- The opening video focuses on the theme of chaos, something that has been prevalent in WCW for some time now. It starts with Brodie's attack Necro Butcher, continues with the Midnight Guns injuring Jay Briscoe, to scenes of Naomichi Marufuji misting Davey Richards, Necro Butcher's return and ensuing brawl with Brodie Lee, Windham Rotunda being hung by Chris Masterson, Jimmy Jacobs being assaulted by the Old School Wrecking Crew with a chair, and finally ending up the huge brawl that ended last night's episode of Underground and the debut/return of Ric Flair.
- Jim Ross and JML are on commentary tonight, flanked by security officials. Jim Ross says things have never been crazier in WCW than they are now. He says due to the chaotic nature of late, they have personal security to protect them if anything gets out of hand. Ross runs down the card, giving brief tidbits about each match, and then focuses in on the main event. He says he can't remember any pro wrestling rivalry in recent memory that has elicited the pure emotion that CM Punk and Chris Jericho have. Finally he says that, tonight, RIC FLAIR will be here to address the crowd. As they're talking, Chris Masterson interrupts the proceedings by getting into the ring and requesting a microphone. Chris tells the fans that Windham Rotunda went into a diabetic coma and couldn't make it this evening. So of course Windham's music hits and he comes out with the bull-rope to a great reaction, setting up the opening contest.
Match #1: Chris Masterson vs. Windham Rotunda - Bull-rope Match
This whole issue started back the Bunkhouse Stampede, where Rotunda eliminated Masterson. Masterson did not take kindly to that and started making fun of Windham for his weight, so Windham responded by questioning Masterson's masculinity. They ended up having a match at SuperBrawl which Masterson won by using the brass knux. To counteract that, Windham started bringing a bull-rope with him to the ring. After Windham pinned Alberto Dos Caras on Underground, he leveraged that big win into a bull-rope match with Masterson. To win this match, you have to touch all four corners of the ring consecutively without being stopped by your opponent. The referee ties them up with the bull-rope and they start off with a tug of war. Windham yanks Masterson right into a punch and the crowd loves it. Masterson pops up and gets yanked into another punch. Masterson gets up again and gets yanked into a back body drop. Masterson then flees to the outside, but doesn't get far and Windham yanks him into the ring apron. Windham ends up outside and he beats up on Masterson around the ring-side area. Masterson takes a beating on the outside, getting crotched on the guardrail and then clotheslined off into the crowd. Windham plays to the crowd and this momentary distraction lets Masterson yank Windham HARD into the guardrail, flipping Windham over the railing into the crowd himself. Masterson wraps the rope around his fist and then pummels Windham on the ground. Masterson tosses Windham into the ring-side area and eventually back into the ring, where he starts choking Windham with the bull-rope. Masterson makes an attempt to tag the corners and gets two before Windham stops his progress by yanking him back. Masterson stomps away at Windham for doing so and chokes him out some more. Masterson spends a lengthy time just beating over Windham in the ring with bull-rope, choking him out, etc. He makes a few more attempts to tag the corners, but Windham stops him each time. Masterson ends up coming off the second turnbuckle with a huge flying shoulder-tackle. He goes for the turnbuckles again and almost gets to the fourth, before being yanked in a HUGE Rick Steiner-like powerslam by Windham. Windham mounts his comeback finally, knocking Masterson down repeatedly with punches. Windham even busts out Dusty Rhodes' old bionic elbow for good measure. Windham hog-ties Masterson at the feet and drags him around, but only gets three turnbuckles before Masterson stops him. They tee-off in the middle of the ring exchanging punches (Windham) and chops (Masterson), until Masterson knees Windham low. Masterson charges with a clothesline but get DROPKICKED~! by Windham! Windham ties Masterson up and hoists him on his back as he goes for the turnbuckles. Each time Windham tags one and moves on, Masterson tags it as well. As they near the fourth, Masterson breaks free and almost tags it - but Windham stops and they break the progression for each other. Masterson pulls the brass knux out, which JR claims is as legal as a headlock here. He puts them on the hand that's tied up, which is important. He wildly swings at Rotunda, but Rotunda ducks and yanks the rope causing Masterson to punch himself and knock himself out. That's a pretty great moment, there. With Masterson unconscious, Windham tags all four corners to get the win. Windham shoves Masterson out of the ring and celebrates his big win, while Jim Ross speculates that Windham might be moving on to bigger and better things.
