WWF vs WCW: Hate the Game

The screen is lit with candles as Vampiro speaks. “When all the sins have been gathered, there can only be one thing left: mayhem. Life is chaos, a jumbled mass of happenings that you remember inside your brain until it no longer functions. But mayhem leaves its own mark on you; it leaves your adrenaline pulsing, it leaves your body gasping, it leaves your mind racing.” As we see images in the flames of Goldberg, Scott Steiner, Sting, and other stars of WCW, the voice of Syndrome comes in, adding that “Mayhem is inevitable, the only time you will have no mayhem in your life is when you have left the world behind. As you move through the world, only the best can rise above the mayhem and grab what they want. And all the others? Well… failure is just another part of life.”

With that, into the arena we go, where the fireworks go off around the U.S. Cellular Center! A sold out crowd are ready for some Mayhem!

We begin with the X Division Shootout, where Alex Wright, AJ Styles, “Primetime” Elix Skipper, Low Ki, Kid Kash, and Yoshihiro Tajiri come for a fast paced, high octane battle! The six men ignite the crowd with their high flying, hard hitting action until a Spiral Tap on Wright gives AJ Styles an impressive victory! Low Ki looks on in disappointment, but he still remains unbeaten in WCW. After the bout, AJ’s occasional tag partner Air Paris comes to the ring on crutches, and Styles looks happy to celebrate with Paris… until he hits AJ with one of the crutches in the back! He smashes the crutch over Styles again and again, until WCW Security come out to pul him away. Why would he do such a heinous action?

After we see “Big Poppa Pump” angrily arrive at the building, we move to “Mean” Gene and Jeremy in the aisle of the arena. Gene urges everyone to check out his WCW.com article to find out about a major star who may be unhappy in their current promotion and may be searching for some “greener pastures” before bringing out his guest at this time, Booker T! Booker talks about how it was a year ago at last Mayhem where he lost the World Heavyweight title to Scott Steiner, and tonight he is finally looking to close this chapter. He says tonight will be his time, he will be the last man standing!

We head into the ring with The Problem Solvers, where Simon says that he’s got a problem. He says that he was looking forward to “riding on old horsies” just like they did at Mayhem, but the great Ric Flair must have fallen and can’t get up because now he has to decide someone to take on “the annoyance” Curt Hennig. Scott Hudson notes that no one is more annoying than Simon, but Simon says that this is the chance for his pupil, Disqo, to truly prove his worth to the team. Disqo thanks him for the chance, but he shouldn’t have taken it; with Flair in Hennig’s corner keeping an eye on Simon, C.W., and Dawn, Hennig steamrolls Disqo, taking immediate control of the match and ending it in just over three minutes with a Hennig-Plex. As Flair and Hennig leave victorious, the camera sees Disqo getting chewed out by Simon!

We see into the skybox, where The Snukas and Sonny Siaki are watching the show. Father Snuka sits behind his son and Siaki, glaring at the back of Sonny’s head. Following that, we head into the ring for the United States Heavyweight championship bout, a match that Chuck Palumbo won the right to on the past Nitro. Despite his age, Buff Bagwell is a veteran competitor compared to Palumbo, and he uses that advantage through the bout to frustrate the Thriller. Just as Chuck begins to gain an edge, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas comes to ringside, throwing his plans all off by going after Stacy! Palumbo gets out of the ring and goes after him, but Shane moves aside and Kiebler accidentally slaps Chuck! Douglas shoves him back into the ring, and a shocked Palumbo gets surprised with the Buff Blockbuster! Bagwell retains his title yet again, but the real scene is in the ring when Stacy enters to console Palumbo, but he is upset at her. She apologizes profusely, and finally he seems to accept it, but Douglas laughs from the top of the aisle at the mayhem that he may have caused in their relationship!

Next up is our first Gauntlet for the Gold qualifying match, as the undefeated and impressive Mr. Wrestling 3 takes on “The Franchise of WCW” Sting. Mr. Wrestling attacks with a lot of gusto, getting “The Stinger” on the ropes several times, but as he sends Sting into the turnbuckles, he is reversed, and Sting follows in with a Stinger Splash! Stunned, Mr. Wrestling staggers out of the corner and gets drilled to the mat with the Scorpion Death Drop! Sting makes the cover, and he punches his ticket for Starrcade. However, Mr. Wrestling 3 gets back to his feet while Sting is still celebrating with his fans, and he attacks from behind! He gets Sting locked into his Indian Deathlock, and it takes WCW Security to get him to finally release the hold.

