Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #261 October 13th, 2000 The Opening Word: The "Will The WWF Buy WCW?" saga was finally put to a rest last week when the WWF officially announced that they would not be buying the company. The reasons for the deal not going through are trivial--suffice it to say the WWF didn't get a deal at their terms and walked away. With the protracted negotiations having driven away other potential buyers for the company, it's likely that WCW will remain in Time Warner hands, the company hopeful that they can turn business around before new owner AOL decides to pull the plug. Barring a surprise offer from an Eric Bischoff-led group of investors, some other unknown buyer out there, or the WWF reentering the picture, what's likely ahead is a long and painful experience for wrestling fans, watching WCW get even worse before it gets better. The wrestling fan of today has become used to a certain standard in wrestling. WCW played a big part three or fours years ago in setting that standard. The WWF sets the standard today. For more than a year now WCW hasn't been able to live up to that standard, and with massive budget cuts and talent firings and an inevitable string of management changes yet to come there's no sign WCW has any hope to change that in the near future. Right now WCW is considered by wrestling fans a competitor of the WWF through force of habit only. In terms of talent, and the business that they're drawing, WCW is really no more of a competitor to the WWF than any other wrestling promotion out there. The only advantage they have over an ECW or anyone else is their national cable exposure, and the still-unchecked ability to waste millions of dollars. Things are only going to get worse for WCW. Already we've seen them nearly eliminate their house show tours because the crowds were so small they weren't covering the costs of putting on the shows. WCW has to go overseas to draw the crowds they once used to. And as WCW continues to trim the fat, the older name wrestlers they still have responsible for drawing what few fans they do draw will be phased out, meaning the crowds are likely to get even smaller before they get bigger. WCW needs to start over from scratch. A new look might be called for. A new name for the company might even be necessary. The cancers in the lockerroom will eventually be eliminated, if for no other reason than their contracts will run out and they'll try to go to the WWF. Business will dwindle until it hits some as-yet unimaginable low. Then they'll begin the long, slow climb back up. Perhaps in two years, five years, maybe ten years they'll be back on par with the WWF (the WWF suffering a major slump of their own would help in that regard--not that any fan can seriously be hoping for the WWF to go into the tank). That's what should happen, and will if there's anyone left in WCW with any brains. It's going to suck as a fan to have to watch WCW get worse before it gets better, but that's the inevitable outcome given the changes that need to be made to get WCW's costs under control. There is another possibility, one which is pretty damn scary, but one that cannot be discounted given the way wrestling works. There's always a chance that someone in WCW, rather than drafting out a longterm plan to turn the company around, will instead gamble the company's future on a hotshot angle of some kind, hoping that they're just one idea away from being back in the race with the WWF. Maybe a Terry Taylor, or Vince Russo, or maybe even an Eric Bischoff, will come up with an idea which they think will reinvent the wheel (so to speak) and turn the wrestling business upside-down. They've tried it before, and maybe they'll think they have the one idea this time that could do the job. Imagine them going to AOL-Time Warner and asking for a month or three months to try their idea, and if it fails then WCW can be thrown on the scrap heap. I pray such an idea would work, because it would have to, otherwise WCW is gone forever. There are already disturbing signs that that's the route WCW may take. Diamond Dallas Page being back on TV, the interpromotional deal with Battle Dome, rumors of Hulk Hogan coming back, and Eric Bischoff floating around out there somewhere still to be reckoned with, all seem to point to the company trying a grandstand play, rather than aiming low and building for the future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Taped 11/10. Length: Two Hours. Location: London, England. Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay & Stevie Ray. HOUR ONE: - Highlights package. - Sold out crowd of over 10,000 in the London Arena. Mark Madden is nowhere to be seen or heard, which I'd have to say is a major plus for the show. - Wrestlers begin filtering out to the ring area. Ric Flair then enters to make a few announcements. First, he tells Mike Sanders that he (Flair) has the power to overrule him (Sanders), and that he'll be keeping an eye on him. Flair then announces a "London Lethal Lottery" tournament to start tonight. Eight WCW wrestlers will be chosen at random. Sure. The teams are: * Mike Awesome & Bam Bam Bigelow. * Booker T & Lex Luger. * Boogie Knights. * Scott Steiner & Sting. The members of the surviving team will square off on Thunder, the winner there getting a shot at the World Title the night after Mayhem. As usually happens with the Lethal Lottery at least one established tag team just happens to get in, while the other teams, as always, are mismatched babyface/heel combos. Lame. Ric Flair then calls for Steiner to come out (he being the only wrestler on the roster not out yet). Steiner comes out, and before you know it a big brawl breaks out. I remember one year, 1995 I believe, they did one of these and my brother and I watched the drawings on WCW Saturday Night. This was before taping info was widely available on the Internet. We accurately predicted EVERY pairing after they'd name the first partner. It was always either an established tag team or two guys who were currently feuding. I've hated the gimmick ever since. - Crowbar, being interviewed, is interrupted by Big Vito, who takes credit for Crowbar winning the Hardcore Title from Reno. - Lance Storm asks Mike Sanders for a match with General Rection. Steiner then comes in complaining about something. - CROWBAR vs. BIG VITO After a plunder tour through the back, Big Vito pulls a table out from under the ring. The crowd lets loose with the obligatory "table!" chant, showing just how popular the WWF is in the UK. The next few minutes are spent with Vito trying to put Crowbar through the table, but Crowbar keeps moving before Vito can come off the top turnbuckle. A ref bump signals that the bookers have no idea what a NO DQ match means. Reno runs in and hits Vito with a baseball bat. Crowbar suplexes Vito off the top, through the table, and covers for the pin. Kevin Nash is in the back. I can't believe they turned him face again last week. - Mean Gene interviews Mike Awesome & Bam Bam Bigelow. Awesome immediately reminds us how phony these Lethal Lottery picks are by pointing out that Bigelow attacked Awesome's best buddy, Crowbar, last week. - Sanders and the Natural Born Thrillerz hit the ring. Sanders makes an election joke by saying his group won the vote for pulling off the biggest swerve last week. Schiavone demands a recount. Sanders calls Nash a manipulator. Nash is S.O.L. That's "Shit Outta Luck" for those few WCW fans out there who *still* don't get what that means. The wolf howls, and Nash comes out on the stage. Nash gets a big pop (of course--people just don't learn), which Nash points out (you know he'll point it out to the bookers too). Sanders challenges Nash to a "Four Corners Match" against three of the Thrillerz. I like how that promo for Goldberg's book calls him "America's most unlikely superhero." Oh no, he's not stuck on himself. - Mean Gene interviews Sting. - Elix Skipper hits on Miss Jones. - MIKE AWESOME/BAM BAM BIGELOW vs. STING/SCOTT STEINER (w/ Midajah) Okay, so they flew Midajah and Miss Jones to the UK, but because of budget cuts they didn't bring 3 Count or the Jung Dragons? Remember that if any of those guys are booked on the PPV and WCW tries to convince you their matches mean anything. Not much to this match--some okay power moves, but a lot of posing by Steiner, he and Sting not being on the same page, and Bigelow missing his headbutt off the top. Steiner forces Awesome to submit to the Recliner. Bigelow then attacks Awesome afterwards. - Another "paid advertisement" by Jimmy Hart. Seems his big radio DJ challenge has netted him a match against some DJ in Georgia. *Sigh* ... $60 million ... - Disqo Inferno pays Kronik to take his and Alex Wright's place in the Lethal Lottery (after first offering to sell the spot to them). Cut to the Filthy Animals, who see