WCW Nitro is live from the Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia! Joey Styles and Jerry "The King" Lawler open the show as pyro goes off, hyping the Retirement Bash for Diamond Dallas Page later tonight.
Here Comes the Money! Shane O'Mac is out to a big reaction to open the show. He starts by reminding everyone that tonight we honor DDP's career and his legacy, and that DDP will always have a home in WCW. Shane stops and a short video package plays showing some of DDP's career in WCW going back to his days as a manager.
Back to Shane in the ring and he reminds everyone to check WCW.com because if they did, they would already know the next big announcement. He announces the Patriot Cup, an 8-man tournament where the winner will become the new WCW United States Heavyweight Champion! A bracket is shown on screen with the participants: Crowbar, Rob Van Dam, Shawn Stasiak, Tommy Dreamer, Curt Hennig, Mark Jindrak, Johnny B. Badd, and Mike Awesome. The matches start tonight with the first half of the bracket in action, and that starts NOW!
The result of this one seems a little obvious, but Crowbar actually gets some action in. RVD takes over and hits a bunch of his stuff, including a spinning leg drop type kick from the apron to Crowbar as he was draped across the guardrail outside. Some more kicks, a monkey flip, and a Rolling Thunder. RVD looks for a three count but Crowbar kicks out. Crowbar goes to the eyes and he hits a suplex and locks in a chinlock. RVD fights back, but is tossed into the ropes and springs back with another kick to Crowbar's face. RVD up top, Five Star Frog Splash, and it is over.
RVD is no joke and the crowd that didn't know him from his ECW days are already getting behind him. Big RVD chants throughout and he got a great reaction. Not to be overlooked, Crowbar was a great dance partner tonight and showed he is probably one of the better workers on the lower card of WCW. I hope he gets given more to do if he is going to perform like this.
Return from commercial to Scott Hudson backstage in the interview area. Buff Bagwell joins him and doesn't seem too happy. Bagwell mentions how everyone likes to forget who Buff Bagwell is, but Buff is "the Stuff" and maybe he needs to start reminding people of that.
Booker T's music hits and the WCW World Heavyweight Champion is on his way to the ring. Last week he defeated Buff Bagwell; at Big Bang, he was honored to wrestle Diamond Dallas Page. But last week, Lance Storm embarrassed him and for that, he has to come pay his dues. Booker T's call out doesn't go unheard and out comes Storm. Storm tells Booker T last week was just a message. If he locks in the Canadian Maple Leaf, no one escapes. He asks Booker how his knee is feeling this week and says that the target is bright red, Canadian Flag red. Storm is the best technical wrestler in the world, and Booker T is just a punk keeping the World Heavyweight title warm for him.
Booker says if Lance is so confident in his abilities why doesn't he come down to the ring and prove he is the best wrestler. Storm walks halfway down the ramp, but then turns around waving his hand at Booker. Music hits that I don't recognize at first and it is BG James, the former Road Dogg. He comes out to the top of the ramp with a mic in hand. He mentions how since coming to WCW, he has been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself to the fans, and luckily for him, he just had a conversation with Shane McMahon backstage. It looks like tonight he will get his chance because since Booker T wrestled last week, this week it is Lance Storm's turn, 1-on-1 with "The Doggfather of WCW" BG James. Storm looks furious as James' music hits again and we go to commercial.
We are back with a shot of the ring and Paul London being introduced. Some music hits and out comes Chuck Palumbo. Commentary mentions the Natural Born Thrillers are no more and wonders why Chuck Palumbo would turn his back on Sean O'Haire, saying the two were like brothers. Palumbo makes a very slow entrance. As he gets in the ring, he immediately takes out London with a big clothesline. Big lifting flapjack. Palumbo is toying with London and slapping his head. London is up and starts firing shots at the big man who is unfazed. London hits a weird dropkick-moonsault combo and Palumbo is staggered into the ropes. Running forearm smash to Palumbo who is down to a knee. London fires back again but right into a big Superkick from Palumbo who had recovered. Palumbo lifts London up into a Torture Rack and London quickly taps.
It was a fine squash and London got a nice reaction for his weird moonkick dropsault thing, but Palumbo didn't seem to get much heat. Nice quick squash, but London maybe looked better than Palumbo here.
After the match, Palumbo grabs London and looks to put him in a Torture Rack again. The Natural Born Thrillers' music hits and Sean O'Haire is sprinting to the ring. Palumbo high tails it through the crowd as O'Haire shouts at him.
Backstage, Misfits In Action are looking for Disqo and Mike Sanders, saying they want to challenge the champs to a title match, declaring themselves number one contenders. As they walk past a screen, it shows Mike Sanders sitting on what looks like a hospital bed. MIA stops and looks at the screen. Cut to Sanders on the bed when there is a knock at the door. Sanders asks the doctor to come in, and here is Disqo in full scrubs and a lab coat. "Dr. Disqo" begins to examine Sanders and says he has the worst case of being amazing that he has ever seen. Sanders cuts off Disqo saying he is suffering from Amazingness; maybe Dr. Disqo should get checked out as well. Disqo and Sanders continue fawning over each other and make a passing remark about MIA being a walking joke.
