A thought most random: how far off from center is the Spring Stampede logo on the left? Everything else looks centered, or at least aligned that way. It's just odd.
The final Spring Stampede in WCW history took place on April 16, 2000 from the United Center in Chicago. There were five of these events, first in 1994, then for four consecutive years from 1997 to 2000. The last Spring Stampede was also the first PPV of the Russo-Bischoff booking regime. This was coming off the heels of an Uncensored PPV that left a taste so bad that the only way to wash it away was to blow it up and start over. Kevin Sullivan, who replaced Vince Russo in booking originally, was himself replaced by both Russo and Eric Bischoff, one of the key components of the rise of WCW to the world's top wrestling promotion in the late 1990s.
When WCW was starting over, they were starting over. All titles were vacated, any feuds to this point were thrown out, and the roster was basically divided between young talent, dubbed the New Blood, and established talent, dubbed the Millionaires Club. All this was done, by the way, on April 10, less than a week before the PPV. In less than a week, WCW would completely turn itself over. But would it be for the better?
Let's try and make nice with Spring Stampede 2000.
- Speaking of video packages, it’s worth saying. Even in 2000, the WWF was the truth in putting stuff like this together.
- Literally the same set used for Nitro is being used for Spring Stampede. Good God, not even WWE with their HD set does this for PPVs. It makes your company look cheap. That shit grinds my gears.
- DQ rules are being relaxed tonight. They did that the previous Monday, and three matches that night ended in a DQ.
- 5:40 in, we finally have our first entrance. Tag team title qualifier with the Mamalukes (later known as FBI in WWE) versus Team Package (Ric Flair and Lex Luger).
- Flair’s fired up. I approve. And he’s coming in his evening gear.
- Team Package should not be coming out to Lex Luger’s music. Ric Flair’s on the team, his music gets played. That’s a fact.
- Never mind. Solo entrance for “The Total Package” aka “The Final Answer” Lex Luger. His music has a Millionaire vibe.
- WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
- And already, Iron Man Vince Russo.
- And the Harris Brothers. I guess they’re in the match too. A three-team qualifier.
- And at 10:55, we have our opening match. Way too long to get to match #1 of the PPV.
- Not even the commentators can make of what would happen if the Harrises win. That’s not a good sign.
- Flair never hits that top rope move. He did maybe twice in WWE.
- Somebody’s mad at Disco. Two guys take him away. I totally approve. He’s a waste of space.
- That clothesline by Johnny The Bull was pretty impressive. Took a bit long to set up though.
- Team Package wins via Human Torture Rack of Doom.
- We’re muting “Damn.” Really, WCW? This is PPV.
- A wild Bam Bam Bigelow appears.
- Mike Awesome beats on Bam Bam Bigelow for some reason.
- Mancow versus Jimmy Hart next. I’ll skip.
- Kidman beats down Jimmy Hart post-match. Shot in the direction of Hulk Hogan.
- The Wall versus Scott Steiner. This is the first quarterfinal in the US Championship Tournament. Seven matches on this show focus on this tournament. Scott Steiner coming out to the old Steiner Brothers music for some reason.
- 32:53. We have a disqualification. The Wall chokeslammed a referee through the table. Scott Steiner goes forward. So much for relaxing the DQ rule.
- A wild Bam Bam Bigelow appears.
- Mike Awesome making his in-ring WCW debut against Ernest Miller. Quarterfinal match in the WCW US title tournament.
- A wild Bam Bam Bigelow appears. He took Miller’s place—literally.
- Ernest Miller dances. Do not approve.
- Awesome kills Miller. Three-and-a-half-star frog splash. Drive home safely. Awesome wins.
- Shane Douglas and Buff Bagwell versus Harlem Heat in the second qualifying match for the tag titles. Oh wait… it’s Harlem Heat 2000. Stevie Ray and Fat Ahmed Johnson, who is fat. Fuck.
- Shane Douglas enters as Buff Bagwell’s video plays on the screen. Figure that out.
- Yeah, I’m gonna skip. Only have to jump about three minutes.
- Booker
T vs. Sting in a quarterfinal match for the
- Oh wait…Booker. He somehow lost the rights to use the letter “T” in his name. Fuck this company.
- Sting’s Metallica theme was always awesome. That’s a fact.
- Holy shit, this match is the tits right now.
- Schiavone said that neither of these men were close to done. Less than a minute later, Sting wins with the Scorpion Deathdrop.
- Post-match fist pump out of respect.
- Vampiro versus Billy Kidman (with Torrie Wilson) in the last quarterfinal. Winner gets Sting.
- Holy shit, Vampiro nearly killed Kidman with that release powerbomb.
- Second powerbomb attempt fails. One does not simply powerbomb Kidman.
- Third attempt also fails. Vampiro has learned nothing.
- A wild Hollywood Hogan appears. Shit is about to get real.
- Hell, if you can collect a PPV bonus without wrestling a match, go for it.
