WCW 2001: From the Ashes

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW vs WWF

Show Rating: Nitro 90, Raw 79

TV Rating: Raw 2.94, Nitro 2.19

Main Event: Nitro 92, Raw 80

Raw Main Event: Warrior def. Triple H for the Intercontinental title and begins his third reign as champion

Part of Raw’s lower rating can be attributed to it being held in Puerto Rico. Still, a big night for WCW as we try to stay respectable going into the last month of 2001 and heading into 2002 with some new faces on the horizon. With the end of November comes the month in review with the most important show in years in Starrcade 2001 around the corner.

[CrossroadsReb]

End of month review, November 2001, Part 1

Finances
Cash at end of Nov 2001…$3,249,891
Cash at end of Oct…$2,632,722
Increase of $617,169

Although we were in the Southeast for most of the month of November, there was still an increase in ticket sales by just over $7,000 to $888,798. Our merchandise sales increased to $1,357,805 in November, a $151,000 increase, which helped offset our PPV revenue decrease of $160,000. In addition, the $120,000 we were paying monthly to show Nitro on ESPN2 through the end of October is now gone.

With our shows back in our home region of the Southwest, I look for December to be our best month financially since the reboot with Starrcade 2001 likely to be the most important WCW PPV in years.


Popularity
Southwest 71…previous 70

Southeast 69…previous 67

Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, Mid South, and Tri-State 61…previous 59

Midwest, New England, Northwest 60…previous 58

Puerto Rico 57…previous 56

Hawaii 55…previous 54


Figurehead
I have named Goldberg as the figurehead of WCW. It will take a few months to fully establish himself in the role. The figurehead is seen as the face of the company. He also has all the essential ingredients that a successful company figurehead would require and isn’t in danger of being overshadowed by anyone else.

[CrossroadsReb]

Roster Perceptions
Major Stars
Booker T
Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg
Kevin Nash
Ric Flair
Rob Van Dam
Scott Steiner
Sting
Movers: None

Stars
Dustin Rhodes
Lance Storm
Mike Awesome
Rey Mysterio Jr
Sean O’Haire
Movers: Jeff Jarrett, The Total Package (out)

Well Known
Buff Bagwell
Chavo Guerrero Jr
Chuck Palumbo
Ernest Miller
Kanyon
Konnan
Rick Steiner
Shane Douglas
The Total Package
Vampiro
Movers: Jeff Jarrett, The Package, Chavo Guerrero (in); Bam Bam Bigelow, Billy Kidman (out)

Recognizable
Alex Wright
Bam Bam Bigelow
Billy Kidman
Hugh Morrus
Kaz Hayashi
Mark Jindrak
Mike Sanders
Norman Smiley
Shane Helms
Shawn Stasiak
Movers: Bam Bam Bigelow, Billy Kidman (in)

Unimportant
Air Paris
Big Vito
Chris Harris
Elix Skipper
Evan Karagias
James Storm
Jamie Knoble
Jason Jett
Johnny Swinger
Johnny the Bull
Kwee Wee
Lash Leroux
Reno
Shannon Moore
The Sandman
Yang
Movers: None



WCW Title Roll Call

WCW World Heavyweight – Sting, 7X champion, held since Week 1, Nov 2001
85 prestige (no change), #41 in world singles prestige (-3 in November)

WCW World Tag Team – Team Canada, 2x champion, held since Week 4, September 2001
69 prestige (no change), #15 in world tag prestige (+3 in November)

WCW United States – Booker T, 2x champion, held since Week 4, October 2001
68 prestige (no change), #99 in world singles (+4 in November)

WCW Cruiserweight – Billy Kidman, 4x champion, won Week 4, September 2001
44 prestige (no change), #134 in world singles prestige (no change in November)

WCW World Television – Vampiro, 1X champion, won Week 1, November 2001
32 prestige (+2 in November), #160 in world singles prestige (+1 in November)

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Nitro
Monday, Week 1, December 2001
Reno, Nevada
Attendance: 8,542

–A backstage camera catches a vicious assault on Goldberg by Scott Steiner as the show begins. Steiner then places Goldberg in the Steiner Recliner as backstage personnel rush to Goldberg’s aid. (75)

–The announcers are shocked by Steiner’s assault as they run through the night’s card with Vampiro defending his TV title and Booker T defending the United States title. They also hype the six-man main event tag match featuring Goldberg, Sting, and RVD facing off against Double J, Scott Steiner, and Ric Flair. (78)

–Rick Steiner def. Dustin Rhodes by pinfall in 11:44 after Shane Douglas distracted Rhodes for most of the match. (76) After the match, Rhodes is livid as Douglas takes a mic and insults the Rhodes family. (73)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Vampiro def. Yang by pinfall in 8:35 following the Nail in the Coffin. (65) After the match, Chuck Palumbo comes to Yang’s rescue as Vampiro landed two more Nail in the Coffins on a steel chair before escaping the ring. (68) Vampiro makes his 5th defence of the World TV Title.

–Backstage, an attack is seen in progress as Scott Steiner is pummeling Sting. Steiner ends the beatdown with a Steiner Recliner on Sting as DDP runs Steiner off with a baseball bat. (78)

–Kevin Nash and Sean O’Haire def. Shane Douglas and The Total Package after O’Haire’s Jackknife Powerbomb on Douglas. (76) During the match, as O’Haire was preparing for a Seanton bomb, Nash stopped him and asked for the Jackknife, with O’Haire reluctantly obliging. After the match, Dustin Rhodes attacked both Shane Douglas and The Total Package with Unnatural Kicks. (79)

–Booker T makes his way to the ring for a promo with the United States title belt over his shoulder. As he is talking to the crowd, Ric Flair steps out and tells Booker that since Sting and Goldberg are fighting for the world title at Starrcade, he is challenging Booker to put up the United States title at ‘his’ event. Flair tells him he may not even make it to Starrcade as champion if he doesn’t beat Kanyon tonight. (82) Booker accepts the challenge and tells Flair that Space Mountain will be shut down at Starrcade as Flair goes ballistic in the ring. (87)

–Diamond Dallas Page def. Shawn Stasiak in 10:07 by pinfall following a Fireman’s Carry into the Diamond Cutter. (78)

–Backstage, Scott Steiner is with Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett in their dressing room. Steiner tells them he will find a way to get into the world title match at Starrcade. Flair smiles and closes the door in front of the camera. (88)

–Chavo Guerrero is backstage with Mean Gene as he taunts Billy Kidman after the fire extinguisher attack last week. Gene tells Chavo that Kidman will return next Monday as Chavo blows him off. (61)

WCW United States Title Match
–Booker T def. Kanyon in 13:28 by pinfall following Ric Flair’s botched interference on Kanyon. (79) After the match, Jeff Jarrett came down with his guitar and accidentally blasted Flair when Booker moved out of the way. (81)

–An irritated Sting and Goldberg are backstage with Rob Van Dam as they talk about the main event six-man tag match versus Steiner, Flair, and Jarrett. Sting tells Goldberg and RVD that Steiner will do what he can to get into the main event at Starrcade and implores them to watch their backs in the coming weeks. (83)

–A video montage hyping past historic Starrcades is shown and concludes with Scott Steiner’s world title defense last year at Starrcade 2000. (70)

–Goldberg, Rob Van Dam, and Sting def. Jeff Jarrett, Ric Flair, and Scott Steiner in 17:18 by pinfall following RVD's Five Star Splash on Flair. (87) After the match, a shoving match ensues between Flair and Jarrett with Scott Steiner frustratingly trying to calm them both down. (88)

Show Rating: 86
TV Rating: 2.13 (1,598,984 viewers)

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW vs WWF

Show Rating: Nitro 85, Raw 82

TV Rating: Raw 2.99, Nitro 2.13

Main Event Rating: Nitro 87, Raw 81

Raw Main Event: The Rock def. Billy Gunn in an 81 rated match. The order of matches hurt Raw this week as Eddie Guerrero def. Saturn in the previous match and it was graded at 88.


