WCW Souled Out 99'
Charleston, West Virginia - January 1999
The show begins with a video message from Ric Flair, the new President of WCW. Then, after a rundown of tonight's main events, Schiavone sends us to the back where Goldberg is clutching his knee in pain.
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan is back as the WCW World Champion, the United States Title is held by Bret Hart, the TV Champion is Scott Steiner, and the Cruiserweight Champion is Billy Kidman. The World Tag Team Championships were vacant at this point (I don't quite recall why but Rick Steiner and Kenny Kaos were the last champions before a tournament was started to crown new ones).
COMMENTATORS: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, and Bobby Heenan
Classic WCW incompetence for the opener - Chris Benoit vs. Mike Enos. The crowd is into it, Enos puts on a simple-but-effective heel act, and everything Benoit does sells this match as a legitimate fight between two unflinching opponents. Meanwhile, on commentary, Schiavone talks about the attack on Goldberg and the on-going war between WCW and nWo for 80% of the contest. Granted, on paper, this looks like the kind of match that isn't going to give you much to talk about - but what these two may not bring in charisma and, for lack of better word, "flair," they make up for with stiff shots and intensity (even an Enos chinlock is milked for all its worth by a writhing Benoit). After what should've been the end of the match (Benoit's devastating diving headbutt), Enos and Benoit botch the clothesline-counter-into-a-Crossface spot which draws boos from the crowd, an unfortunate fleck of dirt on an otherwise solid contest. (3/5)
A short video package plays up tonight's grudge match main event.
Norman Smiley comes down the aisle next clutching an urn that supposedly holds the remains of "Pepe," his opponent Chavo Guerrero Jr.'s beloved "horse." Smiley shows off some really impressive offense and his dancing is very over, the Big Wiggle getting a respectable pop, but this one runs just a few minutes too long to keep the crowd firmly engaged from bell-to-bell. The commentary is a bit better here than in the opener, but that's not hard to explain because this match had considerably more build than the random Enos/Benoit curtain-jerker. Its surprising that Smiley wasn't brought in to the WWE in 2001 considering he had ties to the Guerreros and Jericho (I think) dating back to his years working in Mexico, but then again, as he was primarily a comedy wrestler I can also understand Vince overlooking the fact that he could actually work (to a much lesser degree, this also seems to have happened to Disco Inferno). Guerrero is supposed to be the loony underdog that the fans rally behind, but that gimmick requires the ability to garner true sympathy - something that Chavo could do well in spurts, especially when he was under the thumb of his uncle Eddie, but not well enough independently to make his feuds and matches with Stevie Ray and Norman really work (again, its Norman's Big Wiggle that draws the biggest face pops of the match). The build to the finish has some awkwardness - Guerrero's sleeper is so lazily worked that it telegraphs the counter, Chavo's spill to the outside and Smiley's dancing isn't captured by the camera, the nearfalls after the Gory Special just too much too late - and when its finally time for the actual finish, it just comes off as paltry. Plus, shouldn't sawdust in the eyes, blatantly thrown in front of the referee, be a disqualification? I wanted to like this because I'm a fan of Smiley, but this was like chocolate on a steak - too many things I generally like stacked on top of each other to the point of being put off. (2/5)
Konnan is backstage with Mark Madden talking about how the Wolfpack turned on him. I would've turned on the guy too cause his matches generally sucked from what I saw.
