wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW World War 3 1996
Loading...-Continuing along with 1996 as we pick up with WCW’s November offering. For those unaware, World War 3 was their attempt at making something like The Royal Rumble. The first PPV with the name took place in 1995 and the 60 Man Battle Royal crowned a new WCW Champion and in this year’s installment, the winner gets a WCW World Title Shot. This show was also being used to build to Starrcade and Hogan/Piper which also gets addressed tonight. Let’s get to it!
-Date: Nov 24, 1996
-Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA
-Announce Team: Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Attendance: 10,314
-PPV Buys: 200,0000
J Crown Championship: Ultimo Dragon (c) (w/ Sonny Onoo) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr
-The J Crown is basically 8 junior heavyweight titles that were unified in 1996 and won by The Great Sasuke. He lost it to Dragon a few months later and Dragon is defending all eight titles. The WCW CW Title was not part of the 8 belts at this time, but the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was and remained until the WWF demanded it back the following year when they launched their division. It’s still pretty boss seeing Dragon walking down with all that gold hanging off him. The Original Belt Collector! Dragon throws some kicks for show to back Rey up and then takes him down with a side headlock. Tony brings up this is their 3rd meeting in WCW, but the first on PPV. Dragon ties Rey up, but Rey gets a trip. Dragon gets a leg to ground Rey and connects with a scoop slam. He gets a two count off an elbow drop and to a reverse chinlock. I forgot to mention the setup for this show features 3 rings for the battle royal later, so they are using ring #1 that is farthest from the entrance area. They do a stalemate sequence where neither man gains an advantage and the crowd approves. Dragon fires off a bunch of kicks and sends Rey to the apron and drops him to the floor with a springboard dropkick. Sonny makes sure to get in a shot out there. Rey floats over on a suplex, but Dragon reverses and gets a bridging German Suplex for two. He presses Rey and tosses him into the air where he crashes face first on the mat. Dragon is dominating early! Dragon shows off some more with a spinning back breaker and then drops Rey back first over his knee. Dragon to a half crab as the crowd is trying to get Rey into this one. Stiff powerbomb and then Dragon picks him pick up and drops him throat first on the top rope! Nice! Another powerbomb and then a giant swing alas Cesaro. Dragon falls down off it as well which pops the crowd. Rey crawls back into the ring and he should have stayed on the floor as Dragon drills him with a suplex for two and then brainbuster for another two. Rey reverses another one into a small package for two. That seemingly just pissed Dragon off as he kicked Rey in the head and then goes to work with a knee-bar. Jumping Tombstone and Rey is again out at two. This is just an ass kicking! Dropkick sends Rey to the floor and Dragon gets a basement dropkick. On the floor Rey gets fired into the railing. Now a Tombstone on the floor as Rey is dead! Dragon gets a splash off the apron and it’s 10 minutes in and all Rey has been able to hit is a small package. Back inside the ring they fight up top and Dragon gets a top rope rana for two. A running powerbomb next and again only two. The crowd is just stunned by this one sided match. Hey, Rey gets in a boot and then a spin wheel kick. Rey up top and hits a springboard moonsault for two. Spring missile dropkick to the back of the head sends Dragon to the floor. Rey follows out with a slingshot Senton and now the crowd is alive for this one. Back inside Rey gets a springboard into a sunset flip for two. Dragon gets a cradle for two. Rey cartwheels onto Dragon’s shoulders and turns that into a rana for two. Fantastic! Dragon gets a Dragon Suplex for another two count. Powerbomb is escaped and Rey gets another roll-up for two. Rey springs again but gets caught and Dragon finishes with a slingshot powerbomb at 13:48.
