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Some dissention is starting to form in 3 Count between Evan and Sugar Shane. Leia is leading the Dragons now and has given them more of an edge. The match is a spotfest with tons of double team and triple team dives but the crowd seemed quieter than usual. The match also has a lot of storyline elements with Evan gloating for 3 Count and Meia berating Jaime San throughout the match. Shane and Shannon get a run of offense on Jamie san and then Evan comes in and steals the pin. Afterwards, Jaime is unmasked by Leia as Noble and 3 Count beats up Evan changing up the dynamic of these two sides. **1/2

I am always a sucker for these southern stipulations of getting the fans involved by being the lumberjacks. Heat is piled on by Attitude wearing Tennessee Vol apparel. This again works a basic structure but is a lot of fun with Bad Attitude being stripped down and whipped on the outside and then taking over for a good heat segment. JC Dazz always impresses me by mixing in moments of good agility and flash for someone his size and the hot tag sequence is really well done. Finish is what it is where it of course looks like the Bugaloo Crew has won but they end up being DQ’d. Bad Attitude immediately bolts for the exit in another funny moment. Shtick but good shtick. *** (5.8)

A neat houseshow fancam for NWA Wildside and Styles and Onyx are faces as the Georgia Bulldogs get run down by Marky Mark in front of the Athens crowd. The match runs a traditional tag structure with AJ getting worked over for the majority of the match. Paris and Mark aren’t mind blowing on top but they do enough stuff to keep the interest of the crowd and there is investment and a reaction when the hot tag is made. Onyx and AJ do their double team moves which fit much better as a face tandem and end up picking up the win to a sizeable pop. *** (6.1)

Happy Halloween everybody. Hamrick is dressed as a racist in his stars and bars gear but is able to still generate heel heat but jawing at the crowd constantly. I was happy to see these two interact longer than what they were getting in ECW and they delivered a good match. Kash gives a hellacious chop to Hamrick at one point and Hamrick’s control segment was very Southern based but effective. We have had a string of these good but not great matches to end October but while it was a long month as a whole, it did provide a variety of quality stuff from across the globe in wrestling. Kash mounts his comeback but Hamrick has some cronies out there including Mark Wolf that help Hamrick regain the advantage. Unfortunately, WCW rules still apply as Hamrick throws Kash over the top rope drawing the DQ. Lame finish but a fun ass match to close the month. ***1/4 (6.3)

The promo to start this off was a good bit of back and forth with each man using the other’s catchphrase against them. The match starts out with Jericho attacking Rock on the entranceway and this was a good preview of the chemistry these two will have a year from now. I like that they both went after each other and Jericho has continued to show more edge as the year progressed. After he left the Chyna angle, Jericho has really had a stellar year and even though he is feuding with Kane, he is still having quality tv matches like this. Jericho locks on the Walls and Rock is able to narrowly escape. One Rock Bottom when Jericho is dominating is enough for Rock to obtain the victory. Rikishi comes out and attacks Rock and then informs us that Rock knew all along about the hit on Austin. Rikishi is done and really shouldn’t be mentioning Austin anymore. He is made to just look like a buffoon that is up for bidding. *** (6.1)

This pretty much ends the run of Rikishi being a threat to Austin on his own. We see clips from SmackDown of a mystery man with a wrench hitting Austin and making him bleed. The cage match is essentially beating up Rikishi on the inside and outside of the cage. He slams the door against Rikishi’s face and Rikishi gets great color off of that. A stunner gives Austin the win in just over five minutes. This whole feud has been weirdly set up but Austin felt more like Austin here so that is promising. **1/4

Were here to celebrate Edge’s birthday but Steph isn’t feeling good. This follows a series of funny vignettes backstage of E&C being jerkoffs and HHH and Angle both consoling Steph. They finally convince Steph to head back to the hotel and rest and as she rides away in the limo, Angle remarks how he is happy that him and HHH have buried the hatchet. HHH says he hopes he brought his gear. We then hear HHH and Foley talk and they set up a non title match for later on in the evening. HHH is really over here as a face and his chemistry works with Foley well. The match is set up and Angle is still in his tracksuit as he enters the ring. I can see this being used as another resume padder for especially HHH as it is a short, intense fight and HHH is presenting himself well as a babyface. HHH doesn’t have a match after Survivor Series but he has had a hell of a 2000 IMO. He even does the Harley bump over the top rope to put over Kurt. Kurt takes another pedigree through the table and you could tell he was apprehensive about it as he bumps knee first. HHH is so frustrated at not being able to put Angle away with a chair that he attacks Tim Dwight drawing the DQ. A pedigree to Dwight ensues and then he beats up E&C for good measure. **1/2

