My World with Jeff Jarrett - New Blood Rising [Show Notes] (Patreon)

We’re going to ride the WCW train as after Hulk Screwed Hulk and Hogan went home it’s you & Booker T on top in WCW...kind of. Today we’re going to discuss New Blood Rising...the pay-per-view after Bash at the Beach.

The funny thing is Jeff...and a lot of this just shows to how disorganized WCW is...the New Blood is formed back in April during the relaunch with Vince Russo & Eric Bischoff. They are to feud with the Millionaire’s Club and you’re the top guy in the New Blood. By the time we get to New Blood Rising in August...the angle and gimmick are kind of done. Is that just a microcosm of everything going on?

Eric’s gone. Hulk’s gone. It’s going to turn into an ugly legal battle as we discussed. But the night after Bash at the Beach Vince Russo is back and writing TV after being gone. It’s said that Brad Siegel tells everyone at that Nitro that Vince will be writing Nitros & pay-per-views and Ed Ferrera will be writing Thunder. Is that what you’re told?

What’s the reaction in the locker room to Eric & Hulk being gone? We’re some of the boys worried about being worked?

The Nitro the next night comes off one of the biggest stories ever...Russo, Hogan, everything. And the rating is only up a small amount to a 2.58 from a 2.24 the week before but it was on the July 4th holiday so the 2.24 was expected. That has to be somewhat disappointing right?

That Nitro ...July 10th...is in Jacksonville and you work twice. First you beat Billy Kidman early on. In the Observer Meltzer would credit Johnny Ace with helping improve match quality and finishes because he brought an All Japan philosophy to the company. Would you agree with that assessment on Johnny Ace or do you think it didn’t work?

Ernest “the Cat” Miller is WCW commissioner at this time and he announces a 3-way for the #1 Contendership and a match against Booker T at New Blood Rising in Vancouver. It’ll be between yourself, Scott Steiner and Kanyon. Goldberg interrupts and also wants in the match so he made it a 4-way. Why are you working twice here and is that something you were in favor of?

You pin Kanyon after Goldberg jackhammers him but Steiner pulls him out of the ring before he can get the pin. You’re now the #1 contender. What is it like putting this match together and how underrated in your opinion is Kanyon?

The next night you’re in Charleston taping Thunder for July 12th. You main event and pin Kanyon again. Kanyon is wearing the DDP wig in the continuation of their angle. How silly is this?

Onto Detroit and Nitro on the 18th and the show is built around the WCW US title tournament but you wrestle Stevie Ray 3rd from the top and get the pin. Midajah interferes and Rick Steiner takes the ref and helps for the victory. You & Rick beat down Stevie afterwards and Booker comes out for the save of his brother. Are you happy with the creative building to this?

Next in East Lansing you tape Thunder for the 19th and on top it’s Harlem Heat vs. you & Rick Steiner. From the Observer.. “TV main was Heat over Jarrett & Rick Steiner when Booker pinned Jarrett with an inside cradle in 5:19, but Jarrett hit him with a guitar shot after. No heat and a dull match. The original plan was to book it as a match where the world title would go to whomever scored the pinfall in the match, which is why it was booked for T to score the pin, but just before show time, the stipulation was dropped, perhaps someone arguing that doing so only cheapens the belt.”

Was that the original stipulation and someone thought better of it? Were you having a hard time getting heat in this program?

You’re advertised in main events on some of the first live events WCW is running that aren’t TV tapings in close to a month against Booker T in Toledo & Dayton but you’re not at these events. Do you know why or remember the reason?

You’re back on the road in Evansville & Louisville but let’s talk about some of the houses. Toledo draws 759 for $18,509, Dayton draws 1,796 for $40,557, Louisville draws 1,138 for $26,815 and Evansville draws 683 for $16,805. Jeff...this is not what you signed up for back in late 1999 right?

Nitro the next week on the 24th is from Cleveland and the Cat punishes you because you’re asking for a title match against the tag team champions...Kronik. It ends up being a one-on-one match with Bryan Adams after you hit Bryan Clark with a guitar. From the Observer … “ Jarrett may be a good worker, but he couldn't even come close to having a match with Adams as this had one mistimed spot after another. Clark finally came out with a busted up guitar after Jarrett. They teased doing the double choke slam on Jarrett through the announcers table but ref Mark Johnson stopped them. They put Johnson through the table and Jarrett ran off.”

What do you remember of putting this together and having Mark Johnson take the heat here?

Booker T and Goldberg main event and they go 2:28 when you attack Goldberg and Booker gets the win. The story the announcers tell is you’d rather face Booker than Goldberg hence you helping Booker win. Does this make Booker look like a weak champion and make you look weaker?

You and Booker main event the next night at Thunder in Wheeling, WV for the 26th in a bunkhouse match which you win when Booker passes out from the figure four. Did you need this win?

Earlier on that show JUDY BAGWELL makes her in-ring debut against Kanyon. Jeff...what the hell is Vince Russo doing here? Did Kanyon deserve so much more?

You main event a show in Indianapolis on the 30th against Booker with 2,143 paid for $71,320 but the Conseco Fieldhouse can hold 18,000. Is this depressing for you Jeff?

The next night at Nitro on the 31st from Cincinnati Booker and Sting are supposed to be the main event but you end up hurting Booker with a chair shot and figure four and then you HIT HIS WIFE WITH A GUITAR IN THE FRONT ROW. Jeff...are we going back to the old WWF formula of beating up women to get heat?

All these guitar shots...do they lose their luster after a while?

