SuperBrawl Revenge

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

SuperBrawl Revenge

February 18, 2001

Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Nashville, Tennessee

News & Notes: Flair revealed his master plan after Sin. He orchestrated everything that went wrong at the PPV. Ric caused the end of Goldberg’s career, the Insiders losing their gold, and Steiner’s victory. Afterward, Scott Steiner, Jarrett, Totally Buffed, Animal, and Flair formed the elite in WCW. They would later add a seventh member to create what Flair called the Magnificent Seven. Then Flair told the roster to prove they were on their level or stay out of the way. Ric used this idea to manipulate others into fighting among themselves. Bigelow, Douglas, and Crowbar fell into this trap and paid for it. Flair also appointed Animal as his bodyguard and Sergeant at Arms. In the meantime, Scott Steiner took credit for breaking Sid’s leg. When people questioned this, Scotty broke other people’s legs to prove his point.

Now for a rundown of extra storylines. The Team Canada/Filthy Animals feud culminated in Konnan vs. Awesome with the hair of Awesome and Kidman on the line. The Animals won, so say goodbye to Awesome’s glorious mullet. Elsewhere, Flair took Sanders under his wing and tried to mold him in his image, but Sanders needed work. In other news, Glacier returned, much to Smiley’s delight. However, he was more interested in posing for pictures than in helping Norman, despite promising to be Norman’s hero. Meanwhile, Big Ron Harris ventured into singles competition while Heavy D nursed a supposedly injured neck. Nevertheless, the neck brace didn’t stop them from still using twin magic. And finally, Kwee Wee took exception when Flair ignored him, so Angry Allan made an example out of fans, security guards, and Power Plant rookies. When it grew out of control, Flair sent Sanders to deal with him.

I also have one last note before we begin. WCW talked about new ownership buying WCW. Eric Bischoff and a company called Fusient Media were trying to buy it, but the deal sadly fell through in the weeks after this event.

The opening video looks like a cheap knock-off of the movie Se7en. They show someone creating a ransom note with a scalpel. The mysterious person also marks through pictures of Ric Flair. We see words like revenge, power, greed, psycho, and egomaniac. Then the hand underlines the words total disgrace. The vignette ends with the logo for SuperBrawl Revenge, which looks a lot like the Uncensored logo.

Afterward, they play the SuperBrawl Revenge theme, which is Evan Karagias’ old music. It starts and stops while fireworks explode and the commentators discuss the card. This only confused me because Karagias is part of the first contest. And speaking of the match, they pulled Kidman from the competition because Animal attacked him during the pre-show. As the competitors arrive, they present a clip of the assault. Tony and Scott wonder who will replace him, but they get their answer when Shane Helms appears! This surprises everyone because he lost his qualifier to Kaz. Once everyone arrives, Tony announces the winner will face the Cruiserweight champion at Greed.

Six-Man Four Corners Elimination Match: Shane Helms vs. Evan Karagias vs. Kaz Hayashi vs. Jamie Knoble vs. Shannon Moore vs. Yun Yang

Storyline: The past month has been a cruiserweight showcase. Almost every episode of Nitro opened with cruiserweight action. Then WCW held a Cruiserweight Contender Countdown contest to determine a #1 contender. Helms dominated the first half of this gauntlet, but Rey Mysterio prevailed in the end. Later, Helms fought Kidman because Billy eliminated Shane from the countdown, and Helms won an amazing hidden gem. Next, Moore beat Yang, Elix, and Knoble in a four-way to earn a spot in this encounter. Meanwhile, Kaz defeated Helms, Yang pinned Lash, and Kidman bested Skipper to secure their places in this. Finally, Knoble and Karagias faced AJ Styles and Air Paris with the winning team getting the final two slots. Knoble and Karagias succeeded.

