Bash at the Beach 2000

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

Bash at the Beach

July 9, 2000

Ocean Center

Daytona Beach, Florida

News & Notes: After The Great American Bash, Russo vowed to retire Ric Flair, so he challenged him to a match. Ric said he would only agree if he would become the boss when he wins, and he wanted to shave Russo’s head. When Ric added these stipulations, Russo made it a Handicap fight against him and David. Ric’s kids tried to help when their dad was in trouble, but R&B Security stopped them. Then Megan Flair threw in the towel once they had Ric beaten down. Afterward, Russo and David shaved Ric’s head and bragged about retiring Ric. However, Russo’s celebration was short-lived. Nash and Scott Steiner made his life hell, so Russo disappeared from TV. He appointed Ernest Miller as the official commissioner in his absence.

The Cat’s promotion came with his own limo driver, M.I. Smooth (Ice Train). Smooth offered sage advice and good ideas. Also, Miller instituted a no outside interference rule. He threatened fines and suspensions for anyone who violated it. Later, the Cat hired the Jung Dragons to keep his karate skills sharp, but he had to cheat to beat them. In other news, Tank Abbott had a change in attitude. It turns out he loves 3 Count’s music. Tank attacked any fans or wrestlers who didn’t like them. He even danced with the boy band, but he was rather bossy toward them. Meanwhile, Jim Duggan returned. He expressed his dismay at Goldberg’s heel turn. This led to Miller booking Duggan vs. Goldberg. During the bout, Goldberg brutalized Duggan in front of his wife. Jim suffered cracked ribs and internal bleeding, but he told Tenay he planned to keep fighting.

The Cat and M.I. Smooth arrive at the arena in a limo. Miller tells Smooth to find the M.I.A. and the Filthy Animals. He wants them to know he is banning them from ringside for the Cruiserweight title bout. Smooth says he will handle it, and he leaves. Once Smooth is gone, we hear the Jung Dragons’ music, so Miller asks if Smooth left the radio on. The Jung Dragons look for a fight, but Miller says he doesn’t have time for this. He gives them all low blows and enters the arena.

An opening video follows this, but it only includes clips of all the major feuds. We don’t get any narration. Then Tony welcomes everyone to the Ocean Center. This is WCW’s summer tradition! Tony says they locked us in for the most compelling, entertaining, and exciting action in recent memory!

Smooth doesn’t reach the M.I.A. or the Animals in time. They enter the arena ahead of the opening contest. Juvi has the Cruiserweight title, but he isn’t the champion. Guerrera stole the belt on Thunder. Once they arrive, Konnan says his catchphrases, and Disco repeats them in a less cool manner. Afterward, General Rection leads the Misfits into action. (Booker T promoted him before leaving the group.) However, Charles Robinson informs both teams they have to leave.

Cruiserweight Title Match: Lt. Loco (c) vs. Juventud Guerrera

Storyline: Lieutenant Loco has been feuding with the Filthy Animals and the Artist over the last month. The valets even got involved, which led to a three-way mixed tag. Meanwhile, the Animals had their own issues. Lance Storm invaded WCW and attacked the Animals to make a statement. While this happened, the Animals turned on Kidman because Kidman left the New Blood. So Kidman allied with Lance Storm against them. The Animals retaliated by mocking Storm and Kidman. Rey and Juvi dressed up like them as a joke. But that’s not all. We also have the debuting Jindrak & O’Haire. They defeated Rey and Juvi. Then Jindrak & O’Haire helped the M.I.A. fend off an attack by the Perfect Event. Finally, they announced this contest. Afterward, Loco teamed with Major Gunns against Juvi and Tygress. During the bout, Juvi decked Loco with the Cruiserweight title and pinned him.

The Match: Loco makes Juvi regroup after some atomic drops. Then they fight on the apron before Loco nails a Vader Bomb to a standing Guerrera. Juvi shows some life, but Loco scores a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, takedowns, and a flying plancha to the floor. (While this happens, the Animals return wearing masks, but the ref stops them.) Juvi uses the distraction to take control. He hits a slingshot leg drop and a springboard splash. Next, they scuffle on the top rope until Juvi performs a running Liger Bomb and a Dominator. (Now the M.I.A. jumps out of the crowd. They have their own masks. Meanwhile, Gunns distracts Juvi.) This allows Loco to crotch Juvi before doing an elevated reverse DDT. It isn’t enough, and Juvi gives Loco the Juvi Driver, but Loco gets a foot on the ropes. When Loco recovers, he uses the tornado DDT for the win.

