Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WCW Monday Nitro 6/29/98
Well tonight we witness the arrival of DDP and Karl Malone. Oh boy! The heavily hyped arrival along with Hogan and Rodman do not help the ratings as they stayed at a 4.1 while RAW exploded with a 5.4. I am already dreading Schiavone talking about it for THREE fucking hours and then we have Thunder and next week’s Nitro and then Thunder again. Fuck. Hopefully there is some decent wrestling and Tony has a stroke….
Fuck. Kevin Greene. Look I respect the guy, but not for wrestling. He cannot speak well or wrestle. He gets no crowd response so he gets right to the point that his partner is Goldberg at the PPV and just talks about him.
Match 1: Horace Hogan v. Kanyon
Kanyon gets off to a fast start, snaps him over and pounds on him. Kanyon straddles him and then spikes his head into the mat. Kanyon is distracted by Lodi. Horace takes advantage and knocks Kanyon around and gets two after a superplex. Kanyon makes a comeback, decks Lodi but turns into a big boot but Horace dealays and is finished off with the Flatliner.
**1/2 Not bad, fast paced.
The Flock runs in and gets dismantled but the numbers game takes over. He is down and Raven has the mic and makes some terrible poetry. He calls him foolish and finishes him with the Evenflow.
They show Karl’s 18 Wheeler on the highway.
Gene calls out Stevie Ray. Ray stumbles over words as he babbles about beating both Benoit and Mongo but his brother will not allow that. So he challenges them to a tag match and Booker does what he says and will go along with it.
Match 2: Ultimo Dragon v. Eddie Guerrero
Eddie looks under the apron, for Chavo. He and Dragon go back and forth for a bit until Eddie strikes with a spinning backbreaker and now a back suplex. Eddie slingshots onto him. But he wastes time looking around for Chavo. Eddie pulls him up and knocks him around with uppercuts and knees. I guess this is Little Dragon….my bad. Eddie connects with a vertical suplex. But takes an hour to head up top and here comes Chavo with Pepe! He is doing his shtick as he pretends to ride the horse and taunt Eddie. He wants Eddie to pet him and instead Eddie grabs it, takes it away and Dragon rolls him up for the win.
**1/2 Angle advancement
Chavo is not happy about his horse. Eddie finally has had enough and chases him to the back.
Jericho is talking to Dragon about facing Dean and will get the title shot if he wins.
Match 3: Japanese Dudes v. Giant
Predictably Giant fucking annihilates them; double-chokeslams them for the win.
NR Squash.
Rude and Hennig come in and dismantle them further. Curt has the mic and yells if the people have a problem they need to bring it right now. What just happened now will happen at the PPV to Greene and Goldberg. Greene is a piece of garbage and is not even a wrestler. He has beaten bigger people and jaws with the fans and Greene starts to come down and Curt eggs him on. He calls him a non-athlete and a jerk. Green runs into the ring and clears it and here comes Goldberg to lend a belated hand. They are in the ring taunting the heels to get back in the ring.
Here comes EB and Hulkster. Hogan talks about dumping Karl’s semi over and taking out DDP with one python and Karl with the other. He is going to break those two losers in half. Karl Malone will go down in history as the biggest loser after he loses at the PPV. EB has the mic and mocks the truck and direction ability as well as Malone being a loser. Hogan agrees that Karl embarrassed himself in the Finals and on Leno. Fuck me, Hogan just called Rodman the Black Jesus and that he himself will crucify the other two. He finishes about being worshipped for life and loved etc….boy is he losing steam, it is the same fucking thing.
Here comes the Wolfpack!
