Monday Nitro
London Arena,
London, England
November 13, 2000
With hardly a chance to unpack from their trip down under, WCW was in the air again, this time touching down in London, the host of Monday Nitro. Much like their last tour, the energy of the WCW superstars was at an all time high, showing throughout the show. WCW CEO Ric Flair put together a Lethal Lottery tournament to take place over the course of the two-hour broadcast. It was a grueling series of matches involving some of the biggest names in the business, ending with Big Poppa Pump ready to square off against his partner of the night - the former champion Sting.
Interview: Ric Flair
The WCW locker room emptied at the
start of the show, surrounding the ring as the CEO Ric Flair made
his way down for an impromptu meeting. First on the agenda, The
Nature Boy reminded the commissioner Mike Sanders that Ric could
veto any call that the commissioner made. He also told Sanders
that he would be defending his title in 48 hours. Flair went on
to book a London Lethal Lottery Match, in which four teams
battled in a mini tournament with the winning team facing each
other on Thunder. The winner of that would get a shot at the WCW
Title on Nitro the night after the Mayhem PPV. The teams drawn at
random were Mike Awesome and Bam Bam Bigelow, The Boogie Knights,
Booker T and Lex Luger, and Sting with Scott Steiner. When Flair
asked why Steiner didn't come into the ring when his name was
called, Big Poppa sauntered down the aisle with Midajah. Upon
entering the ring, Steiner went after Flair, but was cut off by
Booker T! . ! This altercation caused everyone to enter the ring
and start a battle royal type brawl, setting the tone for the
rest of the show.
Backstage, The Natural Born Thrillers arrived as a unit to the London Arena.
Interview: Crowbar
As a London reporter interviewed
Crowbar backstage, Big Vito approached the champion and asked for
a shot at the Hardcore Title.
Backstage, Mike Sanders told Scott Steiner that he had his anger management classes all set up. Big Poppa complained about having to team with Sting.
WCW Hardcore Title Match
Crowbar d. Big Vito
Vito jumped the champion with his
kendo stick as he entered the ring. The action quickly took to
the crowd, where both men fought out into the lobby, breaking a
concession table in the process. Back into the arena, Vito set up
a table at ringside, but Crowbar used a chair to combat it before
diving over the top rope onto the challenger. Vito went to the
top rope for a splash to the outside, but Crowbar rolled off the
table, stopping the move. Vito went for the Mafia kick, but hit
referee Mark Johnson on accident, knocking him to the mat. Vito
reversed a top rope attempt by Crowbar, but Reno arrived and
slammed his rival with a baseball bat. The Hardcore Champion
seized an opportunity and delivered a superplex from the top
turnbuckle through a table for the hard fought win.
Backstage, Kevin Nash arrived to the arena.
Mean Gene Interview: Mike
Awesome and Bam Bam Bigelow
Awesome said he was still hot with
Bigelow for jumping Crowbar last week, but was willing to put it
aside to concentrate on their tag team match against Scott
Steiner and Sting.
Interview: The Natural Born
Thrillers
Sanders bragged about pulling a
swerve on Kevin Nash, saying that even though their former coach
was a master manipulator, the Thrillers got the last laugh when
they left him SOL. Stasiak told Nash that he was a victim of
evolution. Big Sexy came to the stage to a rousing ovation, ready
to confront his attackers. Kevin reminded the Thrillers that they
didn't finish what they started, making him twice as dangerous as
before. Sanders suggested a Four Corners match against three of
the Thrillers, which Nash agreed to before telling Stasiak that
he was going down later in the show.
Mean Gene Interview:
Sting
The Stinger told Steiner to keep his
head straight so that they could both get closer to what they
both wanted - the WCW Title.
Backstage, Elix Skipper approached Ms. Jones in the hallway, saying he had it all over The Cat. Miller arrived and accepted a challenge from Prime Time for later on Nitro.
London Lethal Lottery
Match
Sting and Scott Steiner d.
Bam Bam Bigelow and "That 70's Guy" Mike Awesome
Steiner and Sting emptied the ring of Awesome and
Bigelow at the start, but turned and fought each other, losing
focus immediately. All four men fought in and out of the ring,
with Big Poppa applying the Steiner recliner on Awesome to
advance in the tournament. Bigelow attacked Awesome after the
match.
Interview: Jimmy Hart
Hart said that Augusta, Georgia DJ
Montana Taylor was the first jockey to agree to step into the
ring with him.
Backstage, KroniK told The Boogie Knights that they needed to pay Adams and Clark to take their place in the tournament. DISQO paid up to get out of having to face Steiner.
Backstage, The Filthy Animals told Ric Flair about what just went down with KroniK and The Knights. Flair thanked The Animals for the info, saying he would take care of it.
