Arms and legs flaying. Bones snapping. Muscles tearing. Bodies flying. WCWis World War Three sixty-man, three ring, battle royal resembled your regular soccer game riot. Broadcast from The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, this year’s special brand of canvass chaos had a extraordinary prize awaiting the battered and bruised winner: a shot at the WCW World Title strap on February 19th, 1998, at SuperBrawl 8.F or WCW it was reoccurring nightmare as Hollywood Hogan is New World Order (nWo) once again tore up the World War Three rule book scoring themselves a tainted win. The last four men left in the turbulent competition symbolized the grievous turf war that is erupted between the loyal WCW forces and the nWo thugs. The Giant and Diamond Dallas Page faced off against Scott Hall and Randy Savage. As if it were planned that way, DDP and Savage continued their lengthy feud while The Giant smothered Hall. As Savage prepared to land his Flying Elbow Smash, The Giant stepped in harm’s way shielding a weakened Page. Throwing caution to the wind, Savage flew. The Giant caught him in his big mitts setting him up for DDP’s Diamond Cutter.
Page began pushing Savage out of the ring to eliminate him from the bout. Signaling for the Choke Slam, The Giant blocked Page’s efforts and brought the curtain down on Savage’s bid himself. The two superstars glared at Scott Hall. The member of the nWo’s Outsider tag team with partner Kevin Nash (forfeiting his place in the battle royal by not showing up) retreated into the second ring.
The crowd and the wrestlers stood in shock as nWo music blasted through the house speakers. To everyone’s surprise it was not Kevin Nash finally coming to assist his partner but the leader of the nWo himself, Hollywood Hogan. Even though he was not officially entered into World War Three, Hogan pummeled Page and Hall went to work unsuccessfully on The Giant. The refs sold the interference by twiddling their thumbs.
Next, it was the commentators turn to sell, sell, sell, as a figure way too tall and way too big to be Sting dropped from the ceiling toting a baseball bat and wearing Sting’s Crow-like outfit. The impostor nailed The Giant with the baseball bat knocking him out of the ring. Hogan hurled out a shattered Diamond Dallas Page cinching Scott Hall’s victory.
Hogan fled the ring at the sight of his supposed arch enemy. The phony Sting pulled off his mask revealing the grinning face of Outsider Kevin Nash underneath. In the post-match celebration, Hogan gave Page his own Diamond Cutter. (Full elimination order at the bottom of this report.)
The next WCW pay-per-view is Starrcade on December 28th. The main event will be the much-anticipated Sting versus Hollywood Hogan match.
WCW World War Three ’97 Results
Glacier / Ernest Miller Vs The Faces Of Fear
: At 9:05, Ernest Miller chops Jimmy Hart on the apron. Meng locks on the Death Grip from behind for the win.
Winners: The Faces Of Fear at 9 minutes and 10 seconds.
Disco Inferno (challenger) Vs Saturn (champion) (WCW Television Title Match)
: Before the match Raven says…Let the stretchings begin!
: Disco tries a flying body press from the top rope. Saturn catches and rolls him into his Rings Of Saturn submission move.
Winner: …and still WCW Television Champion…Saturn at 8 minutes and 7 seconds..
Yuji Nagata Vs The Ultimo Dragon
: If Dragon wins he gets five minutes alone with Sonny Ono in the ring.
: At 11:45, The Dragon clamps on his sleeper hold. Nagata taps out but Ono distracts the ref.
: Attempting a reverse-suplex, Dragon hits Ono with Nagatais leg. Nagata rolls on Dragon for the pin.
Winner: Yuji Nagata at 12 minutes and 42 seconds.
Steve Regal / Dave Taylor (challengers) Vs The Steiner Brothers (champions) (WCW Tag Team Title Match)
: Someone holds a sign saying…Welcome home Rick and Scott.
: The Steiners execute the top rope bulldog turning the lights out on Dave Taylor.
Winners: …and still WCW Tag Team Champions…The Steiner Brothers at 10 minutes and 53 seconds.
