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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on May 23, 2021 5:33:51 GMT 1
Part XIII: WCW/nWo Souled Out 1999
It's been a little while since my last PPV post in this thread, but I'm finally set to dive straight into 1999!! The first thing I want to note is that, of course, there was no Finger Poke Of Doom on the January 4th, 1999 edition of Nitro. Instead, that show was headlined by Eddie Guerrero vs. Sting (of course, in the Georgia Dome) in a normal wrestling match with no gimmicks (though the result of that match would play a role in the card for the Souled Out PPV). The bigger story from that particular edition of Nitro was that we saw a number of new stars move up from OMEGA and make their official debuts on WCW TV. Those talents were The Hardy Boyz, Edge & Christian, and "The Punisher" Andrew Martin (since WCW has a habit of using real names, I decided to just keep Test as Andrew Martin in this scenario). The two aforementioned tag teams would win their debut bouts, as The Hardy Boyz defeated No Respect (Gedo & Jado), while Edge & Christian defeated The Pitbulls (from ECW). This would set up what would be the very first clash in WCW proper between the two teams, which would take place at Souled Out (and I can say this would be the first of many encounters between these two teams).
As for Andrew Martin, he would quickly be put in a prominent position, as he would become the bodyguard of Bret Hart. Following his loss to Sting at Starrcade 1998, Hart decided that he needed some backup, and he certainly found some excellent backup in the form of Andrew Martin. The pair would find success almost immediately, as they would dethrone Harlem Heat to win the NWA World Tag Team Titles on the January 4th, 1999 Nitro. Martin also saw quick singles success, as he had a brief stint with the WCW Hardcore Title. He won the title from Perry Saturn on the January 7th edition of Thunder, but lost it back to Saturn two days later on the January 9th Saturday Night, thanks to some interference from Booker T (in retaliation for what happened on Nitro). The new duo of Hart and Martin would have their work cut out for them at the Souled Out PPV however, as they would be defending those titles in a Four-Way Elimination Match against Harlem Heat, The Eliminators.....and The Jersey Triad. Yes, Bret Hart was not the only one who decided to get some backup. Diamond Dallas Page also decided to get some backup following his loss to Starrcade, though unlike Bret Hart's team with Andrew Martin, the trio that Page formed is a babyface stable (which I believe is slightly different from real life, as The Jersey Triad were heels if I recall correctly.....feel free to correct me on that point). Page is teaming with Chris Kanyon (who shed the Mortis gimmick) on this particular card, but the stable also includes Bam Bam Bigelow, who (in my crafted fantasy booking of WWF scenario, which I'll get more into in my thread that's mentioned in the previous post) jumped ship from the WWF to WCW at the very end of 1998.
Yet another person who made his debut with WCW following Starrcade (another former ECW alumni) was Lance Storm, who immediately aligned himself with his old tag team partner from Smoky Mountain Wrestling....Chris Jericho. Yes, that's right....The Thrillseekers are reunited in WCW, and while the name may still be the same, they're not the fun-loving, white meat babyfaces they were in SMW. Following his victory over Jushin Thunder Liger at Starrcade, Jericho quickly got into a feud with Chris Benoit over the WCW World TV Title. They would face off in a one-on-one encounter at Souled Out, but before that, the two of them faced off in a tag team bout on the January 4th Nitro, with Jericho and Storm against Benoit and Dean Malenko. The Thrillseekers would win that bout, with the assistance with another debutant who was jumping from the WWF.....Don Callis! So not only are The Thrillseekers back together, but Don Callis is their manager.
Believe it or not, the biggest news prior to the Souled Out PPV was yet to come. On the January 11th edition Nitro, Bret Hart...along with Andrew Martin, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, and Don Callis formed a new and updated version of Team Canada, which was essentially the evolved version of Bret Hart's stable from WWF in 1997. There will be more members to come, and Team Canada would become a big force in WCW during 1999.
I'll breeze through some of the other big matches I set up for Souled Out. Of course, Kevin Nash is getting his shot at the WCW World Title that he earned by virtue of winning the Triple Threat Match back at Starrcade, while Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall would lead their respective factions in a ten-man tag. Billy Kidman would put his title on the line against Rey Mysterio Jr., Psychosis, and Juventud Guerrera in a match that actually took place on the real life Souled Out 1999 PPV, Mike Awesome would continue his feud with Randy Savage over the WCW United States Title, and finally, Ric Flair would defend the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a Triple Threat Match against Eddie Guerrero and Sting. As I mentioned earlier, Sting defeated Eddie Guerrero on the January 4th Nitro, but with Eddie insisting that he had his rematch clause (and with some help from Eric Bischoff), he shoehorned his way into what was originally going to be a singles match with Flair and Sting.
Without further ado, let's dive into the PPV!
WCW/nWo Souled Out 1999
January 17th, 1999 - Charleston Civic Center - Charleston, West Virginia
1.) Lance Storm (with Don Callis) def. Jerry Lynn
2.) The Hardy Boyz def. Edge & Christian
3.) WCW Cruiserweight Title - Fatal Four-Way Match - Kidman (c) def. Juventud Guerrera, Psychosis, & Rey Mysterio Jr.
4.) Ten-Man Tag - nWo Hollywood (Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Giant, Scott Steiner, Buff Bagwell, & Scott Norton) def. The Outlaws Club (Scott Hall, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Rob Van Dam, Sabu, & Louie Spicolli)
5.) WCW United States Title - Last Man Standing Match - Mike Awesome (c) def. Randy Savage
6.) WCW World TV Title - Chris Jericho (with Don Callis) (c) def. Chris Benoit
7.) NWA World Tag Team Titles - The Jersey Triad (Diamond Dallas Page & Chris Kanyon) def. Team Canada (Andrew Martin & Bret Hart) (c), Harlem Heat, & The Eliminators
8.) NWA World Heavyweight Title - Triple Threat Match - Eddie Guerrero def. Ric Flair (c) & Sting
9.) WCW World Heavyweight Title - Goldberg (c) def. Kevin Nash
For Souled Out 1999, I got an overall score of 85%, which tops my best two scores from 1998 (Starrcade 1998 and Blood, Sweat, & Tears both did 84%). So right out of the gate, I was able to beat all of my PPVs from 1998 with the first PPV of 1999, which is pretty cool. The highest rated match of the night (which I guess shouldn't come as much of surprise) was Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit for the WCW World TV Title, which garnered a 98% score, as well as a ***** rating from the reviewer in the game. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian and the Triple Threat for the NWA World Heavyweight Title both scored 93%, so three bouts ended up in the 90% range. Four matches scored in the 80% range, with the highest of those being Lance Storm vs. Jerry Lynn, which got an 88% score. The only two matches to did below 80% were Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Title and the Ten-Man Tag, which got 77% and 76% respectively.
