It’s time once again to hand in this week’s homework. Each and every week without a major wrestling event, the hosts of the At Odds with Wrestling podcast assign each other and their listeners a classic wrestling event from the past. This week we’re watching another episode of WCW TV that takes place during an odd booking time. 

I watched the version of this show that is on the Peacock streaming service. 

We have a recap of the previous week. The nWo are hanging out in their locker room. Do we have a new girl among them? More on that later. The Peacock edit has some weird copyright free music choices which only adds to the confusion in a little bit. Tonight’s show takes place in Tulsa, OK and more on that later as well. 

3 Count are in the ring. Tony Schiavonie and Mark Madden are the announce team for tonight’s show. I was about to say these music edits are horrible, but it turns out that’s on purpose! Norman Smiley is in the production truck messing with 3 Count’s music. Norman comes out for his match dressed in full hockey gear. 

Norman Smiley vs Evan Karagias. 

Evan flips Norman out of the ring and Norman just kinda says screw that and rolls right back in. These two do not appear to be on the same page at all. Evan does a roll up but Norman counters with one of his own to get the pin. Danny Hodge claps for the victory. Norman challenges all three members of 3 Count to a match at SuperBrawl. 

Tony and Mark run down tonight’s card. 

J Biggs has the police check Booker’s bag for illegal substances. Random locker room cameos abound. 

Jeff Jarrett walks. 

Ric Flair and some random women show up in a limo. 

The nWo comes out. Random thought this week, the nWo’s ladies are the same ladies every week. Which means in theory they were paid to travel. To just show up on the shows and be there for the guys. No stories, no matches, not even acting as managers to interfere in matches. They’re just there. One has to wonder if there was any, shall we say dating happening. 

The Harris Brothers speak first. Why? Reference is made to Scott Steiner’s “purple warrior”. Madden asks if we know what Tulsa is backwards. Tony likes redheads. I’m with you Tony, and my Becky Lynch shelf only confirms that. Steiner’s promo goes on way too long and really only buries WCW. Meanwhile, is this a new lady? I believe her name is Kim. I’m not quite sure if she’s prettier or better, or if it’s just that she’s new. Let’s see if she sticks around and come back for final judgment if we get to see her more. She is better on screen than the other ladies though. She’s in the moment and has great facials. (The face?) This segment goes on way too long. 

Booker and Midnight walk

Mean Gene interviews David Flair, Daffney, and Crowbar. 

Booker (minus the T) comes out with Midnight (shouldn’t she be Midnigh?) to terrible music. Is it a Peacock edit? No! The idea is that the new Harlem Heat has stolen Booker’s music as well thus he has to use this terrible theme. 

Booker vs The Wall. 

Madden actually has a great line about the letter T missing. Mr T is now just Mr. But the best line was “the immortal Hulk Hogan is now the immoral Hulk Hogan, so no change.” Wow. And this is before Bash at the Beach 2000. Booker puts a sleeper on the taller Wall. Not sure why. Booker hits an axe kick and a bookend and then plays to the crowd. He goes up on the ropes but enough time has passed that the Wall recovers and shakes the ropes, knocking Booker down. At the same time J Biggs comes out and distracts Booker. The Wall hits a chokeslam for the pin. Biggs has Booker arrested. Seeing this terrible storyline really puts his upcoming World title win in a fresh light. 

Brian Knobbs bursts into the nWo locker room. Acting commissioner Jeff Jarrett puts Knobbs in a match later tonight. 

Terry Funk and Arn Anderson talk. 

Lane and Idol talk.

Why is the Barbarian dressed like Sting?

Barbarian vs Tank Abbot. 

Barbarian jumps Tank right away and it’s the first time we’ve seen anyone take the fight right to Tank. Tank catches Barbarian with a big right for the TKO win. 

Crowbar digs the KISS casket. 

Kidman is watching Torrie on the KidCam.

Oklahoma comes out and cuts a promo on the non existent WCW Women’s division that’s just dripping with misogyny. He brings out “Dr Jeter. Dr Heywood Jeter”. Russo didn’t write this? The Dr claims to have done lots of work on Madusa. Oklahoma implies that because Madusa isn’t a natural woman she cannot wrestle in the women’s division. Hey let’s bring the Oklahoma gimmick back for an Effy’s Big Gay Brunch and see what happens. Madusa comes out and I don’t know if she’s falling out of her lingerie or if that’s her ring gear or what she’s wearing. She slaps and kicks the good doctor and Oklahoma then grinds her heel into the doctor’s crotch. Which usually costs extra. 

Ric Flair walks with some ladies. 

Mean Gene says the WCW executive board has some news. 

Terry Funk walks. 

David Flair, Crowbar, and Daffney walk. 

Terry Taylor announces that the WCW executive board cannot change matches, but they can change stipulations. Thus Jarrett’s bribed referee for SuperBrawl will no longer be the referee for that match. Also, tonight’s match featuring Scott Hall vs Sid Vicious will now be a title match. 

A history of Funk and Flair is shown. 

Terry Funk vs David Flair in an I Quit match. 

Flair says he’ll go to hell before he quits. Actually one of David’s best moments on the mic. Funk calls out Ric. He says Ric can save his son if he comes out. Nothing. David tries to take advantage and hits Funk with a chair but Funk turns this around real fast. Funk rips up the padding to expose the concrete floor, but then piledrives David onto the now double thick padding. Oh, oh, nevermind. That second piledriver was on the floor. Funk piledrives David through a table which echoes the classic Ric Flair vs Terry Funk match. Madden says “the crowd is silent” after this move. This is 2000 WCW so that wouldn’t be shocking, but also the crowd isn’t silent. Just maybe not the reactions people were hoping for. Funk tries calling Ric out once more, but no one shows up. Funk says “I live on a chicken ranch but I don’t have any goddamn chickens like you.” Great line. David Flair is broken. Funk has sympathy for the kid and Funk quits the match so the beaten Flair gets the win. 

Mike Tenay has been watching the match and Arn Anderson says he has an answer. 

David Flair was carried out during the commercial break. 

Tenay interviews Arn. Arn says at SuperBrawl he’s not picking either side because he’s disgusted with both men. 

Disco Inferno (with the Mamalukes) vs Stevie Ray (with Big T and J Biggs).

Big T and the Mamalukes get into it and are all ejected from ringside. Stevie swings the slapjack but misses and drops it. Disco and the referee dive for it. The referee takes it away. Stevie takes advantage of this confusion and gets the pin. A nothing match. 

This “later tonight” graphic picked some terrible images to feature both wrestlers. 

Jarrett and Hall talk and it’s implied that as long as the nWo gets the world title it doesn’t matter who wins it. 

Mean Gene interviews Sid Vicious. 

Ric Flair and the ladies leave in the limo. This makes no sense. It does nothing for his program with Funk, or any interactions with either Arn or David Flair. Was Ric even at the building or was this all taped previously? 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Brian Knobbs (WCW Hardcore champion).

How does Bam Bam look worse than he did a couple weeks ago? Fit Finlay is the special referee, which is the nWo’s way of messing with Knobbs some more. Knobbs arm is still in a cast from Lex Luger’s attack a couple weeks ago. There’s trash cans, cookie sheets, ladders. The ladders have their own physics. How does WCW make this look so unsafe? Even worse than the most carefree match of ECW. Finlay hands Knobbs a trash can, but then Finlay hits Knobbs with a chair. Finlay with a quick count and Bam Bam is now the WCW Hardcore champion. What the hell? This makes no sense and I don’t think a follow up promo on Thunder is going to help any. 

Lane and Idol fight the Mamalukes backstage. 

Kidman and Torrie walk. 

Billy Kidman (with Torrie Wilson) vs the KISS Demon. 

Demon really did have a great entrance and then just nothing was done with him. I think there’s a world in which this could have worked. Crowbar is in the back rocking out. The announcers really put over Kidman. This match is all Demon at first until he misses an elbow drop. Then there is a lot more back and forth than I expected out of these two. Kidman hits a top rope Frankensteiner for the pin. Crowbar attacks Kidman and then does the Wayne’s World “we’re not worthy” to the Demon. 

This is the match of the night, which was unexpected. Also between these three and Vampiro and a few other people who have had interactions with these wrestlers the last few weeks this would be a good division to fight over a title. Maybe if the TV title was still around. Or if Jarrett wasn’t holding onto the US title without ever defending it. Hey, what happened to the Cruiserweight title tournament? 

And in your grease segment of the night: this is not Torrie’s best look and she was barely on camera. I say Madusa won the evening. 

Sid laughs. 

Lex and Liz have a chair. 

The nWo are having a meeting about the main event. 

The Total Package comes out with Elizabeth. His chair has Hogan’s logo all over it. This is a way too long promo by Lex. Lex calls out Jimmy Hart who I’m guessing is acting as some sort of agent or producer at this point. Hart cuts a really good promo against Lex most of all calling him a Hulk Hogan wannabe. Always good when a retired manager buries a top guy on the mic. Lex says Hulk has always lacked a vicious streak and Lex hits Jimmy then puts him up in the Torture Rack. Lex then “breaks” Jimmy’s arm within the chair. Security and referees come out to remove Lex from the ring. Does no one have friends? Flair and Hogan are coming across rather selfish this week. 

Scott Hall walks. 

Sid walks. 

There are 5 minutes left in the show, no, 4 minutes by the time they lock up. 

Sid Vicious vs Scott Hall. 

Sid destroys Hall. Sid hits a chokeslam then plays to the crowd. Hall uses this to come back. Hall picks Sid up for the fall away slam, which is impressive enough on its own. But wouldn’t you know it, this causes a ref bump. Jarrett comes out and he joins up with Hall to beat up Sid outside the ring. Sid gets tossed into the announcers. This wastes a lot of time which was already limited. Jarrett leaves. Hall picks Sid up for the Razor’s Edge and hits it but the referee is still out. Jarrett comes back after seeing Hall hit his finisher. Jarrett hits Hall with the guitar then pulls Sid on top of Hall. Jarrett wakes up the referee and Sid wins. The Harris Brothers and Scott Steiner come out. Jarrett says the rest of the nWo has to choose if they’re with Hall or with Jeff. This also marks two occasions in just over a week in which Sid has been put on top of his opponent to get the win. 

At this point we’ve watched so much of this era of WCW that this is an average episode. Patterns emerge and certain things are expected. We know who is getting focus despite many many other wrestlers under contract but doing nothing. One good match for this show but not one that would have been considered good on nearly any other card. I think some of this could have worked if there was something worth fighting for. The world title is Sid and Jarrett. The tag titles are the Mamalukes and David Flair and Crowbar. And that’s it for stakes. Everyone else is fighting just to fill time but not for a reason. There’s a way to fantasy book using the talent on this show into something much better but alas, that was not what we were presented. 

SummerSlam is this Saturday and then in two weeks I expect we’ll all be watching a wrestling adjacent movie.