this on a monitor and rat them out to CEO Ric Flair. Gee, Flair seems to have gotten over that whole being buried in the desert thing. - Mean Gene gets comments from Booker T. - The segment ends with Flair telling Boogie Knights he's going to let them selling their spot to Kronik stand. They gonna cut to David Flair and Torrie Wilson in the hotel room now? This stretch reminded me of that Nitro where there was no wrestling in the first hour. HOUR TWO: - Mean Gene interviews the Misfits in Action. - Recap of the WCW/Battledome feud, as if this thing has been going on for weeks now. Earlier in the day the Battledome guys showed up, only to be jumped by Diamond Dallas Page, the Cat, Rick Steiner & Buff Bagwell. Please tell me this was taped last week in the States, and that WCW didn't actually fly those guys to England just to do a backstage brawl. I happened to be watching a Minneapolis station (KMSP 9) this past Sunday when I noted on the on-screen cable guide it said Battledome would be on next. I decided to take a peek, to see if they were doing the thing with WCW. Instead of Battledome, though, "Your Big Break" (the karaoke show produced by Dick Clark) aired in its place. - KRONIK vs. BOOKER T/LEX LUGER Jim Ross would call this one "bowling shoe ugly." Luger plain stinks, and Adams isn't much better. Booker and Clark are the only ones who keep this thing on its tracks, and even they don't gel when in the ring together. Adams has to spend forever hunched over at one point, waiting for Booker to deliver his swinging kick, Booker instead playing up to the crowd. Booker and Luger stop cooperating, and Luger disappears altogether, Scott Steiner eventually coming in and hitting Booker with a pipe. Kronik delivers the High Times for the win. - Kronik say they aren't going to fight each other. Don't you love it when WCW does a gimmick tournament like this, then books it so it doesn't play out the way it's supposed to? The fans are generally intrigued by the idea of a random draw tournament, but instead WCW gives them one with pairing that look anything but random, then the guys who get picked don't even participate. - CHUCK PALUMBO/SHAWN STASIAK/SEAN O'HAIRE vs. KEVIN NASH The Thrillerz dominate until Nash begins to rally back. Reno then runs in, drawing a DQ. Nash beats him up too. Sanders comes in, and Nash is about to do a Jackknife when he's clotheslined by Mark Jindrak. There follows one of the weakest stompfests you're likely to see. O'Haire finishes it off with a feather-light Seanton Bomb. - THE CAT (w/ Miss Jones) vs. ELIX SKIPPER It's bad enough that WCW does cheap rip-off entrance themes, but Skipper's is the worst because it's a rip-off of a sing I already hate. Miss Jones interferes, kicking Skipper. The Cat kicks Skipper. The Cat dances. Skipper puts on his Gray Cup ring--like wearing a ring is going to do something when you punch someone (other than put a mark on their face). The Cat ducks, kicks Skipper, kicks him again, and covers for the pin. Just awful. At least when Eric Bischoff was running the company I knew why they kept the Cat around. He must have a set of those incriminating pictures, like Mideon and the Big Bossman have of Vince McMahon. - BOOGIE KNIGHTS vs. GOLDBERG Squash. Spear. Spear. Jackhammer. Jackhammer. Double pin. 18-0. - Mean Gene gets comments from Scott Steiner. - LANCE STORM vs. GENERAL RECTION Finally it looks like we're going to get a decent match. For a few minutes the match is actually alright, then all the Misfits In Action and Team Canada run out to brawl at ringside. Amidst the melee Major Gunns helps Lance Storm roll out of the way of a Rection moonsault. She then hands him a roll of coins, which he uses to punch Rection. He then applies the Canadian Mapleleaf, and when Rection doesn't give up, Gunns throws in a towel, costing Rection the match and U.S. Title. Let's see ... meaningless heel turn, meaningless title change ... are we sure Vince Russo isn't back booking? - Gunns pulls off her Stars & Stripes bikini top, revealing the Canadian Mapleleaf underneath. - KRONIK vs. STING/SCOTT STEINER (w/ Midajah) An okay match. Kronik actually dominates, even giving Steiner the High Times. Midajah leaves the announce table and jumps on the apron. Sting and Clark end up in the ring together. Clark goes to apply a pumphandle slam, but Sting escapes and turns it into a Scorpion Deathdrop. and scores the pin. Here comes Steiner with a chair. Booker T then runs in and hits Steiner with a chair of his own ... and he hits Sting too?! Was that a heel turn? Are they making Booker unsympathetic so that when he loses the belt to Steiner at Mayhem the fans won't be upset? - This Wednesday: Scott Steiner vs. Sting. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Dull, dull, dullsville. It's as if they have these PPV matches penciled in for Mayhem, and can't figure out how to build to them, so someone suggested they kill a show by doing the Lethal Lottery. That, and pushing Nash as a babyface seemed to be the whole point of this show. Speaking of that, don't tell me this is designed to get any of the Thrillerz over by having Nash job to them. Even if he does, it won't work, because the fans don't care about giving credit to heels who beat (relatively) popular babyfaces. The fact that they're heels is always a strike against them, one which can only be overcome if the win was clean, and it was a relatively good match. It's all about gaining credibility. We all know any match Nash will be in will suck, and the bookers are going to make any Nash loss screwy as hell. That's if he even does any jobs, which I'm not convinced he'll do. Why can't WCW see that the better thing to do was turn the Thrillerz face and keep Nash the heel? Then you've got these hungry young guys trying to make a name for themselves by beating the veteran. Nash would have cheated like hell, but they'd have overcome that and drawn the fans behind them as they fought to get the win. That's what they were doing with Stasiak, which was the right thing to do (though maybe the wrong guy to do it with). Instead the whole group stays heel, Nash goes babyface, and it's the New Blood versus the Millionaire's Club all over again. Nash is going to point to that pop he gets, just like Hulk Hogan always did, and WCW will wonder why they aren't selling any tickets. They're booking Nash like he's the company's top star, assuming fans will pay to see him beat anybody. The fans could care less if Nash beats the Thrillerz, and they won't care if they beat him, because they'll always have the numbers on their side. Building credible heels has been one of WCW's major problems--maybe the biggest problem of them all. This goes back to the New World Order, which lost all its credibility after months and months of winning matches because of their numbers advantage. Too many people played political games, avoiding doing jobs. Fans eventually got tired of waiting around for someone in WCW to beat them, and when the NWO imploded, collapsing in upon itself, WCW no longer had any heels, and a bunch of babyfaces the fans had lost interest in. Since then WCW's top heels have been a temporarily insane Ric Flair, Diamond Dallas Page, Sting, Randy Savage, and Kevin Nash, who put the nail in the coffin in terms of the WCW Title meaning anything. Then, for the better part of a year, they tried to make Jeff Jarrett the top heel, which never worked because in all that time the guy never beat anybody clean. You also had Vince Russo running around, first as the "Powers That Be," then as himself pretending to be Vince McMahon. WCW watered down the NWO by never having them do jobs, and once they were gone the company never figured out how to create any new heels the fans would believe in. Without believable heels they didn't care about the faces. With no one to care about, all it took was the other crap coming in to chase off the paying fans, such as Eric Bischoff's music acts, and Vince Russo's "Crash TV" garbage. I know, I know ... this is nothing new. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Two Hours+. Location: Columbus, Ohio. Hosted By: Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler. WWF RAW: - WWF Champion Kurt Angle makes his way to the ring. Angle says he's the WWF's fighting-est champion, and that's why he challenged the Undertaker to a match at Survivor Series. Angle goes on to say he's been challenged by a guy who thinks he can beat him with one arm tied behind his back ... KURT ANGLE vs. CRASH HOLLY (w/ Molly Holly) Holly starts the match with his hand behind his back, but quickly frees it. Angle wins with an anklelock submission, then gets a chair to use on Holly. In comes Hardcore Holly for the save--a nice bit of continuity, as it was Angle who broke Holly's arm with a misplaced moonsault five months ago. Edge & Christian come out to help Angle, and