Bret Hart finally gets his due! WCW Mayhem 1999 Review

It truly is the dawn of a new era! Vince Russo's grand plan in WCW was set in motion at Halloween Havoc and it culminates in a WCW Championship Tournament! Plus, loads of other wild late-90s hijinks, like Ed Ferarra as Oklahoma!
00:00 Intro
05:26 WCW Championship Tournament Semifinal: Jeff Jarrett vs. Chris Benoit
08:55 Cruiserweight Championship: Disco Inferno vs. Evan Karagias
12:04 Hardcore Championship: Brian Knobbs vs. Norman Smiley
16:26: Elimination Tag: The Filthy Animals vs. Revolution
19:04 Loser Hangs Up The Boots: Curt Hennig vs. Buff Bagwell
21:10 WCW Championship Tournament Semifinal: Bret Hart vs. Sting
23:42 Chain Match: Vampiro vs. Berlyn
26:50 Lex Luger vs. Meng
28:25 United States & Television Championship: Scott Hall vs. Booker T
30:23 David Flair vs. Kimberly
32:13 I Quit: Sid Vicious vs. Goldberg
34:08 WCW Championship: Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit
37:25 Final Thoughts
BIG HOSS MCGRAW, "GAAAAAHHHHH", D*CK KICK CITY & MORE!
www.prowrestlingtees.com/wrest...
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/ brianzane
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[e-mail]

[@caeert2962]

...... Ok I'll be honest, I mostly remember Bret vs Benoit because Bret locking Benoit in the Sharpshooter was used in Malcolm in the Middle's opening credits...

[@truly_sonic7410]

yeeeee I love that show

[@caeert2962]

@@truly_sonic7410 Yes, no, maybe. I don't know, can you repeat the question?

[@nathanielduncan4692]

@@truly_sonic7410 I love that show as well.

[@misfyt_mcfly3084]

Yes! Thank you for reminding us lol

[@ghostfac3182]

You're not the boss of me now

[@DigitalBath742]

My wife isn't a wrestling fan. When we were first started dating, I asked her what she knew of wrestling. She said, "Name a wrestler." I said "Sid Vicious." She said, "I am twice the man you are. I have half the brain you do." I think that was the moment I knew she was a keeper.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

This was beautiful.

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

“Folks Welcome to WcW Mayhem...Brought to you by Electronic Arts!”

[@willdavies2003]

Shit.

[@enigmaskull3495]

“SHUT IT DOWN!!”

[@Jevarohdail]

oooof

[@RubyRoks]

My poor, poor childhood

[@TRJ2241987]

The N64 version does have very good sound for an N64 game.....I'll give it that.....the crowd gets nice and loud

[@bryanwilliams423]

No idea why but the way Konnan said "that's enough" cracked me up

[@Hi-kq1vi]

Even better when Jamie Kellner said it a year or so later.

[@thebossthusiast1960]

THAS' ENOUUUGH!

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

go head n' feeel ...0.07 seconds later: thass eenuf WCW should've made this into a gimmick. Have Konnan surrounded by beautiful buxom ladies. Have him say his lines. Make it into a shirt. $$$

[@jelehu]

I remember when Mike Sanders did it in 2000 and Gene called him a prick....

[@philkessel8162]

jelehu the exact thing I thought of when konnan said that

[@CGaz1812]

“Go ahead feel it, that’s enough.” - Konnan

[@merkcityboy834]

That’s what she said..

[@TheNickTokio]

Finally BZ covers the only PPV I've ever been to, and can actually add some of my observations and insights: - the WWE, then WWF held a house show the night before at The Skydome (now Rogers centre) right across the road from the ACC. TO was definitely pro-WWE but having both WCW and WWF in the same city was big - my buddies and I had driven 9 hours from the north to attend both shows. Both were great in our books but between travel and being young and dumb, it was the weekend as a whole that was great and both events probably weren't top level - The Rock was live at Much Music (Canada's MTV) and Chris Benoit was signing autographs at a PizzaPizza. We decided to meet Benoit - my buddies and I waited an hour or so to meet Benoit. Everyone wished him good luck for the PPV even though we all knew Bret was taking the belt home. - Woman was with him. Got an autographed pic and chatted. He asked if I had good tickets for the PPV. I made a Canada joke about getting poor tickets as the phone lines froze while I purchased my tix and made he and Nancy laugh, a memory that always stayed with me - the show came off better live then the broadcast. I had a good time with my buds and was really there to see Bret. Being my only PPV (though tons of house shows and RAWs/SDs) I've always been happy to know I saw Bret win a world title in Canada - One time during the fan commotion there was a hot blond who sorta looked like Torrie Wilson near front row getting a lot of attention. She pretended she was going to pull off her top which got huge reactions. She never did, but was a good spot about getting cat called by everyone. It wasnt Torrie Wilson btw. - the whole fan hitting Malenko angle with the flag was missed by the camera. They made a big show of the 'fan' getting ejected, and I guess we were supposed to think it was a master plan by Malenko to return under the guise of the fan. Either way it was dumb. - Goldberg/Sid was confusing. From our vantage point it looked like Sid had been injured and the match was called short - There was a fan dressed as the Rock (yeah, I know) who got a lot of cheers doing a constant Rock impression. I don't think he made camera tho, hard side. Great coverage BZ! Never thought I would see this event covered. Brought back great memories.

