Lethal Lottery Tournaments in WCW

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

Might seem like a dumb question but were any of the first three Lethal Lottery's WCW held in 1991, 1992, and 1993 not rigged and the entire show was improvised? It's clear 1996 was b/c too many tag teams ended up paired together or feuds were on the same or opposite sides. However, I was just wondering if any of them happened on the spot. Thanks.

[cawthon777 0]

I don't think any wrestling company would attempt to book a whole show on the fly, not knowing who's teaming with who until the names are drawn during a live PPV.

[Slickster 0]

Actually, I believe the 1991 Battlebowl was indeed booked on the fly.

 

EDIT: Well, Scott Keith says that he was mistaken in believing that, but then again Scott Keith isn't always credible.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

None of them were random. The early ones were specifically booked to look like they were, however.

[Fökai 0]

Wait, they used to draw the names AT the pay-per-view?

 

I only have seen one Battlebowl (1996), which had tag matches that were built for weeks. Although, I guess that gives away the fact that they WERE rigged.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

No, the matches were planned weeks in advance.

 

They were "announced" at Starrcade 91, with Eric Bischoff, Missy Hyatt, and MAGNUM FUCKING TA doing the drawings.

 

For the 1992 version, they did a drawing for one match at the November Clash of Champions.

 

It was the match with...Cactus Jack, Van Hammer, Johnny B. Badd, and Dan Spivey, I believe were the 4. Odd, because Missy screamed "DANGEROUS DAN SPIVEY!!!!!!!!!!" like it was fucking Ric Flair coming back, despite Spivey not being in a TV angle in over 2 years.

 

1993 had no pre-drawings, if memory serves. It was actually a seperate event, called "Battlebowl", and drew horrible numbers. Set up the Flair/Vader match, however.

 

1996 was awful, and was really "sports entertainment" rigged, thus adding no belief. Seriously, they took 8 LOWER CARDERS and put them in a battle royal, with the winner getting a (taken away the next night on Nitro) WORLD TITLE SHOT at the Bash.

 

It's pretty much be like the WWE hyping a TRIPLE H World Title defense, at Survivor Series, against the winner of an 8-man battle royal between:

 

The Hurricane

Rosey

Rob Conway

Tajiri

Funaki

Tyson Tomko

Kerwin White

Psicosis

 

Seriously. Picture Conway, who hadnt been on TV for a while, debuting a new move (in this case, a running sloppy Diamond Cutter), winning the thing, AS A HEEL, and the fans going silent.

 

______

 

Starrcade 1991 is one of my favorite PPVs *ever*, for what it's worth.

 

You get:

 

- Underdogs Z-Man and Terry Taylor working an AWESOME match against perennial top guys Arn Anderson and World Champ Lex Luger (who bumped crazy for Taylor)

- The first look at Jushin Thunder Liger

- Sting teams with Abdullah the Butcher

- Vader FUCKS UP Nightstalker (Bryan Clarke, Wrath) with a big splash, because 'stalker is doing an illegal pin and not prepared to take the move correctly

- Larry Zbyszko being a super dick heel yelling at El Gigante "C'Mon, get 'em! You dummy!"

- The BIGGEST SQUASH EVER that night with undefeated Rick Rude and undefeated Steve Austin (well, except a few losses to Sting) against the mighty team of BIG JOSH & VAN HAMMER

- Marcus Bagwell actually being built as a star

- Steamboat and Anderson beat each other up big-time

- THOMAS RICH Vs. STEVE ARMSTRONG segment, when unover jobbers collide!

- Same match, Ron Simmons spinebusters fat PN News to hell

- Scott Steiner tags with Firebreaker Chip. Scott dominates ARACHNAMAN (!!!!!!!!) and Johnny B Badd. Chip gets pummeled. Scott visibly yells at Chip to get his shit together, then tags in and fucking floors Arachnaman with the top rope belly to belly.

 

And a cool little battle royal at the end, finally seeing Sting get one up on Luger.