that brings out the Undertaker, who clears the ring. Trish Stratus flips a coin to see which member of T&A has to tag team with Kane tonight. Test wins, or loses, depending on your point of view. - Edge, Christian & Angle complain to commissioner Mick Foley that there's too much interference in the WWF. Foley agrees, and books a match between the three and the Undertaker and the Hollyz. - CHRIS JERICHO/STEVE BLACKMAN vs. KANE/TEST (w/ Trish Stratus) Late in the match Kane has Jericho up for a choke. Test goes to hit Blackman with a garbage can lid, but Jericho, up in the choke, pulls it away from him, then hits Kane in the head, breaking the hold. Test grabs a kendo stick and swings at Jericho. Jericho ducks, and Kane takes the shot instead. Jericho then hits a Lionsault and covers for the pin. Kane takes out his frustrations on Test afterwards. The Radicalz arrive via limo. - ... now they're in the ring. Chris Benoit says he respects Triple H after seeing what the man can do in and out of the ring. It takes more than being a great technical wrestler to get ahead in the WWF, which is why they've re-formed the Radicalz. Benoit says they've formed an alliance with Triple H, and that they now outnumbers guys like the Rock and Steve Austin. Eddie Guerrero says he has something in common with Triple H: they were both smart enough to kick Chyna to the curb. He warns Chyna and Billy Gunn to keep out of the way of the Radicalz. Terri Runnels makes a comment about investing in the McMahon-Helmsley family, and suddenly I'm having an Alexandra York flashback. Malenko starts to speak when he's cut off by the arrival of commissioner Foley. Foley reminds us that he brought the Radicalz into the WWF, and (imitating Triple H) "didn't-ah see-ah this-ah coming!" Foley books the Radicalz in a match against Billy Gunn, Chyna, the Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin. Kane is destroying Chris Jericho backstage. He throws Jericho through a window into a small concrete room. Hey, didn't somebody throw the Rock through that very same window last year? Replay of Jericho going through the window. EMT's bandage up Jericho's bloody arms. - THE DUDLEY BOYZ vs. TAZZ/RAVEN You can barely see the match for all the smoke caused by the Dudley's pyro. A miscue between Tazz & Raven leads to Tazz going for the 3-D ride and getting pinned. Tazz then suplexes Raven through a table, signaling the end of their unsuccessful tag team. Michael Cole is standing by in the back to interview Tiger Ali Singh and Lo Down. Why? The Rock arrives. - The various Radicalz comment on the fruit tray spread in their dressing room. - Cole is about to get comments from Singh when he spots the Rock walking by and chases after him for an interview. The Rock promises gifts for everyone: a pair of wolverine testicles for Benoit; six inches ("no, not there!") for Malenko (making him 5'2"); a slap to straighten out Saturn's googly eyes; a sombrero, donkey and bottle of tequila for Guerrero; and something special for Rikishi at Survivor Series. - Edge & Christian try to cheer up Angle by playing Crash Holly's theme music on the kazoo. - Cole apologizes to Tiger Ali, but is again interrupted, this time by a bloody Chris Jericho, demanding a piece of Kane. - Bob, Crash & Molly Holly (as well as the Undertaker) walk through the back. Wow, that entire segment was a whole lot of not-wrestling. WWF WAR ZONE: - UNDERTAKER/CRASH/HARDCORE (w/ Molly Holly) vs. EDGE/CHRISTIAN/KURT ANGLE Angle draws a ton of heat from the fans. Ross is convinced Angle will lose the WWF Championship to the Undertaker at the PPV, guaranteeing that Angle will in fact retain. Good action all around, with the match drawing to a close when the Undertaker tags in. After handing Edge off to Bob Holly for a back suplex, the Undertaker himself falls victim to a big belly-to-belly suplex by Angle. Angle then goes for the Olympic Slam, but the Undertaker lands on his feet, and puts Angle away with the Last Ride. Yep, Undertaker's doing the job this Sunday. Stone Cold has arrived. - Lt. commissioner Debra tells The Hardy Boyz & Lita that they'll face Right To Censor tonight, with the Tag Team and Women's Titles on the line. - Stone Cold Steve Austin hits the ring. He says he's carefully considering his words, because in his head they're all four letter ones. He came to the arena tonight and learned that Triple H was at home with a back injury. He could