[@Mrtfarrugia]

I was there too. The blonde was the most over person there.

[@timbartschwolfman]

That's cool to hear

[@potterstrike]

Great comment, nice to hear the aside of making Chris and Nancy laugh, fair play mate.

[@estebancueto4189]

Very cool story! Thanks for sharing

[@kevinsolo3591]

Cant believe I read this long ass comment. Happy I did though. Pretty cool story.

[@TommyBoi_3000]

"I think it's happy garbage.." Story of my life

[@bashcrash9148]

Michael Buffer got paid a lot of money to announce him as Bret “Hitman” Clark once.

[@jonbridge1285]

Bashcrash 914 haha the Clark Foundation.

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Who? You mean Bart Hart? He faced the Dtinger! (Now let's see the obscure reference folks get that one.)

[@gst013]

He should've faced the King of Hulkmania next

[@BreadHart]

I hate Buffer

[@DallasToysReviews]

I know talk about burning money. Let's pay a guy 100k to announce or millions for a guy that is famous for a catchy phrase...

[@plcthelegacy4131]

"I gave the Renegade matches 0 stars out of 5 a while ago and there is no way this matches are better those." Daaaaaaamn

[@Hotlog69]

RIP Renegade

[@JobyJonesJnr]

No way this matches are better those! Couldn't have said it better :)

[@BigDoeWilliams]

Without hesitation, the greatest review of a match ever: "What can I say? Fuck this match & everyone involved! Zero stars!"

[@closethockeyfan5284]

One of many hilarious lines that made this an instant favorite episode in this series, despite the lengthy love-hate explanation toward Russo in the beginning, haha

[@enigmaskull3495]

31:57 And that fan’s reaction is the just the best.

[@jeremyc9593]

@@closethockeyfan5284 Burying Russo at any and all given opportunities should always be top priority. I will say that maybe 3% of the guy's ideas were good, but the other 97% were fucking garbage shit, if garbage became an animate object and had the ability to defecate.

[@jamesdixon6332]

Short, sweet, and all true 😂

[@slothstradamus89]

@@jeremyc9593 This was absolutely AMAZING to read. Good on you sir lol. Excellent analogy hahaha

[@Aron316]

"must have been a cheap night for Luger" jesus man, you killed him

[@JoachimErdtman]

I laughed so damn hard at that crack at Luger! 😂

[@jintlejea4632]

Hate to be “that guy” but Daffney was the second female cruiserweight champion. Im just so excited that I knew something obscure!

[@michaelb4538]

🖒

[@Cobralalalala]

You get a no prize! :)

[@jonhufford6980]

You’re good, I could talk about daffney all day

[@Danlows1]

Calcifer Boheme marvel comics letters section reference?

[@AdamSmith-sp5cf]

Hate to be "that guy" then totally becomes "that guy" lol

[@Fixxer315]

"F--k this match and everyone involved. Zero stars." I'm pretty sure there was at least one match in every WCW PPV written by Russo you could have said that about.

[@TheManCage]

We need an Italian guy...let's name him Tony Marinara lol

[@AliSubhi-xs4rn]

Most Wcw thing ever..

[@gst013]

He's a saucy fella 👍

[@thestinger5189]

Che cazzata 😆

[@johnthesportsarchivist2600]

They may as well have a Mexican named El Taco Guapo. I mean, Jesus.

[@SimmyBassline]

Might as well have called him Tony PIzza

[@TheeKingRayzor]

*(Vince Russo voice)* "I never knew this was also a PPV, I just remember the game bro!"

[@NickTaylorRickPowers]

I too remember the game but knew I watched the ppv when it happened. Just forgot about it completely since then

[@michaelrivera8360]

Hi...again lol😃🖐

[@michaelrivera8360]

Also sorry for the asking the latino thing I had no bad intentions but thanks for answering🙈😁

[@Jnwboss]

Same for some reason I thought he was going to review the game for a minute

[@TheeKingRayzor]

@@michaelrivera8360 Did you see Joe's stream?

