WCW: Heart and Soul

The Final Countdown · July 23, 2017

September 2002: Pre-War Games News and Notes <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg </div> Some big things are going on in our women's division. For one, Chigusa Nagayo and I agreed to terms on a buyout of GAEA. We purchased the company's titles and brought in about a dozen employees, Nagayo included. I didn't stop there though. In the immediate aftermath of that purchase I began planning for the launch of a new developmental territory in Japan which we'll use exclusively to develop our female prospects. The new child promotion will be called 5 Star Supreme Wrestling (5SSW), and I've appointed legendary former joshi wrestler Bull Nakano as the owner/booker. I'm also sending Johnny Ace over to help train the girls. A few of the GAEA acquisitions will be heading there, as will any of the girls who'd been down in Wildside and still aren't quite ready. I'm also sending Katarina Waters over there, as her angle with Luger is dead and she could use a lot of seasoning if she's going to be part of our main roster women's division. All of this set us back a few million dollars, but I think it's worth the investment. Two injuries occurred during the September 2nd Nitro, but they were on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I think anyone who saw it knew right away that Buff Bagwell was severely injured, and they weren't wrong. He injured his spinal column and will likely be out for at least a year, if he even wrestles again. He'll still be collecting a nice paycheck though, because there's still over a year left on the long-term deal he was under when we first re-launched. Shane Douglas strained his right calf during the main event that night. It did slow him a bit for the duration of that match (which may very well have been match of the year otherwise. I'm not even kidding. It was very nearly that anyway.) He was good as new by the time the next Nitro rolled around though. I guess Chris Candido was hard at work during his suspension. He returned looking noticeably more ripped. He looks more like a superstar now, but I hope this isn't a sign of further failed drug tests to come. We're doubling the field of the Stu Hart Classic this year, going from 16 entrants to 32. As a result we'll be starting it on Nitro the night after War Games. There will be several tournament matches at Halloween Havoc, and we'll end it at Calgary Stampede in November just like last year. With it being dedicated to Stu, I decided to do a favor to Bruce's relaunch of Stampede by including one of his top guys in the tournament and plugging the company in the process. He'll be sending us Kenny Omega, a 19-year old from Winnipeg who is already showing great promise and is someone my talent scouts are high on. We'll loan Yang of the Jung Dragons to Stampede in exchange. I'm also in negotiations with New Japan about sending over one of their top stars to participate in the tournament. Scott Steiner suffered a strained back doing that belly to belly off the top on The Destroyer during the September 16th Nitro, but he was looking fine days later and should be good to go for War Games. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/HLY8nvy.jpg </div> NOAH held their 'Departure' PPV on September 7th. It was a very strong show; one of their best so far this year. For a change, Misawa wasn't the standout this time. He did have a pretty good match in the semi main event, as he and Yoshinari Ogawa beat The Last Hard Men (Kentaro Shiga and Takashi Sugiura), but the easy match of the night was Akira Taue retaining the GHC Heavyweight title against Kenta Kobashi in a fantastic main event that will probably appear on most peoples' top ten lists of matches at the end of the year. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg </div> Rumor has it that New Japan took their tag titles off of TenKoji so they could split the team up, and perhaps even position them for a big feud. The company held their 'Temples of Flight' PPV on September 14th. It wasn't their best big show of the year, but it was above average in comparison to their usual PPV outings. The booking was interesting here, as Tatsumi Fujinami retaining the IWGP Heavyweight title over Masahiro Chono was only the semi main event. It's hard to argue with that decision, since the main event of Manabu Nakanishi and Kensuke Sasaki retaining the IWGP Tag Team titles over Riki Choshu and our own Shane Douglas (there on loan) was slightly better. The runaway match of the night actually happened in the midcard though, when Koji Kanemoto beat Osamu Nishimura. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/JO5PDMM.jpg </div> After putting on their best show last month, TNA fell back down a bit with one of their worst thus far. BJ Whitmer retained the TNA Heavyweight title over Sonjay Dutt in the main event. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/syuSRKH.jpg </div> AJPW held their 'Front of War Lines' PPV on September 17th. It was basically the definition of an average show by their current standards; not among their best big events of the year, but in line with normal performance. They headlined with Hiroshi Hase making his first defense of the Triple Crown against Jim Steele. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg </div> In sad news, Gangrel and Luna Vachon have gotten divorced. I saw footage of Jerry Lawler doing color commentary on a recent show for Jersey All-Pro Wrestling, and he seemed a lot bulkier than I remembered. <hr noshade size=3> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Beejus" data-cite="Beejus" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Hooray, it's back! Now I just need to get back to my own writing again and people will be back to all the great 2001 goodness that we've been missing out on lately. Way stoked for War Games, can't wait to see that one play out!</div></blockquote> I'll look forward to your return!

bonnie · July 23, 2017

War Games Match: Team Flair ("Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Sting, Sean O'Haire and AJ Styles)

*If Team Flair wins: Flair gets 5 minutes alone in the cage with Eric Bischoff

*If The Empire wins: Flair must retire

United States Heavyweight Championship: Rick Steiner

Cruiserweight Championship: "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels

No DQ: Rob Van Dam

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner

Jeff Hardy

Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki

Psychosis

Davey Boy Smith

What will be match of the night? Rick Steiner v Shane Douglas

How many championships will change hands? 2

Who will start the War Games match for each team? Styles and Corino

Who will earn the submission in the War Games match? King Corino

Who will submit in the War Games match? O'Haire

Will Rey Misterio Jr. announce his return during Piper's Pit? Yes

Will we see Kimberly tonight? Yes.

General diary comments/questions/critiques:

Wolfman84 · July 23, 2017

War Games Match: Team Flair ("Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Sting, Sean O'Haire and AJ Styles) vs. The Empire (King Corino, Chris Candido, Chuck Palumbo and TAKA)

*If Team Flair wins: Flair gets 5 minutes alone in the cage with Eric Bischoff

*If The Empire wins: Flair must retire

United States Heavyweight Championship: Rick Steiner vs. Shane Douglas {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. American Dragon {©}

No DQ: Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner vs. The Unnatural

Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk

Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Billy Kidman vs. Psychosis

Davey Boy Smith vs. Disco Inferno

What will be match of the night? Wargames Match

How many championships will change hands? 0

Who will start the War Games match for each team? AJ Styles & Chuck Palumbo

Who will earn the submission in the War Games match? Ric Flair

Who will submit in the War Games match? TAKA

Will Rey Misterio Jr. announce his return during Piper's Pit? Yes

Will we see Kimberly tonight? Yes

Welcome back TFC <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

K-Nection · July 23, 2017

Wow so Shane is not only killing it for you he is killing it for NJPW as well! Your Shane Douglas is what Curt Henning was for you in the last dynasty(only way better on the stick)!

It is a shame that Buff is most likely going to retire like that. Maybe you can send him to development as a colour guy as thank you for your service kind of thing.

