WCW: Heart and Soul

BHK6 · August 20, 2017

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Rey Mysterio Jr.

World Tag Team Championship: True Heroes {©}

United States Heavyweight Championship: Shane Douglas {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels {©}

Booker T and Bobby Roode

Rob Van Dam

Diamond Dallas Page

Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's match: The Hardys

Chuck Palumbo and TAKA

What will be match of the night? Rey and the King

How many championships will change hands? 0

Will Father Isaac's newest Salvation recruit appear on this show? If so, who is it? No

TIEBREAKER: How long will the Stu Hart Classic Finals last? (minutes and seconds) 24.31

Cro Cop Rules · August 20, 2017

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. King Corino

World Tag Team Championship: AJ Styles and Sting vs. True Heroes {©}

United States Heavyweight Championship: Davey Boy Smith vs. Shane Douglas {©}

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

The Steiner Brothers vs. Booker T and Bobby Roode

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Candido

Diamond Dallas Page vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's match: The Hardys vs. Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Sean O'Haire and Jamie Knoble vs. Chuck Palumbo and TAKA

What will be match of the night?: Rey vs. Corino

How many championships will change hands?: One

Will Father Isaac's newest Salvation recruit appear on this show? If so, who is it?: Yes, Abyss!

TIEBREAKER: How long will the Stu Hart Classic Finals last? (minutes and seconds): 25:16.

Danny_H22 · August 20, 2017

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. King Corino

World Tag Team Championship: AJ Styles and Sting vs. True Heroes {©}

United States Heavyweight Championship: Davey Boy Smith vs. Shane Douglas {©}

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

The Steiner Brothers vs. Booker T and Bobby Roode

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Candido

Diamond Dallas Page vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's match: The Hardys vs. Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Sean O'Haire and Jamie Knoble vs. Chuck Palumbo and TAKA

What will be match of the night? AJ/Sting v True Heroes

How many championships will change hands? 1

Will Father Isaac's newest Salvation recruit appear on this show? If so, who is it? Yes, Raven

TIEBREAKER: How long will the Stu Hart Classic Finals last? (minutes and seconds) 26:46

tg01 · August 22, 2017

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. King Corino....let's go Rey!

World Tag Team Championship: AJ Styles and Sting vs. True Heroes {©} What's that a ladder match at Starrcade you say? But who will they face??

United States Heavyweight Championship: Davey Boy Smith vs. Shane Douglas {©}

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

The Steiner Brothers vs. Booker T and Bobby Roode....just the keep the Steiner's thing going

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Candido...and your Co-Main Event for Starrcade is.....RVD vs. King Corino!

Diamond Dallas Page vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's match: The Hardys vs. Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons....a DRAW! To set up the craziest four way ladder match in the history of ladder matches at Starrcade! Can you just imagine these four teams in that sort of match? Seriously.....that would be the epicest of epic ladder matches......only thing I could think that would make it better would be a....SUPER KICK PARTY....but that's still a ways off haha

Sean O'Haire and Jamie Knoble vs. Chuck Palumbo and TAKA...is this the beginning of something for Jamie Knoble? Hope so!

What will be match of the night? Rey/Corino....there's a few matches I think could compete for it, but I'm going to hope your Main Event delivers here!

How many championships will change hands? 0

Will Father Isaac's newest Salvation recruit appear on this show? If so, who is it? Yes....I saw Raven a lot, and I sort of like that idea even if I don't really think that's who it will be.

TIEBREAKER: How long will the Stu Hart Classic Finals last? (minutes and seconds) 28:34

GingeyOne · August 22, 2017

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. King Corino

Sticking with Rey!

World Tag Team Championship: AJ Styles and Sting vs. True Heroes {©}

This should be a great match, can't see a makeshift team unseating the Heroes though...

United States Heavyweight Championship: Davey Boy Smith vs. Shane Douglas {©}

I think Davey has done well enough to earn a short comeback run

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

I see Brian Adams and Chavo and Dragon's issues setting the path for a Daniel retain.

The Steiner Brothers vs. Booker T and Bobby Roode

Huge match for young Bobby Roode. Hope he learns a lot before taking the fall.

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Candido

Fairly easy win for RVD

Diamond Dallas Page vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's match: The Hardys vs. Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons

Sean O'Haire and Jamie Knoble vs. Chuck Palumbo and TAKA

What will be match of the night? Stu Hart Classic Final

How many championships will change hands? One

Will Father Isaac's newest Salvation recruit appear on this show? If so, who is it? No. Save it for Nitro

TIEBREAKER: How long will the Stu Hart Classic Finals last? 27.23

General diary comments/questions/critiques: Loved the changes this month has brought. Lots of new talent making their way through!