In terms of the booking decisions, some of them were pretty self explanatory, though there are a few that look a bit questionable, I suppose. I took the NWA World Tag Team Titles off Team Canada to give The Jersey Triad some juice, but also because I felt the NWA World Tag Team Titles, at this point, were beneath Andrew Martin and Bret Hart. As for the NWA World Heavyweight Title, I decided after Starrcade that I wanted to extend the Eddie Guerrero/Ric Flair feud just a little bit more, and to get to the true final destination, I needed to have Eddie win back the title from Flair. I can say for a fact that they will meet in the concluding match on the next PPV....SuperBrawl IX.....which I will cover in the my post. So stay tuned for that!
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on May 25, 2021 3:44:02 GMT 1
Part XIV: WCW/nWo SuperBrawl IX
The Cow Palace in San Fransisco, California has been the home of WCW's annual SuperBrawl event since 1997, and that tradition continued in my Extreme Warfare Revenge scenario for SuperBrawl IX in the year 1999 (I just love how that all works out numerically). While Goldberg has been a dominant WCW World Heavyweight Champion since winning the title at The Great American Bash in June of 1998, he certainly has his work cut out for him on this PPV. After a successful title defense against Kevin Nash at Souled Out, Goldberg became entangled in the ongoing issues between Nash and his former stablemates in the nWo....Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall. This set up a massive four-way match for the title at SuperBrawl IX, with the three founding members of the nWo not only gunning for the top title in WCW, but looking to get the upper hand in this battle for faction supremacy. Adding the WCW World Heavyweight Title to their ranks would certainly give their respective stable the edge, but Goldberg definitely doesn't want that to happen on his watch.
As big as that bout is, it's not the main event of this PPV. Instead, this show is headlined by the final chapter in a feud that had its seeds planted right at the start of my EWR game in January of 1998. After Eddie Guerrero stole back the NWA World Heavyweight Title at Souled Out, he agreed to have one last match with Ric Flair to end their feud once and for all. With the ten pounds of gold on the line, the two would face off in an I Quit Match....ironically just a month after The Rock and Mankind would have their infamous I Quit Match at that year's Royal Rumble event.
A major story coming into this PPV actually concerned the revitalization of a championship and an entire division. I decided that the time was right to bring back the WCW Women's Championship. I had several women's wrestlers under contract, and two names in particular making the move up from OMEGA, it just seemed like the perfect time. In order to decide the new champion, I decided to hold two triple threat matches on TV, with the winners facing off in a singles match at the PPV. On the February 15th Nitro, Amy Dumas (much like going with Andrew Martin over Test, I'm going to use her real name of Amy Dumas instead of Lita) defeated Miss Jacqueline and Trish Stratus (who recently made her debut as a member of Team Canada), while Madusa defeated Daffney and Tina Ferrari (I decided to use Ivory's name from her time in GLOW) on the February 18th edition of Thunder. That set up Amy Dumas vs. Madusa for the WCW Women's Title at SuperBrawl IX.
I should add that the belt picture I'm using here is of the WCW Women's Cruiserweight Title, which I edited slightly to get rid of the "Cruiserweight" wording. I do recognize that the WCW Women's Title is a separate title belt altogether, but after looking at the two belts side-by-side.....I honestly prefer the design of the Women's Cruiserweight Title over the regular Women's Title, hence why I went with it.
 I mentioned that Trish Stratus joined up with Team Canada upon her debut. Well, another pain of Canadians also joined Team Canada in the form of Edge and Christian. Following their lost to The Hardy Boyz at Souled Out, the two teams had a rematch the next night on Nitro, which Edge and Christian won after Team Canada got involved. They joined in on a beatdown of The Hardy Boys (who are, of course, aligned with Amy Dumas upon their debuts as Team Xtreme), and officially joined the group shortly thereafter. So going into February, the membership of Team Canada included Bret Hart, Andrew Martin, Don Callis, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Trish Stratus, Edge, Christian....and Rick Martel. I know he's a French Canadian, but I threw him in there mainly to be the fall guy for the stable. Despite the rapid expansion of the group, it hasn't been all smooth sailing since Souled Out. Chris Jericho's lengthy reign as WCW World TV Champion came to an end at the hands of Booker T on the January 25th Nitro. Even with that setback, Team Canada still had a number of matches set up for SuperBrawl IX. The group would be involved in a pair of Three-Way #1 Contender's Matches, with Chris Jericho and Lance Storm being involved in a Three-Way Tag Team bout with The Four Horsemen (Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko) and the nWo Wolfpac (Konnan & Rey Mysterio Jr.), while Bret Hart was battling for a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Title in a Three-Way involving Bam Bam Bigelow and Rob Van Dam. Meanwhile, Andrew Martin would be going up against DDP in a singles encounter. Elsewhere on the card, there are a couple of title matches taking place that involve some new feuds. After vanquishing Randy Savage, Mike Awesome's reign as WCW United States Champion quickly faced a new challenger in the form of Sting, while Raven and Tommy Dreamer would reignite their famous rivalry from ECW in the new WCW Hardcore Title division. Raven won the title from Perry Saturn on the January 21st Thunder, and quickly found a challenger in the form of his longtime enemy. Aside from that title change, along with the WCW World TV Title change that I mentioned earlier, we did have a very quick game of hot potato involving the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Scott Steiner and The Giant....representing nWo Hollywood....won the titles from Rob Van Dam and Sabu on the January 23rd edition of Saturday Night, but they lost them right back to Van Dam and Sabu on the January 25th Nitro. Speaking of The Giant, he would get a shot at Booker T's WCW World TV Title at SuperBrawl IX in a match that would fully complete my card. With all of that info out of the way, let's dive into the PPV!  WCW/nWo SuperBrawl IXFebruary 21st, 1999 - Cow Palace - San Francisco, California 1.) WCW Hardcore Title - Raven (c) def. Tommy Dreamer 2.) Three-Way Tag Team #1 Contender's Match - The Thrillseekers (Chris Jericho & Lance Storm with Don Callis) def. The Four Horsemen (Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko) & nWo Wolfpac (Konnan & Rey Mysterio Jr.) 3.) WCW Women's Title - Tournament Final - Madusa def. Amy Dumas 4.) Diamond Dallas Page def. Andrew Martin 5.) #1 Contender's Triple Threat Match - Bam Bam Bigelow def. Bret Hart & WCW World Tag Team Champion Rob Van Dam 6.) WCW World TV Title - Booker T (c) def. The Giant 7.) WCW United States Title - Mike Awesome (c) def. Sting 8.) WCW World Heavyweight Title - Fatal Four-Way Match - Goldberg (c) def. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, & Scott Hall 9.) NWA World Heavyweight Title - I Quit Match - Ric Flair def. Eddie Guerrero (c) For SuperBrawl IX, I received an overall score of 86%, which just edges out my 85% score from Souled Out 1999 to become the highest rated PPV in my Extreme Warfare Revenge scenario thus far. Match Of The Night honors went to Eddie Guerrero vs. Ric Flair in an I Quit Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title, which got a score of 93%. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, since this bout was the climactic end of a feud between two awesome wrestlers. Right behind that bout was the Three-Way Tag Team #1 Contender's Match, which earned a 91% score. Again....not much of a surprise, as the wrestlers all involved are all very good! What really impressed me is that, of the remaining seven matches, six of them landed in the 80% range. Talk about consistency. Out of those matches, the highest ended up being a tie at 89% between Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer for the WCW Hardcore Title and Mike Awesome vs. Sting for the WCW United States Title. I was actually really excited to see that the Fatal Four-Way for the WCW World Heavyweight Title garnered an 85% score. Considering the competitors involved, that's a pretty awesome score. The only bout that dipped below the 80% threshold was the WCW Women's Title bout between Amy Dumas and Madusa, but even a 78% score is still a very decent for a PPV. I guess those two have solid chemistry.  In terms of the booking, I put the two three-way #1 Contender's Matches together mainly because I thought they looked like cool or interesting matches on paper. Bam Bam Bigelow winning over Bret Hart and Rob Van Dam seems like a weird result on paper, but the next PPV is more of a filler defense for Goldberg, as I've got other important plans for that show. Everything else was pretty self explanatory based on what I described earlier. A number of the matches are continuing feuds, whether that be individual feuds, or larger feuds that are being split into a couple of matches (like the Team Canada stuff). I'm sure this PPV would've drawn very well based on the strength of the top two matches alone, but I'm very proud of the undercard I managed to put together for this show, and it obviously delivered.