I love how you ripped the C-Verse's biggest women's promotion for your dev company lol. Bull would be a great mentor and owner of this promotion.

chrismday · July 23, 2017

War Games Match: Team Flair ("Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Sting, Sean O'Haire and AJ Styles) vs. The Empire (King Corino, Chris Candido, Chuck Palumbo and TAKA)

*If Team Flair wins: Flair gets 5 minutes alone in the cage with Eric Bischoff

*If The Empire wins: Flair must retire

United States Heavyweight Championship: Rick Steiner vs. Shane Douglas {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. American Dragon {©}

No DQ: Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner vs. The Unnatural

Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk

Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Billy Kidman vs. Psychosis

Davey Boy Smith vs. Disco Inferno

What will be match of the night? Scott vs Unnatural

How many championships will change hands? 0

Who will start the War Games match for each team? TAKA/AJ Styles

Who will earn the submission in the War Games match? O'Haire

Who will submit in the War Games match? Palumbo

Will Rey Misterio Jr. announce his return during Piper's Pit? Yes

Will we see Kimberly tonight? No

General diary comments/questions/critiques:

BHK6 · July 23, 2017

Glad to see this is still alive!!!

War Games Match: Team Flair

United States Heavyweight Championship: Shane Douglas {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: American Dragon {©}

No DQ: Rob Van Dam

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner

CM Punk

The Jung Dragons

Psychosis

Davey Boy Smith

What will be match of the night? War Games

How many championships will change hands? 0

Who will start the War Games match for each team? Flair and Palumbo

Who will earn the submission in the War Games match? Ric Flair

Who will submit in the War Games match? Candido

Will Rey Misterio Jr. announce his return during Piper's Pit? Yes

Will we see Kimberly tonight? Yes

Purotastic · July 24, 2017

Fan Scorecard:

War Games Match: Team Flair ("Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Sting, Sean O'Haire and AJ Styles) vs. The Empire (King Corino, Chris Candido, Chuck Palumbo and TAKA)

*If Team Flair wins: Flair gets 5 minutes alone in the cage with Eric Bischoff

*If The Empire wins: Flair must retire

United States Heavyweight Championship: Rick Steiner vs. Shane Douglas {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. American Dragon {©}

No DQ: Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner vs. The Unnatural

Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk

Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Billy Kidman vs. Psychosis

Davey Boy Smith vs. Disco Inferno

What will be match of the night? Hardy vs. Punk

How many championships will change hands? 0

Who will start the War Games match for each team? Flair, TAKA

Who will earn the submission in the War Games match? Flair

Who will submit in the War Games match? Corino

Will Rey Misterio Jr. announce his return during Piper's Pit? No

Will we see Kimberly tonight? Yes

General diary comments/questions/critiques: Glad you've decided to push forward!

odan · July 24, 2017

War Games Match: Team Flair ("Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Sting, Sean O'Haire and AJ Styles) vs. The Empire (King Corino, Chris Candido, Chuck Palumbo and TAKA)

*If Team Flair wins: Flair gets 5 minutes alone in the cage with Eric Bischoff

*If The Empire wins: Flair must retire

United States Heavyweight Championship: Rick Steiner vs. Shane Douglas {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. American Dragon {©}

No DQ: Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner vs. The Unnatural

Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk

Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Billy Kidman vs. Psychosis

Davey Boy Smith vs. Disco Inferno

What will be match of the night?- RVD/Mortis

How many championships will change hands?- 0

Who will start the War Games match for each team?- Team Flair: Styles, Team Empire: Candido

Who will earn the submission in the War Games match?- Ric Flair

Who will submit in the War Games match?- TAKA

Will Rey Misterio Jr. announce his return during Piper's Pit?- Yes

Will we see Kimberly tonight?- Yes

General diary comments/questions/critiques: Great to see you are back and if you want to take some extra time to update the pics in between new shows i'm sure we will all be fine with that. just glad you are continuing this gem.

Cro Cop Rules · July 25, 2017

Fan Scorecard:

War Games Match: Team Flair ("Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Sting, Sean O'Haire and AJ Styles) vs. The Empire (King Corino, Chris Candido, Chuck Palumbo and TAKA)

*If Team Flair wins: Flair gets 5 minutes alone in the cage with Eric Bischoff

*If The Empire wins: Flair must retire

United States Heavyweight Championship: Rick Steiner vs. Shane Douglas {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. American Dragon {©}

No DQ: Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner vs. The Unnatural

Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk

Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Billy Kidman vs. Psychosis

Davey Boy Smith vs. Disco Inferno

What will be match of the night?: Steiner vs. The Unnatural

How many championships will change hands?: None.

Who will start the War Games match for each team?: AJ Styles and TAKA

Who will earn the submission in the War Games match?: Ric Flair

Who will submit in the War Games match?: Chris Candido (boo drugs boo).

Will Rey Misterio Jr. announce his return during Piper's Pit?: No, he will get attacked before he gets to commit.

Will we see Kimberly tonight?: Yes!

General diary comments/questions/critiques: So glad to see this back TFC! I've always highly entertained by your diaries, but this is definitely my favorite.