The Match: 3 Count and Knoble & Karagias do chain wrestling, counters, and suplexes until the action spills outside. This leads to a double Asai Moonsault from the Jung Dragons. Back inside, Evan deals with the Dragons and nails a twisting Lionsault, which hurts him. Now 3 Count tag themselves in before everyone misses flying attacks! Unfazed, 3 Count uses double team moves until everybody dives to the outside. Later, we get the first elimination. Yang pins Evan after an awkward over-the-back Tombstone. Not to be outdone, Jamie takes out Yang with a regular Tombstone. But that’s not all. Moore sends Knoble packing with a super Bottoms Up (Fameasser).

Next, 3 Count works together again against Kaz. They do their fireman’s neckbreaker combo, and Helms looks for the Vertebreaker. As Shane sets up the move, Shannon gives him the Bottoms Up! Shannon covers, but Kaz breaks it up with a kick that clips the ref. To make matters worse, Shannon hits Helms with a low blow. However, he makes up for it by moving Shane out of the way of Kaz’s moonsault. It doesn’t matter because Helms gets rid of Moore with the Nightmare on Helms Street. This leaves Helms and Kaz. Kaz evades another Nightmare, but he eats a fireman’s carry face crusher and a neckbreaker. Helms even adds a flying sunset flip before ending it with a Vertebreaker.

Thoughts: They had some shaky moments, but they saved it and turned this into a fun encounter. Once this contest found its momentum, this became an exciting opener. Plus, the right person won. Helms had an incredible month since Sin. He deserved a big win.

Winner: Shane Helms (17:30)

After the bout, the commentators reset and talk about the remaining match card. Then Tony says they have security footage of something that happened earlier. We see Flair and Animal talking when Chavo approaches them. You can’t hear what they say, but Chavo speaks with Animal before Animal walks away. Tony says the time stamp indicates this happened moments before Animal jumped Kidman. Hudson says Flair needs to answer some questions. They also speak about Kevin Nash. No one has seen or heard from him since Steiner injured Nash’s leg. Will he be able to face Steiner?

Next, Hugh Morrus has some thoughts about his encounter with the Wall. Hugh says General Rection brought A-Wall into the Misfits. He gave the Wall direction, but Rection felt A-Wall’s betrayal when the Wall sided with Chavo. Rection had mercy in his heart for A-Wall, but Hugh Morrus has nothing but hatred in his heart! Hugh laughs when he says this.

Elsewhere, Midajah gives Scott Steiner a shoulder massage before Ric Flair enters the room. Flair has an envelope in his hands. He says it concerns Steiner’s future, the future of the company, and Nash’s career. Flair says it is all handled, so he tells Midajah to break out the champagne. This pleases Steiner. He shakes Flair’s hand and thanks him.

Backstage, WCW’s new commissioner, Lance Storm, confronts KroniK when they arrive. Lance warns them he will cancel their contest if they touch him. Then Lance asks Clark why he is there. They didn’t clear him to wrestle. When Lance says this, Clark slaps a note against Storm’s chest. He says it’s a doctor’s clearance. Storm says WCW’s doctor has to approve this, so he sends Clark to meet with him and tells Adams to head to the locker room. Clark assures his partner they will clear this up.

Hugh Morrus vs. The Wall

Storyline: Chavo approached Rection and tried to make peace, but Hugh brushed him off. Since Hugh didn’t want a truce, Chavo cost Hugh his rematch with Douglas. Worse yet, A-Wall turned on Rection and sided with Chavo! This was too much. Hugh disbanded the Misfits and went back to being Hugh Morrus. It seemed Hugh snapped. After the Wall cost him victories, Hugh attacked him in the hallway and rammed him through Chavo’s locker room door. Hugh giggled like a madman the entire time. Morrus even ambushed the Wall during a backstage promo. Later, Chavo told the Wall to take out Mysterio for him, but Hugh interfered and helped Rey defeat the Wall. This led to Hugh & Rey vs. Wall & Chavo. The Wall snatched Rey out of the air and hit a chokeslam to win. Then the Wall and Chavo beat up Morrus and Mysterio.

