Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WCW Monday Nitro 4/6/98
Wikipedia has RAW ahead this week but they are wrong. However, RAW is right there. WCW has increasingly spent more and more time on the nWo. Hogan is now out every week multiple times, and this could lead to burn out. The nWo was far more effective when it came out sporadically. The WWF did that with Austin but he is far more fresh and now that he is finally champ Nitro better be expected to see a lot more of him, and the ratings increase when he comes out. Now this does not mean that Nitro is terrible, far from it. The angles and matches are better as are the gimmicks. The problem is that they take too long to pull the trigger and there is a sense of sameness. Also, the WWF is starting to appeal to tweens and teens as well as young men as Nitro will lose that cool factor. Still there is no need to panic as ratings are just that, ratings. Sure it is a matter of pride but then again WCW is making money hand over fist and the audience is not leaving. Hopefully they start pulling the trigger though on the nWo and do something because they cannot tease it for months and then do nothing. Nitro maintained its slim lead with a 4.6 off of 4.7 and then two 4.5’s while RAW got a great 4.4 off of a 4.3 and 4.5 and usually the first hour is stronger but if anything this is the highest the ratings have been and show how hot wrestling is right now.
Oh there was no Thunder last week.
An ambulance has arrived and Savage is laid out outside the arena. Dillinger is ordering people around as the gurney is brought out and they check on Savage.
They go to the announce table and then pan back to where Savage is laid out. They are putting a neckbrace on him.
Match 1: La Parka and El Dandy and Psychosis v. Three Japanese Dudes
Tony the fucking Marlins do not play in this arena it is the fucking heat. Parka does a dance and the crowd pops. Okay, I lost track but they go back and forth and all six are in the ring and the Lucha’s take to one dude and Parka kicks him in the skull and he gets a two count. El Dandy is in the ring and the triple team him and Psychosis missile kicks him and gets two. Parka chops him in the chest but is sent into the corner where he collapses, and Psychosis comes in and accidentally kicks La Parka in the nuts. It is Tokyo Magnum! Awesome! He Frankensteins Psychosis off the top and gets two. We are getting a lot of tags here and Parka leaps into the corner and no one is home now everyone is diving out of the ring and Parka corkscews on top of them. Psychosis leaps from the top and misses but makes a comeback by dropkicking the guy as he flies off the top and then finishes him off with the guillitone legdrop.
La Parka takes the chair to Psychosis and dances around as Dandy is baffled and shakes his hand!
**1/2 Fun if confusing match!
They briefly pan to a downed Savage.
Match 2: Disco Inferno v. Booker T (c) for WCW TV Title
Booker just stands and stares at Disco and just belts him from behind. He back drops him, and Booker works him over a bit and then rips off his head with a running forearm. Booker gets two and and puts him in an armbar. Disco gets to his feet and is sidekicked. They tussle a bit and Disco is hiptossed over the top. Disco grabs him and bounces his throat off the top rope, runs in and gets two after a swinging neckbreaker. Disco kicks and stomps away on Booker in the corner. He struts a bit, and then whips him into the other corner but runs into a boot and Booker spinkicks him in the head. Disco reverses the whip, gives him an atomic drop and gets two after a clothesline and then puts him in a rear chinlock. Booker gets to his feet and slugs free, rolls him up but right into the ropes and Disco drops him getting two. Disco puts him in a rear chinlock and Booker is up but gets clubbed in the back and Disco yell he wants his belt back. After a scoop slam him goe up and punches the canvas after Booker moves. Booker misses the sidekick but catches him off the ropes and slams him and this time does not miss the Harlem Kick, but Disco recovers but is kicked in the gut and Disco sets up the axe kick and is nailed and the absolutely crushed with the spinebuster. Booker goes up and Disco stumbles to his feet and is finished off with a missile kick.
*** Disco really is not too bad and Booker is starting to get over as the fans are really digging him.
They recap the issues between Savage and the nWo.
