Spoiler: roy you won the predictions contest lol. Thanks for those.
WCW World War 3 - November 26th, 2000
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The show comes to air with pyro ripping through the building, as the fans go absolutely wild. The firework display lasts for a substantial amount of time, the cameras panning around the arena, before we shoot over to the commentary duo of TONY SCHIAVONE and DUSTY RHODES.
Tony Schiavone:
Welcome everybody to World War 3 2000, presented to you by World Championship Wrestling. I’m Tony Schiavone alongside me as always is a legend of professional wrestling, Dusty Rhodes.
Dusty Rhodes:
Thanks for the kind words, Tony. It’s a pleasure to be here in the great white north tonight, I’m excited for what’s to come.
Tony Schiavone:
Before the action begins, let’s talk a little more about what’s to come tonight, Dusty. Everybody is ready for our main event, the World War 3 match itself, but we’ve also got three title matches on the card for tonight, starting with Billy Kidman defending the WCW Cruiserweight Championship against CIMA.
Dusty Rhodes:
We haven’t really seen these two lock horns to often in the past, so this is an unpredictable one. I think I’m going to have to stick with the champion.
Tony Schiavone:
One thing’s for sure, Kaientai will be hoping they can regain their monopoly over the Cruiserweight title. The previous two champions have been Kaientai members in Kaz Hayashi and Dick Togo. The question remains, can CIMA join that list?
Dusty Rhodes:
We’ve also got the WCW United States Championship on the line tonight when Chris Jericho defends against Kurt Angle. Tony, I’m telling you right now, I’d put my house on it, these two are future main eventers here in WCW, this match could steal the show.
Tony Schiavone:
No arguments from me there, you’re the in ring expert behind the desk for a reason. Jericho, the current US Champion has honed his craft all over the world, and well Kurt Angle’s qualifications speak for themselves, he’s an Olympic Gold Medallist.
Dusty Rhodes:
I’m sure he’d like to add another US strap to that trophy cabinet at home, Tony.
Tony Schiavone:
Most definitely. And talking about gold, it doesn’t get any bigger than the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. After the champion Raven used a loophole back in September to defeat Chris Benoit after a gruelling War Games match, Benoit has scratched and clawed, finally earning a rematch tonight.
Dusty Rhodes:
With his Flock behind him, the master manipulator that is Raven has looked unstoppable as champion… But so did Vader, and Benoit managed to dethrone him.
Tony Schiavone:
Plus we’re in Benoit’s hometown tonight. His family are here for added motivation, his mentor is here in the audience, which we’ll touch on a little more shortly. But titles aren’t the only thing on the line tonight.
Dusty Rhodes:
That’s right, we’ve got a six man tag with title implications, Tony. WCW Television Champion William Regal teams with WCW Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian to take on D’Lo Brown and The Hardy Boyz. If the champions lose, the winners will be their title challengers at Starrcade.
Tony Schiavone:
We’ve also got a match that makes me nervous because I’m not entirely sure this arena can restrain the two competitors. It’s Scott Norton versus Scott Steiner, and since returning at Fall Brawl, Norton has had one thing on his mind, and that’s getting his hands on Vader. Our WCW Champion Raven has been preventing that at all costs, but it was announced earlier tonight that if Scott Norton beats Steiner tonight, he’ll get his match with Vader at Starrcade!!!
Dusty Rhodes:
I know we’re supposed to be impartial, but I can’t help but be team Norton tonight. Norton versus Vader, those two big behemoths battling boldly is something I want to see.
Tony Schiavone:
And of course, we have to talk about the main event. The World War 3 match itself. Sixty men, three rings, a Battle Royal type match where the last man standing will go on to challenge the WCW World Heavyweight Champion at Starrcade.
Dusty Rhodes:
Every man in that locker room backstage is in there because they have a dream to be the WCW Champion. If you don’t have that dream, you’re in the wrong sport. Tonight, sixty men get the opportunity to earn a shot of a lifetime, a shot at the most coveted prize in the business.
Tony Schiavone:
We know that fifty nine of the competitors have been confirmed, but we also know there is one open spot in World War 3. That spot has been reserved by JJ Dillon in case Sting does return to compete tonight.
Dusty Rhodes:
Can you imagine the look on Raven’s face if we did see Sting tonight? The Scorpion symbols on Nitro, the black baseball a few weeks ago, there have been signs, Tony.
Tony Schiavone:
There have indeed, Dusty, we’ll just have to wait and see like everybody else. One return of sorts to WCW that we can confirm, we have a very special audience member tonight. We referred to him as Chris Benoit’s mentor earlier, he’s a man who has not made a television appearance since retiring earlier this year at Spring Stampede. Ladies and gentlemen, we are lucky enough to have Canada’s own Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart in the crowd.
The cameras pick up BRET HART, sitting in the front row, donned in a black leather jacket with the ‘hitman’ logo, and some blue jeans. Bret looks to be in good spirits, smiling wildly at the ENORMOUS pop when his face appears on the big screen. The loyal Canadian fans start a “BRET” chant, serenading their hero when…
***TOO MUCH INFORMATION***
Just as we thought the fans couldn’t get any louder, they EXPLODE with a memorable pop as CHRIS BENOIT storms through the curtain. Another one of Canada’s own, Benoit gets shown plenty of love from his home country crowd. On commentary, they are confused as Benoit isn’t scheduled out here until later tonight.
The number one contender to the World Title doesn’t care though, heading the crowd and shaking the hand of Bret Hart to huge cheers. ‘The Rabid Wolverine’ then rolls in the ring, grabbing himself a microphone in the process. Already in his gear, once his music dies down, Benoit paces, waiting for the raucous cheers to lower so he can speak.
Chris Benoit:
We’re in Canada, my hometown, and I’ve had to work for two long months to make sure Raven couldn’t wriggle his way out of a match with me. I’ve got no more patience; I don’t want to wait. I’m ready, the people sound ready, I want Raven right now.
Another thunderous pop can be heard, the fans clearly on side with Benoit’s thoughts. The number one contender is forced to wait a few moments, wondering if his call will be answered…
***COME AS YOU ARE (INSTRUMENTAL)***
The call is answered, as the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION RAVEN slowly appears from the back, receiving ungodly heat from the crowd. Dressed in his less traditional wrestling attire, the champ looks ready to go. Wearing a knowing smirk, Raven stops midway down the ramp and pulls a mic from his back pocket.
Raven:
It’s not often we see eye to eye Benoit, but I happen to agree with you tonight. I’d love to start a great night off by embarrassing you and the whole of Canada in one fell swoop.
Raven drops the mic, and the statement surprisingly gets cheers. A referee sprints passed Raven and slides into the ring, and it looks like we’re indeed kicking tonight’s show off with a World Title match…
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Raven (c) defends against Chris Benoit
As soon as Raven gets inside the ring and the referee calls for the bell, Benoit is on him. He is ferocious, letting out his pent up frustration and just hammering Raven with right hands and chops. There is nothing Raven can do except cover up and get pinballed around the ring, as the challenger is relentless. The Canadian fans are loving it, as Benoit continues to go to work on Raven, beating him around the ring, until a particularly stiff right hand sends Raven tumbling through the ropes and to the outside.
The referee pleads with Benoit to not head to the outside, but Benoit sidesteps the official. On the outside, Raven still hasn’t recovered so Benoit drags him up by the hair and tees off with more right hands. Conveniently, Raven attempts to stagger away, ending up right in front of Bret Hart. Once again, Benoit uses Raven’s hair to drag him back towards him, before hooking him up… SNAP SUPLEX ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR!!!
Gasps come from the audience for a such a big move so early, as Benoit bounces back to his feet. Admittedly, Benoit feels at his own back for a moment, before slapping high five with Bret. ‘The Rabid Wolverine’ knows he needs to stay on task though, quickly focusing back on Raven, hoisting him up and rolling him back inside the ring.
Benoit follows Raven in, but Raven scoots on his backside, pleading for mercy, and trying to get away from Benoit. It’s almost an eerie smile from Benoit, who’s got no plans of stopping. As he bends down to grab Raven though, the champion gets a desperate thumb to the eye. Now it’s Benoit’s turn to step away momentarily, rubbing at his eye, but this just seems to make the challenger mad. After rubbing his eye, Benoit charges at Raven… RAVEN HOPS TO HIS FEET… AND GETS A DROP TOE HOLD!!!
SENDING BENOIT FACE FIRST INTO THE BOTTOM TURNBUCKLE!!!
Despite his face taking the contact, Benoit immediately grabs at his neck, potentially suffering some whiplash from the collision. Meanwhile, this gives Raven the time he needs to shake out the cobwebs, and he slowly pulls himself to his feet. The champion is happy at the sight of Benoit being down, and the fans hate it. This allows Raven to have his way with Benoit now, really beating him down, focusing on the head and neck area.
Raven continues to have his way with the challenger, and he continuously points at Benoit and tells the Canadian fans, “LOOK AT YOUR HERO NOW”! As the domination from Raven continues, the fans hatred gets louder and louder. After another near fall, Raven decides to bring Benoit back to his feet, but ‘The Crippler’ explodes, shrugging Raven off and going to town with some hard chops to the chest.
The chops are as brutal as ever from Benoit and are enough to cause Raven to stumble backwards. Eventually Raven is forced to place both arms over his chest, attempting to block the blows, but Benoit uses the movement to grab Raven in a Vertical Suplex position… BENOIT HITS A GOURDBUSTER… HANGING RAVEN OVER THE TOP ROPE BY HIS MIDSECTION!!!
Somehow, Raven’s prone body remains balanced on the top rope, hanging there. Defenceless and in pain, Raven just lays over the top rope as Benoit approaches and begins teeing off with repeated crossface strikes to the champion’s face. Unfortunately for Benoit, lying on the top rope qualifies as being in the ropes, so the referee counts to four, before forcing a break in action by threatening to disqualify the Canadian.
As Benoit is forced to back pedal and give his opponent some space, Raven finally tumbles off the top rope and back to the canvas. Raven tries to battle to his feet, but Benoit his right back on him, landing a few clubbing shots to the back. Benoit then snatches a Waist Lock… GERMAN SUPLEX!!!
Benoit maintains his grip around the waist of Raven and drags him back up… SECOND GERMAN SUPLEX!!!
Rinse and repeat as yet again, Benoit maintains his grip and brings Raven back to his feet… TRIPLE GERMANS LAND!!!
The fans cheer loudly, appreciating the move, as Benoit gets back up and puts his thumb across his throat, signalling it’s about to be all over. With the fans buzzing in anticipation, Benoit stomps across the ring, and steps onto the apron, before ascending to the rope. Benoit takes a moment to steady himself… WHEN RAVEN PUSHES THE REFEREE WITH HIS FEET… CAUSING THE REF TO FALL INTO THE ROPES!!!
BENOIT LOSES BALANCE AND GETS CROTCHED ON THE TOP ROPE!!!
Another dirty tactic gets Raven some heat from the crowd, but he couldn’t care any less at this point. Wiping his long, messy hair from his face, Raven is back up and heads to the corner, landing a few right hands to Benoit in the process. Satisfied with Benoit being out of it, Raven now climbs up to the top rope, manoeuvring Benoit in the process… SUPERPLEX FROM RAVEN!!!
Both men remain down for a few moments, UNTIL RAVEN MANAGES TO DRAPE AN ARM OVER THE CHEST OF BENOIT…
…1…
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…2…
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NO!!!
BENOIT SHOOTS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT!!!
Once back on his feet, now it’s Raven’s turn to play to the fans again, as he dusts his hands together, letting them know the match is finished. With a cocky smirk, Raven drags the still Benoit to his feet… EVENFLOW!!!
NO!!! BENOIT GETS A DOUBLE LEGGED TAKEDOWN…
AND IMMEDIATELY STEPS THROUGH AND APPLIES THE SHARPSHOOTER!!!
The Canadian crowd lose their minds, going absolutely apeshit, as even Bret Hart pumps his fist in the crowd. Benoit really sits back on the hold, applying all the pressure he can, and all Raven can do is scream. Raven is stuck in the middle of the ring, nowhere near the ropes, tears of agony welling up… WHEN HE RAISES HIS HAND TO TAP…
BUT BENOIT RELINQUISHES THE HOLD???
