From The Shelf- WCW Slamboree 2000

WCW Slamboree 2000
5-7-2000
Kansas City, MO

Your hosts are Tony Schavonte, Scott Hudson, and Mark Madden.

WCW Cruiserweight Championship- Chris Candido © w/ Tammy vs. The Artist w/Paisley
Artist overpowers Candido to start but he catches Artist with a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2. Artist blocks a second attempt and hits a German suplex for 2. Punches in the corner by Artist and he backdrops Candido to the floor. Artist follows out and Candido sends him into the railings. Candido goes up and leaps but Artist spears him on the way down!!! They go to the entrance ramp and Candido goes for a piledriver but Artist backdrops out. Back in, Artist gets 2 and he hits a hurricanrana. Candido takes Artist to the mat for 2 and he chops away in the corner. Artist fires back with rights but Candido sends him to the floor to come back. Artist suplexes Candido to the floor and back in, he gets 2. Candido goes low but Artist comes back with a powerbomb. Artist goes to the second rope and leaps but Candido catches him and puts him on top. Candido follows up and Artist blocks a Frankensteiner. Artist leaps off the top and rolls Candido up for 2. Backdrop by Artist and he hits a clothesline. Poke to the eye by Candido and he hits a slam. Candido goes up but Artist stops him and follows up. Samoan Drop off the top by Artist and he covers but Tammy distracts the ref. Paisley pulls Tammy by the hair so Tammy grabs a chair and goes to hit Paisley. She misses and hits Artist, allowing Candido to cover for 2, even thought it looked like a 3 count. Piledriver by Candido and he goes up. Diving Head butt by Candido gets 3. After the match, Paisley goes low on Candido and she strips Tammy of her dress.
Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion- Chris Candido **1/4 ( The action was OK but both guys seemed to be on different wavelengths so most of their stuff looked clunky and awkward. )

Video package on Terry Funk airs.

WCW Hardcore Championship- Terry Funk © vs. Norman Smiley and ???
Funk looks for Smiley in the bathroom but finds a masked man. This allows Smiley to spray Funk with a fire extinguisher. He slams Funk’s head against a vending machine a few times and he nails Funk in the head with a trash can for 2. Smiley nails Funk in the head with a chair and he tosses Funk around the backstage area. The masked man tosses boxes at Funk to distract him so Funk tosses chairs at the masked man. Funk climbs a ladder to go after him but the masked man nails him with a trash can a few times. Smiley climbs the ladder but Funk kicks him off through a table. Funk covers for 2 and Smiley sends Funk into some trunks for 2. Funk slams Smiley on the floor for 2. The masked man gives Funk some weak trash can shots so Funk nails him with the trash can. Funk drags the masked man into the arena and Funk nails the masked man a few times in the back with a chair. Funk finally unmasks him and it’s Ralphus. Smiley tosses a ladder at Funk and they finally enter the ring. Smiley nails Funk with a chair for 2. Smiley tosses a ladder at Funk again and he nails Funk with a chair once more. He gives Funk the Wiggle and he blocks a chair shot attempt from Funk. He nails Funk with the chair and Ralphus wants to give Funk the Wiggle. Funk nails Ralphus with the chair and he nails Smiley in the back with the chair. He nails Ralphus with the chair once more and he rolls Smiley up for 3.
Winner and Still WCW Hardcore Champion- Terry Funk *1/2 ( This was a mess. The stuff involving Ralphus was unwatchable while the brawl between Funk and Smiley was decent, although it was every brawl that the WWF was doing better at the time.)

David Arquette arrives and says he’s scared heading into the Triple Cage Match tonight.

