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Post by marc91 on Feb 9, 2024 19:11:54 GMT 1
WCW Bash At The Beach 13.07.1997 Daytona Beach, FL
1. WCW Cruiserweight Title: Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) def. Juventud Guerrera (13 mins) If you noticed, the cruiserweight division is revisiting some matches from the previous year, but thankfully these pairings have never been used and abused in WCW. What's different here, compared to 1996, is that now Juvi knows Mysterio as his occasional tag partner as well and so he's really good at countering Rey Rey's attacks. This creates a stalemate and Mysterio struggles quite a bit. Juvi tries to hit a 450 splash, but Mysterio hits a speedy hurricanrana and pins the challenger to retain the title
2. The Steiner Brothers def. Masahiro Chono & The Great Muta (11 mins) I quite liked the idea of having Chono and Muta as the last roadblock between the Steiners and the Outsiders, as nWo Japan was quite big and we all know the history of the Steiners with Chono and Muta. It wasn't their best match ever, they are all past their prime here, but it was still decent and a logical step into the right direction. Bischoff, however, states that the Steiner will get the shot on the same night if victorious (aka, I don't have any other decent contenders). Scott pins Chono with a frankensteiner, but he hurts his neck falling down the mat and it's a disadvantage going into the title match
3. Ultimo Dragon, Psicosis & Chavo Guerrero Jr. def. Chris Jericho, Hector Garza & Villano IV (10 mins) More cruiserweight action, with a six-men match that can be again be borrowed from the lucha tradition. Obviously, Jericho and Dragon are on opposite sides. The rudos look a bit stronger with Psicosis and Chavo, that just turned heel and is trying to get a better spot, while Jericho teams up with Villano and Garza. This should be a decent match, Jericho gets a nice hot tag for a pop, but at the end Dragon beats Villano for with the asai moonsault and the heels prevail
4. Randy Savage & Syxx (w/ Elizabeth) def. Diamond Dallas Page & Curt Hennig (sub. for Jeff Jarrett) (w/ Kimberly) (12 mins) Savage and DDP are still feuding, this is very far from being over. As DDP is upset about the nWo interferences, this time Savage offers him a tag match so they can choose their own partners. Savage chooses Syxx (but is quite unhappy about all the others being already booked), while DDP picks Jeff Jarrett after Flair gives it his blessing. However, Jarrett mysteriously claims he's injured and DDP is screwed... but Curt Hennig debuts and offers his help. However, Hennig bumps into DDP by mistake and Savage beats Page with the diving elbowdrop
5. WCW United States Title: Chris Benoit (c) def. Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero (15 mins) This should rule. Benoit is the new champion and groomed as the future of the Horsemen, Malenko is having a good year as former US champion and Eddie just wants his belt back. We can tell the story of the 3 amigos, they came in 2 years ago and had different path, but this is the first time they are all in the same ring. As we saw, Eddie took some time off because of an injury, but he seemed furious about losing the title to Malenko. However, on his return, he acts friendly but again has a temper tantrum when Malenko gets the pinfall in a tag match they fight against Benoit and Steven Regal. Hopefully this is a beautiful match. Eddie is super opportunist and finally hits the frog splash on Malenko, but covers him cockily and Benoit grabs him with the crossface, so Eddie taps out and Benoit retains
6. WCW World Tag Team Titles: The Outsiders (c) def. The Steiner Brothers by DQ (10 mins)
As we saw earlier in the show, the Steiners have finally won a title shot against the Outsiders, as they never lost the titles in a proper tag match (remember the 4v4v4?). However, they already fought Chono and Muta earlier in the show and Scott got hurt, which spoils their chances even more. So we get the heels assaulting Scott for a few minutes, until Scott hot tags Rick and things get chaotic. Rick bulldogs Hall, but Nash uses a belt for the DQ and the Outsiders cheat again to keep the titles
7. Ric Flair def. Roddy Piper (13 mins)
This will be one of the last Piper matches, if not the very last one that I book, as he stopped being any good or caring after summer 1997 and I don't want to see him age terribly like everyone else does. The two longtime friends have some heat because Flair asked Piper to take care of the Horsemen for him, but Piper says that he agreed to do it one night only and he was victorious, but Flair's guys wasted time arguing with each other rather than fighting the nWo. Arn Anderson tries to prevent the match from happening, but both Flair and Piper are too hot headed not to want to fight now. Flair wins by roll up and they shake hands, thus ending their beef
8. Lex Luger & The Giant def. Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman (w/ Ted DiBiase) (15 mins)
Look, again, this drew and got buzz. So, let's do it. For how much (well deserved) criticism all of them get for not being great in the ring, they dragged Rodman to a decent spectacle. Luger is furious about losing at GAB and wants revenge, while Hogan brings Rodman to show how much the nWo is an influence in the whole world of sport (I think Rodman was a NBA player? lol). Thing is, though, this only works for me if Rodman loses. Hogan is unbeaten in WCW, the babyfaces need a boost, while Rodman is out of the door after this show. Let's protect him as much as he wants, but then Giant chokeslams him and wins while. Hogan can't make the save as Luger blocks him with the rack
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Post by marc91 on Feb 12, 2024 13:37:57 GMT 1
