Thunder (April 26, 2000)

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

Thunder

April 26, 2000

(Taped on April 25, 2000)

Onondaga County War Memorial Arena

Syracuse, New York

News & Notes: The New Blood celebrated their victories after Spring Stampede. They had security and a riot squad to prevent the Millionaire’s Club from crashing their party. Then Jeff Jarrett offered DDP one more chance. He wanted to humiliate Page at his own game. They never invited Jarrett to be in Ready to Rumble, so Jeff stole an idea from the movie. Jeff challenged Page to a Triple Cage Match at Slamboree. Next, Kimberly explained her betrayal. She turned on Page because he wanted to control her and her career. While she spoke, DDP arrived outside. He beat up the security guards and stormed into the arena. The riot squad let him through because they were the Millionaire’s Club in disguise! The club cleared the ring, so Russo and Bischoff booked DDP against Awesome as a punishment. However, Kanyon and Nash helped him fend off Awesome.

Kimberly had another surprise for DDP the following week. She served him with divorce papers, so DDP tried to talk her out of it. Kim told him to stop begging. Bischoff enlightened her about how Page was holding her back. This made DDP attack Bischoff, but Jarrett hit Page with a guitar. David Arquette was in attendance. He had enough and jumped on Eric Bischoff. It pissed Eric off to the point he challenged David to a fight. Arquette agreed as long as DDP got a title match in a Cage if David succeeded. They fought, and Arquette won when Jarrett whacked Bischoff with a guitar by mistake! Now Page had his chance. During the Cage Match, DDP hit a Diamond Cutter. Awesome looked to interfere, so Kanyon stopped him, and DDP captured the WCW championship! Page and Arquette celebrated in the crowd.

Here’s a rundown of a few other relevant storylines. Tank Abbott continued attacking innocent victims. He went after the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, Bruce MacArthur, but some Blackhawks players saved Bruce. Unfortunately, WCW’s internet broadcast team wasn’t as lucky. Tank took out Bob Ryder, Jeremy Borash, and Bill Banks. Elsewhere, Adams and Clark appeared on Nitro. They named their team KroniK, and they wanted the tag title shot Russo promised them. (I’ll explain what happened next in my Slamboree review. It ties into another feud.) Finally, Miss Hancock continued scouting new talent. She took notes while watching Stasiak vs. Hennig and KroniK vs. Team Package.

They show a recap of Nitro before Tony welcomes everyone to the show. Then we see a Cadillac pull up outside the arena. Bischoff, Kimberly, and Jarrett get out, but they have a surprise in the trunk. It’s David Arquette! Jeff drags David to the ring and threatens to beat him until DDP shows his trailer park ass. DDP and Kanyon run to the rescue, so Jarrett tells them to stop. Jeff says he will break David’s neck unless DDP gives him a match. It will be DDP & Arquette vs. Jarrett & Bischoff, and DDP’s WCW Title will be on the line! DDP says screw you to Jarrett, but Jeff says, “No, screw you, Page!” Buff and Douglas sneak behind DDP and Kanyon as he says this, so Team Package joins to even the odds. It causes a brawl, and Jarrett and Bischoff escape with Arquette.

When the fighting stops, Kimberly slaps DDP. He grabs her by the head in anger, but DDP calms down and releases her. He tries to leave, so Kimberly gives Page a low blow.

Next, they go to the commentators. Tony says David is still at the mercy of Bischoff and Jarrett. However, Tenay says Bischoff and Jarrett are missing a piece of the puzzle as long as DDP still has the title. Then they discuss Bret Hart’s recent actions. He hit Hogan with a chair a week ago on Nitro. Tonight, they will interview Bret Hart to find out why. Plus, Sting will face the Wall in a Tables Match, but what is his mindset after what happened on Monday?