Thoughts: This was a good opener. The action was nice. Plus, they weaved a story into this. They took WCW’s penchant for outside interference and turned it into a plot device. It has led to some decent continuity in WCW’s storytelling over the past few weeks.

Winner: Lt. Loco (12:07)

Backstage, the Cat speaks with the Jung Dragons while they nurse their sore balls. Miller tells them they did a good job on Thunder, but it’s over. The Dragons don’t understand him. They repeat the words good job in stereotypical accents. Then Jeff Jarrett barges into the room with a large woman wearing a viking outfit. He wants to know where Hogan is. Jeff didn’t come to Daytona to lie on the beach. He came to kick Hogan’s ass, and Screamin’ Mimi will sing when he wins! Cat says Hogan isn’t there yet, but he promises Hogan will arrive.

Afterward, Big Vito enters the arena for his Hardcore title defense, but no one knows who he will face. Both of his planned opponents went down with injuries. Vito tells the fans they have an Italian champion worth cheering for. He also says Miller told him he has a mystery opponent, so he calls them out. It’s Norman Smiley with Ralphus! When Vito sees them, he changes this to a handicap fight so he can kick their stank asses. (On a side note, WCW updated their Hardcore rules. Now matches start in the back and they work their way to the ring.)

Handicap Match for the Hardcore Title: Big Vito (c) vs. Norman Smiley & Ralphus

Storyline: The original plan was Vito vs. Johnny the Bull, but Johnny suffered a horrific injury. This started when Vito turned on Johnny so he could hold the Hardcore championship himself. Once he was on his own, Vito took on all comers. This included the Jung Dragons, who beat him in a non-title match. So Vito wrestled them in a gauntlet, but Johnny the Bull disguised himself as Jamie-San and pinned Vito. Meanwhile, Terry Funk took Johnny under his wing. He trained Johnny to be aware of his surroundings. The training entailed Funk attacking Johnny when he wasn’t looking. Funk even dressed as a janitor to ambush him. All the training led to a fight with Funk to prove himself. However, Johnny performed a guillotine leg drop on a chair and tore his urethra. So they changed this to Vito vs. Funk, but Vito attacked Funk on Thunder.

The Match: Vito whacks them with a stickball bat and a Kendo stick before bringing them backstage. Then Smiley answers with a trash can and a board. He even holds Vito for Ralphus’ trash can shots. After a Big Wiggle, Norman rams Vito against a forklift. Next, Ralphus hides behind the lid of a can until Vito punches it against his face. Now Vito and Norman fight on equipment cases and the hood of a truck. Plus, Norman throws plasticware before they head toward the elevator. When it opens, Vito takes out the catering guy and closes Norman in the elevator. This allows Vito to drag Ralphus to the ring. He uses a trash can lid and a bat on Ralphus’ crotch. Afterward, Vito fetches a broken table and places Ralphus on it. He performs a flying splash to Ralphus and pins him before Norman can reach the ring.

Thoughts: The backstage stuff was fun, but there wasn’t enough of it. They could have done more with the unique locations and weapons. If they extended the first half of the bout, it would have been better. As it stands, this was disappointing.

Winner: Big Vito (5:56)

We see Goldberg enter the arena with Scott Hall’s contract in his pocket. Then Gene interviews Nash. Gene says Scott Hall’s fate is in Kevin’s hands. If Nash beats Goldberg, Hall can stay. But if he loses, Hall is gone. Nash says he hasn’t been himself lately, and that isn’t a secret. A bald-headed prick named Goldberg has been holding Hall’s contract over his head. When they showed the footage of him and Scott on TV, it reminded Nash how much fun they had. There’s no way Kevin will let that end. He handed it to Goldberg once before. Nash is Goldberg’s only real defeat. So when he beats Goldberg later, he might do a survey. Nash knows it pisses Goldberg off.

Now it’s time for a Wedding Gown Match between Daffney and Miss Hancock. The commentators talk about how Daffney was engaged to David Flair before this mess. And speaking of David, he accompanies Miss Hancock. David wears a tuxedo to match Hancock’s wedding gown. They show a wedding cake at ringside. Hudson says we all know what happens to those in wrestling. They also point out David brought the hair clippers with him. Meanwhile, David and Hancock make out, so Daffney removes her shoes and gives David a low blow.

