WrestlingRumors.net
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UPDATE: Maybe Not. Top Name May Not Be Wrestling At Summerslam After All.
Posted: 21 Jul 2019 01:00 AM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-maybe-not-top-name-may-not-wrestling-summerslam/
So not so fast? We’re less than a month away from Summerslam and that
means we need to start getting some matches ready in a hurry. That is the
case with some of the top matches already and you can all but guarantee
where a few of the other stories are going. At the same time though, one
big name who has been around for the last few weeks might not be appearing.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, there are currently
no plans to use the Undertaker at Summerslam. While Undertaker has been
around as of late, including a match at Super ShowDown and another at
Extreme Rules, he is not likely to be in action at the upcoming show. Undertaker had previously been rumored to be facing Baron Corbin at the
show. At the moment, there is no word when Undertaker will wrestle again
or what he will be doing.
Undertaker has been active lately. Check out his run in save from a few
weeks ago:
[This post contains video, click to play]
Opinion: I’m not sure if I buy this one as Undertaker would seem to be the kind of draw that would make sense for this show. Undertaker is a top
level legend and someone who can be on any of these shows that he wants to
be. Having him put someone over on a big stage would be a great way to
help make a new star, though that doesn’t seem to be happening at the
moment.
Do you think Undertaker will wrestle on the show? Who should he face? Let
us know in the comments below.
Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 28
wrestling books. His latest book is the History Of In Your House.
Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!
The post UPDATE: Maybe Not. Top Name May Not Be Wrestling At Summerslam
After All. appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Ring Of Honor TV Results - July 17, 2019
Posted: 20 Jul 2019 01:50 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ring-honor-tv-results-july-17-2019/
Ring of Honor
Date: July 17, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
We’re finally at a new taping cycle which means I should probably finish watching Best In The World at some point. Unfortunately that means more
Matt Taven, who hasn’t been the most thrilling World Champion in the world
so far. There is a lot to cover around here but odds are we won’t be seeing much of it tonight. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Best In The World. That show that almost a month
ago.
Opening sequence.
Rhett Titus vs. Shane Taylor
Non-title and Titus makes sure to get in some workouts on his way into the ring. Shane spits on the offer of a handshake so Titus rubs it into his
chest. A headlock doesn’t get Titus very far but a shoulder gets him
knocked down. For some reason Titus tries a fireman’s carry and gets his
head clotheslined off instead. We take an early break and come back with
Taylor dropping the apron leg.
The big right hands have Titus in more trouble but he comes right back with some running boots in the corner. Now the fireman’s carry works for a
Samoan drop but Taylor blasts him with a running knee to the face. Back up
and more forearms finally stagger Taylor for more than a second….so he headbutts the heck out of Titus for the pin at 7:46.
Result: Shane Taylor b. Rhett Titus Headbutt (7:46)
Post match Kenny King comes to the ring and says Titus disgusts him. They
used to be the Tag Team Champions as the All Night Express and now, Titus
is this. Titus has the body of a god and the heart of a b****. King talks
about Titus’ wife and son being embarrassed by him but Titus can’t bring himself to hit him. Titus’ wife doesn’t seem happy.
Kelly Klein is happy with the competition around here and wants to defend against them all.
Video on Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven, who fight for the World Title on July
20. They talked trash to each other until Alex Shelley made his return. His fingerprints are all over wrestling so maybe he should just play his veteran’s card. Shelley wants a shot at the winner.
Angelina Love vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Stella Grey vs. Jenny Rose
#1 contenders match with one fall to a finish and Women’s Champion Kelly Klein is on commentary. Before the match, Velvet Sky says Love is the only
one who matters and she doesn’t know who Tasha is. It’s a fight to start with Tasha and Stella trading armdrags inside as the other two brawl on the floor. Love comes back in with some dropkicks to the back so Stella can be thrown outside.
