Sunday, November 24, 2024

Bash at the Beach '98

Legacy Review

Bash at the Beach '98

July 12, 1998 from the Cox Arena in San Diego, CA
 
Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay

For the second straight year WCW is presenting the Summer of the Ringers. This year it has to be at least partially panic fueled as they continue fall behind the resurgent Steve Austin led WWF in the weekly TV ratings. We're also just 6 days removed from Goldberg completing his rise to the top and dethroning Hollywood Hogan as World champ on Nitro in the Georgia Dome. Because, why put a guaranteed PPV seller like that on PPV? A knock off effect of that is the US Title, held by Goldberg before that win, is now vacated.
 
I have to say, this is an awfully small looking arena, especially for what's nominally WCW's biggest PPV of the year now, as much as any of them are. The beach set is always awesome though. While commentary's hyping up how much media attention the basketball ringers are getting the crowd chants for Goldberg. Pretty good juxtaposition of what the company was prioritizing versus what the fans wanted.

Raven's Rules: Raven (w/Riggs and Lodi) def Saturn in 10:40- Saturn was kicked out of the non-conformist Flock for not conforming the last PPV. He never thought he was in the Flock to start with, he was just buddies with Raven, but Saturn's brain was always a bit askew to reality. Cockeyed even. Jump start in the aisle and Raven takes some guardrail shots. Saturn chokes Raven with his own shirt. As they're coming back in Saturn legit slips off the top rope. He quickly recovers and hits a dropkick. Drop toe hold into an ankle lock. Raven gets a quick rope break. Gutwrench suplex from Saturn. Raven dodges a legdrop off the top rope and hits a double underhook suplex. He goes out and gets a table from underneath the ring. Tony accidentally calls it a chair leading to much legit hilarity in the booth, including good guy Tony laughing at his own mistake. These three work so much smoother than when Dusty was in the mix. Saturn blocks an apron suplex attempt into the table and crotches Raven. Raven dodges a springboard move and Saturn crashes to the floor. He Russian leg sweeps Saturn into the guardrail! Leverage pin attempt back in for 2. Suplex from Raven. He hooks a sleeper on. Saturn jawbreakers out and lays in some corner kicks. Half and half suplex. Saturn goes out, gets a chair, and whacks Raven with it. Springboard legdrop onto the chair! Cover and Raven just kicks out. The Flock goons run in and are quickly disposed of by Saturn as usual. Raven ducks in the corner and Nick Patrick takes Saturn's kick. When he falls down he decides to hump the mat which is more than a little disturbing. Saturn goes out and bulldogs Raven into the stairs! He goes under the ring and gets a second table. Had to have his own I guess. He puts Raven on his table, then takes Raven's table and puts it on top. Raven's in a table sandwich. Saturn goes up top. Kanyon runs in and pulls Raven clear. A Saturn elbow off the top makes passing contact with the top table. Yeesh. Raven would have been safer staying where he was. Like facing down a stormtrooper, just stand still. He'll never hit you. Commentary is understandably confused as to why Kanyon would be saving Raven. Then Kanyon gives Raven a flatliner into the chair. OK then. The Flock goons get Saturn in the ring and drape Raven on top of him. Saturn kicks out! Raven drop toe holds Saturn into the chair for 2. Superkick from Saturn. Riggs runs in again and takes the DVD. Raven takes the opening, hits the Evenflow, and gets the pin. OKish. **
 
Juventud Guerrera def Kidman (w/Lodi) in 9:55- Second straight Flock match. Long rough lockup into a forearm tradeoff. Nice speed/counter run. Juvy hits some chops and a flying headscissors. Kidman gets 360 clotheslined to the floor. On the other side Lodi trips Juvy and pulls him out. Kidman's plancha takes out Lodi! Springboard plancha from Juvy onto both guys! More counters into a Kidman release German suplex. He tosses Juvy over the top and out then hot shots him on the guardrail. Juvy dodges Kidman coming off the apron and Kidman crashes into the guardrail. Juvy then backdrops him on the floor. Sunset bomb! Both guys go up top. Kidman hits an avalanche spinebuster! Cover for 2. Some more back and forth shots and Juvy counters a slam attempt into a cradle for 2. Dropkick from Kidman. Juvy hits the ropes but Kidman uses his momentum to kick him down to the floor. Another top rope fight and Kidman is crotched. Juvy hits a springboard hurricanrana for 2. Northern lights suplex for 2. Half and half suplex for 2. Kidman gets a springboard bulldog for 2. Bridge up/backslide spot. Kidman standing switches and goes for a German but Juvy lands on his feet. Juvy driver! Kidman kicks out! Kidman hits a spinebuster and goes up top. He goes for the seven year itch (a shooting star press) but Juvy dodges. Juvy goes up, hits the 450 splash and gets the pin! Damn nice stuff. Good to see someone in the Flock besides Raven can be taken seriously now. Kidman will become quite the internet darling before long if I remember right and be one of wrestling's most underrated/best kept secrets for a long time. ***3/4
 
Stevie Ray def Chavo Guerrero Jr in 1:35- We're fully into the "Chavo is nuts" angle now. He and uncle Eddie are having the classic lucha feud blowoff match, hair vs hair, right after this. So why does this match exist? Search me. Chavo comes out wearing an innertube and carrying a super soaker. After the bell Eddie comes out with a pair of scissors. Chavo takes a mic and dedicates this match to Eddie. Then he ducks a lockup and poses. And dances. He offers Ray a handshake. Ray takes it. Chavo squeezes his hand so hard Ray can't let go and goes to his knees. The ref calls for the bell. Chavo submitted to the handshake? Ray is furious. Eddie's also pissed that Chavo hasn't been softened up. That was extremely pointless. NR

Eddie hops in and we go right to the next match.
 
Hair vs Hair Match: Eddie Guerrero def Chavo Guerrero Jr in 11:54- Quick Chavo shoulderblock out of the lockup. He bites Eddie in the ass! Did he become a Bushwacker all of a sudden? Eddie runs up the aisle to get away. When he gets back in he pulls his tights open and wants Lil' Naitch to check the bite mark! Naitch damn near legit breaks out laughing when Eddie does that. Chavo is still goofing around. Eddie goes out and gets a chair. Chavo takes it and sits in it. Now Eddie offers a handshake. After much thinking Chavo takes it....and pulls Eddie into a clothesline! Big backdrop from Chavo. Eddie does his knees run and tries to hide. Chavo bits his ass again! Heenan, after asking, is shocked Tony says he's never been bitten in the ass. I'm not following that train of thought any further. Heenan keeps the bit going and now Tony just about legit breaks. Even Tenay gets in on the ribbing! It's good to hear the booth guys having a good time when WCW life was usually so miserable for them. Eddie hits a dropkick to the knee. He pounds on Chavo's back in the corner and hits a nice stiff dropkick to the back. Suplex and a basement dropkick. Slingshot senton. Eddie hooks on the Gory special. Chavo escapes but Eddie clotheslines him. Now he hooks on a camel clutch. European uppercuts and chops from Eddie. Chavo comes back with a flying headscissors and monkey flip and hits his own European uppercut. He goes for a crazy dive, rolls through after Eddie's dodge, and hits a tiltawhirl backbreaker. Eddie tights pulls Chavo to the floor. He pulls the mat up and goes for a suplex. Chavo blocks it and hits his own. Setup slam from Chavo back in. He goes up top. Eddie hits the ropes to crotch him. Superplex from Eddie. Chavo hits a corner hot shot. He goes for a frog splash but Eddie gets his knees up. Now Eddie hits Chavo's tornado DDT. Instead of covering he gets the scissors. Lil' Naitch stops him. Eddie goes up top. The frog splash misses! Chavo hits the tornado DDT! Now HE gets the scissors. Lil' Naitch grabs his arm. Eddie uses the distraction to wrap up a Paul Smackage for the pin! After the bell Chavo takes the clippers and goes nuts on his own hair because he's whackadoodle CRAZY. Even Eddie is shocked by how far gone he is. ***1/4
 
Konnan (w/Lex Luger and Kevin Nash) def Disco Inferno (w/Alex Wright) in 2:16- Lord what did we do to deserve this. Disco and Wright are now a team called the Dancing Fools. Well they dance (badly) and they are fools so it checks out. It's super casual day for Nash. He's dressed like he just rolled out of bed and threw whatever on. Both sides cut lengthy promos before the match and say nothing worth mentioning. Konnan hits some punches out of the gate and gets a hiptoss. Japanese armdrag. Drop toe hold into some stomps. Disco tries to dance out of a sunset flip but Konnan cradles him for 2. Rolling clothesline. Disco eye rakes Konnan and tosses him out. Wright gets some shots in. Luger comes around and puts Wright in the Torture Rack. While the ref is trying to break that up Nash comes in and jackknifes Disco. Konnan puts on an academic Tequila Sunrise and it's over. Little more than a Wolfpac self-booked ego trip, and the only thing the entire faction does tonight. DUD

The Giant def Kevin Greene in 6:58- NFL linebacker Kevin Greene is back for the third year running. It's like working a wrestling match or two has become his offseason conditioning program. His one year stint with the 49ers is done and he's going to be back with the Panthers this coming season. Greene is announced as the all time NFL sack leader for linebackers, which he still is today and 3rd all time in sacks overall behind only Bruce Smith and Reggie White. Despite being with the Panthers he's in generic red and white gear tonight. Lots of caution at the start as Greene does a lot of dodging. Giant tries to trap him in the corner. Greene squirts away and gets the first shot in. Giant Dragonshouts Greene down to the floor. Damn, didn't think that had even been invented yet. Coming back in Greene kicks the top rope to crotch Giant. He hits some mounted punches. Giant lifts him out of that and hits a spinebuster. Elbow drop. Greene tries to slug back but Giant clubs him in the back. Big chop. Greene tries a crossbody but Giant catches him. Greene manages to use that to maneuver Giant over and snap him over the top rope. Headbutt from Giant. On the floor Giant gets run into the guardrail and posted. Greene hits a clothesline off the top! DIVING cover for 2. He chop blocks Giant. Three points stance and Greene charges Giant in the corner. Giant goozles him! Chokeslam and it's over. It's not good, but Greene hit all his spots right. Put him in with a better worker and it'd be a much better match. This would turn out to be Greene's last match. Kinda too bad. I think if he'd focused on wrestling full time he might have turned out pretty decent. 1/2*
 
Next up is a full recap of recent goings on in the Jericho/Malenko feud. Last week on Nitro JJ Dillon ordered no physical contact between the two before their match tonight. Jericho, ever the sly one, immediately goaded Malenko into attacking him by suggesting his dad had been sleeping around on the road and "that's why you and your brother look nothing alike". That got Malenko suspended and out of tonight's match.

Jericho makes his way out in a top hat and cane. He says that doofus Malenko got himself suspended, but all the Jerichoholics still need their fix so he's going to grace us with a little dancing. Dillon gets in the ring. He says maybe he misjudged Jericho and he clearly has a lot of fans. "Millions. There's Jerichoholics everywhere" Jericho confirms. Dillon says he's got a local wrestler lined up for Jericho to defend the title against tonight. Jericho says sure, he'll defend against whatever local indie jabroni jobber Dillon has in mind, as long as the match is no DQ. He needs to teach the kid some tricks. Dillon confirms that's a yes then signals for Jericho's opponent to come out.......it's Rey Mysterio! Mysterio had been out since January with the first of his many knee injuries, which in story was caused by Jericho. Jericho is not happy.
 
