Written By: Bob Colling
World Championship Wrestling presents Nitro
Date: 6/12/2000
From: Richmond, VA
Actual footage from last night’s Great American Bash pay per view is aired.
Backstage, Eric Bischoff, Vince Russo and the turncoat, Goldberg arrive to the arena. Goldberg turned on everyone by joining the New Blood last night at the Great American Bash.
Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson and Mark Madden are on commentary. Hudson is shirtless because he made fun of Vince Russo having his shirt taken off.
Eric Bischoff and his security staff make their way down to the ring. Bischoff obviously decides to brag about the huge surprise they had at the Great American Bash last night. He believes that Goldberg has something in common with the New Blood. Bischoff mentions that the Millionaires said they got their spots back while Goldberg was out with injury. He claims that Goldberg is sick of the fans. Goldberg doesn’t want people to ask him why… the real question is why the hell not! Goldberg claims that the fans cheered everyone else. Goldberg puts his actions all on the fans shoulders. Goldberg knows he has signed with the devil. Goldberg uses a new catchphrase, Fear This! Kevin Nash makes his way out and calls Goldberg a stupid son of a bitch. Nash believes that Goldberg got everything on a silver platter. Nash reminds Goldberg who made him. Those people include Sting, Hall, Hogan, Flair and himself. Goldberg doesn’t agree with that statement. Nash decides to hit the ring because he wants a piece of Goldberg tonight, however he gets cut off by officers. Vince Russo says he wants Nash released into his custody because tonight Kevin Nash will be wrestling Goldberg!
Backstage, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett tells the Cat that he wants him to grant Hulk Hogan’s title shot for Bash of the Beach, tonight.
Outside, Vince Russo yells at Kevin Nash and his nephew. Scott Steiner heads over to run Russo away.
Opening Contest: WCW Hardcore Champion Big Vito defeated Terry Funk to retain the title: A really uneventful brawl takes place here. Vito gets the clean win following a pile driver onto a table on the floor.
After the match, Funk gives Vito the championship showing him respect. Vito returns the favor by attacking Funk when Funk turned his back.
Backstage, the Cat is looking for Hulk Hogan.
Backstage, Vampiro is talking to a hooded person. The hooded person wants Vampiro to do his job.
Outside, Kevin Nash tells Scott Steiner to take care of his nephew.
Second Contest: Kronik defeated Shane Douglas/Buff Bagwell: Late in the bout, Bagwell hit the Blockbuster on Clarke but Douglas decided to blindly tag into the bout. Douglas attempted to hit the Pittsburgh Plunge but Adams made the save for Clarke. Bagwell tries to help out Douglas but that doesn’t work out the way he would’ve liked. Kronik hits the High Times on Douglas to pick up the win.
After the match, Douglas ends up turning on Bagwell signaling a babyface turn for Bagwell.
Backstage, the Cat asks Doug Dillenger if he has seen Hulk Hogan yet. Cat ends up sitting nearby to wait for Hogan to arrive to the building.
Mean Gene interview Billy Kidman backstage. Kidman believes that Hogan’s title match against Jarrett tonight just might need a special referee.
The Artist Prince Iaukea held a press conference earlier in the day. At the press conference, Pops Morrus groped Paisley and was attacked for his actions.
Third Contest: WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. defeated the Artist to retain the title: This was really nothing of a bout. The Cruiserweight Championship has really become a joke in a matter of a year. Chavo gets the clean win following a tornado DDT.
Backstage, we see the following events. Ric Flair and his family arrive to the building as he has another retirement bout tonight. Vince Russo offers Goldberg four women but he refuses them. Hogan arrives to the building and is told by the Cat that he has a title shot tonight. Also, Horace Hogan has been laid out.
