JoeDirt

Well Carlito's hurt too, so just make it 3-on-3.

When did the WWE switch from the LHW title to the cruiserweight title?

What are the most eerie similarities, do you think, between WCW then and WWE now? When did Benoit and Malenko each join the 4 Horsemen? Did the Horsemen disband after Fall Brawl 97 and then reform in fall of 98 on that one Nitro episode? I remember hearing once that Fit Finlay beat Ric Flair on an episode of Thunder in a big upset. Did that happen, or was it one of those lame "we reversed the decision the next day" things? Also, why was Finlay given a TV title push in 98? When did Vampiro come to WCW? Any good Lex Luger stories?

From DDTDigest, about the Rhodes turn, this is from the 1/29/98 Thunder: Hall comes out to do his survey, and then some... * The WCW Executive Committee has signed Luger vs. Savage at Superbrawl in a no-DQ match. * When Hall started his survey, on reflex I went to switch to RAW. Damn it, it's Thursday! * Hall wonders out loud what happened to his title shot at Slamboree. He threatens Piper. Then, he introduces Dusty. * Sign: "Say it ain't so, Dusty" * Wow, Dusty is really fat! * Ah! Now I get it! The angle is that Dusty has been angry since 1991 when the "suits" did away with tradition. (Ted Turner creating WCW and seceding from the NWA.) Dusty sums it up with "Shove it!" Dusty claims all of the WCW people are making a living off of the nWo. * "Larry Zbyszko, there will be no comeback! And all you marks out there on the Internet, there will be no comeback!" Ouch, that hurts. I don't know whether that means Dusty won't be making a comeback or Larry won't, or both.

What do you mean by that?

Starrcade 1994 did 0.60 Starrcade 1995 did 0.36 Starrcade 1996 did 0.95 Funnily, they added the Flair v Luger v Sting deal because they wanted to ensure a decent buy rate. That's just depressing. Hogan v Beefcake outdrew a pretty decent Starrcade 1995 show? Ugh. -=Mike WCW fans didn't like the Japanese, obviously.

So after Dusty turned, they didn't do a Zybysko vs. Dusty match or anything like that? Did Dusty even really DO anything with the nWo? You gotta love booking a title switch so that when the ratings go down you can blame it on the guy who you just gave the title to. Brilliant stuff. What, if anything, led up to the Jericho vs. Raven match at Havoc 98? Why was Hogan not at Starrcade 95? Did that show draw at all? (With the Japanese wrestlers on it facing the WCW guys) Any reason why DDP was given the win in the battle bowl at Slamboree 96? Why did they decide to push him? Who is to blame for the Tower of Doom cage match at Uncensored 96?

I think that was the big problem with the nWo angle. They were great heels because they put themselves over so much. But in the end, the heels need to get payback from the babyfaces, and you have to send the fans home happy.

My favorite thing of the WCW Watts era? The Miracle Violence Connection. I have no idea what that name means, but I love it. Still can't believe Nash booked Nitro to suck like shit for the first hour to show it wouldn't effect the ratings at all. Well it's Nash, so I guess I can believe it, but still... You can really see the lack of long term planning in 1999. At least in 1997, for example, they had the long term plan of doing Hogan/Sting at Starrcade and built to it. Sure, the rest of the card was just done show to show, but not the main event. Well look at 1999. We have the Fingerpoke of Doom. Then Hogan feuds with Ric Flair and loses the belt to him at Uncensored. Flair turns heel and loses it a month later to DDP, who is kind of a heel at the time. DDP loses it to Sting and wins it back the same night on Nitro, and then loses it to Nash at Slamboree. Nash loses it to Savage at BATB, and Hogan wins it from Savage the next night. Now NASH turns heel and loses to Hogan at Road Wild. And then Hogan loses the belt to a heel turning Sting! I mean it's just ridiculous. Speaking of that, how did Flair convince people to give him another run with the title in early 1999? I guess he had convince Nash, who was more willing that Bischoff? Or was Bischoff still booking then? When did Mortis unmask to Kanyon? How long did he feud with Raven? How long did Saturn feud with Raven? What was the deal with the "Scott Hall is an alcoholic" angle? When did Lenny Lane start to get onto TV for WCW and how long did he and Lodi do the gay thing before being forced to stop? How did the Scott Hall/Larry Zybysko feud end? Any interesting Steiner Brothers/Konnan/Hugh Morrus/Billy Kidman/Ultimo Dragon stories? Oh, and why did Rick Steiner pick Kenny Kaos as his new tag team title partner after Havoc 98? I don't think anyone ever answered that one. Thanks!

