Road Wild
1999
Date: August 14, 1999
Location: Sturgis, South Dakota
Attendance: 5,500
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan
Date: August 14, 1999
Location: Sturgis, South Dakota
Attendance: 5,500
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
Back
to Eric Bischoff's big idea so he could ride motorcycles around the
Black Hills. The main event here is Kevin Nash vs. Hulk Hogan in a
title/career vs. career match, which still doesn't sound fair to
Hogan. After sitting through the disaster that was Thunder though, I
really don't care about what is fair in WCW. Let's get to it.
The
opening recap of course focuses on Nash vs. Hogan. In case the five
or six videos on Thunder weren't enough for you of course. Actually,
the more I think about it, one of these guys leaving means we might
get someone new in the main event. FREAKING SWEET MAN!
Tony
talks about this history of Road Wild. As in the show that debuted
back in 1996 (1997 if you consider Hog Wild its own show). Just
printing his quotes are better than almost any jokes I could come up
with.
Here's
the first show of any WCW employees: Tenay in a jean jacket and
sunglasses, Tony in a darker jean jacket, sunglasses and a backwards
hat, and Heenan (looking
mostly normal) in a black
shirt and hat. My goodness this stuff never gets easier to sit
through. They hype up the
main event and other big
options to eat up time.
We
recap the Dead Pool vs. the yet to be named Filthy Animals which I
don't think has an actual story. They just started fighting one day
and led up to this match. Tony says the fighting took place on the
WCW Network. Good grief you mean they thought of it first???
Dead
Pool vs. Eddie Guerrero/Rey Mysterio Jr./Kidman
I
do like the road design for the entrance ramp and
the whole atmosphere is always really cool.
It's Vampiro and the Insane
Clown Posse (Violent J. and Shaggy 2 Dope) with Raven in their corner
here. It's a big brawl to
start with the Clowns thankfully being knocked to the floor so
Vampiro can handle the wrestling. Kidman
hits an early Sky High, followed by a slingshot hilo from Eddie.
They head outside for a few seconds and we see that the ring is up on
a mini platform like in previous years.
Vampiro
nails a nice spinwheel kick to drop Eddie as Tony points out that the
Clowns aren't really wrestlers. Granted I question how much they're
actually singers or musicians either but that's a discussion for
another time. We now get to the real point of the match as Tenay
says Vampiro might be touring with the Clowns in the future. J.
comes in to imitate whatever moves he saw watching wrestling as a
kid, including a clothesline and a jawbreaker.
Tenay
brings up the fans that have been stuck in the airport for all
eternity, stalking wrestling personalities and asking them about
whatever main event is coming up. Vampiro
comes back in but Eddie climbs the ropes into a hurricanrana, only to
have J. make the save. A
Rock Bottom gets two on Eddie and the Clowns hit a double suplex.
Amazingly enough, one of the most talented wrestlers of all time
doesn't have much of a problem beating up a clown named after
a Scooby Doo character. He
drops Shaggy with a superplex and the hot tag brings in Mysterio.
Raven
actually does something (when was the last time he even had a match?)
by tripping Mysterio to the floor so Vampiro can hit the Nail in the
Coffin on the floor. J. comes back in and I keep getting distracted
by the steak sandwich stand opposite the hard camera. Things
slow back down again as Tenay brags about the Clowns being able to
hit legdrops in the wrestling ring they've set up in their backyards.
The moral of the story: don't backyard wrestle unless you can get
WCW mainstream coverage.
Shaggy
powerslams Rey (Tony: “Great execution. As good as you'll get!”
The British Bulldog is rolling over in his grave.) and drops him with
a clothesline for no cover. Rey raises a boot in the corner and hits
a split legged moonsault, allowing the hot tag to Kidman. Everything
breaks down and Kidman is left alone with Shaggy. Apparently he's
more of a Yogi Bear fan as he drops the Shooting Star for the pin to
thankfully get us to a match full of actual wrestlers.
