Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 148: Booker T. vs. Scott Steiner vs. Mike Awesome (Nitro 10/30/00)

A three way with the principles from our last match and the man who was on commentary, Booker T. I’ll bite on this, it could be decent.

Booker T is the world champ, and even though the ship was sinking at this point and I barely watched, I still bought Booker as a great young champ. Had I known he would go on to be a pretend Brit king, I don’t know that I would have felt similar. I am realizing that this is apparently not set up to be a three way, since Awesome isn’t out there. Great, a mid match angle. That stuff only ever work with already over characters and structure in the original ECW. I’d rather be watching old ECW, come to think of it.

Scott Steiner, of all people, is creating movement and selling in this match. He looks better than Booker at times, but either way, he cooperating. Steiner curses a lot in these late Nitro matches.
Awesome is out two minutes in with no explanation as to why they waited. He clears the ring of Steiner to no reaction. Why are there two babyfaces beating up this one heel? Regardless, Steiner is motivated as heel and Booker’s offense looks good tonight. Awesome being sprinkled in for power stuff here and there could be fine if it’s not overstated. Awesome was not over a a face what-so-ever. Good spots between all three men, often tossing one out so the other two can work. Awesome and Steiner have an ugly section outside, and that includes a chair shot for no reason and no consequence.

They slow down and sell, but I think they’ve lost the fire, and the crowd doesn’t carry the slow parts. I wonder, with a hotter crowd, in a better setting (say WWF at the same time period), how much more or less I’d like this match. I’d assume more, especially with a hot crowd and Jim Ross call. It’s fairly good as it is. Steiner decimates Awesome and puts him in the recliner. Booker knocks out Steiner with a kick, and hits the Book End on Awesome for the pin in 9 minutes. This might be the best you can do in the last year of WCW. 3 ¼ and 6.2/10.