Tony Schiavone, when Chris Jericho beat down Rey Misterio Jr. after their match at Souled Out 1998: "This is the sickest display I've EVER seen from an athlete in many months."

Was the original plan for Dustin Rhodes to debut as that weird Seven character and then Russo nixed it? I remember the vignettes with some weird cow at a kid's window, and then Dustin coming out talking about how he was dressed like Uncle Fester.

http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1999071m.htm There's a funny picture at the end of Savage slapping Torrie.

What was the reasoning behind giving Luger the title the week before Road Wild 97? Just to give him a quick title reign and keep him happy? What was the original plan with Nash after losing the retirement match to Hogan at Road Wild 99? How did Torrie Wilson and Asya debut on WCW TV? Why was Bischoff mad about Benoit and Malenko winning the tag team titles like you mentioned earlier?

Is there a worse moment in WCW than David Arquette winning the world title?

Vampiro was going to throw Demon into that pit, and Demon would come out as an angel of some type. Wow. Yeah. When did Steve McMichael leave WCW? I seem to remember Benoit/McMichael in the tag team title tournament by Malenko replaced him...or was it Benoit/Malenko all along? How did Shane Douglas debut in WCW when he came in 1999? Anyone else remember a story where WCW wanted to get a title off a guy who refused to job, so they taped a match where there was supposed to be a Dusty finish, and then ended up showing it on TV and cutting off the end of the match so it looked like he really lost the title?

Yeah, Raven is always good at making psychologically intriguing characters. Sounds like interesting stuff...didn't Raven leave WCW shortly after that and go back to ECW for a bit before joining the WWF again? Does anyone else remember a planned angle for New Year's Eve 1999 where Vampiro would cast somebody into a pit of fire at midnight or something crazy like that? Another weird angle I swear I read about online at the time that never happened as Russo and Ferrara came in later and switched everything up.

So Nash was going to challenge them to fight, they wouldn't accept, and then that would make the WWF look bad? That was the idea? That fake plane crash thing is crazy. Does anyone else remember a planned angle (can't remember if it was WCW of WWF) where they'd "blow up" a casino in Las Vegas as part of a storyline? I swear I remember reading that sometime during 1999. It was either going to be an angle with a new character who was a "terrorist" or would involve Steve Austin being involved, I can't remember, it's really vague.

WOW. Who? I have a question for you, also. How was Nash going to do the angle he wanted to do in early 1999 involving Steve Austin and Ken Shamrock? Do you know what I'm talking about? Nash/Austin/Shamrock? WTF?

??? Seriously? Any more to it than this? Wow.

I was watching Starrcade 91 the other night, which was a battle bowl show. The battle royal itself sucked, but a lot of the tag matches were fun. Sting/Abdullah vs. Pillman/Eaton, Cactus Jack/Buddy Lee Parker vs. Steamboat/Todd Champion, Steve Austin/Rick Rude vs. Van Hammer/Big Josh, Bill Kazmaier/Jushin Liger vs. DDP/Mike Graham...weird matchups, but pretty fun matches.

Bischoff was a wife swapper? Do you remember anything else that was revealed? This stuff should have been in the DVDVR scum thread!

What was the story with Bischoff and Nash and others getting in trouble for stuff that happened at strip clubs? I think sports players were involved too? What was the deal with the Steiner/Steiner feud and Bagwell faking a bunch of neck injuries? Why did they keep putting off the Steiner/Steiner match?

So the "trust fund" angle was that Raven's parents left him money or something?

Oh, what was the deal with Rick Steiner picking Kenny Kaos as his new tag team partner after Havoc 98? Looking back that just seems kind of out of left field. Thanks for the answers as always...

I agree, this is fantastic. I hope more cool stuff is revealed in the Death of WCW book.