Result: Windham Rotunda wins via tagging all four corners
Time: 14:51
- BACKSTAGE~!, Lenny Leonard is with Steve Corino and Adam Pearce - collectively known as the Old School Wrecking Crew. Pearce wants to know why he didn't get TV time last night. Lenny says he's not sure. Pearce says it's the same old, same old at work trying to keep him and Corino from being successful. He says after tonight, there's nothing anyone in WCW will be able to do about it. Pearce says they started by taking out the midget and tonight they'll finish the job.
Match #2: The A-List (w/ Austin Aries) vs. The Hollywood Kings
The story here is pretty long. Austin Aries started as a commentator for WCW, but then got put in active competition teaming with Brian Kendrick and Joey Ryan as the Three Kings. They ended up in feud with the Briscoes and JML, which resulted ultimately in Aries losing his active competition contract. During this process, Aries kept getting full of himself and costing the Kings their matches. When he came back as a manager, he tried to recruit Kendrick and Ryan (now the Hollywood Kings), but they beat him up instead. So Aries his old buddy Roderick Strong and bought Karl Anderson after his impressive showing against DOOMSDAY to take care of the Kings. A-List sneak attacks the Kings to start the match. Roddy pairs off with Kendrick while Joey and Karl go at it. The Kings end up turning the tide with dual suicide dives to the outside. It ends up in the ring finally with Roddy getting worked over by the Kings. Aries ends up causing a distracted long enough for Roddy to take Kendrick's eyes and tag in Karl. From there, Kendrick is YOUR face-in-peril. They spend the match working Kendrick's back over, which is of course Roddy's forte. A-List uses a ton of quick tags to keep the advantage. They also use some very creative tag moves, like Karl holding Kendrick in the Torture Rack and then tossing him over into a double-back breaker. They also utilize the old Demolition Decapitiation~! at one point. After a lengthy period of time, Kendrick ducks a double clothesline and responds with a double dropkick to turn momentum in his favor and make the hot tag! Joey explodes into the ring, knocking out both Roddy and Karl. Karl gets whipped into the ropes and eats one of the prettiest dropkicks I've seen, sending him to the outside. That allows Kendrick to dive off the top turnbuckle onto him, while Joey beats up on Roddy in the ring. Joey gets a couple of near-falls, but no decisive win. Aries ends up on the apron and gets clocked by Joey, but that allows Roddy to catch Joey with a half-nelson back breaker for a near-fall. Kendrick springboards in with a dropkick that sends Roddy sliding out of the ring. Joey back body drops Kendrick over the ropes on top of Karl and Roddy on the outside. Roddy ends up back in the ring and gets nailed with Regicide, but the referee is distracted by Aries again. The Kings pull Aries into the ring and lift him up for Regicide, but Karl makes the save with a BIG boot to Kendrick that sends Kendrick tumbling out of the ring. Karl and Joey tee off, but Roddy attacks him from behind and that sets up the Killshot - where Karl grabs Joey by the head and shoves him into a VICIOUS Sick Kick by Roddy, to give A-List the win. The heels celebrate before scrambling for safety after Kendrick charges the ring with a steel chair.
Result: A-List wins via pin w/ the Killshot
Time: 14:11
- BACKSTAGE~! where Lenny Leonard is with Windham Rotunda. Lenny asks Windham what his plans are for the future, but before he can talk RIC FLAIR~! walks into the room! Windham introduces himself and shakes Ric's hand. Ric doesn't say anything, he just smiles and walks off.