Winner and Still J Crown Champion: Ultimo Dragon via pin at 13:48
-Fantastic match that Rey survived before getting his flurry of innovative offense to pop the crowd and then Dragon just finished him as Rey made one last high-risk mistake. ****
-Mean Gene pimps WCWWrestling.com and their audio PPV. He then brings in DDP and Gene asks about the nWo recruiting him. DDP tries to skip the question, but Gene is persistent and mentions Eric Bischoff is his neighbor. DDP doesn’t care what is happening in the life of Eric Bischoff and is only concerned about World War 3 tonight and getting a World Title shot. He reminds us he won Battle Bowl and will shock the world again tonight.
One Arm Tied Behind His Back: Nick Patrick vs. Chris Jericho (w/ Teddy Long)
-The crowd hates Nick Patrick as he wasn’t outed as a member of the nWo yet, but everyone knows the deal. I forgot all about Teddy Long managing Jericho. Heenan points out that we still don’t know if Patrick is nWo because there is no proof. Scott Dickinson ties Jericho’s left arm behind his back. Patrick is a pretty great heel and the crowd is into this one. Jericho shoves Patrick down and gets a leg sweep followed by a hiptoss. Patrick tells the ref to have Jericho watch his neck as he is still sporting the neck brace. Oh, this match is taking place in the middle ring (#2). Jericho gets the crowd to start a “Patrick Sucks” chant. Back in the ring Jericho gets a hammerlock with one arm, but Patrick counters into one of his own. Jericho counters right back and pounds Partick down in the corner. Another hiptoss and Patrick bails to the floor again. Patrick and Long get into a shoving match on the floor and the ref has to separate. Heenan rightly points out that should be a DQ which Tony and Dusty agree with, but they like that the ref is letting it go. Back in the ring Patrick gets a slap in the face and gets decked for it, so he bails to the floor again. Jericho brings him back in and hits a clothesline. Patrick back to the floor and Jericho jumps off the apron on him. Partick ducks a clothesline and Jericho ends up hitting the ring post. Now Patrick has an opening and works the damaged arm. In the ring he connects with a neck snap and throws a combination of punches in the corner. Jericho fights back with punches and elbows. Patrick rushes in the corner and ends up eating a boot. Jericho rams Patrick into the buckle 10 times as the crowd counts along. One armed backdrop from Jericho and Nick hits the floor again. He lets Jericho chase and then throws some kicks when Jericho follows him back in the ring. Patrick heads up top and that doesn’t seem wise. Jericho throws him off there with one arm and finishes with a superkick at 7:58.
Winner: Chris Jericho via pin at 7:58
-Patrick was great at getting heat, but this was a ref against a guy with one arm. It did was it was supposed to do though and Jericho got his revenge. *1/2
-Tony, Bobby and Dusty discuss the Piper/Hogan feud and Bischoff being reluctant to sign the match.
-More time wasting as they pimp wcwrestling.com and show Marcus Bagwell backstage chatting with fans.
-Next they throw to Gene who is in the aisleway and he brings out 13 Time Heayyweight Champion, Ric Flair. He is out to a rather large pop which isn’t shocking as this is Flair Country. Flair is sporting a sling as he had shoulder surgery not long ago. Gene brings up knowing Flair since he started in Verne’s barn. Flair gets the cheap pop by mentioning Norfolk. He tells us that Hogan and the nWo can do what they want, but people like him, Arn, Sting, The Steiners, Luger and Benoit represent WCW. He struts to a bigger pop and runs through some catchphrases before promising the nWo will belong to WCW, or both will belong to Vince McMahon in 5 years, but I guess that goes without saying.
