September 2000

Power Pro is sputtering to the finish here. I enjoy a tournament as much as the next person but The Ultimate Victory Tournament is the most generic sounding name I have heard for a tournament and winning a new Harley didn't exactly sweeten the pot any. The action here is fine for a straight tv match and King continues to feel beneath the other talent level he is surrounded by. I was pissed that he took the loss here but I guess they are still playing up the down on his luck streak with King. *1/4

Austin Rhodes is a penny store impersonation of a Rhodes family member. A terrible worker that botches a roll up at one point in the waning moments of this match. Slash is still doing a pretty unique character beat in the same vein of late 1996 Steve Austin but this match was just here to advance him in the tournament. 1/4*

For the generic indie rific guys in Wildside at the time, this was ok. I don't really see the appeal in Air Paris so far and think WCW could have done much better than having him tag along with Styles in the latter moments of the promotion. The gear here really screamed 2000's also. Paris' former partner comes out to assist him and it looks like we are headed for a tag team feud. *1/2

Our first look at Caprice Coleman (Ice) and I look forward to seeing him progress throughout the decade as he is one of my favorite underneath wrestlers up to and including him in current day ROH. The match packed a big punch for four minutes with German suplexes, pump handle slams and lift up spinebusters. Good chemistry between the two and Lazz is all business in the match. The match ends with an Onyx run in and attack as the show goes off the air. *3/4

A fun angle starts with NWA Elite celebrating one year of Wildside and Steve Martin shooting that he runs the 3rd largest promotion in the US. Bill Beherens comes out to dispute what NWA Elite has to say and he gets jumped. THis leads to Al Getz leaving the booth and recruiting some faces from the locker room to chase the Elite off. Beherns and Getz share a handshake in a pretty big moment within the promotion. Gemini's gimmick is interesting but the match didn't have much time to develop. I do want to see Onyx in a 15 minute match as from the quick glimpses, the potential is there and he knows how to play a heel character. Big schmozz at the finish with Bailey and La…

JR is in the booth and right away Cornette gives way to him taking the lead so we get significantly less screaming than usual. That is a positive. The negative is we still have the same bullshit match of 5 minutes of decent action and then a complete schmozz generally resulting in the heel skating out a victory. The referee was really poor here just staying in position to get bumped. Dinsmore is able to take out Bolin and Mr. Black but Conway loads up the glove the steal the victory. Blah. *1/2

This match is segued out of a Jerry LYnn defeat at the hands of CW Anderson. We are still in Hammerstein and given the pinfalls Lynn secured in the tag title tournament, that seems careless him losing to Anderson the next night. The six person tag match is just a collection of spot loosely tied together with Chetti turning on Nova for no apparent reason. Otherwise, Doring and Roadkill pick up a victory to get the crowd celebrating. 3/4*

Hopefully, this is the end of this feud. RVD just doesn't hold up at all as there is no emotional connection for me with him and the moves don't look that state of the art or fluid. I guess he has more polish than some of the stuff he did in 1996 but there is also more bloat. He dominates the first half of this match and takes his sweet time to execute everything. Anton takes over and this is the best part of the match although nothing extraordinary. RVD going back on offense with a kick of a chair from a running charge from Anton was lame. Frog Splash a few minutes later ends it. Yawn and way too long. *

A fun middle of the card lucha match. The rudos were on point and played off the PImpinela antics well resisting his offers and contemplating turning their back on their partner. Mr. Niebla was also fun in this with his dancing spots especially counteracting Satanico. It being a satanico match, a foul was only a matter of time happening and that happens here. The finish was nicely done for lucha in 2000 with the ref getting bumped, Salvaje delivering a foul and the ref counting three. Salvaje checks on the ref and pats his hair as his hand is being raised. ***1/4 (6.4)

