Legacy Review
Halloween Havoc 2000
October 29, 2000 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV
Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden and Stevie Ray
Another last to check off as our end of WCW journey arrives at the final Halloween Havoc. Created in 1989, Halloween Havoc was one of the "second wave" of PPVs started in the first year after the Turner buyout of JCP, expanding the calendar beyond Starrcade and Great American Bash (the less said about JCP's attempt to make the Bunkhouse Stampede final a PPV in early '88 the better). It's also one of the WCW PPV names that was revived by NXT in the COVID/NXT 2.0 era, sometimes as a special edition of weekly TV, sometimes as a PPV. Sorry, PLE. This final Havoc also marks the one year anniversary of Vince Russo's takeover of WCW creative. Needless to say, I don't think it's gone how WCW or Turner brass hoped. However, we're also at the point that even Russo saw the writing on the wall and decided to jump ship before it crashed completely. During his brief World title run (which I went over in more detail in the Fall Brawl review) he suffered a concussion after taking a spear from Goldberg, and used that as an excuse to stay home and not come back. That was only about a week before this show though, so the whole thing is still pretty much laid out as he left it.
We've had some more changes in the booth. Scott Hudson is out, and partially retired as a wrestler Stevie Ray is in. Rumor is Ray getting this spot was a direct result of the discrimination lawsuit he, Booker T and others were threatening to file against Russo and WCW. I get losing Hudson because having two straight play by play guys is pretty redundant, but having the opportunity to get rid of Madden and not doing it makes me even more annoyed I have to listen to his drivel all show.
Three Way Dance for the WCW World Tag Team Championship: Natural Born Thrillers (c) def The Boogie Knights and The Filthy Animals in 10:04- Disco Inferno and Alex Wright had nothing else going on so they've reunited as a team, now being called the Boogie Knights instead of the Dancing Fools. This is also Wright's first PPV appearance since the epic disaster that was Berlyn. It's the cruiserweight team of Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman representing the Animals in this one. Mysterio's got on devil horns, which is....a look. Konnan gets on commentary as if there's not already enough twaddle coming from there. Looks like it's three guys legal rules for this one, but Kidman hangs back in his corner at the start while still bald Wright jumps Jindrak. Wright then holds Jindrak for some chops from Kidman and they double up on him in the corner. Jindrak tries to fight back but they continue to team up on him, until Jindrak gets tossed to the floor and Wright attacks Kidman from behind. Flying headscissors and dropkick in response from Kidman. Mysterio tags in and immediately goes for the shitty bronco buster, but Wright gets his boots up right into Mysterio's crotch. That's what you get for trying to do dumbass moves like that *and* wearing freaking devil's horns while you're doing it. I'm not one for quickly calling out something as being blatantly satanic, but I honestly can't look at that any other way. And I don't like it one bit. Disco comes in and hits a swinging neckbreaker on Mysterio. Jindrak comes back in with a springboard clothesline on Disco, then plants Mysterio with a side suplex. Tag to O'Haire and he goes nuts on both of the other legal guys. Mysterio blocks an O'Haire sunset flip long enough for Disco to come up and DDT him for 2. Now Disco and Mysterio team up on one of the championship team members. They have a disagreement over who gets to make a pin attempt, then Mysterio uses a corner whip sequence to outthink Disco (not hard). Springboard big splash from Mysterio on Disco. Disco Russian leg sweep on O'Haire. Kidman tags in and goes up top. Disco tells him to drop on O'Haire, but Kidman hits Disco with a flying back elbow instead. Wright comes in with a missile dropkick on O'Haire as guys start switching, as far as I can see, without any tags. Now Wright and Jindrak team up on Kidman until Wright turns again on Jindrak. Everyone gets in the corner and we get a three man tower of doom spot with multiple covers for 2. All three guys crawl to their corners and tag. When three guys tag in at the same time who gets the hot tag run? Mysterio hits O'Haire with a springboard legdrop, then Disco tries to powerbomb Mysterio. Mysterio counters into a cover, but O'Haire scoops him up and tosses him out of the ring. Kneelift from O'Haire on Disco as he limps around a bit, which looks legit. I don't exactly trust him to know how to sell a hurt limb. The Thrillers toss Kidman and Mysterio back into the ring from the floor. Things start breaking down after that with everyone fighting in and out of the ring. Mysterio headscissors dumps O'Haire over the top to the floor and everyone starts diving, mostly missed by the cameras. Kidman hits Wright with the Kid Crusher for 2. Mysterio hurricanranas Disco off the top rope, and does the shitty bronco buster on him. Jindrak powers Mysterio up and drops him onto Wright on the floor. Disco Last Dance on Jindrak! Mysterio comes off the top rope with a legdrop to break the pin up. O'Haire then hits a swanton bomb on Mysterio and gets the pin to retain. It threatened to get messy and lose its place several times, but managed to hold together OK and everyone was working. **1/2
After the bell Konnan gets attacked and Sgt. AWOL runs out early for his next match to make the save. AWOL gets a table out and the ring crew hangs trash cans of hardcore toys on all four corners to set up for the next match.
