WCW: Heart and Soul

Kiheiji · December 13, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Historian" data-cite="Historian" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I don't know if he was *the* worst pick for IWGP Heavyweight Champion ever..Hashimikov comes to mind.</div></blockquote> This is an objectively bad opinion. Hashimikov was the exact foreign heel that fit the original "strong style" idea. I mean look at this freakin' beast. http://i.imgur.com/hBmepkJ.gif

franticloser · December 13, 2018

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}

World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Smith vs Unnatural

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? 1

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

chrismday · December 13, 2018

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}

World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Rey vs Noble

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? 0

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

GingeyOne · December 14, 2018

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

I think Jeff takes this and goes on to face Unnatural, there has been too much build to do anything else.

World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}

World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Rey vs Knoble

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? None

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

General diary comments/questions/critiques: So great to have you back! I have to say that whenever I play the 2k games I usually end up playing or simming matches with the wrestler's that you write about. Lots of Jake / Bret / Perfect / Macho / Martel and Flair. Now that this years new Goldust model has a great Facepaint / Hair base I think I will start morphing him into the Unnatural in my universe mode!

Rateddc · December 14, 2018

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}

World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Hardy / O'Haire

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? 0

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

Danny_H22 · December 14, 2018

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}

World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Rey v Knoble

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? 1

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

General diary comments/questions/critiques:

Wolfman84 · December 15, 2018

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}

World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? Zero

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

DavidCorperial · December 16, 2018

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

World Heavyweight Championship: Harry Smith vs. The Unnatural {©}

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

World Tag Team Championship: The Shooting Stars vs. The Unbound {©}

World Television Championship: Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©}

Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. {©}

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Hardy / O'Haire

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? 0

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

The Final Countdown · December 16, 2018

Pre-Show Meeting

November 23rd, 2003

12:23 pm

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

http://i.imgur.com/1Jl40Ai.jpg

"So we're in agreement then?" I asked. "Starrcade stays in the Greensboro Coliseum?"

Every head around me nodded in approval. I knew the money counters in our offices would not be happy with this decision. It was already clear that demand would be much higher than supply when it came to tickets for our biggest event of the year. The Coliseum was hardly tiny, seating more than 21 thousand fans, but we could probably more than double that total if we moved Starrcade to a bigger venue. Heck, we DID more than double it with Renaissance's Grand Prix show last month at Jingu Stadium. We are leaving a lot of money on the table by standing by our original decision to host this year's Starrcade at the Greensboro Coliseum. And yet...

"It's the right move, Hitman," Flair said confidently. "Holding the 20th anniversary of Starrcade at the Coliseum, where it all began, is a great message to our longtime fans. We're acknowledging our heritage and our history, which is something Vince seems to have no interest in doing."

"Ric's right," Arn said. "No one's saying this has to be an annual thing. Next year, go ahead and host Starrcade in the biggest building you think you can sell out. There's no harm in running somewhere a little bit smaller just this once, especially given all the sentimental value. And besides, it's not like we're exactly hurting for money, right?"

"Definitely not," I said, cracking a smile. We'd been making healthy profits from the moment we'd re-launched, so we'd built up quite a war chest over the previous two and a half years. The additional revenue from selling more seats to Starrcade wouldn't be missed all that much, and if the previous two and a half years were any indication, we were sure to have a nice profit in December regardless. "Does anybody else have anything they want to bring up before we end this meeting?"

"I do," Steamboat said. "You know how I spent a few days down in Wildside recently, observing our guys?"

"Of course," I answered. "Anybody stand out?"

"Plenty," he said. "We've got a talented crop of kids down there. But that Nakamura, he's really going to be something special."

"I figured as much," I said. "New Japan usually turns out pretty high quality workers in their dojo, and everybody raved about him in particular."

"It's not just that," Ricky said with a shake of the head. "We could already tell he had a world of potential even then, but he's progressed beyond my expectations. He already knew how to work, and he projected well, but he has so much swagger to him now. The kid carries himself like an absolute superstar."

"Not exactly what I'd expect from an Inoki trainee, especially these days," Arn mused. "Isn't he really focused on developing straightforward fighter types now? Almost like a worked shoot kind of deal?"

"Yeah, and Nakamura came to us knowing how to do that stuff," Ricky said. "But in the nine or ten months he's spent down in Wildside he's figured out the other stuff, the stuff they don't teach in New Japan's dojo. He doesn't carry himself like the usual Japanese star. He told me one of his idols is Freddie Mercury from Queen, and it shows."

"Freddie Mercury, huh?" That wasn't something I expected to hear about a young Japanese wrestler, but it sounded intriguing. To hear Steamboat tell it, we might have a very unique prospect on our hands.

"I'm telling you, Bret, dropping this kid to cut costs was the worst decision Inoki's ever made," Ricky said. "He's going to be an international superstar."

I wasn't used to hearing The Dragon gush about a prospect like this. After this meeting I'd need to devote all my attention to running tonight's PPV, but after it was over I was going to be requesting all the tape Wildside had of Shinsuke Nakamura.

I wrote this little teaser in part as an excuse to give a warning. You might have been expecting a slow turnaround from preview to show based on how things have been going recently, but the show is actually completely written and WILL be posted tomorrow (Sunday.) I normally don't offer these sorts of warnings, but given the recent pace of this diary I thought it was a good idea, especially since this is the second to last show in the contest to qualify for the UFS.

General diary comments/questions/critiques: So great to have you back! I have to say that whenever I play the 2k games I usually end up playing or simming matches with the wrestler's that you write about. Lots of Jake / Bret / Perfect / Macho / Martel and Flair. Now that this years new Goldust model has a great Facepaint / Hair base I think I will start morphing him into the Unnatural in my universe mode!

That's cool; glad I could offer some inspiration! I took the plunge and bought 2k19 on Black Friday despite not following the actual WWE product, and I'm really enjoying it. I recently finished the Career mode, and I totally picked Goldust as my partner for one particular match in the story because of his run as The Unnatural here.

K-Nection · December 16, 2018

That post has me truly hyped!!!

UltimateJerichoFan · December 16, 2018

Fan Scorecard:

Stu Hart Classic Finals: Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire

If Mysterio wins, he gets a match against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (RVD & Douglas)

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms

What will be match of the night? Stu Hart Finals

How many championships will change hands (the Stu Hart Classic doesn't count)? None

Will Goldberg accept the invitation to show up during Piper's Pit? Yes

General diary comments/questions/critiques: I caught up with this a little about 2 months ago and was waiting for this to come back. Now that it finally did I decided to predict. Keep up the good work!