WCW Road Wild 09.08.1997 Anywhere, but not Sturgis 1. Rey Mysterio Jr., Chris Jericho & Juventud Guerrera def. Ultimo Dragon, Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Psicosis (13 mins) Hopefully the six men matches would have generated some interest to keep the division fresh. Everybody raved about the Dragon Gate ones about a decade later, but these boys are definitely not less talented that CIMA and his friends. Mysterio teams up with Juvi and Jericho, against the common enemies of Dragon, Psicosis and Chavito. We get dives, lucha tags, good matwork and it should be a nice mix. Jericho pins Psicosis with the lionsault and wins the match for his team, which is a good nod for him 2. Submission Match: Yuji Nagata def. Dean Malenko (12 mins) By now, Nagata should be quite popular as a midcarder and I think that he has a few decent angle to be involved in, so I want to give him some heat. Nagata targets Malenko, as he lost to the ice man in his debut, but then won all the matches he had since then and now he's ready to get revenge. They hit a few good strikes, Malenko can't apply the cloverleaf this time and so it's Nagata to win thanks to the nagata lock. Malenko can be protected with a taped body due to a previous injury 3. Public Enemy def. Faces of Fear (8 mins) I want to get Public Enemy ready for a title program with the new champions (spoiler lol), so they can pick up a win here and gain some momentum. Rock and Grunge are quite scared of Meng and Barbarian, like they were last time they fought these opponents, but this time they take a more serious approach and use all their tricks to involve tables in the fight. The referee struggles to control the match and doesn't see Rock smashing Barbarian on a table. Rocco rolls Barb in the ring and Grunge pins him 4. WCW United States Title: Chris Benoit (c) def. Eddie Guerrero (16 mins) Eddie gets his one on one rematch and again tries to befriend Benoit, who doesn't seem interested as he claims that he has seen Guerrero's true colours. Guerrero admits that he's a bit jealous of Benoit or Malenko winning at his expenses, but it's cool, it's just been competitive friends. However, Eddie keeps messing with Benoit and plots behind his backs. Benoit is not stupid and refuses to fall for Eddie's mind games, so Eddie works in a full heel mode here and seems so bitter and obsessed with winning. Benoit shows that he's all about competition too and headbutts Eddie to get him off the ropes, then winning with the diving headbutt 5. Curt Hennig def. Steven Regal (12 mins) Sososo. While the Horsemen keep not being 100% on the same side, Hennig has made his debut and doesn't really pick a side: he's not with the nWo, not with the Horsemen, he tagged with DDP as a surprise, but things didn't go well. Flair addresses Hennig's history with him and asks him to be on the Horsemen's side. Hennig keeps a neutral approach, but always talks about being a big fan of the Naitch. He wrestles Regal here and it's a grapple match, not a single punch is thrown: just competitiveness, no aggression. The match ends with Hennig winning with a small package 6. WCW World Tag Team Titles vs. Careers No DQ Match: The Steiner Brothers def. The Outsiders (c) (11 mins) We are finally ready for the blowoff. Hall and Nash have been good in the tag division, elevating the titles and keeping the nWo in power, but they can do more than this and the Steiners would benefit from actually winning the feud, instead of getting buried in the process. Bischoff accepts to sign the match only if the Steiners put their careers on the line and I would create some dissensions between the two brothers, to make people believe they are splitting. Instead, Scott hits a belly to belly suplex on Hall and pins him for the title change 7. Horseman Leadership vs Horseman Membership: Ric Flair def. Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) (15 mins) After taking care of Piper, Flair finally addresses the Jeff Jarrett controversy and blames Jarrett for not being a leader in the ring. He tried to put him in charge while he was gone and that was a huge mistake, because Jeff doesn't have "it". Jarrett blames Regal and Benoit for not following him, then also Flair and Double A for disappearing and not backing him up to keep the guys in line. Flair says that Jarrett's spot in the Horsemen depends from this match, he has a lot to prove: the winner of their match will be the leader of the Horsemen, the loser will have to leave the group. Jarrett looks good, but Flair is the dirtiest in the game and wins with a small package 8. Diamond Dallas Page, The Giant & Lex Luger def. Hollywood Hogan, Randy Savage & "Syxx Sting" (15 mins) This was is built around the fact that the nWo promise a third man, like BATB 1996, to create a lot of hype around this. Contrarily to the year before, however, I don't have a "real" surprise partner and so, 2 weeks before the show, Hogan announces that the third man is... Sting! Of course, we let everybody believe it for a week and then we find out that it's just Syxx dressed as the fake Sting (while he was shorter, he was a great worker and would have fitted the match way better than the "original fake Sting". During the match, "Syxx Sting" gets a baseball bat, but the real Sting arrives to take it from him. Hogan hides, while DDP hits Syxx with a cutter and pins him to win for his team. Sting points the bat towards Hogan and leaves
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Post by Moore on Feb 12, 2024 15:59:36 GMT 1
Wow, hang on. Let's make a rule: you can only post the next PPV after I comment the previous one weekends don't leave me as much space to come here. The Cruiserweights continue to steal the shows and, while not integrated in the division, that 3-way for the United States Championship would rule. You also keep booking celebrities the right way. I like seeing Rodman take the pin and you're also managing to make Luger and Giant interesting for me, which I thought was impossible. Road Wild:Nagata is definitely a cool midcarder. Overall, I think the man's underrated as his prime was simultaneous with NJPW's darkest era, but the guy was one of the first Japanese guys to make it in the big leagues of the US. I'd be happy to see him get a US title run. Hennig added another layer to the Horsemen story. He's definitely a huge asset if you decide to really pair him up with the gang. Regal keeps having interesting matches and losing them, but I can't disagree with it one bit. I'd love to see Public Enemy as hired guns for the nWo in their program with the Steiners before the nWo turn of him and rid them off WCW for good, which is close to happening, right? Btw, I'm a fan of Public Enemy (just like I'm a fan of everything that wasn't supposed to work in ECW, but did and then didn't work anywhere else). Bye, Jarrett, you won't be missed in the Horsemen. Welcome to the nWo (?) Please, take the belt off Hogan or get an International Title or whatever... ok, nevermind, you do you, Syxx Sting is a great idea and, well, Syxx being the fall guy will never get old. Fall Brawl's next... what will we get inside the two caged rings???
