WCW: Heart and Soul

chrismday · October 6, 2017

Sad to see Jerry Sags put pay to any more nasty boys appearances. They were always one of my favourite teams. Their matches with the Steiners back in the day were awesome.

Might just be me, but I'm really hoping the flair angle eventually leads to Ric vs Arn Anderson down the line. Be a cool throwback to TGAAB ... can Arn still wrestle as a one off if you wanted?

K-Nection · October 7, 2017

I don't know the other guy but I'm psyched that strong style is coming early in WCW!

The Final Countdown · October 9, 2017

February 2003: Road to SuperBrawl XIII, Part II <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 February 10th, 2003 From the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts Attendance: 10,000 Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </div> Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #8 Scotty's Band of Misfits (Uncrewed's Crew leads 1-0) Two former Cruiserweight champions battled in the third match of this series. Unfortunately for Shane Helms and the rest of Uncrewed's Crew, yet more arguing between he and Kimberly played a pivotal role in Helms being defeated by Billy Kidman's Shooting Star Press. (B+) In the commissioner's office, Arn Anderson explains to Bobby Heenan that if neither Uncrewed's Crew or Scotty's Band of Misfits make it to three wins after all five scheduled matches, there will be an elimination-style eight man tag team match featuring all the male team members on Nitro the night after SuperBrawl. Heenan uses the opportunity to press Arn about the rumors floating around the internet of a potential major new signing making their way to WCW. Arn smiles and says the rumors are true; he has reached an agreement with a major player, and he will introduce the newest addition to the WCW roster next week on Nitro. (B) In the second qualifying match for the Cruiserweight title three way at SuperBrawl, TAKA used his Michinoku Driver to move past Cash. (B) Post-show footage from last week: as King Corino makes his way back through the curtain after a frustrating no contest against Rey Mysterio Jr, he's confronted by Jamie Knoble. Since Corino wouldn't answer him like a man when called out earlier, Knoble gets in his face and puts him on the spot, demanding a rematch. He says he can't leave it there. "My momma ain't raised no quitter, and I need a chance to prove it!" Corino tries to brush Knoble off as being beneath him and not worth his time, but after continued demands, he agrees to give him a rematch at SuperBrawl--but there's a condition. "Since Eric fired the last guy, there's nobody left to carry my bags," Corino complains. "When I beat you, you have to join The Empire!" Knoble agrees to those terms, and we have our rematch. (A) Bryan Danielson cuts a promo about his UFS match with The Destroyer, which is now official for SuperBrawl after Kidman's win evened the series between Uncrewed's Crew and the Band of Misfits at one win each. He says he'll have to wait until next week to know what the situation will be, whether he'll be fighting to win the series or force a tiebreaker, but he'll be putting everything he has into the match regardless. The Destroyer walks into the shot and laughs at him, saying the only thing in store for "little Bryan" at SuperBrawl is a world of hurt. (B-) The team of Aguila and Volador Jr. earned yet another win, this week making short work of an oddball freelance team of John Kronus and Eddie Edwards. (C+) After the match, The Unbound confront Volador and Aguila. They say that they've been impressed with the performances of Volador and Aguila, but it's time for them to be given a reality check. "None of your fancy aerial moves will help you when you step into purgatory," Mortis says. That's apparently his way of issuing a challenge, and it's one that the luchadors accept. (B-) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few vs. #5 The K-Nections (S.H.F. lead 1-0) Alexander remained in the ring for his UFS match against DDP of the K-Nections. This was not the same Alex Wright we were familiar with, and DDP seemed bewildered by this darker side of the former Wunderkind. He had the poise of an experienced pro though, and once he saw his opening he hit the Diamond Cutter and tied this series. (B-) RVD and Unnatural are guests on Piper's Pit. RVD admits that Unnatural got the better of him on Nitro a few weeks back, but he won't let that shake his confidence and he won't let Unnatural's antics throw him off. Unnatural remarks that he had a burden to bear at Sin, but he came up short. He has a second chance via the UFS, and he cannot afford to waste it. He knows that Rob Van Dam's confidence in himself is second to none, but he fears he must shatter that confidence. (A*) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #7 Bonnie's Dingos (series tied 1-1) The pivotal third match in this series pitted veterans, WCW mainstays and even former tag partners (back in the UWF) against each other as Rick Steiner took on Sting. Both men knew what to expect from each other and there were no surprises here, so it was simply a matter of who could hit the right move at the right time. Sting has had the much more successful singles career, so it was no great surprise to see him hit the Scorpion