Madusa © vs Oklahoma
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
01/16/2000
This is the first date where I’m going to pull rank and basically be honest enough to admit that I am bypassing a more significant story. This was the night that Chris Benoit defeated Sid Vicious for the WCW Heavyweight Title, and then proceeded to walk out of the company and join WWE. The Radicals jump was seen as the death knell for WCW; it was already bloodied and battered, this was the shotgun to the back of the head to put it out of its misery. However, I’ve never watched a Benoit match since the day he murdered his wife and kid, so I’m not about to start watching him now. As a favourite of mine when I was a child, it still feels all too raw unfortunately.
Instead, a microcosm of what WCW offered the wrestling community was showcased elsewhere on the card. Madusa had won the Cruiserweight Title at the last PPV of 1999, Starrcade, by defeating Evan Karagias. Though the match played out to a relentless ‘boring’ chant, the actual pop Madusa received for winning the title showed that at least some people saw it as a good piece of booking. With women like Chyna over in WWE battling with the men on a consistent basis, why not give one of our title belts to a woman?
If it had just stopped at that, that might have been fine. However, WCW never knew when to stop.
Oklahoma, Ed Ferrara’s ‘parody’ of Jim Ross, a gimmick that was highly offensive and seemed to serve no purpose but to piss off a large majority of wrestling fans, decided that Madusa needed to be put back in her place – namely, the kitchen. He wanted to prove that women are the weaker sex, and attacked Madusa several times in the lead in to the PPV; firstly with a broom, and then with a bottle of BBQ sauce. Side splitting stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree.
With the last attack, Oklahoma had stolen the Cruiserweight Title into the bargain, thus coming down to the ring with the gold around his waist. Unfortunately, rather than being a tail of redemption for women, which might have saved some shreds of dignity from this complete shitshow, he also left the ring with the gold around his waist. That to a significant portion of the audience Oklahoma wasn’t necessarily the obvious heel in the contest (judging by the selection of signs in the crowd) just added the icing to a pretty god-awful cake.
To be fair to Madusa, she tries to make it something at least worthwhile in the ring. Several kicks have Oklahoma reeling, and she bumps heavily on several hair mares. A missed charge into the corner is followed by a headbutt to the balls by a dazed champion. A poor dropkick off the top is followed by one that is slightly better, but Madusa then missed a standard dropkick, allowing Oklahoma to head to ringside and seek out his BBQ sauce.
Spice, who had accompanied Madusa to the ring, stops Oklahoma, and is even joined by Asya, who is seeking a measure of revenge from an earlier altercation with the parody. The crowd pop as the two women join forces to get Oklahoma back in the ring…and he then pulls down Madusa’s skirt and rolls her up for a three count. Oklahoma is your new WCW Cruiserweight Champion.
So not only does Madusa not get her payback – a spot after the fight does have her pour BBQ sauce on him, but that isn’t really good enough – but you give your title to a non-wrestler portraying an offensive gimmick aimed at knocking the legitimate health issues of someone from another promotion, and a guy who will forfeit the title in two days due to not meeting the weight limit to wrestle in the division. You almost couldn’t get more WCW than that.
From Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger, to Madusa and Oklahoma. A fall from grace indeed.