The Final Countdown · August 23, 2017

<div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/x5CGLS7.png November 24th, 2002 From Calgary, Alberta, Canada Attendance: 4,200 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: "Desperado" by The Eagles <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hhe0ULrAHIw" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/hhe0ULrAHIw"</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;">#1 Contender's match for the World Tag Team Championship: The Hardys vs. Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki vs. The Jung Dragons (w/Stacy Keibler) http://i.imgur.com/YIpiDFE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/1tytiqE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://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> I worried that the Hardys might see this as a bit of a demotion from what they'd been doing and might not give it their best effort here, but my concern wasn't needed. Matt and Jeff put in their customary hard work, and between their exciting offense and popularity they were front and center in this match. Jeff was predictably the star. His signature spots got the biggest reactions of the match, and he also impressed with some improved technical wrestling to switch things up here and there. Matt was strong as well, and there was a huge gap between them and everyone else. Hayabusa, Yang and Hayashi were perfectly fine; they just aren't at the level of the Hardys, at least not as a complete package, and it showed. Jinsei Shinzaki sadly brought up the rear with a performance well below everyone else. This match was first fall wins, so there were lots of spots where a member of one team would go for the victory only for the third team to break it up. There was obviously plenty of aerial stuff on display here with these six guys, but they didn't go so far with it that it became a spotfest. The ending sequence began with Jeff popping the crowd with a somersault plancha to the floor that wiped out Hayabusa and both Jung Dragons. From there Matt hit the Twist of Fate on Shinzaki, and the Hardys earned a chance to regain the tag team titles. <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 American Dragon vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels {©} (w/Brian Adams) http://i.imgur.com/xJ35HqH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/DhzkzHt.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/GoltiY2.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/9hagqOD.jpg</div> Everyone knew the score here: the "student/teacher" relationship between American Dragon and Chavo, never strong to begin with, was crumbling outright. That played into the story of this match, as they'd frequently argue with each other. Well, it was more like Chavo would argue when Dragon would attack him or break up his attempts to win; Dragon just wrestled the match normally. There was some decent action here, but something just wasn't working. This is the second time in the last three PPVs that Daniels and Dragon, two of our better young talents in the cruiserweight division, have shared the ring and produced results I'd consider lackluster. It's all the stranger since Daniels beating unknown prelim guy Eddie Edwards in a Nitro squash was better than both matches. Regardless, Dragon was starting to take command of the match when Brian Adams threatened to come into the ring. That distracted Dragon just long enough for Chavo to surprise him with a brainbuster. Before Chavo could attempt a pin though, Daniels tossed him to the floor and hit the Angel's Descent on Dragon to retain his 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><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/FIVYBul.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/4CP35O5.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/4Hgahfk.jpg</div> Salvation (still without The Unnatural, though he should be cleared any day now) visited Piper's Pit. Roddy brought them on to try and get Father Isaac to spill the beans on who his new recruit is, but Isaac would not answer him or even give any hints. His only comment was that their newest brother would give them a clear way to progress on a path they had not yet explored. Isaac didn't look too good here. Roddy tried to stir the pot by asking Mortis and Destroyer if they were offended that Isaac was recruiting new members without their input and not even sharing the information with them after the fact. Piper looked good as the instigator here, and Mortis similarly looked good as he said there was no reason for them to be angry with Isaac. They trusted the Father, and they had every confidence in his judgment. Destroyer showed some improved acting as he warned Roddy against trying to create his own headlines. "Salvation remains strong, and with The Unnatural soon to return and our newest brother on his way, we will soon be stronger than ever before!" Isaac declared. <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;">Sean O'Haire and Jamie Knoble vs. Chuck Palumbo (w/Tammy Sytch) and TAKA (w/Eric Bischoff) http://i.imgur.com/zbQxlTu.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/omw6AWI.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/eX0IXCy.jpg </div> This match was here primarily to further the feud between the former Natural Born Thrillers, and that was the focus right away as O'Haire ran into the ring and attacked Palumbo before the bell rang. They brawled with each other quite a bit throughout the match. Chuck didn't perform very well and was honestly the weakest link in the match, but Sean did pretty good. TAKA led the way as the match's best performer, wowing the crowd with a few cool aerial highlights and also doing some nice chain wrestling with Knoble. TAKA's standout performance wasn't surprising given how talented he is, but O'Haire wasn't too far behind him. He's a solid brawler, and his technical skills have improved a bit as well. He'll never be confused for a technician or anything, but he's at least good enough to carry his weight. Palumbo, tired of dealing with O'Haire's relentless attacks, threw up his hands and fled up the ramp. Sean ran after him, following in close pursuit all the way to the back. That left Knoble and TAKA in the ring to finish the match. They nicely blended mat wrestling and flying, going back and forth and teasing near-falls on both sides, until Knoble trapped TAKA in a guillotine choke and got him to tap out for his highest profile win in recent memory (maybe ever?) <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/h1ELRYf.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/racEiy5.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/l0qRIIJ.jpg</div> We ran another vignette for Made in Italy, again with an introduction provided by Bobby Heenan. It was similar to the first, with Parisi and Mamaluke walking the streets in their expensive-looking suits, but it wasn't exactly the same. They talked about some of the more well-known tag teams in WCW, saying that none of them had their sense of style. "I wouldn't be caught dead in those brightly-colored rags Matt and Jeff Hardy wear," Johnny quipped. Bobby once again came across well, while Mamaluke's performance was poor. I'm considering signing a few different potential valets and testing them out with the duo in dark matches to see if any click, because I think it could enhance their act. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: D+</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;">Diamond Dallas Page vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms (w/Kimberly) http://i.imgur.com/WWA8fPj.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hlbUlLo.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/zg45wjq.jpg </div> The focus here was less on the in-ring action and more on the soap opera-ish story which has Kimberly, DDP's ex-wife, managing his opponent. The match was fine, helped out by some natural chemistry between DDP and Helms, but a real point of concern to me was watching how Helms performed with Kimberly in his corner. While the two do work well together (which is why Helms was paired with her to begin with), Shane doesn't seem to know how to work a manager into his routine without hindering his own performance. That negates most of the positives of pairing him with Kimberly and really has me questioning how long I'll keep them together. Everyone was waiting for Kimberly to get more involved beyond simply clapping and encouraging Shane, and inevitably she climbed onto the apron to distract DDP. He turned to tell her to get down off the apron and stay out of this, which left him open for a blind side attack from Helms. Dallas saw it coming though, stepping out of the way. Helms had to put on the brakes to avoid colliding with Kimberly, and turned around right into a Diamond Cutter. <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;">Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Candido (w/Tammy Sytch) http://i.imgur.com/uj4FkBt.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/OZDc3yZ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/omw6AWI.jpg </div> RVD might be our top overall performer and Candido's pretty capable in his own right, so I anticipated this being one of the best matches of the night. I carved out a good chunk of time so they wouldn't have to rush anything and could let the match build up organically. There were some issues with the story told here, specifically with some limb work going ignored, and that held the match back from being truly great. It was still very good though thanks to the talents of both men, not to mention RVD's popularity. Candido spent a lot of time working over RVD's legs, but Van Dam overcame that with some kicks and aerial stuff (back to my point about problems with the story.) When Candido's strategy didn't seem to be paying off, he started going for flash pins in hopes that he'd be able to catch Rob in a sudden 3-count. RVD was able to get his shoulders off the mat every single time and eventually came away with the victory via Five Star Frog Splash, getting some payback on Candido and The Empire for knocking him out of the Stu Hart Classic. <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/I7app7W.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/eX0IXCy.jpg</div> Corino and Bischoff cut a backstage promo to hype the main event. Both men delivered the goods in this segment. Corno was good as he again bragged about retiring Ric Flair, said that he had become the true master of the figure four leglock and once he got it on Rey Mysterio Jr. tonight, the match would be over. As good as Corino was, Eric was even better. He really knocked it out of the park with a speech about his uncanny ability to identify and develop talent, from Bill Goldberg to Eddie Guerrero to The Giant to, yes, even Rey Mysterio Jr. "But my greatest find of all was this man to my left," he said, pointing to a smirking Corino. "I'd dreamed for years about finally retiring that old fart Ric Flair, and King Corino made that dream a reality! Now it's time for The Empire to elevate WCW to heights unseen in its history, and it all starts tonight when Corino wins the Stu Hart Classic and punches his ticket for a World Heavyweight Championship match at Starrcade!" <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;">The Steiner Brothers vs. Booker T and Bobby Roode http://i.imgur.com/Wi1oegS.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/JJpe0Lr.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/BSCxEF8.jpg </div> Talk about a high profile spot to make your PPV debut! It wasn't surprising to see the match drag when Roode tagged in. Not so much because of his ring work, because he's a solid worker; he's just not over at all yet, so the crowd reaction was muted for him. Scott Steiner was the polar opposite. The fans in Calgary loved Scotty and popped huge for everything he did. He ate it up, flexing and posing in between striking his opponents and suplexing them around the ring. The match itself was good but not a contender for match of the night, but as an individual performance Scotty might have been the MVP of the show. The story here was built around the Steiners and whether or not they were truly on the same page. They functioned well early on, showing off their team chemistry and experience that Booker and Roode, tagging for the first time ever, had no hope of answering. Booker looked sharper than usual both when he was trading holds with the Steiners on the mat and when he executed a couple of flying maneuvers, but a lot of the time he took it easy on the apron and left it to young Roode to carry the load. Booker and Rick battled in the ring while Scott battered Roode on the floor. Rick was faring pretty well for himself against the 5-time world champion, but as referee Nick Patrick's attention was momentarily on the fight raging outside the ring, Booker kicked Rick below the belt. He crumpled in a heap and was quickly victimized by the Book End. Scott looked up in time to see his brother being covered and tried to return to the ring to break it up, only for Roode to grab onto his leg and hold him in place long enough for Booker to get the three count. