Shawn "The Perfect One" Stasiak vs. Curt Hennig
Here's another case of WCW rushing to finish an angle that was taking longer to get over than they'd expected (also see: the Berlyn/Wall split). Where they should've had Hennig constantly chasing his replacement seeking revenge, they instead hurry to the climactic blowoff. Just don't expect anybody to cheer.
Winner: Shawn Stasiak... the new 'perfect'..?
Terry Funk vs. Screamin' Norman Smiley with mystery partner
Hardcore Championship Match
So how anti-climactic and silly was that 'mascot' bit during Nitro? I just kept telling myself it wasn't really Sabu, and fate smiled upon me. It wasn't. I wonder if Ralphus will appear by his lonesome to accompany Norman Smiley.. or will the Jerichoholic Ninja make his presence known as well? The comedic possibilities are there, but I don't think the whole Ralphus thing works without Jericho there to justify his presence and magnify the stupidity of it all. What the hell though.. I'll give Norman a shot before I condemn it. I won't give him the benefit of the doubt in this match though, and expect Ralphus (if that's really who it turns out to be) to be more of a distraction than a help.. more than enough to send Funk home with the belt.
Winner: Terry Funk
Chris Candido vs. The Artist
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Apparantly continuing their feud from a couple weeks ago, these two are ready to go at it despite little to no exposure on Nitro. I'm not sure Tammy was even properly introduced, though one can't say she didn't try. Unfortunately, the Cruiserweight division is suffering from many of the problems that plague the WWF's light-heavy belt. As the talent that made this belt special slowly dissipates, bit by bit, the belt can't help but fall into obscurity. Candido's a worthy champion, but the audience barely recognizes him and has been given no real direction.. should they cheer him or boo him? Fighting a former champion (!) in TAFKA Iaukea won't really produce a high flying match either, and it's a real shame. I fear it's just downhill from here.
Winner: Chris Candido
Mike Awesome vs. Chris Kanyon
If I had to choose two ideal opponents for Mike Awesome in WCW, I'd go with Crowbar and Kanyon. It's that simple.. both have the crowd skills to bring the fans into the feud and the speed, ability and willingness to keep up and trade bumps with the former ECW champ. If given a good 5-10 minutes of back and forth offense, these two could get the crowd on their feet and ready to enjoy the night, which is why I think it's a perfect curtain jerker. Though his association with DDP has raised his stock a bit, Kanyon isn't on the level to go over Awesome just yet. He'll make it a contest, but in the end an awesome bomb will seal the deal.
Winner: Mike Awesome
Buff Bagwell vs. The Total Package
Grab your schedulers, this one's my nomination for the official 'go take a piss, grab a beer, call your girl or get better acquainted with yourself' match of the night. I know, this is supposed to further the Team Package/Buff and Shane feud, but we haven't been given any reason to care about the participants or the outcome. Therefore, I'm exercising my right to do just that... not care. A coin toss has revealed the winner as:
Winner: Buff Bagwell
Scott Steiner vs. Hugh Morrus
Non Title Match
If this isn't an extended squash, WCW's fooling themselves as to the misfits' potential.
Winner: Scott Steiner
Ric Flair vs. Shane Douglas
I'll give it to these two.. they've set aside their differences (if momentarily) and agreed to work together as professionals for the betterment of WCW. While both aren't quite in the shape they've been in the past, and both haven't been exactly prominent on tv lately, they've still got enough in them to keep it interesting. We haven't really touched the tip of the possible iceberg in this feud yet, so I really hope Sunday doesn't act as a blowoff. Since he's moving on to main event the next big PPV though, I'd be crazy not to pick the Nature Boy.
Winner: Ric Flair
Sting vs. Vampiro
As if I haven't salivated over this feud enough. Vamp and Sting are pure dynamite together, be it working the matches, the vignettes or the chemistry of it all together.. something's just clicked. The crowds have been hot for it, and the feud has done wonders for both men. Seeing as how both men can be really good in the ring if properly motivated, this is another one that could rock the casbah. To give the feud legs, I'm taking Vampiro through questionable tactics, though it could just as easily go the other way and maintain its hype.
Winner: Vampiro
Hulk Hogan vs. Billy Kidman
With Special Referee Eric Bischoff
Yeah, like Hogan's gonna take the clean pin here. Seeing as how Kidman has yet to land more than a few cheap shots over the course of a full month, while Hogan's run through his moveset thrice over, it's pretty elementary from here. No audience in the world could buy Kidman's chances here, so I really hope his new 'Jericho-esque' personality takes off. Each time Hogan's been set up on a table with Kidman up top, I've been sitting on the edge of my seat looking for the resurfacing of the shooting star press, and I've got a feeling Sunday night may be the right place. To do right by me, Hogan doesn't have to do the job here.. he just needs to make Kidman look formidable. Let him land more than a jab or two. Lay down for a near fall once or twice.. give the fans a show, and for god's sake don't hulk up. Win it like a man, not through no-selling. Oh yeah, and if Hogan takes the shooting star press I'm looking for, I'll go a month without saying a negative about him. He'll have earned my respect.
Winner: Hogan
David Arquette vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. DDP
WCW Championship Match in the Triple Cage
I think I've pretty well covered this one between last month's preview and my introduction. If Arquette isn't eliminated immediately, the match quality will certainly take the big step down.. but I figure Bischoff and Russo know they've done wrong here (I hope?), and to cut the angle off ASAP. I'm still of the firm belief that Jarrett and DDP could have a dynamite meeting sometime down the line, perhaps even Sunday night. After regularly working with each other for a couple months, they're beyond the feeling-out stage and appear ready to start trying something exciting. The addition of the cage is interesting, though I seriously doubt either will be taking the Foley-esque bump that looms in the back of everyone's minds (don't tell me it never crossed your mind! liar! liar!). If these two can combine their technical skills and throw in some crowd-pleasing spots, along a breakneck pace, I think this could be one helluva match. My money's on Page, with Jarrett taking the belt back on Nitro for an extended reign. In order for this New Blood angle to work, they need Jarrett as a vocal champion and leader.
Winner: DDP
In Closing...
There remain a few rough spots on the card, but overall I'm impressed. If you'd been shown this card before the Bischoff/Russo coalition, you can't tell me you wouldn't accept it over Hogan/Sid or Sting/Vampiro v. Team Package. It's important that Vince and Eric keep putting out good Nitros (an area where they've been lacking in the last week or two), so when Raw does inevitably screw up the fans will be given reason to stay on TNT. This program's a start, so let's see how the follow-up rates.
until next time, i remain
drq
drq
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