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Post by marc91 on Feb 13, 2024 14:49:08 GMT 1
Ha! I know, I feel your pain! I'm trying to post every 3 days at least, I still have 3+ years to go!
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Post by marc91 on Feb 15, 2024 11:49:19 GMT 1
WCW Fall Brawl 14.09.1997 Winston-Salem, NC 1. WCW Cruiserweight Title: Eddie Guerrero def. Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) and Chris Jericho (17 mins)
This match is booked as Mysterio vs Jericho, but Guerrero starts targeting Mysterio before the PPV. Eddie is jealous about losing the US Title, so wants a title shot and Mysterio agrees to give him one, like he's got no choice. Jericho is not happy as it was finally his chance for a title match, while Mysterio says him and Eddie have history that he doesn't want to talk about. The announcers mention how Eddie seems to be obsessed with winning the title he never won when he was in the division in 1995/1996. Guerrero goes full heel during the build, he hits Mysterio with a low blow and a frog splash to win the title
2. The Blue Bloods def. Mortis & Wrath (7 mins) Taylor and Eaton are next in line for a title shot and by now you kind of know what the strategy is, building momentum around a team and let them win a few matches before they can challenge for the belts at the following PPV. I'm not particularly excited about the Mortis/Wrath pairing, but it should be decent enough if he doesn't go too long. Plus this will be handy when Kanyon will show up. Mortis and Wrath are a babyface geek team, no Glacier sci-fi non sense, and Eaton pins Wrath with the brainbuster
3. Yuji Nagata def. Ultimo Dragon (12 mins) Nagata keeps winning matches, here he faces fellow Japanese wrestler Ultimo Dragon. After a good heel run, Dragon is now a familiar face and so I would turn him babyface. Nagata can aggressively get some heat on Dragon and announce that he's here to bring Japanese wrestling on top of the USA, not to fit in and change its habits. They had a real feud that was okay when Sonny Onoo didn't manage to ruin it, Nagata wins the match with the nagata lock
4. Mexican Street Fight: Juventud Guerrera def. Psicosis (13 mins) This is their blowoff, they have been feuding for like 6 months and we finally see the end of it on PPV. We can cut pre-tape promos and they can both show their desire to become a star, feed their families and make them proud. They have a lot in common, on screen and not, but they just can't get along and there can only be one winner. Hopefully fans would care enough about this midcard feud. Juvi debuts the juvi driver and pins Psicosis to win the match and the feud
5. WCW World Tag Team Titles: The Steiner Brothers (c) def. Public Enemy (9 mins) The Enemies get a shot and it's a first time ever pairing. The Steiners just got the belts and have no intention of dropping them, while the Enemies keep provoking the current champions and say that, while Rick and Scott are universally known for changing the division, they revolutionized the underground hardcore world. The Enemies talk about 1995 when the Steiners were in ECW and then quickly ran away because they knew they couldn't hang. Scott retains with a roll up on Grunge
6. The Giant def. Scott Norton (5 mins) Giant and Nash keep feuding and Giant wants a match against him, but Bischoff refuses to sign it because he's not confident about Nash being able to beat Giant. Norton is around for this PPV, so we can feed him to the Giant. Norton gets to squash a few jobbers and look impressive, he was never really beaten too much, but of course it will be a different story against Giant. Their match was decent all considered, Norton tries to break his opponent's arm, but Giant chokeslams him twice and pins him to win
7. #1 Contender: Diamond Dallas Page def. Lex Luger and Randy Savage (15 mins) DDP and Savage continue their feud, that is gradually taking Page closer and closer to the main event scene. They crossed paths with Luger at Road Wild and, since they all have some of the best wins/losses track records of the year, Bischoff makes a triple threat and puts a title shot on the line. Not only this calms Savage, who's always tough to get along with, but Luger and DDP argue in the build and this makes WCW weaker. Savage hits the diving elbowdrop on Luger, but DDP hits a sudden cutter and pins him to win the match and the title shot at Halloween Havoc
8. Stable vs Nitro Control War Games: The Outsiders, Syxx & Curt Hennig (sub. for Jeff Jarrett) def. Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Steven Regal & Jeff Jarrett (sub. for Curt Hennig) (20 mins) The powerplay is getting deeper and deeper, so Bischoff decides to get a deal with the WCW board of directors. nWo will fight the Horsemen in a War Games match. If the nWo win, Nitro will become nWo Nitro with a dark theme etc. and he gets even more control on the program. If WCW win, the nWo will disband once and for all. Flair says that the Horsemen have been ruling WCW since 1988 and so they will do the same here, finally getting rid of the nWo. The Wolfpac want to discuss business with Bischoff as they are not 100% happy, but he begs them to do it after War Games, so there are some issues in the nWo. Problems also arise in the Horsemen, of course, as they have been shaking all year long. After the Road Wild match, Jarrett is out of the team and Flair asks Hennig to join them. Hennig, who proclaimed being neutral, accepts due to the respect he has for Flair. Bischoff reacts by recruiting Jarrett, that can't wait to kick Flair's ass to get revenge. The match is on and the Horsemen have the advantage, for the happiness of the North Carolina crowd. The fourth nWo member arrives and it's Jarrett... but he sides with the Horsemen instead! Flair celebrates for outsmarting the nWo! The last man, Hennig, shows up and the Horsemen are 5v3 up now... but he sides with the nWo, so the WCW swerve has been reversed! Hennig does the famous spot of smashing the cage on Flair's head and Jarrett quits to save Flair, so the nWo win and they are now directing Nitro as well
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Post by Moore on Feb 15, 2024 16:28:00 GMT 1
Banger to start the show and it seems clear that Guerrero and Misterio's Halloween Havoc classic will also be booked by you, while Y2J is possibly moving to better things?
