The 411 News Report 11.28.00
Posted by Ashish on 11.28.2000
WCW put on an excellent Nitro last night that not only did a good job advancing the current product but also set the stage for promising future storylines.
WCW put on an excellent Nitro last night that not only did a good job advancing the current product but also set the stage for promising future storylines. Scott Steiner's first official night as champion came off very well. Steiner is a guy who needs to constantly be put over to maintain his heat and having him end Stevie Ray's career was a good way to do that. His opening interview was also well done. Steiner has a quality about him that just draws heat no matter what he is doing. While everyone expected WCW to deliver a Goldberg/Steiner program for Starrcade, they have obviously changed things up and will now go with a Steiner/Sid program. While I am very anti-Sid, bringing him in now was a smart move by WCW. Rather than give Steiner (WCW's top heel) a uneventful one month title reign before jobbing him to Goldberg, they will now be able to further establish him as a major player. Sid is the right type of guy to bring in now as he has credibility as a big name and having him put over Steiner should work out well. As they continue to put over Steiner, WCW will also have the chance to try and regain some of Goldberg's lost edge. If Goldberg continues at the pace he is going now, he will barely be getting any reaction in a few months. However, with a few correct moves, he could easily be elevated back up to one of the top faces in the business. Then, in a few months, a Steiner/Goldberg program could actually be entertaining and profitable. BUT, as always, it all needs to be done right. We will see how it goes.
Elsewhere on Nitro, WCW put the wheels in motion for Starrcade's undercard. WCW's undercard is still average at best, but it is better than it has been in recent months. It will be interesting to see how well the team of Kevin Nash & DDP will do. WCW seems to be taking a shot at creating a team to try and replace Hall & Nash, which would be a very bold and tough move. Other Nitro thoughts: General Rection, despite a massive push, is still not garnering much of a rection from the fans. WCW may want to think again about trying to elevate him to the main events anytime soon; Jeff Jarrett continues to be one of the more entertaining things on WCW TV and putting him in a feud with Konnan is somewhat of a waste. The opening segment was odd to say the least though; Boogie Knights is starting to mold into something in the same way that Edge & Christian molded into a great team. Their skits and pay-off gimmick seems to be working well; Overall, Nitro was a very solid show. Sid's return also gives WCW another main eventer which they really need considering that they have lost both Sting and Booker T. to injuries.
Over on RAW, the WWF countered Nitro with a pretty solid show of their own. HHH's return was somewhat anti-climatic but continues the Austin/HHH feud. The Taker/Angle feud has been somewhat entertaining, however, I doubt anyone wanted to see 'Taker and Kane wrestle AGAIN last night on RAW. The WWF product, for whatever reason, always seems to come off as repetitive. Austin/HHH has been done before, as has 'Taker/Kane. The WWF has seemingly forgot about adding interesting plot turns that keep 2-3 month feuds fresh. I doubt many fans really care about what the Undertaker did to Eric Angle. RAW was a solid show, but it was not anything special, and if the WWF wants to keep from falling soon, they need to deliver blockbuster shows more often.
It appears that the WWF will headline Armageddon with a wild looking Hell in the Cell WWF Title Match that will feature The Rock, Steve Austin, HHH, The Undertaker, Kane, and WWF Champion Kurt Angle. Putting your top six wrestlers in a Hell in the Cell match is an interesting move to say the least. The undercard will most likely be paperthin now, meaning that the WWF is banking a lot on the main event. Billy Gunn will defend the WWF Intercontinental Title against Chris Benoit on the show and that will probably stand as the #2 match. Hell in the Cell matches have been VERY entertaining in the past (HBK/Taker, Taker/Mankind) but it will be intriguing to see if the WWF can pull off another good match with six guys in the cell at once. Unlike the classic HitC matches where HBK and Mankind were there to carry the Undertaker, this time around, the match is full of average-at best wrestlers. Other Hell in the Cell matches have been total failures though as well, such as Bossman/Taker. One thing to say about the Armageddon main event, all those guys know how to work main events and usually put on entertaining ones.
Paul Heyman has apparently given much of the ECW locker room the green light to pursue options elsewhere, ie jumps to the WWF or WCW. The only exceptions according to Meltzer are Tajiri, Super Crazy, Rhino, Justin Credible, and Steve Corino. Heyman wants to build ECW around those guys, along with smaller names who will only garner $50-$200 a night in salary. While this seems like a bold move by Heyman, it actually isn't since the majority of the ECW locker room is fully aware that the WWF or WCW would never take them. Guys like Credible, Rhino, and Corino probably could get a nice deal with one of the big two, but don't have the green light. Interestingly enough, no mention was made of Rob Van Dam. Who knows what his future holds at this point.
Jesse Ventura may be at the Smackdown taping tonight to promote the XFL. Ventura will be a major part of the XFL and their promotional campaign. Whether he actually gets involved with any of the wrestlers or strictly promotes the XFL remains to be seen. It will be interesting to see how Ventura's state reacts if he actually shows up on Smackdown. Ventura is finally starting to get heat for his out of the office actions.
It is very likely that Jim Duggan will be breaking away from Team Canada and returning to face status soon. Duggan does not like his current gimmick and it is starting to show on TV. At this stage in his career, Duggan should play a face. There was no real reason to turn him heel.
Major pushing for the return of Scott Hall continues to go down in WCW. Kevin Nash, DDP, and others are constantly pressing WCW management to bring Hall back, despite his recent DUI arrest and constant personal problems. Whether WCW bites the bullet and brings him back remains to be seen. After his latest incident, the odds of the WWF bringing him back are very slim. WCW might fall prey to bringing him back since, if nothing else, he would get people talking about WCW. Right now, with WCW's product at the highest point it has been in months, a Hall return would not hurt things for an interest standpoint. The damage he would do to the locker room, however, probably will be worse than any shorterm good he does on TV.
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Site news: Widro's WCW MONDAY NITRO REPORT is up while PK's WWF RAW IS WAR REPORT is up. HYATTE also has a new AND ANOTHER THING up talking about how the WWF can get their ratings back up, give it a read. Ron Gamble has a new WORLD ACCORDING TO RON up also.right. Finally, WCW Thunder taping results are up.
Hyatte's MONDAY NIGHT MOP-UPS are also up. The Mop-Ups are some of the most read pro-wrestling columns on the 'net, be sure to check them out.
