Greed

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

Greed

March 18, 2001

Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum

Jacksonville, Florida

News & Notes: WCW continued talking about the potential new owners after SuperBrawl. They even saved front row seats for them, but no one appeared. Meanwhile, Buff Bagwell hired a camera crew to film a documentary about Flair before the sale. Ric wanted to demonstrate his power. Unfortunately, they captured something else. A mysterious assailant targeted the Magnificent Seven. First, they attacked Midajah, so Scott Steiner pointed fingers. He thought someone in the Seven did it. Scott focused his suspicions on Animal, but Animal became the next victim. A message on the wall said, “It wasn’t him.” Who was coming after the Seven?

Now for a rundown of some extra storylines. Shane Douglas did a sit-down interview about his history in the sport and his issues with Ric Flair. The Seven broke his arm, but Shane vowed revenge. He wants to see the fear in Flair’s eyes when he seeks his vengeance. Elsewhere, Boogie Knights imploded when Alex Wright had enough of Disqo’s crap. This didn’t stop Disqo from getting them booked in a match. However, the final straw came when Disqo ate off Wright’s plate in catering. Alex flipped a table in a rage. They weren’t the only team with problems. Evan Karagias turned on Jamie Knoble and formed a new version of 3 Count with Shannon Moore. And finally, Team Canada jumped KroniK and put them out of action. This drew the ire of Palumbo & O’Haire, but Team Canada beat them with Kanyon’s help.

Diamond Dallas Page narrates the opening video. He says he’s still standing, and this fact crawls under Steiner’s skin every day. Steiner may be a genetic freak, but he is no mental giant. DDP says you can sum up his game plan in two words. Those words are Diamond Cutter. He can hit it from anywhere, and it’s over when he does. DDP isn’t the hunted. He’s the hunter. Steiner will get banged at Greed. (Oh my!)

Then fireworks explode as Tony welcomes everyone to the PPV. He says, “If it’s professional wrestling, it must be Greed!” (He’s not wrong.) Hudson and Schiavone discuss the card while Kwee Wee arrives for a special added match. Jason Jett (EZ Money) is his opponent. Tony says Jett made a name for himself with a surprise win over Alex Wright. When Jett appears, Kwee Wee jumps him from behind.

Jason Jett vs. Kwee Wee

Storyline: Kwee Wee had enough of messing with fans, security guards, and Power Plant rookies. He wanted some real competition to prove himself to Ric Flair, so he issued an open challenge to the current roster. Kaz Hayashi answered the call, and he defeated Kwee Wee. However, this only brought out Angry Allan, who gave Kaz a piledriver. Later, Miller wanted to mess with Mike Sanders, so he made him partner with Kwee Wee in the cruiserweight tag team tournament. They faced the Jung Dragons, but they lost. Meanwhile, the former EZ Money arrived in WCW as Jason B., which was his actual name. He paired with Scotty O. in the tag tourney. After their elimination, Jason changed his moniker to Jason Jett and earned a surprise victory over Alex Wright.

The Match: Jett flusters Kwee Wee with a plancha, springboard leg drop, and a pendulum swing. He also sidesteps Kwee Wee’s dive and scores a rebound DDT, the Afterburner (Money Clip), and a standing moonsault. Before he can do more, Kwee Wee sends Jett outside and whips him into an upside-down bump on the rail. Kwee Wee even rams Jason into Penzer before grounding Jett with a Thesz Press and a chinlock. Next, they fight on the top rope, where Kwee Wee turns a superbomb into a Frankensteiner. Nevertheless, Jett nails the Shockwave (handspring elbow), but Kwee Wee blocks the Crash Landing (release suplex). This leads to pin attempts, suplexes, and counters until Kwee Wee spills to the floor. Inside the ring, Jett plays possum to lure Kwee Wee into a missed elbow drop. It opens the door for Jett’s Crash Landing and the three.