Return Grudge Match: The Giant vs. Jeff Jarrett
-The Giant is still wearing Flair’s WCW US Title, though Schiavone tells us Flair has been stripped since he hasn’t defended it due to his injury. This match is taking place in ring 3 which is closest to the entrance ramp. Jarrett jumps Giant before the bell and that doesn’t do much, so he starts to stick and move. This is Horsemen Country, but the crowd seems to be behind The Giant here, so that Flair endorsement isn’t helping Jarrett much. Giant lands a massive clothesline and the crowd erupts. Whip to the corner, but Giant misses a back splash. Jarrett hits a sweet dropkick, but charges and gets booted across the ring. Giant stomps away on the mat as Tony brings up Giant turned because Hogan promised him movie parts and money. Giant drops an elbow and walks across Jarrett’s chest in a spot Andre always did. Jarrett tries to fire back, but one shot sends him back to the mat. The crowd erupts as Sting is walking in the catwalks and don’t care at all what is happening in the ring. In the ring Giant hits a big boot and drops a leg as Sting is heading towards the ring through the crowd and again, the crowd is losing it. Giant misses a Vader Bomb so Jarrett comes off top with a crossbody, but Giant kicks out rather easily. Giant misses a move and ends up on the floor. The ref checks on him and Sting is here and he drops Jarrett with a Scorpion Death Drop. That apparently proves he is with the nWo according to Dusty and Heenan, but really it’s because Jarett talked too much shit about Sting. The chokeslam finishes at 6:05. No wonder Sting always held a grudge as time after time they just assumed he was nWo.
Winner: The Giant via pin at 6:05
-Match was exactly what it needed to be and didn’t overstay it’s welcome. Giant didn’t need Sting’s help to win this one, but the crowd enjoyed it. Jarrett had nobody to blame but himself. **
-Roddy Piper marches to the ring with a contract in his hand and in ring two there is a table waiting for him. Piper seems to appreciate the plaid look of the cloth over the table. I think that shows favortisim myself. He immediately calls Hogan out which the crowd loves and here we go. Eric Bischoff, Dibiase, and Vincent are out first and I don’t like the odds for Piper here. Bischoff tells Piper that Hogan is a little busy looking at movie scripts. He does have Hogan’s power of attorney and will look at the contract Piper has. In a wonderful little touch, Piper pushes Vincent away as he tells him “I taught you how to fight.” Piper gets in Bischoff’s face and casually tells Dibiase he is aware that he has snuck behind him. Piper doesn’t care what Bischoff plans to do with WCW or nWo and Bischoff tells him to back up or he will fine him. Dusty and Heenan both volunteer to pay the fine. Piper wants Hogan at Starrcade in Nashville next month. He doesn’t care if the nWo is there as if you mess with him that means “No Way Out.” He wants the fight of the Century and it will end things once and for all. He calls out Hogan again and now he comes out along with The Giant, Elizabeth, The Outsiders, and Syxx. Hogan tells Piper he has a problem now and damn if this isn’t making me want to pause this review and just jump to Starrcade. Massive Hogan sucks chant as again, fans loved the nWo, but hated Hogan. He tells Piper he is used to being in the ring with people who are his equal and that hasn’t been Piper in ten years. He will sign the contract, but he wants Piper to show his hip. Piper shows the good hip, so Hogan shows off the bad one that was replaced and it is a rather nasty scar. Hogan calls him a cripple and signs the contract and Piper slaps him for calling him a gimp. Piper knew what was coming so he got a shot in at least and he even gets a second one before Hall and Giant restrain him. They expose the bad hip and Hogan blasts it with a chair and then a running elbow. The crowd is pissed! Yes, they used PPV time to build to the next PPV, but you can’t say it didn’t work. Hogan brands Piper’s leg with spray paint and then spits on him for even more heat. Piper flips over the table as he gets back to his feet and wants the fight to continue. Piper gets in a few last words to pop the crowd and again, they proved they could still draw with this feud.