No DQ Match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Mysterio Jr def Chris Jericho (c) in 6:00- Jericho swings at Mysterio with his cane but Mysterio ducks and lays in the beatdown. After his time off Mysterio looks way closer to how we'll get used to him in WWE, tanned and much more bulked up that he had been. Got some new tattoos while he was gone too. Backdrop and dropkick from Mysterio. Springboard legdrop for 2. Jericho tries to get some space on the floor. Mysterio follows and gives him a very rough flying headscissors into the guardrail. Ring rust and maybe the knee isn't quite 100% yet. Back in Jericho clips Mysterio's bad knee. Corner chops and he gives the knee some more shots. Mysterio dodges a corner dive. Jericho takes another walk, this time all the way up the aisle. Mysterio jumps him at the stage. Jericho climbs the lifeguard stand. Mysterio pulls him back down into the sand! Anakin Skywalker hates this match now. Mysterio climbs up and hits a flying headscissors off the stand. Jericho gets a handful of sand and throws it in Mysterio's face. Anakin *really* hates this match. Back in Mysterio hits a crossbody off the top but Jericho reverses it for 2. They go up top and Jericho hits an avalanche powerslam. He goes out, gets a chair and nails Mysterio's knee with it. He puts Mysterio's knee in the chair, takes his own leg pad off and goes up top. Mysterio dodges a kneedrop off the top! He gives Jericho some chairshots in the leg and dropkicks the chair against his leg. Jericho tries a pop up but Mysterio counters into a faceplant. Springboard attempt. Jericho counters into a Liontamer attempt! Mysterio gets to the ropes before it's on. Malenko comes out. Jericho tries for the Liontamer again. Mysterio counters into a cradle and gets the pin to win the title back! The second it's over Jericho charges out after Malenko and they fight in the back. OK match. They didn't get much time to really get anything going and Mysterio's knee probably still needs some tuning up. **1/4
 
WCW World Television Championship: Booker T (c) def Bret "Hitman" Hart by DQ in 8:28- I'm sure this is what WCW signed Bret Hart for, to challenge for the TV title. Continuing to put Booker in with great workers to keep learning is a good call though. Bret comes out to NWO Hollywood's music. Lockup and Booker hits a quick armdrag. Waistlock takedown into a pretty good mat exchange until Bret hits a back elbow. Booker flying forearm for 2. He hits a swing kick, then goes to snap mare Bret but Bret does a faceplant into the mat instead. Hiptoss reversals and Booker sends Bret out to the floor. Bret hot shots Booker into the guardrail. Back in Bret does some uncharacteristic slugging heavy offense. Booker reverses a whip into a spinebuster with a jackknife cover for 2. Bret pops up and 360 clotheslines Booker to the floor. Legdrop from Bret back in as he goes into more familiar FMOD move. Backbreaker, elbow off the second rope, Russian leg sweep. Bret hits some European uppercuts in the corner. Booker floats over in the corner and tries to rolling cradle Bret but it doesn't come off right on either end. It still gets a 2 count. Knee to the gut and side kick from Booker. Scissors kick! Flapjack and spinaroonie. He goes up and the missile dropkick hits! Bret just gets a foot on the rope to save the pin. He goes out and gets a chair. Booker tries a plancha but flies right into Bret's chair being used as a shield! That draws the DQ. Another OK match that didn't get enough time, though there was not anything I would call instant chemistry here to make me hopeful more time would lead to better things. Another victim of Bret's post-Montreal screwjob bad mental place most likely. **1/2

Bret continues the chair beatdown, mainly on Booker's braced knee. He puts on the post wraparound figure four! And leaves it on forever. Finally Stevie Ray saunters out in no hurry whatsoever. Bret lets go and leaves. Ray looks more annoyed at Booker than anything else. He blows off the doctor and forces Booker to come to the back with him, barely helping him walk.

The Bret/Booker thing would quickly be forgotten about as the next night on Nitro Bret would defeat DDP to win the vacant US title, his first WCW title. Well it's better than the TV title I guess.
 
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg (c) def Curt Hennig in 3:50- Anyone that's watched his WCW run knows Hennig isn't a credible world title challenger against anyone anymore, much less peak streak Goldberg. He comes in with a giant brace on one of his legs. Goldberg's sporting one of his famous head wounds from headbutting a locker too hard during his usual warm up routine. Officially we're up to 111-0 for those keeping count. They go speed right out of the lockup. Goldberg barely brushes Hennig but Hennig still manages to do an insane flippy sell. That wasn't even a 360, that was more like 450. Man, that takes me back. Been a while since Hennig's been in good enough shape to do that, I'll give him that. Goldberg no sells chops and does his rolling leg takedown. Hennig goes out for a think. Goldberg grabs him by the hair and drags him back in. Hennig gets boots up in the corner. He goes up top but Golberg lifts, has a very hard time holding, but manages to slam him down. Hennig goes after Goldberg's leg and tries to pick it apart a bit. Another roll leg takedown from Goldberg. Hennig swings a clothesline right over the top of Goldberg's head but Goldberg still sells it. The Perfectplex hits and is kicked out of. Goldberg clothesline. Spear. Jackhammer and good night. This is the downside to putting the World title on Goldberg. I get how hot he'd gotten, I have no argument or issue with that. But he's still only really capable of doing extended squash matches, and that's ideally not what you want to have happening at the top of your card. 3/4*

Man, Buffer is really milking the hell out of his shit tonight. Even more than usual. To set up the main event: This is the second straight year Rodman has come in to team with Hogan at Bash at the Beach. Unlike last year there's also a ringer on the other side in the form of fellow NBA star Karl Malone. Malone's Utah Jazz had just lost to the Bulls in the finals for the second straight year, the last of the Jordan led Bulls' six championships. He and Rodman had butted heads quite a bit during the series, something WCW was now taking full advantage of. Malone's also a great contrast to the uber diva Rodman that loved preening for the media and skipping practices, a no nonsense hard working publicity shunning anti-diva. This was during the short period I actually gave a damn about basketball and I was a fan of both Malone and his Jazz teammate John Stockton. I would have loved for them to have won a title, but when you're up against Jordan's Bulls, the true greatest of all time player and team, there's not much anyone can do.
 
Hollywood Hogan and Dennis Rodman (w/The Disciple) def Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone in 23:47- After the usual copious stalling the basketball guys start off. Hogan makes a big show of getting Rodman's sunglasses off. Multiple times Rodman goes in to lock up then hides in the ropes. They both reach out for a knucklelock and Malone slaps Rodman's arm away. Lockup and Rodman puts a headlock on. Malone pushes out. Rodman grabs the ropes to stop and bails. Hogan tags in. He and Malone get into a flex off. After more Hogan stalling we have a lockup. Malone puts on a kind of cobra clutch and drags Hogan around the ring in it. Malone slams Hogan! Hogan sells the hell out of it. DDP tags in. Finally, the wrestlers are in. Aw crap, he wants Rodman in. DDP wins lockup fights with Rodman doing a TON of heel 101 hair/bandana pull bitching. They spit at each other. Rodman gets a lockup takedown. Big shoulderblock collision with both guys flying back into the ropes. DDP does an ugly takedown out of a Rodman headlock. Rodman can't sit still long enough for DDP to properly put a headlock or chinlock or whatever that's supposed to be on. Speed run and Rodman does a couple of leapfrogs, then we have another extremely ugly collision. The crowd starts to boo the match in general. Tag to Malone. Rodman scurries away to tag Hogan. Hogan puts on a top wristlock. Malone powers out. Rodman runs in and hits Malone from behind. Hogan goes into his usual heel punchy/chokey offense. Rodman tags in and drops a couple of elbows. Malone does a couple of nice flop sells. Rodman holds Malone for Hogan to punch him, and when Malone goes down Rodman falls down too. Hogan hits a back suplex. Malone dodges an elbow drop and gets a tag to DDP. DDP comes in with a clothesline off the top rope. Hogan reverses a whip and DDP runs into Rodman, then gets clotheslined by Hogan. Hogan gets his weightlifting belt whips in. Rodman chokes DDP in the corner. Double clothesline on DDP for 2. Double big boot. DDP gets in the heel corner again with Disciple holding his tights to keep him there. He finally fights out but Hogan grabs his foot. Rodman hooks on a front facelock and we get the phantom tag spot bacteria in the galaxy of Andromeda could see coming. Big boot from Hogan. DDP dodges the legdrop. Tag to Malone. Clothesline and slams for everyone from him. After taking forever to get it set up, again thanks Rodman, Malone gives the heels a double noggin knocker. Malone big boot on Hogan. That's easy for him to do, he's all legs. DDP tags in. Running Diamond Cutter! Rodman is AGAIN slow on the uptake. Finally he gets in and takes a Cutter from Malone. While Lil' Naitch is tied up with that Disciple comes in and gives DDP essentially a Stone Cold Stunner. Someone's watching tape. Hogan drapes an arm over DDP and gets the pin. That is a SHIT booking decision. Hogan just had to get the win here. I get that he'd just lost to Goldberg and I'm 100% sure that was his argument, but it's one that should have been rejected. Getting the basketball ringers in is one thing. It's another thing to give them almost TWENTY FIVE MINUTES. Get them in, hit a few spots, and get them out quick before anyone realizes how little they can do or get tired or seeing them. Plus, especially in a match like this, send the crowd home happy for frak's sake. DUD

After the bell Malone Cutters Disciple. He and DDP have some words with Lil' Naitch, then Malone goes full Ken Shamrock and Cutters him! All of NWO Hollywood come out to celebrate in the aisle as we have a good 5 minutes or so left of time to kill. Not only did they cut everyone else's matches short tonight to make sure the main event had way too much time, they *still* ran short.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- There's a couple of decently worthwhile matches on the undercard and the main event is certainly a spectacle, but most everything here ranges from disappointing to outright terrible.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D+

Friday, November 22, 2024

Fully Loaded 2000

Legacy Review

Fully Loaded 2000

July 23, 2000 from the Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

This is the last year the July PPV will be known as Fully Loaded. Next year this month will be home to the ill fated Invasion before becoming Vengeance in 2002.

Got a rare entrance aisle on hard camera right instead of left show tonight. Yes, these are the things I notice.

Mixed Tag Team Match: Team Xtreme def T&A in 13:09- Interestingly it's Trish and Lita that have been carrying this feud, beating the hell out of each other for weeks. Lita's got a huge bruise on her side from getting whipped with a belt by Trish. Just the beginning of what would be in store for them over the next few years. It's also a very early foray into the ring for Trish, this is only her fourth recorded official match. As soon as everyone's in the ring it's on. Everyone pairs off for the big brawl, then Albert and Matt get settled in the ring. The crowd chants for Lita. Matt tries but Albert's power is too much for him. Matt uses a knucklelock to get leverage and hit a lucha style armdrag. Albert backdrops him over the top to the floor in the corner. Matt fights from underneath with Test, hits a legdrop off the second rope and tags Jeff. The Hardyz hit a couple of spiffy double teams. Test comes back with a side suplex on Jeff. Jeff works him to the floor and hits a plancha. Test gets trapped in the face corner. He blocks a Matt suplex attempt so Matt small packages him for 2. Big boot from Test and Trish tags in. Matt ducks and Trish slaps Test! Matt rolls Trish up! Test makes the save then DDTs Matt. Trish decides to try an elbow drop that Matt dodges. Tag to Lita! The crowd goes nuts for her. Trish immediately runs away and tags Albert in. Lita goes into dodge mode and the Hardyz jump Albert from behind. Poetry in Motion hits. Double suplex. All of Team Xtreme hook up Test and Trish and we have a three on two suplex! The shirts are off. Not Lita's. No, YES LITA'S TOO! I think Lawler just had a heart attack. Again. Albert grabs Jeff, presses him and dumps him out to the floor. Double underhook suplex for 2. T&A double backdrop. Jeff didn't turn over right at first and Albert almost had to save him from falling on his head. Little did Albert know that wouldn't have hurt Jeff anyway. He was indestructible in his younger days. Jeff gets his corner roll up on Test for 2. Full nelson slam from Test. Jeff runs into a pop up powerbomb. Test goes up top. Jeff dodges the elbow! Test tries to hold him back, but Jeff kicks him away and gets the tag to Matt. Clothesline off the top rope. Faceplant off the second rope. Matt goes after Albert on the apron and that gives Test an opening to hit a pumphandle powerslam. Jeff breaks the cover up with a swanton bomb! Matt DDT on Albert as things break down. Lita tornado DDTs Test! She goes up top again. Dive down to Albert on the floor! Up top AGAIN! Flying headscissors on Test! Test kicks out! Albert hits Lita from behind. Test plants her with a gutwrench powerbomb. Now Trish wants in. She covers but Lita kicks out! Trish hits a bulldog for 2. Back elbow in the corner. She goes up top. Lita joins her. Superplex! Cover but Albert breaks it up. DONNYBROOK! The guys fight on the floor. Lita moonsault on Trish! That gets the pin! After the bell Albert nails Lita with a forearm in the head. Matt and Jeff get taken out. Trish gets a belt and whips Lita with it again right in the same spot as before. There's a website somewhere already trying to buy that footage. Very fun match, super annoying Lawler drooling over the women commentary notwithstanding, and the first inkling of the renaissance that's soon to come in women's wrestling in WWF with Trish and Lita at the forefront. Trish did look extremely raw here but that's forgivable given her lack of experience and how good we know she'd end up being. ***1/4

In the back, newly installed WWF Commissioner Mick Foley is approached by Edge. Apparently Christian's come over with a bout of food poisoning and can't wrestle tonight. Foley is dubious. Edge says get a doctor and we'll prove it.