Jenny spears Love for two but Tasha is back in with a hiptoss to Love. The sliding legdrop misses and Love just stares at her. Tasha wins a slugout
but Mandy Leon pulls her down to the floor. That earns Mandy and Velvet an ejection and we take a break. Back with everyone inside and a series of
rollups that have no chance of working. Stella and Jenny go outside so
Tasha can dive onto both of them, allowing Love to dive onto all three of
them.
Hang on though as Love needs to shout at Kelly, who comes down to the ring.
The distraction lets Love get powerbombed out of the corner so Tasha can
stop to dance. Klein returns to commentary as Stella grabs a Koquina Clutch
on Tasha. At the same time, Love puts Rose in a Koji Clutch but Rose is in
the rope in a hurry. That lets Love break up the Koquina Clutch, which
probably should have finished Tasha earlier. The Botox Injection (Brogue
Kick) sends Stella outside but Tasha hits the cutter to finish Love at
10:24.
Result: Tasha Steelz b. Stella Grey, Jenny Rose and Angelina Love Cutter
to Love (10:24)
Post match Maria Manic pops up to stare Tasha down. Security gets beaten up.
Rush wants to face Dalton Castle for attacking his brother.
Bouncers/Jay Lethal vs. The Kingdom
Jay and Marseglia slug it out to start with Lethal hiptossing him into the basement dropkick. Milonas and O’Ryan come in with O’Ryan not being sure about this. Instead Lethal comes back in and gets shouldered down a few
times as O’Ryan is more comfortable this time around. It’s already off to Bruiser who gets to face Taven.
Hang on again though as Taven wants to face Lethal as the lack of action continues. Lethal comes in and slugs it out with Taven, who takes over off
a cheap shot and some choking. Back from a break with Lethal fighting out
of trouble and getting over for the tag to Bruiser. The Downward Spiral DDT gets two on O’Ryan and it’s time to not bite Marseglia.
Milonas comes in and starts cleaning house, including dropping back onto
Taven. A crossbody gets two on Marseglia and there’s the fall away slam/Samoan drop combination to Taven and O’Ryan. Lethal dives onto all
three of them in a row but O’Ryan comes in off a blind tag. That’s fine with Bruiser, who catches him diving in. Closing Time finishes O’Ryan at 9:55.
Result: Bouncers/Jay Lethal b. Kingdom Closing Time to ORyan (9:55)
Post match Taven gets in the Climax to Lethal on the floor to end the show.
Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen
over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since
2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 28
wrestling books. His latest book is the History Of In Your House.
Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up
for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
to sign up. We are proud to offer our popular Wrestling Rumors app and encourage you to download it for an optimized user experience. It is
available for Android and also on iOS. Thank you for reading!
The post Ring Of Honor TV Results July 17, 2019 appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.
///////////////////////////////////////////
REVIEW: Starrcade 1998: So Long Superstar
Posted: 20 Jul 2019 12:49 PM PDT
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/review-starrcade-1998-long-superstar/
Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net, starting today. It could be anything from modern WWE
to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using
letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be?
Starrcade 1998
Date: December 27, 1998
Location: MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 16,066
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan
Its the biggest show of the year and I dont know how many people know about
it. I dont remember the same show feeling so different just a year later.
Last year Starrcade felt like an event rather than just a wrestling show.
This year it feels like it could be a Clash of the Champions TV special
instead of the biggest show of the year. I have a very bad feeling about
what could be coming here, especially now that I have a fresh memory of how
the buildup went. Lets get to it.
The opening video is all about Goldberg vs. Nash, even though its arguably
not even the main event.
Tony and company tell us that the Horsemen have been banned from the
building tonight as per Eric Bischoffs orders. They talk about the rest of
the card for a bit to kill some time.
First up tonight: a commercial for a QVC special later in the week.
Call the Hotline!
