[2000-02-09-WCW-Thunder] Scott Hall vs Jeff Jarrett

[soup23]

A long promo to start where we set up Hall vs. Jarrett tonight and the winner gets Sid tonight. Hall does his survey which the crowd pops for. The match proper is more spirited than I imagined with Hall and Jarrett both working hard even through all the cheapshots and interference. The crowd is still wanting to cheer Hall. Mark Johnson makes a quick count but Mickey Jay says the match will continue. Hall decks Jarrett with the belt and Johnson pulls Jay out of the ring. Here comes Sid down and him and Hall give double powerbombs as the show goes off the air. **1/4

[Loss]

"Slapnuts" remains the dumbest insult of early 2000s wrestling. "He's not only confident, he's outright cocky," says the ultra-dweeby Mike Tenay. Jarrett repeats himself multiple times in a few short minutes before Scott Hall interrupts with Wolfpac music and I'm not even going to try to make sense of NWO loyalty and WCW storylines. I'm pretty sure this was Scott Hall's last WCW TV match ever anyway. Nash shows up via Turnertron and rambles about God knows what for several minutes and messes up the timeline from Nitro to Thunder (has it been one day? two days? three days?) at least three times. Finally, we end up with Jarrett vs Hall tonight with the winner getting Sid at SuperBrawl.

 

And yeah, both guys are pretty motivated here. Maybe Hall is better when Nash isn't around. This is overbooked to hell, but would have been a good match without the bullshit and more time. The crowd was actually into it and everything. Even then, it still almost got there, but WCW was nowhere near strong to be trying to do Pat Patterson layouts in their main events.

[GSR]

Thunder opens with a Jarrett interview and hes now the Commissioner in WCW. He says that Scott Hall was going into business for himself, was trying to pass him by and take his title belt, and thats why he cracked him over the head with a guitar on Monday. Hes promised to make Sids life a living hell until Superbrawl, so tonight hell be facing Big Ron and Heavy D in a tag team match with Terry Funk as his partner, when come Superbrawl hell be the new world Heavyweight champion. The Wolfpac music plays and out comes Scott Hall. He tells Jeff how that when he arrived in WCW they welcomed him into his clique, but now he thinks hes running the shizow. Jarrett says he is running the show, hes the Commissioner and everyone knows it. Hall says that he thought he was the acting Commissioner until the real Commissioner comes back? At which point he introduces his buddy, the real Commissioner, Kevin Nash. Nash appears on the big screen in what is probably some sort of pre-tape and is getting looked after by a couple of nurses. He tells Jeff that hes made some mistakes, he screwed his buddy over, and to make it right hes making a match between Scott Hall and Jeff Jarrett for tonight with the winner getting the World title shot against Sid at Superbrawl. Jarrett isnt happy at all and then Hall takes a survey for old times sake, where it would seem that everyone came to see the Outsiders and not Jeff Jarrett.

 

Onto the match later in the show. Jarrett comes charging at Hall after he throws a toothpick at him, he ducks a right then drops him with one of his own. A couple more big rights and a clothesline sends Jarrett flying over the top rope to the floor. The Harris twins are up on the apron trying to distract Hall, but its not working this early. Razors Edge attempt is reversed and Jeff back bodydrops Hall over the top to the outside. Big Ron and Heavy D put the boots to him before throwing him back inside. Jarrett chokes Hall over the middle rope but ends up crotching himself as he takes a running jump and Hall moves out the way. As the referee checks on Jeff, one of the twins with a clothesline to Hall. Only a two count though as he is able to get his foot over the ropes. Jarrett with a sleeper, belly to back suplex to break the hold and the crowd are really into this. Hall blocks a right and fires back with some of his own. Fallaway slam, Razors Edge and Jarretts feet weakly collide with Mickey Jay knocking him out. Hall with the Edge but no referee to make the count. He goes to check on the official, Jarrett is back to his feet and the Stroke to Hall. Mark Johnson sprints down the aisle and into the ring to count the three. Mickey Jay has regained his senses by now and with him as the assigned official, restarts the match. Hes quickly distracted by one of the twins and Jarrett nails Hall in the head with the ring mic. Great near fall as Hall kicks out at the last moment. More distraction and this time Jarrett grabs his US title belt. Hall ducks out the way, boot to the mid-section and he drops it. Hall slugs Jarrett KOing him, Jay turns around to make the count (although clearly not concerned why the belt is in the ring and right next to where he is making said count!) and Johnson pulls him out the ring at two. He tries to tell him what Hall just did when out comes Sid Vicious. Johnson tries to escape into the ring but Hall gets hold of him. Razors Edge to Johnson, Sid with a powerbomb on Jarrett and Mike Tenay announces that the match is a no-contest and wonders wholl get the title match at Superbrawl, as the show goes off the air with Sid and Hall eyeing each other up.

 

This felt a tad rushed, but was action packed and both worked hard. Hall is a strange one because you see him in a match like this putting in the effort, then you can see him completely coasting through a match, doing almost a parody of wrestling. The crowd was hot and really got into things as the action progressed. I enjoyed the first part of this a lot, but it was far too overbooked after the re-start. There is definitely a great match in there somewhere between these two.