Deathdrop and pick up the win. (C+) After the match, Made in Italy step into the aisle and begin taunting Rick about his defeat. Scott comes to his brother's defense, daring them both to step into the ring and prove they're anything more than "suit-wearing little--" and the last word has to be bleeped, because this is a family show. Parisi and Mamaluke remain where they are and reiterate that they'll deal with the Steiners on their own time, but Arn Anderson has other ideas. The commish reminds Parisi and Mamaluke that he's the one who makes the matches around here, and since they seem so interested in mocking the Steiners, he's signing a tag team match for SuperBrawl! Made in Italy protest the decision, to no avail. (B-) Video highlights of Lance Storm beating AJ Styles in November during the Stu Hart Classic are aired, along with Storm making him submit in the tag match two weeks ago. We cut to a green screen promo from AJ, who says he knows firsthand how capable Storm is. He's proven it every time they've wrestled, starting in July 2001 when Lance beat him at Bash at the Beach and continuing with the two matches we've just seen highlights of. But he says he's learned something from every one of those losses, and at SuperBrawl he'll put those lessons to use. (B+) Jeff Hardy comes to the ring for a singles match against Yang, but Booker T appears on the video screen before the match begins. He warns Jeff that next week on Nitro he will do whatever is necessary to beat him and end their UFS series. "Because Jeff, man, I need this win. I GOTTA get this win. I gotta get it..." he finishes, sounding almost manic. (A*) Whatever ails the mind of Booker T, Jeff Hardy needed to focus on Yang tonight. The Jung Dragons were out to prove a point before their title rematch at SuperBrawl, and when a distraction from Stacy Keibler failed to throw Jeff off his game, Kaz Hayashi attacked him for a disqualification finish. (B-) Just before heading to the ring, CM Punk cuts a promo. He knows his back is against the wall, with the Sin-free Society down 0-2 and facing an early elimination. "But I don't back away from the pressure, I feed off it!" he declares. "Matt Hardy, you probably think tonight is your night, just like Starrcade was your night. But there's no ladder for you to throw me off tonight, and there's no stage for me to fall through. You'll need to outwrestle me, and you can't do it! And Mysterio, I hope you're watching real close. Because after I take care of Matthew and pass the baton to my brother in arms Lance Storm so he can tie this series up next week, I'm coming for you!" (A) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #3 Sin-free Society vs. #6 The Dead Jesters (Dead Jesters lead 2-0) As Punk indicated, this was do or die time for the Sin-free Society. Matt Hardy stood in the way of their survival, and he wasn't going to be knocked aside easily. While Matt's known mostly as a tag team wrestler, in this match he showed flashes of singles brilliance as he gave the #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship quite the run for his money. He even connected with the Twist of Fate, but Punk had the ring awareness to get his foot across the bottom rope, and later on he trapped Matt in the Second City Stretch to force a tap out. (B) <div style="text-align:center;">Show Grade: B+ http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png February 15th, 2003 From the Fukoka International Center in Fukoka, Japan Attendance: 6,876 Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </div> Melissa Anderson asked for and received a rematch against LuFisto, The odds were against her once again thanks to Daffney's presence at ringside, but this week she had a trump card: Nattie Neidhart ran down and prevented Daffney from interfering! Melissa was free to hit the German suplex on LuFisto and win the match. © Manami Toyota and Etsuko Mita cut pre-taped promos on tonight's championship match. Nothing groundbreaking, just both women talking about why they were going to be the one to win the match and walk out with the gold. (B+) Devil Masami walked all over Kaori Yoneyama and put her to sleep in a squash. (C-) Devil continues to beat on a defenseless Yoneyama after the match, but Meiko Satomura runs out to make the save. Satomura grabs the microphone and says she doesn't know why Devil chose to attack her in the first place, but she's not about to back down or stand by while she does it to someone else. Masami says that she had no particular reason for attacking Meiko; she did it because she felt like it. And if Meiko wants to get in her face she'll have no problem with doing it again, and again, and again. (C+) A video package promotes the Jeff Hardy vs. Booker T UFS match coming up on Nitro, where Booker will have a chance to win the series for Bonnie's Dingos. (A) <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/741TrEA.jpg</div> Having lost the title to Toyota on the debut episode of Renaissance on October 5th, Etsuko Mita seemed to decide that a fresh approach was a good idea in this rematch. Where she focused on attacking Manami's neck last time, this time her target was the champion's left leg. She damaged the leg in a variety of ways, including slamming it against the steel ring post several times. Late