RetroView fans, this week, we continue our stroll through WCW 1999. The show in focus is WCW Slamboree 1999. During our last RetroView, Diamond Dallas Page won his first-ever World Championship. He is set for the main event of this show against Kevin Nash.
The show’s opening video package hypes up the entire show. The hype video includes Goldberg versus Sting, Ric Flair versus Roddy Piper, and the main event between Page and Nash. Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan welcome us to the show.
Schiavone immediately asks who will be in control of WCW after tonight, Ric Flair or Roddy Piper. Sting versus Goldberg is described as the Franchise versus the Man. We cut to Mean Gene Okerlund at the entrance ramp, and he promotes the WCW hotline for the latest wrestling news and rumors.
The opening match is an absolute classic between the teams of Raven and Saturn, Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr., and Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit. But as always, any match featuring the latter, we don’t go into too much detail. Raven and Saturn get the win after Raven hits an Even Flow DDT on Kidman.
WCW Slamboree 1999
Stevie Ray vs. Konnan
Stevie Ray enters first with Vincent and Horace Hogan by his side; what a trio…The three are representing nWo black and white. Konnan comes out second, and as always, from 1996 to 1999, he gets a strong crowd reaction.
Stevie Ray gets the early advantage with help from Vincent and Horace Hogan. The announcers try to play up how the nWo black and white is a cohesive unit with Stevie Ray in a leadership role.
Man, did WCW just wear out the entire nWo concept over time. The nWo continues to interfere until Rey Mysterio Jr comes out to aid Konnan. Konnan gets the win with a Mysterio-assisted roll-up.
Winner – Konnan
Before the next match, we get a hype video focused on Kevin Nash, followed by an wcw.com interview with Rick Steiner. First, they talk about Steiner’s upcoming match with Booker T.
WCW Slamboree 1999
Hardcore Match
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Brian Knobbs
This match and one later in the show just show how weird WCW was becoming in 1999. Knobbs enters first to very little reaction. Then, Bigelow comes out with a cart full of weapons.
This is your run-of-the-mill WCW hardcore match with both men repeatedly hitting each other with weaponry. Finally, after a missed dive from Knobbs, Bigelow gets the win with a suplex through a table.
Winner – Bam Bam Bigelow
Up next, we get a video giving us a rundown of the Television Championship rivalry between Booker T and Rick Steiner.
WCW Slamboree 1999
WCW Television Championship Match
Booker T © vs. Rick Steiner
Steiner comes out and first, and it needs to be said, he looks awkward without his brother by his side. Rick Steiner as a singles competitor, just never meshed. Booker T, on the hand, comes out looking like a bonafide singles star.
These two work well together, all the years of facing each other in tag matches paying off. Steiner’s power gets him an early advantage with a pair of Steinerlines Booker T gets back in control with his speed and array of kicks. Good feeling out process to start this match.
After a brief skirmish outside the ring, Steiner takes control with some choke holds and a series of right hands. Booker T eventually begins his fire up and hits a scissor kick and picture-perfect sidewalk slam.
His missile dropkick looks to have the match won, but Scott Steiner attempts to interfere. This brief distraction allows Rick to hit a massive clothesline. After Scott trips Booker T while he’s running the ropes, Rick Steiner gets the win with a bulldog from the top rope.
Winner – Rick Steiner
WCW Slamboree 1999
Gorgeous George vs. Charles Robinson
Time for the second match that proves just how weird WCW was in 1999. The video package for this match is wild. It’s all about Macho Man Randy Savage and Ric Flair flaunting the ladies and lackeys in their lives.
Robinson comes out first and is an outstanding clone of Rick Flair, robe and all. Oh, and they are joined by the muscular Asya… an obvious knock of Chyna. Gorgeous George is joined by Savage, Miss Madness (a pre-WWE Molly Holly), and Madusa.
What a unique variant of Macho Man Randy Savage this was. Of course, if George wins, he is reinstated to WCW. But, before the match starts, WCW President Ric Flair gets on the mic. Flair invites Madusa and Miss Madness to come to ride Space Mountain to a chorus of boos.
Savage responds to a resounding applause. This is just over ten minutes of Robinson doing his best Flair imitation and George getting in a variety of moves. Absolute absurdity at its finest. Savage helps his lady get the win with a low blow and body slam.
George finishes Robinson off with a flying elbow drop. The crowd erupts, and Savage was over something fierce with the WCW crowd in 1999.
Winner – Gorgeous George
Before the next match, we get a video recapping the rivalry between Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell. The video includes Bagwell imitating Steiner, complete with a bad beach blonde wig and goatee.
WCW Slamboree 1999
WCW United States Championship Match
Scott Steiner © vs. Buff Bagwell
Schiavone plays up their former partnership during Bagwell’s entrance. Steiner enters second to the nWo Wolfpac theme, which is just weird. Bagwell jumps Steiner before the champ can remove his belt.
The assault is brought to an abrupt end by a low blow from Steiner. It doesn’t take long for Steiner to begin trash-talking the fans, something Schiavone quickly points out. This is your typical late 90’s Scott Steiner match.
