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Post by Beejus on Mar 7, 2020 16:35:11 GMT 1
(Originally posted August 1, 2019) WCW: September 1st, 2001  Company Information
WCW Owner: Eric Bischoff10% WCW Shareholder: Shane McMahon (shhhhhhhh….)Founded: December 1988Size: CultWorld Ranking: 2ndFigurehead: GoldbergNational Battle Listings (USA)Not yet eligible for National Battles3,948 pointsGoldberg (961), Scott Steiner (777), Ric Flair (748), Booker T (741), Sting (721)BroadcastingEventsAnnouncers: Mike Tenay, Scott Hudson, & Arn AndersonProviders and Timeslots: Comcast (Pay-Per-View, Late Evening); Dish Mexico (Pay-Per-View, Late Evening); Sky Sports 3 (Subscription, Late Evening); Foxtel (Subscription, Late Evening)WCW Friday NitroAirs: FridayAnnouncers: Mike Tenay, Scott Hudson, & Arn AndersonProviders/Channels and Timeslots: Comcast (Pay-Per-View, Late Evening); Dish Mexico (Pay-Per-View, Late Evening); MTV Europe (Commercial, Late Evening); tv asahi (Commercial, Late Night); Ten Network Australia (Commercial, Late Night)
WCW Championships
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Current Champion: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner Held Since: November 26, 2000 (WCW Mayhem) Previous Champion: Booker T  WCW World Tag Team Championships Current 3-Time Champions: Mark Jindrak (3) & Sean O’Haire (4) Held Since: March 26, 2001 (WCW Nitro) Previous Champions: Lance Storm and Shawn Stasiak  WCW United States Championship Current Champion: Booker T Held Since: July 15, 2001 (WCW Bash at the Beach: Lust for the Gold) Previous Champion: Jeff Jarrett  WCW X Division Championship Current Champion: Billy Kidman Held Since: July 15, 2001 (WCW Bash at the Bash: Lust for the Gold) Previous Champion: Konnan
On-Screen Authority Figures
WCW Owner/Operator: Eric Bischoff
Active Roster
Managers Daffney (Vampiro and Kanyon) – Jenna Jameson (Scott Steiner) – Jimmy Snuka (Jimmy Snuka Jr.) – Leia Meow (Yoshihiro Tajiri and Yang) – Madusa (Shane Douglas) – Midajah (Lex Luger) – Stacy Kiebler (Chuck Palumbo)
WCW Broadcast Team
WCW Officials Charles Robinson – Mark Johnson – Nick Patrick – Rudy Charles
Backstage Road Agents
Fit Finlay – Harley Race – Jerry Jarrett – Paul Orndorff
Absent from Television Shawn Stasiak (NWA: Wildside)
WCW Creative Meeting
Franchise Players 1. Goldberg 2. Ric Flair 3. Scott Steiner 4. Booker T 5. Sting
Next Big Things 1. Mark Jindrak 2. Shane Helms
Hot Prospects 1. Rey Mysterio Jr. 2. Yang 3. Mark Jindrak 4. Reno 5. Jamie Knoble
Talk the Talk 1. Ric Flair 2. Booker T 3. Dusty Rhodes 4. Scott Steiner 5. Goldberg
Show Stoppers 1. Rey Mysterio Jr. 2. Booker T 3. Scott Steiner 4. Goldberg 5. AJ Styles
Ring Generals 1. Rey Mysterio Jr. 2. Lance Storm 3. Jeff Jarrett 4. Chavo Guerrero Jr. 5. Shane Douglas
Time Decline 1. Ric Flair 2. Bam Bam Bigelow 3. Lex Luger 4. Rick Steiner 5. Sting
Hidden Gems 1. Ken Anderson 2. Joey Ryan 3. Trent Acid 4. Kevin Steen 5. Johnny Swinger |
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Post by Beejus on Mar 7, 2020 16:50:39 GMT 1
(Originally posted on August 1, 2019)WWF: September 1st, 2001  Company InformationChairman: Vince McMahonCEO: Linda McMahon25% Share of the WWF: Shane McMahon25% Share of the WWF: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
Founded: December 1963Size: InternationalWorld Ranking: 1stFigurehead: Triple HNational Battle Listings (USA)4,240 pointsThe Rock (1,000), Steve Austin (980), The Undertaker (798), Triple H (731), Kurt Angle (731)Broadcasting
EventsAnnouncers: Jim Ross & Paul HeymanProviders and Timeslots: DirecTV (Pay-Per-View, Evening); Viewer’s Choice (Pay-Per-View, Evening); Sky Box Office (Pay-Per-View, On Demand); Canal Digital (Pay-Per-View, On Demand); Main Event (Pay-Per-View, Afternoon)WWF RAW is WAR
Airs: Monday
Announcers: Jim Ross & Paul Heyman
Channels and Timeslots: TNN (Commercial, Prime Time); TSN (Commercial, Prime Time); Sky Sports 1 (Subscription, Early Evening); Foxtel (Subscription, Early Evening)
WWF SmackDown!
Airs: Thursday
Announcers: Michael Cole & Tazz
Channels and Timeslots: UPN (Commercial, Prime Time); The Score (Commercial, Evening); Sky Sports 1 (Subscription, Early Evening); Foxtel (Subscription, Early Evening)
WWF Jakked
Airs: Saturday
Announcers: Jonathan Coachman & Al Snow
Channels and Timeslots: Syndication (Free-to-Air, Graveyard)WWF HEaT
Airs: Sunday
Announcers: Michael Cole & Tazz
Channels and Timeslots: MTV (Commercial, Late Evening); Sky Sports 1 (Subscription, Early Evening); Sportsnet East (Commercial, Late Night); Foxtel (Subscription, Late Night)
Non-Exclusive WWF Championships Undisputed WWF Championship Current 5-Time Champion: Triple H Held Since: August 19, 2001 (WWF SummerSlam) Previous Champion: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin  WWF World Tag Team Championships Current Champions: Scott Hall (1) & Kevin Nash (3) Held Since: August 19, 2001 (WWF SummerSlam) Previous Champions: The Dudley Boyz Triple H, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash will appear on both brands until losing their championship; after that, they will replace the new champion on that brand.
WWF RAW is WAR
Owner of RAW is WAR Brand: Shane McMahon
Brand Exclusive Championships
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Current 2-Time Champion: Edge
Held Since: August 19, 2001 (WWF SummerSlam)
Previous Champion: William Regal
WWF Hardcore Championship
Current 3-Time Champion: Rob Van Dam
Held Since: August 21 (aired August 23), 2001 (WWF SmackDown!)
Previous Champion: D’Lo Brown
Superstars
Al Snow – Albert – The Big Boss Man – The Big Show – Bradshaw – “Y2J” Chris Jericho – The Dudley Boyz: Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley – Edge – Haku – Hardcore Holly – Ivory – Jacqueline – Jazz – Justin Credible – Kane – Molly Holly – Raven – Rhyno – Rico Constantino – Rob Van Dam – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – Team X-Treme: Matt & Jeff Hardy & Lita – Trish Stratus
Managers
Debra (appears backstage with Steve Austin) – The Big Boss Man (manages Rico Constantino)
Broadcast Team
Howard “The Fink” Finkel – “J.R.” Jim Ross – Jonathan “Coach” Coachman – Paul Heyman – Terri
Officials
Earl Hebner – Jack Doan – Teddy Long – Tim White
WWF SmackDown!Owner of SmackDown! Brand: Mr. Vince McMahon
Brand Exclusive Championships
WWF European Championship
Current 3-Time Champion: William Regal
Held Since: August 21 (aired August 23), 2001 (WWF SmackDown!)
Previous Champion: Hardcore Holly
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
Current Champion: X-Pac
Held Since: August 13, 2001 (WWF RAW is WAR)
Previous Champion: Jerry Lynn
Superstars
“The One” Billy Gunn – “Crippler” Chris Benoit – Crash Holly – Dean Malenko – Diamond Dallas Page – D’Lo Brown – “Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero – Faarooq – Funaki – The Godfather – Jerry Lynn – “Olympic Hero” Kurt Angle – “Bad Man” Rikishi – The Rock – Spike Dudley – Test – Too Cool: Grand Masta Sexay & Scotty 2 Hotty – The Undertaker – Val Venis – William Regal – X-Pac
Broadcast Team
Lilian Garcia – Michael Cole – Tazz
Officials
Chad Patton – Jim Korderas – Mike Chioda – Scott Armstrong
Backstage Agents
Gerald Brisco – John Laurinaitis – Paul Bearer – Steve Lombardi
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Absent from Television
Christian (legitimate injury)
Chyna (sitting out contract; WWF Women’s title held hostage)
Linda McMahon (sporadic appearances)
Mark Henry (OVW)
Mick Foley (sporadic appearances)
Shawn Michaels (rehab)
Steven Richards (OVW)
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley (undergoing very important surgery)
X-Pac (month long suspension)
WWF Creative MeetingFranchise Players
1. The Rock 2. Steve Austin 3. Kurt Angle 4. Triple H 5. Chris Jericho Next Big Things
1. Jeff Hardy 2. Rhyno 3. Edge 4. Trish Stratus 5. Scotty 2 Hotty Hot Prospects
1. Jeff Hardy 2. Matt Hardy 3. Trish Stratus 4. Lita 5. X-Pac
Talk the Talk 1. The Rock 2. Steve Austin 3. Vince McMahon 4. Triple H 5. Kurt Angle
Show Stoppers 1. Kurt Angle 2. Chris Jericho 3. The Rock 4. Chris Benoit 5. Jeff Hardy Ring Generals
1. Chris Benoit 2. Triple H 3. Chris Jericho 4. Kurt Angle 5. William Regal
Time Decline 1. Faarooq 2. Diamond Dallas Page 3. The Big Boss Man
Hidden Gems 1. CM Punk 2. Lizzy Valentine 3. Joey Ryan 4. Trent Acid 5. Kevin Steen
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 13:35:12 GMT 1
(Originally posted August 8, 2019)WWF RAW is WAR Spotlight Segment
“The Coach” is backstage at the interview backdrop, and he announces that his guest at this time is someone who people have been talking about ever since SummerSlam. But instead of it being over some big victory, it’s over matters of the heart; before bringing in Molly Holly. Molly walks into the frame and surprises even Coachman with the sneer on her face and a new look. Gone is the bubbly, colorful, blond Holly, she now sports a darker look, with brown hair with simple black and white clothing. She addresses Coachman’s question with one of her own: “Why should what I do matter to everyone so much?” “Look, ‘Coach’; the truth is, I did like Spike Dudley. For a little while. He was someone new to talk to, who had the same problems being someone different in a strong family, and sometimes he was kind of sweet. But it was getting pretty apparent that he wanted more out of our friendship. He was like a stupid little puppy dog! I don’t need rescued, I can take care of myself! So what if the Dudley Boyz would have put me through a table? I would have come back and taken care of it myself. But I could have let all of that slide, until SummerSlam.” “You mean when he kissed you? You didn’t look like you had a problem with it in the moment.” “You mean that night when, in front of millions watching at home, he sexually assaulted me?! That moment? I was in shock! To think that he would have thought that a fine young lady like me would ever settle for some pervert like him?! I may have no love lost for Bubba Ray or D-Von, but at least they are men. Spike is just some love struck little boy, and I don’t need that in my life. I have a career. I’m a wrestler, not some damsel in distress being tied to the train tracks.” “What about making sure that you were placed on a different show than he is?” “I had already been thinking about it, but SummerSlam was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Now, he was nice, so I was hoping to just let the pieces fall where they may, just end up on opposite shows, and just quietly end things with him that way. It would at least let him cool down so that we would be able to work together at the shared pay-per-views. But I ended up having to ask specifically for being placed on Shane McMahon’s show, because this is where I can have my career. And then that dummy Michael Cole had to blab about it at WWF New York, and I could see the tears welling up in Spike’s little puppy dog face, so I did what I had to; I tried to slap some sense into him, so that in the future, he knows not to treat women like they owe him anything.” “So, as for your career in the future?” “Well obviously I’m here to win the Women’s title. Isn’t that obvious? I would wish Spike all the best in trying to win the Light Heavyweight title, but… really… now that I’ve been away from him? I don’t really care what he does, as long as it’s far away from me.” With that, Molly walks away, as Coachman throws us back out to the arena. Paul Heyman says that he has known Spike for a lot of years, and he did always think he might have been a bit of a sexual deviant, but Jim Ross calls it like he sees it, “I used to have a lot of respect for Molly, but that young lady turned out to be nothing more than a jezebel!” Show Notes- Molly Holly has debuted her new gimmick as a Prude (Gimmicky), replacing her former Girl-Next-Door character. Her prudish nature has gotten an Above Average reaction.
