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World War 3 1998
Date: November 22, 1998
Location: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 17,670
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay
Since there are only four of these shows in total and Ive done two of them I figured Id finish off the series to get it off the books quickly. This is WCWs version of the Rumble with sixty people in it and three rings. In short it sucked because no one could tell what was going on. This was supposed to be the 97 show but it took longer to download so you get them in reverse. This is the last show and the main event is DDP vs. Bret for the US Title rather than the namesake battle royal with the winner facing Goldberg at Starrcade. Lets get to it.
Opening video highlights the two main events without actually saying anything.
Goldberg got here earlier today.
This is with that stupid three ring setup which kept seats out of the place but who cares about ticket sales?
Tony promises that sixty of the biggest names in the sport are in the main event. Keep that in mind when you read the roster for it later. Hogan isnt in it for no apparent reason.
Gene says he thinks a little guy will win.
Wrath vs. Glacier
Wrath was getting a push here for no apparent reason which would result in him losing to Kevin Nash on Nitro I believe. Glacier was beyond nothing at this point and was just a jobber here. Clearly this is a match that we need to see on PPV right? Wrath is undefeated for his last three months. Glaciers finishing move is called the Ice Pick. Thats how low they were getting with their puns at this point.
The referee looks like Dean Malenko. Just to be confusing the middle ring is named Ring 1, the one on the left is Ring 2 and the one on the right is Ring 3. Glacier Sucks chant starts up and the crowd pops when he gets sent to the floor with raw power. Or would that be Nitro power? Glacier gets a dropkick which does nothing. He hits the floor again as its clear neither of these guys care at all.
Wrath hits a knee to send him into the railing and begins the stalking. Glacier is sent into the crowd where its clear there are empty seats in the front row. After nothing of note in the crowd Wrath beats on him even more in the ring. Is there a reason why were having a squash on PPV? Tenay talks about Hollywood taking notice of Wrath and that hes up for movie and TV roles. True or not, this is the guy that Nash squashed to set himself up as a streak breaker. That shouldnt surprise you at all.
Back to the floor again as Wrath is completely destroying him. This is completely boring if you didnt get that and is one of those matches that no one wanted to see at all and yet were going to have to watch it anyway. Glacier gets choked by a camera cord which the referee is fine with it. Lets hit a chinlock because thats riveting stuff indeed. A splash misses in the corner and Glacier hits a superkick to the back of the shoulder (how do you even do that?) but the Ice Pick doesnt work. Meltdown (Pump handle slam) ends this a second later.
Rating: D-. What was the point of this getting nearly ten minutes again? Wrath is awesome. We get it. Glacier is a jobber that got in maybe one move the entire time and after that there was nothing else at all. Boring as hell match and one of the weaker openers this side of Great American Bash 91 which says a lot.
Bret talks about how he needs to prove something for a good while. He lists off guys that havent respected him or that hes hurt recently. Hes in front of what seems like a hockey goal for no apparent reason other than hes Canadian. DDP is a punk it seems.
Stevie Ray vs. Konnan
Stevie is NWO Black and White/Hollywood and Konnan is NWO Red and Black/Wolfpack. Yes because we needed to NWOs by the end of 1998. Were over 20 minutes into this show and this might be the most interesting match on the card so far. What does that tell you? Stevie is the Enforcer of the NWO here. Good reaction for Konnan actually. Stevie hammers away on him in the corner with some of the weakest stomps youll ever see.
The referee looks like hes having mental issues. Konnan comes back with the rolling lariat and the seated dropkick. Those horrible stomps by Stevie are trumped by Konnans. Off to an abdominal stretch on the mat as Heenan changes his pick for the battle royal from Wrath to Konnan. This referee counts very slowly. Clothesline gets two on Konnan. Vincent beats on Konnan a bit on the floor and has a slap jack (weapon Stevie used) sticking out of his back pocket.
Back in the ring an elbow gets two for Stevie and we hit the chinlock. Backslide for Konnan and a clothesline for Stevie both get two. Konnan avoids an elbow and makes his comeback, hitting a kick to the ribs and an X-Factor. Vincent accidently hits Stevie with the slap jack and Konnan hammers away. Konnan shoves the referee and its the WEAK DQ to end it.
Rating: D. Oh dear this was bad all over again. Stevie was nothing of interest at all and this was a weak match even by his standards. I have no idea what the point of the first half hour of this show was but it hasnt been anything good so far at all. Bad match when Konnan is the one carrying it no?
Booker comes in to save Stevie from a worse beating and Stevie isnt happy with it.
Bobby and Tony talk about how at colleges, offices, high schools and middle schools people have been talking about this. Does WCW have a team of people to go to various schools and spy on various students that might be talking about WCW? Heenan mentions prisons and Tony calls him out of it, after Tony said the same thing about middle schools. I give up.
Ernest Miller/Sonny Onoo vs. Perry Saturn/Kaz Hayashi
Hayashi is a guy that was fired by Sonny (generic Japanese manager that sued WCW for racial discrimination) and is now a face. Saturn and Miller are feuding because we need a reason for them to be in this match. Miller does his deal where he offers Kaz five seconds to leave but turns around to get beaten up by Saturn. This is another one of those matches where stuff is going on but nothing is happening at all.
Miller does the vast majority of the work and Sonny comes in to beat on Hayashi a bit when hes down. Sonny tries to buy Hayashi off which fails, sending money everywhere. Off to Saturn now to continue this dull match. Saturn calls for a leg sweep and Miller sweeps his leg. Im sure Miller stole Saturns idea. Miller tags Sonny, Sonny kicks him once, Sonny tags out.
Saturn fights both guys on his own and some double teaming takes Miller down. Hayashi vs. Miller at the moment as a piece of lint on the floor grabs my attention. Sonny kicks some more as hes a karate master or something like that. Tony compares the kicks to Flairs chops. I give up. Miller kicks Kaz in the head to break up the momentum and we go to a chinlock for literally less time than it took to type chinlock.