[@patrickjohnson1649]

“Madusa and Jacqueline were the only Cruiserweight Champions...” *looks over to Daffney”

[@og3777]

Lmao

[@wstine79]

Vince Russo: "Thanks for coming out to support this brand-new WCW Mayhem for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, bro. Oh yeah.... and don't forget the Pay-Per-View, bro."

[@michaelrivera8360]

"Also wrestling fake in case you forgot that bro"lol

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

Michael Rivera “Except What we are doing right now, bro”

[@michaelrivera8360]

@@JohnWilliams-wl9px "Bro I know"

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

Michael Rivera “Bro it wasn’t my fault, bro. It was the internet fans, bro.” lol

[@michaelrivera8360]

@@JohnWilliams-wl9px "it was standard and practice bro and talent wouldn't listen to me bro"

[@Drakeo83]

🎵The man called MEEEEEENGGG🎵 Can we make this a reality like the Braun Strowman song? I love this already 🤣

[@rogregg29445]

Drakeo yes I want this as well

[@BigEOT3]

Drakeo “He does this and does that, he’ll choke you out faster than a cat”

[@stephentrout7879]

@@BigEOT3 YES! :D

[@jacoblikesnxt]

Man, all this outside interference caused a lot of...mayhem!

[@hankdatank09]

Jacob Cameron get out!!

[@lewisblackwiththenicehair]

Ayyyyyyyyy

[@danielbrock5449]

Kudos

[@FlukeDogg08]

*(rimshot)*

[@MRFORD-nc5wg]

Sit down and be quite

[@devilmaycry09dante]

Everytime I heard the term “Referee stoppage” now, my heart skips a beat

[@Blackninja93]

Come on, you're better than this!

[@sappyfoot]

book a doctors appointment. heart problems aren’t to be messed with

[@1krani]

Just remember: ref stoppage used to mean "A man looks like he's about to die, let's stop before he does."

[@og3777]

@@1krani damn when did this happen

[@chrisbutler1668]

@@og3777 Austin vs. Hart at WrestleMania 13 is the most famous instance.

[@Bertaut]

As wrestling commentators go, you'd be the last one I'd accuse of burying Russo. On the contrary, I think you're very lenient, and your emphasis about how he would try to create angles for everyone, not just the top stars, is spot on.

[@MrWhitegold13]

Bit of a differents between commentary and reviewing

[@idonteatcheetos]

Stephen Campbell Love him or hate him you gotta admit Russo had a unique view of booking. it wasnt always good but at least it was interesting.

[@snatchadams69]

It's like me and my friends discussing Rob Liefeld he was an absolute shitty, derivative, and repetitive artist, but he did introduce us to Cable, Domino, and Deadpool...

[@Thor-Orion]

snatchadams69 Liefield will be remembered far more favorably.

[@chrisbutler1668]

@@idonteatcheetos As he put it perfectly, his booking is perfect for "teenage boys", which is why it never stands the test of time. Also, on a very immediate level, teenage boys don't usually have jobs to pay for your merchandise or buy your pay-per-views. That's why, ultimately, he fails. And continues to fail. And will continue to fail...

[@dannycruz5446]

Hart/Benoit from this PPV was later used in the Malcom in the Middle intro

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

+Danny Cruz I remember seeing that.

[@Deathpool_04]

You’re not the boss of me now

[@doeyjiaz4798]

Life is unfair

[@RileyJane7]

If I remember correctly, in the build to the Kimberly/David Flair match, we got to witness the amazing "Bam Bam Bigelow being counted out of a falls count anywhere" match.

[@mfm4205]

yes, this is 2 years old, but wanted to note not only are you correct, but there's a bryan and vinny rant about that match up on youtube (person has it with video, and you are correct that it happened).

[@RileyJane7]

@@mfm4205 Its my favorite rant from them haha

[@dougdrazga4461]

"I've been fuming about this for hours. Hours. HOURS!"

[@RileyJane7]

@@dougdrazga4461 I HAVE A VERY LARGE BRAIN!

[@SimplyPsyke]

Screamin Norman was one of the few things I loved from this era of WCW . I wish we would've got a Crash Holly vs Norman Smiley feud after WCW was bought out that'd been golden.

[@mazsax999]

Bruh, Smiley & Earnest "The Cat" Miller had 2 of the best mid card gimmicks ever!!!

[@thomasdr08]

Would have been hilarious.

[@Thor-Orion]

I also loved the Revolution and The Filthy Animals. The things a competent booker could have done with this roster. Or even just not an imbecile booker.

