Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #270 January 15th, 2001 The Opening Word: Fusient Media Ventures. If you've never heard of them, that's okay, you're not alone. They came out on top in the WCW sweepstakes. It's a company run by guys wrestling fans have never heard of--guys who have a lot of money but zero experience in the wrestling business. Remember that company name, because it's not a name that will be written by me too often. Fusient is just the new money behind WCW, and its owners aren't likely to mean too much to the average wrestling fan (unless something big happens, like the company breaking up, or them signing a major celebrity--something like that. We'll deal with that kind of stuff as it comes). Eric Bischoff, on the other hand, now there's a name we all know. Bischoff has returned as president of WCW. He is solely in charge of the creative direction of the company. From this day forward most any praise or criticism WCW earns will be his. There's not much to say about the sale of WCW right now. Fusient has had a lot to say, comments brimming with optimism, but lacking in substance. The same for Bischoff, who has already done interviews on WCW Live and Wrestling Observer Live. For those who have heard or read Bischoff's comments, if they looked or sounded familiar, it's because he basically said the same things when he returned to WCW last spring, and the previous year as well. It's also basically the same stuff Vince Russo said, both when he first entered WCW, and again when he returned with Bischoff last spring. Eric's smart, and he's saying things he thinks the Internet fans want to hear. He's talked about creating new stars, and returning emphasis to the in-ring product, and so on. He's also talked about bringing back Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan. Ask me if I think WCW is better off I'll say yes, only because a change in ownership was going to be made, and it's good that change has finally happened. Ask me if I think positive changes are in store for WCW, I'd say probably. Ask me if I think WCW's going to be great again, I'd say the odds of that are slim. If I don't sound overly optimistic, it's because I'm not. Turner/Time Warner was a massive media conglomerate with untold resources at its disposal, and it couldn't figure out how to make WCW entertaining and profitable. It's now been sold to a group with less experience, and less resources, the company now headed by the man who presided over the company at the beginning of its decline. Certainly Eric Bischoff has his positive traits, but those positives were all there and should have prevented WCW from being where it is today. Bischoff's negative traits ... they're still there. Nobody can make a convincing argument yet that he's learned from his mistakes. I'll certainly hope for the best, but there's no reason yet to unduly give him the benefit of the doubt, or turn a blind eye to his early mistakes. If that sounds a bit adversarial, maybe it is, but it's a stance Bischoff has earned and deserved. Certainly Bischoff himself seems to be willing to take up that old game, already challenging his critics, shifting certain blame elsewhere, and so on. Clearly Eric doesn't see the Internet as simply a fan base to be catered to. It's that same old bizarre game of drawing you in with one hand, and slapping you away with another. He's said what he thinks the Internet fans want to hear. He's going to try and get it on his side. But you can bet he'll turn on it if it doesn't blindly praise his efforts. That's the way Eric was before, it's the way Russo was when he came in, and judging Eric's latest comments, it's the way he still is. If there's one positive I would focus on it's the fact that WCW is no longer under the corporate thumb it once was. That, and with Bischoff being in charge there should be a stronger managerial presence, and better leadership. There has to be someone in the lockerroom calling the shots, keeping the wrestlers in line, and laying down the law. For better or worse the WWF has Vince McMahon calling all the shots. Hopefully the new owners in WCW will do the same. In the past WCW hasn't had that leadership, with Turner, then Time Warner, only paying attention to WCW when it was losing money. It's no coincidence that WCW did its best before when Bischoff was a strong leader for that company. There are all kinds of positives to Eric Bischoff taking over WCW, and perhaps a lot of reasons to be optimistic. But WCW still has a lot of problems, and there are a lot of questions to be answered, and this change in ownership only brings up more questions. So far the questions haven't been