in the match she tried to pay it all off with submissions, but Toyota refused to submit. The champion was hobbled by Mita's strategy, but she was still able to gradually fight her way back into the match. The leg work prevented her from getting Mita up onto her shoulders for her Ocean Cyclone Suplex, but she improvised and executed a rolling cradle to get the pin and retain her title. (B+) Toyota is celebrating her win, but is abruptly laid out with a Uraken to the face from Aja Kong! Kong picks up Toyota's title, tosses it aside with a scowl and instead holds her own AAAW Singles belt in the air. Grabbing the mic, she lets everyone know that she is the only true world champion in female wrestling, and she won't allow "this pretender" (pointing to Toyota) to wear her phony belt any more! (A) <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 February 17th, 2003 From the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York Attendance: 10,626 Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart </div> Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #7 Bonnie's Dingos (Dingos lead 2-1) Jeff Hardy was in a must-win position if he was going to keep the Phenomenal Enigmas from being eliminated, but Booker T was seemingly in a must-win situation for his own mental well-being. Both men brought that desperation to this star-studded opening match. Booker controlled a great portion of the match, but the frustration was written all over his face as he couldn't seem to put Jeff away. The resilient Hardy caught him with a mule kick and hit the Swanton Bomb to snatch the victory. (B) The Jung Dragons hit the ring after the match, Keibler smiling and striking a pose as Hayashi and Yang swarm Jeff. Things aren't looking good for the younger Hardy, but big brother Matt runs down with a steel chair and chases them off! (B) Bobby Heenan visits Arn Anderson, who confirms that the major new signing is in the building and Arn will personally introduce him to the fans later tonight. Bobby tries to get a hint, but Arn smiles and tells him everyone's patience will be rewarded as long as they don't change the channel. (B-) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #8 Scotty's Band of Misfits (series tied 1-1) Thanks to the no contest between Mysterio and Corino, these two teams were in a different situation than all the others. Neither of them could close the series out tonight, but whoever won this match between Chuck Palumbo and Chavo Guerrero Jr. would give their team a chance to do so at SuperBrawl. Chavo knew his keys to victory were using his speed and technique and he did so as best he could, but the sheer power of Palumbo led to the Thrill Ride and a 2-1 edge for the Crew. (B-) Heenan interviews Christopher Daniels, who mocks both Hayabusa and TAKA and says they're dreaming if they think either of them have the fortitude to defeat God's gift to the Cruiserweight division and stop the spread of the Fallen Angel's gospel. The two challengers approach from behind and surround Daniels to stare him down, and the champion suddenly looks less confident. (B-) Sting and Booker T introduce Sean O'Haire to the replacement member of Bonnie's Dingos, and the man who will challenge him for the TV title at SuperBrawl: Brian Adams. Adams stares at O'Haire, who doesn't back down and tells him to bring it on. Sting watches on in support of his new teammate, but Booker just walks away silently with his head down. (B+) They've been doing lots of talking, but tonight we got to see Made in Italy shed the suits and compete against the duo of Bryan Danielson and Harry Smith. Danielson had the misfortune of being attacked on the floor by his SuperBrawl opponent The Destroyer out of sight of the referee, and that allowed Made in Italy to finish Harry with their combination finisher, <a href="https://imgur.com/UsuIRuR" rel="external nofollow">The Catwalk</a>. (B) We get pre-taped promos from Jamie Knoble and King Corino. Knoble says that the thought of joining The Empire makes him sick, but he's glad Corino asked for that stipulation. It means that he'll have even more motivation to win and will fight even harder. Corino says that Knoble isn't anywhere near his league, and he should've gotten the message at Sin. But since he didn't, Corino will beat him again at SuperBrawl and bring a new glorified bag carrier into The Empire to replace the fired guy. (A) The Unnatural is conducting a live online chat on WCW.com, surely confusing all the fans with his bizarre answers, when Ric Flair walks in. He says that even though he doesn't have the best history with the Rhodes family, he wants to offer his expertise to The Unnatural for one night only at SuperBrawl so the two of them can teach Rob Van Dam a lesson. The Unnatural says that any history between Ric and the Rhodes family is irrelevant, because Dustin Rhodes is no more. "But there is nothing you can teach me," he says. "Everything you've done in your career, you've done for selfish purposes. I am a selfless and noble being, and my mind operates on a wavelength you could never hope to understand." Flair walks off angrily, muttering about being disrespected yet again. (A*) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #3 Sin-free Society vs. #6 The Dead Jesters (Dead Jesters lead 