[2001-01-29-WCW-Nitro] Kevin Nash vs Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell (Handicap)

[GSR]

In the space of a week Ric Flair has moved the goal posts; after qualifying for a World title match at Superbrawl last week, Kevin Nash now has to beat ‘Totally Buff’ in a handicap match tonight to get it.  Flair is on his way to the ring carrying a contract.  He told everyone that this is “his” WCW and he’s going to make it the number one wrestling organization in the world today and one of the ways you do that is to keep bringing in big name talent.  ‘The Boss’ has got his newest player, “none other than the legendary...Dustin Rhodes.”  The silence from the crowd speaks volumes, that announcement has gone down like a lead balloon.  Tony Schiavone must realise and is doing his best to sell this for all he’s worth on commentary.  Flair wants Dustin to sign the contract, show the rest of the world he’s on his team and that he’s ready to be a main line player.  Rhodes looks over the contract, thanks Flair for the jet and limo that he sent to get him, then tells him to take the contract and shove it because he “sucks”.  Flair takes umbrage with that and they go back and forth before Dustin grabs him by the lapels.  He does let him go, at which point Flair calls on someone from the back who is going to make him wish he’d never done that.  Fresh off beating up Cruiserweights it’s Road Warrior Animal.  The two-on-one odds are eventually too much for Dustin until a double denim wearing Dusty Rhodes strides on out.  The commentators are loving this.  Dream is brilliant, flip, flop & flying and throwing bionic elbows as the Rhodes family clean house.  Not only the commentators, the fans too, chanting for Dusty who has got them eating out of his hand.  Dusty says that for the last eight months Flair has been looking after his friends while holding other athletes, including Dustin, back.  He tells him that this is a new era and from now on hell’s coming (pointing at Dustin) and he’s coming with him.  ‘Dream’ does pull out the old “what are you going to do?  Fire me?  I don’t even work here” line, which I very much doubt is not the case.  He goes on to warn Animal that if he comes in here this fat old boy from Texas will kick his booty too.  The two do try to charge the Rhodes’ one last time but are quickly ran off.

‘Totally Buff’ are wearing Baltimore Ravens shirts and carrying Ravens pennants for the easy pop after their Superbowl win last night.  Luger then heels on the team saying that they’re not Baltimore’s team, they’re Cleveland’s, that Baltimore is a team of losers, their team left, they’re in Indianapolis now and haven’t won a Superbowl in thirty years.  Lex continues to put the team down leading to him and Buff ripping the shirts off.  There is a coach of the Ravens in the front row and this little monologue leads to the coach hopping the railing before being ushered back by security.  As ‘Totally Buff’ eliminated Bill Goldberg from WCW Luger can’t believe that Kevin Nash accepted the challenge to face both of them, “what chance does he think he has?”  The two block the ring to prevent Nash entering, but when Luger turns around to flex he pulls Bagwell to the outside and enters.  Buff is quickly back inside as they beat Nash down in the corner.  Now they’re both flexing, turning their backs on ‘Killer’ which isn’t wise.  Nash lays them out with a double clothesline and then throws Luger from the ring as he looks to isolate Bagwell.  He grabs him for a chokeslam but Lex puts a stop to that with a low blow.  Its’ only January but I feel like I’ve seen a years worth of low blows already.  Assisted belly to back.  Lex gives the sign for ‘the Rack’, wanting to take Nash out quickly.  Buff tries to help his partner, however ‘Big Sexy’ fights his way free.  A pair of side slams.  He clotheslines Bagwell out the ring and then gives Lex ‘Snake Eyes’.  As he goes for the powerbomb, rather than save his partner, Buff gives referee Charles Robinson a double armed DDT, which leads Scott Hudson to name drop Kenta Kobashi!  Bagwell lays atop Robinson pretending to be out of it as Nash makes the cover with no referee.  Someone who I initially thought was Billy Corgan but is in fact Alex Wright comes rushing out in a ref’s shirt to take Robinson’s place, only to stop the count at two.  Wright has got his ribs all taped after being powerbombed by Nash on an earlier episode and has been sent out by Ric Flair to screw with him.  Bagwell and Wright team up on ‘Killer’ although hardly trouble him.  Nash despatches Alex and then blocks Bagwell’s double arm DDT.  Jackknife on Buff, again no ref, here comes Commissioner Cat though!  Wright pulls Cat from the ring at two, but ‘the Commish’ sends him into the guard rail before returning to finish the job, Nash now getting the title shot that he supposedly “deserves”.  Ol’ ‘Killer ‘has still got some gas in the tank and calls Scott Steiner out.  He knows that he’s in the back and wants to do this now.  Steiner answers and just as they’re about to go at it Nitro ends.  Such a tease!

Imagine going from Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes in an interview segment to the cringeworthy mic work of Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell.  From the detail he was going into though you can tell Lex is a big football fan.  In regards to the actual match, did someone say “overbooked”? 

[soup23]

An overbooked match that brought out the worst qualities of Buff and Luger. I still have zero sympathy for Nash and his run as top face is DOA in my eyes. At least our PPV is maybe set. *