[@aaronsass9265]

@@Thor-Orion Right! Literally EVERYONE in the filthy Animals was over (besides Disqo)

[@17thNO]

@@mazsax999 Yeah they did.

[@CRedfield22]

As a DDPY guy, I gotta admit. That cutter call almost killed me lol

[@CRedfield22]

@i blocked ads to watch this video DDP Yoga

[@stephenbecker5936]

"There's probably a few more Russo tournament bookings I'm forgetting." You mean the f#&$ing Brawl for All?!

[@jcace13]

To be fair, everyone who saw that erased it from memory.

[@alexhunter90]

fuusing?

[@almightycinder]

He had good intentions with the Brawl for All: he wanted to knock Bradshaw down a couple pegs, since we was tired of hearing Bradshaw talking about how tough he was. ...Yes, seriously.

[@joshbouman1654]

Whenever I think of Russo tournaments I think of that clusterfuck tag tourny that led into Sacrifice 2008.

[@biggpo313]

Russos tournament gives me a migrain & tumor. Its NEVER based on actual sport competition. Literally EVERY match ends with some bullshit. Never just a good or great match TOO over the top.

[@ShogunKilledChuck]

Buff Bagwell - the all-time king of ** matches. He’s never had a good singles match. Russo had good ideas, but too much of him is like eating junk food for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

[@Schu1tzeyGaming]

Brian: I am a fan of Russo's. *(angry southern swearing intensifies)*

[@GamblerOfFate777]

Schu1tzey the Yeet King Jim Cornette has entered the chat

[@michaelbandada9887]

Jim Cornette is gonna disown Brian Zane! Corny: No son of mine is gonna speak about that lousy sumbitch Russo! Zane: But Dad! Corny: OUTTA MY HOUSE NOW!

[@basedlordk5416]

Somewhere Cornette Shudders

[@BryanRolax]

Schu1tzey the Yeet King Dadship ended with Brian Zanr, now MJF is my only son

[@quentinkaasa47]

@Michael A month later and you were right. Corny has blocked Zane on Twitter.

[@pmwest7977]

Looking back, WCW's '99 roster is amazing on paper. Hogan, Hall, Nash, Sid, Goldberg, Sting, Steiner, DDP, Bret Hart, Booker T. Benoit and Malenko. Unbelieavable they failed this hard.

[@Thor-Orion]

I’m actually writing a fantasy booking set of storylines from like 96 onwards because of how ridiculous the wcw roster was from 96-2000.

[@BeeBumper]

Not unbelievable if you watched it. It was a mess

[@SirPunzalot]

Guess this wasn't "TOO SWEDE" for you, huh? (In case the dude changes his DP, his original DP is/was the Swedish flag)

[@david-468]

Half of the names you said were past there prime and paid way too much to care

[@JoeSelf1982]

Oklahoma was terrible and mean spirited. Absolutely no difference when Vince McMahon did it.

[@1krani]

Considering JR was on hand when Oklahoma debuted in WWF, and even took part in the segment himself, I have to wonder how he felt about taking part in hindsight.

[@bigbadseed7665]

"Bret Hart reverses the Scorpion Death Lock into the Sharpshooter." So...the same move?

[@bigbadseed7665]

@Ronit Banerjea By God you're right! I mean, it's not like I was joking or something. It's not like I simply think it's amusing that Bret Hart and Sting's iconic moves are the same. No, no, no. I was wrong all along. You, sir, are a genius!

[@Jay-we2ek]

They're not the same move.

[@bigbadseed7665]

@@Jay-we2ek Seriojsly? How are they different?

[@Jay-we2ek]

@@bigbadseed7665 Sharpshooter-opponents legs tangled tightly, while you sit on their back. Far more pressure on the opponents lower back Scoprion death lock-opponents legs aren't tangled as tightly, while you are in a "standing" or crouching position. Less pressure on opponents lower back. They're similar, but not the same... Applied with real pressure, a Sharpshooter would be significantly more painful.

[@Jay-we2ek]

@@bigbadseed7665 Also, Sting, he uses the opposite leg to Bret to tangle the opponents legs with. Really, both are variations of a "modified Boston crab" or "entangled Boston crab"

[@sappyfoot]

saturn was underrated “right into the labia”

[@dcrediah]

“You’re not the boss of me nowwww and you’re not sooo biiig”

[@monkeyman5866]

Life is unfair

[@ReanimatorsMutilations]

The one where Hal kills all the kids and his wife

[@louis3141]

@@ReanimatorsMutilations Lmfao haha

[@southbeachtalent]

Walter White was almost as bad of father as Chris Benoit...

