WCW Greed
March 18, 2001
Jacksonville, FL
Reviewed on March 2, 2014
Background: I think it is well documented that WCW was in deep trouble at this point. Buyrates had plummeted in 2000, and the word plummeted is no exaggeration. The company (smartly, I should mention) was riding on Scott Steiner as a top guy and giving him a lengthy reign. Whether you hate or like Steiner, it was nice to see someone get a steady reign at the top and actually be a new star. Now obviously there were a lot of other problems with Steiner, but this booking was a huge upgrade from the non-stable hot potato the WCW Title went through in 2000. It was too little, too late though.
I don’t know if the wrestlers knew at this point, but this would be the very last PPV for World Championship Wrestling. Vince McMahon would buy the company a week later.
The Card
Tony Schiavone: If it’s professional wrestling, it’s Greed. What does that even mean?
Kwee Wee vs. Jason Jett
Apparently this is an unadvertised bonus match.
Jason Jett kicks Kwee Wee but it’s blocked. Jett backflips out. That was cool.
Jett puts on a reverse crab and a surfboard combo move, which was a cool submission.
Kwee Wee with the suicide dive that had no chance even if Jason Jett stood in the same place. At least he tried I guess.
Jason Jett seems pretty good. Standing moonsaults, 180 springboard DDTs (I remember Matt Hardy having that). Not bad.
Just quickly looked up if Jason Jett was anyone, apparently he’s EZ Money. How about that.
I guess Kwee Wee’s gimmick is his temper? Angry Allan?
Top rope powerbomb reversed into a hurricanrana. Funny, I recall EZ Money doing a spot like that in TNA…although I think he was the hurricanrana giver there.
Jason Jett pins Kwee Wee in 12:17. Jett hits a suplex where he just drops the guy mid-plex. Pretty cool finisher honestly. Solid match too, even if I can’t take Kwee Wee too seriously. A lot of great spots, mostly from Jett.
WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Tournament Final
Rey Mysterio Jr. and Billy Kidman vs. Primetime Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo
The idea of the Cruiserweight Tag Title would have been a lot more interesting in the mid 90s.
I am surprised Skipper never became a bigger deal. Has a cool entrance where he walks the ropes then backflips in.
I hated the Filthy Animals.
I hate this half-mask Rey Mysterio is wearing. I wish this version of Rey was just stricken from history.
I think it’s weird that all of Billy Kidman’s talent seemed to disappear when WCW did.
This has been a solid match so far. Kidman just hiptossed Skipper off the stage into Romeo, then Rey and Kidman both did running dives off the stage. Fun match.
Before this match I would have thought Romeo and Skipper were not in Rey and Kidman’s league, but Skipper and Romeo are showing otherwise.
Sitout powerbomb from the top is always a great spot from Kidman. I really didn’t understand how Kidman looked washed up 8 months later in the WWF.
Rey is taking over. Senton bomb rolls into a suicide dive through the ropes into Primetime!
Kidman with the springboard Shooting Star Press to the floor! Kidman-kaze? Whatever, great move.
We’re just ignoring the idea of a legal man here I guess. Whatever.
Wow, arm trap suplex from Skipper…top rope legdrop from Romeo. Poor Rey!
Powerbomb by Rey, top rope splash from Kidman! Skipper saves Romeo!
I always loled at Rey doing the Bronco Buster.
Kid Romeo and Primetime win the title when Romeo pinned Rey in 13:46. Romeo catches Rey’s springboard moonsault and hits the last kiss, which is a powerslam-brainbuster combo. Very fun match! Great start to this PPV so far!
We have Buff Bagwell backstage and he comes into CEO Ric Flair’s office. Jeff Jarrett, Flair and Road Warrior Animal are in there, hyping up how the Magnificent Seven is going to win all their matches and all that stuff.
Shawn Stasiak vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Stacy Keibler is so hot.
Shawn “The Star” Stasiak. Right.
The Mecca of Manhood is another Stasiak nickname. Right.
I didn’t even know Bam Bam made it to the end of WCW. I assume he doesn’t care at this point.
Stasiak has photos of himself for the fans! In case they forget him. Because they will.
Bam Bam still threw dropkicks at this point. Nice.
Shawn Stasiak pins Bam Bam Bigelow in 5:55. Stacy throws hairspray to Stasiak and he uses it to blind Bigelow. A neckbreaker leads to the win. Honestly, it wasn’t horrible, but it’s boring and not good either. But, if you are going with Stasiak, then Bam Bam put him over just fine.
Stacy makes out with Stasiak. His career highlight I’m sure.
