OK, let’s get on with this historic show. Time has made this show more infamous than famous, but regardless of the fallout from it, everyone knew this was going to be a big event, one way or another. And lucky (or maybe unlucky) for me, I was there in person to see it all. Let’s look back, shall we, and see how Vince could screw up such a perfect angle.

Emanating from the Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH. Interestingly enough, they were at the Gund Arena when Shane McMahon originally announced he bought WCW back in March.

Your commentators are Jim Ross and Michael Cole, who is replacing Heyman due to his involvement with ECW.

- So a lot has happened since the last time the Fed was on Pay Per View. Booker T’s interference in the main event last month officially brought the WCW invasion to a head. They now had a full roster of guys and were beginning to have WCW matches on WWF television. You even had some of the current WWF wrestlers jumping ship to join Shane. It appeared that we were heading for a full-on WWF vs. WCW war at the next PPV. However, it was clear that the current roster of WCW stars was not going to be a big enough draw. So, something dramatic happened…former ECW stars invaded RAW one night and then joined WCW in their fight against the WWF. Perhaps the biggest news of all is that ECW was able to return because of their new owner, Stephanie McMahon. While Steph provided the financial backing, Paul Heyman also stepped in to provide support for his former company. Now with Shane, Stephanie and Heyman in charge, they are ready to wage war with Vince’s boys. That brings us to tonight’s big show…

- They open the show with one of my favorite type of video packages; mixing historical footage with current wrestling clips. Nice.

Christian and Awesome start off for their teams. Now Edge and Storm are in and Edge connects with a missile dropkick on him. Edge then launches Storm onto Awesome on the floor. Christian then leaps off Edge and lands on both men. As Christian attempts a high risk move, Awesome crotches him. Then Storm knocks him off the apron. With the referee distracted, Awesome attacks Christian on the floor. Back inside, Storm throws Christian and he goes sliding into the post. That gets 2. A big splash by Awesome gets a nearfall. Christian has become your WWF sports entertainer-in-peril. Christian drops Storm with a crossbody. Awesome gets tagged in and prevents Christian from tagging Edge. Awesome connects with a top rope splash on Christian He covers, but Edge breaks it up. Awesome takes Christian up top, but Christian is able to backdrop him to the mat. Christian finally tags Edge, who takes it to both of his opponents. Edge gets a nearfall on Storm with the Edge-o-Matic. Edge goes for a sunset flip on Storm, but Awesome grabs him. Christian stops that, but as Edge goes to roll up Storm, he collides into Christian. Storm gets Edge in a small package, but while the referee is tied up with Awesome, Christian rolls Edge over. That gets a nearfall. Storm and Awesome try to double-team, but it fails. Christian and Edge’s double-team maneuvers do connect. Edge spears Awesome and covers, but Storm breaks it up. Storm goes for the superkick. He misses Christian, but does hit Edge. That gets a nearfall for Awesome. Awesome goes for the Awesome Bomb, but Christian spears him. Edge covers and picks up the victory. WWF 1, WCW/ECW 1 (They won the HeAT match)

Bottom Line: The match started off somewhat slow and very formulaic. As it drew to a conclusion, the action really picked up. There were a number of decent nearfalls. I’m not sure if this was an ideal opener, but a WWF win certainly got the crowd off to a hot start. ** ¾

- As Vince McMahon celebrates his company’s first win, William Regal walks in to announce Stone Cold has arrived. Vince tells Regal that’s fine, but he should be concerned about his own match. Then, to inspire him, Vince uses the analogy of George Washington stopping the British invasion by soundly defeating King George and the Redcoats. Regal doesn’t find it to be the best comparison. Hey, let’s face it, Vince has never been real good with history.

