After our last PPV three shows took place to finish up the tour. On the final show in Zurich, Switzerland on December 13th Sting pinned Lex Luger to win the WWA Title. A new tour would begin in late May. Bret Hart and Rick Steiner would rejoin the group while Shane Douglas would make his debut with the company. In title action Jerry Lynn would win the third WWA Cruiserweight Title Tournament to become the new champion.
WWA Reckoning 2003-06-03 (Matches Taped 2003-05-25 at North Shore Events Centre in Auckland, New Zealand)
Champion: Sting
International Cruiserweight Championship: Jerry Lynn
We get a New Zealand Warrior dances to open the show in the ring and the crowd pops big for it. We go to the finish of the title match from back in December where Sting won the WWA Title. Tonight Sting takes on NWA Champion Jeff Jarrett in a title unification match.
Mark Mercedes vs. Rick Steiner
Mercedes is Australian and he talks about how much better Australia is than New Zealand. Steiner on the mic but it just sounds like he is grunting and growling into the mic. They start the match on the floor and Steiner beats away on Mark. In the ring Rick with a back body drop and crippler crossface. Rick goes for a german but Mark goes low and then hits a DDT for 2. Mark with a release german that gets 2. Big boot puts down Rick. Rick makes a come back after a bit hitting some clotheslines and a release northern lights. Mark regains on control and goes up top with Rick but he gets pushed off allowing Rick to nail the bulldog off the top turnbuckle for the win in 3.49.
Jeremy Borash and Disco Inferno are at ringside talking about the main event when the lights go out. Sting is in the rafters apparently but the spotlights and camera man can’t find him so they finally just turn the lights back on. Sting basically says he’s going to beat Jarrett tonight.
Puppet vs. Teo vs. Meatball
Meatball is the worlds largest midget. Puppet on the mic says he wants to kill all the other midgets in the world. Meatball says some shit to. Teo comes out and Meatball attacks Puppet before Teo gets in the ring. Meatball is a big dude, in comparison. Teo gets in the ring and goes to work on both his opponents using his speed to his advantage. Puppet though puts a stop to it with a clothesline. Meatball with a slam onto Puppet and then does a cartwheel and then an elbow drop. Teo with a tilt a whirl head scissor on Puppet. Puppet and Meatball miss a double team move and Puppet gets sent to the floor. 619 on Meatball and Teo comes off the top with a swanton bomb to pin him in 3.13.
Johnny Swinger talks about winning the X-Division and WWA Cruiserweight titles in the unification 4 way tonight. Frankie “The Future” Kazarian says the same.
Hardcore Match: Konnan vs. Devon Storm
So there are weapons in each corner. Storm with a slingshot splash from the apron followed by a lionsault for 2. Disco calls for either a stabbing or shooting because death would be truly hardcore. HAHAH. Konnan hits the x-factor followed by a rolling clothesline and they go to the floor. Storm gets sent into the guard rail and then they go and fight by entrance set. After destroying the set they work their way back to ringside. Konnan has been busted open. Storm props up a piece of guardrail on the apron and ring steps. They go back in the ring for a bit and then Konnan throws him out of the ring onto the rail! Suplex brings Storm back into the ring and Konnan wedges a chair in the corner. Storm reverses the whip though and Konnan goes face first into the chair. Storm with some clotheslines and then a northern lights onto a chair for 2. They go to the floor and Storm sets the guard rail back up. Konnan gets placed on and Storm dives over the top rope putting them both through the rail and he gets the win in 10.09.
TNA X Division Champion Chris Sabin says he’s walking out with two titles tonight. WWA Cruiserweight Champion Jerry Lynn also plans on walking away with both titles.
WWA Cruiserweight Champion Jerry Lynn vs. X Division Champion Chris Sabin vs. Jonny Swinger vs. Frankie “The Future” Kazarian
Swinger and Lynn end up on the floor leaving Sabin and Kazarian in the ring. Kazarian hits an STO/clothesline combo for 2. Springboard leg drop gets 2. Kazarian hits back to the future but Swinger breaks up the pin. Swinger and Sabin with a double team flapjack on Kazarian. Lynn comes back into the ring with a cross body from the top onto Swinger and Sabin. Rana off the second rope onto Kazarian. Swinger locks Lynn in a figure four. Sabin and Kazarian both come off the top ropes onto Swinger and Lynn. Lynn with a tilt a whirl back breaker. Lynn with a rana on Sabin. Lynn grabs a waist lock on Kazarian and goes for a german while at the same time Sabin hits a sunset flip on Lynn. Swinger breaks it up and locks in an indian death lock on Sabin. Lynn comes over and puts Swinger in a dragon sleeper. Kazarian locks in a submission on Lynn. Kazarian turns it into a DDT on Lynn and all four men are down. Lynn wants to dive out of the ring onto Swinger but Kazarian super kicks Lynn and then Kazarian flies. In the ring Lynn ducks a Sabin clothesline and hits a dive on the two guy on the floor. Sabin now leaps to the top rope and dives onto all three men with a sick senton dive. In the ring Sabin monkey flips Kazarian but he lands on his feet and hits Swinger and Lynn with clotheslines. Sabin then hits a SICK super german on Kazarian that has Kazarian flip all the way to his stomach. Bum rush on Lynn by Sabin. Kazarian with the wave of the future Sabin. Swinger hits the swinger stinger on Kazarian! TKO by Lynn onto Swinger but only a 2! Kazarian with a slingshot DDT on Sabin for 2! Superplex sunset flip power bomb combo move gives Lynn a 2 count on Sabin. Swinger with the mood swing on Lynn for 2. Sabin hits a swinging back breaker. Sabin with a springboard DDT on Swinger. Kazarian hits a super kick on Sabin. Action has been crazy! Lynn with Krypotnite crunch and Sabin just manages to make the save. Lynn and Swinger end up on the floor. Sabin hits the future shock to get the titles in 15.05. The action the last five minutes was awesome.