Match #3: The Cross vs. Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team - Tables Match
When the year started, WGTT had this pretty great series of matches with DOOMSDAY. In their last match, the Cross interfered costing WGTT the win. The result of that was that WGTT couldn't compete for the tag titles again until 1/1/13. WGTT and the Cross has some interaction and, as the Cross is wont to do, the Cross ended up putting Shelton Benjamin through a table. Ipso facto, tables match! No tags necessary here, as they all end up brawling to start. Ares pairs off with Shelton, while Haas and Claudio go at in the ring. Shelton nails Ares with a belly-to-belly suplex on the floor. He slides into the ring and, with Haas, double teams Claudio with a double back body drop. Claudio stumbles around the ring and then gets nailed by Shelton with Pay Dirt. WGTT exit the ring and get a table from underneath it. They set it up in the middle of the ring. Claudio gets whipped into the ropes, but Ares pulls him out. They huddle on the outside, thinking they're safe, but Shelton dives over the ropes with a somersault planca onto them. Shelton rolls Ares into the ring and Haas power bombs Ares through the table, putting WGTT up 1 to nothing. Shelton sets up a table in the ring-side area and places Claudio on top of it. In the ring, Haas continues to beat up on Ares. Shelton starts climbing the turnbuckles, but Claudio attacks him from behind. Claudio then drives Shelton through the table with an ALPAMARE WATERSLIDE OFF THE TURNBUCKLES~! Huge "HOLY SHIT"-chant kicks up! We're less than 10 minutes in and if either Haas or Claudio goes through a table, they lose the match. Haas checks on Shelton on the outside but gets nailed from behind by Ares with a chunk of table. Ares ends up tossing Haas into the guard rail a few times for good fun. Ares props a table against the guardrail and tries to suplex Haas through it, but Haas fights out. Haas ends up grabbing Ares by the heading and whipping him right into the table, shattering it to pieces. Haas celebrates his moral victory, only to get DRILLED with the Iron Boot by Claudio! Claudio rolls Haas in the ring and stomps away at him. Haas takes a massive, lengthy beating here. Claudio caps the beating off with Panzer Bomb (cross-armed power bomb). Claudio rolls out of the, grabs a table from under the ring, and slides it in. He sets it up in the middle of the ring. Claudio whips Haas into the ropes, but Haas slides out while Shelton simultaneously springboards off the ropes and nails Claudio with a clothesline. Shelton props the table in the corner and whips Claudio into it, but Claudio stops just in time to avoid crashing into it. Shelton flies at him with a Stinger Splash, but Claudio dodges and Shelton crashes through the table. On the outside, Ares has Haas on a table of his own and is choking Haas with a cable. Claudio joins him and tells Ares to go up to the top. Ares flies off the top with a senton, but Haas moves out of the way at the last minute. Haas catches Claudio with a belly-to-belly suplex on the concrete. Haas sets a table up, bridging it from the ring apron to the guardrail. He places Claudio on it and searches for Shelton. Haas checks on Shelton and gets nailed from behind by Claudio. Claudio drags Haas over to the table and tries to Panzer Bomb him through it, but Haas fights out of it. Haas tries to back drop Claudio through it, but Claudio lands on his feet. Shelton attacks Claudio from behind, giving them a 2-on-1 advantage. Haas then lifts Claudio on his shoulders and Shelton climbs on the turnbuckles for the dropkick, but when Shelton jumps Ares catches him in mid-air with a HUGE SPEAR on the ring apron! Another "HOLY SHIT"-chant pops up for that. Claudio fights off Haas, again, and tries to the Panzer Bomb again but Haas ends up back dropping Claudio into the crowd. Haas yanks Claudio back into the ring-side area and rolls Claudio into the ring. Haas tries throwing Claudio over the ropes through table, but Claudio lands on the apron and rams Haas in the mid-section with his shoulder. Claudio pulls Haas onto the apron again and goes the Panzer Bomb again, but this time Shelton makes the save with a HUGE kick to the back of Claudio's head. Haas lifts on his shoulders, while standing on the apron, and Shelton flies off the turnbuckle with a bulldog driving Claudio through the table, finally, to give WGTT the big win. Not sure what happened to Ares at the end there, but that finish was somewhat anticlimactic. WGTT celebrate their win, regardless.
Result: Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team win via putting Claudio Castagnoli through a table
Time: 16:30
- BACKSTAGE~! Austin Aries with with Aries Unlimited. He says they've already taken care of one piece of business, and in a minute they're going to go out and rid us all of that illiterate idiot, Davey Richards.
Match #4: Naomichi Marufuji (w/ Austin Aries) vs. Davey Richards
Davey and Naomichi is, essentially, a byproduct of the Eddie Edwards/Brent Albright-rivalry. Marufuji was brought into WCW by Austin Aries to counteract Davey, basically. In what should come as a surprise to no one, they start off with chain-wrestling. It's actually a very lengthy bit of it, with them trading holds and counter-holds for about five minutes. To the crowd's credit, they seem to enjoy it immensely. JR puts over Marufuji as the consummate professional wrestler. Davey ends up putting an end to feeling-out process with a series of stiff kicks. Marufuji, not to be outdone, returns the favor with some stiff kicks of his own. Before you know it, JR is spouting things like "Both of these guys have feet that were educated in the Ivy leagues." The kicks turn to chops and then Davey unloads on Marufuji with the Kawada kicks. Marufuji, in turn, gears up for a rapid assault of his own, only to thumb Davey in the eye~! Marufuji grounds Davey an Octopus-like submission and spends the duration of the match working Davey's neck. After a lengthy segment of using various submissions and other signature moves of his (sliding dropkick to the head) to beat Davey up, Davey manages to hit his springboard spin kick on Marufuji to mount his comeback. It ends up like every Davey Richards-match ever, where they hit each with various big moves and kick out. They follow that with a VICIOUS strike-battle, with Davey nailing Marufuji with a vicious kick to the head for a near-fall. Davey goes for the DR Driver, but Aries pops up on the apron of course. The referee argues with Aries and Davey gets distracted long enough to receive the GREEN MIST~! to the face, followed by a DEADLY superkick, but DAVEY KICKS OUT~! Davey stands up and gets superkicked again and that's enough to put him away, continuing his losing streak. This was a perfectly good match, but I was left wanting more!