Rating: D+.
The thing is, the match isn't even all that bad. The problem here
though is how many notches Mysterio, Guerrero and Kidman have to
crank it down so the Clowns aren't overwhelmed. Those three are some
of the best wrestlers WCW ever had but they're stuck in the opening
match against some musicians because WCW would rather make a quick
splash off having the Clowns in a boring match than put on a product
that could actually compete against WWF, which Mysterio, Guerrero and
Kidman tearing the house down for these twelve minutes could have
been a big part of.
The
Clowns aren't even horrible in the ring, but they're very, very
limited. They can do basic stuff like clotheslines and suplexes, but
so can every single wrestler on the roster. Instead of Mysterio
defending the title (which he hasn't done on a major show since May
from what I can find) or Eddie actually wrapping up that stolen
wallet story, we're stuck watching these guys do stuff they taught
themselves so they can have a thrill. That's what we get for our
$30?
We
recap Harlem Heat vs. the Triad for the Tag Team Titles. Booker was
getting beaten up by the Triad but Stevie came out to help him. He
wanted to reform the team, but Booker said take off the NWO colors.
Stevie said okey dokey and that's about all it took.
Tag
Team Titles: Jersey Triad vs. Harlem Heat
The
Triad is defending but it's only Kanyon and Bigelow at ringside
because Flair can't let them have all three members around anymore.
Kanyon says most of the
bikers here likely don't have cable, so he explains the usual
question, only to be drowned out by the engines revving.
Booker is in black and
white after making a big deal out of Stevie not wearing the black and
white. I smell a secret alliance and feel the need to tune into
Nitro to find out more.
The
champs jump them to start but are quickly knocked to the floor. Only
WCW would put Bam Bam Bigelow, a former biker covered in tattoos, in
front of a biker rally as a heel. Tony
isn't sure if Harlem Heat will have continuity after only wrestling a
few matches in the last year. You mean like Bigelow and Kanyon?
Stevie tries to get the
crowd going but Kanyon sends him into the corner and drives in some
shoulders to the ribs. Ray
pops back up and throws both champions out to the floor and things
slow down again. Heenan: “I remember one time I picked up the
Beast From the East. Her name was Monica.”
Back
in and Booker comes in to stomp Kanyon in the corner but gets dropped
to the mat and choked. Tony and Bobby actually agree that Charles
Robinson was a fair referee most of the time. Tenay: “.....what?”
This commentary is extra golden tonight. Back
to Stevie who tells the fans to rev their engines, which for some
reason keeps Bigelow from going after Stevie when his back is turned.
Shoulder blocks have no
effect on either guy so Ray runs him over with a clothesline.
Kanyon
gets in a knee from the apron and comes in to mock the bikers a bit.
Heenan turns into a manager and starts coaching Kanyon on how to
choke. It's back to Bigelow for a corner splash and a chinlock so he
can whisper some sweet spots into Ray's ear. Back
to Kanyon who tries to put Stevie down so Bigelow can go up top, only
to have Kanyon catapult him into Bam Bam for a breather. The
hot tag brings in Booker to fire off his kicks but Bigelow low
bridges him to the floor. Oddly the fans have gone far more silent
since Booker came in.
Kanyon
nails his middle rope Fameasser for two as we've slowed down again.
He loads up the same move
but this time Booker powerbombs him for a nice counter. I love when
wrestlers learn during the match. Stevie comes in again to hammer
away but Page runs out, only to get knocked down by Bigelow, setting
up Booker's missile dropkick for the pin and the titles.
Rating: C+.
It's a very good sign that Benoit and Booker T. have picked up a
title each in the last five days. Going back to Harlem Heat was a
step backwards, but I'm very glad to see the
younger guys getting something out of all this. The match was pretty
good too with a basic tag team formula that has worked for years and
will continue working for years to come. It also keeps up the idea
that once the villains lose their backer and have to fight fair, the
good guys win. In other words, Wrestling 101 works even in WCW.