Match 3: Lenny Lane v. Kidman
Kidman scratches as he looks for crowd support. Kidman is whipped into the corner but off the rebound Kidman is able to run him headfirst into the opposing corner and then clotheslines him. He slams him and follows up with a slingshot legdrop. He chokes him out on the ropes and takes his time as he stomps on the head and then walks around a bit more. Lenny makes a comeback but is given a jawbreaker and Kidman gets a one count as Lenny gets his foot on the ropes. Kidman side slams him and looks to the crowd again. Kidman is hung up on the ropes and is elbowed off and then slammed and Lenny gets two. Kidman tries to comeback but is launched and then bulldogged. Lenny gets a two count, and Lenny goes up top and hits him with some sort of moonsault and he gets two. They go back and forth and Kidman finishes him off with the Seven Year Itch.
**1/2 I am starting to dig Kidman.
Gene is worried about Savage and asks JJ Dillon what this means for the PPV. JJ responds that it is too early to tell as Savage is really resilient and they will investigate to see what happened.
Match 4: Norman Smiley v. Konnan
Konnan has the arm and is dragged over. Konnan complains to the ref about something. Norman has the arm but Konnan reverses only to drag him over. Konnan retreats to the floor as Larry makes stupid Cuban jokes (Konnan is Cuban). Konnan gets back in the ring and takes him down; stomps on him and Vincent uses the ropes to choke him out. Konnan snaps him over and nails him with a seated dropkick. Konnan uses his foot to choke him out, whips him off the ropes and they muff up some move so Norman goes off the ropes again and kicks him in the head and put him in an abstretch. He weakly pump handle slams him and drops an elbow before getting two. Konnan takes him down and bends the leg forward and has his leg draped across his head. He lets him up and whips him into the ropes, catches a leaping Norman gives him the Cradle DDT and finishes him with the Sunrise.
** Konnan is good in the ring but this was just okay.
They are finally carting off a dead Savage.
Match 5: Buff Bagwell v. DDP (c) for WCW US Title
DDP just shows off the Cutter symbol and charges out of the corner only to be taken down and Buff grins and flexes. They lock up and DDP takes him down and he whines at the ref. They lock up again and DDP goes after the arm, twisting and turning it and has Buff in a side headlock but is pushed off and dropkicked. Buff decides to flex and turns into a clotheline. DDP nails him with a DDT, and has Buff in the corner and he gets nutted and Buff clotheslines him. Buff places him over the ropes and chokes him out. He now hammer him in the head with his fist and gets two. He puts him in a rear chinlock following that and DDP flails to his feet and elbows free, goes for a powerbomb but Buff flips free and nails him with a swinging neckbreaker and it is a damn close call on the count. Buff is upset and gets rolled up and nearly pinned. DDP follows up with a clothesline and pancakes him and Raven comes out of the crowd whining about me and Page leaves Buff and goes after Raven and Buff is happy to get the win!
*** I enjoyed this. Too bad Buff can be annoying.
Buff has the mic and threatens Penzer as he is tired of being interrupted and wants the belt and demand it from Penzer and DDP turns him around Diamond Cuts him.
We have footage of poor Randy. Savage is already laid out and red Viper screams out of the parking lot. Disciple and Vincent are milling about and threatening Liz as the cops just stand and look at a downed Savage.
Here comes Hogan with his entourage in tow. Hogan has the mic and wants to set the record and apologize to all his nWo-ites because he got caught in traffic and hit some speed bumps along the way but he and the nWo are here….Buff looks fine. Now to family business: He and Nash will destroy Piper and the Giant and despite the naysayers he and Nash are brothers. Nash will beat Sting tonight and bring the title back to the family. He assures everyone there is no controversy or hostile takeover as Macho was never part of the plan. He goes back to the PPV and how Piper and the Giant are going to get beat and all he and Nash do is hit home runs and Savage is out of the picture and Sting will be out tonight so he and Nash can focus on the PPV and take care of those two.
Goldberg gets his own video package!
