WCW Mayhem 1999 Review

Hey yo. Before we start the review today, I wanted to take a moment and talk about the passing of Scott Hall. I am going to write an entire column about him, which will come next week, but I did want to put some thoughts down here as well since he was a big part of the success of WCW.

I won’t go into too much right now and will save it for the column, but Scott Hall was the first wrestler that genuinely had the “cool” factor with me. I honestly don’t even remember seeing him until he was already in WCW since I exclusively watched WCW when I was a kid, but going back and watching Razor Ramon stuff now is such a treat. He was a true icon, at least to me, and this one was a hard pill to swallow. I will talk more in-depth about him next week, but I did want to say R.I.P. to one of the best performers I can remember seeing. He is one of the greats to ever do it and I will surely miss his Machismo.

With that being said, welcome back to the TJRwrestling retro reviews where we are looking at every WCW Pay-Per-View during the “Monday Night War” era. I mentioned in my last review that Vince Russo had taken over the reins creatively for the company around this time, and boy did it ever show. His first PPV was Halloween Havoc in October and the whole show was riddled with matches that weren’t that good and boring segments. We hear all the time that Vince Russo had some good ideas until the bell rang. That was a pretty accurate assessment of the last show we watched. Hogan laid down for the title once again, and the night ended with Goldberg winning the WCW Heavyweight Title from Sting, in a match that wasn’t even supposed to happen. You can read my complete thoughts on that show and every show we have covered here. Will Russo find his groove on his second shot on PPV? I sure as hell hope so.

WCW Mayhem
November 21st, 1999
Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

They start the show was a package going over a tournament where the winner will win the WCW Heavyweight Title. Even though they crowned Goldberg the champion at the end of Halloween Havoc, they pretended like it didn’t happen and stripped Sting of the title the next night on Nitro, which made the need for the tournament to happen. The final four, which consist of Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, Sting, & Jeff Jarrett, will take place on this show.

We are brought into the arena by the usual suspects of Tony Schiavone & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. They go over the final four of the tournament and also mention the other side of the double main event which is an I Quit match tonight between Goldberg & Sid Vicious.

WCW Heavyweight Title Tournament Match
Jeff Jarrett vs. Chris Benoit

Jarrett was pushed heavily in WCW, justified or not. This is proof of that since he has only debuted with the company about a month ago and is already in the final four for the Heavyweight Title. He has aided by “The Powers That Be” since debuting and they want to see him win the title.

Benoit starts things off with a kick to the gut, but Jarrett comes back with a drop toe hold. Benoit recovers and hits some chops across the chest before planting Jarret with a Tornado DDT. He sends Jarrett into the corner and hits an Atomic Drop as he comes out. He hits a Neckbreaker and covers Jarrett for a two-count. Benoit puts Jarrett on the top rope and comes off with a big Superplex for another near fall. Jarrett slides out of the ring, but Benoit is right behind him with a baseball slide. They trade blows back and forth on the floor before Jarrett gets the advantage and rams Benoit crotch-first into the post. He slams him into the railing and Jarrett drops him down again across the railing. Jarrett rolls him back in the ring and throws Benoit into the ropes before hitting a Powerslam. Jarrett picks up Benoit and drops him down with a delayed vertical suplex. He throws Benoit into the ropes again and hits a clothesline. Jarrett gets a sleeper hold on Benoit and he starts to face away. Benoit makes his way back to his feet and both men collide in the ring which knocks him back down. Benoit gets a Sleeper of his own on Jarrett, but it ends with a Jawbreaker and both men down on the mat. Jarrett tries a right hand, but Benoit ducks under and hits him with some of his own. He hits a Backbreaker before hitting the Triple German Suplexes and gets a near fall. That brings Creative Control, Ron and Don Harris, out to the ring. They slowly walk down to the ring and instruct the referee to start counting Benoit out. Benoit gets back into the ring and he is hit with a Crossbody, but he rolls it into a pin of his own. Benoit hits a Belly to Back Suplex and signals for the end. He comes off the top with The Flying Headbutt, but he gets pulled out of the ring before the three count. The other member of Creative Control gets in the ring and knocks Benoit out. Jarrett goes for the cover, but here comes Dustin Rhodes to break up the pin. They bring the guitar into the ring and Benoit wipes Jarrett out with it before covering him for the win after 9:27.