WWF SmackDown! Spotlight Segment
The loud gong fills the arena, and the booming voice of “Deadman Walking” brings the audience to boos as The Undertaker marches down to the ring, his new non-Rolling theme song not exciting the people like Limp Bizkit or Kid Rock before it. When he enters the ring, he takes the microphone away from Tony Chimel to begin addressing his concerns. “Last week, I was brought onto SmackDown’s roster by Mr. McMahon, and I thought that maybe this new crowd would show me some respect. But it sounds like I will need to show you all who’s yard this is all over again, and once I’ve destroyed all your favorite so-called superstars, people like The Rock, then you’ll have no choice but to show this big dog the proper respect!” Now the crowd comes to life as The Rock comes out onto the stage! He walks down to the ring and receives a microphone of his own, before talking. “Finally, The Rock HAS COME BACK to To-ron-to!” After the cheers die down, he turns his attention to Undertaker, telling him that “So The Rock was backstage listening, hearing you out here whining and crying,” Rock starts talking in an annoying, high pitched voice, “you all need to respect me, I’m the big dog, arf arf arf arf, I run this yard;” going back to normal tone to tell him that “The only thing you run in your yard is your mouth like an irritating little chihuahua who wants more Taco Bell! I’ll tell you one thing, this ring may be your yard, but it’s on The Rock’s show! So Undertaker, here’s a piece of advice for you. Next time you decide to come out here, run your mouth, boring the people with all the same tired things to say that you always do, first you should go find your little bike, second go get some brand new chrome polish and shine it up ever so nicely, and then proceed to turn it sideways and shove it straight up your candy ass!” The crowd are in wild cheers for “sing-a-long with The Rock” time, as he hits most of his catchphrases in a row, but before this becomes physical, jeers rain down as Mr. McMahon steps out onto the stage. “Now you two, you are admittedly the biggest stars I have brought onto SmackDown, whether I like it or not in your case, Mr. Rock. Now, for this month, while I cannot actually give him the match due to his being on Raw, I have given my endorsement for the Undisputed WWF championship match at Unforgiven to go to ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. However, that means that next month, it will be my turn to choose the new challenger, and it will be one of you two. Therefore, at Unforgiven, I want to watch Undertaker beat the living hell out of you, Rock! So I’m going to put the two of you in a street fight that will make one of you the number one contender for the Undisputed WWF title! Now get the hell out of my ring.” With that proclamation, WWF SmackDown! heads to a commercial break, as the ring is cleared.  Show Notes- Vince McMahon unveiled a new catchphrase during the show that will help him in segments in the future.
WCW Friday Nitro Spotlight Segment
We head backstage at the Hard Rock Cafe Arena where C.W. is being checked out by trainers after what happened during his match. Arn Anderson is standing outside the open door, looking like a concerned parent, when Simon Diamond and Dawn Marie show up. Simon immediately questions Arn, asking “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” “Double A” says he’s just checking up on him, but Diamond tells him that isn’t what he meant. “No, I mean what are you doing in general? Because last I checked, Arn Anderson is just a commentator and should have no right to throw in the towel for someone else, no matter what’s happening in that ring! It looks like we may have a problem, what with you and Flair bugging my man in there lately. Look, I don’t care what you think you’re doing. Butt out! Because – now, turn your hearing aids up, old man, so you can understand me clearly – he doesn’t want your help, he doesn’t need your help! He’s with me, and that’s what is gonna get C.W. to the top around here, not listening to some old fossils talk about the ‘good old days’ when you got so drunk you couldn’t walk into the hotel room! So this will be your last warning: Simon says go back behind your little desk, and leave C.W. alone!” Simon and Dawn enter the room, with Dawn bouncing around excitedly for the tongue lashing that he just gave to such a legend, and Simon slams the door in Arn’s face. Arn looks frustrated, and then a little sad, before turning and walking away, heading back toward the ringside area. — A little later, Arn rejoins the commentary team, but with Mike and Scott both asking him what that was all about, he refuses to give them an answer. “I stuck my nose where it shouldn’t have been, that’s all I’m gonna tell you. Let’s just call some more action and leave it alone.” The gruff legend has spoken, and not another word will be had about it tonight. Show Notes- AJ Styles and Nick Patrick get along backstage at Nitro, their good mood was infectious.
- Eric Bischoff tried to meddle to make a friendship between O’Haire/Jindrak, but it had no effect this time.
- Bill DeMott: “Rey Mysterio Jr is going to be a star in my opinion, the kid is worth pushing hard”
- The opening bout was scheduled as a tag team match between the Steiner Brothers vs. Totally Buff, but Bagwell did not come to the ring until three minutes after the opening bell sounded, at which point he caused the DQ by attacking Luger.
- Both Steiners were kept strong to protect them from looking bad in a handicap loss.
- Jeff Jarrett caused a distraction to Curt Hennig, which led to Mike Awesome’s victory over him.
- The United States championship match saw an interesting finish as following a bad fall, Arn Anderson jumped up from commentary and stopped the match on behalf of C.W.
- The names drawn for the Deceit match were Alex Wright, Dustin Rhodes, AJ Styles, Kaz Hayashi, Simon Diamond, Shane Helms, Mike Awesome, and Kid Kash. The day of the event will see another drawing that will determine who will be teamed together for the bout.
- Konnan, Chris Lovey, and Norman Smiley all showed getting better at their gimmicks, while it appears that Shane Douglas is getting a little stale in his current role.
  (Jakked and HeAT do not get posted every week, but if something actually happens on them, I will throw them in.)
 To be held September 23, 2001, at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! Street Fight for the #1 Contendership of the Undisputed WWF Championship: The Rock vs. The Undertaker WWF World Tag Team championships: Scott Hall & Kevin Nash © vs. The Hardy Boyz  To be held September 16, 2001, at the Philadelphia Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! WCW World Heavyweight championship: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner © vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger Chairs Match: “Da Man” Goldberg vs. “Beast from the East” Bam Bam Bigelow WCW X Division championship: Billy Kidman © vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. WCW World Tag Team championship Triple Threat match: Mark Jindrak & Sean O’Haire © vs. Kronik vs. Kanyon & ??? Konnan vs. Big Bill Deceit match: four-way tag team match with random partners where the winner receives a prize!
This Week in Wrestling
- Stephanie McMahon is apparently taking some time off from WWF television as she recently underwent a surgery… breast enhancement surgery. It also was decided to distance her from Triple H, as despite their amazing chemistry as a manager and client, the WWF had no plans to turn her face alongside him at this time.
- Both legend Larry “The Axe” Hennig and former Mean Street Posse member Rodney have announced their retirements from wrestling.
- The WWF reported a gain in finances of $3,434,519 from August, while WCW saw a loss of $561,607.
- Scott Armstrong now shows up on the WWF.com staff list as a referee on the SmackDown brand.
- Low-Ki requested and was given a raise by WCW, moving his pay up to $3,810 a month. This is a sign of what the company thinks of him for the future.
- Disqo, Vampiro, and Big Vito have all signed extensions on their contracts with WCW, along with James Storm from down in NWA:Wildside.
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 14:00:09 GMT 1
(Originally posted August 20, 2019) September 2001: Week 2
 WWF RAW is WAR Spotlight Segment JR says that with all the action going on tonight, there’s a special guest over at WWF New York; it’s SmackDown!’s Spike Dudley! Heyman immediately calls out “Oh, the pervert, Spike Dudley,” but Ross cuts him off, welcoming Spike’s presence onto Raw.
However, Spike isn’t very lively; in fact, he’s downright depressed, practically crying to some fans about his relationship troubles. JR gets his attention, asking Dudley if he’s enjoying WWF New York. Spike tells JR that it’s very nice here at WWF New York, but it’s just not the same without… her. Heyman complains, saying that everyone’s already getting tired of this, but it seems he isn’t the only one…
Spike is suddenly attacked from behind by Scott Hall and Kevin Nash! The World Tag Team champions give him a horrible beating, which is punctuated by Nash delivering a Jackknife through a table that some fans were eating at! The two hijack the segment, with Scott giving us his classic “Hey, yo.”
“So, rather’n have some sad sack here talkin’ about his lady troubles, the big mang and the medium sized mang are way more important and have much better things to say.”
Nash takes over, saying that “It looks like ‘Big Sexy’ is in the house. This isn’t a bad place, you should try the veal. But next Sunday, the veal will be two little tenders that Scott and I will be chewing up and spitting out to shine our titles. Matt? Jeff? You two Hardly Boyzzzzzzzz can jump and bounce around all you want, doesn’t matter. Shane McMahon can fill your heads with all the delusions of grandeur he can, but take our advice. Stay home. Take the broad and have her cook you something nice. Or leave the redhead for us. We’ll take her and our titles back home.”
“Hey, tell ‘em about the thing.”
“I’m getting there, Scott. Hey, watch out for the open bar over there. Let’s just cut to the chase. I don’t give a damn really if the Hardlys show up or not. We’ll walk through them like it’s 1995. Even more important though… Hunter! You really should be answering our calls! You know how Scott can be! He gets lonely! And we still need to burst open the bubbly after Summerslam! Wait-wait, Scott! Scott, no! Give that guy his drink back!”
Nash rushes off camera, and with that, the segment ends… with JR and Paul just as confused as before about what Hall and Nash seem to want in the WWF.
Show Notes
- Terri has been turned face, which was a success. Her new gimmick is a realistic Interviewer, which she is performing on a Very Good level.
- This show featured the RAW debut of Rico Constantino, who had been seen on Heat previously. His character is a gimmicky Law Enforcer, which he has been performing Average with. He teams and is managed by The Big Boss Man.