Elsewhere, Undertaker chases Kurt Angle through the back of the arena on his motorcycle!
 
Tazz def Al Snow (w/Head) in 5:09- Tazz recently made his return after a couple of months off and has been going nuts attacking whoever he felt like. This is Snow's first PPV payday in a while too. Jump start #2. Snow is all business tonight. He even dumps Head aside like she meant nothing. Russian leg sweep from Snow and Tazz goes to the floor. Slugfest back in with Tazz taking the advantage. Snow fights off a suplex and hits a superkick. Spinebuster from Snow for 2. Tazz grabs Snow trying to float over in the corner and Alabama slams him. Another corner dodge and Snow puts Tazz down with a straight right. A Snow legdrop off the top hits. Instead of covering Snow goes up again. Moonsault! That gets 2. Snow gets Head. Tazz clips his knee from behind. Drop toe hold and Tazz pounds away. Snow hooks his arm and hits his headbutts and a couple of kicks. Tazz grabs a kick swing and hits an exploder suplex. He goes for the Tazzmission but Snow counters out. Another go and despite Snow's attempts Tazz gets it on. Snow has no choice but to tap. Eh. Snow getting so much offense in was weird. It's already pretty clear WWF is never going to see Tazz as a top guy. *1/2

Back to the back and Edge is listening to Christian making some very ugly noises in the bathroom. Foley arrives with a doctor. Christian comes out of his stall, gets checked, and the doctor says he doesn't think Christian can go tonight. Foley apologizes for his assumptions.

Elsewehere elsewhere, Trips and Steph are doing their usual locker room chilling. That's a lot of flowers in there. As they're recovering from listening to Christian's regurgitations MORE flowers arrive. Trips says this is getting ridiculous and wants to know where they're coming from. Steph is disappointed they're not, as she assumed, from him. Someone's in trouble now. Trips goes hunting for a card and finds one. "Stephanie, best of luck to you and 'your man' tonight. It's true, it's true!". Ruh roh. Now someone else is in trouble.
 
WWF European Championship: Perry Saturn (w/Terri) def Eddie Guerrero (c) (w/Chyna) in 5:30- There's been a turn here as Guerrero and Chyna are now faces with Saturn solidifying his heel status by hooking up with Terri. Oh great, we're still doing the "horny little she devil" thing so Lawler can say horny. Chyna punches Saturn out in the aisle and goes after Terri! Guerrero runs out and helps her before throwing Saturn in the ring. Chyna runs Terri off. Back suplex from Guerrero. Slingshot senton. Leg lariat and Saturn powders....right into a Chyna clothesline! She rolls Saturn back in the ring. Hurricanarana off the top rope from Guerrero. Arrogant one knee cover for 2. Clothesline. Saturn looks way off tonight. He looks like he's taking bumps underwater. Guerrero tosses him out again and Chyna runs him into the stairs. Guerrero dive off the top to the floor! Flying headscissors off the top from Guerrero for 2. Saturn ducks a clothesline and powerbombs Guerrero. After some back and forth in the corner Guerrero hits a tornado DDT. Saturn's bleeding a bit on the top of his head. Saturn catches Guerrero in the corner and tosses him across the ring. Front backdrop. Guerrero counters a pop up powerbomb with a hurricanrana. Saturn slips out of a brain buster attempt. Guerrero then counters a suplex attempt into a roll up for 2. Saturn hits the pop up powerbomb, and then sucks some wind in the corner. He definitely doesn't look right. Guerrero dodges a moonsault. Brain buster! Guerrero goes up top. He sees Saturn dodging and rolls through. Counter run, Guerrero ends up on Saturn's shoulders and Saturn just PLANTS him on the mat. Half nelson cradle for 2. Saturn goes up. Guerrero joins him and dropkicks him off to the floor! Chyna tries to attack again but Saturn finally says enough is enough and clotheslines Chyna over the announce table. Terri runs back out. Saturn tries to hide behind her. Guerrero, suddenly overcome with a case of gentleman, isn't sure what to do. Terri gives him a straight Greco Roman Nut Kick! Saturn rolls Guerrero back in, hits an elbow off the top rope, and gets the pin and the title! Other than getting a couple of Hardcore title "wins" in battle royals this is Saturn's one and only title win in WWF. OKish match. **1/4

Edge and Christian are bragging about pulling one over on everyone while packing their bags to leave. "Food poisoning rules!". Foley walks in and BUSTED. Christian tries to cover by running into the stall and making noises again. This time Foley looks over the stall wall to verify and Christian, shock, is just fine. The tag title match is still on. No gavel needed.

Taker cuts off an interview with Michael Cole when he sees on a monitor Angle is trying to ride his motorcycle. Angle definitely has a death wish.
 
WWF Tag Team Championship: The APA def Edge & Christian (c) by DQ in 8:10- E&C do some fairly generic running down of Dallas then go for the five second pose but are interrupted by the APA's entrance. Bradshaw gets a mic and he's HOT anyone had the gall to try to get some cheap heat on the great city of Dallas. As a native Texan myself if I was forced to live in any major metro area in the state, it'd be Dallas. Fortunately I don't have to because I hate cities in general. Bradshaw drops the mic and the big brawl kicks off on the floor. Faarooq is swinging the stairs around on Christian like they weigh nothing. Christian gets free and saves Edge from the wrath of Bradshaw. E&C go for their version of Poetry in Motion but Bradshaw catches Christian, climbs up, gives him an avalanche fallaway slam, then follows it up with a big boot. Double shoulderblock and elbowdrop from Bradshaw for 2. Powerbomb. He goes for another. Christian cuts it off with a missile dropkick! E&C work some quick tags on Bradshaw. Swinging neckbreaker from Edge for 2. More quick tags in the corner. Bradshaw fights off a double superplex! Tackle off the top on Edge. Tag to Faarooq! Powerslam on Christian. Spinebuster on Edge. Bradshaw runs in and MURDERS Christian with a clothesline! Faarooq hits the Dominator on Christian. Edge stops the ref to make sure he sees and then hits Faarooq with a tag belt to deliberately get DQ'd. The fight continues up the aisle afterward. Crap finish aside I actually didn't hate this, and even that finish fits perfectly into Edge and Christian's characters. All the build up during the show was effective too. **1/2

Trips is still annoyed about the flowers and that it's distracting him from his match tonight. Steph gets annoyed at him and tells him to go ask Angle what's up with all this if it bothers him so much.
 
Otherwhere, Taker is still stalking Angle through the back of the arena. Angle sneaks around and hits him in the leg with a wrench!

We get footage from two weeks ago on Smackdown where maniac man Tazz helped Val Venus defeat Rikishi for the Intercontinental title by taking Rikishi out with one of the TV cameras.
 
Steel Cage Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship: Val Venus (c) (w/Trish Stratus) def Rikishi in 14:08- Hey, they got all the cage setup done during the backstage segments. Nice. I miss the cage lowering music, but nice. Venus' new more serious character is now complete with shorter hair. As soon as Venus cautiously gets in the cage he tries to climb and escape. Rikishi cuts him off and lays on the punishment. This is pin or escape rules tonight by the way. Venus gets run into every side of the cage. Rikishi starts to climb. Venus follows but Rikishi fights him off and keeps climbing. Venus switches gears and decides to try to beat Rikishi by going out the door. Rikishi comes down to pull him back in and hits a back suplex. Venus fights back and Rikishi takes a cage shot. Corner whip reversal and Venus goes down right in the target zone. Venus blocks the stinkface with a low blow. He goes for a bulldog off the second rope but neither guy really pulls it off right. Big Venus clothesline with a 360 Rikishi sell! Venus tries to climb but has a legit hard time getting footholds on the cage. Rikishi also goes up and Venus runs his head into the top of the cage. Venus elbow drop off the middle of the top rope for 2. Venus climbs and gets all the way to the top of the cage. Rikishi grabs him as he's going over, rams him into the cage, and drags him back down. Big top rope fight. Simultaneous cage shots! Both guys collapse back into the ring. Venus is bleeding a bit. He stops Rikishi from going out the door and slugs away. Rikishi momentum throws Venus into the cage and hits a Samoan drop. Avalanche. Banzai drop! Venus gets a foot on the rope to save the pin. Another stagger to the door. Trish slams the door in Rikishi's face! Venus Rude Awakening style neckbreaker. He goes up to the top rope, but not to escape. Money Shot! Rikishi kicks out! Lita runs out. And she's got a belt! Trish gets whipped! Off comes Trish's top. I have no issue with what's happening now. More belt whips as Trish tries to escape. Lita slaps the ref trying to stop her! The women vacate the premises. Back in the ring, both guys are climbing. More top of cage shots. Venus goes down, and takes ref Teddy Long with him. Rikishi stays on the top rope. He thinks, then climbs up to the top of the cage. But he doesn't climb over to go down. He turns around and looks into the ring. He slowly steps across to stand on the middle of the cage. One last look. BIG SPLASH OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE! Get a spatula and scrape Venus off the mat, he's done. Now Tazz is out here. He's got a TV camera and nails Rikishi with it again just as Rikishi was about to get out of the door! Venus crawls over, gets an arm over, and gets the pin to retain. Good stuff. Maybe a bit too overbooked but at least they were serving other feuds while doing it. Venus was not too bad a wrestler the rare times he was motivated to go for it (see also his Summerslam '98 match with D'Lo Brown). ***

Back to Taker. He wipes the days count off the arena's "days since last accident sign" before limping away. Fantastic. Elseotherwhere Trips is trying to hunt down Angle/the flower sender. He runs into a younger version of Harvey Wippleman that has MORE flowers for Steph. Trips demands to know where the sender is. Wippleman Jr leads him to a locker room. Trips says "Kurt Angle is about to get his ass kicked" and walks in. The door closes and we stay outside as the sounds of much violence and door banging come out. The door opens and it's.....Chris Jericho! "Hope you like lying on your ass, jackass". Well, Trips is on his stomach but we get the point. So who's really sending the flowers? Questions for another day.

Shane McMahon makes a full entrance to the ring. He's got one of Rock's "Just bring it" shirts on. Taking what the crowd gives him he says he's out here to prove he's not, as they say, a pussy and calls Rock out for a match right now. Non-title of course. Rock's music hits and here he is. He says he knows this is a setup and asks where Benoit is. Benoit shows up on the tron. Benoit trying to go toe to toe with the Rock on the mic is not a good idea. He's in Rock's locker room. He tears up all of Rock's expensive clothes! That's gonna set him back a bit. All the backstage segments so far tonight have been really good, but this was a Raw-style in ring promo segment on PPV that really didn't do much.