The Match: They trade strikes before the action spills to the floor. While outside, Hugh sends the Wall into the rail and kicks the steps into his head! Back inside, Hugh lands a flying elbow before yelling at the Wall and slapping him. This only motivates the Wall to fight back. He scores a big boot and tries a hanging choke in the corner. Hugh turns it into a jawbreaker, but the Wall answers with headbutts and a spinebuster. Next, they fight at the ropes until Hugh hits a hotshot and a flapjack, but both men are down. Once they catch their breath, they exchange punches on their knees. Hugh gains the advantage and finishes the Wall with a German suplex and No Laughing Matter.

Thoughts: This was slow and awkward. They became winded within minutes, so they laid on the mat and caught their breath between almost every move. The Wall already wasn’t a great wrestler before you add fatigue into the mix. Toward the end, he couldn’t even throw a kick without having to take a breather.

Winner: Hugh Morrus (9:43)

After the bell, Hugh does another No Laughing Matter, so Tony says Hugh wants to finalize his revenge. Hudson calls this an exclamation point.

Elsewhere, Konnan storms up to Animal, but Animal says he can’t be there. This is Flair’s office! However, Konnan isn’t there for Flair. He confronts Animal about his attack on Kidman. This leads to a brawl, but the security guards stop them. During the following contest, Tony says Flair had Konnan removed from the building.

Now it’s time for Jindrak & Stasiak vs. Palumbo & O’Haire. Stasiak taunts the Tennessee fans before calling himself and Jindrak the true leaders of the Thrillers. He even tells the fans to kiss the ground they walk on. When Palumbo and O’Haire arrive, Sean threatens to turn this into a murder scene. He tells Stasiak to shut up and kiss his ass goodbye.

Tag Team Title Match: Chuck Palumbo & Sean O’Haire (c) vs. Mark Jindrak & Shawn Stasiak

Storyline: The Natural Born Thrillers started imploding after Palumbo and O’Haire took exception to Jindrak and Stasiak interfering in their match. Plus, Palumbo and O’Haire caused a DQ in an encounter involving Jindrak and Stasiak. Sanders watched with dismay as the in-fighting began. Palumbo and O’Haire called Jindrak and Stasiak jealous, but they countered by saying Palumbo and O’Haire were ungrateful and greedy. Later, Stasiak tried to take Miller’s job as commissioner so he could give himself and Jindrak a tag title shot. He failed, but Palumbo and O’Haire said they could have their opportunity if they wanted it so badly. Meanwhile, Palumbo and O’Haire continued their winning ways, so Jindrak called them lucky. Jindrak and Stasiak claimed they carried their former partners. To prove this, these four men faced each other one-on-one. Stasiak pinned Palumbo with a handful of tights, but O’Haire defeated Jindrak cleanly.

The Match: Jindrak and Stasiak win an early brawl, but Palumbo and O’Haire take over with double-teaming. Chuck also puts Mark in a sleeper hold before catapulting him into Stasiak. This lasts until Jindrak and Stasiak do their own double-teaming. They also use ref distractions and frequent tags. Palumbo tries to rally with inside cradles, but they attack him in their corner and ground him with a chinlock. Once Chuck breaks free, Jindrak nails a tilt-a-whirl slam, but Stasiak misses a flying splash. This opens the door for O’Haire’s hot tag. He throws clotheslines until everyone brawls. Jindrak and Stasiak almost retake control, but Chuck hits a jungle kick on Stasiak. With Stasiak down, O’Haire lands the Seanton Bomb for the three.

Thoughts: This was solid and enjoyable. They did a fine job with basic tag team storytelling. Even though it wasn’t flashy, they kept a good pace and had a nice finish.

Winners: Palumbo & O’Haire (11:37)

Next, Dustin Rhodes gives his opinion of the so-called boss, Ric Flair. Dustin says everybody who is anybody knows there is no love lost between the Rhodes and Flair families. When Dustin sat at home for eight months, Flair conspired to keep him out of WCW. So tonight, he will draw first blood on Flair’s team. Dustin promises to win the U.S. title from Rick Steiner. He will never forget the name of Dustin Rhodes!

