WCW Monday Nitro - September 4, 2000
WCW Monday Nitro - September 4, 2000
- WCW Logo.
- Promo for the WarGames 2000 match that will take place later tonight.
- Earlier Today, the triple cage was constructed.
- We are live from Dallas, TX.
- Vince Russo and his cronies are walking.
- There's a new opening montage for Nitro, apparently.
- Match #1: Insane Clown Posse vs. WCW World Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Juventud Guerrera (w/ Filthy Animals)
- The Posse walks out for our curtain jerker.
- They'll be facing the tag champs.
- Konnan with the usual micwork.
- ICP attacks during the "Arriba La Raza." Thank you!
- ICP whip Juvi to the ropes, but Rey backdrops him to the apron.
- Juvi hits a springboard dropkick.
- Rey hits an assisted dropkick, and the two follow with stereo dives over the top rope.
- Juvi goes up top but whatever ICP member is in the ring (sorry, I know who they are but I can't tell them apart and the announcers aren't doing their job by distinguishing between the two) dropkicks him on the way down.
- Tag to the other ICP member, who ends up decking his partner after failed interference.
- Juvi with a baseball slide dropkick on the outside ICP member.
- Rey comes in with a dropkick.
- Rey with a splash in the corner followed by a Juvi heel kick.
- Rey with the Bronco Buster.
- Juvi gets dumped to the outside.
- ICP whips Rey into a double elbow.
- Violent J (yellow hair) with a gorilla press slam.
- Violent tries another but gets dropkicked by Juvi (who previously took out Shaggy 2 Dope).
- Juvi holds J for a Rey guillotine legdrop in the nads for the win.
- YOUR WINNERS: Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Juventud Guerrera via gullotine legdrop in 3:43.
- Hopefully, the clean finish is a sign of things to come.
- In an exercise room, Pamela Paulshock interviews Lance Storm while they force Major Gunns to run the treadmill.
- The Cat, Mrs. Jones and Booker T enter a limo.
- As we go to commercial, the cage begins to lower.
- The Iron Man knock-off brings out Vince Russo and the Natural Born Thrillers.
- The NBT are relegated to guarding the outside of the cage.
- A ladder is setup inside the cage, in case someone were to climb the ladder to the top of the cage in this segment.
- Russo makes fun of the Dallas Cowboys and Troy Aikman.
- Russo wants to talk about the triple cage match, affectionately called WarGames 2000.
- In this bastardized version, the goal is for a wrestler to climb the top of the cage, grab the title, then head back to the bottom and head out the door.
- As Russo runs down the teams (calling his squad the babyfaces and his opposition the heels), Schiavone rightfully points out that this match is every man for himself.
- So, why call this a WarGames?
- Russo had his New York lawyers look into a deal The Cat made with Eric Bischoff.
- Apparently, there is an injunction, so The Cat has no power.
- Russo orders the four "heels" to compete in qualifying matches.
- Russo says if Goldberg wins his qualifying match he will waive the non-physicality clause between Goldberg and himself.
- Russo guarantees he will walk out the door as WCW champion because he's got the jack.
- And that is an ending NO ONE wants to see...
- Including current titleholder Kevin Nash, who just so happens to be walking out.
- Nash wants to know what Russo is smoking.
- Nash says his belt is not on the line unless he says so.
- Nash tells Russo he's not a fighting champion and he only plans to defend once a month.
- Russo says there's a misunderstanding -- Nash doesn't tell Russo what he's going to do.
- Russo reminds Nash that he is the boss.
- Nash reminds Russo that while he may be the boss, Nash is Russo's daddy.
- As Nash threatens Russo, Sting appears through the ring.
- Russo tells Nash to kick Sting's ass.
- Nash flips Russo off.
- Sting says he's going to qualify tonight and become world champion, then heads out of the ring.
- Russo gives Sting the international signal for Up Yours, and Sting returns to the ring to chase Russo to the top of the cage.
- Meanwhile, Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner are also scaling the cage.
- With the Thrillers in the ring, Booker T and The Cat hit the ring to scrap.
- Sting's still in pursuit of Russo.
- Russo escapes to the outside and thinks he's outsmarted Sting.
- Goldberg walks out, and Russo runs to the back.
- Isn't it a little early to tease dissention with the new heel faction?
- Moments Ago, Nash choked out Russo and Sting came up "from the depths of hell."
- Backstage, more dissention between the heels.
- Your announcers are Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden and Jeremy Borash.
- Earlier today, Borash had his head shaved by the Nitro Girls.
- The Harris Brothers walk out.
- A Harris Brother has footage of something.
- We go to footage of the Harrises hitting a bar and stirring trouble with Kronic.
- We then go to... a commercial?
- What did this do to advance the storyline?
