Kevin Nash teams with Buff Bagwell, Konnan and Syxx to represent the New World Order. As always, Ric Flair captains the Horsemen and teams with Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael and Curt Hennig.
Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Mike Tenay
and Larry Zbyszko are on commentary for this match.
This was signed due to the famous “Arn’s Spot” impersonation
that nWo did of The Horsemen. They also attacked Curt Hennig earlier in the
night, possibly taking him out of the match with a damaged shoulder. Kevin Nash
gets emotional about the attack, and Konnan says they’ll take out the Horsemen.
Bagwell says they always have a plan, and tonight’s plan is to retire the
Horsemen. Later on “Mean” Gene Okerlund is backstage with 75% of the Four
Horsemen. Chris Benoit says it’ll be an honor to teach nWo a lesson. Mongo says
they can’t hide from the Horsemen in the cage, Ric Flair. He says Hennig’s
injury is the price of being a Horsemen. Well, fuck, what a compassionate
leader. He says if the doctors can put Hennig together he’ll be standing
together with the Horsemen and talks directly to Kevin Nash, saying each of his
team is superior. He says no matter how few Horsemen are there by the time War
Games starts, they’ll all fight.
Michael Buffer’s here, meaning this match is SUPER important, and that he’s gonna stretch it out and take his time. The cage lowers with it’s own pyro as Tony Schiavone is wondering if Hennig will be there. Michael Buffer goes over the rules before we’re allowed to find out. One man from each team starts for 5 minutes, there’s a coin toss and by happy coincidence, the heels win and someone else from their team enters. Every 2 minutes another man enters, alternating teams. When all 8 people are in the match it begins, and only ends when one participant surrenders or submits. Team nWo make their way out first, and I’ll be honest it’s not my first roster for a “Team nWo” but with the talents involved it should be a decent match. The Four Horsemen are representing WCW, and walk out without Curt Hennig.
TEAM NWO VS.
FOUR HORSEMEN
(War Games)
WCW Fall Brawl 1997 (14th September 1997)
Buff Bagwell starts the match with Chris Benoit, which gets an extra announcement from Michael Buffer. Benoit decides to cross rings and Buff Bagwell laughs at Benoit before posing, eating into the 5-minutes they have. Chris Benoit slaps Bagwell, but takes some right hands. Chris Benoit fires back, Bagwell is sent off the ropes and Benoit sends him into the cage. I can hear Jim Cornette screaming “that used to be a fucking finish!” at his television. Bagwell hits the cage on the other side, he’s doing some nice selling here. Chris Benoit starts shouting at Bagwell and knocks him down with a shoulder tackle. It didn’t look like Buff should have been the one going down there but Benoit connects with a chop, still shouting at and slapping Bagwell as he’s brought to his feet. Chris Benoit sends Bagwell into the cage. We reach the 90 seconds mark and Benoit chops Bagwell again, then sends him into the turnbuckles. Buff Bagwell is suplexed back into the cage wall and dropped to the mat. Chris Benoit boots him but Bagwell fights back from his knees. Well, he gets one shot in and Benoit slaps him before knocking him down with a chop.
Chris Benoit misses a diving headbutt and Buff Bagwell goes to work with boots, Schiavone of all people is the commentator
that mentions choking, Bagwell begins choking as if he heard Tony. It doesn’t
last for the remainder of the period though as Tony suggests. Benoit is sent
into the cage for the first time. The fans chant for Sting as Bagwell knocks
Benoit down with a dropkick, he chokes Benoit on the mat as we’re at 1:40 left.
Chris Benoit runs at Bagwell, who took a walk across the ring as the coin toss
is going on outside. Buff Bagwell chokes Benoit with his boot, using the ropes
for leverage. Michael Buffer announces a
minute remaining Mongo and the members of nWo are focused on the coin toss, but
Flair is shouting at Bagwell from the floor. Tony Schiavone tells us that in
the shock of shocks team nWo won the coin toss, and Heenan accuses them of
using a two-headed coin. They had a referee for each team for that EXACT
reason, plus others. Bagwell sends Benoit’s face into the mat then chokes him
some more.
In the
final 30 seconds, Chris Benoit mounts some offense, backing Bagwell into the
corner and kicking at the midsection. Benoit headbutts Bagwell down as we enter
the last 10 seconds. It appears Konnan will be the next man in, he
climbs to the top rope as Bagwell has Benoit in a full nelson. Benoit kicks
Konnan out of the air and elbows free from Bagwell, knocking him down with a
clothesline. Chris Benoit hits a snap suplex on Konnan and slams Bagwell on
top. We see Steve McMichael waiting to enter as Konnan is launched into the
cage, Buff Bagwell takes the same trip but he reverses an irish whip. Bagwell
kicks Benoit in the midsection and Konnan hits a DDT. They celebrate using the
one-man advantage and boot Benoit on the mat. Buff Bagwell chokes Chris Benoit
as we reach 45 seconds left. Chris Benoit is sent over to the other ring and
sent into the cage. Konnan spits at Flair and the nWo lay into Benoit in the
corner. Chris Benoit tries to fight back as Steve McMichael enters the
match. He knocks down both opponents with clotheslines and slams them as Benoit
makes his way over to Bagwell. Steve McMichael knocks down Konnan with a football
tackle from the three-point stance. He stomps on Konnan’s knee and drops an
elbow before both Horsemen work the nWo with right hands in opposite corners.
Konnan and Bagwell are sent to meet, Konnan leapfrogs Bagwell but gets knocked
down with a dropkick by Benoit as a McMichael boot meets Bagwell’s jaw.
