what happened on that Nitro episode?

[Guest pappajacks]

I recently looked at a tape back of a Nitro 2000 episode.

 

In it, Bret was making his triumphant return to action (or to storylines rather.) In "Typical" Russo fashion, the show ended on a cliffhanger basis.

 

Bret Hart came to the ring and was provided with the opportunity of hitting either Hogan or Bischoff with the chair. He got the chair, loaded it back, and was about to hit Hogan or Bischoff with the chair, but then the show ended.

 

I was wondering who did Bret hit? Although it may seem irrelevant, I am just curious to know.

[Guest KOR420]

He hit Hogan,one of Russo's gay swerves

[Guest Tony149]

Why was it gay? It was a good way to go off. That was Russo & Bischoff's first Nitro together. It made people watch Thunder to see who Bret hit. That's what a cliffhanger is supposed to do.

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

No kidding, Tony. The Russo/Bischoff Era began pretty damn good, but they just had to go and tank in the end. Sometimes, I feel sad being a WCW/NWA fan because of all the screw-ups that led to the promotion's ultimate demise.

[Guest Tony149]

WCW was always a company that should of done better than it did. With all the TV outlets WCW had access to, it's sad to see how they did.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

The problem I had with the beginning of the Russo/Bischoff era was that they stripped all of the titles.

 

Therefore making the next holder paper champions...and devaluing the belts in the company.

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

Yeah, stripping the titles was pretty stupid. All that came out of it was Bischoff's scissors crack on Sid.

 

Also, it's pretty sad that WCW was basically treated as the red-headed stepchild of Time Warner. I think if Ted was actually in charge back around 99, he would have put a stop to all the bullshit and would have gotten someone who knew what the fuck they were doing to run things.

[Guest TheDames7]

I didn't see the stripping of the titles as a bad thing.....WCW really needed to change things up.  They could have corrected the whole paper champion situation by simply including the former champions in their tourneys....making sure that they earned those titles.  

 

Dames

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

I didn't see the stripping of the titles as a bad thing.....WCW really needed to change things up.  They could have corrected the whole paper champion situation by simply including the former champions in their tourneys....making sure that they earned those titles.  

 

 

I'm pretty sure that almost all of the former champs competed in the tourneys they held for the belts except for Sid(who wasn't seen again until that bullshit heel turn about 2 months later).

[Guest TheDames7]

Ok, then how were the titles devalued if you had to through the last champion in these tournaments to get it?

 

If anything, I think the titles were elevated.  

 

Dames

[Guest Ihatesmarksandmarks]

the belts by then had gone to hell anyway, the went to hell after the whole benoit fiasco and never recovered.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Whenever a guy doesn't lose the title I consider the title to be less meaningful.

[Guest TheDames7]

BPS, after a title is devalued as you say, how would you restore its value?

 

Dames

[Guest Ihatesmarksandmarks]

so instead of being shitty they went to really shitty? There really isnt much of a difference. Having Sid job the title wouldnt have saved that angle....

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

The only way I ever thought you could restore credability after something like the Benoit incident...or Shawn's smile incident...is to have the next champ hold the belt for a LONG time...

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

Simple, just build a strong champion. The problem with stripping the titles is that even if you beat the guy in the tourney, he's not the champ, therefore the match doesn't mean a whole lot in the scheme of things. It's kind of like Shamrock neevr beating Rock until the KOTR tourney, yet he never beat him for the IC Title that he'd been after for months. Shammy just looks like a choker who couldn't beat The Rock until it was for a meaningless position such as the KOTR.

 

But, like it was said before, the titles basically didn't mean shit by then so the whole point is meaningless.

[Guest Ihatesmarksandmarks]

So are u saying u wanted sid to hold the belt for 10 months?? Thats not exactly great buisness.....

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I never would have picked Sid as the guy to replace Benoit.

 

Knowing that I wanted a long reign...I would have picked a better champion.

[Guest TheDames7]

Ok...lets use the world title as an example.  Sid was champ and he was stripped.  Lets say the finals of the World Title Tourney came down to Sid and Booker T, with Booker T going over clean.  Would you still consider the title to be devalued?  What about if he defending the title against the former champion at the next PPV and retained?  

