Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WCW Monday Nitro 5/4/98
It is never a good thing when they do not know when they are on and tell the fans to check their local listings! Oh well the ratings did not drop too badly as they got a 3.5 while RAW got a 5.5. I said a lot last week and it is getting late but last week surprised me as it had some great wrestling and actually had some good storytelling. Sting was classic as was Savage and Hart. I am still worried about where they are going with everything but overall it was well done.
They recap last week….Brian Adams is in the Hogan camp.
Here comes Eddie and Chavo and the former claims he is every ones favorite wrestler as the fans tell him he sucks. He is going to challenge Scott Norton and tells him to get his finger out of his mouth and take on the best wrestler in WCW.
Match 1: Eddie Guerrero v. Scott Norton
Eddie does some push ups while waiting. Eddie circles the ring and then rolls to the floor and acts like his knee hurts and wants Chavo to wrestle for him! Chavo is game and gets into the ring and is promptly run over and then press slammed. Eddie has the towel over his head and Norton grabs him and starts to pull him into the ring and Chavo lowkicks the knee of Norton. He keeps after the knee but is picked up and slammed and then finished with the shoulderbreaker….
**1/2 For the angle….classic but poor Chavo.
Ultimo comes down and he is arguing with Eddie.
Match 2: Scott Putski v. Kidman
Putski! Have not seen him since blowing out his knee against Brian Christopher. They lock up and exchange arm holds and Putski clotheslines him and then drops the elbow. However Kidman comes back and bulldogs him and then strikes with a guillotine legdrop. Putski comes back and spikes him as the Wolfpac come down from the crowd. Putski is working him over as the now red-shirted nWo come down and Putski gets a boot in the face from Nash and then powerbombed!
Nash gives a shout out to Hall who has been deemed to dangerous to be on live TV. He tells Sting and Giant that they may think he is funny when in fact they are very hungry. They are going to pick their bones clean and he shows off their colors as the Red and Black Attack. He tells Hogan to get his crew and he will get his crew and they will rendezvous. Savage does a little rap! There is one thing he would like better than getting his hands on Hogan’s scrawny neck and that is getting at his maggot friend Bret Hart. He continues about Bret will get screwed out of everything when he faces the Madness. There is a new member to the Wolfpac and here comes Hennig and he is wearing the old colors still. Adams runs up to him and wants to know what he is doing and Curt yells back that he knows what he is doing. Nash tells the Hogan stooge to beat it. Konnan does his damn catchphrase shit but does tell Adams has no heart and is nothing but Hogan’s mascot and he challenges him tonight. Nash wants a piece of Sting tonight.
A Raven promo about the silence he received from his parents.
Match 3: Chris Jericho (c) v. Boris Malenko
He has Penzer hold the picture of Dean as he welcomes the crowd to Monday Night Jericho. He is dedicating tonight to Malenko. He shows us an interview with Dean who is talking about his dad. When Jericho thinks about Dean dedicating his career to his late father he thinks that his father is rolling in his grave. He cannot wrestle and is mediocre as is his brother. He got that gimmick of 1000 holds due to the front office and all he does is bore people putting them to asleep. He is going to pay a tribute tonight to Dean and calls a man who knows one more hold than Dean and that is one hold and calls down Boris Malenko who knows one hold. He comes down doing a Dean imitation.
Jericho shakes his hand and is put in an armbar and Jericho knocks him down and kicks him and then vertically suplexes him. He pulls Boris on top of him and kicks at two acting shocked. He runs over Boris in the corner and then tosses him across the ring. Jericho chops him a few times and then picks him up and puts him in the Liontamer and it is over.
NR but fuck that was classic and the crowd being stunned by making fun of Dean’s dead dad and relative silence was baffling….fuck off fans.
Nitro Girls and Alex Wright comes out again and he is hauled off again!
Hogan from last week talking about what jokes Nash and Savage are.
Match 4: Barbarian and Hugh Morrus v. Public Enemy
Barbarian does not wait for Rock to set up the table and goes right at him and the brawl begins out on the floor. Rock and Barbarian are taking it up the ramp, hammering each other. Rock is sent into the railing and then clotheslined. Grunge is getting choked out and Rock and Barbarian are in the ring with Rock using all sort of objects with alacrity and he leaps off the top rope blasting Barbarian in the head but he tries again and is crotched on the ropes. Grunge is wailing on Morrus as Rock is dumped into a garbage can and Barbarian kicks it over and then bashes it onto his head. Grunge and Barbarian are out on the floor and Grunge is placed on a table and Barbarian climbs up top and Grunge wisely moves and Barbarian elbows the table. Rocco is press slammed over the top and into a table. Jimmy is involved but Morrus is dumped outside and Hart is taken down and given a big splash and pinned….He was allowed to compete.
**1/2 Fun couple of minutes diversion.
Gene is at the top of the ramp and wants to speak with Brian Adams. Gene reminds him of the Konnan challenge. Brian wants the crowd to get a warm cup of shut the hell up. He is Brian Adams and he is one of Hogan’s main enforcers. Hogan made the nWo and made pro-wrestling. He tries some math and sounds like a whiny child; he tells Gene to shut up and he is going to take out Konnan as he is too big, too bad and just too sweet.
Benoit and Booker are discussing their matches and Booker was whining about Benoit using the ref and Benoit claims he tapped out.
Match 5: Saturn v. Hammer
Kidman has the mic and this is a loser leaves the Flock match and there will be no interference. Hammer blindsides Saturn, beats on him out on the floor and then back into the ring spins him around and after dropping him gets a two count. He reverse suplexes him, but misses the charge in the corner and is fucking killed with a release German suplex. Saturn unleashes a flurry of kick into the corner and then charges into Hammer with both falling to the floor.
They show the Flock watching the match in the back….