The Final Countdown · July 26, 2017

September 22nd, 2002: War Games <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/JilKX8m.png September 22nd, 2002 From the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina Attendance: 19,257 Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart http://i.imgur.com/y93UBAQ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/4Xw5lCb.jpg Official Theme Song: "War Games" <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e9AKdwyKQJE" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/e9AKdwyKQJE"</a> frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons (w/Stacy Keibler) http://i.imgur.com/p13CqOT.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/iZiezx2.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/s9FsjTY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/mCg9320.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/wYALDHD.jpg </div> These two teams went out and had a good opener. It was right at the same level as their first match at last month's PPV, which is pretty impressive considering Hayabusa and Shinzaki are significantly more over in Japan than they are here in North Carolina. The quality was mainly due to the work of Hayabusa and the Dragons though, because Shinzaki was a weak link in this one. They didn't go all out with the flying this time, but obviously all four guys did plenty of aerial stuff. The ending came when a double dropkick knocked Hayabusa to the floor, and the Dragons hit a double flying senton on Shinzaki to win the match and avenge their loss from last month. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Billy Kidman (w/Torrie Wilson) vs. Psychosis http://i.imgur.com/jL0KtAH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/VMwitRH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/vlVyIA6.jpg </div> Now that the crowd was properly warmed up, I had Kidman and Psychosis go out and offer up a high flying bonanza. It was one big aerial high spot after the other, from moves off the top rope and dives to the floor. I thought both guys performed well in this style of match, though Kidman was much better. Part of that may have been Psychosis' stamina. He didn't completely gas out or anything, but he did look slightly fatigued by the closing stretch. Speaking of the closing stretch, Kidman hit his Sitout Spinebuster and then delivered the Shooting Star Press to record the pin. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/WWA8fPj.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/l0qRIIJ.jpg</div> DDP was joined in the ring by Bobby Heenan, and Dallas revealed that a mutual friend tipped him off that Kimberly was going to be in the building tonight. He'd tried to find her in the back so they could handle this in private, but she was apparently going out of her way to avoid him because he was never able to find her despite several other people confirming they'd seen her around the building. Since they couldn't do it back there, they'd just need to do this out here. "So please, Kim, come out here so we can put this behind us and move on with our lives," he said. He was sincere enough, but based on the fan reaction during this segment I got the feeling that the 'One More Run' gimmick he's been using has outlived its usefulness, especially in this storyline. We'll need to give him something new soon. Anyway, after a brief pause... <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/jAnziwr.jpg</div> Out came Kimberly, who was all smiles. She joined Dallas in the ring and shook hands with both her ex-husband and Heenan. Dallas thanked her for coming out so they could finally address this. He talked about their real-life divorce, only he made no mention of CM Punk and instead said that they'd simply "grown apart." (That didn't stop some of the smarks from chanting Punk's name.) He said that they might not be married anymore, but he'd always care for Kim and wished her nothing but the best. She smiled and said she felt the same way, and that's why she'd shown up to watch from the back when he challenged Booker T for the world title at Great American Bash, and also came to offer her moral support during his match at Bash at the Beach. Dallas successfully sold the awkwardness as he thanked her for that, but said that he felt it was best if they just go their separate ways. Without dropping her smile, Kimberly nodded. "I agree, Dallas. It's for the best if we just move on and find new happiness. And guess what? I already have!" she exclaimed. Still smiling, she practically skipped to the back while DDP just stared at her, confused. I kept everyone scripted here because I didn't have a lot of faith in Kimberly to improvise. Her performance wasn't very good even with a script to work off of, but DDP came out of this looking like a much bigger star than the other two (which he is, obviously.) <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B+</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">No DQ: Rob Van Dam vs. Mortis (w/Father Isaac) http://i.imgur.com/uj4FkBt.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg </div> The idea we were trying to establish here was that even though RVD was a veteran of these types of matches from his ECW days, Mortis has a well-earned reputation as an innovator of offensive moves, and having the ability to incorporate weapons would allow him to get even more creative (and dangerous.) To get that concept over I instructed both guys to do everything they could to make this feel like a wild, untamable brawl. Both guys responded well, using weapons like a chair, kendo stick, the ring bell and a camera in ways that made the match feel like an intense brawl rather than a nonsense hardcore match were guys just use weapons to use them. The match was hurt a bit by RVD all but ignoring the extensive work Mortis had done on his legs earlier so he could perform some of his flashy high spots. The match was also shorter than I think most fans were expecting and/or hoping. I don't think the crowd had fully crescendoed by the time we went to the finish, but I made a conscious decision to limit the length of this and some other matches so this show didn't run overly long. As the match wore on, Tenay and I sold the story that for RVD to overcome Mortis' spectacular and creative offense, he was going to need to be less flashy and more vicious. Van Dam drove that point home by ducking a chair shot and hitting the Van Daminator, then picking up the chair and simply smashing Mortis across the back and ribs about a half dozen times. He followed up with the Five Star Frog Splash for the win; he came down awkwardly and drove his knee into Mortis' ribs, which was not intentional. I couldn't tell if Mortis was legit hurt or just selling in the aftermath, but I wouldn't have time to check on his condition until after the show. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/zAUQMDu.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/LyKOnBY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/cAw5Dl8.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/eX0IXCy.jpg</div> Arn Anderson summoned Etsuko Mita and Manami Toyota to his office. He apologized for not booking their title match on this show, and both women were still unhappy with him for that and made it clear. He explained that they had not been left off the show as a slight; just the opposite, it was being saved for a very special moment. He revealed that negotiations were well underway between WCW and their television partners for a new, one hour weekly TV show that would be devoted exclusively to the women's division. The show should debut in October, and the very first episode would be headlined by Toyota challenging for the championship! That appeased both women, and they left in a much better mood than they'd entered. I wish we could've given a name and/or premiere date here, but neither are set in stone yet. We have to wait until Saturday Night is off the air before we can finalize anything, and I'm still not sure what I want to call the show. Maybe I should ask for fan opinions on our website? <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B-</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. American Dragon {©} http://i.imgur.com/GoltiY2.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/xJ35HqH.jpg </div> Chavo joined Mike and I on color for this match. He was there to further his story with his "protege" by criticizing American Dragon for being ungrateful for everything he'd done for him. He did that, but focused too much on his story to the exclusion of everything else, and it took away from the story being told in the ring. This match wasn't bad at all, but I expected it to be a bit better. I'm sure it would've been a different story if I'd given them more time and allowed them to really build up to a big finish, but again, I was looking to conserve time here. They did what they could in the time they were given, but this won't be a highlight of either guys' year or anything. Anyway, Daniels' air of superiority was being stripped away bit by bit here. With every moment that Dragon used his mat wrestling skills to wear Daniels out, the Fallen Angel's claims of being "God's gift to the Cruiserweight division" looked to be in jeopardy. But he had an insurance policy... <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/uY8UroB.jpg</div> Out came Brian Adams, who entered the ring while Daniels argued with the ref and surprised Dragon with a Choke Slam. Daniels took advantage with the Angel's Descent to steal the title; meanwhile, mentor Chavo watched from commentary and did nothing to help. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B-</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/u4Nhu66.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/LuHGjH3.jpg</div> Separately, Bischoff and Flair cut final backstage promos to hype tonight's War Games match. There was nothing to complain about in Eric's performance. He did his job in saying that the team he assembled was unstoppable, they were going to dismantle Flair's team, Flair wouldn't be getting his five minutes in the cage, and his career was over. But this segment belonged to Flair, no question about it. We got a vintage Flair promo tonight. He was fantastic, and the fans in Greensboro ate up every second of it. "Bischoff, Empire, tonight you walk into MY world! You step into War Games, but not only that, you're stepping right into the heart of Flair Country, WOO! The Horsemen ruled Greensboro! The Nature Boy RULED Greensboro! Right here, Greensboro Coliseum, Thanksgiving 1983, the first ever Starrcade, I stepped into a steel cage with Harley Race, one of the toughest men to ever lace a pair of wrestling boots, and I won the world's heavyweight championship! One year later, same time, same place, I beat the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes in the Million Dollar Challenge with "Smokin" Joe Frazier as the special referee! I've beaten the best of the best right here in the Greensboro Coliseum! And you think you're going to end it all tonight, Bischoff? You think your boys are going to end the career of the Nature Boy tonight? Over my dead body! "Maybe I'm not the man that I was in 1983 anymore. Maybe the wheel of time has turned on Ric Flair. But tonight, you're going to find out that even if I'm not the man I once was, I'm still more man than any of you! Tonight, we walk that aisle and enter The Match Beyond. With the Stinger, Phenomenal AJ and big Sean beside me, we will destroy your Empire and your delusions of greatness! And after it's done, Bischoff, I'll destroy YOU! WOOOOOOOOO! GREENSBORO, LET'S DO IT ONE MORE TIME! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: A*</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner (w/Midajah) vs. The Unnatural (w/Father Isaac) http://i.imgur.com/QEoXr2L.