 

Dames

[Guest Ihatesmarksandmarks]

sad thing is....there really wasnt much to choose from. At the time u had hogan,nash, hall,sid,jarett,flair. None of those guys i can really see holding the belt for a long long period of time.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Actually...I'm a firm beleiver that JJ could have been a good champion if it wasn't for his costant jobbing of the title to everyone and then winning it right back...

 

When I look at Jarrett I see a guy who is cut straight out of the WCW championship mold. (before Hogan broke the mold...that is).

 

The guy is a good performer...a good heat getter and could have thrived on a long run.

 

The problem is opponents.

 

DDP was there...Booker T was elavated eventually to there...He could have feuded with Flair and the other two guys for a while...Sting was around...as was Luger (ugh)...I'd have bumped of Steiner around then...and seen if I could have pushed Awesome...

[Guest TheDames7]

Yeah, I know what you mean.  My friend and I (the one that I'm arguing with in the 6 man thread) hate the fact that Jarrett was a 4 time WCW champ in less than 3 months.  

 

Dames

[Guest Ihatesmarksandmarks]

i guess jarett would be the best choice out of all mentioned....it would have to be a HHH insane mega push type of deal though. And i dont know if he had the heat to pull it off.....but im sure as hell it would have worked out better than sid.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Jarrett's title reigns all sucked because the ship was sinking to fast for Russo to right it.

 

I never blamed JJ for that.  He's a solid guy.  And a solid guy is exactly what WCW needed to anchor the company.

 

Russo figured that out eventually (read:  too late)

 

But then Hogan refused to put him over....

[Guest HybridNetwork]

I don't mean to get too much off subject, but, speaking of Russo and Bret Hart, does anyone remember the end of a Nitro or Thunder (I can't remember which one) where Hart supposedly brought Russo out to the desert and then hand-cuffed him to a car and dragged him for a few feet before the show ended? That was a nice bit of nothing that went nowhere.

[Guest EUX4life]

that was a show or two before bret hit hogan with the shovel.  that was the swerve.  bret just dragged russo through the desert, and then came to the ring with a shovel, so everyone thought he would hit russo, but he ended up hitting hogan instead.  that's the swerve.  so you're right.  it was a bit of nothing that went nowhere

[Guest Northern Lights Brainbuster]

You guys have made a bit of a mix-up there, as Bret didnt hit Hogan with a shovel rather than Russo - that was Goldberg in August 2000.

 

At the start of new blood, Russo and Bischoff retreated and got cut off by Bret, who instead hit Hogan with the chair. That lead to nothing as not much more was seen of Hart after that.

 

I think it was the show that Nash beat Booker T to win the WCW title that Big Vito and Goldberg kidnapped Russo and drove him in the trunk of a car to the desert. Goldberg asked for Russo to himself, went to bury him and Hart showed up, asking Berg for the shovel because he wanted to bury Vince more than anyone. Of course, Bill gave him the shovel and got whooped. That lead to nothing as not much more was seen of Hart after that.

 

Notice the overwhelming co-incedence though?

[Guest Tony149]

The only thing the Hart/Russo/Goldberg/shovel thing led to was the great promo by Bret & Goldberg on Thunder.

[Guest Tony149]

I'm pretty sure that almost all of the former champs competed in the tourneys they held for the belts except for Sid(who wasn't seen again until that bullshit heel turn about 2 months later).

Sid had a match on the mini-tournament on Nitro. He lost to Sting after The Wall ran out and chokeslammed him thru a table.

 

I remember Sid's heel turn. Remember that horrible shirt he wore? It looked like some one just used tape to make it.

[Guest Tony149]

About the titles being stripped. I didn't have a problem with it. As a matter of fact I liked it. It gave WCW a fresh start under new leadership. I think Russo had the right idea about all the title changes. He was trying to give the idea to people watching that any title could change hands on any WCW show. He went a little overboard with the title changes, but I thought he had a good idea.