World Championship Wrestling 2001: The Fusient Media Venture

WCW The Big Bang - May 6th, 2001

LIVE from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV

Network: Pay Per View 

Attendance: 3,704

Commentary Team : Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, & Joey Styles

- The Big Bang opens up with a video montage highlighting the history of WCW, starting with the NWA days and progressing through numerous memorable moments from the past decade. The video's background music takes an ominous tone as footage of events from the past year and a half are shown, including David Arquette and Vince Russo holding up the Heavyweight Championship. The video ends with the starship WCW logo fading to black as the newly unveiled logo appears on the screen, then the feed cuts to Eric Bischoff sitting at his desk  with a smile on his face. Bischoff thanks everyone for tuning in and talks about the recent acquisition of WCW by Fusient Media Ventures and his assignment as the President of the company. Big things are in store for WCW, Bischoff exclaims, and he ends the opening montage by announcing that there will be mini-tournament tonight to name a number one contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Sting and Jeff Jarrett will face off first, followed later in the night by Diamond Dallas Page taking on the returning Shane Douglas. The winners of those two matches, he says, will meet Tuesday night on Nitro to determine the number one contender. 87%

Shane Helms (c) def. Chavo Guerrero, Jr. & Alex Wright to retain the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship

The Cruiserweight Championship was on the line in the opening match of WCW's return, and the commentators made a point to mention the fact that every title would be as well. Lots of high flying action here, including several nice spots involving all three participants. Wright looked strong early, taking out the opposition early and setting the tone for the match. Helms was incapacitated after being pushed off the top rope to the outside by Wright while attempting a moonsault. Wright scored a nearfall on Chavo, but he got his shoulder up at the last second. The two continued to battle it out until Wright looked poised to finish the match after hitting Chavo with a Hangman's Neckbreaker. Wright stood and went for the pin, but did not see Helms who had reentered the ring. Helms gave him a boot and then hit the Vertebreaker, making the cover to retain his Cruiserweight title. Helms celebrated in the ring as Schiavone and Tenay recap what just happened before introducing Joey F'N Styles to ringside. ***

OVR: 69%/ CR: 55%/ MQ: 83% - The WCW World Cruiserweight title has gained in image.

- We cut to the back, where Shane Douglas is shown entering the Hard Rock talking on his cell phone. He has his bags and is in street clothes, with a smirk on his face. Douglas acknowledges a couple road agents as he walks and we hear him telling whoever he's talking to that "he will see them tonight!" 77% - Shane Douglas gained overness from this segment.

No. 1 Contender's Tournament: Sting def. Jeff Jarrett

Even with a hiatus, Sting still appeared to be a shell of his former self here. He's dealing with a couple of lingering injuries and the pace of the match showed it. Things started off slow, with Jarrett repeatedly making referee Charles Robinson check Sting's tights for a foreign object. Jarrett gained the upperhand after a lowblow and took Sting to the corner, landing a couple of loud chops to the chest while he mimicked Ric Flair's "woo's." Jarrett got overly confident and began arguing with Charles Robinson after a pinfall attempt, only to turn around into a clothesline over the top rope from the Stinger. Sting took the fight outside, brawling around ringside with Jarrett before throwing him back into the ring as Robinson's 10-count reached seven. Sting went for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Jarrett was able to get a leg free and landed a lowblow to the groin. Jarrett got Sting into a headlock, taking him down to a knee and instructing Robinson to 'check him.' This led to a crowd rally for Sting who's hand was raised and fell twice, but shot up on the third and final check from Robinson. Sting came up to his feet, landed an elbow on Jarrett's midsection to break the hold and then pushed him into the ropes before hitting the Scorpion Deathdrop as he stumbled back towards him. Just as Sting was getting ready to apply the Scorpion Deathlock, Scott Steiner jogged down the entrance ramp and hopped up onto the apron, pointing at the Stinger. As Sting confronted Steiner, Jarrett stood and came off the ropes for a clothesline as he finally turned around, but Sting was able to ducked and Jarrett went flying into Big Poppa Pump, knocking him off the ring apron. Jarrett stood and turned right into a DDT from Sting, who immediately applied the Scorpion Deathlock. Jarrett was dead center of the ring and had no choice but to submit, giving Sting the victory and sending him into Tuesday Nitro to face the winner of Shane Douglas/DDP for the Number One Contender spot. **3/4

