[2000-06-05-WCW-Nitro] Ric Flair vs Vince Russo (Cage)

[soup23]

Here we go with probably the most maddening WCW moment of all time. Russo and Bischoff popped off in the beginning and what was the result? Bischoff wins the hardcore title from Funk and Russo wins this match with Flair while not passing out in the figure four. What a fucking disgrace and this was without a doubt the very last point of no return for this rotting piece of shit company. Russo and Bischoff coming in was the last bit of false hope that things could change and they have pissed all of that away. Fitting it happens in Atlanta. This is one of the low points in wrestling history footage in ring that we have on tape to be honest. DUD of all DUDs.

[AstroBoy]

For some reason it irritated me more than anything that Russo gets a chance to slap on a side headlock and take down Flair with a shoulder tackle to start the match. What the fuck. If you're going to insist on the stupid screwjob finish then Flair should've fucking mauled him the entire time. This was an utter disaster. It was like a tediously constructed set of distractions and interference and bullshit leading to a totally predictable and dead finish. What can you do.

[GSR]

Ric has got Beth and Reid with him for this cage match. Collar and elbow tie up, Russo with the side headlock, Ric shoots him off and a shoulder charge WHICH RUSSO GETS THE BETTER OF!!! This goon can’t even run the ropes! He drops Flair with a knife edge chop and the ego of this man is beyond words! As Russo starts to mock Flair, the Naitch is back to his feet, tears off Vinnie Ru’s shirt and lights him up with some chops of his own. Belly to back suplex, kneedrop to the head and Russo crawls out of the ring looking for some solitude. There’s nowhere to go though as Ric follows him out and rams his head into the cage. Some more chops and Russo’s chest is starting to show the effects of them. David Flair appears from under the ring and Ric turns his attention to him. Russo tries to get the cage door open to escape, however Reid bites his fingers from the outside. As Ric continues to take it to his son on the floor, Russo finds a conveniently placed ladder and brings it into the ring. Not only can he not run the ropes, but he can’t even open up the ladders either! Eventually he manages it, sets them up and pulls down a part of the cage roof as he’s now looking to escape that way instead. Flair spots whats going on and follows him up on to the top of the cage. Russo looks petrified up there, crawling around on his hands and knees! Ric with another knife edge chop, Russo with an eye poke and he’s had enough already, deciding to return to the ring. Somehow the ladder is no longer in position, so Russo is just hanging there and the Naitch stomps his hands so he takes a bump to the canvas. Flair struts around on the roof while the official puts the ladder back in position so he can climb down. Figure Four on Vinnie Ru and IT’S LOCKED IN FOR OVER A MINUTE AND STILL HE DOESN’T TAP!!! The blood red liquid falls from the ceiling covering the wrestlers and the referee, and David is now back to his feet to break the hold. He puts the Figure Four on his Dad, Russo covers Ric and David counts the three at the same time while Mark Madden screams about Russo pinning him and that “Russo wins!” Charles Robinson eventually comes around (he’s been KO’d by the liquid), counts the fall himself and Vince Russo has an official victory over Ric Flair!

 

This whole match was to fuel the ego of one Vince Russo. Can I just remind everyone that one week ago Russo was getting taken down repeatedly, and schooled, by a twelve year old Reid in a tag match! Here we see him slapping on a side headlock, getting the better of a shoulder tackle and dropping one of the greatest wrestlers ever with a single, solitary knife edge chop! He takes all of Flair’s chops to his bare chest to show what a man he is, climbs to the roof of the cage for no other reason to show that he isn’t afraid of heights (although he quite clearly is) and then stays in the Figur Four without tapping for over 70 seconds! The guy can’t even competently run the ropes and this should’ve been a one sided beatdown, but no his ego wouldn’t allow that. To top this all off, the coup de grace, he books himself to get a pin on the ‘Nature Boy’. Speechless!

[Laney]

This was awful. I thought the worst thing was that Russo was in the figure four for the longest time and didn't tap. I guess the reason why is that they couldn't get their shit together with the "red liquid" that was dumped down on them. It was absolutely laughable that the liquid knocked out Charles Robinson. It's no surprise that WCW would fold in less than a year with awful stuff like this.