Before the break, Kidman was making his entrance and is still in the ring as we come back. Chavo Jr. is out next and the two circle and lock up. Backstage, Shane Helms is seen watching on a screen. Kidman and Chavo go back and forth for a nice little match with both getting some time to shine. Chavo eventually crotches Kidman on the top rope when he was going for a Shooting Star Press, hits a superplex, a brainbuster, and a three count.
Okay little match from the cruiserweights here. Looks like they are establishing Chavo to face Helms, again. Hopefully this new era of WCW can see some new talent rise up as I feel like we have been down this road before.
Backstage, Scott Hudson is with Curt Hennig. He asks Hennig why he came back to WCW. Hennig says he is a second-generation wrestler, he has been a cowboy and country singer, and he is back in WCW to remind everyone who he really is, and that is "Simply Perfect," or maybe he just needs to remind himself.
The beautiful Shawn Stasiak is out, and Stacy Keibler happens to be with him. Here comes Tommy Dreamer and another match in the Patriot Cup is underway. Dreamer starts out hot, firing shots at Stasiak and getting him back in the corner. A toss across the ring, a clothesline in the corner, a sidewalk slam, and a two count. Dreamer goes off the ropes and Stacy grabs his leg, distracting him enough for Stasiak to take him out with a forearm smash. Big back suplex and Dreamer is locked in a chinlock. Dreamer fights back, but Stasiak cuts him off, grabbing his hair and slamming him into the mat. Big jumping elbow and a two count. Stasiak sizing up Dreamer and looks to hoist The Innovator of Violence onto his shoulders, but Dreamer sneaks out the back. Stasiak turns around into a big DDT and both men are down. Dreamer is up first and hits a couple of clotheslines. He is sizing up Stasiak for a Death Valley Driver. Stacy gets onto the apron and she is hiking her skirt up and shaking her butt to distract Dreamer. Dreamer walks over, licks his hand, and slaps Stacy's rear end. That is enough of a distraction for Stasiak to be up on his feet and he smashes Dreamer in the back of the head. Reverse DDT from Stasiak and the 1-2-3!
A fine little match, but it seemed like it was mostly brawling and not a lot of actual wrestling. The crowd was into it, and especially into Stacy who seemed like the actual star here.
Backstage, we see Paul London being looked at by medical staff. Shane Helms walks up and tells London to keep his head up as he proved himself out there tonight.
James is out, without rapping his entrance and I don't know how I feel about that. Storm follows and the match is underway. The early part of the match is basically BG James and Lance Storm locking up, and Lance Storm twisting James all around, outwrestling him. James eventually starts to take over as fists get more involved. The match repeats itself as Storm hits a suplex and locks in a sleeper, but James fights back and starts to take over with strikes, until Storm cuts him off with more wrestling. James begins to take over, hits a big clothesline and then a scoop slam, which may have been his first actual move of the match. That Shaky Shaky Knee Drop and a two count. James stays on Storm and is setting up his Pumphandle Drop, but Storm slips out and sends James into the ropes. James runs back and is caught in the Rolling Canadian Maple Leaf! James is fighting and trying not to tap, and just as all hope looks lost, he finally makes it to the ropes. The referee signals Storm to release the hold, but Storm won't let go. 5-count, and Storm still isn't letting go. The ref calls for the bell and the DQ.
I know what they were going for, and it almost worked, but the match just kept repeating itself and didn't seem to go anywhere until the finish. The finish was cool, Storm looked as psychotic as his straight face allows him to look, but the number one contender technically takes a loss to BG James, which makes him look a little weak.
After the match, Storm isn't letting the hold go. Here comes Booker T down, and Storm finally lets the hold go and escapes into the crowd.
After the commercial, we see the ring is decked out with a nice carpet and banners. Here comes Shane McMahon. Shane gets on the mic and thanks DDP for everything he has done for WCW, and again reiterates that Page will always have a home in WCW. But if DDP is ready to call it quits, Shane is going to make sure he knows just how important he is to not just WCW, not just its fans, but the entire wrestling world. He asks DDP to come out, and here comes the Master of the Diamond Cutter. Cue a long video package highlighting DDP's career, far more in-depth than the one earlier with clips of basically every important moment. DDP is fighting back tears as he takes the mic.
Ten years ago, nobody gave me a chance. I was thirty-five years old, a manager who had a dream that everyone told him was impossible. They laughed at me in the Power Plant. They told me I was too old, that I’d never be more than a guy who drove a pink Cadillac. But I’ve always said that anyone who tells you that you 'can’t' do something is just giving you a challenge to prove them wrong!
I worked my tail off for this business. I lived for that curtain to open, and I lived to feel the energy of the millions of people in the Jersey Shore, in the Omni, and right here in Richmond! You guys are the reason I survived the nWo. You’re the reason I was able to stand across the ring from icons like Randy Savage, Sting, and Hulk Hogan and hold my head high as a three-time World Heavyweight Champion!
I want to thank WCW for being my home. I want to thank guys like Dusty Rhodes and Jake 'The Snake' Roberts for believing in a guy that nobody else wanted. And most of all, I want to thank every single one of you. You turned a middle-aged rookie into 'The People’s Champion,' and I will never, ever forget that.
Finally, I really want to thank Shane McMah..."
Before he finishes speaking, DDP drops the mic and nails Shane McMahon with a Diamond Cutter as the crowd roars. He stands over Shane and begins to scream "I have plenty left in the tank. DDP is done when DDP says he's done!" as Nitro fades out.