Cruiserweight Title Match: Chavo Guerrero Jr. (c) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

Storyline: Flair took a liking to Chavo, so invited Mike Modest and Christopher Daniels to WCW to give Chavo some competition. However, Scott Steiner broke their legs out of anger. Meanwhile, Rey won the Cruiserweight Contender Countdown to earn this shot. Afterward, Chavo teamed with Animal against Rey and Kidman. Chavo pinned Rey after Animal powerbombed him. Later, Flair and Chavo Sr. brought in a wrestler named El Niño to fight Chavo. Little did Flair and Chavo Classic know Mysterio paid Niño to take his place under the mask. Rey scored a surprise victory and unmasked to reveal the ruse. Chavo confronted Flair, but Ric said he didn’t know Rey would do that. Since Rey humiliated him, Chavo sent the Wall after Mysterio. Morrus intervened, but Chavo and the Wall beat them up.

The Match: A series of takedowns, counters, and reversals send Rey and Chavo to the apron and the top rope. This lasts until Chavo puts Rey in a tree of woe. With Rey prone, Chavo rakes his boot across Rey’s face and drives his shoulders into Rey’s gut. When he goes for more, Chavo hits the post on a missed charge. Unfazed, Chavo shakes off Rey’s comeback and does a Gory Special and a Gory Bomb. He even locks Rey in an STF. Next, Chavo takes a fan’s Mysterio mask and places it on Rey’s head. Chavo taunts Rey and slaps him. This lights a fire under Rey. He switches the mask to Chavo’s head before landing a Frankensteiner.

Next, Rey scores a somersault plancha and a springboard senton, but he slips on a moonsault attempt. The opening allows Chavo to introduce a chair, which almost backfires. Rey does takedowns, a DDT, and a Bronco Buster, but the ref stops him from using the chair. Chavo takes advantage of this distraction to fetch a second chair. He whacks Rey behind the ref’s back before nailing a slingshot senton. The brainbuster follows for the win.

Thoughts: This was the match of the night, so far. They gave us great action and told a fine story. I also loved the spots with the mask. It was a nice touch. Yeah, they had some slip-ups, but they recovered well and worked it into the flow of the bout.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr. (15:54)

Backstage, Commissioner Storm knocks on KroniK’s locker room door. Adams answers and asks about Clark’s whereabouts. Storm says he’s too busy to know where he is. Lance has commissioner duties, so he needs to bump his match to later on in the card. This means KroniK vs. Totally Buffed will happen after Rhodes vs. Steiner. Adams asks if Lance thinks he’s stupid. He’s not doing anything without his partner. Storm says he doesn’t care. Lance pats Adams on the arm and sarcastically says he hopes it works out for him. When Storm leaves, Adams punches the door.

U.S. Title Match: Rick Steiner (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes

Storyline: Nash asked Rick Steiner to have his back against Flair, so Rick taught a lesson to anyone who attempted to join Flair’s team. He fought Kwee Wee, Bigelow, and Douglas. The latter caused a feud with Douglas. Shane thought he would gain favor by taking Rick out, but Rick Steiner was on Flair’s side all along! He betrayed Nash to complete Flair’s Magnificent Seven. Plus, Rick defeated Douglas to win the U.S. title. Meanwhile, Flair offered Dustin Rhodes a new contract and a spot on his team, but Dustin refused. He even brought Dusty back to WCW to confront Flair. Since Dustin defied him, Flair tried to blackball Dustin from the company. However, Miller and Nash stepped in. Kevin took David Flair hostage and threatened him until Ric gave Dustin another chance. Dustin beat Rick Steiner to earn a contract and a U.S. title shot.

The Match: Dustin pulls Steiner’s jacket over his head and brawls with him in and out of the ring. This lasts until Dustin tumbles outside on a missed crossbody. Now Rick rams him into the announce table and nails a Steinerline. He also grounds Dustin with a chinlock after a belly-to-belly. Once Rhodes breaks free, Rick secures a half crab and a rear chinlock. A jawbreaker ends this, but Rick floors Dustin with a second Steinerline. However, Dustin rallies with a lariat, a facebuster, and a bulldog. When Steiner regroups, they fight at the announce table. Afterward, Dustin grabs a chair, but the ref stops him. Rick uses the opening to remove a turnbuckle pad. He lures Dustin into a trap. Rhodes does corner punches, so Rick hotshots Dustin on the exposed metal and pins him with his feet on the ropes.