The Final Countdown · December 16, 2018

November 23rd, 2003: Calgary Stampede <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="WiYIFgR.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WiYIFgR.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> November 23rd, 2003 From the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada Attendance: 15,905 Announce Team: "The Professor" Mike Tenay and Bret "The Hitman" Hart <img alt="2nqjRO5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2nqjRO5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="nG8aWZm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nG8aWZm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></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;">"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. "Sugar" Shane Helms (w/Buff Bagwell) <img alt="ICMDAHo.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ICMDAHo.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hlbUlLo.jpg<img alt="qMgusCH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qMgusCH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The match with the least amount of build opened the show, but just because it was a late addition didn't mean it wouldn't be good. AJ has grown into one of the best workers in the company, and he had another great performance tonight with some fine aerial moves and quick counters and transitions to thwart Shane's offense. Helms was pretty good himself, even though his contributions weren't all about wrestling. I told him to focus on telling the story that Buff Bagwell's influence has turned him into a shameless womanizer. Indeed, Buff frequently encouraged him to stop mid-match and strike a pose to impress the ladies, wasting several opportunities to press an advantage in the process. Helms and Buff make a good duo; Buff's timing on when to make himself scarce and when to encourage a good flex is already down pat, and Shane plays off of him really well. I'm glad I've found something for both of these guys to do. Helms rolled out to the floor to escape some furious Styles offense, and while he was out there a pretty blonde caught his eye. Buff waved him over to her, and Shane did a little strut and bicep flex. The girl laughed, but Shane wasn't laughing when he turned around right into a <a href="https://imgur.com/iOxfBe0" rel="external nofollow">Fosbury Flop!</a> From there AJ had no trouble rolling his opponent back in to the ring and finishing this very good opener in about ten minutes with the Styles Clash. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 85</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/q5GmbOH.jpg</div> We showed Harry Smith warming up before the biggest match of his young life, but this wasn't a simple transition. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="e6Tpw6t.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e6Tpw6t.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> In a surprise, his dad Davey Boy walked into the dressing room! Harry was surprised to see him, saying he didn't think he was "allowed" at WCW shows anymore (a subtle reference to his stint with us as an active wrestler ending when I sent him to rehab in January). Davey apologized for letting him down and bringing their run as a tag team to an end as he dealt with his own personal demons, but said he wouldn't miss this for the world. He knew Harry was a big underdog tonight, but he told his son that he if he put in the work and gave it his all, he just might be able to do what Davey himself had never done: become the World Heavyweight Champion! He said he was going to be proud to sit here in the back and watch it all on a monitor, but Harry immediately shook his head. "There's only one place I want you, dad, and that's in my corner!" he said. Davey agreed to the request, and they shared a hug as we cut back to ringside. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 62</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 Brian Kendrick vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.{©} <img alt="waBVEEI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/waBVEEI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg<img alt="0qRNVUJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0qRNVUJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Our first of four title matches (plus the tournament final) saw cocky youngster Brian Kendrick challenge the veteran Chavo Guerrero Jr., who had many years of experience under his belt despite being only 33 years old. They had a decent little match, going back and forth as Kendrick pressed the offense, tried to back up his bold words and win his first title, while Chavo wrestled a more defensive match and waited for his opponent to make a mistake he could capitalize on. Both guys were pretty good in their roles, with Chavo just a bit better. Ironically that was the story of the match as well. Kendrick's mistake came when he took a bit too long to preen and taunt the fans after a hurricanrana off of the top rope, and got caught with a small package for the pin. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 78</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;"><img alt="frhLUo7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/frhLUo7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CtEcIzq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CtEcIzq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="OSPVvmB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/OSPVvmB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The Jung Dragons were in the stands, holding "Objection!" signs and encouraging the fans to chant along with them. Yang had a megaphone, and he used it to talk about the injustice of the "uncrowned World Tag Team Champions" being left off of the show while an inferior team like The Shooting Stars are set to challenge for the titles. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="tUGU31v.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tUGU31v.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Their protest dragged on long enough for Arn Anderson to show up, and he wasn't pleased. He said they had a tight schedule to adhere to, and the TV Championship match would've already been underway if it weren't for the Dragons causing a disturbance. They refused his order to leave at first, but did eventually back down once he called security over. Even though we let Yang handle the bulk of the talking for the team this time, I thought Stacy Keibler was a real plus here. She does so much for their act, and her star presence stood out and got the people more interested in the segment. Not like I can blame them. I mean...look at her. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 78</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;"><img alt="rrRBDgP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rrRBDgP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy {©} http://i.imgur.com/5Xhxf90.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg<img alt="bH5oivJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bH5oivJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The bell had barely even sounded before Hardy and Finlay met in the center of the ring and started trading blows. No feeling out process or mat work to be found here; just a fight. While Jeff is generally regarded as the star of the Hardy brothers, Matt is looking pretty comfortable as a solo act in his own right. He was very good tonight, and that was fortunate because Fit really struggled here. The guy was so good for so long, but his near 30 year career is starting to catch up to him. He had a hard time keeping up physically, and even in a match that only went about 11 minutes at a fairly standard pace he was still looking winded before the end. Matt did a nice job carrying the load here, helping guide his aging opponent to a good match before finishing him off with the Twist of Fate. With his restless schedule this was already Matt's fourth successful title defense, bringing him nearly halfway to the ten required for the US title option in his first month as champion. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 83</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;"><img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="c5XJDHD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/c5XJDHD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="eTShQmA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eTShQmA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="0exeVr7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0exeVr7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/4CP35O5.