WCW Worldwide 01/15/00
By Maffew Gregg on 2 August 2026
WCW Worldwide – The One The Day Before Souled Out
Recorded 01/05/00
Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
Winthrop Coliseum
Attendance: 1,746
Tony threatens promises to let us know the card for Souled Out during this broadcast. I’m impressed he knows it.
But first of all, we have a new commissioner of WCW! But it’s not Ric Flair:
The entire scenario as it involved Terry Funk this week was actually booked last week for Flair. In other words, they wanted Flair to come back in Greenville as commissioner, get punked again in his neck of the woods by Kevin Nash to set up a match at the Souled Out PPV where Flair would put up the commissioners job against the NWO having to break-up for good, in a match that Nash would win. The two would then feud on house shows.
Flair turned it down and the role was offered late in the week to Funk, who accepted it and apparently it’ll result in the same scenarios. Flair, who had been working, and even winning, at the house shows, was then pulled by the company off every future house show date after fulfilling a final commitment this week and his future with the company is very much questionable.
It is no secret that he wants to leave for the WWF and WCW doesn’t want to release him. It’s also no secret that Scott Hall isn’t happy about his suspension and that he and Kevin Nash have been talking about wanting to leave for WWF once again but again WCW is in the position of not wanting to give the impression to the public that stars are leaving in droves, particularly with Hogan also still on the sidelines and now in no hurry to return figuring that waiting it out is the best political move at this point
Heenan puts over Funk as a man who “wears a tie to work. It’s around his head.”
Bobby gives Tony a present but he is reluctant to open it. More later, maybe!
On Nitro, Funk is announced as the commissioner as the crowd don’t exactly go wild for him. I love Terry but he was mis-cast here as his extended ramblings were not what was needed to get the crowd to boo the cool nWo. Arn Anderson shows up and they should have made him the commissioner, he *was* WCW.
nWo show up and immediately undermine Funk’s authority by telling him they do what they want so who gives a shit who the commissioner is? I mean…yeah? Good point. Nash vows to hurt David Flair to further cement that nWo are the good guys.
nWo kidnap Daffney. That’s the first time a woman is kidnapped this year, I’ll keep a count going.
There was a tag team tournament on Nitro that David Flair & Crowbar somehow advance to the finals of. I say “somehow” as we only see David’s pin on Vampiro and it’s clear David is KO’d as he’s covering his foe but Worldwide doesn’t want to bore us with every single stupid detail and I am thankful for it.
So the nWo bring out kidnaffed Dapp (with Steiner yelling “this bitch is uglier than your mother!”) to…I don’t know really. They threaten her but don’t demand anything from anyone, so out of spite Arn makes himself the special guest ref for Nash & Steiner vs. David Flair & Crowbar. While Steiner is distracted by security, Arn hits Nash with a crowbar to help David & Devon win the belts.
Hilariously they skip past the bit where David immediately attacks Arn who just gifted him the tag belts. This was during the David Is Crazy period so it made sense in character but Arn & Funk are already incredibly undermined as threats so I don’t know who this helped. It’s OK though as they still show Arn getting attacked by Jarrett, along with Nash Jacknifing Funk.
Oh then Arn is shoved into another car trunk and the nWo vow to kill him like they did Sid last week. So the debuting Legends Team look very credible in their debut.
Heenan: David Flair was kidnapped when he was ten. They sent him home with the ransom note and his mother sent him back with the money.
To Thunder, where the nWo show up with a badly beaten Arn who they’ve been torturing for days. The crowd cheers.
Commissioner Terry powerbombs Psicosis through the announce table to get the crowd cheering him. Sure why not. Funk vows to hurt Jarrett for what he did to Arn, so he plods to the ring during a Bunkhouse match with Norman Smiley to do…nothing, so David Flair can attack Jarrett from behind. The David Flair that attacked Arn? Or didn’t, I guess.
Funk wants to trade hostages like the start of Die Another Day, which obviously goes on for ages with the cool nWo vowing to murder Arn for the hell of it (as the crowd cheers). This eventually builds to Nash vs. Funk at Souled Out: Either nWo dies or Nash becomes Commish. Crowd cheers at the idea of Nash as Commish while a beaten Arn is exchanged for Jarrett and gets another hit for the hell of it while the crowd cheers.
Meltzer: NWO continued their 72 hours of torture on Anderson. At this point they made him watch every Nitro since April in a row and were starting to threaten him with Thunders.
Later, Bret Hart wrestles Terry in the main event. We skip most of it as the focus is on David Flair and Arn arguing on who will be ref and then Terry takes an almighty Jacknife Powerbomb through the stage (that we cut immediately from).
“That was a horrific scene!” yells Tony. Heenan mocks Tony for not defending himself against the luchadores and says a lot of Heenan-y things about the Mexicans so we go to break.
Harlem Heat are splitting up (for real this time)
Tony: If you can’t trust your own brother, who can you trust?
Bobby: Your neighbour’s wife.
Booker T talks to Mean Gene about getting Midnight to watch his back to deal with interference, which resulted in Stevie Ray hitting him with a slapjack. Stevie shows up unhappy because Midnight has cost Stevie matches but he’s even more mad because Booker booked Midnight without checking with him first. Stevie wants to beat Midnight “into a conniption” to prove he’s better than her. Booker ain’t happy but says if Midnight beats Stevie, she’s in Harlem Heat. This wasn’t that bad on the mic at this point.