Slow-paced, lots of power moves, and constant barking at the fans. A chair gets introduced in the match, but before Bagwell can use, Rick Steiner wallops him with the steel. The assist allows Scott to retain as the Steiner Brothers are united for the first time in years.
Winner – Scott Steiner
We cut to a hype for Goldberg, with lots of shots of him snarling and nothing else. The main event between Nash and DDP also gets yet another hype video. It’s now time for the President of WCW, Ric Flair, to defend his position against Ric Flair.
This storyline is solid gold, focusing on Flair losing his touch of reality as WCW President. Included is a trip to the looney bin.
WCW Slamboree 1999
Roddy Piper vs. Ric Flair
Piper enters first, and he’s still receiving a hero’s welcome in 1999. Schiavone has a great line calling both of these men a little bit nuts. Flair enters second with Arn Anderson and Asya by his side.
Before the match starts, Flair fires the referee before bringing in Charles Robinson to ref the match. Piper begins the match with a bevy of chops followed by a back body drop. This quickly sends Flair scurrying ringside.
After a flurry of punches, the fight spills to the outside, where the two trade chops. A well-timed low blow by Flair brings an abrupt end to Piper’s momentum. Anderson gets involved nailing Piper with a series of punches outside the ring while Flair “distracts” referee Robinson.
The shenanigans of Flair and his crew continue throughout this match; this is not the best Flair versus Piper showdown. Piper has the match won twice late in the match, but Robinson plays like Arn Anderson is distracting him.
Piper gets Flair locked in the figure four, and you can hear Flair submit. But once again, Robinson doesn’t make the right call. Arn Anderson gets a sleeper hold for his last attempt at interference. Piper then puts Flair a sleeper before locking lips with Asya.
A sleeper hold gets her out of the way; all these distractions allows Flair to retrieve a pair of brass knuckles. One brass knuckles right hand later, and Ric Flair is the victor.
Winner – Ric Flair
After the match, a gray-haired Eric Bischoff slowly walks to the ring. Bischoff proceeds to tell Flair to shut up before raising Piper’s hand in victory. Flair continuously says “he’s the boss” before Piper fires him. Hilariously, Flair yells at a fan to shut up before threatening to have him kicked out.
WCW Slamboree 1999
Sting vs. Goldberg
Sting enters; first, his Crow entrance theme is still one of my absolute favorites. Next, Goldberg makes his way out, and he still gets a pretty solid reaction. At this point in his WCW run, it’s so confusing on what they are trying to accomplish with him.
An awkward hip toss, arm drag attempt is an omen for how this match is going to play out. Goldberg sends Sting reeling early with his raw power. Sting retaliates with a picture-perfect dropkick before clothesline Goldberg over the top rope.
Goldberg’s knee brace-covered limb becomes Sting’s focus as he tries to wear the big man down. His attempt at a Boston crab is forcefully ended when Goldberg powers out of it. The veteran Sting quickly retakes control with more focus on Goldberg’s knee.
Cool moment late in the match comes after Sting hits two Stinger splashes. His third attempt is met with a mid-air spear by Goldberg. With the crowd reaching a fever pitch and both men down, Bret Hart comes to the ring, steel chair in hand.
Hart assaults Goldberg with the chair, causing a no contest. Next out is the Steiner Brothers; they go after both Sting and Goldberg for some reason.
Winner – No One
After one last hype video, man, if they cut out the hype videos, this would be like a 90-minute show.
WCW Slamboree 1999
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Diamond Dallas Page © vs. Kevin Nash
Michael Buffer rings in the main event like only he can. Nash comes out first, and the Wolfpac theme fits him better than anyone. DDP comes out next, and the two-time champ is full of confidence and bravado.
Tenay brings the knowledge early in the match, referencing their brief time as a tag team early in their careers. This fight doesn’t take long to spill outside a nice change of pace to the usual Nash match at this point in his career.
Once back in the ring, we get the usual Nash series of moves, and the pace slows down measurably. Page takes the momentum with questionable tactics before removing a turnbuckle pad.
Side Note: Nick Patrick, who is the ref in this match, looks and sounds like Danny McBride.
This evolves into a slugfest with both men trading heavy right hands. Page hits a Diamond Cutter on the outside in a pretty cool moment. Page picks up the intensity, battering Nash’s knee against the ring post, something he had done to Hollywood Hogan.
Despite the bum knee, Nash mounts a comeback utilizing his package of moves with a bit more energy. A jackknife powerbomb leads to Nash covering Page, but before the ref can begin the three count, Macho Man Randy Savage enters the ring.
Savage once again helps out DDP by assaulting Nash. Pro wrestling, the only place where blood feud rivals who tried to kill each other two years prior, are now working together. Not allowing another no contest, Eric Bischoff comes out and restarts the match with a no disqualification stipulation.
A few minutes later, Nash hits his second jack-knife powerbomb to become WCW World Heavyweight Champion. I tell you what; the crowd goes absolutely nuts for this finish.
Winner – Kevin Nash
The show ends with Nash raising the big gold belt high to a raucous ovation.
Join me next time when I dive deeper into the WCW archives with a show from 1994.
