WCW Underground 1.14

- Previously on WCW Underground: Necro Butcher and Drew Gallows battled to a double count-out, which meant that Brent Albright (by virtue of defeating CM Punk) would get a BYE into the finals of the WCW United States Championship tournament. Meanwhile, Eddie Edwards bested Davey Richards to take on Chris Hero, who defeated Jay Fury himself, to face Brent Albright for the championship at Starrcade. Also, due to the unfortunate passing of Bison Smith, the tag team championship was vacated. Tonight, four teams face off in a mini-tournament for the opportunity to take on Takeshi Morishima and a partner of his choosing at Starrcade.

- Standard video opening.

- Lenny Leonard is on commentary with JML tonight and they run down the packed card. Tonight will have four huge matches, each with major ramifications on Starrcade. PLUS~! Jim Ross sits down and talks with Alberto Dos Caras about the WCW Championship Match at Starrcade.

Match #1: The Briscoes vs. Three Kings - #1 Cont. Mini-Tournament Semi-Final Match
Leonard recaps the history of these two teams, pointing out several weeks ago in the main event of Underground that the Kings actually defeated the Briscoes. JML says he hopes the Briscoes "whip their Hollywood asses." The Kings tonight consist of Brian Kendrick and Joey Ryan. Leonard speculates that if the Kings when, you'll see Aries in the finals replacing one of the members currently fighting. It starts off as a brawl, with the Briscoes beating the Kings into oblivion. The Kings muster up some heel tactics when Aries distract the ref and Ryan kicks Mark in the balls. Mark gets worked over from that point on. He takes a hell of a beating from the Kings, but every time he turns momentum around - Aries causes a distraction and the Kings take back over. The big heat spot comes when Mark nails Kendrick with a spinning heel kick. He makes the hot tag to Jay who cleans house. The Briscoes then tear through the Kings with their standard double-team moves (double shoulder tackle, launching hip-toss, etc.). Aries tries to make another distraction, but JML gets fed up with it and comes down to even the odds. JML ends up nailing Aries with a lariat, which distracts Kendrick and allows the Briscoes to hit Ryan with the Springboard Doomsday Device to advance.

Result: The Briscoes win via pin w/ The Springboard Doomsday Device
Time: 10:41


- The Kings retreat to the locker room, unhappy with JML's actions.

- A commercial plays for the Halloween Havoc DVD.

- A commercial plays hyping the Starrcade iPPV.

- CM Punk, with the chain, is at ringside with Drew Gallows. Punk says he'll never accept the challenge of the dog-collared tag match from Necro Butcher. Punk says the Butcher wanted a Falls Count Anywhere match and he gave it to him. Punk says you'll never heard the words "I accept" come out of his mouth. Out come Necro Butcher and Brodie Lee. Butcher calls Punk a pussy for not accepting the challenge. Punk says he has nothing left to prove. Butcher says come hell or high water this thing is going to end at Starrcade and walks off. As he does, Punk sneak attacks him and of course it turns into a brawl. They brawl into the ring while Gallows and Lee brawl around ringside. Butcher takes the chain from Punk and starts choking him. Butcher starts yelling "Give me the match!" and of course, Punk inevitably yells "I accept!" Butcher lets go and he and Lee head back to the locker room, happy with Punk's decision.

- A commercial plays for WCWwrestling.com.

- Punk is still at ringside and he says there's no way in hell that match will happen. He says you can't expect him to accept the match when he was being choked to death. This brings out the Liaison to the WCW Executive Director to confirm that there will be a dog-collared tag team match at Starrcade pitting the Necro Butcher and Brodie Lee against CM Punk and Drew Gallows.

Fastball Special vs. Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team - #1 Cont. Mini-Tournament Semi-Final Match 
JML says that WGTT are the top tag team in the business right now. I love how he isn't a clear-cut heel or face and instead just goes for the guys that fit him. He cheers roughnecks like the Necro Butcher and the Briscoes, or strong amateur wrestlers like WGTT, but he hates anti-American guys like The Cross. Anyway. Leonard talks about the history of stuff going on between the Cross and Fastball Special. Generico, in a the shocker of the century, plays Ricky Morton in this match. To be fair, there is no one more adept at the role than he. In any event, he gets worked over pretty hard before hitting Benjamin with a stiff Yakuza kick followed by a Michinoku Driver. He makes the hot tag to London and it breaks down into a big ole brawl. WGTT end up outside which allows both members of Fastball Special to fly out onto them. Uh oh, here comes the Cross. London bumps into Ares, who pushes Ares, and wouldn't you know it, now they're going at it. In the ring, El Generico gets hit with WGF (springboard Steiner bulldog) for WGTT to advance.

Result: Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team win via pin w/ WGF
Time: 9:31


- Post-match, the Cross continue their assault on Fastball Special and Paul London gets powerbombed through a table. Those dastardly villains!

- A commercial plays for the Halloween Havoc DVD.