Wedding Gown Match: Daffney vs. Miss Hancock (w/ David Flair)

Storyline: Daffney learned about David two-timing her with Hancock because of the arena’s security camera, so Daffney called Hancock out for a fight. Hancock accepted, but she suggested a Wedding Gown Match. Then the ensuing chaos led to David and Crowbar fighting. After cheating to win, David shaved part of Crowbar’s hair and shoved Daffney when she tried to help. However, David apologized. He also convinced Daffney twice that it wasn’t him with Hancock on the security tape. Meanwhile, David attacked WCW’s director Woody Pierce because he showed the security footage. He shaved Woody’s head. Later, Hancock knocked Daffney out, and she and David cut part of Daffney’s hair. They framed Crowbar for it, so Crowbar had enough. He attacked David with a pipe and forced him to confess to all his wrongdoings. This was too much for Daffney to handle. She walked away, so Crowbar ran after her.

The Match: David grabs Daffney to stop her, so Hancock stomps Daffney. Then Hancock performs a handspring elbow and shakes her butt in Daffney’s face. Daffney answers with hairmares, but Hancock shoves her away. Next, they scuffle near the cake, and Daffney slaps David. When the ref complains about the antics, Hancock kicks him low and pulls off his pants. If that wasn’t enough, Daffney rips off David’s pants! She even gives him a low blow and rams Hancock’s head into David’s crotch. A chase around the ring follows this, but David grabs the clippers. Crowbar comes to stop them, and he brawls with David. When Crowbar sees everyone has their pants off, he joins the fun before choking David with his pants. Now Daffney and Crowbar look to shave David’s head, but Hancock distracts them. She removes her skirt and dances. This gives Daffney the win.

Thoughts: This was a mess, but they kept it short. Plus, Crowbar amused me. It wasn’t terrible, but it’s forgettable nonsense. The only upside of this feud is it leads to a rather cute storyline with Crowbar and Daffney. I always had a soft spot for what comes next.

Winner: Daffney (4:14)

Daffney proves Hudson’s prediction correct by ramming Hancock into the cake. While this happens, David and Crowbar continue fighting. Everyone throws cake, so it gets everywhere. Then David and Hancock escape. Daffney and Crowbar also leave. Crowbar tries to talk to Daffney, but she’s upset. She throws cake at Crowbar and walks away.

Meanwhile, Miller mutters to himself backstage. He wonders if Ox Baker is still under contract. While he says this, the Jung Dragons’ music plays again, so Miller wonders where it is coming from. He looks around, but he doesn’t see the Dragons emerging from their hiding spots.

Back at ringside, the commentators stall for time while the ring crew cleans up the cake. They only make the mess worse, so they end up flipping the mats instead.

Tag Team Title Match: KroniK vs. The Perfect Event (c)

Storyline: After getting punked by Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner, the Perfect Event became pranksters. They invaded the production truck and terrorized poor Woody Pierce. Then Stasiak and Palumbo screwed with wrestlers’ music and pyro. So Woody got revenge. He locked them in the truck so they couldn’t escape when KroniK came looking for them. All the while, the Perfect Event held onto their tag titles by hook and by crook. They used the Lex Flexer to preserve their reign. Later, they bullied Woody again. This time, Woody followed them to a tanning salon and trapped them in the tanning beds. After they escaped, the sunburned Perfect Event fought Woody and Brian Adams. Adams and Woody did the High Times and Brian let Woody pin Stasiak for the victory. (On a side note, the winner faces Rection & Cajun. They earned a shot by beating Jindrak & O’Haire.)

The Match: The Perfect Event threatens to leave after Adams press slams Stasiak onto Palumbo. When they return, they don’t fare much better. KroniK nails a double shoulder block and double big boot. Plus, Adams scores his full nelson slam. This continues until Palumbo uses a chair. Now the Perfect Event does frequent tags, a flying shoulder tackle, and sleeper holds. After a double down, Clark makes the hot tag and cleans house. He almost lands the Meltdown, but the Perfect Event fights back. They double team Clark until Adams enters the ring and gives Shawn an F5. Next, KroniK nails another double big boot and does High Times to Stasiak and Palumbo. They also evade a Lex Flexer attack and end the bout with a doomsday powerbomb.

