WCW UK Tour Report, Manchester, 12 March 2000

1 Norman Smiley beat Brian Knobs in a Hardcore Match:

It wasn't long before rubbish bins were used in this violent battle! Smiley was put through the announcer's desk, but shot back with a fire extinguisher! Smiley eventually got the pin, after nailing Knobs with a chair.

2 The Wall pinned David Flair with Daffney:

As Brian Knobs left the ring, The Wall made his entrance. The Wall dominated Flair until Daffney distracted the referee and David used a crowbar on the former bodyguard. But even this wasn't enough to stop The Wall. He quickly recovered and nailed Flair with a choke-slam for the 1-2-3.

Then, Miss Hancock arrived and danced for the crowd. Unfortunately, The Harris Boys showed up and took her away again!

3 Hacksaw Jim Duggan retained the TV Title against Fit Finlay:

Hacksaw smashed his 2x4 into Finlay's steel chair to retain the title for the second time.

Next, Bret Hart appeared again and received a warm welcome from the Manchester crowd. He even found time to shake hands with and talk to his fans.

After the interval, The Nitro Girls returned and did "The Big Wiggle" with Smiley again!

4 Vampiro and Curt Hennig defeated Team Package:

Once again, Nash banned Liz from ringside. Hennig and Flair locked up first, but Liz soon returned. Buff Bagwell took the bat of her, and Vampiro and Curt scored a double pin- Hennig pinned Flair and "Vamp" pinned Luger.

5 Dustin Rhodes pinned Terry Funk:

When they finally returned to the ring, Rhodes nailed Funk with a vicious chair shot. While the referee's back was turned, Rhodes hit Funk with a foreign object and got the win. More crazy chicken antics soon followed.

6 Booker T beat Jeff Jarrett via DQ in a US Title Match:

In what should've been the main event (but wasn't), Jeff Jarrett defended his US belt against Booker T. Booker avoided a guitar shot from Jarrett, who jumped from the turnbuckle with the instrument in hand. However, he couldn't stop Jeff from nailing him with the US belt, which gave Booker the win by DQ, but didn't get him the title.

7 The Mamalukes retained the Tag Titles against The Harris':

This match should never have been a main event. No wonder the Manchester crowd were stunned. The champions eventually retained the belts, following a referee bump and some illegal double- teaming from the Harris Boys.

Analysis

I thought that the WCW UK Tour in March was good enough on the whole, with London staging the best card of all. Sure, the tour had its faults but all the workers tried their best and put on a good show. With all the big names on the sidelines, March wasn't the best time of the year to hit the UK. I certainly felt that I got value for money with the London show.

Click here for the Newcastle results from November 2000!