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg </div> As we went backstage ostensibly to get a shot of the Dangerous Alliance prepping for RVD and Douglas' tag match (up next), they happened to pass Salvation's Unnatural, Destroyer and Father Isaac in the hallway. It looked as if the two groups would pass each other without incident, but then Heyman decided to take the opportunity to ask why Salvation had interfered and helped Jeff Hardy win his Stu Hart Classic Semifinal against CM Punk. "Because if you intend to do something similar tonight in the finals, it is my duty to inform you that the Dangerous Alliance stands ready, willing and able to fight fire with fire!" Heyman warned. The Unnatural answered, saying that he and Salvation weren't lying when they told Jeff Hardy they had his best interests at heart. "It's now clear to me that our plan of shielding young Jeffrey from the crushing emptiness of catastrophic failure was faulty," he said. "Much like myself when Salvation first reached out to me in what now feels like a lifetime ago, the gentle touch will not work. Jeffrey must be broken before he can be healed, and losing in the Semifinal would not have sufficed. He must get tantalizingly close to achieving his dreams, only to then reach out futilely as they slip through his grasp. If that is my duty at Starrcade, so be it. But I believe losing in the finals would work as well, so you have my word that Salvation will play no role in your match tonight. Whether Sean O'Haire succeeds or fails tonight is entirely in his own hands--and for his sake, I hope he succeeds. I don't know if his mental state could handle another disappointment like the one I dealt to him on that August night in Tokyo." O'Haire looked like he wanted to rip Dustin's head off for that reference, but at a word from Heyman, RVD and Douglas held him back. "Save your energy, Sean, because you'll need it," Heyman said, before turning his attention to The Unnatural. "As for myself, Dustin, I'd like to thank you. If it wasn't for that title match on August 24th, 2003, I don't know if we'd all be standing here right now. You're right; that night was a crushing blow to the psyche of Mr. Sean O'Haire. He had the world at his feet. Fifteen straight successful defenses of the World Television Championship, against some of the best WCW has to offer. The likes of Booker T, our own Shane Douglas, and even your "brothers" Mortis and Destroyer all tried and failed to stop the path of destruction Sean O'Haire cut through the WCW roster in the first half of this year. Has anyone ever done more to earn a shot at the heavyweight championship of the world? Physically, he was inarguably your better. We all know he's bigger and stronger than you, and I'll say with confidence that he's faster and more athletic than you too! He had everything he needed to get the job done on that night! All, except for one thing." Heyman paused and tapped his finger against his temple. "You couldn't match Sean athletically, so you won the match using your smarts, and all credit to you for doing so. But everything's changed now, Dustin. Three months ago Sean stood alone. Now he has the backing of the Dangerous Alliance. He has ME in his corner, and I feel very confident in saying that there's no a man in this business who can outsmart me! With Rob-Van-Dam and Shane Douglas to watch his back and me to provide guidance at the critical moment, Sean O'Haire is UNSTOPPABLE! Jeff Hardy will learn that to his sorrow tonight, and unless Harry Smith has a horseshoe up his rear end, it'll be your turn at Starrcade! Gentlemen, Salvation has had a nice little run here in WCW, but it is the Dangerous Alliance's time now!" I definitely think leaving the talking to Heyman and Dustin was the right call here. Paul was on fire with some passionate delivery on his improvised lines, and I have no complaints with Dustin's effort. Even RVD was awesome here in the background, with some perfect timing as he smirked and made physical gestures at just the right moments during Heyman's promo. Great stuff all the way around. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 100</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. The Dangerous Alliance (w/Paul Heyman) http://i.imgur.com/k45HPCq.jpg<img alt="lAlFtSW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lAlFtSW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg<img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="eTShQmA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eTShQmA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dcrMvyP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dcrMvyP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The Dangerous Alliance needed to shift gears and put the altercation with Salvation behind them quickly, because RVD and Douglas had business to handle. The story in this match was built around answering the question of whether or not Steiner and Danielson would be able to work together, because as Mike and I pointed out, Heyman was sure to have RVD and Douglas operating like a well-oiled machine. Interestingly, Rob and Shane working well together wasn't merely storyline. As it turns out, they seem to have some excellent natural chemistry as partners. It was in part because of that that RVD was just about flawless in his performance tonight, and Douglas was almost at the same level. Those two could make for a fantastic full-time team if we ever choose to go that route. Scott was pretty great here as well, executing some nice suplexes and power moves in short bursts while Danielson did a lot of face in peril work. If there was a weak link in this match it was Danielson, but weak link in this case meant he was merely good in the face of greatness. Yet despite all of these positives, the match was only okay. I do think it did what it needed to though. Mike and I pointed out the many differences between Danielson and Steiner on commentary, and they worked some of that into the match as well, but ultimately they were on the same page and pushed the DA hard. In a cool spot that took advantage of the oddball pairing, Steiner lifted Danielson over his head in a military press and tossed him over the top rope, where he wiped out Van Dam on the floor! With Rob taken care of, the legal man Danielson was able to climb to the top rope and hit a diving headbutt to pin Douglas in what we pushed as an upset. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 78</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;"><img alt="g1BYlVy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/g1BYlVy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bH5oivJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bH5oivJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The Hardys were chatting in their dressing room when the True Heroes walked in uninvited. Punk accused Jeff of working together with Salvation, and openly wondered whether he might secretly have been part of the group all along. Jeff protested that suggestion and insisted that he had nothing to do with Salvation getting involved in their Stu Hart Classic match. He didn't need or want their help, and he wanted to win his matches on his own. Punk remained doubtful. "We know you two well," Punk said. "REALLY well. The four of us, we've been through wars that will live on in WCW history forever. Even if you don't like someone, you learn things about them when you share experiences like that. You learn about their spirit, you learn about their heart, and you learn about what they're willing to do in order to get ahead. And what I know about you, Jeff Hardy, is that you are willing to do absolutely ANYTHING in the name of winning a match. With the stunts you pull out there, you've proven you have no regard for your own health. And if you're willing to sacrifice your own body, who's to say you aren't also willing to sell your soul to The Unnatural, Isaac and the rest of those whackjobs?" Jeff remained adamant that he had no association with Salvation, but Punk was still unconvinced (and maybe he shouldn't have been, because Jeff's delivery was terrible here as he tried and failed to keep up with Punk in speaking without a script.) "Actions speak a heck of a lot louder than words. So I guess your actions will reveal the truth about who you really are inside, Jeff Hardy." <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 92</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 The Shooting Stars (w/Torrie Wilson) vs. The Unbound (w/Father Isaac) {©} <img alt="uOGLnPZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uOGLnPZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vtYAboC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vtYAboC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/0QMJTAT.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg<img alt="CsQnr5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CsQnr5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/ptxupoY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</div> So Mortis was allegedly "off of his game", but it was hard to tell because he was too busy being awesome. Maybe there were a couple of minor hiccups, but nothing that actually detracted from his excellence. Kidman did a great job as well on the other side with some crowd-pleasing aerial moves. Teddy and Alexander were fine, but there was no doubt about who was leading the way in this tag title match. The match itself was fine, but nothing special. The story here was the Shooting Stars trying to make lots of fast tags and execute aerial attacks and double teams, while the champions tried to slow things down and cut the ring in half. They were able to work Teddy over for a bit, but he freed himself by countering an Alexander German suplex into a bulldog and then made the hot tag. Kidman went to town on both members of The Unbound, and after ducking an Alexander lariat, he knocked him to the mat with a dropkick to the jaw. Mortis tried to surprise him with a Flatliner, but Kidman slipped out and dropped him with the BK Bomb. Billy had everything going his way, but was surprised when Teddy slapped him on the back with a blind tag. Teddy tried to deal the finishing blow with a Shooting Star Press, but Alexander was there to grab his foot and yank him down for a rough landing back-first on the canvas. Mortis went straight to the Flatliner, and since the Shooting Stars had already used their one allotted save Kidman could do nothing but watch the 3 count. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 79 <img alt="heiyf1p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/heiyf1p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="IyPxuzp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IyPxuzp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The champions didn't even have time to receive their belts before True Heroes ran down the ramp for a surprise attack, Storm making an immediate impact as he flew in and dropped Alexander with a spinning heel kick off the top rope. (Unfortunately Alexander was out of position and Lance had to wait awkwardly until he turned.) Mortis took a swing at Punk which was blocked, and then he was on the receiving end of the Devil Lock DDT. Punk gave Mortis a couple of kicks in the ribs before demanding a microphone. "I think we all know by now that I'm not exactly a forgiving person," Punk said. "I hold grudges, so if you screw me over, you better be prepared to deal with the consequences. And you, Mortis, cost me a spot in the finals of the Stu Hart Classic, so it goes without saying that you've got payback coming your way! Oh, and don't think Lance and I have forgotten the fact that it would be us holding those tag team titles right now instead of you if you hadn't had that big goon Mike Awe--Destroyer, whatever, jump me during our three way match in Tokyo! Make no mistake, we want those belts back. And since I'm out of the Stu Hart Classic because of you, that means my schedule is wide open. See you soon." Punk is usually sharp on the mic when speaking without a script, but he stumbled a bit here as evidenced by the slip-up when talking about Destroyer. Mortis was pretty good though, both in selling the initial attack and in limping back up the ramp. Unrelated note: how did I not book LANCE STORM in a match on our one televised show a year in Calgary? Ugh. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 89</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;">Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jamie Knoble (w/Tammy Sytch) http://i.imgur.com/ffZqipS.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/CCq92jB.jpg<img alt="wZR2OGz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wZR2OGz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Eddie Guerrero sat with me and Mike on commentary for this match, and he called our suggestion that he's afraid to wrestle Rey in a singles match stupid. "If little Rey wants to wrestle someone as good as me on the 20th anniversary of Starrcade, he needs to prove he deserves it!" he boasted. That wasn't a bad line, but on the whole Eddie didn't do a great job. He was a little too concentrated on mocking Rey and it hurt the match slightly for the viewers at home. As for the match itself, I told these two to try and build something great here. All the matches up to this point had finished in under fifteen minutes, so we had plenty of time to devote to this match, which I felt had the potential to steal the show. It was definitely the best match up to this point, with Rey doing a great job as a babyface who built sympathy from the fans and wowed them with spectacular lucha-inspired offense. Knoble was nearly as good in his role as the aggressive technician who tried to clinically break Mysterio's spirit with painful submission holds. He paid particular attention to Mysterio's surgicially-repaired knees, and Eddie gleefully mentioned that it was his own suggestion for Jamie to utilize that strategy. The match was very good, borderline great. I honestly thought it would be even better than it was, but I can't exactly complain with what we got. After Mysterio crawled to the ropes and forced a break of the figure four leglock, Knoble held onto his foot so he could drag him right back out to the center of the ring. But Rey was able to kick him away with his free leg, and got back to his feet in time to knock Knoble down with a back elbow to the jaw. Rey was hobbled and moving gingerly thanks to Knoble's focused assault on his lower limbs, but he still had enough left to connect with a springboard leg drop and pin Knoble, thus earning the match against Guerrero at Starrcade. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 88</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;"><img alt="womNFVP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/womNFVP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="m936mtC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/m936mtC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Sting and Becky Bayless were backstage to promote the 20th anniversary of Starrcade on December 28th. He talked about how fitting it was that we'd be going back to where it all started in 1983, the Greensboro Coliseum, and said he couldn't wait to be there and feel the energy from the fans for the 20th anniversary of the ORIGINAL wrestling supercard! (Take that, Vince!) Becky asked him what was in store for him at the event, and he said he honestly didn't know. "Obviously I wish that I could've won the Stu Hart Classic and tried to win the WCW title for the 7th time, but unfortunately that's out. I don't know what Starrcade has in store for the Stinger, but I can't wait to find out!" "Are you kidding me, Stinger?" <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/BSCxEF8.jpg<img alt="6Q4ZNvd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6Q4ZNvd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Ric Flair and Bobby Roode strutted into view, and Flair shook his head in disappointment. "I don't think I've ever seen anything more pathetic in my entire life," Flair said. "Where's the fire, Stinger? Where's the passion? Where's the chest-thumping, howling, relentless maniac that pushed the Nature Boy to his limit time after time, night after night? My career might be over, or so the powers-that-be say, but yours isn't! How can you be satisfied with sitting on the sidelines on the biggest show of the year? How can you accept being put on the backburner? We're talking about STARRCADE, baby! The show that the Nature Boy built, WOOOOOOO! It's the granddaddy of 'em all, the 20th anniversary, in GREENSBORO, and you're fine playing second fiddle to Dusty's kid and whichever greenhorn wins the main event tonight?! Your career isn't over yet, Sting...BUT MAYBE IT SHOULD BE!" This was Ric at his best, being given a live mic and no net and going on a rant like only he can. Roode agreed with his manager's comments, saying that he would never settle for mediocrity like Sting clearly has. He was very underwhelming here, especially on the heels of Ric's greatness, but simply being on screen for this was probably beneficial for him. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 88</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/fn8zdsQ.jpg</div> Just before he was set to walk through the curtain, Unnatural cut a promo on Harry Smith. "Tonight, it falls on me to shatter young Harry Smith's dreams. It is an unpleasant task, but this is precisely why I accepted the burden of becoming World Heavyweight Champion. If the unthinkable were to happen and young Harry won this title tonight, it would be the worst thing that ever happened to him. His 18-year old shoulders would collapse under the pressure of being champion, pressure that would destroy his life. Fortunately for him, I am here to make certain that doesn't happen." Unnatural was fantastic here, and he came across like a big time star. The segment itself didn't have as much heat as you'd like, but that's just because his subject matter (Harry) isn't a star at this point of his career, so the crowd wasn't going to get as invested in a promo about him. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 76</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/haJKoFv.jpg Harry Smith (w/Davey Boy Smith) vs. The Unnatural {©} (w/Father Isaac) <img alt="v0lxp69.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v0lxp69.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/q5GmbOH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/fn8zdsQ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hSGqVHg.jpg</div> As we all know, this was a very different caliber of opponent compared to the others Unnatural has defended his title against. This was part of the storyline, and it factored into the style of match they worked. Dustin has been putting on tremendous performances in lengthy title matches, but I didn't think that booking him to go 20-plus minutes in a back and forth epic with Harry was the right way to approach this. Harry isn't on his level yet, and trying to portray him as such wouldn't have made sense. Instead of a slow-paced, well-built epic, they kicked it into high gear right away. Though I still think this was the right story to tell and both guys did do well with the quick tempo, I did notice that Dustin was starting to move a little slower as we got close to the end of this 13 minute match, so I'll need to avoid having him work this all out style in any big matches in the future. The idea was that Harry knew he wasn't on Unnatural's level, so he needed to just try and catch him with one big shot. Davey cheered his son on from the floor, and I thought he was a natural fit as Harry's manager and added to the emotion of the moment. Unnatural got in most of the offense and easily countered the majority of Harry's telegraphed attempts, but every once in awhile the challenger would catch him with a power move and try to steal the pin. Harry was okay here, but of course that Dustin was the star. It was no surprise that this wasn't nearly as good as all of Unnatural's other title defenses, but it was a very good match and easily the best singles bout Harry has ever had. Harry nearly shocked the world when he hit his dad's own Running Powerslam, but the champion got the shoulder up before the 3 count. When he tried to follow up with a military press, Dustin slipped free and hit Unnatural Selection to retain the title. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 85</div></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/FIVYBul.jpg<img alt="dIHv4ym.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dIHv4ym.