Elsewhere, Mean Gene tries to interview Ernest Miller, but the Cat keeps dancing. Gene tells him to drop the nonsense. Miller says there are two things you never do. You don’t tell him to stop dancing, and you don’t touch his James Brown CD collection! Gene ignores this because he wants Miller’s thoughts about Bam Bam Bigelow. Ernest calls him a snake. Bam Bam bit him while he had his back turned. Also, Miller accuses Gene of being in on the attack! Despite the accusation, Gene says Miller’s actions on Nitro angered Russo and Bischoff. Miller helped Terry Funk keep his Hardcore Title. Ernest says he doesn’t care about their fight. He only worries about Bam Bam’s mom coming to get in the ring with him. Now Cat tells Gene to leave so he can dance. Miller even says, “To hell with WCW!”

After a commercial break, they show Jarrett, Bischoff, and Arquette. They have David cornered in a cramped space underneath some pipes. Jarrett tells Arquette to call 1-800-having fun yet.

Now it’s time for Miller vs. Bigelow. Tony wonders what will happen to Ernest for thwarting Russo and Bischoff’s plans to take the Hardcore belt off of Funk. As they say this, Miller gets a mic and addresses Bam Bam. He asks Bigelow to forgive him. Bam Bam was his hero, so it hurt him to kick his butt. However, Bigelow gave him no choice when he attacked him from behind. He had to seek payback! So Miller tells Bam Bam not to be a chump. He can leave, and they can send someone else to receive a butt kicking. Bigelow almost seems to oblige, but Miller says he saw Bam Bam’s mom out back. Bam Bam has bigger breasts than her! This makes Bigelow attack him.

Ernest the Cat Miller vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Storyline: Bam Bam faced Terry Funk for the Hardcore Title on Nitro, but Ernest Miller jumped Bigelow as the match began. The Cat wanted payback for what happened at Spring Stampede. First, Miller hit Bam Bam with a trash can lid. Then Miller knocked a chair into Bigelow’s face with a cartwheel kick. This allowed Funk to pin Bam Bam for the win. Miller celebrated with a dance afterward.

The Match: The Cat throws punches, but Bam Bam answers with a headbutt. He also presses Ernest into the air and lets him drop. (Meanwhile, Miss Hancock watches and takes notes.) Next, Bigelow nails a back suplex and grabs a chair from outside. Slick Johnson and Bigelow scuffle over the chair, so Ernest dons one of his red slippers of death. He hits Bigelow with a sidekick for the victory.

Thoughts: This was amusing, but I feel bad for Bigelow. He is spinning his wheels in WCW now. They are using him as comedy fodder, which doesn’t do him any favors. I like the Cat’s character, but Bigelow deserves better. A fan held up a sign at the end of this. It said, “This match equals piss break.” That says it all.

Winner: Ernest Miller (1:08)

The win impressed both Heenan and Tenay, but it pissed off Bam Bam. He clotheslines the Cat while Ernest dances. Tony says this isn’t over.

Backstage, Kidman and Torrie arrive in a convertible. Tony says Kidman must feel good after what he did to Hogan on Nitro. Elsewhere, DDP looks for David Arquette. Tony says he hopes Page finds him soon.

After the break, we see Bischoff and Jarrett toying with Arquette. Eric tells him to run, but Jeff shoves him every time he tries.

Next, Shawn Stasiak comes to the ring with his rip-off of the Mr. Perfect theme. He is facing Kanyon, who seems preoccupied by the Arquette situation. He keeps looking behind him. Also, Curt Hennig joins commentary. He has a pair of brass knuckles, but Curt swears he won’t use them.

Chris Kanyon vs. Shawn Stasiak

Storyline: Stasiak faced Curt Hennig the night after Spring Stampede. Hennig appeared to have the match won with a Hennig Plex, but there was no official because of a ref bump. So Stasiak pulled a weapon out of his knee pad and clocked Hennig. Shawn then pinned Curt after hitting the Perfect Plant. (The best way to describe it is an early version of the F5, but not as impressive.) Stasiak also attacked Hennig after the bout, but Hogan saved Curt.