Romeo and Skipper are very excited about their title belts. As they should be.
Team Canada (Mike Awesome and Lance Storm) vs. Konnan and Hugh Morrus
I always mark for the Canadian National Anthem. We don’t get it though as we get the maniacal laughter of Hugh Morrus. Morrus runs in without Konnan to start the match, but Konnan comes in soon thereafter.
Konnan tries to break up a Storm pin attempt, but Storm gets up and faces Konnan before he gets there. I don’t remember seeing that before and it was kinda cool.
Konnan with the rolling clothesline. That and the Tequila Sunrise are cool moves.
Team Canada is beating up on Konnan for most of this match, but it’s not really exciting or anything.
Lance Storm clearly misses a dropkick that Konnan sold.
Mike Awesome with an awful…awful piledriver on Konnan. Konnan landed on Awesome’s legs.
Storm not on his best game here. His top rope splash attempt was clearly mistimed and Konnan got the foot up.
Morrus is in. No drama here whatsoever.
Mike Awesome and Lance Storm win when Awesome pins Morrus in 11:28. Storm interrupts No Laughing Matter, and Mike Awesome turns that into a running Awesome Bomb for the win. Match was not good. Blown spots and downright boring at times. Storm was disappointing here, and the rest are who they are. Morrus and Konnan just seem like two guys thrown together, and not like a tag team at all.
We’re in the Rhodes’ locker room. Dusty ordered burritos! 240 of them! There is gonna be a match between Dusty’s ass and Flair’s face and he’s gonna smell the burritos! That’s coming from one of the best promo men in the history of the business ladies and gentlemen!
More of this Bagwell documentary. He’s interviewing US Champ Rick Steiner. I think Rick said the F-word here. Something about Midajah as well. Not notable.
Quick Natural Born Thrillas promo. Chuck Palumbo would be Chucky this time next year.
WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Chavo Guerrero Jr.(c) vs. Sugar Shane Helms
That theme song is absolutely awful. God damn.
Chavo has a cool remix of Eddie Guerrero’ theme.
Chavo Guerrero’s career peaked in 1998. Unless you were a Lt. Loco fan.
Some good chain wrestling here.
This has been a technical wrestling match with no highflying. Scott Hudson mentions this on commentary. It isn’t bad though.
Chavo kinda botches flipping Helms to the outside.
This match feels like a match that is happening because all the top Cruisers were unavailable.
Chavo with a nice reversal into a sitout Curtain Call. Nice move.
Nice block of the Tornado DDT into the Nightmare on Helms Street.
Crowd with a boring chant. Weird, because the match was boring earlier on but has picked up.
Helms with a frog splash press to the outside on Chavo. Very nice.
Shane Helms pins Chavo Guerrero Jr. in 13:57 to win the title. Top rope back suplex is blocked and Chavo goes for a Vertebreaker. Helms reverses and hits the Vertebreaker for the win. Alright match with some good moments. Felt like a poor man’s version of a WCW Cruiserweight Title match.
More Bagwell documentary. Flair is mad about what Dusty said.
Booker T interview. The US Title has eluded him for 8 long years! This is a former WCW World Champion here.
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire)© vs. Totally Buff (Buff Bagwell and The Total Package Lex Luger)
Luger and Bagwell may be my least favorite tag team ever.
Luger reminds us that Totally Buff were the ones that ended Bill Goldberg’s WCW career. What a nice thing to do.
Now Totally Buff are burying the Tag Champs but saying they don’t know who they and that they are rookies. Sigh.
The Natrual Born Thrillers retain the titles with a double pin at 0:54. You know what, that was very well done. Superstar diva heels talk trash about the young champs. Young champs kick ass. What a way to put over the young blood. Sean-ton Bomb is pretty nice.
Scott Steiner promo! Page is going down!
Wow they are really selling the ass kicking Totally Buff got. They reference the time Bagwell broke his neck three years ago.
Ernest Miller vs. Kanyon
Apparently Kanyon did a Kanyon Cutter to Ms. Jones, The Cat’s valet. Kanyon goes right after Ms. Jones after a Cat calls Kanyon ugly.
Kanyon looks like a demented stalker when he’s close to Ms. Jones.
Kanyon with a top rope Rocker Dropper. Not bad.
The Cat does some dancing and splits with uppercuts and elbows and stuff. I guess it’s not bad, but it takes away from the seriousness of the match a bit.
Kanyon somehow botches a Boston Crab, as the Cat ends up on his side.
Kanyon survives the Feliner, which looks a lot like Kofi Kingston’s Trouble in Paradise.