Recap of the Angle/Taker feud. The whole thing started, crazily enough, when Angle got a bit too exuberant celebrating a win and got milk all over Taker's bike. Angle's delivery of "As they would say on the streets....*air quotes* 'My bad'" is phenomenal and hilarious. He's a natural. Then Angle tried to offer Taker a moped as a peace offering! Taker was less than amused. Later on Angle "accidentally" hit Taker in the head with a sledgehammer while going for Triple H, sealing the death warrant with his name on it.
 
The Undertaker def Kurt Angle in 7:33- Angle comes out still holding his wrench from earlier. He's so on edge his pyro scares him! Biggest pyro jump I've seen since mid '90s WCW when everyone got scared by their pyro. Taker comes out on his bike during Angle's entrance and jumps him! They brawl through the crowd and to ringside. Taker knocks Angle all around ringside. Angle tries to get a jump in the ring but runs into a big boot. Elbow drop. Taker covers but pulls Angle back up. Delayed suplex and he pulls Angle up at 2 again. Angle manages to get a boot up in the corner and leaps on Taker's back with a sleeper. Taker backs him into the corner. Corner clothesline. Side suplex. This time Angle kicks out at 2. Taker tosses him out to the floor. Angle has the wrench and hits Taker in the leg with it again. Back in Angle tries to target the leg but Taker right hands fight him off. Angle ducks a clothesline and takes the bad leg out. Now Angle goes to work on it. Taker fights out and we have a stand up slugfest. Goozle! Angle kicks free and leg takedowns Taker to get back on the knee. Angle's clearly still learning this end of things because there's not much happening here. Taker reverses and gives Angle's knee a shot. More slugfest. Taker hits rapid fire body shots and an uppercut. Goozle again. Chokeslam! The Last Ride hits! Good night. After all the fun buildup that was definitely a letdown, though the crowd was into it the whole time. Much better days are ahead for these two. *3/4
 
Last Man Standing Match: Triple H (w/Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) def Chris Jericho in 23:10- After their fantastic IC title feud earlier this year the two Chrises, Jericho and Benoit, are getting their first test run at the top of the card in WWF. This got started when Jericho locked lips with Steph at King of the Ring, setting off HHH's jealous rage. In the ensuing weeks Jericho cost HHH a match against the freaking BROOKLYN BRAWLER. Talk about the ultimate humiliation. Officially this just the second Last Man Standing match in WWF history (Rock vs Mankind being the first). Another jump start with Jericho doing the jumping and here we go. Jericho has taped up ribs from their weekly TV fights. A dropkick sends HHH to the floor. The springboard dropkick puts him back out there. I'm just now noticing the Spanish announce table is already destroyed. Think that was from Chyna earlier. Might have been accidental breakage. Jericho hits HHH with a piece of the table. Flying back elbow off the top back in from Jericho and he continues the ground and pound. HHH hits the facebuster to finally get some breathing space. Jericho gets 360 clotheslined out to the floor. HHH hot shots Jericho on the barricade. Back in HHH starts working on the hurt ribs and tears some of the tape off. He goes nuts with shoulderblocks on Jericho's ribs in the corner and ref Mike Chioda has to back him off. Knee to the gut and there goes more of the tape. HHH chokes Jericho with it. Kneedrop on the ribs. Back to the floor and HHH lets Steph get a slap in. HHH hits a suplex in the aisle. Jericho slugs back in the ring. HHH hooks on an abdominal stretch, which really works here given Jericho's wounded body part. HHH really wrenches back on it while Chioda reminds him there's no submissions in this match. HHH doesn't care. Jericho tries to fight so HHH grabs some rope leverage. Chioda has an issue with that and Jericho hiptosses out. HHH gets in a shoving match with Chioda and Jericho takes the opening. Spinning heel kick. Lionsault! HHH gets his knees up! Kick wham HHH DDT. HHH hooks on a sleeper. Jericho goes down and HHH wraps up a bodyscissors. HHH lets go and says count. Jericho drags himself up by the ropes at 9. HHH is right back on him, but surprised Jericho still has fight left in him. Jericho gets up and gives HHH a crotch chop! Angry Pedigree! HHH lounges in the corner while Chioda counts. Jericho stirs and HHH is furious. He goes out and gets a chair. Chairshots to the ribs. He sets up for a Pedigree on the chair. Choida takes issue and gets shoved down. Jericho low blow! Chairshot to HHH's head! HHH is gushing blood. After some back and forth slugging Jericho hits a flying forearm. Missile dropkick off the second rope. Misdirection bulldog onto the chair! Whip reversals and we get the Trips flip in the corner. HHH reverses a whip and Jericho goes ribs first into the stairs. HHH sets up for a Pedigree on the stairs! Jericho backdrops out. Both guys take monitors from the announce table and nail each other at the same time! Double count. Both are up at 9. Back in HHH goes for the Pedigree again. Jericho counters into the Walls! HHH taps but it doesn't matter. He crawls over and manages to grab a rope. Chioda doesn't enforce a rope break, as you shouldn't in this match. Jericho drags HHH back to the middle! Steph comes in and pulls Jericho off! Jericho blocks a slap. Steph gets hooked up in the Walls! She's tapping out with BOTH hands! HHH ambushes Jericho from behind. HHH goes under the ring and there's Mr. Sledgehammer. Which wasn't quite yet a HHH signature. Jericho ducks a swing and HHH hits the post with it. Leg takedown and Jericho slingshots HHH into the post. Now he has the sledge and hits HHH with it in the gut. HHH is on the announce table. Jericho climbs some convienently placed steps. HHH is up with a low blow. He back suplexes Jericho through the announce table! Another double count. HHH JUST manages to wobbleleg himself up at 9.5. Jericho is called down at 10! It's over and HHH immediately collapses again. Absolutely tremendous. Jericho lost nothing in losing as he put up a hell of a fight. Minimal interference and a clean finish also helped a ton. ****1/2

A group of refs carry HHH out while Steph cries. Fantastic. We don't see but I assume Jericho got carried out too. You know, HHH has had some kind of 2000 so far. All of his one on one PPV matches have knocked it out of the park. Two hardcore style classics with Mick Foley, two great matches with the Rock including a tremendous Ironman match, and now this. It's getting to be an '89 Ric Flair or '94 Bret Hart like run. He's solidified his place as one of the best there is, no one should doubt him now.

The hype video for the main event is pretty freaking amazing. Back in the days they would still use good music too, instead of whatever slop is considered "popular" today.
 
WWF Championship: The Rock (c) def Chris Benoit (w/Shane McMahon) in 25:10- The DQ rule has been waived for this match, meaning Rock can lose the title if he's DQ'd. Benoit and Shane is a strange pairing, but Shane's been involved in every WWF Title match in some capacity for a while now so I guess it's necessary. It's also good they got Rock and HHH away from each other for a bit. Not that it was bad, it was just time to freshen things up a bit. Benoit comes out in one of Rock's torn up shirts. Shane tries to sneak behind Rock while Rock's posing in the corner and staring Benoit down. Rock sees and Shane runs, but Benoit uses that opening to jump. Rock cuts off an early crossface attempt and hits a back elbow. Benoit goes to the floor. Rock follows and gives him some shots, then he decides to chase Shane around the ring. Shane cuts through the ring. Rock slides in the ring, clotheslines an attempting to ambush Benoit without breaking stride, and slides right back out to keep chasing Shane! Fantastic. They try again and this time Rock inverted atomic drops Benoit. He slingshots Benoit into Shane. Shane falls back into the commentary area. Rock tries to put a crossface on Benoit! Benoit gets the hell out of town. Back in Benoit hits a knee to the gut to get on offense for the first time. Gutwrench gutbuster. Shane gets a cheap shot in. On the floor Benoit chops Rock so hard Rock falls back into a TV camera. Rock comes back with a front suplex dropping Benoit on the top rope. Benoit gets crotched on the top rope and Rock hits a back superplex. Both guys are down and very slow to recover. Shane slides the title belt in the ring, distracts Hebner and Benoit nails Rock with it. Rock kicks out! Snap suplex from Benoit for 2. Rock comes back with powerslam for 2. Benoit straight drop back suplex. Sharpshooter! Rock fights and crawls to the ropes. Benoit plants Rock's knee and goes for the Sharpshooter again. Rock slugs out before it's on. Shane pulls the top rope down and Rock tumbles to the floor. Benoit takes a stair shot. Rock picks Benoit up and crotches him on the ring post! That'll give you a negative attitude. Back in Rock hits a dragon screw! Looked good too even though that's not his wheelhouse. Figure four! Shane tries to get in but Hebner cuts him off, then Benoit gets a rope break. Benoit 360 clotheslines Rock to the floor. Shane runs in with a clothesline. Another Shane clothesline sends Rock over the barricade into the crowd. Rock grabs a drink and throws it in Benoit's face! Benoit grabs Rock and suplexes him on the floor. Back in Rock hits a DDT outta nowhere for 2. Clothesline from Benoit for 2. Backbreaker for 2. More cheap shots from Shane. Neckbreaker from Benoit for 2. Standing slugfest. Rock ducks a shot and drops Benoit with a NASTY looking hot shot. I'm not sure if that was deliberate or if Rock lost his balance. It worked though. Hard forearm from Benoit for 2. Setup slam and Benoit calls for the finish. Headbutt off the top! Benoit's hurt too and can't cover. Finally he does for 2. Rock hits the spinebuster! Pad off. People's Elbow! Shane gets on the apron just long enough for Benoit to kick out. Rock Bret bumps and Benoit hits a chop. Superplex from Benoit! Both guys are down again. Slow cover from Benoit for another long 2. Benoit stomps away in the corner. Hebner tries to stop him and Benoit takes issue with that. Rock pops out with a clothesline! Benoit turns a whip attempt into a short clothesline. He goes out and gets a chair. Rock manages to get it. Shane comes in and whacks Hebner in the back with a different chair! Rock takes Shane out and gives Benoit the smackdown fists in the corner. Rock grabs his chair and takes a wild swing at an escaping Shane. Hebner sees Rock with the chair. Rock gets the crossface on Benoit! Hebner calls for the bell! Rock won't release the crossface. Hebner confirms with Fink. The winner.....by DQ......and NEW WWF Champion CHRIS BENOIT! Rock is FURIOUS. Shane comes in and nails Rock with a chair. He and Benoit celebrate as trash is thrown in the ring. Rock is bleeding from the chairshot. We do the full series of replays as if that really is the finish. BUT WAIT! Here comes the commish! Foley walks right past Benoit and Shane straight to the ring. He takes a mic and says he said the title could change hands on a DQ, but he didn't see a DQ! As commissioner he orders this match to continue! Rock does the "bring it" wave. Rock slugs away. Benoit ducks under. ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLING GERMANS! The last one with a bridge gets a 2 count. Crossface! Rock does a nice little thing, keeping his hand closed in a fist to help keep from tapping out. He sloooooooooowly crawls over and gets a rope break! ROCK BOTTOM OUTTA NOWHERE! Rock gets the pin! Back to back great matches to close the show. Like many WWF Title matches of the era it has too much Shane but they overcame that. The false finish was probably also unnecessary, but they did a great job of making it look like it really was the end. It's kind of the 2000 version of the Triple H booking trick of throwing the copyright box up before a big angle at the end of the show. ****

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- After the speed bump of another dreadful King of the Ring 2000 WWF is back on track. The undercard has a couple of good matches and nothing that really approaches outright bad, while the top two matches delivered in full. On paper all the backstage segments might look like a negative, but it works because, other than the in-ring promo, they all had a clear purpose, were individually short, and were all really good.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: A-

Monday, November 18, 2024

Great American Bash '98

Legacy Review

Great American Bash '98

June 14, 1998 from the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD

Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay
 
The NWO Civil War continues.

