Ring Crew Reviews: VHS Tape Digging Volume 3

• WCW World Tag Team Championship: Ric Flair & Arn Anderson vs. Sting & Luger (c ). WCW Nitro 06/10/96. This is the go-home show to GAB 96 where Luger would face Giant for the world title, Sting would face Regal, and Flair and Arn would take the football all-stars, Mongo and Kevin Greene.

• Flair struts to start and talks trash but Sting shoves him down to a pop. More stalling before Luger and Flair decide to start. Despite not working in 15 years, Flair still tries to chop down Luger in the corner. Luger no sells and press slams Flair down and then goes to the bionic elbows. Arn comes in and gets taken out as well before bailing out. Flair rolls out as well after a shot from Sting and they regroup. Flair talks it over with Liz and Woman and Brain, their coach for the upcoming match against Greene and Mongo, stresses calm. Brain: “They’re in control. I had a talk with them earlier. They’re in control.” Bischoff: “Yeah, like the talk that you had with them last week and she raked the eyes.” Brain: “I didn’t tell her to do that. NO! NO! I told her were reservations were for dinner. I would never have told her to do that. THAT’S ILLEGAL!”

• Back in, Luger with another press slam and he fires up like he’s going over at GAB 88, unfortunately, that wasn’t so and he’s been a less than stellar draw since then. Flair flips in the corner and runs into a Sting right hand down the apron. Luger suplexes Flair back in and Flair is DONE. Luger goes in for the kill with an elbow but Flair rolls out of the way and tags in Arn. And NOW WE GO TO SCHOOL, WRECKING CREW STYLE! Not yet, though, as Sting tags in and Arn begs off. Bischoff welcomes all the fans watching from “Nitro Parties” around the country. Arn tries a charge but Sting avoids. Brain: “BEHIND YOU!” Sting lays out Arn with a haymaker. Brain: “I TOLD HIM ABOUT THAT!” Crowd gets a rumble going for Sting as he kips up on a knuckle lock and leapfrogs Arn for a big facesmash. Flair in to eat another press slam and powder out again. Flair sprints down the aisle looking for a chair. Arn powders out as well and wants a timeout. That’s only fair considering they are going against football players on Sunday and they get 3 per half.

• We take a break and are back to the faces still shining on Keystone Cop Arn. Flair tags in as the crowd gets another rally clap going. Sting no sells some chops but whiffs on a Stinger Splash. Brain: “OK! NOW! C’MON! DOITDOITDOIT! C’MON, KEEP ‘IM IN THE CORNER! GET HIM BACK TO ARN! MAKE THE TAG! KEEP ‘IM GROUNDED! C’MON! … Oh… excuse me.” Flair heads up top instead but Sting slams him off and Brain is nervous. Sting covers but (Brain: “Arn’s got him.”) Arn breaks up the cover. Sting hits a top rope suplex in a nice spot but Arn breaks up the cover again. The ref puts Luger back in his corner and Flair PUNCHES STING IN THE EYE! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Arn tags in for some choking and a SPINEBUSTER! He covers for 1, 2, only 2. Arn tries to force him down with a test of strength but Sting Stings up with the power of the fans and low blows Arn. But Arn recovers to trap him and tag in Flair. Sting blocks a hanging vertical suplex and Flair’s back gives out. The ref checks on him and that allows Arn to get in some extra work behind the ref. Sting flips out of a suplex and O’Connor Rolls Flair but Arn stops it again.

• Brain: “OHHHH! WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY HE HAD TO DDT HIM RIGHT THERE! … I gotta go to ringside.” Bischoff: “You’re not going anywhere!” Brain: “I gotta go! Please, let me go!” Sting blocks a F4 with a small package but Luger again is occupying the ref accidentally and Flair kicks out at 2. Arn tags in for more knee work as we take another commercial and come back to Flair throwing Sting into the guardrail on the floor. Sting sunset flips back in for 1, 2, 2 ½. Flair headlock TD’s Sting only for the bridge/backslide spot. Sting can’t hold it up so they do it again. Arn blind tags in and boots Sting out of the cover. Arn tries a VaderBomb but Sting gets the knees up. Sting gets to his feet and falls down just barely tagging in Luger. Luger press slams Flair and has clotheslines for everyone. Luger hits the powerslam for nothing as Arn breaks it up. Luger clotheslines both to the floor and calls for the Rack. BUT WAIT! IT’S THE GIANT! Giant just walks in the ring and Luger starts pounding him. The ref calls for the bell at 14:33 even though Giant didn’t do anything.