“The Franchise” Shane Douglas heads to the ring next with his arm in a cast. Shane introduces himself by saying he “saved wrestling in the 90s” and talks lots of shit about Vince McMahon. He goes on to talk shit about New Zealand. He says that one questions remains and it’s who really built ECW was it him or Sabu. Shane says even though he’s not cleared to wrestle he doesn’t care and will kick Sabu’s ass anyway. Joe E Legend hits the ring and says he can’t let this happen. Legend is mad about the injury cause he wanted to see Shane beat up Sabu. Just like last PPV we get “No” and “Yes” chants between Legend and the crowd. Mind Blown. Legend offers to take his spot.
Sabu vs. Joe E Legend
Shane joins in on commentary. Legend attacks and brings it to the mat. Sabu hits a springboard DDT but then misses an arabian press. Legend goes to the floor and Sabu flips onto him. Back in the ring Legend with a clothesline. Snap suplex by Legend. He goes up top to jaw to the crowd and Sabu just pushed him out of the ring to the floor. Sabu with a big dive to the floor. Sabu gets out a table but Legend throws him into the guard rail. Legend with a springboard vader bomb splash from the apron to the floor. That looked cool. Legend works over the neck a bit. Then busts open Sabu. Back in the ring Legend continues to work the neck. Sabu gets his hands on a chair and throws it at Legend as he takes over. Legend though able to come back and hit a northern lights suplex. They go to the apron and Sabu tries to push Legend through the table that’s on the floor but Legend jumps over it. Sabu follows but Legend gets the better of him outside. Back in the ring and Legend hits a power bomb for 2. Legend goes up top but Sabu gets him and hits a super rana. Sabu misses a top rope splash and Legend gets a 2 after a boot to the face. Legend with a chokeslam into a power bomb. Legend goes for a top rope Legend bomb but Sabu holds up a chair to block it. Arabian press gets 2. Air Sabu is caught and Legend drops him face first onto the chair. Legend goes to the apron and talks with the crowd and again Sabu knocks him off to the floor. Legend is placed on the table and Sabu hits a triple jump leg drop through the table. After some back and forth in the ring Sabu hits a top rope arabian face buster for the win in 17.23. Shane hits the ring and lays out Sabu with his cast after the match. Wow between the promo, match and aftermath this segment got like 30 minutes. Way to much time spent here. Match wasn’t awful the whole thing was just soooooo long.
WWA Owner Andrew McManus is out next he introduces Bret “Hitman” Hart. This is Bret’s first appearance since his stroke last year. Bret says it was just the 4 year anniversary of the death of Owen to which the fans cheer. Hmm that seems inappropriate. Seriously this guy cut the same promo every time he speak post November 1997. Bret thanks the fans for still pulling for him.
Scott D’Amore is backstage with NWA Champion Jeff Jarrett. Jeff says tonight he unifies the belts.
NWA Champion Jeff Jarrett vs. WWA Champion Sting
Some back and forth action ends with Sting hitting an inverted atomic drop and a face plant. They then go to the floor for a little brawling. Back in Sting goes for ten punches but Jeff hits him low to take over. Jeff works over Sting with punches and such. Jeff with a sleeper on Sting. Sting elbows out and hits a body slam but when he goes for a splash he just hits knees. Both men down. Back up they both hit the ropes and collide heads. Sting falls head butting Jeff in the groin. Again both men down. Back up Sting goes for a stinger splash but Sting blocks himself from hitting the buckle. Jeff doesn’t notice and gets his guitar while Sting gets his bat. Jeff swings but Sting blocks it with his bat and then nails Jeff with it a few times. Stinger splash and he goes for another but Jeff pulls the ref in the way. Scorpion death drop but there’s no ref. Joe E Legend comes down and tries to hit Sting with another guitar. Rick Steiner is right behind him though and he blocks it. Some more stinger splashes and Sting locks in the scorpion death lock. Steiner celebrates but then nails Sting with the second guitar. Jeff covers as the ref wakes up and he gets the win and unifies the belts in 10.28.
Highlights package of the PPV brings us off the air.
My thoughts on the show…
Well the title unification matches were both good with the four way being more exciting. Other then that though nothing worth noting at all. Again another show that is good enough to sit through but not good enough to recommend. Of course we have another whacky finish to the main event making us 5 for 5 when it came to bull shit finishes.
That would be all from WWA. Word is that they knew this would be the last show beforehand that’s why the unification matches happened. And so ends the run of another company that tried unsuccessfully to rise out of the ashes of WCW and ECW. No “In Review” article needed here. If you never see any of these you’ll be fine. If you happen to have all five shows and just HAVE to watch something I would say check out the cage match from Eruption and the 4 way from Reckoning.