Saturn continues the offensive and goes up top only to leap into a powerslam. Saturn is placed up top and vertically suplexed off the top. Saturn though recovers first and bounces Hammer’s throat off the top rope and then spikes him with a brainbuster and follows up with a guillotine legdrop. He tosses in a chair, sets it up and springboard kicks off of it! He does it again but Hammer pulls the ref in front and down he goes. Hammer has the chair and Saturn kicks it into his head. He has him over his shoulders and Kanyon comes down, I am sure that it is him and he has a tray of drinks and clocks Saturn and then uses the chair on Hammer’s head and Hammer falls on top of Saturn getting the win.
*** I liked this match; nothing but brawling for five plus minutes.
Raven heads out of his locker room and is fucking belted with a stop sign. DDP just unloads on him; he drags him to the ring with a bullrope wrapped around his neck. After a short clothesline he has him in the ring but Raven uppercuts him in the nuts and now Raven begins to stomp away. DDP though drives him into the corner and then hangs him over the ropes with the rope!
Match 6: Sick Boy v. Juventud Guerrera
Juve is immediately stomped into the canvas, picked up and launched straight up and flattened into the canvas! Sick Boy covers him and gets a two count. Juve kicks off him and then nails him with a spinning heel kick and he get a two count. Juve keeps up the offensive with some chops to the chest and he muffs the spinning headscissors. Sick Boy sends him into the corner and misses the charge, and they exchange shots with Juve on the apron and he springboard dropkicks him in the back of the head. Juve Driver! He goes up top and Horace shoves him off and then gets in the ring and both men stomp away. No Raven’s rules as the ref calls for the bell. Juve fights them off but is grabbed from behind by Reese. Now the fans get their wish! Goldberg! He runs down and promptly spears Sick Boy and then Jackhammers big Reese.
*1/2 Short match and basically just a way for Juve not to surrender, his motto, and of course some Goldberg.
Gene welcomes Rick Steiner. Gene asks him about his situation with Scotty. He wants Scotty to come out here and tell him to his face whether or not they are getting back together or if one will be left laying. Rick stumbles over his words but wants to finish this thing once and for all. Here comes Scotty who is on crutches and Rick is not buying it. He wants Scotty to face him like a man. Scotty is humble and thinks he may have made a mistake and his mom and dad do not talk to him the same. He is worried about Bagwell too and he does not want it to come between he and his brother. Rick is still irate about him joining the nWo and wants it done right now. Scotty declares that Hogan and the nWo means nothing to him and he wants to be the Steiner Brothers again as he looks like he is going to cry. Rick is unsure as Scotty has tears! Gene wants him to have compassion and as Scotty turns to leave Rick is willing to give him a chance and they can be partners again but if he stabs him in the back he will hunt him until he dies. They hug! Brian Adams comes down with a bat and cracks him with it and then gives him a shoulder breaker and Scotty wants him to do it again and again this time for Bagwell.
Match 7: Konnan v. Brian Adams
Konnan and Adams got after each other right at the bell. Konnan uses his flannel to choke him out before the ref grabs it and tosses it to the floor. Konnan runs over Brian, snaps him over and then lowkicks him in the head. Konnan is working over his back with his forearm but telegraphs the backdrop and is weakly piledrived. He drops the leg, pulls him up and tosses him to the floor. Bret Hart runs out and bashes Konnan’s head into the railing and after rolling him back into the ring takes off. Adams gorilla slams Konnan and follows up with a backbreaker. Adams spikes him and Nash comes down and stomps on Adams’ head as he goes for the pin. Nash jackknifes him!
NR Just angle advancement but if pressed I would give it * for the match and *** for the angle.
Match 8: Fit Finley v. Booker T (c) for WCW TV Title
They circle around one another and finally lock up. They circle around again this time locked up but Fit comes out on top with some hard shots to the gut. He snaps him over and kicks him in the back of the head. He is working over the leg and Booker gets to his feet and drives his shoulder into him. Finley fights back but is sent over the top rope to the floor. Booker heads out after him, ramming him with his forearm and he rolls Finley back into the ring but walks right into a big short clothesline. Fit double stomps him. Fit pulls him to his feet, sends him into the ropes but Booker ducks and then strikes with a forearm shiver. Fit though rakes the eyes, but Booker gut punches him and it is axe kick time. He nails him with a spinebuster and out comes Benoit. Booker face plants Fit but looks at Benoit and this distracts him and turns into a blow from Fit who finishes him with a Tombstone!
*** Fit gets a big time win! Yeah! Too bad he has not done much prior.
Match 9: Kevin Nash v. Lex Luger
Nash takes a wild swing and Lex easily dodges and he starts hammering Nash. He mounts and pounds Nash in the corner, chases off Konnan and this allows Nash to nail him. Nash offense time! Elbows and fists. Luger conveniently hangs his neck over the middle rope allowing Nash to jump on him. Nash chokes him out with his boot. Nash runs into a big boot and now it is Luger offense time! Clotheslines and forearms. Konnan distracts him and Nash belts him and now Savage and Konnan get in the ring and they pound Lex. Here comes Sting and the Giant and the brawl is on. Brian Adams starts down the aisle and Bret stops him telling him what is happening is perfect and yells at a fan who taunted him. He keeps saying it is perfect.
* Not much of a main event but it did not really need to be. It basically was a showcase for the Wolfpac and their feud with Sting and the Giant.
***1/2 I kind of like these two hour shows. They go by so much more quickly. Basically the show worked the angles and while the wrestling was average at best with no long matches, which is an unfortunate by product of a two hour show, so perhaps the three hour one is better. Anyway, they kept teasing Bret, we have more Wolfpac and Scotty and Rick are still feuding. Nothing great by any means but overall it was entertaining and did the job.