WCW Hardcore Championship: Reno (c) def Sgt. AWOL in 10:55- We cut from the recap replays straight to Reno hitting AWOL in the head with a kendo stick. AWOL responds with a big boot. Reno lifts AWOL up and already puts him through the table in the ring for a 2 count. Way to make table spots look pointless. They go to the floor with Reno still in control. He hits AWOL with what looks like an oil pan. Trash can shot to AWOL's head for 2. AWOL finally fires back with a kendo shot. Madden says it sounds like the crack of a "Derek Jeter home run". Dude. Jeter? Guy hit maybe 20 HRs a year. He was good at a lot of things, but power was not one of them. And he's the first name you come up with? Madden is an idiot. AWOL puts a trash can on Reno's head and kicks it into the barricade. Then he goes to do it again against the ring. What was the point of putting all those other weapons inside the trash cans when, as always in WCW hardcore matches, the cans are all they want to use? AWOL drags Reno up the ramp and starts choking him. Reno low blows to get free. He hits Roll of the Dice on the ramp. Reno goes under the stage and gets another table. Oh, two of them. And stacks them up. Hey, just a reminder this show is sponsored by WCW Backstage Assault on Playstation! Oh man. As if the actual shows in 2000 WCW weren't enough, they also managed to plop out one of the worst turds of a wrestling game there's ever been. AWOL punches back and drops Reno through the table stack. But he doesn't bother to cover, wanting to do more damage. Now they go past the stage all the way to the backstage area. AWOL goes over to a table and picks up.....HAHAHAHAHAHA that computer monitor looks so completely frakking fake. It's clearly a plastic display model. I remember those in stores. Anyway, he throws it at Reno who dodges it. Reno gives us the mandatory fire extinguisher blast and whips AWOL into a propped up table for 2. AWOL dodges a swing with another display model, this time a laptop. He hits Reno with the fake monitor this time. Now they go through Gorilla (decking agent Fit Finlay at the table on the way because why not) and AWOL tosses Reno back down the ramp. AWOL gets yet another table out, because they've been so effective at finishing guys off so far in this match. Reno comes behind with a chairshot, and hits Roll of the Dice onto the table. That gets Reno the pin to retain. I've seen worse plunder brawls, but that definitely could have used a few minutes trimmed off of it. 3/4*
For the second straight match participants in the next match come out to beat down someone in the last match, this time the Perfect Event on AWOL. MIA also come out early to fight them off.
We get a recap of Goldberg potentially getting hurt recently on TV and Tony mentions he hasn't arrived yet tonight.
