nWo Souled OutJanuary 25, 1997 Cedar Rapids
Attendance: 5,256 ($69,584)
The pre-game show aired in black and white. The show opened with the NWO riding to the arena in a parade of sorts with a police escort. Some members rode in the front and back of a garbage truck and others rode in semi trucks. The NWO entered the back of the arena and began whooping and hollering. The show finally changed to color as the screen “peeled” away the black and white. A video aired of Eric Bischoff saying, “We are in control.” Kevin Nash said, “You can’t handle the truth.” Others threw out other one-liners.
Eric Bischoff stood at a podium at the top of a stage and introduced the show. A brief introduction aired on the video walls of Hall, Nash, and Hogan. The elaborate set in the arena included a lighted up grand stairway, three huge video walls, and a huge marquee lighting grid with NWO flashing on it. A live band played in the background wearing black NWO shirts and army fatigue pants who would have been accepted in any militia gathering. Ted DiBiase and Elizabeth joined Bischoff at the announcing desk. Bischoff ordered Elizabeth to take off his full-length leather jacket and replace it with his announcing leather jacket.
They successfully gave the feeling that this show was going to be different, and they clearly put a lot of thought into the elaborate set and introduction sequence, but it didn’t quite click, dragging in spots.
(1) Masahiro Chono beat Chris Jericho at 11:14. The NWO voice did ring introductions over the p.a. system and had smart-ass comments when introducing WCW wrestlers. Nick Patrik refereed all the matches. Bischoff boasted that they refused to play WCW wrestlers intro music, which effectively killed off a lot of potential fan heat and crowd pops. The crowd was cheering Jericho, so it wasn’t exactly a “home town” crowd for the NWO. They showed a gathering of WCW wrestlers watching the card from the crowd, including Harlem Heat and Sherri, The Nasty Boys, Arn Anderson, Steve McMichael, and the Faces of Fear. Bischoff said, “Look at this crowd. This is the real deal. We’re not talking about giving away free tickets at a local 7-Eleven store to get people to come to your show. This is the real deal, this is the NWO, this is changing the world.” The shot at the WWF for giving away tickets to the Alamo Dome fell flat since the WWF’s paid attendance was more than five times the paid attendance in Cedar Rapids, not to mention freebies. Bischoff ironically said a moment later, “The NWO knows how to pick their shots.” Ted DiBiase said, “Timing is everything. You need to know when to strike.” Jericho and Chono got some heat early with a staredown. Chono aggressively threw Jericho out of the ring. After a test of strength, Chono hit a neckbreaker and top rope shoulder tackle, but Jericho came back with a spin wheel kick and a dive off the top rope to the floor. At 7:11 Jericho hit a belly-to-back suplex into a bridge, but Patrik counted really slowly giving Chono time to kick out. He did so again a minute later. Bischoff, who continued to fall embarrassingly flat in his never-ending attempts to be as cool as Nash and witty as Hall, said Patrik was counting too fast. Bischoff did get a good one-liner off by saying a good referee is a referee you don’t notice, then credited Patrik for being that kind of ref. Chono set up a table and attempted to suplex him onto it at 9:10, but Jericho reversed the suplex and then hit a top rope dropkick (which Bischoff called a “double dropkick”). At 10:03 Jericho hit the Lionsault, but hurt his knee in the process and was late making the cover. When Jericho went to the top rope again, Chono knocked him off and Jericho flew through the table onto the floor which the announcers sold nonchalantly as if he just got armdragged in the ring. Chono quickly finished Jericho with the Mafia Kick. (**)
They showed photos sent in by women wanting to be Miss NWO. Fans chanted “boring.” Little did they know. They went to Jeff Katz who was surrounded by women on motorcycles. He asked them,”What does NWO going all the way mean to you?” and “What would you do to tame Scott Hall?” Neither was prepared with answers so they froze on camera and gave one word answers. The segment flopped and Katz was left trying to cover for it.
(2) Big Bubba beat Hugh Morrus (replacing no-show Konnan, mgd. by Jimmy Hart) via countout at 9:02 in a “Mexican Death Match.” Morrus was dressed in jeans and a tie-die shirt and could pass as a Dudley Brother. After some early exchanges in and out of the ring, Bubba used a chain, but Hugh got a hold of it first. Hugh then hit his moonsault which popped the crowd. Patrik took his time making the ten count to see if Morrus won. Hugh got upset with the slow count, which gave Bubba chance to nail him from behind. At 7:00 they brawled to the NWO set. Morrus went for a sunset flip off the stairs, but missed. Bubba then got on a motorcycle, figured out how to start it, and ran into Morrus (who pretty much jumped out of the way first). Morrus was counted out. (1/2*)
Katz asked two more women similar questions and got similar answers. Embarrassingly bad.