The Match: They exchange headlocks and shoulder blocks until Shawn kips up. Next, Stasiak lands a fireman’s carry toss and poses. This allows Kanyon to score a roll-up and a swinging neckbreaker. However, Stasiak answers with strikes, a slam, and a flying crossbody. Afterward, Stasiak taunts Hennig, so Curt leaves the commentary table. He nails Shawn with the brass knuckles from behind. It knocks Stasiak into Kanyon’s Flatliner, and Chris pins him.

Thoughts: This was more about the storyline development, and that’s fine. The action wasn’t bad. Stasiak did well. So this served its purpose, and I have no issues with it.

Winner: Kanyon (2:41)

Hennig slaps the unconscious Stasiak and reminds him he’s Curt Hennig. If Stasiak shows off to him again, he will wipe the smile off Shawn’s face! While Curt says this, Mike Awesome comes to attack Kanyon! They brawl to the outside, and Awesome gains the advantage. He glances at the Hennig/Stasiak confrontation for a moment before continuing his assault on Kanyon. Mike takes Chris to the announce table and puts him through it with an Awesome Bomb. Then Awesome stomps on Hennig for good measure, which allows Stasiak to fight back. Now DDP arrives! Awesome shoves Stasiak into DDP to buy himself time to escape. So DDP gives Stasiak the Diamond Cutter and checks on Kanyon. Afterward, DDP grabs a mic. He tells Jarrett he will give him his match.

Elsewhere, Kidman and Torrie walk down a flight of stairs. Kidman is in a good mood, so he slides down the handrail. When they come back from break, we see Marc Mero and boxing trainer Ray Rinaldi in the crowd.

Kidman enters the arena wearing a Hogan t-shirt, which he rips. Billy says the legend is dead. No one could eliminate Hogan until Kidman arrived. He hopes people will appreciate it. Hogan tried to bury him in interviews, so Kidman says, “Who is drawing now?” This starts a Hogan chant, and Kidman tells the fans to shut up. He says he put Hogan’s red and yellow ass back in the hospital, but he wants another challenge. So he dares anyone in the back to face him. Torrie even promises to give them the kiss of death. Then Hogan’s music plays, which shocks Kidman. However, it’s Horace Hogan!

Billy Kidman (w/ Torrie Wilson) vs. Horace Hogan

Storyline: Hogan stormed into the arena on Nitro, despite cops trying to stop him. He warned Bischoff he wasn’t messing with Hulk Hogan as a character. Eric was screwing with Terry Bollea’s life. Then Hogan called out Kidman, but Billy lured him to the parking garage. Bischoff tried to help with the Hummer, but it wouldn’t start, so Bischoff ran away. This allowed Hogan to throw Kidman in a dumpster and ram it with the Hummer! The next week, a bruised and injured Kidman challenged Hulk to a match at Slamboree without consulting Eric. So Bischoff helped Kidman. Eric appointed himself as the ref for Slamboree, and he hired Awesome to be Kidman’s protector. This led to Kidman & Awesome vs. Hogan in a handicap fight. They bloodied him with a chair, and Awesome bombed Hogan on a table. With Hogan down, Kidman pinned him after a leg drop.

The Match: They fight in and out of the ring. Horace crotches Kidman on the ropes and drops him on the rail. However, Horace crashes into the barricade on a missed charge. This allows Kidman to whip Horace into the steps. He also scores a hurricanrana inside the ring, but Kidman misses a flying splash. Now Bischoff arrives while Horace nails a powerslam and powerbomb. Plus, Horace uses a chair on Kidman’s injured ribs and grabs a table. With Kidman in trouble, Torrie and Bischoff run interference. Torrie uses a low blow, and Bischoff kicks the ref before decking Horace with a chair. They daze Horace, and Kidman puts him through the table with a bulldog. Kidman covers him on the floor while Bischoff counts the three.