Thoughts: This had a slower pace, but I enjoyed it. They never lost the crowd. In fact, they got one of the better reactions of the night. Dustin did a great job keeping the fans in it, and they had a nice finish.

Winner: Rick Steiner (9:11)

While the ref collects Rick’s belt, Steiner gives Dustin the Steiner Driver (Death Valley Driver). Then he grabs a mic and tells the Nashville fans to come get some if they want some. If they don’t like him, bite him! However, Rick taunts the fans for too long, and Dustin recovers. He places Rick in the corner and nails Shattered Dreams before posing with Rick’s gold.

Meanwhile, Flair meets with Commissioner Storm. He tells Lance to remove Dustin Rhodes from the building. In fact, anyone who isn’t on Flair’s team needs to leave after their matches! Furthermore, Flair tells Storm to make Totally Buffed vs. KroniK a tag team #1 contender contest. Once Storm agrees and leaves, Flair calls him the best commissioner they’ve ever had. Ric says life is good in his WCW.

Elsewhere, Ernest Miller shadowboxes while DDP speaks with him. Page says it’s down to the two of them. Flair eliminated everyone else, so Miller has to win back his commissioner’s job! DDP asks him who Lance Storm is. Miller says nobody, so DDP asks him who Ernest Miller is. The Cat says he’s the greatest. DDP then gets a little too fired up and grabs Miller, so Ernest tells him to chill out. After apologizing, DDP says he was only trying to motivate him.

Now Totally Buffed arrives for their encounter. (WCW finally settled on Totally Buffed as their moniker.) Luger and Buff taunt the crowd, so they chant Goldberg’s name. Buff threatens to leave if they don’t stop, which only makes them louder. Undeterred, Buff says WCW didn’t clear Clark, so Adams better come get his ass kicked. This leads to Adams’ entrance. It appears he’s by himself until Clark arrives. Unfortunately, Buff knocks Clark out with a chair, so Adams is alone.

Handicap Tag Team #1 Contender Match: Totally Buffed vs. Brian Adams

Storyline: Totally Buffed threw a mock funeral for Goldberg’s career, which pissed off the commentators and Miller. Ernest booked them against KroniK because of it, but Jarrett interfered. Then Jarrett helped Luger become the ref for Nash vs. Buff, but Miller once again thwarted their plans. Afterward, Flair’s crew attacked KroniK multiple times, so KroniK got a rematch with Totally Buffed. This time, Animal blindsided Clark with a chair. He busted him open and gave him a concussion, so Flair ordered Clark to stay at home. With Clark down, Totally Buffed challenged KroniK to a PPV bout, but they wouldn’t allow Adams to substitute if Clark couldn’t make it. Luger and Buff also faced Adams one-on-one. Both encounters became a two-on-one attack, so Clark defied Flair’s orders and aided Adams. Finally, Buff picked a fight with Konnan, but Adams stopped Totally Buffed from taking him out.

The Match: Adams scores a side slam on Luger and a double DDT on both men, but Bagwell stops a full nelson slam with a low blow. Totally Buffed continues with a swinging neckbreaker, another low blow, and a back suplex. After Luger attacks Brian outside, Buff grounds Adams with a rear chinlock. He keeps posing and jumping on Adams’ back until Adams raises his knees into Buff’s crotch. This allows Adams to nail slams and an atomic drop before press slamming Bagwell onto Luger! Unfortunately, Buff and Luger stop his rally with a double clothesline and a running forearm. When Adams shows life again, Bryan Clark attacks him with a German suplex! But it’s a swerve! The man on the floor wasn’t Clark. He was Mike Awesome in disguise! Awesome’s ambush opens the door for Luger’s Rack, and Buff finishes it with a Blockbuster.