There’s a slight moment of confusion before Benoit charges across the ring, hitting a running forearm to knock BUFF BAGWELL off the apron. The number one contender is then forced to run to another side of the ring, and bump CURT HENNIG off the apron. THE FLOCK are well and truly making their presence felt, as then Benoit hits a right hand to knock PERRY SATURN off the apron too.
Benoit is fighting against the numbers now, as the fans viciously boo the outside interference. Benoit’s eyes are darting all over, waiting for who’s next, when Bagwell gets back onto the apron. Before Benoit can go deal with Bagwell again, the referee approaches Buff, and BAGWELL GRABS THE REFEREE TO ARGUE WITH HIM… PREVENTING THE REFEREE FROM TURNING BACK TO THE ACTION!!!
Benoit is still on high alert for outside interference, keeping an eye on Saturn and Hennig… WHEN RAVEN GETS A LOW BLOW FROM BEHIND!!!
Major heat from the crowd, who urge the referee to turn around, but he’s firmly stuck in the grip of Bagwell. As Benoit crumbles to his knees, grabbing at his testicles, on the outside, Saturn grabs the World Title and slides it inside the ring. Raven picks it up and stalks Benoit, who slowly gets back to his feet… RAVEN NAILS BENOIT IN THE HEAD WITH THE TITLE!!!
Raven throws the title back out, and of course, Bagwell now lets the referee go and gets off the apron. The ref turns back to face the action, ONLY TO SEE RAVEN HOOK BENOIT’S LEG WITH THE PIN…
…1…
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…2…
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NO!!!
BENOIT SOMEHOW GETS HIS SHOULDER UP AGAIN!!!
An epic pop can be heard, as Benoit shows some of his incredible resilience. Raven’s eyes go wide in shock, he really can’t believe it. The leader of The Flock begins barking instructions at his comrades, when DEAN MALENKO and JAMIE NOBLE sprint towards ringside. The Four Horsemen are here (for the most part), and Malenko and Noble immediately begin brawling with Bagwell and Hennig.
The fans cheer loudly as the four men brawl around ringside, and the referee pleas with them to cut it out. With the referee distracted once again, there’s still a chance for interference from the one illegal man not involved in the brawl, and that’s Saturn. The bald wrestler slides into the ring, armed with a steel chair, stalking Benoit. Raven watches on and when Benoit gets up… SATURN SWINGS THE STEEL CHAIR!!!
NO!!! BENOIT DUCKS…
SATURN ACCIDENTALLY HITS RAVEN WITH THE CHAIR!!!
Saturn drops the chair, almost in shock, and Benoit quickly grabs Saturn and throws him outside of the ring. At this stage, the other four men brawling have moved through the curtain and out of the view. This means the referee concentrates on the match again, just in time to see Benoit steadying himself on the top rope… DIVING HEADBUTT!!!
IT CONNECTS!!!
Benoit grabs at his face, feeling the pain of the gruesome move. After a few moments of recover, BENOIT PINS RAVEN…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
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NO!!!
THE REFEREE GETS DRAGGED OUT OF THE RING…
BY HOLLYWOOD HOGAN!!!
Another Flock member, one that Benoit defeated one month ago, just prevented Benoit from becoming champ. The heat is deafening, as the referee argues with the chuckling Hogan on the outside. Inside of the ring, an exhausted Benoit looks around, curious as to what’s happening. Once he spots Hogan on the outside, Benoit shakes his head in fury, getting to his feet. Benoit takes a few steps towards Hogan, when he’s spun around from behind.
Saturn hoists Benoit up on his shoulders… DEATH VALLEY DRIVER ONTO THE STEEL CHAIR!!!
Saturn slides out of the ring now, taking the chair with him. Meanwhile, Hogan motions for the ref to stop arguing with him and get back into the ring. The referee obliges in time to see Raven crawling across the ring… AND RAVEN MAKES THE COVER…
…1…
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…2…
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NO!!!
BENOIT INCREDIBLY GETS HIS SHOULDER UP AGAIN!!!
Somehow, Benoit is still showing signs of life. His faithful Canadian fans are chanting his name, doing all they can to urge Benoit on. Meanwhile, Raven is back to his feet, and he drags the heroic Benoit up… EVENFLOW!!!
RAVEN HOOKS THE LEG…
…1…
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…2…
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THREE!!!
WINNER: RAVEN VIA PINFALL at 13:50. RAVEN RETAINS THE WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.
The heat is VULCANIC from the fans, they’re absolutely disgusted because their hometown hero has been done dirty. The Flock are extremely pleased though, with a relieved Raven being given his title from Hogan.
Saturn on one side, Hogan on the other, Raven stands in the centre of the ring, raising his WCW Title, which he’ll now presumably carry into Starrcade over his head.
After relishing the fury from the fans, eventually The Flock exit the ring. Before heading up the ramp though, Hogan stops in front of Bret Hart and hits a bicep flex right in front of him.
Bret gets to his feet, annoyed at a man he has no love loss for. Hogan taps his chin, daring Bret to hit him, but Hart doesn’t flinch. Eventually, Hogan laughs and joins Raven and Saturn at the top of the stage. The show begins with Raven reigning supreme yet again…
…
Remaining at ringside, our cameras pan up to the rafters, clearly looking for the saviour that WCW might need. At this stage of the night though, the rafters remain empty.
Tony Schiavone:
As you can see by the live shots of the rafters inside this very arena, Sting is presumably not here as of yet. As mentioned on Nitro, JJ Dillon has reserved a spot in the World War 3 match for Sting if he is to show up.
Dusty Rhodes:
All those hints and clues over the past few weeks on Nitro, he has to show up, Tony.
Tony Schiavone:
Not to mention after what he just saw, Raven triumphant again. The Flock, the cheating, the numbers advantage, not even Chris Benoit could overcome those odds.
Dusty Rhodes:
Exactly. We need Sting, and we need him now. Come on, Stinger, we’re counting on you.
…
BACKSTAGE – INTERVIEW SET
Standing at the interview set, albeit on his own is the man who will challenge for the WCW United States Championship tonight, KURT ANGLE. Red, white and blue singlet on, which of course gets him heat from the fans, and gold medals around his neck, Angle looks focused ahead of his match tonight.
Kurt Angle:
Tonight is a big night and regardless of whether Sting comes out of hiding or not, tonight is a night for celebration. This is my one year anniversary. That’s right, your Olympic Gold Medallist has been in WCW for one year and what better way to celebrate than by winning the US Title back. The same title that was stolen from me.
Angle frowns at remembering losing the title, but takes a few breaths, and maintains his composure.
Kurt Angle:
In fact, winning back my title is not all I’m going to do tonight. Once I’m done kicking Chris Jericho’s butt, I’ll go on to win World War 3. Because unlike Canada, America has never lost a war.
An absurd amount of heat from the fans, but Kurt ignores them. He’s focused and ready to go, apparently planning quite the successful night…
…
Six Man Tag Team Match
If D’Lo Brown and The Hardy Boyz win, they challenge the respective champions at Starrcade;
Edge, Christian and William Regal vs. D’Lo Brown and The Hardy Boyz w/Lita
The early stages of this one are frustration for the fans and for the potential challengers, as Edge, Christian and Regal are happy to stall. They play mind games, refusing to lock up and basically just trying to frustrate their opponents. After doing this for a little longer, the champs decide to have a three way meeting of the minds on the floor… WHEN THEY ALL GET TAKEN DOWN WITH A FLIPPING SENTON FROM JEFF HARDY!!!
Booming cheers ring out for the big time move, as Jeff, feeling the effects a little, still staggers up pretty fast. He decides to grab a hold of Christian and he rolls him back into the ring. Jeff has his way with Christian inside of the ring, hammering away, until he eventually makes an unexpected tag to D’Lo. The man gunning for Regal and his TV Title is happy to put in the work on Christian.
Using more power based offense than Jeff, D’Lo is able to whatever he wants with Christian also, before tagging in Matt Hardy. Now it’s the elder Hardy brothers turn to tee of on Christian, and he does so, really working Christian over. After inflicting some more damage, Matt watches Christian, waiting until he makes it to his knees, and then Matt bounces off the ropes for momentum… BUT REGAL GRABS MATT’S FOOT, TRIPPING HIM OFF THE ROPES!!!
Matt lands uncomfortably face first, and the fans boo the cheating from Regal loudly. That one move though is enough to turn the tide, and allow the battle worn Christian to recover. Christian is able to freshen up and then he begins stomping all over the fallen Matt, getting some back for earlier. The elder Hardy gets isolated from here, with the heel team working effectively as a unit, even performing some fluid triple team moves at times.
Of course, Matt shows signs of life, trying to fight back throughout the heat period of the match, however frequent tags and illegal tactics keep the champs in control. Despite several near falls, the heels are unable to put Matt away and eventually the tide starts to turn. The tag champs are both in the ring with Matt, attempting another double team as Christian holds Matt in place. Meanwhile, Edge bounces off the ropes to pick up speed… CLOTHESLINE!!!
NO!!! MATT DODGES EDGE…
AND EDGE CLOTHESLINE HIS OWN PARTNER!!!
Christian falls to the canvas, as Edge puts his hand on his head in shock. Realising Matt is most likely behind him, Edge panic and turns around… RIGHT INTO A SIDE EFFECT!!!
All three men inside the ring stay down as the fans begin a slow clap, urging Matt to get to his corner and make a tag. Both Matt and Edge begin heading to their respective corners, and Edge manages to tag in Regal… JUST AS MATT GETS THE HOT TAG TO HIS BROTHER JEFF!!!
Jeff comes in and uses his high octane, fast paced offense to keep Regal at bay. Having recovered, Christian and Edge both try to get involved but Jeff is able to keep them under control as well. As Jeff starts focusing in on Edge and Christian, Regal looks to use the distraction to sneak from behind, but D’Lo intercepts him. Brown lands several right hands, stunning Regal, before kicking him in the gut… DDT!!!
Whilst Brown was taking care of Regal, Edge and Christian had managed to drop Jeff, simply by overwhelming with numbers and pummelling him down to the mat. As D’Lo gets back up after the DDT, HE TURNS INTO A DOUBLE FLAPJACK FROM EDGE AND CHRISTIAN!!!
The tag champs get up, proud of themselves… STEREO DROPKICKS FROM THE HARDY BOYZ TAKE THEM DOWN!!!
Wanting to escape, both Edge and Christian instinctively roll underneath the bottom rope and to the outside. They get to their feet, both checking on each other, but they don’t see Matt Hardy climbing to the top rope… MOONSAULT OFF THE TOP FROM MATT TAKES OUT EDGE AND CHRISTIAN ON THE OUTSIDE!!!
The spot gets a big pop from the crowd, and even Jeff gets caught up in the moment, applauding his brother. This allows Regal to clobber Jeff from behind, forcing Jeff to drop to his knees. Regal hook’s Jeff’s arms… RELEASE BUTTERFLY SUPLEX!!!
Instead of going for the cover, Regal looks at the multi-coloured haired Jeff with disdain. Using that same mentioned hair, Regal drags Jeff up… SETTING HIM UP FOR THE TIGER BOMB!!!
NO!!! MATT TAKES REGAL DOWN WITH A FLYING CLOTHESLINE OFF THE TOP ROPE!!!
Sensing the match slipping away, an urgent Christian jumps onto the apron, but D’Lo is there to knock him off with a hard right hand. With Christian being prevented from getting in, Edge is able to slide in from the opposite side, and he stalks Jeff. Once Jeff turns around, Edge runs at him… SPEAR!!!
JEFF SIDESTEPS EDGE…
AND EDGE ACCIDENTALLY SPEARS REGAL!!!
It’s the second time tonight that Edge has taken out one of his partners. He gets up, again stressed with the miscommunication, before turning into a kick to the stomach from Matt… TWIST OF FATE!!!
Matt gets no time to enjoy the moment because he sees Christian this time stepping into the ring. Matt scrambles to his feet and charges at Christian… CACTUS CLOTHESLINE TAKES BOTH MEN OVER THE TOP AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
Still hurt from the Twist Of Fate, Edge has rolled to the outside for a reprieve, leaving Regal in the ring all alone. Clutching at his mid-section after the inadvertent Spear, Regal stumbles to his feet… RIGHT INTO A SKY HIGH FROM D’LO!!!
Instead of going for the cover, Brown signals for Jeff to head up top. Getting encouragement from the fans and his partner is all he needs, as Jeff climbs up high to the top rope… SWANTON BOMB ON REGAL!!!
