The pyrotechnics explode across the entranceway as the roaring Waco crowd completely unloads! Joey Styles and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome fans to the first WCW Monday Nitro of 2002. The dust has barely settled from the historic fallout of Starrcade XIX, and the landscape of World Championship Wrestling has been completely rewritten.
Without delay, the arena lights flicker to a crisp gold as the familiar, bass-heavy theme of the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion hits. Booker T emerges to an absolute deafening ovation, proudly hoisting the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He matches down the aisle, steps into the squared circle, and waits out a prolonged "Booker T!" chant before raising a microphone to his lips.
We spent all of last year fighting off Diamond Dallas Page and his cronies in The Foundation. But Starrcade came and went, and DDP found out the hard way that you can't hold back Booker T! The Foundation is cracked, the floodgates for 2002 are wide open, and it is a brand-new year for new opportunities, new challenges, and new blood! I vow to every single man, woman, and child that I am going to lead this company into the future and uphold the absolute legacy that this championship carries. And you best believe nobody is gonna take it away, because you are looking at the champion... and I'm not just a 1-time, 2-time, 3-time, 4-time... I am the 5-TIME, 5-TIME, 5-TIME, 5-TIME, 5-TIME World Heavyweight Champion! Now can you dig that... SUCKAAAA?!"
As Booker T raises the title high, Lance Storm’s music cut through the arena, instantly drawing heavy heat from the Texas crowd. Accompanied by Dawn Marie, Storm steps out onto the stage with a microphone already in hand, looking utterly disgusted.
And how am I rewarded by this arrogant WCW management? I am overlooked. I am pushed aside. I am completely forgotten about in favor of an 'Extreme' diversion named Rob Van Dam. Well, the games are officially over, Booker. I didn't come out here to congratulate you on your little milestone. I came out here to tell you that I am coming for that World Heavyweight Championship, and I am taking back what is rightfully mine."
"BANG!" The signature explosion echoes through the PA system as Diamond Dallas Page walks out onto the stage, interrupting Storm. DDP looks absolutely unhinged, his hair disheveled as he clutches a microphone, completely ignoring the boos raining down on him.
But looking at you standing down there, and looking at Lance standing right here beside me... I've got a self-professed 'Great Choice' for you, Storm. How about we stop talking? How about the two of us walk down that ramp, slide into that ring, tear Booker T limb from limb, and then we can figure out which one of us truly deserves to hold the gold?"
Lance Storm turns and stares at DDP for a tense second. Slowly, a calculated nod passes between the two men. They step forward and begin a slow, menacing march down the ramp toward the ring. Booker T doesn't back down an inch, dropping his microphone and loosening his shirt, ready for an all-out brawl.
Suddenly, a massive pop erupts as the high-energy music of Rob Van Dam hits! The United States Champion comes sprinting down the ramp, bypassing DDP and Storm, and slides directly into the ring. RVD stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Booker T, flashing his signature thumb points as DDP and Storm back off slightly, realizing the numbers are now even.
Before the chaotic scene can boil over, WCW President Ric Flair steps out onto the entrance stage, dressed to the nines and beaming.
Flair struts back through the curtain as Nitro cuts to its first commercial break with all four men trading intense trash-talk across the ring.
Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
These two are going a mile a minute right out of the gate. Insane pace. Crazy sequence of arm drags and counters to start, both guys look incredibly sharp. Chavo completely shifts gears though, starts brutally targeting Rey’s left knee. Nailed him with some really stiff dropkicks right to the joint. Now Chavo’s got him grounded in a nasty leg lock. Rey is fighting back, the crowd is getting behind him, and he just barely manages to crawl and grab the bottom rope.
Chavo brings him back up, looks like he's setting up for the Gory Special, but Rey counters mid-air into a beautiful arm drag! Chavo gets sent flying over the top rope to the floor. Rey is hobbling big time but he hits the ropes anyway and hits a big flipping dive onto Chavo on the outside! Massive pop from the Waco crowd. Both guys are down as the ref starts counting. They just barely beat the ten-count to get back in. Chavo immediately cuts Rey off, hooks him up on the top turnbuckle looking for a tornado DDT. Rey fights him off, shoves Chavo away cleanly. Chavo stumbles backward right into the ropes, Mysterio hits the opposite side, dials it up, and connects flush with the 6-1-9! Chavo is completely dazed. Rey is already set on the outside, and as Chavo stands up, Rey springs in with a West Coast Pop! Hooks the legs tight, and gets the 3!