Winner: Chris Benoit
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This match was exciting and didn’t slow down throughout the whole thing. Benoit started things off quickly and it never really ramped down. I thought the action was good and both men went out and did a solid job. I have never been the biggest Jarrett guy, but this was a really good match. The ending was a little overbooked, but I liked the match.

After the match, Jarrett and Creative Control continue to absolutely pummel Benoit in the ring, who has to wrestle again later on.

Mike Tenay is backstage with Disco Inferno. He says that since Disco is putting up his title tonight, but before he can say a lot, Disco is attacked by Jarrett and Creative Control who were on their way to the back.

Disco Inferno (w/ Tony Marinara) (c) vs. Evan Karagias (w/ Madusa)

Disco also has put $25,000 on the line since he is so confident that Karagias doesn’t stand a chance. Obviously, he was just attacked backstage and he is shown crawling through the entranceway.

Karagias starts pounding on Disco in the aisleway and brings him in the ring for a dropkick. He continues to lay it into Disco and keeps him grounded. Disco gets a thumb to the eye and hits a shoulder block. They botch an arm drag before Karagias hits a nice crossbody off the second rope. He takes Disco over with a headscissors and tries it again, but he is dropped on the top rope instead. Disco kicks him in the corner and takes him down to the mat. Disco hits an Atomic Drop and takes him down with a clothesline. Disco hits a Brainbuster and seems to be fully recovered from the attack earlier. Disco throws him into the ropes, but is caught in a roll-up for a two count. Disco is up first and takes him down with a clothesline. Disco sets him up for a Powerbomb, but Karagias rolls out of it and gets a two-count. Disco hits a Russian Leg Sweep and slams him down to the mat again. Disco with an elbow off the second rope before picking up Karagias and throwing him over the top rope to the floor. Madusa walks over to help him and hits Disco with a dropkick to the midsection as Disco came off the apron with a double-ax. Karagias works him into the corner and hits a chop across the chest. Disco charges in but he is met with a Powerslam from Karagias. Disco gets his knees up on a splash, and the crowd is start to chant “boring”. Disco hits a DDT, but Karagias gets the shoulder up. Disco has an exchange with Madusa which ends in a slap across the face. Tony Marinara gets up and goes over to t Madusa, who is spurning his advances. Karagias goes to the outside to confront him. Disco comes around the ring with a chair, but he hits Marinara instead. Karagias takes Disco out in the ring with a Crossbody and wins the title after 8:28.

Winner and NEW WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Even Karagias
Match Rating: 1/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was alright, but there were some sloppy spots. They recovered nicely and at the end of the day, it wasn’t the worst match I have ever seen. I don’t know how I felt about the involvement of Marinara and Madusa, but I didn’t book it.

Backstage, Russo is yelling at Jarrett about squandering his chance. Russo said that he has tonight to prove he has what it takes.

“Mean” Gene Okerlund is backstage with Norman Smiley, who is frightened about his match tonight.

WCW Hardcore Title Match
Brian Knobbs (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. “Screamin” Norman Smiley

Smiley is rocking the Toronto Maple Leafs Jersey which gets a big pop from the hometown crowd.