Match 6: Goldberg v. Hammer
He stares Hammer down and they hook up and Hammer side steps him and shoves him but this time gets shoved down with ease. Goldberg runs right through him and the fans are going ape shit. He grabs Hammer but is given a jawbreaker and an inverted atomic drop. Hammer goes to the middle rope and leaps into a spear and after the Jackhammer it is over.
*** Shit I liked the finisher. Man is Goldberg hot.
Saturn assaults Hammer as the Flock looks on. He then shoves Kidman down.
Here comes Piper and Gene kisses his ass. He talks about the upcoming match and Piper talks about swinging a bat and where else would you learn that other than the place of the world champs (maybe that is what Tony was babbling about earlier but too bad no one goes to their games). Piper does not worry about getting hit with a bat as he has no brain cells left and then declares that he made a man out of Goldust after beating him with a bat. He continues about all the possibilities of the match and brings up Clinton and Hogan’s bald head. He is not waiting for Stampede and he is coming after him tonight and in Minneapolis and by the time he gets through with Hogan he will be auditioning for RuPaul.
Match 7: Chavo Guerrero v. Ultimo Dragon
Eddie has the mic and asks Chavo to come here and there is something he needs to bring to his attention and that is grandma called last night practically crying because they would not allow her into the Potluck Club due to the fact that they do not admit grandma’s who are related to losers! I love Chavo’s acting job here. He wants Chavo to take his place against Ultimo Dragon tonight as he would get a lot of experience and he has to make amends to grandma and Eddie makes him apologize.
Dragon runs him over off the whip but is shrugged off when he grabs him. Chavo turns and is tripped up but is able to take him down via headscissors and he back suplexes Dragon getting a two count. He follows up by putting him in a rear chinlock (Chavo is in jeans, thus selling the angle). Dragon is up and is promptly put in an ab stretch; Chavo drops him down and after an elbow drop gets two and tries again for a one count and goes back to the chinlock. He pulls him up, snap suplexes him and delays the cover attempt and only gets two. He kicks Dragon who gets to the ropes and Chavo allows him to get to his feet and Dragon springs back off the ropes but misses and is rolled up and nearly pinned. However, Dragon comes right back with a gut wrench and Eddie places a towel over his head! Dragon unleashes a flurry of stiff kicks and places him up top but Chavo knocks him onto the apron and gets two after suplexing him into the ring. Chavo goes up and goes for the Tornado DDT but is tossed off and they tussle back and forth until Dragon applies the Sleeper getting the win.
*** Good match.
Eddie gets in the ring and whacks Chavo with the towel over and over yelling at him. Chavo gets in his face but is slapped.
They show Gene badgering Malenko after Uncensored and his subsequent departure.
Match 7: Barry Darsow v. Lex Luger
They advertise Flair on Thunder this upcoming Thursday and he is going to have a statement and it has something to do with his career and fans cannot afford to miss this.
Luger is easily manhandling Darsow, and they keep going on about Flair as Darsow gets in some offense. He has the arm wrapped around the post and is pulling on it. Darsow continues to punish him and gets a two count. But he walks into a boot and now Luger pops him five times in the head, however Darsow absorbs the blows and hits him right back taking Luger down. He goes for a piledriver but is blocked and Luger counters with a back drop and now the Luger offense kicks in. The silent crowd gets riled as he motions for the Rack and it is over.
* Dull.
They show the issues between the Hart’s and Curt and Rude and Brian Adams.
Match 8: Curt Hennig and Brian Adams v. Jim Neidhart and Bulldog
They go at it right at the bell, Neidhart and Davey clear both out. Curt and Brian take their time and there is some jawing. Now Curt gets in the ring and locks up with Neidhart only to be sent for the ride and run over. Jim yanks him up by his hair and slams him. Davey gets the tag and Curt skedaddles and tags in Adams. Brian goes for a suplex but it is reversed and Davey holds him up for a minute before sending him crashing down. He whips Brian into the ropes and kicks him in the gut, tags in Jim who slingshots right into him getting two. After that he puts him in chinlock; Brian works his way to his feet and picks up Neidhart carrying him over to his corner and they both hammer him. Curt gets the tag and off the whip gut punches him and follows up with a big knee lift. Brian is back in and telegraphs the backdrop for an hour and is kcked in the gut and Rude leaves to get a closer look but Adams comes right back with a piledriver.