That's all for SuperBrawl IX!! Be sure to tune in next time, as I cover all the happenings on Uncensored 1999!! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Jun 4, 2021 3:13:50 GMT 1
Part XV: WCW/nWo Uncensored 1999
It's March of 1999, and WCW is heading to the Bluegrass State for its annual Uncensored PPV. In the main event, the final chapter of a story that started all the way back in May of 1996 will be written, as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hollywood Hulk Hogan do battle in a rematch from Starrcade. Not only is this rematch taking place in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage (I know that's not an actual option in Extreme Warfare Revenge, but since the real life main event of this PPV was a Barbed Wire Steel Cage, I decided to port that over to my version of the PPV), but their respective factions are on the line as well. The stables of the two losers will be forced to disband, meaning that this nearly year long nWo Civil War will finally come to an end. They won't be the only members of the nWo splinter factions wrestling on this card, however. Scott Steiner from nWo Hollywood would challenge Booker T for the WCW World TV Title, Konnan and Rey Mysterio Jr. from the nWo Wolfpac will challenge Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon from The Jersey Triad for the NWA World Tag Team Titles, and the Outlaws Club team of Rob Van Dam and Sabu defend their WCW World Tag Team Titles in a Four-Way Tag Team Elimination Match against Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and the nWo Hollywood duo of Eddie Guerrero & The Giant.
Elsewhere on the card, we have the continuation of a number of different feuds. The war between Team Canada and The Four Horsemen (more specifically, the ongoing war between Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho) continues on this PPV in the form of a Ten-Man Tag, and that match includes the newest member of The Four Horsemen.....Steve Corino! He is a babyface right now, but he's definitely a face that, I guess you can say.....leans heelish from time to time (if that makes sense). Raven and Tommy Dreamer are continuing their storied rivalry on this PPV as well, as their bout for the WCW Hardcore Title is a Derby City Death Match. Essentially it's the Texas Death Match, but with a more appropriate name. We're also getting another match between Mike Awesome and Sting for the WCW United States Title, though in a Ladder Match this time around (I'll get into why a little later).
This card also features the PPV debut of an infamous act from real life WCW.....3 Count! Yes, the boy band trio of Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, and Evan Karagias have been called up the WCW roster from OMEGA, and they've got a showcase trios bout on this PPV as they go up against the WCW Cruiserweight Champion and two international cruiserweight stars.
For once, I've actually got nothing to report in terms of title changes that occurred on television....because there were no title changes on television between SuperBrawl IX and Uncensored. With all of that out of the way, let's dive into the PPV!
WCW/nWo Uncensored 1999
March 14th, 1999 - Freedom Hall - Louisville, Kentucky
1.) Six-Man Tag - 3 Count (Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, & Evan Karagias) def. WCW Cruiserweight Champion Kidman, Juventud Guerrera, & Jushin Thunder Liger
2.) WCW Hardcore Title - Derby City Death Match - Tommy Dreamer def. Raven (c)
3.) Ten-Man Tag - The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Steve "Mongo" McMichael, & Steve Corino) def. Team Canada (Bret Hart, Andrew Martin, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, & Rick Martel with Don Callis)
4.) WCW World TV Title - Scott Steiner def. Booker T (c)
5.) NWA World Tag Team Titles - The Jersey Triad (Diamond Dallas Page & Chris Kanyon) (c) def. nWo Wolfpac (Konnan & Rey Mysterio Jr.)
6.) WCW United States Title - Ladder Match - Sting def. Mike Awesome (c)
7.) WCW World Tag Team Titles - Four-Way Elimination Match - Rob Van Dam & Sabu (c) def. Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz, nWo Hollywood (Eddie Guerrero & The Giant)
8.) WCW World Title - Goldberg (c) def. Bam Bam Bigelow
9.) Triple Threat Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match - Kevin Nash def. Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Scott Hall
For Uncensored 1999, I got an overall score of 85%, which is just once percent down from SuperBrawl IX in February. This was an interesting card in that only one match broke into the 90% range (and it barely broke that), but the bulk of the card landed in the 80% range. Match Of The Night honors ended up going to (surprisingly enough) the Derby City Death Match for the WCW Hardcore Title between Raven and Tommy Dreamer, which got 90% flat. My surprise has less to do with the fact that they had a really good match (that didn't surprise me), but more so that it got MOTN honors. Out of the matches that ended up in the 80% range, two of them (Mike Awesome vs. Sting in a Ladder Match for the WCW United States Title and the Four-Way Elimination Match for the WCW World Tag Team Titles) wound up at 89%, while Booker T vs. Scott Steiner for the WCW World TV Title ended up at 88%. Likewise, a number of bouts finished in the mid 80% range. Three matches (the opening Six-Man Tag, the NWA World Tag Team Title bout, and surprisingly....the main event) finished at 84%, while the Ten-Man Tag between The Four Horsemen and Team Canada got 83%. The worst bout on the card was Goldberg vs. Bam Bam Bigelow for the WCW World Heavyweight Title, but that earned a 78% score, which isn't terrible by any means.
