Category: Wrestling PPV Musings

WARNING: The following post contains mentions of Chris Benoit. Discretion is advised.

WCW Souled Out 2000 opens with the typical WCW signature video that had opened many WCW programs since mid-1999 and from there, instead of an opening video montage detailing the card for the program, we go straight to the arena shot and pyro, where announcer Tony Schiavone welcomes us to the first WCW Pay-Per-View event of the 21st century. And we begin with about five minutes worth of recaps. This is the sign of a program that has been rewritten (almost literally) at the last second, which might be the norm for WCW, but the reasons here are far more grave than the typical excuse of nobody having a clue as to what the show’s about.

The original card for Souled Out was to feature Bret Hart defending the WCW World Heavyweight title against Sid Vicious and Jeff Jarrett defending the US title against Chris Benoit. Of course, with Bret suffering from a concussion that would end his wrestling career and Jarrett also saddled with injuries that forced him out of action for the short term, WCW was forced at the last second to rebook the top of the card. And that’s how we ended up with the main event of Sid vs. Benoit for the vacant World title.

Going into this viewing, I had not seen the PPV in years; more than likely since its original airing back in 2000. However, one thing I remember was that in the weekend of the show, I’d watch the PPV preview channel and I’d distinctly recall a card that would pop up and announce that Bret Hart would not compete and the main event was going to be Sid vs. Benoit for the World title. Whether that was a WCW thing or a Viewer’s Choice thing, I thought that was a cool bit for them to update the card so that fans would not have false expectations. It is generally a rule of thumb to not mention these things until the show is taking place. So, this forward thinking is actually a surprising gesture. Whether it’d helped or hurt the buyrate… I’m probably the wrong guy to ask about that.

Anyway… on with the show… as it were…

Continue reading “WCW Souled Out 2000 – The Exodus”

So here’s the other WCW PPV show that I still have from the “old” days of VHS to DVD conversions; the 1999 iteration of the Bash At The Beach. My memory of the event is a bit fuzzy; the only thing I recall is that one of the matches took place in a junkyard… well, sounds like a good place for a WCW event in 1999, amirite?

Why am I writing “amirite” now?

Bash At The Beach was known for many things in its short history; it’s the event where Hulk Hogan would beat Ric Flair for the WCW World Title in his first WCW match. It’s the event where Hogan would turn heel and planted the seeds for the birth of the nWo. It’s the event where Vince Russo would cut his scathing promo on Hogan that planted the seeds for a lawsuit. It’s the event where… where a bunch of guy would fight in a junkyard in a hardcore invitation match for a crappy trophy.

Because, sure… why not?

Continue reading “WCW Bash At The Beach 1999”

San Francisco, CA – Feb. 22, 1998

I’ve got this on VHS, so I’m fairly certain this is the most complete version I’ll be watching unless there’s one floating around online that I’m unaware of. In any case, this is two months after Starrcade where Sting and Hogan locked horns in a clusterfuck of a match and Sting won the big one in dubious fashion… except he didn’t because shortly after, the World title was held up and so this show is where the rematch is taking place… everyone got that?

Yeah, me neither.

Continue reading “WCW Superbrawl VIII”

On tap for the Network, it’s a WCW Pay-Per-View from 1995. Superbrawl V… wait a minute. A WCW Pay-Per-View from 1995? That could only mean… oh no.

For those with no context to what I’m talking about, Hulk Hogan signed with WCW in 1994 and in his very first WCW match, beat Ric Flair for the WCW World Title. He’d continue to feud with Flair for a couple months before the Nature Boy was “retired” for a couple months. By the time we got to Starrcade, Hulk Hogan was defending the World Title against his BFF, Ed Leslie… it went over about as well as you’d expect.

Superbrawl V sounds promising, though. Hogan’s going up against Big Van Vader, the big guy who tore off Cactus Jack’s ear, the guy who dominated WCW for the better part of 1993, the guy who had been involved with an awesome feud. Surely, WCW couldn’t possibly fuck this up, could they?

Well, WCW isn’t around anymore… are they?

Continue reading “WCW Superbrawl V (1995)”

Quick Note: The following musing was written prior to the whole Hulk Hogan racial controversy, so don’t expect anything touching that particular subject. Believe me, there are a lot of other ugly aspects to Hogan as a human being that we can spotlight instead.

From December 1994, the 11th edition of WCW’s “Granddaddy of Them All” features Hulk Hogan defending his WCW World Heavyweight Championship against the Butcher! The Butcher is perhaps best known as Brutus Beefcake in WWF and also for being Hogan’s BFF. Thanks to the WWE Network, I am getting to watch this show in its entirely for the first time. I’ve heard of this show, I’ve read about this show, and now I get to watch this show…

And instantly regret it.

Continue reading “WCW Starrcade 1994”

The 1991 edition of the Great American Bash is often summed up with three words: WE. WANT. FLAIR.

The first WCW Pay-Per-View event to follow Ric Flair’s unceremonious dismissal from World Championship Wrestling, GAB ’91 is often referred to as the Flair Protest Show, where the crowd would piss on the entire event, especially the one match for the vacant World Title. While I’ve certainly heard of this show, I’ve obviously never seen it due to not having followed WCW (or any wrestling, for that matter) in the early-1990s.

Thanks to the magic of WWE Network, I am able to finally catch this once mythical pay-per-view event… and undoubtedly regret doing so… but hey, it’s one more show off the bucket list, I suppose.

Continue reading “WCW Great American Bash 1991”