- Shane Douglas demands a match with Goldberg tonight.
- Douglas wants the Thrillers to help, but Torrie shoots them down.
- Russo accepts the match and tells the Thrillers to watch Douglas' back.
- Match #2: Sting vs. ??????
- Sting comes out first for his qualifying match.
- And he'll be facing...
- Vampiro and Great Muta in a handicap match.
- Vamp whips Sting, who kicks Vamp and dumps him out of the ring.
- Sting with a kick on Muta and a facejam off the ropes.
- Vamp makes the save and puts Sting in a full-nelson.
- Muta goes for the mist but Sting ducks and it hits Vampiro.
- Sting takes out Muta.
- Stinger Splash on Vamp.
- Scorpion Death Drop leads to the pin.
- YOUR WINNER: Sting via Scorpion Deathdrop in 1:09.
- Post-match, ICP hits the ring as Muta and Vamp have words.
- Pardon the pun, but I think this puts the nail in the coffin for Dark Carnival as being effective.
- Pamela interviews Team Canada. Elix Skipper talks about the "mental altitude" needs to be a Canadian.
- Stevie Ray bitches at Russo about wrestling tonight. Russo says it's Our Patron Saint's big chance at the title, and Stevie Ray starts to ponder...
- Jeff Jarrett asks Kevin Nash to work the match tonight.
- Match #3: Stevie Ray vs. ??????
- Stevie comes out with a mic.
- Stevie says he's got a feeling in a gut that Russo threatened to tear his contract up if he doesn't wrestle his brother.
- Stevie says he's gonna wrestle tonight not for Russo but for the fans.
- Booker comes out wearing white short trunks.
- Booker hits his catchphrase.
- Stevie attacks after the catchphrase with punches.
- Stevie dumps Booker and hits some blows.
- Back inside, Stevie with a scoop slam for two.
- Stevie with a surfboard.
- Booker turns it around but gets whipped.
- Booker with the flying forearm.
- Booker blocks a whip with a kneelift.
- Axe kick. "Spinerooni."
- Booker goes for the Sidekick but Stevie catches and plants him.
- Stevie goes for the Slapjack but Booker counters with a bodydrop.
- Stevie blocks a Bookend and they do a token sequence.
- Booker hits the Bookend for the win.
- YOUR WINNER: Booker T via Bookend in 2:02.
- Post-match, Booker asks Stevie what the hell that was.
- Stevie tells Booker he has to keep his guard up.
- Kronic encounters the Jung Dragons in the back.
- Kronic asks the Dragons if they've seen the Harris Brothers.
- The Dragons do some quasi-Kaientai micwork by not understanding what Kronic means.
- This leads to a beatdown.
- Absurd.
- Match #4: Three Count vs. Kronic
- Before 3 Count can do their thing in the ring, Kronic walks in.
- Kronic hit a triple High Times on the Counters.
- Clarke with a press slam.
- Adams hits the full nelson slam and Clarke follows with the Meltdown.
- Adams then tells the Harrises to come out.
- Jeff Jarrett comes out instead.
- Jarrett tells Kronic that they're booked in a handicap match...
- Against The Cat.
- So, now we have...
- Match #4.1: Kronic vs. The Cat (w/ Ms. Jones) in a handicap match
- Cat says Kronic is fighting the same guys he is.
- Cat asks Kronic to help beat up Jarrett.
- But this is a ruse, as Cat rolls up Adams for two.
- Clarke kicks away on Cat in the corner.
- Cat gets whipped, but he ducks under Adams and outside the ring.
- As Jarrett rants at Ms. Jones, Cat puts him in a full nelson for a slap.
- Jarrett chases Jones to the back as Cat gets beat on some more.
- Double-team clothesline.
- High Times leads to the win.
- YOUR WINNERS: Kronic via High Times in 1:20.
- This means that Kronic goes to WarGames.
- Russo starts to celebrate, but Scott Steiner yells at him about the ramifications of that match.
- Russo then sulks in his chair.
- Goldberg is... PACING!
- Match #5: "The Franchise" Shane Douglas (w/ Torrie Wilson) vs. Goldberg
- Douglas lets Torrie have the mic.
- Torrie does some generic mic work, even going as far to calling Dallas a "hellhole."
- Douglas says Goldberg started something he couldn't finish.
- Goldberg gets the escorted entrance.
- Meanwhile, Douglas is visibly scared as he tries to get the crowd to stay quiet.
- Lockup, Goldberg shoves Douglas down.
- And again.
- Douglas goes behind, but Goldberg breaks out and applies a leg submission.
- They go outside, where Goldberg manhandles Douglas some more.
- Goldberg chokes Douglas near the ringpost and takes a swing, but Douglas gets out of the way.