have run Triple H over with a car, run Triple H's car over with a monster truck, or went to Triple H's home--but those would have been all too easy. Austin's going to kick his ass at the PPV or kiss it. Not one of Austin's better promos, and the crowd was kind of dead to boot (they popped big for his music, but died off quick). - THE HARDY BOYZ/LITA vs. RIGHT TO CENSOR Steven Richards is at WWF New York tonight, while Val Venis is nowhere in sight. If the Hardyz get the pin here they'll win the Tag Titles, while if Lita gets the pin she wins the Women's Championship. I think. The match jerks and burps along until the Hardyz seemingly have the match won, Bull Buchanan flattened by a Swanton Bomb, and Ivory taken out with a spear by Lita, but the Goodfather pulls the ref out at the two count, causing a DQ. Val Venis finally puts in an appearing, helping his teammates leave the Hardyz & Lita laying in the ring. Billy Gunn & Chyna are almost giddy over the idea of getting their hands on the Radicalz. - The Radicalz finally get some real food delivered to them. Benoit is on the phone with someone (Triple H), explaining that things are going just the way they planned. - WILLIAM REGAL vs. ROAD DOGG Regal suggests to the fans that America would be better off with a monarchy. The match gets underway, and a fine technical display by Regal is cut short when K-Kwick (K-Quick?) runs in for no reason, getting Road Dogg DQ'ed. This is indy wrestler K-Krush, who's been doing dark matches for weeks (and made his WWF debut this past Sunday on Heat). K-Kwick tells the Dawg it's time to get rowdy, and the two repeat their rap performance from the night before. I'd describe the crowd response here as "polite tolerance." (I'd describe my own reaction as "friggin' embarrassed.") Backstage, we see Foley and Debra doing the Bump. - Michael Cole gets comments from Austin, who says he has a funny feeling something isn't right. I have the funny feeling Austin maybe drank a few too many before the show. - Steven Richards works over the crowd at WWF New York, prompting an "asshole!" chant, which prompts them to quickly cut to-- - Foley shows Debra how to book a PPV, announcing a couple matches for Survivor Series (Jericho vs. Kane, Blackman, Crash & Molly Holly vs. T&A & Trish). Debra takes a crack at it, announcing a match between Lita and Ivory for the Women's Title. Foley then adds a traditional survivor-type match: the Hardyz & Dudleyz vs. Bull Buchanan, the Goodfather, Edge & Christian. Foley then rubs his head between Debra's puppies. Two stuffed puppy dogs. You pervs. Our various main event competitors are on the move, the Radicals approaching the ring as they cut to commercial. - THE RADICALZ (w/ Terri) vs. CHYNA/BILLY GUNN/THE ROCK/STEVE AUSTIN Gunn is nicknamed "The One," which is much better than "Billy G." His new theme music is much improved as well. Much of the middle of the match is played out with Chyna being isolated in the corner of the Radicalz. I think the sound mix is off for the show tonight--we can see the fans on their feet, making noise, but none of that energy is coming across on TV. Instead we hear guys like Saturn calling moves, and referee Earl Hebner telling Malenko and Chyna when there's five minutes left. Eventually the Rock and Benoit brawl away from the ring, and everyone else battles to the floor except for Austin and Guerrero, Austin stomping Eddie in the corner THIRTY-EIGHT times! Stunner, and Austin covers for the pin. Benoit and the Rock have continued fighting backstage, Rock slamming Benoit into a fence, into some pipes, into a Pepsi machine. The two brawl along a concrete wall. Benoit waves to someone off in the distance, and here comes the familiar black rental car, Rikishi leaning out the window with a sledgehammer! *Whack!* The Rock goes flying, landing on a stack of coiled cables. Rikishi tells the Rock he can expect more of the same at Survivor Series. The driver of the car? Triple H. - This Thursday: Nothing announced. