believed they would prevail in the 2/3 falls match for the Cruiserweight title at World War 3. The angle fell short of my expectations, unfortunately. Maybe I'll have Bobby or Dusty take my spot the next time we try it?
(Grade: D+)

Backstage:
Randy Savage, Sting and Hawk grouped together to cut a promo about tonight's main event. Well, Savage did almost all of the talking; Sting just stood around providing his star power and Hawk grunted and snorted menacingly. Sting came across well, but Hawk's grunts were a little goofy. Regardless, the segment still went really well thanks to Randy's natural promo skills. Randy said he would gladly stand beside these two men tonight, but they all knew that on Sunday it would be every man for himself, dig it!
(Grade: A)

Alex Wright vs. Maxx Muscle:
Das Wunderkind and DDP's bodyguard got some ringtime here. Alex has been somewhat lost in the shuffle recently but I still envision big things for him eventually. As for Max: good look, limited in-ring talent. Wright got the win with a Missile Dropkick at 08:08.
(Grade: C-)

On the ramp:
Mean Gene asked for some last-minute comments from Ken Shamrock before his match against Scott Norton. Shamrock was talking about his love of the fight when Norton attacked him from behind! The ambush worked its way into the ring and transitioned into the match as scheduled. This was not a bad mid-card angle.
(Grade: C+)

Ken Shamrock vs. Scott Norton:
The match itself was not as good as the angle that preceded it, unfortunately. A lot of that was down to Norton's desire to look strong in the eventual no contest. They had a pretty basic brawl, with the story being that they both blatantly ignored the referee until he finally threw the match out at 07:42. I'm not sure that either this feud or Shamrock as a performer are getting over like I'd hoped.
(Grade: C-)

In the parking lot:
We showed a brief teaser of Hulk Hogan arriving, Jimmy Hart in tow. Just a minor angle to promote what was coming later.
(Grade: B)

Backstage:
Brian Pillman and Ric Flair were arguing when Arn Anderson snapped at both of them to shut their mouths. Double A said he'd had it to here with the both of them, and told them to stay in the back tonight so he could wrestle without any distractions.
(Grade: B-)

Jim Duggan vs. Arn Anderson:
Interestingly, Hacksaw and Double A seemed to gel exceedingly well as opponents. They told a basic but effective face/heel story. No fancy moves or technique, but the fans bought in to the drama and that's all that matters. The end came when DDP (Duggan's opponent in the TV title match on Sunday) snuck down, slipped into the ring behind the referee's back and planted Duggan with the Diamond Cutter. All Arn had to do was make the cover for the win in 09:15.
(Grade: B)

In the ring:
Harlem Heat and the Steiners were guests on Larryland. Larry asked the Heat about the speculation that they didn't think they could beat the Steiners and got themselves disqualified intentionally at Halloween Havoc to save their titles. Booker and Stevie took offense to that idea and said that this Sunday they'd prove that the Steiners were the past and the Heat were the present and the future of tag team wrestling.

The Steiners said that they weren't anywhere close to finished just yet. They were just now entering their prime, and at World War 3 they would remind everyone that they were still the best tag team in the world. We had everyone involved stick to a script as I thought there was too much potential for something to go wrong with so many people involved, and I think it was the right call. Nothing to complain about with this segment.
(Grade: B-)

Pre-taped Vignette:
With The Giant standing in the background, Kevin Sullivan talked about the chaos they would unleash Sunday at World War 3. And then, after the Giant vanquished 59 other men, they would help Hulk Hogan embrace his new role as a servant of darkness at Starrcade. Kevin really stumbled over his lines here, and his performance in general was poor. The Giant being there helped though thanks to his skyrocketing popularity, and talking about Hulk seems to guarantee a strong audience reaction in a promo no matter how good or bad the actual delivery of the message.
(Grade: A)