[@timbartschwolfman]

Malcolm in the Middle

[@Ariurotl]

I like Vampiro IN THEORY (actually, he was one of my favorites growing up), I like the Berlyn gimmick IN THEORY, I even like David Flair IN THEORY (sure, he's a crappy worker but I enjoyed the shtick with Daffney and Crowbar and he pulled off the demented look well) but BY GOD the booking for them all was atrocious.

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Their gimmicks, might have been good, but they sucked in the ring. I am glad none of them got pushed too well.

[@bookaki4160]

a 40 minute Brian Zane PPV Review? Today's gonna be a good day...

[@Ravenz91]

Hardcore Ninja Gamer right? I might go and make some snacks

[@JoshOrtiz88]

The idea of never seeing the face of "The Powers That Be" was inspired by Seinfeld's use of George Steinbrenner.

[@DrSlasher]

Or Inspector Gadget

[@LoganSewell83]

I'll get you next time bro! Next time!

[@Venemofthe888]

A man called meng had me in tears

[@enigmaskull3495]

He does this, he does that.

[@LuckyDT]

He’s as slow as a boat, and he’ll punch you in the throat...

[@thomasdr08]

Haha. I didn’t catch that

[@bernadettejohnstone4529]

sclSolitarium ... yeah it was at 26:53 lol

[@DUARTE99]

I was at this event and still own the arm rest from my chair that broke off when I popped after Bret won the Big Gold. I’m proud of that.

[@craigmays02]

I’m so fascinated with Vince Russo and 1999-2001 WCW

[@SonofTexas1836]

"The man called Meng!" Should have been his music when Crow Sting arrived!

[@edh286]

What did everyone say on the season premiere episodes of Raw and SmackDown? VAM-PYRO! VAM-PYRO! VAM-PYRO!

[@monkeyman5866]

EDH *Slow Golfer Clap*

[@mrkipling2201]

I always thought jimmy Hart was so underrated in what he did. Some of the things he used to do were great. Had to smile at some of the stuff he did!!

[@potterstrike]

Man knows his craft, absolutely.

[@coolchat18]

4:40 Man, the WWF must have had a lot of confidence in this "Bye" wrestler if he was gonna take on Undertaker and Kane one after the other

[@Thor-Orion]

It’s actually short hand for Vacant, the wrestler who holds the record for most title reigns ever.

[@louis3141]

Brian Knobbs looks like he could be Captain of a female softball team.

[@timbartschwolfman]

LMFAO 😂😂😂

[@abas43091]

I think back to my aunts softball team from 20 years ago. Nasty knobbs would fit right in with them

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

13:14 “It’s A Rubbah Shaaark! He’s beating a man with a rubber shark...”

[@scottbauer71]

Do, do, doo, do do do

[@davidholt2589]

Beating the SHIT outta him with it.

[@glennb6020]

Poor medusa, never has a wrestler had so many promises broken.

[@MrT571]

Still surprised she never went into porn.

[@Persill-gb5jq]

There's this guy named Bret Hart.....

[@glennb6020]

Persill 1892 he can fuck off

[@thesprock5270]

Ryback...

[@glennb6020]

Brody Mack think rybaxel made most of them up

[@tiphanyb1988]

That guy's face when David runs though the crowd 😂

[@MoogiWaa]

Is this the PPV match which features in the Malcolm in the Middle opening?

[@tylerlittleton6583]

Yep

[@wendigo1619]

"And Brett celebrates with his wife and kids" Me: dam thats alotta kids

[@wendigo1619]

@@SusanPDavis fuck off *edit* i swear there was a comment i replied to

[@thomasjenkins7506]

nah. -heath slater

[@enigmaskull3495]

Bret needs this job

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Brude mare, like his mom. You have to really hate your life to spend it raising kid after kid.

[@gst013]

It's amazing how many wrestling fans misspell the four letter name of one of the all-time greats. It's always Bret's name, too...you never see misspelled comments about Sean Michaels or Rowdy Randy Piper 😂

[@DMForever1]

Kudos on the subtle move to Wednesday’s

[@ILoveFilm247]

Russo always receives too much credit. He became prominent as a writer in WWF after the Attitude Era was already underway, and he was part of a team. Yeah, he had some good ideas (and I do love the concept of trying to give everyone on the roster their own thing, as my faves tended to be mid-carders and upper low carders), but they really only turned out well after everyone else polished them. The times they weren't refined by others is when stuff flopped. The proof is really how pretty much everything he was responsible for after leaving WWF sucked. Most of what he did in WCW was crap, and his input for TNA kind of killed their momentum as they were starting to hit their stride (yes there were other factors, but he was a big part of it). Not to mention, his own promotion, in which he had total control, was a steaming pile.

