WCW World War 3 1997 (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 23, 1997

From Auburn Hills, Michigan; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan

Opening Match: The Faces of Fear v Glacier and Ernest Miller: All four men brawl before the bell even sounds, with the dust settling on Meng and Glacier. Glacier dodges him and covers for two, and it’s over to Miller to work a wristlock. Bodypress, but Meng catches him, so Glacier dropkicks Miller to allow him to topple Meng for two. Tag to Barbarian, and Miller holds him off with kicks. He and Glacier work the arm together, but Barbarian shakes Glacier off long enough to tag. Glacier holds Meng off with kicks, and a dropkick finds the mark. Miller then springboards off of Meng into a dive at Barbarian, and Glacier follows up with a plancha! A distraction from Jimmy Hart allows Barbarian to clobber Glacier, however, and the Faces deliver a backdrop/powerbomb combo for two on the way back inside. The Faces work Glacier over, until he manages to fight Meng off with a side suplex, and gets the tag off to Miller - Roseanne Barr the door! Another distraction from Hart allows Meng to slap on the Tongan Death Grip, however, and Miller falls for the count at 9:09. No one in this would ever be confused with a top level worker, but everyone was making an effort, and it was better than I expected. * ¾ (Original rating: * ¼)

WCW Television Title Match: Perry Saturn v Disco Inferno: Saturn slaps him around in the early going, but Disco outmoves him as they criss cross, and a bodyslam leads to a clothesline that puts the champion on the outside. Saturn decks him on the way back in, but Disco reverses a whip into the ropes, and a hiptoss sends Perry bailing to the outside to regroup again. Disco forces him back in, but immediately telegraphs a backdrop, and gets clobbered. Disco pops off with an inverted atomic drop to stay in it, and he unloads in the corner to let Saturn know he means business. Cross corner whip rebounds Saturn into a backelbow, and Disco adds a fistdrop for two. Elbowdrop misses, however, and Saturn finds a suplex. He tries a flying moonsault, but Disco dodges, and covers for two. Saturn manages a small package for two, but Disco cuts him off with a backelbow for two. Saturn with a backslide for two, and he tries another suplex, but Disco blocks, so Perry crotches him across the top rope instead. Saturn springboards at the straddled Disco, and both men end up taking a spill to the outside. Disco engages the Flock out there, allowing Saturn to clobber him, and he goes for the Rings on the way back in, but Disco blocks. Disco with a swinging neckbreaker for two, and a flying bodypress connects, but Perry rolls through into the Rings at 8:18. This was much better than the quasi-squash title change from Nitro a few weeks prior, with both guys working hard, and delivering an actual competitive match this time out. ** ½ (Original rating: ½*)

Ultimo Dragon v Yuji Nagata: If Dragon wins, he gets five minutes with Sonny Onoo. A fair amount of empty seats opposite the hard camera tonight. Dragon gets control first, but Nagata blocks a handspring backelbow, and takes him down in a cross-armbreaker. Dragon manages to shift it to a cradle for two, and a dropkick sends Nagata to the outside. Dragon follows to abuse Onoo, but that allows Nagata to attack, and they didn’t have enough mats to cover the entire ringside area? Seriously? Well, I guess they had to pay for those big contracts by cutting corners somewhere. Dragon works a headlock for a while, until Nagata side suplexes his way out of the hold, and he cracks Dragon with chops and kicks. Piledriver gets him two, so he works a chinlock. Dragon escapes, so Nagata switches to a sleeper, as Tony gets into an interesting dissection of the differences between a sleeper and a chinlock. It’s odd, they look so incredibly similar, but once you can spot it, you’ll never confuse them again. Nagata with another piledriver for two, and he works a camel clutch. Dragon escapes, so Nagata goes to a fujiwara armbar, but Dragon is in the ropes before Nagata can crank it. He cranks a headvice instead, as Heenan suggests that Nagata turn the mask around on him, and the others treat him like he just crapped his pants. Was that really so ridiculous compared to some of the other things they were saying? Too bad Dusty Rhodes isn’t working tonight, he would have ran with that. Dragon makes a comeback, and dives with a flying bodypress on the floor. Dragon with a sunset bomb for two on the way back inside, and a slam sets up a flying moonsault for two. Nagata tries a suplex, but Dragon counters to the Dragon Sleeper, so Onoo distracts the referee. A frustrated Dragon takes Nagata upstairs for a rana off the top, but Sonny gets Nagata’s foot on the ropes at two. Dragon stays on him with a side suplex, but Onoo gets involved again, and Nagata topples him for the pin at 12:42. That finish looked messed up, and these two just don’t have any real chemistry. Dragon feels wasted in this program. * (Original rating: *)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v The Blue Bloods: Scott Steiner starts with Squire David Taylor, who, sadly, still hasn’t been upgraded to Fender David Taylor. Maybe in 1998. The challengers get him in their corner for a double team early on, but Taylor telegraphs a backdrop, and takes a butterfly powerbomb. That draws Lord Steven Regal in, but Rick Steiner cuts him off, and the champs clean house. Dust settles on Rick and Regal, and Rick dominates with knucklelocks. Rick tries a fujiwara armbar, and Scott tags in with a belly-to-belly suplex for two. The Brothers take turns stretching Regal, but Taylor gets the tag… and promptly runs into a powerslam from Rick for two. Back to Scott, so Regal takes a cheap shot from the apron, and Taylor quickly capitalizes on him by clotheslining him over the top. The challengers go to work on Scott, until he manages to fight Regal off with a suplex, and Rick gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! The champs fight off a double team, and the electric flying bulldog combo finishes Regal at 9:45. * (Original rating: DUD)