Thoughts: This was a solid opener. Jett took some impressive bumps, and I loved the ending. Jason played to the crowd well. He came to impress and accomplished that goal. I only wish someone had told him to get better gear. He’s still wearing those awful garter belt tights.

Winner: Jason Jett (12:17)

Now it’s time to crown the first Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions. Scott James shows off the new belts for the camera. I don’t like the design. They look too gaudy for my taste.

Cruiserweight Tag Team Title Tournament Finals: Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo vs. The Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman & Rey Mysterio Jr.)

Storyline: Miller’s first and last decree after he regained the commissioner’s job was to reward the fans with a new cruiserweight tag team division. He started a tournament to crown the first champions, and he built the brackets himself. However, Elix Skipper had a mystery partner. Since he was the only cruiserweight in Team Canada, Skipper needed to look elsewhere for his ally. He chose a WCW newcomer named Kid Romeo. Romeo was a dancing Latin sensation who claimed all women loved him. They defeated AJ Styles & Air Paris and the Jung Dragons to advance in the tournament. As for their opponents, the Animals reached the finals by beating Johnny Swinger & Jason Lee and Evan Karagias & Shannon Moore. Once they established the finals, these teams almost brawled with each other.

The Match: They all take turns scoring takedowns, knockdowns, and double-teaming until it becomes a brawl in the aisle. The referee lets them go, as the Animals hip toss Skipper and Romeo off the ramp and nail a double dive. Back inside, Rey and Kidman land a double chokeslam, but Romeo stops them with a cheap shot. Now Skipper and Romeo use ref distractions, shenanigans on the outside, and chinlocks to ground the Animals. This continues until they fight on the top rope and Kidman counters Skipper into a super Rydeen Bomb. Rey’s hot tag brings us springboard moves and dives. Kidman does the Kidmankaze (SSP to the floor). Afterward, they exchange pin attempts, suplexes, and combination attacks until Rey gives Elix a Bronco Buster. Rey follows with an Asai Moonsault, but Romeo catches him and hits the Last Kiss (Snow Plow) for the victory.

Thoughts: This was good fun. They bordered on chaos, but you could still easily follow it. Then it had a great finish. It got a nice reaction from the audience. The crowd applauded the effort, so they accomplished their goal.

Winners: Skipper & Romeo (New Champions) (13:46)

Backstage, Buff Bagwell leads his camera crew into a conference room where Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett, and Animal are talking. They discuss the mysterious attack on Animal and Scott Steiner’s paranoia. Then Flair lists the potential victories for the Magnificent Seven. He says everybody wants a piece of this elite group. As far as Flair and Jarrett’s match, no one will kiss anyone’s ass tonight, except for Dusty Rhodes! With that said, Buff asks about Scott Steiner’s whereabouts. Animal says Scott found his own locker room because he is paranoid, so Buff vows to bring him back there. Flair tells him to keep the camera rolling.

Now Stacy Keibler enters the ring. She introduces the star of the Shawn and Stacy Show and the Mecca of Manhood, Shawn Stasiak! After they share a kiss, Shawn tells the fans to shut up, listen, and learn. Being a star isn’t easy. He has agents knocking on his door every day, so Shawn brought some signed photos for the fat, bald, and toothless losers. Stacy pulls them out of her briefcase before Shawn throws them into the stands. When Bigelow joins them, he crumples one of them up.

Shawn Stasiak (w/ Stacy Keibler) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Storyline: Stasiak’s ego grew bigger by the week. Now he calls himself the Mecca of Manhood. He even adopted the Johnny Cage gimmick. Shawn signed 8×10 photos of himself and offered them to everybody, including referees. Plus, Stasiak rode in style in M.I. Smooth’s limo, but he tipped Smooth with signed 8x10s. Then Stacy Keibler returned with a baby carriage. She claimed her baby was there, but she meant her new boyfriend, Shawn Stasiak. The only pride and joy in the carriage was Shawn’s stack of photos. Later, Shawn insulted the bald, toothless, and tattooed wrestling fans, but this drew the ire of Bam Bam Bigelow. After all, he fits that bill. Bigelow attacked Stasiak and challenged him to a match for the PPV. However, he wasn’t the only bald wrestler who took offense. Reno stepped up to Stasiak, but he lost. Afterward, Bigelow chased Stasiak away.

