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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Sept 17, 2021 2:39:16 GMT 1
Apologies for the recent lack of posts!! I actually was going to post the other day, but I noticed the photos in previous posts weren't showing up properly. I just checked now, and they seem to be showing up just fine now, so.....*shrugs*
My next post should be up within the next day or two, if everything goes according to plan.
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Sept 20, 2021 5:57:18 GMT 1
Part XXIV: WCW Starrcade 1999
The time has finally arrived for WCW to finish off 1999 with their biggest event of the year.....Starrcade!! The 1998 edition of this event had some HUGE matchups throughout the card, and the 1999 edition is certainly no exception.
Two massive title bouts headline the PPV in a double main event. The first of those two matches sees Goldberg defending the WCW World Heavyweight Title against Bret Hart, who successfully regained the NWA World Heavyweight Title from Chris Benoit in an Iron Man Match in the main event of Blood, Sweat, & Tears II in November. This is not a double title match, as the NWA World Heavyweight Title is not on the line. However, Bret Hart's main objective since joining WCW has been to win the WCW World Heavyweight Title. As a member of Team Canada, it would extra sweet for Bret Hart to win WCW's top prize in an arena that's only a few blocks away from some of the most iconic buildings and moments in the capital of the United States. He certainly has his work cut out for him, as the undefeated Goldberg looks to enter the new millennium with the WCW World Heavyweight Title still around his waist. The other half of the double main event sees what very well could be the final chapter in the rivalry between The Hardy Boyz and Team Canada representatives Edge and Christian. These two teams have been going back and forth throughout all of 1999, going all the way back to the start of the year. The Hardy Boyz, of course, won the WCW World Tag Team Titles at Halloween Havoc 1999 by defeated Edge and Christian in a Ladder Match. However, the duo from Team Canada managed to regain their titles in a Four-Way Tag Team Elimination Match at Blood, Sweat, & Tears II. Now the two teams looks to settle things once and for all.....inside the confines of a Steel Cage!! Can the brothers from North Carolina win back their titles, or will Edge and Christian give Team Canada more reasons to gloat with another victory?
There are only two other title bouts on the card, and they are both Triple Threat matches. The first of those will see Taz defend his newly won WCW United States Title against Eddie Guerrero (the man he beat for the title at Blood, Sweat, & Tears II last month) and Chris Benoit. Meanwhile, the second Triple Threat Match will feature Rob Van Dam defending his WCW World TV Title against Chris Jericho as well as Ric Flair. There really isn't a ton of story to either of these matches. They were just two cool title defenses that I came up with when putting this card together, with both matches featuring very strong workers.
In terms of matches involving grudges or ongoing storylines, this card has some of those matches as well. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall are set to have their big clash with Konnan and Rey Mysterio Jr., as what's left of the nWo Wolfpac has finally splintered apart. The two sides have been going back and forth since October, and their issues are finally culminating on Starrcade. Of course, this match isn't just a regular grudge match.....there are stipulations at play. If the Konnan/Rey Mysterio Jr. team lose, then Mysterio must unmask (so mirroring the storyline from OTL a little bit, though this stipulation occurred much earlier in OTL's 1999), but if The Outsiders lose, then they both must shake the hands of Konnan and Mysterio, and publicly admit that they respect them. A lot of pressure on the Konnan/Mysterio team, but can they pull off the upset and save Mysterio's mask?
The other notable grudge match involves the continuation of Hollywood Hulk Hogan's Best-Of-Seven Trial Series. Coming out of Blood, Sweat, & Tears II, Hogan had a record of 2-2, with victories over Eddie Guerrero and Sabu, but losses to Bret Hart and Rob Van Dam. His fifth opponent would turn out to be one of WCW's fastest rising starts in Booker T. This would easily be the biggest match of Booker T's career, up to this point. Since it was going to be such a big match, Rowdy Roddy Piper decided that there would be a Special Guest Referee. With both Eric Bischoff and Mick Foley (we hadn't seen a ton of Cactus Jack since Halloween Havoc, so Foley was more of his normal self by this point) lobbying for that spot, Piper decided to book a match between the two on the December 20th edition of Nitro. Foley ended up defeated Bischoff, so he won the right to be the Special Guest Referee. Will Hogan get one step closer to a new contract, or one step closer to being ousted from WCW altogether?