WWF SmackDown! was supposed to be recorded on September 11th, 2001, however this taping was rescheduled following the attack on the World Trade Center. Instead, the show aired live on September 13th, 2001. WWF SmackDown! Spotlight Segment (Pay no mind to people who are there in the video but aren’t there in this universe…) Show Notes - The WWF seems to be kickstarting a big patriotism movement, with Lilian Garcia’s singing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” being done live instead of just before the show and a segment with faces and heels alike where they spoke about what they feel proud about in their country.
- Test defeated Val Venis by grabbing the ropes during his winning pinfall.
- During the Benoit/Guerrero segment, Lilian came off with a new sign-off ( “Back to you, Michael, and God bless America!”) that should help boost her in future segments.
- Rikishi brought in three other Samoans to assault Diamond Dallas Page, beginning his new stable dubbed The Island. It will feature Rikishi as it’s head, his former Samoan Swat Team/Headshrinker partner Samu, and the Island Boyz from HWA, Ekmo and Kimo. The three are using Savage gimmicks, with Samu doing Very Good at it, Jamal falling Below Average, and Rosey at Average. They are the first wave of a new group of stars who will be appearing over the next few months now that the roster has space for them to come up from OVW and HWA.
- Kurt Angle told off Vince McMahon in the final segment, saying that just like America, he will not be ignored, will not be afraid, and will not be knocked down! This change was apparently added very last minute, as Angle was not in consideration for being turned face but it was felt he could become an American Hero in the vein of Hulk Hogan in the 1980s.
- The Godfather requested a pay raise, and was given 75%. His contract now stands at $9,620 per month.
We have been joined in the ring by Dark Eden, their arrival as always blanketing the arena in mostly darkness and dark pink lighting. As Kanyon and Kidman stay at either side of Vampiro, Daffney skips around ringside, dancing along to their song. “The Dark Shepherd” Vampiro has the microphone of course, and he addresses his sheep. “This Sunday, the Dark Eden gains more control of the future of WCW. Billy will prove that he was the best of the Filthy Animals by taking down Rey Mysterio, keeping the X Division title within our holy ground. But when Kanyon stands tall after the triple threat match, we will also have the Tag Team championships inside our keep, and that is when Eric Bischoff will have no choice but to begin taking our demands. He’s too busy paying attention to the loudmouths and sinners such as Scott Steiner, Sting, and Ric Flair, but with two championships in our midst, there will be nothing more important than Dark Eden. Now, we were told by that faux authority Ernest Miller that for Kanyon to enter the match, we had to announce his partner by the end of this show. And while I would much delight in watching from the sidelines, it seems as though I may need to… dirty… what is it, Daffney?” The camera takes note of Daffney screaming as she slides into the ring, pointing and gesturing wildly toward the turnbuckle that is shaded in the darkness. To everyone’s surprise, when the light shines in that direction, someone is sitting there… Vampiro even seems surprised, but he quickly snaps out of it. “Ah! It appears we have a volunteer! The sins of WCW will taste extra sweet when taken in by one who had been so wronged by them before; Raven, you shall join Kanyon on Sunday, and all glory shall be to the Dark Eden!” Show Notes- Paul Orndorff was backstage teaching psychology to proteges Mark Jindrak, Sean O’Haire, and Yang.
- Sting’s gimmick seems to be getting a bit stale.
- Low Ki and Elix Skipper’s short feud is ended.
- Chuck Palumbo was protected in loss as Madusa was a distraction during Jindrak/Palumbo vs Dark Eden
- Shane Douglas’s gimmick has changed to Troublemaker (Cocky), which he is proving to be Very Good with.
- Huge props to everyone in the Jarrett/Flair/Hennig/CW/Cat segment for all improvising well.
- Daffney interfered to give Kanyon the win over Bryan Clark in the triple threat match; O’Haire was kept strong during the match.
- I promise in the future I will have more notes after Raw and SD as there are about Nitro; I didn’t have plans on how to format all of this until next week.
- Tajiri cost his team the match against Fratelli by going into a rage and assaulting Vito with unprotected kicks to the face.
- Raven appears with a Mysterious (Weird) gimmick, of course he is Great at this.
- Big Bill was protected in loss by a distraction from Konnan.
- AJ Styles lost by a distraction by Kaz Hayashi.
- The main event completely broke down into chaos, with even Midajah and Jenna catfighting on the outside.
- Reno asked for a pay raise and was given 75%, making his contract $2,855 per month.
- Jeff Jarrett: “Brian Adams can’t sell, he needs to learn how to work.”
Welcome everyone to the WCW Deceit live pre-show!
Upcoming EventsTo be held September 23, 2001, at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! Undisputed WWF championship: Triple H © vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Street Fight for the #1 Contendership of the Undisputed WWF Championship: The Rock vs. The Undertaker WWF World Tag Team championships: Scott Hall & Kevin Nash © vs. The Hardy Boyz WWF Hardcore championship Invitational Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero Trish Stratus and Jacqueline vs. Ivory and Jazz To be held September 16, 2001, at the Philadelphia Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! WCW World Heavyweight championship: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner © vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger Chairs Match: “Da Man” Goldberg vs. “Beast from the East” Bam Bam Bigelow WCW United States championship: Booker T © vs. Buff Bagwell WCW X Division championship: Billy Kidman © vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. WCW World Tag Team championship Triple Threat match: Mark Jindrak & Sean O’Haire © vs. Kronik vs. Kanyon & Raven Ric Flair and Curt Hennig vs. Jeff Jarrett and C.W. Konnan vs. Big Bill Shane Douglas and Madusa vs. Chuck Palumbo and Stacy Kiebler Deceit match: four-way tag team match with random partners where the winner receives a prize! The participants are as follows: AJ Styles, Alex Wright, Dustin Rhodes, Kaz Hayashi, Kid Kash, Mike Awesome, Shane Helms, and Simon Diamond
This Week in Wrestling
- Weekly Ratings Breakdown: RAW is WAR got an 18.04, SmackDown! a 12.91, Nitro had a 0.01 buyrate on PPV and 2.29 on the TV channels around the world, Jakked got a 0.08, and Heat a 0.93.
- ECCW stop using the NWA Canadian Jr. Heavyweight title, bring in NWA Top Ranked Television title. (it was going to be ECCW Top Contender title, I renamed it to something that they used later in real life)
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 14:15:13 GMT 1
(Originally posted September 6, 2019)
Pre-Show: Jimmy Snuka Jr. defeated Yang by DQ at 4:58 when Tajiri attacks Snuka (Rating: D) ** Fratelli defeated Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo in 4:47 with Reno pinning Romeo with the Roll the Dice (Rating: D+) **1/4 Ric Flair and Curt Hennig give an in-ring promo; “CW, Arn only wants the best for you; the beating you’ll get is Simon’s fault!” (Rating: C+) Chavo Guerrero Jr. defeated Norman Smiley at 5:35 by pulling the tights in a roll-up (Rating: D+) **1/4 Rick Steiner defeated Jamie Knoble with the Steiner Driver in 3:52 (Rating: C-) **1/2
Vampiro narrated the opening video: “When the heart of a man finds itself running as cold as it can get, that is when he will do anything to achieve his goals; the common adage of ‘lying, cheating, and stealing’ cannot be embarked upon unless you have a vast threshold of deceit in your soul. There has been so much sin in the heart of World Championship Wrestling, that now, deceit is all that remains. Deceit is all that we know. And Deceit… is what you will all see tonight.” (Rating: B-)
The Philadelphia area may have seen a lot of treacherous men in their past, but World Championship Wrestling presents an explosive evening tonight in WCW Deceit!
The show begins properly with the WCW World Tag Team championships on the line as Mark Jindrak and Sean O’Haire had the deck stacked against them as the teams of Kronik and Dark Eden are both hungry for their gold. The newest member of Dark Eden takes his place on the outside to start, cameras occasionally catching Kanyon trying to discuss a strategy with Raven but getting very little back from him. Kronik and the Thrillers have faced one another many times in 2000, so they know one another well. “The Innovator of Offense” holds his own for his team, but the longer the match goes on, the more it starts being clear that Raven has no interest in tagging into the bout. Finally the end comes when an exhausted Kanyon finally gets Raven called into the ring… and he smacks Kanyon across the face before dropping him to the mat with the Evenflow DDT! Raven is on his knees next to Kanyon’s head, first cradling it before holding his arms out in the cross pose that he made famous. Taking advantage of the situation, Sean O’Haire places his foot on Kanyon’s chest, keeping an eye on Raven the whole time, but simply stares back at him, unflinching, as the three count is registered. After the bell sounds, Vampiro comes out of the back, seeming to be in shock! He has no mind games, no special effects, as he simply walks to the ring shouting “What?! What?!” Raven finally breaks his stoic glare, smirking as he leaves the ring, heading through the crowd before Vampiro can get to the ring.
We head backstage to hear from our World’s Heavyweight champion, as “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner is backed by brother “DFG” Rick Steiner and Jenna Jameson. Scott talks directly into the camera, telling “Lex Loser” that he “can have my sloppy seconds, but he can’t have my World title!” Steiner says that Lex might have a built body, but nobody has a physique better than “The Man with the Largest Arms in the World” and he definitely isn’t as smart as “Freakzilla” so he has no chance of winning tonight!
The Deceit match comes next, as the four random teams were drawn earlier tonight. The teams are Kid Kash and Alex Wright, AJ Styles and Dustin Rhodes, Simon Diamond and Mike Awesome, and “Sugar” Shane Helms with Kaz Hayashi. Helms and Hayashi don’t get along with one another from even before the bell, as the two are on opposing sides of the small feud currently going on between AJ Styles and Chavo Guerrero Jr.; Helms and Styles seem more willing to work together in this compared to Helms and his partner! Kid Kash and Alex Wright aren’t exactly on the same page, but they work together well enough, AJ seems a little awe-struck at teaming with Dustin, and Simon Diamond is smart enough to just stay behind Mike Awesome. Practically anyone has the chance to win this match at any given time, but the random nature of the teams comes into play quite a bit as no one is able to work together cohesively. The ending of the bout breaks down into almost a battle royal as partners begin costing one another the victory, all striving to win the prize for themselves. But in the end, one man cannot be denied, and that is Mike Awesome, who lands on top of Kid Kash and Kaz Hayashi from out of nowhere with a huge top rope splash, before making the cover on Kash at a brisk 7:48, winning himself the prize. What is the prize? We will have to find out when it is announced, but hopefully it is just as awesome as the man who won it!
“Mean” Gene and Jeremy come to the top of the stage, with Okerlund hyping that he has a scoop on his WCW.com page about a WWF wrestler who is going to be debuting in WCW soon. Borash quickly whispers in his ear, and Gene seems perplexed that “Wait, Raven wrestled here already tonight? I must not have been paying attention,” before changing the subject to his guest at this time, three time former WCW World champion and current United States titleholder, Booker T! Joined by Booker, with a huge smile on his face, Gene asks him what is so great about this evening when he has Buff Bagwell to worry about this evening? Booker’s answer is a bit of a surprise, that he isn’t worried so much about Bagwell, calling him just another sucka that can bring all he’s got, but will meet his Book End. But no, Booker is most excited because he has found a path to what he wants. He has found that there is no determined number one contender for the WCW title next month, and that means he, holding the US title, is the rightful contender, and so he is going to use his United States title reign to challenge Scott Steiner or Lex Luger or whoever is holding the title for next month at Halloween Havoc! Booker tells everyone to bring it and not to hate the player (only the game) before heading backstage to get ready to defend against Bagwell later this evening.