The Match: They exchange strikes and knockdowns until Stasiak regroups with Stacy. He keeps calling for a timeout while Bigelow hits clotheslines and a dropkick. Then Stacy distracts Bigelow, so Shawn nails a jawbreaker and shoves Bigelow into the steps. A flying crossbody, a low blow, and boot rakes follow. Undaunted, Bam Bam answers with headbutts from the mat and the top rope. Sensing trouble, Stacy distracts the ref and pulls a small can of hairspray out of her hair bun. She throws it to Shawn, who sprays Bigelow in the eyes! This allows Stasiak to land a neckbreaker for the three.

Thoughts: This was okay, but it was also forgettable. I appreciate they tried to do something with Stasiak, but it didn’t work. He didn’t have the charisma to pull off this role. WCW sacrificed the Mamalukes and Bigelow for this push, but it wasn’t worth it.

Winner: Shawn Stasiak (5:55)

The trainers help Bigelow clear his eyes while Shawn and Stacy celebrate. Shawn offers a signed photo to Bigelow before Stacy raises his arms. A disgusted Billy Silverman shoves their arms down, but this doesn’t stop Shawn and Stacy from trading kisses. Stacy gets too frisky, so Shawn tells her to chill out.

Meanwhile, Ernest Miller and Miss Jones arrive backstage. Jones wants to accompany the Cat tonight for revenge, but he tells her to stay backstage. Miller doesn’t want her to get hurt. He can handle Kanyon.

Elsewhere, Elix Skipper admires his new gold. He says this is his belt. He helped build it! When Romeo hears this, he corrects his partner. These are their titles! Skipper makes up for his mistake by placing the championship around Romeo’s waist. Romeo returns the favor and they hug, but they quickly change it to a handshake when it becomes too awkward.

Now Team Canada arrives for their bout against Konnan and Morrus. Storm wants to be serious for a minute. He vows to finish their opponents and focus on the tag titles next. Then Storm calls for the Canadian anthem three times, but it never plays. Instead, we hear Hugh’s laughter and his music. Morrus jumps the gun, but Konnan joins him.

Team Canada (Lance Storm & Mike Awesome) vs. Hugh Morrus & Konnan

Storyline: Morrus and Konnan had enough of the Magnificent Seven. They banded together to lead the locker room against Flair’s group. This put them on the wrong side of the Steiner Brothers and Team Canada. After all, Team Canada had issues with the Animals and the Misfits. Plus, Team Canada aligned themselves with the Magnificent Seven. This led to Konnan facing Awesome and Storm in singles matches, but Team Canada won both contests. When they tried to attack him afterward, Hugh saved Konnan and challenged Team Canada to this encounter. Later, Team Canada had a warm-up against the Mamalukes. They continued the beating after a victory, so Hugh and Konnan rescued Vito and Johnny. Finally, Hugh and Konnan had their own warm-up versus the unlikely duo of Disqo and Mike Sanders. Team Canada jumped them after the win.

The Match: Hugh trades strikes with Storm and Awesome until Team Canada cheats to seize control. Quick tags and holds last until a collision and a double down. Now Konnan enters and nails a rolling lariat on Awesome, but Mike blocks a facebuster and gives Konnan a splash. It’s Konnan’s turn to take some punishment. Team Canada lures Hugh in for referee distractions so they can choke Konnan. They also attack Konnan outside and give him low blows. When Konnan looks for a tag, they block it and continue the assault. Konnan ends this with a boot to Storm’s face and a double clothesline. This brings us Hugh’s lukewarm tag. After some clotheslines, Lance stops Hugh with a superkick, and Awesome lands an Awesome Splash. This causes a brawl, and Team Canada prevents No Laughing Matter. When Hugh tries again, Awesome grabs him for an Awesome Bomb and the pin.