The Amazing French Canadians (w/ Colonel Robert Parker) vs. Harlem Heat (w/ Sister Sherri)
-Parker cost Harlem Heat the tag titles the previous month at Halloween Havoc. Jacques and Booker T start with a lockup and Booker controls the arm. Jacques kicks out and gets a side headlock. Booker runs him down, but gets dropped by a dropkick. He talks trash to Stevie Ray and pays for it with a back kick to the face. Tag is made to Stevie Ray and we get a double clothesline. I forgot to mention that if Harlem Heat win, Sherri gets a 5 minute match with Parker. Jacques hits a back elbow that Stevie Ray sells awkwardly. Tag to Carl and he hits a splash in the corner. He misses a clothesline and Stevie shows some good power with a belly to back suplex. He lands a kick to the face and makes the tag back to Booker. He gets in a few shots before tagging back out. Stevie Ray stomps for a bit and tag back to Booker. He gets a scissors kick to the back of the head to pop the crowd. Booker gets dumped to the floor with the ref’s back turned and Parker gets to throw in some kicks. High/Low clothesline/leg sweep from the Canadians and more double team as Pierre slams Carl on Booker for a two count. Booker gets a sunset flip for two, but Carl spins him inside-out with a clothesline. Stevie breaks up a pin attempt with a leg drop before the ref can even make a count. Tag made to Stevie Ray and he tosses Jacques on Carl with a Gorila Press. The ref gets bumped as all four men start brawling. Booker gets tossed to the floor which lets The Canadians hits a spike piledriver. They bring a table into the ring as someone had to pick up where Public Enemy left off I guess. The ring steps also get put in the ring and then another set as even the announcers are laughing at the absurdity of what is happening. The put the contraption together and try a Super Cannonball, but Stevie is out of the way. Booker back with Harlem Hangover to finish at 9:17.
Winners: Harlem Heat via pin at 9:17
-Kind of a meandering tag match with the correct result at least. I have no words for the contrived spot the AFC tried to pull off at the end. *1/2
Sensational Sherri vs. Colonel Rob Parker
-The crowd is all for this as Sherri blitzes him to start. Dusty is in his glory with this and it just brings a smile to my face. Parker tries to bail, but just ends up in ring #2. Dusty loses it as Sherri connects with multiple clotheslines. Sherri comes off top with a cross-body and it gets a two count to the amazement of everyone as Parker actually kicked out. Parker runs away to end this one at 1:26. I believe the official result is Sherri won by count-out.
Sister Sherri via count-out at 1:26
-This was just fun as the crowd ate all this up and Dusty was amazing on commentary. Sometimes you just need something like this to put a smile on your face and remind you wrestling can be fun. No rating, but it made smile!
-The announcers talk about Hogan/Piper being signed for Starrcade!
-Gene is in the back to plug his hotline and then brings in Lex Luger. Gene brings up that Sting showed up on Nitro and handed Lex a baseball bat. Luger doesn’t know what to make of it and doesn’t want to think the worst, but it smells like something the nWo would do. Gene calls Lex the odds-on favorite to win World War 3 tonight. Lex wouldn’t say that, but this is chance to bring some honor back to WCW and he wants the World Title match against Hogan.
WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Dean Malenko (c) vs. Psychosis
-The middle ring gets used for this one. Cautious start from both men as they jockey for position. Dean gets a knee-bar and switches to a STF, which Psychosis breaks on the bottom rope. Another go and Dean gets a leg trip into a crossface. He switches to work on the leg and then gets both arms and rolls into a pin attempt for two. Malenko continues to take the match to the mat, but he quickens the pace and Psychosis gets an armdrag. Dean reverses and works the arm and then it’s another stalemate. The crowd is a little checked out on this one. Back to work on the leg as Dean gets a heel hook. The crowd chants for random things happening at ringside as the mat work continues. It’s another stalemate as we are nearly 6 minutes in with nothing of real note happening. Malenko buries a knee in the back, but Psychosis gets to his feet to break. Weird moment as Psychosis nearly gets sent to the floor, but then hits a spin wheel kick. They head to the floor and Psychosis nearly kills himself slipping off the apron, stands upright enough to miss his dive and land on the railing. Back in the ring Dean goes back to the mat with a head scissors. Dean drops a leg and gets a slam followed by a Half-Crab into a modified Walls of Jericho. Double underhook powerbomb into The Texas Cloverleaf, but Psychosis is too close to the ropes and forces the break. Dean pounds away in the corner, and then hits a dropkick to the knee. He drops a knee on the knee and then an elbow to the knee. Psychosis hobbles around the ring as Dean just waits on him to get back in the ring. He hooks Psychosis in the Tree of Woe, but that doesn’t last long. Malenko catches Psychosis and dumps him to the floor ,but misses a baseball slide. Psychosis gets a back breaker on the floor and then hits a twisting moonsault off the top to the floor on Dean. Off the top with a legdrop back in the ring and that looked kind of ugly. That gets two! Malenko avoids a charge in the corner and heads up, but Psychosis catches him with a dropkick. Rana from the top brings Dean down and that only gets two. Dean turns a suplex into a small package as Dusty says he could have been a cruiserweight and Bobby is right there to tell Dusty that his mom wouldn’t let him wrestle at six months. SICK BURN! Dusty tells him that cut like a knife. Dean gets a Tombstone for two and then reverses a roll-up into a Victory Roll for the pin at 14:36.
Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Dean Malenko via pit at 14:36
-No clue what happened here as they didn’t seem to be on the same page and Psychosis was slipping on things. It lost the crowd early and never got them back which is shocking as these WCW crowds loved the CW Division. Big disappointment here. **1/4
WCW Tag Team Championship: The Outsiders (c) vs. The Nasty Boys vs. The Faces of Fear
-This one is taking place in ring three. The Nasty Boys and Outsiders attack each other even before The Faces of Fear can make their entrance. The Outsiders bail to the floor and now The FOF can make their entrance and they attack Hall and Nash on the floor. All six men brawl inside the ring and it boils down to FOF beating down Hall and The Nasty Boys working over Nash. The Outsiders hit the floor again and now thatlets the Nasty Boys and FOF tear into each other. Tony rightly points out that you can’t win the match if you don’t have someone in the ring. Anyone can tag anyone and the Outsiders can lose the titles without even being in the ring. This is common place now, but was wildly fascinating to me twenty-five years ago. The Outsiders watch from the corner and applaud as The Nasty Boys and FOF clubber each other in the corner. Nash gets a tag to a pop from the crowd and he throws heavy knees to Knobbs in the corner. Hall in to throw some punches and then he takes to Meng. He beats on Knobbs for a bit and Nash gets a blind tag. He gets caught with a boot to the face so tags back to Meng. Barbarian in and Hall decides to tag in as well so he can stomp Barbarian to the mat. He fires up and throws Hall in the corner with one arm. Running clothesline in the corner as Heenan lets us know that Barbarian was kicked in the head twelves times so he feels great now. He makes the tag to Meng and pounds away, but a thumb to the eye stops that. Everything breaks down away as we get 6 way clubbering according to Dust Rhodes. Heenan questions what language they are talking in and again, this makes me smile because I forgot how much fun this commentary team was. I miss Dusty and The Brain! Nash in and he unloads on Saggs, but Barbarian breaks that up. Nash seems pissed as he drops Barbarian with a clothesline. Sidewalk Slam gets a two count as Meng makes the save. Hall in and he gets a running clothesline in the corner, but Barbarian comes back with a right hand. Hall gets caught in the wrong corner and then dropped with a belly to back suplex from Meng for two. Hall tags in Barbarian, so Meng tags out to Knobbs. We get “the greatest clubbering in the game,” as The Nasty Boys work over Barbarian in the corner. Saggs drops a low blow and then tag back to Knobbs who works the knee. Hall gets a blind tag to send Knobbs out and he goes to work on the damaged knee. He slaps Barbarian around a bit which doesn’t seem like smart strategy. Meng has had enough and he is in as now The Nasty Boys watch the other two teams beat the crap out of each other. Nash gets a corner clothesline on Meng and hits a slam, but misses an elbow as Knobbs made a tag, Nash gets beat up until he is out of the ring which leaves Knobbs with The Barbarian. Saggs tags in and gets a slam for a one count. Meng in and he sticks Knobbs with a piledriver for two as Saggs makes the save. Meng fires off some chops and gets a splash in the corner. Hall tags back in and gets caught with an atomic drop from Saggs. Then a low blow which draws a groan from the crowd. Meng and Knobbs next but just as quickly Barbarian is back in the ring. Now Meng and we get a stare down and then the famous spot as they tag in both Hall and Nash to pop the crowd. Dusty loses his mind and Bobby says they can’t wrestle each other. Tony rightly points out if they pin each other, they are still the champs. They try to tag out but everyone bails to the floor and the crowd wants this. Nash smartly lays down and Hall gets a two count as everyone rushes back in for the save. Jimmy hart gets on the apron and gets decked by Knobbs. Meng gets sent to the floor and Hall uses the megaphone on Knobbs. One powerbomb later from Nash and that ends this one at 16:12.