Result: Naomichi Marufuji wins via pin w/ the Superkick
Time: 13:49
- BACKSTAGE~! WGTT are with Lenny Leonard. He asks them how it feels to win their match, but before they can answer, Ric Flair pops up to shake some more hands.
Match #5: DOOMSDAY [c] vs. The Old School Wrecking Crew - WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
Both of these teams are undefeated. DOOMSDAY has been on a monstrous run in WCW, defeating all challengers. The Crew both started out, essentially, as an enhancement talent. Both were fed up with that, so they paired up and have been on quite the streak themselves. They beat Fastball Special to earn this match (because wins matter). DOOMSDAY normally is seconded by Jimmy Jacobs, but the Crew ended up taking him out of action on a recent edition of Underground. JR questions if the lack of Jimmy Jacobs will have an effect on this match. The Crew try to sneak attack DOOMSDAY before the bell, and end up paying for it by getting beaten out of the ring. After stalling on the outside, Corino slides in to start things off with Morishima. Morishima beats up Corino pretty soundly with some stiff forearms and chops. Morishima tags in Walker and Corino escapes to tag in Pearce. Pearce challenges Walker to a test of strength, and Walker laughs at him. Pearce keeps challenging him, so Walker just kicks him in the stomach and gutwrench suplexes Pearce across the ring. Pearce and Corino consult in the corner again. Pearce then beckons for Morishima, so Walker shrugs and tags him in. Pearce asks Morishima for a test of strength and Morishima gives it to him, only for Pearce to kick him in the stomach. Pearce quickly drags Morishima over to his corner and unloads of Morishima with a series of punches. Morishima quickly battles back, but Corino yanks him down by the hair. Why, if I didn't know any better, I might think we have a true-blue FACE-IN-PERIL~! Pearce and Corino take turns working over Morishima's arm for good fun. They do this great bit where they Pearce puts Morishima in an arm-wringer, then Corino tags and puts Morishima in an arm-wringer, then Pearce tags back in and puts Morishima in an arm-wringer, and this goes on for like 20 arm-wringers, drawing boos from the crowd. Great stuff. Morishima gets worked over for quite some time. He makes several close tags, but every time he does either Pearce or Corino cuts him off. Before you know it, the crowd is chanting "DOOMSDAY" in Goldberg-fashion, trying to revive Morishima. Morishima's big moment finally comes when he catches Pearce with the Scrap Buster (FOR THE SCRAP DADDY~!). Morishima makes the hot tag and the crowd comes unglued as Walker murders everyone in sight. Corino falls victim to a double chokeslam that gets only a near-fall, thanks to Pearce. Morishima and Walker beat up on Pearce in the corner. Morishima then drills him with a lariat in the corner and Walker follows up with his big splash, but Pearce grabs the ref in front of him. REF BUMP~! Walker and Morishima aren't fazed by that, though, and Pearce gets DRILLED with the Omega Driver in the middle of the ring. No ref to make the count and Corino ends up DRILLING Walker in the back with a steel chair. Corino and Pearce beat Morishima up with the steel chair as well and roll him to the outside. They place chair on the mat and give Walker a Spiked Piledriver onto the chair! While Pearce kicks the chair out of the ring, Corino covers Walker and.... WIN THE BELTS! I did not expect that! The crowd is furious with that decision as Corino and Pearce escape with the tag titles!
Result: The Old School Wrecking Crew win via pin w/ the Spiked Piledriver onto a chair
Time: 15:09
- Jim Ross questions the ethics of what just went down. Talk segues into discussion about the Necro Butcher/Brodie Lee-feud. A video plays detailing their vicious hatred of one another. Apparently there will be no intermission tonight.
