WCW Nitro 2/5/2001

Written by: Kevin Kildenberger

I do like the new direction. Bischoff is back in charge. He claims to have learned from his mistake. He was going to get rid of guaranteed contracts and do a tier system like the WWF, something he should have done a long time prior. The idea was to have Steiner wipe out all the faces, and then cut out the April PPV and come back in early May with all the faces back being led by Bischoff….I believe it was Bischoff and have DDP challenge Steiner as the top face. He was going to bring back the Cruiserweights and you can see this slowly happening and supposedly Flair and Hogan would be figureheads like Flair is now. Now, one would see if the execution really panned out, but the thought was pretty good. But Bischoff was worried as the ratings after the last, January, Nitro stay at about the 2.1 mark. This one got a 2.1. He wanted to speed things up. But the sale had not been finalized yet as it had a 45 day waiting period. Not really sure why. Also, by March he hoped to lower the sale price and then pay yearly payments to Tim Warner/AOL who will just merge in the biggest and most disastrous merger ever. They will lose in the tens of billions in one year! He wanted to stretch the payments out for 20 years something like 2-2.5 million a year and pay something like 30-40 million up front. The initial deal was 75 million or so. But we will get to that and Jamie Kellner a bit later. As stated above: Oops, 2.3 off a 2.6 and 2.1. while RAW garnered a 5.0 off a 4.6 and 5.4.

Eight to go including this one. I never thought it would only take me two years to get this far. I thought at least three. Oh well….I am stretching it out.

Flair is already in the ring and he is telling Nash to get into the ring, challenging him. Nash is fine with that. Animal goes to slug Nash but he is knocked silly. Flair begs Animal to get up as Nash gets in the ring. Flair starts to beg off but gets kneed into the corner, and choked out by his boot. Nash is yelling at him and Steiner arrives and Sanders tells him to hurry. Flair eats the big boot. Nash is tired of Flair calling the shots, and now he is calling the shots and he tells Flair to keep his hands off him and punches him and then whips him into the corner and then clotheslines him. Flair recovers nicely but is begging off. Nash is going to embarrass him and strip him naked on TV. Flair tries to chop him but is decked and stripped! Well, the suit and shirt are off. His pants are pulled off. This started funny but is now pathetic. Flair has a gut. He has a wife-beater on. Where are the heels? Now they come as Nash sets up the powerbomb. If they get any closer then he will break his neck. Steiner threatens him and Nash is not worried and Steiner threatens to kick his ass….Okay crowd. Steiner is held back by Totally Buff. Flair feels like negotiating with a boot to his throat. Nash brought one and cue the Cat! The heels go to stop his entrance but he comes in through the crowd and Cat calls them jack asses. Cat calls Nash a bad boy for mistreating his grandpa! Flair is pulled up and knocked right back down. Steiner is livid but Cat warns him off. Flair grunts an okay for the Cat to be in charge tonight. Cat tells Big Poppa Dump that he will be working three times tonight. Flair whines that that is fine. Steiner will face four Cruiserweights in the first match. Lousy Lex Luger needs to calm down. Steiner will be tired after chasing the Cruiserweights, and so he will get DDP next. Nash has Flair by the neck who okay’s the match. Cat tells him that the world title will be on the line: Against Big Kevin Nash. Cat is not through yet and if Steiner loses then Flair must resign. Flair tries to choke out a no but is forced to acquiesce. Nash can have a partner against Steiner. Steiner is all riled up. Fans chant Goldberg! I wish. Cat is repeating himself but finally gives up the mic to Nash who states that the Cat has spoken. Steiner is sad.

This seemed really long but was only close to 12 minutes.

During the break Flair was helped to the back.

Match 1: Scott Steiner (c) v. Four Cruiserweights

Jung Dragons and Jamie Noble and Evan Karagias.

They charge and one gets popped and the other Dragon is tossed. Noble is powerbombed and Evan killed in a spinning powerslam. Steiner goes to pin him but does push ups instead! So Kaz hits the guillotine legdrop! They stomp the shit out of him. They all cover him and get tossed off and now Steiner just cleans house. Mauling the BeJesus out of them. Kaz is press slammed to the floor and Yang is tossed onto him. Evan is next. Sorry it was Noble as the second guy. Yang is T Boned from the top rope. Steiner covers him but Steiner stops the count! Steiner kicks some more ass with several T Bones. So much for the Cruiserweights. Though these guys are middle rate…But still. I bitch about WWF doing it, and so I need to to do it here. A triple Recliner and match.