Winners and Still WCW Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders via pin at 16:12
-This was chaotic and rough at times, but that’s what made it charming as it looked like a fight. It went a bit too long, but I enjoyed it and the Nash vs Hall spot is still fun and remembered 25 years later. **1/2
World War 3: 60 Man Battle Royal
-Participants: Arn Anderson, Marcus Bagwell, The Barbarian, Chris Benoit, Big Bubba, Jack Boot, Bunkhouse Buck, Ciclope, Disco Inferno, Jim Duggan, Bobby Eaton, Mike Enos, Galaxy, Joe Gomez, Jimmy Graffiti, Johnny Grunge, Juventud Guerrera, Eddy Guerrero, Scott Hall, Prince Iaukea, Ice Train, Mr. JL, Jeff Jarrett, Chris Jericho, Kenny Kaos, Konnan, Lex Luger, Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, Meng, Rey Mysterio Jr, Hugh Morrus, Kevin Nash, Scott Norton, Carl Ouellet, DDP, La Parka, Craig Pittman, Jim Powers, Robbie Rage, Stevie Ray, Lord Steven Regal, The Renegade, Scotty Riggs, Roadblock, Jacques Rougeau, Tony Rumble, Mark Starr, Rick Steiner, Ron Studd, Kevin Sullivan, Syxx, Booker T, Dave Talor, Ultimo Dragon, Villano IV, Michael Wallstreet, Pez Whatley, The Giant and Alex Wright.
-Winner becomes #1 contender for Hulk Hogan’s WCW World Title. As mentioned, this is a 3 ring battle royal with 20 men in each ring. Once the rings get down to ten, the remaining 30 meet in ring two until 1 person remains as the winner. We also have six announcers as two at each ring: Ring 1: Mike Tenay and Dusty Rhodes; Ring 2: Tony and The Brain; Ring 3: Lee Marshall and Larry Zbyszko. Picks: Marshall: Nash; Larry: Luger; Dusty: Luger or Konnan; Tenay: Luger; Heenan: Malenko; Schiavone: The Giant
-Benoit and Sullivan immediately start beating the crap out of each other because well, that’s what they did throughout most of 1996 and 1997. The Dungeon of Doom comes over to help Sullivan and Arn and Mongo are over to provide backup for Benoit. They start fighting in the crowd and that is much more entertaining that anything going on in the 3 rings. Benoit drags Sullivan downs the stairs and back towards the ring. Mongo lands a shot on Bubba with the Canadian Flag. Benoit gets slammed on a table while in ring the nWo just stand back and watch everyone else fight each other. Smart! We are now informed all members of The Horsemen and Dungeon of Doom have been eliminated. We see Lee Marshall crawling on the ground as he got knocked down in the Dungeon/Horsemen brawl. Now we get to the actual battle royal which is hard to follow as they go to a 3 way screen. Anyone who had Tony Rumble in their pool is out of luck as he is gone. Ciclope also got tossed at some point. Lee Marshall is back on commentary as Dusty calls Ron Studd, “John Studd,” which I can’t really knock him for. La Parka gets tossed by Luger from ring one and really until things get to a manageable number it’s just going to be a recap of who gets tossed. Scott Norton is gone though I never saw it. Pez Whatley is gone followed by The Renegade, Galaxy, and Jimmy Graffiti. I have no recollection of Galaxy but remember Graffiti for whatever reason. Kaos is tossed by Luger and I believe Iaukea was sent packing as well. Dusty mentions Rod Studd again and it gives me a chance to mention I worked with a veterinarian (Dr Minton) whose uncle was Big John Studd. Joe Gomez is gone as the crowd starts a USA chant because Duggan is still in there. The announcers go around