We
recap the Revolution vs. the Rednecks. For some reason this is
treated as more about Hennig vs. Saturn than anything else. There
isn't much of a story here other than they needed something for these
teams to do and threw them into this match. Oh and CHAD BROCK!!!
Revolution
vs. West Texas Rednecks
It's
Douglas/Malenko/Saturn vs. Hennig/Windham/Duncum with the rednecks
billed as the villains as WCW still doesn't get their audience (nor
do they get their money but at least Bischoff got to ride a
motorcycle!). Saturn says
they don't care about the cowboys or Chad Brock (heresy!) so just
pick who gets beaten up first. It's a brawl to start again with the
Revolution cleaning house. We
settle down to Malenko vs. Barry Windham, who can't make the t-shirt
over trunks look work.
Dean
takes over to start and brings in Saturn for a back elbow as Tenay
goes into Professor mode, talking about how the Rednecks all have
fathers who wrestled. That's
the kind of guy wrestling needs again (and not Matt “let me beat
you over the head with my knowledge and names of moves that no one
uses” Striker) and I'm sure there's someone out there. Douglas
comes in with a nice powerslam on Duncum as the Revolution keeps the
wrestling strong. Heenan
tells a story about having an 115 degree temperature but coming back
just two years later. Wrestling could use a commentator like him
too, but I don't think one exists.
Saturn
suplexes Windham down and hammers away but Kendall nails Saturn from
the floor to change control. Good old fashioned cheating never hurt
anyone. Well Saturn maybe
but that's beside the point. Off
to Hennig for the necksnap as a truck drives along the road behind
the ring. You can't say this show looks the same as the rest of
them. Hennig lets Saturn
tag and house is cleaned for a bit before it's off to Douglas.
The
Rednecks come in to break up a Pittsburgh Plunge attempt and “whoever
it was” (Tenay's words) trips him to the floor and Shane gets
beaten down on the floor. Things
settle down to Windham suplexing Douglas for two. The Rednecks get
us into a regular tag team formula with Kendall getting in his shots
from the floor. Since we're getting into a good wrestling match,
it's time to talk about Savage vs. Rodman. Duncum suplexes Douglas
for two and we hit the chinlock.
Back
to Windham for a DDT and the slowest two count I've seen in years.
If a heel was getting counted, the announcers would suggest the
referee was crooked. Shane
stops Duncum with a boot in the corner and Saturn gets the hot tag.
Everything breaks down and Dean puts Hennig in the Cloverleaf, only
to have Kendall break it up with the cowbell. Saturn nails Duncum
with the Death Valley Driver for the pin.
Rating: C.
Well at least the right team won. They actually had me thinking that
the Rednecks were going to win there just to tick the fans off even
more. The Revolution finally has some momentum, but unfortunately
it's momentum against midcard acts instead of against the main event
guys. I guess that boxing match against Piper was the extent of the
youth movement's main event push, because we need room for the main
events we're getting.
Speaking
of what we're getting, this was the third straight match that could
have been on any given Nitro but instead they're all on this show.
The Tag Team Title change meant something, but so far nothing has
happened to really give the fans a real thrill. Nothing so far has
felt like a big moment and we're about an hour into the show. That's
not a good sign given what's coming.
We
recap Bagwell vs. Cat. Miller said he could dance like no one else,
Bagwell dressed up in black face and stole Cat's shoes, Miller beat
him up a few times, let's have a match.
Buff
Bagwell vs. The Cat
Speaking
of matches that have no business on pay per view. Tenay
says Bagwell is one big match away from winning championship gold.
If you throw in a far better offense I can't say I disagree, but he's
stuck in this mess of a feud. Sonny
is in a biker vest with no shirt underneath for a disturbing look.