Saturn comes in and five minutes into this we get a headlock. Ok back to Hayashi again. Is this supposed to be a good match or is it a great success by being this bad? See what this match is doing to my brain? That made perfect sense to me. Sonny tries to buy Saturn off again and Miller gets suplexed as a result. Kaz tries to come in to help out which allows Miller to kick Saturn so that Onoo can fall on him for the pin.
Rating: F+. It was an unfunny comedy match and a bad unfunny comedy match at that. What was the point of this again? Were about 45 minutes into this show and the matches are somehow getting worse after Wrath vs. Glacier started us off. I know Ive been talking about the show a lot rather than the matches but its been that bad.
Chris Jericho is doing an internet interview and talks about how hes going to retain the TV Title against a cowboy.
Cruiserweight Title: Billy Kidman vs. Juventud Guerrera
Ok, this HAS to be good right? Kidman is challenger here. Juvy comes out in an LWO shirt, apparently having joined the team. Eddie says that by working together the Mexican guys can get something going. Rey, another LWO member, comes out and says that he didnt get his title shot because of this? Eddie says hell explain to Rey why he has to sacrifice stuff or something or other.
They speed things up and then keep slowing it back down. Just go crazy out there like youre supposed to guys. Nice headscissors by Juvy takes Kidman down. Modified powerslam by Kidman sets up a slingshot legdrop for two. Tornado DDT by Juvy doesnt go off as instead he stuns Kidman over the top. This is very different than most of their matches and Im not sure thats good as the other matches are rather good.
Plancha to the floor by Kidman takes Juvy out. Rana to Kidman while hes on the apron sends us back to the floor again. Brainbuster by Juvy gets two. There isnt much to say here aside from just calling spots as thats all this has been for the most part. Big dive to the floor by the champion and we head to the other ring. Juvy tries a double jump and doesnt get the right distance. The result would mean its unlikely Kidman will have children. FREAKING OW MAN!
I guess which ring youre in doesnt matter. Juvy sets for the 450 but Kidman gets up before it gets launched. Springboard cross body gets two for Kidman. Double springboard rana to the third ring gets two for Juvy. Juvy Driver hits but the 450 doesnt. Juvy shows off by landing on his feet. Guerrera slaps the referee as Kidman takes over again. Wheelbarrow suplex to Juvy and its Shooting Star time. Juvy manages to crotch him and set up for a rana. Rey comes down to keep Kidman on the ropes and hits the Shooting Star to win the title.
Rating: C-. I want to know who thought it would be a good idea to have a 15 minute cruiserweight match in this style. Cut this down by like 5 minutes and its a lot better. Still good but not as high flying as it should have been to really make it good. Fun enough though and by far and away the most interesting match of the night.
Eddie and the LWO go after Rey who sprints away with about ten guys chasing him.
Nash didnt beat up Hall on Monday. Ok then.
Rick Steiner vs. Scott Steiner
Scott has the NWO referee and Bagwell with him. And theres no Rick Steiner. Four members of the NWO are hammering away on Rick, namely the Giant. Rick is out on his feet. Scott hammers away for a bit (no bell by the way) and the NWO referee keeps blowing a whistle.
Rick gets some shots in and takes out the referee but gets beaten down again. Worst Steiner Recliner EVER by Scott until Goldberg saves (getting an ERUPTION and a literal standing ovation) as he beats up Scott. Goldberg clears the ring and I again have to ask: how did they fuck up Goldberg? This never was an actual match. Rick was a tag champion coming in if you care for some reason.
Kevin Nash vs. Scott Hall
Heres a big match indeed. Hall comes out with an NWO army alongside him. With five other guys in the ring with Hall, heres Eric. Hall punched him on Monday so there are issues here. Apparently its survey time and the survey says ..GET HIM! The beatdown is on and Nash comes out for the save. They clear the ring to a MASSIVE Outsiders chant. And theres no match, marking yet another upper midcard match that we dont get after paying our money for it. Hall throws up the Too Sweet sign but Nash walks away.
The announcers talk to waste some time.
TV Title: Chris Jericho vs. Bobby Duncum Jr.
I think Dumcum is dead now. Oh wow he died in 2000. He was a cowboy that you wont remember more than likely but he got a small push around this time. This is his second match in the company. Jericho has Ralphus with him, making this already a win. Look him up as hes beyond description. Jericho got hog tied on Monday by Duncum. Dumcum has an awesome look to him if nothing else.
We talk about Hogan for a bit because him not being here is more important than the championship thats on the line right? Slow build to start us off here. We actually talk about the match a bit here as the title match is about 3rd on the list of importance. Oh wait we need to talk about Duncums dad. Off to the chinlock now which doesnt last that long.
Out to the floor with Duncum grabbing his cowbell. What is the deal with those things and bull ropes? Why are they supposed to be so cool? Ive never gotten that in the slightest. Jericho gets sent into the front row but jumps off the railing with a clothesline to take over again. Missile dropkick gets two. Off to a chinlock now as Duncum is in trouble.
Duncum fights him off and gets a shoulderbreaker for two. He looks really uncomfortable on offense. Or maybe that was just that one move. Cross armbreaker attempt doesnt quite work. Bobby tries to speed things up a bit but gets Hot Shotted into the ropes and then sent to the floor via a springboard dropkick.
Front facelock goes on by Jericho for awhile. Spin kick sends Duncum to the corner and choking abounds. Duncum gets a clothesline and some chops to take over. This is a lot better than you would expect but given the low expectations, thats not saying much in the slightest. Its clear though that Duncum has nothing left and of course his finisher is the bulldog. Wait if his only match ended in a count out how do you know thats his devastating finisher?