We now head back to the interview area, where Chris Lovey is standing by with “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner. Steiner calls it “a load of bulls***” that he has to fight to win his title back, because nobody has beaten him for it in a year. He says that he’s got a surprise for Booker tonight – Rick Steiner walks in, making his return after the suspension that Eric Bischoff forced him on! “The DFG” stands solemnly at his brother’s back, as Steiner says that Booker is right, we will close this chapter; and the book will be called “That Time Scott Steiner Beat the Asshole out of Booker T”!

After that, the Caged Heat has been settled in around the ring, as it is time for the Mayhem match! David Penzer goes over the rules (there aren’t any) and brings in the four teams who have agreed to put their bodies on the line here tonight. Jindrak & O’Haire seem excited to have these contenders, but the bigger story in the bout is Fratelli and Da Baldies. The two teams of thugs attack one another relentlessly, almost ignoring Kronik and the champions for a lot of the match. The match lives up to it’s name when Bryan Clark grabs DeVito and throws him through the cage door, knocking it wide open and spreading this brawl all over the arena! The match turns dangerous as they start fighting into the aisles between the audience! As the fight moves around the arena, Vito gets dropped from one of the crowd risers by Angel, crashing through a part of the arena! But back near the ring, Kronik are ready to set Jindrak up for High Times, but Tajiri emerges from under the ring and sprays the green mist into Clark’s face! When Adams chases him away, he turns back around into Jindrak hitting him with a steel chair! He knocks Adams down with it, and O’Haire flies in with the Seanton Bomb! Arn Anderson calls this match a multicar accident, and finally it is over so that medical personnel can come out and collect the bodies!

From that scene of utter carnage, we go to the WCW Worldwide Panel. Tony is even out of breath just from watching the Mayhem match, saying that it lived up to it’s name. They discuss the action we’ve seen so far and hype what’s yet to come, before sending us to a recap video for the long standing feud between Booker T and Scott Steiner.

Backstage, we see a brief conversation, as Midajah and Lex Luger appear to be speaking with Chris Harris and James Storm – logically, one would assume this is another offer for them to be taken in as a manager’s new clients. They enter the ring to face a team of veterans, Barry Darsow and John Nord. However, unlike the US title match where the veteran used experience to their advantage, Harris and Storm took the advantage right away and never let up until they quickly put the duo away when Storm used a superkick to defeat Nord. But as they were leaving, “Mean” Gene comes to the ring to speak with them, asking about all the managerial offers the youngsters have received lately. A surprise participant comes to the ring, however, as Bobby “The Brain” Heenan shows his face! He banters with Gene, telling him to go trim his mustache while the adults are talking, and asks if “this pup” (Jeremy) is housebroken. He turns his attention to Harris and Storm, now making his pitch to become their manager. He tells them that he has not seen talent like them in years, and he would be happy to come out of retirement to manage them – for a cut of their contracts that they can discuss after they’ve agreed. They once again give no answer, but Storm notes that “With all these people comin’ out of the woodwork to manage us, we’re startin’ to feel like America’s most wanted!”

Time now for our second Gauntlet for the Gold qualifying match, but one with a lot of background to it as X Division champion Lance Storm practically robbed Rey Mysterio Jr. of that title two months ago. Mysterio goes right after Storm, looking to get his revenge. This was very nearly the best match of the entire show, as Rey’s high flying attack meets Storm’s explosive yet technical warfare, and the fans are completely engrossed in all the action. However it is once again Tajiri who emerges from under the ring (why didn’t anyone check on him after the last match?) and he uses another green mist on Rey, leaving him open to being locked into the Canadian Maple Leaf! Mysterio tries to fight out of it, but there is no escape, as Lance becomes the next man to enter Starrcade’s Gauntlet for the Gold!

