WCW Championship
The Rock (c) vs. Booker T & Shane McMahon
This match is a booking problem as there’s been no belief in WCW’s top stars and Booker, being the champion, needed to avoid jobs where possible. The first WWF move with Booker? Jobbing him to The Rock. Because the WWF stars are better than WCW’s stars, which is what the WWF has been saying for years and years and years, regardless of whether it was true or not. Here it is true. Rock is a better wrestler and a bigger star than Booker T but in order to keep the Alliance and the invasion strong, WCW needs to get their belt back. Seeing as the match is 2-on-1 they even have an out for the Rock as he could be double teamed. I just don’t get it. Because this is WCW, Nick Patrick is the ref. Rock at least does his part, exploding into his offence like the WCW Title is important to him. He handily beats up Booker and then beats up Shane. It’s entertaining but the booking is wrong. Incidentally the Pittsburgh crowd, which is one of the worst I’ve ever seen, continue to sit on their hands here as they’ve done for most of the show. Rock puts Shane in the Sharpshooter, which is sloppy but he doesn’t fall over so it’s better than Shane’s Sharpshooter, and Booker has to save. Booker rarely looks like anything other than a chump with the Rock constantly having his way with the former five-time champ. Shane gets more joy! Even when Booker tries for a chair shot Rock still dodges it and Shane lays Rock out instead. All the hard work in the world from the Rock can’t compensate for the way WCW are booked. Booker finally gets some love with a precision knee drop before the Spinneroonie and Rock rolls him up for 2. Even when Booker is dominating, he’s still a loser. The WCW guys try to double team but Rock puts them both down. At least everyone takes hearty bumps but it’s the same dilemma as the WCW Tag Titles match, where the WCW guys get treated like bitches and still lose. Here Booker gets treated like a bitch and he still loses. Shane tries for a belt shot but miscues and hits Booker. Keystone Cops stuff. Nick Patrick, one of Shane’s employees, lets him hit Rock anyway and that’s another potential out for Rock. Not only is he outnumbered but the ref is crooked too. The heels continue to bumble their way through the match until Shane decides to do a People’s Elbow. Rock nips up in the middle of it and hits the Rock Bottom. Spinebuster for Booker and Test runs in to give Rock a third out for jobbing. Bradshaw runs down to chase Test off but this is after he’s stopped Rock winning and big booted him. Nick Patrick throws Rock back in so Mike Chioda runs down to complain on the behalf of zebras everywhere. He lays Patrick out so Booker lays Chioda out. Rock escapes the Book End and hits the Rock Bottom. This is yet another out as there’s no ref and Rock can say he had it won but Earl Hebner runs in to count three and Booker jobs yet again, despite a 2-on-1, a crooked ref and a Test assist in his favour. So basically WCW’s top star can’t get the job done regardless of how much help he has. WCW is now officially dead, two months before Survivor Series. The match is pretty good but the sheer stupidity of the booking hurts the rating.
Final Rating: **¾
Backstage: Torrie Wilson and Tajiri persuade William Regal to let her be ringside for Tajiri’s match with Rhyno. Video Control takes us to WWF New York where Stacy Keibler shows us how she shaves her legs. Is it weird that they lift Sunny’s music for her? They are both stunners but Stacey Keibler is one of the best looking girls to ever work in the wrestling business.
History of Wrestling 
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