JEFF TURNS OVER TO HOOK REGAL’S LEG…
…1…
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…2…
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THREE!!!
WINNERS: D’LO BROWN AND THE HARDY BOYZ VIA PINFALL at 11:18.
We get our first feel good result of the night, as D’Lo and The Hardys are jubilant in victory. Despite their differing personalities, all three celebrate together, sharing hugs, knowing they’re all one step closer to their title aspirations.
The trio even celebrate back up the ramp together, having apparently built quite the synergy during their one night stand as a team.
Tony Schiavone:
There you have it, Dream. We now know that at Starrcade, the titles will be defended against the victors. William Regal will defend his WCW Television Championship against D’Lo Brown and Edge and Christian will defend the WCW Tag Team Championships against The Dudley Boyz.
Dusty Rhodes:
We’ve seen both these matches before, but the issues remain. I can’t wait to find out who the best of the best is in both these decisions at Starrcade.
We get one last image of the victorious trio still enjoying themselves on the ramp before we cut away…
…
BACKSTAGE – THE FOUR HORSEMEN LOCKER ROOM
Three of THE FOUR HORSEMEN are in the locker room, with RIC FLAIR giving DEAN MALENKO and JAMIE NOBLE a congratulatory pat on the back for their work earlier tonight. Malenko and Noble look appreciative, when suddenly CHRIS BENOIT barges into the ring. Sweat still dripping from his forehead, Benoit looks less than impressed, his eyes not leaving Flair.
Chris Benoit:
You’re right, they did a great job out there, but we were still one man short. Thanks for your help, Ric.
Flair’s jaw immediately clenches, but he doesn’t look Benoit in the eye. Instead, he performs busy work, checking the laces on his boots. Benoit stares down Flair, hoping for a retaliation but there isn’t one.
Benoit takes a deep breath, settling himself down, before turning his attention towards his other two Horsemen brothers.
Chris Benoit:
Not a great start to the night but things are looking up. I talked to JJ Dillon just a moment ago, he wasn’t happy with how my match went either. Since I was completely robbed, I might have an opportunity. If Sting doesn’t show up, JJ has confirmed, I can have his spot in World War 3.
Malenko and Noble are enthusiastic, all smiles and punching the air in celebration. The Nature Boy doesn’t exactly have the same reaction though, a peculiar expression on his face, almost displeased.
Ric Flair:
Regardless of how many of us are in there, if we want the right Horseman to win, we need to draw up a strategy and stick together.
Benoit raises his eyebrows, clearly irked over what Flair’s implying there. Flair is displeased, Benoit looks downright furious, and we’ve still got plenty of time until the war even begins…
…
WCW United States Championship Match:
Chris Jericho (c) defends against Kurt Angle
One thing to note in this one before we start is the crowd reaction is very interesting. Whilst both men are hated heels, Jericho is adopted as the situational babyface for this one. This is mainly because he’s from Canada, and Angle is so pro USA that he had to badmouth Canada earlier in the night. Surprisingly from Jericho’s perspective, they start things off with some mat wrestling, which quite clearly plays to some of Angle’s strengths.
To Jericho’s credit though, he trades move for move with Angle, showing his experience gained over the years counts for something to. They continue to go back and forth, with Angle getting visibility more and more frustrated at each Jericho reversal. After Angle forces a break from an Arm Bar by grabbing the ropes, the two look set to meet in the centre of the ring. Having the advantage, Jericho is content to continue wrestling, but Angle’s had enough, socking Jericho with a right hand to the jaw.
The blow gets boos from the fans, but more importantly, it staggers Jericho. Angle pounces with a few more punches, before grabbing Jericho by the tights and throwing him outside of the ring. Not wasting a solitary second, Angle follows Jericho to the outside, unloading with some more big right hands. After rocking Jericho further… ANGLE IRISH WHIPS JERICHO BACK FIRST INTO THE STEEL STEPS!!!
The velocity of the impact causes the steel steps to displace, making an even louder noise echo throughout the arena. With a devilish grin on his face, Angle is pleased, whilst the Canadian fans are clearly concerned about the hurting Jericho. Angle decides he’s not done with the outside the ring attack, as he stomps all over Jericho, before rolling back in and out of the ring to break up the count.
Yells of annoyance come from the referee, but Angle isn’t interested in upholding the rules right now. Kurt drags Jericho by the hair… AND THIS TIME ANGLE IRISH WHIPS JERICHO… SENDING HIM CRASHING BACK FIRST INTO THE CROWD BARRICADE!!!
It’s the second big blow in a short amount of time, and Jericho drops to his knees, grimacing in pain. Meanwhile, Angle is gaining confidence as he now picks up the sore and sorry Jericho and rolls him back inside the ring. Once inside, Angle keeps it simple, just kicking Jericho in the mid-section a few times. From here, Angle is able to continue to work on the back and midsection of Jericho, almost putting him away numerous times.
Kurt isn’t afraid to push his luck either, only acknowledging the referee’s count and breaking holds at the last possible moment. Jericho’s heart is on full show here though, as he refuses to be put down. Getting irritated at the persistent champion, Angle drags him up to his feet and lands some more stiff right hands. Angle sends Jericho the ropes… JERICHO BOUNCES BACK WITH THE SUPER BABYFACE FLYING FOREARM~!
Jericho lands on his feet after the shot, whilst Angle drops as if he’s been shot. It’s out of shock more than anything else, so Kurt is quickly back up, but now it’s Jericho’s turn to land shot after shot, pinballing Angle around the ring. The fans continue to get louder, as Jericho’s attack consisting of right hands eventually results in Angle dropping to the canvas again.
Sensing his chance, the US Champ hurries across the ring and climbs his way up to the top rope. Jericho waits for Angle to get back to his feet… FLYING BACK ELBOW!!!
JERICHO HOOKS THE LEG…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
NO!!!
ANGLE KICKS OUT!!!
Wiping the matted hair out of his face, Jericho is not to be deterred, manoeuvring Angle into the position he wants him to be in. Jericho stands over Kurt, before shoving Angle’s head between his legs and hooking his arms… DOUBLE UNDERHOOK BACKBREAKER!!!
Angle brutally lands sternum first on the canvas but immediately rolls onto his back. The gold medallist isn’t moving in the centre of the ring, so Jericho runs to springboard off the ropes… LIONSAULT!!!
CONNECTS…
WITH THE RAISED KNEES OF ANGLE!!!
Jericho immediately starts heavy breathing, having lost all the air in his lungs. Adjusting his knee pads, Angle works his way back to his feet, and how he’s stalking Jericho. The US Champ staggers back to his feet, still grabbing at his midsection, when Kurt comes from behind… ANGLE SLAM!!!
NO!!! JERICHO SLITHERS OUT AND LANDS BEHIND ANGLE!!!
Before Kurt can react, Jericho bounces off the ropes… ONE HANDED BULLDOG!!!
Getting back up and giving the fans a “COME ON BABAY”, the champ runs towards the ropes again… LIONSAULT!!!
NO!!!
THIS TIME ANGLE ROLLED OUT OF THE WAY!!!
Jericho lands with a thud on the canvas, and once again starts favouring his midsection. This time Angle remains down on the canvas, taking a few moments to catch his breath. Realising Jericho is in pretty severe pain, almost as if we are watching a replay, Angle gets to his feet and starts stalking Jericho again.
Looking as focused as ever, Angle waits and when Jericho gets up and stumbles backwards towards the centre of the ring… Kurt is there… ANGLE SLAM!!!
NO!!!
JERICHO GETS OUT BEHIND HIM AGAIN…
JERICHO GETS AN O’CONNOR ROLL…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
NO!!!
ANGLE ESCAPES IN THE NICK OF TIME!!!
Adrenaline fuelling both men, they bounce back to their feet and meet in the centre of the ring… ANGLE SNAPS OFF AN OVERHEAD BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX!!!
Jumping back to his feet again, now Angle is feeling it. He begins jumping up and down, pulling down his singlet straps, and almost daring Jericho to get back up. Say what you want about Jericho’s character, but he’s playing the valiant role of champion tonight. Angle watches Jericho like an eagle stalking his prey, and when Jericho is up… ANGLE SLAM!!!
NO!!!
JERICHO TURNS IN MID AIR…
NAILING ANGLE WITH A MODIFIED DDT!!!
An epic pop greets the incredible reversal by Jericho. Both men remain down for a few moments, but the cheers from his hometown fans slowly urge Jericho to his feet. Once up, wiping some of his hair out of his eyes, Jericho heads to the apron and ascends to the top rope. Jericho remains perched on top, and when Kurt gets to his feet… MISSILE DROPKICK!!!
NO!!!
ANGLE SIDESTEPS THE FLYING JERICHO!!!
Jericho has an awful landing and Angle senses is right away. Knowing he needs to land that killer blow; this time Angle doesn’t wait for Jericho to reach a vertical base. Angle drags Jericho up and roughly snatches his grip… ANGLE SLAM!!!
NO!!!
THIS TIME BEFORE ANGLE CAN EVEN LIFT JERICHO…
JERICHO EXPLODES WITH BRUTAL KNEES TO THE TEMPLE OF ANGLE!!!
Angle relinquishes his grip and staggers backwards, until both men sprint at each other… DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE!!!
Both men are down and this time neither looks like they are getting up anytime soon. The referee begins to count both men out, making to give when suddenly the count stops. Both men are still down, but the referee has stopped because BOOKER T has run down the ramp and leaped onto the apron.
The fans buzz in anticipation for the arrival of Booker, who immediately begins arguing with the referee. Whilst this argument continues, there’s some commotion over the crowd barricade as VAL VENIS comes through the crowd and jumps onto the apron. The referee is preoccupied with Booker, so Venis heads to the top rope… MONEY SHOT CONNECTS!!!
ON KURT ANGLE!!!
A big time pop greets the move, as Val immediately rolls underneath the bottom rope. Getting pats on the back from his hometown fans also, Val heads over the crowd barricade and begins his great escape through the crowd. Seeing that Val is well and truly gone, Booker jumps off the apron, allowing the referee to get back to calling the action.
Booker doesn’t disappear like Venis though, remaining at ringside to watch what happens next. Jericho slowly gets up, utterly exhausted, but notices Angle is down. Third times a charm as Jericho hobbles towards the ropes and springboards… LIONSAULT!!!
THIS TIME IT LANDS PERFECTLY!!!
JERICHO STAYS ON TOP FOR THE PIN…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
THREE!!!
WINNER: CHRIS JERICHO VIA PINFALL at 15:02. CHRIS JERICHO RETAINS THE WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP.
Again, if not for the context of location and opponent, it would be strange to see a Jericho victory getting such a positive reaction here tonight.
Jericho still has though heel instincts though, so he’s quick to roll to the outside. Halfway up the ramp, the referee catches up to him, handing him the US Title and raising his hand in victory.
It’s a triumphant moment amongst LOUD cheers, and Jericho genuinely enjoys it, seemingly not realising that he had some help tonight.
Once Jericho disappears through the curtain, Angle recovers inside of the ring, attempting to push himself up... SCISSORS KICK FROM BOOKER T!!!
Angle gets dropped again to another huge ovation, which only gets greater as Booker busts out the Spinarooni!!! Booker's amped up and excited, happy to have gotten some revenge on Angle, but it’s likely their story is far from over…
…
BACKSTAGE – GORILLA POSITION
Just behind the curtain, we see the WCW President JIM CORNETTE pulling the referee for the next match aside. Cornette is already mid dialogue, chatting rather sternly with the official.
Jim Cornette:
Look, you know that these two are both unpredictable to say the least, but there’s a lot at stake with this Norton and Steiner match tonight. There might be some interference, maybe some rule breaking, who knows? All I can ask of you is to please be as lenient as possible.
The referee nods his head, understanding and Cornette pats him on the back and sends him on his way…
…
BACKSTAGE – INTERVIEW AREA
It’s light work for Mean Gene and co tonight, because again in the interview set, we have a wrestler on their own. GOLDBERG appears in wrestling gear, looking ready for World War 3. The unexpected appearance gets an INCREDIBLE reaction from the fans, but The Berg doesn’t acknowledge the reaction, opting to keep the snarl on his face instead.
Goldberg:
Sixty men, three rings, but tonight I’m keepin’ it pretty simple. I’ve got two goals; one is to get my hands on Scott Steiner. The second goal is to repeat my performance from 1998 and win World War 3.