Lionsault hits and then a Senton back splash for two. He blows a kiss and goes up but takes too long. When you take too long for a Texas cowboy, youre REALLY slow out there. Jericho almost reverses into a Liontamer but gets knocked down by an elbow from the second rope. Ralphus interferes and its a TV Title shot to the head (and almost the referees head) by Jericho to end this.
Rating: C. Not terrible here but at the same time the ending crippled this. Duncum is a guy that went absolutely nowhere due to no apparent reason, although Id bet on it having something to do with him being young and seemingly talented. Also, this got almost 14 minutes. Think thats enough for a guys second match?
World War 3
Chris Adams, Chris Benoit, Bobby Blaze, Ciclope, Damien, El Dandy, Barry Darsow, The Disciple, Disco Inferno, Bobby Duncum, Jr., Bobby Eaton, Mike Enos, Scott Hall, Héctor Garza, The Giant, Glacier, Juventud Guerrera, Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Eddy Guerrero, Hammer, Kenny Kaos, Kaz Hayashi, Horace Hogan, Barry Horowitz, Prince Iaukea, Chris Jericho, Kanyon, Billy Kidman, Konnan, Kevin Nash
Lenny Lane, Lex Luger, Lizmark, Jr., Lodi, Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, Ernest Miller, Chip Minton, Rey Misterio, Jr., Scott Norton, La Parka, Buddy Lee Parker, Psicosis, Scott Putski, Stevie Ray, The Renegade, Scotty Riggs, Perry Saturn, Silver King, Norman Smiley, Scott Steiner, Super Calo, Johnny Swinger, Booker T, Tokyo Magnum, Villaño V, Vincent, Kendall Windham, Wrath and Alex Wright
And remember, theyre all big stars right? You can go out via pin or submission as well as going to the floor in any way. With 20 people left theyll go into one ring. Based on that Im not going to bother breaking them down into three groups. No one gets a promo or anything to say theyll win either. Were just throwing everyone in there.
Im trying to see if anyone in there is anyone in there that wont be that well known. Chris Adams trained Steve Austin. Blaze is more or less a jobber. Darsow is Smash/Repo Man. Buddy Lee Parker trained Goldberg. Minton is an Olympic bobsledder. Magnum is more or less a homoerotic dancer. Everyone else is a midcarder/Cruiserweight jobber or a main event guy here. Norton is the IWGP Champion coming in. The entrances take forever.
Theyve changed the order of the rings again, now going with the normal listing of 123 rather than 213. Oh and Flair is still fired/suspended. This would be the second time I think that Bischoff did that. Tony flat out says the Cruiserweights arent getting world title shots other than here. The entrances have literally taken eight minutes.
Here we go (finally). Immediately, as in the first words of the commentary after the bell, they change the ring order AGAIN, calling the middle ring #1. The far right one is still #3 so that helps a bit. Theres a counter in the corner so Ill try to keep you up to date with that but dont ask me for names, namely because it doesnt matter in the beginning.
After waiting around for about 40 seconds, Nash explodes on ring 3, throwing out probably 6-7 guys in 30 seconds. Were down to 48 people left in less than two minutes. The announcers dont even know the names of the luchadores. One guy literally dove out with no one touching him. You cant have someone grab him and toss him? Seriously? Nash wins ring 3, last eliminating Van Hammer in less than 3 minutes. 39 left at this point. He has to stay there until there are 20 left so he gets a break. Nash gets a break and doesnt have to do much? Surely you jest.
Psicosis dives at Hall and gets launched, putting us at about 35. I say about because I dont trust that counter. Its mainly the small guys/not big names out so I wont bother listing them off. Weve changed the ring numbers mid match again, marking change #4 of the show. Giant is just standing in the corner which is smart. Ring 2 is very full and 1 (ring 2 is the middle ring for the rest of this) is about half full.
Weve been at 35 for awhile now. Kidman puts Kaynon out and someone puts out Kaz Hayashi next to him. Booker and Stevie shrug at each other and were down to 32 from someone being eliminated. Were not told who they are so its not like Im ignoring them. Horace and Disciple go out and were at 30. Ring 1 is mostly empty now so everyone goes after Giant. By everyone I mean Disco Inferno, Alex Wright, Saturn, Benoit and the Guerreros.
Giant is like fuck that and beats everyone up. 28 left now. Disco elects himself captain but Benoit goes after someone else as fighting Giant is pointless at this point. Makes sense. Down to 27 here and Tony has no idea who is gone. 25 left. Once we hit 20 Ill let you know who is left. Pretty much every big name is still in it. Down to 24. Juventud is out to get us to 23.
Scott Steiner (Rick isnt in this) goes for a leg lock because the rules here are really stupid. 22 left now and Giant, I think out of boredom, reaches over and punches someone in ring 2. With 21 left now, Hall is on the apron and Rey misses a baseball slide to get us down to 20. Tony thinks he fell out despite seeing a big running charge.
The final 20: Giant, Kevin Nash, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Perry Saturn, Chris Benoit, Konnan, Scott Steiner, Stevie Ray, Dean Malenko, Billy Kidman, Lex Luger, Alex Wright, Booker T, Scott Norton, Ernest Miller, Disco Inferno, Wrath, Steve McMichael and Scott Hall
Before the final ring begins Saturn and Miller eliminate themselves and brawl to the back. Chavo and Wright go out and then Giant goes nuts, tossing Eddie, Kidman and Disco into one pile. Told you the Cruiserweights meant jack. Thirteen to go now and everyone goes after Giant to a BIG pop. Nash vs. Steiner with the tall guy winning. Steiner puts a chinlock on Mongo. I give up. We go to a kind of cool aerial shot which helps a lot.