In terms of the booking, I've already gone over the main event somewhat. A rematch from Starrcade....in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage....with the fates of all three groups on the line. Hall, Nash, and Hogan had various encounters over the past several months, and this was the crescendo. As for the other matches on the show that involved ongoing feuds, the first one I want to touch on was Mike Awesome vs. Sting. So basically, I wanted to get the WCW United States Title off of Mike Awesome without actually having him take a fall. I figured the best way to do that (without having to do a multi-person match) was with a Ladder Match. Sting wins the title, and while Awesome technically does lose, he can still claim that he's never been pinned or submitted in a WCW ring.
With the Raven/Tommy Dreamer match, Dreamer would offer to shake Raven's hand afterwards, but Raven would refuse. The idea behind this is that they would eventually put aside their differences, make amends, and form a tag team. Basically something along the lines of what happened in real life in ECW in 1999, when they formed a tag team upon Raven's return to ECW. This was sort of the first step in getting to that point.
Unfortunately for Team Canada, they racked up a couple of losses on this PPV, with Edge & Christian unsuccessful in their effort to capture the WCW World Tag Team Titles, while the rest of the unit lost in their Ten-Man Tag to the Four Horsemen. That multi-person tag, in particular, was really more about continuing the feud between Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho....as well as starting up something with Bret Hart and Ric Flair over the NWA World Heavyweight Title.
The rest of the matches were just bouts that I thought were cool to book, but in putting those matches together, I always tried to weave them into the story somehow, if I can. A good example of this is the Four-Way Elimination Match for the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Right there, you've got teams representing nWo Hollywood and The Outlaws Club, mixed in there with Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz, who are in the middle of their own feud. Scott Steiner winning the WCW World TV Title from Booker T is meant to be the first big moment of Steiner's singles push (and trust me....it's going to get bigger in the coming months). Then with 3 Count, their win was just meant to be a big win on a PPV over some established wrestlers in the cruiserweight division (including the champion!). The only real matches that didn't have much of a story to them were the matches involving The Jersey Triad, and those were put together mainly to fill out the card. Page and Kanyon vs. Konnan and Mysterio sounded like a cool match (helped that Page and Kanyon were already title holders), while Goldberg vs. Bam Bam Bigelow was totally a filler title defense.
That's all I have to say about Uncensored 1999! Be sure to check out my next post, which will cover Spring Stampede 1999! It's a pretty interesting card, with some fresh faces on top, so I can't wait to go over it. |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Jun 7, 2021 6:04:12 GMT 1
Part XVI: WCW Spring Stampede 1999
For the first time....god knows how long....a WCW PPV was taking place without the "WCW/nWo" labeling. It's April 1999, and the nWo....as we knew it....was no more. For the first time since May of 1996, there was no threat of an invading force in WCW. While the nWo Wolfpac had come out on top in the nWo Civil War, they're much more known as The Wolfpac, and over time (not immediately) the nWo branding of that group would slowly begin to phase out. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the victors, however. While Kevin Nash did have a reconciliation with Scott Hall shortly after the events ofUncensored (reforming The Outsiders in the process), two of the longest tenured members of the nWo Wolfpac....Lex Luger and Randy Savage....turned heel, and went after The Outsiders. This would set up a tag team match for Spring Stampede with The Outsiders against Lex Luger and Randy Savage. Even though this wasn't even close to being the main event, I did feel it was important to touch on the fallout from the end of the nWo, and there's more to come.
So while the breakup of The Outlaws Club was relatively straightforward, with all five members going their separate ways, the breakup of nWo Hollywood was a little more....complicated. nWo Hollywood essentially split up into two smaller heel groups. Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff decided to stick with Eddie Guerrero with the intention of entering the tag team division. The duo would quickly gain the name Hollywood Heat, and they would quickly earn themselves a shot at Rob Van Dam and Sabu for the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Meanwhile, Scott Steiner pretty much stuck together with Buff Bagwell, The Giant, and Scott Norton, and while their stable will grow (with Scott Steiner as the leader), that doesn't happen until after Spring Stampede, so I'll save that for the next post. This was when I had started to give Steiner his first true singles push, and he wasn't just satisfied with one piece of gold. Big Poppa Pump didn't just want the WCW World TV Title. He wanted more....and he set his sights on Sting and the WCW United States Title. After Sting demanded that Steiner put his title on the line as well, and the double title match was set for the PPV (even though, as I've said in previous posts, you can't really do that in Extreme Warfare Revenge....use your imagination on that one).
While Team Canada suffered a major loss at the Uncensored, that certainly didn't dampen their spirits (or they dislike for the United States). They would gain victories in the ensuing weeks in a number of multi-person tags that helped to set up matches for Spring Stampede. Edge and Christian would continue their feud with The Hardy Boyz, and in a move that seemed totally natural (given that both had a woman in their corner), I decided to put together a Six-Man Tag with the two tag teams, PLUS Amy Dumas and Trish Stratus. Another team Canada member....Lance Storm....would get an opportunity to shine on his own for this PPV, as he would face Booker T in what was the culmination of a little mini-feud between the two (It's nothing more than a mid-card bout to fill out the card). Meanwhile, the top two men in Team Canada, Bret Hart and Chris Jericho, would both be getting title opportunities on this card. Hart had already been feuding with Ric Flair, and guaranteed his status as the #1 Contender for the Ten Pounds of Gold after a number of victories over Flair and The Horsemen. On the April 5th Nitro, Hart suffered an upset loss to Rowdy Roddy Piper after some involvement from Flair, which would set a three-way with the NWA World Heavyweight Title on the line. Not the most creative way to get there, I'll admit....but it ultimately got me to the destination I wanted to get to.
As for Chris Jericho, he was still embroiled in his bitter feud with Chris Benoit. It got to the point where the two were presented a massive opportunity in the form of a potential shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Title. They would face off on the March 29th Nitro, and had an epic match with an overall rating of 99%, despite the match itself ending in a No Contest after the two just wouldn't stop brawling on the floor. After this non-finish, it was decided that both would get the title shot, which set up the main event of Spring Stampede.....Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit in a Triple Threat Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title (with Don Callis banned from ringside as well).
That covers pretty much all of the major stuff that was booked for the PPV. The only real title change of note involved the NWA World Tag Team Titles, as 3 Count (in this case, the combination of Shane Helms & Shannon Moore) defeated The Jersey Triad on the April 8th edition of Thunder to win the titles. This would set up a trios match between the two sides on the PPV. I'd also like to note that the Tommy Dreamer/Raven feud concluded on the March 15th edition of Nitro (one night after Uncensored) in an Extreme Steel Cage Match (basically a Steel Cage with all of the traditional hardcore weapons involved), which saw Dreamer retain the WCW Hardcore Title.