[@aaronsass9265]

I agree. I feel like the reason why he wasn't as bad in WWF is because he had more filters.

[@ILoveFilm247]

@@aaronsass9265 He's basically just an idea guy. And there is nothing wrong with that, the creative process needs all kinds.

[@manniking233]

Give me a single member of WWF's writing team who would have started an Attitude Era of their own volition. Cornette, Jim Ross and Bruce Pritchard have all had their eras away from Vince Russo and none of them ever liked to write in that style. EVER. They were all old school guys, favouring either the 80s cartoonish style or good ol' Southern wrassling. Vince McMahon has never written like Vince Russo: he loves big, beefy slobs and loves his cartoonish, carny wrestling style. How does an Attitude Era ever evolve from that? The Attitude Era would NEVER have happened without Vince Russo, no matter how much you hate him! You can hate him to hell and back and play your PC censorship game all you want: Vince Russo saved WWF by forcing them to change how they write and how they book, giving us the Attitude Era. The only reason all those other creatives I mentioned (except Vinnie Mac, who just hates him for switching to WCW) hate Russo is because he introduced an edgy product that they all despised because of their Southern sensibilities. How would an Attitude Era develop for those old carny prudes? Use logic before you post next time. Smh.

[@ILoveFilm247]

@@manniking233 Make sure you wipe your mouth and swallow, Russo will appreciate it.

[@lukemoloney1113]

😂😂😂 anything to downplay Russo's contribution. He's not a genius but he definitely made a huge impact

[@taylormademyself89]

I remember watching this when I was nine damn time flys by lol starting feel lil old now 🤣😥🤣

[@chriscraven9335]

👈23 at the time. Im feeling absolutely Precambrian

[@jknight1984]

Russo cosplayed as Dr. Claw. All that was missing was a fat purple cat on the table.

[@Dannypuck]

I will always respect Jim Cornette for popping Ferrara for that garbage impression of JR.

[@david-468]

I guess cornettes shows were to lame or you never saw them but he had way more disrespectful gimmicks then Russo

[@juliovelazco5774]

BZ, I have been a fan since I first saw one of your videos a while back. I go back to the network to rewatch some of the events you cover/grade and it just brings back great memories!!! The pops, the themes, and just the raucous crowds is something the WWE will never be able to recreate. Too bad Vince McMahon won't leave the company to Triple H so they can push the younger guys/gals. I feel like the WWE thinks that EVERY match/rivalry had to be based around a title. They can create so many different rivalries, give the stars an opportunity to shine even though we already know what most of them are capable of, and so like in the old days, make rivalries personal, don't let the stars beat each other up right away. Like when Batista left Evolution, he and Triple H didn't physically attack one another (I only remember Batista putting Trips thru a table at a contract signing, I believe) and kept us fans in anticipation as to what was gonna happen at 'Mania!!! Do more of that, build suspense, anticipation, 'create' rivalries that existed in other companies/indies and just let them WRESTLE!!!! BTW, WWE should consider hiring BZ as a writer, at the VERY least!!! I'm sure BZ can come up with way better stories than WHOEVER is writing these days...God bless, thanks for another great video, and hope you're year is full of joy and positivity!!!

[@NLaBar]

When listing Russo’s history of booking tournaments, Zane forgets to bring up Russo’s crowning achievement in booking tournaments … the brawl for all.

[@jediknightmark3599]

"Must have been a cheap night for Luger." That line was brutal, but funny and accurate. Lugers matches in WCW were always underwhelming. Zane wrapped it up perfectly with that one line.

[@jordanjohnson7285]

Luger was a lot better in wcw than wwf.

[@spiffy8576]

Pillman vs Luger at Halloween Havoc 89 was pretty great

[@jediknightmark3599]

@@spiffy8576 Pillman was a great wrestler. Shame that he died so young.

[@howardsimcox5596]

At least he was better in wcw than he was in wwf. Jesus, what a mess that run was.

[@Headbehindthebubble]

Genuinely one of the best wrestling series online at the moment. Well done Mr Z

[@kodywatts6886]

I love how the I quit match has a clean finish 😂

[@insanesuperstar]

"Fuck this match and everyone in it; zero stars." I literally lol'ed.

[@frenchabortion]

4:06 "Almost all their matches ended in an interference" that's EVERY WCW match from 1998-2000. It honestly gets really stupid. I bought "The Best of Nitro Vol. 1" 3 DVD set and "The Best of Nitro Vol. 2" 3 DVD set and about 70% of those matches had some form of run-in.