Thoughts: This was okay. I liked the finish, but the rest was lackluster. Hugh’s tag didn’t even get a reaction. The crowd couldn’t care less. This contained fine action, but the response was poor, so this fell flat.

Winners: Team Canada (11:28)

Backstage, Dustin admonishes his dad for reading a newspaper instead of getting ready. Dusty says he is waiting for some special workout items, but he assures Dustin Flair will kiss his ass. While he says this, someone knocks on the door. A man enters with a plate full of burritos, which annoys Dustin. Dusty claims there are 240 burritos, but it’s clearly around 10, at most. He plans to eat them all so he can smell things up later! Dustin reminds him they have a match, but Dusty says the only match is Flair’s face to his ass! Then they end the scene with a literal fart.

Elsewhere, Buff Bagwell leads the camera crew into Rick Steiner’s dressing room. They call the cameraman a loser before discussing Rick’s encounter with Booker. Buff asks how long the fight will last. Rick predicts one minute, but he promises to toy with him. He follows this statement with a fist bump, which Buff says was too hard. Buff also asks Rick about this Midajah situation. Rick thinks Scott will calm down once he finds out who attacked her. Before the segment ends, Rick tells Buff to find a female camera operator next time.

Now we get comments from Palumbo and O’Haire. Chuck says they will find out who the toughest team is because the games are over. They say only the strong survive, and you’re looking at the survivors. With that said, O’Haire claims he and Chuck would die defending the belts if they had to. Totally Buffed must kill them to take the gold. More power to them if they can do it. But if they’re still breathing, they’re still the champions. Once he says this, O’Haire growls.

Afterward, Shane Helms arrives for the Cruiserweight title contest. The Sugar Babies dance with Shane, and we see he switched to tights instead of cargo pants. Hudson likes the women, but Tony would rather talk about Dusty’s burrito feast.

Cruiserweight Title Match: Shane Helms vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. (c)

Storyline: Rey helped Kidman get revenge on Chavo after SuperBrawl. Unfortunately, this made Chavo more aggressive before his upcoming defense against Helms. Chavo recruited others to soften Shane up. First, he invited Karagias and Moore to join an attack on Helms. Then he convinced Johnny Swinger and Jason Lee to injure Shane, but they failed. Chavo beat them up for their failure. Later, Chavo faced Helms in a non-title bout. During the fight, Skipper and Romeo helped Chavo defeat Shane. This led to Helms vs. Skipper, which Shane won. However, Romeo attacked after the bell. Rey and Kidman rescued Shane, so Chavo tried a new tactic. Guerrero blindsided Helms after Shane’s match with Karagias. He gave Helms the brainbuster. Chavo tried it again after Helms vs. Kwee Wee, but Shane caught Chavo and fended him off.

The Match: They do some chain wrestling, reversals, suplexes, and submissions. Chavo uses an STF and a bridging deathlock. Once Helms breaks free, they trade pin attempts until Chavo scores a DDT and a pumphandle suplex. Chavo also sends Shane to the apron and dropkicks him to the floor. A flying plancha follows, but Helms blocks a suplex. Now Shane nails the fireman’s face crusher, a neckbreaker, and a Sugar Smack that knocks Chavo off the apron. When Shane tries another one, Chavo answers with a sit-out inverted suplex. This leads to a series of counters that ends with the Nightmare on Helms Street. Shane even does flying crossbodies in and out of the ring. After a blocked superplex, Chavo wants to do the Vertebreaker! Shane reverses it into his own Vertebreaker for the three.

Thoughts: This was great. I like how they built to a crescendo. The fans didn’t appreciate it early on, but they won them over in the end. Plus, seeing Shane win the big one is nice. He deserved this after the past two months he had.