- A commercial plays for DC Universe Online, which you can now play for free.

- JML and Lenny Leonard talk about the main event, which will be the Briscoes vs. WGTT for the right to face Takeshi Morishima and a partner of his choosing at Starrcade. This brings out Jimmy Jacobs and Takeshi Morishima. Jacobs says this is a somber day for the Japanese Juggernaut. He says Morishima and Bison Smith had been friends for many years and at Starrcade, Morishima will re-take the WCW tag team championship in Bison's honor. Jacobs says Morishima has chosen a partner and he can't think of anyone more apt for the role. He brings out: Keith Walker (who's, basically, a less talented version of Bison Smith - but I totally get where they're going with this). Jacobs says that Walker was Bison's last tag team partner out of Japan and the two were intrinsically linked, becoming GHC Tag Team Champions of Pro Wrestling NOAH. He says at Starrcade, be it against Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team or the Briscoes - there is only one result: DOOMSDAY for whomever they face.

- Next up is Jim Ross' sit-down interview with Alberto Dos Caras. Caras is in full snob-mode here, being an ultradrick. He says that guys like Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards are beneath him and that Chris Jericho knows it. He says he doesn't fear Jericho because Jericho is no different than anyone who came before him. Caras says he made Angle submit at the Lou Thesz Memorial Tournament and he pinned Angle on Underground. He says everyone made a big deal about how Davey Richards would ascend to the top when he earned his shot against Caras. He says, quote, "And what happened? Davey got pinned - unos, dos, tres. Fairy tale over. No happy ending." He says what makes Jericho think he'll be any different? "Do you think you are better than them Jericho? Do you think you are better than Davey Richards?" He says, "What's funny is, Jericho is better. And he knows it. But for some reason, for some reason he won't admit it right now. He is on his high horse. Like some rey del mundo." He says at Starrcade, Jericho will find out that he is better than most - but he'll never be better than Alberto Dos Caras. "He will tap. He must. It his fate. Su destino." Great, great stuff here.

- A commercial plays for WCWwrestling.com.

Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Hero - Semi-Finals of the WCW United States Championship Tournament Match
This should be excellent. Davey Richards is in Eddie's corner. Brent Albright comes out to watch as well. Chain-wrestling to start (of course) with Eddie getting the better of Hero. They get into a strike battle, which JML says (rightfully so) is stupid of Eddie, which Hero wins out on. Hero goes to work with a series of strikes, putting Eddie near unconsciousness. Hero then locks in a camel clutch. Hero works the back over using a variety of strikes from sentons to kicks. Eddie mounts a huge comeback and they start the obligatory exchange of big-moves and near-falls. Big finish comes with Eddie countering the Deathblow with a roll-up into the Achilles Lock. Hero is ultimately forced to tap.

Result: Eddie Edwards wins via submission w/ The Achilles Lock
Time: 8:41


- After the match, Hero attempts to hit Eddie with a sneak attack Roaring Elbow, but Davey makes the save. Before Davey goes for the DR Driver, but Hero slips out and escapes. Albright storms the ring and goes face-to-face with Edwards so they can take some pictures to put on the web site.

- A commercial for Starrcade plays.

Main Event: The Briscoes vs. Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team - Finals of the #1 Cont. Mini Tournament
Leonard plays homage to Gorilla Monsoon, calling this a main event anywhere in the country, which is pretty accurate. Mark and Benjamin trade wrestling holds for a bit, and then tag out to let Jay and Haas do it. Benjamin gets the advantage on Mark, whereas Jay outclasses Haas. In any event, heel shenanigans put Jay as YOUR face-in-peril~! Jay gets worked over, with WGTT particularly attacking the leg. Jay catches Benjamin in mid-air for a huge spinebuster which is the big heat spot. Mark gets the hot tag and cleans house. He flies over the ropes onto Haas, but Benjamin moves out the way. This proves a major point since Benjamin gets Mark a big belly-to-belly suplex on the concrete and he becomes your SECOND face-in-peril. They spend some time working Mark over but after every big tag move they do, he keeps kicking out of pins. He finally makes the hot tag to Jay and the Briscoes go to town beating the hell out of WGTT. But of course, here come the Three Kings. Mark hits a flying bodysplash onto all three members. WGTT try for WGF, but Jay counters with a victory roll that almost gets three. Mark gets back in the ring and they beat up on Haas. Kendrick and Ryan distract the ref and when Mark goes for the springboard clothesline for the Briscoes finish, Aries yanks him off the apron! Benjamin hits Jay with Pay Dirt and that gives WGTT the win to take on the new DOOMSDAY.

Result: Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team wins via pin w/ WGF
Time: 13:41


- Post-match sees the Kings beating down the Briscoes until JML makes the save, which causes the crowd to go apeshit! JML starts cleaning house, but the numbers overwhelm him, and he gets nailed with Regicide by Aries and Kendrick. The Kings stand triumphant to end the show.