NWO Souled Out '97

Legacy Review

NWO Souled Out '97

January 25, 1997 from the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, IA

Commentary: Eric Bischoff and Ted DiBiase

One of the last gaps on WCW's PPV calendar is filled, as '97 will be their first year with a full every month PPV schedule. Technically this is the company's first January PPV since the 1988 disaster that was the Bunkhouse Stampede during Jim Crockett's last year. This is a unique PPV. To sell the NWO as a truly separate entity to WCW, they're putting on their "own" PPV tonight. Every match is WCW vs NWO. This is the only PPV that would ever be presented as a completely NWO run show, but it foreshadows the next year when all of WCW's shows will be co-branded WCW/NWO.

The opening is a bad omen of where we're going, a pretty generic, bland and overly long NWO ride-in on a bunch of what looks like trucks that drop salt down when it snows (it's Iowa in January and there is snow on the ground), but look more like garbage trucks. Like I said this is presented as a complete NWO production. NWO stage that looks like it's made of bits from late '80s Jim Crockett stages, NWO ring, NWO stagehands, NWO ref Nick Patrick working every match. There's also a live band and a bunch of biker chicks on bikes all over the place. Oh yeah, Bischoff definitely produced this. Speaking of Bischoff, he and DiBiase don't even have a commentary table. They sit on boxes all night while calling the action from a mile away. The atmosphere is just plain weird right from the off.

Masahiro Chono def Chris Jericho in 11:08- There's no ring announcer. Instead, the NWO voiceover guy has pre-recorded ring intros that play during entrances, buttering up the NWO guys while sarcastically insulting the WCW wrestlers. The WCW guys also get no music. Jericho actually gets a decent reaction from the supposedly pro-NWO crowd, an issue they'll have most of the night. Basic start with a shoulderblock standoff. Chono says go again, kicks Jericho and tosses him out. We get a shot of a bunch of WCW wrestlers arriving in the crowd to watch. Jericho and Chono stall by jawing at each other, then go to a test of strength. Chono ties Jericho up and hits a Russian leg sweep. Tackle off the top. Jericho hits a suplex and spinning heel kick that sends Chono outside. Springboard crossbody to the floor from Jericho. Chono dodges and Jericho knees the post. Another shoulderblock standoff in the ring. Chono hits a chop block. The crowd chants USA, causing Chono to stall and Bischoff having to cover. Jericho hits an enzuguri. Chono blocks a kick and hits a dragon screw. He goes for the STF but Jericho blocks it and gets to the ropes. Diving back elbow from Jericho and he hits a German for 2 with, to the shock of no one, a Patrick slow count. The crowd is instantly all over him, long sick to death of this shit and sensing like we all are we're going to be dealing with it all fucking night long. Jericho hits a clothesline for another slow 2. Chono grabs a sleeper and drops Jericho with a reverse DDT. He goes for another tackle off the top. Jericho looks like he's supposed to counter but they both just kind of flop down in the ring. That was ugly. Inverted atomic drop from Chono. He goes outside and gets a table out, then teases suplexing Jericho onto it. Jericho blocks and suplexes Chono back in. Missile dropkick off the top and Jericho tweaks his knee again. The Lionsault hits! But again Jericho tweaks his knee. Jericho goes up top. Chono gives him some forearms. Jericho obviously repositions. Yakuza kick! In another miscommunication I think that was supposed to send Jericho down but he doesn't go so Chono pushes him, and Jericho goes through the table on the floor. Another Yakuza kick back in and Chono gets the pin. Meh. The NWO take the early 1-0 lead. **1/4

In between matches we get the first of the "Ms. NWO competition" bits. Some annoying guy I don't remember named Jeff Katz asks a bunch of biker chicks some really stupid NWO related double entendre questions trying to get sexual answers, but none of the women have been coached on how to respond so they just sit there for a while then give some generic response, and that's if they even heard or understood the question at all. It's horrendous, and even worse it goes on almost all night. On top of that, the women might be what Bischoff's into but I can't say the same for most of the rest of us.