The Misfits in Action def The Perfect Event in 9:21- Ah, apparently this is an impromptu match after the beatdowns following the last match. Madden tries to convince everyone Perfect Event are on the same page after some recent disagreements, so you know what's coming. The MIA team of Chavo Guerrero (Lt. Loco) and Lash LeRoux (Cpl. Cajun) charge in and get jumped to start. The MIA guys fire back with a couple of sloppy dropkicks. Drop toe hold/basement dropkick double team on Stasiak. Stasiak comes back with a kneelift on Chavo and tags. Palumbo runs into another drop toe hold. Dropkick and armdrag from Chavo. Side suplex and LeRoux hits an elbow drop off the second rope. Suplex from LeRoux for 2. Clothesline off the second rope. Palumbo hot shots Chavo with Chavo completely missing the rope and going out to the floor instead. I just realized that Scott Armstrong of the Armstrong wrestling family is reffing this match, I'm pretty sure his first WCW PPV appearance. He would go on to be essentially CM Punk's personal referee for Punk's 434 day WWE Championship reign in '11-'12. The Perfect Event guys start arguing while trying to coordinate a double team and that turns into a full on DONNYBROOK. Perfect Event get control back and pull off the double team this time. Hey, Backstage Assault is on N64 too! Wouldn't want to keep Nintendo owners from experiencing such a, er, legendary game. Stevie Ray thinks Madden said "chubby toes" when he said "Chavito", which is about all you need to know about the current state of commentary. Stasiak plants Chubby Toes with a powerbomb. LeRoux breaks up the very arrogant cover. Palumbo catches a Chavo crossbody attempt and gives him a fallaway slam. Another arrogant cover. Belly to belly suplex on Chavo for 2. Stasiak goes for a press slam, but Chavo counters with a faceplant and gets a tag to LeRoux. Hot tag run until Stasiak takes him out with a straight right for 2. Palumbo hooks LeRoux in a sleeper. LeRoux goes down and we go to arm drops. LeRoux fights back up, but runs right into another sleeper. Another fight out and LeRoux springs off the second rope to faceplant Palumbo. Tags on both sides. Chavo dropkicks Stasiak and DDTs Palumbo as all four guys come in again. Palumbo accidentally superkicks Stasiak. Tornado DDT from Chavo and Stasiak and that gets the pin. *
We get about a second of celebration before cutting to the back, where Konnan is still hurting but doesn't want to be looked at because he's got a match next.
The Filthy Animals def Shane Douglas & Torrie Wilson in 8:38- It's Konnan and Tygress representing the Animals in this mixed tag match. Torrie's wearing full on Wonder Woman gear, which, uh, works. Very well. Tygress initially comes out by herself. She manages to low blow Douglas, then she and Torrie do the worst supposed armdrag spot I've ever seen in my life. I assume that's what it was supposed to be. Weak kicks from Tygress on Torrie. She goes for something but Douglas pulls her down by her hair. They set up to hit Tygree with a double team move. Konnan runs out to make the save. Lord help me I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm almost happy to see him, only because it means Torrie and Tygress won't have to carry the match anymore. Douglas stomps away on hurt Konnan. Comeback double clothesline from Konnan. Rolling clothesline on Douglas and the heel team goes to the floor to rethink. Konnan and Tygress both go for swinging kicks through the ropes and both manage to make them look different kinds of horrible. Back in Konnan stays in control. Tygress comes off the top rope with an ax handle on Douglas' arm, then gives him a quick arm wringer before Konnan takes back over. She tags in again and they double kick Douglas in the corner. Torrie wants to help but is too scared to. Tygress again cranks arm wringers on Douglas and bites his arm to boot. Douglas finally says enough of this and punches Tygress in the face. Hey, she wanted to be in the match. Torrie tags in and the less said about their attempts to wrestle the better. Tygress faceplants Torrie for a long 2. The heel team work ref 'Lil Naitch to keep Tygress in their corner. Douglas puts her into a camel clutch, then slowly switches around into a lame attempt at a crossface chicken wing. Tygrees runs and momentum tosses Douglas to the floor, dodges around, and tags Konnan in. Backdrop on Douglas. Snap mare/basement dropkick and DDT from Konnan. Glad to see he's OK now. Torrie breaks a pin up and it's EVERYONE IN THE POOL time. Konnan gives Douglas mounted punches, then they have to stall because Tygress is taking forever on her setup. Finally she goes for the shitty bronco buster, but Torrie pulled 'Lil Naitch in the way and he gets it too! Douglas hot shots Konnan behind that. Torrie hits Konnan with the Franchise! Tygress breaks the pin up. Animals double faceplant on Douglas and that gets the pin. Torrie's Wonder Woman outfit was the only thing remotely worthwhile about this garbage. DUD
Another immediate cut to the back where Mean Gene is with David Flair and two "doctors" that look even more fake than that computer monitor. OK, explanation. You remember a couple of months ago at New Blood Rising when Miss Hancock/Stacy Keibler had a "miscarriage" during a match that was supposed to be a really real shooty shoot and not at all worked? I know, we'd all like to forget that ever happened. Russo won't let us. In the time since Buff Bagwell has claimed, in his continued quest to be a Val Venis ripoff, that he was the one that impregnated Keibler, not her boyfriend Flair the Younger. That's why David has the doctors. Once he wins the upcoming First Blood match, he's going to have the blood DNA tested to prove that Buff did not stuff Stacy and the lost kid really was his all along, results to be revealed tomorrow night on Nitro. Have I mentioned before that Russo got a lot of his story ideas watching Jerry Springer? Just thought I'd point that out again.