Foley made himself referee for this match earlier on HeAT. All the other referees are ringside for this match. The two get into a shoving match and then Hebner knocks Patrick down into the corner. Both men roll around the mat until Patrick tosses Hebner to the floor. Foley has to separate all the refs on the floor. Hebner does a 10-punch count on Patrick. Patrick comes back, however, with a low blow. Patrick baseball slides Hebner to the floor and then the WCW referees attack. The WWF refs make the save and then Foley comes out to restore peace by sending all of them out of there. As Patrick argues with Foley, Hebner tackles him. Hebner covers and gets 3. WWF 2, WCW/ECW 1

Postmatch: Patrick gets in Foley’s face, so Foley knocks him down. Then he gives him Mr. Socko.

BL: It’s a referee fight, what do you expect? DUD

- Backstage, Debra and Sara share a moment as they discuss what a creep DDP is. It’s a good thing they’re on a male soap opera, because with their level of acting, they wouldn’t last long on a female soap opera.

The Acolytes (WWF Tag Team Champions) vs. Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo (WCW Tag Team Champions)

O’Haire and Palumbo charge to the ring and the brawl is on. O’Haire distracts Bradshaw long enough for Palumbo to clothesline him from behind. A back suplex by Bradshaw allows him to tag Farooq. O’Haire and Palumbo trap Farooq in their corner and double-team him. Farooq hits Palumbo with a shouldertackle and tags Bradshaw. Palumbo goes for a splash in the corner, but Bradshaw catches him and delivers a fallaway slam. As Bradshaw tries for a powerbomb on Palumbo, O’Haire comes in and kicks him in the head. Bradshaw drops Palumbo with a DDT. Farooq gets a tag and takes it to Palumbo. O’Haire is able to clothesline Farooq from the apron. Then he takes Farooq and throws him into the steps. Farooq comes back and catches O’Haire with a spinebuster. Both men tag out and Bradshaw easily handles Palumbo. As Bradshaw tries to give Palumbo a fallaway slam, O’Haire delivers a stiff kick. Palumbo covers and Farooq breaks it up. As the referee tries to get Farooq out, the heels double-team Bradshaw. Everybody is in now and all hell breaks loose. Palumbo superkicks Farooq, but then is nailed with the Clothesline from Hell by Bradshaw. That easily gives the Acolytes the win. WWF 3, WCW/ECW 1

BL: This match made me sick as the Acolytes gave the young WCW stars nothing. O’Haire and Palumbo were never allowed an extended sequence of offense. Farooq and Bradshaw always had to comeback with some move after being hit with one or two moves from their opponents. There’s no reason why the Acolytes should have gone over young talent like this. * ¼

- While Chris Jericho and Vince gloat in his dressing room, things are a little bit more somber in the WCW/ECW locker room. Shane, Stephanie, and Heyman stress to Billy Kidman how important it is for him to defeat X-Pac so that they can get some momentum. You know, if they wanted momentum maybe they should have considered getting some actual talent to represent their company.

We get a feeling-out process between the two to begin. A hurricanrana and an enziguri by Kidman send X-Pac to the outside. Kidman brings him back in and gets a nearfall. X-Pac sidesteps Kidman and throws him to the floor. X-Pac leaps off the ropes and lands on Kidman. In the ring, X-Pac drops Kidman with a spin kick. That gets 2. Things slow down as X-Pac applies a sleeper. Kidman reverses it, only for X-Pac to drop him with a back suplex. X-Pac tries a high risk move, but Kidman rolls out of the way. Now Kidman starts to make a comeback. Kidman powerbombs X-Pac for 2. As Kidman does a 10-punch count, X-Pac drops him and tries to pin him with his feet on the ropes. Kidman kicks out at 2. Kidman reverses a powerbomb and hits X-Pac with a facebuster. That gets a nearfall. Kidman tries a move off the top rope and X-Pac reverses it into a mid-air X-Factor. That scores a long 2 count. X-Pac sets Kidman in the corner and goes for the Bronco Buster, but Kidman boots him. Kidman goes up top and connects with the Shooting Star Press. That’s enough to put X-Pac away for 3. WWF 3, WCW/ECW 2

BL: Similar to the opener, this one started off slow and progressively gained momentum. You had a weird crowd reaction here as they hated X-Pac, but were ambivalent toward Kidman. This wasn’t bad, but it was also far from great. This had nothing that made it seem PPV-worthy, despite it being a battle between two champions. ** ¼

- Shane, Stephanie and Heyman celebrate in the back and then talk to DDP. Whatever is said though is quickly forgotten because right afterwards they show Torrie Wilson and Stacy Kiebler preparing for their match. When Torrie talks about her tits and Stacy about her legs, you tend to tune out everything else that’s going on.