I’m ready for Eddy to do something else. Chyna shows us a clip of Miss Kitty dressing up like Chyna from heat and then attacks Eddy. Not much in the way of action before the finish comes. Miss Kitty is on the outside and gets some shots on Chyna but also gets attacked. Chyna Powerslams Kitty into Eddy but walks into a superkick from Steven Richards. This allows Eddy to pick up the sneaky victory. Billy Gunn attacks after the match and while it makes sense from a storyline perspective he and Chyna should be close, Billy can go away too. ½*

I don’t know why both Nitro and Raw loaded the shows up this week but it is one of the better 2 shows in 1 night stretches we may get as we enter the waning days of Nitro. Booker after my burial of the Havoc match looks more stiff and intense here and him and Steiner potato each other before Awesome runs down. Awesome’s gimmick is dreadful and doesn’t fit at all. The three way action was good and continued to put over Steiner as the biggest thing going in the main event scene. Steiner has Awesome in a Steiner Recliner when Booker hits the spinning kick and then gets a quick Bookend on Mike for the pin. Steiner goes nuts on security after the match and the vendetta with him and Booker is far from over. **3/4

I continue to be completely floored that O’Haire and Jindrak didn’t become bigger stars. They are such good bases against Kidman and Rey and can bust out a variety of impressive looking offense. I don’t think Test is an awful worker but they certainly at a minimum feel like a better version of him. This was another good opener and the best part of WCW currently. It really looked like Rey and Billy might gain the win as they were setting up the Shooting Star Press. Alex Wright and Disco miss their cue so there is an awkward moment with a slow count and O’Haire having to kick out. I thought the finish also made Konnan look dumb as Disco is able to get in the ring and hit the chartbuster all the while escaping before Konnan can put the announcing headphones down and give chase. O’Haire and JIndrak are able to retain with this assist. *** (5.8)

The finals of the tournament and like usual contested as a death match. A sprinty death match with the spots happening quickly and violently. I still think Honma matches up better with Zandig than anyone else. Kasai actually was fairly tame in this which was a surprise. The match was starting to get going when it ends with Honma/Yamakawa winning with the splash/superplex combo. Afterwards, we get a lot of grandstanding and a challenge is issued and accepted for a ten man tag when they return to Korakuen. Sort of an odd finish given the semi final match but fun while it lasted. **1/2

Big Japan is one of my favorite promotions going in Japan around this time. They have a stud in Honma but also a lot of other intriguing workers and can mix and match such a wide variety of styles. This is the first look we have at Sekimoto and he plays his role to perfection as young lion that will get picked on but can also dish it out. I really enjoyed the way that the match transitioned from the chain wrestling of Teioh to the heavy strikes of Sekimoto seamlessly. Honma makes a claim as a top 20 worldwide worker by having really compelling sequences with both opponents. I thought Yamakawa also knew his role better here and didn’t try to over reach. A really strong tag and set the tone for what the Saikyo tag league will bring to the promotion as a whole over the next 17 years. **** (7.9)

We get some clips of the previous match between these two that looked brutal. This was also a brutal match. The build to the barbed wire and the light tube shots was well done and both men dished out some punishment onto each other. Genki in particular was excellent as the bullying member of the match. Ichii had to really work for every comeback and big move. Unfortunately the finish is sort of botched as Ichii is looking for a 450 double stomp through the barbed wire table and she hits its kind of glazingly with the table not breaking. The pin is weird too as it looks like Ichii is lifting Genki’s shoulders up but the referee counts three anyway. They embrace after the match and seem to have some sort of alliance going forward. ***1/2 (7.1)

Fun undercard stuff. I didn’t think much of the Orientales and Neon but everyone else brought something to the table here and Marvin and Azteca in particular went after each other. Marvin displays a rudo tinge here to his character which is unique and I do think his high flying has looked as spectacular as anyone in 2000. Muscle buster was a nice finisher for the tecnicos and I was a bit surprised that Marvin took the final pin. No bullshit in Monterrey is a plus as well. *** (6.2)

This was a pretty dreadful PPV which is unfortunate as WCW had shown some signs of life. This main event was a complete afterthought as they come down to the ring with 20 minutes to go. Goldberg comes out and it feels like a Nitro match where Kronik double teams for a bit until Goldberg returns the favor with the big comeback. In a weird moment, a table is retrieved from underneath and smoke comes pouring out I guess from the fake Sting bullshit earlier. Goldberg ends up winning in just over three minutes and we immediately go off the air. *

More of a character study on maniacal Scott Steiner than an effective match. They really should have pulled the trigger and had Scott win here and lead to a showdown with Goldberg in a few months. I am tired of giving Booker chances and come to the realization that in 2000, he just wasn’t that good and due to the onslaught of bad booking, fans were clamoring to anything they had for a change. Booker was the right guy in the right place. Scott is a loon in this match barking at fans constantly as well as Stevie Ray. The match doesn’t have much of a pace and ends in a lame DQ when Scott goes nuts when things don’t go his way. Overall, intriguing to watch as Scott does feel like the biggest star in the company besides Goldberg but this was a disjointed match on its own merit. *1/2