Everything slows down as you would expect. The fans keep popping for Nash vs. Giant. Hall and Nash team up to fight Giant and the pop is ridiculous. ARE YOU LISTENING WCW??? They try to shove him out but Giant shrugs them off. Luger puts Stevie Ray out to get us to 12. Mongo eliminates Norton and Nash puts McMichael out to get us to ten: Benoit, Wrath, Malenko, Giant, Nash, Hall, Konnan, Steiner, Luger and Booker.
The counter drops to 9 with no one going out and Bam Bam Bigelow, not signed (storyline) to the company runs in through the crowd and tries to interfere. Cue the Goldberg chants and Goldberg himself as the guys in the ring stop to watch. Was there ANY POINT to doing this in the middle of the namesake match? Someone else goes out that theyre not sure of, saying theyll wait for a confirmation that it was Steiner. Heres an idea: LOOK AND SEE IF HE IS ON THE FLOOR!
Anyway the pull apart brawl on the floor eats up 3 minutes or so. We have: Nash, Malenko, Booker, Benoit, Giant, Luger, Hall and Konnan left at the moment, meaning that Steiner and Wrath were put out already from the final ten. Security drags off Bigelow and Goldberg just kind of leaves (yeah why would he want to scout his opponent right?) as Booker goes out. Benoit and Malenko get together as Horsemen as do the Wolfpack in the form of Konnan, Luger and Nash.
Everyone but Hall and Konnan go after Giant. Konnan misses a charge to put us down to six. Nash rallies the troops and says go after Giant. Giant is all like BRING IT ON. They get him to the ropes and to a big pop put him out to get us to five. Its Luger, Nash, Hall, Benoit and Malenko. Benoit and Malenko go after Hall to get this going. Hall remembers hes not small and beats them both up. Benoit and Malenko go out with ease to get us to the final three.
Hall is the defending champion of this. Now lets see: we have former tag champions who worked together earlier tonight in a match that didnt happen. Think a showdown between the former winner and his famous tag partner would make for a good final? Since its logical and this is WCW, no sale. They all fight each other and Luger finally takes his damn t-shirt off. Nash goes down for the first time all match. Luger tries to Rack Hall and Nash puts both of them out to win it. That was quick. Did I mention Nash was booker around this time?
Rating: D. As usual, this was boring as hell. Nash couldnt have been the clearer winner 3 minutes in if they had flat out said he was winning. The crowd only popped a few times, mainly for Hall and Nash. The old guard dominated for the most part other than some token appearances for Benoit and Malenko. Horribly dull match as these always are.
US Title: Bret Hart vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Are we allergic to promos tonight or something? There might have been a single minute between Nash celebrating and Buffer introducing this. DDP is champion here and we have about 25 minutes left. Why is this going on last again? DDP has the belt on upside down. Are they even trying anymore? Hes announced as being from the Jersey Shore which is a lot funnier today.
Page dives over the top onto Hart to get us going on the floor. They fight around the other rings which have the lights dimmed around them so things look lower budget than they would become later. Page is supposed to have an injured knee here but seems just fine. We head to the floor for the third time tonight and Bret finally takes over. He stomps away as we talk about Goldberg for no apparent reason.
Something distracts the fans and makes them all boo and look to their lefts. Probably a fight or something. Its so clear that no one is interested in this at all after the big battle royal just happened. Off to a chinlock by Hart now as this isnt looking like much of a match so far. Page gets a swinging neckbreaker for two. Diamond Cutter doesnt work and Bret hits the floor for a breather.
Out to the floor again and Page eats steps. The fans chant random gibberish out of boredom. Russian Leg Sweep gets two. Bret tries a Tombstone of all things which is reversed by Page into one of his own for two. Brain suggests hitting Page with a wrench. Bret hits some European uppercuts in the corner but walks into a belly to belly for two. Discus lariat puts Bret down. This is a very awkward match and not very good and/or interesting.
Bret clotheslines him out to the floor for I think the 4th time in less than ten minutes. Back in and Hart pulls out a foreign object. Page takes him down with a top rope clothesline and Bret drops the thing. The referee picks it up as Page puts on the worst Sharpshooter ever. Theres some powder in the corner of some kind. I dont even want to know.
Hart gets a single shot to the knee which suddenly is hurt again and goes after the knee. Tony says the knee of Page is injured and Bret going after it is ironic. Wouldnt that be basic intelligence? Figure Four around the post goes on as I continue to wonder how much the post actually helps here. Back in the ring and Hart works on the other leg for no apparent reason.
Figure Four goes on the wrong leg as well. That lasts just for a few seconds and its off to the other leg again. You can tell Bret isnt caring here at all. Tony goes back to talking about how high school and college students have a hero in DDP. Dude, can someone arrest this guy or at least monitor him? DDP kicks Hart out and to the floor to kind of take over here.
Page goes after Harts leg on the floor again, putting the figure four on the pole as well. Can we please end this thing already? Its been going on forever and no one cares in the slightest. Page grabs a chair and were back in the ring. The referee stops the chair shot and gets crushed for his efforts. Bret goes into the referees pocket to steal the foreign object back.
The NWO referee comes out and DDP gets drilled with the object. Sharpshooter goes on as Page is out cold. The fake referee calls for a bell which he gets for no apparent reason. Bret celebrates, a WCW referee comes out and says no, Diamond Cutter ends it and Brain says Saddam Hussein missed a heck of a war. Lay off the hard stuff there Bobby.
Rating: D+. Boring as hell match here which went on WAY too long. This should have been about 12 minutes long instead of the near 20 that this got. Also, why was this the main event and not the battle royal? Either way this was more or less boring as hell with the fans not being into it at all. Weak as hell main event to a weak as hell shot.
Overall Rating: F. This was awful. None of the matches are any good, the battle royal SUCKED, the main event was the wrong match and nothing was worth a damn the entire time. The company was in a downward spiral at this point and it would only get worse with the burial of Goldberg that was coming. They still had some steam at this point but 1999 would just end that completely. Terrible show and one of the least interesting ones I can remember in a very long time.