OVR: 77%/ CR: 70%/ MQ: 74%

- ADVERTS FOR THE ALL NEW TUESDAY NITRO, ONLY ON THE FX NETWORK! -

WCW World Tag Team Championship Unification Match: The Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio, Jr.) def. Chuck Palumbo & Sean O'Haire

With WCW already doing away with the vacant Hardcore Title, it looks like they're trying to declutter the title scene this go around. Palumbo and O'Haire are consistently developing chemistry with one another each week, but Kidman and Mysterio carried this match the whole way through. Size came into play early, as Palumbo was able to counter a flying cross body from Kidman into a fireman's carry before making the tag to O'Haire. O'Haire whipped Kidman into the ropes and went for a back body drop, but Kidman reversed into a rollup that got a two count. Kidman tried to make the hot tag, but Palumbo entered the ring and drug him out of the corner. Mysterio then leapfrogged off the top rope and landed a full body splash on both O'Haire and Palumbo, knocking them down. Kidman was then able to get the tag and Mysterio came in hot, hitting another splash on O'Haire while Kidman tossed Palumbo out of the ring. O'Haire rolled out to gain his composure and check on Palumbo and we got a nice spot here, as Mysterio came off the ring ropes and used a kneeling Billy Kidman to catapult himself over the top rope, knocking the two men down on the outside. The action goes back into the ring and Mysterio makes the tag to Kidman before hitting a leapfrog Hurricanrana on O'Haire as Kidman acends to the top rope. Kidman hits an impressive Shooting Star Press from the top rope and makes the pinfall to unify the tag team titles. ***

OVR: 75%/ CR: 68%/ MQ: 83% - The WCW World Tag Team titles have gained in image.

10 Man Battle Royal for the Vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Lance Storm def.

The participants entered one by one - here, we had Lance Storm, Mike Awesome, Bryan Clarke, The Cat, David Flair, Lash LeRoux, Dustin Rhodes, Norman Smiley, Shawn Stasiak, and Chris Kanyon. Kind of an odd ensemble of characters here, but it gave WCW a chance to showcase some of the new blood that will hopefully be representing the midcard of the company going forward. Schiavone, Tenay, and Styles go over the rules for this match before the bell is rang, and pinfalls and submissions are allowed as well as throwing an opponent over the top rope. Referee's Nick Patrick and Jimmy Jett are both officiating the match to keep up with the turmoil. Lash LeRoux is the first man eliminated, as Mike Awesome catches him coming off the top rope and throws him out of the ring. Next up is The Cat, who catches a superkick from Kanyon and then gets clotheslined over the top rope by Bryan Clarke. David Flair and Norman Smiley are not far behind - Flair gets hit with an Awesome Bomb and covered for the three count and Smiley is knocked off the apron by Lance Storm after being suplexed over the top rope by Dustin Rhodes. Stasiak is the next man out, submitting to the Canadian Maple Leaf from Lance Storm. Kanyon goes next and gets clotheslined over the top rope by Mike Awesome after being superkicked by Lance Storm. Dustin Rhodes tries to clothesline Bryan Clarke over the top, but Clarke ducks and sends Rhodes out instead. We're down to three, and Storm, Awesome and Bryan Clarke carefully stalk each other around the ring. Storm and Awesome signal the weak man out and go to double teaming Bryan Clarke. They have him in the corner, trying to throw him out but Clarke manages to rake Mike Awesome's eyes and gets out of the corner. Eventually, Clarke tries a clothesline on Awesome but he ducks and Clarke walks right into a superkick from Lance Storm. Pin is made and Clarke is eliminated after the cover by Storm. Awesome and Storm proceed to go at it and Storm counters an Awesome Bomb into a hurricanrana, landing on top and applying the Canadian Maple Leaf. Awesome struggles for awhile and refuses to tap at first, but eventually succumbs to the pain of the submission and taps out, giving Lance Storm the victory and the United States Heavyweight Championship! **1/2