2-1) CM Punk kept this series going with a win last week, and tonight it was Lance Storm's turn to try and follow his partner's lead. There was another interesting subplot here as Storm is challenging for the United States title this Sunday, while his opponent Shane Douglas only recently saw his lengthy title reign come to an end. Neither of these guys are particularly loved by the fans, but that didn't stop them from having an entertaining mat-based match. Douglas had things going his way after mixing in some brawling, but Storm took him to the mat with a drop toehold and applied the Calgary Clutch for the submission. (B) As Storm has his hand raised, we're joined "live via satellite" by AJ Styles. Styles gives Storm credit for beating Shane Douglas, because he knows firsthand that Shane is one of the best in WCW. "But I already beat him," AJ says. "Now I'm gonna finally beat you." Watching on the video screen, Storm just stoically shakes his head. (B+) The finish of the last match means that it will be up to a final match at SuperBrawl between Fit Finlay and Bobby Roode to decide the winner of the Sin-free Society and Dead Jesters series, and we cut to live backstage comments from both men. Fit says he doesn't like other people and so won't congratulate his partner Storm on his win, but he's happy he'll get to beat somebody up on Sunday and get something out of it. Roode says he doesn't know what's up with Booker T, and frankly he doesn't care anymore. It's up to him to take charge and make his own break to advance his career, and he'll do it this Sunday by winning the UFS series for his team. (B-) Cameras check in on both CM Punk and Rey Mysterio Jr. away from the arena as they prepare for Sunday's title match. Rey doesn't say much; his segment is more about him going through some intense workouts to get ready. Punk, however, takes us on a walk around Chicago. "This is my city, Rey. I speak my mind and I say it like it is, and just about everywhere else in the world it makes me hated. But Chicagoans back their own, and when you come to this area on Sunday, you're walking into a hostile environment. Whether we're technically inside the Chicago city limits or not, you're still coming to my turf, Rey. The Second City will show up to cheer on their favorite son, and they'll watch as I bring the World Heavyweight Championship home!" (A*) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few vs. #5 The K-Nections (series tied 1-1) Whoever won this match between Mortis and Scott Steiner would give their team two chances to win the series: first in the match between Melissa Anderson and Manami Toyota on Renaissance, and failing that, in the Unnatural vs. RVD match at SuperBrawl. Mortis' innovative offensive maneuvers and the powerful suplexes of Steiner made this an even back and forth match, but everything changed when Dawn Marie appeared at ringside and gave Scott a wave and a wink. This was obviously a ploy from Made in Italy, but Scott has never been able to resist beautiful women. He flexed in her direction, which allowed Mortis to take control of the match. The bout wore on for a few minutes more, but the Flatliner put the Hopeful Few in the lead. (B) <div style="text-align:center;">Spotlight Segment: <img alt="tUGU31v.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tUGU31v.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="6Q4ZNvd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6Q4ZNvd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Arn Anderson came to the ring to introduce the big new signing he's been touting, but Ric Flair came down and cut him off. "I'm tired of this!" Flair shouted. "I'm tired of people thinking they can replace the Nature Boy! You forced me out and couldn't wait to put all the company's efforts into guys like Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio--guys that wouldn't have been worthy of shining my alligator shoes or cleaning my custom robes back when I was the man! You couldn't even give me my moment to bask in the Hall of Fame, because you bent over backwards to make Randy Savage happy! Hey, Macho, guess what? You aren't even in my league, pal! Being INDUCTED into the Hall of Fame? I should have my own WING, WOOOO! "Now tonight, that punk Dustin Rhodes proved he's just as stupid as his old man by turning down my guidance to put RVD in his place! I've forgotten more about wrestling than that painted freak will ever know, but he's too good to accept the Nature Boy's help! And now you, Arn, my so-called best friend, are out here bragging about some big new signing, some new star that's going to set WCW on fire. I don't know who it is, and I don't care, because there's no one you could sign that is even worthy of breathing the same air as Ric Flair! You wanna roll out the red carpet, Arn? You wanna give your new signing a big welcome! Well I'LL be the welcoming party! Whoever you are, come out here right now and stand before THE GOD of professional wrestling, and I'll decide whether or not you belong here! WOOOO!" Arn's performance was pretty poor here as he tried and failed to calm Ric down, but this wasn't about Arn. It wasn't even really about Ric. It was all about the arrival of my newest