* I will say that Steiner is champ and he looked damn good. But they should have had more offense.

Flair is getting dressed and he blames Sanders. He tells Steiner that it is his fault. He wants it fixed.

Nash is lounging in the back as Adams and DDP arrive. Cat thinks that Steiner will not have anything left. Adams gets Buff.

Rick wants to win some gold for our WCW. He wants Douglas and his belt.

Adams talks about Buff and how he is going to kick his ass.

Buff and friends are giggling in the back. He is the Stuff. Jesus. Get to the wrestling. Lex wants Kronik at the PPV and if one of the partners cannot make it then it is their problem.

Match 2: Shane Douglas (c) vs Rick Steiner

He has a cast and a microphone. He starts to babble. Rick tells him to shut up and the match is on!

They hammer each other. Out on the floor, Douglas has a chair and hits him with it. Ref takes it and Steiner wallops Shane and now he has the chair. Ref takes it, back in the ring Steiner smacks him. Douglas rolls to the floor but is grabbed and flung into the railing. Back in the ring, Douglas comes back and stomps away. Rick fires back but gets his eyes raked. Steiner whips him into the ropes and they both go off the ropes, missing each other. Douglas is caught and T Boned. Now a belly to belly. Steiner is up top and leaps right into the cast. Franchiser. But he delays the cover and Rick just gets the arm up! Douglas is pissed and grabs the ref. He hits Rick who is up, but Rick blocks a suplex and has him in a bearhug. Douglas elbows free but walks into the Steiner Driver and Rick is the new champ.

** Two in a row….Why not have Douglas win and then lose at the PPV. Oh well. Rick has not had a belt in quite some time.

Steiner has the mic and does his catchphrases.

Flair is with Chavo. Flair talks about a Mexican road trip. Flair has a match for him, and this will elevate Chavo as it will take him to the edge. Flair looks at the monitor and then freaks out and leaves….

It is Dustin Rhodes and he is coming to the ring. He bellows Tupelo and it is good to be back. He is not done stomping Flair’s behind. He continues and Flair is on the big screen and he is screaming that this is his WCW and he is the man and CEO. Flair fires him and is spazzing. Dustin tells him to come on down. Rhodes’ mic is cut off and Flair screams for him to leave and Dillinger starts to walk down and they cut to break.

They show Dustin being escorted out during the break Flair wanted the segment cut and so it is….

Match 3: DDP v. Scott Steiner (c)

Page blocks his blows and then fires off some shots of his own. Short-armed clothesline. Midajah grabs his angkle and Steiner pounces. DDP though hammers him right back and strikes with a belly to belly. He clotheslines him over the top rope after he got two. DDP goes out after him but eats some railing. However, he blocks going into the side of the ring and Steiner eats it. Steiner is rolled back in and DDP goes up, but Midajah shakes the top rope, crotching Page. Steiner hangs him in the Tree of Woe and wrenches on the neck. DDP tries for a sunset flip. Steiner decks him. Steiner works him over. Yells at the ref. He drops the elbow after the slam but does some push ups. He is bleeding from the mouth. Steiner tells the fans to shut up as he punches DDP over and over in the corner and then chokes him out with his boot. He flexes and so DDP attacks but runs into a boot. Steiner almost gets the win after a belly to belly. Steiner is pissed and tosses the ref to the floor and out of nowhere DDP floats over and DC’s Steiner. He goes to wake up the ref who DQ’s Steiner and DDP leaves through the crowd and he gets ambushed and it is Kanyon and Jarrett.

**1/2 Short but solid. Keeps both men strong. I guess they buried the hatchet after their fight.

Steiner is wobbly as his lady helps him up, so he is selling it. But he does flex in a daze.

Kanyon and JJ flee into a limo and drive off.

Match 4: El Nino v. Chavo Guerrero Jr. (c) for WCW Cruiserweight Title

This was the Mexico story Flair was telling, and how he recruited Nino just for him.

Chavo for the first minute dominates the little dude wearing a mask and all black….Might be Rey actually. But Nino after getting slammed off the crossbody attempt comes back flinging Chavo to the floor and splashing down on top of him. He runs around the ring and gets flung into and over the railing and suplexed back in. Back in the ring, Chavo is up top and he is Frankensteined off the top. He counters out of a move and hits a backbreaker. Chavo nails him, knocking him back to the floor. Chavo hammers him and then rolls him back into the ring getting two. Fans get behind Nino as he elbows out of a chinlock but he runs right into a knee. Chavo gets two. Nino hooks him and lands on top getting two. Chavo clotheslines him, but Nino comes back and they tussle and Nino headscissors him over getting two. But Chavo is up and sledges him on the back. Chavo berates him and whips him into the ropes and Nnino spins around the ropes and then nails Chavo, and he useds his legs to plant him and goes for the springboard huracarana but Chavo does not grab him but does go down and he is pinned.