OVR: 61%/ CR: 62%/ MQ: 61%

- We're shown Diamond Dallas Page as he finishes applying his tape and begins making his way out of the locker room. The scene cuts to 'The Franchise' Shane Douglas, who is seen talking to someone off camera. Before we can see who it is, the camera cuts away to another advertisement for Tuesday Nitro. Who is the mystery man The Franchise has been talking to all night??

No. 1 Contender's Tournament: 'The Franchise' Shane Douglas def. Diamond Dallas Page

This is Shane Douglas' first match with WCW since February 5th. Lots of technical work in this one, as The Franchise lands a running dropkick to DDP's knee early on and then continues to focus on that weakpoint as the match progresses. Douglas looked a little rusty in this one, but kept the crowd involved with his charisma. Douglas at one point hits a brainbuster and taunts the crowd, motioning the shape of the title belt around his waist. They brawl outside the ring for a bit and Douglas tries to irish whip DDP into the turnbuckle post, but he reverses into a Diamond Cutter! DDP is hurt from landing on the concrete outside the ring and both men lay on the outside as the referee begins the 10 count. Page finally gets The Franchise into the ring, but only gets a two count on the pinfall attempt. They go at it some more and we suddenly get a referee bump as Shane Douglas whips DDP into the corner and right into the referee, knocking him down. DDP comes out of the corner and reverses a DDT attempt into a tilt-o-whirl slam before signaling for the Diamond Cutter to the crowd! DDP stalks The Franchise, who is attempting to get to his feet, but the crowd explodes as there is a disturbance at ringside. Suddenly, the camera's cut away to the front row where a man in seen jumping over the guard rail with a steel chair in hand. He slides into the ring behind DDP, who turns around just in time to catch the steel chair as it's thrown at him. That's Rob Van Dam and he hits the VanDaminator on DDP with the chair, knocking him out cold in the ring! Van Dam shakes the referee awake just as Douglas picks up DDP and hits him with The Franchiser before making the cover to get the win! After the match, Douglas and Van Dam celebrate in the ring as Schiavone, Tenay, and Styles speculate on what exactly has brought RVD to WCW. **1/2

OVR: 70%/ CR: 71%/ MQ: 70% - Shane Douglas gained overness from this match.

WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Booker T (c) v. 'Big Poppa Pump' Scott Steiner

The commentators mention Scott Steiner's automatic rematch clause as he makes his way to the ring while highlights from Booker T winning the title at Nitro's Night of Champions are shown. Coincidentally enough, the TNT logo at the bottom of the screen is blurred out. Extra security has been brought down to ringside after what happened in the last match and they're surrounding the ring. Booker T looks strong early, matching Steiner move for move as the momentum swings back and forth. There's not a ton of big spots here, just clean old fashioned heavyweight wrasslin' with Big Poppa Pump flexing his biceps at every opportunity. Steiner lands a huge running clothesline on the Champ and tries to apply the Steiner Recliner, but Booker T gets to a knee and winds up hitting an Atomic Drop instead. Booker T goes for the Book End, but Steiner counters into a DDT and both men are laid out. As both men are getting to their feet, the cameras cut to the top of the entrance ramp where Shane Douglas and Rob Van Dam have appeared and are watching the ring with intent. Steiner and Booker both acknowledge the two men but quickly go back to focusing on each other. Steiner tries to go for a belly to belly, but Booker counters with a boot to the gut and hits the Scissor Kick! We get the Spinaronni and Booker looks poised to end the match. Suddenly, there is yet another commotion at ringside as The Franchise and RVD had made their way down the ramp and are being held back by security. Booker T is pointing at the two men and questioning the referee while Steiner tries to recover, but neither men see the hooded man jumping over the barricade and entering the ring. The man cracks Booker over his back with a kendo stick and then turns him around, delivering a devastating DDT.  Steiner takes a crack across the head from the kendo stick next, as Joey Styles goes wild when he realizes the hooded man is Tommy Dreamer. The referee calls for the bell and it continues to ring as Douglas and RVD overpower the security and enter the ring, joining in on the beatdown. RVD hands out the Frog Splash to both men as The Franchise grabs a microphone. **