This match felt like a great Grateful Dead set that falters by seguing into Space and Drums just because they have to have those songs inserted into the second set of a show for an arbitrary reason. The brawling in the beginning of this was incredible and some of the better brawling we have seen in 2000 which is saying something given some of the lucha stuff we have seen. The rudos are brutal and with tecnicos like Parka and Casas, they are willing to bump along. Then the match stalls out in the third fall doing more traditional lucha spots and not seemingly having any direction. Really disappointing as I thought we were headed to a great match. ***1/2 (6.8)

Borash is back in the booth and wearing shades for some reason. Nonstop Action is mentioned twice in this match so now we know the onus for TNA's name. The match is a mess. Are the Animals heels or faces? They get bounced around until the Harris Borther comes out and takes out Adams. Then Disco interferes on the Animals behalf and Rey/Juvy are now in control and take the match with the legdrop the nuts from Rey. I really hate that finish. 1/2*

I can see the light at the end of the Russo tunnel. Is anything lamer than 2000 Kevin Nash? They tease a finger point of doom, have a couple of minutes of action and then demolish Booker and Goldberg while Cat just shakes his head on commentary saying they are going to pay. Well then get in the ring and fucking do something about it. Goldberg and Nash arbitrarily come back and they stand on top before the Patridge Family Bus (yes you read that right) leads the Thrillers and Jarrett out ot attack them again as the go home image for the PPV. A pretty pitiful Nitro from the two segments we saw tonight. 1/4*

Big time recap of the Eddy/Chyna drama. I have thought the chemistry between those two have increased even if I think overall 2000 is a pretty light year for Eddy in ring and a result of that is mostly being saddled with Chyna in intergender matches. One of those weird things where Eddy certainly made it work and its tough to know the unknown but it is a run praised by many and I see it as a hindrance against Eddy’s case over both in GWE and in the WWE GWE. Story of the match was Chyna not getting the tag in from Eddy throughout the duration. Once the finishing run happens, Chyna stops the Worm by pulling Scotty to the outside but that leaves Eddy vulnerable from Sexay’s …

HHH and Steph are backstage and HHH is frustrated at this mystery opponent nonsense. HHH doesn’t trust Foley and tells Steph to stay backstage as a precaution. As HHH makes his way to ringside we go backstage to Eddy/Chyna. Chyna informs Eddy she is going to be in playboy and Eddy flips out. Jericho gives a good promo getting under HHH’s skin and the match is on. I really appreciate how the matches worked between these two feels personal. Stephanie makes her way out but Jericho is still in control. HHH is able to get his knees up on a lionsault to save the match. Here comes Angle and he drags Stephanie to the back. HHH follows and him and Kurt get into a shouting match on…

Good Angle promo weaving in the Olympics, dedicating the match to Stephanie and getting a potshot in at the Arizona Diamondbacks. The match setup here is fun as Angle wants to prove he can do what HHH did last week better. HHH is looking on backstage and laughing at the early shit kicking Angle takes from T&A. When Angle gets dumped on the outside, Trish puts the boots to him. This brings out Stephanie to take out Trish. Stephanie is then encountered by T&A and HHH has to run out and make the save. Angle checks on Stephanie and HHH explodes to big face pops. Stephanie gets in the middle of them and gets shoved away. Referees get punched away. HHH goes for a pedigr…

Winner of this match faces E&C at the PPV and E&C are out on commentary. Action is pretty brief before we get a patented CRI (Christian Run In). Edge smashes Matt Hardy with the tag belt and him and DVon fall to the canvas but Matt is able to have a pinfall of D Von winning them the match to E&C’s dismay. Dudleys ask for tables post match. Edge gets the 3D through the table. ¾*

Foley starts the show off saying that he is fledging an investigation as to who ran over Austin last November. He says that he would appreciate it if the guilty party just admitted it and came out there. Rock’s music fires up and Lawler gloats that he knew it all along. Rock says oh hell no to the notion that he ran over Austin but he wants a piece of Kane tonight. This brings out the #1 contender brigade including Benoit, Kane and Taker. They have a big brawl and Foley gets bumped by Kane in the middle of it. Foley says backstage he will name a #1 contender by the end of the night. He sets up the tag team main event for later. The Kane and Benoit backstage segment felt o…