This was a last minute match added on HeAT. The two lockup to begin and then Regal takes down Raven in the corner. Regal hits Raven with a double underhook suplex and then tries for the Regal Stretch, but Raven bails to the floor. Raven goes for a dropkick, but Regal catches him and gives him a catapult. Now Raven sidesteps Regal and tosses him outside. Raven follows that up with a baseball slide. On the floor, Raven gives Regal a Russian legsweep against the guardrail. Back inside, Raven clotheslines Regal and gets 2. Regal connects with a suplex and gets a nearfall of his own. Regal hits Raven as he was coming off the ropes and then gives him a running knee. A running bulldog by Raven gets 2. Both men exchange a series of nearfalls. Each man goes for their finisher, but neither hits it. Raven charges at Regal and they collide. Raven falls out of the ring and the ref goes to check on him. As that happens, Tazz runs out and suplexes Regal. Raven comes back in, DDTs Regal and pins him for the victory. WWF 3, WCW/ECW 3

BL: A boring match that just died in front of the live crowd. These two had no pre-existing feud and Raven matches are only interesting with weapons. The Tazz run-in also made zero sense, as he had no established animosity toward Regal either. They should have just given the other matches more time instead of including this. ½ *

- In the back, the Undertaker shadow boxes, while Kane watches on. Vince comes in and yammers on about what Taker needs to do tonight. Meanwhile, Taker just keeps punching the air. I don’t blame him, the shadow boxing always seems to pay off in the end.

I don’t know what makes me want to cry more; the fact that Albert is the Intercontinental Champion or that Stasiak is coming out to a version of Mr. Perfect’s theme music. This was another last minute match made on HeAT. Thanks, but no thanks. The WCW guys attack first, but the WWF guys come back with each man press slamming an opponent. As Gunn and Kanyon go at it, Stasiak attacks Gunn from the apron. Stasiak kicks Gunn down in the corner and the crowd begins a “Meat” chant. Nice job Cleveland! Gunn connects with a neckbreaker and tags Albert. Albert comes in and takes care of business. Soon, everyone is in there duking it out. Everybody clear out, except Albert, who hits the Baldo Bomb on Stasiak. His teammates come in to break up the pin. Gunn gets the Fameasser on Morrus. Stasiak comes in and gives Gunn a reverse DDT. Morrus just lays on Gunn, but somehow still pins him for 3. WWF 3, WCW 4

Postmatch: Show comes in and destroys everyone

BL: My mind hurts just thinking about how many things were wrong with this match. From misused talent, to sloppy wrestling, this whole thing was awful. If you watch this show, please just skip over this match. You don’t deserve to lose these minutes of your life like I have. - **

- Shane is backstage with Booker T and he gets him pumped up for the main event. Does each owner have to motivate each of his team members individually? How about a little multitasking and talk to your team collectively?

Tajiri comes in and gets off to a fast start. Tazz drops him, however, with a suplex. Tajiri kicks down Tazz, but Tazz comes back with a clothesline. Tazz slaps down Tajiri in the corner. Tazz applies an armbar, but Tajiri gets his foot on the rope. Tajiri comes back with a handspring elbow. Tajiri tries for a move off the apron, but Tazz pulls him down. On the outside, Tazz whips Tajiri into the steps. Tajiri avoids a charging Tazz and puts him in the Tarantula. A dropkick by Tajiri gets a long 2 count. Tajiri starts delivering some stiff kicks. Eventually, Tazz stops him with a suplex. Tazz shoves the referee away, which allows Tajiri to mist him. Tajiri then delivers one more big kick and pins him for 3. WWF 4, WCW/ECW 4