First Blood DNA Match: Buff Bagwell def David Flair in 5:40- Flair comes out with a DNA testing kit and leaves it with commentary. Bagwell lets Flair knows he's #1 and they lock up. Bagwell runs Flair into the corners with about the worst selling of it I've ever seen, then he slams Flair. Running swinging neckbreaker as Bagwell stays completely in control and Flair looks as lost as he did back in his first matches. Flair's first offensive move is a sunset flip that Bagwell easily fights it off. Flair manages to do the classic Flair Flip in the corner, but makes the mistake of going up top and takes the usual Flair slam. Running clotheslines from Bagwell. He hits mounted punches and Flair does the most insane, ridiculous dancing flop out of the corner. He's trying to channel his dad so bad but he just doesn't have it. Bagwell rips Flair's shirt off and tries to make him pose. Flair uses that to hit the old Flair mule kick low blow. He tosses Bagwell out to the floor and slams him out there. Flair pulls the floor mat up and sets Bagwell up for a piledriver. Bagwell backdrops out, then dodges a chairshot and Flair hits the post. Bagwell pulls the middle rope up into Flair's crotch as he's getting back in the ring and gives him a chairshot to the head that knocks Flair back to the floor. Flair's bleeding out there but the ref doesn't call it. Bagwell lets Flair get back in the ring to hit the Blockbuster, and now the ref calls it. Well, you can say the match was worthy of the angle. Flair looked as lost as he ever has, and Bagwell even by his low standard was half assing it, clearly thinking this match was beneath him. DUD
After the bell Lex Luger comes into the ring. He celebrates with Bagwell....then clotheslines him! SWERVE! I guess, it's so random. Tony: "How many times is Luger going to turn on someone in WCW?". Ask Sting. A post shot makes Bagwell bleed from the mouth (a clear blood capsule) and David gets his DNA sample. We follow him all the way to the back where he gives it to the doctors and they run off. While they run off with it we see that Goldberg has arrived in the building.
Kickboxing Match: WCW Cruiserweight Champion Mike Sanders (w/Natural Born Thrillers) def Ernest "The Cat" Miller (w/Ms Jones) by countout in 8:32- This is apparently to determine who the commissioner of WCW will be, a role Miller had held the last few PPVs. This is under full kickboxing rules, so per commentary it's three 2 minute rounds and if there's a knockdown you have a 10 count to get up, like boxing. These never go well. I'm not getting deep into it. Miller was a legit karate champion before coming to WCW so he completely dominates. There might be some legit stiff shots in there too. While that's going on Palumbo and Stasiak continue their arguments with each other. Toward the end of the third and final round, after Sanders has been knocked down about 10 times during the course of the match, Douglas gets on the apron and hits Miller with a chain behind the ref's back. Miller still gets back up at 9. Time runs out and the match is supposed to be over but for some reason it keeps going. Miller knocks Sanders down again, then goes out of the ring to attack Douglas. Sanders gets up before 10, but wee ginger ref counts Miller out to give Sanders the win? Is that in kickboxing rules? And the match was already supposed to be over per the rounds rules. How does any of this make any sense? An atrociously painful waste of time from start to finish. MINUS FIVE STARS
In the back the Nevada State Athletic Commission doctors check on Goldberg, which only annoys him. He admits that he's been dizzy since Monday, which is "part of the territory". Is it? Even the NFL of the day might think twice about letting him back out there, much less today.