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: B</div> Scott kicked Roode off of him just after the bell and climbed into the ring, despite knowing he was too late to change anything about the outcome. Booker rolled out and grabbed his belt in a hurry, but Scott paid no attention to him. He walked right up to Rick and started yelling at him. Rick pointed to his groin in an obvious attempt to explain what had happened, but Scott just kept shouting at him. He turned and left ringside in disgust, leaving Rick to recover in the ring on his own. <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/ffZqipS.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/a0mKYEd.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/jL0KtAH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/VMwitRH.jpg</div> We did a brief segment where Rey's close friends Konnan and Billy Kidman, along with Torrie Wilson, tried to motivate him as he got ready in his locker room. Not much to it. <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/S0cu0uO.jpg AJ Styles and Sting vs. True Heroes {©} http://i.imgur.com/Ht8KF88.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/cxjgZpP.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/sOdsktm.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/SAWQKXw.jpg</div> We've been sitting on this Styles/Sting title shot for over a year, since the conclusion of the first UFS. Between Sting's participation in Flair's feud with The Empire and AJ's cruiserweight title run, there was just never a good time to do it until now. The match was fine, but not up to the usual standards the Heroes have set. This was actually the worst tag team title match since last year's Calgary Stampede show, where Palumbo and O'Haire retained the titles against Doomsday one month before Storm and Punk ended their reign. A lot of that had to do with Sting. It would've been tough for him to keep up with the other three guys involved in the match even if he'd performed as well as he's currently able, which he did not. AJ had no such problems, but it was still clearly the True Heroes who were carrying this one. As good as Sting and Styles are individually, there was no substitute for the teamwork displayed by the tag team champions. The Heroes used mat wrestling to ground AJ, trap him in their half of the ring and wear him out. A hot tag allowed Sting to briefly run wild, but their teamwork overcame it. After Punk staggered Sting with a dropkick to the back of the head, Storm struck with a superkick to finish him off. <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/mitTbCm.jpg Davey Boy Smith vs. Shane Douglas {©} http://i.imgur.com/e6Tpw6t.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/mS6Goca.jpg </div> Building off of last month's dq finish, Douglas did everything he could to make Davey Boy angry. He trash talked him, slapped him, and led him on a merry chase around ringside. Everything he did in the first several minutes was done in the name of trying to get the challenger to make a mental mistake. But the Bulldog did not bite (heh.) He refused to let Douglas get into his head, and with every power move he hit, the fans in Calgary started to believe more and more that he'd complete his road back by capturing the United States title. Douglas adapted and started doing some ground wrestling, specifically targeting Davey's arm. The fans popped as Davey lifted Shane over his shoulder for the running powerslam, but Douglas squirmed free, took him down to the mat via the arm and went for a crossface. Davey used his arm to prevent the hold from being fully applied, but suddenly found himself rolled onto his back with a cradle that he couldn't kick out of in time! This match was good, pretty much exactly at the same level of their match last month, as well as Shane's defense against Rick Steiner the PPV before that. Seems like I can throw Shane in there with pretty much anybody and count on a semi main event match that will be good without having to worry about it being a blow-away that will overshadow the main event. I know a lot of people expected me to give Davey the win here for the feel-good moment, especially in Calgary, but Shane is doing good work with the title and I also have a story in the wings for him. I've got something cooking for Davey as well, so all is not lost. <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.jpg</div> We went to the offices of Arn Anderson. The man in charge said he hoped everyone was enjoying the show thus far, with the main event still to come. But as great as tonight had been, he couldn't help but look ahead to the granddaddy of them all, the original wrestling supercard, Starrcade. He made a big deal out of the fact that Starrcade would be held in Australia for the very first time, on December 29th. Just as he was about to wrap up and send us back to ringside, an aide entered the office and handed him a note. When Arn asked who it was from, the aide said she didn't know as it was delivered anonymously. He unfolded the piece of paper, read its contents and frowned. And the plot thickens... <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/OZDc3yZ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/3ZTpoTU.jpg</div> We cut away from the ring introductions for our main event as Mike and I had gotten word that something suspicious was going on near the curtain. A camera made its way back to find Chris Candido and Chuck Palumbo lurking, evidently laying in wait for Rey Mysterio Jr. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/uj4FkBt.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/zbQxlTu.jpg</div> The plot was foiled when Rob Van Dam and Sean O'Haire went on the attack! With the Empire members now occupied, the planned sneak attack on Rey Mysterio Jr. was a no go. (None of the men involved in this segment had to speak, but Palumbo still looked very underwhelming. It's no secret who the star of that team was.) <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/1qogKhQ.jpg Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. King Corino (w/Eric Bischoff) http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/I7app7W.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/eX0IXCy.jpg </div> This was a chance for a major statement for both of these guys. Both Rey and RVD were strongly considered for this spot, but I put my faith in Rey despite Van Dam being the more over of the two. He'd come through with an excellent semifinal match against Lance Storm, but this was an even bigger spot. As for Corino, he was the logical heel to go with here on the heels of retiring Ric Flair in War Games. I'd say there was more pressure on him here though, with this being his first singles main event. Did the two of them rise to the occasion and pass the test? I'd say yes, but it's probably more accurate to say that they rose well beyond the occasion and breezed through the test like they had a cheat sheet. This match was an instant classic. It was every bit as good as the Lance Storm/AJ Styles match from Nitro, and the Observer currently ranks it as our best singles match since the relaunch. I gave them close to forty minutes, and the match didn't drag for a single second. They built it up perfectly, knowing when to slow things down, when to build heat and when to have Rey explode with his exciting offense. Both guys did great here, but I was mildly surprised to see that Corino was actually slightly better tonight than Mysterio, one of the most talented workers in the world. Did he deserve the rub of retiring Flair? I think he answered that question beyond all doubt tonight. The scheme laid out by Corino and Bischoff had been obstructed by RVD and O'Haire, so he needed to try and beat Rey on his own merits. He took the rather obvious route of grounding Mysterio with mat wrestling, focusing on his legs both to negate his flying and to soften him up for the figure four he'd "inherited" from Flair. Any time Rey was able to get to his feet and start flying, Bischoff would pound the mat and urge Corino to take him back down. It was all a question of which style would prevail. Rey had things going his way after a big flurry, but Corino avoided a springboard attack and took him to the mat with a double leg. From there he quickly went for the figure four, but Rey countered into a small package! Nick Patrick hurried into position and counted once... twice... ...but Corino kicked out just in time! He hurried to his feet, flustered by the counter and near defeat, and charged at Rey to put him right back down. Rey was ready for him though, using Corino's own momentum against him with a drop toehold that sent him throat-first across the middle rope. Rey struck from that position with a boomerang kick to the face, and as Corino staggered backwards, he was hit with the springboard hurricanrana. Patrick counted the one... two... ...three! The classic bout was won by Rey Mysterio Jr. in 37:21, setting up a championship match against the man who injured him back at Bash at the Beach, Booker T. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: A http://i.imgur.com/4Xw5lCb.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/0QMJTAT.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/e6Tpw6t.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/q5GmbOH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/MAaFqtV.jpg</div> After that incredible match it was time for the trophy presentation. I was joined by Teddy Hart and Nattie just like last year, except this time they're both already on the main roster. This year we were also joined by Davey Boy and his son Harry Smith, who is still currently working in Wildside. All of the others were just there to provide a bit of gravitas to the moment though, because I was the only Hart that spoke. I congratulated Rey on his win, said this match and this victory had been a great honor to witness, and handed him the trophy. He shook my hand and thanked me. He paid homage to the man the tournament was named after, saying that even if he'd never met Stu, he knew his reputation and the respect he'd earned from everyone he'd ever worked with in wrestling. He said he was humbled by the win and thanked the fans for having his back. They'd supported him all these years, they continued to support him after the beating he'd been given by Booker T back in June that had him doubting himself, and they'd motivated him to come back better than ever. Now all that was left for them to keep supporting him as he defeated Booker T at Starrcade and silenced every doubter he'd ever had in his career by becoming the World Heavyweight Champion! Rey has a tendency to stumble when he speaks off the cuff, so I gave him very specific talking points to focus on here. Not only was that a good idea, but after I came to the back and had a chance to rewatch the footage, I was really impressed with the job Tenay did on commentary at selling this as a historic moment. He talked about what an incredible and improbable journey this had been for Rey, a man constantly underestimated and overlooked because of his size, to win this tournament and earn a chance at the world title on the biggest show of the year. Mike sometimes goes over the top and sounds hokey when he tries to get an angle over, but he nailed it tonight. It was a great way to close the show. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: A*</div></div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Show Overall Grade: A</div> Thanks once again to K-Nection for the poster!