WCW World Television Championship #1 Contender's Best of 7 Series Match 7 (3-3): Booker T def Chris Benoit in 16:20- This has been something you otherwise never saw in this era of WCW, a feud based purely on awesome wrestling and a battle for respect. I called Savage/DDP WCW's last great feud, but this is also very much a contender. Technically this is the 8th match in the series. The first game 7 was thrown out thanks to Bret Hart trying to help Benoit win and Benoit refusing to take it that way, then Booker also refusing the win by DQ. Bret and Benoit would be an awesome and logical pairing, but of course this is WCW so Bret was just trying to recruit Benoit into NWO Hollywood. The winner of this match will get his TV title shot against Fit Finlay later tonight. Lockup and quick Benoit armdrag. Booker hiptosses Benoit out of the next lockup. Speed run and Benoit gets a drop toe hold. After a Booker powder to think both guys exchange hammerlocks as the very good groundwork laying continues. Booker cradles Benoit in a hammerlock for the first near fall. While in a Benoit hammerlock Booker back elbows out, cranking things up a notch. Another back elbow for 2. Forearms in the corner. Benoit grabs a Booker kick and gives him a dragon screw! Booker is supposedly coming into this match with a bad knee from the previous matches but they don't do much of anything with it. Doesn't stop Heenan from constantly talking about it though. Huge 11 on a scale of 10 Benoit chops. Back suplex for 2. They turn on the jets again and Benoit slams on the brakes after ducking a leapfrog to hit another chop for 2. Snap suplex. Benoit goes for another back suplex. Booker twists in midair into a cover for just 1. Benoit grounds Booker with a chinlock, something he'll do off and on a good portion of the match. Booker gets suplex dropped on the top rope and Benoit hits a clothesline for 2. He stretches Booker's arms out in a surfboard style hold. Booker manages to reverse it. Powerslam! He goes up top but Benoit dodges a reverse crossbody and Booker splats on the mat. He goes for the crossface! Booker feels it and falls into the ropes. Kick counters and Booker hits an enzuguri. Spinebuster. Flapjack. Spinaroonie! He goes up top again. Benoit crotches him and hits a superplex. Both guys are down. Slow Benoit cover for a long 2. ROOOOOOOOOOOOLING GERMANS! Booker counters after two. Standing switch. Benoit ducks a clothesline and hits a dragon suplex! Booker *just* kicks out! Booker does a fancy floatover dodge in the corner. Benoit says "that's nice" and chops him again when he lands. Setup slam. Headbutt off the top! Again Benoit can't cover right away and when he does Booker kicks out. Booker small package for 2. Bret bump from Benoit. Harlem sick kick to the back of his head! Another to the front! Booker's up top again. Missile dropkick! That was Booker's finisher at this time, and that gets the pin! Another phenomenal match between these two, and this one was refreshingly old school in style. Booker's singles breakout has been one of the highlights of the year so far. ****
 
Kanyon def Saturn in 14:46- Kanyon, the former Mortis, unmasked at Slamboree and declared war on the Flock. Saturn is supposedly not officially in the Flock, just a friend of Raven, but it seems like pointless semantics to me. Kanyon comes out in his old Mortis gear....no, it's a RUSE! Fake Mortis from one direction, Kanyon sneaks in and attacks from the other. Tony keeps calling him a "master of disguise" but this is Black Scorpion level stuff. The Master (Doctor Who), a true master of disguise, thinks this is amateur hour. Swinging neckbreaker and electric chair slam from Kanyon. Lodi and Kidman both run in and get taken out, and Saturn goes over the top rope and out. Saturn trips Kanyon coming back in and gives him a slingshot splash. Corner kick combo. Corner dodge and Saturn posts his shoulder. Kanyon faceplants him for 2. The Flock distracts the ref and beat Kanyon down on the floor. Saturn dives onto all of them! He made it clear he didn't want any help. Guardrail shot for Kanyon. Saturn climbs to the second rope for some extra welly on an apron suplex for 2. Drop toe hold into an ankle lock. Kanyon gets a rope break. Saturn keeps him grounded and hooks on an almost cattle mutilation. Another rope break. Kanyon gets planted on the top rope in the middle of the ring, then Saturn springboard clotheslines him to the floor. Saturn gets a chair, but as usual not to hit with, but to jump off of. Chair springboard dropkick in the corner. Chair to rope double springboard moonsault! That gets 2. Kanyon hits a counter Russian leg sweep. He catches a slingshotting Saturn into a northern lights suplex for 2. Swinging neckbreaker from Saturn. Kanyon hits a back suplex. Hot shot. Small package for 2. Saturn gets a backslide for 2. Kanyon jackknife cover for 2. He hits a back elbow that Saturn somehow does a 180 sell of. Kanyon puts Saturn up in a fireman's carry and hits an almost F5! That gets 2. Downward spiral gets blocked into a Saturn exploder suplex for 2. He puts Kanyon up for the DVD. Kanyon escapes but takes a Saturn superkick. Top rope fight. Both guys get crotched and fall to the floor! The guy in Mortis gear comes in again. Wait, there's a second one! The Mortises (Morti?) are fighting each other! They fall out of the ring still going at it. Kanyon hits Saturn with a reverse Russian leg sweep and that gets the pin. Neither of these guys are generally considered good, but every once in a while they could surprise you. They were both willing to do crazy ass spots and moves that were innovative for the time, that's for sure. The match seemed to lose rather than gain momentum during the stretch run. **3/4

After the bell one of the Mortiseseses celebrates with Kanyon....then plants him with a DDT on the floor! Mask off and it's Raven. Raven takes a mic and gives Saturn the "you had one job" speech. Saturn has enough and attacks Raven! The whole Flock beat Saturn down! Saturn fights them all off because none of them have any credibility, they're all just bodies to be tossed around. I guess Saturn really is not in the Flock now.

Next we get a recap of Dean Malenko voluntarily vacating the Cruiserweight title in order to get another match with Jericho because Malenko is that confident he can win it back. After Malenko's shock return at Slamboree Jericho's gone full conspiracy nut. Just before this show he had another one of the legendary bits from his WCW run, the video of him going all over Washington complaining about conspiracies and being screwed. Sadly way too many people holding office in DC sound like him now. He's also continued to verbally abuse Malenko's family.
 
Vacant WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Chris Jericho def Dean Malenko by DQ in 13:52- Big "Jericho sucks" chant after the bell. Both guys try a quick jump with Jericho getting the early edge. Malenko flips over and plants Jericho with a German suplex. A Jericho buckle shot produces a really loud "THUNK" sound. Are those turnbuckles secured properly? Crazed corner beatdown from Malenko. Jericho gets a boot up in the opposite corner and hits some shots. Shoulderblock and Jericho plays to the crowd a bit. Slide under, double leg takedown and Jericho goes for the Liontamer. Malenko counters before it's on. Suplex from Malenko for 2. Reverse chinlock into a surfboard stretch. Nice reverse kick escape from Jericho. Corner whip and Jericho flips upside down in the corner, lands on the top rope, and then after a delay his head falls down onto the ring post. Jericho just keeping himself amused there. He falls back down into the tree of woe. Malenko charges but Jericho dodges the slide and Malenko goes to the floor. Jericho with a plancha! He's bleeding a bit, presumably from hitting the post, but commentary doesn't mention it and the camera stays in wide shot for a long while because Turner's paranoid about blood. Delayed suplex and arrogant cover. Sleeper! Malenko escapes and hooks on his own sleeper. Jericho back suplexes out. Some more cocky crowd playing follows. Malenko dodges the Lionsault! Leg lariat from Malenko. Cradle for 2. Faceplant off the second rope for 2. After some corner dodges Malenko sets up for the super gutbuster. Jericho fights out. Hurricanrana! Both guys are down. Jericho pops up at 9 to cover for 2. Malenko fights out of a powerbomb attempt and lands on Jericho. Jericho rolls over and has the Liontamer on! Malenko fights to the ropes. Jericho goes up and hits an Alabama slam into Liontamer position. After a series of roll counters Malenko goes for the cloverleaf! Now Jericho quickly scrambles to get to the ropes. The crowd bit hard on that one. More counters into a Jericho double underhook backbreaker. He slaps Malenko in the corner and says "You're nothing, just like your dead father!". Malenko snaps! They go to the floor. Malenko knocks Penzer down! He takes Penzer's chair and nails Jericho with it! The ref has no choice but to call the DQ. Malenko doesn't hear it and keeps laying into Jericho. They head up the aisle, right past the alter, down the ramp and out the door. While fighting backstage Malenko keeps a table from falling onto Jericho. Nice guy. They go all the way past the production truck outside. Malenko finally gets held back by officials. Jericho literally runs across the street and keeps on running. Commentary isn't sure what the title situation is with the DQ. They assume Jericho won it but tune in tomorrow night on Nitro to find out for sure. Jericho did indeed get the title back. Another rock solid but not quite great match between these two. ***1/2
 
Juventud Guerrera def Reese (w/Lodi) in 8:45- Reese has been in the Flock for a while but this is his first PPV match. His sole claim to a spot is the fact he's 7'2" (and you can't teach that). The top of Juvy's head barely reaches his chest, which is honestly a great visual. Juvy says a little prayer in the corner just after the bell. Probably a good idea. He tries some dodge and stick but Reese tosses him around. Juvy rolls out for a rethink. He gets Reese to chase him and hits a rope assisted swing kick. Springboard crossbody. Reese catches him in midair and posts his back, then presses Juvy back in the ring. While Reese is getting back in Juvy kicks his leg against the ropes. Reese pushes him away. More Juvy hammy kicks. He goes up top and leaps on Reese's back, hooking on a straight choke. Almost exactly the same technique Westley used to take down Fezzik in The Princess Bride. Juvy studied the classics. Reese goes down to one knee, but then recovers and backs Juvy into the corner. Backbreaker with a stretch from Reese. Huge hiptoss. Reese hooks on the inevitable bear hug, but fortunately not for long. Juvy tries to slide under but Reese grabs him. Juvy with a low blow kick! Another one! Juvy hits the ropes. Reese goes to his knees and literally puts his fist up so Juvy can run into it. Blackadder did the same thing to Baldrick one time. Suplex from Reese. Instead of a pin he wants a KO count. Juvy uses Lil' Naitch to pull himself back up at 9. Reese goes out and get a chair. Lil' Naitch grabs it away from him! Former Flock member Hammer is out. He takes the chair and hits Reese with it! Juvy gives Reese the second worst hurricanrana ever (Nia Jax at Bad Blood '24 will always be the worst now) and gets the pin! That could have been a hell of a lot worse. *
 
Chavo Guerrero Jr def Eddie Guerrero in 14:46- This is the culmination of months of Eddie trying to control his nephew Chavo's life and career. Chavo finally snapped recently on weekly TV. Eddie was actually willing to let him walk because he didn't want to fight family, but Chavo insisted on this match to prove a point and because he now has a screw loose. Kinda like the face/heel inversion there. After the bell Eddie still doesn't want to fight. Chavo slaps him! Eddie shoves. Nose to nose jawing. Eddie hits a chop and it's on. Chavo responds with his own chops. Big backdrop. Full on roll around brawl. The ref forces a break in the corner. Both guys exchange hot shots into the corner. Eddie's arm scraped against the turnbuckle on his and gave him a nasty red welt there. Eddie tries to hide but Chavo is all over him. Buckle shots all the way down. Flying headscissors. Eddie grabs the ropes after a whip, bails and walks. Chavo quickly chases and throws him back in. As Chavo's getting back in Eddie kicks the rope to crotch him. Back suplex. Eddie works on Chavo's arm a bit. Chavo flips an armdrag to escape, then hits a monkey flip. He goes up top, sees Eddie up, flips over and lands on his feet, goes up the other side, and hits a moonsault for 2. Eddie ducks and Chavo flies over the top to the floor. Brain buster from Eddie. But no cover. Instead he slaps Chavo. Bad move. Chavo goozle! He chokes Eddie down and has to be physically pulled off by the ref. Eddie runs and we get a full on chase around the ring. Eddie then tries to hide behind the ref. When Chavo gives him an opening Eddie clips his knee! Basement dropkick to the knee. Figure four! Chavo won't quit so Eddie lets it go. Gory special! Chavo armdrags out. Eddie dodges and hits a dropkick. Camel clutch. After messing with the crowd a bit Eddie puts on a Canadian backbreaker, then helicopter spins Chavo around and drops him. Chavo backdrops Eddie to the floor! Tope con hilo! As they get back in a loud "We want Flair" chant starts. Sounds just like the Baltimore Arena 7 years before for Great American Bash '91. This was in the period when Flair and Bischoff really didn't get along, less than usual, and Flair had been suspended. Chavo hits a bulldog for 2. He goes up top. Eddie hits the ropes to crotch him. Chavo dodges the frog splash! They lay close to each other and have what looks like a quick discussion. Chavo goes for the tornado DDT, but does an extra midair twist and snaps Eddie over the top rope instead. Springboard DDT! That gets the pin! I think Eddie might have hurt something on that missed frog splash and they had to call a quick finish. Still a good match, though not the blowaway amazing match you'd hope for from these two. ***1/4
 