- Douglas hammers Goldberg's forearm on the ring stairs.
- Goldberg comes back with a side kick, but Douglas takes over.
- Back in, Douglas targets the forearm.
- Goldberg fights out of a hold and powers Douglas down to the mat.
- Douglas tries to reverse a whip to the corner but eats a clothesline.
- Goldberg sets up for the spear, but the Natural Born Thrillers hit the ring, prompting Douglas to exit.
- Goldberg takes them all out however, including hitting Reno's own finisher on him.
- Goldberg hits a pumphandle powerslam on Palumbo.
- Goldberg gorilla-presses Sanders as Douglas hits the ring.
- Goldberg drops Sanders and spears Douglas.
- Jackhammer. Pin.
- YOUR WINNER: Goldberg via Jackhammer in 4:20, which describes the booking for that match.
- Russo whines in the back.
- That's two stables buried tonight.
- Moments Ago, Goldberg spears and Jackhammers Shane Douglas.
- Vince Russo begs Kevin Nash to help him in the match tonight.
- Nash has an agenda: walk out with the title and make sure Russo doesn't.
- More Team Canada Exercise sessions.
- Pamela threatens to call security, which prompts Storm to throw her in the pool. YES!
- M. I. A. charges the scene and sends Team Canada into the pool.
- Vince Russo books a Gauntlet Match — Big Vito vs. The Natural Born Thrillers.
- Pamela interviews Arn Anderson!
- Arn tells Pamela that the soaking wet look is good on her.
- Arn asks why someone with a six-figure salary and a nice car wants to get married.
- Arn talks about picking up Ric Flair for his son's wedding.
- Match #6: Big Vito vs. The Natural Born Thrillers in a Gauntlet Match
- Vito says he's never seen so many good-looking Italians in his life.
- Vito talks about taking out Russo.
- For every Thriller that Vito takes out, take a drink.
- As the Thrillers come out, Mike Sanders does some fake crying and says Russo made Vito.
- Sanders runs down Vito and the crowd.
- Sanders does his genetically jacked line, and Vito responds with a shower joke.
- Vito says he doesn't mind being a fatbody because he's got what it takes and he'll kick all of the NBT's asses.
- Sanders says in this gauntlet match, it won't be one at a time.
- Sanders says all five will hit the ring at once. Funny, I count six.
- Anyway, Vito holds his own for about, oh, ten seconds.
- Reno and Palumbo combine for a 3-D.
- O'Haire with a clothesline.
- Stasiak pummels away in the corner.
- Jindrak and O'Haire whip Vito, who comes back with a series of kicks on the heels.
- But the strength in numbers factor kicks in.
- Reno holds Vito as Palumbo hits a top rope shoulderblock.
- Jindrak hits an Asai Moonsault, followed by a Sean-Ton Bomb.
- Sanders covers for the easy win.
- YOUR WINNERS: The Natural Born Thrillers via Sean-Ton Bomb in 2:16.
- Post-match, the Thrillers hold Vito for a stick beating.
- I could have lived without seeing this match, but at least the logical ending kicked in.
- Besides, the NBT have to regain their heat after getting squashed by Goldberg earlier.
- The teams get ready for WarGames. It will be Booker T, Sting, Kronic and Goldberg (not shown) vs. Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash and Vince Russo.
- Pamela interviews Booker T, Sting and Kronic.
- The cage is lowering.
- Match #7: WarGames 2000 for the WCW World Title: Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash and Vince Russo vs. Booker T, Sting, Kronic and Goldberg
- Jeff Jarrett is the first man for Russo's team.
- We go to commercials before we learn about his starting opponent.
- We come back, and we see that Jarrett will face Sting.
- Unlike other WarGames (not including 1998's version), the match can end at anytime, as Jarrett and Sting can go for the belt.
- Sting starts off with some chops and a dropkick.
- Sting clotheslines Jarrett out of the ring.
- Sting rams Jarrett into the steel.
- Think we'll get blood tonight?
- Sting dumps Jarrett's head on the stairs.
- Sting brings the ladder into the ring.
- Jarrett with a couple blows to the breadbasket.
- Jarrett rams Sting into the turnbuckle.
- Sting whips Jarrett into the ladder that was set in the corner.
- Segment One is over after two minutes. Apparently, this was another rule change, as past WarGames matches had the initial one-on-one encounter go five minutes.
- Scott Steiner (w/ noseguard) is next out, meaning the heels won the coin toss (Duh!).
- The heels batter Sting with the ladder as he hangs on the cage.
- Steiner with a gorilla press slam.
- One ladder is set-up in the corner and another is laid on a turnbuckle. There's a third ladder outside.
- Sting gets whipped into a ladder.
- Segment Two is completed.