BL: There wasn’t much here, as it was a lot of punching and kicking. However, it was a lot more fun than the previous two match-ups. Tajiri was still fresh to a lot of WWF fans and his shtick went over well here. If you’re going to have throwaway matches, have them be more like this. * ¾

- As Matt and Jeff Hardy talk about his upcoming match, RVD comes out of nowhere and nails Matt with a chair. He then tells Jeff that he’s next. Man, that was the liveliest I’ve ever seen RVD. He must have accidentally left his stash at home.

- And the loser at WWF New York tonight is…Hardcore Holly! He’s signing autographs, but when he sees a guy wearing a WCW shirt, he yells at him and then rips off the shirt. Well, at least he isn’t bitching to J.R. about not being booked on the show.

For those keeping track, this is Jeff’s third different title in as many months. The guy needs to pick a division and stick with it. The two showcase some fast-paced action early on. Crowd is solidly behind RVD. Once again, good job Cleveland. Jeff leaps over RVD and dropkicks him from behind. Jeff blocks a monkey flip attempt and covers RVD for 2. RVD ducks a crossbody and then flips onto Jeff for a nearfall. Rolling Thunder by RVD gets another nearfall. RVD leaps up top, but Jeff shoves him off and into the guardrail. Jeff then connects with a baseball slide. Jeff tries to run the rails, but RVD meets him and they collide. As they fight into the crowd, RVD moonsaults off a wall and onto Jeff. That gets 2. RVD lays Jeff on the guardrail and then from the apron does a legdrop. From the apron, Jeff delivers a sunset flip powerbomb to RVD. Ouch! Jeff now pulls a very large ladder out from under the ring. He scales it, but RVD dumps it over and Jeff falls all the way to the floor. Wow! RVD gets a chair, but Jeff rams the ladder into him. Jeff grabs the chair and beats RVD with it. Suddenly, RVD pops up and hits the Van Daminator, which knocks Jeff off the stage. RVD brings Jeff back to the ring. RVD grabs the chair and dropkicks it into Jeff’s face. RVD goes for the split-legged moonsault, but Jeff gets his knees up. A DDT by Jeff gets a nearfall. Jeff gets another nearfall with a German suplex. Jeff goes for the swanton bomb, but RVD moves and lands on the Hardcore belt instead. RVD then places the Hardcore belt on Jeff and delivers the Five Star Frog Splash. At that point, the pinfall is academic. New champ! WWF 4, WCW/ECW 5

BL: This wasn’t your normal hardcore match and that’s ok. Rather this was the RVD coming out party. RVD got to showcase all of his signature spots on the big stage and Jeff was the perfect guy to do the bumping for him. Now seeing RVD’s moveset so many times, this match loses a little something. However, it’s still a very exciting match. *** ¾

- It’s now Kurt Angle’s turn to get motivated by Vince. But come on, it’s Kurt freakin’ Angle. He doesn’t need motivation. This guy is always ready for a fight.

Tag Team Bra and Panties Match: Trish Stratus and Lita (WWF) vs. Stacy Kiebler and Torrie Wilson (WCW/ECW) with special guest referee Mick Foley

I guess Foley felt like a little bit more work. I’ll keep this short and simple: Lita removes Stacy’s top. Then Stacy returns the favor. Torrie gets Trish’s top off, but then Trish rolls her up to take off her bottoms. The faces then work together to remove the remaining clothes on Torrie and Stacy. WWF 5, WCW/ECW 5

Postmatch: Foley collects some of the clothes left in the ring. For his personal collection, I’m sure.

BL: I feel stupid rating matches like this one because they serve no purpose other than to show some T & A. To their credit, the ladies kept this one fairly lively. Trish and Lita got some wrestling in and Torrie and Stacy were able to mask their limitations. This worked find as a breather before the main event. * ½

- We get the final motivational speeches. OK, enough yapping, let’s get to fighting.