Mike Awesome def Vampiro in 9:50- When bad gimmicks can kill: Mike Awesome came into WCW from ECW earlier in the year and actually managed to get a bit of momentum, standing out a bit from the usual 2000 WCW crowd. Then he got stuck with the "That 70's Guy" gimmick, playing off the success of the That 70's Show TV show, and he became a joke. Vampiro gets a mic before the bell and wants Awesome to put his title shot tomorrow night on Nitro on the line tonight. Awesome agrees. The bell rings and we get a basic start. Awesome hits a flying tackle that sends Vampiro out to the floor. Over the top tope suicida from Awesome! Awesome backdrops Vampiro over the barricade and Vampiro takes out some empty chairs and one poor MGM Grand security woman that clearly did not see it coming. Awesome then hits a springboard dive off the barricade and it's wander through the crowd time. Vampiro gets a mic stand, then someone's cane to hit Awesome with. Some likely drunk fan gets overenthused and tries to get involved, getting jumped by security as the wrestlers relocate away from him. Coming back Vampiro hits a clothesline off the announce table. Vampiro gives Awesome a chair in the ring, gets his own, and we have a full on chair sword fight in the ring. Awesome loses that, then Vampiro kicks a chair into his face for 2. Chops in the corner from Vampiro. He swings a clothesline that hits Awesome in the top of the head that Awesome sells anyway. They go up top and Vampiro just barely pulls off a belly to belly throw off of there for 2. Vampiro goes up top again and does some awful butt splash thing that Awesome didn't even seem to know what was coming. The. Fuck. Awesome then gets up first and covers Vampiro for 2. I'm thinking maybe Awesome was supposed to counter that into a powerbomb and blew the spot. Awesome goes under the ring and gets a table, bringing it into the ring. He tosses it into Vampiro. Vampiro does an eye rake or something that puts Awesome back down. Nail in the Coffin hits. Now Vampiro goes out, looks under every single side because he can't find what he's looking for, and just gives up. Well that was pointless. Back in Awesome waffles Vampiro with a stiff looking clothesline. They go back to the floor and Awesome powerbombs Vampiro on the floor....for a 2 count? Is this suddenly a falls count anywhere match? They set up on the top rope again. Awesome hits an avalanche powerbomb! Hoo boy that could have turned out really bad. That clearly gets Awesome the pin. Yet another awful Vampiro match, which has become all too common during his WCW run. He veered between going in slow motion and looking completely lost, and Awesome was clearly having to slow down or stop anything he was trying to do to keep up. DUD
After a General Rection promo we see that refs are helping Vampiro get up in the ring and he looks like he had his bell legit rung.
Handicap Match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Gen. Rection def Lance Storm (c) and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan (w/Major Gunns) in 10:07- Fall Brawl last month saw one of the silliest of all Russo swerves, as all-American Duggan turned and joined Storm's Team Canada. I mean, he is from upstate New York which is half Canada anyway. Ref Scott Armstrong has a hell of a time taking Duggan's 2x4 away from him before the bell. Duggan starts the match and goes nose to nose with Rection. Slugfest and they grab at each other's shirts in lieu of doing anything interesting. About all Duggan can do at this point anyway. Rection clotheslines Duggan on the ropes and he somehow manages to go 360 over. Storm comes right in and attacks Rection from behind. Backdrop and clotheslines from Rection and Storm rolls to the floor to regroup. Back in Storm goes to the eye poke to get Rection in the corner. Rection no sells chops and hits his own. Mounted punches from Rection. Storm pulls off the inverted atomic drop counter and tags out. After Storm tags back in Rection backdrops him over the top to the floor. Duggan whips Rection to get him running and Storm pulls the top rope down on him to send him crashing to the floor. Back in Duggan gives Rection some ground and pound as Rection is fully in peril. Jawbreaker/superkick combo from Storm for 2. Duggan's offense is just sad at this point. He sets up in the 3 point stance. Rection turns it into a double clothesline. Storm tags in and hooks on a sleeper. Rection back suplexes free. After a tag Rection ducks and Storm takes out Duggan. Rection goes on essentially a hot tag run minus the tag. Storm does some nice dodging around and tries for the half crab. Rection pushes free and hits Storm with a powerslam. Duggan hits Storm breaking the pin up. Armstrong does some nice ducking down but ends up going down colliding with Storm. Hey, first ref bump all night, for a Russo show that's not too bad. Duggan hits Rection with a piledriver and covers but there's no ref. Armstrong slowly comes to and Rection kicks out. Team Canada member Elix Skipper runs in with another 2x4 but Gunns takes him out with the Canadian flag! See, Gunns was not a willing member of Team Canada, she's an MIA member that's been a "prisoner" of Team Canada for weeks. Storm's mad and takes the 2x4 from her. Gunns pulls Storm down off the apron! While they're arguing Rection grabs Duggan's 2x4 and gives him a Russian leg sweep with it. He goes up top. Moonsault! Missed by a mile but still. Rection gets the pin to win the title! All of MIA run in to celebrate, including Gunns who I assume is free now. Not even Lance Storm could save this match, but it did just barely enough to break the DUD/MFS streak. 1/4*
Just a reminder, all the promotion for this show promised we'd see Sting undergo some kind of transformation tonight. We'll see how that holds up. Of note, during the build for this match Jarrett dressed up as surfer Sting to mess with Sting's head. That will play into tonight's match.
