31 Days of Vince Russo "Special Matches" in 1999/2000 WCW - #3: Catch-As-Catch-Can Match (Billy Kidman vs Dean Malenko from WCW Souled Out PPV – January 16, 2000

The third entry is the Catch-As-Catch-Can Match between Billy Kidman and Dean Malenko at WCW Souled Out on January 16th, 2000.

Here is a link to the Catch-As-Catch-Can Match.

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Before I get into the match itself, here is some context:

This match occurred in a stretch of time where WCW was completely snake bit.

The original plan one week before the Souled Out PPV was for Chris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett to wrestle in a Triple Threat Theatre series at the PPV. They would wrestle three matches on the show – a Dungeon Rules Match (a no rope match that you can lose by pinfall, submission, or being thrown to the floor), a Bunkhouse Brawl Match (hardcore match), and a Caged Heat Match (basically, WCW’s version of Hell in a Cell).

Between the January 10 edition of Nitro and Souled Out, Bret Hart pulled out of his World Title match due to concussions and Jeff Jarrett pulled out of his three matches due to a concussion suffered during his Nitro match against Jimmy Snuka (yes, you read that right). Vince Russo was out as head booker a few days later after pitching Tank Abbott as a temporary new World Champion (apparently that idea is the straw that broke the WCW executives’ minds. It was a bad idea, but not the worst idea Russo ever had in WCW). WCW had to salvage their upcoming PPV in less than a week.

Long story short, Chris Benoit would face Sid for the World Title, and Billy Kidman would wrestle in three matches against Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and a mystery opponent revealed on the PPV as The Wall. Kidman’s match against Malenko would be a Catch-As-Catch-Can Match and serve as the opening match of the Souled Out PPV.

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Now, onto the match itself.

This match replaced the planned Dungeon Rules Match. The rules of the Catch-As-Catch-Can Match are the same as a regular match except the wrestlers must stay in the ring. You can lose the match via pinfall, submission, or if your feet touch the ground outside the ring. The announcers tell the audience at home at least three times that the match will end if a wrestler’s feet touch the ground outside the ring.

In an another example of WCW being snake bit in mid-January 2000, the normally very reliable and able Dean Malenko had a brain fart. Dean Malenko slipped out of the ring and onto the floor about two minutes and seven seconds into the match leading to Malenko losing the match. Twenty-five seconds later, the bell finally rings to end the match and announce Billy Kidman as the winner.

The Catch-As-Catch-Can Match wasn’t a bad idea on paper with the two wrestlers involved. Malenko was a great technical wrestler, and Kidman was a very good wrestler who could more than hold his own in the ring. They had excellent matches previously in WCW and could deliver in the ring if given enough time.

The brief in-ring match action between Kidman and Malenko was basic but good. It looked like a solid foundation to build the rest of the match on. Unfortunately, we never got to see it.

Some items of note in this match:

1. In a further example of being snake bit at this time, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Perry Saturn would all leave WCW after the PPV and go work for the WWF. Shane Douglas leaves WCW as well but returns to WCW on April 10, 2000.

2. This was Dean Malenko’s final match in WCW. He would leave WCW and go to the WWF shortly after this PPV.

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Previous entries:

Day 1: 11-15-1999 Nitro - House of Pain Match: Saturn/Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero/Konnan

Day 2: 11-8-1999 Nitro - Texas Tornado Ladder Match for the U.S. Title: Bret Hart vs Goldberg vs Scott Hall vs Sid Vicious