Shawn Stasiak vs. Curt Hennig
Stasiak takes control early but Hennig comes back with a hiptoss and a slam forcing Stasiak to bail. Back in, Stasiak hits a crossbody for 2 and he gets a sunset flip for 2. Rights by Hennig and he hits a knee lift. They go to the floor and Stasiak chokes Hennig with a wire. Back in, Stasiak goes up and hits a flying clothesline off the top for 2. Stasiak dumps Hennig to the entrance ramp and follows but Hennig goes for a slam on the ramp. Stasiak blocks and he dumps Hennig back into the ring. Sleeper by Stasiak but Hennig starts to fight out so Stasiak takes him down by the hair. Stasiak goes up for a crossbody off the top but misses. Hennig hits some shots to the midsection and he chops away on Stasiak. Backdrop by Hennig and he hammers away on Stasiak in the corner. Stasiak catapults Hennig into the corner and he hits the Perfect Plex for 3.
Winner- Shawn Stasiak ** ( This match served its purpose of putting over Stasiak but he did absolutely nothing special here. This will probably be one of the few clean finishes tonight, so there’s that. )

WCW US Championship- Scott Steiner © w/Midajah and Shakira vs. Capt. Rection
Hugh Morris wanted to be called Hugh G. Rection because why not. Steiner hammers away Rection in the corner to start and Rection comes back with chops. Rection blocks a hip toss attempt with a clothesline and Steiner is forced to bail. The girls distract Rection, allowing Steiner to attack from behind. Rection escapes a slam attempt and he hits a reverse atomic drop. Spinning heel kick by Rection gets 2. Sidewalk slam by Rection and he goes up. Flying elbow drop by Rection and he goes up again. The girls crotch Rection which causes him to fall in the tree of woe. Steiner works him over and he hits a clothesline to Rection for 2. T-Bone suplex by Steiner and he chokes Rection in the ropes. Belly to belly suplex by Steiner gets 2 and he stomps away. Bear hug by Steiner but Rection tries to fight out so Steiner converts it into an overhead belly to belly suplex. Steiner charges in the corner but eats boot and Rection hammers away on the mat to start. Avalanche in the corner to Steiner and he charges again but Steiner comes out of the corner with a clothesline. Butterfly powerbomb by Steiner and he goes for the Tombstone but Rection reverses into the sit-out Tombstone!!! Rection goes up but misses No Laughing Matter. Steiner Recliner and Rection gives. Steiner keeps the hold on Rection as security tries to keep the Misfits in Action from jumping the railing. Booker T comes out and takes out Steiner with a side kick.
Winner and Still WCW US Champion- Scott Steiner **1/2 ( Surprisingly solid match, as the crowd is super into Steiner’s act and Rection put in a good performance. The girls’ constant interference was ridiculous though. )

Chris Kanyon says he backed DDP instead of staying with the New Blood. He says he’s going to prove to Mike Awesome that no one is better than Kanyon.

Mike Awesome vs. Chris Kanyon
Rights by Kanyon and he hits a clothesline. Rights by Kanyon and he hits some shoulders to the gut in the corner. Kanyon charges in the corner but eats elbow and Awesome hits the suicide plancha to the floor!!! Awesome sends Kanyon into the railings and steps and Awesome goes to battery ram Kanyon into the post but Kanyon escapes and shoves him into the post. Back in, Kanyon dropkicks Awesome against the post and Kanyon hits a summersault senton off the apron. Awesome snaps Kanyon’s neck off the ropes and back in, Awesome slams Kanyon. Awesome goes up and hits a flying clothesline off the top for 2. Awesome dumps Kanyon to the floor and he rams a chair into the midsection of Kanyon a few times. Awesome nails Kanyon in the back with a chair and he drives the chair into Kanyon, knocking him into the front row. Awesome follows out and he slams Kanyon on the floor. Back at ringside, Awesome chokes Kanyon with some cables and back in, Awesome hits a slingshot splash for 2. Clothesline by Awesome and Kanyon comes back with a sunset flip for 1. Clothesline by Awesome and he dumps Kanyon to the floor. Back in, Kanyon hits some rights and catches Awesome with a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Kanyon goes up and hits a crossbody off the top but Awesome rolls though for 2. F-5 by Kanyon gets 2. Kanyon goes for a powerbomb but Awesome counters into an Alabama Slam. Clothesline by Awesome and he hits a Jackknife powerbomb. Awesome goes to the floor and he pulls the mats on the floor apart. On the apron, Kanyon hits some rights but Awesome comes back with a slingshot shoulderblock. Awesome goes for the Awesome Bomb to the floor but Kanyon escapes. Release German suplex by Awesome and they go to the entrance ramp. Kevin Nash comes out and he goes after Awesome. Members of the New Blood come out and go after Nash. Ric Flair and Sting come out to help clear the ring of the New Blood. Security comes out and the Millionaires’ Club clears the ring of them too.
Match ends in a No-Contest *** ( Match was solid as Awesome showed off his incredible strength and athletisim by tossing Kanyon around for ten minutes. Again, overbooking rears its ugly head and we didn’t get a finish here. )

Video package for Luger/Bagwell airs.