Knobbs attacks Smiley with a broom as Smiley gets in the ring and smashes him with a trash can. He hits him with the lid and continues to pound on him in the corner. Knobbs hits him again before dragging him to the middle of the ring for more punishment. Knobbs comes off the top with the trash can, but Smiley rolls out of the way. Hart throws a new can into the ring, but Smiley catches it and smashes Knobbs with it. He hits him again before sticking him in the can and beating it with the stick. Smiley tries to Wiggle on Knobbs, but he gets clobbered. Knobbs starts to take off the goalie pads that Smiley is wearing while pounding on him while that is going on. Smiley grabs the can lid and smashes Knobbs with it. Smiley gets out of the ring and jumps on the back of Smiley, but he gets thrown off. Knobbs is out after Smiley and they make their way up the aisleway. Smiley continues to try and get away, but Knobbs is right behind him. They make their way to the back with Smiley taking advantage with a chair shot to the back. Smiley grabs a broom and smashes Knobbs with it. Knobbs comes back with a trash can to the head and starts to set up a table against the wall. Knobbs throws him into the table. Knobbs picks him up, but Smiley fights back and sends him into a sign. Smiley smashes him against the wall, but Knobbs comes back with a wooden crutch that is broken over Smiley. Knobbs throws him into some boxes while Smiley is screaming. Knobbs smashes him with some boxes before going into some himself. Hart is on top of a ladder and is throwing stuff at Smiley, which gives Knobbs the chance to come back. They open the elevator and both go inside. The door shuts and when it comes back open, Hart hits Knobbs with the trash can. Smiley falls on him to pick up the win after 7:29.

Winner and NEW WCW Hardcore Champion: Norman Smiley
Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was alright, but it was mostly chaos. Smiley was coming into his own and at this point, he was very entertaining. Knobbs is here because he is Hogan’s boy, but he was good for matches like this. It was a mess, but at least it was entertaining.

After the match, Knobbs attacks Smiley and Hart before walking away.

There is a package going over the feud between The Filthy Animals and The Revolution. Mike Tenay is backstage with the Revolution and Shane Douglas says that tonight The Filthy Animals better be careful. They go over what-ifs before Saturn goes into a tangent about Dinosaurs. Okerlund is backstage with The Filthy Animals and Konnan plays with Gene a little bit before he says that tonight, The Revolution is going down.

Disco Inferno is backstage with Tony Marinara and he is trying to plead with him. Marinara says he will be at Nitro and he is bringing everyone else.

Six-Person Elimination Tag Team Match
The Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman, Eddie Guerrero & Torrie Wilson) (w/ Konnan) vs. The Revolution (Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn & Asya) (w/ “The Franchise” Shane Douglas)

Douglas goes to commentary as Kidman and Guerrero run to the ring and take out all the members of The Revolution, including Asya. Kidman drops an elbow on Saturn as they send Malenko into the ropes and hits a double-team move on him. Guerrero takes out Malenko with a Back Body Drop before working him into the corner. Guerrero continues to pound on him before taking him out of the ring. Saturn comes out and wipes out both men with a splash. Kidman comes out next and wipes everyone else out with a splash of his own. A fan at ringside hits Malenko with a Canadian Flag at ringside and is taken out of the arena. In the ring, Asya and Torrie Wilson are squaring off in the ring. Kidman hits Asya with a Spinebuster and goes to check on Torrie in the corner, who is favoring her ankle and gets rolled up and pinned by Malenko. Malenko and Guerrero exchange blows in the ring before they hit a big knee drop on Guerrero. Konnan leaves the ringside area as Asya tags in the match and hits Guerrero with a Delayed Vertical Suplex. Malenko is back in and tries a suplex, but is rolled up for a two-count. Guerrero hits Malenko with a dropkick and a Hurricanrana and pins him. Saturn comes in the ring and hits Guerrero from behind. He hits him with a T-Bone Suplex before tagging Asya into the ring. Asya kicks Guerrero and takes him over with a suplex. She follows that up with a clothesline and holds Guerrero for Saturn to come in, but he kicks her by accident. With Asya down, Guerrero comes off the top with a Frog Splash and pins her. Saturn comes in immediately and gets a sleeper hold on Guerrero. Guerrero drops Saturn with a Jawbreaker but is soon on the move again. Guerrero sends him into the ropes before getting a sleeper of his own on. Saturn breaks it up with a Suplex and both men are down. They exchange before Guerrero hits him with a dropkick. Guerrero hits a Tornado DDT, but he only gets a two-count. Saturn gets Guerrero on his shoulders and hits The Death Valley Driver, but Guerrero gets a shoulder up at two. Douglas is calling slow count. Saturn goes up top and comes off with an elbow, but Guerrero rolls out of the way. Guerrero crawls over to the corner, but decides to fight Saturn himself. He hits a DDT and goes up top and hits Saturn with a Crossbody. Saturn rolls it over into the Rings of Saturn and Guerrero gives up, which means its just Torrie vs. Saturn. Saturn charges in to hit her but grabs her by the hair instead. Wilson hits Saturn with a low blow and nearly beats him. Wilson gets up, but Saturn hits her with a low blow and pins her to win the match after 11:15.