The international flavor is more present in your diary than ever before. Nagata/Dragon's feud is refreshing as we weren't treated to many interesting programmes between Heavyweights and Juniors in Japan. Juvi vs. Psicosis ending in a Mexican Street Fight is fun to keep them both busy.
I'm not a huge fan of DDP, but I'm cool with him getting some title shots here and then as he's a cool babyface to feud with the not-so-cool nWo you're booking. It made perfect sense that Macho Man took the pin.
I'm shocked as I expected all but Double J to make peace with The Horsemen. The War Games lineup you've given us is amazing and I'd love to see it take place. Hennig joins nWo which does make sense. IRL, Hennig became irrelevant in the nWo as he seemed just another guy who's mostly in nWo to lose major matches. I hope you don't do that!
Hollywood Nitro is going to be cool.
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Post by marc91 on Feb 18, 2024 18:19:15 GMT 1
Quick note: with nWo winning War Games, now we get nWo Nitro with a black set and all kind of shenanigans. Tony Schiavone is bullied and still announcing with Ted DiBiase, while Larry Zybszko gets taken off the booth and he's upset about it. Just like in any good movie, this is the most dramatic part before our heroes start their comeback
Quick note 2.0: Kevin Nash is injured around this time and I am in need to milk things before his match with Giant, so Giant chokeslams him through a table to get him injured. Giant does the same to Syxx (who is written out of TV for good), so Eric Bischoff also suspends Giant for 30 days as a punishment. This kind of freezes the issues that the Wolfpac is having with the nWo
Quick note 3.0: with nWo now basically running WCW, Eric Bischoff gives Sting and ultimatum: he has 30 days to decide if he's with the nWo or against them. If he's with them, he will give him a pay rise and he will use him to tour the world for them while Hollywood Hogan is making movies (like the Space Jam deal!), he will be the second in command behind Hogan. If he's against them, he will keep him out of action indefinitely and Sting won't be able to defend his beloved WCW
WCW Halloween Havoc 26.10.1997
Las Vegas, NV
1. Rey Mysterio Jr., Juventud Guerrera & Dean Malenko def. Chavo Guerrero Jr., Psicosis & Gedo (15 mins) The trios action in the cruiserweight division continues. The babyface team consists of Mysterio and Malenko on the same side after their long 1996 feud, along with the hot Juvi. The heels are Chavo, Psicosis and Gedo. Psicosis and Juventud had a long feud as well, while Chavo and Gedo are kind of outsiders in this match. They get enough time to have a nice opener, we have some of the best Juniors of the late 90s here. Mysterio pins Gedo with the hurricanrana to give the victory to his team
2. Curt Hennig def. Steven Regal (11 mins) After the evil betrayal of Fall Brawl, Hennig of course joins nWo and says that Bischoff paid him a lot of money for him to get out of retirement and pretend he was still Ric Flair's friend, before turning his back on him. Flair sells the cage door spot, he's in hospital with a concussion and not seen in WCW for several weeks. With Jeff Jarrett also gone for good (the nWo beat him down on Nitro), Regal and Benoit are here to defend Flair. Regal and Hennig have a hard hitting match, Hennig kicks Regal low and wins with the perfectplex
3. The Blue Bloods (w/ Fit Finlay) def. Harlem Heat (8 mins) Harlem Heat are on a winning streak after getting revenge on the Amazing French Canadians and running them out of WCW, however the Blue Bloods get in their way and they also joined by the returning Fit Finlay, who is here after a long injury and is determined to inflict as much pain as he received. The teams get on a collision on their way to a title shot. The Steiners interfere to stop Finlay, but the referee gets distracted and doesn't see Eaton rolling up Booker in an illegal way to pin him
4. WCW Cruiserweight Title: Eddie Guerrero (c) def. Chris Jericho (15 mins) So, Eddie won the cruiserweight title and keeps bullying Rey Mysterio Jr., who for some reason never publicly talks about Guerrero and doesn't say a word on him, despite still wanting the title. On the other hand, Jericho is upset because Eddie ruined his title shot that he worked so much for. Jericho gets his chance finally and we tell the story of Jericho getting into Mexico and not getting along with Eddie (it's in their books), which Eddie took as disrespect from the young punk. Jericho gets close to getting the victory, but Eddie hits him with the title and then pins him
5. WCW World Tag Team Titles Tables Match: The Steiner Brothers (c) def. Public Enemy (10 mins) Public Enemy is not happy about their loss at the previous PPV and keep provoking the champions, who in their mind want to move on and face Harlem Heat (on a winning streak before tonight). Rock and Grunge keep talking sh!t about the Steiners not being able to beat them in a tables match, as they are undefeated in this kind of match. Bischoff actually wanted the Outsiders to get a shot, but Nash got injured and so is happy to book this to see them all getting hurt. The Steiners retain when Scott smashes Rock on a table with a frankensteiner
6. WCW United States Title: Chris Benoit (c) def. Yuji Nagata (12 mins) Benoit is a fighting US champion and, while he wants to get revenge on Curt Hennig for what happened at Fall Brawl, at the moment he's occupied with Nagata, who is on a winning streak and looks like a threat to the title reign. Nagata has been winning a lot of matches by submission and Bischoff has him as a hired gun to take care of Benoit (so somebody can also cut a promo for the challenger, even though he wasn't in nWo Japan). This should be a nice match. Benoit counters the nagata lock into the crossface and retains by submission