Jeff Jarrett def Sting in 14:30- Jarrett stalls on the floor so Sting goes out and jumps him. Jarrett takes some of the typical ringside knockaround before Sting rolls him into the ring. Stinger Splash! He repositions and goes for another. Jarrett dodges, but for once Sting sees it and hits the brakes. Inverted atomic drop (on the second attempt) and 360 clothesline from Sting. We hear a scream, then see someone dressed as surfer Sting on the entrance stage. Is that NWO Sting again? Sting goes out and attacks his old clone in the aisle. Commentary acts like Sting is attacking himself, which I honestly shouldn't be surprised about. They'll always find the dumbest angle to take. Real Sting gives fake Sting a Scorpion Death Drop on the stage. Jarrett then attacks. They do some weak back and forth brawling by the stage and through the crowd. Now ANOTHER fake surfer Sting comes in through the crowd. The last one was in green, this one is in pink. Whoever is playing pink Sting is all kinds of awful, tangling himself on the ropes when Sting tries to whip him. Sting takes him up onto the stage and knocks him around up there, then gives him a Scorpion Death Drop. Full on reset as Sting gets back in the ring. Before anything else can happen now Wolfpac music hits and Wolfpac Sting comes out. This is getting rather silly. Sting takes his bat and attacks him with it, and once again up the stage for a SDD up there. Jarrett gets the bat and attacks Sting with it. So what's next? Flash? Blade Runner Sting? Plain old Steve Borden? Four Horsemen Sting? Joker Sting? Wait, too early for that. Jarrett beats Sting back down the aisle to ringside and into the ring. Back elbow and cover for 2. Jarrett gets the sleeper on. Sting goes down and we get arm drops. Madden: "Where's the Black Scorpion, we need him now!". His one good line for the night, check. Sting fights back up and puts his own sleeper on. Jarrett quickly back suplexes free. He drapes an arm over Sting for a 2 count. Sting starts some classic no selling and hulks back up. He dodges a Jarrett dropkick and goes for the Scorpion Death Lock. Another Crow Sting comes up from under the ring! He drags the real Sting down into the hole! It's so ludicrous it's hilarious at this point. After a bit Sting drags the latest fake Sting out of the hole and tosses him out of the ring. More Stinger Splashes on Jarrett. He goes for the Scorpion Death Drop but Jarrett grabs the ropes to block it. Now the lights go out. I doubt this is going anywhere good. ANOTHER fake Crow Sting rappels down from the rafters. That's five fake Stings in this match for those keeping count. Real Sting drags him up on the announce table and the fake Sting's wig comes off. Scorpion Death Drop through the announce table! Ray is the only one left on air. Sting gets Jarret in the Scorpion Death Lock. Fake Sting number SIX, and fake Crow Sting number 3, comes in and hits real Sting with a guitar. Wait, I think this is the one that came from the hole. So we're still at five. Real Sting no sells it and gives that fake Sting a SDD. Then Jarrett comes in with his guitar and punctuates this match's insane overbooking with one of the most overused cliches ever. Jarrett wins the match with the guitar shot. As conceived this match never had a chance. The nostalgia hits don't land when no one cares. DUD
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Booker T (c) def Scott Steiner (w/Midajah) by DQ in 13:00- Over the course of the past 18 months to 2 years these two have risen from wrestling each other for the TV title to the US title to the World title. Under better circumstances this is a feud a normal company not on the brink of death could have built around, but by this point there was nothing left to save WCW, they were just playing out the string. I'll also note this is not main eventing. In fact they even make a big deal on TV that this isn't the main event. The story is Booker offered to let Goldberg go on last to give him "more time to recover". Steiner is unhappy at this turn of events and attacks one of the road agents in Gorilla when his music hits. I wouldn't go to that extreme, but still I agree. Someone's put some duct tape on the ring mat to close up the hole fake Sting #4 created coming out of the ring. Duct tape can fix anything. After some stalling from both guys they do a crazy throwing hands lockup. Lil' Naitch almost gets decked forcing a corner break. Booker puts on a hammerlock and Steiner floors him with a back elbow. Typical slow Steiner heel offense follows. Booker reverses a whip into his own back