Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #253 September 18th, 2000 The Opening Word: Fall Brawl might be remembered by some as a show of upsets. Its top three matches saw finishes which, while not completely surprising, weren't exactly what everyone expected. Jeff Jarrett's loss to Mike Awesome was one of those jobs where the loser actually comes out ahead of the winner. Completely upstaging Awesome's participation in the match was the interaction between Jarrett and guest "celebrity" Gary Coleman. Jarrett also lost as a direct result of interference from Sting, with his run-in serving no purpose other than to instigate a feud between the two. Moving from Awesome to Sting is definitely an improvement for Jarrett. Awesome, his victory over Jarrett will only mean anything if WCW actively builds upon it. If Awesome moves on from this to feuding with someone like Shane Douglas, or he continues to fight Jarrett and gives him the win back, any momentum that Awesome's career could have earned will be lost. Goldberg's loss to Scott Steiner was perhaps the most surprising on the show. It's not surprising, though, that it comes about because of interference from Vince Russo and Midajah. It obviously satiated Goldberg's ego to lose in such a fashion, having the old Hulk Hogan excuse to fall back on when explaining the loss ("he didn't beat me, I lost because of the outside interference"). Steiner, he'll just be content to claim a victory over Goldberg, no matter how tainted. I wouldn't say the loser comes out better than the winner here, but most fans will side with Goldberg in saying Steiner didn't really beat him, while those few fans who dislike Goldberg certainly took some satisfaction in seeing the big man do a job. If ever there was a job designed to earn a booker brownie points, this was it. WCW had all but promised that Booker T would beat Kevin Nash, when fan reaction to Nash winning the title last month was so negative. I myself thought Nash might lobby to keep the title, taking credit for the company's recent minor ratings resurgence. I was wrong, because I didn't take into account what a truly diabolical genius Nash really is. Like Russo earning brownie points for getting Goldberg to do a job, Nash has earned himself the same from fans critical of him. It's hard to believe he did the job for any sense of duty he may have felt to Booker or the company, or that he did it simply because he was asked to, because it might be the "right thing to do." Nash's reputation as a backstage manipulator is too great to assume that. Fans ready to rip Nash apart for not doing a job have instead been lured into praising him, blindsided by what may have been Nash's most clean pinfall loss since his WWF days. Nash almost certainly earned points with the boys in the lockerroom. Without the belt Nash can now focus on his real goal in WCW these days: getting Scott Hall brought back to television. The only question is will the two reunite as a heel tag team, or feud against each other, or will Nash do a babyface turn and soak up the cheers alongside Hall? I'd bet on the third option myself. Some might say WCW turned a corner on the road of their comeback. Others might not be as optimistic. It's notable that many of the positive reviews for Fall Brawl stem from positive reaction to the actual wrestling, and the impact the abovementioned finishes had on fans. If WCW brings some of that quality wrestling to their TV product, and can convince the fans that the ego-driven backstage politics of the past have been put to rest, WCW could see better days ahead. If not, and wrestling on Nitro and Thunder continues to be poor, and the egos resurface, little will have been gained from this PPV. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Two Hours+. Location: Kitchener, Ontario Canada. Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson & Mark Madden. HOUR ONE: - TYGRESS/REY MYSTERIO, JR. vs. THE NATURAL BORN THRILLERZ It's four-on-two, picking up where the PPV match left off. Seconds into the match Mysterio & Tygress get fluke pins on two of the Thrillerz. That leaves Sean Stasiak & Chuck Palumbo for the Thrillerz. Kwee Wee runs in and hits Stasiak with a chair. Palumbo pins Mysterio, as Tygress pins Stasiak. Tygress then rolls up Palumbo, getting the final deciding pin. No wait, I guess Mike Sanders is in this too, and he comes in but, sure enough, Tygress pins him too. Whatever. Talk about straining the boundaries of credibility. By the way, Paul Orndorff has left the hospital and will be okay. A look at Goldberg's dressing room door. - Kevin Nash chews out the Thrillerz for losing. He diagrams on a chalkboard what they were supposed to do. Connecting the dots it spells "you suck." This, of course, raises the question: where were Vince Russo and everyone else when Nash lost to Booker T at the PPV? Shouldn't Nash be pissed at Russo for not watching his back? - Stills from the PPV are shown. - Goldberg's music