Scotty Riggs Vs Raven
: WCW Executive Committee Chairman, Doug Dillinger, announces that if Raven doesnit sign a contract in 24 hours with WCW he will be asked to leave the promotion. (Yeah. Sure.)
: Someone waves a Respect Bret (Hart) sign on camera.
: Because of Raven’s insistence on No DQ rules, both men use steel chairs and mic cables in the encounter.
: Raven crumples Riggs with three DDTs in succession screaming in Riggs’ face..”I didnit want to do this. Why didnit you join us? I feel your pain”.
: At 8:16, Riggs fails to get up after the ref lays down a ten count.
: Hammer and Raven’s Flock carry Riggs out of the building unconscious.
Winner: At 8:16, Raven.
Steve McMichael Vs Alex Wright
: McMichael comes down the ring with a steel pipe saying he punked Bill Goldberg. Nice try, Steve. Everyone knows that Goldberg is nursing a REAL injury.
: Mongo is once again wearing his Super Bowl ring.
: Debra hauls out Alex Wright to battle Mongo.
Winner: Mongo plants Wright with the Mongo Spike Piledriver at 3 minutes and 34 seconds..
Rey Mysterio Jr. (challenger) Vs Eddie Guerrero (champion) (WCW Cruiserweight Title Match)
Winner: ..and still WCW Cruiserweight Title Match…Eddie Guerrero with the Frog Splash at 12 minutes and 44 seconds.
Ric Flair (challenger) Vs Curt Hennig (champion) (WCW U.S. Title Match)
: At 16:38, Flair brings a chair and the U.S. title into the ring. He atomic drops Hennig on the chair. With Hennig’s leg trapped in the chair, Flair stomps on it.
: Flair wraps up Hennig in the Figure Four at 18:08 but Hennig bashes Flair with the U.S. title belt knocking him out.
Winner: …and still WCW U.S. champion…Curt Hennig at 18 minutes and 27 seconds.
- 1). Bismark Jr. (27 seconds)
- 2). Disco Inferno (27 seconds)
- 3). Vilano I (27 seconds)
- 4). Vilano II (27 seconds)
- 5). Louie Spicolli (27 seconds)
- 6). La Parka (1:12)
- 7). Norman Smiley (1:20)
- 8). Johnny Grunge (1:47)
- 9). El Dandy (2:22)
- 10). Bobby Blaze (2:50)
- 11). Brad Armstrong (5:33)
- 12). Silver King (6:09)
- 13). Damien (6:44)
- 14). Prince Iaukea (8:22)
- 15). Ugi Nagata (8:36)
- 16). Renegade (9:25)
- 17). Wrath (9:25)
- 18). Chris Jericho (10:11)
- 19). Greg Valentine (11:33)
- 20). Chris Adams (13:45)
- 21). The Belfast Bruiser (14:22)
- 22). Dave Taylor (14:48)
- 23). Chris Benoit (15:11)
- 24). Dean Malenko (15:19)
- 25). Hacksaw Duggan (15:56)
- 26). Ernest Miller (16:06)
- 27). The Barbarian (16:16)
- 28). Eddie Guerrero (16:40)
- 29). Ray Traylor (17:03)
- 30). Barry Darsaw (17:14)
- 31). Steve McMichael (17:44)
- 32). Mortis (17:50)
- 33). Alex Wright (17:50)
- 34). Scott Steiner (18:15)
- 35). Stevie Ray (18:36)
- 36). Meng (18:57)
- 37). Vincent (20:57)
- 38). Booker T (21:32)
- 39). Rick Steiner (21:38)
- 40). Buff Bagwell (22:53)
- 41). Curt Hennig (23:04)
- 42). Lex Luger (23:04)
- 43). Macho Man (25:06)
- 44). Diamond Dallas Page (28:00)
- 45). Hollywood Hogan (29:34) (not officially in match)
- 46). The Giant (29:56)
- Also eliminated but no time confirmation: Glacier, John Nord, Kendall Wyndym, Hugh Morris, Rey Mysterio Jr. and a cast of Luchidores. Ric Flair and Kevin Nash forfeited their spots.Winner: Scott Hall (The Outsiders).Total Event Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes.