Winner: Shane Helms (New Champion) (13:57)

The documentary crew is back in the conference room with Flair and Jarrett. Jeff says they have something to say for posterity. Ric witnessed Dusty Rhodes’ disgusting display. He vows nobody is kissing anybody’s ass! After all, look at the shape Dusty is in, and then look at Flair! Flair is the company’s CEO. He makes the big decisions, so he doesn’t kiss anyone’s ass! Ric says Dusty is going down, and Dusty will kiss some ass!

Next, Booker T talks about his upcoming U.S. title shot against Rick Steiner. Booker says the talking is over, so save the drama for your mama. Tonight, he will capture the belt that eluded him for eight years. When it’s all over, he wants Rick Steiner to remember one thing. Don’t hate the player. Hate the game!

Now Totally Buffed arrives for their encounter with Palumbo and O’Haire. Luger and Buff flex when they spot themselves on the screen. Then they goad the fans by talking about Goldberg again. With that said, Luger admits they became overconfident over the past few weeks. Those rookies beat them, but Luger gets their names wrong. He says Palumbo and O’Haire sneaked up on them, so they might be as big as Totally Buffed someday. But tonight, they will take them to school, and it won’t take long. (He’s half-right.)

Tag Team Title Match: Chuck Palumbo & Sean O’Haire (c) vs. Totally Buffed

Storyline: Totally Buffed was pretty confident going into their title shot against Palumbo & O’Haire, but that quickly changed. Palumbo scored a surprise victory over Luger, so Totally Buffed recruited Kanyon to antagonize Palumbo & O’Haire. Kanyon helped Team Canada defeat them, but O’Haire got revenge with a win over Kanyon. To make matters worse, O’Haire pinned Luger! Totally Buffed attempted to Pillmanize Sean for revenge, but they settled for a Blockbuster when that failed. Later, Lex tried to get his win back over Palumbo. However, Chuck pinned him a second time! Luger threw a fit over the loss. They couldn’t win one-on-one, so Flair booked a Four Corners Elimination contest. It was Palumbo vs. O’Haire vs. Luger vs. Buff. They eliminated Chuck and went after Sean, but Palumbo stuck around to help O’Haire win! This led to a wild brawl between the teams later in the show.

The Match: Everyone brawls until Palumbo and O’Haire take down Totally Buffed. Then Buff tries to hold Sean for Luger, but Lex nails Buff with the running forearm by accident. This opens the door for Chuck’s Jungle Kick on Luger, and O’Haire gives Lex a Seanton Bomb. While Chuck moves Luger out of the way, Sean also lands a Seanton Bomb on Buff. Palumbo and O’Haire do a double pin for the three.

Thoughts: It was too short to rate, but this definitely accomplished its goal. I would give Luger and Buff kudos for putting them over strong, but that was apparently not the case. The story was, WCW cut this match short because Luger and Buff complained about jobbing and went long with their pre-match promo.

Winners: Palumbo & O’Haire (0:54)

Backstage, Scott Steiner does pull-ups on the world’s strongest shower curtain rod. Midajah tells him he did 102 of them, so Steiner stops. He tells Page to put up or shut up. Falls will count anywhere in their match tonight. If Page goes into the crowd, he will pin him among Page’s own white trash! Steiner vows Page will go down.

Meanwhile, Totally Buffed is still down in the ring. This amuses the commentators until they worry about Buff’s history of neck issues. While this happens, some fans chant for a refund. They eventually clear Totally Buffed out of the ring, so Ernest Miller and Kanyon arrive for their contest. Miss Jones accompanies Miller, despite what he said earlier. The Cat says he’s going to rip that ugly mask off Kanyon, but then he realizes it’s Kanyon’s face. We also see Kanyon wearing a cast on his wrist. He sprained his wrist while fighting M.I. Smooth. This doesn’t stop him from going after Miss Jones.