Thoughts: The action was good, and I liked the finish. The only problem was, it was messy at times. They had a hard time remembering who was legal, and the ref let the non-legal man stay in the ring as long as he wanted. This messed up the flow of the match. However, it was still enjoyable.

Winners: KroniK (New Champions) (13:34)

The Jung Dragons’ music plays a third time and interrupts Miller’s phone call. He looks under the desk to see where it’s coming from, but then Jarrett returns. He wants to know why Hogan still hasn’t arrived. Jarrett promises to disrupt the show if Miller won’t do something about it. This makes Miller panic and call someone, but I don’t think it’s his mother. However, the music resumes, and the Dragons pounce on Miller. They knock him out and leave.

Positively Kanyon vs. Booker T

Storyline: DDP had enough after Kanyon’s betrayal. Since everybody turned on him, DDP walked away. With DDP gone, Kanyon stole DDP’s gimmick. He wore a blonde wig, claimed he wrote his own book called Positively Kanyon, and started doing Kanyon Cutters to anyone he could find! Then Kanyon issued an open challenge. G.I. Bro answered the call, but he shed his gear to reveal Booker T was back. Later, Kanyon used a loaded book to knock Booker out, so Booker jumped Kanyon at his fake book signing for revenge. Next, Booker also said he wrote a book, but every chapter said the same thing. Kanyon sucks. Finally, Booker and Buff wrestled Kanyon and Douglas. The winner of the fall would receive a WCW title shot. Booker won and faced Jarrett. Kanyon interfered, so Miller restarted the bout. Unfortunately, Jarrett wiped out the ref and Miller to cause a no contest.

The Match: They do chain wrestling until Booker gains the advantage. He tears Kanyon’s DDP shirt and throws him outside. Booker also removes the brick from Kanyon’s book and the ref discards it. After more back and forth, Kanyon takes control, and they brawl around ringside. Booker scores a powerslam, but Kanyon continues his attack. He uses a sit-out Alabama Slam and a reverse Boston Crab. This leads to traded pin attempts, and Booker rallies. He nails the jumping forearm and spinebuster before grabbing a chair, so the ref stops him. The distraction allows Kanyon to clock Booker with the book, but he doesn’t know it’s empty. When Kanyon discovers the truth, Booker does the Spinaroonie, sidekick, and axe kick. He even nails a Book End, but it only gets two! Sadly, Jarrett arrives. He blasts Booker with a guitar, and Kanyon ends it with a super Kanyon Cutter.

Thoughts: This was good. It contained some nice action, and I liked the finish. Plus, I appreciate the storyline continuity with the loaded book. Booker T outsmarted him because Kanyon used that trick on him already. But Kanyon found another way to win despite this. That’s simple but effective storytelling.

Winner: Kanyon (10:04)

The commentators wonder what Miller will do about this. They say Jarrett lived up to his promise to disrupt the show, but will there be repercussions? Was Miller still unconscious from the Dragons’ attack?

Backstage, Mike Awesome flirts with Jarrett’s fat lady, but Pamela interrupts him. Mike tells her to get lost. He’s trying to hook up! She persists, so the lady leaves. This annoys Mike Awesome, yet Pamela continues her interview. She wants to talk about his U.S. title match with Scott Steiner. Mike says he already beat Steiner twice, so tonight will be the same. Then Mike tells Pamela not to be jealous because she isn’t as hot as Screamin’ Mimi. This makes Pamela laugh.

U.S. Title Match: Mike Awesome vs. Scott Steiner (c) (w/ Midajah)

Storyline: After an attack by Awesome, Steiner vowed revenge on Awesome and every authority figure. This put him at odds with Miller, which led to a match. Scott won with the Recliner, but Miller declared it was an illegal choke. He banned the move. Any time Scott did the hold, Miller stopped it. Then Miller and Awesome ambushed Scott multiple times and ruined his chance at the WCW title. Because of this, Scott demanded to have his bout with Awesome early. Miller helped Awesome win and suspended Steiner for a week for using the Recliner. While he was gone, Awesome had a ref give him a phony count out victory over the absent Steiner. Mike claimed he was 2-0 against Scott. This drew Rick Steiner’s ire. Scott had recently saved Rick from an attack, so Rick challenged Awesome. However, Awesome used mace to blind and defeat Rick.