K-Nection · August 23, 2017

Loved this show! I swear if I ever won the lottery I would seek you out to book my wrestling company . I don't want to say any spoilers so I'll leave it at that.

Blah.....I missed one match on those predictions! I was hoping to bat a 1.000 on that show to put me back in the running but I don't think I have enough points though.

DGenerationMC · August 23, 2017

Great show with several surprising results.

And kudos on getting an Eagles tune as the theme song.

DiamondKnucklez · August 23, 2017

Awesome show here man! Really enjoyed it, the battle between Misterio &

Corino was tremendous. After what all transpired here, I absolutely cannot wait for Starcade 2002. Btw, really like how you went Japan for the event in 2001 and now Australlia for 2002. I think that's a neat way to give fans out of the US, a special treat by giving them the original, biggest event of the year. Also, liked how you used an Eagles song!

The Final Countdown · August 23, 2017

November 2002: Calgary Stampede Wrap-up <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg </div> In our post-show meeting, I praised Rey and Corino for their spectacular main event. I also singled out Scott Steiner for doing such a great job and not phoning it in during his mid-card tag match. I was really pleased with the show as a whole. It was right on par with Great American Bash and Bash at the Beach earlier in the year as our best PPV shows. Hopefully we can at least reach this level next month at Starrcade, if not do even better. This show set up our two big matches at Starrcade: Rey challenging Booker for the World title, and the fourth (and final) showdown between the Hardys and True Heroes over the tag titles. Traditionally the Rey/Booker match would be the automatic main event for the biggest show of the year, but I'm considering putting the tag team match in that spot. These same pairings were featured at Bash at the Beach. I put the tag match on last there and they were ever so slightly outperformed by Booker and Rey, but that was mostly because I told them to work an all-out pace for too long. Another error on my part hurt the third Hardys/Heroes match, but I think we've worked out the kinks now and they should be able to have a blow away match. Booker told me he's been watching Tony Mamaluke on house shows and is impressed by his in-ring improvement, while Scott Steiner thinks Mike Sanders isn't charismatic. He's got more charisma than in-ring ability, but it's not like I'm featuring him at all. He's just a guy. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg </div> WWE held Survivor Series tonight as well. They were over in Japan, as they have been all month (maybe because we're breathing down their necks over there?) The main event and match of the night was Kurt Angle retaining the ECW title against Chris Jericho in a classic match. That match was better than anything on our show (even our own great main event), but this was the very definition of a one match show. The next best match was Juventud Guerrera and Jerry Lynn working to a no contest with Juvi's Light Heavyweight title on the line, and that would've been maybe the fifth or sixth best match on our show. On the whole, there was no clear winner between the two shows in terms of quality. WWE champion Eddie Guerrero did not wrestle on the show, only appearing in a brawl with Benoit and Triple H. I have to think they've got a title unification match planned, maybe at Mania. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg </div> New Japan must have felt their costs were getting out of hand, because they just laid off a large number of workers, including some notable stars, excellent workers and promising young lions. Here's the complete list: AKIRA Brian Johnston Gedo Heavy Metal Jinsei Shinzaki Katsuyori Shibata Kendo Kashin Michiyoshi Ohara Mr. Gannosuke Negro Casas Rob Rage Scott Norton Shinsuke Nakamura Sumo Fuji Tadao Yasuda Takashi Uwano Tatsutoshi Goto <hr noshade size=3> <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 12 points): evileddie10: 11 BHK6: 11 2Sweet: 10 Uncrewed: 9 K-Nection: 9 Kijar: 9 sportsfanmas: 9 tg01: 9 bonnie: 8 Satyr24: 8 deanohbk: 8 DavidCorperial: 8 jscotty: 8 Wolfman84: 8 Warhawk8492: 7 Happy0wns: 7 smw88: 7 Dead_Jester: 7 GnarlsFunk: 7 Rateddc: 7 DiamondKnucklez: 7 odan: 7 crackerjack: 7 Cro Cop Rules: 7 DGenerationMC: 6 Ian carlisle: 6 Nobby_McDonald: 6 Beejus: 6 GingeyOne: 6 michgcs: 5 chrismday: 5 Danny_H22: 5 KnowYourEnemy: 4 </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 5 shows: Uncrewed: 50 Warhawk8492: 48 bonnie: 46 Satyr24: 46 evileddie10: 46 deanohbk: 45 BHK6: 44 Dead_Jester: 43 GnarlsFunk: 43 sportsfanmas: 43 jscotty: 43 crackerjack: 42 odan: 42 K-Nection: 42 smw88: 41 Happy0wns: 41 Ian carlisle: 39 Wolfman84: 39 chrismday: 38 DGenerationMC: 38 Rateddc: 38 Beejus: 37 michgcs: 35 Nobby_McDonald: 32 Cro Cop Rules: 32 Kijar: 32 LordofGustav: 30 cbacon87: 29 Purotastic: 29 Danny H22: 29 tg01: 28 SIser187: 26 DavidCorperial: 24 2Sweet: 24 GingeyOne: 23 shawn michaels 82: 22 The Lariat: 20 KnowYourEnemy: 19 franticloser: 18 Jackets: 15 DiamondKnucklez: 13 Gravyb0y: 11 Crossface: 10 Greggyb: 9 Briskout: 9 smartman: 8 Destiny: 8</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>Stu Hart Classic Predictions: (maximum possible: 33) DavidCorperial: 30 (32:17) Dead_Jester: 30 (26:34) GingeyOne: 30 (27:23) DGenerationMC: 29 odan: 29 tg01: 29 evileddie10: 28 Happy0wns: 28 Rateddc: 28 BHK6: 28 Cro Cop Rules: 28 Jackets: 28 K-Nection: 27 crackerjack: 27 GnarlsFunk: 27 Satyr24: 26 deanohbk: 26 bonnie: 26 Uncrewed: 25 Ian carlisle: 24 jscotty: 24 cbacon87: 24 2Sweet: 23 chrismday: 23 Warhawk8492: 23 Wolfman84: 23 Beejus: 23 Danny_H22: 23 michgcs: 22 smw88: 21 LordofGustav: 21 DiamondKnucklez: 20 RyanR93WKU: 19 KnowYourEnemy: 17 </div></blockquote> <hr noshade size=3> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Loved this show! I swear if I ever won the lottery I would seek you out to book my wrestling company <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />. I don't want to say any spoilers so I'll leave it at that. Blah.....I missed one match on those predictions! I was hoping to bat a 1.000 on that show to put me back in the running but I don't think I have enough points though.</div></blockquote> I'll be waiting. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> You're very much in the running. Right now you're one point behind several people who are tied for 8th place. Starrcade will be a big show, plus don't forget about the potential three point bonus for anyone who picked Rey as the next world champion. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DGenerationMC" data-cite="DGenerationMC" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Great show with several surprising results. And kudos on getting an Eagles tune as the theme song.</div></blockquote> It's a bit different from the songs I usually use, but I thought it fit the theme of this particular PPV well. <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>Awesome show here man! Really enjoyed it, the battle between Misterio & Corino was tremendous. After what all transpired here, I absolutely cannot wait for Starcade 2002. Btw, really like how you went Japan for the event in 2001 and now Australlia for 2002. I think that's a neat way to give fans out of the US, a special treat by giving them the original, biggest event of the year. Also, liked how you used an Eagles song!</div></blockquote> It doesn't hurt that I'll draw a bigger crowd in Australia than I currently could anywhere else. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

KnowYourEnemy · August 23, 2017

I'd put True Heroes vs. The Hardy Brothers in the Main Event -- Tag Team excellence is a time-honored tradition in the WCW. Could it be a Night of the Skywalkers sequel? I'm not sure what "match type" the Scaffold is in the WCW Lives mod, but I've seen it entered as "High Spots" before. I know TLC pretty much always gets classified under High Spots.

I think a manager would really bring some gravitas to that final encounter -- when does Lita's contract expire? Failing that, you could always bring back Michael Hayes for the role -- or maybe have Gangrel come in for a one-off? And for True Heroes... you've got Colt Cabana in Developmental, that'd be a great way to bring him in. Or, you could bring in someone from Right to Censor -- Ivory? Stevie Richards?

I hope, at some point, you do write a scaffold match. It'd be a fun read.

K-Nection · August 23, 2017

Just the mere fact you are entertaining the idea of having a tag match main event Starrcade is a testament of how far the division has come along.

A unification exactly one year after sounds kind of dumb to me especially with their stacked roster. Even without buying WCW they could feesibly do a brand split and be killing it.

Beejus · August 23, 2017

Quick, grab Scott Norton and make him the Jung Dragons bodyguard! #GiveDragonsAChance!

You have definitely done a great worldwide expansion with WCW, I don't think I would even think of holding Starrcade outside of the US. Potentially Canada, but even that is a long shot. But here you're having done two season finale PPVs in two different countries. It's almost surreal to think about, but that's the joy of these WCW 01 games; you can't "copy real life" with any decisions or booking because there is no real life equivalent. The only thing someone can do is see someone do an idea that one person had planned better than what another would do, but that's just you keeping me on my toes <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Booker vs. Mysterio should be one hell of a barn burner, can't wait to see how that goes. I think unless you're playing with repetitive booking off, I would go with them as the main event. That way, just in case the Tag title match doesn't hold up compared to the last few, you won't get hit with that penalty, because it could possibly tank a PPV.

Uncrewed · August 23, 2017

Wait, NJPW is laying off Scott Norton & Shinsuke Nakamura? I smell a new tag team!

I feel that Booker & Rey should main event. The whole Rey coming back and winning the Stu Hart Classic to face the man that injured him storyline is too important not to main event.

smartman · August 23, 2017

Trinity should be in the game at this point, and I think she'd fit in quite well as a valet for the Italians. Dawn Marie would work too, but I think she's in WWE at this point.

Amazing show as usual. I'd suggest putting the World Title match in the main event mainly because I could see that Booker T becoming sentient and reaching out a hand and choking you for keeping him out of the main event again. He's not CM Punk after all. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Seriously, he was almost never in the main event during his WWE title run. Stupid Vince.

K-Nection · August 24, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Uncrewed" data-cite="Uncrewed" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Wait, NJPW is laying off Scott Norton & Shinsuke Nakamura? I smell a new tag team! I feel that Booker & Rey should main event. The whole Rey coming back and winning the Stu Hart Classic to face the man that injured him storyline is too important not to main event.</div></blockquote> http://i.imgur.com/aFDsQbG.jpg That's kinda scary.....

DavidCorperial · August 24, 2017

Can't believe I won the Stu Hart Classic prediction contest and it was only because I figured you'd make the main event a long one, that's having me feel really good.