Randy Savage, Sting and Hawk vs. Jeff Jarrett, VK Wallstreet and Ed Leslie:
With Sting and Jarrett having the only ongoing program here, we put special emphasis on their interactions during this match. Jeff played the typical coward heel, tagging out whenever Sting came in and only tagging in to face him if he was down and hurting. Things of note in this match: Sting's technical skills looked sharper than usual, and Wallstreet looked a bit more agile. Other than that, this was a fine TV main event albeit one that didn't necessarily tear the house down. Sting forced Leslie to submit to the Scorpion in 14:24, locking eyes with Jarrett as he stood there watching from the apron.
(Grade: B)

In the ring:
It was time for the most anticipated segment of the night: Gene's interview with Hulk Hogan. Hulk got a mixed reaction as he came out, and he played it off well. Gene asked him about the methods he'd used to defeat the Giant at Halloween Havoc and whether or not he'd changed in some way. Hulk admitted that using the pipe went against his usual ideals, but the Dungeon of Doom didn't play by any rules. The way he saw it, he was just beating them to the punch before they could cheat him out of his title and put him in the hospital.

That brought out Lex Luger, who shook his head all the way down the aisle. Lex said Hulk was full of it. He'd been facing people who would resort to anything to win for his entire career, but he'd never had to use a pipe to beat them. The only thing that had changed was that he wasn't good enough to beat them legitimately anymore. Hulk returned fire, saying that Lex was a big hypocrite for saying this stuff given his checkered past.

Lex nodded, saying that that's exactly why he could see what was happening with Hulk. He'd told lies, broken promises and betrayed friends to feed his selfishness in the past, and now he saw Hogan doing those same things. But this Sunday he was going to take away the title that Hogan no longer deserved to wear, and it would be up to him to pick up the pieces of his shattered ego after that. All three guys improvised well throughout this segment, with Hulk and Lex really bringing the intensity and determination to their speeches. Gene's performance was slightly lacking, but this was still a great go home angle.
(Grade: A)

Show Overall: B+

TNT Rating: 7.08

Raw Overall: B

Raw USA Rating: 5.97

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Saturday, Week 2, November 1995

From the Hamilton Ice Arena in Columbus, Indiana

Attendance: 2,000 (sell-out!)

Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay

Ken Shamrock defeated Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker at 05:05. (D+)

Mean Gene interviewed Shamrock after the match. Ken was unsatisfied with the no contest against Scott Norton on Nitro, and hoped their paths would cross during the World War 3 battle royal. ©

Ultimo Dragon defeated Bunkhouse Buck (w/Col. Parker) at 05:29. (D+)

Gene welcomed Alex Wright to the backstage interview area, and Das Wunderkind couldn't wait for World War 3, which he called the opportunity of a lifetime. (C+)

Earl Robert Eaton defeated Mark Starr at 04:41. (C-)

Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko both gave some brief comments about their 2/3 Falls match for the Cruiserweight Championship. (D+)

Harlem Heat (w/Sherri) defeated Dave Sullivan and Cobra at 08:14. (C-)

Gene's final guest for the night was Jeff Jarrett, who said he would be strutting all over Nashville after he not only took Sting's US title tomorrow night, but also won the 60-man battle royal and set himself up to become the next World Heavyweight Champion at Starrcade. (B+)

The Giant and The Taskmaster defeated The Armstrong Brothers at 07:36. (C-)

Tenay and Shiavone made the final hard sell for World War 3, running down the whole card while putting particular emphasis on the battle royal and the World Championship match between Hulk Hogan and Lex Luger. (C-)

Show Overall: C

The Final Countdown · October 25, 2014

November 1995, Week 2

The WWF has signed a deal with Canada's TSN to begin showing Raw next month. It'll air the day after their slot on USA, and a full week after the shows are actually taped. Still, I have to concede that this is a big move for the WWF. They definitely have a leg up on us in Canada, so hopefully we can find a home for Nitro north of the border soon.

We did secure a deal of our own for Nitro, which will debut next month on TV Kyushu in Japan. It's not a nationwide deal as the station is only available to those on Japan's Kyushu island, but it's a way for us to get our foot in the door at least.

