WCW World Cruiserweight Title Match: Rey Misterio Jr. (c) vs. Dean Malenko
Rey is the perfect wrestler to get the best out of Malenko both in being able to set up an interesting contrast to his catch-as-catch can style with his high flying lucha style but he can set up great moves that link well with Malenko’s biggest moves (powerbombs, tilter-whirl slams, etc). There are a few iffy moments where Malenko has to sell being out of his feet while clearly waiting for Rey to do something, something that Rey would wash out further down the line, but it was a glaring fault at times. But Rey was good otherwise. He had some great hope spots and generally looked fantastic besides the issues already stated. ***1/2
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Eddie Guerrero
This was alright but there wasn’t a ton of chemistry on display. They didn’t botch anything but there was a real lack of spark. Eddie seemingly did nothing while Page just did stuff until the finish. Meandering. **1/4
Jeff Jarrett (w/Ric Flair) vs. The Giant
I thought this was pretty good. Giant works well as a big guy working over an opponent and Jarrett sells for him. I like how Jarrett switched up some of his offence to try and incorporate more high flying moves to further differentiate the two stylically. ***
Chris Jericho vs. Syxx
A match that serves the purpose to put Nick Patrick further over as a corrupt referee and Syxx as a cheating scumbag. Jericho didn’t really take advantage of the shining spot he’s in though. **1/2
Arn Anderson vs. Lex Luger
This was a pretty fun match honestly. From what I can tell from the commentary booth, Luger injured his back from a match against an NWO wrestler and he tapped out. Arn Anderson took exception to that, believing that “men don’t quit” especially against the enemy, so here we are. Anderson goes for the back of Luger with clubbing blows and attempts to lock in as many holds as he can. Luger plays on the defence rather well and makes some inspiring comebacks. I really liked Luger holding on to the Torture Rack long after Anderson gave up. Luger proved his point and taught Arn a valuable lesson. ***1/2
Chris Benoit & Steve McMichael (w/Debra & Woman) vs. The Faces Of Fear (Meng & The Barbarian) (w/Jimmy Hart)
Another notch in the Horsemen vs Dungeon feud. Benoit got his ass kicked by Meng and Barbarian. Big chops in the corner and then Benoit gets launched off a belly to belly suplex off the stop rope. It was very uncontrolled and looked rough to take. Benoit selling was pretty compelling and it was awesome seeing the Faces of Fear in action. The Dungeon attack after the match was pretty great, if I say so. ***
WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) (w/Col. Robert Parker & Sister Sherri) (c) vs. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall)
The Outsiders clearly played to their audience and I guess they were smart enough to know that they were never going to be booed by this crowd hence the crowd pleasing spots - Hall kissing Sherri, Nash posing, etc. They sold well for Harlem Heat, to be fair to them. Booker T looked good offensively and they made good use of Stevie Ray, if there is one. ***
WCW World Heavyweight Title Match: Hollywood Hogan (w/Ted DiBiase) (c) vs. Randy Savage
This failed to match the feud they built which was more of a heated rivalry with hate. Hollywood Hogan was more of a stooging heel with comedy spots and wigs than a dastardly heel. Savage and Hogan played up their personalities but the stalling wasn’t nearly as entertaining. Jarrett pulls it off much better despite less charisma and personality but I get the attempt to be something different. The match played off their history nicely and how the roles were reversed with Hogan being the heel and Savage the face. It was a match that highlighted their personalities above all else. The finish was a bit more in tune with the build, NWO interference (Nick Patrick not counting the 3, The Giant, etc) . The NWO and Hogan reigns supreme tonight until….enters the Bagpipes. They tried but it just didn’t work for me. **1/2
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