Weekly News and Notes
–The WWF suffered a setback this week as Smackdown lost its slot on Italia 1 after a string of subpar shows. Vince McMahon is said to be looking at ‘damage limitation’ to avoid his company from appearing weak to the public.

–The dirt sheets are saying that Eric Bischoff is being very aggressive in pursuing one of the WWF’s ‘Superstars’ whose contract is expiring. The WCW hierarchy is staying tight-lipped on the talks but an anonymous source says the talks are progressing very well. In a separate story, many online ‘experts’ are also saying another Superstar has asked out of his contract with the WWF but no reason was given as to why.

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Nitro
Tuesday, Week 2, December 2001
West Valley City, Utah
Attendance: 9,064

–The show opens with Scott Steiner in the ring arguing with Bret Hart. Steiner says he belongs in the main event at Starrcade while Commissioner Hart tells him the match is set between Goldberg and Sting as Steiner threatens Hart. (88) The two keep arguing up the aisle before Steiner decks Bret and places him in the Steiner Recliner for a few seconds as backstage officials quickly intervene. (86)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Vampiro def. Alex Wright in 8:58 by pinfall following the Nail in the Coffin. (65) After the match, Chuck Palumbo walks toward the ring while Vampiro scoots warily out of the ring. (68)

–A backstage camera catches Kevin Nash and Sean O’Haire backstage with Nash telling O’Haire to loosen up and have fun. O’Haire stares at Nash, nods, and slowly walks away with Nash shaking his head. (90)

–Sting comes to the ring and hypes his Starrcade world title match when he is interrupted by Commissioner Bret Hart, who also calls out Goldberg and Scott Steiner. (86) Hart tells Scott that he could easily suspend him for his attack earlier in the show, much less the attacks on Sting and Goldberg last week, but since he wants to be in the Starrcade main event so bad, he will earn it tonight. (87) Bret goes on to tell Scott that if he wins his match tonight, he will join Sting and Goldberg in the main event in San Jose to which Steiner approves. Hart then tells Steiner his opponents will be Shane Douglas, The Total Package, Jeff Jarrett, and Ric Flair under elimination rules and no disqualification with the winner going to the Starrcade main event while the two guest referees tonight are Sting and Goldberg. (94) As Steiner appears to walk aggressively toward Bret, Sting pulls out his baseball bat as Steiner retreats. (93)

–A backstage camera shows the shock on the faces of Douglas, Luger, Jarrett, and Flair with Flair telling the other three that this means friendships are out of the window when the world title is in play and that one of them can challenge for Booker T’s US title after he wins the match tonight as they look on irritated by Flair’s comments. (85)

–Chuck Palumbo def. Mike Sanders in 8:13 by pinfall following the Backbreaker. (62) After the match, Vampiro hit the ring with a chair and planted Palumbo with the Nail in the Coffin. (68)

–Booker T comes down to the ring and hypes his reign as United States champion when he is interrupted by Ric Flair. Flair says that either way, he will be wrestling for a belt and walking out with one at his event in San Jose. (86)

–Shane Helms def. Evan Karagias in 8:32 by pinfall following the Vertebreaker. (62)

–Buff Bagwell is seen backstage asking Commissioner Hart for a match with Goldberg. Hart looks confused at the request and says he can have it if he wants. (83)

–Kidman makes his way out to the ring with Mean Gene close behind. He says he is tired of Chavo Guerrero, his underhanded tactics, and the sneak attacks. Kidman challenges Chavo to a no holds barred match at Starrcade with falls counting anywhere for the cruiserweight title on the line. (57) Chavo steps out and accepts the challenge and warns Kidman to be careful what he asks for. (64)

–Konnan comes to the ring and taunts Kanyon, mostly in Spanish. Kanyon emerges from the crowd and blindsides Konnan with a chair. He then DDT’s a helpless Konnan onto the chair and takes a mic, berating an unconscious Konnan about talking smack when he hasn’t been seen the last three weeks. (71)

–The WCW World Tag Team champions, Team Canada, make their way out in Canadian hockey uniforms as Lance Storm takes a mic and hypes their world tag team title match later in the show. Storm also taunts the West Valley, Utah, crowd as he predicts Canada to easily win hockey gold at the upcoming Winter Olympics. Storm says the only thing that will underperform more than the US hockey team will be Nash and O’Haire trying to win the world tag team titles at Starrcade. (71) Storm also reiterates his comments on Nash by telling Sean O’Haire to watch his back because Nash can’t be trusted to be there when you need him. (70)

–Goldberg def. Buff Bagwell in 9:39 by pinfall following the Spear and Jackhammer. (87) After the match, Buff is seen slamming the mat with his hands in anger.

–A backstage camera catches Dustin Rhodes angrily busting through the locker room door to attack Shane Douglas as Rick Steiner and The Total Package help Douglas beat down Rhodes. (59)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match
–Team Canada def. The Sandman and Bam Bam Bigelow in 10:03 when Mike Awesome pinned The Sandman after an Awesome Bomb. (74) Team Canada makes their 3rd defence of the world tag team titles.

–Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio are backstage with Mean Gene as Gene asks them about their plans for Starrcade. They both say they want any member of Steiner’s group of thugs. (95) Scott Steiner steps into the screen and reminds them that neither one of them will be fighting for any belt at Starrcade and that he will win tonight and take home the world title in three weeks. (100)

Winner advances to the main event at Starrcade, Elimination Rules with No DQ
–Scott Steiner def. Jeff Jarrett, Ric Flair, Shane Douglas, and The Total Package in 22:28 when Steiner pinned Flair following a Book End by Booker T on Flair. (86) The order of elimination was Shane Douglas, who was counted out when he and Dustin Rhodes brawled up the aisle and to the backstage area; The Total Package when he was pinned by Flair following interference by Rey Mysterio and a low blow by Flair; Jeff Jarrett when he was pinned by Flair following an RVD Five Star Splash; and Ric Flair when he was pinned by Steiner. Scott Steiner advances to the main event at Starrcade.

–After the match, Steiner attempted to attack Sting with a chair but was cut off by a spear from Goldberg. (96)

Show Rating: 87
TV Rating: 2.18 (1,640,465 viewers)

WCW vs WWF
Show Rating: Nitro 87, Raw 85

TV Rating: Raw 3.10, Nitro 2.18

Main Event Rating: Raw 91, Nitro 86

Raw Main Event: The Undertaker and Kane def. Hulk Hogan and Triple H

--I get word in the Monday news that Diamond Dallas Page suffered a knee injury in a freak accident at home and will be out for one month, hence why he was not on the card tonight. He will be on the sidelines for Starrcade.

[Chas in Cinti]

Glad to see this make a return

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Nitro
Monday, Week 3, December 2001
Tempe, Arizona
Attendance: 9,104

–Scott Steiner comes to the ring to start the show and takes a mic. He says he had no doubt that he would be in the main event at Starrcade and that he knew Bret Hart would put him through hell to get there. He ends the promo by saying it is just a matter of time before the world title is back around his waist. (86) Commissioner Bret Hart steps out and congratulates him on his victory last week and tells him he will be facing Bam Bam Bigelow later in the show and he can go ahead and prepare for next week’s Nitro main event as he will be teaming with Goldberg to face the team of Sting and Rob Van Dam as Steiner glares at Bret. (88)

–Chavo Guerrero Jr def. Air Paris in 9:24 by pinfall following a Gory Bomb. (63) Chavo looks into a ringside camera after the match and says that he will do whatever it takes to get the cruiserweight title back around his waist. Chavo tells Kidman he will end his career in 13 days at Starrcade. (68)

–Lance Storm and Mike Awesome are in the backstage area with Mean Gene as Storm says that his technical skill and Awesome’s power will be too much for Nash and O’Haire, that is if Nash doesn’t stab his partner in the back first. (69)

–The sound of a crow sends the crowd into a frenzy as Sting comes to the ring. He hypes his world title reign and the upcoming triple threat match at Starrcade versus Goldberg and Steiner. (83)