 

Mexican Death Match: Big Bubba Rogers def Hugh Morris (w/Jimmy Hart) in 9:03- Don't even try to figure out how this is a "Mexican" death match, you'll probably burst a blood vessel in your brain. It's Texas Death Match rules. Initial rough lockup, then Morris pushes Rogers down out of a couple more. Rogers runs into a clothesline. They go outside and Rogers goes into the steps. Back in Rogers begs off and hits a low blow. While Hart is arguing with Patrick Rogers tries to handcuff Morris. I think Morris breaks the handcuffs but it's hard to tell, and commentary's no help because a. they need binoculars to see the ring and b. they're way more interested in being NWO shills than calling the matches. Morris 360 clotheslines Rogers out and Hart gets some kicks in. Rogers gets a chain out of his jacket and whacks Morris with it, then whips him with it. Morris gets a hold of the chain and takes his own shot with it. He goes up top and the moonsault hits. Patrick takes every excuse not to count when Rogers is clearly down for longer than 10. Morris gets mad at him and Rogers attacks from behind. Morris hits an avalanche and clothesline, then gets a piece of the handcuffs and whacks Rogers with it. Rogers fights back with a clothesline. Morris gets his own back with some low blows. They go outside and up the aisle. Morris slams Rogers on the ramp. He climbs up a few of the steps, goes for a "moonsault" (as much as he could without killing himself on the steps), and Rogers dodges. Rogers goes and commandeers one of the motorcycles. He runs Rogers over with it! Damn that was hilarious. Most ineffectual car crash outside a James Nguyen movie. Patrick counts 10 and it's over. That was all kinds of awful. 2-0 NWO. 1/4* for the laugh from the motorcycle "hit"

 

Jeff Jarrett def Mr. Wallstreet in 9:22- Mike Rotunda being booked for a PPV match in 1997 is not a good sign. Wallstreet hits one punch in the corner and runs and hides. Patrick hooks Jarrett's arm when he goes for a punch in the corner. Speed run, Jarrett hits a shoulderblock and hiptoss. Crossbody off the top for 2. Jarrett argues Patrick's usual slow count and Rotunda rolls him up from behind for 2. Patrick pushes Rotunda out of the way and Jarrett crotches himself on the ropes. 360 clothesline, then Jarrett takes multiple shots on the barricade. Back in Wallstreet hooks on a sleeper. We cut to Debra dragging Mongo through the crowd toward the ring because she wants to help Jarrett, who was still Four Horsemen adjacent at this time. Mongo's not really interested. Jarrett hooks on a sleeper that Patrick, of course, instantly calls a choke and breaks up. Rotunda chinlock! Drink! After Jarrett escapes there's a weak slugfest. Jarrett hits an inverted atomic drop and suplex. Rotunda dodges the fist drop off the second rope. Jarrett hooks on the figure four. Patrick literally drags Rotunda to the ropes so he can break. Seriously, shoot me now. Jarrett pulls a page out of Rotunda's usual playbook and hooks on an abdominal stretch with rope help. Patrick sees it and breaks it up, allowing Rotunda to reverse. Debra's finally gotten Mongo ringside. Mongo hops up and nails Rotunda with the briefcase! He forces Patrick to count 3 and WCW gets their first win of the night. Nominal Horsemen leader with Flair still injured Arn Anderson is in the crowd watching it all and giving absolutely zero fucks. 1/2*

Ms. NWO segment #3 starts with Katz asking "what do you think of the women so far" and getting dead silence from the crowd. Says it all.

 