• Post-match, Giant moves in for the ChokeSlam. BUT WAIT! THE STEINERS ARE OUT WITH CHAIRS! It takes Sting, Luger, and The Steiners to even make a dent in Giant before he no sells EVERYTHING to go batshit to scare them off and walk out of the ring. Gene wants the scoop but Giant shouts instead: “LUGERRR! YOU’RE A DEAD MAN!”

• If it’s possible to have a generic tag match between these two teams that didn’t meet that often, this is it. This is every Flair-Sting and Flair-Luger match during his sections and every Horsemen tag match the rest of the way with Arn comically bumping his ass off and still bringing the intensity and Liz and Woman sharing JJ’s role. The only real surprise for me is Flair’s sprint up the aisle which I’ve seen before but never that livid and insane. Brain is in fine RR92 form on commentary so it’s a worthwhile dip in. ***

• Hollywood Hogan & Bret Hart vs. Sting & Ultimate Warrior. Nitro 10/12/98. This is such an odd collision of personalities and timing for this match. It’s the reunion of the Blade Runners. It’s the two biggest babyfaces of the early and mid 90s WWF teaming together. This is a couple of weeks before Havoc when Hogan and Warrior killed kayfabe again and proved Pat Patterson is a genius and Sting and Bret had a meaningless match for the US championship. Warrior would never have another PPV match for the company and Hogan wouldn’t wrestle a marquee match until February when he beat Flair for the belt because of course he did. Bret Hart would drop the US belt to DDP the Nitro after Havoc, lose again at WW3, and then wouldn’t be on PPV until well in 99. He would trade the US belt back and forth in meaningless TV matches before finally in MARCH having the steel plate angle with Goldberg. That would go nowhere and then Owen would die soon after and Bret would take a hiatus. After getting waffled with a foam bat at Havoc, Sting would be out for several months and then return in March of 99 as well in black and white. By the way, there’s a date floating around the internet for this match putting it at 12/10/98 but that makes no sense and if you check out Nitro results, you’ll see it’s earlier. Buffer actually announces that Sting and Warrior will be together “for the first time in professional wrestling history.”

• Tony and Brain are in major league shill territory as they try to explain the psychology behind Bret and Hogan getting on the floor for the Warrior entrance. Brain: “Notice Hogan’s on the floor.” Tony: “Yeah and Hart. And that’s not a bad move.” Brain: “No, it isn’t.” Tony: “We know Warrior always has been—you can always tie his success rate to momentum. When he comes to the ring, he always seems to the get the first momentum. They have effectively slowed that down here.” Hogan and Bret jaw with the front row while Sting throws his coat at Bret. The fans REALLY get on Hogan letting him know that he sucks. Tenay though is at the top of his game as usual and unlike Buffer’s notes, brings up the real history between Warrior and Sting. The stalling goes on forever while Hogan and Bret talk strategy. Hogan finally steps in and says that he wants Sting and Warrior decides to do the Vulcan Mind Meld to make sure Sting is up to the task.

• Sting and Hogan lockup and Hogan goes to the eyes off the not so clean break. Sting ducks a Hogan-line and runs over Hogan. Sting with an atomic drop and some CLUBBINGBLOWS in the corner. Hogan bails out and Bret tags in. Sting mounts in the corner for 10 as Bret waves Hogan in from behind and Hogan waffles Sting. Sting no sells just because and lays out Hogan, but Bret hits the low blow behind the ref’s back and Sting goes down in a heap. Bret with a low blow headbutt and the second rope elbow for 2 as Brain stumps the table by calling Bret and Hogan, “the two HH’s.” Bret goads Warrior into the ring and that allows Hogan to go low on Sting and RACK THE BACK! Hogan with some BLATANTCHOKING for a bit. Hogan sends Sting into Bret’s boot and then tags in Hitman. Bret hits a DDT for 1, 2, 2 ½. Russian Legsweep and a short leg drop from Bret. Sting comes back with a small package for a nearfall but Bret cuts him off with a Black Hart backbreaker. Bret goes for another second rope elbow but Sting moves and makes the medium well tag to Warrior who is still in his graffiti trenchcoat I might add. Warrior fires up for some shoulderblocks on Bret. He calls for the gorilla press but Hogan is in to waffle him from behind. Warrior no sells BUT WAIT! HERE COME THE TROOPS! GIANT! NORTON! SCOTT STEINER! STEVE RAY HAS COME OUT! Giant headbutts Warrior for the DQ at 5:43. The fans throw garbage in the ring while Bret tries his best to throw it back. BUT WAIT! THE RING IS FILLING UP WITH SMOKE! Warrior falls out to the floor but Sting gets the bat and only has Vincent left to punish. Warrior steals Hogan’s weightbelt and whips the rest of the n.W.o to the back.