WCW World Television Championship: Booker T def Fit Finlay (c) in 13:13- Booker comes out sans gloves for his second match tonight. After the bell they circle a bit and Booker gets the first shots in. Wild clothesline that Finlay barely sells. Hook kick. Finlay does a leg takedown into a partial STF. Rope break reset with both guys very cautious. Booker gets a huge head of steam and hits a flying forearm. Chops. He 360 clotheslines Finlay to the floor. Booker plancha! Finlay counters a scissors kick attempt with another leg takedown into a half crab. He starts working through leg holds, using the ZSJ rule of never holding anything longer than 6 seconds before switching it up. After Booker escapes Finlay lays some kicks on the knee and gives it an apron shot. Booker does a floatover with a spiffy little spin in the corner into cradle for 2. Finlay is quickly back on the knee and puts on a stretch muffler/El Deperado's Numero Dos. Booker slowly rolls over and lays in some ground and pound. Finlay hits a kneebreaker and tosses Booker out. He grabs a chair, and when the ref comes out to stops him puts it down in a hilariously disappointed way, like he's a kid that just got told by his dad not to do it. Instead he posts Booker's knee. Back in Finlay hits a setup slam and Vader bomb. Booker ducks a clothesline and hits the side kick. Powerslam. Scissors kick. Spinaroonie! Finlay responds with a clothesline that Booker does a 360 sell of. Finlay hooks up for the tombstone. Booker tries to reverse it but can't hold Finlay up and drops him. He goes for it again and falls down himself. Finlay covers by covering Booker for 2. That was all kinds of ugly. Booker dodges in the corner. He hooks Finlay up and plants him with a REVERSE piledriver! That gets the pin and the title back! Stevie Ray comes out to celebrate with his brother. It's not mentioned on TV, but with the then unofficial now official house show title swaps with Benoit this is Booker's 5th TV title win, tying him with Paul Jones for the most all time. A record Booker will later break. The match was pretty sloppy. They definitely had communication and chemistry issues and the finish really got messed up. They also had to deal with the crowd getting distracted multiple times which didn't help any. **
 
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg (c) def Konnan (w/Rick Rude and Curt Hennig) in 1:57- We now come to the NWO portion of the night. Konnan, Hennig and Rude are all in NWO Wolfpac. Goldberg is coming into this match 99-0. What an amazingly incredible coincidence he can get win number 100 on a PPV. Goldberg is THE guy this crowd came to see. They're nuts for him and those chants are not piped in. Lockup, Goldberg shove and Konnan quickly bails to the floor. Back in Goldberg cranks a headlock. Konnan counters into a hammerlock but Goldberg quickly counters the counter with a leg takedown. Konnan gets a few wild shots in. Spear! The jackhammer hits and Goldberg squash done we're up to 100-0. Given it was both win #100 and he was up against Konnad I have zero issues with this. It would also turn out to be very smart to keep Goldberg looking so dominant. Keep reading after the show wrapup for some bonus coverage regarding that. NR

After the bell Hennig and Rude jump Konnan! Hennig takes his shirt off and he has an NWO Hollywood shirt on under! Nash and Luger run out to make the save. Welcome to the NWO civil war, where the #1 swerve we have is guys switching sides between the two factions.
 
WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hogan and Bret "Hitman" Hart (w/The Disciple) def "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Macho Man" Randy Savage in 11:40- This won't be a shock to anyone, but notorious hotheads Piper and Savage not only can't get along, they have a match against each other scheduled right after this one where they're teaming together. Bret's fully joined NWO Hollywood now, which is not a great fit. Disciple gets to hold the world title belt ringside. The only time Brutus Beefcake ever touched a belt is when Hogan gave one to him. Lots of stalling and arguing at the start from both sides. Finally they settle on Piper and Hogan. More Hogan stalling. Piper has enough and jumps him. Hogan gets caught in the wrong corner with Piper and Savage actually working as a team, quick tagging him to keep him isolated. Piper hits the ropes and Disciple whacks him in the back with the belt. Bret tags in and pounds away on Piper. Remember their tremendous Wrestlemania 8 match? Seems like two lifetimes ago, but it's only been 6 years. Piper tries to hulk up off Hogan shots, including the dreaded back rake, but gets caught in the heel corner. They keep maneuvering Piper around to work the ref and keep madman Savage running in every two seconds. It's too easy. Piper gets Bret with a slo-mo small package for 2. Bret reverses it. Savage tags Piper's back but Nick Patrick doesn't see it. Front facelock fight and ANOTHER phantom tag spot. Savage gets a chair. Bret goes for the headbutt to the gut on Piper. Savage puts the chair on Piper's stomach and Bret headbutts that! OK, that was good. Tags on both sides. Savage goes semi-nuts. Hogan accidentally clotheslines Bret. Half speed donnybrook time. Savage goes up top to hit Bret with the elbow. Hogan whips Piper into the ropes, knocking Savage down and tweaking his permanently hurt knee again. Hogan posts the knee. Bret hooks the Sharpshooter on Savage and it's over. 3/4*

Mean Gene gets in the ring to ask Piper if he's really going to go through with the next match seeing how badly Savage is hurt. Piper blows Okerlund off, but then helps Savage up to his feet. Savage clotheslines him! The bell rings to start the next match.
 
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper def "Macho Man" Randy Savage in 1:37- Savage chokes away. The elbow off the top hits! But Savage hurt his knee again on the landing. Slow cover and Piper kicks out. Savage decides to deck Lil' Natch, like Naitch hurt his knee or something. Piper low blows Savage and kicks his leg out. Figure four. The backup ref runs in and Savage submits for the second straight match. DUD
 
Singles Match for Control of the WCW World Tag Team Championship: Sting def The Giant in 6:40- Giant joined NWO Hollywood soon after the NWO split. At Slamboree he teamed with Sting to defeat The Outsiders for the tag titles, with the help of Scott Hall switching sides from the Wolfpac to Hollywood. Sting was still lone wolf Sting at the time, but since then he's done the previously unfathomable and joined an NWO faction, the Wolfpac, and is now wearing red and black face paint. The winner of this match will win control of the tag titles for his NWO faction, and will be allowed to choose his partner. Giant has already said it'll be the Disciple, likely on Hogan's orders. It's generally expected that Sting will choose best bud Lex Luger, who followed Sting into the Wolfpac. Oh yeah, this is also the time that Giant tried to really heel it up by smoking. Yes, smoking. Cigarettes. In the ring. He lights one up during his entrance and smokes it during both his and Sting's entrances. After the bell Giant takes a huge puff and blows the smoke in Sting's face. Sting smacks him upside the head. Giant charges but Sting dodges and Giant gets caught on the ropes. Stinger Splash! He goes again but flies right into Giant's boot. Sting gets a huge head of steam off the ropes and tries a crossbody but literally bounces off Giant's chest. Press slam from Giant and he tosses Sting into the corner, an almost super snake eyes. Bear hug. We do the full arm drops before Sting bell rings and bites to get out. He dropkicks Giant's knee. Stinger Splash to Giant's back. A second one to the front. Sting slams Giant! Scorpion Death Lock! Giant powers out. Scorpion Death Drop! Giant kicks out! Goozle. Sting....counters the chokeslam? Or Giant's knee gave out. One or the other. Another Scorpion Death Drop and another kickout. Sting goes up top, hooks Giant up, makes him think about it for a second, and hits an avalanche Scorpion Death Drop. That gets the pin! Commentary says Sting will pick his partner on Nitro tomorrow night. Instead of the expected Luger pick, Sting would choose Wolfpac leader Kevin Nash instead. They worked in a couple of cool moments, but it was still a low level Nitro main event match. *1/2

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Stop me if you've heard this one before: the undercard is full of pretty consistent good to great quality, then once the NWO stuff kicks in at the top of the card it all goes downhill.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C+
 
Bonus Match Review
Monday Night Nitro (July 6, 1998 from the Georgia Dome)
 
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: WCW United States Champion Goldberg def Hollywood Hogan (c) in 8:11- This is easily the biggest match WCW could possibly put on at this point in time. Either Goldberg defeats perennial champion Hogan to cap off his ascent to the top, or Hogan ends the undefeated streak. Naturally WCW put this, a guaranteed PPV seller, on Nitro to try to pop a one week rating and get back on top of WWF for at least one week. Not only that, they didn't announce or even set up the match until the Thunder the week before. Goldberg himself only found out about it by watching Thunder. Earlier in the night Goldberg had to clear one last Hogan demanded hurdle by defeating Scott Hall. Goldberg gets the full security walk entrance. The crowd is crazy bonkers for Goldberg. Circle and lockup into a Goldberg headlock. He hits a shoulderblock and Hogan quickly backs off. Hogan works a font facelock and Goldberg backs him into the corner. Knucklelock test of strength that Goldberg wins. Hogan takes a rope break, then goes into some eye pokey back rakey offense before taking his weightlifting belt off and whipping Goldberg with it. Goldberg takes the belt away! He doesn't even think about using it, just tosses it out of the ring. Hogan works in his Japan wrestling playbook workaround into a hammerlock. Golberg reverses it into a full nelson. Hogan low blows him. Clothesline. Slam. Goldberg dodges elbow drops and pops up with a clothesline. Hogan goes to the floor and retrieves his weightlifting belt. Back in Hogan hits some corner knees and tosses Goldberg out. He gets a chair and gives Goldberg a couple of chairshots. Another slam back in. Legdrop! A second one! Curt Hennig, now in NWO Hollywood, makes his way out. He's followed by DDP and Karl Malone. Hogan and Dennis Rodman vs DDP and Karl Malone has already been booked for Bash at the Beach. Off camera Goldberg kicked out of the double legdrop. Way to step all over what should have been a seminal moment. Malone Diamond Cutters Hennig! Hogan gets distracted by the goings on outside. He turns around into a spear! The crowd starts throwing trash in the ring, but this time like it's a party instead of in protest. There's even something that looks like streamers, or toilet paper, being tossed in the crowd. Jackhammer! Good night Hogan the Goldberg era is here. HUGE pop for the win. Heenan also celebrates like crazy from the booth. I always liked how Heenan was consistent in his hatred for Hogan no matter which side of the face/heel fence Hogan was on. That match went as well as it possibly could have. It was extremely well laid out. Reminded me a bit of the Hogan/Ultimate Warrior Wrestlemania 6 match in that regard. The nuclear hot crowd also helped tremendously. I still would have built this up WAY more and put it on PPV though. **1/2

Monday, November 11, 2024

King of the Ring 2000

Legacy Review

King of the Ring 2000

June 25, 2000 from the Fleet Center in Boston

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

2000 featured the largest King of the Ring tournament of all time, a full 32 wrestlers. It's like the New Japan Cup if New Japan didn't care about match length or quality (only two matches in the first two rounds went past 5 minutes and most were in the 2-3 minute range). The first two rounds took place on weekly TV with the final 8 wrestlers making it to tonight.