They still can't start the
match because both guys have to try to talk with Cat cutting off
Bagwell every time and the bikers cutting Cat off. Bagwell:
“Cat, you're not a crowd favorite if you know what I mean.”
Unless he's being completely literal, no I don't know what you mean.
We
finally get going with Cat hiptossing Bagwell and dancing a bit. The
idea works so well that he does it again but with a slam this time.
We're two minutes into the match now as a PUSSY CAT chant starts up.
Buff comes back with a
hiptoss and slams of his own, sending Cat to the floor so Buff can
dance. Back in again and
Miller spends almost a minute teasing a handshake as this match is
dying in front of our eyes. He
finally gets in a cheap shot on Bagwell and chokes in the corner,
only to take two dropkick. Of course, it's time to dance!
Cat
hits him low (what took them so long?) and superkicks Bagwell down
but the referee yells at Miller, allowing Sonny to get in some lame
choking. They repeat the
same sequence before Miller slaps on a chinlock. Bagwell
reverses a suplex into one of his own and both guys are down. Back
up and a cross body gets two on Cat so Sonny gets on the apron. To
complete the disaster, Cat is rammed into Sonny's briefcase and one
of the worst rollups I've seen in years (I've had to say that too
often in this review) gives Bagwell the pin.
Rating: F-.
Where do I even start? How about Buff can't even beat ERNEST MILLER
with his finisher??? Last time he beat Piper with a pin in a boxing
match and now he beats Miller with a rollup without the shoulder even
being on the mat. The match was horrible as it was borderline comedy
with all the dancing and repeated spots, mainly focused on choking.
This was a disaster and something that should have been buried on
Thunder instead of something that was supposed to make me care about
Bagwell. How does beating up a goofy dancer who can't do anything
but choke and kick make Buff look like a star? Awful mess.
Miller
and Onoo lay Bagwell out post match while Buff's music is playing.
They REALLY had to do this?
We
recap Benoit vs. Page. This is part of the Revolution vs.
Triad/establishment feud with Benoit wanting to prove that he could
hang with a former World Champion like Page. Benoit finally got his
chance to win a singles title by beating David Flair for the US Title
in a fair fight and now Page wants to beat him to regain his
confidence.
US
T....
Oh
I'm sorry I had the wrong notes. That's the feud that should have
happened. Instead Page made a bunch of Your Mama jokes about Benoit
to tick him off, then Benoit won the US Title and this was made a No
DQ title match at the last second.
US
Title: Chris Benoit vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Benoit
is defending and this is No DQ. Before
the match, Page says Benoit loves his mother, just like anyone else
can for $2.99 a minute. Tony
says this is the scene of one of Page's best matches: last year when
he teamed with Jay Leno. First the Miller match and now those
memories brought up? They
slug it out to start and Benoit punches out of a helicopter bomb,
knocking Page out to the floor.
Back
in (and thankfully away from a shirtless guy that makes Ralphus look
trim) with Page getting two off a suplex.
We're already in a reverse chinlock as Page starts in on the ribs.
A fireman's carry into a faceplant drops Benoit for a delayed two and
Page drives knees into the ribs. We hear Page's career history,
which really is quite the story. Page plants him with an Anderson
spinebuster for two but stops to yell at the referee.
Things
slow down as Page walks around the ring before a side slam gets two.
I can live with him walking around like that because, unlike Miller,
Page has actually shown us more than entry level offense and it fits
his character to be a cocky jerk. That's
the kind of stuff that separates guys from nothing like Cat to stars
like Page.
Benoit gets a breather off a jawbreaker and goes up, only to get
caught in the Tree of Woe.
Page
takes the referee's belt away and tries to whip Benoit but Little
Naitch actually stands up to him. Granted it doesn't work as Page
wraps the belt around Benoit's throat (Heenan: “WALK THAT DOG!”)
before doing the same with Benoit over his shoulder. Very cool yet
disturbing visual actually. Benoit escapes and starts rolling the
Germans for two but Kanyon breaks up the Swan Dive.