Cruiserweight Title: Billy Kidman vs. Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Kidman is defending and has been trying to defend the title against
Mysterio for weeks, only to have the LWO interfere. Juventud is there as
the former champion wanting a rematch and LWO leader Eddie Guerreros hand picked challenger. Rey stomps on his LWO shirt on the way to the ring. Juvy gets double teamed to start, much to the fans delight. He tries to fight
back against Kidman but gets caught in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker from Mysterio. Kidman whips Rey into the Bronco Buster, even though Juvy was a
foot in front of the buckle and had the back of his head driven hard into
the corner.
The good guys start slugging it out before nailing Juvy at the same time,
only to go at it again. Juvy misses a top rope cross body, allowing Kidman
to slam Rey onto Juvys chest for two. Guerrera comes back with Mysterios
sitout bulldog to both guys at the same time before telling the cameraman
hes got it. Mysterio cant hook a German suplex on Juvy but Kidman
clotheslines Guerrera down for two instead.
Kidman is sent to the floor and Juvy backdrops Rey on top of the champion, setting up a big dive to take out both guys. The fans didnt seem interested
for some reason. Back in and Juvy dives again, only to get double
dropkicked out of the air. Heenan talks about Bill being here tonight.
Tenay: “Clinton?” Heenan: “No Bill Schwartz, an old friend of mine from Cincinnati.” West Coast Pop gets two on Juvy but Kidman comes back with a headlock takeover out of the corner on Juvy with a dropkick to Rey at the
same time.
Mysterio is still down as Kidman dives into Juvys boots to the face,
allowing Rey to pop up and get two on the champion off a slingshot
moonsault. Juvy is stood on the apron, allowing Rey to hit a hurricanrana
off the top to put both guys down on the floor. Back in and Kidman gets two
on Juvy with a layout powerbomb. Juvy hooks an over the shoulder
backbreaker for the same on Mysterio before he seds Juvy and Kidman out to
the floor. Rey hits a HUGE top rope Asai Moonsault to take both guys down
but he can barely follow up.
Juvy gets taken down by a springboard hurricanrana from the masked man but walks into a bad looking Juvy Driver for two. Kidman makes a diving save
before planing Juvy with the BK Bomb for two. Mysterio is the only one on
his feet but he takes Juvy to the floor with another hurricanrana. Kidman
has to keep up with the others, hitting a great looking Shooting Star to
the floor, taking out both guys in the process. Eddie Guerrero comes out to
the ring and pushes Juvy forward to counter a sunset flip. Rey comes in and dropkicks Juvy back into the sunset flip, giving Kidman the pin to retain
the title.
Rating: B. Awesome opener here as all three guys were going nuts out there. That Shooting Star looked great and the other two were their usual awesome selves. Eddie getting involved makes me think a fourway would have been a better option, but theres nothing wrong with three guys flying all over the place and firing up the crowd to open up a show.
Post match Eddie yells at Rey and Juvy, saying theyre not LWO material if
they cant beat a creampuff like Kidman. Eddie shoves Juvy down and keeps ripping into Kidman. The champion comes out and offers Eddie a title shot
RIGHT NOW. Eddie says let him go get his gear on but Kidman doesnt want to wait. The match is on, making me wonder what was going to get this spot originally.
The first of two:
[This post contains video, click to play]
Cruiserweight Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Billy Kidman
Eddie, in street clothes, decks Kidman to get things going and hammers
away. A powerbomb gets two on the champion and we hit the abdominal stretch with Juvy helping from the floor. Mysterio breaks that up twice in a row, drawing Eddie to the floor for a jawing session with Rey. Kidman comes back with a slingshot ankle scissors for two before dropkicking Guerrero down.
Eddie nails a chopblock to take over again and puts on a modified leg lock while pulling on Kidmans arm at the same time. Kidman makes a rope and Rey tries to give him a pep talk. It works well enough as Eddie is sent into
the barricade to give the champion a breather. Back in and Kidman hits a
quick bulldog before hammering away in the corner. Kidman is on instinct
and fumes here, allowing Eddie to counter a weak sleeper with a jawbreaker.