Raven's Rules Match: Raven v Scotty Riggs: Riggs dives onto the entire Flock with a plancha to kick start the match, and he pounds Raven around ringside. Inside, Riggs keeps pounding in the corner, and a swinging neckbreaker sets up a splash for two. Cross corner whip and a schoolboy get two, so Raven sends him into the turnbuckles to slow him down, and then chokes him with a shirt. The announcers make sure to note that it’s a flannel shirt, as if that somehow makes it more dangerous. Well, they can be very abrasive to the skin. To the outside, Riggs reverses a whip into the steps, and Scotty chokes him with a cable. Raven manages a chincrusher on the way back inside, and he brings a chair in to whack Riggs across the back with. Raven sets up the chair for a drop-toehold, but Riggs reverses it on him for two, and then dropkicks the chair at him for two. Bulldog on the chair gets two, but Raven blocks a suplex, and delivers a DDT. But instead of covering, Raven grabs a microphone, and starts screaming at Riggs that he should have joined the Flock instead of fighting. He gives Riggs a pair of additional DDTs, and Scotty is out for the ten count at 8:46. ½* (Original rating: ¼*)

Steve McMichael v Alex Wright: This is set as McMichael versus Bill Goldberg, but Mongo announces that he’s knocked Bill silly with a pipe backstage, and so he can’t compete. And we see a shot of Goldberg knocked out on the floor somewhere, so I guess it’s true. Mongo still wants to wrestle, so he makes an open challenge, and Wright answers. Well, that’s stupid. There’s a big company-wide battle royal for a world title shot an hour away, and you’re wasting time in a pissing contest with Steve McMichael? And, in fact, Wright doesn’t even really want to do it, with Debra McMichael basically dragging him to the ring. Wright attacks from behind while Mongo plays to the fans, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Steve pastes him with a backelbow. Mongo unloads until Alex bails, and Steve manages a pop-up flapjack as Wright returns to the ring. Sidewalk slam gets two, but Alex gets the better of a criss cross with a leg lariat for two. Wright with chops in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Steve delivers a pair of three-point stances. Clothesline finds the mark, as does another sidewalk slam, and the tombstone finishes at 3:36. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Eddie Guerrero v Rey Mysterio Jr: They feel each other out to start, with Guerrero constantly complaining about non-existent cheating from the challenger. Eddie dumps him on his head with a German suplex when Rey tries to criss cross, and he drills him with a side suplex. Great execution all around there. Guerrero works an abdominal stretch, but Rey escapes, and sends him to the outside with a headscissors (following a botched attempt). Rey teases a dive, but Guerrero blocks. Guerrero tries a slingshot somersault senton splash, but Rey dodges. Rey tries a sunset bomb off of the apron, but Guerrero blocks, and manages a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on the floor. Kind of a sloppy series of exchanges there, even if high minded. Eddie with a vertical superplex on the way back inside, but a dive misses, and Mysterio hooks a rana into a cradle for two. Guerrero cuts him off with a flapjack, however, but Rey blocks a powerbomb, and manages a headscissors for two. Guerrero cuts him off again with a dropkick, as Heenan’s input for the match is literally just saying that Rey’s neck is hurt every twenty seconds, or so. What a shell that guy became in the late 90s. Guerrero drops him front-first across the top rope, and he tries a sunset bomb on the floor, but Rey counters with a rana out there. That allows Mysterio to dive with a somersault plancha, and a slingshot moonsault gets him a two count on the way back in. Guerrero tries a corner splash, but hits the post. That allows Rey the confidence to try a rana, but Guerrero is able to plant him with a powerbomb to block. Gory special into a cradle gets two, but Rey manages a sunset flip for two as an escape. Spinheel kick finds the mark, and a bodyslam sets up a dive, but Eddie brings him off for a powerbomb - Rey trying a counter, but botching it, and just landing in a heap. Rey recovers with a flying moonsault press for two, and a springboard flying legdrop connects. Springboard flying rana into a cradle looks to finish, but Guerrero gets into the ropes at two. Great near fall there. Rey takes him up for a rana off, but Guerrero counters with a hotshot, and the flying frogsplash finishes at 12:41. A strong performance, despite a few awkward exchanges, a few botches, and some flow issues. *** ¼ (Original rating: *** ¼)

