Blast from the Past - Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell

The long awaited "debut" of the new WCW on Raw from Tacoma, Washington was a flop. Given the final half hour of the 7/2 Raw, Buff Bagwell and Booker T had what many fans felt was the worst main event in the history of the program. Bagwell, who had his first match in months the day before on a house show, blew up quickly, and was using long restholds in a match that should have been non-stop action to put over the quality of the WCW performers. Booker T tried, but was still shaking off the ringrust himself, and was not in a position to carry Bagwell. The match was embarrassing, and chants of "Boring" and "This Match Sucks" were clearly heard throughout. A WWF(E) source said Vince McMahon "absolutely hated" the whole WCW segment. That same night, Billy Kidman defeated Shane Helms for the WCW Cruiserweight Title. This was the first time a "WCW title" would change hands on a WWF(E) show.

July 2, 2001