Date: November 22, 1998
Location: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 17,670
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay
Since there are only four of these shows in total and Ive done two of them I figured Id finish off the series to get it off the books quickly. This is WCWs version of the Rumble with sixty people in it and three rings. In short it sucked because no one could tell what was going on. This was supposed to be the 97 show but it took longer to download so you get them in reverse. This is the last show and the main event is DDP vs. Bret for the US Title rather than the namesake battle royal with the winner facing Goldberg at Starrcade. Lets get to it.
Opening video highlights the two main events without actually saying anything.
Goldberg got here earlier today.
This is with that stupid three ring setup which kept seats out of the place but who cares about ticket sales?
Tony promises that sixty of the biggest names in the sport are in the main event. Keep that in mind when you read the roster for it later. Hogan isnt in it for no apparent reason.
Gene says he thinks a little guy will win.
Wrath vs. Glacier
Wrath was getting a push here for no apparent reason which would result in him losing to Kevin Nash on Nitro I believe. Glacier was beyond nothing at this point and was just a jobber here. Clearly this is a match that we need to see on PPV right? Wrath is undefeated for his last three months. Glaciers finishing move is called the Ice Pick. Thats how low they were getting with their puns at this point.
The referee looks like Dean Malenko. Just to be confusing the middle ring is named Ring 1, the one on the left is Ring 2 and the one on the right is Ring 3. Glacier Sucks chant starts up and the crowd pops when he gets sent to the floor with raw power. Or would that be Nitro power? Glacier gets a dropkick which does nothing. He hits the floor again as its clear neither of these guys care at all.
Wrath hits a knee to send him into the railing and begins the stalking. Glacier is sent into the crowd where its clear there are empty seats in the front row. After nothing of note in the crowd Wrath beats on him even more in the ring. Is there a reason why were having a squash on PPV? Tenay talks about Hollywood taking notice of Wrath and that hes up for movie and TV roles. True or not, this is the guy that Nash squashed to set himself up as a streak breaker. That shouldnt surprise you at all.
Back to the floor again as Wrath is completely destroying him. This is completely boring if you didnt get that and is one of those matches that no one wanted to see at all and yet were going to have to watch it anyway. Glacier gets choked by a camera cord which the referee is fine with it. Lets hit a chinlock because thats riveting stuff indeed. A splash misses in the corner and Glacier hits a superkick to the back of the shoulder (how do you even do that?) but the Ice Pick doesnt work. Meltdown (Pump handle slam) ends this a second later.
Rating: D-. What was the point of this getting nearly ten minutes again? Wrath is awesome. We get it. Glacier is a jobber that got in maybe one move the entire time and after that there was nothing else at all. Boring as hell match and one of the weaker openers this side of Great American Bash 91 which says a lot.
Bret talks about how he needs to prove something for a good while. He lists off guys that havent respected him or that hes hurt recently. Hes in front of what seems like a hockey goal for no apparent reason other than hes Canadian. DDP is a punk it seems.
Stevie Ray vs. Konnan
Stevie is NWO Black and White/Hollywood and Konnan is NWO Red and Black/Wolfpack. Yes because we needed to NWOs by the end of 1998. Were over 20 minutes into this show and this might be the most interesting match on the card so far. What does that tell you? Stevie is the Enforcer of the NWO here. Good reaction for Konnan actually. Stevie hammers away on him in the corner with some of the weakest stomps youll ever see.
The referee looks like hes having mental issues. Konnan comes back with the rolling lariat and the seated dropkick. Those horrible stomps by Stevie are trumped by Konnans. Off to an abdominal stretch on the mat as Heenan changes his pick for the battle royal from Wrath to Konnan. This referee counts very slowly. Clothesline gets two on Konnan. Vincent beats on Konnan a bit on the floor and has a slap jack (weapon Stevie used) sticking out of his back pocket.
Back in the ring an elbow gets two for Stevie and we hit the chinlock. Backslide for Konnan and a clothesline for Stevie both get two. Konnan avoids an elbow and makes his comeback, hitting a kick to the ribs and an X-Factor. Vincent accidently hits Stevie with the slap jack and Konnan hammers away. Konnan shoves the referee and its the WEAK DQ to end it.
Rating: D. Oh dear this was bad all over again. Stevie was nothing of interest at all and this was a weak match even by his standards. I have no idea what the point of the first half hour of this show was but it hasnt been anything good so far at all. Bad match when Konnan is the one carrying it no?
Booker comes in to save Stevie from a worse beating and Stevie isnt happy with it.
Bobby and Tony talk about how at colleges, offices, high schools and middle schools people have been talking about this. Does WCW have a team of people to go to various schools and spy on various students that might be talking about WCW? Heenan mentions prisons and Tony calls him out of it, after Tony said the same thing about middle schools. I give up.
Ernest Miller/Sonny Onoo vs. Perry Saturn/Kaz Hayashi
Hayashi is a guy that was fired by Sonny (generic Japanese manager that sued WCW for racial discrimination) and is now a face. Saturn and Miller are feuding because we need a reason for them to be in this match. Miller does his deal where he offers Kaz five seconds to leave but turns around to get beaten up by Saturn. This is another one of those matches where stuff is going on but nothing is happening at all.
Miller does the vast majority of the work and Sonny comes in to beat on Hayashi a bit when hes down. Sonny tries to buy Hayashi off which fails, sending money everywhere. Off to Saturn now to continue this dull match. Saturn calls for a leg sweep and Miller sweeps his leg. Im sure Miller stole Saturns idea. Miller tags Sonny, Sonny kicks him once, Sonny tags out.
Saturn fights both guys on his own and some double teaming takes Miller down. Hayashi vs. Miller at the moment as a piece of lint on the floor grabs my attention. Sonny kicks some more as hes a karate master or something like that. Tony compares the kicks to Flairs chops. I give up. Miller kicks Kaz in the head to break up the momentum and we go to a chinlock for literally less time than it took to type chinlock.