Vince Russo tells Elizabeth to see what he has in store. He orders Elizabeth to change since he has her contract.

Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell
Bagwell hits some rights to start and he chokes away on Luger. He chokes Luger in the ropes and Bagwell hits a back elbow for 2. Chinlock by Bagwell and he goes for a suplex but Luger blocks and reverses to his own. Reverse atomic drop by Luger and he knocks Bagwell down. Punches in the corner by Luger and he hits a clothesline. He dumps Bagwell to the floor and follows out where he works Buff over. Back in, Bagwell attacks as Luger was coming into the ring and he drops Luger in the ropes. Double arm DDT by Bagwell gets 2. Rear chinlock by Bagwell and he puts his feet on the ropes to gain extra leverage. Luger fights out and they clothesline each other, taking both men down. Slam by Bagwell and he hits a big splash for 2. Sitting chinlock by Bagwell and he jumps on the back of Luger as he tries to fight out. He goes to jump on Luger’s back again but eats knees. Backstage, Elizabeth steals the bat from Vince Russo. Rights by Luger and he cleans house. Elizabeth comes out as Luger hits the powerslam. Bagwell nails Luger from behind and Elizabeth enters the ring with the bat. Bagwell blocks and steals it, allowing him to nail Luger in the midsection with the bat. Swinging neckbreaker by Bagwell and he goes up but Elizabeth nails him from behind with the bat. Torture Rack by Luger and Bagwell gives.
Winner- Lex Luger **1/4 ( The wrestling was nothing special to begin with as Bagwell spent a majority of the match in a chinlock but ENOUGH WITH THE INTERFERENCE!!!!! 4 of 6 matches tonight have involved interference, it’s ridiculous. It’s not going to stop unfortunately. )

After the match, Chuck Pulumbo comes out and attacks Luger. He gives Luger the Torture Rack.

Shane Douglas says that Flair will get franchised.

Shane Douglas vs. Ric Flair
If Vince Russo interferes, Flair gets him for five minutes after the match. Flair looks for control early but Douglas catches him with an elbow. Backdrop by Douglas and he hits some punches in the corner. Douglas charges in the corner but eats elbow and they trade chops. Flair goes up but Douglas tosses him off the top. Figure-4 by Douglas but Flair makes the ropes to break. Head butt to the groin by Douglas but Flair comes back with some chops. Douglas tries the Figure-4 again but Flair pokes the eyes. Flair goes low and Douglas bails to the floor. Flair follows out and he chops away on Douglas. Flair sends Douglas into the railings and he hammers Douglas on the announce table. Flair sends Douglas into the post and back in, Douglas hits a release suplex. Douglas nails Flair with a chain and he hits some rolling suplexes for 2. Punches on the mat by Douglas and Flair comes back with chops. He knocks Douglas down and Flair hits a knee to the groin. Flair goes low again and he gives Douglas a chop block. Knee breaker by Flair and he goes for the Figure-4. A man dressed as Sting nails Flair from behind with a bat, allowing Douglas to get the small package for 3.
Winner- Shane Douglas **1/2 ( This match had the most heat for anything on the show and it was quite good for the short amount of time it lasted. Oh, look at that, MORE INTERFERENCE!!!! )

After the match, Buff Bagwell comes out and helps Douglas and the masked man continue the beat down on Flair. Flair assumes the guy in the mask is Vince Russo and tells him he wants his five minutes. Lex Luger sneaks up from behind and tosses the masked man into the ring. Suddenly, Vince Russo comes out and distracts Flair, allowing the masked man to nail Flair with a mini Statue of Liberty. He unmasks himself to be DAVID FLAIR!!! Russo says to start the clock and he chokes Flair with the bat. Kevin Nash comes out and he takes out David Flair. Nash goes for the Jackknife Powerbomb but Daffney comes out and goes low on Nash. Russo, David, and Daffney celebrate as Nash and Flair are laid out.