Quarterfinals: WWF Intercontinental Champion Rikishi def Chris Benoit by DQ in 3:25- Rikishi defeated Shane McMahon and Too Cool teammate Scotty2Hotty to get here, while Benoit defeated the DX duo of Road Dogg and X-Pac. This is also an IC Title match rematch. Rikishi defeated Benoit to win his first ever title in WWF on Smackdown the week prior. In fact, in deference to their insane overness everyone in Too Cool has won gold since Judgment Day as we'll see later. Jump start slugfest. Benoit hits some chops. Rikishi hits a Samoan drop. They go to the floor and Benoit takes the first stairs shot of the night. Back in Benoit tries a German suplex but Rikishi's ass is too big. Benoit gives him a few shots in the back, goes again, and hits the German! Nice big crowd reaction for that. Benoit goes into corner beatdown mode and hooks on his modified standing crossface to wear Rikishi down. More Benoit chops. Rikishi misses in the corner and Benoit hooks the full crossface on. After a bit of a fight Rikishi gets to the ropes. Benoit goes out, gets a chair, comes back in and whacks Rikishi in the face with it to draw the cheap DQ. After the bell Benoit continues with the chairshots and hooks the crossface on again. The full ref plus Sgt. Slaughter gaggle has to come in to break it up. Benoit goes up top and flies over the refs to hit the headbutt off the top rope! After another quick crossface Benoit leaves. I think that guarantees Rikishi is going to make to at least the final tonight. *1/4
 
Quarterfinals: Val Venus (w/Trish Stratus) def Eddie Guerrero (w/Chyna) in 8:04- Eddie defeated Matt Hardy and his own girlfriend Chyna (no hard feelings) in the first two rounds. Venus took out Christian and Jeff Hardy. Venus is in the midst of a renewed push after falling off the radar for a while after Vince Russo's departure. He's also much more serious and does a lot less goofing around. His association with Trish is specifically called a "business arrangement". No side action. Rough lockup that Venus wins, leading to an early Venus edge. Guerrero reverses a corner whip and hits a basement dropkick while Venus is on his knees. Leg lariat. Venus responds with some big chops. Guerrero flips Venus over the top rope to the floor. Chops from Guerrero down there. Venus drops him on the barricade. Coming back in Guerrero hits a very wobbly superplex. Drop toe hold into a Guerrero surfboard. Venus eye gouges out. Guerrero dropkicks Venus' back in the corner and backslides him for 2. Faceplant counter from Venus. Back elbow/elbow drop combo for 2. Backbreaker with a stretch from Venus. Guerrero pops up with a counter hurricanrana to a big crowd reaction. Back suplex. Guerrero goes up top. Venus dodges, but Guerrero sees and rolls through. Spinebuster from Venus. He goes up for the Money Shot. Guerrero gets his knees up. Running magistral from Guerrero for 2. Top rope hurricanrana! Trish gets up on the apron. Chyna pulls her down. Venus pulls Chyna up by the hair. Chyna nails him with a forearm! Guerrero cradles Venus but only gets 2. He goes for the brain buster but Venus counters out. Standing switches. Venus hits a perfectplex! That gets the pin! Benoit and Guerrero out the first two matches. I'm sure many keyboards were destroyed over that. The match was perfectly fine for the time with lots of effort from both guys. **1/2

Pat Patterson knows his dress size by heart. I have no further comment.
 
Quarterfinals: Crash Holly def Bull Buchanan in 4:07- Crash Holly defeated Albert and cousin Hardcore Holly and is getting this year's Cinderella run. Buchanan beat Steve Blackman and D'Von Dudley. Buchanan is a classic Vince McMahon "looks great, can't wrestle, push him anyway" guy. After a bit of jawing Crash tries some hit and run. Buchanan stays on him and gets a press slam. Clothesline. Double backbreaker. It's all Buchanan as some "boring" chants float around the arena. Crash tries to fight back but gets cut off. He manages to counter a Buchanan slam attempt into a small package for 2. Buchanan pops up with another clothesline. Flapjack. Crash dodges the scissors kick. He gets a half nelson cradle on Buchanan, and that gets the pin! Honestly think the count was fast but whatever. The Cinderella run continues, and we're spared any more Buchanan matches tonight. 1/2*
 
Quarterfinals: Kurt Angle def Chris Jericho in 9:50- Jericho took out Test and Edge, while Angle defeated Bradshaw and Bubba Ray Dudley. There's a definite pop for Angle in some sections of the arena. Quite a few pro-Angle signs out there too. Angle tries to get some heat back by running down the lack of titles for Boston sports teams. Now, I know this will come as a shock for you younger readers who are used to Boston winning stuff all the time in all major sports, but at the time Boston was in a hell of a championship drought. The Patriots had only been to two Super Bowls, had lost them both and were generally known as one of the NFL's weakest franchises. They wouldn't win their first until the 2001 season to kick off the Brady era. The Red Sox were still mired in the Curse that wouldn't be broken until 2004. The Celtics hadn't been to an NBA Finals since their last great Larry Bird led run in the '80s, and the Bruins hadn't been to a Stanley Cup final in a decade and hadn't won one since 1972. After the bell Angle gets a quick slugging edge. Belly to belly suplex for 2. Jericho hits a flying forearm and some chops. Angle tries to backdrop Jericho over the top rope but Jericho lands on his feet on the apron. He pops right up the ropes and hits a missile dropkick for 2. Misdirection bulldog. Lionsault! Angle just gets a foot on the rope! Jericho hits the springboard dropkick. After getting knocked around a bit on the floor Angle hiptosses Jericho over the barricade! I love how even on the floor Angle is using wrestling moves. Jericho takes a stair shot. Back in Angle hits a suplex with a floatover cover for 2. He grinds Jericho down with a chinlock/leg grapevine combo. Off a rope run Jericho slides under and hits the double underhook backbreaker. Angle dodges a dropkick and slingshots Jericho into the corner. Off the rebound he hits a back suplex for 2. Clothesline from Angle. He ducks under a Jericho clothesline and hits a German for 2. Jericho takes a beatdown in the corner before coming back with chops. Angle gets a boot up in the corner and hops up to the second rope. Jericho dropkicks him into the corner! Hurricanrana from Jericho! Spinning heel kick for 2. He goes for the misdirection again but Angle cuts it off with a clothesline. You're not going to fool Angle twice. He hooks up for the Angle Slam. Jericho slips out, gets a leg takedown, and goes for the Walls! Stephanie McMahon is out! She's got the women's title belt with her. This is at the start of the Steph/Angle "relationship" that will culminate at Summerslam. She distracts ref Teddy Long while Angle is tapping out to the Walls. Jericho goes over to argue. Angle hits him from behind and Long goes down too. Steph comes in. Jericho ducks and Angle takes the shot from the belt! From the camera angle it was clearly a mile off but still. Jericho grabs Steph and kisses her! Angle comes from behind. Angle Slam! That gets the pin! Not up to the standards you'd expect from these two but still a good match, but let down by the overbooking. Benoit, Guerrero and now Jericho all out in the quarterfinals. Some IWC members are probably ritually burning their computers in protest. **3/4

We're reminded that WWF New York exists. Mick Foley is there with his new short haircut. It's not too long before his Commissioner run starts.
 
Fatal Four Way Elimination Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship: Edge & Christian def The Hardy Boyz, T&A and Too Cool (c) in 14:11- I mentioned earlier everyone in Too Cool getting titles due to how crazy over they were. The main Too Cool team of Scotty2Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay defeated Edge and Christian for the tag titles on Raw the week after Judgment Day for their one and only title win. E&C's five second pose is another legendary one. Like Angle, they dip into the saga of Boston sports history to retell the epic of Bill Buckner and the Missed Ground Ball. A story that would be painful for Red Sox fans until October 27, 2004. Lita is making her PPV debut as part of the Hardyz unit. Think that worked out OK for her career. Scotty's wearing his tag belt upside down in what I assume is a deliberate creative decision. Jeff and Albert start. Jeff escapes a press slam but gets backdropped. Another press slam attempt and Jeff lands on his feet and hits a basement dropkick. Jeff turns on the jets and flies around the lunk Albert. Matt blind tags in and the Hardyz double team. Trish grabs Matt's foot. Albert comes over and gives Matt a really bad clothesline. T&A go into double team mode. Big boot from Test. Matt hooks up for the Twist of Fate. Trish is up on the apron again. Matt knocks her down. Lita runs over and takes Trish out from behind! Matt hits a dropkick on Test. Test with a powerslam. Jeff swanton bombs Test over the running in Albert, then crossbodys Albert to the floor to take him out. Matt covers and pins Test to eliminate them. Reset with Scotty and Jeff. Fresh Scotty quickly takes control and hits a flapjack. He does the moonwalk, but into E&C's corner and Christian tags himself in. Jeff drop toe holds him as he runs in. Matt hits a legdrop off the second rope for 2. Poetry in Motion hits. Double suplex on Edge. The shirts are off. E&C work the ref to ambush Jeff on the floor. Jeff/Edge double clothesline. Christian and Matt don't wait for tags and run in. Lita goes up top and flying hurricanranas Edge! Jeff covers for 2. Tag to Matt. After a bit of a hot tag cleanout the two team donnybrook continues. Too Cool is more than happy to let them fight it out, which is WAY smarter than I ever thought they could be. Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Christian but Edge pulls him out of the pin. Jeff goes up top but Edge pulls him down. Christian hits Matt with the unprettier and the Hardyz are gone. Rereset with Sexay and Edge. Sexay hits a neckbreaker. Dropkick off the second rope. Too Cool goes for double teams on both guys. Christian distracts Scotty and Edge nails him with a spinning heel kick. Christian does some crazy mocking of Too Cool's dancing and that sets them off. Christian weathers the storm and hits a Russian leg sweep. E&C double headbutt for 2. Scotty gets boots up in the corner and hits a clothesline. Both sides tag. Edge gets tied up in the ropes. Sexay slugs away on him, then slingshots Edge into Christian on the apron and rolls Edge up for 2. Sitout powerbomb on Edge for 2. E&C come back with a double flapjack. Double Worm mocking! Scotty runs in and stops it, then time stops for Scotty to hit the real Worm on Edge. Christian runs in with one of the belts but gets cut off. Sexay hits the guillotine legdrop on Edge and covers. Christian hits him with the belt! Edge covers and E&C win the titles back! Not a popular decision on the night, but I think it was the right one. It's not that Too Cool is *bad*, but so much of what they do is predicated on them doing a lot of dancing around and crowd playing between moves and it makes their matches really disjointed, as well as not very believable because their opponents have to lay around forever while they're doing it. As popular as they are, they're much better suited as a midcard attraction rather than at the top of the tag division. The match was decent enough. **1/4
 
Semifinals: Rikishi def Val Venus (w/Trish Stratus) in 3:15- Rikishi jumps Venus when he hits the ring. Superkick. To the floor and Venus goes into the stairs. Several times. Rikishi hits a legdrop back in. Reverse avalanche. Venus manages to hit an armbar slam to finally take advantage of Rikishi's hurt arm. He posts the arm. Slugfest with Rikishi using his non-hurt arm. Venus hits a DDT. He goes up top. He sees Rikishi standing up but goes for it anyway. Rikishi catches him, gives him a belly to belly suplex, and gets the pin. After the bell Trish tries to attack Rikishi and gets wiped out. Rikishi goes to give her the banzai drop but Venus low blows him. After that Venus tosses the stairs in the ring and hits Rikishi's bad arm with them. Then he gives the arm one last chairshot against the stairs. I think it's safe to say Rikishi is sufficiently protected should he end up losing the final. 1/4*
 
Venus would get revenge a couple of weeks later on Smackdown, and keep his resurgent push going, when he defeated Rikishi to win the IC title for the second time in his career.
 