–Mean Gene is backstage with Ric Flair as he hypes his tag team match with Jeff Jarrett in the main event tonight against Booker T and RVD when The Total Package comes into the picture. He tells Flair that he didn’t appreciate the low blow last week to help get the pin and he really hated it when Steiner pinned him for the win. Flair retorts that he told them when the world title is in play, friendships are out the window as he walks off and Luger clinches his fists. (85)

–Chuck Palumbo def. Kanyon in 9:08 by pinfall after Konnan, who was ringside during the match, threw salt in Kanyon’s face as referee Charles Robinson was checking on Palumbo. (72) Konnan takes a mic after the match and challenges Kanyon to match at Starrcade. (68)

–Rick Steiner and The Total Package def. Ernest Miller and Norman Smiley in 10:44 by submission after Miller succumbed to The Rack. (73)

–Shane Douglas is backstage with Mean Gene for a promo as Dustin Rhodes walks into the picture. Dustin tells Douglas that he has made it personal and he will take it out on him at Starrcade and on Buff Bagwell in the next match. Douglas warns Dustin he may not make it to Starrcade. (75)

–Dustin Rhodes def. Buff Bagwell in 12:21 by pinfall following a Lonestar State of Mind. (74) As Buff is heading back up the aisle with hands on his hips, a camera catches him mumbling something to himself. (71) Meanwhile, Shane Douglas hits the ring as an all-out brawl takes place, spilling into the crowd as they disappear to the backstage area. (78)

–Kevin Nash and Sean O’Haire come to the ring and hype their world tag team title challenge versus Team Canada at Starrcade. Nash says the mind games against his tag team partner will not work and they will walk out with the tag title belts. (83)

–Scott Steiner def. Bam Bam Bigelow in 9:44 by submission following the Steiner Recliner. (84) As Steiner refuses to let go of the hold, Goldberg hits the ring while Steiner retreats. Goldberg takes a mic and tells him with a smile that he can’t wait to be his tag team partner next week. (82)

–Booker T and Rob Van Dam are seen backstage preparing for the main event tag match versus Flair and Jarrett while in another part of the arena, Jarrett and Flair are seen talking to each other in their dressing room. (89)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Rey Mysterio Jr def. Vampiro in 12:18 by DQ when The Total Package ran in and attacked Rey, placing him in The Rack. (84) After Luger released Rey, Vampiro nailed a Nail in the Coffin on Rey. (83) The title does not change hands on a disqualification.

–Styles, Lawler, and Heenan hype Starrcade in San Jose, California and emphasize the Triple Threat world title match and Booker T’s US title match versus Ric Flair. (70)

–Booker T and Rob Van Dam fought to a double countout with Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett in 13:14 after the action spilled outside the ring. (87)

–A backstage camera catches Sting and Scott Steiner brawling with Goldberg coming in with a double spear as the show ends. (76)

Show Rating: 86
TV Rating: 2.19 (1,643,507 viewers)

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW vs WWF

Show Rating: Nitro 87, Raw 82

Main Event Rating: Nitro 87, Raw 86

Raw Main Event: Two Man Power Trip def. Double Life (Al Snow and Test) in a cage match to retain the WWF World Tag Team titles


News and Notes
–Dean Malenko def. Jerry Lynn on the most recent Raw to win the WWF Light Heavyweight title in a 71 rated match.

–ITV1 in Britain has released new listings that show that Raw will now be moving to a late night time slot. The change is said to have come about after ITV1 officials had become concerned with the quality of recent shows.

–The WWF held Armageddon in Boston and is receiving excellent reviews. The show rated an 88 and featured The Undertaker def. Chris Jericho and Shane McMahon to retain the WWF Championship in a 91 graded match while The Rock and Kane def. Two Man Power Trip in the match before that was graded at 94.

–In the most newsworthy event this week, The Undertaker def. Stone Cold Steve Austin on Smackdown in Louisville, Kentucky, to win the WWF Championship for the 4th time. The match was rated a 99.

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Nitro
Monday, Week 4, December 2001
Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 9,420

–Sting comes out with the world title over his shoulders as he hypes the Starrcade triple threat match versus Goldberg and Scott Steiner. He also hypes his tag team match with RVD against Goldberg and Steiner, telling Steiner he is in real trouble tonight. (85)

–Dustin Rhodes def. Mark Jindrak in 9:42 by pinfall following the Lonestar State of Mind. (66) After the match, Rhodes takes a mic and says Shane Douglas has made it personal and he will pay for it in six days in San Jose. (73)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Vampiro def. The Sandman in 8:01 by pinfall following the Nail in the Coffin. (68) Vampiro makes his 8th defence of the TV title. The announcers hype Vampiro’s TV title defence versus Chuck Palumbo at Starrcade. (70)

–Backstage, Mean Gene is able to catch up with Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Sean O’Haire with their thoughts on the six-man tag match later versus Ric Flair and Team Canada. Booker said he has worked too hard to lose the US title to ‘that chump’ Flair. Nash hypes their world tag team title match at Starrcade while O’Haire looks disinterested in what Nash is saying. (82)

–The camera comes back to Rey Mysterio Jr in the ring talking about his matchup later in the show versus Shane Douglas and his upcoming Starrcade match against The Total Package, who interrupts his promo and says that Rey can’t match up physically and warns him that he will be screaming in pain when he is racked. (68)

–Chavo Guerrero Jr. def. Kaz Hayashi in 9:06 by pinfall following the Gory Splash. (72) Following the match, Kidman hits the ring and decks Chavo with the cruiserweight title belt and eventually hitting the Shooting Star on a lifeless Chavo. (74)

–Ric Flair and Team Canada are backstage with Mean Gene for a promo on the upcoming six-man tag match. Flair promises a victory at Starrcade and adds that Booker T is good but he comes nowhere close to the Nature Boy. Lance Storm reiterates Kevin Nash’s lack of loyalty while telling Sean O’Haire to get out of that tag team before Nash starts taking all of the credit for their success. (75)

–Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Sean O’Haire def. Ric Flair and Team Canada in 13:32 by pinfall after a Book End on Storm. (83) After the match and without mics in the ring, Nash appears to be motivating O’Haire while O’Haire can’t make eye contact with Nash. Booker steps in to cool both down as O’Haire walks back up the aisle separately from Booker and Nash. (88)

–As Goldberg is making his way out to the ring for a promo, Scott Steiner steps out from the backstage area with a mic and warns Goldberg not to try any funny business in the main event tag team match. Goldberg says that Steiner and Sting will be speared Sunday night at Starrcade and he will walk out as the world champion. (78)

–Rey Mysterio Jr and Shane Douglas fought to a double count out in 11:39 following interference from both The Total Package and Dustin Rhodes. (70)

–Jeff Jarrett is backstage with Ric Flair as they discuss their Starrcade matches. Jarrett says that Rob Van Dam is a thorn in his side as he picks his guitar up. Flair says it has been a while since he has held gold in WCW and it will change after he beats Booker T. (79)

–A video montage is shown of the participants in each of the five title matches with the announcers running through the non-title matches before the main event. They emphasize that after Konnan’s fireball attack last week, Kanyon was still recovering from his injuries. (73)

–Goldberg and Scott Steiner drew with Sting and Rob Van Dam in 16:12 when referee Nick Patrick lost control and stopped the match. (81) After the match, Sting performed Scorpion Deathdrops on both Goldberg and Scott Steiner as he stood alone in the ring raising the world title. (84)

Show Rating: 81
TV Rating: 2.10 (1,581,388 viewers)

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW vs WWF

Show Rating: Raw 85, Nitro 81

TV Rating: Raw 3.01, Nitro 2.10

Main Event Rating: Raw 88, Nitro 81

Raw Main Event: The Undertaker and The Rock def. Hulk Hogan and Perry Saturn


–I get three messages after the show from Booker, Flair, and Sting telling me that I need to address Bam Bam Bigelow’s lack of selling. In a related note, Bigelow was shown to be a hard drug user. I chose to fine him with Shane Douglas happy with that decision. Bigelow could be on the chopping block with the next incident. No other major news in the wrestling world this last week of December.

