Slamboree ’99

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Slamboree

May 9, 1999

TWA Dome

St. Louis, Missouri

News & Notes: I only have one extra note. After Spring Stampede, Alex Wright appeared in the crowd with a fresh look. He shaved his hair into a Mohawk and dyed it black. Alex didn’t speak. He remained mysterious. Soon he will have a new name, but I’ll discuss that when he makes his official return.

The opening video poses a few questions. Who is the franchise of WCW? Is it Sting or Goldberg? Who will control the company? Will it be Piper or Flair? Also, is Buff Bagwell’s ego bigger than Scott Steiner’s? Can Gorgeous George defeat Little Naitch? Could we see new tag champs in the three-way match? And can Kevin Nash become the WCW champion again? Find out at Slamboree!

Tony welcomes everyone to the gateway to wrestling excitement! The next three hours will determine the fate of WCW. Two men will battle for control of the company. Heenan calls Flair and Piper nuts and crazy. Then Tony discusses Sting vs. Goldberg. It’s not for the title, but there’s a lot riding on them. Tenay calls Flair the brains behind the meeting. He wants to limit Sting and Goldberg’s power by separating them. Next, Tony wonders if DDP reached legendary status with Savage’s help. But that’s the tip of the iceberg. They have more!

Meanwhile, Gene asks if it’s an iceberg or a Goldberg. He also calls St. Louis a wrestling Mecca. The city contains great traditions. Then Gene plugs the hotline. Call him now!

Afterward, we get the entrances for the first contest. The commentators talk about Rey and Kidman’s recent issues. The Horsemen jumped Rey, and Kidman wasn’t there for him. Kidman said he can’t watch Rey’s back 24/7. He had autograph signings and appearances.

Three-Way Match for the Tag Team Titles: Raven & Saturn vs. Dean Malenko & Chris Benoit (w/ Arn Anderson) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. & Kidman (c)

Notes: Raven & Saturn wanted the tag titles, which didn’t sit well with Benoit & Malenko. The Horsemen focused on eliminating their competition. They interfered and attacked at every opportunity, and they used Robinson’s shady officiating. The Horsemen also capitalized on the growing tensions between Kidman and Rey. With Flair institutionalized, Robinson was in charge. He made Kidman and Rey team on opposite sides against each other. Robinson put Kidman with the Horsemen and Rey with Raven and Saturn. They knocked Kidman on top of Rey, and Charles counted a fast count. Later, the Horsemen targeted Rey’s knee and injured Saturn’s shoulder on Saturday Night. (On a side note, Rey lost the Cruiserweight Title to Psychosis and won it back during the build.)

The Match: Kidman and Saturn clean house, but the Horsemen answer with double-teaming. Rey ends this with springboard attacks. So Raven and Saturn try their combination maneuvers. It makes the Horsemen regroup before taking over. Benoit nails a snap suplex and flying headbutt on Raven. Also, the ref allows the Horsemen to control the ring. Afterward, Benoit hits rolling Germans, and Dean powerbombs Kidman! They continue until Saturn rallies and tags his partner. Raven does rolling suplexes on Benoit before Rey and Kidman join the fray. They do a flying clothesline and hurricanrana. Next, Kidman vaults Rey into Frankensteiners, but Saturn turns one into a superbomb. However, Arn gives Saturn a spinebuster while a man in a Sting mask targets Kidman. Malenko puts Saturn in a Cloverleaf. At the same time, Raven drops Kidman with a draping Even Flow. Saturn holds out long enough for Raven to score the three.

Thoughts: This was wild and fun. It was non-stop action from start to finish. They kept the crowd’s attention and took them on a ride. This was the right encounter to open the show. But the rest of the program might not live up to this standard.

Winners: Raven & Saturn (New Champions) (17:28)

The man in the Sting mask reveals himself to be Kanyon! He hands Raven and Saturn their belts, and they celebrate. But I should point out Kanyon’s DDP t-shirt. Is it foreshadowing?