7. Randy Savage & Scott Hall def. Lex Luger & Roddy Piper (13 mins) Piper was available here, but a third match with Hogan is not a good idea. So, he can join forces with WCW's Luger and they fight the nWo contingent of Savage and Hall, who did quite well as a tag in 1997. Savage is still obsessed with DDP, while Hall and Luger have an advanced feud and Piper simply wants to create as many issues as he can to the nWo. Piper is taking time off again after this, so he can drop the fall here and put over the nWo on their way to Starrcade. Savage hits an elbowdrop, with the help of a chair, on Piper and pins him
8. WCW World Heavyweight Title: Hollywood Hogan (c) def. Diamond Dallas Page (13 mins) I ideally didn't want DDP to get a title shot this early, but let's look at the alternatives: we know what I'm doing with Sting; Luger had his; Giant too; Piper did it twice; Flair is injured; the nWo is at its peak and so there won't be a heel vs heel match. This is the only suitable option I have, the other one is not to have a Hogan match at all, but Havoc is an important event. We tell the story of DDP finally becoming a WCW star after years of progression and refusing to joining the nWo when his old friends asked. After War Games, where he won a title shot, Bischoff gives him one last chance to join them. It's either an assured future with them or a mere chance to win the World Title... and DDP chooses the second option, much to Bischoff's disapproval (Nash wanted Bischoff to recruit DDP, but then he's out injured). Of course, DDP is still feuding with Savage, who wants to destroy Page, but Hogan gets very funny about it and says that he can handle Page by himself. For some reason, they built and built this match in 1997/8 without running it as a singles match... I mean, it won't be a masterpiece, but surely better and fresher than a third Hogan vs Piper?! DDP gives its all, but the numbers game is too big to overcome and Hogan retains after a legdrop
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Post by marc91 on Feb 22, 2024 18:07:12 GMT 1
- Quick note: the 30 days are up for Sting and Eric Bischoff asks him about his future on Nitro. Sting doesn't say a word, but ends up nodding to Bischoff and implying he's with him. Bischoff is on cloud nine and says that Sting will return to the ring at some point as a nWo member
- Quick note 2.0: so, the whole world knows that Bret Hart got signed after it leaked out and the screwjob happens. Remember, his WCW contract actually started on December 1st, so no appearance yet
- Quick note 3.0: what about Raven? He makes his debut, with promos and segments, but he has a no-compete and then gets injured so he can't wrestle at Starrcade anyway. So I will postpone his in ring debut altogether, as they used him in a real annoying way at the beginning of his run
WCW World War 3 23.11.1997
Auburn Hills, MI
1. WCW United States Title: Chris Benoit (c) def. Fit Finlay (16 mins) This ruled in 2006, so giving them tons of time in 1997 seems like a no brainer to me. The Blue Bloods are getting a bit of momentum and target the midcard titles, but they keep antagonising Benoit and their former leader Steven Regal. Benoit knows Finlay from previous European matches and is sure that he will get out of this match with a black eye at the very least, but still with the title. Regal appears to stop any run in, Benoit retains with the crippler crossface. By the way, Raven is watching the match and leaves as soon as Benoit applies the crossface (like he knew the match was going to end there)
2. WCW World Tag Team Titles: The Steiner Brothers (c) def. The Blue Bloods (7 mins) After Finlay failed to capture the US Title, it's time for Eaton and Taylor to try and get some gold for their stable. The Steiners are dominant champions, but they are having some issues with Harlem Heat, as they costed them a title shot and this is creating arguments between Booker T and Stevie Ray, who have been getting along for years now. In the meantime, the challengers do their best to ground the champions, but Rick pins Eaton after the top rope bulldog and retains
3. WCW Cruiserweight Title: Eddie Guerrero (c) def. Rey Mysterio Jr. and Ultimo Dragon (13 mins) There is something cooking between Eddie and Mysterio, but we still don't know much about it. Guerrero plays it like they are friends and allies, but it's clear that he's either blackmailing or bullying poor Rey Rey, who refuses to disclose the nature of their issues. Both Mysterio and Dragon get a title shot and Eddie wants Mysterio to help him retaining, so it's almost a handicap match. Mysterio grows tired of this and tries to win the match. Eddie is taken off guard, but still retains by pinning Dragon with a frog splash, while Mysterio is knocked out
4. No Disqualification Match: Curt Hennig def. Ric Flair (12 mins) Flair comes back from his injury and, while his whole mission is to destroy the nWo, his main focus now is Hennig as he tried to destroy his face and his career with the cage door spot. Hennig cuts the expected promos of him carrying Flair and never getting the money or the recognition he deserved etc. Flair also misses a few Nitro due to "security concerns", which should make his comeback even more hyped as people can't wait to see him getting revenge. However, Bischoff interferes and Hennig hits Flair low before winning with the perfectplex
5. World War III: Sting wins by last eliminating Scott Hall (23 mins) PARTICIPANTS: Alex Wright, Barry Darsow, Big Bubba, Billy Kidman, Booker T, Brad Armstrong, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Chris Adams, Chris Jericho, Ciclope, Curt Hennig, Damien, Dean Malenko, Diamond Dallas Page, El Dandy, Greg Valentine, Hector Garza, Johnny Grunge, Juventud Guerrera, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Meng, Mortis, nWo Sting, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Rocco Rock, Saturn, Scott Hall, Scotty Riggs, Silver King, Steven Regal, Stevie Ray, Super Calo, The Barbarian, The Giant, Villano IV, Villano V, Wrath, and Yuji Nagata