The next match was one that has built up over the course of this past month as Konnan was standing up to Big Bill and his bullying actions. “K-Dawg” rallied the fans behind him, but in the end he fell to the No Laughing Matter moonsault in 7:10 as Bill continued his quest to show that he is no joke.
This time when we cut to “Mean” Gene and Jeremy, they are at the backstage interview area to bring in guests “The Total Package” Lex Luger and “this young lady” Midajah. Luger corrects what Scott Steiner had to say earlier, telling everyone that he isn’t out to get any of what Steiner has had except for the championship around his waist. They explain that they have found a very nice friendship, and after the way that Scott was treating Midajah, she broke away from him and is now managing Lex. They do, however, say that if they want to talk about who is with who… well, they have a nice surprise for “Big Poppa Pump” later tonight! Luger flexes with a big “YYYYYYEEEEEAH!” as he and Midajah head out of the interview area, Gene shilling that this will be one big, burly brawl for the WCW title, tonight!
We go from one man and woman team to two man and woman teams as we enter a mixed tag team match, as young lovebirds Chuck Palumbo and Stacy Kiebler team up to take on new business partners “Franchise” Shane Douglas and Madusa. Palumbo and Douglas took most of this match on, but inevitably the girls were tagged in. Stacy showed a lot of fire, taking Madusa down with a long range kick with those shapely legs of hers, but the camera catches “The Franchise” passing Madusa the chain from his boot, and she knocks Kiebler out with it before scoring the victory in 5:28. With the match over, Shane takes to a microphone and proclaims that we just saw Stacy go down, and later tonight Bam Bam Bigelow will make Goldberg go down in flames, forcing him to retire!
After we take a moment to see that the Snukas are enjoying their skybox again after finally chasing the Problem Solvers completely out, in the ring we see Booker T getting ready to face off with Buff Bagwell. But before we get to the bell, WCW owner/operator Eric Bischoff and WCW commissioner “The Cat” Ernest Miller join us in the ring, where Eric says that with the recent attack on our great country, World Championship Wrestling are going to honor all those who sadly lost their lives this past Tuesday morning… by revealing a brand new WCW United States Heavyweight championship! They say that the winner of this bout will be the first to hold this new belt, and they hope that now and in the future, the title will be held with the same pride that we all feel in our country right now.
That surprise carries over to The WCW Worldwide Panel, where Stevie Ray calls foul on Jenna Jameson and Scott Steiner for costing his brother the US title! But mostly they are here to talk about the World championship match tonight, as they wonder what Lex Luger’s surprise for Steiner and Jenna Jameson will be.
Next up was the Chairs match between “Beast from the East” Bam Bam Bigelow and “Da Man” Goldberg. The rules of the match were mostly the same, except chairs were allowed to be used. This was a brutal brawl between these two big men, that saw Goldberg barely kick out of a Greetings from Asbury Park on a steel chair, probably the closest he’s come to having to retire this year! But in the end, Bigelow couldn’t kick out after he was hit with a Spear and Jackhammer, as Goldberg showed that he didn’t even need a weapon to win Streak match number 137! As Goldberg celebrated the win, the question remains; who’s next?!
Chris Lovey checks in on the Snukas in the skybox, and it appears that Jr. may finally be getting used to this lavish lifestyle after a few months of struggling against it. After that is another family affair, a broken family of best friends, who fell apart over envy and gold. Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr. go after one another with reckless abandon, putting on a clinic of a cruiserweight style match but with some vicious overtones as well. There are possibly more near-falls in this match than we have seen all night up until this point, but Mysterio finally gets his revenge by hitting Kidman with a flying seated senton splash, crushing him under his 120-some pound frame in order to score a big win and become the first two time WCW X Division champion!
BUT WAIT, WHAT’S THIS?!
Rey turns around into a huge plume of black mist, sprayed right into his eyes by Yoshihiro Tajiri! What is Tajiri even doing out here? We don’t find out, but the effects are immediate as Mysterio is on the mat, blinded! As Tajiri is being ushered out by Doug Dillinger and his team of WCW Security, a very known face starts walking down toward the ring… Lance Storm? He climbs into the ring and starts talking to the referee, and Rudy Charles is left with no choice but to tell David Penzer what is happening. Lance Storm has decided to cash in the title shot that he won back at WCW Envy, right now! The fans boo this loudly, and I’m sure quite a few people have to be talked to by security for throwing things in the ring, but all Storm has to do is grab the blinded Mysterio and lock in the Canadian Maple Leaf! Rey tries not to submit, but he can’t see where the ropes are! Add to that the pain he is in from his eyes, and he regretfully has to tap out – we have a new X Division champion, not even a minute after crowning the previous champion! Rey Mysterio’s second title reign will sadly go down in history not only as the first two-time champion, but likely the shortest reign we will see; standing at only one minute and twenty seconds. But we will see what happens on Nitro when Lance Storm, the new champion, addresses the public!
Someone else who had something to address was Mike Awesome, as he barges into the office where Eric Bischoff and Ernest Miller are watching WCW Deceit on a monitor. Awesome yells at them that he wants to know what he won tonight, saying that if they aren’t going to tell him, he’s gonna rip this room – and everyone in it – apart! Bischoff tells him to calm down, saying that they were discussing that, and came to the decision that for winning the Deceit match, Mike gets to choose any match that he wants – but with what just happened fresh in mind, he must give them at least a week’s notice, because we aren’t going to be having things like what just happened go down again any time soon. Awesome seems pleased with that, and says he’ll be sure to remember this!
A tag team match was our penultimate contest, as seemingly odd partners came together with Jeff Jarrett teaming with The Problem Solvers’ C.W. to take on two men with a lot of history in their past – both good and bad – Curt Hennig and “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. In fact, C.W. and Hennig are the only people without bad blood, and when they are in the ring against each other, it’s almost a respectful bout. But C.W. has been seen to have very few scruples in that ring, although if there’s a trick in the metaphorical handbook of pro wrestling, Curt Hennig knows it and has exploited it plenty. Flair ends up in trouble in the match, being worked over by C.W. and Jarrett, with Arn Anderson on commentary getting rather agitated when Mike and Scott point out that C.W.’s movements definitely resemble a young “Double A” in the ring. Curt mistakenly keeps Charles Robinson away a few times, but finally he is able to get the hot tag, cleaning house on both men! The match breaks down into a four way fight, as Hennig and C.W. go at it while Flair and Jarrett fight with chops and punches. But in the melee, one thing that Charles Robinson does see is when Simon Diamond enters the ring and starts attacking Flair! The match is called as a disqualification at 17:05, but the battle continues. However, it becomes more of a beating when Jarrett takes a moment to step outside and get his Acoustic Equalizer, and he smashes it over Hennig’s head! With Curt down and out, Disqo joins the fray, and it’s a four on one attack on Ric Flair! It looks like this could be a terrible situation, but out of the back rushes Sting! He has his black bat on hand, and he uses it to push the Problem Solvers and Jarrett back long enough for Flair to try regaining his bearings and evening the odds. Ric and Sting shake hands and go check on Hennig, but it looks as though this battle is only just beginning!
We have only one match left, and after David Penzer gave a detailed, boxing style, face to face introduction for both of our competitors, it is time for the World’s Heavyweight match! This is fully a power match, as these two big bulls tried to muscle their way to victory. If anyone can stand up to the power of “Big Poppa Pump” it certainly is “The Total Package,” and with Midajah in his corner, she has already filled him in on anything there is to know about Steiner’s weaknesses! This ends up becoming one of Scott’s more dangerous title defenses this year, as Luger takes him to the limit with the crowd and Midajah behind him. And when Jenna Jameson tries to get too involved, there is a big surprise that marches down the ramp…
Buff Bagwell slips into the ring, and he has Steiner’s lead pipe – and he delivers a low blow to Luger with it! Lex crumples, but not before Buff makes sure he sees who just hit him, before nailing him with the pipe right across the jaw! Buff helps Scott back to his feet before leaving the ring, and Nick Patrick turns around to see Steiner holding a limp Luger in the Steiner Recliner. With Lex not responding, he has no choice but to call for the bell at 14:40, keeping the title safely in Scott’s grasp.
“Big Poppa Pump” may have retained his title by any means possible, but someone isn’t done with him. Booker T hits the ring, chasing Bagwell out quickly, and he goes right after Steiner! The two have a big brawl right in the middle of the ring, with Doug Dillinger having to lead WCW Security into the ring to attempt holding them apart. Scott is sent out of the ring when Booker nearly hits him with the Book End, and WCW Deceit goes off the air with Booker T holding aloft the WCW World Heavyweight title!
During the post-show, we had a few post-match thoughts from some of the competitors who were in action. “The Total Package” Lex Luger was obviously distressed about not wearing the World’s championship right now, but with Midajah and Elizabeth at his sides, he vowed that since Buff Bagwell cost him this title shot, then he’ll just take Buff’s new US title away from him! YEAH! Eric Bischoff and “The Cat” were asked about the title shot that Booker T had said he wanted, but they didn’t give any answers, saying only that Booker’s claim went away when he lost the US title. However, they are taking it under consideration and will let everyone know this Friday on Nitro. Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, and Sting were in the trainer’s room, where Hennig was being checked for possible concussion following Jarrett’s vile guitar smash, but the three were undeterred; Flair in particular warning Simon, C.W., and Disqo that they “have called for rain, now be prepared to stand in the lightning!”
Show Notes
- Raven had a limited involvement in the World Tag Team title match by design; he actually had debuted as a face, and this was him kickstarting the feud between himself and Dark Eden.
- In the Deceit match, Dustin came out of the bout looking good while Dawn did some good work at ringside. Mike Awesome did a suicide dive over the top rope but landed badly, causing a Grade 1 Cervical Acceleration Deceleration, but that will not keep him out of the ring for more than a few days.
- Big Bill showed that he is getting better and better at his Bully gimmick, it may not take long for him to have the best character in WCW right now.
- Despite how short the match was, the fans still weren’t all that happy with the mixed tag match, as they wanted to see men wrestling so they didn’t care for seeing Stacy and Madusa in the ring. Stacy was heavily protected. Douglas struggled off-script in his post-match promo.
- Both Booker T and Buff Bagwell did well in a Spectacle based match, though Buff struggled with maintaining a slow build. Booker required being kept strong and protected in the match to agree to lose to Bagwell.
- The Chairs match saw a lack of selling from both men, which surprises none I’m sure. Goldberg’s performance stood out as being good in front of a very hot crowd.
- Rey vs. Kidman left the crowd absolutely buzzing as it ended this emotional storyline, and then Storm vs. Rey calmed the crowd down with an extremely short match.
- Curt Hennig was really off his game during the tag team match. The match was presented as a technical masterclass, which Curt was well suited to. Jarrett, Flair, and Hennig all did a good job at slow building the bout. During the attack segment afterwards, the crowd may have gotten hotter but Simon and Disqo just looked out of place. Sting and Flair came out of it looking excellent, though it is beginning to seem that Sting is getting stale in his role.
- Elizabeth was a one-time appearance, used here in order to pop fans into thinking that there was a great chance of seeing a title change; but alas, it was not to be so.