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Roddy Piper and Steve Austin took the ring for Piper's Pit, and they had plenty of beer on hand to commemorate the occasion. They bantered back and forth about whether or not Goldberg would accept the invitation. Austin had lots of fun coming up on the fly with creative ways to call Goldberg a coward, but Roddy's own attempts to keep up weren't that great. The crowd was entertained by this, but the noteworthy stuff came once Austin and Piper had company. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ZZPLj6h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZZPLj6h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/ncMyE2p.jpg<img alt="Z3xclCp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z3xclCp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> King Corino led TAKA and Tammy Sytch to the ring, but Goldberg was nowhere in sight. And Corino was quick to tell us that he wouldn't be. "Run your mouth all you like, Austin, but Goldberg doesn't answer to you and he sure doesn't answer to these morons here in Calgary!" Corino said. "He answers to the man who owns his contract, and that's ME! You want this match, these people want it, WCW wants it, even Goldberg wants it...but I DON'T, and that's all that matters! The Empire has nothing to gain from giving that match away and letting WCW reap the rewards, so until you get these delusions out of your head and Bill cools down, he'll sit at home collecting his paycheck and you people can stuff your fat faces full of popcorn for all I care! If you don't like it, too bad, because I'm the one who holds the power here, and... <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="oWRzmsy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oWRzmsy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Corino stopped speaking in mid-sentence, because he was just as preoccupied upon seeing Goldberg walking down the ramp as the crowd was. The crowd roared, and Austin put his can of beer down and stood up, suddenly alert. Corino was there to intercept Goldberg as he stepped through the ropes. "Bill, this wasn't what we talked about. I know you're angry, but you need to..." Goldberg's hand shot out and grabbed Corino's wrist, physically pulling the microphone away from Corino's mouth. "Make it happen!" Goldberg shouted into his face. Corino frowned, shook his head and tried to pull the microphone back up to his mouth, but Goldberg's strong grip didn't allow it. "MAKE IT HAPPEN!" Goldberg screamed, spit flying from his mouth. He finally let go, and Corino took a few hasty steps backwards. He rubbed his sore wrist with his free hand as he glared at Goldberg, who glared right back. Corino wasn't going to win a staring contest with Goldberg, so he turned around to look at Austin, who was watching everything with a huge smile on his face. Corino scowled at him, then shook his head in disgust. He looked back and forth between Austin and Goldberg, realizing that he was trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Corino, resigned, slowly nodded his head. "I see there's no reasoning with you idiots," Corino said as he began to pace back and forth. "You want this match so bad, Austin?" Austin nodded and grinned, waving his arms and encouraging the cheering fans to get even louder. "You want this match, Bill? You want it so bad you're willing to disobey a direct order from the man who controls your fate?" A resolute stare was the only answer he got from Goldberg, but it spoke volumes. "Fine!" Corino shouted. "You can get your way, and WCW can get the huge dream match that'll make them tons of money! But if this is happening, The Empire is getting their pound of flesh! So I'll sign off on this match, but I have three conditions! "First, to the suits: obviously this match can only happen at Starrcade. You don't need me to tell you that. But if I agree to sign off on MY employee Goldberg wrestling WCW's Steve Austin at Starrcade, you will have to deposit 25% of all revenue generated from Starrcade directly into my bank account! I know you're all panicking right now listening to me make this demand live in front of the world instead of at a negotiating table, but if there's an agreement reached between the rest of us right now and the match falls apart, every WCW fan will know who to blame! Just be thankful I'm not asking for 50%!" His greed sated (at least for the moment), Corino next turned his attention to Austin. "Austin, in the Starrcade match contract, there will be an official clause that if you lose, you agree to join The Empire! If you lose, your contract is transferred over to me and I control you just like I control Goldberg!" "There ain't no way I'm losin', so you got yourself a deal, son!" Austin replied. Corino nodded, pleased. "Good," Corino said. "I'd just as soon fire you, but let's face it: Steve Austin sells lots of merchandise, and those royalty checks will look awfully nice on my bank statements!" Then he turned to Goldberg. "As for you? I've had enough of your stubbornness and insubordination! You want this match so bad? Well you've got it, and you'd better get the job done and get Austin under our control! Because if you don't....YOU'RE FIRED!!" Goldberg's expression didn't change despite the gravity of Corino's condition. He gave one short, sharp nod, and the fans erupted as the dream match became official. This segment was exactly as hot as you'd expect. If there was a problem, it was that Mike and I couldn't really measure up on commentary. But honestly, I'm not sure any commentary team in history could've done this justice given the level of enthusiasm from the fans. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 100</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 Jeff Hardy vs. Sean O'Haire (w/Paul Heyman) <img alt="g1BYlVy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/g1BYlVy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />http://i.imgur.com/EiVoLiY.jpg<img alt="c5XJDHD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/c5XJDHD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dcrMvyP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dcrMvyP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> With that electric Piper's Pit segment in the books, it was up to Hardy and O'Haire to bring the show home on as high a note as possible. There was a feeling out process here in this first time singles match, with both guys probing for possible weak points to explore. Our fans have come to expect a certain style to our PPV main events. They aren't all out action right from the bell. They're lengthy matches, ones that start off slow and gradually build up to huge emotional crescendos. We did our best to give them more of the same here despite some legitimate concerns I had, mainly about the fact that there wasn't a ring general in there who could adjust to how the crowd was reacting and lead the match accordingly to ensure it peaked at the perfect time. Sure enough, Jeff and Sean struggled with their pacing at points, unable to keep things as tight as Unnatural has been in these spots. The good news is that the match was still fantastic. O'Haire was borderline great, seeming to really enjoy his new monster heel role as he tossed Hardy around the ring. He also showed off some improved agility, and Mike and I openly wondered how any wrestler could handle a monster like O'Haire now that he had Paul Heyman in his corner. As for Jeff, his performance was slightly better than Sean's. The crowd loved him and were fully behind him, popping for all of his signature offense and cheering for him to get the victory. This match wasn't quite as good as most of our PPV main events have been lately, but it was still tremendous and an easy match of the night. In what had been a great David vs. Goliath story, Hardy was poised to strike with his signature Whisper in the Wind, only for O'Haire to step out of the way and watch as Nick Patrick went down in a heap. The fans groaned, sensing what was coming next. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="P2oAF93.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/P2oAF93.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="eTShQmA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eTShQmA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The Dangerous Alliance wasn't going to pass up on this opportunity to swing things in O'Haire's favor. RVD and Douglas raced down the ramp, with Van Dam taking the time to grab a steel chair and bring it into the ring with him. Douglas grabbed Hardy's arms, leaving him helpless for RVD to lay waste to him with the chair. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ICMDAHo.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ICMDAHo.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Before any damage could be done, AJ Styles ran down the ramp at full speed, used the ropes as a springboard and dropkicked the chair into RVD's face in his own sort of Van Daminator! Douglas tried to take the intruder out with a running clothesline, but AJ was ready and used his own momentum against him with a back body drop over the top rope and onto the ramp! Styles took a long look at O'Haire, but didn't attack him. Instead he vacated the ring and allowed Hardy to fight this battle on his own now that the odds were even. O'Haire went on a tear, delivering several painful slams and connecting with a huge flying clothesline that very nearly brought him the tournament, but eventually found himself reeling after a Hardy mule kick. A sitout jawbreaker put the big man on his back, and Heyman watched in horror as Hardy scaled the ropes and took flight with the Swanton Bomb! Nick Patrick slid into position and counted once... twice... ...three times! <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 95</div> I left the desk to hand Jeff the Stu Hart Classic trophy, and he celebrated with his prize as we went off the air. <div style="text-align:center;">Grade: 77</div></div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Show Overall Grade: 94</div>

