WCW Nitro is live from The Oil Palace in Tyler, Texas! Andrew WK, Party Hard, Joey Styles, Jerry “The King” Lawler, pyro, screaming fans, the ring is set, the stage is ready, it’s time to continue down the road to War Games and WrestleWar!
We open the show with Booker T coming down to the ring, he stops halfway down the ramp and points to the stage and out comes the rest of “Team WCW”, Shane McMahon, BG James & Sean O’Haire. The group makes their way to the ring together and we have Booker T with a microphone. Booker says since June, The Foundation has been out here moaning and complaining about everything under the sun. They claim they are held back, they claim they are overlooked, they claim Shane McMahon doesn’t respect the business, they claim they deserve more, they claim the fans are not worth a thing. They claim WCW is changing for the worse. Booker and anyone with half a thought in their head knows The Foundation are just a bunch of scared, cowardly Suckas trying to hide behind every excuse in the world to avoid having to be real men inside this ring. Unluckily for them, their time using their cheap tactics, running away, sneaking around, comes to an end at WrestleWar inside the War Games match as a group of men have come together to give them a whoopin’!
BG James takes the mic and adds some of his own thoughts. He goes on a torrent of insults towards all the Foundation, and goes on to say WCW is changing for the better. He saw and heard what this place was like before he got here, and it’s a different company now, and that’s a good thing. He has busted his ass trying to be better, trying to get better, trying to earn more, and that’s exactly what’s happened.
James goes to hand O’Haire the mic, O’Haire grabs it and simply says “War Games… The Psycho Killer is locked inside the steel and the Foundation will have nowhere to run!” O’Haire throws the mic at Shane McMahon who catches it and smiles. He lifts it to his mouth, but then lowers it again, steps aside and motions to the three other members of Team WCW as the crowd cheers. Shane then finally says “I think that speaks for itself.” As Sean O’Haire’s music begins to blare over the speakers and Team WCW high five in the ring.
All six men charge the center of the ring immediately, erupting into a frantic brawl that spills to the floor. Evan Karagias is the first to soar, hitting a beautiful corkscrew senton from the top rope onto the pile outside. Back in the ring, Guido Maritato shows off his technical savvy, locking Kid Romeo in a Fujiwara armbar, but the hold is broken by Shane Helms a low dropkick. Skipper and Romeo briefly team up to isolate Helms, hitting a double-team facebuster, but the partnership dissolves when Romeo tries for a quick roll-up on his own partner. The match breaks down into a rapid-fire series of signature moves: Skipper nails the Overdrive on Karagias, only for Guido to catch Skipper with Sicilian Slice off the middle rope. Evan Karagias quickly squishes Guido with a 450 Splash, and Kid Romeo then spikes Karagias with a Romeo Relaxer. Romeo thinks he has it won, but Shane Helms is in and quickly hooks and nails a Vertebreaker! Before Helms can make the cover, Elix Skipper charges in and hits a running crossbody that takes him and Helms to the floor over the top rope. Seeing his opening, Kaz Hayashi is already perched on the top rope and flattens Romeo with a Cannonballl Senton, pin 1-2-3 as all the other cruiserweights fail to break it up at the last possible second.
Winner and #1 Contender: Kaz HayashiBackstage, we see Blonde Bombshell talking with Shawn Stasiak. She wants to apologize if she accidentally hit him on Velocity during her “disagreement” with Stacy Keibler. Before Stasiak can say anything, Stacy Keibler is here. She starts yelling at Bombshell about trying to steal “her man” and Bombshell tries to say she has zero interest, but Stacy is already beginning to scratch and claw, and we have another Cat Fight! Rection shows up and Stasiak and him pull the women apart as we head too commercial.
Mero starts with some basics, grounding Bagwell with an arm drag into a front facelock to ground The Stuff. Bagwell fights back and sends Mero into the ropes, but Mero takes him down with a big shoulder tackle and then a big jumping elbow drop for a 2 count. Buff comes back with a quick thumb to the eye followed by a swinging neckbreaker to ground Mero. Bagwell plays it up with the fans and then slams Mero with a big scoop slam. Bagwell then mocks D’Lo Browns head shaking and hits a leg drop for a 2. Mero is up and trying to fight back using some boxing jabs which stagger Bagwell. Mero hits the ropes but comes back into a big Sky High Spinebuster from Bagwell! Bagwell laughs and heads to the middle rope, he sizes Mero up and hits the Buff Blockbuster and that’s enough for 3.
Winner: Buff BagwellBagwell celebrates in the ring, but D’Lo Brown is out. Brown has a mic. He says he doesn’t know what he was thinking. He wanted to come to WCW to be part of the revolution. To be part of the most exciting wrestling in the world today, but the first thing he did was team up with Buff Bagwell. D’Lo calls himself a fool. He said he thought Bagwell would be someone to help bring him to the next level, but now he realizes he already was a level above Bagwell. He’s the Real Deal. And Bagwell is a shadow of a wrestler of years ago who cares more about how he looks than how he wrestles. At WrestleWar, D’Lo Brown will finally arrive in WCW.
Bagwell has a mic now and calls D’Lo Brown an ungrateful loser. Before D’Lo came around, Buff Bagwell was pretty much running WCW, he was “The Stuff” and Buff saw this poor “kid” and thought he’d give him a chance, and it’s the biggest regret of his career. D’Lo Brown has been othering but a ball and chain around the ankle of Bagwell since he “let him” come into WCW, and at WrestleWar, Bagwell will not only beat Brown, but when he does, D’Lo will be beginning to be his protégé again!