• Not exactly a match 15 years in the making. I think this would be the second of three times that Hogan and Bret would ever team together – the first was against Macho and Piper back at the GAB 98, the third would be against heels Sting and Luger in 99. They were a better team here with very competent tag wrestling, but it’s still 6 minutes of nothing before Warrior tags in for screwjob. At least the crowd was hot. *1/2

• In the interest of counterprogramming, here’s what WWF put up against them that night.

• Kane & The Undertaker vs. The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin. RAW 10/12/98. Vince/Austin was in the middle of its roughly 2 year run. At Breakdown the previous PPV, Kane and UT had pinned Austin at the same time thus vacating the belt. At Judgment Day, six days after this RAW, UT and Kane were going one-on-one for the belt with Austin as special referee. Austin is king of the world and earlier in the night had filled Vince’s Corvette with cement. Rock is very quickly moving up the card as a tweener with very very face-like reactions. He’s fresh off beating Mankind and Shamrock in a very good triple threat cage match at Breakdown. He still has the Nation Rock music which is quite the trip back in time. Rock would face Mark Henry on Judgment Day and LOSE! Crazy. As you can guess, none of these guys like each other so both teams are tenuous.

• Austin and Rock slide in together and the brawl is on. Kane and UT get the early advantage. Rock and Stone Cold take over and Austin and Kane brawl to the floor. Rock with a back elbow on UT and Austin comes in for some double teaming. King is amazed at their cooperation. King: “THEY’RE DOING IT, JR! THEY’RE DOING IT!” JR: “Austin and The Rock are on the same page by necessity… but for how long? And how long will Kane and The Undertaker be able to co-exist knowing that in six days they will go to war FOR THE RICHEST PRIZE IN THIS INDUSTRY?” Austin with a clothesline and he covers UT for a quick 1 count. UT ducks a shot and comes back with a flying clothesline of his own. BUT WAIT! PAUL BEARER IS HERE! He comes walking out to ringside much to JR’s confusion. UT works the arm and then interrogates Kane about Bearer. Austin comes back with boots to the gut and pulls UT to the floor to wrap the leg around the ringpost. Rock tags in and quickly goes to the People’s Elbow. UT tries the Zombie Situp but Rock boots him and hits the elbow. Cover gets 1, 2, nearfall as Kane brings it up. While Earl gets Kane back to his corner, Rock goes low. He sets up the Rock Bottom but Kane runs in for the distraction. UT takes over with CHOKESLAM! JR: “THE RIDE FROM HELL! STRAIGHT TO THE CANVAS! WHATACHOKESLAM!” Rather than cover, UT tags in Kane with a short arm clothesline.

• BUT WAIT! DLO BROWN AND MARK HENRY HAVE COME OUT! UT tags back in for some choking. A few haymakers and Taker tags in Kane for more damage. Kane covers but Austin pulls him off. Rock tries a comeback and hits a DDT. Kane no sells to club him back down with a clothesline. Kane hangs Rock out to dry and then hits a FLYING KNEE DROP back in. MOVESET FROM THE BIG MAN! UT back in. He attacks Austin and that distracts the ref allowing the heels some choking. UT shitcans Rock out for Kane to hotshot him into the barricade. Kane goes to a chinlock as the crowd chants for ROCKYROCKYROCKY. He elbow out and hits a Samoan drop. Double KO spot. Hot tag to Austin and Rock rolls out to the floor. Austin clothesline Taker and works him over. OH NO! MARK HENRY SPLASHES ROCK ON THE FLOOR! Austin blocks a big boot but gets tied up for the Andre spot. Austin escapes and hits another clothesline for 1, 2, 2 ½. THESZ PRESS! KANE IS IN! Kane breaks it up and now it’s 2-on-1 as Rock is shitfaced on the floor. BUT WAIT! A MASKED SECURITY MAN SLIDES IN! IT’S THE SHIELD…errrr…IT’S BIG BOSSMAN! He waffles Austin with the billy club and Earl calls for the bell at 11:18. Post-match, the beatdown begin while Vince watches on from his wheelchair with the Stooges and Slaughter at the top of the ramp. JR: “GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! THE UNDERTAKER AND KANE ARE TRYING TO TAKE AUSTIN APART! AND MCMAHON IS HAPPY! VINCE MCMAHON IS HAPPY!” UT hooks in a leg grapevine for minutes straight as we go off the air.