kinnikuniverse · December 17, 2018

YASSS!!! ALMOST PERFECT SCORE!!!

well, ok, that card was easy to predict, but still, WOOHOO!! I love Sean o'haire in this, he's finally fulfilling his potential! Him, the dragons and KNOBLEMANIA are who I'm pushing now! They're my Bois!

K-Nection · December 17, 2018

With no ring general that match was still fantastic! I love the drama going into starcade. Cheers to another fantastic show.

The Final Countdown · December 18, 2018

November 2003: Calgary Stampede Wrap-up and News <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg </div> Bobby Heenan had the boys rolling before the show with some hilarious stories. Since we were in Calgary and all, he told some great ones about Stu. I congratulated Jeff Hardy and Sean O'Haire after they came through the curtain, praising them for a top notch main event. I also heaped praise on Shane Douglas for putting young Bryan Danielson over cleanly and without complaint. "You know how they do those thunderstorm warnings? Well you should play one of those every time James Storm comes out, 'cause the people are in danger of being bored out of their minds!" -Scott Steiner I called up Wildside's Terry Taylor, and he promised to send the requested Shinsuke Nakamura footage. When I asked him for his personal assessment, Terry agreed with Ricky that Nakamura is already a fantastic wrestler and has the chance to become a huge star as well. Terry does seem to think that there are one or two areas of Shinsuke's game that could be honed a tiny bit more down there, so he'll be staying in Wildside for the time being. I have a strong feeling I'll be calling him up early in 2004 though, and I'm already brainstorming possible ideas for him when he debuts. <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg </div> WWE ran Survivor Series head to head against the Calgary Stampede, and Vince didn't hold back at all. He delivered arguably the biggest main event he possibly could: WWE Champion The Rock one on one against ECW Champion Kurt Angle. That match was predictably awesome; one of the best of the entire year in fact, as evidenced by the 99 score it got in the Observer. Angle's ECW title was at stake in the match, and he beat Rock clean to retain. While that main event was better than any of our matches, Vince seems to prioritize having all his titles defended on PPV as opposed to getting his biggest stars and best workers in featured matches. That tends to drag the overall quality of his shows down, and sure enough, no other match on the show was even close. The show's overall grade was a 92, which was below Calgary Stampede despite Survivor Series having the superior main event. I'll take it. Oh, they did have one title change on the show: Halloween won the Light Heavyweight title off of Jerry Lynn. <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 Score (out of a possible 11 points): StrongHearts: 10 cbacon87: 10 James The Animator: 10 Rateddc: 10 Wolfman84: 10 DavidCorperial: 10 UltimateJerichoFan: 10 deanohbk: 9 evileddie10: 9 Uncrewed: 9 kinnikuniverse: 9 chrismday: 9 GingeyOne: 9 DGenerationMC: 8 DHK1989: 8 Warhawk8492: 8 bonnie: 8 K-Nection: 8 franticloser: 8 Dead_Jester: 7 Satyr24: 7 crackerjack: 7 Cro Cop Rules: 7 Happy0wns: 7 Beejus: 7 SomeLazyMagic: 7 Danny_H22: 7 JMike: 6 </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>Standings in UFS prediction contest after 7 shows: Dead_Jester: 65 Rateddc: 64 cbacon87: 63 evileddie10: 60 Uncrewed: 59 Happy0wns: 58 GingeyOne: 58 James The Animator: 58 JMike: 57 Cro Cop Rules: 57 deanohbk: 57 DavidCorperial: 57 K-Nection: 56 DHK1989: 56 Wolfman84: 55 Satyr24: 54 chrismday: 54 crackerjack: 52 Warhawk8492: 52 DGenerationMC: 51 Danny_H22: 50 bonnie: 50 Beejus: 47 Theheel: 47 kinnikuniverse: 47 Kijar: 45 jscotty: 41 michgcs: 38 Texasrangers13: 28 The Lariat: 36 123Kidd: 34 Nobby_McDonald: 32 Smasher1311: 30 ThorJ: 28 franticloser: 26 CobheadJake: 20 KnowYourEnemy: 19 Ian carlisle: 18 smw88: 17 ElectricX: 16 2Sweet: 16 Chaos Zarak: 15 Forrest01: 11 Chaossy: 10 The Pitbull: 10 StrongHearts: 10 UltimateJerichoFan: 10 Destiny: 8 tg01: 8 The Lloyd: 7 RKOwnage: 7 NathanielKern: 7 SomeLazyMagic: 7 Mr. Jones: 6 Bluestillidie00: 6 </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 Prediction Scores (out of a possible 33 points): Danny_H22: 30 kinnikuniverse: 29 franticloser: 28 cbacon87: 25 Beejus: 25 Dead_Jester: 24 JMike: 24 DGenerationMC: 24 Rateddc: 24 chrismday: 24 Uncrewed: 24 ThorJ: 24 Chaos Zarak: 24 Warhawk8492: 24 The Pitbull: 23 crackerjack: 23 Wolfman84: 23 Theheel: 23 Cro Cop Rules: 23 RKOwnage: 23 michgcs: 22 K-Nection: 22 jscotty: 22 SomeLazyMagic: 22 GingeyOne: 22 Kijar: 21 evileddie10: 21 James The Animator: 21 The Lariat: 21 DavidCorperial: 20 Bluestillidie00: 20 deanohbk: 20 Satyr24: 19 DHK1989: 18 smw88: 18 Happy0wns: 18 bonnie: 18 CobheadJake: 18 KnowYourEnemy: 17</div></blockquote> <hr noshade size=3> If my math is correct (fingers crossed), Danny_H22 won the SHC contest outright! I'll get to you soon about options for a prize. As for the contest to qualify for the UFS: just one show left! Starrcade's a big one though, so there'll be an opportunity for those outside the top 8 to make up some ground and find their way in. So how special is Nakamura feeling? There are only seven people in the entire world that the game considers to be Excellent in-ring workers while also having Excellent star quality. WWE only has one such guy (HHH), while Nak will be our 3rd (Austin and Rey being the other two.) <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kinnikuniverse" data-cite="kinnikuniverse" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>YASSS!!! ALMOST PERFECT SCORE!!! well, ok, that card was easy to predict, but still, WOOHOO!! I love Sean o'haire in this, he's finally fulfilling his potential! Him, the dragons and KNOBLEMANIA are who I'm pushing now! They're my Bois!</div></blockquote> It's a good thing almost nobody thought Steiner and Danielson would beat the Dangerous Alliance, otherwise there would've been a lot of perfect scores this month! <img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I'm really happy about the O'Haire heel turn. I think he needed something to give him a shot in the arm after his failed world title shot, and the association with Heyman and the DA should be great for him. Doesn't everybody love the Dragons? All we're missing is a desk for them to slam their hands on like Phoenix Wright always does! <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="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>With no ring general that match was still fantastic! I love the drama going into starcade. Cheers to another fantastic show.</div></blockquote> I honestly didn't know what to expect out of that match, but I was really pleasantly surprised.

K-Nection · December 18, 2018

So how special is Nakamura feeling? There are only seven people in the entire world that the game considers to be Excellent in-ring workers while also having Excellent star quality. WWE only has one such guy (HHH), while Nak will be our 3rd (Austin and Rey being the other two.)

Holy crap your main event scene is becoming a shark tank and you have a bonafide (some would say unlikely) figurehead getting ready to debut! I really hope he doesn't Billy Gunn this run and fizzle. Honestly though if his ratings are as high as you are hyping him then you should be able to bully through a low ceiling if you consistently book him strong.

I'm hyped for the potential match ups that we never received in real life.

SkipMartin · December 18, 2018

Doesn't everybody love the Dragons? All we're missing is a desk for them to slam their hands on like Phoenix Wright always does!

I can't see Bret doing it, but if this were WWE they would have a no-name stage hand with a desktop strapped to his back they could cue to enter the frame when needed.

Danny_H22 · December 18, 2018

Can’t believe I’ve won the SHC contest! Aha brilliant!

Been a long time follower and I’m really glad you’re back and firing on all cylinders. You inspired me to start my own dynasty last year which sadly came to an abrupt end when I just couldn’t commit the time anymore, so for that I thank you and look forward to contributing to the great world you’re building

Beejus · December 18, 2018

Guess I should've seen the writing on the wall for Jeff Hardy to win it, but I was really pulling for O'Haire there! Well, so the storyline does fit better for Hardy, but it does feel a little weird that technical extraordinaire Bret Hart keeps putting over these high flying risk takers for every SHC <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I do look forward to the Dangerous Alliance rising up the ranks though, even if it isn't quite as immediate as I felt they were.

I do love the stipulations added to Austin vs. Goldberg too. Corino is gonna make some serious bank! But also, I wonder if Goldberg is about to leave, or if you're just planning on giving Austin a "face has to join heel faction" story. As entertaining as Austin is, he would definitely make that work, but at this point, I think I feel a safe bet in Goldberg being out of WCW after Starrcade.

It looks like Starrcade is really shaping up, as you have the match for the sports entertainment crowd (Austin vs. Goldberg), the match for the title (Unnatural vs. Hardy), and the match for the workrate crowd in Rey vs. Eddie. With the added popularity that they have, the match they have could potentially outshine their Havoc 97 one.

Great stuff all around, man.

K-Nection · December 19, 2018

<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>Guess I should've seen the writing on the wall for Jeff Hardy to win it, but I was really pulling for O'Haire there! Well, so the storyline does fit better for Hardy, but it does feel a little weird that technical extraordinaire Bret Hart keeps putting over these high flying risk takers for every SHC <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I do look forward to the Dangerous Alliance rising up the ranks though, even if it isn't quite as immediate as I felt they were. I do love the stipulations added to Austin vs. Goldberg too. Corino is gonna make some serious bank! But also, I wonder if Goldberg is about to leave, or if you're just planning on giving Austin a "face has to join heel faction" story. As entertaining as Austin is, he would definitely make that work, but at this point, I think I feel a safe bet in Goldberg being out of WCW after Starrcade. It looks like Starrcade is really shaping up, as you have the match for the sports entertainment crowd (Austin vs. Goldberg), the match for the title (Unnatural vs. Hardy), and the match for the workrate crowd in Rey vs. Eddie. With the added popularity that they have, the match they have could potentially outshine their Havoc 97 one. Great stuff all around, man.</div></blockquote> If this were run by Vince he would claim he has 3 main events!