The Match: Steiner surprises Mike with an axehandle, and they brawl into the crowd. After fighting through the stands, they return to ringside, where Awesome uses a chair. Next, they tussle on the top rope, and Steiner lands a super belly-to-belly and a backbreaker. Now the fight spills outside again for more brawling. Back inside, Awesome nails a flying clothesline while Miller comes to watch the action. Meanwhile, Steiner recovers and does more suplexes before attempting the Recliner. Cat warns him not to do it, and Awesome capitalizes on the distraction. He scores an Alabama Slam and Awesome Splash. Steiner blocks an Awesome Bomb, but the ref goes down. While he’s out, Steiner fends off Miller and hits another suplex. Afterward, Steiner goes for the Recliner. Miller says he’ll strip Scott of the title, so Steiner gives him a rude gesture and does it anyway. Cat calls for the bell.

Thoughts: This was a good brawl. Yeah, some of the chair shots were weak, but the rest of the action was fine. I’m even okay with the finish because it fits the existing storyline. If they wanted to take the belt off Steiner, this isn’t a bad way to do it. This keeps Steiner looking strong. Plus, Awesome didn’t lose, so it doesn’t hurt him.

Winner: Mike Awesome (by DQ) (9:09)

Since the Cat walked away with his belt, Steiner suplexes Awesome again out of frustration. Miller runs when he sees this, so Steiner poses. The commentators say Cat stripped Steiner of the gold, but he didn’t give it to Awesome. Either way, Steiner and Awesome pushed it to the limit.

Now they head to the graveyard for Vampiro vs. the Demon. The winner is the man who escapes the yard and returns to the arena.

Graveyard Match: Vampiro vs. The Demon (w/ Asya)

Storyline: A mysterious figure told Vampiro there were more souls to punish, so Vampiro started trouble with the Demon. This drew Demon’s fiancé, Asya, into the mix. They worked together to close Vampiro in Demon’s casket. But there was one problem. Dale Torborg didn’t want to be the Demon anymore. He referred to it as a separate personality he wanted to shed. So Vampiro tormented Dale until he embraced the darkness. He kidnapped Asya and led Dale to a graveyard where he ambushed him. Dale and Asya fought back, so Vampiro tried to injure Asya with pyro during a rehearsal. Next, Vampiro disguised himself in a Sting mask and convinced Dale to become the Demon again. However, multiple hooded figures in Sting masks stalked Vampiro. They cost him a match against Demon. Afterward, Vamp accused Demon of being behind it, so he challenged him to this bout.

The Match: Demon wants Asya to stay behind, but she says no, so Demon, Asya, and Charles Robinson enter the graveyard. Vampiro leaps out of a tree onto Demon before they scuffle. Next, Asya kicks Vampiro, and Demon knocks him into an open grave. However, Vampiro attacks with a shovel. Then he drags Asya deeper into the yard. Demon finds her beside a pond, but it’s a trap. Vampiro attempts to drown him. Once he gains the advantage, Vampiro drags Asya away again. This time, Vampiro ambushes Demon from a casket and spits red liquid in his eyes. He asks Demon to join him, but Demon refuses, so Vamp smashes a chunk of concrete on his head. Afterward, he closes Demon in a casket, shoves it into a hole, and throws the torch next to it. Vampiro tells Demon to say hello to Sting in hell before leaving the graveyard.

Thoughts: This isn’t the end, but I’ll give my thoughts now. You couldn’t see anything, so it must have been worse for the fans in the arena. This contained some interesting stuff, but the presentation was too poor to rate this well. WCW aren’t good at doing these types of things, but they keep trying them.

Winner: Vampiro (8:07)

Next, Gene interviews Shane Douglas. Gene says Shane turned on Buff Bagwell and claimed he carried him throughout their tag title reign. Shane says there are few guarantees in life or sport. Things won’t always be what you expect them to be. However, Shane will make a guarantee. Bagwell is a great wrestler, but he’s not better than the Franchise. They will battle like gladiators, and he guarantees he will defeat Buff because he is the Franchise, and he’s that damn good! (Does Triple H know Shane stole his catchphrase?)

Meanwhile, Tony plugs a contest to become Goldberg’s manager for a night. It’s odd they’re doing this while Goldberg is a heel.