[@frenchabortion]

I rarely watched WCW as a kid... but I never realized how bad it was... (I was 7 in 1997)

[@hectorrico8661]

Thats what killed WCW.

[@michellelincoln9987]

didn't they actually ADVERTISE Mayhem as "a night of run ins"? holy shit, no false advertising there, for better or for worse, obviously for worse smh

[@martinkoehler3631]

Russo was amazing when he had someone to tell him no, or help him filter his ideas.

[@arturoandrade9089]

Exactly, like McMahon did.

[@danieleasterday8795]

Taking a drink every time you say “the powers at be “ would be quite the drinking game 😂😂

[@johnb5082]

Tony marinara was said alot too but yeah powers at be would kill ya

[@007southpaw]

SS 98 is one of the few things i’ll defned russo over

[@southbeachtalent]

Great ppv

[@TRJ2241987]

Everything was perfect in WWF at that time

[@k.jamescarters9557]

Tournaments were what he was known for...like brawl for all 🤐

[@SunshineStateCoasters]

23:53 Thank you Brian for making a reference to my favorite band of all time! RAMMSTEIN!!!!

[@BigEOT3]

At first I thought you were gonna review the game from the title because “at least it’s not as bad as 2K20 at launch”

[@blackrose8418]

I never judge a game nowadays on launch

[@blackrose8418]

@singularon1 you ain't gonna convince me otherwise just so you know

[@slothstradamus89]

@@blackrose8418 Why would we even TRY to convince you otherwise? You wanna chock up $60 for a shitty and/or incomplete product and then DEFEND the people that sold you said lazily-slapped-together-for-a-quick-buck product, by all means. Go right ahead. It's your money. Just be aware of what a naive mark that makes you look like as a consumer.

[@jop2663]

@@blackrose8418 It's still bad though

[@blackrose8418]

@@jop2663 its not even close I've been playing and its fun

[@tthomaselli2]

Wrestling With Wregret- To this day, I still laugh at what Brian Zane said around 31:38-31:41 when it came to Diamond Dallas Page delivering 'The Diamond Cutter'. Too funny!... It was hilarious when this episode was first posted onto KZbin & in my opinion, it still is, today.

[@sharona1981]

To be honest Brian, I've never really known you to 'knock' or diss anyone, really. Your opinions on anything wrestling related, have always been pretty level headed and reasonable, without having to resort to too much negativity. Always respected you for that.

[@misfyt_mcfly3084]

Love your classic ppv reviews! Thank you sir.

[@FreneticZetetic]

This is arguably the most hilarious PPV of the late WCW era for me. The way Evan saunters over to Disco and starts flailing on him, Tony Marinara, Norman Smiley, etc. RUSSO!!!

[@mcj88]

Norman reppin' Tie Domi and the Maple Leafs, love it lol

[@Lazerbear1985]

I polish the crowbar whenever there’s a new video

[@jasonoliver1034]

Love your Classic PPV REVIEWS ZANE!!!

[@odiadonervo1915]

35:39 I just realized; that's the shot they used in the Malcom in The Middle intro!

[@jerelminter]

I didn't watch a lot of WCW when it was on, so I didn't know about the WCW Mayhem pay per view but I heard of the video game. I was more of a WWF fan, ah yes those were during the days where it was either RAW or Nitro and you couldn't watch them at the same time it was either one or the other. Now you can watch wrestling 24/7 but that wasn't the case in 1999. So for those of you who missed The Monday Night Wars, thank goodness you did because wrestling was harder to access back then than it is right now, KZbin wasn't around yet.

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

1. (25:15-25:20; 31:59-32:02; 34:26-34:29; 35:24-35:26; 37:46-37:51) *Another rare f-bomb by Brian Zane* 2. (34:11-36:02) *What we've ALL been waiting for*

[@michaelrivera8360]

When he rants he swears a lot actually lol

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

@@michaelrivera8360 Yep!

[@ChattGM]

"Let's see how they fuck it up" was my favorite one in this review lol

[@GregMcNeish]

Even just these little snippets, I instantly want to go watch that Benoit/Jarrett match. They've never come to mind as a pairing I should track down, but man do they make a lot of sense together as workers.

[@THEBANDIT7979]

Norman smiley was so over with the fans. That dance of his was so funny.

[@horrorfan4-life689]

I love how casually Brian says "2 Canadians fighting over the belt in Canada. Couldn't be a better ending to the tournament. Let's see how they fuck it up!" Well done sir , 5 🌟 commentary

[@thisisstuart7951]

when i click on this i thought it was N64 game

[@thedon42]

30:33 that slo mo shot of flair jumping on the bed😂😂😂

[@TrueBackLash]

31:38 Awesome DDP Yoga reference.