With all of that out of the way, let's dive into this PPV from the Tacoma Dome in the state of Washington!
WCW Spring Stampede 1999
April 11, 1999 - Tacoma Dome - Tacoma, Washington
1.) Six-Man Tag - The Jersey Triad (Diamond Dallas Page, Bam Bam Bigelow, & Chris Kanyon) def. 3 Count (Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, & Evan Karagias)
2.) NWA World Heavyweight Title - Triple Threat Match - Bret Hart def. Ric Flair (c) & Rowdy Roddy Piper
3.) The Outsiders def. Lex Luger & Randy Savage via DQ
4.) Steve Corino def. Jushin Thunder Liger
5.) Team Canada (Edge, Christian, & Trish Stratus) def. Team Extreme (Amy Dumas & The Hardy Boyz)
6.) Booker T def. Lance Storm (with Don Callis)
7.) WCW World Tag Team Titles - Hollywood Heat (Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Eddie Guerrero with Eric Bischoff) def. Rob Van Dam & Sabu (c)
8.) WCW United States Title & WCW World TV Title - Scott Steiner [World TV] def. Sting [United States]
9.) WCW World Heavyweight Title - Triple Threat Match - Goldberg (c) def. Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho
For Spring Stampede 1999, I got an overall score of 77%, which was down quite a bit from the 85% score I got for Uncensored. I think what happened is that while Uncensored had the problem of only one match barely cracking the 90% barrier while most of the other matches were in the 80% range, this show had two matches that just got passed the 80% marker, and a BUNCH of bouts (pretty much the rest of the card) landing in the 70% range. So everything on the card was pretty consistent in terms of match quality, but nothing really jumped off the page. I thought the card was pretty decent on paper, though I suppose that....aside from a few matches....this was mainly setting things in motion for the future. The two Triple Threat Matches were the standouts on this PPV, with the main event taking MOTN honors with an 81% score, while the three-way for the NWA World Heavyweight Title finishing out at a surprising 80%. Team Canada vs. Team Extreme was the third best bout of the night at 79%, followed by Rob Van Dam and Sabu vs. Hollywood Heat for the WCW World Tag Team Titles at 78%, and two matches (The Jersey Triad vs. 3 Count and Booker T vs. Lance Storm) scoring 77%.
The only other match from this card that I haven't gone over yet was Steve Corino vs. Jushin Thunder Liger. That was just another instance of me trying to fill up the PPV card, but it also served to put the spotlight on Steve Corino a little bit.
In terms of the booking, the only thing to really make note of was the DQ result in the Luger and Savage vs. Outsiders match. That ending was primarily done to set up what's to come in the immediate future, which I should be talking about a little bit more in the next post. Everything else really doesn't need much else explanation. It was another mixed bag for Team Canada, as they came away with wins in some bouts while falling short in others. Hollywood Heat successfully captured the WCW World Tag Team Titles via shenanigans, while Goldberg was successful in his title defense, which featured a whole new set of challengers in the form of two guys who are considered two of the top in-ring wrestlers in the company. As for Scott Steiner, he became a dual champion after defeating Sting for the WCW United States Title, but (in a bit of a tease for next time), his thirst for gold doesn't end here. He wants more.
That's it for Spring Stampede 1999!! Make sure you tune in next time as I go over the card for Slamboree 1999!! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Jun 23, 2021 5:30:40 GMT 1
Part XVII: WCW Slamboree 1999
So it's been a few weeks since my previous post. I didn't intend for there to be a such a long delay, but my time as of late has been split. Watching wrestling, watching racing (NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1), playing the Formula 1 video game on the PS4 (finishing up some things on there before F1 2021 comes out in a few weeks), playing the Kaiserreich mod on Hearts Of Iron IV (which I'd highly recommend), plus my normal job and all of the other activities of my daily life. This kinda got lost in the shuffle, but I'm going to try to hold myself to posting at least one update a week, hopefully two.
Anyway, the next PPV in this story is the 1999 edition of Slamboree, taking place inside the TWA Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. While Goldberg's WCW World Heavyweight Title reign was approaching the one year mark, arguably the hottest person in WCW during the early Spring of 1999 was non other than Scott Steiner. Not only had he collected two separate singles title in the form of the WCW World TV Title (which he won from Booker T at Uncensored) and the WCW United States Title (which he won from Sting at Spring Stampede), but he had formed a new stable centered around himself. The stable was called The Magnificent Seven. If that name sounds familiar, it's because it was an actual stable that existed in the dying days of WCW in 2001. That stable also featured Scott Steiner as it's centerpiece, and it actually featured some of the same members. Scott Steiner, his brother Rick Steiner, Lex Luger, and Buff Bagwell were all members of the original Magnificent Seven, who are also members of this iteration of the group. The new additions (in place of the likes of Road Warrior Animal, Jeff Jarrett, and Ric Flair) are The Giant, Randy Savage, and Scott Norton. You also have other associated members of this group like Miss Elizabeth. Essentially, this stable is mate up of remnants of nWo Hollywood, mixed in with former members of nWo Wolfpac in Luger and Savage, who had recently turned on The Outsiders.
This new group had a big presence on this card. Four of its members would be in action against the nWo Wolfpac, Lex Luger would reignite his rivalry with his longtime friend Sting, and Scott Steiner would attempt to become the first person to hold three singles titles in WCW at the same time. He would challenge Goldberg in the main event, in a match where only Goldberg's WCW World Heavyweight Title was on the line (so the WCW United States Title and the WCW World TV Title were not up for grabs here). This new faction had already made a lasting impression, but could they sweep all of their matches on this PPV?
Elsewhere, there were only two other title bouts scheduled for Slamboree. Kidman, who was been the WCW Cruiserweight Champion since November of 1998, would defend his title against Lance Storm, while Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eddie Guerrero (collectively known as Hollywood Heat) would have a big task ahead of them in the form of a three-way title defend as the rising star tag teams of The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian. Two other bouts on the Slamboree card had major title implications. To determine the next challenger for the WCW World Heavyweight Title, a Four-Way #1 Contender's Match was set up with Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, Kevin Nash, and Mike Awesome. The winner would be receiving their title shot at The Great American Bash in June. Then, a tag team match was set up, with Team Canada's Andrew Martin and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart against the Four Horsemen team of Ric Flair and Steve Corino. Rowdy Roddy Piper (who recently gained power as a co-authority figure alongside Dusty Rhodes and JJ Dillon) would act as the Special Guest Referee, with the added stipulation that Flair would earn another shot at the Ten Pounds of Gold if his side emerged victorious (Hart had originally been ducking/ignoring Flair's demands for a rematch).