If you ever needed to know how many fake Sting’s you can have on retainer, this is the match for you. We get no less than five fake Stings here running the gambit from 1989 surfer Sting to Wolfpac Sting. I don’t understand the psychology of this from Jarrett’s standpoint and the match screeches to a halt each time a new Sting runs out for the real Sting to beat him up. One Sting hilariously loses his awful wig as he gets beat up. This leads to Jarrett smashing a guitar over Stings head and winning. Just awful stuff and Sting really should have enough clout and self awareness at this point to veto some of this shit. ¼*

Really fun opener. The spots were energetic and athletic and the pace never let up. I also thought they did a good job integrating the three way narrative of the match with one person not seemingly just standing around for too long waiting to get into position. Rey has really had a much better year than I would have guessed unmasked and with the devil horns. Jindrak and O’Haire continue to be the highlights of the NBT and seem poised to be main event stars. They end up stealing the win after a Seanton Bomb. This got the PPV off to a good start. ***1/4(6.4)

Another solid tv match althought this one was marred by the train of run ins at the end. Anderson has some good punches and arm work and in general looks like more of a threat here in a #1 contenders match than I would have expected. Corino is sympathetic underneath and at one point accidently superkicks Dawn Marie. Jack Victory also gets driven head first through a table. We get some referee fighting with Danny Daniels and the whole reffin show that get no fan reaction and then Corino is able to eek out the victory. After the match, Credible attacks until New Jack comes out to attack him. Finally Rhino runs and he is the person looking strong as the tv show goes off the air. **3/4

These two are money against each other (sorry for the pun). Kash starts off hot thwarting the Hot Commodity attempts to distract him and hitting a huge springboard splash to the outside. Money on offense is really flashy but it kind of fits his douchy persona and it is fit for exciting tv matches. Finish comes with Kash making another big comeback and squeezing out the win to a huge pop. I continue to really enjoy latter day ECW. *** (6.2)

A much better effort than the prior match. I will say this for FWA as a whole, the video screen and lighting effects they use in 2000 are better than most indies today and certainly on par with production ROH would have as late as 06 or 07. To fit the theme, this match would have fit on an ROH undercard in the first couple of years and not looked completely out of place. I was ready to herald it as an underrated gem five minutes in with sound ring work and working over the arm but the last 7-8 minutes of the match go too far into your turn, my turn territory. It was also tough to get a sense of who the heel was in this match as both were not shy in using underhanded tactics. Cheap finish with Travell thinking he won and looking foolish when Richards had his foot on the rope. Richards is able to immediately roll Travell up to retain. I would like to see more of these two and this was a solid match for the customers of the show. **1/2

Rough match here with no flow and a lot of standing around waiting on Jody to do something cool and aerial. It follows the trope of the non-Fleisch competitors teaming up to try to eliminate Jody but there some duress throughout the match. Even the two valets start catfighting on the outside. Jody is able to take advantage of this and win. A few cool spots here and there but ultimately a nothing match and Jody really doesn’t have much ring psychology to speak of at this point in his career. *1/4

It is really odd what happened for FMW from 1999 to 2000. I don’t think the characters/work/storylines are technically bad in 2000 and this match exemplifies that. It is a very Western approach to a tag with Fuyuki and GOEMON being extremely heelish and going after Busa’s arm with a spike. Busa’s arm is bladed and he takes a good beating. Then we get the natural comeback and the overcoming the odds story culminating in Busa winning after a 450. Again, nothing bad at all and a good match but one that felt like in 1999 it could have been great and the moment just has slightly passed for the promotion as a whole. ***1/4 (6.5)

Fuji looks like the sleaziest man alive tonight. Oya having a singer serenade him out is a nice touch. Marufuji is touring around and he brought his buddy Honda with him. Match carries a familiar structure of Fuji and Oya beating up on the rookie and bullying him around until Honda can come in and even up the odds. Basic storytelling but told well here and with a very satisfying finish of Honda having a strong house of fire barrage of offense coming in and instructing Marufuji to hit the Shiranui on Fuji to score the surprise pin. *** (6)

Clipping of ARSION strikes again as what we see here is pretty fun and exciting with the aerial moveset of Asari providing a nice contrast to the grind it out heel stylings of Tamada and Futagami. Yoshida does a beautiful run up the ropes dive to the outside with brilliant grace. Futagami absolutely demolishes Yoshida with a spinning back fist and the grappling between these two look pretty sweet. Asari has been fun throughout the year and she is good here but Yoshida is just such a cut above and still an elite worker in 2000. Finish was fun with Asari doing a great twisting splash and then locking on the leg submission on Tamada to gain the win. Really want to see this one in full. NR.