Video package for Sting/Vampiro airs.

Vampiro vs. Sting
They brawl on the ramp to start and Sting suplexes Vampiro on the ramp. Reverse atomic drop by Sting and he knocks Vampiro into the ring. Back in, Sting goes up and hits a missile dropkick forcing Vampiro to bail. Sting goes up and hits a crossbody to the floor onto Vampiro. DDT on the floor by Sting and back in, Vampiro goes low. He knocks Sting down with a chop and Vampiro goes up. Flying clothesline off the top by Vampiro and he grabs a pipe. He nails Sting in the midsection and back with the pipe. They go to the ramp and Vampiro hits a bulldog onto the ramp. Spinning front kick by Vampiro and he clotheslines Sting back into the ring. Vampiro nails Sting in the back with the pipe again and he hits a corner clothesline. Vampiro puts Sting on top and follows up but Sting goes low. Sting powerbombs Vampiro off the top and he nails Vampiro a few times with the pipe. Stinger Splash by Sting and he hits the Scorpio Death Drop. A second Scorpion Death Drop by Sting gets 3.
Winner- Sting **1/2 ( A match packed with tons of action in a short amount of time and it had a clean finish. This made me happy. )

DDP tells David Arquette if he does what he says, he will be fine tonight. DDP says if he gets in trouble, Arquette goes to the top of the cage and fend people off. He tells Arquette not to grab the belt.

Billy Kidman says he pinned Hulk Hogan three times already and with Eric Bischoff as the ref, he can’t lose. Eric Bischoff promises a great night for the New Blood.

Billy Kidman w/Torrie Wilson and Kimberly vs. Hulk Hogan
Eric Bischoff is the guest ref. Hogan chases Kidman to start and back in, Kidman stomps away as Hogan was coming in. Hogan goes for a slam but Kidman blocks and gets a small package for 2. Kidman goes for a sunset flip but Hogan blocks and he crotches Kidman in the ropes. Clothesline by Hogan knocks Kidman to the floor. He follows out and hammers away on Kidman. Back in, Hogan sets up a chair and he presses Kidman onto the chair. Hogan charges in the corner but eats boot and Kidman hits a hurricanrana. Dropkick by Kidman and Hogan bails. Hogan pulls Kidman to the floor and he sends Kidman into the railings. He sends Kidman into the post and Kidman uses Torrie as a shield in order to land a cheap shot at Hogan. Back in, Kidman hits some rights but Hogan fights back with his own. Clothesline by Hogan and he whips Kidman with his belt. Bischoff takes the belt away from Hogan and the distraction allows Kidman to attack from behind. Kidman whips Hogan with the belt a few times but Hogan hip tosses Kidman to the floor to come back. Hogan follows out and he works over Kidman on the floor. Back in, Hogan covers but Bischoff will not count. Back suplex by Hogan and he covers again but Biscoff still won’t count. Hogan misses some elbow drops and Kidman stomps away on Hogan. Hogan pulls Kidman to the floor to stop that and he follows out where he tosses Kidman over the announce table. Kidman snaps Hogan’s neck off the ropes and back in, Kidman hammers the back. Hogan fights back with rights and he hits a big boot. He looks for the legdrop but Bischoff gets in his way. Hogan knocks Biscoff out of the ring and he hits the leg drop on Kidman. Hogan hammers Kidman on the mat and Bischoff brings in a chair. He goes to use the chair but Hogan blocks. He nails both Bischoff and Kidman with the chair and Hogan brings some tables into the ring. Hogan sets up the tables but walks into a chair shot from Kidman for 2!!! Kidman goes to use the chair again but Hogan blocks. He goes low on Bischoff and he powerbombs Bischoff through the table!!! Hogan brings another table into the ring and back in, Kidman goes low. He nails Hogan in the back with the chair and he puts Hogan on a table. Kidman goes up for a flying splash but misses and he crashes through the table!!! Hogan covers Kidman as Horace Hogan comes out and slams Bischoff’s arm off the mat for the 3!!!
Winner- Hulk Hogan *** ( I was really enjoying the first 2/3 of the match, with Kidman bumping like crazy for Hogan and they told a good story with Hogan trying to overcome Bischoff as the referee. The last third of the match went at a much slower pace due to the table spots and I ended up losing interest by the end. Still, my favorite match on the show so far.)