*** It is Rey as he takes off his suit. Non-title. The finish was a bit muffed but it still worked.

Chavo charges him, misses and eats a Bronco Buster.

Here comes Team Canada. Storm wants to be serious. Flair will still be CEO. After the PPV Storm will the first Canadian Commissioner. Cat comes up on the screen and mocks him then makes a match between Storm and the tag champs.

Match 5: Lance Storm and Mike Awesome v. Palumbo and O’Haire (c)

Non-title.

Awesome and Haire chop each other up with neither budging. Awesome knees and punches him but has his whip reversed. Awesome catches and T Bones him. Haire is clotheslined to the floor and then Awesome flies over the ropes, crashes into Haire. Palumbo spring kicks him, and so Storm missile kicks him. They go at it. But Haire gets the blind tag and he levels Storm with a clothesline. Haire pounds on him and Palumbo helps out with a doubleteam. They arm bar plant him right into the mat. Storm is battered for a bit but he comes back and tags in Awesome who flies in, and drops Palumbo. Haire is in and he takes him down and stomps him, but Awesome comes back and crushes him with the Frog Splash. Palumbo makes the save but is knocked to the floor. Haire misses the heel kick, and he is suplexed. Palumbo runs in and nails Awesome. Storm kicks his head off and then Haire kicks his head off. Storm gets his yes raked, and Awesome is accidentally put in the Maple Leaf, and Skipper yells at him, so he relinquishes the hold but is clotheslined over the top rope. Awesome is finished off.

**1/2 Not bad. Both needed a win but they looked strong.

Stasiak and Jindrak are grumpy about their lucky win tin the back but they claim they are better.

Match 6: Buff Bagwell v. Brian Adams

Adams takes it to him and hammers away. He press slams him to the floor and heads out after him. After some more pounding he rolls him back in but is greeted with stomps and punches. Chinlock and Adams frees himself but is put right back in. Adams is in and they clothesline each other. Luger comes down but is intercepted by Clark who supposed to be injured. He mauls Luger but Animal puts an end to that. Adams gets two and then hits the Full Nelson powerbomb. But the bell rings. The ref points at his watch….This was ten minutes? This had a time limit? The faces get pummeled.

*1/2 What just happened?

Flair tells Steiner that there is no interference. Steiner just flexes and Flair cackles.

Adams is not happy and wants to face Luger on Thunder.

Match 7: Kevin Nash and Mystery Partner v. Scott Steiner (c) for WCW Title

Rick Steiner is the mystery partner. SWERVE.

Takes forever to get started but Scotty assaults his brother. Rick blocks the belly to belly and spikes Scotty. They fight to the floor with Rick dominating. Back in the ring here comes Nash after Rick was nailed. Scotty begs off, but is sandwiched. Steiner nuts him, and then drops the elbow. he does some push ups. He spits on his brother and then pulls back on the arms of Nash. Nash comes back but is clubbed and given a backbreaker. Steiner gets a near fall. Scotty goes off the ropes and into Rick, and Nash slams Scotty but cannot follow up but finally does and snakeyes him in the corner and takes off his head with the big boot. Rick cheers him on and Scotty is powerbombed. Nash covers him and at two Rick clobbers him and Scotty recovers quickly and covers him.

*1/2 Not a terrible main event. But obvious.

They beat his ass and start to leave. Nash has the mic and wants some more. They turn back but DDP is at the top of the ramp and he too wants a piece of them and charges down with a chair, and we fade….

*** Close to a half star less but the show was not that bad. But then again not that great. Steiner is a great heel, and came off after three matches nearly losing two. But you have to keep the faces strong too. The swerve was way too obvious and I am not sure why Rick won the US belt maybe to have both brothers have a belt. Buff and Lex just are not entertaining. Lex has not been for about two years now. Buff as well. Flair recovered from his beating quite well…And the ending to the Adams v. Buff match was just a clusterfuck that made little sense as there was no way that was ten minutes. And it if was then Jesus, don’t make that match that long ever again. But the show was fairly fast paced and the PPV was set up with a couple more matches. And it had a fast start and solid finish despite the swerve. So, while it was by the numbers it did the job.