Thoughts: This was more of a storyline than a match, but that’s okay. WCW did a great job with this. They got me with the Bryan Clark ruse. I didn’t notice it was Mike Awesome at all. This was well-executed all around.

Winners: Totally Buffed (6:25)

The real Clark appeared on the stage at the end of the bout, but he was too late. As KroniK limps through the curtain, Storm confronts them and tells them to leave the building. He has security with him, so KroniK attacks the guards while Storm runs away. Hudson announces during the next contest they removed KroniK from the arena.

Meanwhile, Storm arrives for his encounter with Miller. He wants to be serious for a minute. Lance calls himself the best technical wrestler and commissioner. He was born to wrestle, bred to win, and destined to lead. After all, it takes a true Canadian to run this company! Miller can’t do a thing about it, so he tells the fans to rise for the Canadian anthem. Before it even plays, Miller tells the truck to cut that crap off. He says Lance sucks as a commissioner. The people want Miller for the role. Ernest says Storm will have to kill him to beat him, so the fans better call Miller’s mama!

For the Commissioner’s Job: Ernest the Cat Miller (w/ Miss Jones) vs. Lance Storm

Storyline: Miller engaged in a power struggle with Flair, so Ric sent Bigelow and Douglas to take him out. When they failed, Flair blindsided Miller with brass knuckles. Then he declared the commissioner’s job was on the line every time Miller wrestled! This opened the door for Stasiak’s attempt, but he blew it. Meanwhile, Storm pledged Team Canada’s allegiance to Flair, so Ric chose Lance as the man to take down Miller. They booked the contest for the PPV, and Lance made Miller fight Skipper and Awesome. However, Ernest pissed Flair off again, so Ric ordered Miller to wrestle Storm early with Sanders as the ref. They pulled a screwjob on Miller when Storm put him in the Maple Leaf, so Storm won the commissioner’s job! Nevertheless, Nash got Miller a rematch when Kevin took David Flair hostage. Finally, Miller fought Awesome, but Ernest hurt his leg during the bout.

The Match: They exchange mat wrestling, takedowns, and arm drags until Storm regroups. Then Storm pulls him outside for some brawling. Miller decks Lance with a water bottle and chokes him with a cable, but Storm targets the injured leg. Lance uses elbow drops and the ring post to wear down the limb. When Cat shows life, Storm stops the rally with an eye poke and continues working on the leg. This leads to fighting in the corner, and Storm attempts a sunset flip. Miller blocks it before nailing his wiggly elbow drop. A splits punch follows this, but Storm counters the Feliner into the Maple Leaf. While Miller gets a rope break, Sanders appears. He tries to interfere, so Miss Jones slaps and kicks him! Storm yells at Miss Jones for her actions, but the distraction allows Ernest to land the Feliner for the victory.

Thoughts: This was good fun, and it contained a nice story. Plus, the fans loved it. This was easily Miller’s best match, but that’s not surprising given his opponent. The only issue is the storyline doesn’t make much sense. Couldn’t Flair fire Miller as the commissioner? This undercuts what they’re trying to do with Flair’s role because it makes him look powerless in this one area.

Winner: Ernest Miller (8:07)

Sanders tries to attack after the bell, but Miller gives him the splits punch. Then Miss Jones puts the cape on Ernest’s back, but he wants to dance! Sadly, Tony learns they removed Miller from the building during the following recap video.

Now we’re supposed to get DDP vs. Jeff Jarrett, but Jarrett has other plans. He tells DD-Me to wait a minute. Jeff heard Page’s challenge last week. DDP said he would fight Kanyon anywhere and anytime, so Jeff wants to make this a reality. Jarrett even shows a remixed version of DDP’s promo to drive the point home. After the video, Jeff says Flair gave him permission to make DDP face Kanyon first. As Jarrett says this, Kanyon crawls out from under the ring and jumps DDP from behind!

