Monday Nitro #226
Date: February 7, 2000
Location: Tulsa
Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Attendance: 6,358
Commentators: Tony
Schiavone, Mark Madden
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
We're two weeks from
SuperBrawl and most of the card is coming in clear. Unfortunately
that means we can see what's coming and therefore are all running for
the hills before it kills us all. Hogan is back and seems to hate
anyone young, Sid has been in back to back Thunder Caged Heat main
events and Jeff Jarrett has power because Nash has disappeared. Fun
times eh? Let's get to it.
We open with the recap
of last week, with the NWO adding the Harris Twins and then the
completely unnecessary Caged Heat match on Thunder. What a great way
to open the show.
The NWO has surprises
for Sid and Funk. Nash is going to be back soon.
Here's 3 Count for a
performance (things are looking up) but they stop to allow a woman to
get in the ring to dance with them. Disaster strikes though as the
music messes up and they can't lip sync. We cut to the production
truck to see Norman Smiley screwing with things and now let's have a
match.
Norman Smiley vs.
Evan Karagias
Madden
is on Evan's side because the internet marks like Smiley. I'm
remembering why I can't stand him. Evan quickly throws him outside
but 3 Count tosses Norman back inside. Is this a mutiny already?
Back in and Evan gets suplexed, only to counter the spanking dance
into a faceplant. Shannon gets on the apron but Evan is whipped into
him because 3 Count isn't the brightest group of cats in the world.
Evan's rollup is reversed (with the referee stopping halfway through
his count because it takes too long) into one from Norman for the
fast pin.
Norman wants all three
of them at SuperBrawl. You and every other teenage girl in the world
Smiley.
Danny Hodge is here.
He deserves better.
The announcers run down
the card.
J. Biggs has cops
search Booker's bags and confiscate any Harlem Heat gear. This is
so, so sad.
Flair and some women
arrive.
Here's
the NWO with something to say. Hall won't say Hey Yo so a Harris
insults the crowd for being a bunch of morons. They're kind of
missing the point of having them be muscle. Ron actually calls this
the Elite NWO. Steiner one ups that by calling himself the Purple
Warrior. I really don't want to know what that means.
Last week he saw a 53
year old man (meaning Flair, though he's not quite that old) come
out here and brag about how he's still the man. Flair has a crooked
nose and yellow teeth, so why didn't they bring in the original
Nature Boy Buddy Rogers? Steiner thinks it might be because he's
dead. Last week when Flair came down the aisle, everyone changed the
channel to watch Stone Cold, a guy that Flair and his boys got fired
from here. A lot of Steiner's insults are censored but WCW SUCKS
gets through.
Jarrett brings us back
to reality by saying Mark Johnson will be referee during the Sid vs.
Jarrett title match. Remember that he's the referee that was paid
off last week. The match will also be No DQ, which is probably the
best option. Tonight it's Hall vs. Sid in a non-title match, which
doesn't seem to please Hall.
So to recap, in the
last five days, Hogan has said all the young guys are worthless and
Steiner has said the fans change the channel when Flair comes on
screen because they're watching Steve Austin on Raw. These two are
both going to be World Champion at some point in the year.
Booker says Biggs and
company have taken his colors and music but they'll never take his
dignity. No Booker, I'm pretty sure they have.
David Flair is going to
have an I Quit match against Terry Funk tonight and fight one of his
dad's battles for him.
Booker vs. The Wall
There
are no flames for Booker's entrance and he comes out to what sounds
like the theme to Leave It To Beaver. Madden gets in a line clever
enough that I'm sure he didn't come up with it himself: Ice T. is now
just Ice and Hulk Hogan is now immoral. Booker slugs away and hits a
spin kick to start but charges into a boot in the corner.
Wall
throws him outside and stomps on Booker as he gets back inside.
Booker throws on a sleeper for a few seconds but Wall slams him down
and goes up top, only to dive into a kick. There's the ax kick and a
Bookend but here's J. Biggs to call Booker a criminal. In the
distraction a chokeslam ends Booker.
Rating:
D.
I'll give them points for trying to push someone else. Wall may be a
big, mostly talentless lug, but at least he's someone new. I don't
have any faith in them to not screw up his push and turn it into a
big waste, but at least it's happening. However, the fact that it's
coming as part of this stupid story makes it even worse. But wait.
It gets better.
Booker is arrested for
assault and battery, reckless endangerment and attempted murder.
I've sat through a lot of nonsense in WCW, but this is a rare care
where it's hard to watch. This is just so, so stupid.
Knobbs wants Finlay
tonight. Jarrett says ok but that it's Knobbs vs. Bigelow with
Finlay as referee. Can we please get some fresh blood in this
“division?”
Funk asks Anderson
where he stands in the war with Flair. Anderson says he'll answer
after he sees how Funk does against David Flair.
Lane and Idol ask for a
title shot again.
Tank Abbott vs.
Barbarian
Barbarian is in a
leather jacket because he's a tough monster with a slick fashion
sense. They slug each other, Abbott does a kind of slam and a big
right hand ends Barbarian in a hurry.
Crowbar plays air
guitar in front of Demon's casket until Daffney calls him away.
Torrie with the KidCam.
Here's Ed Ferrara, who
has been put in charge of starting the women's division. Those
“adorable” women have no place in wrestling though so first up,
they'll all have to go through extensive medical tests, with Ferrara
present for all of them. This brings out a Dr. Jeter, who has done
procedures on a lot of women, including Madusa. Cue Madusa to kick
both of them low. Yet another stupid waste of time.
Terry Taylor has talked
to the executive committee. Mark Johnson will not be refereeing at
SuperBrawl and tonight's match is for the title. Speaking of wastes
of time, these stipulations were announced less than an hour ago and
now they're changed. Such a great use of TV time.