Mysterio and Chavo can go! No surprise. We’ve seem it before, and these two just have excellent chemistry. Looks like we already know where the cruiserweight division is headed.
Mysterio's post-match celebration is short-lived. The champion Billy Kidman’s music hits and he steps out onto the stage. Kidman doesn't say a word; he simply raises the Cruiserweight Championship in the air, staring down his former Filthy Animals teammate. Mysterio gestures with his hands, inviting Kidman to skip the pleasantries and step into the ring right now, but Kidman slowly backs away into the tunnel as Rey continues to celebrate.
A brief video package airs, detailing the chaotic events of Starrcade XIX where Jeff Jarrett made his shocking return to WCW, outlasting 24 other men to capture the lucrative 25-Grand Gauntlet match. Back live in the arena, "The Chosen One" theme blares as Jarrett strides down the ramp, confidently acoustic guitar in hand and wearing a smug grin. He steps into the ring and takes a microphone.
Before Jarrett can utter another syllable, Curt Hennig comes sprinting down the ramp at a full, furious pace! Hennig's head is heavily wrapped in medical tape, a result of Jarrett smashing a guitar over his skull at Starrcade. Seeing the veteran coming, Jarrett completely loses his composure and flees through the ropes, high-tailing it into the crowd.
Jarrett escapes into the upper concourse, but realizes too late that he left his guitar sitting face up in the center of the ring. Hennig grabs the instrument, holds it high to a massive pop from the Waco crowd, and smashes it into pieces across the turnbuckle. Hennig points aggressively at a seething Jarrett in the crowd.
Shark Squad (La Sharka & Shark Boy) w/ Shark Girl vs. Primetime Players (Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo)
Kid Romeo tries to lock up, but La Sharka immediately backs off to strum his air guitar, driving Elix Skipper crazy on the apron. Romeo charges, but La Sharka snaps off a crisp arm-drag before the Primetime Players use a cheap shot to take control. Skipper and Romeo cut the ring in half, isolating La Sharka with fast tags and a stiff gutbuster. On the apron, Shark Boy goes wild, chomping his hands like a shark to wake up the Waco crowd. La Sharka finally counters Romeo with a sharp spinning heel kick and makes the hot tag! Shark Boy explodes into the ring, backdropping Skipper and nailing him with a biting headbutt that sends Skipper fleeing to the outside. Kid Romeo tries a blindside clothesline, but Shark Boy drops flat to the canvas like a fish to avoid it. Romeo stumbles back up, and Shark Boy immediately kicks him in the gut and forces him into the corner, and then hits the Dead Sea Drop! The ref counts 1—2—3, and it’s over!
Shark Squad continues to roll, and they are getting bigger reactions every week. Hard to say where they go from here, as I don’t see them taking tag team gold off any of the current teams at the top. And sadly, I think the Primetime Players are done.
Following the 3-count, the Shark Squad high-tails it up the ramp to celebrate alongside Shark Girl. Back in the ring, Elix Skipper slowly gets back to his feet and walks over to check on his fallen partner. Skipper helps Romeo up by his arms, but as soon as Romeo stands, Skipper violently spins him around and decks him with a brutal short-arm clothesline! The crowd boos heavily as Skipper grabs a dazed Romeo, and plants him with a vicious Overdrive! Skipper stands over his former partner, shouting down at him, calling him "pathetic" and the "weak link" before storming to the back alone.
Backstage, Scott Hudson is standing by with the "King of Old School" Steve Corino, who is looking exceptionally sharp.
Steve Corino: "Hudson, it’s very simple. 2002 is the year that Steve Corino breaks completely free of petty squabbles and idiotic 'wonders' who think they still belong in my ring. It is time for me to rise to the absolute apex of this company and the top of this entire wrestling industry, where my talent truly belongs."
Scott Hudson: "Well, Steve, those are lofty goals, but what exactly does that mean for tonight?"
Steve Corino: "Just watch."