Chris Kanyon vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Storyline: Flair tasked Jarrett with taking out DDP, so Jeff prevented DDP from becoming the ref for Nash vs. Buff. Undeterred, Page jumped out of the crowd and fought Jarrett the following week. This led to Totally Buffed jumping Nash and DDP in the locker room. Then Jarrett wanted his PPV encounter with Page early, but a problem arose. AJ Styles and Air Paris staged a fight at DDP’s book signing. When DDP broke it up, Paris claimed Page hit him. Flair had DDP arrested for it. Later, the Seven bullied their way into the jail to taunt DDP. However, Page already posted bail. He lured them into the cell, and the cops locked the Seven inside. Next, Page fought Scott Steiner. Jeff interfered and led Page into an ambush by the returning Kanyon. Plus, Jeff pinned DDP in a tag contest before Steiner beat Page up with the pipe.

The Match: DDP flusters Kanyon by choking him with his shirt, nailing a discus lariat, and hitting a flying clothesline. This leads to fighting outside, where Kanyon busts DDP open with a Fameasser on the steps! Now Kanyon uses a northern lights, a chinlock, and a swinging neckbreaker to keep Page down. When Page rallies again, they trade pin attempts before Page scores an uranage. He even tries to do a pancake, but Kanyon turns it into a sit-out Alabama Slam. Nevertheless, DDP answers with a sit-out bomb and looks for a Diamond Cutter. Unfortunately, Kanyon throws a low blow and nails a Kanyon Cutter. When it isn’t enough, Kanyon calls Jarrett to the ring. The ref gets bumped in the ensuing exchange, so Jarrett gives DDP the Stroke. This opens the door for Kanyon’s Flatliner for the win.

Thoughts: This was good for a short bout. They kept it explosive and furthered the storyline well. Also, I don’t know if the blood was intentional, but it added to the drama. This did exactly what it needed to do without wearing out its welcome.

Winner: Kanyon (8:15)

Kanyon taunts DDP and grabs a mic. He asks the fans who is better than Kanyon. When they answer everybody, Chris ignores them and introduces the following contest. Kanyon claims this has a two-hour time limit. Then he brings Jarrett back out to begin the fight.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Jeff Jarrett

The Match: They don’t take long to brawl into the crowd. Jarrett whips Page into a plastic trash can, but DDP hits him with the lid. Then the action heads to the announce table. DDP gives Jarrett a DDT on it and tries to do the Diamond Cutter, but Jeff shoves him toward the rail. After the impact, Page lands on Tony Schiavone! Now Jarrett grabs a chair and whacks Dallas in the ribs and the gut. Back in the ring, Jarrett takes a discus lariat, but he rebounds with a sleeper hold. Once DDP breaks free, he scores the Diamond Dream, a belly-to-belly, and the pancake.

Sensing trouble, Kanyon pulls DDP outside, and Tony begs someone to hit him with a bat! This allows Jarrett to do another chair shot, which only gets two! Jeff calls for his guitar afterward, and Kanyon distracts the ref. However, Jarrett smashes Kanyon with the guitar by mistake when Page moves! The blunder opens the door for a Diamond Cutter and the three.

Thoughts: This was great. They built some amazing drama in a short amount of time. Plus, this had a nice finish. You can tell they’re building DDP for something big next month.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page (8:30)

Now it’s time for the main event, but they still don’t know where Nash is. While the commentators discuss this, Flair joins them. He evades questions about the mysterious envelope and tells Tony and Scott to respect Scott Steiner. Buffer does his introduction of Steiner, but Scott makes him leave. Then Steiner shows more replays of Sid’s injury while bragging about causing it. Once the video stops, Steiner says he made Nash cry like a bitch, and no one has heard from him since. With that said, Flair enters the ring. He opens the envelope to reveal a match contract that says this contest will have Loser Leaves WCW rules! Since Nash isn’t there, Steiner tells the ref to count him out. The ref obliges, but Nash’s music plays!