Saturn comes in and five minutes into this we get a headlock. Ok back to Hayashi again. Is this supposed to be a good match or is it a great success by being this bad? See what this match is doing to my brain? That made perfect sense to me. Sonny tries to buy Saturn off again and Miller gets suplexed as a result. Kaz tries to come in to help out which allows Miller to kick Saturn so that Onoo can fall on him for the pin.
Rating: F+. It was an unfunny comedy match and a bad unfunny comedy match at that. What was the point of this again? Were about 45 minutes into this show and the matches are somehow getting worse after Wrath vs. Glacier started us off. I know Ive been talking about the show a lot rather than the matches but its been that bad.
Chris Jericho is doing an internet interview and talks about how hes going to retain the TV Title against a cowboy.
Cruiserweight Title: Billy Kidman vs. Juventud Guerrera
Ok, this HAS to be good right? Kidman is challenger here. Juvy comes out in an LWO shirt, apparently having joined the team. Eddie says that by working together the Mexican guys can get something going. Rey, another LWO member, comes out and says that he didnt get his title shot because of this? Eddie says hell explain to Rey why he has to sacrifice stuff or something or other.
They speed things up and then keep slowing it back down. Just go crazy out there like youre supposed to guys. Nice headscissors by Juvy takes Kidman down. Modified powerslam by Kidman sets up a slingshot legdrop for two. Tornado DDT by Juvy doesnt go off as instead he stuns Kidman over the top. This is very different than most of their matches and Im not sure thats good as the other matches are rather good.
Plancha to the floor by Kidman takes Juvy out. Rana to Kidman while hes on the apron sends us back to the floor again. Brainbuster by Juvy gets two. There isnt much to say here aside from just calling spots as thats all this has been for the most part. Big dive to the floor by the champion and we head to the other ring. Juvy tries a double jump and doesnt get the right distance. The result would mean its unlikely Kidman will have children. FREAKING OW MAN!
I guess which ring youre in doesnt matter. Juvy sets for the 450 but Kidman gets up before it gets launched. Springboard cross body gets two for Kidman. Double springboard rana to the third ring gets two for Juvy. Juvy Driver hits but the 450 doesnt. Juvy shows off by landing on his feet. Guerrera slaps the referee as Kidman takes over again. Wheelbarrow suplex to Juvy and its Shooting Star time. Juvy manages to crotch him and set up for a rana. Rey comes down to keep Kidman on the ropes and hits the Shooting Star to win the title.
Rating: C-. I want to know who thought it would be a good idea to have a 15 minute cruiserweight match in this style. Cut this down by like 5 minutes and its a lot better. Still good but not as high flying as it should have been to really make it good. Fun enough though and by far and away the most interesting match of the night.
Eddie and the LWO go after Rey who sprints away with about ten guys chasing him.
Nash didnt beat up Hall on Monday. Ok then.
Rick Steiner vs. Scott Steiner
Scott has the NWO referee and Bagwell with him. And theres no Rick Steiner. Four members of the NWO are hammering away on Rick, namely the Giant. Rick is out on his feet. Scott hammers away for a bit (no bell by the way) and the NWO referee keeps blowing a whistle.
Rick gets some shots in and takes out the referee but gets beaten down again. Worst Steiner Recliner EVER by Scott until Goldberg saves (getting an ERUPTION and a literal standing ovation) as he beats up Scott. Goldberg clears the ring and I again have to ask: how did they fuck up Goldberg? This never was an actual match. Rick was a tag champion coming in if you care for some reason.
Kevin Nash vs. Scott Hall
Heres a big match indeed. Hall comes out with an NWO army alongside him. With five other guys in the ring with Hall, heres Eric. Hall punched him on Monday so there are issues here. Apparently its survey time and the survey says ..GET HIM! The beatdown is on and Nash comes out for the save. They clear the ring to a MASSIVE Outsiders chant. And theres no match, marking yet another upper midcard match that we dont get after paying our money for it. Hall throws up the Too Sweet sign but Nash walks away.
The announcers talk to waste some time.
TV Title: Chris Jericho vs. Bobby Duncum Jr.
I think Dumcum is dead now. Oh wow he died in 2000. He was a cowboy that you wont remember more than likely but he got a small push around this time. This is his second match in the company. Jericho has Ralphus with him, making this already a win. Look him up as hes beyond description. Jericho got hog tied on Monday by Duncum. Dumcum has an awesome look to him if nothing else.
We talk about Hogan for a bit because him not being here is more important than the championship thats on the line right? Slow build to start us off here. We actually talk about the match a bit here as the title match is about 3rd on the list of importance. Oh wait we need to talk about Duncums dad. Off to the chinlock now which doesnt last that long.
Out to the floor with Duncum grabbing his cowbell. What is the deal with those things and bull ropes? Why are they supposed to be so cool? Ive never gotten that in the slightest. Jericho gets sent into the front row but jumps off the railing with a clothesline to take over again. Missile dropkick gets two. Off to a chinlock now as Duncum is in trouble.
Duncum fights him off and gets a shoulderbreaker for two. He looks really uncomfortable on offense. Or maybe that was just that one move. Cross armbreaker attempt doesnt quite work. Bobby tries to speed things up a bit but gets Hot Shotted into the ropes and then sent to the floor via a springboard dropkick.
Front facelock goes on by Jericho for awhile. Spin kick sends Duncum to the corner and choking abounds. Duncum gets a clothesline and some chops to take over. This is a lot better than you would expect but given the low expectations, thats not saying much in the slightest. Its clear though that Duncum has nothing left and of course his finisher is the bulldog. Wait if his only match ended in a count out how do you know thats his devastating finisher?
