The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro – 11.20.00

The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro – 11.20.00

Originally written 06.20.26

So you know what’s weird? I was watching this on my top secret source of wrestling that’s archived on the internet, and for some reason this episode accidentally started playing as the 1999 episode from the same time, and the difference in production quality was CRAZY. After switching to the real episode, the music and presentation looked so cheap and second-rate in comparison. They must have been cutting thousands out of the budget every week at this point.

LAST WEEK: The Boogie Knights win the World tag team title! But Disco was totally there and he was injured during the match where he was absolutely participating and winning the belts!

Earlier today: Someone takes out Sean O’Haire and Mike Sanders thinks someone’s gotta be ribbing him! But he announces that Palumbo & Stasiak will be facing Alex Wright and whoever he decides will be teaming with Alex. Plus Booker T defends against Lex Luger in the main event.

Taped from Augusta, GA with 3775 in the building and 2000 paid

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson & Mark Madden

Jamie Noble v. Jimmy Yang

Madden: “I just noticed that Jamie-San is a white guy!” They quickly trade takedowns and Noble takes him down with a headscissors and this crowd is QUIET. Noble dumps him and hits a dive and it sounds like they’re taping the show in a barn or something. Back in, Yang uses some martial arts and grabs a chair, but the ref steals that, so Yang tosses him and Leia Meow hits him with a rana on the floor. Back in the ring, Yang slugs away, but Jamie rolls him up for two. They trade cradles for two and Noble gets a legsweep and goes up with a legdrop for two. Back to the top, but Meow trips him up and Yang brings him down with a Deadeye for two. This brings out Evan Karagias, but Three Count attacks him and takes him out, so Noble dives onto them. Can we stop and talk about how there’s only two guys left in Three Count? Because WCW. Back in the ring, Noble with a rollup for the pin at 4:47. This was a HELL of an opener but no one gave a shit. ***1/2

Meanwhile, Lex Luger makes a deal with CEO Ric Flair and seems happy about it.

Meanwhile, Alex Wright tries to buy Kronik, but they don’t take cheques.

Ric Flair joins us and NOW the crowd is awake and going crazy. Flair talks about how the boys in the back love the southern women and puts over Tony’s performance in Germany. So he’s gonna SPICE IT UP A LITTLE in the main event and if Lex wins the title tonight, then Goldberg gets a title shot at Mayhem. But then Jeff Jarrett interrupts and reveals that he knows who impregnated Stacy Keibler: HIMSELF! The guitar shot of love! I don’t remember this at all. So David Flair comes out and Jeff tells a story about being in the hotel after a show in Baltimore, as Stacy came to his room and told him he was the Chosen One that night. But then he gets to the punchline, revealing that he was lying about the whole thing to mess with David and then lays him out with the guitar. And then Buff Bagwell attacks Jarrett, setting up their match at the PPV. Not sure what the point of involving David Flair was, but the crowd was hanging on the Stacy story, I’ll give Jarrett that.

Meanwhile, Elix Skipper reveals that he’s been chosen to be half of the tag team champions tonight.

WCW World tag team title: Alex Wright & Elix Skipper v. Chuck Palumbo & Shawn Stasiak

Madden: “If they retain the titles, can we see Skipper battle to the death with Disco to see who the champion is?” Wright hits Stasiak with a leg lariat and puts the boots to him, and Skipper comes in with a dropkick for two. Wright with a DDT on Palumbo for two, but the heels put the boots to Alex and hit him with a double slingshot suplex for two. Stasiak with a neckbreaker for two. They all brawl outside and Wright goes up for a missile dropkick on Shawn, but the Filthy Animals run in and Kidman takes out Wright with the Kid Krusher, putting Stasiak on top for the pin and the titles at 3:20. So Disco gets the honor of winning and losing a major title without ever being involved in either match. **

Meanwhile, Mancow and Jimmy Hart brawl to set up a match at the PPV. Yup.

Meanwhile, Kwee Wee reveals that General Rection is taking his place in the tag team match against Lance Storm and Jim Duggan tonight, and we get a PROMO FROM MENG.

Meanwhile, Mike Sanders isn’t worried about Kwee Wee at the PPV, although Tony has to do voiceover to clarify who Mike was talking about because he didn’t mention it.

Meanwhile, Big Vito attacks Reno on the way by backstage, in advance of their match at the PPV. They’re shoving all kinds of buildup for this PPV at the last minute, you have to give them that.

Meanwhile, the Battledome geeks show up at ringside, but security kicks them out.

Meanwhile, Alex Wright got ROBBED and blames WCW, so now the Boogie Knights are gonna take their revenge on the Animals at Mayhem.

Meanwhile, the Battledome guys still won’t leave, so Rick Steiner comes out and he’s got the Battledome belt for some reason, which turns out to be that Rick visited the Battledome show and won it somehow. This brings out T-Money, but Steiner attacks him, so the other Battledome geeks all gang up on him and the announcers are horrified and call the Dome guys a bunch of “fake pseudo-shooters”. But on the bright side, T-Money gets the belt back.