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/k45HPCq.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg </div> I wasn't interested in trying to get a classic out of these two guys at this point in the show. I just wanted them to put on a solid, psychologically sound match that told a good story, and that's what I told them to do. That's exactly what this was. It wasn't a MOTY contender by any means, but it was a good match that did its job. Dustin works well as this Unnatural character, which is sort of a darker twist on his old Goldust persona (without crossing over into the trashy stuff Vince had him do late in his run there.) He was able to get some good heat on Scott with some aggressive brawling and shady heel tactics, but Scotty made his big comeback with a flurry of suplexes and slams. He showed no ill effects from his strained back on Nitro as he tossed The Unnatural's 230-pound body around the ring with ease. Once he slapped on the Steiner Recliner, it was all over. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B</div> Steiner called for the microphone after the match, but Dustin wasn't his focus. He called out Booker T, calling him a "whining bitch" (hopefully our censors had their fingers hovering over the mute button the minute Scott Steiner grabbed a live mic.) He said he was sick and tired of listening to Booker T whine about his spot and about not being given main event matches. "You want a main event, boy?" he hollered. "I'll give ya a main event ass kickin'! I still got a guaranteed world title match anytime I want it from the UFS, and I'm takin' it at Halloween Havoc! So shine that belt up real nice in your crack house in Harlem or wherever the hell you go when you ain't showin' up for work, because I'm takin' it back from you just like I did last year!" I may wince at some of the stuff Scott says, which flies in the face of our family-friendly approach. But I can't deny that the guy can talk, and he was very good tonight. Judging by the fan response to this promo, I think they're already looking forward to the main event of Halloween Havoc. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: A*</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk http://i.imgur.com/1tytiqE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/SAWQKXw.jpg </div> I view these guys as two of the future pillars we'll be hoping to build the main event scene around. They could very well be the two top stars in the company in the not too distant future, and I viewed this singles match as something of a test run to see how they'd work together without Matt and Lance in the picture. If this match was any indication, my faith in both Jeff and Punk is well-founded. Taking advantage of some of the matches earlier in the show that were kept comparatively shorter, I gave them plenty of time to start off slow and take their time to build the crowd up. It worked. After a few brief moments for Jeff to shine at the beginning, Punk took control with some ground work while jawing at the crowd and doing his best to get them behind Jeff. That was an easy task tonight, especially in Jeff's home state of North Carolina. The fans were hot for him, urging him to fight back, and they popped big when he ducked a Punk lariat and dropped him with a mule kick to begin his comeback. Neither of these guys are really at the main event level yet as far as name recognition, but they still stole the show with this electric match. Just imagining what they might be able to achieve if we can get them over to that level has me very excited about the future of this company. Punk regained control with a thumb to the eye and went for his Devil Lock DDT, but Jeff slipped out of that and countered with the Twist of Fate. After flashing the Hardy hand signal, Jeff removed his shirt (to the approval of many of the female fans) and went to the top rope for the Swanton Bomb. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/sOdsktm.jpg</div> Before he could hit it though, Lance Storm ran out from the back and shoved him off the top rope in clear view of the referee for a DQ. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: A http://i.imgur.com/YIpiDFE.jpg</div> Matt ran out for the attempted save, but the True Heroes were ready for him. They withstood his initial charge and used their 2-on-1 advantage to overcome him, battering him with punches before dropping him to the mat with a double back suplex. The Heroes put a beating on both Hardys, working them over with chairs despite officials trying to get them to stop. They shoved past the referees to grab the microphone and made their point clear: they were the top tag team in wrestling, and they were coming to get their belts back. They even posed with the belts briefly for good measure before dropping them at the feet of the fallen Hardys. This entire angle was only added to the lineup shortly before the show began, but more on that later. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B+</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/FIVYBul.jpg</div> Piper was out first to provide the introduction to the Piper's Pit segment. He reminded us about the vicious beating Rey Misterio Jr received from Booker T at Bash at the Beach, in which he suffered the Book End on the exposed concrete floor and was stretchered to the back. That was the last we'd seen of Rey until a recent sit-down interview with Bobby Heenan, but tonight was to be his first time to address the fans live and in person since Bash at the Beach. "What's it gonna be, folks?" Piper asked. "Is Misterio gonna return to the ring and wow us all with his amazing flying moves, or did Booker T beat the will to fight right out of him? I don't know any more than you do, so let's find out together right here and right now! Ladies and gentlemen, my guest, Rey Misterio Jr!" <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpg</div> Rey did indeed come out, but he was back under the mask. He answered Roddy's question in no uncertain terms: not only was he medically cleared to return, but he was focused and ready mentally to pick up where he left off. He explained that he'd put the mask back on because he was embracing his roots and heritage, and also going back to basics. "Booker T might have thought that he put an end to Rey Mysterio Jr. at Bash at the Beach, but all he did was give me even more motivation! I fight not just for myself; I fight for mi familia! Rey Mysterio Jr. is back, and I'm going to be better than ever!" We kept things scripted here to avoid the potential of Rey screwing up. Unfortunately Tenay hurt things with his commentary, doing too big a hard sell about how historic this was and coming across as phony. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B+</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Davey Boy Smith vs. Disco Inferno http://i.imgur.com/e6Tpw6t.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/35Od9kC.jpg </div> No one took this match seriously heading in, and that was kind of the point. This match was here to let the crowd cool off and relax after the Hardy/Punk match, which I correctly believed would be an epic. We kept it short (only slighter longer than the average TV squash match) and made no real effort to try and get Disco over as a credible threat to win. He was here to lose, and that's what he did once Davey hit the Running Powerslam. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: C+</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/mitTbCm.jpg Rick Steiner vs. Shane Douglas {©} http://i.imgur.com/JJpe0Lr.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/mS6Goca.jpg </div> Rick is only a mediocre worker at this stage of his career, so it was going to be up to Shane to carry the load in this match. That's nothing new to him after his program with Mark Jindrak, and he was up to the challenge once again. This was a pretty good match, largely thanks to Douglas, who led Steiner through the match and helped him come across as a credible challenger as he sold for Rick's suplexes and basic power offense. Shane's work might not be flashy, but he's developed into one of our more reliable workers (and is generally a great promo as well.) Carrying over from the buildup, the story told was Douglas trying to work Steiner into a blind rage and goad him into wrestling recklessly. That strategy seemed to backfire when a slap to the face riled up Rick, and he started reeling off punches and Steiner-lines. The assault kept up even as Douglas was backed against the ropes, and when Rick didn't let up despite his warnings, referee Nick Patrick stepped in to try and pull him back. That was all the opening Douglas needed to punch Steiner in the face and hit the Franchiser to retain the title. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div> We began stalling for time as the War Games cage was set up. The first thing we did was air a short video promoting the second annual Stu Hart Classic, beginning tomorrow night on Nitro. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: C</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg</div> Next up was a promo from Booker T "live" from his home in Houston (we actually taped it earlier in the week, but kayfabe!) He responded to Scott Steiner's announcement from earlier by saying he was happy about defending his title against "Big Poppa Pump" at Halloween Havoc. It was a chance for him to right a major wrong. "Errbody knows I shoulda never lost this title in the first place, man! When you "won" this title from me last year at Bash at the Beach, you didn't pin me and I never quit! You spent the next five months walkin' around with MY title, but now it's back where it belongs! Now you think you're stealin' it from me again at Halloween Havoc? Guess again, dawg! This belt ain't goin' nowhere, not this time! See you at Halloween Havoc, sucka! And to you chumps in the War Games match tonight, have fun killin' each other in MY main event spot, 'cause next month the champ's comin' back to the spotlight where I belong!" <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B+</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/f9QKn3b.jpg War Games! Team Flair ("Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Sting, Sean O'Haire and AJ Styles) vs. The Empire (King Corino, Chris Candido, Chuck Palumbo and TAKA, w/Eric Bischoff and Tammy Sytch) If Team Flair wins: Ric Flair gets 5 minutes alone in the cage with Eric Bischoff! If The Empire wins: Ric Flair must retire! Beginning the match... http://i.imgur.com/Ht8KF88.