Speaking of DDP, they air a hype package for him. The network dubs generic music over his theme. It isn’t even the usual dubbed song. The video doesn’t contain much substance. It’s footage of DDP posing. We will see more of these for each member of the main events.

Next, Stevie Ray, Vincent, and Horace arrive for Stevie’s bout. Horace says Stevie will break Konnan in half. It leads to Konnan’s entrance. Tenay wonders why Kevin Nash helped Konnan on Nitro. Did he have a change of heart, or was Nash striking the B-Team before they attacked him? Once K-Dawg reaches the ring, he asks for his dogs in the crowd. Heenan barks in response. Konnan also tells the B-Team to pick a salad dressing. He says Horace will toss his salad and Stevie will peel his potatoes.

Konnan vs. Stevie Ray (w/ Vincent & Horace)

Notes: With their leadership issues solved, Stevie said the unified B-Team would police WCW. First, Stevie challenged DDP and lost. Then they went after Konnan. The B-Team tried to lure Konnan into a trap. Konnan didn’t buy it, so they attacked him. Next, Norton stole K-Dawg’s US Title shot against Scott Steiner. Afterward, Konnan wrestled Brian Adams, and the B-Team jumped him. Later, Flair paid Stevie Ray to take out Nash, but Nash overheard the plan. When Konnan faced Horace, Nash came after the B-Team. After dispatching them, Nash appeared to make peace with Konnan.

The Match: They trade strikes until Konnan nails a float-over bulldog and seated dropkick. Then Vincent jumps on the apron, so Konnan decks him. But this opens the door for Stevie’s thrust kick. With Konnan dazed, Stevie sends him outside for Vincent and Horace to attack. Stevie follows with rear chinlocks and a clothesline that takes him three tries! However, he taunts the crowd and does a jumping nothing into K-Dawg’s boot. Konnan capitalizes with a rolling clothesline, awkward leapfrog, and facebuster. This results in more interference from Vince and Horace, so Rey Mysterio intervenes. He fends off the B-Team and does a seated senton to aid Konnan’s roll-up. The distracted ref turns and counts the three.

Thoughts: This was terrible. It was basic to begin with, and it became sloppy. I’ve never seen someone botch two straight clotheslines. At least they kept it short, but I felt bad for Rey. Associating him with this train wreck doesn’t help him.

Winner: Konnan (6:10)

Nash’s hype video follows the bout. The Wolfpac theme plays over the footage. They show side-by-side shots of the same clips. It’s images of Nash posing and fixing his hair. WCW’s editing team is on top of these tonight!

Then Rick Steiner is in the internet booth. Chad asks about Rick’s encounter with Booker T. It’s his first title shot since the injury. Does Rick have something to prove? Rick says yes. He also claims Booker knew Stevie Ray helped him win. Chad disagrees, which annoys Rick. He can’t believe his ears. Chad says Booker and Stevie have an estranged relationship. Steiner replies, “Strange? Strange what? Hoffman brothers?” (Why is he calling them by their real names? Besides, it’s Huffman, not Hoffman.)

Now it’s Sting’s turn for a special look. We hear his song over dramatic scenes of Sting in the rain. They also show Sting pointing his bat and screaming. (How does a Turner-owned company like WCW have such a poor video department?)

Elsewhere, the foreshadowing continues. DDP stops Bam Bam Bigelow for a word backstage. Tony says it looks like they are burying the hatchet. Tenay points out they are both from the Jersey area.

This leads to Bigelow’s match. Both men enter without music. They misspell Brian Knobbs’ name with only one B. While this happens, Tony asks Tenay for some facts about the match. Tenay says Knobbs is a perfect fit for the division, which makes Tony lose his cool. Tony asked for facts, not an opinion! Tenay replies they changed the stipulation, so Tony sarcastically asks about the change. Mike says this is now falls count anywhere. As they argue, Bigelow pushes a weapons cart to the ring.