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Interesting finish to an otherwise odd installment of RAW. I wouldn't say it was a bad show, but not really a good one either. It seemed to be missing something--a lot of that being Triple H, no doubt. The show had a different feel to it this week, like maybe parts of it had to be rewritten at the last minute, or something like that. They had a lot of hype to do to sell Survivor Series this Sunday, and they did so in a different way than usual. It felt like a show that was short on starpower (and to an extent it was, what with the Hollys and people like that getting so much exposure), but the Rock, Austin and Undertaker were all there, all in multiple segments. I guess Triple H really is The Game, and the game seems a bit off when he's not there. Here's the Survivor Series card: * Triple H vs. Steve Austin. * The Rock vs. Rikishi. * Kurt Angle vs. the Undertaker for the WWF Championship. * Chris Jericho vs. Kane. * The Hardy Boyz & The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian and RTC. * Steve Blackman & Crash Holly & Molly Holly vs. T&A and Trish Stratus. * Ivory vs. Lita for the Women's Championship. I'd assume Chyna, Gunn and the Radicalz will be in action too, maybe Eddie defending the Intercontinental Title against Gunn, or maybe a tag match. Is the Raven/Tazz vs. Lawler/Al Snow match off? Seems like it. Maybe Raven vs. Tazz instead? Back to this show, I really can't stress how odd it was. All the unusual match-ups reminded me of Nitro a little, though the wrestling was generally much better. That long stretch at the end of the first hour with no action was just like Nitro too. Depending on how much one likes the actual wrestling I can see tonight's shows being called both good, or both very boring. I'm leaning a bit towards "boring" myself. I can't imagine this show doing too well in the ratings this week. Putting the Radicalz in the main event, even with the Rock and Austin there, is pretty much a signal to many fans that they can call it a night early. The focus on the undercard guys, and that stretch of inaction in the first hour will likely hurt the head-to-head stretch against Nitro (not that a whole lot was going on on that show either). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: Scott Hall made his return to the ring in, of all places, ECW. Hall wants to prove he's cleaned himself up, so he contacted ECW (through buddy Justin Credible) and offered to come in for a few shows. No word on how long he'll stay in ECW, as right now he's not actually being paid for his services. ECW is basically just covering his travel expenses. Hall's motives here are pretty clear: by doing these shows, proving he's ready to be a part of a wrestling lockerroom again, and not holding the company up for a superstar salary, he hopes to sign a big-money deal with a larger company, probably the WWF. If Hall performs well, does whatever jobs he's asked to do, and doesn't cause any problems backstage, he'll be able to take that to the bargaining table with him when the time comes. ECW stands to benefit by virtue of having a big star appear on their shows for little cost. Hall's presence in ECW will hopefully spark some interest amongst the fans, something that's desperately needed as the company continues to hunt for a new TV timeslot and/or investors. The online reaction thus far seems to be of the "wait and see" variety. They know the circumstances that have led to Hall being there. It's not as if his being there comes about through any kind of natural storyline, and he's an odd fit in the ECW mix of things. Scott Hall in ECW is a novelty: only time will tell if it will yield any good television. The chances of Hall staying in ECW for any great amount of time are slim. A big WWF or WCW contract has to be Hall's goal here. The only thing that will keep him from leaving is if the WWF or WCW decide not to sign him. At that point Hall's going to have to ask ECW for some real money, and even though his bargaining power will be weak because the major feds passed on him, he's still probably going to be out of ECW's price range (unless they get a sudden infusion of money, or Hall decides to continue working cheaply, in the hopes that one of the larger two companies will change their mind). It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Obviously if Hall can prove himself it'd be nice to see him back in one of the Big Two. It's been a long time since Hall had a decent match, though. I can't even remember any real good ones in his entire stint in WCW, and his last few months in the WWF were no great shakes either. Hall's got a lot to overcome before he proves himself. I hope he does it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "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 261 of the "Monday Night Recap", October 13th, 2000.