The
Revolution is shown watching on the monitors as Benoit throws Page
into Kanyon for two. Page suplexes him down and Bigelow adds a top
rope headbutt for another near fall as Benoit just won't quit. He
knocks all three members together for a pair
of
falling low blows
(ala Sting), setting up the Swan Dive to Page to retain the title, no
thanks to the Revolution.
Rating: B-.
I'd be stunned if this isn't match of the night. I really liked the
story here with Page being all cocky and underestimating Benoit
because he had the Triad in his back pocket, only to have Benoit
fight all three of them off and win in the end. That
being said, it's really nothing great as it's far more about the
story than the wrestling. It would have been nice to have Benoit win
the title here, but I wouldn't want to live in a world without that
David Flair title reign. I
mean, it did SO much to make you hate Ric more right?
Breathe
in people. It's big match time.
A
motorcycle is given away. I didn't hear this advertised on any WCW
show leading up to this.
We
recap Sid vs. Sting but unfortunately we don't get any Halloween
Havoc 1989 clips. Basically Sid is calling himself the Millennium
Man and wants to lead WCW into the future. Sting is his first target
as he's being built up for Goldberg.
Sid
Vicious vs. Sting
The
announcers claim that Sid has been in WCW a little over a month (it's
been two months) and he's undefeated (if you don't count tag matches
or disqualifications of
course). Apparently Sting
has given up all of the power that he won from Flair. That clears up
some questions, but did they have to wait two weeks to explain it?
Sid stalls on the floor to
start but gets kicked into the corner for a pair of Stinger Splashes.
He
knocks Sid to the floor and that's enough action to start as Sid
takes a seat on the edge of the platform. Sting sends him into the
crowd and they walk around ringside for a bit. When did Sting stop
wrestling and become a full time brawler? 1997? Back
in and Sting misses a Splash in the corner so it's time for the wide
world of choking. A
backbreaker gets two on Sting as the crowd has died again. Off
to another chinlock as Tony thinks the temperatures lowering could
mean the matches go long. Global warming never sounded better.
They
head back to the floor with Sid dropping him throat first across the
barricade and we hit that chinlock again because Sid needs air. Back
up and Sting drops him with a shoulder, setting up the falling low
blow (third time in two matches). Sting goes to run the ropes but
Sid trips him from his back. Yes, somehow Sid has invented a way to
wrestle while laying down. You knew someone was going to do it
someday. Snake Eyes puts
Sting down again but Sid goes up, only to get taken down with a
superplex. Not that it
matters as the Stinger Splash is caught by a chokeslam for the
completely clean pin.
Rating: D.
The resting here was ridiculous as Sid was sitting/laying down at
every given chance he had in a match that didn't even last eleven
minutes. This is the kind of thing that people look at in WCW and
shake their heads as they wonder why they're still watching. I mean,
am I supposed to just wait for Sid to have another major match where
he can be even lazier? I can get behind the idea of building up Sid
as a monster, but could he put some effort into his matches? He
doesn't even use a lot of power moves as most of his offense revolves
around choking. You can't throw a powerslam in there?
Quick
recap of Rick Steiner vs. Goldberg. Rick and Scott had destroyed
Goldberg earlier in the year so Goldberg could go make a movie.
Goldberg came back and started brawling with Steiner without a
mention of the beatdown, but he did manage to say the TV Title wasn't
worth fighting for. How do you respond to that?
Goldberg
vs. Rick Steiner
Non-title.
It's a brawl to start of
course and Goldberg just nails him with a clothesline. Steiner tries
something like a cross body to no effect and the superkick drops him.
They're clearly not going long here and that's the best idea
possible. Rick bails to the
floor ala Sid before coming back in with a low blow. At least he
bothered to shove the referee. Rick
takes Goldberg's knee brace off and beats him with it in whatever
ways he can (which to be fair isn't a long list).