answered, and none of the problems solved. To be fair to Fusient, Eric Bischoff, and WCW, it's really to soon to expect that. Change is coming, and we'll just have to wait and judge it as it comes. Talk about having strikes against you, this is a company that has already struck out. Game over. WCW's job now is to convince us fans that their new team is good enough for another game. I think they'll do that. --- WCW Sin was the first PPV under the new ownership. No mention of the company sale was made on the show, though the announcers (Tony Schiavone & Scott Hudson, calling the action as a duo and drawing favorable reviews) did allude to the show being the beginning of a new era. General reaction to the show seems to be that there were some good matches on the undercard, but that the main event was terrible, and that most everything of a storyline nature came off badly. Many comparisons are being made to the WCW of 1997, when the PPV's had great undercards and terrible main events. I've seen more positive reviews than negative ones for the show. Predictably WCW switched the mystery man, who for weeks was supposed to be Rick Steiner. It turned out to be Road Warrior Animal (brother of current WCW booking committee member Johnny Ace). Look for WCW to claim it was supposed to be Animal all along, with the Rick Steiner "rumor" being "bad Internet reporting". For all the positive reviews the PPV is getting, I think I've read maybe one which actually thought Road Warrior Animal was a cool surprise. Animal unmasking was the brutal finale to what has been universally described as an atrocious main event. Even before Sid suffered a fractured leg (legit, which will keep him out of wrestling now for much of the remainder of the year), the match consisted of Scott Steiner & Jeff Jarrett doubleteaming Sid, whose defense was weaker than the Minnesota Vikings. The mystery man then came in, kicked Sid, and Steiner covered for the pin. In the show's other main event, Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell beat Goldberg & the Sarge, ending Goldberg's winning streak and forcing him to retire from WCW. Reaction is very mixed to the "surprise" of Goldberg losing his match. On the plus side the winning streak angle is finally over. On the minus side this means WCW will be rendering another match stipulation meaningless when they bring him back. Goldberg was the victim of a planted fan at ringside who sprayed Mace in his eyes. All signs point to Ric Flair turning heel, what with him setting up the plant who cost Goldberg his career, and bringing in Animal as the mystery opponent. Other decisions made by Flair throughout the show were to the detriment of the babyfaces (who lost 7 out of 10 matches). Speaking of that, I can't remember a show where so many heels won matches. Are Meng and the Jung Dragons heels? If so then heels won a whopping 9 out of 10 matches on the show. By the way, the best match seems to have been the tag match featuring the guys WCW never talks about (the Jung Dragons, Evan Karagias & Jamie Knoble). Other results saw Shane Douglas win the U.S. Title from General Rection in a "First Blood Match", Chuck Palumbo & Sean Stasiak winning the Tag Team Titles from Kevin Nash & Diamond Dallas Page, Meng winning the Hardcore Title in the three-way match over Terry Funk & Crowbar, and Chavo Guerrero, Jr. retaining the Cruiserweight Title over Shane Helms in what was said to be a very good match. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Two Hours. Location: Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Hosted By: Tony Schiavone & Scott Hudson. HOUR ONE: - Clips are shown of the PPV. "Exclusive footage" from after the PPV shows Ric Flair celebrating with the heels. - Video is shown of Sid breaking his leg. Lord, I can't believe they're showing this. Sid jumps off the corner turnbuckles, set to deliver a double axehandle to Steiner, and on the landing his left shin snaps completely in half, his leg bending and dangling at a sickening angle. Absolutely gruesome. Schiavone says he's going to be out most of the year. I hate Sid as a wrestler, but feel pretty bad for him suffering that injury. The sad thing is there's probably people out there trying to figure out how they faked this. "It's just wrestling!" - Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell, in dark suits, lead a funeral procession to the ring, where a podium and casket are set up. A picture of Goldberg is shown on the big screen. Bagwell cries over the casket, a shot inside revealing a copy of Goldberg's book, a spear and jackhammer. Cute. Luger and Bagwell work the mic, exhorting the crowd to boo and chant "Goldberg!" louder