10 Great Wrestling Matches You Didn’t Know You Wanted
6. Booker T Vs. Lance Storm - WCW Monday Nitro, August 7, 2000
This will read as facetious, given more people watched Nitro then than watch RAW now, but did anybody want to watch any WCW match in the year 2000? WCW barely promoted matches; the in-ring action served only as pretext to swerve turns, or was otherwise incidental to brain-melting worked shoot f*ckery.
Hidden gems studded the PPV land, but TV?
And, of course, when you reach the WWE Network time stamp, the first thing you see isn’t the two competitors making their way to the ring. The first thing you see is Mike Awesome on commentary, with a rotund woman by his side, under his guise as the ‘Fat Chick Thriller’. And then you hear Mark Madden, who absolutely cannot shut his mouth, and you’ll want to turn off.
But don’t.
The fans, worked by Storm’s Canadian patriot act, get firmly behind Booker T as he races past Storm’s chain wrestling. And then the camera cuts away to capture the really important bit: some f*cking guy delivering a platter of beef sandwiches to Awesome’s lover.
Come back.
Storm drills Booker with a spectacular leapfrog crossbody. The camera then cuts to Awesome’s girlfriend complaining that she wants donuts, not sandwiches.
Come back.
Booker just scissor kicked Storm’s head off, but Storm kicks out in an awesome near-fall. Booker then reversed another top rope crossbody with a seamless, thudding power slam. This is great now. Storm recovers to grind Booker in a half crab. Booker nearly decapitates him again in the comeback. Storm kicks out! Again! This is amazing! Missile dropkick! Kickout! The blood is really pumping now.
If only this thrilling wrestling match was emphasised as the thing we need to pay attention to an a pro wrestling show!