Hardcore Match: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Brian Knobbs

Notes: After Spring Stampede, Bam Bam took the mantle of the King of Hardcore. This made him a target. Hak and Hugh Morrus went after Bam Bam, but Hak discovered a new enemy. Brian Knobbs, of the Nasty Boys, returned and attacked Hak. So Bam Bam helped Knobbs defeat him. Afterward, Hak, Horace, Whipwreck, and Knobbs competed for the right to face Bigelow. Brian won the bout when he splashed Mikey with a ladder. Later, Hak wrestled Bam Bam on Nitro. Brian Knobbs interrupted the contest and decked both men with a trash can.

The Match: They fight with a trash can, waiter’s tray, and cookie sheet. Bam Bam cannot hit the Greetings, but he scores a flying headbutt. Then Knobbs answers with can and chair shots until he tumbles out of the ring. Next, they ram each other into the rail and the steps. Bigelow blocks the can with the tray and claps Brian’s head with some lids. He continues until Brian clocks Bam Bam in the crotch with a lid. Plus, he uses a salad bowl and whips Bigelow into the cart. After more strikes with cans and chairs, they brawl down the aisle. Bigelow and Knobbs smack into the internet booth and use a ladder. Later, they destroy a fake souvenir stand. With Bam Bam down, Brian tries to splash him on a table from the stands. He overshoots it, so Bigelow suplexes Knobbs on the table for the win.

Thoughts: It was dull and repetitive. WCW still doesn’t know how to make these entertaining like the WWF does. At least they realized it should be falls count anywhere. They’re learning, but they aren’t there yet. Also, who asked for a Brian Knobbs singles run?

Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow (11:29)

Next, they recap the Booker T/Rick Steiner feud. Did Booker know Stevie helped him defeat Rick? Rick thought so and confronted Booker backstage. This caused a wild brawl.

TV Title Match: Rick Steiner vs. Booker T (c)

Notes: Stevie Ray continued helping his brother win matches. On one occasion, Stevie knocked out Rick Steiner with a slapjack to give Booker the victory. Steiner didn’t forget this. Rick jumped Stevie when he helped Booker again, so Booker pulled Rick off of him. Ric Flair saw this while he was at the asylum. He booked a TV Title bout between Booker and Rick for the PPV. Soon, Booker and Rick ran into each other backstage and brawled. Then Booker wrestled Curt Hennig on Nitro. It ended in a schmoz when Stevie Ray and Rick Steiner interfered.

The Match: Rick gets the early advantage with suplexes, Steinerlines, and shoulder blocks. Booker answers with heel kicks, arm holds, and chinlocks until Rick sends him outside. There, Steiner rams him into the rail and rolls him into the ring. Rick’s attack continues with more suplexes, strikes, chinlocks, and headlocks. He also wins an exchange of punches and chokes Booker in the corner. (You can hear Booker tell him to do it.) After more takedowns, Booker rallies. He hits a running forearm, axe kick, 110^th Street Slam, and missile dropkick. However, Scott Steiner arrives to distract Booker. Booker eats a Steinerline, but he whips Rick into his brother and nails a Harlem Sidekick. When Booker goes for more, Scott Steiner trips him. This opens the door for Rick’s Steiner Bulldog to end the contest.

Thoughts: They didn’t find a good rhythm. Rick looked lost a few times. Booker audibly fed him spots. Also, the crowd became restless during the bout. Then we got interference for the finish. I don’t mind the overall story. It makes sense. They’re doing an eye for an eye. Stevie helped Booker, so Scott is helping Rick. But this wasn’t great.

Winner: Rick Steiner (New Champion) (11:08)

Now they recap the Randy Savage situation. Flair wouldn’t reinstate him to active competition, but Randy had an idea. At Slamboree, Randy’s girl will face Flair’s girl, Charles Robinson! If Gorgeous George wins, they will let Savage wrestle. Robinson promised to style and profile on the bimbo. He said he would buy her gum because bimbos can’t walk and chew at the same time. But Savage swore George will win with the big elbow.

Meanwhile, Rick Steiner looks for Scott backstage. He finds Buff Bagwell instead. Rick says Scott is out of control. He doesn’t know why his brother interfered in his match. Buff looks skeptical, but Rick shakes his hand and wishes him luck. He tells Bagwell to watch his back.