and louder. Jeff Jarrett is brought out to say a few words. Edging a bit too close for my tastes to the emotions he displayed on the Owen Hart memorial show, Jarrett talks about the memories he has of Goldberg, the biggest being ... that Goldberg never beat him. Scott Steiner is out next, running down Goldberg, as well as taking credit for getting rid of Sid. Midajah's wearing a black veil. The commercial break here on the replay has a "Pretender" movie promo added, making it so long that my VCR, paused to edit out the commercial, stops because it's been more than five minutes. At twenty minutes past the hour Ric Flair and Road Warrior Animal come out. Flair say "whoo!" a lot, basically explaining that he's in charge, that the fans can forget about Goldberg, that Steiner is the greatest champ ever, and so on. Flair gets ZERO heel heat here, instead drawing a "whoo!" from the crowd every time *he* does one. The fans also pop when Flair calls some fans at ringside fat. Flair basically dares the "young punks" in the back to take them on. Out comes Kevin Nash, instantly signaling disaster for this company. Yes friends, Nash is now WCW's top babyface. Welcome back, Eric Bischoff. Nash demands a shot at Steiner's title. Flair notes that Nash is all alone out there. Nash says he isn't alone, drawing a crowd pop because they think he means Scott Hall. The noise dies down a bit when Diamond Dallas Page comes out. Nash says he brought someone else, and the fans pop again, then die down again when Rick Steiner comes out. Flair says he's the one who makes the matches around here. Cue the Cat, who comes out and books the match for later tonight: Steiner vs. Nash. Ric Flair=Vince Russo. The Cat=Eric Bischoff. How long until Bischoff returns on-camera to play himself? We're thirty minutes into the show. A TNT "Last Stand at Saber River" promo makes my VCR shut off again. - Flair asks Crowbar if he's going to be on his team? Crowbar says he's a loner. In the background Daffney destroys the mood by making funny faces and blowing bubbles. - CHAVO GUERRERO, JR. vs. CROWBAR Chavo's match at the PPV is almost mentioned in passing, with about five seconds of footage from it shown. Hudson gives it a bit more hype during the match, which starts slowly and takes a few minutes to really get going. I wonder if Crowbar's brains are a bit scrambled from the chairshots he took at the PPV? Things heat up for a minute, then the match pretty much stops after Chavo takes a backflip onto the top rope. Crowbar rests on the turnbuckles for a while, then goes to the floor, the announcers playing up that Crowbar is reverting to hardcore tactics. He sets up a chair on the floor, at which point Chavo springs to life with a plancha, slamming Crowbar's face into the chair. Cool. Back in and Chavo hits a brainbuster and the pin. Uneven, but good--longer than the usual Nitro match. - Bagwell & Luger try to recruit Bam Bam Bigelow into the NWO--err, New Blood--Umm, "Team". - 3 COUNT vs. BILLY KIDMAN/REY MYSTERIO, JR. (w/ Tygress) Not as long as the last match, but much faster-paced and exciting, with lots of highspots. Kidman scores the pin with the Vertebreaker. Mike Awesome & Lance Storm then attack Kidman, while Elix Skipper takes out Mysterio. Kidman is challenged by Storm to a "Hair vs. Hair Match", Kidman vs. Awesome. The tag match from the PPV, by the way, gets a scant mention once each from Schiavone & Hudson, Hudson going on to say "this is what cruiserweight wrestling is supposed to be!" over and over. - Kronik asks for a shot at the Tag Titles as thanks from the Cat for them helping him. - Kidman is destroyed backstage by Team Canada. - Flair asks Chavo to join "The New WCW". Chavo says he'll think about it. Mike Sanders then comes in. The hatchet is buried between the two, Flair saying he knows Sanders was just trying to get over. Flair says he's going to take Sanders under his wing. When Sanders brings up the Tag Title match the Cat just booked, Flair says he has it covered. - Luger & Bagwell sell "The New WCW" to General Rection. - Another commercial? Those TNT promos added during the commercials are definitely making the show run longer than it did live (of which I saw the entire first hour and bits and pieces of the second). HOUR TWO: - KRONIK vs. CHUCK PALUMBO/SEAN O'HAIRE Clean finish, but no surprise that it's Bryan Clark doing the job. Does Brian Adams have a "no job" clause in his contract? Sean Stasiak & Mark Jindrak come out to interfere, then O'Haire pins Clark following the Seanton Bomb (missed by the camera). Kidman is too injured to wrestle, so Konnan volunteers to take his place. Kidman's hair is still on the line. Why make a match then not do it with the guy you put into the match? - Palumbo & O'Haire aren't happy that the other Thrillerz interfered in their match. Beginning of a face turn? - KONNAN (w/ Tygress) vs. MIKE AWESOME Flair appears on the Fusient-Tron and says Kidman's hair is still on the line, which was pretty obvious given the earlier backstage segment, as well as the fact that Konnan's bald. Awesome dominates for most of the match, but Konnan gets the surprise pin off a big DDT. A little bit of Awesome's hair gets cut off before the rest of Team Canada make the save. If they weren't going to cut Awesome's hair then why do the "Hair vs. Hair" stipulation at all, especially since they took Kidman out of the match to begin with? Total Vince Russo booking here. Chavo tries to bury the hatchet between himself and General Rection, but Rection blows him off, saying he has other stuff on his mind. Heel turn? - Awesome complains about his hair being trimmed. I remember seeing a match with the Von Erich's where if they won Gary Hart's head would be shaved. They won, and Hart was held in a chair while his head was shaved completely bald. To me THAT is a "Hair vs. Hair" match. Remember when match stipulations meant something? - THE CAT (w/ Miss Jones) vs. BAM BAM BIGELOW Quick pinfall win by the Cat. Practically a squash. - SHANE DOUGLAS vs. GENERAL RECTION Chavo Guerrero comes out and knocks out Rection with a chain. Pin for Douglas. I give up trying to figure this stuff out. I'd assume this means a feud between the two, but with WCW making everything a swerve again, and them forgetting what they did ten minutes earlier, why bother thinking about it? - Rection, interviewed by Mike Tenay, vows revenge on Chavo. - KEVIN NASH vs. SCOTT STEINER (w/ Midajah) Nash looks fired up here (and why shouldn't he--the guy who handed him the book in '99 is back in charge). Nash actually seems on the verge of winning when Jarrett, Animal, Luger & Bagwell run in, causing the DQ. Welcome to 1999 all over again. DDP & Rick Steiner run out, the show quickly fading to black. - This Wednesday: Nothing announced. - Next week: Nitro is preempted by "The Pretender"--will air Tuesday instead. Comments: WCW's latest "new era" is starting to look a lot like the last few "new eras". Once again they go to a big "Good Guys" vs. "Bad Guys" feud, dividing the promotion, only this time they packed the "Bad Guys" team with some more credible heels. The same old guys are still on top as babyfaces, though. Can't you just feel the openings for Bischoff and Hulk Hogan to return and "save" the company? You know he'd get over just by bringing Goldberg back. And if he can sober up Scott Hall enough to bring him back, the fans would proclaim Bischoff God. The two matches in hour one were a bit above average, but hour two really came off as the same old junk, with meaningless matches, mediocre wrestling, stipulations jammed in where they wouldn't fit, and so on. The angle with Flair going heel, as hackneyed as it was, seemed to have some energy to it at the beginning. They overdid it, though, by using him too much in the second hour. By the end it seemed like business as usual. Heel Flair is no different than babyface Flair, and the fans don't even want to boo him. Isn't it funny that Bischoff now gets to screw over Flair and humiliate him, because Flair is the heel CEO and that's what's supposed to happen? Bischoff gets to live out his real-life fantasies of screwing over Ric Flair on TV. Yay. I have no idea how much input Bischoff had in this show. Probably not much, if any at all. I hope this isn't his direction we're seeing now, because if it is, it's not a very good start. Those who know about the sale were looking for a new direction tonight. Those who don't, well, I doubt this show looked any different than usual. I can see where down the road some younger blood could be mixed into things, but will it, and will they do it before it's too late? Why bring in Road Warrior Animal, then not have him cut a promo, or do something with him to make him a badass heel? He was just ... there. Fans who didn't buy the PPV (which is most of them) can't be thinking they missed anything. If you missed the PPV recap in the first minute you'd have to put two-and-two together on your own to figure out Animal was the mystery man (and some may not even come to that conclusion, what with Rick Steiner on the show as well as part of the babyface team). I'm still a bit queasy from seeing that Sid injury. The positives of the show, in addition to those two first hour matches, were the announcing, and the absence of the excessive, unnecessary profanity. Two announcers instead of