" In December '99, Evan Karagias returned to WCW along with "Sugar" Shane Helms and Shannon Moore to form 3 Count, the boy band of WCW. They immediately claimed to have a musical hit, coming out before their matches and lip-synching to "Can't Get You Out Of My Heart" while dancing on green circles. Usually, they were interrupted by their opposition. They started out with a great feud with the Jung Dragons (Jamie-san, Yun Yang, & Kaz Hayashi), flying all over the ring in 6-man tag-team action. The guys also participated in the Cruiserweight Title tournament, but Karagias surprisingly fell in the first round to Lash LeRoux. The Artist formerly known as Prince Iaukea came away with the belt in the end.
3 Count soon focused their attention on Norman Smiley, who showed his dislike for their music. Their first PPV match was at Superbrawl X, where Smiley, due to his injured ribs, was unmercifully beaten in a handicap match. 3 Count eventually took the win after a series of splashes, followed by a submission hold, making Smiley give up. The 3 Count team then declared that they were hardcore, leading to numerous fights with the Hardcore Champion, "Nasty Boy" Brian Knobbs. At the end of February '00, they managed an upset, taking out the champion and getting the Hardcore Title for themselves. Sharing it as a team, they went into Uncensored '00 to battle Knobbs once again, this time in a Gauntlet match. After Helms was eliminated, Karagias came out. Without his teammates to aid him, however, Karagias was crushed by Knobbs, who then dismantled Moore, getting his Hardcore strap back.
In April '00, Eric Bischoff & Vince Russo took control of WCW, forming two groups, the New Blood (younger wrestlers) and the Millionaire's Club (experienced wrestlers). Unfortunately, 3 Count did not figure into the plans, partially because of Shane Helms' broken nose, acquired in a match against the Jung Dragons. It later required surgery, and had Helms wearing a mask to protect it for a few weeks, whenever he wrestled. In late summer '00, the boy band finally returned to television, singing a new song, "Dance With 3 Count". This earned them the favor of Tank Abbott, who loved listening to them sing, and would attack anyone who tried to stop them. Abbott soon became 3 Count's manager/security guard/back-up dancer, sometimes bringing out a green "square" for himself to dance on.
Abbott & 3 Count soon began a running feud with the trio's old adversaries, the Jung Dragons. Their repeated encounters led to a Ladder match at New Blood Rising, with a recording contract & a gold record hanging from the ceiling. There were many hair-raising spots throughout the match, many of them using the metal ladder to add to the impact. Karagias had many spots, the most memorable being his powerslam of Hayashi into the ladder. The match was later won after interference by Abbott cleared the way for Karagias to climb the ladder and get the contract, winning the match and apparently getting 3 Count a record deal. After the match, Abbott took the contract & the gold record and left. Later on, Abbott announced that he should be the lead singer, with 3 Count as his back-up band. This proved to be too much for 3 Count, who told Abbott that they were through. A minor feud with Tank soon erupted, which basically went nowhere, as Tank soon after left WCW.
3 Count next feuded with the M-I-A, signing a match for them at Fall Brawl '00. It was Karagias, Helms, & Moore vs. Corporal Cajun (Lash Leroux), Lieutenant Loco (Chavo Guerrero Jr), and AWOL (the Wall). 3 Count did well against Cajun and Loco, but had a lot of trouble with the massive AWOL, the only heavyweight in the match. They did manage to send AWOL through a table, but it wasn't much comfort, as Cpl. Cajun later won the match with a "snow plow", getting the victory for the faces. This was the end of the M-I-A/3 Count feud. Soon after, the core of 3 Count began crumbling.
Karagias became more egotistical, taking over the center circle during 3 Count matches. In November '00, it all came to a head, when 3 Count was once again wrestling the Jung Dragons. After Karagias took the pinfall away from Helms & Moore, the duo turned on him, taking out their former leader. Karagias soon joined up with Jamie Knoble (formerly known as Jamie-san), who had been unmasked and kicked out of the Jung Dragons by Leia Meow, their manager. They formed a third tag-team, intent on battling it out with 3 Count (Helms & Moore) and the Dragons (Yang & Hayashi). The three teams' wars with each other soon culminated in a Triangle Tag-Team match signed for Mayhem '00. The match was incredible, with spots coming from all angles, including a splash by Meow into all of the wrestlers. In the end, 3 Count emerged victorious, taking out Jang with their double-team neckbreaker.
The three groups continued to feud into the next month, when it was announced that there was going to be a Cruiserweight Contendership Ladder match at Starrcade '00. It involved all three tag-teams, which led to more insane action from all 6 wrestlers throughout the match, as they tried to reach the Cruiserweight Title contract hanging above the ring. Early on in the match, while the other two teams fought towards where the ladder was located, Helms & Moore broke off, getting a hidden ladder and sneaking into the ring with it. But they were seen by the Jung Dragons, who knocked them down. There were a lot of massive spots from all wrestlers, including the ladders being set up like scaffolding at one point. On top of the ladders, Shane & Shannon tossed Knoble & Yang off, then worked as a team, with both men grabbing the contract. Once again, Karagias' old partners had come out on top, defeating him & Knoble.
For the first few months of '01, Karagias and Knoble rarely climbed out of the darkness, only wrestling pointless matches against other cruiserweights, while the other two members of 3 Count stayed in the spotlight. At Superbrawl '01, the three tag-teams that had fought so much were brought together once again, as a "Four Corners Elimination" match was formed between the 6 wrestlers. All three teams worked together at the beginning of the match, and unfortunately for Karagias, the two members of 3 Count proved their skills once again, eliminating him first when Helms hit the Vertebreaker on him. Later in the match, Moore surprisingly turned on Helms, attacking him. Helms fought through it though, taking out Moore and Hayashi to win the match. Shortly thereafter, during a match between Karagias/Knoble and 3 Count, Karagias turned on Knoble and rejoined Moore in beating down Helms, retaking his mantle in 3 Count.
Karagias & Moore would remain a high-flying, egotistical tag-team for the last months of the Turner-ran WCW. They competed in the first Cruiserweight Tag-Team Title Tournament, taking out Jason Jett & Scotty O in the first round. They were then bested by the veterans, Rey Mysterio Jr & Billy Kidman, and thus did not appear at WCW Greed, watching instead from the sidelines. They did make an appearance on the Season Finale show in March, wrestling for a shot at the Cruiserweight Tag-Team Champions, Kid Romeo & Elix Skipper. But they were bested, once again, by Mysterio & Kidman (with Yang & Hayashi also involved in the match), and watched as the Filthy Animals went on to defeat Romeo & Skipper for the belts. Karagias has to be considered a potential future star in the wrestling business, both for his ability to move and his skill on the mic. It will be interesting to see where he eventually ends up. "
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