OVR: 74% / CR: 80%/ MQ: 62% - The WCW World Title has lost image.

- Shane Douglas announces a Dangerous Alliance - 

Douglas: "Well, well, well. The tables seemed to have turned, Booker. Scott. You know what, let me just tell it like it is -- we just did everybody in this crowd and everybody at home watching a favor because, lets be honest, nobody wanted to see this crap again! Ya see, I could've sat at home until January and collected a big fat check from AOL Time Warner to do nothing, but I took a pay cut and flew out to Las Vegas to save this company. And,"  he laughs as he points a finger in the direction of RVD and Tommy Dreamer, "I brought some friends with me. This? What you're looking at, is a new age.. a new dawn, if you will, of World Championship Wrestling. I told Hollywood and Big Sexy and the rest of the Big Boys to stick it! This ain't where the big boys play anymore. And I'm here tonight to let everybody back there in the locker room know.. that what you see before you in this ring, is the future of World Championship Wrestling. What you see before you in this ring, is an alliance of epic proportions. A DANGEROUS ALLIANCE!! And you've all been put on notice!"

- The Big Bang, WCW's long anticpated return, went off the air with Joey Styles screaming his trademark "OH MY GOD" as the camera zoomed in on Shane Douglas, Rob Van Dam, and Tommy Dreamer of the newly formed Dangerous Alliance staring menacingly into the crowd.

Show Quality: 73%

Buy Rate: 0.38

WCW Tuesday Nitro - May 15th, 2001

- LIVE from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV

Network: FX

Attendance: 1,007

Commentary Team: Tony Schiavone & Mike Tenay

Nitro begins with the video package we've become accustomed to over the past few weeks, then we're taken to the arena at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the camera pans the crowd before settling down onto Schiavone and Tenay. Introductions are brief, as Schiavone alerts us to an incident that has just happened moments before and we're taken to the backstage area, where staff are attending to Booker T who is wincing as he receives medical attention. Schiavone and Tenay speculate on what may have occurred and who could be behind such an attack, surmising that it had to be the Dangerous Alliance. We go back to ringside as Booker continues to receive medical attention backstage. 85% - Booker T gained overness from this segment.

WCW World Cruiserweight Title: 'Sugar' Shane Helms (c) def. Alex Wright

A solid match to start the night off from a technical standpoint, although the crowd did not seem to have much interest in it. They did a good job keeping Alex Wright looking strong, as he scored several near-falls throughout and had a sizable amount of offense in the match. Eric Bischoff came down to join the commentary table right before the match, where he announced that later tonight we would see a match featuring Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire taking on Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo with the winners receiving a shot at the World Tag Team Titles next week on Nitro. Wright countered a Vertebreaker attempt by flipping himself off of Helms' back and onto his feet, then went for a rollup but Helms rolled that over into his own after a two count and secured the victory by grabbing Wright's tights! Afterwards, Wright stood leaning on the ropes and giving Helms a look as if to say "come on man," incredulous to the fact that the fan favorite had just used such a cheap tactic to secure the victory. **3/4 - The WCW World Cruiserweight Title has gained in image.