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg AJ Styles and TAKA</div> We had the two cruiserweights start the match off. Obviously the structure of the match limited what they could do, as far as taking away their high flying spots. Both guys did the best they could to adjust though, and they had a pretty entertaining and fast-paced opening period. Even though he was limited in what he could do, I thought TAKA adapted to the circumstances very well. He got some heel heat, but when he went to throw AJ into the cage, AJ blocked it with his foot and caught TAKA with an elbow to the face. A vertical suplex lift into a neckbreaker had AJ firmly in control as this five minute opening period expired, but he was about to have a fresh member of The Empire to deal with. <div style="text-align:center;">Entering the cage second for The Empire... http://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpg Chuck Palumbo</div> The newest member of The Empire joined the fray. Styles was ready and took the fight right to him. Despite Palumbo being the bigger and stronger of the two, AJ held his own until TAKA recovered and got back in the mix. With both Empire members working together, they soon had Styles at their mercy. They battered AJ, whipped him back-first into the cage and executed a tandem move where Palumbo used a belly to back suplex while TAKA simultaneously came off the top rope with a double foot stomp. Before any further damage could be done, the timer for this two minute period neared its end and the fans began counting down for the next entrant. Team Flair broke from their huddle on the floor with Sting approaching the door, prepared to enter as soon as it was unlocked. Just when he was about to, though... <div style="text-align:center;">Bolting right past Sting and entering the cage for Team Flair... http://i.imgur.com/zbQxlTu.jpg Sean O'Haire</div> Sean O'Haire just couldn't wait to get his hands on his former partner. He ignored the agreed upon strategy, shoved Sting out of the way and ran through the open door. He went straight for Palumbo, tackling him through the ropes and into the second ring. He got on top of Chuck and just started unloading with punches to the face, and when TAKA tried to intervene O'Haire grabbed him by the throat and launched him over the ropes and back into the other ring! Palumbo begged off, but O'Haire was relentless, punching, kicking and choking him as he backed up into the corner. Chuck's performance wasn't too impressive tonight; even with AJ and TAKA having some of their greatest strengths taken away by the cage, he was probably the weakest part of this match. O'Haire really thrived though, and was one of the standouts. <div style="text-align:center;">The third man in for The Empire... http://i.imgur.com/I7app7W.jpg King Corino</div> O'Haire was one of the standouts, but King Corino was THE standout. He was right at home in this match, and as a result he was quite easily the MVP of this main event. He warily stepped around O'Haire as he entered the cage, but Sean was so focused on his former friend turned bitter enemy that he ignored him. Corino took advantage of this by going over into the other ring and attacking AJ Styles. Styles met him with an initial barrage of punches, but doubled over in pain when Corino caught him with a knee right to the ribs that had been damaged by TAKA's top rope double stomp earlier. The self-professed King rocked Styles with punches, and TAKA finally recovered to help him subdue AJ with a Spike Piledriver! That rendered AJ a nonfactor, and Corino and TAKA returned to the other cage to help Palumbo. O'Haire fought with wild fury, but that only got him so far against a 3-on-1 attack. The Empire members finally got the better of O'Haire and brought him to his knees, and Corino and TAKA pinned his arms behind his back. Palumbo was much more courageous with O'Haire now helpless, and he trash-talked his former partner and slapped him across the face! O'Haire's eyes went wide with fury, but he could do nothing but kneel and take it as Palumbo sized him up and gave him a big boot to the face. The Empire members posed and celebrated their handiwork while looking over to the Team Flair door, where participant number three was about to enter. <div style="text-align:center;">Coming in third for Team Flair... http://i.imgur.com/cxjgZpP.jpg Sting</div> With both Styles and O'Haire down on the mat, things weren't looking good for Sting. He stepped into the ring nearest his door, where AJ was still out, and thumped his chest as if to dare all three Empire members to come and get him. They smiled and made to do just that--and that's when the Stinger struck. He ran full-speed and dove clear over both sets of ropes to wipe out all three of his foes! Knowing the element of surprise would be fleeting and he needed to continue to strike while he had the momentum, he picked up the fatigued TAKA and tossed him back into the other ring. Corino was up to his feet first, and Sting hit him with punches and backhand strikes before hurling him halfway across the ring with a hip toss. Palumbo got up next by pulling himself up in a corner, and Sting was ready to greet him with a Stinger Splash! I have to say that even though the crowd popped pretty good for Sting, he didn't look too great in this match. He barely even cleared the ropes on that diving crossbody, and wouldn't that have been a match-killer! Anyway, Sting had cleaned house, and O'Haire soon recovered enough to join the attack. He went right back to beating on Palumbo, while Sting focused on Corino. AJ was still down and selling the Spike Piledriver, but TAKA wasn't in any condition to capitalize either. Things were going Team Flair's way, but it was now time for the final member of The Empire to enter. <div style="text-align:center;">The final man in for The Empire... http://i.imgur.com/OZDc3yZ.jpg Chris Candido</div> Our cameras captured Tammy Sytch whispering instructions to Candido while Bischoff subtly slipped something into his hands. He entered the ring and charged straight at Sting, knocking him back against the ropes. The plan quickly became apparent: Bischoff had given him handcuffs, and he was going to try and cuff Sting to the ropes. Sting struggled though, and after knocking Candido back with a headbutt, he hit him with a big punch that sent the cuffs flying. It looked like he'd dodged a bullet, but then Corino kicked him below the belt. That dropped Sting to his knees, and Corino scooped the cuffs off of the mat for another attempt. Candido assisted him, and together they succeeded in cuffing Sting's hand to the ropes. Corino took a moment to mock Sting by "holding up his dukes" just out of his range, and then The Empire set about destroying their remaining opponents. AJ Styles was first; he had recovered and was faring pretty well against TAKA in the other ring, but Corino and Candido put a quick stop to that. The three of them battered Styles and launched him face-first into the cage! AJ crumpled to the mat, bleeding from the head, and it was now all four members of The Empire against Sean O'Haire. The big man actually fought off Candido and TAKA for a moment, but Corino craftily approached from the blind side and chop blocked the big man's knee. That dropped O'Haire, and all four members of The Empire worked him over until the cage door was set to open for the final time. <div style="text-align:center;">And last but not least, the final man to enter the cage... http://i.imgur.com/u4Nhu66.jpg Ric Flair THE MATCH BEYOND BEGINS!</div> With Styles bloodied and down, Sting handcuffed and O'Haire the victim of a 4-on-1 mugging, things looked bleak for the Nature Boy. Faced with these odds, Flair actually turned away from the cage door. Mike and I wondered if he was having second thoughts, especially with his career hanging in the balance, but he wasn't actually fleeing. Instead he was walking towards the other ring, where Bischoff was still standing! Upon realizing what was happening, Eric's cocky smirk turned into a look of fear. He ran up the aisle (no ramp this time due to the two ring setup) in a blind panic. Flair began chasing him, then noticed that in Eric's haste he'd dropped the baseball bat he'd brought to ringside. Ric smiled, picked up the bat and brought it with him as he entered the cage at last. Ric entered the fray with an equalizer--but would it be enough against four enemies, with no partners in a position to help him? We were about to find out. After looking back and forth between each other uncertainly with no Bischoff there to guide them, King Corino took control and barked out orders to the rest of the group. They cautiously advanced into the next ring, and moved in as one. Flair got in a hard bat shot to the ribs of TAKA, and got a good whack in on the leg of Palumbo to drop him to his knees, but he couldn't take all of them at once. Corino and Candido tackled him to the mat and began punching him in the face. Ric fought back wildly, but couldn't fight them off. The gambit had failed. Out of nowhere, with blood covering his face, AJ Styles flew into the picture with a huge flying clothesline that sent himself, Candido and TAKA all flying over the top rope and into the next ring! Palumbo looked confused as to what to do next, and then O'Haire solved that dilemma for him by spinning him around and into a Samoan Drop! It was now Flair and Corino, one on one! A rejuvenated Nature Boy went to town on Corino with a big chunk of his offensive arsenal, including chops, a running knee drop and the atomic knee crusher. The fans in Greensboro 'Wooed' along with him as he stepped through and dropped back into the Figure Four! Everyone could sense the tap out coming as Corino tried in vain to find some means of escape. Except Corino had one more ace in the hole, and now he played it. He reached into his tights, slipped a pair of brass knuckles on his hand and clobbered Flair right in the face! Escaping the Figure Four was child's play after that, and he now had free reign to batter Flair. He mocked Flair with a strut and a woo, then picked up the bat from the corner of the ring where it had wound up. He raised the bat over his head and smashed Flair in the leg with it! That woke Ric from his dazed state, as he was now screaming in pain! Not content with that, Corino raised the bat and struck Flair's leg a second time! Only then did he drop the bat, and in the ultimate insult, he applied Ric's own Figure Four! Flair was howling in pain! O'Haire saw what was happening and turned to help, but TAKA dropkicked him in the back of the knee and effectively took his legs out from under him. Styles tried to leap over his opponents to get back into the other ring and make the save, but Palumbo caught him out of midair and rammed him into the side of the cage. No help was coming, but Flair refused to quit despite the immense pain in his legs. In-ring referee Nick Patrick looked as if he wanted to call for the bell, but Flair screamed "Don't you dare, dammit!" <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/zAUQMDu.jpg</div> Arn Anderson, WCW Commissioner--and Ric Flair's best friend--came running down to ringside. He beat his hands against the cage, wanting to enter and help his friend, but knowing he couldn't. He begged Ric to quit, but Ric shouted "NEVER!" Arn took his glasses off, rubbed his hands across his face--and told outside referee Charles Robinson to stop the match! Flair continued screaming no, and Robinson looked petrified, but Arn again told him to stop the match. Heeding the orders of his boss, Robinson called for the bell, ending not only the match, but the 29-year pro wrestling career of Ric Flair. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B+</div> Eric Bischoff returned to ringside as the bell sounded, grinning from ear to ear. He and his group celebrated, but they headed to the back quickly. I didn't want them out there too long, because I knew the crowd in Greensboro would be emotional after the ending of the match. They weren't the focus anyway. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B</div> As the smoke cleared, the new reality set in: a reality without the Nature Boy. Tenay and I sold the shock of Ric Flair's legendary career coming to an end, but I think I did much better in that role than Mike. The referees helped free Sting of his handcuffs, and the defeated team gathered around Flair. They helped him up to his feet, but he shoved them back, wanting to walk (or limp) on his own. He looked straight at Arn Anderson and began cursing him out. Even without a microphone, the cameras could still pick up words like "backstabber" and "sell-out." Arn tried explaining that he was only looking out for Ric's long-term health, but Ric was having none of it. Sting stepped in to try and play peacemaker, but Flair continued screaming at his longtime friend as the PPV went off the air. Arn did a good job here as the conflicted man who'd made an extremely difficult choice, and Ric and Sting weren't bad either. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: A</div></div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Show Overall Grade: A</div>