(3) Jeff Jarrett beat Michael Wallstreet at 9:28. Wallstreet went to a sleeper at 4:30. Jarrett reversed it into his own sleeper at 5:00. Wallstreet followed with a chinlock at 5:45. Jarrett fought out of it at 7:05. Jarrett applied the figure-four at 8:25. Debra McMichael dragged Steve McMichael to the ring and Steve KO’d Wallstreet with the briefcase. Bischoff portrayed Steve as being manipulated by Debra. (1/4*)
Katz interviewed two biker women, calling them the “senior division.” The first woman said her feet are her best feature. The second woman couldn’t hear a word Katz was saying. Unintentionally funny, yet sad. The leader of the band “Rimshot” yelled and tried to get a “New World Order” chant, but the fans looked silently on thinking, “What a geek.” The band then played an “NWO” song. Whatever element of cool the NWO had left after the first hour of this event was lost with this patronizing, interminable three and a half minutes of Militia Rock. You could just see former NWO fans across the country throwing their t-shirts into fireplaces and garbage cans.
(4) Buff Bagwell pinned Scott Riggs at 13:50. Riggs got zero pop as the crowd was still reeling from the NWO song. As Buff posed, Riggs attacked him from behind. Riggs surprised Bagwell with a sunset flip and pulled down the back of Bagwell’s tights in the process. Riggs then stuck his face in Bagwell’s crotch as he worked for leverage on the pin attempt, but the picture that resulted wasn’t pretty at all. Riggs hit a turning DDT off the ropes. Riggs scored a series of near falls until Bagwell surprised him with his new Buff Blockbuster finisher off the top rope. (**)
Katz interviewed two more women. Katz took a shot at Vince McMahon, saying, “You know Vince, the head of security in the NWO, he’s been known to dress up in a hairpiece and powder blue suit, that sort of thing.” The woman couldn’t hear Katz above the loud music, either. When the second woman said she would add to Scott Norton’s “flashing problem,” Katz said he had to go take a cold shower.
(5) Scott Norton beat Diamond Dallas Page via countout at 10:20. Throughout the show the NWO voice said, “Loser” during WCW wrestlers’ offensive moves. At 3:30 NWO Sting showed up in the crowd and was shown from a distance so the impression was given it was the real Sting. Norton beat on Page the majority of the match. Page made a comeback at 6:30 and caught Norton with a top rope clothesline. Bagwell, Wallstreet, Vince, and Bubba came to the ring. Bagwell, in his ultra-cool mode, said Page was “cooo,” dropping the “l” every time he said the word (about 50 times). Page said he had no problem with Page. Page said he had no problem with them, but after shaking Norton’s hand, he gave him the Diamond Cutter and then ran in to the crowd. Fans in NWO t-shirts cheered Page as he ripped off his NWO t-shirt. Probably the biggest pop of the night until that point. Bischoff and DiBiase ripped on Page and said he is a marked man. (3/4*)
Katz’s cruel initiation into wrestling continued as he asked two more women two more questions. At least they heard him this time.
(6) Rick & Scott Steiner beat Scott Hall & Kevin Nash when Scott pinned Hall at 14:40. Scott faced off against Hall early. Rick soon tagged in and sold for a couple of minutes. At 3:00 he made a brief comeback, but Hall caught him and gave him an overhead slam. At 6:50 Nash gave Rick a big boot sending him out of the ring. At 8:05 Hall hit a hard clothesline. At 10:00 Nash dropped Rick over the side of the ring. He followed with a side slam for a two count. The dead crowd didn’t make a sound for Rick’s kickout. The match was slow and plodding. At 12:00 the camera caught Scott saying, “F— you” to Hall and “F— you, too” to a fan in the front row. Bischoff was clearly upset and said, “That was totally uncalled for, unprofessional behavior on the part of Scott Steiner. I for one will deal with him just as soon as we return to Atlanta. You cannot behave like that in an NWO pay-per-view or WCW for that matter. I don’t care how frustrated he is. The Steiner Brothers are out of control. You have to maintain some level of processional decorum when you get to this level.” Bischoff then added a minute later as Scott nailed the Outsiders with some clotheslines, “I think that injury thing was all phony. I think he was just trying to get out of wrestling, he wanted to take some time off and didn’t have the guts to ask for it like everyone else so he came up with an injury because to me he does not look hurt at all.” After suplexing the Outsiders around the ring, they set up their finisher, but Nash kicked Rick while he had Hall on his shoulders. Hall bumped into Patrik, who took a hilarious delayed bump out of the ring. Hall then caught Scott Steiner with the Outsider Edge off the top rope. Patrik was lying at ringside unable to make the count. When Hall stood up wondering what was going on, Rick caught him with a bulldog off the top rope. WCW ref Randy Anderson ran in from the crowd and counted to three. Bischoff and DiBiase told the Steiners to enjoy the belts while they can because the decision would not stand. (**1/2)
