WCW's Final Year

Nitro Show opens with a 10 bell salute and graphic for the passing of Gordon Solie. Then we go to a package putting over Booker as a fighting champion and the countless times of overcoming the odds, and we see what happened on Thunder when Jarrett injured his knee, and questions how much longer Booker can hold out. Then we go to footage from earlier today, where Booker and his wife arrived at the arena, Booker with a noticeable limp as she tries to talk him out of it. Then we go live to the FirstStar Center in Cincinnati, Ohito for this episode of Nitro. Speaking of Booker, he's out to start the show as we're welcomed by Schiavone. He says that fans probably think he's crazy, bad knee and all, and some say he won't last or survive including his wife, but as he's said before they're gonna have to kill him before they take the belt from him. He talks about guys in the back who were never given chances, because maybe others had their lips wrapped around the boss...

Nitro - Lance Storm beats Vito in a title vs title match, winning the Hardcore Championship and retaining the Canadian Heavyweight Championship - Goldberg challenges Booker to a World Title Match, and though Booker accepts, Cat leaves it to the fans at home to vote on a challenger. - Loco and Guns beat David and Hancock after a roll up from Guns - Jarrett demands a World Title shot, but gets a Tag Title shot instead - Sting promises to remove his mask covering his burns and doesn't care what the booking committee has to say - Goldberg promises to take out whoever wins the vote if he doesn't - Bryan Clark is attacked before his title defense, so Adams defends against Jarrett in a singles match, until Clark returns. Match is a no contest after they put the ref through the announce table. - Vamp talks Cat into giving him a match with Muta, but it's just a set it to lay out Cat. - Sting wins the vote, but he's attacked by Goldberg, who takes his place. Goldberg wins the mat...

Nitro No recap video this week as we go right to the arena, live from the Convocation Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Tony welcomes us to the show and Storm is out immediately with a mic in hand. He says that now that he's the Canadian Heavyweight Champion, he thinks it appropriate that everyone rises for his national anthem. He gets it played in full this week and a flag drops down from the rafters. He continues, saying he's upset at the lack of respect the fans have been showing him, and would have thought that with no recognizable heroes of their own anymore, they'd support a role model like him. Meanwhile Hudson on commentary suggest Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong as better role models, which is fucking funny in hindsight. Storm says its not his fault that the moral standards in the country are at an all-time low. Just wait another 20 years, Lance. He says it's not his fault that all great champions come from Canada, and tells them to blame themselves. Apparently Storm ...