Match #6: Necro Butcher vs. Brodie Lee
Necro Butcher brought Brodie Lee in to help him during his feud with CM Punk. After that, Brodie was getting visibly upset with Necro's attitude about the then-upcoming Bunkhouse Stampede. During the Stampede, Necro eliminated Brodie. After winning the Stampede, Necro was viciously assaulted by Brodie with the Bruiser Brody Cup trophy, which put Necro out of action for awhile. Necro returned with an eye-patch, and the war was on. Brodie doesn't even make it to the ring as Necro attacks him in the ring-side area. They brawl all around the ring and into it, finally starting the match. Necro beats on Brodie in one corner, whips Brodie into another corner, and beats on him some more. Brodie catches Necro with a big boot, though, and then returns the favor - beating on Necro this time. There's little in the way of wrestling holds or moves here, as they just take turn beating each other up. After awhile they end up brawling outside, tossing each other into the guardrail and banging each other's head on the ring apron. Necro ends up grabbing a camera from the crew and nails Brodie with it, officially drawing the disqualification. The crowd is not pleased with that. Needless to say, that's not the end of it. They end up brawling into the crowd and up onto the stage, where the security officers keep them away from JR and JML. Then, in a huge moment, Necro spears Brodie OFF THE STAGE and INTO THE RING~! With nothing to break their fall, they crash hard on the canvas. Both men lay on the mat, pretty hurt. Paramedics rush the ring and tend to them, but before you know it - they're fighting again! Brodie ends up slamming the stretcher over Necro's head! Security, refs, etc. pour out of the locker room to keep them separate. It takes a while, but eventually both men are escorted out. JR promises that this is far from over.
Result: Brodie Lee wins via disqualification after Necro Butcher hit Brodie Lee with a camera
Time: 8:11 (20:01 for the whole thing)
- BACKSTAGE~! Pearce and Corino are celebrating with the champagne. They shove Lenny Leonard away without giving him a comment.
Match #7: Alberto Dos Caras (Team Captain)/Chris Hero/The Midnight Guns vs. The Patriot (Team Captain)/Richie Steamboat/Fastball Special - Captain's Challenge Match
Basically, the Patriot is Kurt Angle in a mask. Alberto Dos Caras beat the Angle last year in a match where if Angle lost, he had to quit. But then Angle came back under a mask as the Patriot. Caras realized that and drama unfolded, of course. The match works like this: it's elimination style (like a Survivor Series-match), but if you pin the team captain (Caras or Patriot), then the match ends regardless of how many people remain on that team. The remaining members of the winning team get to split $100,000. So money and pride on the line here. The Patriot wants to start with Caras, but Caras denies him the opportunity. Instead, we start with Generico and Moxley. Moxley tries to use heel tactics to get the upper-hand, but Generico continuously out-smarts him. Black comes in, so Generico tags in London. They do a bunch of cool stuff with tons of counters right out of an RVD/Jerry Lynn-match, to get the crowd applause. Before long, though, London is getting beaten up by the Guns in uniform fashion. London makes a quick tag to Richie, though, who clears the Guns out of the ring, and then beckons for Hero. Hero and Richie pair off in the ring, going through some nice chain-wrestling. Hero ends up in the face-corner, and gets worked over by all of the good guys involved. But then London ends up getting caught up in the wrong corner, before long, getting worked over. They spend a good bit of time working on him and eventually chaos ensues in the ring with every battling everyone. Hero ends up drilling London with the Deathblow and Black makes the pin to eliminate him.
Eliminated: Paul London
The action doesn't let up as the brawling continues around ring-side. The referee finally gets things under control, but the cost is Generico getting worked over by the Midnight Guns. They spend a lengthy amount of time beating him up, with Caras and Hero taking turns as well. The Guns use some of their innovative tandem offense, like the rocking horse (by Moxley)/punt kick (by Black) for a few near-falls. Generico comes very close to making the tag several times, but it never pans out. Black and Moxley keep him cut off while Hero and Caras relax. Black and Moxley attempt their back drop (by Moxley)/power bomb (by Black)-combo, but Generico counters with a swinging DDT on Black. Moxley swings a wild punch at Generico, which Generico ducks and counters with a quick roll-up to eliminate Moxley!
Eliminated: Jon Moxley
Taking advantage of the brief distract, Black grabs Generico and DRILLS him into the mat with Paroxysm (reverse brainbuster), to eliminate him.