–Not the show rating I was expecting heading into Starrcade but it looks like both Raw and Nitro dipped a little from last week. I will post the Starrcade card and then on to the biggest WCW show of the Big Bang Era. After Starrcade turns the page for us from 2001 to 2002, a rather lengthy review of the promotion and the wrestling world will be posted.

[CrossroadsReb]

Card for WCW Starrcade 2001 in San Jose, California

WCW World Heavyweight Title, Triple Threat Match
Sting (c) vs Goldberg vs Scott Steiner

WCW United States Championship
Booker T (c) vs Ric Flair

WCW World Tag Team Titles
Team Canada (c) vs Kevin Nash and Sean O’Haire

WCW Cruiserweight Title, Anything Goes and Falls Count Anywhere Match
Billy Kidman (c) vs Chavo Guerrero

WCW World TV Title
Vampiro (c) vs Chuck Palumbo

Jeff Jarrett vs Rob Van Dam

Rey Mysterio Jr vs The Total Package

Dustin Rhodes vs Shane Douglas

Kanyon vs Konnan

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Starrcade 2001
Sunday, Week 4, December 2001
San Jose, California
Attendance: 18,300

–Starrcade opens with a video montage of past Starrcades including Goldberg’s win over The Total Package last year, Sting’s title win over Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade 1997, and Scott Steiner’s title victory at Starrcade 2000. (84)

–Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, and The Brain go through the card with each giving their thoughts on the title matches with the group split on the triple threat match for the world title match with Styles picking Sting, Lawler picking Steiner, and The Brain picking Goldberg. (83)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Chuck Palumbo def. Vampiro in 10:02 by pinfall following the Backbreaker. (74) Palumbo wins the TV title for the first time.

–Backstage, Mean Gene is with a spirited Nature Boy, who promises to end Booker T’s United States title reign and that Space Mountain will be open all night in San Jose. (83)

–Kanyon def. Konnan in 11:25 by pinfall following a Kanyon Cutter. (76) After the match, Kanyon continued to beat down Konnan and ended with a front chokehold until Konnan went unconscious. (75)

–Kevin Nash is alone backstage when Sean O’Haire approaches and says his mind hasn’t been right lately. He extends his hand to Nash and says it is time to win the world tag team titles tonight. (81)

–Rey Mysterio Jr def. The Total Package in 9:40 by pinfall following a tornado DDT on a chair that had been brought into the ring by Luger. (82)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match
–Team Canada def. Kevin Nash and Sean O’Haire in 14:53 when Lance Storm pinned Nash. (85) During the match and with Nash out on the floor and O’Haire desperately needing a tag, Storm screamed to O’Haire that he told him that Nash would not be there when he needed him. O’Haire then snapped on Nash, running him into the ringpost outside and throwing him into the ring. There, O’Haire delivered a Seanton Bomb followed by a Jackknife Powerbomb and afterwards telling Team Canada to cover him as he walked out of the ring. His heel turn is now complete and was a complete success. Team Canada makes their 4th defence of the world tag team titles.

–A camera catches Booker T stretching and preparing himself for his United States title defence against Ric Flair. (81)

–Shane Douglas def. Dustin Rhodes in 10:41 by flash pinfall following Douglas using the ring ropes for leverage on the pin. (80) After the match, Douglas turns and laughs uncontrollably while pointing at Rhodes, who is sitting in the ring glaring at Douglas. (75)

–Mean Gene catches up with Sean O’Haire backstage and asks him what in the world he was thinking in the world tag team title match by turning on Nash. O’Haire feigns like he will punch Mean Gene but backs off and walks away, exiting the arena. (78)

WCW World Cruiserweight Title Match, Anything Goes and Falls Count Anywhere
–Chavo Guerrero Jr def. Billy Kidman in 12:50 by pinfall following a Gory Splash off the specially built event stage onto Kidman, who was lying on a table. (80) Both wrestlers are a bloody mess as they are assisted to the backstage area following the match. Chavo wins the cruiserweight title for the 4th time.

–A video promo is shown hyping the upcoming match between Jeff Jarrett and Rob Van Dam. (70)

–Rob Van Dam def. Jeff Jarrett in 14:13 by pinfall following the Five Star Splash. (87) After the match, RVD retrieves Double J’s guitar and blasts Jarrett over the head. (82)

–Sting is backstage with Mean Gene as he is prepping for the triple threat world title match shortly. Sting tells the audience the end of Starrcade will be like the last Nitro, with him holding the Big Gold Belt over Goldberg and Steiner. (86)

WCW United States Title Match
–Ric Flair def. Booker T in 16:20 by pinfall following The Total Package’s interference. (89) During the match, Luger came down to the ring and with referee Charles Robinson incapacitated, nailed Booker T with a chair as Flair fell out of the way. The Brain speculates that Luger was aiming for Flair as retribution for the low blow a couple of weeks ago. Flair wins the United States title for the 7th time.

–A final hype video for the world title match is shown…from Scott Steiner’s world title win at the Great American Bash to Sting’s world title win over Steiner on the first Nitro on USA Network to Goldberg’s double spear on Steiner and Sting on Nitro two weeks ago. (90)

WCW World Heavyweight Title Match
–Goldberg def. Scott Steiner and Sting in 19:40 by pinfall after Goldberg’s Spear and Jackhammer on Steiner with Sting not being able to breakup the pin in time. (89) Goldberg wins the WCW World title for the 2nd time. After the match, Sting has his head down in disappointment but shakes hands with Goldberg as Steiner is lying in the middle of the ring. (88)

Show Rating: 89
PPV Rating: 0.95 (476,028 buys)

[CrossroadsReb]

THOUGHTS

–Not a bad night on the biggest PPV of the year and still a solid finish to 2001. I was really wanting to hit the coveted 90 show rating but the event was the highest-rated PPV since the reboot. All in all, WCW has established itself as the clear world #2 after teetering on the brink of extinction just eight months earlier.

–On the singles side, Goldberg enters 2002 as the world champion while Sean O’Haire is setting himself up for a monster singles run. Chavo is the new cruiserweight champion after a brutal Starrcade match versus Kidman. The Nature Boy also holds the United States title with Luger’s intentions being brought into question. There will be several ways I can go for the US title chase. The next few months will also be a time of change as some young talent, perhaps company changers, look to make their own marks on the industry.

–On the tag team side, Team Canada is looking to be one of the best WCW tag teams in recent years. Lance Storm is consistently grading in the high 80’s and low 90’s in each match as Awesome’s success has almost made people forget That 70’s Guy and the Fat Chick Thriller. I will have to come up with some creative ways to build up the tag team division in 2002. I really can't afford to have them return to strictly singles at the moment.

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Month in Review, December 2001

Popularity
Southwest 74…previous 71

Southeast 71…previous 69

Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, Mid South, and Tri-State 64…previous 61

Midwest, New England, Northwest 62…previous 60

Puerto Rico 58…previous 57

Hawaii 56…previous 55


Finances
Cash at end of Dec 2001…$4,092,126
Cash at end of Nov…$3,249,891
Increase of $842,235

*I think my expectations were a bit too high with $5 million being my goal by the end of December. I’ll settle for $4 million.