The Final Countdown · December 20, 2018

November Renaissance Update, News and December National Battle Report <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/2aDyraK.png</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;">November 2003 Update</div> -While Manami Toyota vs. Akira Hokuto is the big match we're building towards, it didn't overly dominate the main events this month. 11/8 saw Hokuto "congratulate" Toyota on surviving her title defense against LuFisto in October, but then she reminded her that that was only step one of three if she wanted to truly conquer The Darkness. On the 15th Toyota said she would be more than happy to deal with Daffney as well before finally getting to Akira, but suggested that Hokuto prove her own mettle by wrestling a match the following week against an opponent of HER choosing, a challenge that Hokuto accepted. Manami chose the promising Momoe Nakanishi, who came tantalizingly close to the upset multiple times with her flash pin offense before Akira eventually stopped her. The 29th saw both camps cutting promos about Toytoa's title defense against Daffney scheduled for the following week. -Our Generation and Devil Kong cut promos on the 8th to promote the big title match the following week. It got the headline treatment on the 15th, and Our Generation were booked to look like a true threat capable of taking the fight to and even defeating the champions. In the end Devil Kong had to resort to underhanded methods, with Devil whacking Nattie Neidhart with one of the title belts behind the referee's back, allowing Aja to finish the job and end what had been a disappointing match from my perspective. Melissa and Nattie confronted the champions next week to say they were cheated and demand another title shot, but Devil Kong laughed in their faces. Our Generation had a decisive win over non-roster members on the 29th, but it didn't impress the champions. They came out after the match to say it was nice to see Our Generation finally competing against talent more on their skill level, rather than being totally overmatched against Devil Kong. -Chigusa Nagayo confronted Wesna Busic after the latter's match on the 8th and dared her to fight now that they were face to face, but Wesna left without giving her what she sought. Chigusa was right back at it after her own match on the 15th, and this time Busic seemed to be giving the matter serious thought--at least until she struck with a sudden suckerpunch that knocked Nagayo out in a single strike! The following week's show began with footage taken earlier that day; footage featuring Nagayo and Busic having a knock-down, drag-out brawl in the catering area until they were pulled apart and escorted out of the building by officials. Nagayo was rather amused by it the following week, saying that Busic hadn't seemed nearly so tough when they were actually fighting head-on. -After Meiko Satomura beat Sonoko Kato in the main event of the 11/8 show, she was inexplicably attacked by Toshiyo Yamada. Meiko wanted answers the following week, and Yamada explained that she'd been in this situation before. Every time she suffered a setback like she did against former partner Manami Toyota at Grand Prix, some greedy young lioness would come and try and usurp her rightful position that she'd fought so hard for. The 16 year veteran knew how high everyone was on young Satomura, so she decided to launch a preemptive attack and remove her before she even had the chance to swoop in. The two women had the best match of the month on the entire brand to headline the show on the 29th, but it ended in unfortunate fashion when Yamada, feeling the match turning against her, attacked referee Charles Robinson and intentionally got herself disqualified. -After taking some time to reflect on their near-miss in their challenge of Devil Kong back at October's Grand Prix, Alexis Laree and Allison Corino reconvened on 11/8. They agreed that their team had great long-term potential, and that's why they were going to continue teaming on a regular basis. That announcement didn't impress Etsuko Mita, who mocked the pair on the 15th as her cohort Kaoru Ito stood by as protection. Laree and Corino had a successful outing the next week as Mita and Ito watched from the aisle. The two sides clashed directly on the 29th, with Laree and Ito going one on one. Alexis got the win, albeit by DQ when Mita attacked and laid her out with the Death Valley Driver. </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;">Show Summaries: 11/8: <img alt="IsWfko1.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IsWfko1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Notes from this show: -"I'd appreciate it if you could give me some wins so the people aren't dead silent when I walk to the ring." -Katarina Waters 11/15: <img alt="aWaeu6h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/aWaeu6h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Notes from this show: -Maybe Wesna Busic is getting pushed a little too hard, too fast, because Dusty pulled her aside for disrespecting someone and told her she was buying a round of drinks for the rest of the girls after the show. -I hate to say it, but Nattie was a weak link in what was a disappointing tag title match. 11/22: <img alt="YPlAx0N.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/YPlAx0N.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Notes from this show: -Akira Hokuto threw out a new catchphrase during her "chat" with Manami Toyota, as she warned the champion that "the black cloud of Darkness will soon cover all of Renaissance." -"I'm serious. It's totally silent. I can hear the people cough in the front row." -Katarina Waters 11/29: <img alt="E3GUnUS.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/E3GUnUS.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Notes from this show: -I guess Wesna's punishment from Dusty took hold, because I hear she was making pancakes for anyone who wanted them before the show. -"Thanks for the pre-show win, but it's going to take more than that to get me out of this rut." -Katarina Waters (Okay, seriously, I get it. Calm down, miss.) </div></div></blockquote> <hr noshade size=3> <div style="text-align:center;">http://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg </div> The contract of Brock Lesnar is up for renewal. A lot of people see money in this 26 year old former amateur wrestling standout with freak athletic ability and a superstar look, so it's no surprise that a bidding war is ensuing. Of course WWE is attempting to re-sign their current ECW TV Champion, and I jumped n with a very competitive offer. This isn't just a two person race though, because New Japan has thrown their own hat into the ring with terms that are apparently right on par with our offers. I was surprised to hear that they were making such a strong play for him given their financial status compared to WWE or even us, but with their rise to national I can see the reasoning behind it. They need star attractions to compete with what both us and Vince are offering, and clearly Inoki agrees with me that Brock could very well become that. My gut feeling is that Brock will stay with WWE, but current word from his agent is that he's seriously considering all three offers. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg </div> Allison Corino agreed to terms on a 2 year contract extension. She has a lot of potential and should be a solid part of Renaissance for years to come. We've agreed to one year extensions of our deals with Global TV in Canada for Nitro and Renaissance. I would've liked to move the show to prime time, but they weren't willing to budge. Oh well. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/sDkxtEI.jpg </div> New Japan wrapped up their annual Tag League on November 24th. Koji Kanemoto and Yuji Nagata beat Riki Choshu and Taiyo Kea to win the tournament, but the highlight of the show was the semi main event where Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat former partner Satoshi Kojima in an excellent match that Dave gave a 97 grade. The show as a whole got an 85, which is pretty much right in line with what their big shows have been doing recently. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/HLY8nvy.jpg </div> NOAH's Thunder of Heart PPV sold out their 25,000 seat building on November 26th. Misawa placed himself in more of an upper midcard position on this show, fourth from last to be more exact, and let Jun Akiyama take center stage. It was a good move, because Akiyama's successful GHC Heavyweight title defense over Chris Candido received a strong 95 grade. On the strength of that match the show got a 90 score, which ranks as their third best PPV of 2003. <div style="text-align:center;"> http://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg </div> Blue Meanie's 3PW is no more. <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> Ricky Knight's World Association of Wrestling announced that their November show (appropriately titled End of Days) would be their last before they shut down. Not surprising since their shows weren't all that good. Ricky's wife works as Sweet Saraya, and I hear their kids want to get into the business as well. <hr noshade size=3> <div style="text-align:center;">National Battle Report: December 2003</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;"><img alt="ebDwXEW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ebDwXEW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> USA</div> #1: <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Championship Wrestling Top 5 Stars: 1) Steve Austin (1000 points) 2) Bill Goldberg (990) 3) CM Punk (820) 4) Jeff Hardy (810) 5) Rey Mysterio Jr. (770) Total Points: 4,390 #2: <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Wrestling Entertainment Top 5 Stars: 1) The Rock (997 points) 2) Hollywood Hogan (825) 3) The Undertaker (809) 4) Triple H (791) 5) Big Show (741) Total Points: 4,163 </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;"><img alt="ieBLbQ1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ieBLbQ1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> British Isles</div> #1: <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Championship Wrestling Top 5 Stars: 1) Steve Austin (1000 points) 2) Bill Goldberg (989) 3) Jeff Hardy (796) 4) CM Punk (791) 5) Rey Mysterio Jr. (763) Total Points: 4,339 #2: <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Wrestling Entertainment Top 5 Stars: 1) The Rock (999 points) 2) Hollywood Hogan (855) 3) The Undertaker (809) 4) Triple H (790) 5) Big Show (740) Total Points: 4,193</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;"><img alt="1eeVS9d.