The referee goes to talk to Rey for some reason, allowing Eddie to take off
his boot and blast Kidman in the head for a delayed two. The brainbuster
looks to set up the Frog Splash but Kidman pops back up with a superplex. Guerrero is up first and dropkicks the knee out again, setting up a leg
lock which doesnt put much torque on the knee. Mysterio and Juvy get in a
fight on the floor over Eddies shoe and the distraction makes Billy break
the hold.
Kidman fights out of a powerbomb and stomps Eddie as hard as he can. A slingshot legdrop gets two but Eddie counters a top rope hurricanrana. Now
its Eddie putting Kidman on top, only to get shoved down. Eddies bodyguard distract the referee, allowing Juvy to crotch Kidman down. Rey does the
same to Eddie though, setting up the Shooting Star to retain the title.
Rating: B. Another awesome match here with the story coming through much stronger than in the opening match. Kidman fighting out of desperation was
an awesome story with Eddie not being able to back up his months of talk
making it even better. All four guys looked good in their matches, but its eaten up a lot of time.
Nash vs. Goldberg video. This brings us to one of the biggest problems of
the evening: time. Were at forty minutes into the show, leaving us with
about two hours to go and only three announced matches left. Keep that in
mind as this show is about to start its downward spiral.
Norman Smiley vs. Prince Iaukea
Yes on Starrcade, in a rematch of something we just saw on Nitro twice this month already. Norman was getting a push around this time but that doesnt
mean you give him a match against the same guy hes beaten twice in less
than three weeks on PPV. Iaukea takes over to start and sends Norman to the floor for a dive off the apon. The announcers ignore most of the match to
talk about Flair vs. Bischoff, making this match seem all the more
pointless.
Back in and Norman takes control with his amateur stuff and works on
something resembling a Kimura. Off to a short arm scissors as Tony talks
about Flairs promos (his word) and the recent heart attack. Smiley drops
him ribs first over the top rope but stops for the Big Wiggle. Theres the swinging slam for two before he dances too long, allowing Prince to get a sunset flip for two.
The fans think this is boring so Norman double stomps Iaukea and puts on a seated abdominal stretch. That goes nowhere so Norman dances on the mat a
bit. A delayed butterfly suplex gets two on Iaukea and its back to the arm. More dancing follows and Prince suplexes the distracted Smiley down for
two. Norman puts on a series of freaky looking arm holds before hitting
another double stomp.
Prince comes back with what might have been a low blow but Norman rakes the eyes. More dancing ensues and Prince springboards in with a cross body,
only to have Smiley roll through for two. Neither guy can get a backslide
so Norman slips behind him and puts on the chicken wing, now dubbed Normans Conquest, for the submission.
Rating: D-. Smiley was his usual fun self but this belongs on Thunder or Saturday Night. It got nearly TWELVE MINUTES, or more than Eddies match
got. Norman is a rising star but what good does it do him to have a boring match that hes won twice already this month? Somehow, this isnt the oddest choice of a match so far.
Heres Hall with something to say. Ive heard he was scheduled to face
Bigelow on this show. That makes sense given what happened recently on
Nitro, but I never heard it announced on television. Unless it was
announced on Saturday Night, that might have been a rumor or dirtsheet announcement. Either way, Hall comes out with an Outsiders shirt on and the fans seem very pleased with the idea.
Scott talks about how 1998 has been a bad year for him in and out of the
ring. Tonight his old buddy Kevin Nash has a shot at the biggest title in wrestling. The two of them used to ride the roads together and talk about
what that would mean. A little while back, Nash told him to prove himself
to Big Kev. Hall doesnt think he should have to do that, but he does have
to prove something to himself. 1999 is going to be his year.
Video on Bam Bam Bigelow, who isnt wrestling tonight either. This
transitions into a video on the threeway betweeo Bigelow, Nash and
Goldberg. Were over an hour into this show now and this is the third video
on the main event.
