WCW Souled Out 1997 (Version II)

 

Original Airdate: January 25, 1997

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff and Ted DiBiase

Opening Match: Masahiro Chono v Chris Jericho: The idea here is that all matches will be officiated by nWo referee Nick Patrick, and they even have their own ring announcer who makes fun of the WCW guys. Like, Jericho is announced as 'Chris 'I should have stayed in hockey' Jericho.' It's also delivered in this disembodied, robotic voice that's just perfect. In a nice surprise, the crowd is actually super pro-nWo as well, as opposed to WCW fans who are attending. Like, they even cheer CHONO over Jericho! Chono dominates a bit to start, as some WCW guys make their way through the crowd, taking seats in the stands as ticket holders to observe. Chono with a cobra legsweep and a flying shoulderblock, and he's just taking forever between moves here. Vertical suplex, but Chris reverses, and a spinheel kick sends Chono to the outside for a springboard bodypress on the floor. Jericho follows with a spinkick to put Chono up against the post, but a spinheel kick against it misses, and Chris wipes out. Back in, Chono works a headlock, but Jericho wants to criss cross, so Chono just clips the bad leg to shut him up. He works the leg, so Jericho tries to fight him off with a leg-feed enzuigiri, but Chono corkscrew legwhips him down again, and tries for the STF, but Chris is in the ropes. Chris manages a jumping backelbow during a criss cross, and he hooks a bridging German suplex, but gets a slow two count from Patrick. Jericho adds a clothesline for two, but gets distracted arguing with the referee, and Chono recovers with an inverted DDT. Chono goes upstairs, but a flying shoulderblock misses (kinda, looks like they got their wires crosses there), and Chono just gives him an inverted atomic drop anyway. He goes to the outside to set up a table, and tries suplexing Chris through it from the apron, but Jericho reverses him back inside. That allows Chris to dive with a missile dropkick, but Chono is in the ropes at two. Fisherman's buster suplex sets up the Lionsault for two, but another trip to the top ends badly when Chono shoves him off, with Chris crashing through the table on the outside. Chono rolls him back in, and blasts him with a big boot at 10:56. Pretty slow, but generally okay. * ½ (Original rating: ¼*)

Mexican Death Match: Big Bubba Rogers v Hugh Morrus: Not really sure why this is a 'Mexican' death match specifically, given that neither guy is Mexican, and Mexico has nothing to do with the issue here. Feels like this was supposed to be Bubba against Konnan again, and they just changed it up, and forgot to get rid of the gimmick match too. Morrus is dressed like he's auditioning to be a Dudley Boy here, though I'm not sure why. They spill to the outside early, where Morrus sends him into the steps, so Bubba gives him a few blatant low blows on the way back in - ignored by Patrick, of course. Morrus clotheslines him over the top, so Jimmy Hart decides to take some cheap shots, since clearly the referee is biased anyway. And also because he's Jimmy Hart. Inside, Morrus with a cross corner whip, but Bubba blocks an avalanche with a chain, and he unloads with the weapon. Morrus gets it away from him to return fire, and he goes up with the No Laughing Matter, but Patrick's count is so slow that Bubba is able to regain consciousness and attack well before ten. Cross corner whip, but Hugh reverses, and this time follows in with the avalanche. He adds a clothesline, but Patrick screws him on the count again, and they spill back to the outside. They brawl up the aisle this time, and Morrus hits a slam over at the entrance set, then tries a dive off of some steps, but badly misses. Bubba responds by stealing a motorcycle (there are a bunch of people sitting on them throughout the ringside area), and of course he has trouble getting it started, with the person he's stealing it from having to help him. Well, that's nice. So Bubba uses the bike to barrel into Morrus, and then leaves him for dead, getting the countout victory at 9:07. This was pretty bad, but they at least made some effort here, so we won't dive into negative-star territory. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Michael Wallstreet v Jeff Jarrett: Wallstreet stalls to start, and looks horrible out there. Like, not his wrestling, but just his physical appearance. I get that he was pretty much ready to retire before jumping to WCW, but he looks like he's in full-on senior circuit mode at this point, and not a guy working PPV for a mainstream wrestling organization. Wallstreet gains control with help from Patrick, but telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a facebuster. Jarrett adds a ropechoke, but Nick pushes Wallstreet out of the way of the straddling version, and Wallstreet is able to clothesline Jeff over the top. Wallstreet follows to the outside for a smash into the apron, and he drops Jeff across the guardrail for good measure. Whip into the rail sends Jeff crashing into the first row, and inside, Wallstreet grabs a sleeper. Jeff reverses, but Patrick makes him break it, considering it a choke. That allows Wallstreet to pound him down, and he goes to a rope-assisted chinlock. I love that no matter what gimmick, no matter what era, you can always count on Mike Rotunda to work the same damn match. Jeff escapes, and hits an inverted atomic drop, followed by a vertical suplex, as we catch Arn Anderson observing from the crowd, looking like he's close to falling asleep. Figure Four looks to finish, but Patrick drags Wallstreet to the ropes to force a break. That pisses Jarrett off, but he stays on Wallstreet with a rope-assisted abdominal stretch. How's it feel, Mike?! Wallstreet reverses with Patrick's aid, but Debra McMichael forces husband Steve to come out of the crowd, and he whacks Wallstreet with his briefcase. That allows Jarrett to cover, and with Steve hovering over with a threat, Patrick counts three at 9:23. This was kind of weird, since both guys basically have the same working style, and neither really meshes well with all the gimmicky stuff surrounding them here. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