The camera cuts to WCW Commissioner Arn Anderson's office. The "Enforcer" is sitting behind his desk, surrounded by a group of hungry competitors: D’Lo Brown, Buff Bagwell, Shane Helms, and Guido Maritato backed up by Chuck Palumbo, and Johnny Stamboli. Anderson commands the room, pointing a finger at the four designated singles wrestlers. He tells them that up next they are walking down that aisle into a Fatal 4-Way match, and the winner will walk out as the official #1 contender to Rob Van Dam's United States Championship.
D’Lo Brown vs. Shane Helms vs. Buff Bagwell vs. Guido Maritato w/ Chuck Palumbo & Johnny Stamboli
Complete chaos as soon as the bell rings with all four guys going at it. Guido Maritato gets dumped to the outside early, and Shane Helms immediately brings the crowd to their feet, launching himself over the top rope with a massive diving crossbody that completely wipes Guido out on the floor! With those two down, D'Lo Brown and Buff Bagwell square off inside, trading quick arm-drags and shoulder blocks before Bagwell blatantly rakes D'Lo's eyes to cheat his way into the advantage. Helms jumps back into the ring to cut off Buff, sparking a brief encounter where Helms hits a swinging neckbreaker, only for a recovered Guido to slide back in. Guido and Helms immediately explode into a great, crisp chain-wrestling sequence, trading counters until the whole match breaks down into a wild, four-way brawl with Helms and D'Lo teaming up to unload on Guido and Bagwell in opposite corners.
D'Lo suddenly takes total control, shifting the momentum by catching a charging Bagwell with a Sky High Spinebuster. D'Lo scales the turnbuckle now, he leaps and connects beautifully with the Lo Down splash right across Bagwell's chest! He hooks the leg for the cover, 1—2—wait, Guido Maritato just grabbed the official's leg to break up the count! And Guido and the ref are now arguing in the ring.
The towering Chuck Palumbo reaches up, violently yanks D'Lo right out of the ring, and drops him with a devastating Super Kick on the outside! Simultaneously on the other side of the floor, Johnny Stamboli intercepts a surging Shane Helms and slams him hard on the outside with a big Powerslam! Back inside, a sneaky Guido Maritato slides over the bottom rope, crawls onto the completely unconscious Buff Bagwell, 1—2—3! Guido steals the victory!
Guido vs. RVD is not what I think anyone predicted, but I think it works. RVD against the entire FBI will be interesting. The match here was good, all the guys here are capable of putting on great matches, and they just need the time and story to do it. Excited to see Guido get some time to shine as he is super underrated in the ring.
The crowd erupts into cheers as the new WCW World Tag Team Champions, Sean O’Haire and WCW Owner Shane McMahon, make their way down to the ring, titles proudly draped over their shoulders. Shane takes a microphone as O'Haire stands guard beside him.
The championship celebration is quickly cut short by the music of Kanyon and Mike Awesome, who storm out onto the entrance stage, visually livid.
Shane McMahon: "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Kanyon, let me correct you right now. WCW is literally my business! And frankly, tonight, I have absolutely zero time or patience for The Foundation's constant whining. So, as far as I'm concerned, you and Awesome can turn your butts right back around and go to the locker room right now... or you are both officially suspended!"
Kanyon opens his mouth to scream into his microphone, but Shane McMahon simply drops his mic down and loudly starts counting backward: "3... 2... 1!" Right at the count of one, a panicked Kanyon stops himself, lowers his microphone, and quickly turns around to head to the back. Realizing Mike Awesome is still aggressively staring down O'Haire, Kanyon frantically grabs Awesome by the arm and drags the big man through the curtain with him, leaving O’Haire and McMahon to triumphantly hoist their titles to a loud ovation.
Marc Mero vs. Kwee Wee
Marc Mero dominates early, using his boxing background to unload a series of stiff left jabs and a running knee lift that leaves Kwee Wee staggering in the corner. Mero quickly hoists him up for the TKO, looking for a rapid victory. Suddenly, Lenny Lane and Lodi march onto the stage, seemingly back as the West Hollywood Blondes, and begin dancing with each other. The bizarre distraction completely breaks Mero's focus, he actually drops Kwee Wee in pure confusion as the ref and Mero stare at the Blondes. Seizing the opening from behind, Kwee Wee sneaks up and nails a low blow on Mero! He turns him around and nails a big Falling Powerbomb and gets the 3!