Winner(s): The Revolution
Match Rating: 2.25/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was good, but not great. Asya and Torrie Wilson weren’t really workers at the time, but Asya took a beating and handed out some solid moves. I had never been a fan of men beating up on women and vice versa, but it was a different time.

Right after the match, there is a backstage beating on Buff Bagwell from Jarrett and Creative Control. You guessed it, Bagwell has a match next.

Curt Hennig vs. Buff Bagwell

The loser of this match was “retire” from the wrestling industry. This is the second match so far that one of the guys had to recover from a beating just before their match. Jarrett and Creative Control come out to the ring and start beating on Hennig, but Bagwell comes out to clear the ring.

As his back is turned, Hennig hits Bagwell from behind. He works him into the corner and starts choking him. He hits Bagwell with a chop before pushing him into the ropes. He stomps on Bagwell and sends him to the outside of the ring. He sends Bagwell into the railing before trash-talking him on Heenan’s microphones. They get back on the apron, but Hennig is sent off and hits the railing himself. Bagwell sends him into the apron before he finds himself on the receiving end of a low blow. Hennig continues to work on him and sends Bagwell into the railing again. Hennig gets back in the ring, but is dropped across the top rope as Bagwell comes back in. He hits Hennig with some shots to the head before dropping a knee across the chest. Bagwell sends him to the other corner, but Hennig gets a foot to the face as he charges in. Hennig drops a leg in the groin on Bagwell and picks him up by the necklace. Hennig shoots him into the ropes and puts him in a Sleeper Hold. Bagwell gets back to his feet and tries to fight him off, but is taken down to the mat again with a high knee lift. Hennig picks him up and levels him with a chop across the chest. He hits a Scoop Slam on Bagwell before dropping an elbow. He sends Bagwell into the corner again and comes in with a clothesline. Bagwell starts to fight back with some fire and hits a Scoop Slam. He comes off the ropes with a splash, but Hennig rolls out of the way. Hennig tries an inside cradle for a two-count. Hennig hits a chop across the chest and sends him into the corner again. Bagwell finally gets the boot-up and hits Hennig with The Blockbuster to win the match after 7:47.

Winner: Buff Bagwell
Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: I have seen better matches from both guys, but they got the point across. It dragged at spots and they did a lot of the same moves, but overall, it was a solid enough match to send Hennig out on. Sure, there were plenty of other guys that could have been in that spot, but Bagwell did his part.

After the match, the Canadian fans are showing a lot of love for Hennig. He had put in a lot of years in the industry and this would actually be one of his last matches on a national scale.

Mike Tenay is backstage with Sting who says that Bret hart needs to know that it’s still showtime.

WCW Heavyweight Title Tournament Match
Bret “The Hitman” Hart vs. Sting

The fans are firmly behind Bret Hart here, which should shock no one. Sting is wearing a shirt and leather pants for this match, which is a change in his look.