• Again, the pace and energy level difference is like night and day. WCW is 18×18 rings with older guys who go a little slower, WWF is 20×20 rings with younger guy who go a little faster. Even hosses like Kane and UT are moving faster and taking way more bumps and punishment and stalling less than anybody in the similar WCW tag match. **3/4

• WWF Hardcore Championship: Al Snow vs. Road Dogg (c). RAW 01/04/99. Snow is crazy, has head, gives head, and wants more head at all times, but he’s a face and pretty over as a midcarder. He’s wearing a blood-soaked shirt after the Brood gave him a bloodbath last week. Road Dogg is face and in DX.

• Snow hides behind the curtain and jumps RD from behind at the top of the ramp after using Head as a decoy. They brawl down to ringside where RD takes over sending Snow into the steps. King puts over the wintery weather and mentions that it’s snowing outside. RD goes under the ring and comes up with a chair for the Sabu chairshot to a flying Snow. Snow gets a chair to waffle RD to the gut and then use it for Air Snow in Motion sending RD over the barricade. Snow sets up a table and puts RD on it. Snow goes for a moonsault off the barricade(!) but RD moves and Snow eats it through the table. Small ECW chant dies quickly. RD covers for 1, 2, only 2. Dogg breaks out a cookie sheet and waffles Snow. That folds the sheet up so Dogg bends it back into shape for a few more waffles as Snow delightfully sells glee at the carnage. After a third shot, Snow finally goes down in a coma but still kicks out at 2. Dogg is a bit peeved so he drags Snow around the ring and out to the aisleway. Snow takes over with some BLATANTCHOKING. He sends RD into a light tower and then sets up another table but it falls apart. Dogg improvises and leans it against the barricade for the bill out onto the table. Cool spot. Dogg follows up with the WITH MY BABY TONIGHT HAMMER off the ramp. Snow no sells to taunt Road Dogg over his ironic humor: “OH, YOU’RE REAL FUNNY!” Snow ditches RD into the janitor closet and chokes him with a pipe. Snow: “ARE WE HAVING FUN, NOW?!” Snow then waffles Dogg with a box of toilet paper. Cole: “I HOPE IT’S TWO-PLY!” Snow then breaks a broom over Road’s back and he of course no sells to whip Snow into a cart of Christmas poinsettias. Snow fights back with a chop to the throat and a poinsettia fastball to the face.

• Snow shows off his TMNT roots and many hours spent practicing with a bo as Donatello by twirling around a pipe before waffling RD a few more times. Dogg goes full carny by whipping Snow into some empty beer kegs conveniently arranged in a pyramid right in the middle of the walkway. If he was a true worker, Snow would have only knocked down two and then he and Dogg would have taken a mark’s $5 repeating the spot and still not being able to knock down all three kegs. ANYWAY, Road Dogg breaks out a fire extinguisher and waffles Snow out the emergency exit to continue the brawl in the snow. Dogg gathers up a snow shovel and waffles its namesake and then puts him in a wheelbarrow and shoves him into a garage door. Snow fights back and whips RD into a fence and hits him with a road cone. Dogg has HAD IT with the pleasantries and punts Snow to the stones and then hits him with a PILEDRIVER ON ON A PALLET… IN THE SNOW! BRUTAL! Cover gets 1, 2, 3 to retain at 8:37. Fun match that you wouldn’t see in a zillion years today on WWE TV. Both Hollys, Snow, Road Dogg, Mean Street Posse, and some old ECW guys had a second career in this genre in the fed. Entertaining but today would be scaled back for obvious reasons post-Monday Night Wars and post-Benoit. ***1/2

• Triple H vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. RAW 05/11/99. The week before Over the Edge. Austin is champ but this is non-title. Earlier in the night, Trips helped UT defeat Rock in a casket match by locking him in and attacking him with a sledge hammer. This was at the beginning of Trips thrust into the main event. He and UT were top dogs in the Corporate Ministry while Austin and Rock were the top babyfaces. Trips has Shane and Chyna with him at ringside.