The other notable bout on this PPV sees the continuation of the heated rivalry between Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. Neither man was successful in their bid to capture the WCW World Heavyweight Title from Goldberg, so their feud got taken to the next level in the form of the Last Man Standing Match. Who will survive this brutal affair? Keep reading and check it out.
This was another rare instance where there were no title changes to speak up between the last PPV and this one, so without further ado, let's dive into the PPV!!
WCW Slamboree 1999
May 9th, 1999 - TWA Dome - St. Louis, Missouri
1.) Ten-Man Tag - Jerry Lynn, Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Raven, & WCW Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer def. The FBI (Big Vito, Johnny The Bull, Little Guido, Tony Mamaluke, & Tracy Smothers)
2.) WCW Cruiserweight Title - Lance Storm def. Kidman (c)
3.) Eight-Man Tag - The Magnificent Seven (Buff Bagwell, Randy Savage, Scott Norton, & The Giant) def. nWo Wolfpac (Disco Inferno, Konnan, Rey Mysterio Jr., & Scott Hall)
4.) Lex Luger def. Sting
5.) Special Guest Referee: Rowdy Roddy Piper - The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair & Steve Corino) def. Team Canada (Andrew Martin & NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart)
6.) Four-Way #1 Contender's Match - Mike Awesome def. Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, & Kevin Nash
7.) Last Man Standing Match - Chris Benoit def. Chris Jericho
8.) WCW World Tag Team Titles - Three-Way Tag Team Match - Hollywood Heat (Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Eddie Guerrero) (c) def. The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian
9.) WCW World Heavyweight Title - Goldberg (c) def. WCW United States Champion / WCW World TV Champion Scott Steiner
For Slamboree 1999, I've got an overall score of 87%, which not only beat my score from Spring Stampede 1999 by 10%, but also took the top spot as the highest scoring PPV in this Extreme Warfare Revenge scenario thus far. A trio of matches broke the 90% barrier, and out of those three, the bout that was far-and-away the Match Of The Night was Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho in a Last Man Standing Match. It got a 99% score, as well as a five star rating by the reviewer. Not far behind that match was actually the three-way for the WCW World Tag Team Titles, which got a 96% score. On the surface, seeing Hollywood Hulk Hogan in a match rating that highly is certainly a surprise, but when you realize who else was involved in that match, it's very clear why the match earned that score (and I'm sure in real life, those five guys are so talented that they can work around a guy like Hogan). The third match to break into the 90% range was the Four Horsemen/Team Canada tag, which landed at 90% on the dot.
The rest of the card featured five matches in the 80% range, with the highest of those being Lex Luger vs. Sting at 89% (that bout also got a 100% crowd reaction, so it obviously got over huge). The Four-Way #1 Contender's Match landed at 85%, Kidman/Storm and the Eight-Man Tag both got 81%, and the opening Ten-Man Tag got 80%. The match that was technically the worst one of the night was the main event, but with a 78% score, it was still a very good match, all things considered.
 I don't have many additional comments to make about the booking. I recently added The Mamalukes (Big Vito and Johnny The Bull) to the FBI, and I wanted to do a Ten-Man Tag, and I thought it was perfect PPV quality opener on paper (obviously filled with former ECW talents). Lance Storm dethroning Kidman for the WCW Cruiserweight Title was a step that made the most sense, in terms of getting Storm going with something. While Chris Benoit did win his match with Chris Jericho on this show, I'll say their feud isn't quite over just yet. As for the Magnificent Seven, even though they got two wins on this show, Scott Steiner came up short in the main event, and that would leave him vulnerable with regards to the two other titles he's holding.
Finally, I'll close with this. Mike Awesome won the Four-Way #1 Contender's Match to earn a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Title, and Goldberg retained that same title in the main event of this PPV against Scott Steiner. Those results have set up a match that I had been thinking about doing for a long time....almost from the moment I started playing this particular EWR scenario. I can't wait to dive into it.
That's it for Slamboree 1999!! Tune in next time for The Great American Bash 1999, which will feature the HUGE main event I just teased!! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Jun 30, 2021 5:39:17 GMT 1
Part XVIII: WCW The Great American Bash 1999
The Great American Bash is always one of WCW's biggest shows of the year, and the 1999 edition of this storied PPV event was going to be particularly huge. When I started this Extreme Warfare Revenge scenario, one of the first people I signed (as I mentioned in one of my original posts) was Mike Awesome. I had an idea for what I wanted to do with him, but it was going to take awhile for me to get to that ultimate destination. As Goldberg was skyrocketing towards the top of WCW (beating opponent after opponent, continuing his undefeated streak and capturing championships), Mike Awesome was simmering under the surface. Mike Awesome was building an undefeated streak of his own, and he made a big segment towards the end of 1998/start of 1999 when he definitely won a feud with the legendary Randy Savage over the WCW United States Title. Awesome would go on to lose that title to Sting, but that was a Ladder Match, so his streak of not being pinned or submitted since his debut was still intact.
After winning a Four-Way #1 Contender's Match at Slamboree against a trio of credible contenders (Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, & Kevin Nash), Mike Awesome made his intentions clear that he would be the one to finally put a stop to the man who became one of the biggest stars in wrestling in less than a year's time. It would be billed as the Match Of The Century. A battle of two unbeaten wrestlers for the top prize in WCW. Goldberg vs. Mike Awesome for the WCW World Heavyweight Title. The build would feature the WCW debut of the former Big Titan (I believe in the game itself, I used him under the name of Rick Titan, but I don't recall offhand), as he reunited with his longtime tag team partner from FMW to take on Goldberg. In fact, there were a number of points in the build where Awesome would get the upper hand on Goldberg. The idea being that Goldberg, to a certain degree, finally looks vulnerable, and the man who made him look vulnerable was just like him....another beast who not only tore through the roster on a big undefeated streak, but also seemed to be equal to, or even better than, Goldberg in certain ways. It would all come to a head at The Great American Bash. Who would suffer their first defeat in WCW? Would Goldberg be able to overcome his toughest challenger to date, on the one year anniversary of when he first won the WCW World Heavyweight Title?
Just underneath the main event were a number of massive title bouts that featured a mix of feuds that were continuing, feuds that were ending, or feuds that were just getting started. In the semi-main spot, The Outsiders would challenge Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eddie Guerrero....aka Hollywood Heat....for the WCW World Tag Team Titles. This was confrontation that was almost inevitable. Hogan and Guerrero had ruled the tag team division for a few months, but they weren't going to be able to avoid Kevin Nash and Scott Hall forever. Then, just below that, was the NWA World Heavyweight Title bout, as Bret Hart would defend against Ric Flair in a Submission Match. Of course, the feud between those two (along with Team Canada and The Four Horsemen in general) is still ongoing, but the twist here is that this was to be Flair's last shot at the title for as long as Hart was champion.