Vince Russo and David Flair make their way out to the ring for interview segment. Russo tells David that he is proud of his performance last night and demands the fans show him the proper respect. The fans decide the proper respect is booing him. Russo believes that since he is from New York, he shouldn’t be everyone’s punching bag every day. Russo proclaims that the abuse will end tonight with Ric Flair. Russo is not going to be chopped again by Ric. Russo thinks he will either have a stroke or a heart attack before chopping or violence ends. Ric Flair makes his way out and tells Russo that he is a free man. Ric wants Russo to bother someone else. Russo hates Ric and begins to cry. Ric wants his son, David, to go home because these issues are over. Ric challenges Russo to a hair vs. hair retirement match. If Ric wins, he gets Russo’s job and his son back. Russo accepts the challenge but wants it to involve David and Reid. Ric agrees to that and the match is set for later on.
Fourth Contest: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett fought Hulk Hogan to a no contest to retain the title: Hogan delivers several right hands and a clothesline to kick off the contest. Hogan follows up with a running clothesline in the corner after delivering several blows in the opposite corner. Jarrett is tossed through the middle rope to the floor. Hogan takes off his weight belt and whips Jarrett before deciding to choke Jarrett instead. Hogan rams Jarrett into the guard railing Hogan sends Jarrett face first into the ring steps as well. Hogan appears to have a little cut over his right eye. Jarrett gets the upper hand on Hogan in the corner with several right hands. Jarrett confronts Kidman, the referee, until Hogan attacks him with right hands. Hogan clotheslines Jarrett over the top rope to the floor. Jarrett sends Hogan back first into the guard railing and rams Hogan in the midsection with a steel chair a few times. Kidman prevents Jarrett from hitting over the head with the chair and tosses Hogan the chair! Hogan whacks Jarrett over the back a few times as we see Goldberg and Vince Russo standing at the top of the aisle way. Hogan big boots Jarrett as Goldberg makes his way to the ring. Hogan hits the leg drop but Goldberg makes the weak save. Goldberg sets up for the spear and ends up spearing Kidman, who saved Hogan. Goldberg press slams Kidman over the top to the floor. Goldberg follows up with a spear on Hogan! Russo grabs a table from under the ring. Goldberg puts Hogan through the table with the jackhammer! Booker T runs down to the ring and punches Jarrett to the floor. Goldberg and Russo decide to just bail to the floor. EMT’s come out to put Hogan on a stretcher. *1/4
Diamond Dallas Page makes his way out for an interview segment. Page talks about a wrestler who didn’t truly believe in himself to succeed in the business. Eventually, after Page rambles, Eric Bischoff, Kimberly and Kanyon come out. Page says he took Kanyon under his wing and taught Kanyon everything. Page doesn’t feel like getting up anymore. Page notes that wrestling has cost him his life, friends and his wife. Page says it isn’t worth it to work with people like Bischoff. Page decides to leave through the crowd.
Fifth Contest: Vampiro fought the Demon to a no contest: After roughly two minutes of brawling, the match is stopped because it appeared Vampiro was injured. That didn’t happen to actually be the case as he ran back to the ring after the camera cut away. I don’t understand the point of that segment.
Before the next match, Kimberly cuts a promo putting herself over. She has a new cologne named Positively Me. Kanyon chimes in saying he is going to take over DDP’s life by using his life and has taken over Page’s book as his own.
Sixth Contest: WCW United States Champion Scott Steiner defeated Kanyon by disqualification in a non-title match: Steiner works on Kanyon in the corner with right hands before hitting a clothesline and a elbow drop. Steiner takes Kanyon over with a t-bone suplex. Steiner catches Kanyon in the corner but is sent chest first into the corner. Kanyon low blows Steiner and plants Steiner with a sit out double leg slam for a near fall! Kanyon grabs the referee to hit the Diamond Cutter! Steiner recovers to atomic drop Kanyon and gorilla press slams Kanyon. Steiner connects with a side belly to belly suplex before going for the Steiner Recliner but is attacked by Mike Awesome. Kronik runs down to the ring to take out Awesome and Kanyon. Kronik chase after them into the crowd. Miss Hancock appears in the crowd to chase Kimberly back into the ring. Hancock has Kimberly backed into a corner but is sprayed in the face with Kimberly’s cologne, which Kimberly sprayed in the wrong direction.