Eliminated: El Generico
The Patriot gets in the ring and tees off with Black, but Hero ends up tagged and they work him over a bit. The Patriot fights back, though, and ends up tagging in Richie who clears house. Richie gets a few near-falls on Hero, but Black and Caras make the save respectively. Black and Richie tee off in the ring, as JR mentions they have a bit of history down south (a reference to their rivalry in FCW), hitting all kinds of quick moves on another (enzuiguris, suplexes, etc.). Richie keeps getting near-falls, but Black keeps kicking out. Black makes the tag, and before long Richie is getting beaten up by all three of the remaining heels. They each take turns coming in and beating up on Richie. The big swinging in momentum comes with Richie hitting a flying forearm on Hero. He makes the hot tag and the Patriot comes in to clean house and FINALLY gets his hands on Caras. The Patriot beats up on Caras corner to corner, using the big 10-punch spot to crowd approval. The heels try to triple team the Patriot, but Richie helps fight them off. The action gets a little hectic and Richie ends up tagged in. He catches Black with a quick sunset flip out of nowhere to eliminate him.
Eliminated: Tyler Black
The action doesn't get any less hectic though. The Patriot and Richie spend some time double-teaming Hero, nailing him with a Hart Attack for a near-fall thanks to Caras. Caras tosses the Patriot out of the ring, allowing Hero and Caras to work over Richie. They spend some time double-teaming him, eventually nailing him with a various of the KRS-ONE (old Hero/Castagnoli finish - YouTube it). Patriot makes the save to prevent Richie being eliminated. They end up all brawling in the ring and ring-side area, of course. The ref tries to contain things, but it's no use. Patriot ends up taking a bad spill into the guardrail, which allows Richie to get double-teamed again. Caras holds Riche, while Hero motions for the roaring elbow. Richie ducks just in time, causing Hero to nail Caras! The Patriot yanks Hero out of the ring, while Richie covers Caras with a tight jackknife cradle for the big win!
Eliminated: Alberto Dos Caras
Hero and Caras argue while the Patriot and Steamboat celebrate in the ring.
Result: The Patriot/Richie Steamboat win via pin w/ Richie Steamboat last eliminating Alberto Dos Caras
Time: 23:11
- BACKSTAGE~! Austin Aries is celebrating with A-List and Naomichi Marufuji. He says they've only got one last thing to do tonight and that's put an end to Eddie Edwards.
Match #8: Brent Albright [c] (w/ Austin Aries) vs. Eddie Edwards - United States Championship Match; Two Out of Three Falls Match
These two have had quite the under-appreciated rivalry. It started at Starrcade where Eddie beat Albright in the finals of the United States Championship Title tournament. They ended up doing a rematch on TV where Albright had Eddie in the Crowbar and Eddie passed out. The ref was doing the requisite arm-lifts, where if you lift the arm threes time and it drops you lose. On the third attempt, Eddie's hand hit the mat with the kicker being that the time-limit expired just before his hand hit the canvas. Albright lost it, there. They had a rematch at SuperBrawl, where Albright debuted Austin Aries as his manager. In the match, Albright took Eddie out with a half-nelson suplex. When Albright pinned Eddie, Eddie got his foot off the rope, but Aries knocked the foot off before the ref could see it giving Albright the win and the United States Championship. So you see, two matches with incredibly inconclusive and controversial finishes leads, logically, to this match where you have to win TWICE - thus, nullifying any BS finishes. Smart booking, AMIRITE?
First Fall: Chain-wrestling to start, of course. Albright is more powerful, so he gets the advantage. As a true heel, he mocks Eddie for being a little weakling. Eddie responds with a VICIOUS kick to the head that sends Albright reeling to the outside. Albright consults with Aries and then gets back in the ring. More chain-wrestling, this time with Eddie being quicker and using that to his advantage, getting a couple of quick pins on Albright for near-falls. Eddie goes for another lock-up but Alright kicks him instead. Albright then tosses Eddie shoulder first into the ring-post! Well then! From there, Albright works the arm over like a beast. He does all kinds of things, like knee-drops to the arm and arm-drags, etc. After a lengthy segment of beating on the arm, Albright goes for the Crowbar, but Eddie rolls through and somehow managaes a La Majistral cradle out of it for a winning pin-fall! Albright goes crazy on the referee while Eddie slinks into the corner, nursing his arm.
Second Fall: Albright quickly resumes his attack on the arm, beating it senseless with stomps, kicks, etc. He slides out of the ring and slams the arm on the apron several times. He even slams Eddie's arm into the ring-post. He gets back in the ring and locks the Crowbar in hard, right in the middle. Eddie quickly taps, with JR making sure to point out that it's the best decision to make.