Beejus · July 26, 2017

I don't want to comment on anything specific in case of my post giving anyone spoilers, but I had to post as soon as I read to say that was an awesome show, brutha.

DiamondKnucklez · July 26, 2017

This was such a great show man, so glad to know you did not give up on this. The Jeff Hardy Vs CM Punk match was my favorite. Really excited to see you build the future of WCW around them 2. I want to predict and hope that some day them 2 get the main event at Starcade for the world championship. Hell, make it a steel cage too and it would be an historic match. Especially, if you continue to build history around them both to some day build it up. The main event was by far amazing. I really was not expecting that finish, it was crazy! The whole match had me so invested on what would happen. Im so excited to see what happens on Nitro, especially with the Stu Hart Classic. I am so pumped for Steiner Vs Booker T at Halloween Havoc, you did an amazing job building that rematch up. Your dynasty is by far my favorite man, reading your work makes me so inspired to create a WCW dynasty myself. Keep up the talented and amazing work TFC!

K-Nection · July 26, 2017

Wow....I can't say much without spilling all the beans....that was one hell of a write up!

Danny_H22 · July 26, 2017

Another fantastic show! It's great having you back, dude.

Your play by play for the main event was phenomenal

odan · July 26, 2017

did not see that coming.

thecoolestjedi12 · July 26, 2017

This show was well worth the wait, great stuff.

KnowYourEnemy · July 26, 2017

Sir, I look forward to the debut of the newest Power Plant graduate...

http://i.imgur.com/BAP3pEA.png

The Space Mountain "I'm not Natch" Rider. He takes opponents on wonderful rides to Disney's Space Mountain. It's quite a fun experience, you should go!

smartman · July 27, 2017

Well, the lay-off sure didn't rust any of your skills, TFC. Epic A++++++ show. I'd guessed how the main event would end, and the location of the show clinched it. Still it was great, and now I can foresee Arn losing his job due to his actions and being replaced by Flair. Can't let the greatest on-mic performer sit un-used or just a road agent.