Short and sharp from The Berg, who grunts from the camera and leaves, the fans cheering him on the entire time…
…
Singles Match
If Scott Norton wins, he faces Vader at Starrcade;
Scott Norton vs. Scott Steiner w/Buff Bagwell
Steiner is out first with his back up, but when Norton enters, the referee calls for the bell and these two monsters immediately explode. The ref does his best to get out of the way, as these two trade hard right hands, and stinging chops to the chest. It’s chaos and stiff from the get-go, neither backing down, but eventually Norton gets on top, managing to repeatedly nail Steiner.
All ‘Big Poppa Pump’ can do is crumble in the corner, and Norton continues to hammer away. Sensing things are dangerous early, BUFF BAGWELL JUMPS ONTO THE APRON AND YELLS AT NORTON TO GET HIS ATTENTION!!!
Norton charges over and wraps his arms around the neck of his former Vicious and Delicious teammate. Bagwell freaks out, unable to break Norton’s grip and he tries to beg off, but Norton shakes his head. The big man cocks his fist, ready to go… BUT STEINER CLOBBERS NORTON FROM BEHIND BEFORE HE CAN CLOCK BAGWELL!!!
Steiner’s a powerful man in his own right, and that one shot is enough to drop Norton to his knees. Steiner stays on the attack from here, keeping Norton grounded, and holding some form of control over his opponent. It doesn’t last overly long though, because Norton is just too powerful to be kept down, and after a while, he starts no selling Steiner’s strikes, trembling with rage in the process.
‘The Genetic Freak’ doesn’t stop though, continuing to swing wildly at Norton, but Norton continues to battle back to his feet. Once he’s back to his feet, Norton regains control, overpowering Steiner. Norton simply begins hurling Steiner around the ring, the offense isn’t pretty but it’s certainly effective. After softening up Steiner, he has the ability to get him on his shoulder and walk to the corner of the ring… NORTON DRILLS STEINER WITH A RUNNING POWERSLAM!!!
Before Norton can go for the pin, Bagwell freaks out and slides into the ring. He mindlessly charges forward… BUT NORTON TAKES BAGWELL’S HEAD OFF WITH A LARIAT!!!
Gigantic pop as Norton finally gets to take down his former partner. After dropping Bagwell, Norton stands over him and yells some abuse, only to turn and walk into Steiner… STEINER THROWS NORTON WITH AN EXPLODER SUPLEX!!!
An incredibly quick recovery time from Steiner to land that move, showing that he’s just as tough as they come also. Now ‘Big Poppa Pump’ has a few moments to get back to his feet and shake out the cobwebs, not familiar with being overpowered very often. Steiner then taps his bicep, signalling that he’s about to try and take Norton out with a Lariat.
Steiner drags Norton to his feet, landing a few right hands, before sending Norton bouncing off the ropes. Norton bounces back… LARIAT FROM STEINER!!!
NO!!!
NORTON GRABS THE ARM OF STEINER AND WHIPS HIM INTO THE ROPES…
STEINER BOUNCES BACK… AND NORTON CATCHES HIM WITH A POWERSLAM!!!
Bouncing back to his feet, feeling the adrenaline and momentum, Norton now rips off his elbow pad and throws it to the crowd. Norton is ready to finish things off. A massive pop hits at the removal of the elbow pad, and Norton stalks Steiner, until VADER RUNS DOWN THE RAMP AND SLIDES INTO THE RING!!!
Norton spots him on the way down the ramp and is waiting for him, AND VADER AND NORTON FINALLY START THROWING HANDS!!! The fans lose their minds, the arenas at a fever pitch, as these two finally do battle. They continue to trade shots, neither backing down, the intensity and hatred only growing. One from Norton, one from Vader, Norton, Vader, Norton, Vader… UNTIL STEINER CLOBBERS NORTON FROM BEHIND YET AGAIN!!!
STEINER POUNCES WITH A BACKDROP SUPLEX!!!
Vader slides out of the ring, feeling like job well done, AS STEINER HOOKS THE LEG…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
NO!!!
NORTON SHOOTS A SHOULDER OFF THE MAT!!!
Shaking his head in disbelief, Steiner starts slowly pulling Norton back to his feet. As he’s doing this, he motions for Vader to get back inside the ring. Vader does get back in, watching on closely, when Norton manages to shrug Steiner off and push him away. Before Steiner can get back to Norton… GOLDBERG RUNS THROUGH STEINER WITH A SPEAR!!!
Goldberg has come out of nowhere to accomplish one of his goals for tonight, and that’s get his hands on Steiner… VADER AND NORTON ENGAGE AGAIN AT THE SAME TIME, HAMMERING AWAY WITH A HOCKEY FIGHT!!!
The referee realises there’s a difference between leniency and mayhem, shrugging his shoulders… AND THE REF CALLS FOR THE BELL!!!
DOUBLE DISQUALIFICATION at 8:34.
The bell rings signalling the end of the match, but the massive brawl continues. Vader and Norton tumble to the outside, continuing their hockey fight, whilst Goldberg drags Steiner up throws him to the outside.
Goldberg joins the three other men on the outside and has his way with Steiner, until A STRAY RIGHT HAND FROM VADER CATCHES GOLDBERG!!!
Now Goldberg turns his attention towards Vader and begins hammering away at him… BUT NORTON DOESN’T LIKE IT AND SHOVES GOLBDERG OUT OF THE WAY!!!
Now we get Norton and Vader again, but The Berg isn’t happy. He looks set to step in and go nose to nose with Norton… WHEN A BARRAGE OF SECURITY GUARDS AND AGENTS MAKE THEIR WAY DOWN TO PULL EVERYBODY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER!!!
Steiner is back up now to, yelling and screaming like only he can. It takes several minutes for all four men to be pulled apart, the fans booing and chanting “LET THEM FIGHT” throughout the entire process.
Eventually, the men are all carted to the back, and order is restored. However, one question remains, what does this mean for Norton/Vader at Starrcade?
…
BACKSTAGE – FOUR HORSEMEN LOCKER ROOM
CHRIS BENOIT, DEAN MALENKO, JAMIE NOBLE and RIC FLAIR are all in their wrestling gear. All four men are doing their individual warmups ahead of World War 3, with Flair shooting the odd annoyed sideways glance at Benoit. ‘The Rabid Wolverine’ is taking this pre match prep just as serious as the rest of them, despite not officially being in the match.
The warmups continue, until J.J. DILLON walks into the room. He politely handshakes all four of the Horsemen, before zeroing in on Benoit.
J. J. Dillon:
Chris, I come with some good news for you personally. Sting still isn’t here. World War 3 needs sixty competitors not fifty nine, so you’re in World War 3.
Benoit claps his hands together intensely, excited with the announcement. He shakes JJ’s hand again, and Dillon turns to leave, only for a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Dillon turns around, coming face to face with a bewildered Flair.
Ric Flair:
Whoa, JJ, I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but are you sure? Is this fair to Sting? What if Stings just being Sting and being mysterious before the match?
Benoit shakes his head in disbelief at the question, whilst Dillon just shrugs at Flair’s questions.
JJ Dillon:
Sting very well may be adding some intrigue and playing some mind games by not showing his face as of yet. If that’s the case, I don’t think Chris being in the match changes anything. Sting will just come down anyways when he’s ready.
‘The Nature Boy’ has a flash of annoyance over his face, before he nods in understanding. Dillon then wishes them all luck and leaves, an awkward silence now filling the locker room, as The Four Horsemen continue to prepare…
…
RINGSIDE
***KAIENTAI***
Boos start to come from the fans as the number one contender to the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, CIMA steps through the curtain. The heat gets louder as he makes his way down the ramp, revealing that DICK TOGO and KAZ HAYASHI are on the way down to ringside with him. Once in the ring, CIMA motions for the Cruiserweight title to be around his waist, with his former champion buddies nodding along in agreement.
***KID MAN***
The mood in the arena changes with quite the pop greeting the arrival of the WCW Cruiserweight Champion, BILLY KIDMAN. Kidman slaps hands with the fans on his way down the ramp, before stopping and taking a deep breath halfway down the ramp. He unstraps the title before getting to the ring, realising he’s outnumbered and Kidman slides inside, ready to defend himself immediately.
There is no attack initially, but the referee begins requesting that the non-competing members of Kaientai leave the ring. They attempt to talk strategy and point menacingly at Kidman. Togo and Hayashi seem to refuse to leave… SO THE REFEREE EJECTS THEM FROM RINGSIDE!!!
CIMA goes bonkers as the fans cheer loudly and Kidman smirks. Togo and Hayashi are forced to leave, with the ref threatening a disqualification, and as Kaientai make their way to the back, it looks like we are getting a one on one title match tonight.
WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match:
Billy Kidman (c) defends against CIMA
This one is what we’d call a typical Cruiserweight spotfest. These two men start off at an extremely quick pace, bouncing back and forth around the ring, with plenty of high risk. It’s relatively even for the first few minutes until CIMA is able to capitalise on a mistake from the champion and take advantage. From here, CIMA puts on an impressive performance, really dominating Kidman and cleverly keeping him grounded.
Much like his Kaientai contemporaries, CIMA also shows no hesitation to cheat whenever possible, to interrupt Kidman attempting to build some momentum. Kidman shows why he’s the champion though, showing grit and determination to stay in the match. Eventually, CIMA has Kidman where he wants him, backing him into the ropes with some punches, before sending Kidman bouncing off the opposite ropes, and when Kidman comes back… KIDMAN LEAPS INTO THE AIR AND LANDS ON CIMA WITH A DESPERATION CROSSBODY!!!
Not wanting to be pinned, CIMA immediately rolls Kidman off of him. The move seems to have given the champion a second wind though, as Kidman matches CIMA’s speed back to his feet. The two meet in the centre of the ring, but Kidman runs through CIMA with a Clothesline. The challenger jumps back up, only to be dropped with a second Clothesline, which is then immediately followed by a third.
After the third Clothesline, CIMA stays down, and Kidman is forced to bend down to lift CIMA back to his feet. Kidman applies a Side Headlock and drags CIMA to the corner, before climbing to the top rope. Kidman never let’s go of the head of CIMA, steadying himself… TORNADO BULLDOG!!!
NO!!! CIMA SHOVES BOTH HANDS IN KIDMAN AND SHOVES HIMSELF FREE!!!
Before Kidman can react, CIMA lands a huge palm strike to the chin! With Kidman knocked loopy after that, CIMA HITS THE ICONOCLASM!!!
The fans are surprised at the awesomeness of CIMA, as he equally surprisingly, opts not to go for the cover. Instead, CIMA steps out to the ring apron and climbs up to the top rope. The fans urge Kidman to recover as CIMA leaps off the top… THE MAD SPLASH CONNECTS!!!
CIMA STAYS ON TOP OF KIDMAN FOR THE PIN…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
NO!!!
KIDMAN MANAGES TO GET A SHOULDER OFF THE CANVAS!!!
CIMA’s eyes go wide in shock, and he looks towards the referee, who confirms it was only a two count. After accepting the result, CIMA gets back to his feet and doesn’t give Kidman any time to breathe. CIMA has the champion up and gets him in position… CIMA GETS HIM UP FOR THE SCHWEIN!!!
NO!!! KIDMAN ROLLS OVER AND DOWN INTO A SCHOOLBOY…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
NO!!!
CIMA JUST ESCAPES THE FLASH PIN!!!
Both men immediately bounce back to their feet, and CIMA desperately sprints at Kidman… RIGHT INTO A BK BOMB!!!
KIDMAN KEEPS HIM STACKED FOR THE PIN…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
NO!!!
NOW IT’S CIMA’S TURN TO GET A SHOULDER UP!!!
Wiping his hair out of his eyes, Kidman gets back to his feet. The champ is exhausted, mouth wide, trying to suck in as much oxygen as possible. Kidman just stomps on CIMA a few times to keep him down, before dragging him closer to one of the corners of the ring. Slowly but surely, Kidman then steps onto the apron, before ascending to the top rope. CIMA hasn’t moves, so Kidman leaps off the top… SHOOTING STAR PRESS!!!
NO!!! KIDMAN CONNECTS WITH CANVAS… AS CIMA ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY!!!
On instinct, Kidman gets to his knees, grabbing at his stomach and trying hard to regain his breath. CIMA looks to capitalise, as he gets back up… CIMA GETS AN OKLAHOMA ROLL…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
NO!!!
