Thunder - February 9, 2000

Thunder

Date: February 9, 2000

Location: Myriad Convention Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Attendance: 7,124

Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan

Reviewed by Tommy Hall

The NWO has never had problems like this before! I mean they're fighting amongst themselves and beating each other up! Other than that, the question here is which veteran is going to rip the company apart tonight and then get a big match instead of getting suspended or fired like they should. Let's get to it.

Jarrett, the Twins and Hall arrive separately.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Lash Leroux vs. Shannon Moore

Lash cuts off the performance this week, making him twice as annoying. Granted that's not saying much as he isn't very annoying in the first place. 3 Count gets involved early and pulls Lash to the floor, allowing Shannon to hit a moonsault for two back inside. Lash blocks a spinwheel kick and sends Shannon into the corner, where he counters a bodyscissors and drops Moore chest first onto the buckle. A dropkick gets two on Shannon and he gets planted with something like an AA. Evan offers a distraction so the other bandmates can come in, only to be taken down by a double clothesline. Lash rolls Shannon up for a fast pin.

Norman Smiley breaks up the post match beatdown and promises to beat all of them up at SuperBrawl.

Time to run down the card.

Here's the NWO, meaning just Jarrett and the Twins, with something to say. Jeff wants quiet from the fans before he starts beating up their heroes. Fans have been asking why Jeff did what he did on Monday when he attacked Hall. Who are these fans? I want them flogged. Hall was trying to take Jarrett's title shot, even though he would get the title match anyway at SuperBrawl. Jarrett makes Sid/Funk vs. the Twins tonight just to screw with the champ. Tenay: “What's wrong with that?”

Cue Hall, who reads HEY YO off a piece of paper. He doesn't remember choosing Jarrett as the boss because Jeff doesn't remember the time up north. Jeff has been invited into the clique down here and now he thinks he's running the show. He's just the acting commissioner until Nash comes back, so here's Nash.....on the screen. Nash tells the women to stop with the massage for now because he has to yell at Jarrett.

Jeff can't be left alone for five minutes and as a result, he's no longer commissioner in any capacity. Back in Amazing Fantasy #15 in Spider-Man's first appearance, it was said that with great power comes great responsibility. Jarrett did something bad to someone Nash cares about, so Jeff has to be punished.

The first idea was to cover him in barbecue sauce and put him in a cell with Meng, but then he had a better idea: leave him on a deserted island with Zbyszko so Larry can tell him about the time when he was on top of the territory. Hall: “NO KEV NOT THAT!” Nash can be a funny guy when he feels like it. Instead, how about Hall vs. Jarrett tonight with the title shot on the line. The survey says the fans approve (or maybe they just want to go home) and that's that. So to be clear, this week the Outsiders are faces.

Jarrett is livid after a break.

Hardcore Title: Demon vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Demon does his entrance from the coffin and gets hit with a crutch for the pin in three seconds. This is part of the “let's bury Demon because we agreed to a deal with Kiss and then realized it was stupid but we have to fulfill our obligations” period.

Funk and Sid are ready for the Twins tonight.

Crowbar listens to Kiss because he's crazy.

Booker vs. Stevie Ray

I would ask why not wait for SuperBrawl, but I guess you have to do this match while Booker is still out on bail for that attempted murder thing. Booker doesn't want to fight his brother, but a Biggs distraction lets Stevie get in some cheap shots. A few kicks put Stevie down and Booker beats up Biggs, followed by a chair to Stevie. Booker leaves and there was no match.

Nash, on the phone, isn't cool with Jarrett spending $57,000 on guitars last week so he makes Luger vs. Finlay for tonight.

Flair wants Hogan but will settle for Funk at SuperBrawl. They really are just doing the greatest hits catalog aren't they?

Kidman vs. Crowbar

This could be good. Crowbar charges into the ring and Kidman pounds him down like a villain, or someone with a reason to be mad at Crowbar, would do. Back up and Crowbar intentionally throws dropkicks that miss for some taunting but Kidman just punches him in the face. They head outside with Kidman being whipped into the barricade, setting up a splash off the barricade. Well at least they're keeping it moving so far.

Back in and Crowbar gets dropkicked out of the air, setting up the Bodog for two. The BK Bomb gets the same but Crowbar counters a headscissors into a kind of reverse Batista Bomb. I've always thought a reverse powerbomb would be a good finisher for someone. Kidman is in trouble but Torrie easily distracts the referee, allowing Crowbar to grab the crowbar. Crowbar takes a crowbar though and Kidman hits a quick hurricanrana for the pin.

Rating: C. These two are rapidly becoming some of my favorite people on the show. Crowbar may not be the most technically sound guy in the world but he's playing his character so well that it's hard not to like him. Kidman is probably the most polished worker on the roster right now (or at least the most polished who is actually trying) and it's really showing.

Crowbar whips himself into the steps. That's quite the dedication.

The NWO sends their women away.

Sid Vicious/Terry Funk vs. Harris Brothers

Sid comes out first because the title has no value these days. Jarrett, of course wearing the US Title which he has shown no signs of defending yet, is on commentary. Ron and Sid start with Ron taunting Funk, drawing him in for a Twins' double team. Just like last week, Sid fights them off with ease because they're the Harris Twins, allowing Funk to come in and cover Don for two. A DDT gets the same and it's off to Ron for a chinlock.