OVR: 67%/ CR: 56%/ MQ: 79%

-ADVERTS-

We return from the commercial break to an overhead shot of the now darkened arena as a video begins to play over the Jumbotron. The camera quickly cuts to a live feed of the video and focuses in on a darkened room, illuminated only by a lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. As the camera pans in, we hear the eerie sounds of a chair creaking and an ominous laugh from the background. The camera zooms out again and reveals the unmistakable pattern of two human shadows on the wall before fading to black. 68% - _____ & ______ gained overness from this segment.

- HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MIKE AWESOME & DUSTIN RHODES MATCH FROM LAST WEEK ARE SHOWN, INCLUDING THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO AND THE ALTERCATION BETWEEN AWESOME AND LANCE STORM -

As the last images of Mike Awesome standing over Lance Storm are shown, the camera cuts back to the ring where ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund is standing by with Storm himself. Okerlund touches on the history between Storm and Mike Awesome before recapping what has transpired over the last few weeks that has soured the two men’s relationship. Storm tells Okerlund and the audience that he’s always operated better as a one man show and has no qualms about severing all ties with Mike Awesome, but only after he evens up the score for what happened last week. Storm then tells Awesome that he knows he is in the back and that he can either accept his challenge to a match next week face to face or continue his cowardly behavior by not coming out. To be expected, Mike Awesome appears at the top of the ramp way with a microphone in hand and accepts Storm’s challenge. Eventually, Awesome begins his descent to the ring before security intervenes and separates the two men. 66%

Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo def. Sean O'Haire & Chuck Palumbo

As O’Haire and Palumbo make their way to the ring, Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay recap the team’s loss at WCW’s The Big Bang to The Filthy Animals as well as the role they played in last week’s match between Rey Mysterio and Shannon Moore. Kid Romeo tries to avoid capture from O’Haire to start the match, emphasizing the size difference between the two men. O’Haire eventually catches Romeo coming off the ropes with a vicious clothesline and makes the tag to Chuck Palumbo. As expected, Palumbo and O’Haire control the pace of the match although Elix Skipper does manage to put together some offense sporadically. O’Haire catches Skipper coming off the top rope on his shoulders and turns around in time for Palumbo to come off the top rope himself with another clothesline. With a victory in sight, O’Haire is ready to capitalize on the situation until Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman appear at ringside. As Mysterio and Kidman argue with O’Haire and Palumbo, it gives Elix Skipper enough time to get the tag in to Kid Romeo. Romeo then mounts the top rope and leaps off, connecting with a moonsault onto both his opponents as they turn right into it from Mysterio’s pointing. O’Haire comes to his feet barely able to balance and gets rolled into a schoolboy rollup immediately, unable to escape the pinfall attempt before the referee’s three count. O’Haire and Palumbo are livid as Skipper and Romeo celebrate at ringside, while the Filthy Animals make their way up the ramp with smiles on their faces. **3/4

OVR: 65%/ CR: 57%/ MQ: 74% - Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo both gained overness from this segment.

-ADVERTS FOR WCW’S NEXT PAY PER VIEW EVENT, THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH ON JUNE 17^TH, 2001-

We now go backstage, where ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund is seemingly working overtime as he stands by with the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Booker T. Okerlund asks Booker about his mindset for tonight, following the brutal attack that opened up tonight’s Nitro and whether he has any concerns about ringside interference.. Booker tells Okerlund and the audience that he isn’t concerned with The Dangerous Alliance or The Franchise, for that matter. He is still standing here, unphased and unharmed by the attack earlier tonight, and ready to go in the main event. He says his goal is to become the “longest reigning, record breaking Heavyweight Champion of the World!” Okerlund mentions that there are several new faces to World Championship Wrestling and asks him if he is worried about one of these challengers knocking him off his pedestal, at which point we get an interesting tidbit, as Booker alludes to Mean Gene that some of these new faces appearing in the company may be friends and not foe. 89% - Booker T gained overness from this segment.