As Hogan is the champion, Bischoff's plan is to eliminate all the challengers and then for the nWo guys to face off, with the winner getting the ultimate honour to face Hogan at Starrcade. So, the nWo guys don't start the match with everybody else and stay away as a cheap tactic for them to have an easy life in this match, thanks to Bischoff allowing this. Jericho and Malenko seem to be on the same side during the match, Jericho however tries to eliminate Malenko and so the iceman does it before Jericho can. The "final four" is: DDP, Giant, Flair and Luger and this is when Bischoff tells the nWo guys to join the ring: Hennig, nWo Sting, Savage, Nash and Hall. The nWo has a 5-4 man advantage here and, contrarily to the WCW guys, they are fresh. Flair is eliminated by Hennig and Hall, with Bischoff making fun of Flair. However, Savage ruins the plan by demanding DDP is all his and tells the others not to touch him: Page surprises Macho with a cutter and they brawl, so they both get eliminated to ruin nWo's momentum. It's 4-2, Giant and Luger bump fist but they are clearly outnumbered here. Flair lowblows Hennig before leaving ringside, allowing Luger to eliminate him. The nWo focuses on Giant, as he's the biggest man, and manage to eliminate him when Nash lowers the rope a lot, so the others don't have to lift Giant that much. Luger is facing Hall, Nash and nWo Sting, who goes face to face with him. Luger smirks and jumps out of the ring (I am kind of stealing this from the Jericho/Malenko 1998 angle), Hall and Nash celebrate Luger's surrendering, but nWo Sting reveals himself as the real Sting! Sting quickly eliminates Nash and Hall to win the match! Bischoff screams that this wasn't supposed to happen, while Sting is staring at the crowd without celebrating
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Post by marc91 on Feb 26, 2024 18:42:56 GMT 1
WCW Starrcade 28.12.1997
Washington, DC
1. Six Way Mayhem: Chris Jericho def. Ultimo Dragon, Dean Malenko, Juventud Guerrera, Chavo Guerero Jr. and Psicosis (12 mins) The cruiserweights have been an important part of my PPVs this year, populating the card with more than one match most of the time. Six way mayhem pretty much means 2 competitors in the ring, 1 on each corner for a total of 6, with lucha tags to keep the action fresh at all times. There are a lot of feuds and dynamics between all of them, the latest being a frustrated Jericho turning heel on Malenko. On the go home show, Malenko, Dragon and Juvi defeat Jericho, Chavito and Psicosis in a 3v3. At the PPV, there is a series of dives and Malenko has Chavo in a cloverleaf, but Jericho dropkicks him and takes over Chavo with a walls of jericho. Chavo taps out and Jericho gets the upsetting victory
2. Goldberg def. Fit Finlay (3 mins) We get a really rare impromptu match here, I believed I never did one on any WCW PPV so far. Of course, I have the power of hindsight and I know that this worked because it was organic and not forced down the fans' throat. I would normally do vignettes of Goldberg to push him and hype his arrival, but nope. Finlay launches an open challenge and Goldie just arrives, being recognised as a power plant guy that we know nothing about. Just like his "real" match with Hugh Morrus, Goldberg completely overpowers his opponent (Finlay is still a decent midcarder that fought for the US Title a bunch of times) and goes over clean with the jackhammer. Goldie looks at the camera and shows the number "1", refusing to cut an interview
3. WCW United States Title: Chris Benoit (c) def. Saturn (w/ Raven) (12 mins) I have briefly touched on Raven, as his contract and injury unfortunately prevent him from being a regular in ring wrestler in 1997. After World War III, he keeps staring and watching Benoit's matches, saying that the US Title represents America and the society he hates, people like Benoit who pretend to be good citizens, but have a lot of sins: in Benoit's case, he slept around and lied about it, being an impostor on an "elite" group like the Horsemen. Benoit wants Raven, but Raven has his lackey Saturn and he's the one to face Benoit here as he refuses to fight (again, he's injured). Saturn is still undefeated, as he recently debuted and won all his matches so far. Raven doesn't interfere, just watches the match. Saturn is put over as a threat, but Benoit reverses the ring of saturn and retains with a small package
4. WCW World Tag Team Titles: The Steiner Brothers (c) def. Harlem Heat (8 mins) Definitely the match on the card that doesn't mean too much, as it's a quite flat challenge, but a needed step to go where we need. The Steiners are still representing WCW and are a success story, while Harlem Heat have been in the backseat for too long. Booker is mad at Bischoff, implying that he doesn't support them because of their heritage; Stevie, however, sucks up to the matchmaker and says they would love to join the nWo. So, we get the basis for their split, as the Steiners appreciate Booker and they don't like Stevie (but, of course, Booker will step up for his brother during the feud). Scott pins Booker with a belly to belly to retain and Stevie blames Booker after the match, but Booker finally punches him