If you think I described that terribly, then
you should see the angle they shot it from. Chris Benoit chokes Bagwell against
the ropes as McMichael works over Konnan in the corner. We’re halfway through
the period at this point. Konnan is choked across the middle rope by Mongo as
Buff Bagwell escapes to the other ring, near the nWo's corner. Chris Benoit
follows, knocking Bagwell into the corner with a chop. He connects with a right
hand and sends Buff’s head into the turnbuckle across the ring. Chris Benoit
keeping full control as Syxx enters the match. Benoit meets Syxx with
chops, knocking him on his ass before Syxx goes flying into the cage. Syxx is
sent into Bagwell in the corner and Benoit knocks them both down with chops as
Ric Flair cheers from the corner. McMichael has switched rings as Benoit sends
Syxx off the ropes into a clothesline. Steve McMichael sends Syxx across the
ring, lifts him so Syxx hits the ceiling and lets him drop to the mat. Benoit
isn’t finished as he puts the Crossface on Syxx but it doesn’t make a
difference yet, it’s just to wear him down. Bagwell breaks the hold and goes to
assist Konnan, who’s holding Steve McMichael’s throat across the top rope. Syxx
lays the boots to McMichael as Buff goes back over to Chris Benoit. We get to a
minute left with Team nWo choking The Horsemen in the ring. Syxx sets up Benoit
in the corner for a Bronco Buster but is lifted in the air, he hits the
turnbuckle as we see Curt Hennig make his way down to the ring!
According to Schiavone, Ric Flair “checks that Hennig’s arm is okay” while it’s in a sling. The last 30 seconds are the
same 3 vs 2 choking before Ric Flair enters the cage. He knocks Syxx
down with right hands, Bagwell is the first to take a chop from Flair, but Syxx
is backed into the ropes and he gets one too. Konnan goes down from a punch,
not wanting a minced-meat chest today, thankyou. Syxx is sent into the cage in
between all the chops and punches. Benoit comes alive, stomping on Konnan and
Mongo is back in things, moving between the opponents. Flair grinds Syxx’s face
across the cage and McMichael hits a backbreaker on Konnan as we reach the
halfway point. Flair brings Syxx to the empty ring and sends him into the cage.
Bagwell is being choked on the mat as Flair and Syxx exchange right hands in
the corner. Syxx hits the cage again as Kevin Nash enters the cage. He goes straight
for Flair with a forearm strike, then sends the Nature Boy off the ropes into a
sidewalk slam. Chris Benoit tries to run interference but Kevin Nash catches
him and rams him into the cage. Then we get a wide shot as Syxx crosses the ring
with a running dropkick to sandwich Benoit into the cage wall again. Kevin Nash
changes rings and boots McMichael in the head. Steve McMichael is taken to the
corner so Nash can hit his back elbows, Bagwell has control of Chris Benoit as
Syxx grinds Flair’s forehead against the cage and slams him into the cage wall.
Ric Flair stuns Syxx with a back elbow and gets back in the ring, he chops Syxx
down as Heenan is questioning if Hennig can even enter the match, we’ll find
out in 44 seconds as Benoit is sent into the cage. Konnan decides to switch
rings, leaving McMichael alone with Nash. No he brings Benoit over instead, leaving
Flair with Syxx and Bagwell. Ric Flair fights to his feet with low blows, in
the other ring Nash has his boot in Mongo’s face on one side, with Chris Benoit
chopping Konnan on the other. Chris Benoit lays the boots to Konnan in the corner
and Ric Flair has a Figure Four leglock on Syxx.
Curt Henning enters the match, he shows off some handcuffs, he was never injured! He turns Kevin Nash around, and hits McMICHAEL! Curt Hennig has turned on the Horsemen! He hits Benoit from behind and tosses Konnan the handcuffs. Hennig vaults between the rings, and Ric Flair’s there to meet him but falls victim to a 2-on-1 attack as Bagwell gets involved. Syxx has taken his boot off, and he wails on Flair with it as Konnan handcuffs Benoit to the cage wall. Steve McMichael is already handcuffed but Konnan seems to be having trouble with them. Henning follows Ric Flair through the ropes and knocks him down in the corner. Hennig chokes Ric Flair and holds him so Syxx can get some free shots. Kevin Nash asks Benoit if he surrenders and gets spat at, so I guess that’s a no. Hennig takes some shots at Benoit. Mongo refuses to surrender so Bagwell lays in right hands, Ric Flair is asked and says nothing, Nash knocks him down with an elbow to the top of the head. Buff Bagwell tells Benoit to surrender and gets spat at. You’d think they would learn after the first time. Benoit is trying to break the handcuffs but Bagwell has him in a chokehold as Kevin Nash hits the Jacknife Powerbomb to Flair. Another round of refusals to surrender, with Benoit saying “bite me” instead. But at least he used his words. Curt Hennig opens the cage door, the one that Schiavone told us was locked, and Nash Flair over to the open door. He asks one more time if the Horsemen surrender, or will Flair get the Guillotine. Steve McMichael surrenders but Hennig slams the cage into Ric Flair’s head anyway.
WINNER: TEAM NWO
This was a good match, it’s not exactly who I think of when New World Order comes up, but they were able to work together and keep the match flowing. Chris Benoit and Konnan were the stars of the show with Bagwell working the numbers game well when the nWo had the advantage. The Curt Hennig swerve is debateable but I like that he didn’t start by attacking the nWo and then turning, that’s always made little sense to me. [***¼] 6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment