World Championship Wrestling by Jim Cornette

[Dubble J]

Final card for WCW New Blood Rising
August 13th, 2000
Toronto, Canada

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Vader © defends against ???

Number One Contenders Match for WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Booker T vs. Chris Benoit vs. Raven vs. Val Venis

Icon vs. Icon
Hollywood Hogan vs. Ric Flair

WCW Tag Team Championship Match:
Edge and Christian’s Last Chance
The Hardy Boyz © vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz

Tag Team Match
Diamond Dallas Page and ??? vs. Perry Saturn and Scott Steiner

WCW Television Championship Match:
William Regal © defends against Jamie Noble

Open Challenge:
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Kaz Hayashi vs. ???

Six Man Tag Team Match
Winner of fall gets WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match At Fall Brawl
Billy Kidman, Juventud Guerrera and Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. CIMA, Dick Togo and Taka Michinoku

Bonus Questions

1. What will be the longest match on the show? tag titles
2. What will be the shortest match on the show? World title
3. Which wrestler will drop the fall in the number one contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship match? Benoit
4. Across both matches, how many minutes in total will the challenger for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship wrestle for? 28 minutes
5. Who will gain the fall in the WCW Tag Team Championship Match? Jeff hardy
6. Who will take the fall in the WCW Tag Team Championship Match? Christian
7. Will Goldberg compete? If not, who will be his replacement? yes
8. Who will answer Kaz Hayashi’s open challenge? Evan Karagias
9. Who will gain the fall in the Cruiserweight six man tag team match? Rey mysterious
10. Who will drop the fall in the Cruiserweight six man tag team match? Togo
11. Will there be any surprise appearances? If so, how many and who? (If answer to this question is yes, bonus points will be awarded if correctly answering amount of surprise appearances and who the actual wrestler/s is/are. Please keep in mind that open challenge participant does not count towards this question) Yes. Mike Awesome *shrug*

 

[Stojy]

Thanks for all the predictions. A day later then anticipated because I got busy, but hope it's worth the wait.

 

[Hoss]

Even being as much as a fan of Benoit's wrestling as I am, I can't really rationalize giving him a big heroic push in a BTB. It's not offensive to me or anything, just also not something I can really be stoked about. So there's that.

I do really like the prospect of a Booker-Angle feud and you've given me the visual of Mean Gene interviewing prime asshole Kurt Angle so that's fantastic. Let's just hope you leave the beastiality out of this feud.

Regal and Noble sounds like a delightful matchup and I'm happy to see Noble get a good showcase. Regal and his chicanery of attacking before the bell was a nice touch.

I'm still having a really hard time wrapping my head around The Flock Probably one of the most off the wall stable compositions I've ever read in a BTB. I do love how you wrote for Steiner in this promo, while I think Raven didn't quite click for me. I find the internal strife of this group very fascinating though and it's obviously going to lead to some really compelling payoffs.

As we get past the Cruiserweight Tag Match and the battle of the icons I'm quickly realizing I won't be winning the prediction contest Color me shocked that Flair sprung a leak and we got shenanigans from The Flock and The Horsemen… but really, the match was very well-written.

Speaking of well-written matches, the tag title affair was a real barn burner befitting these three great teams. I figured with the stipulation of this match, Edge and Christian losing was kinda written on the wall. I was previously assuming this would be a segue to a breakup of the two, as they're obviously extremely promising singles stars, but being that it's only 2000, I'm actually not so sure. Could just be a set-up to Edge and Christian finding a new level of depravity to somehow finagle their way back to the gold. Will be interesting to see how this develops.

The continuing developments between The Horsemen and The Flock… they're really all over this show. I like the way you're handling it though and the backstage interaction between Benoit and Flair was a great addition.

Consider me on board for D'Lo.

Alright, this main event is a UNIT. First off, lovely touch with Raven once again donning the cameraman disguise only for Benoit to easily sniff it out. Love the arms tied up in the ropes spot. Vader's early dominance and Benoit's fiery comeback were great to read. Sounding like an incredibly impactful match, as it should be. The back superplex is nuts and I'm sure would've been quite beautiful to see. Ref bump… naturally. And here comes the calvaries. You knew the back-up from The Horsemen wasn't gonna go off without a hitch, no surprise Flair fucked up and drilled Benoit. I can definitely imagine the silence falling over the arena in that moment. Tully and Arn rocking up is fucking brilliant. I said just a few days ago how nothing was better to me as a kid than seeing Benoit cinch in the crossface on a monster, and Vader is perhaps my favorite monster ever, so this finish is really perfect for me. Benoit pulls it off, and I can easily imagine in that moment how cathartic that would have felt, but again, with the benefit of hindsight… I wish I could buy into it fully. Nonetheless, not gonna dwell on it too much. The match was exquisitely executed and a huge moment for the ongoing struggle between The Horsemen and The Flock, as well as this BTB as a whole.