starts up, and they cut to his door, but out comes Vince Russo. Mark Madden says Russo had a second brain installed last week, making him smarter than everyone else. Schiavone forgets to complain about the asinine "brain surgery" bit from last week. Once in the ring Russo compares himself to King Kong. He starts reading a registered letter Goldberg supposedly wrote him. "Goldberg" writes that he's let the fans down, that he's a total disgrace, a loser, and he resigns from WCW. "Goldberg" suggests all the kids out there look up to Vince Russo as their hero. "P.S. you are my GOD!" Russo then brings out Scott Steiner. Steiner apologizes to Goldberg's fans for making him retire. Many fans suddenly break into a "Goldberg sucks!" chant, and they pop loudly when he declares his intentions to win the World Title. That's ... unexpected. Russo plays the tension card, saying Steiner doesn't necessarily get a title shot. Out comes Jeff Jarrett, saying he deserves a title shot because he didn't lose to Sting last Thursday. Now here comes Kevin Nash, saying he deserves the title shot, because he got cheated in the cage at the PPV. Huh? It's like Nash didn't even lose the title, they're just squabbling over who gets the next shot at Booker T. To settle all this Russo books a tag team match, with the winner getting a title shot next week. Jarrett and Steiner have to be partners. But who is Nash's partner? Russo says it's ... him. He's always wanted to be a champion, and in New York next week he's getting a shot at the title. Hmmm, phony tension between The Band members for the fourth week in a row ... another SHOCKING SWERVE in the works? - Steiner and Jarrett yell at Nash backstage. Schiavone is, of course, buying all this "tension" hook, line & sinker. - SHANE DOUGLAS/TORRIE WILSON vs. KWEE WEE/PAISLEY Madden makes a Ted Nugent comment for no reason. In the time it took me to get a soda from the fridge this one was over, Douglas pinning Paisley for a five count. Russo begins to unveil his strategy to Nash. - Now Russo's doing the chalkboard bit. Nash takes over, writing "BITE ME," in a bit inspired by an O.J. Simpson sketch on "Saturday Night Live." - Pamela gets comments from Booker T, but is interrupted by Sting, who tells him to save it for their match. Booker takes offense and the two come to blows. You know, Sting is the last guy who should be griping about anyone's catchphrases. - Disco Inferno barges into the Cat's office, carrying a duck (goose?) statue ("Disco Duck," his "visual aid"). Yadda yadda yadda--Disco versus the Cat, later tonight, the Commissionership of WCW on the line. - Sting tears apart his dressing room. Booker does the same. - THE CAT vs. DISQO Oh ... "Disqo." Disqo tries to tell the Filthy Animals that all they have to do is run in and knock out the Cat, making Disqo the commissioner, but they're assholes, so they'd rather call him names and say what a dork he is. Somehow the Tag Team Titles get involved, and about five seconds into the match the Cat pins Disqo, keeping his title as commissioner, as well as stripping the Filthy Animals of the Tag Titles. The hour is almost over and we've had barely five minutes of wrestling (and nearly thirty minutes of Vince Russo). Speaking of whom, looks like Nash isn't going to be Russo's partner, so he has to find someone else. - Disqo, still running from the Animals, escapes in his rental vehicle. - "Who is going to be Russo's tag team partner?" Madden starts going through the "is it someone in WCW, someone outside WCW ..." routine. - They play an interview with David Flair, taped at David's house. I assume this is the one they showed on the PPV? David is nuts, thinks Reid Flair got Stacy pregnant, then attacks the mailman when it's suggested Ric Flair is the real father. And people thought this was funny?! - M.I. Smooth is in the ring, offering to sell David some info regarding who the father is. David, now totally reverted to his crowbar-wielding gimmick, runs out. He has a tape to sell, recorded by Billy Kidman, or something. Flair pays him, then hits him with the crowbar and runs away with the tape. Steiner and Jarrett come in and yell at Russo. He gets them talking smack about Kronik for no reason. ... and that's the end of the hour. Wow. HOUR TWO: - David tries to watch the tape he bought from Smooth, but he's "so crazy" that he knocks a tech guy out before the tape can be played. - Russo gives "Above Average" Mike Sanders an audio tape to deliver to Kronik. (Ah, that last bit he was in, he started a tape recorder running just as Jarrett & Steiner came in.) He compliments Sanders on being a good ass-kisser. God, Russo's even involving himself in skits with the undercard guys tonight--again raising the question, why didn't he lift a finger to help Nash at the PPV? - BOOKER T vs. STING The crowd is so heavily on Sting's side and booing Booker that even Schiavone has to comment on it. No match to speak of, as Jarrett and Steiner run in and lay the two