Commercial.
Adams is taking it to Davey and puts him in a bearhug. Davey powers out but is headbutted and then hoists him over his head bench pressing him before dropping him down. Curt is in and goes after the leg, kicks it numerous times and tags in Brian who goes after it too. We start to get a boring chant as Brian slowly kicks him and briefly puts him in a facelock, so Davey picks up the pace with a bulldog and limps over to make the tag and Curt is in too. Jim unloads a series of kicks to the gut and then bites him for a few seconds. He slings him across the ring and Brian comes in and is hammered. Jim turns around and bites Curt some more but is whipped right into a knee from Rude and Curt hits the Plex and gets the win. Adams had Bulldog neutralized. The three heels start to beat up Davey and Jim until Bret comes down to make the save.
** It was pretty damn dull and should have been more of a brawl and less limping around….still it was not terrible.
Bret has the mic and wants a freakin’ bone and informs everyone that there is a new sheriff in town and the days of ganging up on people are over.
Jericho comes down and asks for the mic and would like to dedicate this episode of Monday Night Jericho to Dean Malenko. For all of his Jerichoholics who follow his every move they would like Dean to come back and then calls him a little trooper. He mocks Iaukea and makes a valid point when he wonders why a guy gets a title shot after two wins! Finally he going to finish off Juve and then quotes Electric Avenue.
Match 9: Chris Jericho (c) v. Juventud Guerrera for WCW Cruiserweight Title
Juve wastes no time and pounds him in the corner; he whips him into the corner and the velocity hangs him upside down and then kills him with a seated dropkick. They exchange holds and move attempts, Juve lands on his feet off the toss and tears into Jericho with a clothesline and he gets a two count. He follows up with a chinlock but Jericho fights to his feet and then takes him down with a forearm. The fans start the “Jericho sucks” chant and poor Chris looks sad. He pulls Juve to his feet and gives him some chops to the chest and now it is his turn to tear off Juve’s head with a clothesline. He covers him with his foot and gets two and now does the triple backbreakers and holds the last one down and calls it hold 510! He finally releases him and looks to the crowd who boo; he covers Juve but his foot is on the rope, so he picks him up and whips him into the rope and Juve goes behind climbs up onto Chris’s shoulders and takes him down getting a near fall. But Jericho comes right back, drops him and goes up top and gets a near fall after a big splash. Jericho whips him into the ropes and Juve leaps up and takes him down and then scissors him over getting a near fall. Jericho ducks a clothesline and goes for a powerbomb but Juve counters with a DDT and Juve damn near wins and the fans boo the two count. Juve strikes with the Driver and slowly goes up top and Jericho hops up a bit too quick and crotches him, goes up top but is punched off. Juve leaps and is caught and put in the Liontamer and Juve will not quit. Prince comes down and tosses in the towel. That works? Prince comes into the ring and back drops Jericho and then clotheslines him to the floor.
***1/2 Good match. Fucking hate fans who chant boring….fuck off. Prince Iaukea though?
They show Savage laid out again and being carted off.
Match 10: Scott Steiner v. Sick Boy
They lock up and Steiner goes behind and takes him down, but Sick gets to the ropes forcing the break. Steiner goes right back to choking him out on the ropes, then he hangs him upside down in the corner where he chokes him out, breaks it and goes back to it. Scotty does some flexing, drops him with a clothesline and after the elbow drop does some push ups. Scotty challenges a fan and then tosses Sick Boy to the floor. Sick gets on the apron and mounts a comeback and springboard kicks him in the head or perhaps it was blocked as Scotty is right up and strikes with a belly to belly and puts him in the Recliner and it is over.
*1/2 Overlong squash.
Vincent has a trophy and sets it down next to a flexing Steiner.