Video package for Arquette/DDP/Jarrett airs.

Jeff Jarrett says he can’t wait to embarrass Arquette and DDP and get back his world title.

Triple Cage Match for the WCW World Championship- David Arquette © vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. Diamond Dallas Page
The cage is based off the movie Ready to Rumble, where there are three cages on top of each other. You have to climb to the top cage and grab the belt to win. Jarrett chases after Arquette to start but DDP stops him. In the ring, Jarrett stomps away as DDP was coming in and he hits a DDT. Back in, DDP hits a clothesline to Jarrett and he hits a Urinage. Arquette goes up and misses a flying splash off the top. DDP goes to bring a ladder into the ring but Jarrett hits a baseball slide sending the ladder into the midsection of Page. DDP sends Jarrett into Arquette and back in, DDP hammers away on Jarrett in the corner. DDP goes to crotch Jarrett again the post but he blocks and sends DDP into the post face first. Jarrett goes to nail DDP but misses and hits Arquette. DDP crotches Jarrett against the post and he sets up a ladder in the ring. Rights by DDP and Jarrett is busted open. Back in, DDP climbs the ladder but Jarrett back suplexes Page off. Jarrett climbs but DDP takes him down with a sit-out powerbomb. DDP sends Jarrett into the ladder a few times but Jarrett sends DDP into the ladder to come back. Jarrett drops the ladder onto DDP and he sets up the ladder in the corner. Jarrett climbs but DDP shoves the ladder over to take Jarrett down. They both climb and DDP tips the ladder over sending Jarrett crashing onto the entrance ramp. DDP climbs the ladder and he enters the second cage which is filled with weapons. DDP grabs bolt cutters and opens the second cage but Jarrett attacks from behind. Jarrett nails DDP with a chair and he leaves the second cage. He starts the climb but DDP stops him. They go back into the second cage and Jarrett breaks a plate over the head of Page. Page nails Jarrett in the midsection with a chair and he sends Jarrett THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE CAGE!!!! DDP sends Jarrett into the cage and he sets up a table. DDP powerslams Jarrett through the table and both men are down. They fight it out on the outside of the second cage and DDP hits a back elbow. David Arquette climbs the ladder and he makes his way to the third cage. Mike Awesome appears on top of the cage and he attacks DDP. Arquette is on the top cage as DDP goes low on Awesome. Diamond Cutter on Awesome and he and Jarrett climb the cage. They enter the third cage which is filled with guitars and they miss guitar shots on each other. DDP hands Arquette a guitar and both men start to climb the last cage. ARQUETTE NAILS DDP WITH THE GUITAR!!! Jarrett nails DDP with a guitar of his own and Jarrett hugs Arquette on top of the cage. Jarrett grabs the belt!!!
Winner and NEW WCW World Champion- Jeff Jarrett ***1/2 ( First off, the cage itself was a cool structure and I wouldn’t mind seeing it return one day in WWE or TNA. As for the match, it was not a wrestling classic but I was entertained throughout the match. DDP and Jarrett had a pretty damn cool brawl and Arquette was mostly an afterthought until the finish. This was a great garbage match and was a fun main event. )

After the match, Awesome goes for the Awesome Bomb on DDP but Kanyon attacks from behind. Awesome TOSSES KANYON OFF THE CAGE THROUGH THE ENTRANCE RAMP!!!!

The 411: In terms of the wrestling, this was one of WCW's better PPVs of 2000. However, the wrestling still wasn't very good, which speaks to how poor the WCW product was at the time. The show was filled with nonsensical booking and the matches were ruined by the countless interference that advanced the stupid and idiotic storylines Russo and company were writing at the time. When you make a B-list actor your world champion, you know they're reaching the bottom of the barrel creatively. The show is worth a watch if your interested in seeing what a joke WCW was becoming but otherwise it isn't worth your time.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]