I'll
give Tony this: he FINALLY points out that a knee brace Goldberg wore
into the ring isn't a foreign object and shouldn't be considered
cheating. I believe that's the only time I've heard a commentator
say that and it's accurate. A
belly to belly gets two for Rick and another brace shot to the head
has him in trouble. Goldberg gets up and press slams Steiner into a
powerslam, setting up the spear and Jackhammer. He really did just
pop up from that offense and win with his signature moves.
Rating: D+.
Believe it or not this wasn't the worst thing they could have done.
Ignoring the TV Champion losing in less than six minutes, Goldberg
not selling, the knee brace shots having almost no effect and
Goldberg's comeback lasting all of three moves, this was the best
possible option they had. Goldberg was supposed to destroy Steiner
here and that's basically what he did, setting him up for a bigger
feud down the line. They really need to get the TV Title off of
Steiner now though as it's dying every single day he holds it.
We
recap Arliss (the character, not the actor. Well depending on who
you ask that is but I'm not getting into that mess again) bringing
Rodman back to face Savage. This was before Rodman became a real
face by kidnapping Gorgeous George, potentially raping her, attacking
from behind and running from a fight. This story was such a mess and
I really don't want to know the logic behind it as I fear it might
destroy my mind.
Dennis
Rodman vs. Randy Savage
Hardcore
for obvious reasons. Now
this should be interesting as this match is very fondly remembered
but I'm very curious as to how well it holds up. It
should also be noted that Savage promised to bring a very bad man
here to guard George. That man would also be revealed as the Hummer
driver, even though this was ignored on Nitro this past week. Savage
comes out alone because he doesn't want George around Rodman. To be
fair I don't want to be around Rodman either. Rodman
wants to know where she is but Savage says Rodman is his tonight.
More swearing ensues and I have no idea what they're talking about.
They're
on the floor about six seconds in with Savage going into the
barricade a few times. Back in and the announcers are already
praising Rodman as hard as they can. What took them so long? An
elbow to the jaw puts Savage down and Tony says that's enough to show
that he's a fine competitor. He follows it up with a Russian
legsweep for another really slow two and even knows how to argue with
a referee. He gets tired of
dealing with Billy Silverman and lays him out before slowly walking
around the ring.
Savage
gets in his first offense after about three minutes by raking
Rodman's face. Heenan: “REBOUND THIS!” Mickie
Jay comes out to referee as Savage hits his third choke of the match.
He punches out a
photographer to steal his camera and uses it to nail Rodman for two.
The near fall earns Jay a right hand of his own and Scott Dickinson
comes in to give us three referees knocked out.
Rodman
gets back up to throw Savage outside but
Savage tosses him over the barricade. The fans throw Rodman back as
Savage walks around looking for weapons (or a real opponent). We're
on referee #4 now as they walk backstage. Rodman kind of armdrags
Savage down but gets thrown into some trash. Here's the big spot of
the match: Rodman gets thrown into a portable toilet, which is then
shoved over. The door opens and the waste comes out, only to have
Rodman pop back up. Seriously, THAT is what people say made this
match entertaining.
Back
to ringside with Savage being thrown into the lighting structure
before Dennis “hits” a middle rope “clothesline”,
accidentally knocking the referee down. Gorgeous George comes out to
the reaction of the match and hits Rodman low. She also gives Savage
a chain to knock Rodman out for the pin to end this mess. Yes,
Savage needed George and a chain to beat a basketball player.
Rating: D.
It was messy (literally), it wasn't really entertaining, Rodman nor
Savage have any business in a ring at this point.....but
I didn't completely hate this. Maybe
it's low expectations or Rodman having a better presence than he did
in the horrible tag match in 1998, but this could have been about a
million times worse. Yeah the toilet spot was stupid and a lot of
the moves didn't hit, but this is like the Clown match earlier: it's
not fair to expect a good match out of someone who isn't a good
wrestler. The praise this match got is overkill, but this could have
been WAY worse.