Perry Saturn vs. The Cat
This one isnt so much strange as theyve been feuding for awhile now, but
who in the world wants to see this match? Miller of course has to give his usual speech and Saturn of course jumps him. Cat runs to the floor for some stalling before teasint walking to the back. He tries to slide back in to
go after Saturn but falls at Saturns feet instead. Now the beating is on
but Miller bails to the floor to stall again. Back in and Cat sweeps the
leg and chokes a bit as the fans are dying in a hurry.
Saturn cant hook the Rings so he wrestles Miller down to the mat. That also goes nowhere so Miller kicks him in the face and walks around a lot. Saturn comes back with a pair of suplexes for two and a swinging neckbreaker for
the same. A top rope ax handle misses and Saturn gets kicked in the face
for no cover. Back up and Miller kicks him again but asks Sonny Onoo to
come in. Sonny kicks Miller by mistake, allowing Saturn to hit the Death
Valley Driver for the pin.
Rating: D-. Ive watched a lot of wrestling in my day but I will never understand some things about WCW. For one, why in the world did Sonny Onoo
keep a job for so long? Miller could at least talk and got decent later on,
but why is he getting this spot on this show? At least Saturn won, finally.
Gene brings out Flair to talk because we havent wasted enough time yet.
Flair says hes going to beat up Bischoff and lists off what hes going to do
to every body part.
This sets up a LONG video on Bischoffs history in WCW since the NWO
arrived, his abuses of power and his feud with Flair. Again, weve already
paid for the show so why do we need to get fired up for the matches? This
eats up over three minutes and I believe is the exact same video we saw on Nitro.
Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell come in and threaten Konnan but Lex Luger
makes the save. Luger vs. Steiner was another rumored match for this show
like Hall vs. Bigelow.
And now, perhaps the most random wrestling match in the history of pay per view.
Brian Adams/Scott Norton vs. Jerry Flynn/Fit Finlay
During the video, Tony has been given word that the main event will be No
DQ. Adams throws Finlay around to start but Fit nails him in the ribs. Off
to Norton who snaps off a powerslam on Finlay and a double clothesline to
both opponents. Flynn kicks him in the chin and its back to Adams to slow things down. Adams kicks him down and stomps away but gets kicked right
back, allowing Finlay to come back in and hammer on Brian.
Adams pops back up with a piledriver as the fans are just SILENT. Norton
comes back in and cranks on the neck before hitting a splash in the corner.
The NWO takes turns on Finlay with the only interesting move being a
gorilla press gutbuster from Adams. Fit makes the ice cold tag to Flynn and everything breaks down. Flynn is distracted by Vincent, allowing Norton to powerbomb him in half for the pin.
Rating: S. For Starrcade, not Saturday Night. Get your shows right for your nine minute squashes.
Heres Bischoff for ANOTHER FREAKING INTERVIEW. Eric says hi to the Clintons
and imitates a Bill Clinton speech by saying how profoundly sorry he is for
the pain hes caused the Flair family. He feels sorry for Flairs heart
attack but the reality is Ric has to fight tonight because he cant save a
dime. Flair paid for all those jets and limos but Bischoff got his boss to
pay for his limos and jets.
TV Title: Konnan vs. Chris Jericho
Konnan took the title from Jericho in November but Jericho stole the belt itself on Monday. Jericho gets in a few decent jokes about Konnan not
keeping his pants up. He also calls himself the mans regret, every womans
pet, the man with the voice and the Jericholics choice. Were treated to
part of Konnans rap video before were ready to go.
Feeling out process to start with a shoulder putting the champion down.
Konnan comes right back with a seated dropkick but walks into a regular dropkick from Jericho. Chris goes up top but Konnan grabs his own crotch
for a distraction. They head outside with Jericho sending Konnan into the barricade to take over. Back in and Chris poses a lot before getting two
off a suplex and the Arrogant Cover.