Funk fights back with a shoulder as we hit slapnuts #5 from Jeff. The hot tag (more like mild and party cloudy) brings in Sid for a chokeslam and cobra clutch slam to Ron. Don takes a piledriver on the exposed concrete but Sid gets hit low to keep the match going. Funk puts Don on a table at ringside as Sid chases.....I guess Ron to the back, allowing Jarrett to guitar Funk through the table to give Don the pin.

Rating: D. I guess this is the match that got the extra time after Knobbs vs. Demon. That being said, I'd love to hear the validation from the creative team as to how this is the best use for the World Heavyweight Champion who has spent weeks battling the forces of evil to finally win the belt. Lame tag match but at least Jarrett gets one up on the champ, by beating his tag partner who first retired seventeen years ago.

Flair wants to team up with Luger so Luger can break Funk's arm on Monday while Luger deals with Hogan. The youngest person in this story: Lex Luger at 41.

Total Package vs. Fit Finlay

Before the match, Luger (can we please go back to that being his official name?) talks about beating up Hogan and Funk with help from Flair, who is referred to as a protege. Thankfully Finlay comes out so I don't have to feel the explosion of the space time continuum from that statement. Finlay works on the arm to start, stomps away in the corner and then gets hit in the leg by a ball bat shot from Liz for the fast DQ.

Luger Pillmanizes Finlay's arm and Brian Knobbs comes out to get in a shot of his own. On Finlay of course, because he doesn't seem to remember Luger breaking his arm so recently.

This Week in WCW Motorsports.

2XS (Lenny and Lodi, now known as Idol) isn't worried about Miss Hancock leaving them because they don't need a stupid gimmick. They'll take the titles tonight.

Tag Team Titles: 2XS vs. Mamalukes

The Italians are defending but get jumped in the aisle, which is becoming a very common trend in WCW. Tenay ignores talking about the match to plug DDP's new book as Vito gets stomped down before he can even take the belt off. Cue Hancock for some gratuitous leg shots and a rare removal of the hair bun. My goodness that woman is beautiful. She hands some papers to the announcers and leaves which they can't seem to understand. Idol DDTs Johnny but Disco breaks up the pin. Disco and Idol ram heads and Vito's implant DDT is enough to retain. The match was a backdrop for Hancock's paper delivery.

Crowbar hits Disco with a lead pipe and steals the belts.

Ernest Miller won't say where James Brown is.

Gene calls out Ric Flair for a chat. Ric says it's just like old times because he's still the greatest wrestler, athlete and lover in the world. He isn't pleased with ESPN for not naming him one of the greatest athletes of the century but would rather talk about what's in the WCW Magazine he's holding. It's a list of the all time great WCW stars and Flair is #2, after Hulk Hogan. Flair beats up the magazine (makes sense for him) but here's Dustin Rhodes. Dustin didn't think much of Ric letting his son get beaten up on Monday when all David wanted to do was impress his dad. David is more grown up than Ric and those are fighting words.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Ric Flair

Flash back six years and this could be interesting. Rhodes takes over to start by stomping Flair into the corner and suplexing him down but a clothesline takes out the referee about twenty seconds in. A low blow puts Dustin down but he avoids a knee drop and puts Flair in the Figure Four. That earns him a Rolex to the face, giving Ric the pin.

Terry Funk makes the save but Lex Luger hits the ring to take out Dustin and rack Funk.

Scott Hall vs. Jeff Jarrett

Winner gets the World Title shot at SuperBrawl. Scott gets in some shots to start but Jeff sends him outside for a beating from the Harris Twins. Ron's clothesline gives Jeff two and we hit the sleeper/sleeper reversal sequence. Hall comes back with right hands and the fall away slam as the fans are WAY into Scott. Just like Monday, the referee makes sure to get right in the way of a flailing body, this time with Jeff's legs as he's taken up for the Outsider's Edge. No count of course, allowing Jeff to pop up and hit the Stroke for three off second referee Mark Johnson.

Not so fast though as the first referee gets up and says restart it so Hall punches various people until a mic shot puts him down for two. Jarrett misses a belt shot and takes one to the face, but this time Johnson pulls Mickie Jay to the floor. Cue Sid and GOOD GRIEF JUST LET THERE BE A PIN. Hall Edges Johnson and Sid powerbombs Jarrett as the match is finally thrown out.

Rating: F+. It's Jeff Jarrett and Scott Hall. These two fought each other so many times over the years that they probably know how to have at least an average match through muscle memory, but we had run ins, ref bumps, refs fighting and weapons in a six and a half minute match. This is another case of “just let them wrestle”. It would make everyone's lives so much easier, which is why it's never going to happen.

Overall Rating: D-. This may not be the worst show ever, but it's one of the laziest. However, they do seem to be making some headway with some of the stories. Luger and Flair as the new big bad is fine, even though I can't imagine Hogan and Funk as partners taking them down. The NWO stuff is just killing this show though with the Twins as some of the least interesting lackeys I've ever seen. There's some watchable stuff in there and if they would just find a better option for the main event and upper midcard, this would be a far more watchable company.

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