signing... <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mXo6nxt_8KM" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/mXo6nxt_8KM"</a> frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The fans didn't react too much when "Hellraiser" by Ozzy Osbourne started playing, and why should they? That song isn't associated with anyone; at least not yet. They just sat and waited to see who would walk out from behind the curtain. <img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> ...And then they exploded. Steve Austin has been off TV since he left WWE last May, but this was most certainly a case of 'gone, but not forgotten.' He got the absolute superstar reaction I was banking on. The fans chanted 'Austin, Austin' as the music died down, and he smiled and waited for them to quiet down at least to a level that he could begin talking. "Well hell, Steve Austin's never been known to be sappy, but damned if I didn't miss you guys too!" he said, drawing another cheer from the crowd. "Now Ric Flair, I heard you flappin' your gums out here like your some kinda..what'd you say, the God of pro wrestling? Now I respect everything you done, Ric, but if you're expectin' me to get down on my damn knees and bow at your feet, you got another thing comin'!" Far from being impressed by the WCW return of Steve Austin, Flair said he had no business even setting foot in this ring. "Steve Austin, as far as I'm concerned, you're a FAILURE! You were one of those guys who thought you were going to replace Ric Flair ten years ago, but you failed! You couldn't get to the top of WCW, not as long as I was standing here, so you went to the WWF! And you might've had some success up there ((talk about an understatement!)), but big deal! Who'd you beat up there? Bret Hart? Who cares! Mick Foley? Another WCW reject! Rock? If I ever wrestled him, I'da slapped him around just like I used to do to his old man! You may think you're a big shot around here, Austin, but to me you're nothing but a flash in the pan who was never good enough to beat the Nature Boy!" Flair made his point by slapping Austin across the face! The fans "oohed" at that, and waited to see how Austin would respond. "Now Ric, I got nothin' against you," he said. "Matter of fact, I got a whole lot of respect for you. You say you're the best to ever lace up a pair of boots, and I think you might be right! But you just slapped Steve Austin across the face, and there ain't no way that..." Knowing what was coming, Flair tried to get the jump on Austin by striking first. He threw a sucker punch, but Austin blocked it. He kicked Flair in the gut, and...Stunner! Ric sold it like a pro, flopping back and falling through the ropes. Then he did his face-first Flair Flop on the floor for good measure. Austin picked up the microphone once again. "If you're happy to see Steve Austin in WCW, gimmie a hell yeah!" The fans did as he asked. "I'll be honest with ya: I never thought I'd be standin' in a WCW ring ever again. But here I am, and the moment I walked through that curtain and came out in front of you people I knew I made the right choice! Steve Austin's here, and I'm gonna drink some beer, kick some ass and raise some hell, and that's the bottom line!" Steve did his familiar beer bash to end the show and send the crowd home happy. It'll be a little bit of a tightrope to let Steve be Steve without straying too far from our family-friendly motto, but I don't think anything he said or did here will be any trouble. The middle fingers will definitely have to go though. The choice of theme and the 'raise some hell' ending were both by design. We needed a new nickname for him since we obviously can't use Stone Cold, and I thought The Hellraiser had a nice ring to it. Steve's performance was good here and the fans reacted very well to his rebellious character. Tenay's announcing wasn't great here as he was so eager to try and get over the importance of this that he shouted into the headset and came across as phony, but who really cares? What matters is that Austin is here, and the parameters of this game just changed. Grade: A</div> <div style="text-align:center;">Show Grade: A http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png February 22nd, 2003 From the Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan Attendance: 10,342 Announce Team: Joey Styles and Tracy Brooks </div> We open with a video recap of the unforgettable WCW return of "The Hellraiser" Steve Austin! A voiceover confirms that Austin will be in attendance at SuperBrawl tomorrow night. (A*) Shinobu Kandori used her judo skills to weaken freelancer Emi Sakura and forced her to tap out to a kneebar. (C+) Post-show footage from last week: Etsuko Mita is very angry after her loss to Manami Toyota, screaming and causing a ruckus backstage. Chigusa Nagayo approaches her and offers a bit of veteran wisdom, telling her it's not the end of the world and she's talented enough that she'll get more opportunities in the future if she puts in the work in. Etsuko does not react well to Chigusa's attempt to reason with her, shouting that the opinion of a washed-up former star means nothing to her. (A*) Devil Masami stepped into the aisle to watch as Meiko Satomura took on Allison Corino. Meiko had an eye on her rival, but when no interference was forthcoming she focused on the task at hand and