Lex seemed off his game in the World title match, but despite the lack of selling they got the crowd hotter. Midajah did good work at ringside. Scott’s performance was good as he brawled with Booker T to a very hot crowd.
- WCW Deceit saw a buyrate on Comcast and Dish Mexico of 0.10, with TV ratings on Foxtel and Sky Sports 3 garnering a 0.84.
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 14:55:11 GMT 1
(Originally posted October 10, 2019)September 2001: Week 3
WWF RAW is WAR Spotlight Segment Jonathan Coachman is backstage in the interview area, and he is speaking very excitedly. “Coach” says that he wouldn’t believe it if he didn’t see it with his own eyes, but Shane McMahon was correct – and his guests are brought in as the Legion of Doom! Hawk and Animal enter the frame, with Coachman saying that it has been since 1999 that we saw the two together, and it is great to have them back together on RAW is WAR!
Animal says that he and Hawk “had a rough time in the WWF the last time we were here, but that’s all behind us! We’re here tonight for one reason! Because we are the greatest tag team of the 80s! The greatest of the 90s! And we’ll be the greatest of the 2000s! The Legion of Doom will never die, we will kick heads down throats until the day we can’t anymore, and then we’ll do it more just because we can! Shane McMahon said he had a problem, and we’re here to help solve it! Tell ‘em, Hawk!”
“WwwwwELL!” Hawk gets a nice crowd pop just from one simple word. “Animal and I had been pulled apart, but then we found one another again when we were smashing some heads in Chicago, and we decided that we would bust more heads together! And when Shane McMahon got ahold of us? He said that he had these young punks who needed some skulls beaten in! What a surprise that it was Triple H and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin – a surprise for them! We don’t care who they are or what their problem is! They don’t wanna get along? Well the Legion of Doom will smash them together until you can’t tell one from the other! Win? Lose? Who cares? Busting heads is what we do, snapping spinal columns is at the top of our resume! You two can power trip all over yourselves, but we for us it’s gonna be ahhhhhhWHHHHHAAAAT A RRRRRUSH!”
The two flex for the cameras as they head away, getting prepared to make their entrance to the arena. Jonathan Coachman is practically speechless as he sends us out to ringside!
Show Notes
- Vince McMahon pulled a Risky Rib on Edge, putting shaving cream in his bag. He didn’t know that his bag held a present for Edge’s new wife, ruining the gift. Edge, Christian, Rhyno, and Val Venis were all upset by the rib.
- Lita was protected by Molly’s tainted win.
- Hawk was wasted on drugs and painkillers during the main event.
- Triple H and Austin’s storyline kept losing heat during the show until the final segment.
WWF SmackDown! Spotlight Segment
We are backstage in an office where the name on the desk is “Mr. Vincent K. McMahon.” But he isn’t in the room, instead we are treated to the two young, beautiful blond women who he was speaking to earlier. The more chipper of the two, who was introduced earlier as Torrie Wilson, talks to her counterpart, saying that she is so excited to be getting this chance to be Mr. McMahon’s personal secretary. But the other, Erica Harley, sneers at Torrie and her optimism. “You can be excited all you want, but know this: there is only one place that Erica Harley rides, and that’s on top. I don’t care what you do for Mr. McMahon, because I will be getting this position and all the money and fame that goes with it. I’ll do anything to get what I want, and if that means I have to slap the pretty off your face? Then you better watch out for this hand.” She makes a quick move, making Torrie flinch, before telling her to leave. Wilson looks like she might cry, but she goes out of the room to collect herself. All alone in the room, Harley sits back in Vince’s office chair, putting her legs up on the table and adjusting her breasts out, saying that she can’t wait for Vince to return – she has something to show him that he’ll really like to see. Show Notes- Chris Benoit did some funny drawings of his fellow wrestlers, lightening the mood backstage.
- Alicia Webb, the former Ryan Shamrock, showed up incredibly late for her first segment taping as Erica Harley. A fine saw her improve her behavior and made her happy.
- With Tazz’s injury during a match on Jakked, Jim Cornette came in to call SmackDown along with Michael Cole.
- Guerrero vs Lynn was booked to be a little more hard-hitting a match than the rest as a test run for how SD’s action may be in the future.
- Eric Harley’s Bitch (Cocky) and Torrie’s Bubbly Babyface gimmicks both rated Average.
- Bradshaw’s WWFNY segment may have shown him getting better at his gimmick, but talking from the heart without a script did not go over well.
- Samu botched a move and broke one of The Rock’s fingers; a clearly drugged out Samu got static during the match as the vocal crowd weren’t impressed by him at all. He was sent to rehab following the show.
WCW Friday Nitro Spotlight Segment
The crowd aren’t sure what to make of it as Raven climbs over the barricade and enters the ring. He gets a microphone from David Penzer, and he assumes his familiar slouch into the bottom turnbuckle that long time Raven fans will know well. “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself… and the Raven. I came back to WCW because I heard a calling; a calling to arms that made me leave the safety of the guaranteed nest of complacency that I had been a willing hostage of. I had been allowing myself to rust away, rotting in mindless battles over worthless trinkets, feeling left behind by the changing times and parting seas. But there was a rumbling, and it shook me out of my funk, making me realize that I had more to give this world. This world may have left me behind, but at my last moments of forced consciousness, an epiphany struck me, as I heard the mewling whimpers of Vampiro. “He and his mission caught my attention by happenstance, but it left a profound interest in my very soul. I sat back and watched, waiting, wanting to witness if he was talking sense to my deranged psyche. But the more I listened, the more I was found wanting. He may have a good speech to turn the heads of the downtrodden, and he may cause some nifty lighting issues wherever he goes, but it takes more than that to save a man’s soul – especially one as tainted as my own. Vampiro claims that he wants to save WCW from itself and all it’s sins, but it is one thing to talk about redemption; it is a much grander matter to actually offer that level of salvation to anyone. I’ve taken away the pain of tortured souls in the past; I’ve lived the lifestyle of both the healer and he who cannot be saved. Vampiro can’t walk this path. He is a child, playing in the darkness that others allowed for him. The darkness that I once cast! He has yet to do anything that ignites the trail that I once blazed in WCW. Look at those he surrounds himself with; Kanyon? Kidman? He has usurped my former Flock under his own wings; is the next member of Dark Eden going to be Lodi? “But I would be able to forgive all of that. Perhaps, had he walked a different path, I could have joined his cause. I would have helped him to lead the Dark Eden to the nirvana that he claims that he wishes to bring about. But all that he says rings hollow, false, full of trickery… for you see, the veil is soon to be lifted. The curtain needs drawn, so everyone can see the ugly truth. Vampiro is a child of darkness, but it is time for the grown ups to speak. Vampiro talks a lot for someone who has been taking orders from someone else… and we will find out if redemption in Dark Eden, can be stronger than the destiny of the Raven Effect…” With that, Raven drops the microphone and exits, leaving more questions in his wake than answers… he wouldn’t want it any other way. Show Notes- The masked Mr. Wrestling III has debuted with an Old School Heel (Cocky) gimmick, rating Very Good.
- Raven clearly enjoyed being off-script and looked good during his promo.
- Alex Wright won his match following Reno being blinded by Tajiri’s green mist.
- Shane Douglas defeated Chuck Palumbo while holding the tights.
- Rick Steiner vs. Ernest Miller had Raven as the road agent, and he proved himself very valuable in the role.
- Rick Steiner is being given a vacation until after Halloween Havoc.
- Ric Flair had to be held back from attacking Simon Diamond during Simon’s match.
- CW Anderson interfered in the main event to give the match to Jarrett.
Show Notes- During Tazz’s match, he picked up a Minor Concussion. He will be out of action for the next month, so SmackDown will have Jim Cornette step in to take over for him on color commentary.
- This show was a live lead-in for WWF Unforgiven.
- Jim Korderas annoyed some people backstage with some selfish behavior. He was fined for this, leading to him becoming annoyed and now has simmering tension toward Vince McMahon.
Upcoming Events
To be held September 23, 2001, at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!
Undisputed WWF championship: Triple H © vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Street Fight for the #1 Contendership of the Undisputed WWF Championship: The Rock vs. The Undertaker WWF World Tag Team championships: Scott Hall & Kevin Nash © vs. The Hardy Boyz WWF Intercontinental championship: Edge © vs. Rhyno WWF European championship: William Regal © vs. Kurt Angle WWF Hardcore championship Invitational Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero Tables match: Chris Jericho and Kane vs. The Dudley Boyz Trish Stratus and Jacqueline vs. Ivory and Jazz To be held October 28, 2001, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada!
WCW World Heavyweight championship 60 Minute Iron Man match: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner © vs. Booker T
This Week in Wrestling - Backstage at WCW Deceit last week, Konnan got into a fight with Vampiro. Konnan was fined for starting the fight; he was happy about this and improved his behavior, while Vampiro was pleased at the action.
- Last week, Alicia Webb explosively walked out on Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. Apparently Vince McMahon enjoyed this, knowing that TCW has a working agreement with WCW, as he immediately signed Webb to return to the WWF under the name of “Erica Harley,” a not-so-subtle jab at his rival, Eric Bischoff.
- Also backstage at Deceit, Shane Helms drew some funny cartoon characters, making some of his colleagues look like superheroes, while Jerry Jarrett helped organize a video game tournament. Brian Adams made a mess of his locker room, but locker room leader Harley Race forced him to clean it up and buy drinks for everyone after the show. He promised not to do so again.
- After Deceit, sources say that Eric Bischoff complimented Scott Steiner, Goldberg, and Rey Mysterio Jr. for their performances. Steiner was very happy, while Goldberg and Rey seemed pleased to get some positive spotlight.
- The WWF released a small announcement through their PPV providers that due to current world events, the event WWF Armageddon in December will now be WWF Vengeance, in the interest of good taste. Who knew Vince had that in him?
- Mr. Black has been very vocal regarding Jim Cornette, leading many to feel he will not be staying with OVW for long.
- The Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, and Rikishi were all annoyed at Samu for being under the influence during his match on SmackDown. He seemed happy to be sent to rehab to try and fix his problems; but he will likely not be seen again as his contract is said to run out months before his rehab stint will end.
- UPN were unhappy at the low quality for this past week’s SmackDown, as the WWF seems to be having a few growing pains from the new brand split.
- The Island Boyz’s Rosey was on a radio interview this week, saying that he gets nervous before high profile matches.
- Jimmy Snuka has signed an extension to remain in WCW for a few more months.
- Tommy Rich walked out on JAPW.
- Devon Storm has married his partner.
- Perry Saturn was successful in his wrongful termination lawsuit against the WWF, earning $351,500 from them.
- WWF Ratings: RAW (17.81), SD (12.58), Jakked (0.1), Heat (0.88)
- WCW Nitro Ratings: US/Mexico PPV (0.02), Worldwide television providers (2.46)
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 15:00:07 GMT 1
(Originally posted October 27, 2019)
After a rousing rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena was primed to be Unforgiven!
The show began with “The Crippler” Chris Benoit taking on former teammate Eddie Guerrero. The two are known for their exciting action, and tonight was no exception as they wowed the Pittsburgh crowd with their brand of hard-hitting intensity, getting quite a few small “ECW” chants. But the end of the bout left many upset, especially Benoit, who stopped to show a brief moment of concern for his old friend when it appeared he had blown out his knee, only for Guerrero to hook a cradle and score a pinfall! “Latino Heat” got out of there and did a little dance, revealing his ruse; he may have won tonight, but this one isn’t over!