• Trips comes out to meet Austin on the ramp and Austin dodges and pummels him with rights. Trips bumps all over the place and then eats a slam on the ramp. Austin brings him down to ringside for a shot into the stairs. More rights send Austin into the front row and then back to ringside. Finally they get in the ring and Austin goes for a quick Stunner but Trips bails out for a breather. Trips tries to exit stage left but Austin runs him down for more punishment. Back in, Austin goes to work on the leg even though a few times on commentary already JR has put over Triple H’s “great technical expertise.” I figured that company line didn’t come around until 2000 when he actually earned it and backed it up in the ring. Trips comes back with the jawbreaker to take over. He shows off that technical expertise with some BLATANTCHOKING. Austin counters a whip and goes to the Thesz press and an elbow drop to a HUUUUUGE pop. He covers for a 2 count. Austin charges in again so Trips dumps him out and Austin sells the knee on the fall.

• H sends him into the stairs and then clotheslines him out to the crowd. Trips gets a chair and goes for the waffle but Earl grabs the chair from behind and Austin takes over again with rights. Austin goes for a double sledge off the announce table but Trips goes to the breadbasket to counter. Triple H whips Austin and he leaps into the table almost falling on a chair in an energetic spot. Trips then hiptosses him into the table. JR: “WE’RE TRAPPED HERE IN NO MAN’S LAND! … YOU TALK ABOUT INTENSITY, I CAN SEE THE FIRE IN TRIPLE H’S EYES AND I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER SEEN IT THAT INTENSE BEFORE!” Back in, Austin tries a Sleeper but Trips counters to the back suplex. Shane distracts the ref and now it’s Chyna showing off her technical expertise with some BLATANTCHOKING. Austin with a school boy for 1, 2, 2 ½. Trips clubs him down with a LARIATO for 1, 2, nearfall. Trips goes to a chinlock to slow things down. After a respite, THE RATTLESNAKE IS UP! RIGHT HANDS! He charges but collides into Trips with a double clothesline.

• Austin up first and he pounds H. H trips a whip but Austin no sells to clothesline him down and shitcan him out. HERE COMES AUSTIN! He tosses H into the announce table for the same bump as before. JR: “GOOD GOD! DAMMIT! WE’RE ALL OVER THE PLACE! IT’S A DAMN WAR OUT HERE!” More brawling and H is punch drunk. King: “Our announce table is wrecked.” JR: “AND WE’RE NOT EVEN SPANISH!” Austin suplexes H back in for 1, 2, 2.7. BUT WAIT! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! IS THAT THE UNDERTAKER’S SYMBOL COMING DOWN!? Yes, you see, Undertaker basically had a giant cross and tried to crucify Austin several times and even succeeded once causing quite the stir, but we’ll get to that in a bit. H takes over in the confusion with a high knee. JR and King are confused. UT’s corporate ministry music starts up and he stalks out as the lights lower. The numbers overcome Austin and rather than call for the bell, Earl just kind of recedes into the background as Shane and Trips set up the symbol in the ring. JR: “Is Austin going to be the… SUPREME SACRIFICE HERE?!” BUT WAIT! THE MINISTRY IS BACK! At this point, it’s something in the neighborhood of 15-on-1. JR: “THEY ARE GOING TO ASSASSINATE AUSTIN! THESE MEN ARE GOING TO END AUSTIN’S CAREER!” BUT WAIT! IT’S BIG SHOW AND SHAMROCK! IT’S THE UNION! They all brawl to the back as Austin recovers to handcuff UT to his own symbol. The symbol raises to the rafters with UT and now he finally knows how Marty Jannetty feels. We’re outta time. No contest at 15:00. A typically entertaining, chaotic RAW main event from the time with lots of ringside brawling and a particularly jazzed up (see: coked up) JR on commentary. ***

• Match for the Number 1 Contendership to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit. WCW Nitro 09/13/99. All right, so a bit of context. The prior Nitro, Malenko and Benoit were the last 2 men in a battle royal to determine the number 1 contender for a title shot the night after Fall Brawl. They went to a no contest after Sid interfered. At the Brawl, Sid would defeat Benoit to become US champ and Sting, with Luger’s help, would turn heel to defeat Hogan for the WCW world title. Rather than settle for the no contest, WCW gave these guys another go. Oh yeah, and both guys are in the same stable, Revolution, with Shane Douglas and Perry Saturn. More or less, The Radicalz.