Lionsault hits and then a Senton back splash for two. He blows a kiss and goes up but takes too long. When you take too long for a Texas cowboy, youre REALLY slow out there. Jericho almost reverses into a Liontamer but gets knocked down by an elbow from the second rope. Ralphus interferes and its a TV Title shot to the head (and almost the referees head) by Jericho to end this.
Rating: C. Not terrible here but at the same time the ending crippled this. Duncum is a guy that went absolutely nowhere due to no apparent reason, although Id bet on it having something to do with him being young and seemingly talented. Also, this got almost 14 minutes. Think thats enough for a guys second match?
World War 3
Chris Adams, Chris Benoit, Bobby Blaze, Ciclope, Damien, El Dandy, Barry Darsow, The Disciple, Disco Inferno, Bobby Duncum, Jr., Bobby Eaton, Mike Enos, Scott Hall, Héctor Garza, The Giant, Glacier, Juventud Guerrera, Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Eddy Guerrero, Hammer, Kenny Kaos, Kaz Hayashi, Horace Hogan, Barry Horowitz, Prince Iaukea, Chris Jericho, Kanyon, Billy Kidman, Konnan, Kevin Nash
Lenny Lane, Lex Luger, Lizmark, Jr., Lodi, Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, Ernest Miller, Chip Minton, Rey Misterio, Jr., Scott Norton, La Parka, Buddy Lee Parker, Psicosis, Scott Putski, Stevie Ray, The Renegade, Scotty Riggs, Perry Saturn, Silver King, Norman Smiley, Scott Steiner, Super Calo, Johnny Swinger, Booker T, Tokyo Magnum, Villaño V, Vincent, Kendall Windham, Wrath and Alex Wright
And remember, theyre all big stars right? You can go out via pin or submission as well as going to the floor in any way. With 20 people left theyll go into one ring. Based on that Im not going to bother breaking them down into three groups. No one gets a promo or anything to say theyll win either. Were just throwing everyone in there.
Im trying to see if anyone in there is anyone in there that wont be that well known. Chris Adams trained Steve Austin. Blaze is more or less a jobber. Darsow is Smash/Repo Man. Buddy Lee Parker trained Goldberg. Minton is an Olympic bobsledder. Magnum is more or less a homoerotic dancer. Everyone else is a midcarder/Cruiserweight jobber or a main event guy here. Norton is the IWGP Champion coming in. The entrances take forever.
Theyve changed the order of the rings again, now going with the normal listing of 123 rather than 213. Oh and Flair is still fired/suspended. This would be the second time I think that Bischoff did that. Tony flat out says the Cruiserweights arent getting world title shots other than here. The entrances have literally taken eight minutes.
Here we go (finally). Immediately, as in the first words of the commentary after the bell, they change the ring order AGAIN, calling the middle ring #1. The far right one is still #3 so that helps a bit. Theres a counter in the corner so Ill try to keep you up to date with that but dont ask me for names, namely because it doesnt matter in the beginning.
After waiting around for about 40 seconds, Nash explodes on ring 3, throwing out probably 6-7 guys in 30 seconds. Were down to 48 people left in less than two minutes. The announcers dont even know the names of the luchadores. One guy literally dove out with no one touching him. You cant have someone grab him and toss him? Seriously? Nash wins ring 3, last eliminating Van Hammer in less than 3 minutes. 39 left at this point. He has to stay there until there are 20 left so he gets a break. Nash gets a break and doesnt have to do much? Surely you jest.
Psicosis dives at Hall and gets launched, putting us at about 35. I say about because I dont trust that counter. Its mainly the small guys/not big names out so I wont bother listing them off. Weve changed the ring numbers mid match again, marking change #4 of the show. Giant is just standing in the corner which is smart. Ring 2 is very full and 1 (ring 2 is the middle ring for the rest of this) is about half full.
Weve been at 35 for awhile now. Kidman puts Kaynon out and someone puts out Kaz Hayashi next to him. Booker and Stevie shrug at each other and were down to 32 from someone being eliminated. Were not told who they are so its not like Im ignoring them. Horace and Disciple go out and were at 30. Ring 1 is mostly empty now so everyone goes after Giant. By everyone I mean Disco Inferno, Alex Wright, Saturn, Benoit and the Guerreros.
Giant is like fuck that and beats everyone up. 28 left now. Disco elects himself captain but Benoit goes after someone else as fighting Giant is pointless at this point. Makes sense. Down to 27 here and Tony has no idea who is gone. 25 left. Once we hit 20 Ill let you know who is left. Pretty much every big name is still in it. Down to 24. Juventud is out to get us to 23.
Scott Steiner (Rick isnt in this) goes for a leg lock because the rules here are really stupid. 22 left now and Giant, I think out of boredom, reaches over and punches someone in ring 2. With 21 left now, Hall is on the apron and Rey misses a baseball slide to get us down to 20. Tony thinks he fell out despite seeing a big running charge.
The final 20: Giant, Kevin Nash, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Perry Saturn, Chris Benoit, Konnan, Scott Steiner, Stevie Ray, Dean Malenko, Billy Kidman, Lex Luger, Alex Wright, Booker T, Scott Norton, Ernest Miller, Disco Inferno, Wrath, Steve McMichael and Scott Hall
Before the final ring begins Saturn and Miller eliminate themselves and brawl to the back. Chavo and Wright go out and then Giant goes nuts, tossing Eddie, Kidman and Disco into one pile. Told you the Cruiserweights meant jack. Thirteen to go now and everyone goes after Giant to a BIG pop. Nash vs. Steiner with the tall guy winning. Steiner puts a chinlock on Mongo. I give up. We go to a kind of cool aerial shot which helps a lot.