After that, we had the WCW United States Title match, with Scott Steiner set to defend his title against Diamond Dallas Page. While Scott Steiner and the rest of The Magnificent Seven were on a roll going into Slamboree, Scott Steiner failed to get the job done against Goldberg. This set the wheels in motion for a downslide of sorts for Steiner (not in terms of his position, but in terms of one big loss leading to a few more key losses). Just days after Slamboree, Scott Steiner would lose the WCW World TV Title to Chris Benoit on the May 13th edition of Thunder. That match was in the opener of that particular Thunder, but in the main event, Steiner did manage to retain his WCW United States Title against Bam Bam Bigelow. This would sort of set the wheels in motion for a brief mini-feud between The Jersey Triad and The Magnificent Seven, which would lead to the eventual DDP/Steiner confrontation.
The final major singles title bout on this card would see the conclusion of the incredible rivalry between Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. These two have been feuding since the very end of 1998 (right after Starrcade), and now....over six months later....they finally get to settle their issues once and for all. Benoit used the momentum he gained from beating Jericho in a Last Man Standing Match at Slamboree, and he won the WCW World TV Title from Scott Steiner (as I mentioned earlier). With a title now involved, the issues between Benoit and Jericho were boiling over even more so than before, so it was decided that a Ladder Match would be the only way for this feud to come to a conclusion.
A variety of different bouts made up the early portions of the PPV. Sting's rivalry with Lex Luger continued over from the last PPV, with the two former friends facing off once again....this time in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Rob Van Dam, who recently won the WCW Hardcore Title, would defend in a Three-Way Baltimore Street Fight against former members of The Flock in Kidman and Perry Saturn. 3 Count would have their work cut out for them, as they would have to defend their NWA World Tag Team Titles against three different teams. Finally, Booker T would go one-on-one with Andrew Martin in the PPV opener. The bottom third of this card (as is the case generally with a lot of my PPVs) comprised of stuff that I just thought were cool to book.
In terms of title changes since Slamboree, Nothing really moved around with the major titles, but a few of the secondary titles switched hands. I already mentioned the WCW World TV Title changing hands, as Chris Benoit defeated Scott Steiner on the May 13th Thunder. Elsewhere, the only other title to change hands was the WCW Hardcore Title. Buff Bagwell won the title from Tommy Dreamer on the May 10th edition of Nitro (in a three-way match that also involved Konnan), but then Raven won the title from Bagwell on the aforementioned May 13th Thunder. Raven's reign wouldn't be much longer, as he would lose it to Rob Van Dam on the May 24th Nitro.
With all of that info and backstory out of the way, let's dive into the PPV!!
WCW The Great American Bash 1999
June 13th, 1999 - Baltimore Arena - Baltimore, Maryland
1.) Booker T def. Andrew Martin
2.) NWA World Tag Team Titles - Four-Way Elimination Match - 3 Count (Shane Helms & Shannon Moore with Evan Karagias) (c) def. Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and Raven & Tommy Dreamer
3.) Three-Way Baltimore Street Fight - WCW Hardcore Title - Rob Van Dam (c) def. Kidman & Perry Saturn
4.) Falls Count Anywhere Match - Sting def. Lex Luger (with Miss Elizabeth)
5.) WCW World TV Title - Ladder Match - Chris Jericho def. Chris Benoit (c)
6.) WCW United States Title - Diamond Dallas Page def. Scott Steiner (c)
7.) NWA World Heavyweight Title - Submission Match - Bret Hart (c) def. Ric Flair
8.) WCW World Tag Team Titles - Hollywood Heat (Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Eddie Guerrero with Eric Bischoff) (c) def. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall)
9.) WCW World Heavyweight Title - Goldberg (c) def. Mike Awesome
For The Great American Bash 1999, I got an overall score of 80%, which is solid, but still down from the 87% that Slamboree had received a month prior. As expected, the Match Of The Night was the Ladder Match for the WCW World TV Title between Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, which got an 89%. That seems like a lower match score than we're used to seeing from those two. While the match did get a 100% match rating and a 99% crowd reaction (as well as a five star rating from the reviewer), I figured the score would be 99%, but alas, it was not. Perhaps there was some sort of glitch in the system on that day. The rest of the lineup ended up in the low 80% range, with the highest of those being the four-way elimination match for the NWA World Tag Team Titles, which ended up at 84%. There were three other bouts that scored above 80%. Those were Hollywood Heat vs. The Outsiders at 81%, along with Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair and Andrew Martin vs. Booker T, which both got 82%. The remaining four matches all scored in the 70% range, so none of them would be considered bad by any means. Surprisingly, the main event was technically the worst match on the show, which scored at 72%.
 In terms of booking, I envision that the WCW World Tag Team Title bout and NWA World Heavyweight Title bouts would both have a varying degree of shenanigans that would help to set up some more things for the future (or continue feuds that are ongoing). The rest of the card seemed pretty straightforward, so I'm don't have a ton else to add there. As for the main event, while it didn't necessary perform well in the game, I'll always envision a big match like that as something that would be a huge success (and the PPV did make a good amount of money in the game, as I would find out later). Goldberg would finally manage to put Awesome away with a Jackhammer off the second rope in an absolutely insane shot. Just some stuff using my imagination there, but one of my favorites part of EWR is planning out a match well in advance, before ultimately building to it. While Goldberg would get the win on this night, Mike Awesome wasn't done with him just yet.
That's my look back at The Great American Bash 1999!! Be sure to tune in next time, as we head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for Bash At The Beach 1999!! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Jul 11, 2021 21:34:22 GMT 1
Part XIX: WCW Bash At The Beach 1999
So we're coming off the 1999 edition of The Great American Bash, which saw a battle between two undefeated wrestlers in the main event for the WCW World Heavyweight Title. When the dust settled on that night, Goldberg emerged victorious, handing Mike Awesome his first pinfall loss in WCW. That wouldn't be the end of their feud, however. Mike Awesome would keep going after Goldberg in the weeks following that first loss, and that would set up a big rematch at Bash At The Beach 1999 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.....only this time, they would face off inside a Steel Cage.
This would be a PPV filled with title matches, some of them with additional grudges attached to them. In the semi-main event, Diamond Dallas Page and Scott Steiner are still feuding over the WCW United States Title (which Page won from Steiner at The Great American Bash). However, they're taking part in a Four-Way Match, with Booker T and Sting also being involved. Meanwhile, Bret Hart's NWA World Heavyweight Title would also be up for grabs. While he was finally able to put Ric Flair behind him, he and the rest of Team Canada still had to deal with The Four Horsemen as a whole. That led to Hart coming face-to-face with Chris Benoit, who himself had just come off a several month feud with Chris Jericho (another member of Team Canada). After a number of different matches and confrontations, a bout between the two for the Ten Pounds Of Gold would be set up for Bash At The Beach.