They start things off by shoving each other in the corner and staring at each other. Hart takes Sting down with some shots to the head, but Sting fights out. Hart is after him and he starts pounding on Sting on the floor. Hart hits an elbow drop across the head and headbutts the groin of Sting. Hart hits an Atomic Drop and charges in, but Sting gets the foot up. He takes Hart down to the mat before he starts laying the boots on him. Sting sends Hart hard into the corner before Hart charges out and takes Sting down instead. He hits a suplex on Sting and tries to capitalize, but Sting hits him with a low blow. Sting hits Hart with a Scoop Slam and comes off the ropes to hit a leaping elbow. Hart fights back and comes off the ropes, but Sting takes him down to the mat again. Sting sends him out of the ring and slams his head against the announce desk. Sting comes in and tries to hit a Stinger Splash on the table, but Hart moves out of the way. Hart tries to send him into the trailing, but Sting reverses it and throws him in instead. Back in the ring, Sting throws Hart into the corner but he is taken down with a boot to the face. Sting grabs the referee and Hart comes off the top and takes them both out. Luger and Elizabeth hit the ring and he takes Sting out with a baseball bat. Hart attacks Luger from behind and puts him in the Sharpshooter. The referee gets to his feet and calls for the bell and awards the match to Hart. Hart argues with the referee and gets him to restart the match. Hart immediately starts pounding on Sting again and takes him down with a Russian Leg Sweep. He picks Sting up and hits a Backbreaker before climbing up top. He comes off, but Sting gets his foot up and takes Hart down to the mat. Sting puts Hart in the Scorpion Death Lock, but Hart pounds on the bad leg of Sting to escape. Hart turns it into the Sharpshooter and Sting taps out. The match went 9:27.

Winner: Bret “The Hitman” Hart
Match Rating: 3/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: The fans were so into Hart that it made the match enjoyable to watch. There was a little gaga in the middle, but I don’t think the match suffered. Sting did a really good job here and I thought they had a quality battle. As terribly booked as Hart was in WCW, he could still go in the ring. Now, it’ll be Canadian vs. Canadian for the Heavyweight Title.

Mike Tenay is backstage with Lex Luger who is wearing a neck collar from the injury he suffered mere moments ago. Luger said that he doesn’t think he can compete now tonight, but he doesn’t want to let the fans down and offers to write everyone who came to see him a personal check. What a heel.

Dog Collar Match brought to you by Electronic Arts (yes, that’s real)
Vampiro (w/ Jerry Only) vs. Berlyn (w/ The Wall)

Jerry Only is a member of the legendary (depending on who you ask) punk band The Misfits. As Berlyn gets in the ring, Jim Ross’s music hits, and here comes “Dr. Death” Steve Williams & Oklahoma. Oklahoma was the distasteful gimmick where writer Ed Farrera impersonated Jim Ross and his bouts with Bell Palsy. I think it goes without saying that making fun of someone that has any kind of affliction probably wasn’t the best idea, regardless of what year it was.

The bell sounds but Berlyn kicks the referee before he puts the chain on him. Vampiro kicks Berlyn but is taken out by The Wall. Jerry Only gets in the ring but is soon sent to the outside. The Wall continues to pound on Vampiro before dropping him across the top rope. Vampiro hits The Wall, but soon finds himself on the mat again. Berlyn continues to dominate Jerry Only on the outside, while Vampiro and The Wall are still going at it in the ring. Berlyn finally gets back in the ring and takes out Vampiro. The Wall pulls him back to chokeslam him and has the chain around his next now. He tries to pin Vampiro multiple times, but Berlyn pulls him off. The Wall throws the chain back at Berlyn, who gets kicked in the face by Vampiro. Vampiro puts him up top and comes off with a Superplex. Jerry Only gets in the ring and they hit Berlyn with a double-team Suplex where you can clearly hear someone count to three. Vampiro hits another move on Berlyn before wrapping the chain around Berlyn’s throat. Vampiro leans back and Berlyn gives up after 4:57.

Winner: Vampiro
Match Rating: DUD

Collective Thoughts: The collection of the booking of this match and Farrera’s really unfunny parody, made this was almost unwatchable. The Wall was as big of a part of this match as Berlyn was. Berlyn has lost almost every single big match he has been in since debuting the new gimmick. Way to get something over.