Buff Bagwell v Scotty Riggs: Why does Patrick even bother going to the back between matches? Riggs attacks before the bell, disrupting Buff's posing routine with some right hands, and sending Bagwell bailing to the outside. Buff stalls out there, and inside, Scotty wins a criss cross with a dropkick, and he unloads with mounted punches. Patrick pulls him off, allowing Bagwell to attack from behind, and he pounds Scotty into the corner. Cross corner whip, but Riggs reverses, and he delivers a belly-to-belly suplex. Buff gets pissy, leading to a bit of a slugfest, won by Riggs. Man, even their slugfests looks like pretty boy slugfests. Scotty dumps him to the outside for a plancha, but a whip into the guardrail gets reversed, and Bagwell smashes him into the apron as well. Riggs fights him off on the way back in and dives with a flying axehandle for two, but Buff blocks a suplex, and drops Scotty crotch-first across the top rope. Bagwell goes to work on him from there, as the camera crew messes around with this annoying crane-cam thing that's making me dizzy as fuck. They'd taken some shots with it earlier, but usually only a quick one or two per match. This bout they've decided to shoot the bulk of with it, and it's super annoying. Bagwell with a powerbomb for two, and he works a reverse chinlock, while ripping off Rick Rude's act at every turn. Bagwell tries a suplex, but Riggs reverses for two, and starts making a comeback. He dominates, but a criss cross ends badly when Bagwell throws a bodypress for two. Buff goes for a neckbreaker, but Scotty counters with a backslide for two, and adds a powerbomb for two. Superplex, but Buff blocks, and the Blockbuster finishes at 13:51. Sleep inducing, and thanks for the crane-cam, nausea inducing, too! * (Original rating: DUD)