Before we get to the main event...it’s Shane Douglas vs. Billy Kidman in a Viagra on a Pole Match. Why does Vince Russo love pole matches so much?

You replace Booker and lose clean to Sting but it sounds like you’re hurt and you’re taken to the hospital. Is that the best way to lose considering you’re the #1 contender?

You return for the main event and attack Booker after Sting and Booker finally get to face each other. This is just a lot of injury angles and people being hurt. Does it mean nothing when it happens over and over again?

In Terre Haute for Thunder it’s Sting, Booker & Kronic vs. you, Vampiro, the Great Muta & the Demon! Jeff! Tell us about The Demon Dale Torberg!

It’s an elimination match that you get chokeslammed through a table from by Kronik but you just end up running away after Booker sets you up for the Book End and Demon saves you and you’re counted out. Listen you’re in the ring with Sting, Muta, Booker...it’s got to be a great experience. But do you see this going anywhere? Are you happy?

When do you think Vince Russo is over his head and knows he’s got pending lawsuit litigation coming and the creative just gets worse and worse?

Let’s think about this collectively...there’s so many people to please here in WCW. The talk of the WWE is always that the creative is an audience of one...Vince McMahon...but Vince Russo here is writing to keep Scott Steiner, Goldberg, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, Brad Siegel, WCW standards & practices happy...how is this even possible?

At this point...you’re 3 weeks away from the 5 year anniversary of the launch of Monday Nitro. Nitro was launched to compete against the WWF. Within a year the 83 week streak begins. At this point...we know WCW isn’t able to beat the WWF...but are they at least competing?

The go-home TVs are Nitro in Denver and Thunder in Colorado Springs. On Nitro you’re attacking Booker after his match against Lance Storm. Somehow in all this you hit a rather large woman named Heidi who is Mike Awesome’s valet and also in Team Canada (somehow…) with a guitar to put together you vs. Awesome later on. You get the win after the Stroke and failed interference from Storm. It’s got to be tough working a heel vs. heel match in the build-up to a main event don’t you think?

At Thunder you hit Jimmy Hart in the head with a guitar for telling you Booker’s not there, then a backstage worker, and then David Penzer which is ironic considering Penzer knew what was going on before you at Bash at the Beach...but Booker isn’t on this show. How do you have your World Champion not on the show right before the pay-per-view?

Between Thunder and the pay-per-view you have no shows. Coming from the WWF grind...working the Memphis loops...how weird is it to have this free time? What are you doing to keep yourself...not losing your mind?

Well Jeff we’re finally here. New Blood Rising in Vancouver...but before the show begins Brad Siegel announces to all the wrestlers that separate Thunder tapings are ending. You’re in the meeting I’m assuming. What is going through your head when this is announced?

It’s said to save costs and Thunder might be taped now with Nitro which would mean a very long show for the crowd and the wrestlers. What do you think of this move and are you worried?

You jump Booker in the parking lot during the show when he arrives (super late mind you which is one of the silliest things in pro wrestling at that time…) and slam his car door into his knee a bunch of times making him weaker for the main event.

We would be remiss to not talk about some of the stuff on this show. Judy Bagwell on a pole match. Jeff...why?

Goldberg ends up walking out of his match and the announcers talk about how he’s not going to do the finish and gets into an argument with Vince Russo in the aisle way. The announcers talk about how Kevin Nash & Scott Steiner now need to figure out what to do next and a new finish...Jeff what the hell is all this on a pro wrestling pay-per-view?

And now it’s time…

From the Observer about your match…

“11. Booker T pinned Jeff Jarrett to retain the WCW title in 14:30. A well worked match. Booker sold his knee the entire match. First Booker accidentally backhanded Mark Johnson. With no ref, Jarrett hit Booker's bad knee with a guitar shot and did the figure four. Johnson recovered but Booker made the ropes. Jarrett grabbed the title belt and went to hit Booker, but he ducked and Johnson took a second bump. Booker gave Jarrett a uranage off the apron through a table. Jamie Tucker then ran in. Jarrett hit Tucker with such a lame chair shot that the crowd groaned. That's a third ref bump. Charles Robinson ran in. Booker did a messed up neckbreaker spot on a chair. They did an All Japan finish where Booker went for the uranage, Jarrett blocked it, but Booker reversed the block and finally hit the move for the pin. ***”

What did you think of the match? Why the overbooking and who comes up with it and the finishes?

Were you and Booker happy with it?

Was this the match you needed coming off of Bash?

Which match do you think was better?

The reaction in the Observer & Torch to the show is...not good. In a good synopsis of what exactly the Bash at the Beach angle did to WCW...the Observer had 167 poll results for Bash at the Beach with 71% thumbs up while for New Blood Rising there were 289 poll results and 89% thumbs down. So more people reported they watched the show but buried it. The Torch had a fan rating of 4.8 for New Blood Rising versus a 8 for Bash at the Beach. What say you Jeff...is that accurate in your mind?

How concerned were you about the future of WCW after this show knowing Thunder is going away?

Tell me about the morale in the locker room coming off of Bash at the Beach compared to New Blood Rising. Russo cuts the promo and the locker room is all jazzed up that the guy holding them down...Hulk Hogan...is gone now. And here we are with New Blood Rising...and it’s one of the all-time worst pay-per-views. What is the locker room morale like?

Was Bash at the Beach the beginning of the end of WCW?

We just went through a hell of a month in the history of WCW...and knowing what we know now...what did you take away from this that you applied to TNA later on?