As for the rest of the PPV card, we've got a variety of different matches that fill things out. The Dudley Boyz continued their feud with The Magnificent Eight, but they managed to enlist the help of Diamond Dallas Page and Sting, setting up an Ten-Man Tag. Meanwhile, the Starrcade Battle Royal makes its return, with a number of different competitors fighting to each an opportunity at the championship of their choosing. Finally, after weeks of speculation, Rick Rude revealed (in early November) the identity of his new client, and it turned out to be none other than 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle. This new addition of the WCW roster made his presence felt straight away, with a series of quick victories against a variety of lower card opponents. He did all this while cutting promos talking about how he's a real American Hero, and the importance of his three I's (Intensity, Integrity, and Intelligence). Of course, just like in real life, the audience didn't exactly give Angle a positive response, so he leaned into being more of a heel as time went on. Angle was pretty much a full-blown heel by this point, but he would have his toughest test to date at Starrcade, as he would go one-on-one with Four Horsemen member Steve Corino.
Before getting into the PPV, I do have a few title changes to report, and both of them occurred on the same show. In the opener of the December 6th edition of Nitro, The Dudley Boyz managed to win back the NWA World Tag Team Titles from The Steiner Brothers. Fortunately for The Magnificent Eight, they would add a title to their ranks later that night, as The Giant managed to win the WCW Hardcore Title from Mike Awesome.
One other note I'll add is that the date I ended up using in Extreme Warfare Revenge was actually a week later than OTL's Starrcade 1999. That show took place on December 19th, whereas this version of that show takes place on December 26th, the day after Christmas.
With all of that out of the way, let's dive into the PPV!!
WCW Starrcade 1999 December 26th, 1999 - MCI Center - Washington, D.C.
1.) Starrcade Battle Royal - Winner: Mike Awesome - Other participants include Andrew Martin, Bam Bam Bigelow, Boss Man Traylor, Chris Kanyon, Curt Hennig, Dean Malenko, Disco Inferno, Evan Karagias, Juventud Guerrera, Little Guido, Perry Saturn, Psychosis, Randy Savage, Raven, Sabu, Scott Norton, Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, & Tommy Dreamer 2.) WCW United States Title - Triple Threat Match - Taz (c) def. Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero 3.) Kurt Angle (with Rick Rude) def. Steve Corino 4.) Ten-Man Tag - Diamond Dallas Page, Sting, & The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, & Spike Dudley) def. The Magnificent Seven (The Steiner Brothers, Buff Bagwell, Lex Luger, & The Giant) 5.) Special Guest Referee: Mick Foley - Booker T def. Hollywood Hulk Hogan 6.) WCW World TV Title - Triple Threat Match - Rob Van Dam (c) def. Chris Jericho (with Don Callis) & Ric Flair 7.) Tag Team Grudge Match - Konnan & Rey Mysterio Jr. def. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall) 8.) WCW World Heavyweight Title - Goldberg (c) def. NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart 9.) WCW World Tag Team Titles - Steel Cage Match - The Hardy Boyz def. Edge & Christian (c)
For Starrcade 1999, I got an overall score of 90%, which is not only my highest scoring PPV of 1999, but it's the highest scoring PPV I've ever had up to this point in this game. So I was very proud with how this show turned out. The big contributing factor to this result was the fact that five matches scored in the low 90% range. Match Of The Night actually ended up in a tie, with both the main event (not real surprise there) and Kurt Angle vs. Steve Corino getting 93%. Then, the two Triple Threat bouts for the WCW United States Title and the WCW World TV Title both got a 92% score. Not much of a shock when you consider who was involved in those matches. The final match to score in 90% range was Goldberg vs. Bret Hart for the WCW World Heavyweight Title, which landed at 90% on the dot. From there, we see a bit of a drop off. The big tag team grudge match with Konnan and Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. The Outsiders ended up with an 86% score, while the Ten-Man Tag got 80%. Booker T vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan with Mick Foley as the Special Guest Referee got a 76% score, while the Starrcade Battle Royal was (predictably) the worst match on the show with a 72% score.
As I already mentioned above, I thought this show turned out very well, with a number of highly rated matches. In terms of the booking, the two main events were pretty much clean finish victories for the babyfaces, meaning that Team Canada suffered a double whammy of major defeats to close out 1999. Of course, it should be said that the Bret Hart/Goldberg concussion incident never happens in this version of their Starrcade 1999 encounter. The match goes off without much of a hitch, and Goldberg ultimately retains. Rob Van Dam and Taz also retained their respective titles.
With regards to the grudge matches, Hollywood Hulk Hogan drops to 2-3 following his loss to Booker T, while Rey Mysterio Jr. shocked the world by the winning the match for his team by pinning Kevin Nash (though just barely). The Outsiders would begrudgingly adhere to the stipulation following the bout. Elsewhere, Kurt Angle got his first victory on a WCW PPV, while Mike Awesome won the 2nd ever Starrcade Battle Royal.
The next few posts I make in this thread will mainly be going over stuff like the ratings battle with RAW is WAR and the title histories for 1999, but one thing I'll say is pay attention to some of the people who lost on this card, because a number of them will be involved in a MASSIVE shift that will occur after the start of the new year. So once again.....keep your eyes open for what's next.