Thoughts: They kept it short and explosive, and the finish fit the storyline well. Plus, Kidman bumped like a boss for Horace. With that said, Horace still isn’t good, but this did what it needed to. It developed the angle well and made Kidman look like a devious little weasel.

Winner: Kidman (5:34)

Tank Abbott is back for more. The fans chant Goldberg’s name, so Tank corrects them. He says it’s Ghostberg. Bill isn’t there, as usual. Tank also says he has had more fights than everyone in the building put together. Yet the fans cheer for a coward like Goldberg! So it’s time for Tank to find another victim. He walks around until he sees Mero and Ray Rinaldi. Ray shoves Tank, and Mero jumps over the rail. Marc wants to fight, but Tank goes after Rinaldi instead. However, Mero stops him and they tussle. WCW’s security steps in to break it up, and WCW plays the old Johnny B. Badd theme while Mero glares at Abbott.

Backstage, Sting enters the arena still covered in the red liquid from Nitro. Sting has a strange look on his face while he walks. Then they go to commercial. When they return, DDP finds Arquette. He takes him to get medical help, but David says he wants to wrestle tonight.

Next, we have Sting vs. The Wall in a Tables Match. The commentators see the state of Sting, so they say he snapped. Tony says Sting looks like he walked off the set of Carrie.

Tables Match: Sting vs. The Wall

Storyline: Vampiro bragged about what he did to Sting at Spring Stampede. He said Sting didn’t know about pain, so Sting retaliated. Sting repelled from the rafters and attacked Vampiro with the bat. He said it looked like someone walked over Vampiro’s grave, and Sting wanted to do some graveyard destruction. Then he gave Vampiro the Death Drop. The next week, Sting and Vampiro brawled backstage until Vamp used a pipe. So Sting challenged Vampiro to a First Blood Match. Vampiro accepted, but he set a trap. The fight didn’t last long. Vampiro left the ring and distracted Sting with a taunt. This allowed someone to dump red liquid from the ceiling, which drenched Sting. Vampiro hit the Nail in the Coffin, and the New Blood swarmed Sting. They attached Sting to his repelling cable and strung him up for everyone to see.

The Match: Sting flusters the Wall with dropkicks, a Manhattan Drop, and a clothesline. The latter sends Wall outside, so Sting follows him. Wall meets him with punches and lifts Sting onto his shoulders, but Sting escapes. Then Sting shoves Wall over the table before heading back inside. Next, he meets the Wall at the apron, and Sting attempts a sunset bomb. He slips and falls, but Sting grabs him again. This time, the Wall fights it until Sting pulls him down onto the table for the win. The Wall rises afterward and looks at Sting in shock.

Thoughts: This was as messy as Sting looked. I’m unsure why it’s even happening. There was no buildup to explain why the Wall and Sting are having a Tables Match. Plus, the short length didn’t do the Wall any favors. They did a nice job of making the Wall look strong over the past few months. Now they’re in danger of killing it.

Winner: Sting (1:20)

Then Vampiro appears and attacks Sting, so the Wall joins the beating. Vampiro whips Wall into a corner clothesline. However, Sting fights them off. He sends the Wall outside and nails a Stinger Splash on Vampiro. Plus, Sting fends off the Wall again and clotheslines Vampiro over the ropes. Sting glares at them as they stand outside the ring.

Backstage, Russo, Bagwell, and Douglas head toward the arena before the commercial break. When they return, we see Sting leaving the building. He has the same eerie look on his face. Tenay wonders if it’s intensity or insanity.

Russo leads Buff Bagwell and Shane Douglas to the ring. Vince says upstate Rochester isn’t part of New York. It might as well be Iowa. (Wait a second. They’re in Syracuse. Did Russo forget or was that part of the insult?) Buff steps in and says, “What we are saying is, this place sucks!” And speaking of sucking, Buff is sick of hearing about the Total Package. They heard about it for years, but it was only ever out of Luger’s own mouth. Buff says he will show Luger he’s buff, and he’s the stuff. Next, Douglas addresses Ric Flair. Shane says everyone heard Flair shoot off his mouth in interviews, but this isn’t an interview. It’s a shoot! Douglas says he finally gets what he waited his whole career for. They handed Shane Flair’s ass on a platter, and he will franchise Ric Flair at Slamboree.