Then it’s time for Gorgeous George vs. Charles Robinson. Charles wears a Ric Flair robe. On the back it says, “Little Nature Boy.” The commentators laugh at his transformation. Afterward, Team Madness leads George to the ring. Ric Flair takes a mic and invites Savage’s ladies to ride Space Mountain. Even Robinson wants to take George for a ride after he beats her. But Savage says she’s going to kick Charles’ ass.

Gorgeous George (w/ Randy Savage, Madusa, & Miss Madness) vs. Charles Robinson (w/ Ric Flair & Asya)

Notes: The power struggle between Flair and Piper left Savage’s fate in limbo. Piper wanted to let Savage wrestle while Flair looked to fire him. Then Savage got an idea after Robinson insulted Gorgeous George. He suggested George and Robinson fight. If George won, they would reinstate Savage. Flair agreed to it. Afterward, Savage hired Madusa to train George. He also added a beauty queen named Miss Madness (Molly Holly) to his entourage. Team Madness wouldn’t stop appearing at Nitro. So Flair and company had Savage and Piper arrested more than once. Meanwhile, Flair returned from the asylum with the buff head nurse in tow. He told her to choke out Gorgeous George. We later learned her name is Asya. (Do you get it? She’s like Chyna, but bigger!)

The Match: A confident Robinson struts until George reverses arm wringers and hammerlocks. She continues with a full nelson! Then George shoves Charles into Ric and Savage stops Ric from retaliating. Next, Robinson gets a chair, so Miss Madness swipes it. Robinson shoves her and gives her a slam, which worries Team Madness. While they check on her, Robinson has a shoving match with referee Johnny Boone. Afterward, George returns and Charles attacks. However, George whips him into a Flair Flip and a Flair Flop. She even slams him off the top rope! But Asya’s interference allows Robinson to target the leg. He puts George in a Figure Four until she flips it. Asya distracts the ref before Charles can quit, and Ric turns them over. So Savage nails Flair with a low blow and slams Robinson! This opens the door for George’s diving elbow and a pin.

Thoughts: This was far better than I expected. Gorgeous George surprised me. She did pretty well. Plus, they kept this entertaining and never lost the crowd. I’m unashamed to say I enjoyed this. It was fun.

Winner: Gorgeous George (10:39)

Ric Flair tries to punch Savage, but Randy blocks it and knocks him down. Then Team Madness celebrates. Savage lifts George onto his shoulder.

Next, they recap the Buff Bagwell/Scott Steiner rivalry. Buff parodied Scott Steiner with sophomoric poop jokes. Scott said Buff’s ego blurred his reality. He also insulted Buff’s manhood. Scott will enjoy beating the hell out of Bagwell.

That is our next bout. Buff arrives with a new theme song and a top hat. He dances and poses before Scott Steiner joins him. Tony talks about their history, but Heenan didn’t listen. He repeats what Schiavone says, which annoys Tony.

U.S. Title Match: Scott Steiner (c) vs. Buff Bagwell

Notes: Scott Steiner wanted a WCW Title shot against DDP, so he attacked Page. Steiner got his wish, but Kimberly decked Scott with a chair to preserve DDP’s reign. Then Buff Bagwell sought revenge. He challenged Scott for the US belt. Steiner accepted the fight and insulted Buff’s manhood. Buff responded by doing a parody of Scott Steiner. He dressed like Scott and called himself the Big Bad Doo-Doo Daddy and Big Poppa Dump. But Buff wasn’t Steiner’s only problem. The Wolfpac was crumbling. Scott’s desire for the WCW championship drew Nash’s ire. Nash and Scott almost came to blows. So Steiner looked for Nash backstage. He found Bagwell and beat him up instead.