The arena is shrouded in darkness as Dark Eden march out to the ring. Rellik drags Raven to the ring, tied to a chair, as Syndrome takes a microphone. They stand in a lone spotlight as he says that Raven has been “conditioned” and in front of everyone here at Mayhem, he shall pledge his allegiance to his cause. He calls Raven “guilty of the sin of mayhem” but says that he will absolve him of all his past wrongdoings as he did to all the other sinners he has saved and taken to Eden. Raven gives his answer, that he has heard all of his preaching, heard all of his seminars… and has found him to be nothing more than a counterfeit god! He calls Syndrome a snake oil salesman, and tells him that he would never join someone else’s cult because he’s the only one who can heal someone’s pain. At that, the sound of an air raid siren begins sounding over the arena, and into the spotlight appears…

It’s Saturn! He starts attacking Dark Eden, and in the confusion he unties Raven. The two of them are able to knock Rellik aside, and the arena lights come back on as they slide into the ring, gaining the always important high ground. It looks as though Raven just gained a strong ally to combat the numbers of Dark Eden!

Our next match has a lot riding on it, as if Goldberg wins this, he not only joins the Gauntlet for the Gold, but he also has completed the new streak that Vince Russo set him on last year. But Mike Awesome is a young, hungry, menacing creature in his own right, and he attacks Goldberg during his entrance to begin this bout before the bell. Awesome takes it to “Da Man” trying often for the victory with all the high impact maneuvers in his repertoire. When the match spills out of the ring, Awesome is right at home, doing a number on Goldberg. He sets up a table, but Goldberg fights him away before he can put him through it. Goldberg fights back in the ring, and he charges for a spear – but Awesome blocks it with a kick, staggering Goldberg, and he hip tosses Goldberg over the top rope, and he goes through the table!

The bell sounds! Nick Patrick disqualifies Mike Awesome! That means Goldberg has won the match, but the finale of this streak clearly leaves a bad taste in some people’s mouths. Especially Awesome, who argues with Patrick about this decision. Mike Tenay says that we will have to talk this over on Nitro, but as it stands, Goldberg has finally earned himself a World championship opportunity!

After that is all cleared away, “Above Average” Mike Sanders comes out and takes the microphone from David Penzer. He says that while Da Baldies didn’t win the Tag titles earlier tonight as he had hoped, but now it’s his time to step forward into the Gauntlet for the Gold. He says that he’s read that his opponent is a former World champion, and he starts throwing out some potential names; “It can’t be Sting, Goldberg, Booker, or Scott. Maybe Lexy? I could take him down if I were only ‘Average’. Flair? Mike Sanders is the new ‘sixty minute man’! Maybe it’s some other old news, like Barry Windham? Duthty Rhodeth, babay?! Hey, maybe it’ll be David Arquette! Or Vince Russo! Whoever it is, now it’s your time to find out what S.O.L. stands for!”

“Oh my!” shouts Scott Hudson, as “The Macho Man” Randy Savage comes down to the ring! Sanders shows a moment’s hesitation, a change from his earlier demeanor, but his confident look returns quickly as the bell sounds. However, this one doesn’t last long, as Savage overpowers Sanders with some big power moves, rattling him with a backbreaker before going to the top and dropping the big elbow! Just like that, Randy Savage has returned to WCW and entered the fray for Starrcade!

The match we’ve all been waiting for is up next, the last man standing match between Scott Steiner and Booker T. “A year in the making,” muses Mike Tenay, as he goes over the matches these two have had against one another, dating back to Harlem Heat against the Steiner Brothers. Rick standing in his brother’s corner is something that Booker keeps an eye out for during the entire bout, but “The DFG” simply stands his ground, his arms crossed over his chest as he silently watches the action. The match goes in and out of the ring, up the aisle, into the front row, and back into the ring again until either man would even stay down for an eight count. In the ring, Steiner begins getting frustrated with Booker not staying down, and he turns to Rick. He orders Rick to give him his steel pipe, wanting to use that to finish this off. But Rick refuses! He tells Scott to do it himself, throwing the pipe underneath the ring! Scott takes this out on Booker, attacking him with newfound rage, but Booker is able to hit Scott with the Book End! Steiner and Booker get back to their feet at nine, but the battle finally goes out of both men when Booker hits an axe kick, and both men stay on the mat! Both of them try to get to their feet, each winded after their battle. Scott gets to a knee, but his large frame is just too beaten, and when Rick Steiner refuses to help Scott up, he falls back to the canvas; meanwhile, the fans’ chanting for him gives Booker T enough wind to spin up to his feet! “Spin-a-rooni!” cries a hoarse Scott Hudson, as Nick Patrick counts ten! Booker has finally defeated Scott Steiner… albeit with Rick playing a small role in the finale… but he climbs to the turnbuckles and celebrates with the fans as WCW Mayhem moves into the post-show!

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