WCW United States Title No Disqualification Match: Curt Hennig v Ric Flair: Hennig doesn’t want to get in to start the match, so Ric attacks him on the outside, and starts sending him into various steel. They spill into the crowd for a brawl, and the only thing interesting to the announcers is that they have to participate in the battle royal as well. Like, they’re trying to literally murder each other, and the second highest title in the promotion is on the line, and all they can talk about is how this impacts the next match. Hennig gets control as they get back to ringside, and he chokes Ric with some cable… which the announcers, of course, note that Flair might not make it to the battle royal now. Yeah, forget about that stupid US title, there’s a battle royal at stake! Flair actually successfully hits a flying axehandle on the floor, and he unloads on Curt with chops out there. Curt pokes him in the eyes and manages a backdrop on the floor, and inside that gets two. Meanwhile, more hype for the main event. Were they hoping some of the people watching on scramblevision were going to make a last minute call to their cable company, or something? Hennig works the leg (which, the announcers clarify, would mean nothing in the battle royal), and he tries for the submission with a spinning toehold. Flair goes to the eyes to break, and clips the knee of the champion so he can work the part as well. Flair with a snapmare to set up a kneedrop, but another trip to the top gets him slammed off for two. He got greedy trying two dives, come on. Chopfest goes Ric’s way, and he chucks Curt across the ring so Hennig can crotch himself on the post. That one didn’t look great. Ric with more chops in the corner, but a criss cross results in both men looking up at the lights. Hennig bails into another ring, but Flair chases, and side suplexes him for two. Hennig fights him off in the corner and uses a snapmare to set up a somersault necksnap, followed by a cross corner whip that flips Flair to the floor. Curt follows to bash him into the guardrail out there, and did you know that we’re just a few minutes from the battle royal? Because we totally are! Hennig chokes him, but Flair smashes him into the rail to escape, and he vertical suplexes the champ back inside for two. Flair brings a chair in and crotches Curt on the back of it, then kicks it out to crank on the knee. Hennig does a tremendous oversell on that one. Ric beats on the leg with the chair, as the announcers worry that his leg might be broken… which would prevent him from participating in the battle royal. Figure four looks to finish, but Hennig gets hold of the title belt (which Flair brought in for no adequately explained reason), and bashes Ric for the pin at 18:05. Flair did a good job of selling the leg throughout, and the match was mostly watchable, though the commentary made me want to kick a hole through my television. * ½ (Original rating: ¾*)

Main Event: #1 Contender's 60-Man World War 3 Match: Winner gets a title shot at SuperBrawl VIII. We've got: Chris Adams, Brad Armstrong, Buff Bagwell, Barbarian, Chris Benoit, Bobby Blaze, Booker T, Ciclope, Damien, El Dandy, Barry Darsow, Disco Inferno, Jim Duggan, Fit Finlay, Hector Garza, Glacier, Johnny Grunge, Juventud Guerrera, Chavo Guerrero Jr, Eddie Guerrero, Scott Hall, Curt Hennig, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Prince Iaukea, Chris Jericho, Lizmark Jr, Lex Luger, Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, Meng, Ernest Miller, Rey Mysterio Jr, Hugh Morrus, Mortis, Yuji Nagata, John Nord, Diamond Dallas Page, La Parka, Lord Steven Regal, Renegade, Rocco Rock, Randy Savage, Silver King, Norman Smiley, Louie Spicolli, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Stevie Ray, Super Calo, Squire David Taylor, Ray Traylor, Ultimo Dragon, Greg Valentine, Villano IV, Villano V, Vincent, Kendall Windham, Wrath, and Alex Wright. Hogan isn’t actually in the ring at the start, and Kevin Nash is MIA, as is Ric Flair. We get down to one ring after about twenty minutes, and we’ve got five WCW guys against five nWo guys. Everyone trades off, until we’re down to Giant, DDP, Savage, and Hall. Diamond Cutter and a chokeslam from Giant finishes Macho, and Hall is left alone against the two WCW stars. But before he can engage, Hogan shows up, entering the match in Nash’s spot. Does he think he’s back in the WWF? Since when can you just show up anytime you want in a battle royal? Hogan gets Page out, but then ‘Sting’ rappels from the rafters, and Hulk gets so scared that he bails to eliminate himself (they were doing a weird ‘the floor is lava’ thing this year where any exit from the ring was an elimination), and then ‘Sting’ hits Giant with the bat to send him out - giving Hall the win at 29:46. Afterwards, ‘Sting’ unmasks as Nash, and we’re all supposed to be shocked, despite ‘Sting’ looking a foot taller than usual the entire time. This was the usual goofy, overlong WW3 battle royal, with some really nonsensical booking to really make it sing. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: The main event was not remotely good, but you kind of expect that going in with these things. The rest of the card is surprisingly entertaining, even if there isn’t any one standout match to really push it into what could be considered a ‘good’ show. 

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