Ernest the Cat Miller (w/ Miss Jones) vs. Kanyon

Storyline: Kanyon helped Bagwell defeat Miller, so Miss Jones got in Kanyon’s face. She paid for this when Chris gave her a Kanyon Cutter! This angered Miller so much, he stepped down as the commissioner to focus on Kanyon. Flair tried to put Rick Steiner in Miller’s way, but DDP and Booker intervened. Meanwhile, Kanyon hitched a ride in Stasiak’s limo to visit Miss Jones at the hospital. However, Miller was waiting for him. They brawled with a bedpan and a defibrillator. Afterward, Kanyon blamed M.I. Smooth for tipping off Miller about the attack. He used a forklift to flip Smooth’s limo with Smooth inside of it! Kanyon also attacked Miller and gave him a Flatliner on the floor. Later, Smooth came for revenge. Kanyon bashed him with a chair, but Smooth kept coming.

The Match: They brawl in and out of the ring. Miller whips Kanyon into an upside-down bump against the rail. He even powerbombs Kanyon, but Kanyon answers with a flying clothesline and a second-rope Rocker Dropper. After some counters, Miller blocks a sunset flip, nails his wiggly elbow, and does the splits punch. This leads to more reversals and pin attempts before the Cat scores the Feliner. Unfortunately, Kanyon gets a foot on the ropes. Next, Miss Jones sees Kanyon use a weapon, so she argues with the ref. Kanyon clocks the ref and dares Jones to come after him. She does, but Jones kicks Miller by accident! Nevertheless, Miss Jones rectifies the mistake by attacking Kanyon. He blocks her slap and ducks a kick, but Jones does another one. Miller uses the opening to win with the Feliner.

Thoughts: This wasn’t bad. I thought they blended storytelling, innovative spots by Kanyon, and shenanigans well enough. This did what it needed to do, so I didn’t mind it. On a side note, the matches tonight have had much better endings than usual. Did WCW finally find someone with a good mind for crafting finishes this late in the game?

Winner: Ernest Miller (10:31)

The Cat dons his cape and dances, but Kanyon attacks Miller and lands a Flatliner. Then he grabs Miss Jones, but M.I. Smooth runs Kanyon off with a chair. Smooth throws the chair at Kanyon as he retreats.

Backstage, Luger and Buff argue. They blame each other for their loss, so Buff says they should walk away before they say something they shouldn’t say. Bagwell says he will go dress in Steiner’s locker room. Luger says that’s fine by him and leaves. Once Luger is gone, Bagwell turns and notices the cameraman. He yells at him for filming this.

Meanwhile, Dusty finishes his burrito dinner. Dustin says his dad is making his eyes water. He can’t even stretch before the match! Dusty ignores this and says the burritos worked their way down to his saddlebags. He thinks he can hold it in, but they will have smellevision tonight! Hudson says he can’t believe Dusty ate 40 of those things! (Didn’t Dusty say it was 240?) With that said, Hudson wants to discuss the Seven, but Tony can’t do it after what they just saw.

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

Storyline: Rick Steiner became the Magnificent Seven’s enforcer. He roughed up anyone who stood up to the group. This usually involved multiple Steiner Drivers. Meanwhile, DDP brought Booker T back to confront Scott Steiner, and Booker pinned Scott during a tag match. Booker wanted a title shot, but Flair said Booker had to start at the bottom. Later, Rick helped Scott beat Booker up, but DDP saved Booker. This almost led to DDP and Booker vs. the Steiners, but the Seven jumped Booker. When Booker came after Rick for revenge, Rick challenged him to a match at the PPV. Booker agreed on one condition. The U.S. championship had to be on the line! Next, Totally Buffed and Rick attacked Booker. Rick had a match with DDP in the same episode, but the Seven took out Booker and Miller backstage so they couldn’t help.

The Match: They brawl outside and around the guardrail. Steiner rips at Booker’s face and nails a Steinerline. Then Rick continues with a Tiger Driver, a chinlock, a low blow, and a kneeling surfboard. Booker tries to rally with a Samoan Drop and a sunset flip out of the corner, but Steiner lands a belly-to-belly. After another Steinerline, Rick grabs a chinlock with leverage. Booker elbows free and finally rallies. He uses a jumping forearm, a spinebuster, the Ghetto Blaster (axe kick), and the 110^th Street Slam. A Spinaroonie follows, but Booker’s sidekick clips the ref! While the ref is groggy, Rick does a German suplex, but Shane Douglas leaps out of the crowd! He decks Steiner with his cast, and Booker finishes Rick with the Book End.