KIDMAN JUST BREAKS FREE!!!
Kidman struggles back to his feet, but this time CIMA is up way faster than him. As Kidman steadies himself, he staggers into a SUPERKICK!!!
The champion falls back down to the canvas, seemingly only just remaining conscious. Sensing his chance now, CIMA now plays to the crowd, signalling he’s about to finish things, which garners some heat. CIMA goes over to Kidman and stands over him, slowly bringing Kidman’s head between his legs… CIMA GETS KIDMAN UP FOR A POWERBOMB!!!
NO!!! YOU CAN’T POWERBOMB BILLY KIDMAN!!!
KIDMAN REVERSES INTO A FACEBUSTER!!!
The fans pop loudly whilst commentary put over CIMA’s inexperience in big singles match costing him so far. Earlier, he ran straight into a BK Bomb because he lost his head, and now he tried to Powerbomb Kidman, which nearly everybody knows not to do. Anyway, Kidman gets back up to his feet, and for the second time tonight, he drags the prone body of CIMA to the corner of his choice.
This time Kidman grimaces through the pain and ascends to the top rope with a little more urgency. After surveying the excited crowd for a moment, Kidman leaps off… SHOOTING STAR PRESS!!!
THIS TIME IT CONNECTS!!!
KIDMAN STAYS ON TOP FOR THE PIN…
…1…
………………………..
…2…
………………………..
THREE!!!
WINNER: BILLY KIDMAN VIA PINFALL at 9:49. BILLY KIDMAN RETAINS THE WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.
The fans have been right behind Kidman since the start tonight, and he gets a really pleasant reaction to his hard fought victory. Our Cruiserweight champion battles to his feet, utterly exhausted, but is all smiles once he has his title in his hands. Kidman raises the title above his head to more applause, before slowly heading to the back…
…
BACKSTAGE – RANDOM AREA
The scene comes to life with medics scurrying, all huddled over a fallen body. As our camera zooms out, we see shattered glass surrounding the body, proof that the body has been thrown through the broken window next to it. As the medics continue to tend to the fallen person, a gap in their huddle appears and our camera picks up that its VILANO III.
The medics continue to do work, when along with a backstage crew member, a panicked JIM CORNETTE and J.J. DILLON appear. Both men look exasperated, shaking their head in disbelief, but also looking concerned for the battered wrestler.
Jim Cornette:
I can’t believe this, this night is a nightmare. We only just filled the vacancy left by Sting’s no show and we’re again short a guy for World War Three.
JJ nods in agreement, hands on hips, thinking.
J.J. Dillon:
Hmm, hopefully he’ll be okay… Is there anyone else who can take the spot?
The president shakes his head.
Jim Cornette:
Uh uh, nope. I stretched my resources as it is, I even brought in a bunch of guys for the Battle Royal and they’re all in. It looks like we’re breaking tradition this year, I guess it will be fifty nine men in War Games this year.
Neither looks happy with the decision, but they share a nod, having made the decision. They then focus in on worrying about Villano III, whilst on commentary, Tony Schiavone mentions there could still be sixty competitors in War Games if Sting shows up…
…
BACKSTAGE – INTERVIEW SET
This man needs to do some work considering his pay bracket, so we see MEAN GENE OKERLUND standing by.
Mean Gene Okerlund:
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time, he’s a man who successfully defended the WCW United States Championship under somewhat dubious circumstances tonight… CHRIS JERICHO!!!
Still in his wrestling gear as he’s pulling double duty tonight, CHRIS JERICHO smarmily smirks at Okerlund, patting his title on his shoulder. Of course, the Canadian fans yet again mark out at the appearance of one of their hometown heroes.
Mean Gene Okerlund:
Chris, Kurt Angle gave you a hard fought battle, and some would say if it wasn’t for Kurt’s enemies in Booker T and Val Venis getting involved, you might not be the United States Champion right now. What are your thoughts?
The champion doesn’t let Okerlund’s question get to him, shrugging it off with ease.
Chris Jericho:
Looking back at hypotheticals and what if this happened or what if this didn’t happen is loser talk, Gene-O. I am still the champion and anything else doesn’t matter.
Jericho taps the title again, feeling rather giddy, but suddenly he gets rather serious, as CHRIS BENOIT comes into shot. The two Canadians, who do not like each other, go nose to nose, as the fans lose their minds.
Chris Benoit:
It sounds to me, Jericho, like you got lucky again.
Jericho scoffs at the intense ‘Rabid Wolverine’.
Chris Jericho:
I guess you are in a position to judge other people’s performances tonight, huh Benoit. I mean it was nice to see a fellow Canadian win the gold at home… OH WAIT!!!
Benoit clenches his jaw at the mention of his failure early tonight, whilst the US Champ continues to ham it up.
Chris Benoit:
Oh yeah, laugh it up well you can. I could take that title from you just like that. Every time we’ve wrestled, I’ve beaten you, hell earlier this year, I took you out. You are not on my level. The truth is that everyone knows you barely made it out of the Cruiserweight division. And since returning from when I tore your shoulder apart, you’ve won and kept the US Title on pure luck.
Having gotten the final word, Benoit gives Jericho one last look before leaving. Once Benoit has disappeared, the infuriated Jericho throws a tantrum, kicking the interview set in a rage…
…
***
VIDEO PACKAGE
WCW STARRCADE
December 24th, 2000
WASHINGTON, D.C.
***
RINGSIDE
During the last few segments, a majority of the wrestlers have been making their entrances for World War 3. The following competitors are already in one of the three rings:
AJ Styles, Alex Wright, Billy Kidman, ‘Hardwork’ Bobby Walker, Booker T, Bryan Danielson, Bubba Ray Dudley, Chavo Guerrero Jr, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Christian, CIMA, Dean Malenko, Diamond Dallas Page, Dick Togo, Disco Inferno, D’Lo Brown, D’Von Dudley, Edge, El Dandy, Goldberg, Hector Garza, Ice Train, Jamie Noble, Juventud Guerrera, Jeff Hardy, Jushin Liger, Kaz Hayashi, Kenny Kaos, Koji Kanemoto, Kurt Angle, Lance Storm, La Parka, Lizmark Jr, Low Ki, Matt Hardy, Meng, Paul London, Psicosis, Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Robby Rage, Scott Norton, Scotty Riggs, Silver King, Super Calo, Tajiri, Taka Michinoku, The Barbarian, Vader, Val Venis, Villano IV, Villano V, William Regal
The rings are definitely getting crowded now, with almost all the entrants out from the back…
***COME AS YOU ARE (INSTRUMENTAL)***
It’s not the first time we’ve heard this theme tonight, but it’s just as loud, as THE FLOCK begin making their entrance for World War 3. Full of confidence and all smiles after Raven’s successful title defence earlier, BUFF BAGWELL, CURT HENNIG, HOLLYWOOD HOGAN, PERRY SATURN and SCOTT STEINER. The heat continues for the villains and a lot of the babyfaces in the ring are eager to get their hands on them. Instead, The Flock stops halfway down the ramp, with Hogan pulling a mic from his back pocket, much to the disdain of the fans.
Hollywood Hogan:
Whoa, whoa, hold on just a second, dudes. I’ve been around this business for a long time, hell, I made this business, brother. Nowadays I’m somewhat of a traditionalist and it isn’t World War Three without sixty people. Being the good Samaritans that we are, dudes, we have a solution.
It’s a fake cheesy toothy grin from Hogan, which gets incredibly loud heat. Hogan shrugs and then points up to the empty rafters.
Hollywood Hogan:
You should all be grateful that we’ve come up with something. I’ve said it for years now, WCW’s favourite son, Sting is nothing but a coward.
VULCANIC like heat erupts at the insult to Sting, and The Flock all snicker, enjoying the moment.
Hollywood Hogan:
So without further ado, it’s time to get World War Three started. Therefore, get off your butts and give this man the ovation he deserves, brother. It gives me great pride to introduce the final entrant into World War Three…
***COME AS YOU ARE (INSTRUMENTAL)***
The boos get even LOUDER as the WCW World Heavyweight Champion RAVEN joins the rest of his Flock on the stage. They’re all smiles, feeling like they’ve pulled the wool over everybody’s eyes as now they have a huge numbers advantage. Once at the bottom of the ramp, The Flock have a conference, not rushing, realizing everybody is watching them…
WHEN BENOIT HITS A TOPE SUICIDAAA TO TAKE THEM ALL DOWN!!!
Epic pop from the Canadian crowd, as Benoit begins swinging at anything that moves on the outside, igniting a massive brawl. Extra officials run down to try and separate things, but Benoit is literally teeing off on everybody.
The Flock have no choice but to roll into the ring to escape Benoit. ‘The Rabid Wolverine’ follows in after them, and the referees call for the bell…
World War Three:
As soon as the bell rings, it’s chaos equally spread across all three rings. It’s heavy traffic with sixty men across the trio of rings, and right away, we see a trend of alliances and teams working together to use their numbers. In particular, The Flock, The Four Horsemen, Kaientai and the relatively new trio of Edge, Christian and Kurt Angle all look out for each other.
Speaking of The Flock, it isn’t long before they separate themselves from Benoit, heading to the far ring. Once there, they set up a defensive formation of sorts, starting with Raven leaning against the turnbuckles in the corner of the ring. The rest of The Flock stand guard in front of Raven, ready to fight anybody who gets close. Of course, The Flock also have Vader fighting by their side, and he takes the odd pot shot at whoever walks past to, just really wanting to inflict punishment on anybody.
In the first ring, Lance Storm and William Regal have opted to team together, realising how beneficial the numbers advantage is. They single out Lizmark Jr. and are able to isolate him. They beat Lizmark down, before Regal and Storm pick him up… AND THEY THROW LIZMARK OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #1: LIZMARK JR. BY LANCE STORM AND WILLIAM REGAL!
Regal and Storm look down at the fallen Lizmark, admiring their handiwork before turning towards a much more difficult battle. They are greeted by D’Lo Brown and Tajiri, who immediately begin brawling with them in the centre of the ring. Over in the middle ring, The Hardy Boyz are on a run, using their double team offense to take down multiple opponents.
After ripping off their tops to the squealing of the females in the crowd, Matt and Jeff zero in on Hector Garza. Matt peppers away at Garza with right hands, before whipping him into the opposite corner of the ring. Matt runs towards Garza and gets on his hands and knees, allowing Jeff to springboard off of his back… POETRY IN MOTION!!!
As Jeff lands, Garza staggers out of the corner, leaning against the ropes, so Matt and Jeff link hands and run towards him… DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE SENDS GARZA TUMBLING OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #2: HECTOR GARZA BY JEFF HARDY AND MATT HARDY!
Unlike Regal and Storm earlier, The Hardyz do not take a moment to admire their work. Instead, they turn back towards the action… AND ALEX WRIGHT SPRINTS TOWARDS THEM BOTH… LOOKING FOR A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE OF HIS OWN!!!
NO!!! THE HARDY BOYZ DUCK UNDER AND BACK BODY DROP WRIGHT OVER THE TOP AND ONTO GARZA ON THE FLOOR!!!
ELIMINATION #3: ALEX WRIGHT BY JEFF HARDY AND MATT HARDY!
Back in the first ring, there’s a lot of typical plodding Battle Royal offense going on, with multiple pairs of wrestlers stuck going at it in the corners of the ring. This allows a flashback to an old school Saturday Night tag war to break out, when Scott Norton and Ice Train reunite to face off with The American Males. IT’S FIRE AND ICE VS. THE AMERICAN MALES IN THE YEAR 2000, BABY!!!
Ice and Norton use their strength advantage to throw both men around. After already feeling the effects of Norton getting at him earlier tonight, Bagwell decides to crawl away, back into the corner where the rest of his Flock buddies are. This leaves Riggs on his own, and he looks sad at the fact that he has been betrayed by Bagwell again. Norton and Ice Train simply shrug, and using teamwork… FIRE AND ICE GET RIGGS UP INTO A MILITARY PRESS POSITION…
AND THEY THROW RIGGS OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #4: SCOTTY RIGGS BY ICE TRAIN AND SCOTT NORTON!
Ice Train is all pumped up after the big elimination, looking for a fist bump from Norton, but it’s not there. Instead, Norton has now locked his eyes on the rest of The Flock, and in particular Vader. The Flock ready themselves for a fight as Norton stomps over, only to be clobbered from behind by The Faces of Fear! Meng and The Barbarian put in the work on Norton, dropping him to his knees.