with a role call of who is left and I believe we are somewhere around 35 or so people left. Roadblock gets clotheslined out by The Giant which gets the crowd to pop. Eddy stomps DDP in the corner to continue their feud. JL gets tossed from ring three and perhaps he will be able to land on his feet in ECW. In Ring One everyone attacks Ron Studd in the corner which gets the crowd going. Disco eats a powerbomb from Nash. For some stupid reason they all gang pin Studd and even Tenay mentions the ref will count until Tony corrects him. Dragon gets put in the corner and does a headstand on the top buckle to draw an “ohhhh” from the crowd. Duggan and The French Canadians all get dumped at once. Bagwell dumps his partner Riggs and then Regal tosses Bagwell. The American Males get into it on the floor as they are nearing the end of the team and Bagwell’s heel turn. Alex Wright hits a dropkick to send Taylor to the floor and Wallstreet is bounced by DDP. Scott Steiner is gone as we are under 10 in each ring so they should start migrating to ring two. So at around 18:30 we finally get everyone left in the same ring though they keep the splint screen visual going. JACK BOOT IS STILL IN THIS THING! Well, I take that back as he gets tossed as soon as the announcers mention his name. Good run! Grunge is tossed and is favoring the knee on the way out. Boot and Grunge brawl on the floor to start a program we were apparently robbed off seeing. Heenan’s pick Malenko gets tossed by Jeff Jarrett. Pittman next and then Booker T. Please end the 3 way screen as it’s not needed anymore! Disco finally gets tossed after several teases by Nash. Stevie Ray and Buck are gone and then Ron Studd and Rick Steiner. Dragon gets bounced out by Mysterio and Wright is tossed by Luger. We are down to 13 men at the 24:00 minute mark and then as I type that Chris Jericho is tossed. Ice Train is gone which takes us down to 11 or so. They finally cut to a single camera as he nWo stands on one side with WCW on the other and DDP in the middle. Jarrett goes after Hall while DDP continues his feud with Eddy. Eddy gets backdropped out by Regal. Rey charges The Giant which is dumb and in an impressive visual, The Giant palms him over his head and tosses him to the floor with one hand. Regal saves Jarrett from an Outsider’s Edge, but he gets knocked out anyway. Regal tosses DDP which draws the ire of the nWo as they gang up to eliminate him. We are down to 5 as it is the nWo vs. Luger and the crowd is losing it now. Syxx charges and gets dropped. Nash gets knocked down as well. Giant misses a charge in the corner and Luger gets him in The Rack but Hall saves. He looks for The Outsider’s Edge and Luger backdrops him to the floor. Syxx is gorilla pressed to the floor. He puts Nash in The Rack and Giant just dumps both to the floor to get the win at 28:20.
Winner: The Giant via eliminating Lex Luger at 28:20
-Chaotic and hard to follow until the final dozen or so men, but the final few minutes were fun as the crowd was way into it. Luger was over huge and didn’t look bad in defeat at all as he nearly eliminated every member of the nWo and got to put The Giant and Nash in The Rack. As a spectacle it was solid and served its purpose though I wouldn’t call it a good match. It was just a bunch of rapid-fire eliminations and then a rushed ending. *1/2
-The nWo pose as Tony wraps things up. Thanks for reading!