The ink is barely dry on a brand-new 2-year contract extension with Hulk. Negotiations were tricky; he pushed hard for creative control, which I felt would open us up to future storyline complications if we differed on creative direction, and also set a bad precedent. I had to increase the money, give him all house shows and Saturday Night tapings off and promise that he would continue to be pushed as a main event caliber talent for the duration of the deal, but I did eventually get him to back off of his creative control demand. Hammering out the details may have been difficult, but I'm thrilled to have the biggest star in the history of the business locked up for two more years.

Bad news out of New Japan, where main event star Masahiro Chono suffered a shattered elbow during their tour this week and will be out of action for about a year. This also affects us as he was supposed to be part of the battle royal on Sunday. Fortunately, I had another surprise entrant on standby in case any of the other planned surprises fell through, and he'll be there to fill in for Chono.

I'm not sure that Vince even knows it yet, but I've just signed another of his upper card stars away from him. Well, he was an upper card guy in theory, but they were barely using him. As he was under a PPA deal, he was understandably disgruntled about his sparse bookings. When I swooped in to offer him a written deal he couldn't wait to sign. He has some previous bookings we'll allow him to honor before he debuts for us, but he'll be showing up on Nitro soon enough.

Jim Duggan failed to show up for his meeting with road agent Jody Hamilton before Nitro. I let him know in no uncertain terms that this type of behavior would not be tolerated. He said he understood, but he seemed kind of irritated to me. Hacksaw better be careful. Hulk's friend or not, he's replaceable.

Beejus · October 26, 2014

Great Nitro TFC, I especially loved the final segment. It really blurred the lines for both Hogan and Luger, and made their match look especially personal. With a "gimmick" show like WW3 or Rumble, it can be easy to rest on that as the selling point, but you've done a really great job of building the World title match as a big event as well.

Also, it looks like a major stroke of luck that you were able to get contract negotiations with Hogan so you could drop his CC. Hogan's control has screwed my plans over a few times already, so it being no more is a great coup.

Duggan can definitely be replaced, by a new upper midcard signing from the WWF!

guyver3 · October 26, 2014

Who will be the five mystery entrants? Animal, Dusty Rhodes, Cactus Jack, Tully Blanchard, Jake the Snake

Who will account for the greatest number of eliminations? Giant

Who will be the “Super Six” (2 finalists per ring)? Sting, Flair, Sullivan, Giant, Macho, Luger

Who will be the runner up? Luger

Who will win? Sting

What will be the best match Sting Jarrett

The Final Countdown · October 27, 2014

November 1995, Week 2

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Sunday, Week 2, November 1995

From the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota

Attendance: 30,000 (sell-out!)

Announce Team: Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan

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Pre-Show: Men at Work defeated The State Patrol in 06:26 (D-) and Dave Sullivan defeated Horace Boulder in 05:44 (E+).

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We did a quick run-through of tonight's show. I tried to sell the intrigue behind the Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger title match and the questions about Hogan's recent actions, but I think I went too melodramatic in my delivery and it didn't come across well. Bobby was much better, verbally eviscerating Hogan and saying that he should be given a medal for trying to run that scum Hogan out of the business for so many years. Dusty was probably even better than The Brain: he gave an impassioned speech about knowing what it was like to have your back against the wall with an enemy who broke every rule in the book, but he pleaded with Hulk to remember that there were millions of young kids who idolized him because he was a good role model who did things the right way.

We then moved on to the 3-ring, 60-man battle royal, which we dubbed the biggest battle royal in wrestling history. All three of us gave our predictions: Bobby and I both backed the 7-foot Giant, but Dusty threw his support behind whoever came out on the losing end of the Hogan/Luger match, saying that he would be fired up after falling short in the championship match and the adrenaline would push him through.

Grade: B-

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Two Out of Three Falls:
Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero {©}
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Even with the Cruiserweight belt thrown into the mix, this rubber match was no better and no worse than their previous two singles matches. It was another solid, well-worked match, but neither guy is over enough to get the fans fully invested yet. I have faith that they'll both get there someday though. Dusty and Bobby did well here, managing to be entertaining while still putting over the action in the ring.