After the match, Dr. Death gets in the ring and wipes both guys out in the ring. He hits Vampiro with a suplex and slams Jerry Only to the mat.

Mike Tenay is backstage with Scott Hall, who is both The United States Champion and Television Champion. He says if anyone wants to face him tonight, but step up.

The Total Package (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Meng

Luger is out to the ring with the phony neck brace and all. I mentioned this last time, but Luger is simply going by The Total Package now, but I will continue to refer to him as Luger for his matches,

Meng starts hitting Package right way and works him into the corner before tearing his clothes off. Luger gets a thumb to the eye and hits Meng with a suplex. Meng comes back with a kick to the ribs and they both head to the outside. Meng sends him into the apron and hits a stiff chop across the chest. Luger takes Meng down with a clothesline, but he no-sells it and is right back to his feet. Meng tries to get the Tongan Death Grip on, but the neck brace keeps him from applying it. Luger comes back with a clothesline as Meng is distracted by Elizabeth. Luger sends him into the ropes and hits a Powerslam for a two-count. He pounds on Meng in the corner and gets a couple of back rakes in. He pounds Meng into the corner, but that only wakes him up. Luger tries a flurry of offense, but Meng no-sells all of it and takes Luger down to the mat. He keeps him grounded before covering him for a two-count. He works Luger over to the ropes and Elizabeth sprays something in Luger’s eyes by accident. Meng takes advantage and takes the neck brace off of Luger. He gets the Tongan Death Drip on and pins Luger after 5:23.

Winner: Meng
Match Rating: .5/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This match was very whatever, but compared to the match before it, I had to upgrade the rating a tad. At least this had some kind of story and was easy to follow along with. The match as a whole wasn’t very good, although I did enjoy the storytelling of Luger wearing the neck brace to avoid being hit with the Tongan Death Grip.

Gene Okerlund is backstage with Bret Hart and he asks him about wrestling Benoit tonight. Hart says they are going to put their friendship aside and the best man will win the title tonight.

David Flair is shown backstage getting ready for his match tonight against Kimberly Page.

Scott Hall was supposed to take on Rick Steiner, but he was taken out. That gave Hall both The United States and Television Title. He comes out and does his typical Scott Hall deal, which is super over. Hall says that he doesn’t enjoy anything more than beating people up in Toronto. He said that he called Kevin Nash and he is on his way. He says if anyone wants to come out and challenge him then do so. Booker T.’s music hits prematurely and stops, effectively ruining the surprise, but it plays and he makes his way down to the ring.

WCW United States and Television Title Match
Scott Hall (c) vs. Booker T.

They lock up with Hall getting the early advantage working on the arm. Hall flips him over to the mat before slapping him on the top of the head. Booker comes back and takes Hall down to the mat with a sidekick. Booker works him into the corner and hits some chops across the chest. He charges in, but Hall gets the boot to the face. Booker hits a Sidewalk Slam as he comes back out, but Hall pulls him into the turnbuckle before he can capitalize. He sends Booker into the ropes, but Booker comes back with a forearm across the head that sends Hall out to the floor. Back in the ring, Hall kicks Booker in the midsection and hits a Chokeslam for a two-count. Hall sends Booker into the ropes and Booker tries a crossbody, but Hall catches him and hits a Fallaway Slam. Hall slams Booker into the stars at ringside before rolling him back into the ring. Hall hits a shot to the head that sends Booker to the mat. He sends him into the ropes and slaps him in a Sleeper Hold. Booker hits a Suplex to break the hold and a Scissors Kick in the ring that takes Hall out while Jarrett and Creative Control makes their way out to the ring. Jarrett distracts the referee as the other guys get in the ring and attack Booker. Hall hits him with the Outsiders Edge and picks up the win after 6:04.