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Sept 25, 2021 18:53:08 GMT 1
It's time to talk about a subject that everyone loves to talk about these days.....ratings!!
So just like I did at the end of 1998, I'm going to post a pair of charts that show off the Monday Night War ratings for the year (1999 in this case). However, I'm also going to add a little bit more to the post, in terms of breaking down the ratings and analyzing trends and such.
During 1998, the first major point of divergence from OTL, in terms of the ratings, was the length of the winning streak for WCW Monday Nitro over WWF RAW is WAR. In this alternate timeline, I was able to extend Nitro's winning streak by a couple of months, with the first win for RAW is WAR coming in early June (so two months later when compared to OTL). Nitro would regain the lead for the rest of June and into July, but after some back and forth during the month of August, RAW is WAR took the lead and.....never really looked back. Even though Nitro would keep it super close for a few weeks in final two months of the year, RAW is WAR would still hold onto the lead. As you'll see in the two charts below, that streak continued into 1999.
As you can see, the ratings for RAW is WAR remained pretty stable for the first several months of 1999. As for Nitro, I was able to get close to RAW is WAR, but I wasn't able to overtake them. So when you really look at, RAW is WAR had a winning streak over Nitro that lasted over a year. Again, I got Nitro very close at various points, and got super close, but I just couldn't take the lead back. However, that all changed on July 12th, 1999, when I finally got Nitro a win (what's funny is that it wasn't even a particularly noteworthy Nitro by my standards, though it was the night after Bash At The Beach). After that point, the ratings became MUCH more interesting, as the two shows traded wins back and forth for the rest of 1999. September and October were particularly fluid, as both shows traded victories back and forth for several weeks straight. RAW is WAR was finally able to reestablish a winning trend in November, but Nitro was able to fight back to close the year.
So how do you think ratings will look come 2000? Can I help Nitro establish a firm hold on the lead? Can RAW is WAR bounce back? Will the two shows continue to trade wins?
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Post by dhk1989 on Sept 26, 2021 0:23:54 GMT 1
Glad to see Nitro closed the gap and made things more competitive in the second half of the year. Hopefully they gain more of a lead in the ratings in 2000.
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Sept 27, 2021 2:21:47 GMT 1
So another yearly roundup post I decided to do this time around is listing the ratings for all the PPV's from 1999, and ranking them. Nothing really fancy with this post.....pretty straightforward. Since I didn't do this list for the end of 1998, I'll include that in this post as well.
These listing will include the PPVs from best to worst for each year, their respective percentage, and the main event of that particular card.
1998 PPV Rankings
1.) Starrcade 1998 - 84% - Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 2.) Blood, Sweat, & Tears - 84% - Booker T vs. Bret Hart vs. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Sting in a #1 Contender's Fatal Four-Way Match 3.) The Great American Bash 1998 - 80% - Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Title and the WCW United States Title 4.) Halloween Havoc 1998 - 80% - Goldberg vs. Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 5.) SuperBrawl VIII - 79% - Sting vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 6.) Spring Stampede 1998 - 77% - Sting vs. Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit vs. Randy Savage in a Fatal Four-Way Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 7.) Souled Out 1998 - 77% - Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair 8.) Road Wild 1998 - 76% - Goldberg vs. Randy Savage for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 9.) Uncensored 1998 - 75% - Bret Hart & Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage in a Tag Team Steel Cage Match 10.) Bash At The Beach 1998 - 74% - Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Nash with Scott Hall as the Special Guest Referee 11.) Fall Brawl 1998 - 74% - Team nWo Hollywood vs. Team nWo Wolfpac in a Five-on-Five WarGames Match 12.) Slamboree 1998 - 74% - Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage in a No DQ Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title
1999 PPV Rankings
1.) Starrcade 1999 - 90% - Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz in a Tag Team Steel Cage Match for the WCW World Tag Team Titles 2.) Slamboree 1999 - 87% - Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 3.) Blood, Sweat, & Tears II - 87% - Chris Benoit vs. Bret Hart in an Iron-Man Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title 4.) Halloween Havoc 1999 - 86% - Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 5.) SuperBrawl IX - 86% - Eddie Guerrero vs. Ric Flair in an I Quit Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title 6.) Souled Out 1999 - 85% - Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 7.) Bash At The Beach 1999 - 85% - Goldberg vs. Mike Awesome in a Steel Cage Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 8.) Uncensored 1999 - 85% - Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Nash vs. Scott Hall in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match 9.) WrestleWar 1999 - 84% - Team Canada vs. Team WCW in a Ten-Man Tag Team Elimination Match 10.) Fall Brawl 1999 - 83% - Team Canada vs. Team WCW in a Five-on-Five WarGames Match 11.) The Great American Bash 1999 - 80% - Goldberg vs. Mike Awesome for the WCW World Heavyweight Title 12.) Spring Stampede 1999 - 77% - Goldberg vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho in a Triple Threat Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title
So a list like this is pretty cool for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's fun to track the increasing quality of my PPVs as the scenario progresses. Secondly, it's interesting to look at the main events of these shows to see how much they've evolved over time. The main events from 1998 PPVs are much different (in terms of who's being featured) compared to 1999 PPVs. Anyway, I thought this would be a fun little thing to do.