This was more along the lines of the earlier comedy bouts involving Silva but with an extra edge: Silva didn't like the way the rudos picked on his friends Atlantis and Porky and got angry. I love how the rudos sacrifice Apolo Dantes in these matches. it's been a running joke all series especially when he doesn't because to the same faction as the other rudos. Silva cut a promo afterward and the interviewer encouraged him to turn rudo but no, senor, Silva wants to be a tecnico. Somewhere in all this is a tragic story of the lonely outsider who wants to be accepted by others. I hope he turns rudo and rips people's heads off.

Talk about it here.

Not near as epic as their BOSJ 97 finale but a great 10 minute match. This is why I ranked Samurai on my GWE as he has a few of these matches seemingly every year where he gets a chance to showcase himself in a singles encounter and he never disappoints. Kanemoto is really neck and neck with Otani on my year end rankings and I am interested if some of his naysayers like PeteF see his development like me when they get to this point. Overall, this was a standard basic match that was elevated by the stiffness and attention to detail. Samurai is able to remain credible and gunning for an upset with the way he presents himself. ***1/4 (6.6)

This is an interesting match with Daniels vs a big WWF name in Angle. Angle is treated like the face as Daniels does a promo saying that its True according to the gospel of Christopher Daniels. This show has live commentary over the PA System which is one of the more offensive acts in wrestling presentation IMO. The match carries a quick pace and again here we are in September and Angle hasn’t really had that 15 minute long match yet. The work is good though with Daniels targeting the leg and going back to it in a multitude of ways. Daniels gets a close nearfall off of the Best Moonsault Ever. Some more reversals and Angle is able to hit the Angle Slam for the pin and he …

The Prototype runs out to save someone from a post-match double team and that segues into this match. A solid looking clothesline from the ‘Bad Boy’ that Cena takes a nice bump from. The in house commentator informs us that he, like the Prototype, is signed to a WWF developmental contract. Basil pretty much throws himself onto Cena who then dumps him to the mat with a Samoan drop. He goes to slingshot him into the turnbuckles but they’re too far away and Basil has to take an exaggerated bump in order to reach them. Scoop powerslam by the ‘Bad Boy’ for a two. Cena ducks the clothesline and comes back with a flying forearm, a dropkick and a one handed side slam, flexi…

I guess the title is on the line here because why not. Nash as the champion around this time just has no heat and doesn’t even have the comedic value of Arquette holding the title or Jarrett being a four time champion in two months. Not a lot of exciting action here and the crowd is chanting for Goldberg to help out. Steiner locks on the Recliner and Nash has to pull Booker out to save his title. RoboBerg comes out in a Harley and leather jacket. He spears Steiner and Jackhammers him to a great reaction. Goldberg has had around 10 different gimmick beats this year but damn if he still isn’t over. ½*

I was excited for this match seeing it was 2/3 falls and the time of the video. Charles pulled a fast one as most of the first portion is a long promo involving Nash, Steiner, Jarrett and Cat that was no interest of me. Cat points to Sting in the audience and we get the match proper. But first, we have to have another promo between Sting and Jarrett. When they finally lock up, it’s a pretty good match although in the garbage style that Jarrett has devolved into. The pace is good and the finish with the Stroke was clever for the first fall. The second fall finish was less successful as we get a ref bump and then Sting doing a Stinger splash to Slick Johnson. Sting is tappi…

Another in a long line of enjoyable but pretty forgettable mini match. I don't know of a comparison to this era of stuff that we have seen in 2000. Maybe late 80's WWF tag team wrestling in that the matches were generally really solid but not great a ton of the times. I do think the late 80's WWF stuff had a higher ceiling than what we have seen from the minis here. In this match, i was glad to see Sagrada opposite Piratita as they are probably my two favorite mini workers of the year. Piratita is not flashy by any means but his clunky offense works and he projects himself as a rudo. Still looking for that blowaway match but these matches have been consistently good. *** …