Winner and STILL WCW United States and Television Champion: Scott Hall
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This match was solid because both of these guys could go in the ring. Obviously, Hall was on the downslope of his career, but Booker was starting to find his groove and was getting over with the crowd. The miscue with the music messed up the pop that Booker would have gotten, but what can you do. I won’t nitpick much else about it.

After the match, the lights go out and there is a muscular woman is in the ring. Her name is Midnight and she takes out both Harris Brothers and helps Booker out of the jam. That had to be one of the quietest pops for a lights-out gimmick I can remember.

Luger is backstage looking for Elizabeth.

There is a package for the next match between David Flair and Kimberly. Vince Russo told Kimberly that she is still under contract and if she didn’t want to be a manager anymore, she will have to wrestling like everyone else.

David Flair vs. Kimberly

Flair walks over to the corner, but Kimberly hits him with a low blow. Flair is unaffected because he had a cup on and he walks over and grabs the crowbar before taking the referee out with it. He walks over to Elizabeth slowly, who is on her knees at this point. She suggests something sexual and he lets his guard down. She starts to put her hand up to his shirt and tears the cup out that he had in. Kimberly hits him with the cup and starts choking him on the mat. Flair shoves her away and she is in the corner again. Kanyon hits the ring and takes Flair out from behind with a Russian Leg Sweep. He checks on Kimberly before dropping Flair again. Here comes DDP and he hits Flair with a Diamond Cutter. He pulls Flair over to the ropes and grabs the crowbar, but Arn Anderson hits the ring and pulls it away from him. Anderson checks on Flair as DDP and Kimberly leave the ring and I guess it’s over? It went 4:55

Winner: No Contest
Match Rating: DUD

Collective Thoughts: Why was this Nitro angle on a Pay-Per-View? That’s a great question, but Russo was in charge of it all. This “match” didn’t have anything going on other than Kimberly being on offense and other people getting involved. To position this match where it is was questionable, but the whole match was as well.

After the match, Flair hits Anderson with the crowbar from behind and leaves through the crowd. Anderson is helped to the back via a stretcher.

I Quit Match
Goldberg vs. Sid Vicious

These two have had a couple of matches leading up to this, including last month at Halloween Havoc where the match was stopped due to blood loss.

The match starts quickly with Sid pounding on Goldberg. He sends him into the ropes, but Goldberg ducks under and slams him down to the mat. That was impressive. They fight to the outside where Goldberg pounds on Sid and throws him into the railing. They roll back into the ring where Sid gets back on top with a Cobra Clutch slam. He takes Goldberg down with a clothesline and works him over the corner for some smashes across the chest. He works him down to the mat and he starts to choke him with his boot. He throws him into the ropes again and hit Goldberg with a big chokeslam. He picks Goldberg up for a second one and he hits it. Sid chokes Goldberg and tells the referee to ask him. Goldberg rolls out and gets an armbar on Sid. The fans are chanting “Goldberg sucks” as he starts to make his comeback. There are audible boos as he takes Sid down to the mat and continues to pound on him. Goldberg hits some shots to the head in the corner and hits some body blows. He locks Sid up and gets him on the mat with a Cobra Clutch and the referee calls for the bell after 5:30.

Winner: Goldberg
Match Rating: DUD

Collective Thoughts: This match was fun with a lot of power moves, but the ending was horrific. I know they were in a position where they didn’t want either man to lose, but that ending fell flat and the crowd hated it. I did too.

Okerlund is backstage with Luger who is still looking for Elizabeth. He says that he doesn’t get mad, he gets even.

WCW Heavyweight Title Match
Bret “The Hitman” Hart vs. Chris Benoit

Both of these men are Canadian and both have had matches earlier in the night. These two had a great match earlier in the year in dedication to Bret’s brother Owen and they are ready to lock it up again here.