Watching on is Ice Train, who looks set to intervene, but he’s blindsides with a Body Splash from the side by Vader. ‘The Mastodon’ lazily drags Train up… VADER THROWS TRAIN OVER THE TOP AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #5: ICE TRAIN BY VADER!
Vader smirks, watching Norton get beaten down by Meng and The Barbarian, and feeling like he got one up on Norton by eliminating his former partner. Meanwhile, in the third ring, The Dudley Boyz have managed to isolate Koji Kanemoto, and after beating him down in the corner… THE DUDLEY BOYZ HOIST KOJI OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #6: KOJI KANEMOTO BY BUBBA RAY DUDLEY AND D’VON DUDLEY!
As The Dudleyz go searching for their next victim, action breaks out on the other side of the ring. The young duo of Bryan Danielson and Paul London face off with the WCW Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian. Danielson and London make quite the formidable duo in this exchange, hammering away at Edge and Christian, clearly surprising them.
They back the tag champs against the ropes and continues to nail shot after shot… UNTIL KURT ANGLE GRABS LONDON FROM BEHIND BY THE HAIR… AND HURLS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #7: PAUL LONDON BY KURT ANGLE!
It’s another example of factions and the numbers game paying off as Angle saves his friends. Unfortunately for Danielson, now he’s on his own and whilst he swings and lands a shot on Angle, it isn’t long before all three men are all over him. In the middle ring, Kaientai are all together, standing guard and taking their time brutally assaulting Super Calo.
Whilst the rest of the group watch on to ensure no interference, Taka drags Calo back to his feet… MICHINOKU DRIVER!!!
The quartet then all bring the dead weight of Calo back to his feet… KAIENTAI THROW CALO OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #8: SUPER CALO BY CIMA, DICK TOGO, KAZ HAYASHI AND TAKA MICHINOKU!
Kaientai no longer stand guard, breaking their formation to celebrate their first elimination this year. Taka goes extra with his celebration, going around in a big circle, performing the pose he usually does when he’s ready to perform the Michinoku Driver. Taka stupidly continues to do so, turning his back on the rest of the ring… WHEN AJ STYLES RUNS FROM NOWHERE AND DROPKICKS TAKA IN THE BACK!!!
AND THE MOMENTUM SENDS TAKA OVER THE TOP AND OUT!!!
ELIMINATION #9: TAKA MICHINOKU BY AJ STYLES!
Kaientai are furious with the sneaky work from Styles, and they immediately pounce on him. All AJ can really do is drop to his knees and cover up, as the Japanese faction beat the hell out of him. Seeing this assault, Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis and Rey Mysterio run over, and they begin brawling with Kaientai, saving AJ in the process.
On the other side of the ring, after staying separate so far, Kidman and Jericho manage to bump into each other… AND THEY BEGIN LAYING INTO EACH OTHER!!!
Jericho and Kidman brawl like it’s old times, once again reigniting their old rivalry, just like they did on Nitro a few weeks ago. Neither even thinks about eliminating the other, both men just happy to engage in a hockey fight. Back in the first ring, Silver King accidentally staggered into the domain of The Flock, meaning he’s now being brutalised by Bagwell and Steiner.
Having seemingly done enough, Buff and ‘Big Poppa’ Pump’ drag King back to his feet… AND THEY THROW HIM OVER THE TOP AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #10: SILVER KING BY BUFF BAGWELL AND SCOTT STEINER!
With Bagwell and Steiner out of position, there’s a slight gap in The Flock’s formation. Sensing their chance, High Voltage cleverly step around Vader, and charge towards the corner, attacking Raven. This gets a TREMENDOUS reaction from the fans, as High Voltage do a number on the champion.
It isn’t long until Kenny is forced to move away from Raven, landing shots on Saturn to keep him at bay. Unfortunately, on his own, Robbie is no match for Raven, who shrugs Rage off, hits a kick to the gut… FOLLOWED BY THE EVENFLOW!!!
Annoyed at proceedings, Raven roughly drags Rage back up… RAVEN TOSSES RAGE OVER AND OUT WITH DISDAIN!!!
ELIMINATION #11: ROBBIE RAGE BY RAVEN!
Having dealt with that annoyance, the World Champion looks to stealthily backtrack into his corner. Raven returns to a seated position on the middle turnbuckle, but it doesn’t last long, as Kaos breaks free from Saturn and Vader and attacks Raven again with a barrage of punches.
It doesn’t last long though, as Saturn grabs Kaos from behind with a Waist Lock and drags him away from Raven. Surprisingly, instead of inflicting punishment, Saturn just grabs Kaos by the neck… SATURN TOSSES KAOS OUT OF THE MATCH!!!
ELIMINATION #12: KENNY KAOS BY PERRY SATURN!
Much like earlier in the match, in a scary sight for everybody else, The Faces Of Fear continue to coexist with The Flock. Just as Raven settles back into his corner, this time no longer under threat, Meng, The Barbarian and Steiner seemingly get bored of beating up Villano IV. Naturally, they pick him up… AND THE UNLIKELY TRIO ELIMINATES VILLANO IV!!!
ELIMINATION #13: VILLANO IV BY MENG, SCOTT STEINER AND THE BARBARIAN!
As The Flock revert back to standing in front of and protecting Raven, we head to the middle ring. The Hardy Boyz are once again in the spotlight, having intervened in the fight between Kaientai and the babyface Cruiserweights. As Jeff toils away against some of the cruiserweights, Matt catches Juvi bouncing off the ropes… SIDE EFFECT!!!
As Matt gets up and shoots the ‘V1’ signal to a pop from the fans… PSICOSIS CATCHES MATT WITH A BIF SWINGING DDT!!!
The Mexican Luchador jumps back to his feet, favouring his back ever so slightly. Having broken free from Jeff Hardy, CIMA AND DICK TOGO SNEAK FROM BEHIND AND TOSS PSICOSIS OUT!!!
ELIMINATION #14: PSICOSIS BY CIMA AND DICK TOGO!!!
In the third ring, the tag champs, Edge and Christian are in another intense battle, having been separated from Kurt Angle. This time they are up against The Dudley Boyz, who are hammering away at the champs. Not enjoying being beaten up by Bubba, Christian swings wildly with a right hand… No, Bubba ducks… BUBBA BOMB!!!
Garnering some big cheers from the fans, Bubba pulls Christian up by the hair… BUBBA TOSSES CHRISTIAN OVER THE TOP…
NO!!! EDGE PUMMELS BUBBA FROM BEHIND… SAVING HIS TAG PARTNER!!!
D’Von is immediately right back on Edge, and the two teams continue to do battle, no eliminations taking place at this moment. Back in the middle of the ring, The Hardyz are again teaming up in their battle against the Cruiserweights, and this time they’ve manages to isolate CIMA. After overwhelming CIMA with punches, backing him against the ropes… THE HARDYZ LAND A DOUBLE DROPKICK…
SENDING CIMA TUMBLING BACKWARDS, OVER THE TOP AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #15: CIMA BY JEFF HARDY AND MATT HARDY!
Before The Hardyz could recalibrate and turn back towards the action, Storm and Regal attack them from behind. Storm clobbers away at Jeff, whilst Regal is especially vicious, landing some stiff knees to Matt’s face. With both Hardyz slumping to the canvas, REGAL TURNS INTO A DOUBLE HOOK KICK TO THE FACE FROM LOW KI AND TAJIRI!!!
Regal collapses to the canvas as if he’s been shot, whilst Storm sees this and steps up. The Canadian immediately rakes the eyes of Low Ki, before grabbing him AND STORM LOOKS TO THROW KI OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
NO!!! BRYAN DANIELSON HITS A FOREARM TO STORM’S JAW!!!
Storm shakes out the cobwebs and releases Ki, before swinging a hard right hand at Danielson… No! DANIELSON DUCKS AND BACK BODY DROPS STORM OUT TO THE FLOOR!!!
ELIMINATION #16: LANCE STORM BY BRYAN DANIELSON!
Having recovered from earlier, Low Ki is back to his feet, only to lock eyes with Tajiri, who had just finished beating on Regal. Both men lock eyes, cagily circling each other, and the fans begin to buzz in anticipation. The two start throwing hard body kicks at each other, each one causing hard thuds to echo throughout the arena.
Those hard kicks continue, neither backing down, the fans enjoying it… UNTIL JERICHO SHOVES TAJIRI HARD IN THE BACK!!!
TAJIRI STUMBLES FORWARD INTO LOW KI… CAUSING KI TO TUMBLE OVER THE TOP AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #17: LOW KI BY CHRIS JERICHO AND TAJIRI!
Tajiri is stunned, after the inadvertent head knock in the collision with Low Ki. As he staggers, trying to shake it off, he stumbles into the ropes, and Jushin Liger charges over… LIGER NAILS TAJIRI WITH A BIG PALM STRIKE… WHICH SENDS TAJIRI FLYING OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #18: TAJIRI BY JUSHIN LIGER!
Back in the first ring, for the first time in a long time, The Flock are on the defensive. Booker T and Val Venis are fighting them, and they are holding their own, nowhere near an elimination. With Val and Booker gaining momentum on Bagwell and Saturn, Hogan extricates himself from the fight and finds himself all alone. Once he’s alone, Hogan starts flexing and throwing poses, getting major heat from the fans.
Suddenly, Hogan is confronted by El Dandy, who hits a bicep flex of his own. Hogan gets annoyed at the EPIC ovation El Dandy receives, and rakes the eyes… AND HOGAN MANHANDLES DANDY, THROWING HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #19: EL DANDY BY HOLLYWOOD HOGAN!
Hogan goes back to posing, and signals that Dandy is too small, calling him a “VANILLA MIDGET”. Hogan looks to revert back to his posing when he’s shoulder charged by Villano V, backing him into the corner. Villano unloads with rights and lefts to the body, really beating up Hogan. As Villano continues on the attack, Saturn comes from behind and lands a flying knee to the middle of Villano’s back.
Villano stumbles into Hogan, grabbing at his back, when Saturn yanks him from the corner, and whips him towards the centre of the ring… INTO A DOUBLE A SPINEBUSTER FROM HENNIG!!!
This draws the attention of The Four Horsemen, as BENOIT AND FLAIR SPRINT TOWARDS THE FLOCK FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT!!! They charge towards Hennig, but Saturn and Steiner step into the way, intercepting the charging Horsemen. They begin throwing wild right hands at each other, until Benoit and Flair begin gaining the advantage, landing chops to their respective adversaries chests.
The mood picks up with The Horsemen and Flock battle underway. Whilst Flair and Benoit are occupied with some members of The Flock, Hogan and Hennig pick up Villano V… AND THEY EASILY DISPOSE OF HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #20: VILLANO V BY CURT HENNIG AND HOLLYWOOD HOGAN!
In the middle ring, Jericho must feel like he’s back in the Cruiserweight division as Chavo Guerrero is peppering him with right hands. Chavito backs Jericho into the ropes, before taking a few steps back, and Chavo runs at Jericho… THE US CHAMP LOW BRIDGES CHAVO, WHO FALLS OUT TO THE FLOOR TO BE ELIMINATED!!!
ELIMINATION #21: CHAVO GUERRERO JR. BY CHRIS JERICHO!
With a conniving smirk on his face, Jericho leans over the ropes, waiving goodbye to Chavo. Again, being in Canada, Jericho enjoys the cheers from the crowd, really rubbing it into Chavo… WHEN JERICHO GETS PUSHED OVER THE TOP ROPE FROM BEHIND… BY BILLY KIDMAN!!!
ELIMINATION #22: CHRIS JERICHO BY BILLY KIDMAN!
The Cruiserweight Champion just eliminated the US Champion, but more importantly, Kidman eliminated Jericho! The crowd goes WILD with a mixed reaction, and now it’s Kidman’s turn to smirk and wave at Jericho. The US Champ is FURIOUS on the outside, pounding on the apron in frustration. After Kidman gives Jericho a taste of his own medicine, cockily waving goodbye, Kidman turns back towards the action.
Still infuriated and desperate for revenge, JERICHO LEAPS ONTO THE APRON AND GRABS KIDMAN BY THE HAIR!!!
Jericho pulls Kidman towards him, and synchs in a Front Facelock. JERICHO USES LEVERAGE TO PULL KIDMAN OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE APRON… BEFORE PUSHING HIM DOWN TO THE FLOOR!!!