Stevie beats the hell out of Midnight but declines to pin her, so Booker runs out to tell him to stop being a Fruit Booty, which results in Midnight getting a fluke roll-up to win. Stevie is so annoyed he attacks Midnight and Booker post-match. Partners not getting along? Women getting beat up? I’m sure Russo wrote this with a hard-on so strong it could have put a hole through a safe.
The entire Souled Out card according to WCW Worldwide the day before it aired:
Sid Vicious vs. Bret Hart (nWo barred from ringside, Bret can lose title via DQ, Arn is Guest Ref)- Kevin Nash vs. Terry Funk (nWo Splits Up vs. Commissionership)
- Norman Smiley vs. Knobbs vs. Fit Finlay vs. Meng (Four The Hardway Hardcore Title Match)
Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Jarrett (Triple Threat Theatre: Bunkhouse Brawl, Dungeon Match, Caged Heat)- Madusa vs. Oklahoma (Cruiserweight Title)
- Tank Abbott vs. Jerry Flynn (In The Block Match)
Revolution (w/ Mystery Partner) vs. Filthy Animals- DDP vs. Buff Bagwell (Last Man Standing)
- Booker T vs. Stevie Ray
Heenan: Wow, Triple Threat Theatre is worth the admission alone! That’s three ***** main events right there!
OK I’m only just realising that Worldwide is a week behind so this show wasn’t in a position to inform people of the changes. Saturday Night would be the show with that lucky task. Sucks that all the real life drama occurred in a way that WCW couldn’t get the word out until it was too late, but playing with fire
Tony opens up his present: A CD of jukebox music from Waffle House. Tony facepalms and laughs, bless him.
Berlyn vs. Steve Armstrong
Wow a 2000 Berlyn match! He’d barely appear on TV as he’d get injured in February and only return in October. To show how important he is now, commentators put over The Wall and blame him for Berlyn’s success. Steve’s wearing a horrible silver singlet and I’m glad Berlyn attacks him during his entrance.
Steve comes back with fresh dropkicks and armdrags. Front suplex gets two as the crowd is weirdly into this. Berlyn tries to crotch Steve on the top rope but he falls off and Berlyn stares like a goon. Berlyn lands some elbows before the reverse neckbreaker ends a nothing match at 1:54.
Winner: Berlyn (Hey how about The Wall?)
Texas Outlaws vs. David Flair & Crowbar
These are Disorderly Conduct under masks and chaps. Doesn’t matter, David and Crowbar run out and attack them from behind as the Outlaws were walking to the ring. “That’s easy money!” yells Scott Hudson. That’s the match. I’m glad they included more David, there wasn’t enough of him on this episode.
Tony recaps the Souled Out card which is brave of him. Heenan sucks up the Nash & Funk to hedge his bets. Heenan demands more things on the desk as it “looks like dinner at Tony’s, there’s nothing on the table.”
And that’s your lot.
Here’s a few Observer awards for 1999 to further ride the corpse of WCW into Point-And-Laugh-land:
MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC
1. WWF CONTINUING PPV AFTER OWEN HART’S DEATH 134
2. WWF Big Show’s father cancer angle 98
3. WCW exploiting Jim Ross’ bells palsy 61
4. WCW borderline racism 20
5. WWF exploiting Jim Ross’ bells palsy 19
6. WWF hiding Austin’s injury before Survivor Series 17
7. FMW fart explosion angle 15
8. WWF using the funeral footage of Hart on Raw 14
9. WCW David Flair push 12
10. WWF McMahon publicly engaging Harts after death 10
Honorable Mention: WWF exploitation of women 9, WCW using Bret Hart’s first interview as ratings ploy 8
WORST TELEVISION SHOW
1. WCW THUNDER 172
2. WCW Nitro 155
3. WWF Raw is War 49
4. WCW Saturday Night 43
5. WCW World Wide 32
6. AAA Lucha Lunes 17
7. WWF Livewire 11
8. Kick Ass Wrestling 10
9. ECW on TNN 4
10. WWF Superstars 3
WORST PROMOTION
1. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING 376
2. World Wrestling Federation 34
3. FMW 19
4. Power Pro Wrestling 17
5. NWA World Wide 13
6. Incredibly Strange Wrestling 12
7. Extreme Championship Wrestling 10
IWA Japan 10
9. AAA 9
10. Pancrase 8
Turns: Scott Steiner to nWo, David Flair turning on Arn Anderson.
Title Changes: Vacant tag titles won by David Flair & Crowbar.
Men On Women Violence: nWo 2000 kidnapping Daffney, Stevie vs. Midnight.
Overall: I almost felt bad for this show being at the very end of a loop so it had to miss the biggest news of the month and fuck over people paying for Souled Out, but then I realised if people were going into these PPVs blind then they deserve to learn a hard lesson.
And I’ll leave you with this from WON:
Meltzer: Nash missed the weekend house shows where he was scheduled to headline against Vicious claiming a concussion suffered allegedly when he was hit by the rubber crowbar by Arn Anderson.
I’ve been Maffew
(btw is it Jacknife or Jack Knife?)