5. Steel Cage Match: Diamond Dallas Page (w/ Kimberly) def. Randy Savage (w/ Elizabeth) (16 mins) This is the blowoff of their feud that has lasted for almost a year. Savage is becoming quite unstable and even unwanted by the nWo at times, he cuts a crazy promo on Nitro saying that DDP/Kimberly is the fake Macho/Liz pairing that Bischoff tried to build before he finally decided to actually pay and bring in the original Macho Man. Savage wants a cage match to punish Page and he's rather forceful in his request, even though Bischoff prefers a normal match so the nWo can run it. At the end, Hogan convinces Bischoff to book it on the condition that Macho is now on his own for this match. Kimberly appears during the match to attack Elizabeth and Savage changes gear, as he tries to escape the cage to help Liz. However, he climbs it slowly and DDP hits him with a cutter from the top of the cage. They are both down and DDP crawls out from the door, winning the match
6. WCW Cruiserweight Title vs Mask: Rey Mysterio Jr. def. Eddie Guerrero (c) (14 mins) Rey Rey discloses his story with Eddie, his uncle Rey Mysterio Sr. apparently owed the Guerrero family and asked his nephew to always be there for them and supportive, they continuously asked for favours and especially Eddie took advantage of it. Rey Rey reveals Eddie helped him getting in WCW and was getting jealous seeing him winning the Cruiserweight Title straight away, because Eddie didn't win it when he tried and the word in Mexico was that Mysterio was better than Eddie. Rey Rey didn't want war with Eddie, because in his country this means messing with wrestling royalty, but he's tired of this and wants to stand up for himself. Eddie dares Mysterio to put his mask on the line for a title shot and Mysterio reluctantly accepted. They stole the show at Halloween Havoc, let's do it man it's a no brainer. Mysterio hits a great hurricanrana from the top rope to regain the title
7. Kevin Nash def. The Giant (10 mins) First thing first, Nash skipped the show because of a "heart scare". It's 2024 and Nash is still alive, safe to say he would have been fine? I never break the injury rules, but come on. It's a first time ever and this has been built as giant vs giant. They have wrestled a few times in tag matches or other combinations, but never one on one and Nash has always tried to avoid going face to face with Giant, unless he had the upper hand already. Giant suggests that he was recruited in the nWo to be the muscle guy, as Nash can't get the job done, but Nash replies that he was picked because he has no brain and they used him to their advantage. The nWo is not having its best days and Nash is not happy with Bischoff, who begs him to postpone their discussion as Starrcade is too important for their future. Nash stops a chokeslam with a lowblow and jacknifes Giant to win, ending up dropping him on his neck like it happened on Souled Out 1998
8. Control vs Control Street Fight: Ric Flair, Lex Luger & Larry Zbyszko def. Eric Bischoff, Scott Hall & Curt Hennig (13 mins) So, one thing every company always mess up is the "power play" feud and what the stakes are. After Fall Brawl, this is the state of the nWo: nWo wrestlers are not directly signed by WCW (since DiBiase signed him in 1996); Bischoff is the matchmaker (Uncensored 4v4v4 victory); WCW Nitro is now called nWo Nitro (due to War Games). Basically, Ted Turner and company still own WCW, but they can't control the nWo guys, Bischoff makes the matches and the show is called nWo Nitro, so there is a lot of bias. JJ Dillon appears as a member of the board to offer a double or nothing deal: nWo will put all the 3 benefits quoted above at stake here and WCW will simply put the ownership. TL:DR, if nWo wins: things stay the same, but nWo also owns the company and so they have way more money and control; if WCW wins the 3 benefits disappear: so Bischoff is the matchmaker no more, Nitro returns to be WCW themed and the nWo wrestlers will be under a normal WCW contract. Clear?
Who's in this match? Flair of course represents WCW, along with Luger. nWo has Hall and Hennig (which makes sense, because the feuds are Flair vs Hennig and Hall vs Luger). Also, JJ Dillon dares Bischoff to participate too and Bischoff accepts thinking he'll be facing JJ, but it's Larry Zbyszko instead, who's furious about being used just as an interviewer since nWo took over the show (I didn't care for this angle, but he got over so why not). It's a street fight to better suit the mess, Vince vs Shane from Mania X-Seven is my idea of great overbooking and this would try to emulate that. Flair submits Bischoff to the figure four and WCW gets their stuff back (but they still have the World Title)
9. WCW World Heavyweight Title: Sting def. Hollywood Hogan (c) (12 mins) Quick recap: Sting was suspended from in ring competition by Bischoff over a year ago, Bischoff apparently did to motivate Sting's return, but we later found out that he was trying to get rid of him. After a year of Sting staying kind of neutral, remember Sting apparently joining the nWo and nodding to Bischoff? Well, what JJ Dillon explains (Sting doesn't do any talking) is that "Sting" was signed up in the World War III and that there is only one Sting, the real one. So, he won the match and he's the real contender. Bischoff has no choice and signs the match: "Sting" won the WW3 and, even if it was the fake Sting, WCW could sue Bischoff because they own the rights for the character Sting (why was this not done??) and, to drop the lawsuit, Bischoff has to accept the match anyway. Hogan, of course, is scared of Sting and always dodged him, despite calling him a coward for 18 months. The nWo beat down Sting on the go home show just to get more heat and yes, the match finally happens. It's Sting's return to the company, against Hogan (who is 3.5 years unbeaten in WCW and has been the champion for 1.5 years). They fight, and the match is crap as in real life most likely, but then Hogan punches the referee... and the nWo referee Nick Patrick comes down! Hogan laughs, but.... BRET HART appears from the crowd and punches Patrick to stop him from getting into the ring and being the referee! Bret leaves the area, but then the whole WCW roster joins ringside... the nWo guys decide not to go, as they are of course outnumbered big time. The match goes on with the normal referee and Sting uses the deathdrop to win. After 3 years and a half, Hogan loses his first match in WCW and Sting takes the title from the nWo after 18 months of dominance