Ernest Miller pins Kanyon in 10:31. Ms. Jones tries to kick Kanyon, but he ducks and she knocks down The Cat. Kanyon then grabs Jones by the arm, and she misses a kick. She gets a 2nd kick though, and the Cat hits the Feliner for the win. Kanyon attacks The Cat afterwards, then MIA Smooth or something comes in with a chair and chases off Kanyon. Match was boring and the storyline is not good. I guess it wasn’t horrible overall though.
More documentary stuff. Luger and Bagwell arguing!
Dusty apparently ate all the burritos and he says he thinks they are down to ass. Seriously what the fuck.
WCW US Championship
Rick Steiner© vs. Booker T
Steiner is beating the crap out of Booker early on.
Ugly looking double underhook powerbomb. Still all Steiner. Booker got some punches that had no effect on Steiner.
Wow Steiner is no-selling everything here. Backsuplex and Steiner is right back up.
This is still all Steiner. Making Booker look horrible.
Booker T pinned Rick Steiner in 7:31 to win the title. Booker accidentally takes out the ref, and Steiner hits a German Suplex. No ref for the count. Rick Steiner goes up top, but Shane Douglas nails him in the head with a cast (and Rick lands on his feet!). Booker gets the Book-End for the win. Awful match. Steiner no sold everything and dominated the rest. Booker couldn’t win without help. Terrible.
Documentary time. Buff Bagwell has been knocked out! Luger accuses Animal.
Dustin Rhodes and Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett
Flair comes out with a shirt full of flowers and dress pants. He says he’s not wrestling and Jarrett will beat them both up by himself.
Ref sends Road Warrior Animal to the back.
Wasting a lot of time here.
It feels weird in 2001 to be chronicling the Rhodes vs. Flair feud over the last 20 years.
Jarrett and Dustin start us off.
Flair’s in there. Punching and chopping away at Dustin.
Flair just lets Dustin tag in Dusty. First thing I think Dusty does is fart. Ugh.
Crowd very into Dusty. I think he farts again. I mean seriously.
Dusty’s elbows are pretty good though.
Jarrett and Flair are doubling teaming Dustin. I guess that makes sense in the context of the match.
Dustin gets the tag, Flair vs. Dusty!
Bionic Elbow from Dusty…but Jarrett makes the save.
Dusty and Dustin Rhodes defeated Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett when Dustin pinned Flair in 9:58. Finish is botched as Dustin was supposed to take down Flair somehow for the win. It’s not clear how but it looks terrible.
Flair needs to kiss Dusty’s ass now.
The last thing this PPV needs is Dusty’s ass.
Stinkface to Jarrett. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
On the replay it looked like Dustin was going for an inside cradle, but Flair thought it was something else? Anyway, that match was a bit of a mess. I guess it was to get Dusty a pop? I don’t know. Whatever.
WCW World Championship: Falls Count Anywhere
Scott Steiner© vs. Diamond Dallas Page
The story is Steiner has taken out ever top contender, and all that is left is Page. Not bad honestly. Puts over both.
I wonder if Michael Buffer was embarrassed to be a part of this crap at this point.
Even though I know he had a heel turn somewhere in 1999, Page is basically the same exact wrestler he was in 1998. Just with shorter hair.
In 20 seconds Page had more offense on Scott than Booker T had on Rick.
Page is all out on the attack early on. Makes sense within the story, as Page said he was the hunter and not the hunted.
Some garbage can action. Steiner then takes a crutch from a fan and nails Page.
Page elbow drops Steiner through a table…although the table crumpled slowly. This has been a decent brawl so far.
Steiner was a good suplex-type guy. Those suplexes look vicious.
This match is better than I expected it to be. A solid brawl.
Diamond Cutter! 1….Rick Steiner pulls out the ref. DDP takes out Rick.
DDP shoves Scott into Rick and rolls him up…but a near fall only results.
Page gets busted open from a shot to the face with the WCW title.
Page is busted open badly. Jeez.
Steiner Recliner! Page gets to the ropes though.
Scott Steiner retains the title when DDP passes out in the Steiner Recliner. For some reason Midajah distracts the ref while Steiner nails Page with a lead pipe (it’s No DQ you know). Second Steiner Recliner ends it. Steiner continually nails Page with the pipe. Really not a bad match, it’s quite okay and better than I thought it would be.
Overall, I don’t think this is an awful Pay-Per-View at all. There are some good matches, some bad ones and some average ones. It is a bit sad that this is the last PPV we’d see from WCW.
I wanted to put it in C+ range, but you can thank Rick Steiner and Dusty Rhodes’ ass for me having to knock it down a bit.
Final Grade: C