Really awesome show, Stoj. Bravo.

 

[Roy Mustang]

Great opening fatal 4-way and the chaos in that match ruled. Benoit winning makes sense and I like Raven not being involved in the decision.

Also good solid mid-card matches with Regal and Mysterio next plus Angle explaining his actions and words from Raven were good follow up

Great triple threat match between the iconic teams. Edge and Christian losing how they did should lead into a feud with the Dudley Boyz so wonder what’s next for the Hardy Boyz. I really like you also banning them from ringside for all Hardy Boyz title matches too cause logically they would cost them the belts.

D’lo Brown is a fun surprise and makes sense for him to pick up the win here.

Great call back to the previous attempt to screw him by Raven and an awesome way to start the match off. The match was amazing and the perfect interference style main event you did so well in the ECW thread. Flair chair shot was a great fake out but glad Benoit won in the end.

 

[RDT]

Let's check out New Blood Rising!

Interesting to see Angle screw over Booker T in the US Title match. If I had to guess who was taking the fall in this one, I would have had to guess Val Venis. We'll see how well you can go with the "one guy thinks the other guy is a bad representative for the company because he was a criminal" angle. It's a tough one to write without getting into bad taste.

Good to see someone like Noble put up a fight against Regal, but makes sense that he wasn't winning here.

Expected spotfest won by Kidman, Juvi, and Rey was also fun!

War Games should be exciting.

I liked the opening line for Hogan vs. Flair. "It's worth noting that it seems like both men are taking this one seriously". I sure hope so! Flair didn't waste much time getting busted open I see. I was just thinking how this match needed Buff Bagwell in it...good on Noble getting some more screen time though. Flair making Hogan tap is a big deal, no matter the year.

Interesting and fun to see the Hardyz, Dudleyz, and E and C in a WCW Tag Title Three-Way. It's also fun to see the Hardyz actually win one of these after so many IRL losses to both of these teams in 2000 and 2001.

Malenko/DDP vs. Saturn/Steiner feels oddly placed on the card, but perhaps there's a bigger story that I haven't been able to follow as much. Also fun to have Curt Hennig get involved (and then just laid out, lol).

I truthfully don't know what to make of D'Lo vs. Hayashi. I'm guessing that was a breather match for the main event?

Main event had a lot of interference (this show felt like it had a lot of interference, if I had one critique of the show), but Benoit beating Vader is a really good underdog story, with the very end reminding me of Wrestlemania X where the babyfaces held Bret Hart on their shoulders.

Really good show. I do think a cut down on interference might be good to go but it still didn't detract from a fun show.

 

[Stojy]

Thanks for all the feedback on the pay per view. Hoping things will only get more fun from here.

Predictions Contest

Hoss Alexander
Match Results 3/8
Bonus Questions 1/11
Total 4/19

Roy mustang
Match Results 5/8
Bonus Questions 6/11
Total 11/19

Dubble J
Match Results 4/8
Bonus Questions 2/11
Total 6/19

Congrats to roy on the win. Bragging rights are yours lol​

 

[Stojy]

 

[PARANoIR.13]

Posting shows in JPEG? Fucking hell. If only we'd thought of that 10 years ago. Would've have saved a shitload of time and posted twice as many shows.

Anyway. This is interesting. PPV looked good. I'll try and catch up and keep an eye on this. Benoit as champion is a ballsy move.

Hope you're good mate.

 

[Hoss]

Show was a fun follow up to NBR. You've positioned yourself perfectly heading into Fall Brawl to have a huge Flock vs. Horsemen War Games match that I think is easily the hottest match you could book right now. Obviously with all the run-up still to come, there are several interesting things to keep an eye on with that feud. Who will be the Horsemen's fifth man? Will there be any dissension within The Flock, especially with Vader and Raven continuing to have their eyes on the same prize? Lots of fun dynamics at play in this one.

Good progression taking place in the Angle/Booker feud as well. D'Lo/Regal seems to be a feud that's starting up, which I can get behind. I definitely think D'Lo would make a great TV Champion. And of course, Los Conquistadores was a very fun gimmick so it'll be cool to see what you do with it. There's a pretty obvious end result to this, but I figure you'll throw some fun twists in there.