out. Is this the same company that's earning rave reviews for their PPV? Sanders gives Brian Clark the tape. Fortunately Clark just happens to have a tape player so he can listen to it. - Jimmy Hart tells David he can watch that tape on a VCR in Smooth's limo. David thanks him with a swing of the crowbar. - Kronik, preceded by the odor of marijuana (which the Cat smells), busts into the Cat's office, demanding a match with Jarrett & Steiner. The Cat books the match. - Lance Storm comes out with Major Gunns and Elix Skipper. He brings out a clean-shaven "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, who cuts a promo on the United States, saying the fans there treated him like garbage. I love when they do turns that make no sense, and try to explain them with storylines that also make no sense. The Canadian crowd embraces Duggan as one of their own. The Misfits in action run in, leading to ... THE MISFITS IN ACTION vs. TEAM CANADA (w/ Major Gunns) Another nothing match, with Duggan pinning General Rection after hitting him with a 2X4. Storm & Duggan then do a number on Rection's leg afterward. Once again the Canadian wrestlers CHEAT LIKE HELL to win and the Canadian fans don't mind a bit. More Russo, getting yelled at by Jarrett & Steiner again. - Mike Awesome and--oh lord--Gary Coleman arrive on "That 70's Bus." Coleman wants a piece of Jarrett. Vampiro lurks nearby. - Kronik, waiting in the ring, are confronted by Kevin Nash and the Natural Born Thrillerz. Nash says Kronik aren't in Jarrett & Steiner's league, so they'll face some Thrillerz instead. Mike Sanders and Johnny The Bull are "volunteered" for the match. KRONIK vs. MIKE SANDERS/JOHNNY THE BULL Squash, with Kronik taking those two out, then the rest of the Thrillerz, only to be attacked and beaten by Jarrett & Steiner. Russo reaches a door, the announcers hysterically wondering "WHO IS VINCE RUSSO'S PARTNER GONNA BE!!!" - Awesome finds his bus vandalized by Vampiro. - Russo asks Sting to be his partner. Sting rips Russo's head off--no wait, he instead allows himself to be goaded into being Russo's partner. - Just so we understand that next week's show is much more important than this week's show, they hype a "Miss WCW" contest to take place next week. - MIKE AWESOME vs. VAMPIRO Schiavone's "friends on WCW.com" are somehow able to confirm that Sting will be Russo's partner (i.e. they're WATCHING THE SHOW like we are). Awesome is constantly referred to as "That 70's Guy." Decent match--the first of the show--fought under Hardcore Rules, with Awesome getting the pin after putting Vampiro through a table at ringside. Booker T has a staredown with Russo. RUSSO RUSSO RUSSO! Can't get enough RUSSO!!! - David watches the tape and goes nuts. Of course we don't see it, but the announcers suggest we might learn what was on it this Thursday, when Mike Tenay interviews Stacy Kiebler. I bet he acts like a jerk to her. At this point I'm assuming Russo is the father. - STING/BOOKER T vs. JEFF JARRETT/MIKE AWESOME Um, yeah, okay. Booker takes Russo's place. The match starts off looking like it will be okay, but then Midajah and Miss Jones run in. The match goes on, a few minutes killed with Booker in a sleeperhold. Booker kicks things up a notch and has Steiner on the defensive. Cut to the aisle, where Kronik has come out to beat on Jarrett. Back to the ring, Steiner has Booker in the Recliner. Huh? Out comes Vince Russo, limping, carrying a bat. As he hits the ring Steiner grabs him. Russo tosses the bat accidentally-on-purpose to Booker. Booker uses the bat on Steiner, then puts RUSSO on top for the pin! WHAT?! So the guy not even in the match gets the win? Booker says he'll see Russo's ass next week. The crowd, not understanding nor liking what they've just seen, boo loudly and chant Goldberg's name. (Of course Goldberg got hurt again, at the PPV, so god knows how long he'll be gone.) - This Wednesday: Mike Tenay interviews Miss Hancock. - Next week: Booker T vs. Vince Russo. Comments: Once again Russo shows that he has no patience, sense of pacing, nor any idea how to write a storyline that makes sense. What was the point of his taping Jarrett & Steiner and forcing them to wrestle a second match? Was Kronik supposed to soften them up so that Russo would win the main event? Why then did he let Sting and Booker T be part of the match? Of course Russo comes out on top, all his plans coming to fruition, though this time it's only because Booker did something incredibly illogical that Russo got the win. Was Russo so smart that he KNEW he would be knocked out, and that Booker would have the match won, but let Russo get the pinfall anyway? Did Booker HAVE TO give Russo the win here just to assure he'd get his hands on him next week? Wouldn't the smart thing to do be to win the match, forcing the rest to beat the hell out of each other again on Thunder or next week on Nitro? And what are Jarrett & Steiner's motivations in all this? Shouldn't they have