Fit Finlay takes on Van Hammer (in his hippy gimmick) next. Huh. I definitely forgot this was a thing. Hammer, like Smiley but way different, is another guy one would've thought that Vince would've seen money in - tall, muscular, good look - but no, the guy never got so much as a cup of coffee for Titan Sports. Finlay has his work cut out for him trying to carry the dude to a decent match and opts to do it by just leveling him with stiff shots and, as Tenay calls it, "elementary offense" that he makes look brutal. Finlay goes on a tear to start things out, but the crowd, unsurprisingly, doesn't give a single shit because, as far as I know, these two didn't really have a program coming into this random pairing. Hammer eventually takes over and whatever heat this match had gets sucked out pretty quickly as his offense is nothing special. Was Hammer supposed to be a babyface here because he garners no sympathy at all...? To his credit, he overbumps and oversells multiple times, but its not nearly enough to get his ridiculous one-note character over. Nasty tombstone piledriver to finish a very un-PPV worthy match. I probably would've liked this more if this was an even more favorable Finlay squash. Why would someone play money to see this? Points awarded for Finlay's work, but this was a Pro match at best. (1.5/5)
Wrath vs. Bam Bam Bigelow follows. At least this one had some build with Wrath on a winning streak and Bigelow coming in significantly more over than some might think in 2017. After a little bit of hard-hitting action, Bigelow takes Wrath down in a headlock and the crowd is lulled to sleep even more than Wrath is. Things don't get much better as the match wears on and Bigelow looks increasingly fatigued. Usually its Bigelow's opponent who brings the movement and energy to the match, so having him play the role of ring general was just a bad call. The best thing about this might be that we get a clean finish. (1/5)
Konnan comes out and proceeds to cut a promo against his former friends in the Wolfpack that ends with a weird list of sex acts ("toss my salad and peel my potato"?). His opponent tonight is Lex Luger and again one has to wonder who thought some of these pairings were a good idea. Not one to be outdone, Luger decides to do some talking of his own before the match begins, letting Konnan make the choice of whether or not he actually wants to throw down. Konnan doesn't back down and starts throwing fists immediately, Luger showing ass and the crowd eating it up with huge reactions. I may not be a Konnan fan, but there's no denying that the guy (and his catchphrases) were damn over in late 98'/early 99'. After withstanding Konnan's initial flurry, Luger takes control and does a respectable job of getting heat too, this being the first time he's been a pure heel in what? At least 5 years? As the match wears on, both men's fatigue is noticeable, each move looking more labored. At one point, Konnan rolls to the outside and it certainly seems like he's legitimately injured as Luger follows him to the outside and Konnan tells him something or other. Its a bizarre moment but also the most interesting thing to happen between bells (and that includes the arrival of Miss Elizabeth). Konnan is carried to the back in the end to sell the damage from getting his face sprayed by paint? (1/5)
Time for Saturn vs. Jericho, the former Lionheart in full heel mode by this point. The stipulation here is that the loser will be forced to wear a dress, but maybe the more interesting ingredient in the mix is that Perry Saturn had been having issues with referee Scott Dickinson (and Jericho had been adding fuel to the fire). Back-and-forth to start things out with Saturn earning the upper hand by dishing out some very physical offense (aside from a botched heel kick out of Saturn). Jericho takes charge and sends Saturn to the guardrail with his springboard dropkick and then takes it an extra step with a huge crossbody over the top rope to the floor. Saturn tries to rally minutes later, but gets cut-off by a big boot out of Jericho and then a running senton. Y2J locks in a rear chinlock, but they don't waste too much time with it before they're exchanging strikes. Jericho attempts a Lionsault but Saturn gets his knees up. Jericho tries for a maneuver off the top, but Saturn counters again - this time into a T-bone suplex. As the match continues, we get a variety of impressive offense from both men, including a huge splash from Saturn off the top rope and Jericho lifting a page from Benoit's book with a stiff german suplex. As the announcers had alluded to at the start of the match, Dickinson ends up screwing Saturn in the finish. Personally, I would've found that to be a more interesting twist if it genuinely felt like Saturn was on the brink of victory. Not a terrible match, but not a terribly good one either. (2.5/5)
The Cruiserweight Championship is on the line in the next bout - Billy Kidman defending the title in a tag-rules fourway against Rey Mysterio, Psicosis, and Juventud Guerrera. With these four, you know you're going to get your fair share of excellent high-flying spots and lightning-fast exchanges, though, with Juvi around, you also get some slop. The psychology of the match is questionable (as the announcers point out early), but the point of a match like this is to jam-pack as many high spots into a relatively short match as possible and let the craziness do the talking. Unfortunately, the bar the cruiserweights had set over the previous few years was so high that this one doesn't quite hit the mark, though, that's not for lack of effort. There are some absolutely sick moments - dual powerbombs off the apron, Psicosis getting monkeyflipped over the post, Kidman delivering a somersault splash to the outside, an Air Juvi to the floor, Psicosis launching himself with a dropkick from the top that ends up looking much more like a double stomp to the back of Juvi's neck - but there are lulls and the crowd is, for whatever reason, much more mild in their reactions for this than the awful Konnan/Luger match. A hotter crowd and tighter sequences and you have a Match of the Year contender. As it is, though, it still stands as one of the best cruiserweight title matches in WCW history. (4/5)