Shane Douglas vs. Buff Bagwell

Storyline: Bagwell returned from his suspension, but Douglas turned on him. Shane blamed Buff for everything that happened to him while Buff was gone. After all, Bagwell left him high and dry. Then Shane reformed the Triple Threat with Bigelow and Candido. He manipulated Miller into booking Bam Bam and Candido vs. Buff in a handicap contest. During the bout, Shane hit Bagwell with a pipe. However, Miller made Shane face KroniK as punishment for breaking the no interference rule. He also tried to book Douglas vs. Scott Steiner, but Shane faked an injury. He suggested Buff do it instead. Later, Douglas goaded Kanyon into picking a fight with Buff, and Kanyon attacked Bagwell with a brick. Finally, Douglas and Kanyon teamed against Buff and Booker for a chance at a title shot. Shane wouldn’t tag unless Buff was down, so Kanyon had enough and refused to tag Shane.

The Match: After some shoving and slapping, they brawl on the floor. Shane pulls up the mats and tries to give Buff a piledriver on concrete, but Buff backdrops him. Back inside, Buff scores a swinging neckbreaker, but Shane takes the action outside again. This time, they use a chair and the post. Shane gains the advantage before heading inside. Now Shane works on Buff’s neck while Torrie Wilson appears! Shane asks for a kiss, but she slaps him. This allows Bagwell to land clotheslines, a crossbody, and a Vader Bomb. Then he invites Torrie to join him. They kiss, but Torrie nails a low blow when Bagwell turns! Afterward, Shane hits the Pittsburgh Plunge. It isn’t enough, and Bagwell fires back with a double-arm DDT. He also goes for the Blockbuster, so Torrie grabs Buff. This opens the door for Shane to hit the Franchiser for the win.

Thoughts: This was a good match until the end. The swerve made no sense. Why would Torrie risk costing Shane the match by slapping him if she was on his side? It makes her look foolish. They had an idea for what they wanted to do, but they executed it poorly. I wanted to like this, but the shenanigans detracted from it.

Winner: Shane Douglas (7:52)

Madden says the Franchise found a head cheerleader. (You can tell Madden watches ECW. He makes a lot of references to it.) They also say Douglas debuted a new move, but Shane used the Franchiser in ECW. It’s only new to WCW. While they speak, Douglas and Torrie leave together.

Meanwhile, they show Hogan backstage, so he has arrived.

This leads to Mean Gene’s interview with Jeff Jarrett. He is gleeful and says I told you so to Jarrett. So Jeff calls him a Jurassic slap ass and tells Gene to shut up. Jarrett isn’t worried. He says Plan A now goes into effect. Hogan made a lot of enemies, so allies aren’t hard to find. Gene asks what he means, so Jarrett asks if Gene ever watched The Usual Suspects. Jarrett tells him to wait and see. He also says, “Choke on that, Slappy!”

Now Buffer introduces the WCW title match. After Buffer’s catchphrase, Jarrett’s music plays, but he doesn’t appear. Vince Russo comes out instead with a bat in his hand. Once Russo is there, Jarrett arrives before Hogan joins them. Hogan asks for a mic. He says Jarrett is the Chosen One because he chose to powerbomb him through the mat. Hogan vows to do it for Horace and Nash. While Hogan speaks, Jarrett stands with his arms folded and stares at him.

WCW Title Match: Hollywood Hogan vs. Jeff Jarrett (c) (w/ Vince Russo)

Storyline: Jarrett demanded his match with Hogan early, so Miller gave him his wish. However, Kidman volunteered to be the ref. In a shocking turn, Kidman helped Hogan, so Russo sent Goldberg. He drove Hogan through a table with a Jackhammer and put him out of action. Afterward, Horace sought revenge on Goldberg, but Goldberg defeated Horace and choked him out. Meanwhile, Jarrett promised to find the biggest women around so the fat lady could sing after he retired Hogan. This also pissed off Horace, and Horace faced Jarrett for the title. Jarrett won, but he was growing tired of Miller putting him in title defenses. He argued with the Cat multiple times. A frustrated Jarrett also attacked a suit from WCW’s front offices. Therefore, Miller made the Booker & Buff vs. Kanyon & Douglas encounter. He wanted to punish Jarrett, so Jarrett attacked Miller with the guitar.