defeated Allison with her Scorpio Rising kick. (B) We cut to a backstage hallway, where Manami Toyota's pre-match stretching has been interrupted by Aja Kong. The two women argue back and forth, with Toyota calling Aja a coward for attacking her after her match, and Kong saying that Manami had it coming for daring to call herself the world champion. Some of their fellow wrestlers arrive to separate the two, leaving Toyota to try and get herself back into the right frame of mind before her UFS match. (A) Alexis Laree got the better of the struggling Sonoko Kato with a swinging DDT. © A video recaps the downslide and erratic behavior of Booker T since losing the World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade, and it is revealed that he has promised to address the fans tomorrow night at SuperBrawl. (B+) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round: #4 Satyr's Hopeful Few vs. #5 The K-Nections (S.H.F. leads 2-1) We knew that The Unnatural and Rob Van Dam would be wrestling tomorrow night at SuperBrawl, but Manami Toyota needed to beat Melissa Anderson here for that to have any meaning in the UFS. Perhaps Toyota was not 100% one week after a tough title defense against Etsuko Mita, but Melissa was able to hang with her and make this very interesting whatever the case. LuFisto and Daffney crept down to ringside halfway through the match, but Toyota and Anderson joined forces to send them packing. The action resumed, and despite the best effort of young Melissa, the champion proved she's still a step above by hitting the <a href="https://imgur.com/TI3EI2w" rel="external nofollow">Ocean Suplex</a> (not to be confused with another of her specialties, the Ocean Cyclone Suplex.) (B) <div style="text-align:center;">Show Grade: B+ </div> </div></blockquote> <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><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="FsbJFI5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FsbJFI5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Fan Scorecard: World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. {©} World Tag Team Championship: The Jung Dragons vs. The Hardys {©} United States Heavyweight Championship: Lance Storm vs. AJ Styles {©} World Television Championship/Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #7 Bonnie's Dingos): Sean O'Haire {©} (Enigmas) vs. Brian Adams (Dingos) Triple Threat for the Cruiserweight Championship: Hayabusa vs. TAKA vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels {©} Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #8 Scotty's Band of Misfits): Bryan Danielson (Crew) vs. The Destroyer (Misfits) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#3 Sin-free Society vs. #6 The Dead Jesters): Fit Finlay (Society) vs. Bobby Roode (Jesters) Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#4 Satyr's Hopeful Few vs. #5 The K-Nections): The Unnatural (S.H.F.) vs. Rob Van Dam (K-Nections) If Knoble loses, he must join The Empire: Jamie Knoble vs. King Corino Aguila and Volador vs. The Unbound The Steiners vs. Made in Italy What will be match of the night? How many championships will change hands? Steve Austin will appear on the show. Who, if anyone, will he talk to? General diary comments/questions/critiques: </div></blockquote> <hr noshade size=3> My thanks to Beejus for suggesting the Hellraiser nickname, as well as making another suggestion that led to me choosing the very appropriately named themesong. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="JMike" data-cite="JMike" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Y'OL' STONE COLD HEADED TO DEBYEH SEE DEBYEH TO KICK SOME ASS Or not, I don't know. Is OOH YEAH THE MACHO MAN gonna wrestle, part time wrestle? Be a full time manager or something?</div></blockquote> I was hoping 'kick some ass' wasn't TOO big a dead giveaway. Did everyone know it was coming? No to all of the above. He's set as a retired wrestler, and I'd have to pay him a lot to use him regularly (not nearly as much as Austin, granted, but I'm hoping Austin will be more than worth his high salary.) <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="chrismday" data-cite="chrismday" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Sad to see Jerry Sags put pay to any more nasty boys appearances. They were always one of my favourite teams. Their matches with the Steiners back in the day were awesome. Might just be me, but I'm really hoping the flair angle eventually leads to Ric vs Arn Anderson down the line. Be a cool throwback to TGAAB ... can Arn still wrestle as a one off if you wanted?</div></blockquote> You probably wouldn't have seen them again anyway, unless it was just another one night contract similar to what I just did. Arn is set as a retired wrestler, but his stats are decent enough that he could probably have a not terrible match if I used the editor to temporarily give him an in-ring role. <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>I don't know the other guy but I'm psyched that strong style is coming early in WCW!</div></blockquote> I honestly would've been fine with NOAH or All Japan or somebody else scooping him up, but it didn't look like that was going to happen and I didn't want him to waste away and not even get booked in matches.