ELIMINATION #23: BILLY KIDMAN BY CHRIS JERICHO [ALREADY ELIMINATED]!
Before Kidman even knows what has happened or can get to his feet, Jericho is on him on the outside. Jericho grabs a hold of Kidman, and after landing a few right hands… JERICHO RAMS KIDMAN FACE FIRST INTO THE RING POST!!!
A bunch of referees and officials are trying to get Jericho to stop but has well and truly snapped. As Kidman rolls onto his back after his collision with the post, he’s a bloody mess. Like a shark smelling blood, Jericho mounts Kidman and continues to land punch after punch to his skill, letting out all his anger and hatred.
It looks as if Jericho will never stop but finally, a barrage of security run down and they are able to tuck Jericho’s hands behind his back. The furious Jericho still tries to kick at Kidman, but security is able to slowly carry him to the back and up the ramp. With Jericho cleared from the area, medics now run down to check on the Cruiserweight champion, but the action hasn’t stopped inside the rings either.
In the third ring, the Disco Inferno stupidly tried to take on The Dudleyz, only to get decimated. After toying with their feet, the brothers send Disco to the ropes, and when he comes back… 3D!!! The Dudleyz pick Disco right back up… THE DUDLEYZ THROW DISCO OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #24: DISCO INFERNO BY BUBBA RAY DUDLEY AND D’VON DUDLEY!
Getting a nice ovation from the fans, The Dudleyz do their custom high five into a fist bump, enjoying the moment. It doesn’t last long though as when Bubba turns away from D’Von… BUBBA TURNS RIGHT INTO A SPEAR FROM EDGE!!!
As Edge gets up, D’Von looks to attack him in revenge, but D’Von gets mauled from other angles by Christian and Kurt Angle. Edge joins in to and the trio just rock D’Von with multiple shots… AND THEN EDGE, CHRISTIAN AND ANGLE THROW D’VON OUT!!!
ELIMINATION #25: D’VON DUDLEY BY CHRISTIAN, EDGE AND KURT ANGLE!
Surprisingly, considering how braggadocious the trio usually are, there is no wasted time to celebrate their work. Instead, all three of them work together to heave Bubba up, who is still clearly favouring his ribs. They all grab a hold of him… AND TEAM ECK THROW BUBBA OUT AS WELL!!!
ELIMINATION #26: BUBBA RAY DUDLEY BY CHRISTIAN, EDGE AND KURT ANGLE!
Back in the middle ring, the two men who will battle at Starrcade for the TV Title are finally locking horns. Regal and D’Lo trade punches in the centre of the ring… UNTIL THEY ARE BOTH ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED BY THE ONE SPEAR FROM GOLDBERG!!!
The fans mark out for the carnage, as The Berg gets back up and sticks his tongue out. He then focuses in on D’Lo, who got the worst of the Spear. Goldberg drags D’Lo up… AND GOLDBERG THROWS D’LO OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #27: D’LO BROWN BY GOLDBERG!
Now that he’s finally doing something worthwhile, nobody wants to intervene and go near Goldberg. One of the favourites to win the entire match now drags Regal up and gets him in position… JACKHAMMER!!!
Regal might as well be fodder at this point, as Goldberg hastily brings him back to his feet… GOLDBERG TOSSES REGAL TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #28: WILLIAM REGAL BY GOLDBERG!
After eliminating Regal, Goldberg spits like only he can, before scanning the ring. He identifies his next target and sprints across the ring… GOLDBERG CLOTHESLINE AJ STYLES OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #29: AJ STYLES BY GOLDBERG!
Dick Togo and Kaz Hayashi just kind of watch in awe, as Goldberg does what they couldn’t despite their numbers advantage, and that’s eliminate AJ. Feeling like they have no choice, Togo and Hayashi attack Goldberg from behind, but GOLDBERG NO SELLS THEIR SHOTS!!!
The last remaining Kaientai members freak out, realising there in trouble, as Goldberg grabs them and begins throwing them around at will. With Goldberg’s focus on his Japanese opponents, Scott Steiner sneaks from behind and attacks him. The two hated rivals finally have contact and after his sneak attack, Steiner has the advantage.
In the first ring, the brawl between The Flock and The Horsemen continues, although now Dean Malenko and Jamie Noble are involved as well. After being brutalised by Malenko, Bagwell looks to stagger away, leaning against the ropes for support… WHEN BOBBY WALKER RUNS OVER AND DROPKICKS BAGWELL… SENDING HIM FALLING OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #30: BUFF BAGWELL BY BOBBY WALKER!
Bagwell and everybody else are in complete shock, and even Walker is surprised. He celebrates like crazy, jumping in the air and punching his fists, until he gets caught by Vader… CHOKESLAM!!!
The jobber sensation had a nice run, but now the monster Vader rips Walker to his feet… VADER THROWS WALKER OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #31: BOBBY WALKER BY VADER!
In the middle ring, the never ending battle of the Cruiserweights is continuing, but now Steiner intervenes. ‘Big Poppa’ Pump’ grabs Juventud Guerrero by the hair, but Juvi shrugs himself free, and bounces off the ropes for momentum. Juvi runs and jumps at Steiner… No… STEINER CATCHES JUVI… BELLY TO BELLY OVERHEAD SUPLEX SENDS JUVI FLYING OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #32: JUVENTUD GUERRERA BY SCOTT STEINER!
After taking care of Juvi, Steiner stomps over and rips Hayashi away from whatever fight he was involved in… STEINER THROWS HAYASHI OVER AND OUT!!!
ELIMINATION #33: KAZ HAYASHI BY SCOTT STEINER!
This time Steiner drops to the canvas and starts delivering some push ups, enjoying the moment. Once Steiner is back up, he gets approached by La Parka, who swings wildly at him. As this is happening, Goldberg enters the middle ring to join the fray. Steiner sees and grabs a hold of La Parka, lifting him in the air… STEINER THROWS LA PARKA AT GOLDBERG!!!
BUT THE BERG CATCHES HIM!!!
As Goldberg has La Parka in his arms, Steiner jogs around him and exits the middle ring, entering the first ring where the rest of his Flock buddies are. Meanwhile, with La Parka in his arms, Goldberg sort of shrugs, and then explodes, hoisting La Parka up into a Military Press position… GOLDBERG THROWS LA PARKA OVER THE TOP AND TO THE CONCRETE FLOOR!!!
ELIMINATION #34: LA PARKA BY GOLDBERG!
Goldberg only has one thing on his mind though, as he quickly leaves the middle ring, and heads back to the first ring, where Steiner is. On the other side of the middle ring, The Hardy Boyz have been putting in the work on Mysterio and now holding him on one side each… THE HARDYZ TOSS OUT REY MYSTERIO!!!
ELIMINATION #35: REY MYSTERIO BY JEFF HARDY AND MATT HARDY!
After eliminating Rey, The Hardyz head towards the centre of the ring, where they meet their archrivals, Edge and Christian. We don’t get a preview of Starrcade’s tag title match though, because Kurt Angle is also involved here. Despite Matt and Jeff giving their best efforts, it’s a three on two so they start falling to the numbers game, which ironically has been one of their strengths so far tonight.
The three on two goes on, until Booker T and Val Venis approach the situation. Knowing that Booker and Val have eyes only for him, much like earlier tonight, Angle freaks out and removes himself from the escalation point. With the numbers evened up, The Hardy Boyz drop Christian and then unload on Edge, backing him to the ropes. The Hardyz take a few steps back to build some momentum, as they link hands… DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE SENDS EDGE FLYING OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #36: EDGE BY JEFF HARDY AND MATT HARDY!
Getting back to his feet, red faced and angry, Christian lets out a roar and sprints at The Hardyz… THE HARDYZ SIDESTEP CHRISTIAN AND USE HIS MOMENTUM TO SEND HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE…
LANDING ON EDGE IN THE PROCESS!!!
ELIMINATION #37: CHRISTIAN BY JEFF HARDY AND MATT HARDY!
Back in the first ring, DDP and Hennig are now engaged in a hatred fuelled brawl. They continue to go at it big time, whilst Raven remains guarded in the corner. The Flock are looking especially strong with Meng and The Barbarian having decided to coexist with them once again. On another side of the ring, a struggling Jushin Liger is using the ropes to pull himself to his feet… SO HOGAN SNEAKS FROM BEHIND AND TOSSES LIGER OUT!!!
ELIMINATION #38: JUSHIN LIGER BY HOLLYWOOD HOGAN!
There are twenty two men still left in this thing, but suddenly it’s like this thing EXPLODES. A huge brawl includes all three rings with everybody going at it and fighting for survival. During this brawl, Dick Togo and Bryan Danielson pair off, and Togo lands a vicious Headbutt to gain the advantage. As Danielson stumbles backwards, Togo runs at him… DANIELSON LOW BRIDGES TOGO, ELIMINATING HIM!!!
ELIMINATION #39: DICK TOGO BY BRYAN DANIELSON!
The Faces of Fear and The Flock work together still, severely outnumbering and beating down The Four Horsemen. With Malenko, Noble and Benoit remaining in trouble, The Barbarian manhandles Flair, dragging him towards the corner of the ring. The Barbarian wraps both hands around the throat of Flair… AND BARBARIAN PUSHES HARD WITH HIS CHOKE GRIP… TRYING TO TIP FLAIR OVER THE TOP!!!
NO!!! HOGAN AND HENNIG SNEAK FROM BEHIND AND THROW OUT THE BARBARIAN!!!
ELIMINATION #40: THE BARBARIAN BY CURT HENNIG AND HOLLYWOOD HOGAN!
Final 20: Booker T, Bryan Danielson, Chris Benoit, Curt Hennig, Dean Malenko, Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg, Hollywood Hogan, Jamie Noble, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy, Meng Perry Saturn, Raven, Ric Flair, Scott Norton, Scott Steiner, Vader and Val Venis
There’s a shift at the elimination of The Barbarian, as it’s almost like all the competitors realise they are down to the home stretch. Suddenly, The Four Horsemen as well as others begin to gang up on The Flock and Vader, and the action starts getting really hectic. Different faces pair off with the individual members of The Flock, with Booker T dragging Hennig away from the chaos.
Backing Hennig in the corner, Booker T lights his chest up with chops. Wanting to inflict more damage, Booker pulls down Hennig’s singlet straps to reveal more skin, and hits some more chops… UNTIL KURT ANGLE COMES FROM BEHIND AND THROWS BOOKER OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #41: BOOKER T BY KURT ANGLE!
On another side of the ring, NORTON AND VADER START DOING BATTLE AGAIN!!! The arena turns to a fever pitch as the two behemoths stand and trade massive clubbing forearms and chops, each harder than the previous. Each shot is causing the sweat to sling off both men’s bodies, and neither looks set to take a backwards step… UNTIL GOLDBERG RUNS THROUGH BOTH OF THEM WITH A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE!!!
Vader is quick to get to his feet, albeit a little off balance, and Noble runs at Vader, landing a Dropkick! Vader staggers but leans against the ropes, without tipping over, whilst our commentary team talk about how this is a callback, because this is how Noble got the shock elimination of Vader last year. Vader isn’t eliminated but he’s still in trouble, as Noble unloads with punches and kicks, until Noble gets clobbered from behind by Raven.
The WCW Champion momentarily leaves his safety corner, landing a few shots, but he immediately begins backtracking. A recovered Noble is furious and begins stalking Raven… BUT VADER GRABS NOBLE FROM BEHIND AND HURLS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #42: JAMIE NOBLE BY VADER!
One man who has been desperate at getting at The Flock since they betrayed The Barbarian is a wide eyes Meng. The wild man has been swinging at everybody, taking them down with brutal throat thrusts at will. Meng incredibly holds his own against Hennig, Hogan and Saturn, before grabbing a hold of Saturn… MENG THROWS SATURN OUT OF THE RING AND OUT OF THE MATCH!!!
ELIMINATION #43: PERRY SATURN BY MENG!
Meng turns to face the other two Flock members that he has been beating up, and he grabs Hennig, but then Hogan sneaks up and rakes the eyes. The sole face of fear remaining drops Hennig and rubs at his eyes, attempting to regain his site. After sharing a look, HENNIG AND HOGAN GRAB MENG… AND THEY ARE ABLE TO THROW HIM OUT TOGETHER!!!