- Both Kronic members walk out as Steiner heads to the second level. ¿Que?
- Steiner grabs a pair of bolt cutters as Kronic beat on Jarrett.
- Adams heads to the second level and takes a shot on Steiner.
- Clarke hits the second level to help his partner.
- Kronic combine for a gutbuster.
- That wraps up Segment Three.
- Vince Russo (w/ helmet and bat) walks out with the Harris Brothers.
- Sting whips Jarrett to the corner but misses the Stinger Splash.
- The Harrises climb to the second level of the cage.
- Just what this match needed -- overbooking.
- Sting hits a Stinger Splash on Russo and applies the Deathlock.
- Clarke plugs away on a Harris with a stick.
- Segment Four is finished.
- Here comes Kevin Nash.
- Sting drops the hold on Russo as Nash enters the ring.
- Nash grabs ahold of Steiner and Sting delivers a splash.
- Sting misses a second splash and Nash plants him with a chokeslam.
- Russo goes for a handshake but Nash delivers a choke instead.
- Jarrett and Steiner try to get Nash to stop.
- Meanwhile, the Kronic/Harris fight spills to the arena.
- Nash goes to choke Jarrett, then Steiner.
- Segment Five ends.
- Booker T walks out.
- Booker with an axe kick on Jarrett.
- Axe kick on Steiner.
- Russo with a shot to Booker's back, but he no-sells.
- Booker axe kicks Russo and breakdances.
- Nash with a big boot.
- Is it me or is the crowd chanting "Boring?"
- As Jarrett sets up a ladder, Russo beats up Sting.
- Segment Six is over. Once the next participant enters, everyone will be in the ring (hopefully).
- Goldberg hits the ring.
- Goldberg with a double-clothesline on Jarrett and Steiner.
- Russo hits Goldberg with a baseball bat.
- Booker is on the second level through all of this.
- As the heels handcuff Sting, Steiner hits the second level to deal with Booker.
- Sting follows suit.
- Ditto with Jarrett, who brings a trash can.
- Meanwhile, Nash waits outside the ring, which is a smart strategy seeing that the winner has to bring the belt through the door.
- Steiner with a pipe to the back on Sting.
- Booker is scaling the top of the structure through all of this.
- We see a nice overhead camera shot as Booker goes for the belt.
- Booker has the belt! Now, he has to go back down the cage.
- Booker fends off Jarrett with punches, but the belt dros.
- Booker grabs the belt and whacks Jarrett with it.
- Booker nails Steiner with the belt, too.
- On the middle level, Steiner nails Booker in the back as we see Sting handcuffed.
- As Jarrett handcuffs Booker, Steiner drops the belt and Russo grabs it.
- The Cat hits the ring and hits a NICE kick to the face.
- Nash enters the ring and drills Cat with a knee.
- Nash with the powerdrop.
- Goldberg, who was handcuffed, breaks free and hits sidekicks on Nash and Jarrett.
- Goldberg decks Russo.
- Goldberg grabs the belt and holds it high.
- Goldberg walks out of the ring and goes to the door...
- But Bret Hart slams the door in his face!
- Jarrett tosses the belt in the ring and helps Steiner bring Goldberg into the ring.
- As Russo walks out with the belt, Nash puts a hand on him...
- Then they hug and Nash gets the belt back. Wow, what a swerve.
- The heels celebrate, then they all walk out.
- YOUR WINNER: Kevin Nash in 19:12.
- Eh, I dunno. I'd say this was better than the 1995 (Hulkamaniacs vs. Dungeon of Doom) and 1998 (The Warrior Disappearing/Reappearing fiasco) versions, but definitely lacked the violence and brutality that past years have offered. We want blood!
- If anything, the overall booking of this match kept it from being truly spectacular.
- Were appearances by the Harris Brothers and The Cat really necessary?
- Why were Kronic allowed to walk out together anyway?
- Furthermore, why was Booker T, Nash's scheduled opponent at Fall Brawl, such a non-factor at the conclusion of the match?
- But, the participants tried, and that's what is important.
- To summarize, this didn't suck but it wasn't very good. This was more like a regular triple cage match than an actual WarGames.
- Don't expect me to rate it, though.
- The Good: As I stated above, I can't give a glowing recommendation to WarGames 2000, but the participants tried and they did promote it as a big thing.
- The Bad: Whose idea was it to have Sting go over Dark Carnival? Even worse, why make the Natural Born Thrillers look weak when they are being pushed? Yes, they beat up Big Vito but having all six men taken out by Goldberg makes the stable look weak in the fans' eyes.
- The Ugly: Every time Vince Russo tries to swerve the crowd, it only serves to make a legit swerve look less effective. At this point, the only effective swerve WCW could do is to NOT swerve the fans.