The Flairs vs. Barry Windham and Curt Hennig is next and it is, as advertised, one of the most interesting bouts I've reviewed in awhile. For starters, the build-up to this was based on a legit beef between Flair and Bischoff, but as Hennig had cost Flair his match against Sleazy E at Starrcade, this is the rivalry that we saw blossom in January. As for the match itself, right from the start it subverts expectations a bit as its David Flair who comes in first holding his own, at least for the first minute or two, against Barry Windham, who, looks-wise, had certainly seen better days, but in terms of the basics, is still fundamentally sound if no longer an elite worker - which is kind of the same thing one could say about Hennig too, who one could easily argue was a better worker in 98'/99' than longtime rival Bret Hart despite the disparity in card placement and accolades. Speaking of Hennig, his jawing for the first 4-5 minutes of the match is deliciously evil. Windham busts out his classic superplex (and the commentators ignore it) for two, but Flair is able to get some desperation offense in and the former Horsemen is forced to tag in Hennig, who immediately goes to work on Naitch's knee. The figure four is applied and Windham provides extra leverage, but Flair won't give up. Windham comes in and tries to lock in a Figure Four himself, but Flair nearly cradles him. Flair desperately strikes back with some chops but Windham lays in a blatant choke, expertly cutting the ring in half. Tenay, in a rare quality moment of commentary from WCW, does a nice job playing up the idea that even if Flair could make the tag, he may be hesitant knowing that his son would then be on the receiving end of a beatdown from two tough veterans. David Flair tries to come in, but ends up causing a distraction that allows Arn Anderson to pul Hennig out of the ring and for Flair to momentarily bring Windham to the mat with a figure four. Its back to a 2-on-1, though, with Flair only briefly saved by a low blow from David Flair. The match falls into chaos and Arn Anderson sneaks in and nails Hennig with a tire iron! Hennig accidentally pulls David on top of him and its an nWo vs. 4 Horsemen brawl - and just like 18 months or so earlier, the nWo essentially destroy them. Flair gets handcuffed and David Flair gets schoolboyed by Hogan. David tries to fight back, but is beaten down and eventually whipped repeatedly by the Hulkster. Flair's passion here is remarkable - I've read that he felt Hogan took liberties, but in the moment, I'm not sure this wasn't just really good acting out of a guy whose calling card was always how convincing and "real" he made the character Ric Flair. The beating goes on at least 4-5 minutes too long, which wouldn't have been a problem in 1996 or 1997 when the nWo was novel and new, but in 1999, the only chance the rebooted nWo had of working was to dial back a little and make them "special" again. One way of doing this would've been to dial back the group membership and make the act a little less dominant on the show in terms of screentime - I mean, that is what made them the hottest act going 3 years earlier, when part of the fun was the mystery of when they'd show up and what'd they do when they did finally appear. As a whole, this is a not a must-watch match or post-match angle, but its still above average in terms of entertainment value and passion from the Nature Boy. (3/5)
Main event time - Bill Goldberg vs. Scott Hall in a Ladder Match with Hall's Taser hanging above the ring. Hall cuts a brief promo before the match to get even more heat and make sure the live audience is aware as the home audience that Goldberg has a bum knee. Once the action gets going I found that these two had pretty good chemistry. As a heel, Hall could typically use his size as an advantage, but against a guy like Goldberg or the Giant, he has to use his cunning, and I've always found his ring psychology to be sound in that role. Here, he utilizes the slight advantage he has over an injured Goldberg but never fully dominates - say what you will about the booking of Goldberg outside of the ring, but between the bells, Hall (and Nash at Starrcade to a lesser extent) seemed to have little problem putting over his toughness and the clear idea that, in a fair fight, he's essentially unbeatable. With these two you're not going to get a Hardy Boys ladder spot fests, but Goldberg does get some color and when they do take bumps off the thing, they look particularly nasty. At one point Hall tries to crotch the top rope, for example, but can't quite get his leg over the top and takes a horrid spill onto the mat, while Goldberg takes an even sicker fall from the ladder neck-first into the unforgiving ropes minutes later. Interference from Disco Inferno muddies up the finish a bit as I'm not sure they couldn't have gotten to the match's conclusion without his unnecessary cameo. Extra half-point for a fan that is so into this match she is literally screaming at Goldberg in an attempt to help him find the taser (which had gotten knocked to the arena floor). Like the match that precedes it, this is easily above-average in terms of entertainment value, but I'm not sure how above-average it really is. The crowd is into it, Goldberg is mega over, Hall has one of his best matches in months - its unfortunate that so much went wrong in the build to this and in what would continue to come down the pike for WCW that a solid main event like this is unjustly remembered as a flop. (3/5)
For WCW's peak years, the low and midcard were where you'd look for the best wrestling - but by 99', some of those talents were pushing at the glass ceiling, which is how you end up with the cruiserweights putting on the best match of the night fairly deep into the show and Saturn and Jericho following bigger names like Bam Bam Bigelow and Lex Luger. Card placement only tells half the tale, though. While Jericho and Saturn were getting well-deserved screen time, they're practically background actors in their own segments as the commentators stay tethered to their all-nWo-all-the-time talking points. With a Kwang score of 2.33-out-of-5, Souled Out 99' has its moments, but when it drags, it really drags.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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