Team Package interrupts them. First, Flair sends a message to Kidman. If Ric can respect Hogan, Kidman damn well better do it. Next, Flair addresses Douglas. He talks about sweating and bleeding for the business since the 80s. He earned people’s respect. Also, Flair says Sting is the franchise of WCW, not Shane. Shane won’t have that honor until he faces the legends Flair and Sting faced. Now Ric turns to Russo. He says if Russo interferes at Slamboree, Ric gets five minutes with him. Russo says he’s fine with that because he’d like to kick Flair’s ass. Vince claims he has the big apples to face him.

Luger takes the mic after Ric. He says Buff is the same little punk that rode with him on the road. Lex can’t believe this little punk is challenging him. As for Russo, Luger tells him to put some respect in his voice or he’ll knock his teeth down his throat. This amuses Russo. He says he’s glad Lex survived the wreck of the Lex Express. However, Russo has a surprise for Luger. WCW owns Elizabeth’s contract, not Lex. This means Liz is Russo’s property. So Vince tells security to bring her to him! Lex says it will happen over his dead body. This leads to Team Package scuffling with security, so Russo grabs Liz and carries her backstage.

After the break, Russo drags Liz to his car and leaves with her. Meanwhile, DDP makes David Arquette sit down with a trainer, but David insists he’s fine. DDP still doesn’t want him to do the match, but David refuses to relent and walks away.

Now it’s time for Tammy vs. Paisley. Candido comes to the ring with Tammy, and Tammy grabs a microphone. Tammy says she bets the fans want to know what she is wearing underneath her robe. However, what she isn’t wearing is more important. Unlike Paisley, Tammy knows what the men came to see, and she will give it to them! Tammy removes her robe to reveal her wrestling gear, and the commentators lose their minds. Tony says she is wearing Nitro blue, so she is color coordinated. (Tammy flustered Tony so much he forgot what show he is on!)

Paisley (w/ The Artist) vs. Tammy (w/ Chris Candido)

Storyline: Tammy called herself a real woman. She said WCW hired her because Paisley doesn’t know what fans want to see. Then Candido and Tammy faced The Artist and Paisley in a Mixed Tag Match. It was chaos. They ignored the usual rules. The women tried to pin the men. Tammy almost took out Candido with a flying crossbody. And Chris nailed Paisley with an accidental clothesline. So Tammy used the opening. She pinned the unconscious Paisley for the win, and Tammy celebrated by making out with Candido. However, Candido found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time afterward. A rampaging Sting took him out while Tammy got out of the way in a hurry.

The Match: They start with a headlock and hammerlock, but that doesn’t last. Soon they roll around on the mat and pull each other’s hair. Plus, Tammy chokes Paisley with her wrist tape and lets Candido attack behind the ref’s back. So Paisley tries a low blow, but Tammy answers with a Stunner. When Paisley rolls outside, Tammy does a flying crossbody that also hits Candido! It doesn’t stop Chris from interfering again, so Paisley gives him a low blow. Next, Paisley does a sloppy handspring elbow, but Candido pulls her away from the pin. This time, the Artist has enough. He crotches Tammy on the top rope, and Paisley approaches her. Tammy swats her away, but Paisley surprises Tammy with a DDT for the three.

Thoughts: This was awful, but it’s not the worst outing Paisley will ever have. She has a worse one in TNA. I feel bad for Candido and the Artist. They are wrestling each other at the PPV, but the build has been more about Tammy and Paisley. They are background players in their own rivalry, and Candido is the cruiserweight champ.