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Post by marc91 on Mar 5, 2024 11:52:57 GMT 1
Quick note: due to their Starrcade victory, WCW is now back in power and JJ Dillon is the new matchmaker. The nWo is still alive (now just a normal stable in WCW), but is having issues like they did at their peak at the end of 1997: the Outsiders are furious about Eric Bischoff firing X-Pac; Randy Savage goes crazy after losing the DDP feud and gets suspended; Ted DiBiase is fired for all of his contract scams; Hollywood Hogan just goes home after his loss to Sting, despite Bischoff begging him to stay
WCW Souled Out 24.01.1998 Dayton, OH
1. WCW Cruiserweight Title: Chris Jericho def. Rey Mysterio (c), Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero (18 mins) At Starrcade, Jericho screwed Malenko to win a match, while also Mysterio won the belt from Eddie. We have lots of feuds and dynamics here: Jericho turning on Malenko; Eddie having influence on Mysterio; Mysterio and Malenko now on the same side; Malenko and Eddie former best friends. This has all the ingredients to be a great opener, maybe one of the best ever in my WCW history. They go all out and, like at the real show, Jericho uses Mysterio’s injury to submit him to the walls of Jericho and win the title
2. Booker T def. Rick Martel (11 mins) Martel’s quick WCW run in 1998 absolutely ruled and it’s a shame that an injury ruined it. However, he's still here for a bit and so I might as well do the Booker match because it was a good one. After Starrcade, Harlem Heat just splits and (like Hart and Neidhart), there is so much gap between Booker and Stevie Ray that I won’t even bother doing a feud. A match between them would suck, like any other Stevie Ray match. Martel gets heat for diminishing Booker, but Book wins the match with scissor kick
3. WCW World Tag Team Titles: The Steiner Brothers (c) def. Chris Adams & Bobby Eaton (w/ Fit Finlay and Dave Taylor) (8 mins) Fit Finlay is taking deeper control of the Blue Blood group, also adding Chris Adams to the stable and talking about how European wrestlers are just too good (Eaton claims his British heritage made him who he is). They challenge the Steiners and Finlay lets his guys handle this for now. The Steiners are too good for the challengers, despite all the interferences from the other stabele members. Scott hits a belly to belly on Eaton and pins him, so the Steiners manage to retain the titles again
4. WCW United States Title: Chris Benoit (c) def. Raven (w/ Madusa, Saturn, Kidman and Kanyon) by DQ (12 mins) Raven is finally able to fight, his injury has gone. In storyline, Dillon is not as corrupted as Bischoff and so he forces Raven to fight Benoit if he wants to keep his contract, as Raven kept targeting the US champion. Raven has also formed his Flock, with outcasts Madusa, Saturn, Kidman and Kanyon all following his cult. This would be a good match, but the feud has still a lot of time to go and I don’t want to beat Raven on his debut match. Raven uses a chair and gets disqualified, but of all people DDP makes the save for Benoit
5. Juventud Guerrera, Super Calo & Lizmark Jr. def. Chavo Guerrero Jr., El Dandy & Psychosis (10 mins) A good old six men lucha match: quick, good, some nice spots, not too long. What’s not to love? Eddie Guerrero gets at ringside during this and seems quite annoyed by the whole thing, even when fans celebrate some high spots he doesn’t take it too well. There is a reason, but again it’s a long angle, so this only gets teased here. In the ring, Juventud is getting the upper hand as I want him to get a title shot, so he gets the hot tag and pins Dandy after the juvi driver. Again, Eddie looks disgusted
6. #1 Contender Falls Count Anywhere: Scott Hall def. Lex Luger and Diamond Dallas Page (w/ Kimberly) (13 mins) The Hall/Luger feud continues and they are both put in this contender match, as they both want to win singles gold. Also, DDP gets added to the mix and promises that, after winning the Randy Savage feud, 1998 will be the year he finally becomes world champion. The stipulation and heat should make this decent, at least I hope. DDP is kind of on Luger’s side, but also Hall reminds him how they used to be best friends. DDP hits Luger with the cutter, but Hall quickly pins Luger and wins the match
7. Bret Hart def. Ric Flair (16 mins) So, Bret debuted at Starrcade during the main event to stop the referee scam for the nWo and says that, after what happened to him in Montreal, he wants to make sure WCW will never screw somebody else out of the title (Sting nods in appreciation, but him and Bret are not friends). Flair is happy about Bret being in WCW, but they do the good promo they had on Nitro and keep arguing about who is the best in the world. With the nWo currently regrouping, they agree to fight here. I liked the match, so let’s keep it the way it was. Bret wins with the sharpshooter and then they shake hands
8. WCW World Heavyweight Title: Sting (c) def. Kevin Nash (13 mins) Sting has finally won the title for WCW at Starrcade, causing Hogan to throw a fit and go home. Nash steps up and gets a title shot after winning the match with Giant, injuring him after such a dangerous jacknife. Nash vows to do the same with Sting and says that finally there is nobody holding him back in the nWo. Nash also refuses to let Eric Bischoff or anybody else at ringside for him, so it’s just him against Sting. Nash looks good and seems ready to hit the jacknife, but Sting slips away from his shoulders and hits him with the scorpion deathdrop to retain the title
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