three is a major improvement. If Hudson can just tone down a bit it would be even better. He has a tendency to oversell minor things. Overall the show had some direction to it throughout. I'm not sure if I agree with that direction, but it was better than the usual wandering, stumbling course the show usually takes. The live crowd was pretty hot. Does anyone know if they cut something out of the replay? By my clock the show started about a minute before the top of the hour. Then, by the end of the first hour, they seemed to be running anywhere from a minute to three minutes later than they had live. But the show ended right on time. Either the second hour commercials were shorter, or they cut something out, or I'm just wrong on the timing. With the commercials edited out this was one of the shorter Nitro's in memory (barely one hour & twenty-five minutes). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Two Hours+. Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hosted By: Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler. WWF RAW: - Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which may have been recycled from years past. - RIGHT TO CENSOR vs. THE HARDY BOYZ/LITA Suddenly the decision of Nitro to counter with Kronik vs. Palumbo/O'Haire doesn't look too bad. Hot match, but I feel like we've seen it a dozen times before. Chyna comes out late in the match, distracts Ivory, and Lita hits a spear, Twist of Fate, and the pin. Chyna then enters the ring and accepts the challenge Ivory through out on Sunday Night Heat for a Women's Title match. Speaking of Heat, that interview segment they did on there with Michael Cole and Trish Stratus was just horrible. Were that pretaped I doubt the WWF would have ever allowed it to air. Imagine several minutes of bad acting and dead air as they attempt a cheap, weak ripoff of the interrogation scene from "Basic Instinct". Back to this show, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley & Triple H arrive via limo. - Mr. & Mrs. Helmsley hit the ring. Triple H's new music sounds like it's done by Motorhead. The Game says when he's in hotels and airports, everyone tells him to kick Steve Austin's ass. Be that as it may, both he and Stephanie say there will be order tonight. Cue Vince McMahon on the Titan-Tron. Just a little bit of plugging for the XFL going on here, as Vince is standing in front of a large XFL banner, a smaller one too, an XFL jersey handing off a hook, wearing a leather XFL jacket, and resting his arm on an official XFL football. This reminds me of that scene from "Wayne's World" where they drink Pepsi, eat a Dominoes pizza, etc. Vince says if Triple H provokes Steve Austin into a confrontation, then Vince will strip him of his shot against Kurt Angle at the Rumble. If Austin provokes Triple H, then Austin will be out of the Rumble. Wait ... "provokes"? Remember that. Austin & the Dudley Boyz will face Angle, Edge & Christian later tonight. Triple H starts ragging on Angle, saying he's only the champ because he's letting him hold it. Out comes Angle. He says Stephanie had her chance with him, but blew it. Triple H, he may be The Game, but so is Donkey Kong, who is a "big, smelly ape" that people actually like! Angle then brings out Trish Stratus, who gets a bigger pop than he did. Trish says she's with Angle, as well as Vince McMahon, because she likes guys "on top". Stephanie books Trish in a "Spanking Match" against Jacqueline. Typically, that segment went way too long for what it accomplished. - Triple H & Steph are shown for what I'm sure will be the first of many backstage clips. - RAVEN vs. TEST As usual things are barely underway when Hardcore Holly and Steve Blackman run in. Holly does the repeated trash can lid shots to the head on Blackman which really pop the crowd. The action spills to the backstage area, where William Regal appears out of nowhere and pastes Test with his European Title belt. Raven covers for the pin, then escapes in a waiting car. The car driver is officially our newest mystery. Holly and Blackman accuse each other of costing them the Hardcore Title, and a challenge is made for a match later. Who did Raven piss off by having his push ruined by the inclusion of these two in every one of his matches? Hopefully they'll spin off onto a Heat feud. The Rock is in the building. - The Rock says the usual, this time drawing inspiration from the speeches of Dr. King. The Rock teams with the Undertaker to face Rikishi & Kane later tonight. There's another match it seems like we've seen too many times. - The Dudleyz tell Michael Cole that they'll team with Austin tonight, but there's still the matter of what he