• Some very close, slick back-and-forth chain to start as Saturn and Douglas watch on from ringside to ensure a safe, fair fight. The first minute is beautiful stuff and ends with Benoit hitting an enzuigiri to a pop. They trade waistlocks and go-behinds before Dean tries a wheelbarrow roll up but Benoit blocks so Dean hits some elbows. They hiplock each other over the top and tumble to the floor. It breaks down into a fistfight before Saturn and Douglas talk some sense into them. They both decide to roll back in for a more ground-based fight. Malenko goes to an armbar as the crowd is FEELING. Benoit tries rolling through but Malenko stays on the arm through TWO roll ups. Benoit powers up and Electric Chairs Malenko out to escape. Benoit with a back elbow and covers for a 2 count. Benoit lays the LEATHER but comes up dry on a dropkick and Malenko rolls him into a SWEET KNEEBAR!

• Malenko stays on the leg as the place AGAIN is fired up for mat wrestling. Crazy. Malenko twists the leg into another kneebar and Benoit agonizes selling the leg. Benoit gets the ropes but Malenko avoids a blind charge in the corner. Malenko heads up top but Benoit takes over with a TOP ROPE SUPERPLEX! Awesome stuff. Benoit and Malenko collide on a double clothesline and both cover for 1, 2, DOUBLE NEARFALL! Malenko gets the boot up in the corner but floats over into Benoit trying a German suplex. Benoit flips him through and lands on top for 1, 2, 2 ½. Malenko counters to a roll up for 1, 2, nearfall. ROLLING GERMANS! MALENKO BLOCKS AT TWO! ROLL UP! 1, 2, 2.99. Benoit sends him into the turnbuckle and hits a high angle back suplex. DIVING HEADBUTT! NO! Malenko blocks for a top rope superplex of his own. On the landing, Benoit cradles him for 1, 2, 3 at 7:16. Incredible match for the time given. Perfect WRESTLING with some psychology, crisp counters, a hot crowd into all of it, and a great razor thin ending. ****

• WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Benoit vs. Sting (c). WCW Nitro 09/20/99. Benoit at this point is TV champ after beating Rick Steiner after he beat Malenko last week as well. Sting has been buddying up with Luger and DDP lately and mainly has a feud going with Flair, Hogan, and Bret.

• Fierce lockup takes them into the corner for a CLEAN BREAK! SMELL THE (not so) HEEL FROM THE STINGER! Right. Benoit baseball slides through and goes for an enzuigiri but Sting blocks and comes back with a flying shoulderblock. Benoit bails out to the floor and the crowd is fired up. Back in, Sting ducks a few shots and clotheslines Benoit down to a mixed reaction. Benoit takes another breather to regroup. A few standing switches and Benoit hits a Northern Lights suplex but Sting no sells and hits the Bluechipper dropkick and AGAIN Benoit bails out. Sting working face obviously so far. Back in, Benoit with a DSLW and clips the knee. Benoit drives down on the knee and hooks in a MUTA LOCK! Benoit releases to drive the leg back into the mat. Benoit hooks Sting in the Tree of Woe and baseball slide dropkicks him to the head. Benoit goes for it again but Sting moves and Benoit crotches himself on the ringpost. Sting follows up by crotching him a few more times for good measure. Sting hits stereo atomic drops and Benoit goes down in a heap. Sting now goes to work on the leg and drops an elbow for 1, 2, 2 ½. Tony: “YOU KNOW HOGAN’S NAME IS SYNONMOUS WITH WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS…. !” Thanks for that. Meanwhile, Sting botches a powerbomb and they drift into the corner to cover. Sting hits another Atomic Drop but Benoit no sells for the lefty LARIATO. Sting no sells that to go to a chinlock. After a stint, Benoit elbows free but runs into a knee to end the rally. Tony: “STING’S AWESOME!” Sting’s working tonight to keep up with Benoit. No Lugering at all.