We hit the chinlock on the champion for a bit before Jericho goes up top
and dives into the boot. The rolling lariat and a jackknife cover get two
on Jericho before Konnan throws him out to the floor. Jericho is sent ribs first into the steps for two but Jericho counters the X Factor into a
Liontamer attempt. The referee gets bumped and Jericho hits Konnan with the belt for two. That goes nowhere so Konnan hooks the Tequila Sunrise for the submission to retain.
Rating: D. This felt like they were painting by numbers, going through the motions or whatever other term you prefer for a match that was as basic as
you could ask for. Konnan was all talk at this point and the matches just werent backing it up at all. Jericho knew he was leaving in 1999 at this
point and really didnt care at all.
Giant is ready for Page tonight and threatens Lee Marshall with violence.
Ric Flair vs. Eric Bischoff
Bischoff immediately heads to the floor but Flair gets his hands on him
against the barricade. The beating is on quickly and they head inside for
some choking in the corner. Theres the knee drop to the head and a right
hand, which Flair says is for his wife. Ric goes after the knee in the
corner but Bischoff gets in a kick to the head that knocks Flair all the
way to the floor. He sends Flair into the barricade as Tony gets in the semi-infamous line about how anyone that follows tournament karate knows
that Bischoff is a force in that sport.
Flair is busted open as Eric hammers away in the corner. Ric Hulks Up but another kick to the head puts him right back down. Its nothing that a low
blow wont stop though as Flair takes over. Two more low blows put Eric in
the corner and Ric chops away before shoving the referee down. Shattered
Dreams has Bischoff screaming and a pair of suplexes make it even worse.
The Figure Four goes on but heres Curt Hennig to nail Flair with an object, giving Bischoff the pin, thereby killing the audience deader than dead. I
mean they go SILENT.
Rating: F. For failure. Thats what this match was: a complete failure. This match went against the basic idea of wrestling: the villain runs his mouth
and then gets beaten down by the hero at the end of the day. How does this
help anyone other than Eric Bischoff? It ticks the fans off, doesnt make
the villain look right, and makes Flair look stupid. Thats fine once in
awhile, but its the problem for WCW: the hero almost never got his day. It
was always a screwjob of some form and the hero was supposed to fight
another day. Eventually the fans got tired of waiting though and these
moments stopped meaning anything.
As for the match itself, theres really no logic to it either. Bischoff had
WAY too much offense here as a single kick was enough to knock Flair all
the way out to the floor. Last year Larry Zbyszko was staggered by some of
his kicks but didnt go out to the floor as a result. The heart attack angle
was mentioned in passing by Tony and nothing more, making that almost
entirely pointless. But hey, people think Eric Bischoff is a tough guy so everybody is happy right?
We recap Giant vs. Diamond Dallas Page, which is really just an offshoot of Page vs. Hart. Page of course has bad ribs coming in, due to a chokeslam
off the stage a few weeks back.
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Giant
They spit at each other to start before Page drives in some shoulders. An
early Diamond Cutter attempt goes nowhere but Page does clothesline him out
to the floor. The offense is short lived though as Giant clotheslines DDP
down with ease. A headbutt puts Page into the crowd but he finds a trashcan
to blast Giant in the head. Again the advantage is short lived though as
Giant whips him into the steps and then the post.
Giant throws him back inside and Page bangs his knee up on the landing. The
big man lays on the leg to slow things down as the fans just do not care
after the result of the previous match. Page rakes the eyes to escape but
gets crushed in the corner to stop his comeback cold. We hit the bearhug as this match is dying right in front of my eyes. Giant plants him with a powerslam but pulls Page up twice in a row. Back to the bearhug for a bit before Giant picks him up for a double choke backbreaker.