Third Fall: Albright goes for the Crowbar almost immediately, but Eddie rolls through and kicks Albright in the head. With Albright momentarily dazed, Eddie DRILLS him with a flying knee strike that sends Albright to the outside. Eddie then flies through the ropes with a suicide dive for good measure, popping the crowd! Eddie gives Albright a vicious series of chops on the outside. He sits Albright on a chair in the corner of the ring-side areas, and then flies into him with a running drop kick! Eddie rolls Albright in and the nails Albright with a beautiful missile dropkick that only gets two. Eddie hits Albright with a series of kicks, finishing him with a solebutt kick for two. Eddie tries a suplex, but Albright counters with the Crowbar, but Eddie counters that with the La Majistrl cradle again but Albright kicks out! Albright catches Eddie with a half-nelson suplex. He goes for the pin, and Eddie gets his foot on the ropes, but Aries knocks it off - only this time the ref sees it! After interfering all night long, the referee ejects Aries from ring-side! Albright argues with the ref, which allows Eddie the quick roll-up for two. Albright swings wildly at Eddie, but Eddie ducks and NAILS the Angle Slam for a crazy near-fall! Eddie then locks in the Achilles Lock and tries to wrench it in, but his arm is too hurt and he ends up letting go. He reaches down for Albright, who quickly yanks him into the Crowbar dead in the center of the ring! Eddie tries to fight out of it by rolling through, but Albright rolls with him to keep the hold applied! Eddie ultimately passes it out, so the ref goes for arm-list spot. He lifts Eddie's hand once, and it drops. He lifts it again, and it drops. He lifts it a third time but Eddie stays in it! Eddie fights back to a standing position, nailing Albright with forearm shots from his good arm. He tries to break away but Albright DRILLS him with a half-nelson suplex, and then rolls over and nails ANOTHER half-nelson suplex, and then a THIRD half-nelson suplex. Albright then locks in the Crowbar, but Eddies done for. The ref checks the arm three times, and each time it drops giving Albright the win.
Result: Brent Albright wins via submission w/ the Crowbar
Time: 20:05
- Following the match, Jim Ross thanks the fans in attendance and watching at home on iPPV for making this show a success. He then introduces RIC FLAIR~! Ric comes out to a chorus of "WHOOS" of course. He takes the mic from Jim, thanks him, and cuts a promo like only Flair can.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Baby it's great to be back in Atlanta, GA, back here in WCW. WHOOOOO! A couple of a weeks ago, Jim Ross called me and says: 'NAITCH... WE NEED YA...' He says things have been gettin' a little rowdy 'round here. He says they need someone to come in and run the show! And who better than limousine riding, jet-flying, wheelin' dealin', kiss stealin' SON OF A GUN... 'NATURE BOY...' RIC FLAIR... 16-time World Champion... 2-time Hall of Famer... I've seen a lot of things here in WCW. I've been keepin' my eye out. It's amazing, I tell ya, that the more things change the more they stay the same. I came here today thinkin' about my good friend Barry Windham, damned if I don't run into his nephew backstage. I remember a time when Bruiser Brody was beatin' the hell out of me in Texas, and here's the Necro Butcher. I see Austin Aries walking around with the million-dollar suits and the ladies and he's four men by his side, and WHOO you know what popped in my mind then. But the real deal is next. Two men are going to do what we do in this business best - they're going to fight for the World Championship. I've seen CM Punk and I know Chris Jericho, and I know they're goin' to leave it all on the ring! May the best man win because whoever does, needs to know that from here on out... 'THE NATURE BOY' is calling the shots in WCW! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!"- A video package recaps the Chris Jericho/CM Punk-rivalry.