I don’t know what that was or why it was on Nitro. It’s nice to see something out of the ordinary, but Kwee Wee, Lenny Lane & Lodi were not what I had in mind.
Backstage, Scott Hudson is standing with the dominant WCW Women’s Champion, Jazz, who has her title proudly displayed over her shoulder.
Jazz: "Hudson, I am the baddest woman in professional wrestling, I am the undisputed Women's Champion, and there isn't a single skank, runway model, or bikini bimbo in the back who will ever be on my level."
Suddenly, the interview is interrupted as a pair of shark fins pass directly across the camera lens. Jazz stops talking, looking incredibly annoyed as the camera pans back. Shark Boy and La Sharka are completely circling Jazz, with La Sharka throwing in some deep-sea dance moves right in the champion's face.
Shark Girl then slowly swims into the frame. She steps right into Jazz's face, silently staring directly at the WCW Women’s Championship belt sitting on Jazz's shoulder. After a tense, silent standoff, Shark Girl simply turns and swims away, leading the rest of the Shark Squad down the corridor as a baffled and furious Jazz looks on.
Booker T & Rob Van Dam vs. Diamond Dallas Page & Lance Storm w/ Dawn Marie
Booker T and Lance Storm lock up to start this main event, and Storm immediately goes to work with some crisp, technical chain wrestling. Booker powers out, hits the ropes, and levels Storm with a shoulder block before taunting DDP on the apron. Storm tags in Page, and Booker immediately brings in Rob Van Dam to a massive pop. RVD is lighting DDP up right now with rapid-fire kicks and a standing moonsault, but Dawn Marie jumps on the apron to distract the referee. Storm pulls the top rope down from the outside, and Van Dam spills nastily to the floor!
The heel team is completely taking over now. DDP and Storm are showing off some great, isolation tactics, cutting the ring in half and keeping the US Champion grounded for a really long stretch. Storm has Van Dam locked in Sleeper Hold right in the middle of the ring. Van Dam is fading, but he fights through it, throwing back elbows and staggering Storm with a desperation spinning wheel kick! Both men are down and crawling. Van Dam desperately lunges and finally makes a hot tag to the Heavyweight Champ!
Booker T explodes into the ring! The place is coming unglued. Booker is completely cleaning house, taking out DDP with a flying forearm and leveling Storm with a massive Scissors Kick that nearly blows the roof off the arena! Total chaos erupts now as all four men spill into the ring at once. DDP sneaks up and sets up Booker T for a Diamond Cutter, but Booker manages to shove Page off forcefully into the ropes. At that exact microsecond, Lance Storm comes charging across the ring aiming a lethal superkick at Booker! Booker ducks the incoming boot perfectly, causing Storm to accidentally level his own partner, DDP!
As a stunned Storm realizes what he just did, Booker T capitalizes instantly, catching Storm and planting him with a Book End! Rob Van Dam is already taking to the air, he launches off the top turnbuckle with a picture-perfect Five Star Frog Splash onto Storm! The champions win it!
A great main event, and seemed like a way to put a lid on the feuds of last year and it looks like Booker & RVD are both heading to face new challengers. No idea where Storm or DDP go from here. After the match, Booker T & Rob Van Dam celebrate in the ring.
Following the match, the referee hands the gold back to the victors as Booker T and Rob Van Dam begin to celebrate their big win in the center of the ring. Out of nowhere, Steve Corino is at the timekeeper's table at ringside! Before anyone can react, Corino snatches the WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt off the table and sprints up the entrance ramp with it!
Inside the ring, Booker T realizes his title is gone and begins furiously screaming and gesturing at the ramp. Corino stops dead at the top of the stage, turns back toward the ring, and confidently holds Booker T's World Heavyweight Championship high above his head with a smug, mocking smile.
A great way to start the new year and really cement the new era of WCW. What a turn around its been and the future is looking bright. Tonight was full of new stories starting and the new core of WCW is really starting to come into its own as a serious and popular group of stars. Booker T, DDP, RVD, Storm, O’Haire, Kanyon, Corino, Mysterio, Kidman, Awesome have really become quite the group with lots of other guys getting bigger reactions by the week. 2002 is on for WCW and I’m ready for it.