ROSTER PERCEPTIONS, JANUARY 2002 (AGE AND MONTHLY CONTRACT ADDED)

Major Stars
Booker T, 36 y/o, $142,400
Diamond Dallas Page, 43, $137,500
Goldberg, 35, $91,000
Kevin Nash, 42, $114,000
Mike Awesome, 36, $36,700
Ric Flair, 52, $91,800
Rob Van Dam, 31, $62,000
Scott Steiner, 39, $150,800
Sting, 42, $130,700
MOVERS: Mike Awesome (in)

Stars
Lance Storm, 32, $42,300
Rey Mysterio Jr, 27, $34,300
Sean O’Haire, 30, $57,000
MOVERS: Dustin Rhodes (out), Mike Awesome (out)

Well Known
Buff Bagwell, 31, $29,900
Chavo Guerrero Jr, 31, $12,300
Chuck Palumbo, 30, $17,100
Dustin Rhodes, 32, $21,100
Ernest Miller, 37, $18,400
Jeff Jarrett, 34, $53,300
Kanyon, 31, $23,100
Rick Steiner, 40, $53,500
Shane Douglas, 37, $17,600
The Total Package, 43, $46,000
Vampiro, 34, $14,200
MOVERS: Dustin Rhodes (in); Konnan (out)

Recognisable
Alex Wright, 26, $12,800
Bam Bam Bigelow, 40, $17,700
Billy Kidman, 27, $12,800
Hugh Morrus, 35, $15,300
Konnan, 37, $15,800
Mark Jindrak, 24, $11,900
Mike Sanders, 32, $10,900
Norman Smiley, 36, $17,400
Shane Helms, 27, $9,800
Shawn Stasiak, 31, $11,800
MOVERS: Kaz Hayashi (out)

Unimportant
Air Paris, 24, $2,900
Big Vito, 37, $5,500
Chris Harris, 28, $2,700
Elix Skipper, 34, $6,000
Evan Karagias, 28, $6,000
James Storm, 26, $2,200
Jamie Knoble, 25, $6,000
Jason Jett, 28, $3,100
Johnny Swinger, 26, $3,800
Johnny the Bull, 24, $5,000
Kaz Hayashi, 28, $7,300
Kwee Wee, 30, $6,300
Lash Leroux, 25, $5,700
Reno, 29, $5,000
Shannon Moore, 22, $9,500
The Sandman, 38, $8,000
Yang, 20, $7,300
MOVERS: Kaz Hayashi (in)


Next up will be the 2001 year in review with PPV changes, updated broadcasting deals, the 2001 awards, company rundowns, and the most popular workers in America and the world.

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW TITLES ROLL CALL
WCW World Heavyweight – Goldberg, 2X champion, held since Week 4, Dec 2001
86 prestige (+1 change), #33 in world singles prestige (+8 in December)

WCW World Tag Team – Team Canada, 2x champion, held since Week 4, Sept 2001
69 prestige (no change), #15 in world tag prestige (no change)

WCW United States – Ric Flair, 7x champion, held since Week 4, Dec 2001
69 prestige (+1 change), #87 in world singles (+12 in December)

WCW Cruiserweight – Chavo Guerrero Jr, 4x champion, won Week 4, Dec 2001
45 prestige (+1 change), #134 in world singles prestige (no change in December)

WCW World Television – Chuck Palumbo, 1X champion, won Week 4, Dec 2001
33 prestige (+1 change), #160 in world singles prestige (no change)


CREATIVE
Franchise Players - Goldberg, Sting, Scott Steiner, Ric Flair, Diamond Dallas Page

Talk the Talk - Ric Flair, Sting, Scott Steiner, Diamond Dallas Page, Booker T

Show Stoppers - Rob Van Dam, Scott Steiner, Booker T, Rey Mysterio Jr, Sting

Ring Generals - Ric Flair, Sting, Rey Mysterio Jr, Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett


PAY PER VIEW EVENTS
–On a scheduling note, Sin and Greed will be no more as WCW pay-per-views. January’s new PPV will be Aftermath followed by the traditional SuperBrawl in February and Uncensored returning in March as more of an anything goes type of pay-per-view with varying stipulations and special matches. April will see Spring Stampede after a two year absence and then a special PPV for May, replacing Big Bang. I will throw in a Clash of the Champions somewhere, maybe within the next four months.


NEW BROADCASTING DEALS
–WCW has ended their run on Azteca 7 in Mexico and picked up MVS Multivision. The deal gives us ‘Big’ coverage in all of Mexico compared to our previous ‘Small’ coverage. Our deal with the directional SportsNet networks in Canada also ended their run. We will now broadcast Nitro on TSN2, which will give us ‘Medium’ coverage in all regions of Canada. The new deals consolidate the numerous previous deals to give me five deals to show Nitro in America, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Britain. Of those four regions, WCW will have at least ‘Medium’ coverage with Britain having ‘Small’ coverage.

[CrossroadsReb]

2001 WRESTLING AWARDS

Wrestler of the Year - Stone Cold Steve Austin

Company of the Year - World Wrestling Federation

Team of the Year - Two Man Power Trip

Match of the Year - The Rock and Chris Benoit def. Steve Austin and Scott Hall from Smackdown in October

Show of the Year - WWF No Mercy

Young Wrestler of the Year - Jeff Hardy

Veteran Wrestler of the Year - Hulk Hogan

Female Wrestler of the Year - Manami Toyota

Independent Wrestler of the Year - Manami Toyota

Manager of the Year - Missy Hyatt

Announcer of the Year - Jim Ross

Colour Commentator of the Year - Jerry Lawler

Referee of the Year - Hiroyuki Unno


TEW TOP 20 OF 2001
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
2. Triple H
3. Kane
4. The Rock
5. Kurt Angle
6. The Undertaker
7. Chris Jericho
8. Goldberg
9. Sting
10. Hulk Hogan
11. Ric Flair
12. Eddie Guerrero
13. Scott Steiner
14. Scott Hall
15. Diamond Dallas Page
16. Masahiro Chono
17. Mitsuhara Misawa
18. Booker T
19. Rob Van Dam
20. Lance Storm

Other WCW workers in the Top 100
21. Mike Awesome
33. Kevin Nash
37. Rey Mysterio Jr
53. Jeff Jarrett
59. Rick Steiner
64. Shane Douglas
88. Sean O’Haire


TEW TOP 20 MOST POPULAR, AMERICA
1. The Rock
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin
3. Hulk Hogan
4. Goldberg
5. Scott Steiner
6. Sting
7. Diamond Dallas Page
8. The Undertaker
9. Triple H
10. Booker T
11. Ric Flair
12. Mick Foley
13. Shawn Michaels
14. Chris Jericho
15. Kevin Nash
16. Kurt Angle
17. Scott Hall
18. Kane
19. Chris Benoit
20. The Big Show

[CrossroadsReb]

TOP COMPANIES IN THE WORLD, JANUARY 2002

World Wrestling Federation - $84,819,211; large size
*WWF World Champion - The Undertaker
--The WWF is sitting on the cusp of the largest size in TEW 2020…’Titanic’. They must reach at least 77 popularity in every region of at least five game areas. They have the 77 threshold in America, Canada, and Oceania, and are about 9-12 months away in the British Isles, Japan, and Europe.

World Championship Wrestling - $4,092,126; medium size
*WCW World Champion - Goldberg
--WCW must achieve 77 popularity in at least five mainland American regions to attain ‘Big’ size, which must include the Northwest and Southwest regions. We are currently sitting in the late summer/early fall before that happens.

New Japan Pro Wrestling - $26,270,069; big size
*IWGP Heavyweight Champion - Kazuyuki Fujita
--The good news is that NJPW is easily in ‘Big’ territory. The bad news is achieving ‘Large’ size will be next to impossible in the next two years since going to ‘Large’ requires being at 71 popularity throughout the regions of any other game area. They are sitting at an average of 12 popularity in the other game areas.

All Japan Pro Wrestling - $6,812,422; medium size
*AJPW Triple Crown - Genichiro Tenryu
--AJPW is in a pretty good spot with 72 popularity in all eight regions of Japan. With 77 being the requirement for ‘Big’ size, their shows will have to improve since they have consistently been in the upper 60’s and low 70’s.

Pro Wrestling NOAH - $7,003,661; medium
*GHC Heavyweight Champion - Mitsuharu Misawa
--NOAH will be the best positioned of the three major Japanese promotions to make a big move in 2002. Achieving 77 popularity in five regions should take only a few more months with their shows consistently grading in the low to mid 80’s.

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre - $11,591,188; medium
*CMLL World Champion - Universo 2000
--CMLL should be moving up to ‘Big’ size before the end of January 2002 with a talented roster of luchas. The only thing holding up the oldest wrestling promotion in existence, just like the Japanese promotions, is finding an audience outside of the country’s borders.