The Match: Buff uses strikes and a swinging neckbreaker, but Steiner nails a low blow. After some clotheslines and elbows, Steiner takes him outside. Scotty taunts the fans while whipping Buff into the rails. Next, Steiner stretches Bagwell in a tree of woe. Buff tries to rally with a hotshot, but Scott rams him into the corner. Steiner’s attack continues with a tiger bomb and a belly-to-belly. It isn’t enough, so Scott grabs a chair only for Bagwell to knock it into his face. This allows Buff to nail dropkicks and a Manhattan Drop. However, Scott pulls the ref into an attack. With the ref down, Buff takes the chair as Rick Steiner appears. Rick tells Buff to do the Blockbuster, so Buff obliges. As Buff climbs, Rick clocks him with the chair! Scott then locks in the Recliner and Buff passes out.

Thoughts: I didn’t mind this. I know some decry the outside interference, but it fits the ongoing storyline. Plus, I like Scott’s character work. There’s an intensity to what he does that makes it interesting. The finish got the desired reaction from the crowd, so it did its job.

Winner: Scott Steiner (7:11)

After the bout, the Steiner Brothers beat up Buff Bagwell. Scott hits him with the US belt, so Tony says the brothers are back together. It’s been a year since they split.

Then we get Goldberg’s hype video. This makes Tony think Sting vs. Goldberg is next. Heenan asks Tony to guess why he picks Sting as the winner. Tony doesn’t answer, so Bobby admonishes him. Tony looks to Tenay to figure out why Heenan is mad. He doesn’t know.

Next, they show the recap for the Flair/Piper feud. They say absolute power corrupts, and that is the case with Ric Flair. He also lost his mind. Arn reminded Ric he’s the president of WCW, not the United States. Meanwhile, Piper tricked Ric into signing documents without reading them. It allowed Piper and David Flair to institutionalize Flair for an observation. He partied with the patients and made rulings using a pay phone.

This leads to Piper and Flair’s entrances. Roddy wears his reality check t-shirt. Flair brings Arn and Asya with him. When they reach the ring, Flair fires Johnny Boone and replaces him with Charles Robinson. Piper objects, so Flair says he’s lucky he doesn’t fire him too! Piper slaps him in retaliation. (On a side note, Tenay also plugged a new feature on the hotline. He called it the Ross Report, which confused Tony. Mike explained Ross Foreman is the host.)

For the Presidency of WCW: Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Ric Flair (w/ Arn Anderson & Asya)

Notes: Piper returned and reminded everyone he’s technically still the commissioner. Roddy used this power to trick Ric into signing a match contract against Nash. A furious Flair challenged Piper to contest to determine the rightful leader of WCW. Then Gorgeous George helped Nash beat Flair. Afterward, Piper and David Flair institutionalized Ric for an observation. While in the asylum, Flair partied with the patients. This included an appearance by Scott Hall. In the meantime, Flair made Robinson the Vice President to thwart Piper’s authority. Robinson had Piper arrested and took control. When Flair’s stint in the asylum ended, he punished David for helping Piper. Ric tricked him into fighting Meng. As they put David on a stretcher after the bout, Ric dared his son to institutionalize him again. Later, Piper came back to Nitro and jumped Ric in his locker room.

The Match: They trade punches and chops until the action spills into the aisle. Whenever Flair begs off, Piper pokes his eyes. So Ric answers with a low blow. He also accuses Piper of choking him. Then Arn and Asya interfere while Robinson conveniently ignores them. But Piper rallies with a backdrop only for Robinson to pretend Ric kicked out of the pin. After more attacks by Arn, Flair and Piper collapse from a collision. Later, Piper escapes a Figure Four and tries multiple pins. Robinson ignores them, so Piper does his own Figure Four. Flair says he quits, but Charles pretends he didn’t hear it. It allows Arn to break the hold. This leads to traded sleeper holds until Asya breaks it up. So Piper kisses her and punches Robinson. But Flair uses the opening to clock Roddy with a fist weapon and pin him.

But wait! Eric Bischoff appears. He tells Flair to shut up. Eric says he screwed up a lot of things, but he won’t screw this up. Bischoff declares Piper won, and he tells Ric to bite him. Ric claims he is the boss. It falls on deaf ears because Piper fires him.

Thoughts: 90% of this was punches and chops. It was monotonous. They moved at half of their old speed, and then it had a lame finish. How does Bischoff still have power? That makes no sense. This was a mess.