We
recap Hogan vs. Nash, which seems to be the real match they wanted to
get to instead of Goldberg vs. Hogan or Goldberg vs. Nash. The
idea here is they're arguing over who was the real force behind the
NWO and it's Nash's career vs. Hogan's career and title to try and
add in some drama. Hogan turned face earlier in the week to get rid
of any possible drama for this match.
WCW
World Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Nash
The
fans and announcers are entirely behind Hogan. Nash
shoves him into the corner a few times to start and the engines rev
again. He grabs a headlock
(Hogan: “OH MY GOD!”) and we're already stuck in first gear.
Another shove sends Nash to the floor and the stalling begins. Back
in and we hit the test of strength with Nash getting the better of
it. Tony continues his bizarre commentary by saying Nash is two
inches taller than Hogan. If you drop Nash down to 6'11, that puts
Hogan at 6'9. That's a stretch even for WCW.
Nash
starts going after the back but takes too long on the framed elbow.
There's nothing here that wouldn't be seen on a Nitro main event so
far. Hulk hammers away in
the corner but gets raked in the eyes. Nash uses the boot choke as
we're only in signature mode here. They
head outside for nothing of note before Nash slowly walks around the
ring. He calls for the
Jackknife but keeps hammering away, including the framed elbow. The
big boot and Jackknife plant Hogan and it's Hulk Up time. You know
the rest and Nash is sent on vacation. Uh I mean retired. Yeah
retired. For like, ever.
Rating: D.
So after all that time (the full five days) of buildup for the career
vs. career stipulation and the huge Nash heel turn (three weeks ago I
believe) after Hogan's long title reign (less than a month at this
point), they did the paint by numbers Hogan match and expected us to
be amazed. This was the
Hogan formula from the 80s taking place four months from the year
2000, which tells you almost all you need to know about WCW.
The
worst part is Hogan vs. Nash could have drawn a fairly decent crowd
if promoted the right way. It's a big main event that we hadn't seen
yet but it's thrown onto maybe the lowest level PPV of the year on a
Saturday instead of the usual Sunday. They set this match up to fail
and I really don't get the thinking there. Granted that could be
said about almost everything around this time.
Overall Rating: D.
This really isn't the worst
show ever, as the first half (save for the Bagwell vs. Cat mess) is
totally watchable. Mostly boring but watchable. You
have some decent action and a title change plus a good Benoit vs.
Page match. Unfortunately, that all led to the second half of the
show and that's where this show gets its reputation.
The
main event guys hit new levels of lazy and sluggish here with Sid
somehow coming up with offense from his back. I mean, he can't even
sit up to trip Sting? The main event had as much heat as an igloo on
Christmas Eve, Sting vs. Sid was just there to set up something for
the future, Goldberg vs. Steiner was a Thunder main event and Rodman
vs. Savage was just a celebrity appearance. Maybe
Nash leaving for awhile will open up a main event slot, but the
thoughts of who they might put in there terrifies me.
You
know what this needed to be? A Clash of the Champions. Cut out the
opener, Miller vs. Bagwell and make Sid/Savage vs. Rodman/Sting (Tell
me you wouldn't pay to see Sting and Rodman try to have a
conversation) a tag match. That's not a bad two hour show and it
would certainly make fans feel better than paying for this mess.
This show didn't need to be a three hour pay per view as the matches
and feuds just aren't there for one. They need to mix things up soon
though because this product is killing them.
Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
This was Hulk Hogan & Kevin Nash at their absolute worst. Hulk coming back to try and take some spotlight off Governor Jesse Ventura and Nash taking laziness to a whole new level.
ReplyDeleteSomehow it would still get worse.
"Tenay brings up the fans that have been stuck in the airport for all eternity, stalking wrestling personalities and asking them about whatever main event is coming up"
ReplyDeleteThat got a good laugh out of me.