(7) Eddie Guerrero beat Syxx to capture the U.S. Title in a ladder match at 13:50. The NWO voice called Guerrero a “Mexican Jumping Bean.” Guerrero attacked Syxx at the bell, but Syxx made a quick comeback with a pretty spin hook kick. Guerrero came back with some nice moves including a top rope bodypress to the floor at 1:20. Bischoff made reference to Syxx needing to be careful since he has become prone to concussions and reflected the concussions he received during his “kick boxing career.” Bischoff then said Syxx isn’t a Hollywood karate guy who needs 30 camera angles and a dozen takes to make a kick look good. At 2:30 Syxx hit a top rope spin wheel kick. At 3:30 Syxx took a great bump through the ropes after a Guerrero dropkick. At 4:00 Syxx suplexed Guerrero over the top rope to the floor. Syxx grabbed the ladder for the first time at 5:20 and ran it into Guerrero against the ring apron. As the ladder teetered on the top rope, Guerrero jumped off the apron and the ladder hit Syxx under the chin inside the ring. Nice spot. Guerrero rammed Syxx in the back with the ladder and the crowd woke up for the first time since the band played. Syxx reversed Guerrero into the ladder in the corner. Syxx climbed the ladder at 8:50. Guerrero climbed the other side. Syxx punched Guerrero off the ladder. Syxx then walked down the ladder and climbed to the top rope. Guerrero dropkicked the ladder knocking Syxx off balance and Syxx crotched the top rope. Guerrero then hit a top rope suplex. He set up the ladder and climbed it. Syxx met him at the top, then leaped off of it and into the air and sidekicked Guerrero off the top of the ladder. Both took bumps to the ground, Syxx taking an especially amazing bump. They both climbed the ladder again. Syxx knocked Guerrero off the ladder. Guerrero bounced off the ropes and bumped into the ladder, knocking Syxx off the ladder and clotheslining his neck over the top rope. Bischoff strayed off character during this match, talking up Syxx as a role model for all the right reasons and then said no one wants to see either of these great athletes hurt. Both struggled to their feet and climbed the ladder. They both grabbed the ladder, but Guerrero came away with it after hitting Syxx in the head with the belt. Not at the level of Shawn Michaels vs. Scott Hall, but a very good match on its own standing. (***3/4)
Back to Katz for another Miss NWO segment. They introduced both to the crowd. The crowd cheered for who they wanted to win. Each stepped out and “danced” for 15 seconds. Bischoff then came down and chose the winner. He explained the women were candidates because they all lived in Iowa and so the NWO didn’t have to fly them in or put them up in hotel rooms. A self-indulgent, boring, obnoxious, uncool segment. Bischoff chose one of the most “homely” of the women and then kissed her on the mouth twice. Bischoff said, “It is good to be king.” Katz gave her flowers and a crown. If the joke was supposed to be making fun of the women, Bischoff stole the show. He can never make fun of anything in the WWF again without having to defend this debacle first.
(8) Hulk Hogan beat The Giant via DQ to retain the WCW Title at about 10:00. Hogan came to the ring with Dallas Cowboys Nate Newton, George Teague, and Ray Donaldson. Giant sent Hogan scurrying at the start, but Hogan took over with punches. They hit a simultaneous clothesline at 2:00. They continued to go back and forth with brawling in and out of the ring. Hogan threw powder at Giant at 5:00. Giant gave Hogan a backbreaker at 7:00 and then went for a top rope elbow. When Hogan moved and Giant hit the mat, Bischoff and DiBiase sold it like a missed armdrag, totally underselling an incredible move by the Giant. Hogan slammed Giant at 8:25 followed by a legdrop. Giant no sold the legdrop as Hogan postured to the crowd. Giant chokeslammed Hogan and covered him. Patrik counted to two. Hogan didn’t lift his shoulder, but Patrik stopped the count, saying Hogan lifted his shoulder. After two more two counts, Giant grew frustrated and chokeslammed Patrik. After several NWO members ran in and were chokeslammed, Hogan KO’d Giant by breaking a guitar across his back. The entire NWO gathered around Giant and sprayed “NWO 4 Life” across his back. Hogan looked at the camera and said, Suckas!” Hogan showed off his belt and asked “Who’s next?” while the rest of NWO gave each other high-fives as the show went off the air. The fans had chanted for Piper and Sting, but the WCW wrestlers just sat back and watched. Weak, letdown finish. (*1/4)