Much like the situation involving the WCW United States Title, the WCW World Tag Team Title picture would also serve as the continuation of an ongoing feud, while also inserting another party into the mix for the titles. After the way their two-on-two challenge ended at The Great American Bash, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were still gunning for Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eddie Guerrero. However, another team would enter the scene, in the form of Lex Luger and The Giant. The two had been partners before, but they split up, and ultimately had a feud, once they both took sides in the nWo Civil War. Now they're back together as part of the Magnificent Seven, and they're looking to claim championship gold for their new group.
The bottom half of the card features some more title bouts as well as some interesting tag team bouts. Rob Van Dam defends his WCW Hardcore Title (which at this point, he's held since late May) against the current WCW Cruiserweight Champion Lance Storm, who's looking to become a double champion. Then, Chris Jericho defends his WCW World TV Title against Steve Corino, in a battle between Team Canada and The Four Horsemen. Jericho is riding a high after winning the feud with Chris Benoit, but he shouldn't take Steve Corino lightly. The final title bout on the card sees the WCW Women's Title on the line. Madusa, who was been the champion since winning the title tournament at SuperBrawl IX, defends her title against Amy Dumas and Trish Stratus. The two challengers in that title bout also have a connection to a big six-man tag that's also situated on the undercard, as Ric Flair teams up with The Hardy Boyz to take on the Team Canada trio of Andrew Martin, Edge, and Christian.
Finally, the true opening contest on the card features a new team in WCW, and a team that's making it's first WCW appearance in many years. The Dudley Boyz of Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley make their WCW PPV debut after getting called up from OMEGA. They were involved in a massive bidding war following the closure of ECW at the end of August 1998, but they ultimately decided on WCW. On the other side, we have a duo that's just jumped ship from the WWF, in the form of Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce, who are known as The Texicans. Of course, these men are the former Mideon and Mark Canterbury (respectively) along with being formerly known as The Godwinns. In a bit of an embarrassing clerical error on WWF's part, their contracts had expired unbeknownst to some WWF officials (it's not like they were guys that mattered much in the WWF pecking order anyway), so they took the money offer and jumped to WCW. Now for me, they are pretty much in a position of putting other teams (younger teams) over, and that's pretty much their role on this show.
Continuing the trend from previous posts, I don't have any other title changes to report that occurred between PPV's, so without further ado, let's dive into the results (I like the poster, but ignore the new WCW logo...I still see WCW as using their classic logo at this point)!
WCW Bash At The Beach 1999
July 11th, 1999 - National Car Rental Center - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
1.) The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) def. The Texicans (Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce)
2.) WCW Women's Title - Triple Threat Match - Madusa (c) def. Amy Dumas & Trish Stratus
3.) WCW World TV Title - Steve Corino def. Chris Jericho (c)
4.) Six-Man Tag - Ric Flair & The Hardy Boyz def. Team Canada (Andrew Martin, Edge & Christian)
5.) WCW Hardcore Title - Rob Van Dam (c) def. WCW Cruiserweight Champion Lance Storm
6.) WCW World Tag Team Titles - Three-Way Tag Team Match - The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall) def. Hollywood Heat (Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Eddie Guerrero) (c) & The Magnificent Seven (Lex Luger & The Giant)
7.) NWA World Heavyweight Title - Chris Benoit def. Bret Hart (c)
8.) WCW United States Title - Fatal Four-Way Match - Diamond Dallas Page (c) def. Booker T, Scott Steiner, & Sting
9.) WCW World Heavyweight Title - Steel Cage Match - Goldberg (c) def. Mike Awesome
For Bash At The Beach 1999, I got an overall score of 85%, which is a really nice jump following the 80% score I got for The Great American Bash 1999. The top two matches on this particular card scored in the low 90% range, with Match Of The Night honors going to Chris Jericho vs. Steve Corino for the WCW World TV Title, which got 93%. Chris Jericho just loves having the MOTN, doesn't he? The Six-Man Tag with Ric Flair and The Hardy Boyz vs. Team Canada got a 91% score, which is a great result for a Six-Man Tag. Everything between that match and the main event scoring in the high 80% range, with Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit for the NWA World Heavyweight Title being the highest of those at 89%. Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm for the WCW Hardcore Title, and the Four-Way Match for the WCW United States Titles both got 88%, while the Three-Way Tag Team Match for the WCW World Tag Team Titles earned a surprisingly strong score of 87% (especially when you consider who was involved in that one). To round out the card, the remaining three bouts (the opener, the Women's Tile match, and the main event) all scored 78%. So if you want to make any comments about this card, the one thing you could say for sure is that the match quality was very consistent up and down, especially when you look at the percentages.
 So this PPV had a mix of results, in terms of the title matches. In four of the seven title bouts, the champions retained, but with regards to the titles that did change hands, some of those could be seen as a bit of a surprise. The Outsiders winning back the WCW World Tag Team Titles was probably the least surprising of the title changes. That's what I was building to all along (I believe it's the first time in over a year that Nash and Hall held those titles as a team), but it's not the last time The Outsiders will be going against Hollywood Heat, and I'll just leave it there.
It wasn't the best night for Team Canada. Not only did the trio of Andrew Martin, Edge, and Christian come up short in their Six-Man Tag, but other members of Team Canada lost all of their title bouts. Of course, the biggest loss was Bret Hart losing the NWA World Heavyweight Title to Chris Benoit, but you also had Steve Corino upsetting Chris Jericho to win the WCW World TV Title, and Trish Stratus failed to capture the WCW Women's Title. No doubt they'll be looking for revenge as the summer of 1999 rolls on.
I don't have a ton of other notes to make about this PPV card. With their wins tonight, Goldberg and Diamond Dallas Page have both moved on from their main title rivals in Mike Awesome and Scott Steiner, respectively. It'll be interesting to see what happens on our next PPV....which will not be Road Wild from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Nope, we're not going there anymore. Instead, we'll be heading to a city about fourteen hours to the Northwest, as WCW travels to Calgary to revive a PPV name from the early 90's.....WrestleWar!!
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Post by dhk1989 on Jul 12, 2021 1:10:49 GMT 1
Since Bret is still wrestling at this point in the timeline, does this mean Owen Hart is still alive here?
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Post by Ryan Kelman on Jul 18, 2021 18:22:56 GMT 1
I really enjoy this and hope it continues.
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Jul 21, 2021 14:54:55 GMT 1
Since Bret is still wrestling at this point in the timeline, does this mean Owen Hart is still alive here? Sorry for the delayed response, but yes, it does (of course, people really can't die in EWR, though they can retire). |
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