elbow hit, then he hits the flying forearm for 2. Steiner quickly gets out to the floor to rethink things. And, as usual, rile up the fans. He even jumps the barricade chasing a fan that was jawing at him. Back in Steiner quickly goes on offense again. Speed run and Booker hits a side kick. Clothesline for 2. Mounted punches from Booker. Steiner hits a kick and clotheslines Booker 360 to the floor. Chairshot on Booker and Steiner dumps him over the barricade. Steiner follows and it's our third crowd brawl segment of the night. He then picks Booker up and slams him through the replacement announce table. WCW doing their best tonight to make table spots be absolutely pointless. Steiner takes the opportunity to get in Booker's brother Ray's face in commentary. Steinerline/elbow drop combo back in for 2. He muscles Booker over and cranks his arms back in a Steiner Recliner setup. Booker tries to power free and maneuvers Steiner around for a neckbreaker. Ripcord knee from Booker. He goes for the scissors kick but Steiner cuts it off with a Steinerline. Steiner sets Booker up top, hits an avalanche Samoan drop and does some push ups. Big chop from Steiner. Booker blocks and hits some buckle shots. Steiner cuts it off with a low blow. Belly to belly suplex! Booker kicks out! Booker leapfrogs a charge and Steiner falls through the ropes to the floor. He whips Steiner into the barricade, but Steiner does another no sell and bounces off with another Steinerline. Back in Booker does his corner floatover roll up for 2. Another side kick hits and Booker goes up top. Steiner meets him but Booker fights him off. Midajah grabs Booker's boot and pulls him down to crotch him. Booker fights Steiner off again. After all that the missile dropkick hits for a long 2. Another ripcord knee and the scissors kick hits this time. But Booker's hurt and can't follow up. Midajah hands Steiner his gimmick lead pipe. Steiner nails Booker with it, then hits Lil' Naitch and drapes him upside down in the corner when he complains. The Steiner Recliner is on, but Steiner murdered the ref. Backup ref Scott Armstrong runs in. As soon as he gets in the ring Steiner hits him and tosses him! The hell? I know Steiner's not exactly a Mensa member but how the hell does he expect to win the match if he takes all the refs out before they can do anything? The Recliner is on again. Ref #3, bald ref, runs in and avoids Steiner long enough to call for the bell, DQ'ing Steiner. Steiner then takes him out with the pipe. Agents and security run in and all take pipe shots. Steiner gets a chair and goes nuts on Booker's knee. Then he goes over and antagonizes Ray again. Jarrett comes out and tries to calm Steiner down. This started pretty bad, they kept working and managed to get to someplace halfway decent, but then the end booking kicked in and destroyed it all. *1/2
Handicap Elimination Match: Goldberg def KroniK in 3:43- And now for one of the most pointless, tacked on "main events" of all time. In a desperate attempt to recreate Goldberg's streak, an edict has come down from WCW management and Russo that if Goldberg loses a match before matching his original 173-0 streak he'll be forced to retire. Needless to say, it doesn't recapture the magic. After KroniK's entrance Adams takes a mic and says Goldberg's not cleared, play our music, we're done here. We then cut to the back, where the lead Athletic Commission guy says "OK, he's cleared". Typical bureaucracy, never in a hurry for anything. Goldberg gets the full security escort entrance from his locker room. Once the bell rings KroniK do the predictable double team beatdown for a bit. Oh joy, here comes another table. Let's kill that some more. Goldberg fights KroniK off, spears Clarke through the table and pins him. Finally, a table spot that had some kind of point tonight. The bell rings and Ray says the match is over. Then it's not over. Apparently Goldberg has to pin both guys. It's amazing how often WCW didn't bother to explain what the rules were to anybody. Adams manages to full nelson slam Goldberg but of course Goldberg kicks out. Spear, jackhammer, good night. DUD
OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- There's been several points in 2000 WCW that could be considered rock bottom. This is another one. 11 matches, only one getting up to anything resembling decent and it's the opener, and a whopping 6 matches, more than half, being either zero or negative stars. Add onto that yet more atrociously bad booking, at the end can't come soon enough.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: F