murdered Russo after they learned he secretly tape-recorded them? And what was the deal with Nash, basically walking away from a shot at the World Title? Wanna bet this is all part of a SHOCKING SWERVE whereby Booker turns heel next week? Russo's booking is like a connect-the-dots picture ... when you're done connecting the dots there *is* a picture there, but it's a of a fish wearing a dress, or a monkey humping a tree stump--something like that. You see the picture, but it makes no sense. Maybe you see something that makes you laugh, or there's a few seconds of good wrestling, or T&A and swearing (areas where WCW is miles ahead of the WWF right now--so much for those arguments about WCW not being able to go as far as them), but overall WCW isn't able to put them altogether to form a coherent picture--a good show. That's what WCW is still missing, and it's what Russo has shown an inability to bring to the company since the day he came in. Can you believe they're going to hype their most important show of the year--maybe ever--by advertising a Booker T/Vince Russo match? What the hell happened to Gary Coleman? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Two Hours+. Location: Chicago, Illinois. Hosted By: Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler. WWF RAW: - Jim Ross announces that the WWF is leaving the USA Network. More details to come. - Stephanie McMahon-Helmlsey hits the ring to begin our TWENTY-ONE MINUTE opening interview. Long story short, she says some stuff, Kurt Angle comes out and he says some stuff, then Triple H comes out and he says some stuff. At about the fifteen minute mark things finally start getting good, with Triple H showing some footage of Angle winning the gold medal in the '96 Olympics. Angle is shown with a guy's head in his crotch, hugging a referee, and crying like a girl when he's awarded the medal. Triple H admits that he believes Angle when he says he and Stephanie are just friends, as Angle is obviously "playing for the other team." Then Mick Foley comes out, shares a laugh with Triple H, gets his cheap pop from the Chicago crowd, and ends the segment announcing a six-person tag match with Triple H, Angle and Stephanie versus T&A and Trish Stratus. They've GOT to figure out a way to do these things in half the time. The Acolytes attack Right to Censor, but with the numbers on their side RTC come out on top. - RIGHT TO CENSOR (w/ Steven Richards & Val Venis) vs. THE DUDLEY BOYZ Typical match from this group, with the Dudleyz going through their usual routine, but before a table can come into play Richards drops Buh-Buh Ray Dudley with a Steviekick, giving the RTC the pin. The Acolytes then run in to even up the odds. The Rock has arrived. - The Rock comes out and calls out the Undertaker. The Undertaker comes out and really lets the Rock have it, saying he can raise all the eyebrows he wants and pinch monkey nipples and shoves things up people's asses and whatever--if he doesn't watch out the Undertaker will go medieval on his ass. Commissioner Foley comes out, reminds the Rock that he doesn't have to be pinned at the PPV to lose his title, and says if the two want to go at each other tonight they can. God, now here comes Chris Benoit. If anyone deserves a shot at the title it's him. Can Kane be too far behind? Nope--here comes the Big Red Machine. Foley makes a ruling: the Rock versus the Undertaker (non-title), and Benoit versus Kane. Benoit and Kane begin to brawl, while the Rock and Undertaker stare down. This is looking like Nitro's first hour, except that instead of hyping next week's show they're hyping this Sunday's PPV. - Hugh Hefner, in a clip taped earlier in the day, says Eddie Guerrero can't stop Chyna's Playboy issue from coming out. Back live Eddie apologizes for storming the Playboy Mansion last Thursday. Chyna says everything will be okay. Suddenly Eddie doesn't feel well, so Chyna leaves to get him a drink. - KANE vs. CHRIS BENOIT The two brawl down the ramp, fighting since Foley announced the match between the two. Not much happens in the match before Benoit is DQ'ed for hitting Kane with the ring bell. He also lands the flying headbutt, but Kane sits up, and Benoit decides to call it a night. Ross is mentioning the move to TNN about once every minute now. T&A crack a joke at Stephanie's expense. Triple H & Stephanie discuss some strategy. Kurt Angle comes in and says he'll be out there to protect Stephanie. Triple H asks him not to hit on him. Angle says he won't if Triple H remembers not to hit his wife. WWF WAR ZONE: - T&A/TRISH STRATUS vs. TRIPLE H/KURT ANGLE/STEPHANIE MCMAHON-HELMSLEY Heat segment on Angle leads to him tagging in Stephanie. The rules are that if one woman tags in, the other has to tag in, but Triple H comes in and gets a cover before he's pulled out of the ring. Test and Trish abuse Stephanie a bit, but when the ref isn't looking Triple H knocks Trish off the apron, dumps Albert out of the ring and gives Test the