ELIMINATION #44: MENG BY CURT HENNIG AND HOLLYWOOD HOGAN!
After scoring such a momentous elimination, Hogan is happy with himself and begins performing bodybuilding poses once again. The fans boo loudly as Hogan continues, even pointing at Bret Hart in the front row and mocking him. The Canadian treasure just rolls his eyes, as Hogan keeps with the hotdogging, UNTIL BENOIT RUNS OVER… AND THROWS HOGAN OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #45: HOLLYWOOD HOGAN BY CHRIS BENOIT!
The remainder of The Flock look to attack Benoit after that elimination, but Malenko is right by Benoit’s side. Malenko and Benoit do really well, beginning to dominate, and they surprisingly get some more help in the name of this years surprise packet in Bryan Danielson.
As the battle continues inside of the ring, outside of the ring an equally exhausted and frustrated Hogan works back to his feet. Conveniently, he has been eliminated right in front of the retired wrestler he was previously mocking in Bret Hart. Bret humorously stands up and sarcastically applauds Hogan, which gets the arena shaking.
Shaking his head in disgust, HOGAN SHOVES BRET IN THE CHEST!!!
Bret looks down at his chest, smirking… AND THEN BRET JUMPS THE GUARD RAIL AND ATTACKS HOGAN!!!
WE’VE GOT A HOGAN AND BRET BRAWL OUTSIDE OF THE RING!!!
Hogan is tired and Bret has the quickness advantage, hammering away, UNTIL OFFICIALS SWARM AND START TO BREAK THE TWO UP!!!
The fans boo the peacemakers as both men get dragged to the back. Meanwhile, inside of the ring, Venis has finally managed to get his hands on the man who cost him the US Title in Angle. Val backs Angle up against the ropes and then charges at him… LEFT ARM CLOTHESLINE FROM VAL SENDS ANGLE OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #46: KURT ANGLE BY VAL VENIS!
This elimination gets a nice cheer due to the emotion behind it. The former porn star shows that emotion, pointing at Angle and shooting some choice words his way even after the elimination. Angle is furious on the outside, but Venis lets his emotions get the best of him… AND DDP IS ABLE TO SNEAK FROM BEHIND AND THROW VENIS OUT!!!
ELIMINATION #47: VAL VENIS BY DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE!
Val hurries to his feet, annoyed and he is confronted by an irritated Kurt Angle, and we’ve got ANOTHER brawl on the outside. This one doesn’t require security surprisingly, as Angle and Val do battle, punching themselves up the ramp and through the curtain. As these two disappear through the curtain, inside one of the rings, The Hardy Boyz have started to get involved with The Flock.
Using their tag team expertise, they manage to isolate the powerful Scott Steiner. The Hardyz grab an arm each and whip Steiner into the corner of the ring. Matt runs to just in front of Steiner and gets on his hands and knees. Jeff runs, then uses Matt as a springboard… POETRY IN MOTION!!!
As Jeff recovers from his awkward landing, Steiner holds the top rope and tries to make his way out of the corner… GOLDBERG RUNS THROUGH STEINER WITH A CLOTHESLINE OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #48: SCOTT STEINER BY GOLDBERG!
For the first time tonight, The Berg shows some positive emotion. This isn’t normal for him, but he smirks at Steiner being down, but he allows himself to be grabbed from behind… VADER THROWS GOLDBERG OUT RIGHT NEXT TO STEINER!!!
ELIMINATION #49: GOLDBERG BY VADER!
Goldberg bounces right back to his feet and is desperate to get back in the ring, but referees and officials stop him. Inside of the ring, Vader poses and rubs it in Goldberg’s face, asking “WHO’S THE MAN”! Getting heat from the fans and frustration from The Berg, Vader gets a little to close to the ropes… AND GOLDBERG GRABS THE ARM OF VADER AND BEGINS PULLING VADER!!!
Vader tries to dig his heels in, but Goldberg shows incredible strength, managing to get Vader’s arm over the top rope. Goldberg continues to pull… AND THEN NORTON COMES FROM BEHIND AND PUSHES VADER THE REST OF THE WAY OVER!!!
ELIMINATION #50: VADER BY SCOTT NORTON!
The crowd goes apeshit but showing incredible athleticism, Vader is right back to his feet. He ignores Goldberg and Steiner on the outside, and slides right back in. VADER SPRINTS ACROSS THE RING AND TACKLES NORTON!!!
We’ve got the Vader and Norton fight again, both men swinging haymakers. They continue to brawl, and then it turns into a hockey fight, and both men start jostling for position. The power of both men causes them to lose balance together, and whilst maintain a clinch of sorts… THEY BOTH TUMBLE OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE MID FIGHT!!!
ELIMINATION #51: SCOTT NORTON BY VADER[ALREADY ELIMINATED]!
Norton and Vader both get right back up, right in the vicinity of Steiner and Goldberg. Much like earlier, ALL FOUR MEN BEGIN BRAWLING WITH EACH OTHER!!!
Alignment doesn’t matter right now, this is just four tough men who don’t like each other, and they’re all happy to get a shot in on any of the other three. It’s a wild brawl on the floor, as they all crash into the crowd barricade and continue to fight. It isn’t long BEFORE EVEN MORE OFFICIALS AND SECURITY RUN DOWN AND HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL TRYING TO SEPARATE THESE FOUR MEN!!!
The heat from the crowd is endless, as they chant “LET THEM FIGHT”! All four men are desperate to get at the others, but with about half the country of Canada, they are able to FINALLY get these men to the back. With all the drama outside the rings, we need to head back inside of one, where The Hardyz continue their recent plan of going after The Flock.
This time the brothers have managed to double team Curt Hennig, ending WITH MATT NAILING HENNIG WITH THE TWIST OF FATE!!!
It’s a Battle Royal but Jeff Hardy doesn’t care about strategy damn it. The rainbow hair coloured freak climbs up to the top rope, living in the moment and whatever… SWANTOM BOMB CONNECTS ON HENNIG!!!
Matt watches on in delight… ONLY FOR RAVEN TO SNEAK FROM BEHIND AND TOSS MATT OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #52: MATT HARDY BY RAVEN!
With a viciousness not often seen by Raven, he grabs Jeff by the hair. Jeff doesn’t offer much resistance, still trying to recover from the Swanton Bomb… SO RAVEN DROPS JEFF WITH THE EVENFLOW!!!
Raven is right back up and preparing to eliminate Jeff, when Raven gets swarmed by the remaining Horsemen. Malenko, Benoit and Flair all start the beating the hell out of Raven. The fans love it, as the champion is finally getting his comeuppance. Meanwhile, as they move away from the fallen Jeff Hardy, Bryan Danielson walks over to Jeff.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Danielson hoists the dead weight of Jeff back up… AND DANIELSON DISCARDS JEFF OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #53: JEFF HARDY BY BRYAN DANIELSON!
This gets a mixed reaction from the crowd, and Danielson almost shrugs sheepishly, wondering what he’s supposed to do in that situation. Unfortunately he takes a little long questioning his morality AND TURNS RIGHT INTO A DIAMOND CUTTER!!!
Being the veteran that he is, DDP doesn’t waste time, as he picks Danielson up… AND DDP SENDS DANIELSON OVER AND OUT!!!
ELIMINATION #54: BRYAN DANIELSON BY DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE!
Right after that elimination, DDP turns and notices Hennig leaning against the ropes on the opposite side of the ring. DDP runs across… DDP CLOTHESLINES HENNIG OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #55: CURT HENNIG BY DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE!
We’re down to the final five now and for the first time tonight, Raven is at a severe numbers disadvantage. We’ve got Raven, we’ve got DDP and then we’ve still got THREE members of The Horsemen in Benoit, Flair and Malenko. Arguably the greatest tag team champions of the last ten years, Benoit and Malenko decide to relive their tag days, isolating Raven and having their way with him.
Benoit and Malenko are brutal, with Raven struggling to get in any offense. On the other side of the ring, Flair and DDP go back and forth, trading chops like their lives depend on it. Back to the other side and Benoit and Malenko are in control, as Raven starts to beg off. Shaking his head, refusing to show mercy, standing over Raven… BUT RAVEN GRABS BENOIT BY THE WAIST BAND OF HIS TIGHTS AND PULLS BENOIT INTO MALENKO!!!
The two Horsemen have a clash of heads, and whilst Benoit crashes to the canvas, Malenko remains standing, albeit stunned. Raven senses an opportunity and scrambles to his feet… RAVEN GRABS MALENKO AND THROWS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
ELIMINATION #56: DEAN MALENKO BY RAVEN!
Final Four: Chris Benoit, Diamond Dallas Page, Rave, Ric Flair
Benoit recovers just to see Malenko recovering on the outside, and Benoit is furious. Suddenly, Benoit locks eyes with Raven and Raven gulps with fear, trying to scurry away. Benoit follows Raven around the ring, and Raven even grabs DDP by the shoulders, trying to manoeuvre him to block Benoit’s path.
DDP is a bit confused and just turns and nails Raven with a right hand… BUT A FURIOUS BENOIT GRABS DDP AND HURLS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
ELIMINATION #57: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE BY CHRIS BENOIT!
Raven’s expression changes to one of downright horror, as he sits on his ass in despair. He realises that he’s now alone in the ring with two Horsemen. Despite not always being on the best of terms, Benoit and Flair exchange a glance, noticing the situation they’re in and they nod. They both approach Raven from opposite sides, and Raven tries to run away but Benoit catches him with a chop.
Raven grabs at his chest and staggers away, into a chop from Flair. The two continue to just light up Raven’s chest severely, until Benoit winds up for a killer chop… No, Raven ducks and gets a go behind… RAVEN PUSHES BENOIT FROM BEHIND… SENDING HIM CRASHING INTO FLAIR THIS TIME!!!
Flair falls over from the momentum, whilst Benoit tries to shake out the cobwebs, remaining on his feet. Raven gets a grip on Benoit’s head and neck… EVENFLOW!!!
NO!!! BENOIT EXPLODES AND LIFTS RAVEN OFF HIS FEET!!!
Benoit almost has Raven halfway over for a Northern Lights Suplex but instead charges across the ring… AND BENOIT DUMPS RAVEN OVER THE TOP ROPE!!!
…
AND ONTO THE RING APRON!!!
Gritting his teeth, BENOIT GRABS A HOLD OF RAVEN, TRYING TO PUSH HIM OFF THE APRON…
AS RAVEN HOLDS ONTO THE TOP ROPE FOR DEAR LIFE!!!
Benoit is almost leaning over the top rope himself now, looking for severe leverage to push Raven off the apron. The struggle continues… WHEN FLAIR GETS A LOW BLOW ON BENOIT FROM BEHIND!!!
Gasps come from the audience who are in absolute shock. Flair’s the dirtiest player in the game for a reason and he shows it there. Flair then grabs Benoit in his precarious position… AND FLAIR THROWS BENOIT UP AND OUT!!!
But in leaning over the top rope to edge Benoit OUT, Flair has allowed Raven to grab his head… AND RAVEN PULLS FLAIR OVER THE TOP ROPE AND TO THE OUTSIDE!!!
BOTH MENS FEET HIT AT THE SAME TIME!!!
ELIMINATION #58: CHRIS BENOIT BY RIC FLAIR!
ELIMINATION #59: RIC FLAIR BY RAVEN!
WINNER: RAVEN VIA ELIMINATION at 31:25.
There is almost like a stunned hush throughout the arena, as an exhausted Raven lies on the apron for a moment. The WCW World Heavyweight Champion then rolls to the middle of the ring, making sure he’s out of arms reach from any of the Horsemen.
Eventually, Raven gets to his feet and is given the World Title, and he celebrates it. He stands on top of the world, even with the angry Canadian crowd beginning to throw bucket loads of trash in the ring.
On the outside, Benoit remains down after the low blow, whilst a furious Flair stomps his way up the ramp.
The real story here though is that Raven just won an epic match that he wasn’t even supposed to be a part of.
Tony Schiavone:
I – I’m speechless. What the hell does this mean for Starrcade? What does it mean if the WCW Champion won World War Three? And damn it, more importantly, how much longer can we wait? Where is Sting?
Ending the show on a sour note, amongst the heat from the fans, Raven stands tall. He performs the ‘Raven Pose’, World Title in his possession, and with his crazy run the last three months, who in the hell can stop this man?
END OF SHOW