DiamondKnucklez · August 25, 2017

Shinsuke Nakamura on WCW?!?!? DO IT!! 😀

K-Nection · August 25, 2017

Shinsuke Nakamura on WCW?!?!? DO IT!! 😀

The man has a valid point TFC! lol

KnowYourEnemy · August 25, 2017

<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>Shinsuke Nakamura on WCW?!?!? DO IT!! 😀</div></blockquote> <img alt="tenor.gif" data-src="https://media.tenor.com/images/51634da76fbff9badf731c765821a6b5/tenor.gif" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

K-Nection · August 30, 2017

<img alt="images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTW2meoUJ8kcwcCKh2K46LKl4ZPAv2_X6keU009wQKmHAuoicqjtg" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTW2meoUJ8kcwcCKh2K46LKl4ZPAv2_X6keU009wQKmHAuoicqjtg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

The Final Countdown · September 2, 2017

December 2002: Road to Starrcade, Part I <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/u9bsFuK.jpg November 25th, 2002 From the Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho Attendance: 6,400 Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart http://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg</div> The show opened with Fit Finlay making his toughest title defense yet, against big Sean O'Haire. The former Natural Born Thriller looked to be set to hit the Widow Maker and win the title, but Chuck Palumbo ran in and attacked him. O'Haire won the match via DQ, but Fit Finlay retained the title and was credited with his 7th successful defense. (B) Eric Bischoff comes to the ring as Palumbo continues to beat on O'Haire after the match. Bischoff places blame on O'Haire for "screwing" King Corino last night, and says Palumbo will make him pay for sticking around after the Thrillers had ended and he'd outlived his usefulness. Palumbo hits his former partner with the Thrill Ride as an exclamation point. (B+) In an interview with Bobby Heenan, Davey Boy Smith admits his loss last night was a disappointment, but says his proudest days are still ahead of him. Winning the US title would've been a dream come true, but it'll be an even bigger dream to form a new tag team with his new partner--his son! Harry Smith comes out, thanks his father and says as a kid he'd always dreamed of teaming with him. Father and son hug in the ring. (C-) With Booker T watching in the corner, Bobby Roode neutralized the kicks of Ernest Miller and beat him with the Western Lariat. (D+) Booker cuts a promo after the match, taunting Rey Mysterio Jr. for thinking he's going to take his title at Starrcade. He suggests Rey re-think this, because once they sign the contract next week on Nitro, his fate is sealed. (A*) In his office, Arn Anderson confirms that the Hardys will challenge True Heroes for the tag titles at Starrcade. He says that this will be the final showdown between the teams for at least one year, and it deserves something special. "The first match ended by DQ when the Heroes used a chair. The second match featured Jeff putting Punk through a table. The third match saw a ladder help decide the outcome. In the fourth match, chairs, tables and ladders will all be in play!" (B+) In a match to determine who will challenge for the cruiserweight title at Starrcade, Jamie Knoble built off of the momentum from last night's big tag win by grounding the high flying Psychosis and tapping him out with a guillotine choke. (B) With Rick Steiner nowhere to be seen (aka in Japan), Scott came to the ring and cut a promo on his brother. "I get it now, Ricky. You threw in that towel at Halloween Havoc because yer ashamed! Yer ashamed that you're the big brother, but I'm the one who made it to the top when you and I split! I'da never lost that match last night, not in a hundred million billion years!" (B) The Unnatural returned to action with a decisive squash against Lash Leroux. © Stacy Keibler and the Jung Dragons complain to Arn Anderson about yet another Hardys vs. Heroes match at Starrcade. "We didn't lose last night--that was Hayabusa and Shinzaki, so why are we being punished? Why won't you give the Dragons a chance?" Keibler demands. Arn thinks it over and says he'll give them a chance to make a big statement next week when Kaz Hayashi goes one on one with Rob Van Dam! (C+) Bobby Heenan does a sit-down interview with Made in Italy. They say their goal is to bring a bit of fashion sense and style to WCW in place of the freaky fashion disaster that is the Hardys, or the boring plainness of guys like Lance Storm. (C-) The debuting team of Aguila and Volador Jr. won a high-flying bout against 3 Count. (B-) Post-show footage from Calgary Stampede: the rest of The Empire tries to console King Corino backstage after his loss to Rey Mysterio Jr, but he is furious and distraught. He tosses and breaks equipment, and even knocks out an unfortunate bystander. Bischoff sees that he's highly upset and suggests he takes "tomorrow" (also known as tonight's show) off. Corino reluctantly agrees, but says there will be hell to pay when he comes back. (B+) Kimberly provided a timely distraction, allowing Shane Helms to hit the Nightmare on Helms Street on Konnan for the victory. (B-) More post-Calgary Stampede footage: American Dragon and Chavo Guerrero Jr. argue backstage, drawing lots of attention from passers-by. One passer-by unafraid to step between the two is Roddy Piper, who invites them onto Piper's Pit to settle their grievances one way or the other; a graphic establishes that this will happen next week on Nitro. (B-) AJ Styles and Mortis clashed to determine who will challenge Shane Douglas for the United States title at Starrcade. Douglas watched the match with interest from the aisle, though his poker face made it hard to tell whether he was hoping to face the innovative offense of the masked man or the aerial artistry of Styles. Whatever his preferences, the outcome was determined when AJ countered an Electric Chair Drop by shifting his weight and nailing a swinging DDT for the pin. It's Styles vs. Douglas for the gold at Starrcade! (B+) A pyro greets Rey Mysterio Jr. as he comes to the ring, holding the Stu Hart Classic trophy. Rey displays the trophy for the fans, who applaud him. He again thanks them for the support. And as for Booker T? "I've never backed down in my life, Booker, and I'm not starting now. I'll see you next week when we sign the contract and make this official!" (A) <div style="text-align:center;">Show Grade: B+ http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png November 30th, 2002 From the Sendai City Gymnasium in Sendai, Japan Attendance: 6,990 Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </div> Shinobu Kandori's judo techniques were too much for Sonoko Kato to handle in the opening match of the night. (D) A video recaps the end of last week's main event tag match and reveals that Devil Masami will challenge Manami Toyota for the World Championship next week, and later tonight the two women will come face-to-face to promote it. (C+) Takako Inoue confronts Kyoko Inoue and tells her she's made her choice, it was the wrong one, and now she'll have to live it. Kyoko, unfazed, says she doubts that. (C-) Meiko Satomura followed up last week's successful debut by pinning LuFisto after a <a href="http://imgur.com/feozUwd" rel="external nofollow">very effective kick to the back of the head.</a> (C+) Nattie Neidhart and Melissa Anderson are chatting with fans on WCW.com when a cigarette-smoking Mayumi Ozaki walks in. She acts as if she has no idea who they are, and further disrespects them by blowing cigarette smoke in their faces. (C+) Manami Toyota and Devil Masami come face to face seven days before their title match. Toyota gives the devil her due (heh) and says she earned this title match by putting her to sleep last week, but promises the outcome will not be the same next week. Masami is confident, saying Toyota went down just as easily as all her previous victims, and it'll be a simple thing to put her to sleep once again and take that championship away. (B+) <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/7IEXPEL.jpg</div> It wasn't officially sanctioned by WCW, but Aja Kong held her AAAW Singles belt up and motioned for Alexis Laree to come and take it from her. Alexis fought well against her menacing opponent, using her speed to combat her size. Whether it would ultimately have brought her to the pay window we shall never know, because Etsuko Mita came to ringside and hit her with a Death Valley Driver on the floor while Charles Robinson was arguing with Kong. Aja dragged Alexis back into the ring by her hair and pinned her with one foot across her chest. (B-) Kong holds the belt up again after the match. She tells the fans that next week's supposed title match between Manami Toyota and Devil Masami is a sham, because the title Manami wears is meaningless. She recites the (true) story about how that title had been hers, and she never lost it. She vacated it when she left All Japan Women's, and Etsuko Mita beat someone else for the vacant title. Mita never could've taken it from her, and neither could Toyota. She left because she saw the writing on the wall about AJW being in financial trouble, and Chigusa Nagayo promised her GAEA would remain strong. But Nagayo was a liar, and now Kong had to come into WCW and listen to people try and claim some other woman was the true champion. Nagayo takes exception to Kong's rant, coming out and telling her not to blame her for her own career decisions. Kong shoves her, and the two women brawl to close the show. (B-) <div style="text-align:center;">Show 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/u9bsFuK.jpg December 2nd, 2002 From Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California Attendance: 8,403 Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </div> The show opened with Rick Steiner in singles competition against Bobby Roode. Steiner seemed to have the match well in hand, at least until his younger brother Scott came to ringside to try and confront Booker T (who wanted no part of it.) The commotion distracted Rick and allowed Roode to hit the Western Lariat for a huge upset win. (C+) Post-match, Booker grabs the microphone and demands that Arn Anderson confirm that his title defense against Rey Mysterio Jr. will headline Starrcade. Arn answers the summons but doesn't tell Booker what he wants to hear, saying his match as well as the huge ladder match for the tag team titles are both being given strong consideration for the main event slot. (B+) Sean O'Haire promo; he challenges Chuck Palumbo to another one-on-one match where they can finally settle who truly carried the Thrillers. (B) Davey Boy Smith and his son Harry lived out a dream by tagging together here tonight, and they defeated local tag team The Ballard Brothers with stereo running power slams. (C+) American Dragon and Chavo Guerrero Jr. are welcomed to Piper's Pit. Far from playing peacemaker, Roddy riles the two men up. Chavo calls Dragon ungrateful for everything he's done for him, while Dragon says he never asked for Chavo's tutelage and never wanted his help in the first place. Roddy incites the two men to settle their dispute in the ring, and they agree to a match at Starrcade. (B-) Vignette: Father Isaac reveals the identity of the newest member of Salvation (but only to the other members.) The Unnatural seems confused and skeptical about their new brother's suitability, but Mortis says he trusts the Father's judgment and will give their newest brother a