July 9, 2001 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Fans reject WCW talent on Raw, more
If there’s any lesson that should have been learned from the XFL, it’s that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
The first impression of WCW, in the most important angle in the history of the business, on 7/2 in Tacoma, was downright scary to the point re-evaluation of the current plans have to be considered. The live crowd totally rejected the Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell match, put on as the Raw main event. One can blame Bagwell for putting on a bad performance and T for also not rising to the occasion, but the crowd had already decided to hate it long before the bell rang to start the match. Loud chants of “boring,” “This match sucks” and “Goldberg” filled the Tacoma Dome, as the crowd booed every move by both wrestlers. Fights broke out in the stands, and a large percentage of the crowd was streaming toward the exits while the main event was going on.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.