WCW Nitro 8/28/2000

Written by: Bob Colling

World Championship Wrestling presents Nitro
Date: 8/28/2000
From: Las Cruces, NM

Matches:
1.)Dark Carnival defeated Three Count
2.)Tygress defeated Major Gunns and Paisley
3.)Kronik fought Harris Brothers to a no contest in a House of Pain match
4.)WCW Canadian Champion Lance Storm defeated The Wall in a Tables Prisoner of War Match
5.)Rick Steiner defeated Mike Awesome
6.)Kevin Nash defeated WCW World Heavyweight Champion Booker T to win the title
7.)Jeff Jarrett defeated Big Vito
8.)The Natural Born Thrillers defeated the Filthy Animals
9.)Sting fought the Great Muta to a no contest

Angle Developments/Notes:
1. The opening bout between the Carnival and Three Count lasts about two and half minutes with the Dark Carnival getting the better of the boy band. Shaggy 2 Dope got the win following a top rope leg drop. After the match, Tank Abbott comes out to attack Three Count but is helped by them after the Dark Carnival attack Abbott. The Demon comes out to get involved as well. Sting runs out as well and cleans house before standing tall with Demon and Abbott. That’s an odd trio.

2. Vince Russo came out with Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner and Jeff Jarrett. Russo declares that the band is back together, basically saying that the New World Order is back in WCW yet again. Jarrett doesn’t think there is anyone who can stop them. Jeff proceeds to challenge Mike Awesome to a Bunkhouse Brawl at Fall Brawl. Kevin Nash chimes in to talk about how he is a puppet master. He is able to get the fans to buy his merchandise every few months and then shows his real side. Vince Russo reveals that Nash will not be getting a WCW World Heavyweight Championship match at Fall Brawl, but rather he will get his shot tonight against Booker T! Russo makes Jeff Jarrett the special referee and Scott Steiner is the outside enforcer. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Booker T makes his way out to talk some smack. Booker believes that no one in the ring can back up what they say and assures us there will be a beating. Russo invites the champ to the ring and tells his guys not to do anything. Booker walks down and the Cat appears from the backstage area too. Cat enters the ring and tells Russo to leave. -Naturally, Cat and Booker are attacked by the heels. The Filthy Animals run out to help but they are taken care of as well. The segment ends with Goldberg appearing on the big screen. He is digging a grave for Vince Russo and he says that by the end of the night Russo will be put in it!

3. Backstage, The Cat is put in an ambulance. Also, Vince Russo gets a phone call and it’s Goldberg telling him he is on his way to the arena!

4. Backstage, the Filthy Animals attack the Natural Born Thrillers as they were guarding Russo’s office.

5. The House of Pain match didn’t last all that long. The cage breaks after Don is sent into the cage and they brawl on the floor. The Harris Brother beat up a fan and the referee called for the bell to put an end to the match after two minutes.

6. It takes Lance Storm sixty eight seconds to put the Wall through a table. Storm springboards off the ropes to kick Wall off the apron and sends the big man crashing through a table on the floor. As a result of the victory, Lance Storm gets possession of Major Gunns.

7. Awesome hit a top rope dive on Rick Steiner in the opening moments of the match. Awesome tries to hit a running powerbomb but Jeff Jarrett enters the ring with a pipe. That allows Rick to hit a release German suplex to secure a three count. That took just under two minutes.

8. Nash attacks Booker before the bell working over the champ with right hands sending him to the floor. Jarrett is more concerned with Steiner on the floor and is keeping it fair for Booker it appears. Nash and Russo are confused as to what Jarrett is doing. Jeff tosses Booker back into the ring and brings Russo back to the commentary table. Booker kicks the top rope to low blow Nash and works over the challenger with strikes and a side slam for a near fall. Nash big boots Booker in the corner and turns the champ inside out with a clothesline for a two count! Steiner clubs Booker from the apron and Nash big boots Booker but Jarrett ejects Steiner from ringside and doesn’t make the count. Kevin drives his knee into Booker’s midsection a few times and follows up with right hands. Nash chokes Booker in the corner until Jarrett breaks that up as well. Booker ducks a clothesline to side kick Nash a couple of times. Booker hits the axe kick and heads to the top rope. Booker hits a missile dropkick and knocks Steiner off the apron. Booker hits the Book End but Jarrett whacks the champ with a guitar. They swerved us yet again! Nash delivers a powerbomb and wins the championship. (*1/2. The crowd was dead for the match as it was if they knew what was going to happen here. The action wasn’t anything all that interesting and for a title change happening on live television, it felt rather lame. Booker got a raw deal here holding the championship for just over one month before dropping it.)

9. Backstage, the heels celebrate the victory while Booker T tries to leave but he is stopped by Goldberg who has arrived to the building!

10. Shane Douglas and Torrie Wilson are standing on the balcony. Douglas says he didn’t get the job done against Kidman at the last pay per view. So, he wants to wrestle Kidman in a scaffold match. Crowbar comes out to attack Douglas with a trash can lid but he is tossed off the balcony by Douglas and goes through a table. Shane and Torrie head to the ring where Douglas issues an open challenge. That brings out Goldberg who destroys Douglas in record time and threatens Russo to end the segment.

11. Backstage, the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Nash is taking a shower when Booker T attacks him.

12. Big Vito gets another shot at jumping up the card as he battled Jeff Jarrett this week. Vito gets some early offense hitting a powerslam and a Mafia kick for near falls. Vito nearly gets the upset victory after a top rope elbow drop. Vito comes off the top later on to hit a headbutt but can’t put Jarrett away. Jarrett ends up blocking the Implant DDT and wins following the Stroke.

13. Backstage, Mike Awesome attacks Jarrett after coming out from a truck that had a lot of guitars in it.

14. Guerrera hits Palumbo with a hurricanrana early on and actually takes the taller Palumbo down with a snap suplex. Palumbo battles back with a body press and a suplex but Rey prevents the Torture Rack from being locked in. Guerrera face busters Reno as he attempted a powerbomb. Rey enters to hit a guillotine legdrop on Reno. Reno drives Rey to the mat with a tilt a whirl powerbomb. Jindrak misses a moonsault. Everyone starts to brawl late in the match while Tygress low blows Sanders. Tygress hits the Bronco Buster on Sanders in the corner. Sanders gets the last laugh by hitting the 3.0 on her to win the match.

15. Backstage, Goldberg takes Scott Steiner out with a pipe. Meanwhile, Big Vito agrees to protect Vince Russo!

16. Vince Russo and Vito come down to the ring to call out Goldberg. This just ends up with Vito swerving Russo and attacking him with his cane.

17. The main event between Muta and Sting didn’t even reach the ring. Muta attacked Sting on the floor and they brawled briefly until Vampiro and the ICP came out to attack Sting. It ended up with the Dark Carnival attacking Sting on the set. I guess this was just an angle advancement of a feud people don’t care about.

18. We close the show at the desert where Goldberg runs into Bret Hart. Hart brings up Montreal and hates Russo for what happened three years ago. Goldberg gives Bret a shovel to help start digging Russo’s grave. Goldberg turns his back and Bret whacks him with the shovel! Hart taunts Goldberg as the show comes to an end.

Final Thoughts:
It wasn’t awful but it sure was bad this week. Nobody cared about the title match and really the only decent match on the card was Jarrett/Vito. It seems like WCW wants to push Vito but are preventing him from actually winning key matches to give him creditability. I don’t understand why Bret Hart continues to get angles for him considering he isn’t capable to wrestle since his concussion. This weeks episode gets a thumbs down from me.

Thanks for reading.