Semifinals: Kurt Angle def Crash Holly in 3:58- Lockup! Proper wrestling start instead of a brawl one. Crash works a headlock and hits a quick shoulderblock for 1. Reset lockup. Fantastic running cradle from Angle for 2. Crash powerslam for 2. Angle hits a belly to belly. He keeps Holly in the corner for a bit then hits a corner clothesline. Suplex for 2. Crash's comeback attempts are cut off by a knee to the gut and an eye rake. Eventually Crash does slug back. Back elbow. Backdrop. Angle Bret bumps and Crash clotheslines him in the back. Missile dropkick for a long 2. Young Angle continues to already have his timing down nearly perfect. Angle hits a hot shot. Angle Slam! That does it. They did a pretty good job working a lot into a little window. **

Next up we get a recap of the Gerald Brisco/Pat Patterson "epic" over the Hardcore title. Long story short, Patterson turned on Brisco to win the title and explode the Stooges. After that they both took to wearing women's clothes like lumberjacks and hiding from each other in the women's dressing room. No one knows why.
 
Hardcore Evening Gown Match for the WWF Hardcore Championship: Pat Patterson (c) and Gerald Brisco no contest in 3:07- Brisco comes out to Real American. He's also got a 2x4. So he's Hogan and Duggan. In a black dress. Patterson comes out with a shopping cart full of soft "weapons" only the Spanish Inquisition would think of using. He also looks way too comfortable and experienced in this clothing. Patterson takes a mic and offers to lay down for Brisco to preserve their friendship. They hug....then Patterson hits a low blow! He stuffs a banana in Brisco's face. Then he pulls a frakking maxi pad out of his....panties and stuffs it in Brisco's face. Patterson goes for a stinkface but Brisco low blows him. JR straight up says "This is hideous". The crowd is booing and generally shitting all over this farce. The best thing about it is JR and Lawler both say screw it, embrace the insanity and literally just shoot the shit and laugh about it instead of trying to call it like they normally would. Both the wigs are off. Brisco does the slowest run up of all time and gives Patterson a bronco buster. Now the dresses are coming off. Crash Holly runs in! He attacks both guys and finishes the dress stripping job. Trash can shot on Patterson! Crash gets the pin and gets his baby back! He grabs the belt and runs for the hills. JR: "The best thing about that, other than Crash is Hardcore champion again, is this match is over". Let us never speak of it again. MINUS FIVE STARS
 
Handicap Tables Dumpster Match: D-Generation X def The Dudley Boyz in 9:45- The Dudleyz' attempts to put Tori through a table continue to be cocktableblocked, which only makes them more obsessed by the week. On top of that, DX and Edge & Christian teamed up on Raw to stuff the Dudleyz in a dumpster and roll it off the stage, a callback to the far superior DX/Mick Foley and Terry Funk feud. That brings us to tonight. The rules are that for DX to win they have to put the Dudleyz in the dumpster and close the lid. The Dudleyz have to put all the members of DX, including Tori, through tables for them to win. Backstage before the match the Dudleyz spraypaint a table with Tori's name and add it to the 47 other tables sitting around ringside. It looks like we're going to have jump start but things actually calm down and we start proper with Bubba Ray and Road Dogg. As soon as the enrance music stops the "X-Pac sucks" chants start up. Dogg and Bubba Ray go back and forth with Bubba Ray hitting a clothesline off the second rope. Flying back elbow from D'Von. Pac does some of his flippydo escape but D'Von just waits for it to end and nails him with a clothesline. Dogg distracts and Pac hits D'Von with a swing kick. Tori tags in as we get even louder "X-Pac sucks" chants. She hits a few kicks and tags right back out. D'Von double clotheslines both DX guys and tags. Bubba Bomb on Dogg. Side suplex on Pac. Both DX guys take the crotch headbutt. Tori runs in all kinds of pissed off, so the Dudleyz give her one too! D'Von stays where he is after contact a LONG time. Bubba Ray has to pull him off and pushes him out to go get some tables. There they find Pac and Dogg, who were taking a walk. The Dudleyz have to almost literally handwalk the DX guys through some floor spots. The Dudleyz get run into the dumpster. The lid is opened and the Dudleyz are dumped in. Lid closed. The match should be over, but the ref is over checking on Tori where he conveniently can't see anything. The Dudleyz escape through the dumpster's small side doors and crawl under the ring. DX haul the ref over and open the doors to show him the Dudleyz in there. There's no Dudleyz! They escaped the trash compactor. The Dudleyz come out from under the ring and ambush DX with chairs! Bubba Ray tosses the stairs into the ring, and almost legit right on top of Dogg. They set up a double layer table stack on the floor. Bubba Ray climbs the stairs in the ring, gets handed Dogg, and drops Dogg down through both layers of tables! Pac runs in and takes the Dudleyz out. He sets up a table, which can't be a good idea. D'Von superplexes Pac through the table! Told you. Only Tori left to go. The Dudleyz corner her in the ring. One of her arms is dangling, possibly legit hurt. Tori decides to hide in the dumpster. DX ambush the Dudleyz with chairs! The Dudleyz are in the dumpster! Lid closed and it's over! The crowd is PISSED. Damn, the Dudleyz can't freaking buy a PPV win. *1/2

Dogg and Pac leave not realizing they left Tori behind in the dumpster. The Dudleyz corner her again. The DX guys try to make the save but both take 3Ds. The Tori table is brought in. She's up......and the Dudleyz FINALLY put Tori through a table! Bubba Ray is satisfied. The crowd loves it. No one cares about the match result now.

We get a repeat of the nice video package that started the show, highlighting the success of (most of) the past KOTR winners.
 
King of the Ring Final: Kurt Angle def Rikishi in 5:56- Jump start in the aisle. Rikishi slugs away. Angle tries to slam him but Rikishi has too much ass. Rikishi hits his own slam. Corner clothesline. Angle is in the ass drop zone. Rikishi goes for the stinkface but Angle cuts it off with I think a low blow but from the camera angle it was hard to tell. Clothesline. Angle stomps Rikishi down in the corner. On the floor Rikishi gets run hurt arm first into the stairs. About time that got noticed. And then it's forgotten about again. Rikishi hits some jabs with his good arm before Angle slugs back. Angle is extremely sluggy tonight. Lots of fists throwing, very little wrestling. I don't know who told him to do that but it's not playing to his strengths at all. Rikishi comes back with a clothesline and Samoan drop. Running cutter. Avalanche. The stinkface hits this time. Angle Slam outta nowhere! Rikishi kicks out! Angle sunset flips but gets butt splashed for a LONG 2 that the crowd thought was 3. Rikishi goes up top and gets crotched. Angle joins him. Rikishi tries to fight it off with headbutts, but Angle hits a SUPER BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX! That gets the pin and the crown for Angle! Once again, there's definitely people in the arena cheering for Angle. Very disappointing match that completely ignored Rikishi's hurt arm that had been set up (to the point it was over the top) all night long. Classic Angle would have picked it apart the entire time and likely gotten a submission. Again, I don't know who told Angle to do hardly anything but brawl tonight but that does not work for him. Great finish to make Angle look amazing though. *

It's another underwhelming KOTR tournament as a whole, hard to have a great wrestling tournament when almost every match is 5 minutes or under, but at least they got the winner right for the first time since '97. Though with Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero and Angle all in the mix you really couldn't have gone wrong with any of them, but Angle was the least experienced and arguably needed it the most so I say they got it right. Angle's only officially been with WWF since November '99 and already has a European title, an Intercontinental title and now King of the Ring on his resume. It's all up from here.

To set up tonight's main event- this match was the brainchild of Linda McMahon as a way to sow dissension in the McMahon-Helmsley regime and continues to keep the Linda/Vince on-screen feud percolating. The rules are that if any of Rock, Undertaker or Kane get the decision, they are WWF Champion regardless of who they pin. Which has the knock back effect of the face team also having issues, because understandably all three want to be champion.
 
6 Man Tag Team Match for the WWF Championship: The Rock and The Brothers of Destruction def Triple H (c), Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon (w/Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) in 17:54- I should point out that this is Taker's first PPV match after returning from injury, and his first as the American Badass character. His return also instantly got Kane out of the midcard hell he'd been mired in for months. The heels argue over who should go first. Hebner seems to tell Shane it's him, or that the other team wants it to be Shane. Shane tries to jump Kane and fails. Kane offers him a free shot after the ring clears out. Shane takes it to zero effect. Kane's shots are a bit more effective. Shame escapes out to the floor. Taker tosses him back in. Shane flips all around Kane but ends up taking a clothesline. Big Ultimate Warrior style gorilla press from Kane. Goozle. Vince runs in. Double goozle! HHH breaks it all up. Kane double clothesline on both McMahons. Rock tags himself in. He clears the McMahons out, then stares down with HHH. Shane tries an attack from behind and HHH hits a clothesline. Rock tosses Shane over the top to the floor. Now Taker tags himself in. He narrates his beatdown of Shane. Chokeslam! Rock breaks the pin up! HHH comes in with no tag. Hebner makes some token arguments, but Taker starts beating HHH down in the corner so we continue as is. Big boot. DDT. Now Kane breaks a Taker pin attempt up. Rock tags himself in again. HHH tags Shane but Shane wants nothing to do with it. Rock flips him back in. HHH pulls the top rope down to send Rock crashing to the floor. We go into gang beatdown mode, then everyone separates for some floor brawling. Rock and HHH get back in the ring. Swinging neckbreaker from Rock. Kick wham Pedigree! Rock kicks out! Taker was there too but was a tick late so Rock had to kick out. HHH gets run into the post. Rock wobblelegs himself back up but despite having two outstretched hands begging to get in he refuses to tag anyone. HHH clothesline. Rock is down in the wrong corner. Shane does some extended dancing jabs. Vince tags in, slaps Rock, and tags right back out. Tori did more when she got tagged in. HHH hits a suplex. Kneedrop. Rock catches HHH coming off the top rope. HHH ducks a clothesline and hits a neckbreaker. Vince tags in and low blows Rock for 2. He tags HHH back in and says "Finish him off!". HHH/Rock slugfest. Rock hits a Samoan drop. DONNYBROOK! Taker and Kane pair off with the McMahons on the floor again. In the ring HHH gives Rock a facebuster. Kane takes Taker out on the floor! Rock spinebuster on HHH. Elbow pad off. Kane cuts off the People's Elbow! Chokeslam on Rock! HHH is very happy, giving Kane a thumbs up, thinking he's back with the group. Kane disagrees. Tombstone on HHH! Taker pulls Kane out. He grabs a chair and takes Kane out with it. Shane goes to the top rope. Taker chokeslams him off the top rope THROUGH THE ENGLISH ANNOUNCE TABLE! There's your big Shane spot. Vince is in the ring with Rock down. Vince elbow pad off. He hits the ropes for the slowest People's Elbow ever. Rock cuts him off. ROCK BOTTOM ON VINCE! Rock pins Vince and wins back the title! HUGE pop! HHH is on the floor furious Vince lost his title. Having your world title on the line in a tag match is never a good idea. Despite everyone's best efforts, and everyone was trying hard out there, this was failed in conception from the start. Quite the comedown from Judgement Day's awesome Ironman match. We're also getting past the point, especially with how deep the roster is getting, where the McMahons need to get out of the main event. *3/4

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- It's getting pretty easy to see why KOTR will be discontinued as a yearly PPV in a couple of years. It's regularly one of the worst shows of the year, and nearly zero effort is being put into the tournament from a wrestling standpoint. There are some good moments through the show though, including Rock winning the title back despite the bad idea the actual match was. Fortunately this would be little more than a small speed bump in the otherwise excellent year of 2000.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D+

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