Everything slows down as you would expect. The fans keep popping for Nash vs. Giant. Hall and Nash team up to fight Giant and the pop is ridiculous. ARE YOU LISTENING WCW??? They try to shove him out but Giant shrugs them off. Luger puts Stevie Ray out to get us to 12. Mongo eliminates Norton and Nash puts McMichael out to get us to ten: Benoit, Wrath, Malenko, Giant, Nash, Hall, Konnan, Steiner, Luger and Booker.
The counter drops to 9 with no one going out and Bam Bam Bigelow, not signed (storyline) to the company runs in through the crowd and tries to interfere. Cue the Goldberg chants and Goldberg himself as the guys in the ring stop to watch. Was there ANY POINT to doing this in the middle of the namesake match? Someone else goes out that theyre not sure of, saying theyll wait for a confirmation that it was Steiner. Heres an idea: LOOK AND SEE IF HE IS ON THE FLOOR!
Anyway the pull apart brawl on the floor eats up 3 minutes or so. We have: Nash, Malenko, Booker, Benoit, Giant, Luger, Hall and Konnan left at the moment, meaning that Steiner and Wrath were put out already from the final ten. Security drags off Bigelow and Goldberg just kind of leaves (yeah why would he want to scout his opponent right?) as Booker goes out. Benoit and Malenko get together as Horsemen as do the Wolfpack in the form of Konnan, Luger and Nash.
Everyone but Hall and Konnan go after Giant. Konnan misses a charge to put us down to six. Nash rallies the troops and says go after Giant. Giant is all like BRING IT ON. They get him to the ropes and to a big pop put him out to get us to five. Its Luger, Nash, Hall, Benoit and Malenko. Benoit and Malenko go after Hall to get this going. Hall remembers hes not small and beats them both up. Benoit and Malenko go out with ease to get us to the final three.
Hall is the defending champion of this. Now lets see: we have former tag champions who worked together earlier tonight in a match that didnt happen. Think a showdown between the former winner and his famous tag partner would make for a good final? Since its logical and this is WCW, no sale. They all fight each other and Luger finally takes his damn t-shirt off. Nash goes down for the first time all match. Luger tries to Rack Hall and Nash puts both of them out to win it. That was quick. Did I mention Nash was booker around this time?
Rating: D. As usual, this was boring as hell. Nash couldnt have been the clearer winner 3 minutes in if they had flat out said he was winning. The crowd only popped a few times, mainly for Hall and Nash. The old guard dominated for the most part other than some token appearances for Benoit and Malenko. Horribly dull match as these always are.
US Title: Bret Hart vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Are we allergic to promos tonight or something? There might have been a single minute between Nash celebrating and Buffer introducing this. DDP is champion here and we have about 25 minutes left. Why is this going on last again? DDP has the belt on upside down. Are they even trying anymore? Hes announced as being from the Jersey Shore which is a lot funnier today.
Page dives over the top onto Hart to get us going on the floor. They fight around the other rings which have the lights dimmed around them so things look lower budget than they would become later. Page is supposed to have an injured knee here but seems just fine. We head to the floor for the third time tonight and Bret finally takes over. He stomps away as we talk about Goldberg for no apparent reason.
Something distracts the fans and makes them all boo and look to their lefts. Probably a fight or something. Its so clear that no one is interested in this at all after the big battle royal just happened. Off to a chinlock by Hart now as this isnt looking like much of a match so far. Page gets a swinging neckbreaker for two. Diamond Cutter doesnt work and Bret hits the floor for a breather.
Out to the floor again and Page eats steps. The fans chant random gibberish out of boredom. Russian Leg Sweep gets two. Bret tries a Tombstone of all things which is reversed by Page into one of his own for two. Brain suggests hitting Page with a wrench. Bret hits some European uppercuts in the corner but walks into a belly to belly for two. Discus lariat puts Bret down. This is a very awkward match and not very good and/or interesting.
Bret clotheslines him out to the floor for I think the 4th time in less than ten minutes. Back in and Hart pulls out a foreign object. Page takes him down with a top rope clothesline and Bret drops the thing. The referee picks it up as Page puts on the worst Sharpshooter ever. Theres some powder in the corner of some kind. I dont even want to know.
Hart gets a single shot to the knee which suddenly is hurt again and goes after the knee. Tony says the knee of Page is injured and Bret going after it is ironic. Wouldnt that be basic intelligence? Figure Four around the post goes on as I continue to wonder how much the post actually helps here. Back in the ring and Hart works on the other leg for no apparent reason.
Figure Four goes on the wrong leg as well. That lasts just for a few seconds and its off to the other leg again. You can tell Bret isnt caring here at all. Tony goes back to talking about how high school and college students have a hero in DDP. Dude, can someone arrest this guy or at least monitor him? DDP kicks Hart out and to the floor to kind of take over here.
Page goes after Harts leg on the floor again, putting the figure four on the pole as well. Can we please end this thing already? Its been going on forever and no one cares in the slightest. Page grabs a chair and were back in the ring. The referee stops the chair shot and gets crushed for his efforts. Bret goes into the referees pocket to steal the foreign object back.
The NWO referee comes out and DDP gets drilled with the object. Sharpshooter goes on as Page is out cold. The fake referee calls for a bell which he gets for no apparent reason. Bret celebrates, a WCW referee comes out and says no, Diamond Cutter ends it and Brain says Saddam Hussein missed a heck of a war. Lay off the hard stuff there Bobby.
Rating: D+. Boring as hell match here which went on WAY too long. This should have been about 12 minutes long instead of the near 20 that this got. Also, why was this the main event and not the battle royal? Either way this was more or less boring as hell with the fans not being into it at all. Weak as hell main event to a weak as hell shot.
Overall Rating: F. This was awful. None of the matches are any good, the battle royal SUCKED, the main event was the wrong match and nothing was worth a damn the entire time. The company was in a downward spiral at this point and it would only get worse with the burial of Goldberg that was coming. They still had some steam at this point but 1999 would just end that completely. Terrible show and one of the least interesting ones I can remember in a very long time.