The Last Day of

While speaking with my friend Tim about the details of the Death of WCW book and trying to find out if I'd want to buy it I started wondering about what WCW really looked like at the end, before the actual Final Nitro on March 26, 2001.  So I went and found out the card of the Final Thunder, which was the Thursday before.  Now disregarding results and the show itself, on paper it's one sweet sweet card.  I kid you not... check this one out.

AJ Styles & Air Paris vs. Jimmy Yang & Kaz Hayashi
EZ Money vs. Kid Kash
Chris Kanyon and Road Warrior Animal vs. Ernest "The Cat" Miller and Ice Train
Rick Steiner vs. Hugh Morrus
Elix Skipper, (Kid) Romeo and Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Shane Helms
Chuck Palumbo vs. Mike Awesome
Dustin Rhodes vs. Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner (handicap match as booked by commissioner Ric Flair)

Analyzing it as if the card hadn't yet happened and not taking time period and mood at the time into factor, we have three amazing cruiser matches with some of the top talented Cruisers in the world PERIOD that would promise amazing spots and lots of good mat and technical stuff. Two top technicians against each other (Steiner and DeMott), if both bring their A-game could be a classic. Two top power workers against each other (Awesome and Palumbo). Then there's the two other matches on the card... sure that tag match has Kanyon, but can he really carry those other three? Pushing it hard there...although Miller is always good for humor and Animal and Train would work some good power, but ultimately that one is a mess on paper. Then there's the main event, which ultimately is an angle match in which Steiner and Jarrett will pound the hell out of Dustin who won't go down without a fight so that the feud can be over and prove that even if you lose a PPV match, you can lose a feud. Still, all in all... doesn't sound that bad of a show.

Of course, we're talking about WCW right before it's last show EVER... and it's bad. Shane Douglas attacks Steiner. The results site is down now, but I believe Lance Storm interferes which brings down Sean O'Haire. I believe the cruiser matches just go down as matches though, with Money (although he was called Jason Jett at the time, so we lose the actual funness (sic) of it being Money) vs. Cash being top notch.

The show in the end was basically a set-up for what've been final feud matches on Nitro, which were to be Rick Steiner vs. Douglas, (this one didn't happen, replaced with a three way to decide who would face Cruiserweight tag champs Skipper & Romeo) Awesome & Storm vs. Palumbo & O'Haire, and Booker T vs. Scott Steiner (for the world title).

In the end though, despite WCW about to die... their last few shows had a good mix or bad and good. It wasn't a total miserable disaster to watch at the end. They actually was re-finding their niche and making good programming before the axe. Who knows what could've been? I point to NWA-TNA for a POSSIBLE answer... but not a complete one.