Dean, who I thought showed continued improvement in both brawling and psychology, took the first fall with an Oklahoma Roll and controlled the action with his technical repertoire for a bit. Eddie bounced back to win the second fall with a Brainbuster, and after a race to the finish in which both guys pulled out all the stops, the champion retained with a Frog Splash at 20:23.

Winner: Eddie Guerrero, 2 falls to 1 at 20:23
Eddie Guerrero retained the World Cruiserweight Championship
Grade: C+

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Randy cut a promo about tonight's battle royal. He said that 60 men were stepping into the danger zone tonight, but only one of them would soar above all the rest, and it would be the Macho Man. Some good improvising here, and given Randy's overness and promo skills, this was a sensational segment.

Grade: A*

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Jim Duggan vs. Diamond Dallas Page {©} (w/Diamond Doll and Maxx Muscle)
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I was right; Duggan's irritated about the dressing down I gave him for missing the road agent meeting on Monday. Well, too bad. Regardless, his behavior had no impact on the booking of this match. DDP may be 39 (only two years younger than Duggan), but I view him as a rising star. I think Bobby and Dusty do too; they did a good job putting his character over on color during this match. Page grows more and more comfortable playing his character with every appearance. At the rate he's going, he might outgrow the TV title before long. Not tonight, though; he pinned Duggan with an Inside Cradle at 07:55 to retain.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page with an Inside Cradle at 07:55
DDP retained the Television Championship
Grade: C+

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Mean Gene interviewed all six of the special guest entrants in the battle royal. (Junkyard Dog is the emergency fill-in for the injured Masahiro Chono.) Gene said that all six of these men should be familiar faces to wrestling fans, and tonight, even though they do not have WCW contracts they have a one-night-only chance to earn a shot at the heavyweight championship of the world. He then asked all six for their thoughts.

Five of the six gave generic promos in their own styles about why they would be seizing this great opportunity, but Cactus Jack was confused about what Gene had said. He claimed that he'd believed this was a full-time contract offer, and asked Gene what the deal was. Gene kind of brushed him off and sent it back to ringside, even as Cactus started shaking his arm to try and get his attention. Cactus must have learned a thing or two in the bingo halls because he seemed more charismatic than usual.

Grade: C+

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The Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat {©} (w/Sherri)
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THIS is the kind of match I had in mind when I brought the Steiners back to our tag team division! This was not only a step above their pretty good match at Halloween Havoc, it was a strong contender for match of the night. It would not have felt out of place as a PPV main event. Meanwhile, the tag belts have basically disappeared in the WWF now that titleholder Owen Hart is the world champ. I don't think there's any doubt who has the superior tag team division.

Both of these brother tag teams work very well together, and it truly showed in this match. The Steiners and the Heat had a classic back and forth bout that did wonders as far as presenting our tag titles as a huge deal. The fans were into all the near-falls, and really came alive when Rick and Scott hit their Steinerizer finisher on Booker to win the straps.

Winners: The Steiner Brothers with the Steinerizer on Booker T in 17:30
The Steiner Brothers won the World Tag Team Championship
Grade: B+

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With the Giant in standby as usual, the Taskmaster cut a promo about the fear undoubtedly coursing through the veins of 58 other men knowing that there was a 7-foot, 400-pound Giant they would have to go through if they wanted to win this battle royal and claim the enticing reward it offered. But that reward belonged to the Giant, because he and Hulk Hogan were destined to usher in a new era of darkness at Starrcade. He also wished Hulk luck in his match against Lex Luger tonight, smiling evilly as he said it. Kevin's performance wasn't exceptional tonight, but it didn't actively hurt the segment either.

Grade: B+

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Gene interviewed Lex, who was pacing back and forth in his eagerness to step into the ring with Hogan. Lex said that he knew he had what it takes to beat Hulk straight-up, and he'd have an eye out just in case he got desperate and went for the pipe. Both Lex and Gene did a fair job at improvising back and forth here, leading to a very strong segment that should lend even more heat to an already hot story.

