[2000-04-16-WCW-Spring Stampede] Jeff Jarrett vs DDP

[soup23]

An up and down match. The opening brawl through the crowd is so trite and I can’t imagine Bischoff/Russo thought they were being edgy by laxing the rules and allowing that but I digress. When the match gets back into the ring, it is fairly solid including a nice powerbomb by Page. Outside is more garbage with Bischoff ominously looking on although I did like Jarrett ripping up pages of Positively Page. Finishing stretch has the crowd rallying behind Page in the figure four and a good nearfall off of a uranagi. Of course, Bischoff interferes and distracts Robinson as Kimberly is on the apron and predictably turns on Page by smashing him with the guitar. The Stroke makes it academic for Jarrett to win the title. Madden screams she is New Blood and Bischoff looks like he is the smartest man in the world. Fuck off WCW. **1/2

[Loss]

Jarrett and DDP should be perfectly capable of having a good match without all these bells and whistles, but that's Russo's MO. The difference between WWF crowds and WCW crowds shows itself when the wrestling sequences get the biggest reactions of the match. When they are left alone to work, this is pretty good. I enjoyed the figure four drama (although I wish Jarrett would set up his figure fours with legwork), and Jarrett is so good in the ring sometimes that it makes it easy to forget just how awful he is as a promo. I'd love to see what they could do with a no-BS main event, but that doesn't happen with this leadership. Kimberly turns, which stretches credibility to put it mildly, and Jarrett is now the champion -- a title his father urged him to reject if offered just a couple of months earlier because he thought he'd forever be associated with a dying company. ***

[GSR]

Page ducks out the way of the onrushing Jarrett and unloads with a series of rights and lefts. Discus lariat, reverse atomic drop and a jumping DDT for an early near fall. Jarrett rolls out the ring but DDP with a pescade out onto him. He holds ‘the Chosen One’ so Kimberly can slap him around the chops before tossing him over the guardrail and into the audience. They hit each other with trash cans and instead of a camera following the wrestlers we just get an aerial shot which means we miss some of the action. Jarrett grabs Kimberly and tries to use her as a shield but that doesn’t really work for him. Back in the ring and Page with a hard clothesline. He heads up top, however Jarrett is able to fall into the ropes and DDP loses his balance crotching himself. Superplex and then Jarrett heads outside to pick up a steel chair. He waffles Page in the back twice with it before Charles Robinson is able to snatch it from him. DDP blocks a pair of rights and delivers a couple of his own. Jarrett reverses the Irish whip but telegraphs the backdrop and a great powerbomb for a two. Eric Bischoff is now out and watching on from the aisle. Page with a ‘Cactus clothesline’ and they’re back fighting around ringside. Jarrett posts DDP and goes to do it a second time but Kimberly grabs him by the hair and pulls hims off. DDP gets a second wind and turns the tables posting ‘Double J’. ‘Diamond Cutter’ however Jarrett is too close to the ropes and holds onto them, whilst somehow in this Charles Robinson gets bumped too. Jarrett nails DDP with the World title belt but it’s not enough as he’s able to raise his shoulder at the last split second. Figure Four, and Jarrett is even able to get a couple of pin attempts with the pain almost too much for Page. DDP fights his way to the ropes for the break and when Jarrett goes to apply it again, he cradles him for a near fall. Schoolboy with the trunks for another two, and a Uranage is still not enough for the win. That numpty Mark Madden then points out that Kimberly has removed her heels meaning the finish isn’t far away. Jarrett with a sleeper, Page shoots him off and catches him with one of his own. Bischoff is up on the apron and grabs Robinson whilst Kimberly gets up on the other side of the ring. ‘Diamond Cutter’ and the commentators speculate Bischoff must be helping Page. Kimberly has Jarrett’s guitar, DDP invites her into the ring to clobber him with it, but she double crosses him and levels Page instead. Jarrett with ‘the Stroke’, Bischoff lets go of Robinson and ‘Double J’ is the new World champion while Madden screams about Kimberly being ‘New Blood’! Bischoff hugs Kim and the rest of the New Blood are out to celebrate with them.

 

These two were having a cracking match until the horrible last couple of minutes. Every other match on the PPV had some sort of screwy outside interference so why change things here? The Kimberly turn made zero sense considering how the match had gone, and came across as a turn for turn’s sake. There had been no hint or teasing of it, in fact she’d been helping DDP in the match and then all of a sudden, turn. Charles Robinson looked a fool with that finish too, with Bischoff just grabbing and holding him for what must easily have been sixty seconds. Kudos to DDP who worked real hard here. Best match of the month for WCW, although there hasn’t really been much in the way of competition.

[drew wardlaw]

Its a shame that WCW, or Bischoff, or Russo, or whoever at this point, couldnt be content to be the #2 promotion and just rebuild a nice healthy promotion because they really couldve had something good with the talent and been an alternative to wwf at the time. The WCW crowd, like Loss pointed out above, is still there to see wrestling and thats what they got going for here, and it was pretty good when Page and Jarrett got down to business. The finish comes and it all falls apart of course but again, theres nuggets of good stuff here.