Meanwhile, it’s more with Mike Sanders, as Reno wants a match with Vito TONIGHT, and Sanders is amused.

Meanwhile, the Misfits plan their battle with Lance Storm.

Kevin Nash joins us, to introduce his new partner and continue his ongoing mid-life crisis live on national TV. So Nash calls out the Thrillers and wants a shot at the tag team titles at Mayhem! Nash: “Chief Jay Strongbow told me a long time ago that you can make friends or you can make money. I make money.” He says while standing in a half-full mid-sized arena in their home territory. So Sanders come out and they argue about “Cheap Heat 101” promos and this shit is too much Sanders and way too inside, and it all prompts the Thrillers to attack Big Kev, but Diamond Dallas Page returns again and makes the save, apparently over whatever “injury” he was suffering from while Russo was still in charge. I know they went with The Insiders as a team name, but Diesel & Diamond was right there.

Meanwhile, Lex Luger sends a message to Goldberg: If Lex wins the title, then Goldberg gets a title shot at Mayhem, so maybe he should do something tonight, WINK WINK.

Last week: Major Gunns turns on the Misfits and Meng seemingly joins the Misfits.

Lance Storm & Jim Duggan v. Meng & General Rection

Lance is very disappointed in the way that the 2000 election is going, because they’ve somehow managed to screw up the most fundamental part of the Constitution. Today they say hold my beer to that one. Lance also has a lot to say about that these days, too. Interestingly, this version of the show leaves the Misfits music intact. Earlier DDP’s music was edited out, so I’m assuming it’s still the WWE Network version and they just missed this one. Duggan armbars Meng and headbutts him, but knocks himself out in the process. Over to Storm, but Meng gets the Tongan Death Grip and Duggan quickly breaks it up. Meng takes them both out and it’s over Rection, but Gunns hits him with the flag and Duggan puts him down with the clothesline. But then the Misfits hit the ring and brawl with the Canadians on the floor and Rection rolls up Duggan for the pin at 3:12. DUD

Mike Sanders joins the announcers at the desk, and he’s pretty downtrodden about the DDP & Nash deal and doesn’t want to talk about it. But he does have a surprise for Kwee Wee.

Kwee Wee v. Goldberg

I don’t like Kwee Wee’s chances here. Kwee attacks and gets speared out of the air, and the Jackhammer finishes at 0:20. Sanders thinks this is hilarious, but Goldberg comes over to the desk and tells Sanders never to make him fight a battle for someone else, or else next time HE’S NEXT. OK that was pretty awesome. So then we carry on with Ric Flair heading out, inspired by that exchange, and indeed, Mike Sanders is NEXT.

Mike Sanders v. Goldberg

So that goes about as you’d expect, as Goldberg hauls him into the ring and destroys him, evening up the damage in advance of the PPV match between Sanders and Kwee Wee. OK this was REALLY fun and I really enjoyed that use of Goldberg.

Shane Douglas v. Buff Bagwell

Shane and Torrie Wilson spend FOREVER doing the most cheap of cheap heat promo before the match, going on and on about rednecks in Georgia, and shockingly Tony actually remembers that these guys were tag team champions just a few months before! Buff gets a neckbreaker, but walks into a samoan drop as Douglas takes over. It’s chinlock time already and he chokes out Buff and allows Torrie to get some abuse from the floor. Douglas with a piledriver and more choking on the apron as he works on the neck. Buff fights out of a neck vice with an electric chair drop and makes the comeback, but Douglas catches him with the Pittsburgh Plunge for two. Buff elbows him down and hits a pump splash for two in the corner. Buff with a clothesline and dropkick to make the comeback, but Torrie takes the ref, only for Shane to collide with her. So Buff hits the DDT and goes up, but now Jeff Jarrett and the Cat run down and brawl, leaving Buff to hit the Blockbuster to finish at 5:44. This was a pretty good little TV match, but another one where they shoved a lot of stuff into a last minute PPV build. **1/2 Cat then challenges Douglas TONIGHT IN THIS VERY RING and promises to kiss Mark Madden’s huge ass if he loses, but then he just dances with Miss Jones instead and nothing comes of it.

Scott Steiner joins us and goes on a rant about a lot of stuff, such as injuring Sting on Thunder, Booker T speaking ebonics, and how he’s a genetic freak with large arms.

WCW World title: Booker T v. Lex Luger

Booker works the arm to start and puts Lex down with the sidekick and follows with a back elbow, but Lex sends him to the floor and they fight out there. Back in the ring, Lex works the back and gets a suplex for two. Powerslam gets two. Lex misses a charge and Booker boots him down and hits the Axe kick to set up the Spinarooni, but Goldberg hits the ring and Scott Steiner heads over to brawl with him. Goldberg hits the ring and spears Luger, putting Booker on top for the pin to retain at 3:45. This was really bad and Lex was just washed by this point. DUD. Also that whole thing with Booker doing a heel turn at the end of last week’s show ended up meaning nothing and was completely dropped.

But hey, this was a show with a lot of stuff happening, but not in the stupid chaotic Russo way, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and redo WCW Mayhem 2000 next.