Backstage, Scott Steiner’s ladies have lost Kevin Nash’s nephew. He realizes this after saying he is going kick Vince Russo’s ass!
Seventh Contest: David Flair and Vince Russo defeated Ric Flair in a handicap retirement match: Ric chops David in the corner to open up the contest. Ric tosses David upside down into the corner. Ric fights off Russo as he low blows David to the floor. Ric rips off a chest protector that Russo had on to chop Russo several times in the corner. Ric backdrops David followed by some more chops in the corner. Ric drives David down to the mat with a delayed vertical suplex. Ric puts the figure four on David! Russo enters with a baseball bat to beat Ric several times with it. Reid Flair enters the ring but is pulled off by David. Russo calls in Beth to enter the ring. Russo wants Beth to jump onto his bandwagon. He wants Beth to hit Ric with the statue of liberty. Russo grabs it away from her to whack Ric over the head with it. David has put the figure four on Ric as Meghan has thrown in a towel. The referee signals for the bell, and Ric Flair must retire as a result. ½*
After the match, Ric Flair gets his head shaved. Russo and David celebrate what they have accomplished.
Main Event: Kevin Nash fought Goldberg to a no contest: They trade right hands to kick off the bout with Goldberg backing Nash into a corner delivering several knee lifts. Nash stops Goldberg with a big boot sending Goldberg to the floor. Goldberg returns to nail Nash with a big side kick. Goldberg chokes Nash in the corner for several moments. Goldberg continues to deliver several right hands. Nash comes back by sending Goldberg face first into the middle turnbuckle. Nash fights off the New Blood until Goldberg nails Nash in the face with a steel chair (wasn’t even close to making contact). Goldberg punches Nash as Nash’s nephew has come down to ringside. Vince Russo runs down to force Nash’s nephew to watch Goldberg destroy Nash. Scott Steiner runs down to clean house but is stopped by police, who hit Steiner with nightsticks. Nash is left a bloody mess as the New Blood celebrates.
End of show
My Take: There are only a few people who can’t ever be effectively turned heel. During this time for WCW, two of those guys would be Goldberg and Sting. Why on earth would you turn Goldberg heel? It doesn’t make sense for a lot of reasons. Most importantly from a business standpoint, you just switched over your number one babyface so there goes any kind of merchandize sales. From a booking standpoint, it could be a good move since he could work with Nash, Hogan, Sting and Flair for instance, but as you will soon see that never happens. They didn’t think this through all the way before turning Goldberg, clearly.
Buff Bagwell turning babyface is fine with me. He should have been a main point to the New Blood but they didn’t build up as anything important. I’ve always thought in WCW at around 1999 or 2000, when he was motivated, he was a main event guy just waiting to be pushed. People seem to forget that he was really over. Anyway, considering Douglas hasn’t been at all impressive since returning to WCW I don’t expect their feud to really amount to anything.
I hate that Vince Russo continues to put himself in high profile matches. Put a wrestler in your spot and you could instantly create a huge heel star.
Billy Kidman turning face is whatever. He wasn’t really doing a great job as a heel and his push just went nowhere. It wasn’t a great choice to have him feud with Hogan in the first place. As for the Hogan/Jarrett match the only entertaining aspect of the segment was Goldberg attacking Hogan. Right there you could set up a Hogan vs. Goldberg match. It really should be a vocal point of the show.
I think Kanyon using Page’s gimmick or whatever is really great. Sure, it is going to be a comedy character but he is going to get some great heat from it and when Page returns to WCW later in the year they have a instant feud set up to last a few more months with hate filled matches.
The handicap match was a horrible way to “retire” Ric Flair.
The main event was really just a brawl with a few moves before the bullshit finish. The chair shot wasn’t even close to hitting Nash so that just looked really dumb to me. It was just another predictable ending with the New Blood always getting the last laugh.
Overall, nothing from a wrestling standpoint was entertaining. Way too many heel/babyface turns makes them all meaningless in the long run. I didn’t find it to be a good show but I also didn’t feel like I wasted two hours. There were a few bright spots for an otherwise dull show.
Thanks for reading.