For the sake of time and space, I’ll just stay with the most important companies in the world at the moment. The WWF is a juggernaut with their deep coffers and incredibly deep roster, much more talented than the 1998 WCW roster.

Now on to 2002!

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW From the Ashes Update

–I have finally made the jump and converted the TEW 2020 database to a playable TEW IX database to continue the WCW dynasty. There are no major changes to the database aside from updating heights and weights along with correcting the WCW title lineages and dates since Big Bang.

--Of course, there are several additions to the game that add more depth to the gameplay, such as the Booking Team, Inner Circle, and Creative Energy. It will be interesting to see how these new leadership positions affect the relationships within the game, particularly in a WCW locker room. The real world calendar is also a nice touch. I’m sure I will be mentioning others as the dynasty moves along through 2002.


First things first with the appointments of the Booking Team and Inner Circle:

Locker Room Leaders - Sting, DDP, Rick Steiner, Ric Flair, and Booker T…a multitude of workers were happy with this group

Booking Team - Bret Hart and Dusty Rhodes

Senior Referee - Nick Patrick

Head Men’s Trainer - Norman Smiley

Head of Talent Relations - Arn Anderson

Senior Road Agent - Dusty Rhodes

Chief Enforcers - none as of yet; workers like Mike Awesome and Chuck Palumbo are listed as the toughest workers but do not have the necessary respect needed in the locker room and I’m also on the fence on Goldberg since he has only been doing this for four or so years now

Morale Officer - none as of yet but two of the top five mentioned that were fit candidates were Mean Gene and Kevin Nash; I’ll hold off for now

Stooge - no stooge at the moment


With the conversion to TEW IX, Eric Bischoff has given me new goals:
1. WCW must not fall below Medium size at any point (critical importance by the end of 2003)

2. When the time expires, WCW must have improved upon its company ranking of #2 (critical importance by the end of 2003)

3. Sting must be kept above 77 overall popularity in America; he is currently at 85 (high importance through 25 June 2003)

4. DDP must be kept above 77 overall popularity in America; he is currently at 84 (high importance through 25 June 2003)

5. Scott Steiner must be kept above 77 overall popularity in America; he is currently at 85 (high importance through 25 June 2003)

6. I cannot hire or extend the contract of any wrestler who has less than 60 in Athletic Ability (average importance through 24 August 2003)

7. I cannot hire any wrestler who is classed as having a hardcore style (average importance through 27 December 2002

8. I cannot hire any wrestler over the age of 42 (average importance through 22 December 2003)

–There are really no incidents of note except for two involving the WWF and CMLL and the increasing locker room tension in each. It has been reported that workers have been grumbling about the poor backstage atmosphere and that management has taken note of it. The low morale has apparently been an open secret and new measures are expected to be in place soon. Not good news for the top-rated and sixth-rated companies in the world, respectively.

–With the real world calendar now in play, the first Nitro of 2002 is January 7 and the WCW title belt lineages were all updated to show specific title changes and dates since Big Bang. In addition, there were five Mondays in December 2001 and I have updated the lineages to show Starrcade 2001 being held on December 30. The lost Monday in the dynasty is December 31. I will write up a brief summary of major happenings on the lost New Year’s Eve Nitro before heading into the first Nitro of 2002.

–I guess it totally slipped my mind that I had not hired Mickey Jay as another referee. I signed him to a three-year deal. Always liked him. I also signed Paul London and Maven Huffman, who has just entered the game world, and immediately sent them to NWA Wildside.

[CrossroadsReb]

Highlights from the December 31 edition of Nitro from Bakersfield, California

–Goldberg, the newly crowned WCW World champion, came out to start Nitro to a thunderous ovation. Scott Steiner came out toward the end of his promo and told Goldberg their feud will never be over and he needed Sting’s help to win the title. Steiner then challenged Goldberg to a steel cage match next Monday night in Las Vegas, which Goldberg accepted.

–The new United States champion, Ric Flair, called out The Total Package and questioned if he was trying to cost him his match versus Booker T. Luger stared a hole through Flair and told him that everything will soon be square. Booker T then emerged from the crowd and pummeled both Luger and Flair.

–Taka (Taka Michinoku) made his WCW debut, winning easily, as the announcers hyped the cruiserweight’s natural abilities and incredible potential. The crew agreed that Taka could be the face of the WCW cruiserweight division for years to come.

–Lance Storm and Mike Awesome played up their continued dominance of the WCW tag team division, saying that Nash could not keep a tag team partner while DDP and Sting could not take their titles because they were too worried about chasing the world title from Scott Steiner.

–Sting told Mean Gene and the Bakersfield crowd that even though he was on the losing end of the WCW title match at Starrcade, he was not pinned. He went on to say he feels his best years are ahead of him and he is far from being one of those wrestlers who hung around for too long, whether it's being in the world title race or humbling Storm and Awesome.

–Booker continued to torment Luger and Flair backstage so much that Luger took a taxi from the arena while Flair kept eyes in the back of his head the remainder of the show as he was to team with Steiner in the main event.

–Rob Van Dam made it clear he would win gold in 2002, whether it be the United States title, the tag team title, or the world title…no matter who was holding the belt.

–Chuck Palumbo made his first successful defense of the World TV title.

–The main event saw bedlam as Scott Steiner and Ric Flair teamed up against RVD and Booker T. The match dissolved into Jeff Jarrett, Rey Mysterio, Sting, Team Canada, and Goldberg involved in a massive brawl that spilled into the backstage area with Goldberg and Steiner left brawling in the ring as the show went to black.

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Nitro
January 7, 2002
Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 9,327

Pre-Show Dark Match
–Jamie Knoble def. Evan Karagias in 9:04 by pinfall with the Trailer Park Slam. (50)

Pre-Show Dark Match
–Jason Jett def. Shannon Moore in 8:35 by pinfall following the Crash Landing. (44)

–Scott Steiner comes out to start Nitro and hypes his cage match versus Goldberg for the world title in the main event. (83) Goldberg emerges and simply tells Steiner he is next. (84)

–Dustin Rhodes def. Shawn Stasiak in 11:26 by pinfall following the Lonestar State of Mind. (61) After the match, Dustin continued beating down Stasiak with The Brain suggesting Shane Douglas is driving him to a breaking point. (68)

–Chavo Guerrero Jr comes to the ring with the cruiserweight title around his waist. In a scathing promo, he says he heard the announcers say last week that Taka was the future of the cruiserweight division. He says that no one is better than him and tells Taka to come out. (59) The two face each other down with Chavo trying to cheap shot Taka and Taka able to block Chavo and eventually drive him from the ring. (64)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Chuck Palumbo def. Mike Sanders in 9:03 with the Backbreaker Rack. (56) After the match, Vampiro comes out to sneak attack Palumbo and lands a Nail in the Coffin on Palumbo before leaving the ring. (66) Palumbo makes his 2nd defence of the TV title

–Backstage, Booker T is with Mean Gene and tells Flair and The Total Package to have eyes in the back of their head while he works to get back in the world title race and will start with beating down Buff Bagwell tonight. (79)

–The world tag team champions, Team Canada, come to the ring and hype their tag title defense versus the ‘most worthy tag team’, The Jung Dragons, later. They are interrupted by Sting, who tells Storm and Awesome that their days of being world tag team champions will be over soon. Storm responds by telling him that his days of being the face of WCW will end when he meddles in their business. (82)

–Backstage, Sean O’Haire is with Mean Gene, who feigns hesitance interviewing O’Haire after he was nearly punched by him at Starrcade. O’Haire says getting rid of Kevin Nash will be the best move of his wrestling career. He tells the audience he deserves every accolade that comes his way and he is a future world champion. (77)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match
–Team Canada def. The Jung Dragons in 11:22 when Yang submitted to the Storm’s Canadian Mapleleaf. (75) During the match, Sting appeared at the top of the ramp with Storm and Awesome both noticing him during the match. Team Canada makes their 5th defence of the world tag team titles.