Winner: Roddy Piper (by DQ) (12:10)

Flair yells at the fans, so Bischoff tells the truck to cut Ric’s mic. Then Piper thanks Bischoff and hugs him, but he can’t believe he is saying it. However, Tony Schiavone exposes the plot hole. He reminds the viewers Flair beat Bischoff to take control of the company.

Next, they recap the Sting/Goldberg feud. Who is the franchise of WCW? Flair stirred the pot by asking this question, but Sting and Goldberg attacked him. Despite this, Sting and Goldberg still scuffled. WCW’s security separated them.

During the entrances, Tony continues discussing the nonsensical end of the previous bout. Even Tony doesn’t know who has the stroke in WCW. Finally, Tony focuses on Sting vs. Goldberg. He asks whose signature move will end the fight. Tony also wonders if it will come down to somebody else. (Oh, great! Now Tony is spoiling the finish of the match!)

Sting vs. Goldberg

Notes: Sting and Goldberg wanted DDP’s title, but Page ducked both of them. So Sting challenged Flair instead. Sting succeeded, despite Arn and Charles Robinson’s antics. Then Piper gave Sting his wish. He got his match with DDP and Sting won! Sting became the new WCW Champion! Flair immediately made Sting vs. Goldberg for the belt at Slamboree. This pissed off Kevin Nash. He demanded a shot at Sting on the same night. It turned into a Four Corners contest between Sting, Nash, DDP and Goldberg. DDP prevailed with Savage’s help and regained his gold to end Sting’s hour-long reign. Sting vs. Goldberg was still on for the PPV, so Flair stirred trouble between them. Ric posed the question of who was the franchise of WCW. Was it Sting or Goldberg?

The Match: Sting falls on an arm drag attempt, so Goldberg hits a powerslam. Then he sends Sting outside, and Sting regroups. Back inside, Goldberg misses a kick before Sting nails a dropkick. Next, Sting clotheslines Goldberg over the ropes, but he lands on his feet! When he returns, Goldberg counters into a cross armbreaker. But Sting gets a rope break and targets Goldberg’s knee. Sting uses a Boston Crab before scoring takedowns. When those don’t work, Sting does a suplex only for Goldberg to pop up. This leads to an awkward spinning neckbreaker by Goldberg. He also tries a spear, but Bill crashes in the corner after Sting moves! Sting capitalizes with a flying clothesline and Stinger Splashes. On the third, Goldberg catches Sting and slams him. However, Bret Hart appears! He shoves the ref and clocks Goldberg with a chair to cause a no contest.

Thoughts: That was disappointing. They didn’t have good chemistry. Many of the moves were awkward. Plus, they filled time until Bret’s arrival. This is one of the three main events, but it felt like a TV bout. They planned a Bret/Goldberg feud. Those plans change after what happens in two weeks.

Winner: No Contest (8:17)

Bret continues attacking Goldberg’s knee with the chair and leaves. Once he is gone, the Steiner Brothers rush to the ring. They wail on both men. Scott chokes Sting while Rick targets Goldberg. Tony calls everyone’s behavior inexcusable, but Heenan is okay with it. Finally, Scott Steiner spits on Sting and Goldberg as the Steiners walk away.

Next, they recap the main event feud. They show footage of DDP and Nash attacking each other. DDP clocked Nash with the belt. But then Nash saved Goldberg when Page tried to injure him.

Meanwhile, Tony stalls while they help Sting and Goldberg out of the ring. Tony can’t fathom Bret Hart’s return. He quit WCW! The last time they saw Bret was on late night NBC television. Bret appeared on TV to insult Goldberg.

Once they clear the ring, Buffer introduces Nash vs. DDP. Michael calls the PPV one of the greatest nights in the history of the sport. Tony replies, “Hey! That’s my line!” (He is self-aware!) Then DDP arrives. He wears the WCW Title backward and turns it around as the pyro explodes. You can barely hear Buffer over the dubbed music.