By calling this the “Inaugural Brawl”, I guess they foolishly thought this would happen yearly. By the way, the score is conveniently tied, so whoever wins this one, wins the night. Everyone begins brawling before Austin arrives. Soon, he comes out and joins the melee. Things settle down with Austin taking on Rhyno. A superplex by Austin, who covers, but has the pin broken up. Jericho hits his crappy bulldog on Booker and covers. Again, the pin is broken up. Everybody is getting their chance to come in and hit a few spots. The Dudleyz hit Kane with a neckbreaker and get a nearfall. Taker clotheslines Bubba and then nails DDP off the apron. Now Taker connects with Old School on Bubba. DDP drops Taker across the top rope from the apron. Team WCW/ECW have now isolated Taker. A DDT by DDP gets 2 on Taker. Taker DDTs Booker and and gets a nearfall. He then makes the tag to Austin. Austin goes for the Stunner, but Booker shoves him off. Those two now fight around ringside. Jericho is in now and he unsuccessfully tries to get the Walls of Jericho on both Booker and DDP. Jericho gets dropped across the top rope to put him in trouble. The Dudleyz now double-team Jericho. Jericho is able to overcome it and tags Angle. Angle takes on both Dudleyz with ease. Rhyno powerslams Angle and covers, but Austin stops it. Booker connects with the scissors kick on Angle and then does the Spinaroonie. Behind the referee’s back, the Dudleyz hit Angle with the Wassup Drop. Angle fights out of a chinlock and tags Austin, but the referee didn’t see it, so back he goes. Suddenly, everybody comes in and we’ve got chaos. Rhyno goes for the GORE, but accidentally hits Booker. Taker chokeslams DDP, but when he tries for the Last Ride, WCW referee Charles Robinson comes in and stops him. So, Taker grabs him and gives him the Last Ride instead. Suddenly, the fight is everywhere with people pairing up all around the ringside. Austin appears to have hurt his knee as EMTs are checking on him. Kane grabs D-Von and chokeslams him through the announce table. Now Rhyno and Bubba suplex Kane through the Spanish announce table. Jericho leaps off the apron and tackles Rhyno through an ordinary table. Everyone appears to be down. This is craziness. In the ring, Angle fends off Bubba and Booker. As Angle goes for the ankle lock, Booker shoves him off and into the referee. Booker flapjacks Angle and again everyone’s down. Vince tosses Angle the WWF title, but Shane intercepts it and then nails Vince with it. He tries to hit Angle, but Angle clotheslines him out of the ring. Angle hits Booker with the Angle Slam and then puts him in the ankle lock. Booker taps, but there’s no referee. Suddenly, Austin gets up and puts the referee in the ring. But then Austin kicks Angle. He grabs him and delivers a Stunner. Whaa? Austin throws Booker on top of Angle and the referee has no choice but to count to 3. WWF 5, WCW/ECW 6

Postmatch: Austin drinks beer with Shane, Stephanie, and Heyman. Why Stone Cold Why?

BL: This was a fun and lively brawl until the nonsensical ending. I understand the desire to keep Austin heel. I understand the need to add star power to WCW/ECW. But you just can’t shove a square peg into a round hole. With nothing on the line in this match, you knew something big had to happen. I just would have hoped they could have come up with something more logical than that. Otherwise, this was a solid, energetic main event. ****

Final Thoughts: Despite the score, you’d be hard pressed to call WCW/ECW a winner. Even with the addition of Austin, WCW/ECW still looks second rate in comparison to the WWF roster. Very few of the wins by WCW/ECW came off as convincing and in order to succeed, they really needed some knock-out punches. It has already become evident that WCW/ECW was doomed to fail. See this if you want for its somewhat historical value, but be forewarned, this show contains quite a few worthless and lousy matches.

Next time, while a Hollywood star makes his return, it’s Kurt Angle’s night to shine.