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Post by dhk1989 on Sept 28, 2021 1:33:55 GMT 1
No surprise that Starrcade should get the best ratings for each year.
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Oct 5, 2021 5:37:09 GMT 1
I'm going to start posting title histories from 1999, but since the top title saw.....approximately zero changes, I'll do a little two-for-one special here. These dates of the current title reigns go up to December 31st, 1999. The first post for pretty much every title besides the WCW World Heavyweight Title (for obvious reasons) will basically just be a repeat from the first title history posts I did for 1998, only with the addition of the actual length of the title reign. As always, a number in parenthesis or brackets next to the name of the wrestler indicates what reign that is for them with that specific title.
WCW World Heavyweight TitleGoldbergWCW The Great American Bash 1998June 14th, 1998565 Days +
WCW United States TitleMike AwesomeWCW Starrcade 1998December 27th, 199877 Days This was a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
Sting (3)WCW Uncensored 1999March 14th, 199928 Days This was a Ladder Match.
Scott SteinerWCW Spring Stampede 1999April 11th, 199963 Days
Diamond Dallas Page (2)WCW The Great American Bash 1999June 13th, 1999106 Days
Eddie Guerrero (2)WCW Monday NitroSeptember 27th, 199955 Days This was a Fatal Four-Way Match also involving Booker T and Dean Malenko
TazWCW Blood, Sweat, & Tears IINovember 21st, 199940 Days +
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Oct 6, 2021 22:39:41 GMT 1
WCW World Tag Team Titles
Rob Van Dam & Sabu [2] WCW Starrcade 1998 December 27th, 1998 27 Days This was a Triangle Ladder Match also involving The Four Horsemen (Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko)
nWo Hollywood (Scott Steiner [7] & The Giant [3]) WCW Saturday Night January 23rd, 1999 2 Days
Rob Van Dam & Sabu [3] WCW Monday Nitro January 25th, 1999 76 Days This was a No DQ Match.
Hollywood Heat (Eddie Guerrero [2] & Hollywood Hulk Hogan) WCW Spring Stampede 1999 April 11th, 1999 91 Days
The Outsiders (Kevin Nash [5] & Scott Hall [6]) WCW Bash At The Beach 1999 July 11th, 1999 57 Days This was a Three-Way Tag Team Match also involving the Magnificent Seven (Lex Luger & The Giant).
Edge & Christian WCW Monday Nitro September 6th, 1999 48 Days
The Hardy Boyz WCW Halloween Havoc 1999 October 24th, 1999 28 Days This was a Ladder Match.
Edge & Christian [2] WCW Blood, Sweat, & Tears II November 21st, 1999 35 Days This was a Four-Way Tag Team Elimination Match also involving The Outsiders and Konnan & Rey Mysterio Jr.
The Hardy Boyz [2] WCW Starrcade 1999 December 26th, 1999 5 Days + This was a Steel Cage Match.
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Oct 7, 2021 3:45:48 GMT 1
WCW World Television Title
Chris Jericho WCW Fall Brawl 1998 September 13th, 1998 134 Days This was a Triple Threat Match also involving Booker T.
Booker T (7) WCW Monday Nitro January 25th, 1999 48 Days
Scott Steiner (4) WCW Uncensored 1999 March 14th, 1999 60 Days
Chris Benoit (2) WCW Thunder May 13th, 1999 31 Days
Chris Jericho (2) WCW The Great American Bash 1999 June 13th, 1999 28 Days This was a Ladder Match.
Steve Corino WCW Bash At The Beach 1999 July 11th, 1999 63 Days
Rob Van Dam WCW Fall Brawl 1999 September 12th, 1999 110 Days + This was a Fatal Four-Way Match also involving Booker T & The Giant.
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Oct 8, 2021 1:40:01 GMT 1
I didn't even realize this until I put this together, but all of the title changes in 1999 for the Cruiserweight Title occurred in straight singles matches, with no stipulations.
WCW Cruiserweight Title
Kidman WCW Thunder November 12th, 1998 178 DaysLance Storm WCW Slamboree 1999 May 9th, 1999 125 DaysUltimo Dragon (3) WCW Saturday Night September 11th, 1999 37 Days
Jushin Thunder Liger WCW Monday Nitro October 18th, 1999 34 Days Yoshihiro Tajiri WCW Blood, Sweat, & Tears II November 21st, 1999 40 Days +
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