The Final Countdown · July 27, 2017

September 2002: War Games Wrap-up and Hall of Champions <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I stood with the rest of the boys, waiting by the curtain. Everyone started clapping enthusiastically the moment Ric Flair crossed the threshold, and I was among them. He had tears in his eyes as he accepted well wishes, handshakes and general admiration from the vast majority of the locker room. I'm pretty sure he wasn't the only one either. It was an emotional moment for everyone. "Congrats on one hell of a career, Ric," I said as he walked by me. I held out my hand, and for a moment he just stared at it. He did eventually shake my hand, but he brushed past me as quickly as he could manage. Under the circumstances, I didn't hold it against him. Ric isn't ready for his career to be over. He thinks he can still go inside the ring. I think differently. He can still cut a promo like few others, and he understands psychology better than any member of the active roster. But physically, he's less than a shadow of what he was in his prime. He's almost always the worst performer in his matches these days, even with opponents he'd have been carrying on his back ten years ago. Maybe it wouldn't be as big a problem in the old WCW or current WWE, where there's less focus on ring work and he could get by on reputation and charisma. But in modern WCW, my WCW, where ring work is the name of the game and we work a more physically demanding style, Ric's decline is all too noticeable. I suppose I could've just allowed him to keep going as long as he wanted, jobbing him out to any up and coming guy we try to get over. But I honestly feel like that would be a waste. I believe he can still contribute a lot to this company, but in a non-wrestling role. He'd make a great road agent or trainer, or we could insert him as somebody's mouthpiece and let him work his magic on the microphone. I think there are any number of positions where he could be an asset for WCW, but in-ring wrestling isn't among them anymore. It was with that thought in mind that I devised this entire storyline. I thought ending his career the way we did, in the match we did and in the place we did, was a fitting send-off for Ric Flair the in-ring wrestler. Ric is still adamant about wrestling. Even as late as earlier today he tried to talk me into changing the finish, but I wouldn't budge. I think this is for the best. Hopefully Ric will come to agree in time. I'll be giving him some time off after a final appearance on tomorrow's Nitro, and we'll see where everything stands when he gets back. I think he still believes he can talk me into letting him wrestle again, and he's hinted that if I don't, he might leave when his contract's up to continue his career somewhere else. Hopefully he doesn't try to force my hand, but we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg </div> My initial plan was for Punk to beat Jeff Hardy tonight, but Jeff complained a bit about that idea as he felt it would hurt him. He's a big part of our future and I want to keep him happy, so I changed it to the DQ finish and added the continued beatdown by Punk and Storm after the match. Mortis was thankfully okay after RVD's botched Five Star Frog Splash, but he was pretty upset with Rob for nearly injuring him. The returning Brian Adams' heel turn was a complete success. I've seen positive signs on some recent house shows that he and Christopher Daniels should be able to work well together in a bodyguard type role, ala Diesel and Shawn Michaels. AJ Styles and TAKA both let me know that they thought the War Games match restricted them too much, and they'd be better in matches that rely less on brawling. They're not wrong, but this was a special scenario. I thought TAKA adjusted really well anyway, but neither of them should have to worry about being in too many brawls going forward. In addition to saluting Flair after the show, I also praised Corino for being the star performer in the War Games match and pointed to CM Punk as a good example for going along with the last-minute booking change in his match without complaint. I'm sure DDP loved hearing me praise the guy who stole his wife, but that's personal and this is business. I've finalized a trade with New Japan that will allow us to use Yuji Nagata in the Stu Hart Classic. Nagata is a really good technical wrestler and a main event talent for New Japan. He also spent well over a year in WCW from 1997 to 98. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg </div> War Games wasn't the only big PPV tonight. WWE also ran their September offering, Unforgiven, tonight in Texas. They continued the WWE Championship program from Summerslam. On that show Eddie Guerrero beat Hulk Hogan, but Hogan retained the title since Eddie won via count out. Eddie got his rematch in tonight's main event--and this time he pinned Hulk clean to win the title. I must have stepped into some sort of alternate universe, because Hulk Hogan putting new blood over in such a huge fashion flies in the face of everything I understand about the world. He certainly never did it for me! The fans in Texas loved it though, especially the heavy Hispanic base. Eddie certainly deserves it, but it's not the best outcome for us in our head-to-head battle. That was a very good match, thanks to the crowd heat and Eddie's hard work, but it wasn't the best of the night. That honor belonged to the semi main event, where Kurt Angle retained the ECW title against Chris Jericho in a fantastic technical wrestling match. On the strength of those two matches, most of the early internet reports I've seen have Unforgiven as being better than War Games (but only by a razor-thin margin.) Tommy Dreamer also won the European title from Mr. Perfect on the show. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Prediction Scores (out of a possible 17 points): deanohbk: 12 tg01: 12 Uncrewed: 11 smw88: 11 michgcs: 11 LordofGustav: 11 Happy0wns: 10 DavidCorperial: 10 GnarlsFunk: 10 bonnie: 10 DGenerationMC: 9 Warhawk8492: 9 K-Nection: 9 sportsfanmas: 9 crackerjack: 9 Satyr24: 9 odan: 9 Ian carlisle: 8 evileddie10: 8 Destiny: 8 jscotty: 8 SIser187: 8 Dead_Jester: 8 Wolfman84: 8 chrismday: 8 Beejus: 7 Rateddc: 7 Danny_H22: 7 2Sweet: 7 KnowYourEnemy: 7 BHK6: 7 Purotastic: 7 Cro Cop Rules: 7 cbacon87: 5 </div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Current Standings in UFS Prediction Contest after 3 shows: Warhawk8492: 31 bonnie: 31 Satyr24: 31 Uncrewed: 31 jscotty: 30 LordofGustav: 30 smw88: 30 Purotastic: 29 chrismday: 29 Dead_Jester: 29 crackerjack: 29 deanohbk: 29 sportsfanmas: 28 odan: 28 BHK6: 27 evileddie10: 27 GnarlsFunk: 27 Happy0wns: 27 SIser187: 26 Ian carlisle: 26 DGenerationMC: 26 Rateddc: 25 Wolfman84: 25 K-Nection: 25 michgcs: 25 cbacon87: 24 Beejus: 23 shawn michaels 82: 22 The Lariat: 20 Danny H22: 18 franticloser: 18 Nobby_McDonald: 18 Kijar: 17 GingeyOne: 17 Cro Cop Rules: 17 Jackets: 15 KnowYourEnemy: 15 tg01: 12 Gravyb0y: 11 Crossface: 10 DavidCorperial: 10 Greggyb: 9 Briskout: 9 smartman: 8 Destiny: 8 2Sweet: 7 </div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Hall of Champions: World Heavyweight Champion: http://i.imgur.com/haJKoFv.jpg Booker T (5th reign) http://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpg Won: May 19th, 2002 from Rob Van Dam at Mayhem in Worcester, Massachusetts Previous Champions (since March 2001): Rob Van Dam: December 30th, 2001-May 19th, 2002 (140 days) Scott Steiner: July 15th, 2001-December 30th, 3001 (168 days) Booker T: March 26th, 2001-July 15th, 2001 (111 days) World Women's Champion: http://i.imgur.com/741TrEA.jpg Etsuko Mita http://i.imgur.com/cAw5Dl8.jpg Won: January 9th, 2002 against Zap I during the AJW Glass Grave Yard tour in Annaka, Japan after Aja Kong vacated the title when she left AJW ((Mita was the reigning WWWA World champion when AJW was bought out by WCW. The title was adopted into WCW with its lineage intact, and Mita was recognized as WCW's Women's World Champion.)) Previous Champions (since January 2002): None United States Heavyweight Champion: http://i.imgur.com/mitTbCm.jpg Shane Douglas (2nd reign) http://i.imgur.com/mS6Goca.jpg Won: April 1st, 2002 from Rey Misterio Jr. at Monday Nitro in Pikeville, Kentucky Previous Champions (since March 2001): Rey Misterio Jr (#2): October 14th, 2001-April 1st, 2002 (169 days) Kanyon: August 5th, 2001-October 14th, 2001 (70 days) Rey Misterio Jr: May 13th, 2001-August 5th, 2001 (85 days) Booker T: March 18th, 2001-April 30th, 2001 (44 days) Cruiserweight Champion: http://i.imgur.com/u0cJ04Z.jpg "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels http://i.imgur.com/GoltiY2.jpg Won: September 22nd, 2002 from American Dragon at War Games in Greensboro, North Carolina Previous Champions (since March 2001): American Dragon: August 11th, 2002-September 22nd, 2002 (42 days) AJ Styles: April 21st, 2002-August 11th, 2002 (112 days) TAKA: December 30th, 2001-April 21st, 2002 (112 days) Jushin Liger: August 5th, 2001-December 30th, 2001 (147 days) Shane Helms: March 18th, 2001-August 5th, 2001 (140 days) World Television Champion: http://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg Fit Finlay (2nd reign) http://i.imgur.com/5Xhxf90.jpg Won: July 29th, 2002 in a tournament final against Hugh Morrus at Monday Nitro in Bozeman, Montana Previous Champions (since July 2002): None World Tag Team Champions: http://i.imgur.com/S0cu0uO.jpg The Hardys (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) http://i.imgur.com/YIpiDFE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/1tytiqE.jpg Won: July 14th, 2002 from True Heroes at Bash at the Beach in Melbourne, Australia Previous Champions (since March 2001): True Heroes (Lance Storm and CM Punk): December 30th, 2001-July 14th, 2002 (196 days) The Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire): January 14th, 2001-December 30th, 2001 (351 days) </div> <hr noshade size=3> Thanks for the warm welcome back and feedback on this show! I've always thought the War Games matchtype would be a really fun one to write, and I consider this my first true chance to do so. (I did have one in my WCW 1995 diary, Let There Be War, but it was a match already locked in place when I started so I didn't have a chance to build it up. Plus it featured The Zodiac, who only ever managed to entertain me via OSW.) I'm considering running a prediction contest for every match of the Stu Hart Classic. If I do it I'll probably keep it separate from the current ongoing contest, as six months' worth of PPVs feels like quite long enough as it is for one contest! Anyone have any ideas on a name for the upcoming women's TV show? Keep in mind that it'll need a logo, so I'm somewhat limited in options unless I reuse an old WCW show like Main Event or Worldwide or something. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DiamondKnucklez" data-cite="DiamondKnucklez" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>This was such a great show man, so glad to know you did not give up on this. The Jeff Hardy Vs CM Punk match was my favorite. Really excited to see you build the future of WCW around them 2. I want to predict and hope that some day them 2 get the main event at Starcade for the world championship. Hell, make it a steel cage too and it would be an historic match. Especially, if you continue to build history around them both to some day build it up. The main event was by far amazing. I really was not expecting that finish, it was crazy! The whole match had me so invested on what would happen. Im so excited to see what happens on Nitro, especially with the Stu Hart Classic. I am so pumped for Steiner Vs Booker T at Halloween Havoc, you did an amazing job building that rematch up. Your dynasty is by far my favorite man, reading your work makes me so inspired to create a WCW dynasty myself. Keep up the talented and amazing work TFC!</div></blockquote> Well it won't be JUST them, of course. I've got a strong crew of young, talented workers who should make for a great main event nucleus down the road. But one thing that sets Punk and Jeff apart is their star quality. With both guys having shot into the 90's there, they're the primary two that could give WWE's best a run for their money. A Starrcade main event is a definite possibility in the future, but we'll see what happens. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="KnowYourEnemy" data-cite="KnowYourEnemy" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Sir, I look forward to the debut of the newest Power Plant graduate... http://i.imgur.com/BAP3pEA.png The Space Mountain "I'm not Natch" Rider. He takes opponents on wonderful rides to Disney's Space Mountain. It's quite a fun experience, you should go!</div></blockquote> Just imagine Dusty showing up to try and get to the bottom of this controversy! <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="smartman" data-cite="smartman" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Well, the lay-off sure didn't rust any of your skills, TFC. Epic A++++++ show. I'd guessed how the main event would end, and the location of the show clinched it. Still it was great, and now I can foresee Arn losing his job due to his actions and being replaced by Flair. Can't let the greatest on-mic performer sit un-used or just a road agent.</div></blockquote> If anything I think it helped. After about a month off from this, I came back extremely motivated and excited for this show, and the main event in particular. Very few of the predictors went with The Empire to win, and I'm not sure if any of them had Corino making Flair submit as the finish. So I guess you're the only one who had me figured out! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