Grade: A

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Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting {©}
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The build to this match has been strong, and Sting and Jarrett backed up the hype with an excellent match that was more or less on par with the fantastic tag team affair that preceded it. Jarrett did a cowardly heel shtick, bailing out, stalling for time, complaining to the ref, etc. He lured Sting into some cheap shots which inevitably led to strong comebacks from the crowd favorite.

After some prolonged dominance in which Jarrett worked the legs, Sting made his comeback, unloading on Jeff with punches, slams and hip tosses. When he backed the challenger into the corner and launched himself at him for the Stinger Splash, Jarrett punted him with a kick below the belt for a DQ finish.

Winner: Sting by DQ at 18:08
Sting retained the United States Heavyweight Championship
Grade: B+

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The fans booed Jeff heavily and he laughed, soaking in the boos. He pulled out a guitar from underneath the ring and as Sting staggered to his feet, bashed him over the head with it. The boos only intensified after that. Jeff stood tall in the center of the ring, holding up Sting's US title in one hand and the remnants of the guitar in the other. This was another very strong angle, and it had just as much to do with Jarrett getting over as a heel as it did with Sting's obvious connection with the audience.

Grade: A

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During this promo with this dysfunctional trio, Arn Anderson revealed that all three had been placed in the same ring via the random draw. He urged Flair and Pillman to set their differences aside long enough for the three of them to throw the other 17 men out of the ring, and then they could bash each other's brains out as much as they wanted, and whoever emerged could join him in the Super Six. They both seemed to think that was a good idea, but it was clear Pillman did not trust Flair and vice versa. We kept this scripted so Ric couldn't veer off course, but it still fell below the level I think all three of these guys are capable of.

Grade: B

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Moments before he went out for the world title match, Hulk was interviewed by Gene. When Gene asked him how he felt about Lex Luger's accusations and whether or not they would influence his strategy for this match, Hulk scoffed. He said that as long as Luger played by the rules, so would he--and he knew that the so-called Total Package had no chance against the power of Hulkamania. Hulk's delivery was pretty good here, but Gene's was nothing short of fantastic. Yet another tremendous non-wrestling segment on this show.

Grade: A

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Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan {©} (w/Jimmy Hart)
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Hulk and Lex had a tough act to follow after two consecutive great matches, but they were up to the challenge. I'm sure the in-ring action won't receive any rave reviews from the dirt sheets, but both of these guys know how to suck the crowd in emotionally, and they did a fantastic job of it tonight. This match was structured around the idea that the legendary Hogan might not have what it takes to beat someone with as similar a style as Luger. On commentary, we pushed the idea that Lex was a hungrier version of Hulk, a man who was just as powerful and resilient as the champion, but had more to prove. They did a great job of telling that story inside the ring. Lex's comebacks were hot, and the surprise on Hogan's face each time Luger would shake off his offense and/or physically overpower him felt much more authentic than any of the B-movie acting he's done. Lex's last comeback was reminiscent of Hulk's signature "Hulk Up"; he took every punch Hogan dished out, then responded with a series of his own. That was the prelude to Luger running the ropes and hitting his big Forearm. Hulk was knocked backwards and into a ref bump, which meant there was no one there to check on him when Lex got him up in the Torture Rack. It also meant that...

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...there was no one there to stop Giant and Taskmaster from interfering. With Sullivan urging him on, Giant wrapped his massive hand around Luger's throat, forcing him to let Hogan out of the Rack. Lex was put out of commission with the Chokeslam. The interlopers were long gone by the time Hulk stumbled back to his feet. He looked groggy and disoriented, but had sense enough to drop the leg and retain his title.

Winner: Hulk Hogan with the Legdrop at 15:51 after interference from Giant and Taskmaster
Hulk Hogan retained the World Heavyweight Championship
Grade: B+

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Hogan.jpg~originalhttp://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Luger.jpg~original

Hogan celebrated his win in the ring, selling his confusion over the mixed response from the fans. He held out his hand for Luger to shake once the challenger got back up, but Lex slapped his hand away and shouted at him while pointing his finger. Luger got sizeable cheers from the fans as he stormed away from ringside, and Hulk got exactly the sort of mixed reaction this storyline has been designed to generate. Our camera crew got some great close-up shots of kids and adults alike in Hogan shirts looking confused. This was an electric segment.