Pedigree. He drags Stephanie on top of him and she gets the pin. Stephanie and Triple H celebrate, with Angle sneaking in to give Steph a hug as well. Triple H spears him, drawing a HUGE pop from the crowd. - Eddie, wrapped in a blanket with a thermometer in his mouth, says he's too sick to wrestle Rikishi tonight. Chyna offers to take his place. - Tazz runs Lillian Garcia off and replaces her as ring announcer. CHYNA vs. RIKISHI Eddie comes out, still wrapped in the blanket. Rikishi attacks, dragging Eddie into the ring and splashing him in the corner. Chyna is forced to attack Rikishi to stop him beating on Eddie. Eddie then whips the blanket off and sprays Rikishi with Mace. Chyna goes to check on Rikishi, but with him blinded he doesn't know who it is, and he gives her the Samoan Drop. He then drags her over to the corner and drops the ass. Tazz announces Rikishi as the winner. - Steven William Regal makes his return to the WWF by giving an etiquette lesson. Using a table set up in the ring he shows in what order to use the silverware, and how to use one's napkin ("it's not your enemy"). He's interrupted by the Y2J Countdown, Chris Jericho coming out to tell him to shut the hell up. Jericho says he's going to perform the "pull the tablecloth out without disturbing the dishes" trick, but instead wraps the tablecloth up and throws everything out of the ring. He is then attacked from behind by X-Pac with a pair of nunchucks. X-Pac then puts the card table on Jericho and jumps on it. Tazz has a good laugh over Jericho getting laid out. The Rock is pacing. - EDGE/CHRISTIAN vs. TOO COOL Some decent action in this one, crammed into a short match, the finish seeing Edge pin Grandmaster Sexay following a shot with a Tag Title belt. Tazz, in announcing E&C as the winners, gets on the King's nerves, and is escorted out by security. The Undertaker is warming up for his match. - Naked Man is on the loose at WWF New York. - Foley comes out one last time to announce that the WWF has registered 80,000 voters, but that as of yet Al Gore and George W. Bush haven't accepted the SmackDown Challenge. Foley says they should ignore the pressure groups, the special interests, and come and debate on the show. - Benoit has joined the commentary team. THE ROCK vs. THE UNDERTAKER Hot match. A short way into the match the ref goes down, right before the Undertaker delivers a big DDT. Cover, but no ref to count the pin. The match continues, with the Rock rallying back, and just about to deliver Rock Bottom, but the Undertaker breaks out of it and delivers a monster chokeslam--the Last Ride. 1 ... 2 ... 3! CLEAN PIN! No run-ins, foreign objects, or excuses. There must be something going around these days. Kane and Benoit run in, but they're taken care of, and the show ends with the Rock giving the Undertaker the Rock Bottom he was denied a minute earlier. - This Thursday: Nothing announced. - Next week: RAW debuts on The Nashville Network. Comments: As is often the case these days it seems like the PPV is coming a week too late. RAW and SmackDown! did a very good job last week of hyping the PPV. Then there's one more RAW, which does its job in hyping the show, but it in itself wasn't a very good show. The stuff with Angle was funny, and the main event was okay, the whole rest of the show seemed a throwaway, especially the first hour. The Torch reports that Viacom was awarded a favorable decision in the appeal case this afternoon, meaning the way is free and clear for the WWF to move to TNN. All throughout the show Ross talked about the move, at one point politely thanking USA for all the years they've been a broadcast partner. Some kind of highlights show, perhaps using Live Wire or Superstars, would be nice, but I suspect the bitterness the WWF is feeling over the last few weeks of the legal battle has convinced them it's best to pack up their bags and get out as quickly as possible. Here's the card for Unforgiven: * The Rock vs. Undertaker vs. Kane vs. Chris Benoit. "Fatal Four Way" for the WWF Championship. * Triple H vs. Kurt Angle, with Mick Foley as special referee. * Eddie Guerrero vs. Rikishi. Intercontinental Title Match. * Tazz vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler. "Leather Strap Match." * Edge & Christian vs. the Hardy Boyz. "Steel Cage" Tag Team Title Match. * Chris Jericho vs. X-Pac. * The Dudley Boyz & the Acolytes vs. Right To Censor. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: The shows may have faced some stiff ratings competition this week. NBC was airing Olympic Games coverage. ABC had Dallas vs. Washington on "Monday Night Football." CBS was rerunning "Survivor." And FOX had a repeat of "Dumb & Dumber." Singly, none of those would put a huge dent in wrestling's ratings, but collectively they could have had an impact. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 2000 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 253 of the "Monday Night Recap", September 18th, 2000.