The Match: After some stalling, Jeff enters the ring and—lies on the mat. Russo yells at Hogan. He says if Hogan wants the belt, he should pin him. Then Russo throws the title into the ring and walks away. Hudson asks if this is Halloween Havoc all over again. While he says this, Hogan calls for a mic. He asks if this is Russo’s doing. Hogan says the company is in the shape it is because of bullshit like this. With that said, Hogan pins Jarrett with a foot on his chest before Jarrett gets up and leaves.

Thoughts: This is stupid, but let me explain. Everything that happened here was a work. The plan was for Hogan to leave for a while and come back later. They were going to do something similar to the Cena/Punk storyline in 2011. Hogan would return, claiming to still be champion, and he would have a match with the current title holder. They kept the plans from everyone else in the company to make it seem real. It’s another one of Russo’s infamous worked shoots. The problem is, Russo ruins these plans with what he does later in this show.

Winner: Hollywood Hogan (New Champion—for now.) (1:19)

This leaves the commentators in shock. They say they will have some explaining to do on Monday. Tony also says Russo swerved them all, but Madden says all that’s important is Hogan got his win.

Now Vampiro returns to the arena and passes Hogan and his family on the way in. Vampiro heads to the ring to make his win official. He says he completed the dark circle, and the Demon is dead. Then Vampiro brags about what he did to Sting and the Demon, but hooded figures appear in the entrance. They all wear Sting masks and carry a casket. Vampiro watches in disbelief. He says he finished Sting. When the figures arrive, Vampiro opens the casket to find the real Sting inside! He has a mask over his face, but his music plays as he stands. Sting nails Vampiro with the bat and places him inside the casket. Lightning effects fill the arena before Sting disappears again.

Next, Gene interviews Goldberg. He says the issues with the Outsiders come to a head tonight. Gene can see the burning in Goldberg’s eyes. He knows Goldberg can hardly wait to tear up Scott Hall’s contract, but first he must face Kevin Nash! Goldberg stares at him before asking if Gene is done. Bill says it took all of his professional courtesy to not rip it up already. Tonight, he will make Nash suffer and then rip it up in front of his face. The Outsiders will be history, and he will end Scott Hall’s career. There isn’t a damn thing Hall or Nash can do about it.

Afterward, Russo returns. He says he almost didn’t come back after heading home. Russo had dealt with nothing but bullshit and politics since day one. He has a wife and three kids, so he doesn’t need this shit. But he came back for the guys who bust their ass for WCW. He returned for guys like Booker T and Jeff Jarrett. They give a shit about the company, unlike Hogan! Tonight, Hogan played his creative control card because he didn’t want to lose. Hogan got his wish and went home, but Russo vows we will never see that piece of shit again! He can keep the belt Russo gave him as a memorial. As far as Russo is concerned, Jarrett is still the champion! But there will be another title defense tonight. Jarrett will face Booker T! As for Hogan, the bald son of a bitch can kiss Russo’s ass!

(This promo is why Hogan never returns to WCW. He knew Russo would do this segment, but he didn’t realize Russo would be as scathing as he was. When Hogan heard it, he sued WCW for defamation of character. So say goodbye to Hogan.)

The commentators say that was a shoot. It wasn’t in their format. With that said, we get a recap for Nash vs. Goldberg before they show Nash walking backstage. Kevin sees Scott Steiner and asks him to watch his back, but Steiner says he’s busy with Midajah.

Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash

Storyline: Goldberg said he joined the New Blood to get back at the backstabbers and politickers, like Nash. Afterward, not even the cops could stop Nash and Goldberg from fighting. However, Goldberg beat up and bloodied Nash in front of Kevin’s nephew. Then Nash stalked Russo, so Vince threatened to rip up Scott Hall’s contract. Once Russo disappeared from TV, Miller taunted Nash about Scott Hall’s future. Nash took the bait, but Goldberg had the contract. He challenged Nash to fight him for it at the PPV before eating a page! Later, Goldberg cost Nash a chance at the title. Bill also interrupted a video about the Outsiders and demanded they shut it off. Later, Bischoff barred Nash and Goldberg from wrestling each other before the PPV. So Miller put them in a battle royal instead. It was a trap for Nash, but Kevin won by eliminating Goldberg.