Giant still wont cover though and gets caught in a running DDT to put both
guys down. The referee gets bumped as well, drawing out Bret Hart who hits Giant with a chair by mistake. Thats only good for two as Giant easily
kicks out. Page scores with a pair of top rope clotheslines, only to dive
into a choke. Giant takes him to the corner for the super chokeslam, but
Page dives at him into a swinging Diamond Cutter for the pin out of
nowhere. Pages shocked look when he hit it is great.
Rating: C-. The match was boring but the ending helped it a lot. That
jumping Diamond Cutter is one of my favorite endings ever in WCW and it
still holds up really well. Im not sure why this wasnt Page vs. Bret for
the title, but to be fair we had seen that match several times before so it
was kind of nice to see something new.
Yet another Goldberg vs. Nash video.
WCW World Title: Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash
Goldberg is defending and its No DQ. Nash won the shot by winning World War
3. Theyre treating this like its a big showdown ala Hogan vs. Warrior in
1990 but it just doesnt work with these guys. They pose at each other to
start with the fans pretty split. A lockup takes both guys into the corner
and the referee splits them up. They circle each other some more until
Goldberg ducks a right hand and suplexes Nash, sending him out to the floor.
Back in and Nash takes him into the corner for all of his usual stuff but Goldberg just shoves him down. The champion chokes away but Nash tries a freaking cross armbreaker of all things. Goldberg laughs his way out of
that and tries his ankle hold, sending Nash to the ropes for another reset. Goldberg knocks Nash to the mat with right hands but gets pulled face first into the middle buckle.
The spear connects out of nowhere but Goldberg cant pick him up for the Jackhammer. The delay allows Nash to hit him low and both guys are down
again. A bad looking side slam gets two for Nash and he hammers in forearms
to the back. The swinging neckbreaker puts Nash down again and theres the superkick for good measure. Goldberg muscles him up into a powerslam for
two but heres Disco Inferno to distract the champion. That goes as well as
you would expect so heres Bigelow to get beaten down as well. Scott Hall of course sneaks in with a tazer to Goldbergs chest, setting up the Jackknife
to give Nash the title.
Rating: D+. The match wasnt the worst thing in the world but it feels like
such an anti-climactic way to end the Streak. After all that, its an ending that doesnt make a ton of sense and almost makes Nash look like a heel,
even though the fans popped for the ending. Id assume its because its a big moment but they still liked Nash no matter what. It felt like a pro-Nash
pop rather than an anti-Goldberg one as the fans werent booing Goldberg throughout the rest of the match.
And there it goes:
[This post contains video, click to play]
Nash isnt sure what happened. He didnt see Hall do what he did and Hall was
out of there immediately after.
Overall Rating: D-. Where do I even start? While last years show was decent with a bad ending, this one was just bad for the last two hours. This show ranged from bad to downright stupid at times, with some of the most random matches I can ever remember seeing on a major pay per view. Consider the following list of people who either didnt wrestle or appear on the show.
Bret Hart, Scott Steiner, Booker T., Scott Hall, Chris Benoit, Dean
Malenko, Lex Luger, Wrath, Bam Bam Bigelow, Kanyon, Raven, Buff Bagwell
All of those guys have gotten significant television time in the weeks
leading up to the show, but none of them could get on the card. Instead we
had guys like Jerry Flynn, Scott Norton and Prince Iaukea wrestling
instead. The opening two matches are good, but theres really no reason for
one midcard story to eat up forty minutes of an under three hour card. That leaves you two hours for six matches, but then they wasted even more time
on the constant videos and interviews.
Thats all before the booking of the show. I can understand the Nash move as
the streak had to end somewhere. I dont care for it for the most part, but there could have been far worse ideas for them to go with. Nash winning the title isnt a stretch as hes been one of the biggest starts in the company
since the day he debuted. Yeah he booked himself to be champion, but at the
end of the day its not like Glacier just broke Goldbergs streak.
Then theres the white elephant in the room. I really dont know how you can
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