10 Craziest Wrestling Moments That Ever Happened Live
8. David Arquette Wins WCW World Title
The co-star of WCWs horrible, horrible wrestling flick, Ready To Rumble in 2000, actor David Arquette was a major wrestling fan, and had been for most of his life. Hanging out on WCW television was a dream come true except, funnily enough, when he was asked to become WCW world heavyweight champion. Worked into a feud with Eric Bischoffs New Blood stable, Arquette found himself backed up by Chris Kanyon and the WCW world heavyweight champion Diamond Dallas Page in beating Bischoff in a match on Nitro on the 24th April 2000. But that was fine: a non-wrestler beating a non-wrestler? Not a problem, except for it being a colossal waste of the crowds time. It was the following episode of Thunder that caused the stink. In a tag match with a bizarre and unique stipulation, DDP and Arquette would face Jeff Jarrett and Bischoff and whoever took the pin would take the WCW world heavyweight title. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r69iV2RfEQg As you can see in the above clip, Arquette speared Bischoff, dragged him back into the centre of the ring and pinned him just as Jarrett was pinning DDP: a ref pelted into the ring, lunged for Arquettes side of the ring, and counted to three, calling for the bell and handing Arquette the gold. DDP had lost the title to his own tag team partner, who pinned someone else. Vince Russos justification for the booking decision was the amount of mainstream publicity that it would create for WCW, and it certainly did for all the wrong reasons. WCW was a laughing stock. TV ratings didnt bump up as a consequence, and Arquettes only pay-per-view defence of the title (which he lost to Jarrett after swerving on Page) was at Slamboree on May 7th, which did about the same numbers as theyd been doing all year. Arquette didnt want to be champion, but DDP who was horrified at the idea of a non-wrestler winning their biggest title and was initially convinced that Russo was ribbing him was forced to tell him that if he refused, the angle simply wouldnt be run with Arquette Russo would find another D-list actor to put the belt on. Arquette acquiesced, but gave all of the money he earned from WCW to the late Owen Hart and Brian Pillmans families, and to Darren Drozdov, whod just been paralysed in a WWE ring. Classy guy.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
