We are about a month into the Eric Bischoff/Vince Russo era in WCW, which for the rest of this column will be referred to as "Ruschoff." While the ratings numbers don't necessarily reflect any major changes, it is obvious that an attempt is being made to spice things up a bit. For the first three weeks of Ruschoff, I honestly had problems deciding when to change the channel back over to RAW. I honestly thought WCW was on to something good.

However, the ratings from May 1 are a different story. RAW plunger-raped Nitro 7.4 to 2.5. Obviously, the David Arquette experiment is not working. Obviously, the fans are losing interest in the Hulk Hogan/Billy Kidman feud. There are plenty of other things that WCW has been doing to ruin its chances to steal a few viewers away from the WWF. But there are three things I think have potential to work out if WCW is patient.

1. Sting vs. Vampiro: OK, so the "graveyard match" fiasco kind of killed this feud a little bit in my eyes. BUT, I still have been more impressed with this storyline than any other that Ruschoff has given us so far in this New Blood vs. Millionaire's Club feud. The only other gripe I have with this is that there was really no other explanation as to why the "Brothers in Paint" dissolved other than that Vamp was proving his worth to the NB.

Vamp has been criticized (and rightly so) for his horrible mic skills. Since turning heel, however, he has been able to tap into the natural dark side that his character gives him and has been able to channel that dark aura into some pretty good heel promos. This improvement has made Vampiro a more believable character, sort of like the Mankind to Sting's Undertaker.

Speaking of the Stinger, he really has taken on a sort of Undertaker-esque role in this feud. That "WCW runs through my veins" speech really could be something UT could say in the WWF, given that both men are the undeniable "Franchises" of their respective organizations. What Sting should have done after his "bloodbath" two weeks ago was to go back to his 1997 "silent assassin" character and just stalk Vamp, using signs like the crow and other mind games. After the graveyard match, that could be the direction Sting is headed, and I surely hope that is the case.

In terms of in-ring skill, Sting has been mailing it in as of late. However, putting him in there with an extremely talented young star like Vampiro could be the force that gets him to put his working shoes on again and lace 'em up real tight! Their match at Slamboree should be interesting, much like the rest of the "Brothers in Paint" feud has been.

2. Pushing Billy Kidman: Little did we know that Hulk Hogan's worked-shoot promo on the "Best of Thunder" episode before the return of Ruschoff would set off the most unlikely feud of 2000. What seemed to be just a passing thought in Hogan's endless self-serving rant turned into the fuel for a pretty interesting storyline so far.

When Billy Kidman actually called Hogan out on that infamous April 10 Nitro, I almost defecated in my pants. When Kidman began kicking the defecation out of Hogan's own pants, I was near orgasmic! Granted, Hogan has dominated the feud as of late, it is still great to see Mr. Bollea actually selling for a smaller guy (well, one not named "Savage" or "Flair"). Who knew Kidman had such good mic skills? We obviously didn't, because all the other WCW regimes never gave him enough of a chance to display them.

I like the idea of elevating Kidman, but I think WCW should have started by having him feud with a guy like Kevin Nash or DDP and then work his way up to Hogan. By possibly getting wins over those guys, he could then better prove that he is more than just a top contender for the Flea Market Championship. WCW was obviously going for instant shock value, and they got it. As long as Kidman comes away with a win at Slamboree, the last few weeks will not be a waste. If Hogan wins, then we know whose ego kept things from going the way the fans want to see them go.

3. Introducing us to Mike Awesome: So, WCW signing Mike Awesome away from ECW was not exactly a surprise to most Internet wrestling observers. So what? After a less-than-impressive debut on April 10, when legal issues with ECW kept Awesome from making as big a splash as WCW wanted, the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion has really made up for it in my eyes.

OK, maybe part of my support for Awesome stems from the very candid conversation I had with him in the hotel bar following Thunder in Syracuse last week, but there is more to it than a personal liking for the guy. Plainly put, the man has an offensive arsenal that no other big man I have ever seen could ever develop. Most big men have the powerbomb as their finisher, but nobody does as many variations of it like Awesome does.

The "Awesome Bomb" is kind of like the Diamond Cutter - there's more than one way to deliver it. In that one night in Syracuse, I saw him put two jobbers through tables (flashing back to his ECW days), Kanyon through the announce table, and then a running version on Booker T. Last week on Nitro, he executed his top-rope variation on Hogan, and followed that up on Monday by putting the Hulkster through another table!

By feuding him with Nash and having him give Hogan several vicious beatings, WCW is building Mike Awesome up as quite the ass-kicker. It is a role he told me he relishes. Like I told him, WCW needs a guy who kicks ass and doesn't care! Give Awesome time to develop in his new surroundings, and I'm sure you will soon see a big man who does the powerbomb that fans actually WANT to see pushed (Sorry, Sid! Sorry, Kev!).

There you have it. I could probably think of a few more things, but I think I have occupied your time long enough. WCW is in a rough situation, and these three things I mentioned are the bright spots that shine through all the crap.

Back to the Main Page

Back to the Columns Index