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1eeVS9d.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Japan</div> #1: <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Championship Wrestling Top 5 Stars: 1) Steve Austin (1000 points) 2) Bill Goldberg (989) 3) CM Punk (830) 4) Jeff Hardy (826) 5) Rey Mysterio Jr. (780) Total Points: 4,425 #2: <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Wrestling Entertainment Top 5 Stars: 1) The Rock (995 points) 2) Hollywood Hogan (815) 3) The Undertaker (809) 4) Triple H (791) 5) Big Show (740) Total Points: 4,150</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;"><img alt="mUExTtD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mUExTtD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Europe</div> #1: <img alt="nUYCk9q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nUYCk9q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Championship Wrestling Top 5 Stars: 1) Steve Austin (1000 points) 2) Bill Goldberg (938) 3) CM Punk (811) 4) Jeff Hardy (753) 5) Rey Mysterio Jr. (738) Total Points: 4,240 #2: <img alt="7AiYO6E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7AiYO6E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> World Wrestling Entertainment Top 5 Stars: 1) The Rock (998 points) 2) Hollywood Hogan (825) 3) The Undertaker (810) 4) Triple H (790) 5) Big Show (741) Total Points: 4,164</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>Holy crap your main event scene is becoming a shark tank and you have a bonafide (some would say unlikely) figurehead getting ready to debut! I really hope he doesn't Billy Gunn this run and fizzle. Honestly though if his ratings are as high as you are hyping him then you should be able to bully through a low ceiling if you consistently book him strong. I'm hyped for the potential match ups that we never received in real life.</div></blockquote> Looking at potential future figureheads is interesting. Of the younger crop, the three likeliest contenders seem to be Punk, Nakamura and Jeff Hardy. I think Jeff has the best shot though. His star quality is slightly higher than both Punk and Nak, and he has a more significant edge in charisma. In looking at the current knocks on him as a figurehead option, almost all of them have to do with overness, which obviously is something I'm hoping I can overcome with time and push. Only two guys outshine him in any area but popularity. Those two guys are Austin and Goldberg, and obviously we'd be talking about him as a figurehead after those guys were gone. Still, Jeff/Punk/Nak is feeling like a future top trio for WCW in national battles. Hopefully with the help of some of our guest bookers WWE will have their own guys ready to step up, like Brock (assuming he stays!), Cena, Orton, etc. Does it feel like I'm in this game for the long haul? I really hope so. If we can keep the game world engaging, and especially if WWE can remain a legitimate threat, I could see myself sticking with this for a very long time. Both of my previous 'big' dynasties ended right around the three-year (in game) mark, but this one feels like it's going to have much longer legs. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="James The Animator" data-cite="James The Animator" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I imagine the BillyGunnFact guy on Twitter would be quite offended by this statement! But I digress. TFC, that was an excellent show! You threw us a nice curveball with the Dangerous Alliance tag match. I was thinking that the new group would look weak taking falls to singles guys thrown into a team like that, but I suppose the main purpose of the faction is to make O'Haire a main event star anyway, which the Alliance tried to help with in the main event. I really thought the CW title match would be the curveball match if anything, but it looks like my prediction came to fruition. I'm very excited that I'm now qualifying for the Ultimate Fan Series! Since I started reading this diary ages ago, that is the one event I've been anticipating taking part in. Hopefully, I can score well in the Starrcade prediction contest!</div></blockquote> It felt kind of off to me too that the DA lost both PPV matches so soon after forming, but in both cases it was necessary for where I want to go. They'll have their due. Good luck trying to qualify for the UFS! <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Danny_H22" data-cite="Danny_H22" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="43035" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Can’t believe I’ve won the SHC contest! Aha brilliant! Been a long time follower and I’m really glad you’re back and firing on all cylinders. You inspired me to start my own dynasty last year which sadly came to an abrupt end when I just couldn’t commit the time anymore, so for that I thank you and look forward to contributing to the great world you’re building</div></blockquote> Aww, thanks! I don't think I'll have time to think about a prize before I get to bed tonight, but hopefully I'll be able to get in touch with you in a day or two. <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>Guess I should've seen the writing on the wall for Jeff Hardy to win it, but I was really pulling for O'Haire there! Well, so the storyline does fit better for Hardy, but it does feel a little weird that technical extraordinaire Bret Hart keeps putting over these high flying risk takers for every SHC <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I do look forward to the Dangerous Alliance rising up the ranks though, even if it isn't quite as immediate as I felt they were. I do love the stipulations added to Austin vs. Goldberg too. Corino is gonna make some serious bank! But also, I wonder if Goldberg is about to leave, or if you're just planning on giving Austin a "face has to join heel faction" story. As entertaining as Austin is, he would definitely make that work, but at this point, I think I feel a safe bet in Goldberg being out of WCW after Starrcade. It looks like Starrcade is really shaping up, as you have the match for the sports entertainment crowd (Austin vs. Goldberg), the match for the title (Unnatural vs. Hardy), and the match for the workrate crowd in Rey vs. Eddie. With the added popularity that they have, the match they have could potentially outshine their Havoc 97 one. Great stuff all around, man.</div></blockquote> I'll admit it: your prediction post had me tempted to say screw it and change everything! It was an inspiration for that Salvation/DA confrontation on the PPV too, which I had a lot of fun writing. Something I forgot: I did a little in-story justification for Bret's pushing of the smaller flyer types (and more specifically, having those guys win the Stu Hart Classic) by having Bret on commentary for the '01 show say that Stu probably would've wanted RVD to win over Booker because Stampede had been the launching pad for guys like Dynamite, Pillman, Owen, etc. Rey vs. Eddie may be more of the smark's match, but I have a feeling Unnatural is going to make a very strong play for MOTN! And who knows how Austin vs. Goldberg will go in-game? They're by far the two most over guys in the company, and Austin is capable of carrying an excellent match too. Maybe he and Bill can steal the show! <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>If this were run by Vince he would claim he has 3 main events!</div></blockquote> I'm tempted to roll with the 'double main event' tag for Starrcade just because of how huge Austin vs. Goldberg would have been if it ever happened, especially if they were still as over as they are in-game right now. I probably won't though; simply referring to it as a dream match should be enough. The only time I can think of where I thought the 'double main event' tagline actually felt legit was this past year's Wrestle Kingdom, where the traditional Japanese fans were all about Okada vs. Naito while most of the international attention was on Jericho vs. Omega.

The Final Countdown · December 21, 2018

So yeah, this is going on hiatus for now. Possibly forever.

I don't really feel like this is the place to discuss it, so I won't go into details. I'll just say that the way recent events were handled has me questioning whether I want to continue to be part of this community and whether I want to continue supporting the game/developers.

Danny_H22 · December 21, 2018

<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>So yeah, this is going on hiatus for now. Possibly forever. I don't really feel like this is the place to discuss it, so I won't go into details. I'll just say that the way recent events were handled has me questioning whether I want to continue to be part of this community and whether I want to continue supporting the game/developers.</div></blockquote> Wow. Well i really hope you reconsider. I don't know what has gone on but this place will be a lot worse off for losing you

Theheel · December 21, 2018

Sorry to hear this. I have no idea what is going on but sad it is or could drive you away. I only really got involved in this diary of yours, but it was excellent and I went back to read your other big projects as well.

I hope whatever happened can be cleared up, hate to see you go. Take care and happy holidays man

K-Nection · December 21, 2018

Wow I have an entirely new reason to hate this drama right now. I respect your decision my friend hopefully this gets ironed out

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