Match 4: Davey Boy and Jim Neidhart v. Lex Luger and Sting (c)
Oh shit, Davey and Jim are done for. Jim and Luger start off, Lex cannot slam him and Neidhart falls on him. But Jim is knocked to the floor after a clothesline. He slowly makes his way back to the ring. Davey gets the tag and Lex points at Sting trying to get the crowd riled and it kind of works. Sting shoves him and puts him in a headlock and then two hiptosses sends Davey to the floor. Davey slowly gets back in the ring and now the fans are firmly behind Sting. Davey wants a piece of Luger and flexes so Sting obliges and tags in Luger. Luger flexes right back and everyone squeals. Davey backs down and tags in Anvil who mocking flexes at Lex and so Sting is tagged in. Sting taunts Jim and they get in one another’s face jawing at each other. Jim pushes Sting but gets taken off his feet with a running lariat. Now a test of strength and Jim puts his hands on the canvas where Sting stomps on them. Lex is tagged in and he is driven to the other other corner and doubleteamed. Jim sledges the back and chokes him out on the ropes. Jim works him over for a but Lex makes the tag after Jim does and Davey gets demolished by three inverted atomic drops and a Stinger Splash. Davey goes for a bodyslam but is finished by the Death Drop.
** Not sure why Davey and Jim are now jobbers. Davey a former contender for world titles did not get one offensive move in. He has been wasted, but he is getting a lot of money…..
Match 5: Reese v. Saturn
Reese easily manhandles Saturn for a moment but Saturn dodges a blow and kicks him a few times. Reese tosses him off and then gorilla slams him from his knees. Reese after some more offense is grabbed and finished with the Death Valley Driver.
**
The Flock comes down and destroys Saturn. Raven talks about Saturn and his betrayal and then gives him an Evenflow.
Another shot of the 18 wheeler.
Match 6: El Vampiro v. Brad Armstrong
They lock up and Brad shoves him down. Brad mocks him and then strikes with a couple of clotheslines but is slow to follow up and is dropped via an enzuguri. Vampiro follows up with a spin kick. But Brad counters back with a bulldog only to kick his head off and then literally plows him into the mat with the Nail in the Coffin.
** Not bad and Vampiro has come.
Match 7: Tokyo Magnum and Shimi Something v. Disco Inferno and Alex Wright
Tokyo joins their dance and gets assaulted and kicked to the floor. Wright has the arm but Shimi revereses and they exchange wristlocks. Shimi takes him down but Wright counters and has a hammerlock applied. Shimi escapes and dropkicks Alex. Disco though gets the tag and gets worked over for a bit, but he and Alex doubleteam Magnum. Shimi and Disco are in and the latter is dropped after a running spinkick. Shimi gets two after a springboard diving headbutt. Wright makes the save and now all four are beating on each other. Disco kills Shimi with a facebreaker and now Wright finishes it with a neckbreaker.
**1/2 Useless but still fast paced.
Disco and Alex are arguing about dancing.
Match 8: Ultimo Dragon v. Dean Malenko
Dean has the arm but Dragon reverses it and now the flip and fly around the ring and dropkick each other and start back at square one. Dean trips him and tries to follow up only to be put in a hammerlock. Dean reverses the hold and drives his knee into the back. Dean covers him for two. Dragon though has the leg and works it over along with the knee. Dean manages to avoid the headstand kick! Dragon gets bounced off the canvas with a German suplex but Dragon lands on his feet after the German suplex and connects with some stiff kicks but gets caught on the springboard moonsault. But he has the Dragon Sleeper applied but Malenko counters with a jawbreaker. They tussle for a bit but Dragon gets the upperhand and hits the handspring elbow. He places Dean up top and climbs up after him but Dean has him and strikes with the super gutbuster. Jericho comes down and informs Dean that he is going to be arrested for imitating a wrestler. He mentions his dad and Dean breaks the Cloverleaf and chases Jericho!
*** Decent while it lasted. Oh and Dragon wins via a countout.
Match 9: Chris Benoit and Steve McMichael v. Harlem Heat
Benoit stomps a hole in Ray but is clotheslined. Now Ray stomps away in the corner. He jaws at Booker T and Benoit fights back only to get his eyes poked and bodyslammed. Booker is tagged in and Ray tells him to get physical and Booker gets two after a back elbow. He misses the sidekick and is dropped with a dragon leg whip. Mongo gets the tag and keeps after the leg. Booker finally escapes and Ray gets the tag and clubs the back. Mongo makes a comeback, weakly flings him into the corner and then slowly runs at him and gets his leg grabbed and shoved down. Booker gets the tag and he spikes him down and gets a two count. Benoit runs in and Ray knocks him to the floor. Bret Hart runs down wielding a chair and Booker is belted with it and Mongo turns him over and the ref makes the count and it is over.