They shake hands as the bell sounds. They lock up with Hart working Benoit into the corner. Benoit fights out and starts to try and works Hart down to the mat. Hart works him down to the mat and takes control of Benoit’s arm. Benoit gets back to his feet and takes Hart down with a knee to the gut. He snaps Hart over and keeps him grounded on the mat this time. Hart gets back to his feet and shoots Benoit into the ropes. He ducks a clothesline and takes Benoit down to the mat where he nearly gets him in the Sharpshooter. He gets Benoit back into the corner and continues to pound on him there. He tries to send Benoit to the other corner, but Benoit reverses and throws him into it chest-first. The fan that hit someone with a flag earlier is back and he starts hitting Benoit with the flag. Turns out this time it was Dean Malenko. He gets taken away as Hart hits a devastating Piledriver in the ring. He drops a leg across the throat and stomps down on the chest of Benoit. Benoit fights out of the corner with some chops across the chest and hits a clothesline for a two-count. He lifts Hart up with a Back Body Drop and sends him down to the mat. He hits Hart with another Suplex before covering him for a two-count. Hart comes back with an elbow and a DDT for a two-count. He sends Benoit into the ropes and tries to get him in a Tombstone, but Benoit reverses it and hits one of his own. He signals for the end and comes off the top with the Diving Headbutt, but here comes Scott Hall and Kevin Nash out to the ring. Hall hits the referee and they both take turns destroying Benoit. Goldberg comes out to the ring to absolutely no pop and is soon taken out with a chair to the back by Hall. Hart takes out Hall as Goldberg and Benoit are on the inside.

Hart continues to pound on Hall and Nash as they retreat to the back. Goldberg follows them out and attacks them from behind. He beats them up all the way to the back while in the ring, Benoit takes Hart down to the mat. He starts working on the leg of Hart and keeps him grounded. They show a split-screen of both fights going on as Benoit takes hart down to the mat again. He continues to stomp on the leg of Hart and drags him over the corner for some more punishment. Benoit takes Hart down to the mat again before slapping on The Figure Four Leg Lock. Hart gets to the ropes to break the hold and Benoit is quickly back to his feet. He pounds on Hart in the corner, but Hart soon finds himself making a comeback. Hart hits a Backbreaker, but Benoit kicks out at two. They go up to the top rope and Hart hits a beautiful Superplex for a two-count. He hits Benoit with a Russian Leg Sweep for another near fall. Benoit slowly makes his way to his feet, but Hart is there to take him down again. Hart tried a slam, but Benoit falls on him to score a two-count. Benoit slides to the outside to regroup and reverses a suplex into two German Suplexes. He tries to get The Crippler Crossface on, but Hart fights out. They roll around before Hart gets him in the Sharpshooter and wins the title after 17:44.

Winner and NEW WCW Heavyweight Champion: Bret Hart
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was an awesome main event that felt like it was a big deal. Bret Hart was so good in the ring even in the later years of his career and Benoit took him to the limit. The fans were into it heavily and it made the match that much more enjoyable. Bret Hart winning the title here had to be emotional after losing Owen earlier in the year, and it was nice to see him have one more title reign before the end.

After the match, the pyro goes off and Hart celebrates in the ring as the crowd cheers on and the show goes off the air.

Overall Show Rating: 4.5 out of 10

This show had some bright spots on it and finally had a Heavyweight Title match that lived up to its billing. I really liked both of Benoit’s matches and thought he was the MVP on the night. Hart should have been champion way before this, but this was his time. Not to give any spoilers, but it lasts all of about a month. There were also a lot of down moments on this show, including some stuff that was nearly unwatchable. Russo may have had some ideas that were good, but most of the stuff on this show was a miss. You can definitely feel a shift though where matches are shorter and storylines take center stage. That’s what TV is for, but what do I know. I thought it was better than Halloween Havoc, but not by much.

What did you think of WCW Mayhem 1999? Did you love it or hate it? Did you watch it live or later on? Either way, keep the conversation going over @collectiveheel on Twitter, and let me know your thoughts. Take care of yourselves and each other. I will be back soon enough with some more Collective Thoughts.