Mr. McMahon, with Torrie Wilson and Erica Harley at his side, is seen back in his office, watching the show. Shane McMahon enters the room, and while he and his father have a few tense words (and a few glares from Erica, who must have been hoping to “secure her position” here tonight) the two McMahon men come to agreement to watch the show together, keeping an eye on either’s brand.
Elsewhere backstage we see Spike Dudley, still down in the dumps about Molly Holly. But he is found by his older brothers, Bubba and D-Von, who tell him that they’ve been watching him over the past month, and he’s making all of them look like losers. D-Von tells him to shape it up, because Dudleys aren’t losers. Bubba enforces that he needs to man up and start being a Dudley, or they’ll find him at the next cross-brand show and make him!
Mr. McMahon and “Shane O’Mac” are seen again, this time having a friendly banter that turns sour when they start arguing about whether RAW or SmackDown! will display a better main event of the show; either Triple H vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or The Rock vs. The Undertaker! They cannot come to an agreement here, finally just getting cut back to the ring for our next match.
What a match it is, as Edge defends the WWF Intercontinental championship against one of his longtime friends, Rhyno! “The Man Beast” wants that gold around his waist, and he stops at nothing to try and gain it. But Edge refuses to give in, and after withstanding a great onslaught, he frustrates Rhyno by nearly pinning him. This sends him into a rage, and he gets a chair before laying into Edge with it! Rhyno is disqualified, but he looks like a winner as he stands over his fallen prey!
Jonathan Coachman is in the interview area alongside The Rock, who pokes fun at “Coach’s” job being taken by Terri on RAW while The Rock has been away. On business matters, The Rock says that in tonight’s street fight, he’s going to “slap the red out of Undertaker’s face” en route to winning the Undisputed WWF championship, if you can smell what he’s cooking. Judging by the reaction of the millions (and millions) of fans, they certainly can smell it!
In the Hardcore Invitational, mayhem is the name of the game as Rob Van Dam’s championship is constantly at stake. Justin Credible, Bradshaw, and Hardcore Holly start the bout with him, but D’Lo Brown comes to the ring, looking for a way to gain favor back to Mr. McMahon, and an ole foe from ECW joins the fun as Jerry Lynn enters the match! But RVD once again proves himself by coming out on top, retaining the Hardcore title. However, the brawl doesn’t stop there, as everyone keeps going after one another. In the confusion, Tommy Dreamer appears and lays out Van Dam with a kendo stick, covering him to win the title for himself before running off through the crowd!
Our next bout was a Tables match between the masters of the table, The Dudley Boyz, against the makeshift team of Chris Jericho and “The Big Red Machine” Kane! This is a brutal affair, which possibly could have had no end in sight. It ended abruptly though, as “Y2J” employed an uncharacteristic low blow on D-Von, before putting him through a table! The crowd are happy to see him win, but what is with those tactics?
After some words from The Undertaker, telling The Rock that the time for talk is over, it is now time for respect, we get to the Street Fight for number one contendership of the Undisputed WWF championship. The Rock and The Undertaker are longtime rivals, so they had each other’s favorite maneuvers well scouted, but the one thing no one can ever account for is when Mr. McMahon decides to get involved. He leaves the office during the match, citing that he “has to use the restroom” and finds himself in the ring, delivering a chair shot to The Rock’s forehead as he was ready to deliver the People’s Elbow! This sets up Undertaker to deliver The Last Ride, and he scores a big victory!
We head to WWF New York, where Diamond Dallas Page isn’t having a bad time, it’s a good time! He’s hanging out with fans and enjoying Unforgiven, but a crew of large men in hoodies show up and attack him! It’s Rikishi and The Island Boyz, and they leave him laying on the bar!
Back in the arena, the women of RAW are geared up for a big tag team match between the teams of Trish Stratus and Jacqueline against Ivory and Jazz. The one thing that stands out the most in this bout is the brutality of Jazz, as she takes over the match any time she is in the ring. And she is the one who comes out on top here, using a face buster that she is calling the “Bitch Clamp” to defeat Jacqueline. She doesn’t stop there however, also delivering a Bitch Clamp to Stratus and causing Ivory to run away with a mean snarl! Jazz is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with!
Back in the office, Mr. McMahon has not returned, so Erica Harley takes this moment to try some of her “feminine wiles” on Shane McMahon, saying that she needs a backup plan in case this secretary job doesn’t work out. She tells Shane that she’ll do “anything” to secure a job on RAW under him, but he tells her that if she’s looking for a new position, apparently The Godfather takes on women like her every night! She leaves in a huff!
The Hardy Boyz are waiting in the ring as Scott Hall and Kevin Nash’s music plays… and plays… and plays… finally the World Tag Team champions appear, and they cut a quick promo where Hall holds a survey to find that people are here to see Hall and Nash, and Kevin warns the Hardyz, saying that their blood tonight is on Shane McMahon’s hands. Matt and Jeff are former champions themselves and are no pushovers though, and they take the champions to their limits and nearly win the titles on quite a few occasions! But speed only seems to conquer power for so long, and Nash uses his size advantage to decimate Jeff with the Jackknife Powerbomb to retain their titles.
Backstage, Spike Dudley seems to be thinking over his future, when he’s joined by Torrie Wilson. The sweet blond says that she likes small guys, and would love to hang out with him tonight! As she leaves, for the first time in a month, Spike has a big smile on his face!
The European championship is on the line next, as champion William Regal takes on the patriotic Kurt Angle! This match will long be remembered for all the “USA” chants during it, but also for the great, technical action that is on display. Angle looks like he’s likely to take away the title, getting ready to hook in the ankle lock, but Regal slips away and leaves the match behind, intentionally getting counted out. “The American Hero” still leads a big “USA” chant from the crowd, but he is visibly disappointed to not be walking out of here with gold around his waist.
It is now time for the main event, where “The Game” Triple H defends his Undisputed WWF championship against former champion, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in a No Disqualifications match. Austin takes over right away in the match, using the same disturbing, almost crazed tactics he used to win the title back at WrestleMania. “The Game” is a tough customer though, and he comes back every time Austin feels he’s put him down. The two trade all kinds of back and forth action, but the end of the match sees Austin on top. He goes out of the ring and gets a chair, and it looks like it may be a repeat of WrestleMania, but when he hesitates for a moment, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash rush the ring and attack him! They use the chair on Austin, leaving him laying for dead until Triple H gets up and, despite being confused, he delivers the Pedigree and retains the title. After the bell has sounded, he looks up the ramp and sees Hall and Nash looking on, and everything finally makes sense. “The Game” looks just as angry as Austin does about this match being ruined! What will happen tomorrow night on RAW with the fallout of this?!
Show Notes
- The Hardcore Invitational was mired by a focus on general mayhem
- Tommy Dreamer debuted with a Fan’s Own (Wholesome) gimmick, which is Very Good
- The Rock wrestled with broken fingers, which hampered the match slightly
- Scott Hall was drunk and drugged up during his match; was fined for the drugs and warned about his drinking. The fine got him to say he was improving his behavior, and the entire Clique was happy about this
- Steve Austin was unhappy with losing until he was kept strong and protected during the match; management only relented on his demands because of what happened with Hawk on Raw
- Post-Show Speech: Triple H (told he did awesome, was very happy), Steve Austin (complimented on a good performance, he seemed pleased), Scott Hall (was could do better, he was not too concerned for now)
- Kevin Nash: “Hardcore Holly doesn’t connect with fans, you should write him off”
- Buy rate: 1.30
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 15:20:13 GMT 1
(Originally posted November 3, 2019)September 2001: Week 4
WWF RAW is WAR Spotlight Segment “The Coach” Jonathan Coachman is backstage at the interview area with his guest at this time, “Y2J” Chris Jericho. Coachman tells Jericho he has been hearing a lot of talk about him since last night, and his win earlier has people talking even more.
“Well of course they’re talking all about ‘Y2J’, and why wouldn’t they? All the Jerichoholics out there are loving watching ‘The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n Rolla’ win, and here’s my promise: I’m going to keep going out there and doing it for all the loyal Jerichoholics out there.”
“Well be that as it may, Chris, I think more people have been talking about the way that you won the match…
“What do you mean? That ‘B-Gone Dudley’ slipped on a banana peel and fell through a table? That ‘Big Boos Man’ didn’t hire an understudy who can hit his target? I am not responsible for these things. I am responsible for going out in that ring and winning. All these so-called detractors can please just shut… the hell… up, because the true fans will be on their feet cheering and screaming for… what do you want?”
The attention is turned to Rob Van Dam in the corner, who was laughing to himself as he listened to Jericho. “Nothing, dude, go ahead and keep talking; whatever makes you feel better about how you can’t win lately on your own. Like, last night you had to use Kane and a low blow, and tonight was a nightstick. Next week will it be feet on the ropes, or maybe handful of tights?
“Hey, that’s right, I do know you, junior. You’re that Claude Man Sam that everyone keeps talking about. Well let me tell you something, Claude, I’ll give you that when someone is star-struck with their first time meeting someone so much larger than life than you, a person can let their words get away from them. But let’s just put a pin in this right now, I’ll sign a little autograph for you later, and we’ll call it even. Okay?
“How about no, dude? Yeah, sure, you won last night and tonight while I lost last night and won tonight. But at least I did it with pride, with my head and everything else held as high as it gets. Can you say the same?”
Before Jericho can answer, RVD cuts him off, saying that “And by the way; the name is Rob – Van – Dam! Don’t forget it.” With that, Van Dam walks off, leaving Jericho seething, and he yells at Coachman to get out of his face, as he leaves in a huff. It looks like RVD struck a bit of a vein with that one!Show Notes- Shane McMahon hosted a poker tournament for the guys during the show, which helped make a happy backstage atmosphere.
- Randy Orton’s coming debut was hyped on Raw, Heat, and Jakked.
- It turns out Big Show and Albert don’t click at all, and it nearly ruined their match.
- Kevin Nash: “Albert doesn’t connect with the fans, you should write this kid off.”
