WCW Nitro 7/13/1998

Written by: Kevin Kindelberger

WCW Monday Nitro 7/13/98
Well, the problem with taking so long between shows now is that I get forgetful. I am trying to forget the main event at that fairly lackluster PPV. I mean this whole Rodman/Malone shit needs to end. I mean it is really terrible. Tyson was fine because he was not front and center and did not detract from the show. This crap does, and while a novelty for a show or two, such as for interviews or run ins but the actual wrestling sucks. Now EB has to figure out what to do with Goldberg and with Hart and others and hopefully it is done well, and if they can keep the gap closed with RAW. The ratings stayed strong with a near 4.5 off of a strong start at 4.7 but it fell to 4.0 when RAW started but had a strong finish with a 4.7. RAW got a 4.65 off of 4.4 and it rose to a 4.9.

The recap of Goldberg winning is truly a big moment and they are playing it up as one.
Here comes Bischoff with Liz and now the rest of nWo Hollywood with now Hogan leading the way. After a long flex EB is ready to finally speak. EB does for a moment he holds the mic for Hogan who declares the propaganda has to stop and the nWo is family. Goldberg’s reign is just a flash in the pan and it will end soon. Now to some family business, love truly hurts and there are some bumps in the road that are going to be straightened out. If it was not for Hall he would not be in the situation he was in. He allowed Goldberg to mow him down and he has heard the back talk that Hall thinks he is the man to run the nWo. He is calling Hall out tonight, and Hall is his. Hall starts off with “Hey Yo” and he has done everything Hogan’s said including even hit Nash because he needs the money. Hall is all for a match and tells Hogan to stop singing it and to bring it. Hogan is the big bad creep tonight and it going to take him down. Hogan tells EB to stop snickering and he is upset about Goldberg got that match and EB will be the ref tonight. EB tries to beg off and Hall interrupts and tells him all he has to do is count 1,2,3 and tosses his toothpick at Hogan who is not happy. Hogan tells Hall to go to the back and get ready. Hogan declares that the Disciple knows how to handle business and they could learn from him. Disciple is fucking awful on the mic. I mean awful. He wants a piece of DDP tonight for hitting him with a chair and he is going to beat him up despite costing DDP the match last night. He is still talking….okay Hogan states they are going to find out who is for life tonight.

Match 1: Barbarian v. Horace

It was a back and forth match with the Barbarian getting the win. Not much here.

*1/2

The Flock runs in and pounds him. Meng runs in and tears into the Flock. Now he puts the Barbarian in the Deathgrip.

Gene is with Curt and Rick Rude. Gene wants to know where Rude was last night. Rude makes some excuse that his flight was cancelled and Curt was left alone with a bad wheel and he blames Goldberg. Curt is fine with it and they will take care of Goldberg later. Curt found out the weakness of Goldberg and tonight he wants a rematch and wants to face him solo without Rude there tonight. Rude wants to know if he is sure and Curt is and they are taking forever to get the point across. Curt wants to prove he is the greatest athlete.

Gene is now with Jo Jo and they bring out Rey Mysterio Jr. Before they can talk to Rey, Jericho comes out. He has the WCW rule book. Jo Jo is hesitant. Jericho continues and Dean being suspended should not have been present and the match is now null and void and Jericho demands Jo Jo repeat what he said. Jericho claims the match then never took place and Jo Jo agrees. Jericho states he is the champ now and a pacing Rey has finally left. Jo Jo agrees again that he is still the champ. Rey is still there and refuses to give the belt back as Jericho demands it. Gene tells Rey that he has to give it up and Rey reluctantly does and Dean comes out and tells Jericho that he will not get away with this. Jericho responds that he already has and Dean and Rey will face off to become the number one contender tonight.

Match 2: Jim Duggan v. Rick Fuller

Fuller has gotten one move in and is getting dismantled. Fans are certainly behind Duggan. Duggan finishes him off.

* Squash.