** Really disappointing match.
The truck has nearly arrived.
Oh shit, EB has a Tonight Show stage set up with Liz there. The synthesizer guy does some terrible jokes about truck drivers and hot sauce. EB introduces Liz and the crowd is BAFFLED. EB claims he has a special guest and it is Scotty Steiner. Steiner is wearing a youth small and talking about his arms and that Big Poppa Pump is in town and he is ready to pound. Steiner makes fun of Karl for doing Rogaine commercials while Rodman is starring in movies. Karl has not beat him in the Finals the last two years and will lose at the PPV. Therefore he does not deliver. Scotty teases who his costar is in the movies and EB wonders if it is Arnold etc. but it will be revealed next week.
Booker T is with Gene and the former is not too worried about Ray but is worried about Bret Hart and calls him a sissified punk. Ray comes out and does not like him issuing challenges. Booker challenges Bret anyway. Ray interrupts again and he and Booker argue. Ray calls Booker a sissy and how two years ago they would have beat him easily. Bret comes out and makes fun of the way black people say “ask” and brags how he is the best and is willing to take him on. Bret is being reduced in status but the rub for Booker will be great.
EB and Hogan are in the locker room. Hogan is a bit worried but DDP and Karl will pay despite Rodzilla not being here tonight. EB tries to get him to relax and Hogan knows what they are going to do now….they think Karl and DDP will not arrive.
Goldberg is getting the Michael Buffer treatment!
Match 9: Glacier v. Goldberg (c) for WCW US Title
Goldberg takes him down with ease. Glacier is slow to his feet but pops Goldberg only to get kneed and is body scissored to the ground. Glacier is thrust back into the corner only to reverse him to the other corner and kick him in the head but Goldberg takes him down and then spears him and the crowd explodes. Jackhammer time!
** Squash.
More EB and Hogan. EB tells Karl to bite him and calls him a gutless punk. Hogan claims he is going to tear them apart for not showing up. EB states they should have gotten a lear jet and Hogan mocks them for driving a pick up truck. This continues as they claim they will not arrive. They show the truck nearing the arena and then arriving with the Black and White waiting and they run, I mean just run from the truck and do not attack after they get out and they have chairs too. EB is babbling about why Rodman has not shown up tonight. Malone and DDP somehow sneak into the ring and clang chairs together and this surprises and scares Hulk and EB. EB is shoved into them and pushed to the floor. Malone will not allow him to leave the ring as Hogan tries to beg off but finally relents and is willing to fight as the ring is littered with debris. Finally they lock up and they look alternative lifestyle as they rub against one another. Karl bodyslams him and the fans go nuts. He then strikes with two clotheslines and Hulk retreats. Now the rest of the nWo come out to help up Hogan. DDP has the mic and tells Hogan that he has just been slam dunked, punk. It was a shame that Denise, he means Dennis being Hulk’s girlfriend could not be here. They lay out an open invitation for him next week in Hotlanta. If he does not he will be at the PPV for sure (nice qualifier). Jesus this is bromance, as they make fun of the Rodzilla name and at the PPV size does matter. The Diamond Cutter is the special delivery. They will feel the Bang!
*** I just did not feel it here. The wrestling was average at best. The focus on Rodman and Hogan was too much. The ratings being low compared to RAW makes me wonder if they will panic and Hogan will try and take a backseat. The Tonight Show is an okay gimmick but why do I feel they will run with it and do long ass promos with it. I just want them to go back to great wrestling and storytelling with Sting and Savage and get Hart involved. The Wolfpac is fine too. Stop hotshotting shit…..FUCK I am getting irate. Why? Why keep having guys who cannot wrestle be the focus of the show it is not bringing in higher ratings. Just stay focused. Oh and the talk about the Bash at the Beach main event needs to fucking stop.