chance to prove his worth. (A) One week after a successful debut against 3 Count, Aguila and Volador Jr. defeated the makeshift pairing of Elix Skipper and Cash. (B-) True Heroes set up a ladder in the ring. Lance Storm stands beside the ladder stoically as Punk climbs to the top, holding both belts. "This is what it's all about, Hardys. You took these belts away from us once, but at Halloween Havoc they came back where they belong," Punk says. "Now you probably think you'll have the edge at Starrcade with how many ladder matches you've been through, but you've forgotten one thing. We aren't those goofballs E&C, and we sure as hell aren't those cartoon hacks from 'Dudleyville.' We're the True Heroes, we're the best tag team on this planet, and you aren't knocking us off the top of the mountain--or the top of the ladder." (A) Teddy Hart looked to build on some recent momentum, but he had a tough task against former Cruiserweight Champion Shane Helms, with Kimberly at ringside. Helms wrestled well, but Kimberly's attempt to swing things in his favor backfired when she nearly hit him. Teddy Hart surprised him with a roll-up to steal the win! © DDP steps into the aisle, laughing at Helms' misfortune. He cracks some jokes about there being trouble in paradise already, which doesn't please either Helms or Kimberly. Shane says DDP can laugh all he wants tonight, but he'll shut him up soon enough. He challenges Page to a match at Starrcade, and a smiling Dallas accepts. (B+) Shane Douglas squashed Air Paris in short order. (C-) Douglas cuts a post-match promo on AJ Styles, calling him an impressive athlete. "You were a fine Cruiserweight Champion, and it wouldn't surprise me to see you win every title there is to win here in WCW during your career. But not this title, not against this champion. You're good, kid, but me? I'm unstoppable." (B) Psychosis rebounded from a few recent defeats by pinning Jason Jett with the guillotine legdrop. © Backstage: Bobby Heenan interviews both Jamie Knoble and Christopher Daniels. Knoble says he's heard Daniels talking about himself like he's something special for months now, but at Starrcade he's going to prove that he's nothing special once the guillotine choke is locked on. Daniels scoffs and says that no one will be unseating God's gift to the Cruiserweight division any time soon, and when it happens it certainly won't be a "common country boy" like Knoble that does it. (B-) We see Sting talking on the phone. What could that be about? (A) In tonight's main event, Kaz Hayashi of the Jung Dragons had a chance to score the biggest win of his singles career against a former World Heavyweight Champion in Rob Van Dam. Hayashi acquitted himself well against the former champion, but Van Dam put him down for the count with a Five Star Frog Splash. (B) Van Dam is celebrating his win when he's suddenly attacked by The Empire! He stands no chance against the full force of the group, and they all assist King Corino in spiking his head into the canvas with a piledriver. Corino grabs the microphone and places the blame on RVD for his loss to Rey Mysterio Jr. at Calgary Stampede. "You cost me my destiny!" he shouts. "You ruined everything, and now you must pay the price!" (A*) <div style="text-align:center;">Spotlight Segment: http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/iwFA1pe.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/zAUQMDu.jpg We had Arn oversee the official contract signing between Booker and Rey, but he basically stood back and made sure all of the spotlight was on them. As is standard with Rey talking segments, I gave both guys a script to work off of here. Booker introduced a video clip of his vicious beating of Rey at Bash at the Beach, where he delivered a Book End on the concrete floor that got Rey stretchered out. He said that hiding behind his little mask again wasn't going to change anything, and if he was stupid enough to sign that contract, Booker was going to beat him up even worse at Starrcade. With his warning delivered, Booker signed the contract. Rey actually thanked Booker for that attack, saying that it had given him even more motivation to come back stronger than ever. Now he was here, the 2002 Stu Hart Classic winner, ready to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at the biggest show of the year. The fact that his opponent was going to be the very same man who tried to end his career by slamming him down onto the concrete made it that much sweeter. Defying the odds, winning the title, beating the man who injured him, on the biggest show of the year? You couldn't script it out any better than that. (Thanks, Rey!) Rey put his name on the dotted line. As the segment was wrapping up, Booker smashed Rey in the face with the world title belt! He shoved a protesting Anderson out of the way, pulled Rey up by his hair and drove him through the table with the Book End! Booker hammed it up with a spinaroonie in the middle of the ring, but quickly ran away when Rey's friends Konnan and Billy Kidman (along with Torrie Wilson) rushed out to his aid. This was a fantastic segment. Grade: A* Show Grade: B+ http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png December 7th, 2002 From Gamagori Motorboat Place in Gamagori, Japan Attendance: 7,011 Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </div> Shinobu Kandori opened the show with a convincing submission win over Kaori Yoneyama. (C+) Post-Nitro footage: Booker T gets into a backstage altercation with True Heroes over which championship means more and who is more deserving of the main event at Starrcade. (A*) In the locker room: Mayumi Ozaki taunts and disrespects Nattie Neidhart and Melissa Anderson once again. She says she'll happily destroy either one of them in singles action next week. (C+) In a combining of rivalries, Kyoko Inoue and Alexis Laree teamed up against Takako Inoue and Etsuko Mita. The finish saw Mita make a blind tag from the apron and catch her rival Alexis off-guard with a Death Valley Driver. (B-) Officials kept them home to avoid any incidents, but Chigusa Nagayo and Aja Kong are both interviewed about their issues. Nagayo says Kong might have reason to be upset that GAEA closed down with her as its reigning champion, but no one was more disappointed to have to sell the promotion than Nagayo herself. All she can do is do her best to continue to try and grow women's wrestling on this new platform provided by WCW. Kong again states that no matter what WCW or Nagayo say, she's the most dominant female wrestler in the world and the true World Women's Champion, and anyone who denies it will have to prove her wrong inside the ring. (B-) A video hypes up our huge main event tonight, with comments from champion Manami Toyota and challenger Devil Masami interspersed throughout. (B) <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/741TrEA.jpg</div> In order to continue her reign on top, Manami Toyota had to try and withstand the challenge of Devil Masami, who had run roughshod over Renaissance thus far. Both women took their time here, feeling each other out and probing for an opening. Toyota seemed as if she might pull away after hitting a beautiful missile dropkick, but Masami got her knees up to block a moonsault. Devil eventually locked on the sleeper, the very move she used to beat Toyota in tag team action two weeks ago! Toyota struggled to try and fight free, while Masami applied full pressure. Toyota was still on her feet and fighting when the bell rang. The momentary confusion was cleared up with the official announcement that the allotted television time had expired, and the match had been ruled a draw. (B) <div style="text-align:center;">Show 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/u9bsFuK.jpg December 9th, 2002 From Auckland, New Zealand Attendance: 5,600 Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </div> We opened with a six man tag pitting Jamie Knoble, American Dragon and Billy Kidman against Christopher Daniels, Brian Adams and Chavo Guerrero Jr. There was plenty of action to build anticipation for the pair of singles matches at Starrcade. Chavo tore at Dragon's mask, partially ripping it, and Daniels hit the Angel's Wings to beat him. (B) Arn Anderson summons Sting, The Unnatural, The Destroyer and Chris Candido to his office, and informs the four of them that they'll be competing in a four way match at Starrcade which will determine the next challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship. (B+) Earlier in the day, we see Stacy Keibler and the Jung Dragons walking around the outside of the arena in some form of protest. Hayashi holds a sign that says "Gold for dragons!" and Yang holds one reading "Give Dragons a chance!" They try to get fans to join in with some chants, but it doesn't work out too well. (D+) Last week they were partners, but this week Cash and Elix Skipper fought in a qualifying match for a just-announced Cruiserweight Shootout at Starrcade. Cash prevailed in a match filled with big aerial moves, securing his spot alongside the likes of Hayabusa, Kidman and TAKA. © Rick Steiner asks Scott to come out to the ring, and once there he asks Scott why he came down and got involved in his match last week when Rick had Bobby Roode right where he wanted him. Scott says he wanted a piece of Booker T, but he was also trying to bail his brother out and save him from another embarrassing loss. They get into an argument, with Rick trying to stay calm despite Scott taking some potshots about needing to carry him even in singles matches. Rick finally says he gets what the problem is. It's not jealousy, as Scott is claiming. He was never jealous of his brother's singles success, and he was proud of him for winning the world title twice. The problem is that Scott doesn't respect him, and Rick can think of only one way to change that: for him to beat Scott! Scott laughs and accepts the challenge, but warns him that once that bell rings "Big Poppa Pump" doesn't take it easy on anyone, not even his big brother! (B) Backstage promo: Chuck Palumbo accepts Sean O'Haire's challenge. "But I wanna prove once and for all that I was the star of the Thrillers, and I don't want any stupid rules to get in the way like at Halloween Havoc. If we're gonna finish it, let's do it in a street fight!" (B-) Hugh Morrus and Konnan got their hands raised without too much trouble against the floundering 3 Count. (B-) Post-match, Morrus and Konnan are attacked from behind by Mortis and another masked man! Father Isaac cackles and introduces us to the newest member of Salvation, "but our new brother isn't ready to shed his mask and reveal his identity just yet." © Jeff Hardy is warming up in a hallway, preparing for a huge singles main event against Lance Storm, with his brother cheering him on. Rey Mysterio Jr. walks by and wishes Jeff luck in his match, and says that while he'd love to headline Starrcade, he'll have no hard feelings towards Matt and Jeff if their match is put in the main event. He shakes hands with both Hardys to end the segment. (B+) Shane Douglas sat in on commentary as AJ Styles went against Shane Helms. The match was a bit too short to truly showcase what both men are capable of, as DDP appeared in the aisle to taunt both Kimberly and Helms. Shane lost his focus and never regained it, eventually falling to the Styles Clash. (B-) Booker T barges into the dressing room of True Heroes, and the three men continue their argument from last week (seen on Renaissance) about