- Guess we’re not calling a DQ for that.
- Hogan versus Kidman is the root of this Millionaires Club-New Blood feud. Something about a flea market.
- Punjabi Plunge to the announce table, and table didn’t budge an inch.
- Scoop slam fixes that though.
- Vampiro wins. He’s not gonna apologize for it.
- ERIC BISCHOFF, HULK HOGAN’S COMIN’ FOR YOU NIGGA!
- Angry Ho Kogan is looking to choke a bitch.
- Some
of
- Next match begins as Hogan is being carried out in cuffs.
- They’re all rats. Whole cafeteria’s a bunch of rats.
- Terry
Funk versus Norman Smiley for the hardcore title.
- My… my diet soda.
- A wild Dustin Rhodes appears.
- Terry Funk wins and is hardcore champion. Of course.
- Not gonna lie. It was a fun match. Stupid fun, but fun.
- Russo wants Booker T to do him an egg. This, by the way, is the last time we see Booker tonight, so we never find out what that egg is.
- And
speaking of doing people an egg, Scott Steiner takes on Mike Awesome in
the first
- Cops used guns; they didn’t even get disqualified. What does that have to do with anything?
- A wild Kevin Nash appears. With a crutch. And he takes it to the back of Awesome.
- Actually, this would be the last time Booker appears. Vince Russo fires Dustin Rhodes. Meh. No big loss.
- Vampiro
versus Sting in the second semifinal of the
- And Sting moves forward. The lone member of the Millionaires Club is in the final match. Of course.
- Kimberly looks goooood, yo.
- Two-thirds of 3 Count, Shannon Moore and Shane Helms, and their horrible, horrible song. This has to be one of the ten worst theme songs ever.
- Enter Prince Iaukea, Lash Leroux, Crowbar, and Juventud Guerrera. And Chris Candido. Cruiserweight title match. Sudden death. First fall gets the vacated title.
- Everybody kill everybody.
- A wild Daffney appears.
- A wild David Flair appears.
- A wild
- A wild Tammy Lynn Sytch appears. Four run-ins in less than three minutes. And pushes the Prince off the top rope.
- Chris Candido, Tammy’s main squeeze, picks up the win.
- Tammy: the most complete female performer in wrestling history? REALLY? Even in 2000, I can’t buy that. I mean, at least Sable took a bump in her WWF run. Tammy didn’t. Not one.
- Shannon Moore and Charles Robinson pay a pretty hard price. Protect yourselves at all times.
- Tag title match: Team Package vs. Shane Douglas and Buff Bagwell. This, by the way, ill be the first time Douglas and Flair have been in a proper match together since Shane began his vendetta in the early 1990s.
- Buff Bagwell really asking for a Code of Honor?
- Flair still in his street clothes. Did he legitimately forget his ring gear or something?
- Ugly
collision by Flair and
- And Ric fails to complete the cartwheel.
- He finishes the second time. Only to get clotheslined from the apron.
- WOOOOOOOOOO!
- Wild Kronik appears.
- Fuck that finish.
- 12 matches in, and 10 had a run-in.
- Scott Steiner’s left arm vein is bigger than Sting’s arms. Ah, Steiner math.
- Steiner will face Sting in the United States Championship match. Both men are on their third match this evening.
- How does one not respect Sting? I mean, for reals?
- Vampiro? Da fuq?
- And Scott Steiner went full blast to that corner and may have knocked himself out. And to answer your question, Scott Hudson, no.
- Sting’s dead. Scott Steiner’s the new United States Champion. He’s now won ever belt to win in WCW (excluding the hardcore title) but the big one.
- That’s 11 of 13 that had a run-in. Add to the DQ earlier, and that’s one match that ended clean and decisive. I don’t expect that count to go up.
- And holy shit, Michael Buffer is NOT doing the introductions. I approve. Nothing against Buffer, but him doing it for damn near every Nitro and PPV (and the occasional Thunder) gets a little old pretty damn quick.
- Love the Wrestlemania XIV-esque walks from the locker room to the ring.
- The Big Bent Gold Belt at stake.
- A wild gray-haired Eric Bischoff appears.
- A wild Kimberly Page appears. Oh wait, she was at ringside already. Carry on.
- DDP with a Diamond Cutter on himself.
- And Jarrett with the title shot to the face.
- Not gonna lie: this match’s pretty good. Kinda overbooked, but pretty good.
- Of course Kimberly “El Kabong”s her hubby.
- Stroke, and Jeff Jarrett’s finally the champ of the world.
Boy, this PPV was both fun and frustrating. Fun because recent
WCW PPVs at the time were anything but. The general consensus was that locker
room morale was as good as it’s ever been in recent memory at the time of the
show. But the two hours and 40 minutes show both what WCW could have been and
what WCW really was in the Russo-Bischoff era. It was a mess. It was
overbooked. And all too often, it didn’t make sense. But it was better than Uncensored.
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