WCW is back another week as the build to Bash At The Beach continues! Last week The Foundation made its in-ring debut; this week, Booker T & Shane McMahon are teaming for the first time ever!
Let's "Party Hard"! Cue Pyro, Cue Styles, Cue The King, WCW Nitro is live on FX!
The Foundation is on their way to the ring sporting smiles. DDP & Kanyon are in the ring, mics in hand. DDP wants all the fans to know, they're welcome. They're welcome to be graced by living legends, by the cornerstones of this company, by the Foundation. Last week, the brains that run WCW decided to challenge them with what? Some washed up Wiggle man and an Extreme nobody? The Foundation wanted a challenge, and it has only become clearer that they are not only the ground from which WCW must be built, but the skyscrapers that rise high above all the competition.
That is all it takes for Booker T & Shane McMahon to come out. Booker is on the mic. He calls out The Foundation for being the exact thing they preach to be against. They belittle a man like Norman Smiley, a man who has given everything to this business, to WCW? They dismiss Tommy Dreamer, a man who has literally bled buckets for this industry. They claim they are worried about what Shane McMahon will turn WCW into; it seems they are more worried about WCW passing them by. They are doing the same thing that many have done before them, putting themselves above everyone else, but without having the actual accolades to back it up and the honor to do it the right way through hard effort. At Bash at the Beach, they'll have to face the Bookerman and there will be no running. Tonight, Shane & Booker will take on the "Career Killer" Mike Awesome and the chaotic Crowbar, and Booker knows better than to doubt the competition.
Alright. Valentine is starting to show his age, but as a showcase for Corino this is doing its job. After a lackluster showing where the fans did not seem to care about Corino, having him defeat someone like Valentine who did get a little reaction is a good step. Hennig on commentary throughout the match was a nice treat too.
After the match, Corino and Hennig staredown again, and Corino just laughs and walks off. Hennig grabs a mic as Corino is walking away and tells Corino if he wants to destroy anything and everything Old School, how about he tries his hand at Curt Hennig? Corino smiles and continues to walk up the ramp.
Fine "debut" for the FBI if that is what you want to call it. This match is to set them up in the tag team division, and it did that fine. Fish Bones is fun.
After the match, MIA has stormed the ring looking for revenge on the FBI. The FBI high tails it before MIA can get their hands on them, however. As the FBI goes up the ramp, Disqo & Sanders appear from the crowd and go to jump MIA in the ring, but MIA turns and sees them coming. Disqo & Sanders freeze, then slowly back away as MIA stands tall in the center of the ring, the FBI on the ramp on one side, Disqo & Sanders by the commentary desks on the other.
Fans were pretty cold towards everyone but Chavo here really, but the quality of the work slowly brought them around.
On the big screen we have 3 Count! The reunited Helms, Karagias & Moore aren't here tonight because they've been in the studio working a new track just for Los Dragones. Spin it! 3 Count has a new hit single on our hands! The video plays as 3 Count dances around and makes fun of Los Dragones and Chavo specifically for being a coward and not having any real friends.
In the ring, we are joined by Buff Bagwell! Bagwell is furious; since WCW has returned, everything is going wrong. This was supposed to be his time. He calls everyone in WCW a bunch of posers who have come in and gotten lucky time and time again, and calls BG James a "fake marine." That is enough to bring out the Doggfather. BG James says he's really enjoyed being in WCW so far. He's been winning, he's been talking, he's been moving up the card and soon he's going to be WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and if he knew guys like Buff Bagwell were so fun to beat, he would have done this years ago. He says so far, he feels like the ultimate "pimp" in WCW... okay... And speaking of pimps, after he takes the World Heavyweight title from Lance Storm, maybe he'll make Dawn Marie his ho!
That's enough for Lance Storm with the aforementioned ho to come out, livid. Storm calls BG James a disrespectful thug. Wrestling has always been about being the best in the squared circle, and that is exactly what Lance Storm is. At Bash at the Beach, he's going to put "The Dogg" down, because there is no one in WCW who can compete with Lance Storm in terms of in-ring ability.
And here comes the "Whole Dam Show" Rob Van Dam with his WCW United States Championship. Rob Van Dam walks right past Storm, who was on the ramp, and to the ring to join James & Bagwell. RVD grabs a mic. He says RVD has been in WCW for only a few short months. He's been winning too, like BG James. In fact, RVD already has the WCW United States Title and the Patriot Cup. And he's already defeated Buff Bagwell, but based on recent weeks, RVD isn't sure that's an accomplishment. Bagwell is seething and looks to get in RVD's face, but notices he is outnumbered and instead huffs and leaves the ring. James interjects and wants to apologize for hurting Bagwell's feelings.
Bagwell starts screaming into the mic that this is not how things are supposed to be. How about next week those two degenerates in the ring face himself and Lance Storm in a tag team match! RVD says "you're on" before anyone else can get a word in, as Lance Storm looks uneasy on the ramp with Bagwell now standing by his side.
How can you rate 3 moves?
Backstage we're in Arn's office with CW & Pete Gas reviewing textbooks in the background while Arn is seated at his desk going over paperwork. The door opens and in comes Shawn Stasiak & Stacy Keibler. Stasiak demands answers; he demands to know why something so hideous like Sean O'Haire is on the show when he isn't. Arn glares at Stasiak and says he's seen Stasiak in catering, he's seen Stasiak coming out of the tanning booth; the one place he hasn't seen Stasiak is in talent meetings, in warmups before the show, or in training with any of the staff in WCW. Since losing in the Patriot Cup, Stasiak seems more concerned with his looks than putting in the reps to get better. Stasiak says Arn "isn't Mecca," which causes Arn to snap, yelling at him to get out of his office.
Great little match here. Crowbar really upped his game, and though he was portrayed as being the weakest guy in the match, they cover it well with his return to his more unhinged gimmick. McMahon pinning Awesome is interesting as it seems Crowbar was the obvious man to take the fall. Show closes with Booker & Shane celebrating, no Foundation in sight.
DYLAN'S FINAL THOUGHTS: I like a good squash match and think they sadly went away during the Monday Night Wars, but a big critique of WCW thus far has been how predictable the TV show results tend to be. They are continuing to build stuff well, and there are some good things on every show, but some more spontaneity or surprises feel needed. It's also not surprising that on a show without RVD or Lance Storm wrestling we didn't really have a great match. The main event did its job and the crowd was into it, which helped lift it up, but the wrestling was only okay.