Grade: A*

World War 3:

I think the best way for me to organize my thoughts on this match is to take it ring-by-ring, so here goes.

Ring #1
Featuring: Alex Wright, Big Bubba, Brian Knobbs, Cactus Jack, Earl Robert Eaton, Eddie Guerrero, Hugh Morrus, John Tenta, Kurasawa, Lex Luger, Marcus Bagwell, Meng, Mr. JL, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Scotty Riggs, Terry Funk, The Giant, The Great Muta, The Taskmaster

The biggest stars in this ring were undoubtedly Giant, Taskmaster and Luger, so that's naturally what we focused most of our attention on. Lex was indeed fired up in the aftermath of his match against Hogan, and he sent several foes flying over the top rope, including Big Bubba, Muta and Funk. His numbers couldn't compare to the Giant though. He mowed through the competition with ease, throwing out tag teams in the Steiners and American Males, rising stars in Alex Wright and Guerrero, and even former Dungeon of Doom allies in Hugh Morrus, Meng and John Tenta. Sullivan watched all of this with a smile and joined in on occasion, though Giant hardly needed the help. A battle royal is a natural opportunity for big men to shine, and I think we made the most of it with our young giant.

If there was a third story in this ring it was the desperation of Cactus Jack, who clung to the ropes for dear life to stay in the match several times and fought hard to keep his hopes alive. He made it to the final four of the ring before the Giant put him in his sights. Cactus was the first man all night to visibly put the Giant on the defensive for even a moment with a flurry of punches, but Giant cut him off with a Headbutt and pitched him to the floor. That left Giant, Taskmaster and Luger as the final three. Luger tried to take Sullivan out in a hurry, the obvious idea being to get rid of him quickly so the action in this ring would finish and he'd be in the Super Six. He had Sullivan teetering against the ropes, but he wasn't quick enough: Giant made it there in time to toss Luger out from behind.

Survivors: The Giant and The Taskmaster

Ring #2
Featuring: Booker T, Cobra, Diamond Dallas Page, Dick Slater, Ed Leslie, Greg Valentine, Jeff Jarrett, Jerry Sags, Johnny B. Badd, Lord Steven Regal, Maxx Muscle, Rey Misterio Jr., Road Warrior Hawk, Sabu, Scott Armstrong, Sgt. Craig Pittman, Stevie Ray, Sting, Tatsumi Fujinami, Ultimo Dragon

Given the heated feud between Sting and Jarrett, we naturally had it carry over into this portion of the battle royal. To be more precise, we had Sting pursuing Jarrett around the ring while Jeff did all he could to put some bodies in between them. We also had a pair of natural alliances in Harlem Heat and DDP and his bodyguard Maxx Muscle. Both of those alliances were effective in both saving each other and making tandem eliminations. They actually ran up against each other after thinning the herd, and the Heat reigned supreme, tossing both Page and Muscle out of the ring.

There were less obstructions between Sting and Jarrett as the eliminations piled up, and the fans could sense the explosion coming. Just before Sting could get his hands on Jarrett, Harlem Heat got to him. Jarrett sat back and watched with a smile as Booker and Stevie put the boots to the Stinger. They picked him up and carried him towards the ropes to throw him out, but Sting slipped out behind them and sent them both over the top at the same time with a Double Clothesline. He then made a beeline towards Jeff, but referees poured in to hold him back: the action in this ring was over.

Survivors: Jeff Jarrett and Sting

Ring #3
Featuring: Arn Anderson, Billy Kidman, Brian Pillman, Bunkhouse Buck, Dean Malenko, Devon Storm, Disco Inferno, Jim Duggan, Jimmy Snuka, Junkyard Dog, Jushin Liger, Ken Shamrock, Kensuke Sasaki, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Scott Norton, Steve Armstrong, Tatanka, The Renegade, VK Wallstreet

As we revealed in an earlier segment, Arn, Pillman and Flair were all in the same ring. The three of them formed a loose alliance, but it definitely wasn't a cohesive one. Arn helped out both of them, and they did the same for him, but Pillman and Flair made no attempt to bail each other out of any trouble. We also carried the Shamrock/Norton feud over into this ring, with the two of them more concerned with beating the crap out of each other than anything else.