–Backstage, we see Ric Flair and The Total Package in an animated discussion when Buff Bagwell walks into the picture. Flair tells Buff to move on so he can lose another match as Buff seethes before heading out for his match versus Booker T. (69)

–Another backstage camera shows RVD and Rey Mysterio down and out after a sneak attack and a masked man running away. (72)

–Sean O’Haire def. Bam Bam Bigelow in 8:47 by pinfall following the Widowmaker. (70)

–Backstage, Mean Gene catches up with Scott Steiner doing stretching before the cage match with Goldberg. Steiner tells the audience that WCW will never be the same after tonight while Gene looks puzzled. (89)

–Booker T def. Buff Bagwell in 12:38 by pinfall following the Book End. (76) After the match, The Total Package is seen watching a monitor backstage shaking his head at Buff losing another match. (73)

WCW World Heavyweight Title Match, Cage Match
–Goldberg def. Scott Steiner in 17:05 after Goldberg escaped from the cage. (87) After the match, the same masked man that attacked RVD and Rey emerged from the fans and attacked Goldberg unmercilessly with a chair. After Goldberg was thrown back in the cage, the masked man climbed to the top of the steel cage and pulled off the mask to reveal…Eddie Guerrero, who then frog splashed Goldberg from the top of the cage. Eddie then stood over Goldberg as the show went to black. (88) Goldberg makes his first defence of the WCW World title.

Show Rating: 86
TV Rating: 2.46

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW vs WWF
Show Rating: Nitro 86, Raw 76

TV Rating: Raw 2.96, Nitro 2.46

Main Event Rating: Nitro 87, Raw 80

Raw Main Event: Two Man Power Trip def. The APA to retain the WWF World Tag Team titles (80)

–Certainly not a bad show to start 2002 and the disgruntled WWF employee that I mentioned the first week of December was none other than Eddie Guerrero. He was apparently frustrated at the company enough that he was released from his contract and free to seek employment elsewhere. The final decision for employment was down between New Japan and us. He doesn’t have the best relationship with Bischoff but there were a number of workers that were very happy with the hire, including all of the locker room leaders.

–Sting and Dusty are down on Bam Bam Bigelow right now. I will have to make a decision on him soon.

–One of the new features in the game is addressing the locker room before the show. There are several options such as Inspire, Team Bonding, Hardline Stance, Open Forum, Meddling, Calling Out, Intervention, Fire, and Pulling A Rib.

I choose the Team Bonding, which brings together the key members of the roster–major stars, stars, and the locker room leaders–to try and build spirit in the locker room. You are allowed the option to skip the pre-show speech but you can only use it once per night.

A few of the team bonding sessions included strengthening relationships between DDP and Sting, Flair and Sting, Flair and Booker, Storm and Awesome, Bischoff and Scott Steiner, and Rick Steiner and Sting. The bonding sessions can also have the opposite effect of creating new tensions in existing relationships. In this instance, it is Bischoff and Flair. Who knew?

–Simming through the first week of TEW IX and it is clear the game engine’s morale system is a major factor. The WWF will have to make some roster moves to improve the backstage. They will also have to improve their match ratings. They had already lost a few broadcasters in the last quarter of 2001 due to their performance.

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Nitro
January 14, 2002
Reno, Nevada
Attendance: 9,275

–The show starts with the announcers talking of Eddie Guerrero’s return and subsequent attack on Goldberg at the end of Nitro last week. Still photos are shown to the audience of Goldberg being helped out of the ring and to the back after taking the Frog Splash off the top of the cage. (79)

–Scott Steiner then makes his way out to the ring and introduces his tag team partner in tonight’s main event, Eddie Guerrero, versus the runts named Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio. (87) Eddie takes the mic and welcomes himself back to WCW as Steiner exited the ring. Eddie says that for too long, Guerreros were taken for granted in WCW and the only way to get the respect he and his family deserve was to make the biggest splash possible…onto Goldberg from the top of a cage. He says his sole reason to come back to WCW is to win the world title. (86)

–Taka def. Elix Skipper in 8:46 by pinfall following the Taka Driver. (59) After the match, Chavo Guerrero made his way to the ring and taunted Taka. Chavo then attacked Taka with the cruiserweight title belt as Billy Kidman sprinted to the ring to run Chavo off. (51)

–Konnan def. Chris Harris in 10:42 by pinfall following the 187. (52)

–Mean Gene is with Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam in the backstage area as they hype their main event tag team match versus Scott Steiner and Eddie Guerrero. (74)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Chuck Palumbo def. Kanyon in 11:13 by DQ after Vampiro ran in and attacked Palumbo. (73) Palumbo makes his 3rd defence of the world TV title.

–Ric Flair comes out with a mic and hypes another championship reign for the The Nature Boy as he says he is waiting for an opponent to be announced for Aftermath. (80)

–Sean O’Haire def. Bam Bam Bigelow in 9:33 by pinfall following the Seanton Bomb. (72) After the match, O’Haire takes a mic and tells the audience that he is The One they have been waiting on. (73)

–A backstage camera catches Dustin Rhodes talking to himself as The Brain says that Shane Douglas better watch out as it looks like Rhodes is close to the breaking point. (68)

–Booker T def. Shane Douglas in 10:53 by pinfall following the Book End. (82) After the match, Dustin Rhodes calmly came to the ring and performed a series a low blows on Douglas as Rick Steiner came out to assist. Rhodes responded with a couple of low blows on Steiner. (73) As Rhodes was in the ring with Douglas, Booker T was attacked from behind by The Total Package. (77)

–Sting makes his way to the ring for a promo when he is interrupted by Team Canada. Storm and Awesome approach the ring and attack Sting. Before Sting is the victim of an Awesome Bomb, the arena erupts as DDP runs in with a chair to make the save. (84) Page takes the mic and challenges Team Canada to a world tag team title match at Aftermath in 13 days. (86)

–Eddie Guerrero and Scott Steiner def. Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio Jr in 16:58 by pinfall following an Eddie Frog Splash on Rey following distractions by The Total Package and Ric Flair on both RVD and Rey . (83) After the match, Goldberg came in and almost speared Eddie before Steiner pulled him out of the ring as the show went to black. (81)

Show Rating: 83
TV Rating: 2.52

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW vs WWF
Show Rating: Nitro 83, Raw 81

TV Rating: Raw 3.02, Nitro 2.52

Main Event: Raw 87, Nitro 83

Raw Main Event: Two Man Power Trip def. Revolution X (Angle and Benoit) in an 87 graded match


–Sources within the WWF locker room are reporting that morale in the company is ‘an absolute disaster zone’ with the backstage now a chaotic mix of cliques, in-fighting, and clashing egos. It is being said that the management team has completely lost control and, in the words of one well-placed source, ‘the inmates are running the asylum’. Things are so bad that some members of the roster are said to be actively looking to leave, believing that the company is in a tailspin from which it cannot possibly recover.

--Looking back, I can also see why Eddie was looking to get out. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few weeks and months.

–Nothing else of note this week except lots of infighting in other promotions.

–I'm guessing the higher TV ratings are due to the fact that I did make new deals in Mexico and Canada that gave me better coverage.

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Nitro
January 21, 2002
Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 10,117

–The announcers begin the show by hyping DDP’s return from a knee injury and the challenge laid down to Team Canada. In addition, they all wonder aloud why Goldberg will not be defending the world title at Aftermath in six days. (78)

–Eddie Guerrero saunters out to the ring with a mic and hypes his match versus Rob Van Dam at Aftermath in six days. RVD interrupts his promo and informs Eddie that the reason Goldberg is not defending his title at Aftermath is that he will be the special referee for their match as Eddie goes berzerk. (80)

–Shane Douglas def. Alex Wright in 8:31 by pinfall following the Franchiser. (62) After the match, Douglas takes a mic and taunts Dustin Rhodes and the rest of the Rhodes family. (71)

–Goldberg makes his way out to the ring with the world title and hypes the upcoming match between Eddie and RVD with himself as the special referee. (73)

–Mean Gene is backstage with Chavo Guerrero as Chavo says he will do to Taka what he’s going to do to Shane Helms shortly. (67)

–Scott Steiner is seen backstage stretching with his brother as they prepare for their tag team match in the main event versus DDP and Sting. Scott tells Rick that Rey Mysterio picked the wrong person to wrestle at Aftermath. (82)

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
–Chavo Guerrero def. Shane Helms by a flash pinfall after Chavo had a hand full of tights. (73) After the match, Chavo tells the camera that no one can outsmart him as he held up the cruiserweight title. (66) Chavo makes his first defence of the cruiserweight title.