Scott Norton v Diamond Dallas Page: I've always thought the nicely printed 'nWo' at center ring was too pretty for this show. They should have just had a regular blank mat with the logo spray painted on it. Norton powers him around to start, so Page takes a couple of puffs on his cigar, and it's like Popeye getting a hit of the spinach! Well, as much as Popeye grabbed side-headlocks after eating his spinach, I guess. Dallas with a neckbreaker for two, and he tries to go to the mat with a front-facelock, but Norton quickly fights him off, and takes it into the corner for chops. Cross corner whip, but Dallas reverses, and hits a forward-piledriver on the rebound. Oh God, here we go with the stupid crane-cam again. Seriously, who thought that was a good idea? Norton uses power to take control again, as Sting appears high up in the crowd. Considering they're shooting him with the wide angle, I'm guessing it's the fake Sting. To the outside, Norton sends him into the rail, post, and steps, and fuck, even the regular camera is getting all shaky now. Go die in a fire, asshole. Back in, Scott uses a catapult underneath the bottom rope, but a short-clothesline misses, and Page hits a clothesline of his own. Unfortunately for him, it's Scott Norton, so it's no-sold. Page tries a sunset cradle, but Scott blocks. Page responds with a flurry of rights to finally put Norton down, and he dives with a flying clothesline for two. Page with a floatover DDT, and the camera angle is so bad that the announcers think Norton hit a hiptoss there. Cue Buff Bagwell leading some of the nWo b-team guys out, interrupting the match in its tracks to offer DDP membership again. So the match literally stops dead as they cut promos, with Page accepting membership, but then hitting Norton with the Diamond Cutter anyway, and bailing into the crowd for the countout loss at 10:00. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Outsiders v The Steiner Brothers: Scott Steiner with the leather singlet, bedazzled weight belt, and tasseled boots is a really, really bad look for him. He starts with Scott Hall, and dominates, taking the champion down with a fireman's carry for an armbar. Hall fights free and goes to an abdominal stretch, and man, they're not wasting any time getting to the restholds, are they? Steiner reverses and turns it into a pumphandle-slam, followed by an overhead suplex. That's enough to draw Kevin Nash in, but Rick Steiner cuts him off, and the challengers clean house. Dust settles on Hall and Rick, and Hall unloads in the corner, but Rick turns the tables. Bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, and Rick dives with a bodypress from the middle, but Hall catches him in a fallaway slam for two. Hall works an armbar, but Rick slugs free, and tags out. Hall quickly hits the incoming Steiner with a chokeslam, however, and it's over to Nash to pound on him in the corner. Charge misses, allowing Scott a belly-to-belly suplex for two, and he tags out to Rick for a bearhug, but Nash quickly fights him off. Slugfest goes Rick's way, and a powerslam gets two. Rick gets upset over the slow count, allowing Hall to throw a cheap shot from the apron, and the Outsiders take control. They cut the ring in half on Rick until Steiner just gets sick of it and punches Kevin in the dick, and it's hot tag to Scott. Sadly, the crowd is pretty out of it, and barely responding as he throws the champions around with suplexes. They go for the combo on Hall, but Nash saves, and Patrick gets bumped in the process - no one there to make the count as Hall hits Scott with the Outsider's Edge. That allows Rick to dive with a flying bulldog on Hall, and Scott covers, but still no referee. Randy Anderson (sitting in the crowd with the various WCW guys) decides to hop the rail, and he makes the count himself at 14:42. Everyone's excited, and the Steiner's get presented with the belts and everything, but it's obvious that the screw job is coming. Which it did, the following night on Nitro. Honestly though, this one was obviously leading to a reversed decision of some kind. Probably the most telegraphed Dusty Finish ever. It's like Jimmy Hart trying to count the pin at WrestleMania IX level stupid. Almost. The heat segment went on for a too long, but this was generally decent enough. * ¼ (Original rating: ¼*)