WWF SmackDown! Spotlight Segment
The WWF World Tag Team champions, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, march down to the ring, coolly getting a microphone. Hall already did his survey earlier tonight, so instead he gets down to business, saying that “Ey, Hunter, mang; looks like it’s time to figure out if you’re with us, or against us. So come on out, and we’ll get the band back together.” Nash takes the mic from Hall, and he tells Triple H that “The last time the three of us were in this company at the same time, we controlled it with an iron fist. The last time the three of us were in the same building, you walked out with a big win to keep the Undisputed WWF title around your waist. These things are not a coincidence. But it sounds a lot like you don’t want to do business. So that means it’s time for us to take this to a family matter. We’ve been there for you, for years we’ve had your back, anytime someone said anything bad about you, we broke their jaw. Now, you say you don’t want our help? That just doesn’t sound like you. So come out here, face to face, man to men, and we’ll see how family handles business.” “Time to Play the Game” brings Triple H out to the entrance stage, and the champion doesn’t look happy. He has his own microphone, and he tells the two of them that he respects them. “You’re right, Kevin; we may not be blood family, but we’re family forged through bonds of the road. We are tighter than most families could ever dream of. Now, despite some of our other family members not being here right now, including one very important one…” he stops for a moment as a small “HBK” chant begins breaking out… “We are still the core of the family. You and me, Kevin, we both led revolutions that changed this entire industry! But right now, at this point in our careers, it’s better if we stay apart. Because I am out there proving that I am that damn good, and I can’t do that if I’m taking help from my friends. Backstage? After the show? I’ll sit down, we’ll joke, laugh, work out, have a beer together – none for you, Scott, we know how you get – but in this ring, this has to be my own world. So, my answer is, I love you guys; but no, I cannot get the band back together. Nash starts to look angry, but he instantly calms back down again. He sighs and shrugs, “Well, I guess you can’t us for trying to do this the easy way. See, like you said, we’ve both led revolutions. We can both be the head of the snake. So the band is coming together whether you’re in, or not.” With that, Triple H is attacked from behind, by X-Pac! He hits him with the Light Heavyweight title from behind, throwing Hunter into the ring where Hall starts stomping on him before he can get his bearings. The attack culminates in Triple H taking a big Jackknife Powerbomb from Nash, and he’s rolled over onto his stomach. X-Pac goes out of the ring and gets a can of spraypaint, and Kevin paints “BAND” on Hunter’s back! “This could have been so easy for ya, pal. We could have ruled the WWF together. Instead? It looks like we’ll have to rule over you as well. The Band is back together.” Show Notes- The Rock invented a new catchphrase during his interview with Lilian, add one more line for the crowd to chant along with him.
- Grand Masta Sexay was furious about losing to Jamal, but he was not given any special treatment.
- Kurt Angle and Funaki’s gimmicks are getting stale.
- Rikishi was protected in losing to Val Venis, with Diamond Dallas Page causing a distraction.
- Rikishi: “Scotty 2 Hotty is pretty good in the ring, you should push the kid”.
- Chris Benoit tested positive for steroids, was given a slap on the wrist; his personality grows worse, but Eddie and Dean were happy with the verdict.
WCW Friday Nitro Spotlight Segment
The sirens bring “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner out to the ring, and he looks like he has a lot on his mind after his discussion earlier with Shane Douglas. Jenna takes a microphone from David Penzer and hands it to Scott, who starts yelling into it. “Ya know, I get used to being called a lotta things ever since I started being the ‘Freakzilla’ in front of the cameras as I was between the sheets all them years ago.” It’s technically only been about three years, but Scott Steiner math and all… “But one thing that people can’t say ‘bout me is that I’m anything differnt’ than what I say I am. I ain’t no hipple-crit, is what I’m sayin’! Now, ya also get a guy like Booker T, who comes out here, says he’s doin’ all things for his fans and his fam’ly, ‘bout the only thing he don’t do is just get on his knees like the fine actresses at ClubJenna and give you all the servicin’ he can! But I just found out earlier tonight from a discussion with a fine man who would never tell a lie, Shane Douglas, I found out a few things that might surprise ya… it might shock ya… hell, it might even make ya run ta’ Jesus to pray for his forgiveness in followin’ such a damn hipple-crit like Booker! Because make no mistakes, he has no right to talk shit on Scott Steiner, with how dirty his life is right now! Now, if the monkeys back there in the production truck would be so kind as to dig up the image I told them to…” A picture comes up on the NitroVision from last year, which shows the night Booker T won the WCW World Heavyweight title for the very first time at Bash at the Beach. The image is of him hugging his wife in the crowd, celebrating this huge accomplishment. “See, that lady there, well I prolly’ wouldn’t have done it, but Booker T married her. They been that way since 1996. She was with him through almost all his WCW career! By his side, cheerin’ his scraggly, undeserving ass on. But now? Now, Booker, he’s been a three time Dub-See-Dubya champion! And when you’re a champion, well, maybe the women start gettin’ a little hotter, a little finer, a little better to ya than the one ya left back at the house!” But before Steiner can keep going, Booker T hits the ring! He starts attacking Steiner with punches, and even takes a swing at Jenna, who scurries away as quickly as she can while wearing six inch heels. The two men who will wrestle for an hour at Halloween Havoc: Fear Rises start brawling, with the World Heavyweight championship lying on the mat between them! WCW Security led by Doug Dillinger start coming to the ring, but they start getting beaten up by both Steiner and Booker as they go for one another all over again! Booker keeps telling Steiner to shut his mouth, while Steiner is calling him a “****in’ hippa-crit!” This show is all out of time, fans, and as we start fading to black, Mike Tenay is just able to spit out that the police are coming to break this fight up! Show Notes- Madusa teaches protege Stacy some psychology.
- Low-Ki prevailed in the X-Division match by making Kaz tap out to the Dragon Clutch.
- Scott Steiner looked excellent in his meeting with Douglas, coming off like a smart tactician.
- Big Bill is getting better at his gimmick again; who knew that he would be such an amazing Bully? [Everyone in like 2006, am I right?]
- Raven is also getting better at his gimmick, though Wright seemed off his game during their extremely short match
- Kid Kash and Mike Awesome had a brawling based match, and Kash was heard afterward saying that it really didn’t play to his strengths. The bout had gone outside briefly, and Mike seemed to have caught a Flu.
- Chris Lovey is looking better at his gimmick, coming off as very professional.
- Reno is seeming better at his gimmick.
- Goldberg vs. Konnan was penalized for being face vs. face, there was not much selling, and it was extremely short. However Goldberg looked good out there.
- The crowd were a lot rowdier than expected during the main event, which was booked as an NWA style technical bout.
- C.W. Anderson sneaked into the ring to deliver a spinebuster that gave Jarrett the win, ending this feud and cementing Hennig into his next storyline.
- Curt Hennig: “AJ Styles is turning into a good worker, the kid is worth getting behind”
- Goldberg: “C.W. Anderson doesn’t connect with the fans in my opinion, he has little upside.”
- Scott Steiner: “Reno needs to learn how to sell, he isn’t worth a damn otherwise”
 Show Notes- Jerry Lynn sustains a hip injury, will be hampered by it for 4 days.
- Little Guido/James Maritato, now Nunzio, debuts his Full Blooded Italian gimmick, rating Above Average.
- Kurt Angle invented a new catchphrase during his stage interview that will boost his ability on the microphone.
- X-Pac wrestled while on drugs; a fine improved his behavior and pleased his friends.
Upcoming Events
 To be held October 21, 2001, at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri! WWF Intercontinental Championship: No Holds Barred match – Edge © vs. Rhyno  To be held October 28, 2001, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada! WCW World Heavyweight championship 60 Minute Iron Man match: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner © vs. Booker T WCW United States championship: Buff Bagwell © vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger
This Week in Wrestling
- The internet are saying that the WWF are looking “bush league” with a small roster, as a handful of wrestlers are out on injury or vacation.
- The Rock’s broken fingers healed up before SmackDown!.
- Daffney and Sharmell signed contract extensions with WCW.
- Marc and Rena Mero divorce.
- Scott Hall has moved to Arizona, Funaki moves his home to California.
- Mr. Fuji is going to retire soon.
- WWF Ratings: RAW (16.68), SD (12.12), Heat (0.87), Jakked (0.07)
- WCW Nitro Ratings: US/Mexico PPV (0.02), EU/UK/JP/AU television (2.73)
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 16:05:13 GMT 1
(Originally posted December 22, 2019)October 2001: Week 1
Eric Bischoff was surprised, but not stunned at the information he had been told. He had approached “Sugar” Shane Helms regarding staying on with World Championship Wrestling, but it was not good news. “Eric, I’m really happy with how things have gone, but Matt and Jeff tell me that they have some really good pull right now, and with the brand split, the WWF is aching for people to fill up the Light Heavyweight division.” “You know, Shane, I still intended on making you a focal point of the X Division, just like they’d told you that you would be in the Cruiser scene before I took back over.” “I know you say that, and I believe you, but when? It was supposed to be in February and March, but now you’ve got all these guys down in Wildside ready to come up and the guys like AJ and Low Ki who you’ve pushed really hard instead of me. I appreciate all you’ve done, but it’s time for me to go. They say I’m gonna get to try out this superhero character! I’ve always wanted to do that.” “Well, I’ll wish you the best, Shane, it’s been a pleasure.” “Before I leave, though, here’s a tidbit for you, since you have been good to me. Shannon is looking to leave too, and he’s been saving up every penny he can in order to try and buy out his contract early. He was gonna just surprise you with it, but I’m telling you now. Try to look surprised.” “I appreciate it, Shane. Good luck.”
WWF RAW Spotlight Segment
After the opening fireworks, as “Good ol’ JR” and Paul Heyman are hyping the show, “It’s a New World” starts playing over the arena as the WWF World Tag Team champions, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, along with the WWF Light Heavyweight champion, X-Pac, come strutting down to the ring. Scott Hall takes the microphone first, with an exaggerated “……… Hey yo.” Hall talks to the crowd, saying that this has been a long time coming for “the big mang, the medium sized mang, and the kid mang all come back together, mang.” He says that “junior McMahon” can’t stop them from taking whatever they want, whenever they want it, because they can be wherever they wanna be. X-Pac chimes in, saying that he hasn’t had his real friends in a long time, but at the side of these two guys, there can be no stopping them.
Kevin Nash takes the microphone, saying that “We’re gonna take the WWF over like it’s 1995 all over again!” Getting serious, though, he changes the subject over to what happened on SmackDown!. “In a perfect world, we would be four standing here instead of three. Hunter, you were supposed to be the new pillar of the group, and we would have all the gold and all the green. Instead, you turned us down, and you got what is coming to everyone who is standing in our way. You’ve lost your last chance, and now you’re going to face the music – because The Band are back together.”
The three of them look like they could hang out in the ring all night, but they’re interrupted by “Here Comes the Money” and RAW Owner Shane McMahon coming to the stage. Shane says that while other times and other places have let them just run all over doing what they please, that is not going to be happening on his show. He tells them that he’s happy for them to have their little group of friends, but while Hall and Nash are to appear on both RAW and SmackDown!, X-Pac’s championship is exclusive to SmackDown!; as such, he is to be ejected from the building immediately, and if they do anything to stop this, he will take away their Tag titles! As security surround the ring, X-Pac is upset about this, but Nash calms him down and the camera hears him saying that they’ll see him tomorrow. Shane then tells the two that while he cannot help it if his father lets them slide when they appear on SmackDown!, when they’re on his RAW, they are going to be in action, so tonight, he’s putting Kevin Nash in the ring in our main event tonight! Hall and Nash feign fright, as we go to a commercial break to clear the ring out and get the rest of the show started.
Show Notes
- The show name officially changes this week to WWF RAW, dropping the “War” part as it could be seen as poor taste following the September 11 attack.
- Scott Hall and Rico Constantino are getting better at their gimmicks.
- Maven has debuted his Fan’s Own gimmick (Average) and Nidia debuted her Happy-Go-Lucky gimmick (Great).