Winner: Paisley (3:22)

Candido attacks the Artist while he celebrates with Paisley. Chris gives him a DDT while Tammy jumps on Paisley. However, Candido pulls Tammy away and they leave.

Backstage, Gene interviews Booker. He says Booker will face Scott Steiner at Slamboree for the US Title. Booker says Steiner ran his mouth off on Nitro, so Booker had to put him in his place. He had to show Steiner what Booker was all about. But before Booker can say anything else, Tylene Buck interrupts them. (She’s a former nWo girl and the future Major Gunns.) Booker asks why she is there. Tylene says she is an interviewer now, so she wanted pointers from Gene. Plus, she wants to ask a few questions. Tylene asks Booker about his plans for Mike Awesome tonight. Booker says Awesome is straight off the independent circuit. If he plays it straight with Booker, he might make it. Then Booker tells Gene the interview is over, and he leaves.

Meanwhile, Scott Steiner flexes for his ladies, but Midajah spots Booker on the monitor. She points him out to Scott, so Steiner goes to look for him. This leads to another commercial break. When they return, Arquette complains about his ribs, so DDP tells him not to go out there. David says he knows he can take Bischoff. Page needs to back off!

Up next is Booker vs. Awesome, but Scott Steiner arrives after the entrances. He finally has his siren theme! Scott also has Midajah and Shakira with him. (She isn’t the singer Shakira. This is someone else.) Steiner joins commentary and promises to add some excitement to Booker’s match.

Mike Awesome vs. Booker

Storyline: Bischoff and Russo gave Booker one more chance to get on their good side. So Booker helped Jarrett out of a pickle he got himself into. Jarrett offered the New Blood an open contract for a WCW Title shot, and Scott Steiner signed it! Jeff asked Russo to talk Scott out of it, but it was no use. However, Booker caused a DQ to save Jeff’s title. This pissed off Steiner. He called Booker out for a fight. Booker said it was only business, and he wouldn’t apologize. So they brawled until security separated them. Elsewhere, Awesome and Nash continued their issues. Nash put Mike through a table with a Jackknife. Awesome retaliated by attacking Nash’s bad ankle with a chair. Mike also had his problems with Kanyon, as I mentioned earlier.

The Match: They trade headlocks, hammerlocks, and shoulder blocks until Mike lands an overhead belly-to-belly. Booker answers with kicks, a clothesline over the ropes, and an axehandle off the apron. This leads to brawling outside. Mike throws a chair at Booker’s head and whips him into the steps. Back inside, Awesome nails a flying clothesline and uses sleeper holds. However, Booker breaks free with a back suplex. Plus, he does an axe kick, flapjack, and Spinaroonie. Now Booker climbs, but Steiner whacks Booker with the US title behind the ref’s back. This allows Awesome to hit an Awesome Bomb for the pin.

Thoughts: This was a fine TV match. I’m even okay with the finish because it builds the Booker/Steiner feud. Plus, they haven’t done interference all night like the PPV. This made me want to see a longer bout between Awesome and Booker, so it also served that purpose.

Winner: Mike Awesome (5:11)

Steiner celebrates with Awesome before putting Booker in the Recliner. But then Hugh Morrus, Chavo Guerrero, Lash LeRoux, and Van Hammer come to the rescue! Tony points out these are the guys Russo yelled at for not helping the New Blood. Why are they saving Booker? Even Booker doesn’t know. He looks shocked.

Hudson interviewed Bret Hart at his home. He asks Bret why he attacked Hogan on Nitro. Bret talks about Hogan ducking him over the years. He says it’s convenient how Hogan returned once he heard Bret might never wrestle again. Hudson suggests someone might be playing mind games and manipulating Bret into thinking about these things. Bret doesn’t think so. Hogan knew Bret could beat him. That’s why Hogan never passed the torch to him. Next, Hudson asks for an example of Hogan holding him back in WCW. Bret says Bischoff promised him a match with Hogan, but Hogan vetoed it every time. Now Bret sits at home, and it feels like a prison. He can’t even enjoy writing his column or going to hockey games! So he vows to make Hogan pay until he is sorry.