who should main event at Starrcade. (A) Rob Van Dam's showdown with The Empire rages on. Commentary revealed that he'll face King Corino at Starrcade, but tonight he was in there against TAKA. The former Cruiserweight Champion gave RVD all he could handle in a fast-paced match, but Van Dam knocked TAKA off of the top rope and hit the Five Star Frog Splash for the win. (B+) King Corino races to the ring after the match, but RVD is ready for him this time. Corino tackles him to the mat, and the two trade punches on the ground. Control shifts back and forth, and officials are unable to pry the two men apart. Eventually several of their fellow wrestlers are sent to the ring to try and restore order as we head to commercial. (A*) No ladders involved and no titles on the line tonight, but that didn't mean Jeff Hardy and Lance Storm weren't going to give the match everything they had. They treated this like a PPV match, with Storm wrestling an effective technical match targeting Jeff's legs, and Hardy of course looking for any opening to pick up the pace and go for some of his high risk offense. Unfortunately we'll never know who would have come out on top, because Booker T ran to the ring and attacked both men for a no contest! (A) Booker is pleased with himself for wrecking a main event that didn't feature him, but Matt Hardy doesn't appreciate it and runs to his brother's defense. That brings out CM Punk, and eventually the two teams start fighting each other. Booker laughs at his seeming escape, but then Rey Mysterio Jr. hits the scene and drops the champion with a springboard dropkick! It's anarchy in the ring until a flustered Arn Anderson steps into the aisle. "I've had enough of all this bickering and debate about who should main event Starrcade!" Arn shouts into the microphone. "It ain't gonna be up to me, not this time, and it won't be up to the fans either. It's gonna be you guys that settle it, and you're gonna do it inside the ring! Next week on Nitro, Mysterio and Booker, you're gonna have to put your differences aside for just one night. It'll be Rey and Booker against True Heroes in a non-title match, and the main event spot at Starrcade goes to the winner!" (A*) <div style="text-align:center;">Show Grade: A http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png December 14th, 2002 From the Tokuyama Sports Center in Tokuyama, Japan Attendance: 5,559 Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </div> Mayumi Ozaki competed in her first match (officially at least) since August 2001, and it was Melissa Anderson who answered the call. Melissa withstood her opponent's brawling and seemed to be closing in on the victory, but from out of nowhere was hit with poison mist from Daffney! Ozaki made the cover, and the unsuspecting referee counted the three. © Highlights of last week's main event between Manami Toyota and Devil Masami are shown, and we learn an announcement will be made on the matter later in the night. (B-) Meiko Satomura continued to impress with a win over Sonoko Kato. © Takako Inoue didn't have too much trouble beating Kaori Yoneyama, pinning her after the Takako Panic (a knee strike off of the top rope.) (B-) Video recap: the chaotic closing of Nitro leads to a tag team match between True Heroes and Mysterio/Booker, with the main event of Starrcade hanging in the balance. (B+) The feature match of the evening saw Chigusa Nagayo tackle Etsuko Mita. The two former world champions appeared evenly matched, and perhaps that's why Mita decided to resort to introducing a steel chair to the match. Alexis Laree ran down to ringside and alerted the ref before the weapon could be put to use, and after the match was returned to a level playing field, Nagayo was able to connect with the Super Freak for a big win. (B) Nagayo is cutting a post-match promo, thanking the fans, when Aja Kong blindsides her with the Uraken backfist! Kong places her foot on an unconscious Nagayo's chest and holds the AAAW Singles title in the air. (B) Manami Toyota and Devil Masami gather in the ring. Devil says she was moments away from putting Manami to sleep last week and should just be handed the title, while Toyota acknowledges that Masami had her sleeper hold well applied, but she was still on her feet and fighting when the bell rang. An announcement on the screen reveals that the women will meet in a championship rematch, and it'll be the main event of the first ever Renaissance PPV event on January 12th! (B) <div style="text-align:center;">Show Grade: B </div> </div></blockquote> <hr noshade size=3> <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>I'd put True Heroes vs. The Hardy Brothers in the Main Event -- Tag Team excellence is a time-honored tradition in the WCW. Could it be a Night of the Skywalkers sequel? I'm not sure what "match type" the Scaffold is in the WCW Lives mod, but I've seen it entered as "High Spots" before. I know TLC pretty much always gets classified under High Spots. I think a manager would really bring some gravitas to that final encounter -- when does Lita's contract expire? Failing that, you could always bring back Michael Hayes for the role -- or maybe have Gangrel come in for a one-off? And for True Heroes... you've got Colt Cabana in Developmental, that'd be a great way to bring him in. Or, you could bring in someone from Right to Censor -- Ivory? Stevie Richards? I hope, at some point, you do write a scaffold match. It'd be a fun read.</div></blockquote> Bear in mind that the reason I was able to sign the Hardys was because the game generated a Lita/Shane McMahon romance, and I gave Matt & Jeff negative relationships with Lita and all the McMahons as the logical fallout of that. So she's out. Personally I don't think either of these acts really need a manager anyway. I've never given much thought to doing a scaffold match. I guess it's possible if a storyline comes along where I think it would be a logical way to blow it off. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Just the mere fact you are entertaining the idea of having a tag match main event Starrcade is a testament of how far the division has come along. A unification exactly one year after sounds kind of dumb to me especially with their stacked roster. Even without buying WCW they could feesibly do a brand split and be killing it.</div></blockquote> Assuming a guest booker doesn't unify the titles at the Rumble or Mania, I'll probably temporarily take control of the WWF right after Mania and set up a brand split, with Smackdown becoming ECW with Heyman as the authority figure. I originally thought about letting two of you guys do a draft and make that a prediction prize, but things might end up unbalanced if I do that. (Like splitting up the women, tag teams, etc.) <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>Quick, grab Scott Norton and make him the Jung Dragons bodyguard! #GiveDragonsAChance!</div></blockquote> We're in the pre-hashtag era, but #GiveDragonsAChance is catching on! Isn't it funny how one line from a commenter can influence characters and stories? <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>You have definitely done a great worldwide expansion with WCW, I don't think I would even think of holding Starrcade outside of the US. Potentially Canada, but even that is a long shot. But here you're having done two season finale PPVs in two different countries. It's almost surreal to think about, but that's the joy of these WCW 01 games; you can't "copy real life" with any decisions or booking because there is no real life equivalent. The only thing someone can do is see someone do an idea that one person had planned better than what another would do, but that's just you keeping me on my toes <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote> Canada is a major no-no for me. That's my single worst game area, which is ironic with me playing as Bret. I'll still do a quick few weeks up there every year for the Calgary Stampede PPV though, because that feels like something Bret would like to do. Now I'm really curious what you're talking about! <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Booker vs. Mysterio should be one hell of a barn burner, can't wait to see how that goes. I think unless you're playing with repetitive booking off, I would go with them as the main event. That way, just in case the Tag title match doesn't hold up compared to the last few, you won't get hit with that penalty, because it could possibly tank a PPV.</div></blockquote> The first Hardys/Heroes match was Sunday, Week 2 in June. Starrcade will be Sunday, Week 4 of December. Unless I don't understand how the repetitive booking mechanic works, I should be in the clear, yes? <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Uncrewed" data-cite="Uncrewed" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Wait, NJPW is laying off Scott Norton & Shinsuke Nakamura? I smell a new tag team!</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>http://i.imgur.com/aFDsQbG.jpg That's kinda scary.....</div></blockquote> Not gonna lie--that's a pretty swaggy looking duo right there! <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>Trinity should be in the game at this point, and I think she'd fit in quite well as a valet for the Italians. Dawn Marie would work too, but I think she's in WWE at this point. Amazing show as usual. I'd suggest putting the World Title match in the main event mainly because I could see that Booker T becoming sentient and reaching out a hand and choking you for keeping him out of the main event again. He's not CM Punk after all. <img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Seriously, he was almost never in the main event during his WWE title run. Stupid Vince.</div></blockquote> I guess smart minds think alike, because those were the two women I thought of and brought in to test out right away! Dawn was in the actual WWE by this point, but she didn't get signed until some time in 2002 and thus was never with them in this little alternate universe. If he does get booted from the main event, at least it won't be for Cena vs. Big Johnny! <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DavidCorperial" data-cite="DavidCorperial" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Can't believe I won the Stu Hart Classic prediction contest and it was only because I figured you'd make the main event a long one, that's having me feel really good.</div></blockquote> I had a feeling a shorter contest like that one would come down to a tiebreaker. Congrats! I know AJ Styles is glad you won, because I had no firm Starrcade plans for him before you solved that! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <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>Shinsuke Nakamura on WCW?!?!? DO IT!! 😀</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The man has a valid point TFC! lol</div></blockquote> <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><img alt="tenor.gif" data-src="https://media.tenor.com/images/51634da76fbff9badf731c765821a6b5/tenor.gif" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote> I'm sure at least some of you remember that I used to have a Nakamura pic as my avatar, right? I'd love to grab him, believe me. He's only active in Japan though, so it's not an option until I get bigger. (If only I'd brought him in via talent trade for one of my Japan shows before NJPW fired him!) I'd be surprised if he's not gobbled up by AJPW or NOAH long before then.