The Match: They tussle into the corner and exchange strikes before Nash does his usual corner offense. So Goldberg shoves Nash and answers with a judo toss and a sidekick. Then Nash scores a chokeslam while Scott Steiner comes to ringside. Next, Goldberg blocks a neckbreaker and puts Nash in a chinlock. Steiner grabs the contract and uses it to rally Nash. It works, and Nash escapes. He also ducks a clothesline, lands a side slam, and evades the spear. Goldberg crashes into the corner, so Nash drops his straps and looks for a Jackknife. As he grabs Goldberg, Scott Steiner attacks Nash from behind! Now Nash and Steiner scuffle, but this allows Goldberg to nail the spear and finish it with a Jackhammer.

Thoughts: This was disappointing, and the swerve made little sense. They did nothing to set up the turn. There was no storyline reason for him to betray Nash. It was a swerve for the sake of a swerve. One of the marquee matches already disappointed the crowd. They didn’t need another one.

Winner: Goldberg (5:27)

Goldberg rips up Scott Hall’s contract over Nash’s unconscious body. Then Steiner puts Nash in the Recliner while Goldberg finishes destroying the documents. The commentators wonder where Miller is when they need him! As Steiner and Goldberg leave, Scott gives Nash a rude gesture.

Next, Gene interviews Booker T. Gene says this has been one of the most emotional nights in WCW’s history. Now Booker T faces Jeff Jarrett for the WCW title! Booker says this came as a surprise to him. He doesn’t know what is going on. Russo made the decision, and he will do what he has to do. Opportunity knocked, and Booker will be damned if he doesn’t answer the door. So he will take the gold into the new millennium.

This leads to Buffer’s second appearance. He says his catchphrase again, so did WCW have to pay him twice? Once he finishes, they rush through the entrances.

WCW Title Match: Booker T vs. Jeff Jarrett (c)

The Match: They exchange takedowns and knockdowns until Jarrett regroups. But when he returns, Booker scores the Harlem Sidekick and sends Jarrett outside. This leads to crowd brawling. When they return to ringside, Jarrett gives Booker a piledriver on the announce table! Next, they trade sleeper holds before Jarrett hits a shinbreaker. A Figure Four follows, but Booker reverses it. Then Jeff continues the leg work until Booker rallies. We get an axe kick, Spinaroonie, and spinebuster, but Booker misses the Sidekick. Plus, the ref goes down. Booker and Jeff use the title belt and a chair on each other. They aren’t enough, so a frustrated Jarrett gives the ref the Stroke! With him down, Jarrett grabs the guitar and climbs. He attempts a flying guitar shot, but Booker catches him and nails the Book End. A new ref arrives to count the three.

Thoughts: This was good, and it saved this show from falling off a cliff after a promising start. They kept a fine pace and built to a nice crescendo. The closing minutes were great. Plus, it’s nice to see Booker get this moment. It should have happened a long time ago.

Winner: Booker T (New Champion) (13:41)

Booker T celebrates while the fans raise the roof. Hudson says hard work paid off. Booker T busted his ass for fourteen years, and now he’s the heavyweight champion of the world! Then Booker helps Billy Silverman to his feet before the refs raise his hand. Booker has tears in his eyes.

The Good:

• Booker T’s win

• The opener

• Booker vs. Kanyon

• Steiner vs. Awesome.

The Bad:

• The Russo/Hogan stuff

• The Graveyard Match

• Goldberg vs. Nash

Observations:

• The episodes of TV before the PPV were surprisingly good. The shows were way better without Russo and Bischoff on them.

• They dialed back on using the term New Blood. I think they are phasing that storyline out.

• WCW made the Perfect Event look like chumps on TV, but they pushed Vito pretty hard.

• The heel turn was still a mistake, but Goldberg’s promos since turning have been quite good.

Performer of the Night:

There’s no other choice. It’s Booker T. He wrestled two good matches and got his big moment.

Final Thoughts:

Outside of the Russo stuff and a couple of matches, this wasn’t a terrible PPV. It started and ended well. Plus, they gave many of the contests a good amount of time. It felt like the company was turning a positive corner after watching the episodes of TV. As I said, it was miles better without Russo and Bischoff around, but they had to ruin that. Once again, this company can’t stay out of its own way!

Thank you for reading. My next review is ECW’s Heat Wave 2000. Look for it next Sunday!