–The announcers show a video from last week’s Nitro on the return of Diamond Dallas Page after a knee injury and the challenge laid down to Team Canada for Aftermath. (72)

–Diamond Dallas Page and Sting come out to hype their main event tag match versus The Steiner Brothers and their world tag team title match versus Team Canada at Aftermath. (77)

WCW World TV Title Match
–Chuck Palumbo def. Big Vito in 10:25 by submission following the Backbreaker Rack. (59) Palumbo makes his third defence of the TV Title.

–Mean Gene is backstage with The One, Sean O’Haire, as O’Haire hypes Kevin Nash’s absence from WCW. (74)

–Rey Mysterio def. Shawn Stasiak in 9:27 following a Tornado DDT. (72)

–The Nature Boy comes to the ring and makes an open challenge to anyone willing and able to wrestle him for the United States title Sunday night at Aftermath in San Diego. He taunts WCW management for trying to leave him off the pay-per-view. (79)

–Booker T def. Sean O’Haire in 12:53 by DQ when The Total Package came in and attacked Booker with a chair. (81) Luger ended the beatdown after he placed Booker in The Rack with O’Haire looking very displeased from the outside. (78)

–Backstage, RVD is seen warming up as he prepares for his match versus Vampiro. (76)

–Rob Van Dam def. Vampiro in 12:12 by pinfall following the Five Star Splash. (79) After the match, Chuck Palumbo hit the ring and beat down Vampiro before Kanyon hit the ring. (75)

–Lance Storm and Mike Awesome are backstage with Mean Gene as they hype their world tag team title defense at Aftermath versus DDP and Sting. (75)

–DDP and Sting def. The Steiner Brothers in 17:05 by pinfall following a botched superkick by Lance Storm on Rick Steiner, leading to a Diamond Cutter by Page. (88) After the match, Mike Awesome hit the ring to make it a 3-on-2 with Awesome hitting Awesome Bombs on both Page and Sting as the show went to black. (85)

Show Rating: 83
TV Rating: 2.62

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW vs WWF
Show Rating: Nitro 83, Raw 73

TV Rating: Raw 2.97, Nitro 2.62

Main Event: Nitro 88, Raw 78

Raw Main Event: Two Man Power Trip def. Raven and Test to retain the WWF World Tag Team titles (78)

–A great main event grade but it doesn’t translate to close to the same show rating. I am still playing around with the new angle system. Sting and Scott Steiner starred in the main event with a 96 and 97 match score, respectively. Sting still has a lot of gas left in the tank.

–Again, the backstage looks to be affecting the match and show ratings in the WWF. That’s a shocking low show rating for them in the dynasty and we are actually within striking distance on the TV side (at least head to head on Monday nights). There are numerous negative influences in their locker room and poisonous relationships. Some of those involved include Warrior, Teddy Long, Steve Blackman and a fan, Hawk and Terry Taylor, and Brock Lesnar and half of the roster. At least Brooklyn Brawler and Bubba Ray Dudley are bonding. If the negatives keep on being a problem, it could be potentially catastrophic for the WWF and open the door for WCW.

[Chas in Cinti]

Still following...

[CrossroadsReb]

Originally Posted by Chas in Cinti

Still following...

Appreciate that, Chas.

I'm liking the transition to TEW IX. There's still some things in the gameplay I'm tinkering with and still learning but working the 'could've been' side of it keeps the dynasty alive.

[CrossroadsReb]

Card for WCW Aftermath

WCW World Tag Team Title Match
Team Canada (c) vs Diamond Dallas Page and Sting

WCW United States Title Match, Open Challenge
Ric Flair (c) vs ???

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs Taka

WCW World TV Title Match
Chuck Palumbo (c) vs Kanyon vs Vampiro

Eddie Guerrero vs Rob Van Dam w/Goldberg as special referee

Booker T vs The Total Package

Scott Steiner vs Rey Mysterio

Dustin Rhodes vs Sean O’Haire

[CrossroadsReb]

WCW Aftermath
January 27, 2002
Long Beach, California
Attendance: 13,421

–Joey Styles, The King, and The Brain welcome the audience to Aftermath and hype the title matches, emphasizing Ric Flair’s open challenge and the world tag team title match between Team Canada and Sting and DDP. (74)

–Sean O’Haire def. Dustin Rhodes in 12:06 by countout when Shane Douglas lured Rhodes out of the ring as they battled up the ramp. (79) After the match and with O’Haire at the top of the ramp, Kevin Nash emerged, attacking O’Haire, throwing him into the ring, and delivering a Jackknife Powerbomb. (78)

–Goldberg is backstage with an interview with Mean Gene as RVD enters the picture, telling Goldberg that although he has a dislike for Eddie, too, that he expects no favors when it comes to officiating his match later. (75)

WCW World TV Title Match, Triple Threat Match
–Chuck Palumbo def. Kanyon and Vampiro in 13:27 by pinfall following the Backbreaker Rack on Vampiro. (75) Palumbo makes his 4th defence of the TV title.

–A video is shown of the developing feud between Chavo and Taka, leading to Chavo putting up the cruiserweight title. (64)

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
–Chavo Guerrero Jr def Taka in 11:05 by pinfall after Chavo pulled a chain out of his tights and nailed Taka. (74) Chavo makes his second defence of the cruiserweight title.

–Backstage, Team Canada are seen preparing for their upcoming tag team title match versus Sting and DDP. (70)

–Ric Flair comes out to the ring with a mic in hand again making an open challenge to anyone that wants to wrestle tonight. Out comes Kevin Nash to Flair’s surprise. (80)

WCW United States Title Match
–Kevin Nash def. Ric Flair in 11:44 by DQ following Sean O’Haire’s interference. (83) After the match, an angry Nash powerbombed both Flair and O’Haire. (74) Flair makes his first defence of the US title.

–Mean Gene is backstage with Booker T as he hypes his upcoming match versus The Total Package. (88)

–Backstage, RVD approaches Rey Mysterio and tells him he has his back if Scott Steiner tries any underhanded tactics. (72)

–Booker T def. The Total Package in 12:01 by pinfall following botched interference via a chair shot from a still woozy Ric Flair on Luger. (80)

–Scott Steiner is seen hyping himself backstage as he sees the camera and tells Rey Mysterio he will inflict the most pain he’ll ever have to endure. (83)

–Scott Steiner def. Rey Mysterio in 16:19 by submission following the Steiner Recliner. (86) After the bell, Steiner keeps the Recliner on Rey as several jobbers emerge from the back to help break the hold. (75)

–Backstage and from a distance, Eddie Guerrero is seen yelling at Goldberg to not try anything funny when he calls the match tonight. Eddie runs away when Goldberg begins approaching him. (85)

–Eddie Guerrero def. Rob Van Dam in 18:04 by pinfall following the Frog Splash. (92) After the match, with Eddie taunting his win toward Goldberg in the ring, Goldberg speared Eddie with RVD landing a Five Star Splash afterwards. (89)

–The announcers hype the return of DDP and recap the past two weeks leading up to the tag team title match tonight. (83)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match
–Diamond Dallas Page and Sting def. Team Canada in 18:41 by pinfall following a Page Diamond Cutter on Lance Storm. (86) DDP and Sting win the tag team titles for the first time.

Show Rating: 86
PPV Rating: 1.11 (556,667 buys)