Backstage we are in Arn’s Office. Pete Gas & CW Anderson walk in and Arn says he’s glad to see them. He then calls them pathetic. He says CW is his nephew and is supposed to be carrying on the Anderson’s name, and so far in WCW, he’s faded into the background. Pete Gas wanted to learn, to grow, to become a true professional wrestler, and Arn sees the same guy he hired as his assistant months ago. Double A tells them two to shape up, or it might be time to ship out.
El Grand Luchador enters to a mix of confusion and cheers. Chavo quickly grounds El Gran with a stiff European uppercut and a vertical suplex. Chavo works a vicious pace, ripping at the mask and delivering a back-breaking powerbomb. In a sudden burst of energy, El Gran Luchador dodges a clothesline and catches Chavo off guard with a headscissors takedown, following up with a deep La Magistral Cradle that nearly secures a shocking three-count! Chavo kicks out at two and a half, his face contorted in rage. He immediately shuts down the upset with a lariat that nearly turns the Luchador inside out. Chavo hits three consecutive rolling suplexes, then hoists the Luchador, planting him with the Gory Bomb for the definitive win.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr.After the match, Chavo begins to try and unmask El Gran Luchador, but the lights shut off. The mysterious mask flashes across every screen in the building and when the lights come back on, El Gran Luchador is gone, leaving Chavo Guerrero Jr. alone in the ring with El Gran Luchador’s mask in his hand. Chavo looks down and it is then revealed the mask isn’t El Gran Lucahdor’s, but looks like Rey Mysterio Jr.’s!
We have a video package of The Foundation. They talk about how they run this company now, and War Games will be Shane McMahon’s last time meddling in their business as after WarGames, he’ll have to run this company from a hospital bed.
Shark Boy starts the match by trying to bite Corino’s hand. Corino gets annoyed and turns to complain to Jazz, but Shark Boy bites him in the rear end. Corino scampers around the ring and tags in Jazz out of desperation. Shark Boy quickly tags in Shark Girl and Jazz misses a wild right hand, allowing Shark Girl to then bite her in the rear end causing her to escape to the outside. The Shark Squad takes the center of the ring and do a double fin salute. The comedy ends abruptly when Jazz comes back in and nearly decapitates Shark Girl with a lariat, while Corino takes out Shark Boy from behind. Corino then grabs Shark Boy and nails an Old School Expulsion then kicks him out of the ring while yelling about sushi. Meanwhile, Jazz is lifting a dazed Shark Girl and hits her with a Jazz Stinger Facebuster for good measure, then immediately rolls her over and locks in an STF, as Shark Girl frantically taps out.
Winners: Jazz & Steve CorinoThe big screen cuts to a gym where Joanie Laurer is working out. She puts down some weights and turns to talk to the camera. She tells Steve Corino & Jazz congratulations on a victory. Laurer has good news though, she got off the phone with Arn Anderson, and at WrestleWar its Jazz vs. Joanie Laurer 1-on-1! She’s even agreed to put her WCW Women’s Championship on the line. She is the most dominant woman in the world, and after she defeats Jazz at WrestleWar, she’s coming for Corino.
The atmosphere in Tyler is electric as the bell rings for this highly anticipated rematch, with the crowd erupting in "R-V-D" chants while showering Lance Storm with a deafening chorus of boos. They start with a tense, traditional lock-up, Storm immediately taking Van Dam to the mat with a side-headlock, but RVD uses his agility to roll through and escape into a standing position and then goes for a flipping leg drop which Storm dodges, Storm goes for a snapmare, but RVD flips out and then goes for a kick which Storm ducks. Storm quickly catches him with a drop-toe hold and tries to transition into the Canadian Maple Leaf, but RVD is too fresh and scoots to the ropes for a break. Storm and RVD exchange some more holds but RVD takes control hitting a Springboard Side Kick to ground Storm and get a 2. Storm kicks out and rolls out of the ring to regroup with Dawn Marie as we head to commercial.
Back from commercial, and the pace quickens as Storm catches a charging RVD with a snap powerslam, immediately following up with a focused attack on the champion's lower back. Storm hits a backbreaker and holds RVD in a butterfly lock, forcing the crowd to rally behind the champion as he screams in pain. Van Dam eventually reaches his feet, slips out of the hold and hits a desperate enzuigiri that dazes Storm. Storm is back up goes to kick RVD, but Van Dam catches the leg and then steps over and hits a big spinning wheel kick. Both men are down as the referee starts a 10-count. They slowly battle to their knees, and begin to exchange strikes before eventually fighting to their feet where RVD ducks a right hand and hits a German Suplex. Van Dam goes for the split-legged moonsault, but Storm gets his knees up, causing RVD to double over in pain. Storm capitalizes instantly with a Bridging German Suplex of his own, but RVD kicks out at two and a half to a massive roar from the fans.
In the final stretch, the exhaustion is visible as Storm attempts his signature superkick, but RVD ducks, hits the ropes, and connects with a powerslam and Rolling Thunder. Instead of pinning, RVD rolls immediately to the apron and scales the turnbuckle for the Five Star Frog Splash. Dawn Marie screams from the apron, distracting everyone. The little delay is enough for Storm to have regained his senses, and he kicks the referee into the ropes. The impact causes RVD to lose his balance and he gets crotched hard on the top turnbuckle. Seeing his moment, Storm springs to the top rope, hooks RVD, and delivers a huge Top Rope Superplex, rolling through into a tight cradle pin as the referee recovers just in time to count the 1-2-3!
Winner and NEW WCW United States Champion: Lance Storm