Mr. Vince McMahon is in his office with Torrie Wilson typing away at a keyboard on one side of him as Erica Harley is whispering sweet nothings into his ear to avoid doing her work. A knock comes to the door, and Maven meekly enters. “You wanted to see me?” Mr. McMahon tells him that he did, bragging up the accomplishment that winning Tough Enough was for him. All the bragging up ends abruptly though as he tells him that “I used up a draft pick for you. That could have given me anyone, but I chose you. If you do as I say, I could see the future of Maven: Undisputed WWF champion!” Maven is wowed by the flowery words, but only for a few moments. He asks Mr. McMahon if he means that he would be a star, or just another of his hired goons? Maven says that he does want to be champion in the future, otherwise he’d never have joined Tough Enough. However, he will do it the same way he won at Tough Enough: as his own man, standing on his own two feet. All the pretty words from earlier are instantly gone, as Mr. McMahon spews vile at the rookie, telling him that no one of his stature should ever say “no” to Mr. McMahon unless they have career suicide on their mind! He yells at Maven to get out of his office, and he’ll teach him to fall in line! Show Notes- Val Venis was protected and kept strong to agree to lose to the Island Boyz.
- Maven and Erica Harley are getting better at their gimmicks.
- William Regal looked excellent in his match despite being upset at putting over Maven; he was kept strong and protected but was still furious about losing.
- Gregory Helms has debuted under a Comic Book Hero (Comedy) gimmick, with an initial rating of Average.
- Test’s heel turn was a complete success.
- Kurt Angle was kept strong in his flash pinfall loss to Eddie Guerrero by being attacked by Undertaker.
- Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero have gimmicks that are getting a bit stale.
WCW Friday Nitro Spotlight Segment
“Welcome, fans, to the longest running show in wrestling television, it’s WCW Worldwide!” The voice of Tony Schiavone rings out loud and clear, as the camera swings into the WCW Worldwide studio and pans over the WCW Worldwide Panel members: Tony, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Jeremy Borash, Chris Lovey, and Stevie Ray. They discuss what has happened on the show thus far, but Tony tells everyone he has a surprise for everyone: WCW Owner/Operator Eric Bischoff is on the phone with the studio right now, with a special announcement! “Thanks, Tony, I’m glad to be here. Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ve had times where I left tag team wrestling behind, and let the titles fade away to be trinkets held by a pair of disrespectful old men who think they’re still cool five years past their sell dates. But what we just saw out there was two tag teams, one of old stars and one of young up-and-comers, all four men fighting for their lives to get either their last or first chances of greatness. And I gotta say, it moved me. Tag team wrestling used to be one of the highlights of the wrestling world, teams like the Rock ‘n Roll Express, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, the Midnight Express, Harlem Heat, the Steiner Brothers back when they teamed more. There are many fans who have been left out in the cold who enjoyed those two-on-two battles. Now, I get a lot of wrestlers from both inside and out of WCW who come to me wanting an opportunity. Well, now I have an opportunity for anyone who wants it: Eric Bischoff’s Tag Team Initiative! We have a pair of young, fighting champions who are just looking for challengers, so here’s your shot. Find yourself a partner, give yourselves a name, and I’ll make sure you get your shot. You pair up, and you’ll both get more screen time than you know what to do with. So go out and find someone you can team with, you don’t even have to like them, just team up, and I will find you something to do. I’ll be on Nitro next week in person to see who is ready to step forward in this brave, new initiative!” With that, Eric signs off of the call, leaving the Panel plenty to discuss as they talk about some of the best tag team matches they’ve ever seen (or been a part of, in Stevie Ray’s case) and wonder who is going to join next week’s Tag Team Initiative. Show Notes- C.W. Anderson and David Penzer were really getting along backstage, lifting everyone’s spirits.
- Mike Sanders has changed to an Arrogant Heel gimmick; it, naturally, has gotten an initial rating of Above Average.
- Jimmy Snuka Jr. and Kid Kash are getting better at their gimmicks.
- Scott Steiner: “Norman Smiley is like watchin’ paint dry, get rid of him for someone better… or at least better to look at.”
- Jeff Jarrett: “Kid Kash is pretty clumsy, he’s going to hurt someone badly.”
Show Notes- Scotty 2 Hotty lifted the locker room with some impersonations.
- Steve Bradley sustained a Mover’s Back Strain during the Hardcore match.
 Show Notes
- The “ladies” seen on Heat with The Godfather were recognized by some fans as Donna Adamo (ECW’s Elektra), Carmel Macklin (WCW’s Ms. Jones), and Jessica Kresa (who just barely missed the final cut to join Tough Enough).
- D-Von Dudley lifted the locker room with a WWF No Mercy tournament.
- Stephanie paid for a special catered breakfast to improve the mood of the locker room.
- Bob Orton Jr. was seen teaching Randy some tips on ring psychology.
- Both the teams of Big Boss Man and Rico and Chris Chetti and Andy Douglas showed excellent tag chemistry during their matches.
- I tried out having HeAT colored as purple to denote that it features superstars from both RAW and SmackDown!, but I ended up not liking it and changing it to orange the next week.
Upcoming Events
To be held October 21, 2001, at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri!
WWF Intercontinental Championship: No Holds Barred match – Edge © vs. Rhyno “Y2J” Chris Jericho vs. Rob Van Dam The Big Show and Kane vs. Albert and Haku Diamond Dallas Page vs. “Bad Man” Rikishi To be held October 28, 2001, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada!
WCW World Heavyweight championship 60 Minute Iron Man match: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner © vs. Booker T
WCW United States championship: Buff Bagwell © vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger
WCW World Tag Team championships: Sean O’Haire & Mark Jindrak © vs. Lance Storm and Mystery Partner
Fear match: Raven runs the gauntlet of Dark Eden in different match types!
This Week in Wrestling
- President George W. Bush has announced that America is beginning a war on terror!
- Andrew McManus founds World Wrestling All-Stars in Australia while Yumi Ohka opens Network of Wrestling in Japan.
- NJPW have extended World Pro Wrestling on Fighting TV! Samurai.
- AJPW have extended AJPW TV on GAORA.
- CMLL have extended Super Viernes on Televisa Deportes.
- AAA have extended events on MVS Multivision.
- NOAH have extended NOAH TV on Fighting TV! Samurai.
- WCW have extended events on Sky Sports 3 until the end of 2001.
- NWA: Wildside have extended Wildside TV on WTLK-TV12.
- WCW signs deal with Mexican broadcaster 52MX to air Nitro starting at the beginning of 2002.
- Great Sasuke has let his hatred of Vince McMahon shine through and has declared a war between M-Pro and the WWF!
- Ivory receives a $3,000 raise, now making $9,608 a month.
- Billy Gunn is now rated as Muscular, get a raise of $5,120 to make $14,520.
- Albert receives a $6,020 raise, now making $14,620.
- Samu refused a pay raise.
- Manami Toyota has been diagnosed with a major concussion following a match in FMW against Kyoko Inoue; she will miss over a year of action.
- Great Sasuke is dating RIE, the two meeting while working for DDT.
- Haku signs a PPA extension with the WWF.
- Jazz receives a pay raise of $2,420, now earning $4,090.
- CZW have hostilities toward JAPW and NWA: New Jersey.
- Bob Sapp, Dos Caras Jr., and Katsuyori Shibata accept MMA fights which they will begin training for in a few months.
- WWF Ratings: RAW (16.65), SD (12.00), Heat (0.79), Jakked (0.08)
- WCW Nitro Ratings: US/Mexico PPV (0.02), EU/UK/JP/AU television (2.78).
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Post by Beejus on Mar 8, 2020 16:20:09 GMT 1
(Originally posted February 1, 2020)
(Writer's Note: No spotlights on this show as it had gone so long since the previous post and I could not determine any one segment on each show that stood out to me. But in good news, this is the final repost! Which means I get back to work!)October 2001: Week 2
Show Notes
- During a pre-show tag team match, Big Boss Man and Nick Dinsmore showed excellent chemistry
- Trish Stratus and Ivory have wrestled five times recently, so this match really needed to be a lot better
- Justin Credible, Bradshaw, Tommy Dreamer, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash are getting better at their gimmicks
- Nidia was protected during her match… not only by the tainted ending, but in general
- Orton vs. Conway was a poorly placed match, as they were told to work a crowd that was already hot; also, the crowd were turned off by having a match between practically jobbers
- Steve Austin and Debra turned face; both turns were a complete success
- “Stone Cold” changed his gimmick to a Redneck (Realistic) gimmick, which got an initial rating of Great
- RVD: “Justin Credible is turning into a good worker, he’s worth getting behind”
- Kevin Nash: “Justin Credible doesn’t connect with the fans, you should write the kid off”
- Scott Hall: “Hardcore Holly doesn’t connect with fans, he doesn’t have much upside”
Show Notes
- D’Lo’s turn and gimmick change happened during this show; Bad Ass (Cool) gets an Average rating, the turn went pretty well.
- X-Pac was wasted on drugs during his match; he was given a stern warning.
Show Notes
- Madusa was brought before Wrestler’s Court for not picking up her half of a bar tab; Harley Race made her buy drinks for everyone after the show (behavior improved)
- Raven and Chris Lovey are getting better at their gimmicks.
- Norman Smiley has complained that he feels he needs to get some wins to build some momentum
- Scott Steiner: “That Tajiri punk ain’t worth his weight in yen to the fans, y’oughtta just drop him like a bad sushi.”
Show Notes
- Funaki brightened the mood with some cartoon drawings
- Steve Austin has been passing on microphone tips to protege Rhyno
Upcoming Events
To be held October 21, 2001, at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri!
WWF World Tag Team championships: The Band © vs. The Power Trip
The Rock and Maven vs. William Regal and Christopher Nowinski
WWF Intercontinental championship: No Holds Barred match – Edge © vs. Rhyno
“Y2J” Chris Jericho vs. Rob Van Dam
The Big Show and Kane vs. Albert and Haku
Diamond Dallas Page vs. “Bad Man” Rikishi
Jazz vs. Nidia To be held October 28, 2001, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada!
WCW World Heavyweight championship 60 Minute Iron Man match: “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner © vs. Booker T
WCW United States championship: Buff Bagwell © vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger
WCW World Tag Team championships: Sean O’Haire & Mark Jindrak © vs. Lance Storm and Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, and Mystery Partner vs. The Problem Solvers
Fear match: Raven runs the gauntlet of Dark Eden in different match types!
Chuck Palumbo vs. “The Franchise” Shane Douglas
The Week That Was: October 2001, week 2
- Toward the beginning of the week, World Wrestling All-Stars out of Australia made a contract offer to Hulk Hogan, which would put “The Hulkster” back in the ring for the first time in over a year. By the end of the week, he had accepted the deal and began appearing on their tour shows.
- In order to litigate some of his poor morale as of late with the WWF, Steve Austin was given $50,000.
- Chris Adams has retired from active wrestling.
- Independent women’s wrestler Cheerleader Melissa has been sidelined with a broken leg (thigh), which will keep her out of action for nearly 6 months.
- Exciting young Japanese wrestler Tsubasa has been spoken to by Japanese police regarding some threatening messages he left for Toryumon Japan booker Takashi Okamura; he is likely to be leaving the company soon.
- Edge receives a full $7,750 pay raise, bringing his monthly wage to $21,650.
- WWF Ratings: RAW (16.79); SmackDown! (12.08); Jakked (0.07); HeAT (0.87)
- WCW Ratings: PPV (0.02), worldwide TV (2.82)
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