Uncrewed · October 9, 2017

World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. {©}

World Tag Team Championship: The Jung Dragons vs. The Hardys {©}

United States Heavyweight Championship: Lance Storm vs. AJ Styles {©}

World Television Championship/Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #7 Bonnie's Dingos): Sean O'Haire {©} (Enigmas) vs. Brian Adams (Dingos)

Triple Threat for the Cruiserweight Championship: Hayabusa vs. TAKA vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels {©}

Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #8 Scotty's Band of Misfits): Bryan Danielson (Crew) vs. The Destroyer (Misfits)

Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#3 Sin-free Society vs. #6 The Dead Jesters): Fit Finlay (Society) vs. Bobby Roode (Jesters)

Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#4 Satyr's Hopeful Few vs. #5 The K-Nections): The Unnatural (S.H.F.) vs. Rob Van Dam (K-Nections)

If Knoble loses, he must join The Empire: Jamie Knoble vs. King Corino

Aguila and Volador vs. The Unbound

The Steiners vs. Made in Italy

What will be match of the night?- Punk/Mysterio

How many championships will change hands?- 0

Steve Austin will appear on the show. Who, if anyone, will he talk to?- Booker T

bonnie · October 9, 2017

World Heavyweight Championship: Rey Mysterio Jr. {©}

World Tag Team Championship: The Hardys {©}

United States Heavyweight Championship: Lance Storm

World Television Championship/Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#2 The Phenomenal Enigmas vs. #7 Bonnie's Dingos): Sean O'Haire {©} (Enigmas) (I feel like I’ll lose here <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> unless Finlay interferes)

Triple Threat for the Cruiserweight Championship: TAKA

Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#1 Uncrewed's Crew vs. #8 Scotty's Band of Misfits): Bryan Danielson (Crew)

Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#3 Sin-free Society vs. #6 The Dead Jesters): Fit Finlay

Ultimate Fan Series, Opening Round (#4 Satyr's Hopeful Few vs. #5 The K-Nections): The Unnatural (S.H.F.)

If Knoble loses, he must join The Empire: Jamie Knoble

The Unbound

The Steiners

What will be match of the night? Unnatural v RVD

How many championships will change hands? 2

Steve Austin will appear on the show. Who, if anyone, will he talk to? Booker

General diary comments/questions/critiques:

Warhawk8492 · October 9, 2017