"He punches out a photographer to steal his camera and uses it to nail Rodman for two"
ReplyDeleteRoss Forman, Nash's old kind-of assistant. Funny guy.
My dad and I used to give him hell for that as I think it was Schiavone was like "Oh god no! Not Ross Forman!" Lol as if he mattered
Bagwell:
ReplyDelete“Cat, you're not a crowd favorite if you know what I mean.”
Unless he's being completely literal, no I don't know what you mean.
Pretty sure he's referencing the racist bikers that would usually populate the Road/Hog Wild events. Seriously, Harlem Heat were the biggest heels on any of these shows.
That is not the pre-show. I mean the 2 hour one featuring the Rumble match. Internet only.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was awesome, Dudleyz about to go to WWF as the tag champs, Dreamer challenges them alone, his ass kicked, then Raven comes with no warning to take Bubba down and pin him for the title. Terrific how it worked, Raven making it clear he liked ECW more than he hated his mortal enemy.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was a key push to finally removing Bischoff from power. Of course, that meant Russo so in the long run, just as damaging...
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the people getting it with Japanese commentary are watching it through their NJW subscriptions. The subscription doesn't cover English commentary.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I believe Pat Morita passed away. So only Ghost Pat Morita would be watching it. Ghost Pat Morita doesn't like wrestling.
Okay, grandpa.
ReplyDeleteIt was more that some of my commenters on my site got on me for just doing play by play so I've been trying to mix things up a bit more.
ReplyDelete100% on the side of dead pool; then now forever
ReplyDeleteDid the bikers turn on Harlem Heat for being black again this year?
ReplyDeleteI can't say I blame Raven. Where the fuck has he been for the months surrounding this show?
ReplyDeleteNever heard of the Bagwell/Miller thing. I would naturally assume that Miller would win in a real fight, but I'm assuming they just had a short scuffle.
I see. tHis may be the pre show you were wondering about: http://njpwworld.com/lp/a_live_4_2
ReplyDeletehttp://njpwworld.com/lp/a_live_4_2
ReplyDeletePre-show rumble is on by the looks of things.
ReplyDeleteRandy savage last tv match ever with wcw as well
ReplyDeleteWhat was the argument with Hogan about?
ReplyDeleteIt's different for everyone. The Japanese commentary takes me out of the matches.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Okada isn't as charismatic as Flair, but few are. Very, very few.
ReplyDeleteSay what you will about Road Wild, at least WCW had DISTINCTIVE PPVs. WWE nowadays is utterly generic PPV wise in terms of unique atmosphere/presentation. Nothing tops bikers booing the fuck out of the good guys.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're trying to mix it up some. I've always enjoyed reading your reviews, but the straight play-by-play is a bit dry. The jokes really gave it some punch. There were several great lines that had me laughing.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, that ''Pussy Cat'' chant was inspired.
ReplyDeleteRemember that awesome DDP promo he cut on The Cat. 'You're just a pussy... (ten second pause)... cat.' TNT had the worst standards and practices team.
ReplyDeleteYou know what might have helped the Hogan vs Nash thing? If Scott Steiner returned to destroy Hogan and Nash. He can declare himself the last man standing from the nWo with Nash "retired", Hall's contract in Goldbergs gut or whatever, and Hogan left laying.
ReplyDeleteHow much longer until they do the "reveal" about the Hummer driver?
ReplyDeleteDoes that make it his last singles match ever?
ReplyDeleteIt also helps pass the time. These things can drag horribly and you know they're terrible, so why not just rip on them?
ReplyDeleteThey do it on the first episode of the reboot with Russo and bischoff.. Believe bischoff was the one who drove
ReplyDeleteMight have had some bs match with tna in 2003 can't remember
ReplyDeleteJust jealousy I guess, Savage wasn't quite playing with a full deck at this time.
ReplyDelete