Backstage, DDP prepares for the main event. He tells Arquette not to go out there. David says okay, but he gets up and walks after DDP leaves. After the break, DDP enters the arena, and David joins him. This annoys DDP, but he gives up and accepts it. But there’s a problem when they reach the ring. DDP notices there is no ref. Music plays, and Kimberly walks out in a referee crop top. This shocks Tony.

Tag Team Match for the WCW Title: David Arquette & Diamond Dallas Page (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett & Eric Bischoff

The Match: Arquette and Bischoff brawl outside and head toward the set. Meanwhile, DDP hits Jarrett with a swinging neckbreaker and a sit-out bomb, but Kim won’t count. DDP even counters a sunset flip, but she still hesitates to count. However, she does a quick two when Jarrett scores a DDT. Next, Bischoff returns and says he laid out Arquette. He joins Jarrett, and they take turns attacking DDP, but Page fires back with a double clothesline. He also does a double noggin knocker. While this happens, Arquette limps back into the arena. DDP tries a Diamond Cutter on Jarrett, but Jeff shoves him into Kimberly. DDP kisses her, which somehow renders her helpless to stop what comes next.

David spears Bischoff, so Jarrett clocks DDP with the belt. Jarrett and Arquette both cover their guys, as a new ref arrives. But the ref counts Arquette’s pin instead of Jarrett’s! This makes David Arquette the new champion.

Thoughts: This was embarrassing, and it made no sense. DDP was the legal man, so why even count Arquette’s pin? It was a convoluted finish for a result no one wanted. Even the swerve at the end of this storyline doesn’t make this okay. The entire thing makes Jarrett look foolish for going along with it. So no one wins in the end. Russo put this on Thunder because he wanted spoilers to leak and create a buzz. He tried to justify it by talking about the publicity. However, the news broadcasts mocked WCW for doing this. They only created infamy, not fame.

Winner: DDP & Arquette (Arquette is the new champion.)

The commentators lose their minds. Then the ref confirms everyone’s fears by handing David the belt. A shocked DDP raises his arm, and David taunts Bischoff. Tony says David could barely walk ten minutes ago, now he’s the champion. Everyone wonders what this means for the future of WCW and the Triple Cage Match at Slamboree.

The Good:

• Booker/Awesome was good.

• I liked the Bret Hart interview. It’s a shame it doesn’t lead to anything.

• There was a heavy focus on building toward the PPV.

The Bad:

• Arquette’s title win.

• Paisley vs. Tammy.

• The Russo/Liz stuff.

Observations:

• Was WCW trying to sign Marc Mero or was this a one-night appearance?

• I had the wrong idea about the Kidman/Hogan feud for years. Now I get it. Kidman is supposed to be a delusional heel who is in over his head. So everyone has to bail him out, yet he keeps trying. It kind of works in that context. If Kidman’s promo skills were better, it might have produced good results.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Booker. I liked his match with Awesome. It made me want to see more between them.

Final Thoughts:

This was the first show since the reset where you could feel the divide between the influence of Russo and Bischoff. You had the ridiculous Arquette title win and the Elizabeth stuff. Plus, many of the segments were rushed or didn’t make sense, which is pure Russo. But this also contained a laser focus on building toward the PPV. Every match and segment developed an ongoing feud. That’s a good thing. Unfortunately, the bad parts overshadowed the few bright points. With that said, I don’t want you to think I’m blaming Arquette. By all accounts, he was against the idea of winning the title. Plus, David donated his WCW checks to the families of Owen Hart, Droz, Pillman, and Bobby Duncum Jr. So he has my respect.

Thank you for reading. Don’t forget about my regular review on Sunday. I’m covering the WWF’s Backlash 2000.

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