Buff Bagwell def Scotty Riggs in 13:51- American Males explode. Marcus Alexander Bagwell signed with WCW in 1991 with less than two years of pro experience under his belt. He was quickly pushed as a super rookie, but didn't get much traction and was soon relegated to a tag specialist, winning the world tag titles five times with four different partners over the years. Late in '96 he turned on American Males partner Riggs to turn heel for the first time, joined the NWO, and took the name Buff Bagwell. Now, I've been very clear for my disdain for Mr. Buff and by and large it is real, but there's no denying this is where he took the next step in his career. Bagwell, being Bagwell, poses for the crowd during his entrance and Riggs jumps him from behind. Backdrop, clotheslines, and Bagwell rolls out for a breather. I'd say "think" but it's Bagwell. While he's out there he does what he did best as Buff: talk into the camera. Nary a camera passed by him the next 4 years without some kind of comment being made into it. Back in Bagwell goes kicky punchy into a headlock. Speed run and Riggs hits a dropkick. Bagwell tries a floatover in the corner but Riggs is all over it and hits a belly to belly suplex. Bagwell looks confused. His natural state. He gets up and slaps Riggs. Long speed run, hip toss reversals and Bagwell goes over the top to the floor. Riggs hits a plancha. Bagwell reverses a whip and Riggs goes into the guardrail. Back in Riggs hits a double ax handle off the top for 2. At this point Patrick starts getting worn down (gotta commend him for working the entire show) and I think realized the crooked ref stuff was more stale than one of Buff's lines, from this point on he starts reffing more down the middle again. Bagwell drops Riggs on the top rope and clotheslines him off the apron. The NWO announcer voice says "Loser". Oh great, someone remembered they set a button to do that. Yes, it goes on the whole rest of the show. Another turd sprinkle on the diarrhea sundae. More generic beatdown from Bagwell. He hits a press gutbuster. The crowd chants "Bagwell sucks". Bischoff tries to play it off as "NWO", then says they love Bagwell. The crowd is not playing along tonight. Powerbomb by Bagwell. Riggs gets a sunset flip and pulls Bagwell's tights down, exposing a thong. Bagwell hooks on a double chinlock to take this match from barely moving to dead stopped. After a bit Riggs electric chair drops out. He gets a small package for 2. Enzuguri and tornado DDT from Riggs. Both guys go for crossbodys but Bagwell clearly wins for 2. Riggs counters a neckbreaker into a backslide for 2. Powerbomb for a long 2. Bagwell gets on the second rope, hits his new blockbuster finisher, and gets the pin. The NWO goes to 3-1. *

 

Scott Norton def Diamond Dallas Page by countout in 9:39- DDP has a huge target on his back because he refused NWO membership when it was offered. Lockup and Norton quickly shows what we all know, he's stronger. DDP is unfazed, taking a puff on his cigar. A shoulderblock sends DDP to the floor. Now he has a think. Arm wringer tradeoff back in and Norton goes to hair pulling. After some slaps DDP works a headlock. Norton tries to block a hiptoss but DDP turns it into a DDT. Corner chops from Norton. DDP hits his piledriver faceplant and calls for the Diamond Cutter already. Norton grabs him and gives him a jawbreaker, followed by a clothesline. We get a shot of "Sting" up in the arena. Even from a distance it's pretty obvious that's NWO Sting. Norton hits a shoulderbreaker and DDP falls to the floor again. Norton bounces him off of just about everything around the ring, somewhat focused on the shoulder. As soon as they get back in the ring he forgets about the shoulder. ADD kicked in again. DDP goes through some counters into a clothesline. Norton sells it, then gets right back up like nothing happened. DDP dodges a butt splash and legs sweeps Norton. A series of punches get Norton down for real. DDP clothesline off the top for 2. This time Norton tries a hiptoss but DDP counters it into another DDT. The match stops as Buff Bagwell makes his way in talking on a mic, flanked by all the other NWO wrestlers that have had a match so far tonight except Chono. When he gets in the ring Bagwell tells DDP it's all cool, they want him in the NWO, and gives him a shirt. Didn't we already do this months ago? For those of you who missed the angle, here it is again. DDP strings Bagwell along, takes the shirt, puts it on, acts like everything's good.....then Cutters Norton! DDP gets the hell out of town through the crowd, tearing the shirt off as he leaves. DDP's face push is officially on. Patrick says he's counted DDP out and the NWO goes to 4-1 tonight. The match was OK before all the angle nonsense thanks to DDP and his talent for laying out matches. He was clearly trying. *1/2

 