WCW United States Title Ladder Match: Eddie Guerrero v Syxx: I'm kind of surprised it took WCW almost three years to run a ladder match after the success of the WrestleMania X one. This is actually Syxx's first televised match since appearing in the battle royal at World War 3. Eddie attacks while the belt is being suspended, but Syxx quickly fights him off with some martial arts moves. I still get a kick out of the mental image I have of him trying to do that against the guys who attacked Shawn Michaels outside that bar in 1995. Syxx pounds on him some, but Guerrero shakes him off with a headscissors takedown, and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker sends Syxx bailing for the aisle. Eddie dives after him with a flying bodypress out there, and he takes the challenger in for a cross corner whip, but the charge misses, and Syxx dives off the middle with a spinheel kick. Syxx takes him into the corner for chops to set up a broncobuster, and the crowd is just dead for this. Syxx was really a guy never meant to work heel. Like, 1-2-3 Kid was one of my favorite babyfaces ever, but every heel character he ever played was just so hard to buy, and he was always terrible at it. Eddie knocks him to the outside again, and tries to suplex him back in from the apron, but Syxx reverses over the top to the floor. Man, even that didn't pop the damn crowd. Syxx adds a somersault plancha out there, and he grabs the ladder, looking like he can barely carry the thing. He bashes Eddie with the weapon out there, as DiBiase notes that Scott Hall spent a lot of time educating Syxx in the finer points of this type of bout. Well, at least they're acknowledging the connection. Syxx tries taking the ladder inside, but Eddie manages to turn the weapon on him, and the champ hits a slingshot stomp on the way back into the ring. He beats on Syxx with the ladder before unloading with chops in the corner, but a cross corner whip into the ladder gets reversed. Syxx stomps him under the ladder and then drops him across it with a pop-up flapjack, as Bischoff takes the interesting bit DiBiase said about Hall, and just goes into overkill mode with it. Syxx with a brainbuster, and Syxx tries riding the ladder down onto the champ, but Eddie dropkicks it into his face. That leaves Syxx crotched on the top, and Guerrero brings him off with a vertical superplex. That allows Guerrero to make the first climb attempt of the match, but Syxx follows up the opposite side, and we have a slugfest at the top. Syxx manages to knock him off with a dropkick, but that fucks him up as well, and both guys are down. Still barely a pop from this shit crowd, though. Syxx is up first, and starts climbing (with aid from Patrick), but here comes Eddie up the opposite side for another slugfest. Syxx knocks him off again, but as Eddie takes the fall, he knocks the ladder over, sending the challenger crashing to the canvas as well. Eddie gets fired up and starts making a comeback, and he makes a climb, but Syxx follows up the opposite side. There's more than one way to skin a cat, guys. So this time they both unhook the belt, and Eddie wins the tug-of-war to retain at 13:45. Although they actually fucked that up, as Eddie dropped the belt, and had to run down to grab it, which isn't exactly a great finish. I know a lot of people really like this match, but I dunno... it's pretty slow, and the crowd is just so dead... it's hard to get into for me. It's not bad, and certainly the best match on the show by a mile, but not exactly on par with what expectations for ladder matches were in 1997. ** ¼ (Original rating: ** ½)

Main Event: WCW World Title Match: Hollywood Hulk Hogan v Giant: Hogan has several players from the Dallas Cowboys with him, for whatever reason. Like, this wasn't hyped up, and then they never it mentioned again after this, so your guess is as good as mine. Giant no-sells some shots to start, and Hogan bails to the outside to stall. Giant is stupid enough to follow and give up the high ground, however, allowing Hulk to take him down on the way back in, and unload with mounted punches. Hogan pounds him for a long while, until a criss cross results in a double knockout spot off of a clothesline. Giant is up first, and he beats Hogan into the corner for a few turnbuckle smashes, before dumping the champ to the outside. Hulk manages to rake the eyes out there, but Giant reverses a smash into the rail, and gives Vincent one for good measure. Inside, Hulk charges with a shoulderblock, but Giant starts no-selling, so Hulk actually tries a small package, but Giant counters with a bodyslam. That whole sequence looked really amateurish. Hogan bails to the outside, and this time chucks a handful of powder in Giant's eyes when the challenger follows, allowing Hulk to choke him down with his wrist tape. Inside, Giant fights him off again, and uses a backbreaker into a submission, but it goes nowhere. Giant goes upstairs with a flying elbowdrop, but Hulk moves out of the way, and covers for two. He keeps on Giant with a chinlock, and it's big boot time, but Giant no-sells. Hulk responds with a bodyslam to set up the Legdrop, but Giant no-sells that as well, and delivers a Chokeslam for two. I mean, per Nick Patrick. Hogan didn't actually kick out whatsoever, but Patrick just decided it was a two count. So Giant tries to play that game, but Patrick just flat out refuses to count the pin, so Giant Chokeslams him, too. Cue the nWo run-in, but they come at Giant one as a time, and he fights them all off. It allows Hulk to recover, however, and he hits Giant with a guitar a bunch of times, and the whole thing is ruled a no contest around 11:20. I assume. No decision is ever actually announced. This was really weak for a main event level match, but at least it was relatively short, and they kept it moving. The total non-finish was a joke for a PPV main, though. I wouldn't go negative-stars on it again, though the booked certainly makes it tempting. ¼* (Original rating: -*)

BUExperience: It may not be a good wrestling card, but you can’t say it wasn’t something different. Everything about the presentation – from the visual style, to the announcing, to the set design – was interesting and unique. I don’t know how much that rates over twenty years later, but if you were a fan during this period, I wouldn’t call it a total waste of time. I can’t imagine anyone who wasn’t a fan during this period getting anything out of this, though, as the actual wrestling was a total waste of time, with the only consequential event of the evening getting overturned the next night on Nitro anyway.

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