Two nurses push Nash into the arena in a wheelchair. His left leg is in a cast, which makes Steiner smile. He accuses Nash of trying to get sympathy from the fans. Steiner says, “But you don’t get my sympy at all!” (What the hell is sympy?) After questioning Nash’s manhood, Steiner tells the ref to count again. However, Nash removes the blanket on his lap to reveal the cast was fake! Steiner doesn’t notice because he’s posing, so Nash clocks him with the belt.

Loser Leaves WCW Match for the WCW Title: Scott Steiner (c) (w/ Midajah & Ric Flair) vs. Kevin Nash

Storyline: Miller gave Nash a title match, but it ended in a DQ. Then Flair tried to name Alex Wright as the new contender, so Nash powerbombed Alex through the stage and demanded another chance. Flair made Kevin wrestle Buff for it with Luger as the ref. Nash won, but Flair wouldn’t let it stand. He said Kevin got lucky. Plus, Flair claimed they found Nash passed out drunk in the locker room. He used footage of Nash backstage after Totally Buffed’s attack as proof. Therefore, Nash had to beat Totally Buffed to get his opportunity. This time, Miller helped him win. Afterward, Rick Steiner betrayed Nash, so Kevin snapped. He took David hostage and asked for an immediate fight against Steiner with no interference. Flair agreed, but he went back on his word once David was safe. The Seven attacked, and Steiner injured Nash’s leg with the pipe.

The Match: Nash covers the unconscious Steiner for the three, so Flair freaks out. He declares this is now 2 out of 3 Falls with no disqualifications! As Steiner regroups, we see he is bleeding. Meanwhile, DDP walks backstage, but Totally Buffed jumps him and stuffs Page into an equipment case. Back in the ring, Nash nails his corner offense and clotheslines to make Scott regroup again. Now Midajah interferes, but Nash backs her away. This allows Steiner to deck Nash with the pipe. The problem is, he can’t move Nash’s dead weight, so Steiner tells Flair to make it Falls Count Anywhere! When Flair obliges, Steiner covers for the second fall.

After pinning him, Steiner bloodies Nash with brass knuckles and gives him suplexes. He even toys with Kevin and does push-ups. But Steiner isn’t done. He gets a chair while Midajah keeps the knuckles away from Nash. Scott decks Nash with the weapon and puts him in a Recliner, but Nash dumps Steiner through the ropes to escape it. This enables Nash to rally with a hotshot, a chokeslam, Snake Eyes, and the Jackknife! Sensing trouble, both Midajah and Flair attack Charles Robinson, so Nash gives Midajah a side slam. The distraction opens the door for Steiner’s low blow and another chair shot. With Nash dazed, Steiner puts him in the Recliner while Slick Johnson takes over as the ref. Slick sees Nash is out, so he calls for the bell.

Thoughts: Yeah, they ripped off Over the Edge ‘98, but I can’t say this wasn’t exciting. I liked the drama and chaos. This was an enjoyable main event. Even though they overbooked this, it fit the storyline, so I’m fine with it.

Winner: Scott Steiner (11:04)

Schiavone and Hudson can’t believe Nash’s career ended like this. Tony says this sucks, but he apologizes for saying it. Meanwhile, Flair and Steiner celebrate as they leave. The PPV ends with Tony sounding dejected.

The Good:

• The main event

• Both DDP matches

• The opener

• Chavo vs. Rey

• Rhodes vs. Steiner

• The tag title contest

• Totally Buffed vs. Adams

The Bad:

• Morrus vs. Wall

Observations & Extra Notes:

• WCW sure loved their storylines where someone purposefully let people beat them up to swerve somebody. They did it with Reno, and now they did it with Rick Steiner. Those angles make no sense.

• Everyone says you can’t powerbomb Kidman. I’ve learned you also can’t sunset flip Ernest Miller.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to DDP. He wrestled two good matches, and they made him look great. This was his night to shine.

Final Thoughts:

This was easily the best WCW PPV in a long time. Only Morrus vs. the Wall was bad. Everything else ranged from decent to great. I’m finally seeing the turnaround people always said happened in early 2001. It’s a shame it’s too little and too late.

Thank you for reading. My next review is the WWF’s No Way Out 2001. Look for it next Sunday.