did to them on SmackDown! (interrupted a six-man match with chairshots) to be sorted out. - Triple H phones up Vince to tell him Drew Carey is a mark for him (Triple H) and would like to be a part of the Royal Rumble. Huh? They then tell him that the Rock is unhappy with teaming up with the Undertaker again. Vince changes the match, so now it's the Rock & Kane vs. Rikishi & the Undertaker. WWF WAR ZONE: - Players from the Milwaukee Bucks are at ringside. - THE ROCK/KANE vs. RIKISHI/THE UNDERTAKER Rikishi and the Rock start things off, neither man gaining an advantage over the other. Kane is then tagged in and he sends Rikishi reeling. The Undertaker tags himself in by punching Rikishi. The Rock tags himself in as well, and we get a long stretch with the Rock and Undertaker going at it. The strange parallels between the Undertaker and Kevin Nash continue, as on a night Nash wrestles a match fired up, so does the Undertaker. Kane and Rikishi brawl to the floor, Rikishi being put down for good with a shot from the ring bell. Back in the ring the Rock plants the Undertaker with a spinebuster. He waits to deliver the Rock Bottom, but Kane comes in and chokeslams him. The Undertaker then hoists the Rock up for the Last Ride. The Rock, though, is slow in shifting his weight and grabbing the Undertaker's head, so the Undertaker loses his grip and nearly drops the Rock on his head. Ugly. The Undertaker picks him back up and this time the move is done smoothly. The Undertaker covers for the pin. Decent match. (Will the Rock pin him this Thursday? That's usually how Rock jobs work. He always gets his heat back on his show, SmackDown!) Chris Benoit grabs a ladder backstage. - Benoit is out to hype his Ladder Match with Chris Jericho at the Rumble. He cues up a video, set to Y2J's music, showing Benoit kicking Jericho's ass every way imaginable. This promo, by the way, is delivered by Benoit straddling the top of the ladder. So of course Jericho sneaks in through the crowd and topples the ladder over. This PPV match has tons of potential, and how well it comes off will probably set the tone for fan reaction to the show. The Dudleyz are destroyed in a backstage sneak attack by Edge & Christian. - Replay of the backstage attack. - Triple H is pleased by this turn of events, but Stephanie thinks they should call Vince. - HARDCORE HOLLY vs. STEVE BLACKMAN This is a non-hardcore match, which never really gets on track. Referee Teddy Long takes some punishment and bails on the match. Holly & Blackman fight for a bit longer, killing the crowd even more. And to think, they could have eliminated this match, given the extra time to the Raven/Test match, not had Holly & Blackman get involved, and perhaps have put on a hardcore match fans might have talked about the next day. Instead we get the two worst matches of the night for either show. Vince is annoyed that Stephanie has called him again, and states the obvious: Austin either has to find two new partners, or will go it alone in a three-on-one handicap match. He then asks how everyone is doing, such as Kane, Trish and Essa Rios(!)? Stephanie says Trish is wearing a "brand SPANKING new outfit". Vince says he'd liked to have seen that. Triple H makes a face. Trish vogues in front of a camera. - Austin is lacing 'em up. - TRISH STRATUS vs. JACQUELINE Trish is damn close to getting Sable-over. She and Jackie basically whip each other with leather straps. Jacqueline pulls up Trish's shirt. Lawler: "I've got to go to the bathroom!" Ross: "Don't get up now or you'll embarrass us all!" Kurt Angle comes out to pull Trish from the ring. Jacqueline pulls down Trish's pants, revealing a thong, and spanks her with the strap, winning the match. Goes without saying that this is THE GREATEST RAW EVER! - The GREATEST REPLAY EVER shows the ass again. - Lawler is back from the bathroom ... taking care of business. - K-KWIK/TOO COOL vs. TAZZ/KAIENTAI Tazz appreciated what Kaientai did to "Too Fool" on Heat. Taka Michinoku's voiceover congratulates Tazz on the joke he made, replacing the "C" with an "F" to come up with "Too Fool". Funaki: "INDEED!" Some good action here, with Taka doing the drop-kick to the face, K-Kwik hitting the backflip he botched so badly on SmackDown!, and Scotty Too Hotty doing the Worm on Tazz. K-Kwik then goes for a cover on Tazz, but Funaki breaks it up. Tazz locks on the Tazzmission and gets the win. I like the line Taka had on Heat: "We're not to be trusted--we're EVIL!" Funaki: "INDEED!" Angle, concerned for the well-being of Trish's ass, gives her the rest of the night off. - Royal Rumble moment from 2000 shows Rikishi dancing with Too Cool, then eliminating both with a double clothesline. - Austin is pacing. - Triple H comes up with a plan. - Plug for the "Tough Enough" contest. - Replay of the Chyna angle from the top of the show. - Billy Gunn, looking like a huge Carson Daly, is at WWF New York. - KURT ANGLE/EDGE/CHRISTIAN vs. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN Austin has a smile on his face, and moments into the match he's joined by the Acolytes. Hot, if unremarkable action, until the APA and Edge and Christian brawl away from the ring area. That leaves Angle and Austin all alone. Austin suplexes Angle off the top. Here comes Triple H out onto the stage. Low blow by Angle behind the ref's back. Near-fall by Angle. Fast-forward to the finish: Angle comes off the turnbuckles, but Austin steps back, catches Angle with a kick to the gut, and hits the Stunner for the win. Better main event than Nitro, with an actual finish, but somehow I doubt anyone will give it the credit it deserves. Triple H approaches the ring, taunting Austin. Ross says if either attacks they lose their Rumble matches, but Lawler keeps saying it'll happen if either one provokes the other. Umm ... isn't that CLEARLY what Triple H is doing here? Triple H gets nose-to-nose with Austin, questioning his manhood, and ordering him to attack. Austin drops to the floor and grabs a chair. He circles Triple H. The crowd is going nuts, and actually pops when Austin throws down the chair, flips Triple H the double bird, and leaves the ring. Austin gets all the way to the stage when Triple H calls him a name so heinous it has to be bleeped out. The crowd gives a big Jerry Springer "ooh!" Austin's eyes go wide, and he charges Triple H. The crowd's resigned to the two fighting, but pop even louder when out of nowhere Kurt Angle drops Triple H with the Olympic Slam! Angle celebrates, only to be himself taken out with a Stone Cold Stunner. Austin is tossed some beer, lays the badmouth on Triple H, flips him off, and leaves as the show fades out. Great finish. - This Thursday: Nothing announced. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Average show. Solid in building to the Royal Rumble, but without any real fire or standout wrestling matches (though all were decent enough). Easily missable if one has already decided to order the Rumble. I expect more of the same from SmackDown! this Thursday. Here's the Rumble card, aside from the Royal Rumble itself: * Kurt Angle vs. Triple H for the WWF Championship. * Edge & Christian vs. the Dudley Boyz for the Tag Team Titles. * Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho. "Ladder Match" for the Intercontinental Title. * Ivory vs. Chyna for the Women's Championship. I'm sure there's another match there that didn't get hyped too well tonight. Maybe William Regal vs. Test for the European Title. I'm not so convinced of the WWF's course anymore leading into WrestleMania. Austin vs. the Rock seems to be the big money match. They could also do Austin vs. Triple H. One would think they'd have Triple H win the belt from Angle at the Rumble, have the Rock win the Rumble itself, then have Austin win the belt from Triple H at the February PPV. That sets up Austin vs. Rock for the title at WrestleMania. They could also have Austin cost Triple H the match at the Rumble, then have Austin win the title from Angle in February. Or ... maybe neither Triple H nor Austin win the belt, leading to a WrestleMania grudge match between the two. Then maybe the Rock would face Angle at WrestleMania for the title. Don't forget the rumors of Shawn Michaels coming back and facing Triple H at WrestleMania. That would fit in nicely with the Austin vs. Rock scenario, with Michaels perhaps causing Triple H the title loss somehow, setting up their match. Until and if Michaels comes back, though, we can only really speculate based on what we know, and that's either Austin vs. Rock at WrestleMania, or Austin vs. Triple H. Or maybe a three-way between them. Ow ... my head hurts. Whatever the WWF's plan is, we should have a pretty good idea of what it is after the Rumble. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: If WCW gets any kind of ratings momentum this week it's going to be dealt a strong blow next week. Nitro is preempted until Tuesday. RAW will be a post-PPV show with a clean slate booking-wise, meaning they can pull out the stops to begin hyping the next PPV, and the march to WrestleMania. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 2001 by John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those of "USLink". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week. Volume One, Number 270 of the "Monday Night Recap", January 15th, 2001.