Thoughts: This was fine. They had some hard-hitting spots, and the fans enjoyed it. I can’t call it thrilling, but it served its purpose. My only gripe is Booker deserved a more decisive win. Shane’s interference fit the storyline, but I wished they didn’t do it.

Winner: Booker T (New Champion) (7:31)

Backstage, Animal calls for help. The camera crew enters Rick Steiner’s locker room to find Buff Bagwell laid out and unconscious. Luger comes in and asks what happened, so Animal says he found Bagwell on the floor. Lex calls this convenient. Animal asks what Luger is talking about. He was one of the mystery person’s victims too! Animal says he didn’t do this. Instead of answering, Luger stares at him awkwardly until the scene ends.

Now it’s time for the Rhodes family vs. Jarrett and Flair. Ric wears a Hawaiian shirt and slacks, so Tony and Scott wonder what is going on. This leads to the entrances of Dusty and Dustin. Dusty uses a blatant knock-off of his WWF theme. Once they arrive, Flair says he won’t wrestle. Jarrett can handle them on his own. However, Ric changes his tune once Charles Robinson makes Animal leave. Ric shoves Charles, but Charles shoves him back.

Kiss My Ass Match: Dustin & Dusty Rhodes vs. Jeff Jarrett & Ric Flair

Storyline: Scott Steiner tasked Jarrett with taking out Dustin Rhodes, so Jarrett got under Dustin’s skin. He donned a fat suit and pretended to be Dusty Rhodes. Dusty Jeff held an exhibition match against some indie guys while eating a bucket of fried chicken. Dustin had enough and attacked, but it was a trap. Rick Steiner helped Jeff beat up Dustin. Later, Dustin faced Jarrett with Flair as the ref. He fought valiantly, but Jeff won. Next, they claimed Flair brought Dusty back to fight Jarrett. It was another impostor. When Dustin intervened, we learned the impostor was Flair in disguise! However, the real Dusty saved his son. Dusty then challenged Jarrett and Flair. He promised to make Flair kiss his ass if they win! Finally, Flair made Dustin and DDP wrestle Jarrett and Rick Steiner. Jeff pinned Dustin after a guitar shot.

The Match: Jeff and Dustin have a strike exchange, but Dustin tags his dad when Flair enters the fight. Dusty struts and gives Flair the flip, flop, and fly. Now Jarrett returns and almost eats a Dust Buster (Shattered Dreams), but Ric throws a low blow. This enables Flair and Jarrett to take control. They work on Dustin’s leg, and Ric and Jeff try Figure Fours. Jarrett gets it, but Dustin reverses the hold. When Jarrett attempts it again, Dustin shoves him into the corner and tags Dusty. This time, Dusty hands out elbows and clotheslines until a brawl erupts. Jeff and Ric do more low blows and try to put the Rhodes family in Figure Fours. It doesn’t last because Dusty and Dustin kick Flair and Jarrett into each other. This allows Dustin to roll Flair up for the pin.

Thoughts: This was great fun, and they had a hot crowd. They limited Dusty’s involvement to what he does best, and his segments with Flair amused me. Everyone structured this bout perfectly. It was exactly what I wanted from this.

Winners: Dustin & Dusty Rhodes (9:58)

Charles Robinson tells Flair to get in the ring, but Ric throws a fit and refuses. Then Dusty gets the mic and tells Ric to come kiss his big white ass! Jarrett tries to attack, but Dustin fends him off and knocks Jeff into the corner. With Jeff down, Dustin holds him in place, and Dusty drops his pants! He reveals his red underwear and backs up to give Jeff a Stink Face. Tony calls this nutty. Once they release him, Jarrett retreats in embarrassment while Flair looks furious. Flair and Jarrett hug before leaving.