Match 11: Kevin Nash v. Sting (c) for WCW Title
Nash comes out with Konnan. Nash takes the mic from Buffer and is wearing shirt with Macho behind bars on it! He starts by claiming Hogan ran his mouth for 45 minutes giving his view of the nWo but Big Sexy has a different view. He knows for certain that that red and yellow Viper was someone’s a few years back and that is why he is wearing this shirt but if you wear it too long then you get fired. He talks about how Hogan wants him to bring the belt to the nWo but Nash refuses and states it is only going around his waist. If Hogan is not careful then Nash may grab the bat and beat the Hell out of all three.
After Sting comes out Nash holds the belt around his waist. The bell rings and they stare at one another and Nash raises his hands and does the Wolpac signal and so does Sting and then mockingly crotch chops at him. They finally lock up and Nash drives him into the corner and it is Nash offense time; he chokes him out with his boot and sends him down with some vicious rights. He pulls him back up and it is forearm time. A shot to the head sends Sting stumbling out of the corner and he keeps hammering him but Sting rebounds off the ropes and nails Nash a few times and runs up top and clotheslines him, and then follows up with a dropkick sending him to the floor. Sting grabs him by the hair but is pulled out and Konnan wails away on Sting as Nash distracts the ref. Konnan rolls him back into the ring and get a warning from the ref. Nash stands on his throat and pulls off at five. Now Nash uses the ropes to choke him out and Konnan lends a hand as the ref is distracted. Nash leaps on Sting’s head, pulls him up and drops him back down with a short clothesline and he covers him for two. He holds Sting over his leg after a backbreaker. He starts to bend Sting’s head but Sting fights to his feet and slugs free but runs into a knee and is sent into the corner where he is sandwiched. Nash uses the boot to choke him out again, whips him into the opposite corner but this time misses the kick and now Sting goes after the knee, and he elbows it and drops down on it. He now drops an elbow on the gut, pulls up Nash and sends him down with one shot and goes for the Deathlock and Nash struggles but is turned over. Nash slowly moves towards the ropes and makes it and I am not sure if Konnan helped but he was there. Sting got gouged in the eye or something as he is not moving and Nash walks behind him and side slams him getting a two count. Nash limps to his feet and drops a big elbow and gets another two count. Nash stands and allows Sting to get to his feet before bashing his head into the top buckle and then unloads with some big rights. Nash sends him to his knees with a knee lift and he goes back to working over the head by pushing it down. Sting is shoved all the way down as Nash puts on the pressure. Sting gets a second wind and fights to his feet and slugs free and has Nash in the corner and Konnan enters the ring and ends up behind Nash and Sting hits the Stinger Splash and then two others. He grabs Nash but Nash has already recovered and clotheslines hm and preps for the powerbomb and cannot get him up as he sells the back. Nash though undoes his singlet and Hogan has come out and hammers Sting and the match is tossed out. Nash is pissed and shoves Hogan down. Sting takes out Hogan and goes after Nash and now the nWo runs down as does Piper and the Giant and the nWo flees to the floor with Nash trying to get at Hogan.
*** You know it was not a wrestling masterpiece but it did the job. I am baffled by Konnan and Nash’s no selling of three Stinger Splashes but it was entertaining nonetheless.
***1/2 You know I am tempted to bump this up a bit higher but there were some slow parts like Barry Darsow and Sick Boy. However the show did a fine job of getting ready for the PPV and added more drama by taking out Savage and causing more issues with Nash and Hogan. They also did not have all the big guns come out and wrestle. They did their promos but did not have too many of them and set up a solid main event. They took their time and while they may be doing that too much with some of the angles I still find it really entertaining. The wrestling was decent and I am compelled to watch to see what happens with the nWo. Jericho is awesome and it is too bad he is stuck with Prince Iaukea. Also, Eddie Guerrero continues to do a good job and it may not be popular anymore but damn is Goldberg cool. Both RAW and Nitro have had some good shows and the ratings show it.