tg01 · July 27, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The Final Countdown" data-cite="The Final Countdown" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div style="text-align:center;"><div> </div> Very few of the predictors went with The Empire to win, and I'm not sure if any of them had Corino making Flair submit as the finish. So I guess you're the only one who had me figured out! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Well......almost no one picked Corino to make Flair submit....*ahem* <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> With that said though a wonderful PPV, a wonderful return....so glad you are back!!</div></blockquote>

K-Nection · July 27, 2017

On a side note Hogan blocked me with his creative control when I tried to pull the title off of him using Eddie. But he didn't complain about the count out loss so I really wanted to give Eddie the rub. That is hilarious that they managed to get the belt off him using Eddie the very next month <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

If someone can come up with a good name I might try my hand at a few logos for the Women's show.

I keep thinking things such as...... New Beginnings Wrestling

Eastern Stampede Wrestling

Women's World Order

New Women's Renascence

Women's Revolution Wrestling

Vixen's Pro Wrestling Nation

KnowYourEnemy · July 27, 2017

Hm... I'd personally go with WCW Presents American Woman for the obvious song tie-in.

Some other quick thoughts:

Giants of Joshi

Girls Saturday Night Out

Girl Power Hour

Sugar and Spice and Joshi Puroresu

Venus Championship Wrestling: Main Event

K-Nection · July 27, 2017

A few more names.....

Empress Championship Wrestling

New Empress Wrestling

Empresses of the Rising Sun

I have a hunch you want to run this show primarily in Japan because that is where most of the women's roster is over. I'm also curious of how close you are to be considered National?

odan · July 27, 2017

World Class Women

Great Lady's Of Wrestling

RingRider · July 27, 2017

World Championship Women (WCW)

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