Afterward, Tony and Scott congratulate tonight’s new champions. They recap the match card before Buffer introduces the main event. Buffer is back to wearing a tux, unlike last month. Once Buffer finishes, Hudson says this hasn’t been a good night for the Magnificent Seven.

Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WCW Title: Scott Steiner (c) (w/ Midajah) vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Storyline: Steiner held a funeral for Nash’s career. Then Positively Kanyon popped out of the casket to reveal DDP was his next target. Steiner sent Kanyon, Totally Buffed, and Rick after DDP, but Page fended them off and escaped into the crowd each time. DDP knew better than to wait around for an ambush. Scott accused Page of running, but DDP was playing it smart. He told Steiner he was still standing. However, Steiner surprised Page in the stands the next time he tried it. They brawled until Miller intervened. As a result, Steiner vowed to put Cat in the Recliner until he injured him. He used this to lure DDP into a pipe attack. Steiner got him again after the Seven laid out Miller and Booker backstage. Finally, Jarrett and Rick attacked DDP after their tag match, but Hugh and Konnan led the locker room to save DDP.

The Match: DDP flusters Steiner with a neckbreaker and a flying clothesline before they brawl outside. The fight soon spills into the audience, where they use trash cans, a fan’s crutches, and a table. Once they head into the aisle, Steiner grabs a plastic sign from a young Paul London! He smashes it over DDP’s head, but Page returns the favor. The attacks leave Steiner bloody, so Midajah distracts Page to help Steiner gain control. Steiner does push-ups while scoring suplexes and a bear hug.

This continues until DDP nails the Diamond Dream. Now Steiner blocks Diamond Cutter attempts, but Page lands the move. When he covers, Rick Steiner rolls out from under the ring and pulls the ref to the floor! DDP dives onto Rick, but the chaos wipes out the ref. This allows Steiner to bust Page open with the title belt. Steiner puts the bloody DDP in a Boston Crab and a Recliner, but Page gets rope breaks. Page keeps fighting, so Steiner whacks him in the ribs with the pipe and puts him in another Recliner. Page passes out, so the ref calls for the bell.

Thoughts: This was good. It had some nice drama, just enough shenanigans, and a fine finish. They toned down the overbooking from last month. This didn’t need it, so they made the right call. You could see what they were building with these Steiner victories. It’s a shame WCW didn’t survive to see it play out.

Winner: Scott Steiner (14:14)

Hudson thinks Steiner added DDP to his list of victims. He calls for medical help for the bloody DDP, but Steiner hasn’t finished. He drapes a fan’s Michigan University flag over Page before whacking him with the pipe. The attack disgusts the commentators as the show ends.

The Good:

• The main event

• Helms vs. Chavo

• Jett vs. Kwee Wee

• The cruiser tag title match

• Jarrett & Flair vs. Dustin & Dusty Rhodes

The Bad:

• Stasiak vs. Bigelow

• Team Canada vs. Morrus & Konnan

Observations & Extra Notes:

• What happened to Mean Gene? They replaced him with a security camera and a documentary crew.

• Did the WWF try to sign M.I. Smooth after the buyout? He improved immensely, and he had fine charisma in this role. With some seasoning, he could have become good.

• WCW did a brawl in a hospital ER, and they had a scene where Kanyon flipped a car with a forklift. They were blatantly ripping off the WWF.

• EZ Money was the only wrestler to perform on the final PPVs of ECW and WCW.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Shane Helms. He had a great match with Chavo. This was his night to shine.

Final Thoughts:

This was another strong showing from WCW. They were turning things around before the end, so it’s a shame everything fell apart. They even had some solid episodes of TV. The cruiserweight tag tourney helped, but the shows also contained good writing. The problem was, this was too little and too late. I will discuss what went wrong in my review of the final Nitro.

Thank you for reading. This was the final WCW PPV, but it isn’t my last WCW review. Tune in next week for the Final Nitro.