Mean Gene Interview: Booker
T
The WCW Champion said that he looked
forward to winning the first round match and facing Big Poppa
Pump in a pre Mayhem fight.
Backstage, Flair told DISQO and Alex that they were big players and he had a big surprise for them.
Mean Gene Interview: The
MIA
The Misfits told Lance Storm that he
was going to learn respect from their General later in the
broadcast.
In a clip from earlier in the day, the battle Dome warriors demanded Doug Dellinger to tell them where the WCW wrestlers were. DDP, The Cat, Buff Bagwell, and Rick Steiner ran in and a pull-apart brawl ensued.
London Lethal Lottery
Match
KroniK d. Booker T and Lex
Luger
Booker was on fire at the bell,
taking Adams and Clark off their feet before tagging The Total
Package into the match. Lex kept the momentum briefly, but was
stopped by a double team that ended with him on the mat, victim
of a piledriver. T and Clark slowed the match down when they both
delivered a knee to each other's midsection. Luger got cocky and
threw Booker over the ropes before signaling for the Torture
Rack, but the champion came back in and disposed of Lex. Scott
Steiner snuck in behind the referee and hit T with a pipe,
setting KroniK up for the big High Time on Booker for the
win.
Mean Gene Interview:
KroniK
Bryan Clark told Scott Steiner and
Sting to prepare to get a beaten from KroniK. Adams said that if
KroniK won the tournament, they would both be the number one
contenders for the champion the night after Mayhem.
Four Corners Match
Disqualification - Kevin Nash d.
Chuck Palumbo, Shawn Stasiak, and Sean O'
Haire
Nash whipped Palumbo corner to
corner, following up with a series of knees and elbows on the
rookie. The Thrillers used triple teaming and referee
distractions to get the upper hand on Big Sexy, but Nash would
not stay down on any pin attempt. The former coach got his second
wind, dropping his opponents like flies until it was only Stasiak
left with him. Big Sexy set for the Jackknife, but rest of The
Thrillers charged the ring, setting Nash up for a Seanton Bomb
from the top.
The Cat with Ms. Jones d.
"Prime Time" Elix Skipper
The Cat and Ms. Jones danced for the
London fans before the match, but once the bell rang, Miller was
all business, dropping Prime Time with a sidekick as he entered.
Skipper was able to counter The Cat and drop his throat on the
top rope, but as the action hit the floor, Ms. Jones delivered a
kick to Prime Time's head, giving Miller the time he needed to
recuperate. Elix went into his pants for the football ring,
swung, and missed, leading the former commissioner to
victory.
Goldberg d. The Boogie
Knights
The Boogie Knights waited in the ring
for their big surprise, but their excitement turned to fear as
Goldberg's music blasted over the sound system. The dancing fools
tried their hardest to fight off the monster with double teaming,
but after a pair of spears, it was Jackhammer time for both DISQO
and Wright, putting two more checks in the win column for
Goldberg as he pinned both men in the center of the ring.
Mean Gene Interview: Scott
Steiner with Midajah
Big Poppa was confidant that he would
win the tournament, beat Sting, and take the gold from Booker T
before celebrating with his freaks.
WCW US Title Match
Lance Storm d. General Rection
with Major Gunns
Storm butted heads with the champion,
but Rection slapped him across the face, moving him back a few
steps. A chopfest ensued, but a low blow by Storm stopped it
abruptly, sending the General to the floor. On the outside,
Rection pulled the mats away to expose the concrete, but Lance
delivered a suplex to counter the attack. The other members of
Team Canada came down the aisle, but The MIA caught up to them,
stopping them from interfering. As the General went to the top
for a moonsault, Major Gunns turned on her man, pulling Storm out
of the way. She handed Lance a roll of quarters, which he used to
hit Rection in the head, followed by a single leg crab to regain
the title.
Mean Gene Interview: Major
Gunns and Lance Storm
Gunns told Mean Gene that she didn't
have any explaining to do as she removed her shirt to reveal a
Canadian print bikini top. Storm asked Rection how it felt to be
stabbed in the back.
London Lethal Lottery
Match
Sting and Scott Steiner with
Midajah d. KroniK
It was power against power as Big
Poppa squared off against Bryan Clark, with Steiner bringing the
big man over with a belly to belly suplex. Adams and Steiner went
to the floor as Sting applied the Scorpion Deathlock to Clark on
the inside, but KroniK used their double-teaming to save the
match. Midajah got up from the announcer's table to distract, as
Sting reversed a Bryan Clark pump handle slam into a Scorpion
Deathdrop for the win. Big Poppa immediately jumped Sting with a
chair, but was hit by Booker T, who ran in with a chair of his
own. As The Stinger got to his feet, T slammed him in the head
with the chair as well as Nitro came to a close.