Main Event: Chris Jericho [c] vs. CM Punk - WCW World Championship Match
No matter how hard he tries, CM Punk has always drawn a great reaction from a certain portion of the fans in WCW. So when he earned a title-shot by defeating Davey Richards at SuperBrawl, that became the issue at hand for this match. Jericho didn't like being booed in favor of Punk. Punk, being Punk, used some thinly-veiled shoot comments to rile Jericho up. Jericho returned the favor and before you know it, they were basically just shooting at each other in the ring. Punk accused Jericho of being the Triple H of WCW, while Jericho accused Punk of not being straight-edge. So the issue between these two is pretty heated, to say the least. The crowd is 50/50 for them starting out. JR notes that, as with all World title matches on iPPV, there's a 60-minute time limit. Jericho and Punk come face-to-face in the middle of the ring. They jaw with one another and before you know it, they're exchanging punches. Jericho grabs a headlock, but Punk pushes him off into the ropes, Jericho responds with a shoulder tackle, flies into the ropes, Punk drops down and then nails Jericho on the return with a leg lariat. The crowd goes wild! They lock up and engage in some nice little chain-wrestling. They shift the advantage back and forth with neither man gaining true ground, until Punk catches Jericho by surprise in the Anaconda Vise. Jericho quickly grabs the ropes to break the hold. Punk leans in for the lock up again, but Jericho counters with a drop toe hold and transitions into a rear chin lock. Punk fights out of it with elbows, but Jericho charges at him regardless only to have Punk duck down (grabbing the middle rope) and causing Jericho to crash to the outside. Punk then dives through the ropes onto Jericho with a suicide dive to a huge reaction. Punk gives Jericho a few chops on the outside, but Jericho counters by yanking Punk - causing Punk to slam into the ring-post. Jericho checks on Punk, lifts him up, and then slams him into the ring-post again - drawing the ire of the crowd. Jericho rolls into the ring to break the count and when he rolls out, Punk is wearing the proverbial crimson mask. Jericho tosses Punk in the ring, allowing the ref to check on him. Jericho shoves the ref away and starts punching Punk in his bloody face! The crowd does not respond favorably, although JR says Jericho is merely taking advantage of the opportunity. Thus, the match goes with Jericho beating on a bloodied Punk. Jericho at one point wipes Punk's blood across his chest. At another, he uses the old Eddie Guerrero standby of standing Punk's face, and then twisting to rake the boot on the forehead. Every time Punk mounts a comeback, Jericho stems the tide with a big punch or kick. The big comeback finally happens when Jericho misses a clothesline in the corner, and Punk then charges with running knee followed by the bulldog. Punk screams to the crowd who roars its approval. He hits Jericho with a series of strikes, ending with the big kick to the head for two. Punk goes for the G2S, but Jericho rolls down with a sunset flip for two. Punk counters back with a roll-up of his own for two and they trade near-falls. Punk nails Jericho with another big kick to the head, and then steps on the apron for slingshot clothesline. Punk flies into the ring but Jericho catches him in mid-air with the Codebreaker! Jericho follows up with the Lionsault for the pin-fall victory.
EXCEPT PUNK KICKS OUT~! The crowd LOSES it as Punk musters strength behind his bloody visage. JR comments that no one has kicked out of that combo before! Jericho nails Punk from behind and whips him in to the ropes, but Punk flies back with a flying clothesline! Both men pop up very quickly and Punk catches Jericho with a swinging DDT out of the corner. Punk then goes up top for a HUGE elbow drop that only gets two. Punk signals for G2S again, but again Jericho slides down the back into a reverse cradle that only gets two. Jericho slowly gets up and gets caught with a SHINING WIZARD~! That only gets a near-fall as well. Punk lifts Jericho up for the G2S, but Jericho catches knee coming down and flips Punk into the Liontamer! The bloodied CM Punk HOWLS in pain as the crowd is now firmly, 100% behind him chanting "PLEASE DON'T TAP!" Punk crawls to the ropes, but Jericho drags him back to the middle of the ring. Punk tries to power out, but it's no use. Punk crawls again to the ropes and when he grabs them, the crowd EXPLODES! Jericho reaches for Punk, but Punk catches him with an inside cradle for two. Both men get up quickly and Punks nail Jericho with another kick to the side of the head. Punk lifts Jericho up for the G2S, but his leg is hurt and he staggers back in to turnbuckle, sandwiching the ref between them. REF BUMP~! Jericho falls over onto the apron while Punk checks on the ref. Jericho slides in the ring...
And kicks Punk in the balls! HEEL TURN: COMPLETE. Jericho soaks in the boos as a bloodied Punk crumples up on the mat. Jericho slips out of the ring and walks over to the timekeeper's table. He grabs the WCW World Championship and slides back in the ring. He kneels down in front of Punk and the camera man is just close enough to catch his words:
Chris Jericho: You will NEVER get this.Jericho then BLASTS Punk in the side of the head with the belt. Jericho tosses the belt out of the ring and revives the referee. Jericho hooks the leg to get the cheap win.
BUT PUNK KICKS OUT~! The crowd ROARS in approval with "CM PUNK"-chants! Jericho argues with the referee and turns around to Punk, who's barely able to hold it together. Punks give him the bird and yells...
CM Punk: FUCK YOU!Jericho kicks Punk in the gut and delivers the Codebreaker again. He lifts the unconscious Punk up and delivers a SECOND Codebreaker, followed by the Lionsault...
....to finally score the pin.
Result: Chris Jericho wins via pin w/ the Lionsault
Time: 25:33
- Trash litters the ring as Jericho raises the belt into the air triumphantly. JR causes him a devil in disguise as the show comes to an end.
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