- The Chosen One seeks to even the score with Big Poppa Pump -

As Tony and Mike discuss the upcoming main event, we are taken backstage to Eric Bischoff’s office where Scott Steiner has waltzed in wanting to know why he was not in the number one contender’s match on last week’s Nitro. Bischoff is visibly frustrated with Big Poppa Pump and tells him that he was already scheduled to for the tag team match against The Dangerous Alliance. As Steiner is stating his case to Bischoff, ‘The Chosen One’ Jeff Jarrett storms into the room and we get a tense standoff between the two men! Bischoff, seeing an opportunity, tells the two men that they should settle their differences next week LIVE on Nitro and both men quickly accept the challenge as we cut back to ring for the night’s main event. 79%

WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Booker T def. Shane Douglas w/ Rob Van Dam & Tommy Dreamer via Disqualification

Eric Bischoff talked about bringing back Michael Buffer weekly when Nitro relocated to Vegas and it appears that tonight may have signaled the start of that, as both men get a long introduction to the ring by Buffer himself. It should be noted that The Franchise is accompanied by The Dangerous Alliance, a fact that Schiavone and Tenay continuously allude to throughout the match. As Douglas enters the ring, the referee immediately confronts him and The Dangerous Alliance and the audio cuts to the referee’s mic, allowing us to hear him warning the three that if there is any funny business, he will call the match. The Champ doesn’t appear to be showing any lingering effects from the backstage assault earlier in the night, but Schiavone and Tenay speculate that he cannot be one hundred percent. A dramatic stare down ensues as the bell signals and the main event is off to a start. The Champion takes control of the match early on, countering an irish whip from Douglas into a tilt-o-whirl slam. The two go back and forth and we get a couple of near falls from both men but it seems like Douglas got gassed at this point which really effected the quality of the match going forward. With the direction the company seems to be going with making Shane Douglas a top guy in the company, you definitely don’t like to see him gas out on a match within the first five minutes. Booker is able to avoid a belly to belly suplex, instead hitting The Franchise with a spinebuster and the crowd goes wild as he appears on the verge of putting the match away. Douglas stands and takes a knee to the midsection, but as Booker T comes off the ropes to deliver a Scissor Kick, he is tripped by RVD! The referee, however, sees this and immediately calls for the bell as Douglas stands, stunned that the official ended the match. As Dreamer and RVD scale the ropes, the three men begin to surround the Heavyweight Champion and things appear to be on the verge of getting out of hand, until the crowd explodes as Diamond Dallas Page rushes from the back and hits the ring! Dreamer puts up three fingers, then two as if to show DDP that they are outnumbered but before the situation can escalate, Eric Bischoff’s music hits and he appears at the top of the rampway livid at what just went down. *1/2

OVR: 69%/ CR: 75%/ MQ: 56% - The WCW World Heavyweight Championship has lost in image.

Bischoff: “Hold the phone, hold the phone! Now wait just a minute, before ANY of you think about doing anything. I’ve got just two things: for starters, The Dangerous Alliance… the next time you think about getting involved in one of your partner’s match, I WILL indefinitely suspend all three of you for it. Those days are done and over with. Second, we are out of time tonight so there’s no need beating each other up in that ring. But here is what I am going to do for you.. NEXT WEEK LIVE ON NITRO, you’re gonna see the WCW World Heavyweight Champion Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page taking on The Franchise Shane Douglas and whichever of you degenerate punks standing beside him he chooses!”

The crowd cheers as Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay set the scene for next week’s Nitro in the final moments of the broadcast, the broadcast fading to black with one last shot of the five men staring each other down inside the ring as Bischoff looks on with a smirk.

Show Quality: 72%

TV Rating: 3.3 (Last Week: 2.90)

WCW TUESDAY NITRO PREVIEW

- Lance Storm vs. Mike Awesome

- Jeff Jarrett vs. ‘Big Poppa Pump’ Scott Steiner

- Main Event: Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page vs. Shane Douglas & Tommy Dreamer/Rob Van Dam (TBD)