And of course I'm curious to see what Goldberg does upon his return at Fall Brawl, and if we're going to hear anything from the man leading up to the event.

Very nice work on Nitro, it was a very easy and enjoyable read this week.

 

[Stojy]

Thanks so much for the feedback. Even all these years later, I still mark for a Para cameo <3

 

[Hoss]

Very noice development in the Flock/Horseman feud. Really keeping me invested with these continual Flair fuck-ups, the uncertainty about who will join The Horsemen in War Games, and now these huge matches next week which will obviously have big implications for the group and promise to deliver some great chicanery at the very least.

Meanwhile I'm also curious to see the payoff of the Los Conquistadores storyline. Apparently whoever was under those masks wasn't Edge and Christian, but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't competing in them anyways. But I think that would be the more predictable path. Do E&C have ringers? It's hard for me to get a read on that. I look forward to see what you've come up with.

Val Venis going over Kurt this week was also really unexpected. Maybe not in a good way. But, I'm open to stay the course and see where we end up. Sometimes it's best to not get what you want/expect right away. We'll see how Kurt responds to this loss because it's hard to imagine he just waits on the sidelines while Val gets that title shot.

Anyways, this was yet another entertaining Nitro here Stojy. The match quality was really on point for this one. Can't wait to see what's next.

 

[DTP]

WCW New Blood Rising 2000 – August 13, 2000:

I guess with your WWE 2024 endeavours I overlooked this last month. Let’s jump back in.

I’ve admittedly been out of the loop some in the past few weeks of booked television, but wow that is certainly an assortment of four guys in the opening four-way for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship opportunity. I am surprised that WCW never actually pulled this method in its’ final year. Setting up a number one contender for the World title on the actual pay-per-view show is an out-of-the-box idea, and that works in this period. Chris Benoit in my mind was the best possible choice to go with here, as Val Venis may have been built well but is laughable as an option. Raven has been built like a headline act, but I don’t think he would have been the right candidate here. Booker T has had his shine, but Benoit is the true man on the hunt here, and in 2000 rightly so.

William Regal low-key is one of my favourite WCW World Television Champions of all time. That title just felt right on him. Jamie Noble getting some shine was good to see, but he may still be too new and too young for the mantle just yet. I wouldn’t mind seeing him get something going as we approach 2001, though.

Raven’s Flock segment was fine, and admittedly without context I do like the spiciness of Vader not being featured in the mix despite being aligned with Raven in recent weeks. Add to the fact Raven was chasing the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

Unique six-man tag team match to determine a number one contender. It’s a very experimental way of doing things, and surely elicits hostility between members of the Filthy Animals and the Kai En Tai trio. I would love to see TAKA Michinoku have his time to shine as WCW World Cruiserweight Champion. Billy Kidman getting the win was a surprising choice, and I liked the drama in that finish.

It’s hard to see Hollywood Hogan as an icon again after having trailed Raven for the past few months. I could have done without seeing Hogan and Ric Flair go at it one more time, admittedly. The interference at least cast a spotlight on the likes of Buff Bagwell and Jamie Noble, even if they are unique choices for the Four Horsemen.

Another meeting of the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian – the chemistry was just right there in 2000. I am looking forward to where E&C go after losing out on the WCW World Tag Team Championship for a last time during Jeff and Matt’s reign. I’m looking forward to seeing what you have in store after this blend of six stars comes to a natural conclusion.

Interesting tag team match, really showing how you have crafted and built stars such as Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko. Strange alliances here, but I’m not mad about it. It feels like there are a lot of factions in this era, and that could prove interesting where next month is concerned, with Fall Brawl seeing the return of WarGames.

I did not really understand why you had the WCW World Cruiserweight Champion lose an open challenge to a guy who can’t even contend for that title. It felt very random to see D’Lo Brown beat Kaz Hayashi – even with the attempted assistance of Kai En Tai, no less. I guess there’s a bigger story here, but it felt very random and didn’t do anyone any favours besides D’Lo. How we get to Hayashi defending against Billy Kidman next month will be interesting in the very least. I feel like you could have put anyone in Hayashi’s role, admittedly.

Chris Benoit capturing the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Vader really summed up the idea behind the New Blood Rising name, with the now-former champ in the twilight years of his prime, and Benoit the natural option to go on the chase and win big. I could have done without the Flock’s involvement, but the main event read well. It felt like a tremendous blowoff to end the Flock’s reign of terror at the top of the card; and I suspect we are about to see Vader and Raven’s issues continue to escalate.