WCW World Tag Team Championship: The Steiner Brothers def The Outsiders (c) in 14:43- Hall and Scott start with a lockup, clean break and toothpick flick. Hall cranks an arm and slaps. Scott hits a fireman's carry takedown. Hall goes to the abdominal stretch early. Scott gets out, wraps up his own, and slams Hall in it. Belly to belly suplex. Rick DDTs Nash, the champs bail and the Steiners strike their pose. After a fair amount of recovery time Rick and Hall pound on each other. Hall catches Rick coming off the second rope and gives him the fallaway slam. Scott gets chokeslammed. Nash comes in and lays into Scott with his measured corner knees and elbows. Scott gets a boot up in the corner and belly to belly suplexes him. Now Rick and Nash slug it out with Nash going down. Powerslam for 2. Rick ends up in the wrong corner and Hall kicks him out to the floor. Nash tries a leverage pin for 2. Rick goes Steiner in peril for what seems like an eternity as a promising match completely bogs down. Nash hits snake eyes with Hall giving Rick a clothesline from the apron on the rebound. Rick dodges a Nash elbow drop but Nash just tags out and the FIP run continues like nothing happened. Hall and Nash hit side suplexes for 2. Scott shoves Patrick aside and takes Hall out, but again everyone just resets and everything continues as it was. Patrick did lose his hat there though. Nash hits a short clothesline. Rick gives Nash a low blow behind Patrick's back. Hot tag to Scott. Steinerlines! Double underhook suplex on Hall. Nash gets tossed. DONNYBROOK! The Steiners set Hall up for their finisher. Nash comes from behind and takes Scott out. Patrick accidentally goes down again in that exchange. Hall hits the Razor's Edge on Scott! But there's no ref. Rick hits the bulldog off the top rope. WCW ref Randy "Pee Wee" Anderson runs in from the crowd and counts 3! The Steiners win the titles! Pretty nice pop for the win. Not great but the crowd's been beat down something fierce tonight. Bischoff and DiBiase are furious, with Bischoff straight saying "This will not stand", pretty much giving away he's going to AWA this shit as soon as he meets with the competition committee on Monday. And that's exactly what did happen. On the next Nitro the Steiners were stripped and the titles were awarded back to the Outsiders because Anderson was not an officially sanctioned referee for this show. WCW picks a win up officially for the night and it's now 4-2 NWO. *3/4

 

Ladder Match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Eddie Guerrero (c) def Syxx in 13:50- This is WCW's first televised ladder match ever. At this point WWF had only put on two ladder matches on TV, both Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon and the last one was back at Summerslam '95, so the concept was still very fresh. Guerrero won the vacant title at Starrcade, but Syxx stole the belt immediately after the match and has been walking around with it ever since. Zero reaction from the crowd for Syxx. It's almost a negative reaction. They string the belt up awfully high. Unless there's a super sized ladder tucked away somewhere I'm not sure if they can get it. Guerrero jumps Syxx while the belt is being raised. Syxx quickly breaks out the martial arts to pop Bischoff. Still nothing from the crowd. Off a speed run they have a horrible miscommunication in the middle of the ring, with Syxx doing a back elbow and Guerrero flopping like he was expecting something else. Guerrero gets back up with European uppercuts, followed by a flying headscissors and backbreaker. Syxx rolls out and Guerrero hits a crossbody off the top to the floor. Back in Syxx hits a spinning heel kick off the top. Guerrero falls in position in the corner and Syxx does the bronco buster. The lack of crowd reactions so far in this match is amazing, though that move deserves dead silence. Bischoff forgets about the match and goes on a multi-minute diatribe about phony karate guys going to one YMCA training session and thinking they know something. That's the extreme short version. Guerrero flips over Syxx and dropkicks him to the floor. They get on the apron and Syxx suplexes Guerrero out of the ring to the floor! That almost gets a reaction. Syxx hits a somersault senton to the floor, then goes up to get the ladder. Don't scratch the motorcycles, Bischoff will probably fire you. Syxx runs Guerrero over with the ladder. Instead of sliding it in the ring he and Patrick lift it up on the apron. OK then. They have a leverage fight with the ladder over the top rope and Syxx takes the ladder in the face! That was why then. Now the crowd is slowly waking up, chanting "Eddie". More ladder shots on Syxx and chops from Guerrero. The ladder is set up in the corner. Syxx reverses a whip and Guerrero crashes into the ladder. Guerrero gets backdropped face first on the ladder. Setup suplex and Syxx climbs the ladder in the corner. Guerrero joins him. Syxx hits a low blow and Guerrero falls off. Syxx goes back down, redoes the ladder, and climbs the top rope for the ladder drop spot. Guerrero dropkicks the ladder and Syxx is crotched. Guerrero has to quickly get out of the way of the falling ladder. That could have been bad. Guerrero moves the ladder, goes up and hits a superplex. He sets the ladder up in the middle of the ring and climbs. Syxx also goes up. That belt really is way the hell up there. Syxx hits a kick and they both fall off. Recovery, more slow climb, and they slug it out on the ladder. Guerrero falls, bounces off the ropes, and knocks the ladder and Syxx down. Again they both climb. Both reach out, grab the belt and pull it off at the same time! I guess now it's whoever loses possession loses. Guerrero hits Syxx with the belt and Syxx falls down! Guerrero wins! Nice pop from the crowd for the win, especially after the early match deadness. WCW closes to 4-3. The good news is, that's by far the best thing on this show. The bad news, for a ladder match it was exceedingly average and nothing you need to go out of your way to see other than the historical relevance of it being WCW's first one. ***1/4