Outside of those two stories we also kept a close eye on the Macho Man, one of the biggest stars amongst the field of 60. Savage picked up several key eliminations en route to making the final four of the ring, finding himself staring across the ring at Anderson, Pillman and Flair. Just when it looked like Randy was in a hopeless situation, Flair grabbed Pillman by the hair and tossed him over the top rope. Both Anderson and Pillman were frustrated with Ric for throwing their plan to the wayside, Pillman obviously moreso. Flair smiled and did a strut to rub it in while Pillman fumed. Savage took that opportunity to sneak up behind and eliminate the showboating Nature Boy.

Survivors: Arn Anderson and Randy Savage

The Super Six
http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Arn.jpg~originalhttp://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Jarrett.jpg~originalhttp://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Savage.jpg~originalhttp://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Sting.jpg~originalhttp://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Giant.jpg~originalhttp://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/WCW95/Sullivan.jpg~original

Most of the Super Six were cautious once this final portion of the match began, but Sting couldn't wait to get his hands on Jarrett at last. He took the fight right to him, pummeling him from one corner of the ring to the other. Double A, ever the opportunist, came up behind and dumped them both out at the same time, and we were down to the final four just like that.

Knowing the threat that the Giant/Sullivan tandem posed, Anderson and Savage formed an unlikely alliance. They succeeded in getting Sullivan out, but Giant resisted their combined efforts to get him up and over the ropes. He shoved them both backwards, then effortlessly tossed Arn out of the ring.

It was down to the final two, and we treated Randy's chances as all but nonexistent with no one there to help him get the 7-footer out. Giant dominated, taking his time to toss the legend around the ring like a rag doll. Randy dodged a massive boot to the face and Giant's leg got caught on the top rope, causing him to lose his balance. Savage pounced, hitting the unsteady Giant with a dropkick to the back that caused him to topple over the top rope and out to the floor.

This battle royal wasn't as good as the three matches that went before it, but I think it went over OK all things considered.

Winner: Randy Savage, last eliminating The Giant at 27:58
Grade: B

Show Overall: B+

The three B+ matches:

Steiners vs. Heat: 86

Sting vs. Jarrett: 85

Hogan vs. Luger: 88

If it wasn't clear, Giant recorded the most eliminations. Also, I decided that correctly predicting the winner of the battle royal would be worth 3 points.

Predictions:

Beejus: 12

ttj0001: 11

franticloser: 10

smwilliams: 9
rtcrules: 9
Smasher1311: 9
guyver3: 9

Basmat01: 8

Zergon: 7

KnowYourEnemy: 4

Standings in Prediction Contest after 3 shows:

franticloser: 23

guyver3: 21
Beejus: 21

smwilliams: 19

KnowYourEnemy: 16

Smasher1311: 14

Zergon: 13

ttj0001: 11

rtcrules: 9

taylor22: 8
Basmat01: 8

horseman4lyfe: 6

angeldelayette: 5
CPBHBK: 5
RKOwnage: 5
Matt: 5

RingRider: 4

w4lru5: 3

Mattywood · October 27, 2014

*gives sitting ovation*

Bravo, good sir! I felt this way about your Golden Age mod, and I feel the same way here, that you have done a great job in making it feel like I'm experiencing the time period while putting your spin on things.

Nobby_McDonald · October 27, 2014

Savage v Hogan? come on Savage.

Beejus · October 27, 2014

Go Randy!

Great show brutha, though I will say that the end of Hogan/Luger didn't cast as big a shadow of doubt over Hogan as it may have wanted to, because he didn't really DO anything against Lex; I got what you're going for, but I'll wait until Nitro to see what he says about it. I will say, however, that if Luger isn't far into the main event field after that, then something is wrong, because that match was done very good.

Also, huzzah - I won a contest for once!

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