[@LuckyDT]

Missed opportunity by not having Prince Iakeua in The Revolution.

[@indiglo1971]

Trivia question.... Where did the Paisley name come from?

[@andrejg4136]

@@indiglo1971 Paisely Park, the name of the now late Prince's physical estate. Also I can't help but laugh at the OSW lads constantly calling her "Parsely".

[@jaysonreign]

I loved “fuck this match and everyone involved: 0 stars!” Hilarious.

[@MRHenHen]

You do fantastic break down reviews 👍

[@MrBeardsley]

Your opening spiel about Russo put me in mind of the old Friar’s Club adage, “we only roast the ones we love.”

[@mgunter]

Is Vince Russo why Vince McMahon hates tournaments?

[@glennb6020]

mgunter if only we had a tournament in the last month

[@R0D3R1CKV10L3NC3]

I've gotta give it to whoever decided to put Smiley in the Domi jersey, since he was one of the toughest dudes in all of the NHL at the time, definitely the right choice.

[@zacharycunningham1789]

Gotta be honest, it’s one of favorite WCW PPVs of this era. The Benoit/Hart match isn’t quite as good as the Owen tribute match, but it’s f’n amazing! For me this was the also the near beginning of Benoit’s best period in WCW. (Yeah, I cheered and maybe cried when he won the championship despite what was going to happen shortly afterward-his defection, I mean.)

[@FlukeDogg08]

MORE OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE, BABY! YEAH!

[@JamesNettum]

Russo has stans? . . . God, that's one of the saddest things I've heard.

[@lovecraftianleviathan8918]

James Nettum Shouldn’t they be called the Russo Bros?

[@darkashtar]

I thought he said stands and was hoping for a Jojo reference lol

[@solo13th]

There are people who honestly believe that Vince Russo is a genius...how depressing is that?

[@darkashtar]

@@solo13th wow, that's even sadder. I look at Russo like this, a broken clock can be right twice a day.

[@JamesNettum]

I think Corny put it best when he said that in World Wrestling, Russo would throw out 10 ideas, and McMahon would pick the one that worked. In WCW there wasn't anyone to overrule the other nine.

[@joni1405]

The reason the ref DQ'd Sting is because when the ref got up he saw Bret putting the sharpshooter on Luger and assumed that Luger had interfered and gone after Bret. I personally think that makes total sense given who the ref saw fighting when he got back up.

[@Mambaman7771]

The David Flair insanity angle came as a part of DDP facing Ric in a strap match. Flair was beaten so badly by Page, that it pushed David over. Only thing good about this (to me) was Crowbar's debut Love your stuff man!

[@PierzStyx]

That was an absolutely GORGEOUS superkick from Vampiro.

[@exunderscorejai]

I think Benoits red and blue tights were probably a tribute to the Blue Jays who have their stadium less than a mile from the Air Canada Centre. There, answered a question that literally nobody but me cared about in the internet. My work here is done.

[@MrRyanlennie2005]

Never understood why Bret shits on Russo. He was literally a nobody in WCW for 2 straight years and then Russo came in and made him heavyweight champion within a month and leader of a new nWo a month later.

[@MrT571]

...because Russo set up the match that ended his career and made the business into a joke? Screw Russo.

[@MrRyanlennie2005]

Antwan Fields hahaha that’s so stupid. 😂 Yeah it’s Russo’s fault he put him in a match with Goldberg in late 1999.....Goldberg was over 2 years into his WCW career at that point he wasn’t some green rookie anymore. It was just an accident.

[@MrT571]

Goldberg was completely untrained two years into his career or not. There's numerous stories of him hurting people and AN UNTRAINED WRESTLER THREW A SUPERKICK OUT OF AN IRISH WHIP. You tend to forget that part in this zealous defense of a scumbag.

[@MrRyanlennie2005]

Antwan Fields I’ve seen the kick many times and it was pretty innocuous. It’s clear Bret’s career was ended by cumulative injuries rather than that one kick which in the match didn’t look like a dangerous spot at all.

[@MrT571]

@@MrRyanlennie2005 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHnXaWd5lqeYbJo Let's try looking again.

[@Terrythetroll.]

Best wrestling videos on KZbin. Hands down.

[@almightycinder]

Regarding the Blockbuster: from what I recall, WCW was actually really good about finishers being automatic three counts. Goldberg was one of the only ones who ever kicked out of finishers, like the Diamond Cutter, No Laughing Matter and the Leg Drop. Outside of that, it barely ever happened. They never had that crap during a big match where the main eventers would repeatedly kick out of eachothers finishers.