Next up is the finals of the Ms. NWO pageant. You'd think after the disaster this has been all night they'd whip through it quick to get it done. Nope. This eats up literally a full 10 minutes of PPV time. I wish I was kidding. If anything I'm lowballing it. Bischoff has to have his biker chicks.

 

WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Hollywood Hogan (c) and The Giant no contest in 10:52- After Starrcade the Giant became the first wrestler to leave the NWO, kicking off his career full of turns. No matter what the heel or face associations, these two have consistently put on PPV main event stinkers so why not throw it out there one more time. Giant no sells Hogan shots at the start, then hits some chops. Hogan slides out, gets Giant to chase, and jumps him getting back in. Hogan lays in some ground and pound, then wobbles the Giant against the ropes with punches. Double clothesline. The bandana is off. Hogan backs into Giant and gets knocked around again. He's dumped out and Giant gives Hogan and Vincent a guardrail shot. Hogan tries shoulderblocks back in that go nowhere. He goes for a small package that Giant blocks, then Giant lifts him up and slams him. That was actually pretty good. More Giant shots and Hogan goes out again. Giant gets powder in the face on the floor, then an eye poke for good measure. Back rake! Hogan's breaking out the big guns now. Wrist tape choke. Back in Giant hits a backbreaker and stretches Hogan out. Giant goes up top, but Hogan dodges the elbow drop. Cover for 2. The crowd is getting behind Giant. Big boot. No sell! Eye poke and slam from Hogan. The legdrop hits. Hogan wanders around the ring oblivious to Giant being up and behind him, and the bit goes on WAY too long to be believable. Goozle! Chokeslam! For the first time since the early matches Patrick goes into heel ref mode, refusing to count 3 multiple times even though Hogan is clearly down for a pin. Giant ends Patrick's long night with a chokeslam. Now all the NWO goons start running in to take chokeslams. Bischoff leaves commentary and hands Hogan a non-Jeff Jarrett NWO branded guitar. Hogan hits Giant with it while he's in the middle of chokeslamming Syxx. Giant completes the chokeslam anyway, then goes down. Horrible, horrible timing. Hogan gives him a couple more guitar shots for good measure. DiBiase leaves commentary too and we're commentaryless for the rest of the show. "We want Sting" chant from the crowd. Hogan gives Giant a wooden chair shot, then gets the spraypaint and decorates Giant's back. Is the match over? There was no ref to replace Patrick and no bell. The show is ending, I guess the match is over. What a cluster. On top of that the crowd suffers one final disappointment as Sting doesn't show despite their chanting. That tease of NWO Sting way earlier in the show also went nowhere. Before the atrocious "finish" this was shaping up to be, well, not the worst Hogan/Giant match. But that ending is horrendous. DUD

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- A gag that might have been mildly amusing for a segment or two of weekly TV or one PPV match is stretched out for a whole PPV. I'm not sure the idea was inherently doomed to failure, but the execution was a disaster and I honestly can't think of many ways it could have been done better. Ditching all the Ms. NWO crap, or at least significantly reworking it, would have been a start. Clearly Bischoff's idea of a party is to hang out at the local biker gang bar. Let's just say we don't see eye to eye on that one. WCW would still spend the whole year in the ratings lead, but NWO fatigue is clearly setting in.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D-