michgcs · September 2, 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>I'm sure at least some of you remember that I used to have a Nakamura pic as my avatar, right? I'd love to grab him, believe me. He's only active in Japan though, so it's not an option until I get bigger. (If only I'd brought him in via talent trade for one of my Japan shows before NJPW fired him!) I'd be surprised if he's not gobbled up by AJPW or NOAH long before then.</div></blockquote> Bring him in for Renaissance! Women's GM Shinsuke Nakamura may be a waste of his talents but at least you'd have him and he'd get a chance to improve his acting and mic skills LOL

The Final Countdown · September 4, 2017

December 2002: News and Notes <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg </div> I went ahead and signed both Kevin Steen and El Generico to developmental deals. As I said earlier, I was hoping to let them gain experience on the independents for two or three years, but they just weren't getting enough work in Quebec to improve their craft. We still aren't big enough for the USA Network to be interested in signing new deals or renewing existing ones, so Renaissance will be remaining on FX for at least the next few months. We extended our existing deals with TV Asahi, Cablevision, Telewest and Sky Euro to continue broadcasting our PPV events. Aja Kong hurt her jaw during her match with Alexis Laree on November 30th, but thankfully the injury was not serious. I've agreed to a pay per appearance deal with Kaori Yoneyama. Yoneyama, formerly with GAEA and FMW, came to the US on excursion earlier this year but hasn't been booked nearly as often as she'd hoped, though she did work one set of tapings for us back in May in an enhancement role. That will be her role now as well; I'll be using her specifically as a moderately talented worker for our featured female talent to defeat. Jason Jett, jobber extraordinaire, came to my office demanding a pay raise. I laughed in his face. He wasn't happy about it. Then a week or so later, CM Punk and Chris Candido both said they were impressed with his progression as a worker. Fair enough. Konnan has been trying to convince me to give Psychosis a bigger push, saying he could be a really charismatic Cruiserweight champion. CM Punk told me he thinks Daffney's unique look and character could turn her into a money-drawing top heel on Renaissance, and I should push her hard. He thinks Melissa Anderson could be a big star on the babyface side as well. Apparently the locker room didn't enjoy the Cash vs. Elix Skipper match very much. Dustin Rhodes told me afterwards that he thinks Skipper can't connect with the audience and has limited upside, and Shane Douglas said much the same thing about Cash. Poor guys can't catch a break. Scott Steiner let me know that the "Give Dragons a Chance!" storyline "sucks", and said the fans will never care about Kaz Hayashi and I might as well fire him. Maybe he's just trying to get himself paired up with Stacy Keibler. I didn't notice anything special when I put Trinity with Made in Italy in a dark match, but Dawn Marie and Tony Mamaluke seemed to be a great pairing, so I think we've found our answer there. RVD was in some clear pain after his match with TAKA on the December 9th Nitro, when he hit the mat hard coming off of the top rope. I won't sugarcoat it: he bruised his ass. Nothing that a few days of rest wouldn't cure. Air Paris asked for a raise. I said no. He's mad. Chris Candido wanted a pretty substantial raise. I'm still upset with him for his drug test failures, so I told him I wasn't going to give him any raise until I was confident he was clean. He was very angry about that, which isn't going to do him any favors. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg </div> Mark Henry's finally coming back to the main roster. He's been down in OVW since before I bought WCW, but I guess they've decided he's improved as much as he's going to down there and it's time to give him another shot. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/HLY8nvy.jpg </div> NOAH's Thunder of Heart PPV took place on November 27th. No Heavyweight title match this month. Instead, Misawa and Yoshinari Oagawa beat Kenta Kobashi and reigning champion Akira Taue in an excellent main event. That was the highlight of the night, but Jun Akiyama over Tatsuhito Takaiwa in the semi main was very good as well. This wasn't quite their best PPV of the year, but it was close. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg </div> New Japan held their annual Super Grade Tag League, or G1 Climax Tag League, or whatever you want to call it. Riki Chosu and Yuji Nagata won the tournament this year, beating Tatsumi Fujinami and Osamu Nishimura in the finals. That match wasn't bad, and it was a pretty good show overall. Their final PPV of the year, called Strength Test, was held on December 3rd. Osamu Nishimura made his second IWGP Heavyweight title defense in a win over veteran Riki Choshu. That was the worst IWGP title match in about a year and a half, so it's probably a good thing it was only the semi main event. The main event saw Yuji Nagata and Tatsumi Fujinami retain the IWGP Tag titles against Masahiro Chono and Manabu Nakanishi in a match that wasn't great, but was at least slightly better than Nishimura's match. Former champions TenKoji had a better tag match in the midcard against Kazuyuki Fujita and Hiroshi Tanahashi, but the company also put on one of their best matches all year when Koji Kanemoto beat Dr. Wagner Jr. in an exciting junior heavyweight style match. If that had been the main event instead of the second match of the night, this show could have been great. Instead it was a below average PPV by their current standards. Jushin Liger hurt his knee during a match against Pirata Morgan in the Mexican branch of Toryumon, and he'll apparently be out for a couple of months. Something like this was bound to happen with the hectic schedule Jushin works, making appearances for Toryumon and even longtime NJPW rival All Japan in addition to his longtime home base. I think Inoki should've locked Liger down to an exclusive deal a long time ago. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/syuSRKH.jpg </div> All Japan wrapped up their World's Strongest Tag Team League on December 7th. Genichiro Tenryu and Taiyo Kea won the annual tournament, beating former Varsity Club members Steve Williams and Mike Rotunda in the finals. Williams and Rotunda won the tournament in 2000, the last time it was held. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/JO5PDMM.jpg </div> TNA's 'Seven Deadly Sins' event on December 5th was pretty newsworthy. Their own titles largely took a backseat to those of the NWA on this show, as there were three NWA-branded title matches. 'Mantaur' Bruiser Mastino won the NWA National Heavyweight title from the Blue Boy in the semi main event (is that a rib?), but the real story came in the main event, where Matt Sydal upset Shinya Hashimoto to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Matt's a pretty agile guy and a promising prospect, but I doubt Zero One (aka the most prominent member of the Alliance) is very happy about the title being taken off of owner/top star Hashimoto and put on an unknown commodity like Sydal. The match itself was a pretty good one by the standards of TNA, and thus this was the best show in their short existence so far. <div style="text-align:center;"> <img alt="ieBLbQ1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ieBLbQ1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The Combat Sports Federation (CSF) has gone out of business. They'd been open for a few years and never really did anything noteworthy. <hr noshade size=3> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="michgcs" data-cite="michgcs" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Bring him in for Renaissance! Women's GM Shinsuke Nakamura may be a waste of his talents but at least you'd have him and he'd get a chance to improve his acting and mic skills LOL</div></blockquote> The point is that he's only active in Japan, so I literally cannot negotiate with him until I hit a certain level (I think it's International, but it might be Global.)

michgcs · September 4, 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>The point is that he's only active in Japan, so I literally cannot negotiate with him until I hit a certain level (I think it's International, but it might be Global.)</div></blockquote> Ah, didn't know that was a thing LOL but then again I'm only used to playing with WWE <img alt=":o" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/redface.png.900245280682ef18c5d82399a93c5827.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Hopefully you get the chance to sign him down the road.

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