WCW Title Match: Kevin Nash vs. Diamond Dallas Page (c)

Notes: DDP’s victory at Spring Stampede brought a change in attitude. He sarcastically showed remorse for injuring Hogan. However, DDP tried to do it again to others, including Goldberg. He also ducked challenges and cheated to win. The most surprising aspect was Savage helped Page with his victories. Meanwhile, Nash revealed the results of his meeting with Flair before Spring Stampede. Flair promised Nash a title match for his help. Kevin vowed to avenge Hogan by taking out DDP. Nash even saved Goldberg from DDP’s attempt to hurt him. Then the aforementioned Four Corners contest happened. DDP regained his WCW belt by pinning Nash. Randy Savage handed DDP brass knuckles, and Page decked Nash.

The Match: They exchange strikes until the action spills outside. Nash drops him on the rail and rolls him inside. There, Nash does his corner offense, but DDP avoids Snake Eyes and nails a low blow. Page also removes a turnbuckle pad and uses it to distract Nick Patrick. With the ref occupied, DDP uses the mic as a weapon. Next, Page knocks Nash to the floor and lands a Diamond Cutter. He complains it isn’t falls count anywhere, but Patrick has none of that. Later, DDP wraps Nash’s leg around the post only for Nash to pull him into it. Back inside, Nash rallies with knees and clotheslines. He continues with Snake Eyes on the exposed buckle. A Jackknife follows, but Randy Savage attacks to cause a DQ!

But wait! Bischoff and Dillinger are back! They tell Savage to leave. He does after threatening Eric. Once Savage is gone, Bischoff restarts the fight with no disqualifications. There must be a winner! DDP pounces and sends Nash into the exposed buckle. It isn’t enough, so they trade sleeper holds. DDP counters with a jawbreaker and grabs a chair. But a missed shot rebounds on the ropes and smacks DDP! Nash’s cover only gets two before DDP throws a low blow. Page takes the chair again, so Nash boots it into his face. He then ends the bout with a Jackknife!

Thoughts: Most reviews I see didn’t like this, but I disagree. I enjoyed the story they told with DDP’s heel work. Plus, it had some nice near falls toward the end. The only gripe is Bischoff’s involvement. They still can’t explain why he has power. The Bischoff stuff prevents this from being a great bout, but it was still good.

Winner: Kevin Nash (New Champion) (18:23)

While Nash celebrates with the belt, Tony calls it a brutal world title bout. He also praises Bischoff for restarting the action. Tenay can’t believe they are taking their hats off to Eric. But Heenan is more worried about the after party. Then Tony plugs The Great American Bash as the show ends.

The Good:

• The opener was great.

• George/Robinson was fun.

• I liked the storytelling in the main event.

The Bad:

• Konnan/Stevie was awful.

• Flair/Piper was dull and made no sense.

• Disappointing finishes.

• Nonsensical booking.

Observations:

• WCW were cheeky bastards in ’99. They named a character Asya and started their own Ross Report on the hotline.

• How many authority figures did WCW have at this time? There was Flair, Piper, and JJ Dillon. Plus, Bischoff somehow still has power!

• People give Russo crap for frequent title changes, but WCW did that before he arrived. DDP and Sting traded the belt in one night. Plus, Psychosis and Rey exchanged the cruiser belt in a one-week span.

• They waited too long to give DDP the gold and then immediately turned him heel. Also, am I supposed to cheer Savage and boo DDP while Savage is helping DDP?

• Why did WCW hold this event in a stadium? It isn’t one of their bigger PPVs. They had a reported 20,000 people, but 7000 were free tickets. You could see the empty seats.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to the participants in the opening match. They all brought their a-game. But I will give an honorable mention to Gorgeous George. She surprised me.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t hate this as much as some people do, but this wasn’t good. The show went downhill after the opening contest. It had a couple of bright moments later. However, the poor writing and baffling booking hurt this PPV. Only one of the three main events delivered. And even it suffered from questionable choices. This is a company that is rapidly losing its way.

Thank you for reading. My next review is ECW’s Hardcore Heaven ’99. Look for it next Sunday!