• Sting drops a few elbow for 2 as the crew put over Sting as the new world champ. Sting hits a gordbuster and covers for another nearfall. Benoit tries a roll up for 1, 2, only 2 and Sting quickly clubs him back down. We go back to the chinlock. Crowd gets behind Benoit as he elbows free again. He tries another dropkick but Sting hooks the ropes to avoid it. He revels in his good fortune and then nonchalantly covers for another nearfall. Small package from Benoit get 1, 2, 2.7. Sting talks trash and drags Benoit to center ring for the big splash. Sting heads up top but Benoit gets the knees up! Sting tries no selling for a Stinger Splash but Benoit moves and Sting eats turnbuckle. Clothesline takes down Sting and Benoit heads up top. Diving headbutt! ONE, TWO, THREEOHNOHEALMOSTGOT’IM! Double KO spot but Benoit up first for Dos Amigos snap suplexes. He hooks Sting in the CC but Sting makes the ropes. Sting blocks a whip so Benoit wants the Dragon Suplex. Sting escapes out. SLEEPER! GO BEHIND! REF BUMP! NOOOOOO! Benoit hits a piledriver. He covers for… NOTHING! NO REF! Sting tries a roll up but Benoit stays a step ahead. GERMAN SUPLEX! STILL NO REF! BUT WAIT! LUGER WITH THE BASEBALL BAT! HE WAFFLES BENOIT! HERE COMES FLAIR! But he’s too late as Sting covers for 1, 2, 3 to retain at 15:06. Post-match, DDP jumps Flair from behind with a sweet DiamondCutter. The Hulkster comes out to chase them off and the heels leave to boos.

• Another fantastic display of pro wrestling, less mat-based than Benoit and Dean but no less awesome. Benoit comes out looking strong and Sting appeared rejuvenated after the heel turn and the commentary was giving him the hardest of hard sells as THE guy. The overbooking ending works well and perfectly sets up the six man cage match the following week. ****

• Hulk Hogan vs. Triple H. Smackdown 06/06/02. This is to determine number 1 contender to Undisputed WWE champ Undertaker. Trips and Hogan eliminated each other at the same time as the last two left in a battle royal so this is the deciding match. Hulk had already beat Trips back at Backlash for the belt but then promptly lost it to Taker the next month at Judgment Day. Trips is nursing a sore elbow after an attack from UT.

• They lock up and tumble from corner to corner before Trips hits a few rights rather than clean break. Hogan comes barreling out of the corner with a clothesline and a few rights and a shitty double sledge and Game bumps out of his shoes. Hulk with another right that dumps Game out and he sells the elbow on impact. Hogan tries to follow out. Trips looks to cut him off but Hogan sends him into the stairs. Hogan with a few chops that Trips sells into the front row and then he flips over flopping back to ringside. Trips brought his boots tonight. He sends Hogan into the ringpost to take over. Crowd starts mildly chanting for Hogan and it might be piped in but I can’t tell. Trips chokes away in the corner and then talks some smack. Trips with a back elbow and an elbow drop and he covers for a 2 count and Hogan is laboring here pretty slowly. Hogan fights back with rights but runs into a Sleeper. I don’t think Hogan has taken a bump the entire match, but what else is new? Hogan sells the Sleeper by dropping to a knee and Trips switches to a chinlock and drives down into the mat for some leverage. Hogan gets the arm up on the third raise and we get a mini Hulk up. Hogan counters to a Sleeper but H slides behind for a back suplex. He covers for 1, 2, emphatic kickout. Real Hulk up time, but the crowd is only mildly enthused. Hogan no sells some rights and comes back with some of his own. FOOT TO THE FACE and he goes for the Atomic Leg Drop but Trips moves out of the way. Trips goes for the Pedigree but Hogan backdrops out. LEG DROP! 1, 2, 2 ½. Rather unsportsmanslike, Hogan argues the count even though it wasn’t close. Trips spins him around for the Pedigree. He covers for 1, 2, 3 to become number 1 contender at 6:44.

• No elbow psychology at all even though the announcers were putting it over hard. Also, Hogan looks pretty inconsequential after that finish. Imagine if Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise on Miz, didn’t get the count, argued, and then ate a Skull Crushing Finale pinfall. He’d rightfully look like a clumsy loser. Anyway, this was what it was, Trips bumping as much as his 02 frame can and Hogan working soft as usual in a 7 minute match. **

The 411: Entertaining oddities galore and anyone who says WCW was completely terrible by 99 needs to watch that Revolution series leading into a Sting heel turn and title shot.
Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]