We get clips from 1989
of Funk vs. Flair in the I Quit match.
David Flair vs.
Terry Funk
I
Quit. David sends Crowbar and Daffney to the back. Funk asks if
David knows what he's getting into and offers him a chance to go
ahead and quit now. David will have nothing to do with that and hits
Funk with a few chair shots to start. They head outside and it's
already table time but Terry whips him into the barricade.
Funk pulls back the
mats for a piledriver....on the mats. To be fair he is crazy. David
still won't quit so he gets piledriven on the concrete. That gets
the same result, followed by a piledriver through the table. A chair
to the back knocks David out and Funk quits, but he won't do the same
against Ric. David, out cold, is the winner.
Rating:
D+.
I'll give them some points for the violence and for the story they're
going with, but at the same time this is for a feud that started ten
years ago and the best idea they've got is to just do it again.
Total squash of course, but David better take some time off after a
beating like that.
In the back, Arn yells
at Ric for letting that happen. Ric needs to stop being Ric Flair
and to start being David's father. For once in his life, he's bowing
out, because that made him sick. Anderson is still the best talker
in this company right now.
Stevie Ray vs. Disco
Inferno
Disco
tries to take him into the corner to start but gets slammed down.
The announcers are officially calling Booker just Booker now as the
Mamalukes and Big T. argue on the floor. Madden: “Didn't this
Biggs guy used to carry a tennis racket?” I'm not sure if that
line is funny or not. Disco hits a quick Russian legsweep and the
middle rope elbow for two but tries to steal the slapjack, allowing
Stevie to hit the Slapjack for the pin. I guess Harlem Heat is
coming for the belts again?
Jarrett thinks WCW is
trying to rip the NWO apart but Hall laughs it off because the title
will stay in the family either way.
Sid doesn't care who he
fights tonight because he's outsmarted the NWO time after time.
That's one heck of an insult.
Flair rants about Arn
being in over his head and leaves.
Hardcore Title:
Brian Knobbs vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Knobbs
is defending and has a broken wrist thanks to Luger. We see a clip
of it being broken and they put January 31 instead of a simple last
week. Finlay is guest referee again. Bigelow throws a trashcan at
Knobbs to start and the champ is in early trouble. He whips Knobbs
into the barricade and steps with Brian unable to use the bad arm to
stop the impact. In for the first time with Knobbs hitting a ladder
and having it fall on top of him. Knobbs makes a comeback but Finlay
hits him with a chair, followed by a fast count to give Bigelow the
title. Again, this is probably the most logical story in the
promotion at the moment.
Ernest Miller brags
about hanging out with James Brown and promises to have Brown on
Thunder. Well, Brown kind of fits in with WCW as he's old, but at
least he's still entertaining.
Steve Borden (yes Steve
Borden) will be on the Late Show.
Billy Kidman vs. The
Demon
This
has to be a test for Kidman to see what kind of miracles he can pull
off. Demon's entrance is hyped up even more than usual here and we
cut to the back to see Crowbar having a great time watching it.
Demon eats a dropkick to start and tosses Kidman across the ring like
he's nothing. A legdrop and butterfly suplex (but a DEMONIC legdrop
and DEMONIC butterfly suplex) get two for Demon but the fans are more
interested in Torrie. Kidman's Bodog gets two and Demon gets the
same off a DDT. For some reason Demon goes up top, allowing Kidman
to hurricanrana him down for the pin. No miracle but watchable.
Luger comes to the
ring, holding a Hogan chair.
Ready To Rumble is
coming.
Jarrett tells the NWO
they can't answer the ringing phone.
Here's
Luger to discuss Hogan returning on Thunder. Hogan thinks he's the
best ever but Luger has won every title there is (except the WWF
Title. Why not bring that up? They reference the WWF every chance
they can) and is the future of professional wrestling. Jimmy Hart is
ordered to come out to deliver Hogan a message, but Jimmy refuses.
Luger is just a Hogan
wannabe because he'll never sell as much merchandise or as many
tickets as Hogan did. So Luger wants to talk about titles and
Hogan's lackey wants to talk about attendance records? Luger beats
Hart up, Racks him and breaks his arm. I guess he's not over Jimmy
leaving him alone at Uncensored 1996. I wouldn't want to be left
alone there either.
WCW World Title: Sid
Vicious vs. Scott Hall
Sid
is defending and it's already after 10pm so this isn't going to last
long. Vicious punches him down before the toothpick throw, messing
up Hall's mojo. The champ stays hyped with right hands in the corner
and a chokeslam less than a minute in but there's no cover. Hall
pops up and slugs away before loading up the fall away slam. In the
worst ref bump I've ever seen, the referee stands RIGHT BEHIND HALL
so Sid is thrown into him, allowing Jarrett to come out. The
Outsider's Edge connects but Jeff guitars Hall, for wanting the pin.
Either that or over Royal Rumble 1995 residuals. Sid is dragged on
top to retain.
Rating:
F.
I was tempted to not rate this one as it was barely a match. This
was just an angle disguised as a match as the NWO is splitting,
assuming you considered Hall part of it in the first place. I'm
assuming this sets up a three way at SuperBrawl, which has to be
better than just Jarrett vs. Sid.
Overall
Rating: D.
They're starting the build towards SuperBrawl and it's one of the
least interesting shows I've seen in a long time. The Sid vs.
Jarrett feud is horrible and doing nothing to make me want to keep
watching. Other than that we have the veterans seemingly shooting on
the company and calling it out on all its screwups, despite being the
focal points of the whole show. Really lame show this week but at
least they seem to have a purpose now.
Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
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