Buff is back out in the wheelchair and Gene tells him that everyone has been asking about him. He is glad to see him back. Buff has been watching every week and has seen the nWo split and he has to go his own way and Scotty can go his. He wants Rick to come out. Rick, in a sling comes out, and Buff starts to speak but here comes Hogan and the Disciple. Rick backs off as Hogan threatens him. Buff needs to do what Hulk tells him and Hogan has taught him to be a man and tells him it is nWo for life. He is sick of Buff and calls him a creampuff and pushes him out of the wheelchair and leaves. The fans chant “Hogan sucks.”

Match 3: Fit Finley v. Bret Hart

They lock up and Bret pushes him into the corner where he hammers him. Bret rubs his face across the rope, kicks him and then headbutts him. Fit pokes the eye and drops him with an uppercut. Fit measures his shots and gets a two count. Fit is having his way as he clotheslines and then stomps on him. They are now out on the floor with Fit stalking him but he gets nutted, and now Bret is in command and he gives Fit a backbreaker and drops his head on the groin. Fit though makes a comeback and puts Bret in a chinlock but Bret is up and works him over in the corner. But he runs into a boot after the whip and Fit gets two after a short armed clotheslined. But Bret strikes with an inverted atomic drop, pulls him off the ropes and finishes him with the Sharpshooter.

**1/2 Okay. Nice to see Bret in action and Fit is always decent.

Match 4: Stevie Ray v. Rick Martel

Ray has the TV title. Martel is back! Oh “Joy”! Penzer and the ref are baffled as to why he has the belt but the match starts and Ray starts strong but Martel gets some blows in and drops him. He goes for the arm, Ray is up but is put back in the armbar. Martel is tossed to the floor, and holds the knee. Ray leaps off the apron and nails him.

Commercial.

Martel is laid out in the middle of the ring. Martel grabs him and gets two after a sunset flip. He stomps on Ray on and gets two more after a dropkick. He goes back to the arm. He is still working over the arm. Ray slowly gets vertical and Martel leaps right into him and is powerslammed. Ray misses the elbow drop and Rick gets two after a hiptoss. Now Martel runs into an elbow and is kicked. Martel back suplexes Ray and has him in the Crab but Bret Hart runs down and belts Martel with the chair and the ref does not see it. Ray finishes him with the Slapjack.

** A bit too long.

Ray is willing to defend the title against anybody and Gene is baffled and Ray claims he has the belt and will defend it against all comers. He claims that Booker has given him the power of attorney, and Gene wants to see the paperwork. Ray may bring it next week. Gene is suspicious.

Match 5: Konnan v. Barry Darsow

Sting is with him and they do their thing to get the crowd riled up. Not much to say on this. Barry gets in some offense before getting destroyed.

*1/2

Gene is in the ring and calls out DDP. DDP is fired up and makes no excuses and wants the Disciple right now and he obliges.

Match 6: DDP v. the Disciple

DDP stomps on him as he gets in the ring and then back suplexes him. But Disciple strikes back and takes him down where he chokes him out on the ropes. He chokes him out in the corner, runs him pillar to post and then piledrives him. Rude has come out and Disciple looks at him and gets nailed with a jawbreaker. DDP goes up top and Rude shoves him off. Rude is on the apron and Disciple goes to run DDP at him but it fails and Rude falls and Disciple is rolled up and pinned.

** Fans were hot for DDP.

Hogan attacks him from behind a chair and DDP is laid to waste.

Match 7: Kanyon v. Raven v. Saturn

Kanyon is attacked as he heads to the ring and now Saturn runs in and beats on both. Hammers Raven inside the ring and Kanyon takes him out with a swinging neckbreaker. All three are now beating on each other with Saturn getting the upperhand. Raven is getting pounded and Kanyon comes back into the fray and picks up Raven in a fireman’s carry and literally spikes him through the mat. Saturn runs over Kanyon and they both end up on the floor. Saturn pulls out a table and lays Kanyon on top of it. Saturn goes up top and splashes right onto him! Lodi grabs Saturn and rolls him into the ring. Raven places him up top and wants to superplex him off but is tossed off and Kanyon crotches Saturn. Now Kanyon is going up top. Kanyon misses the splash but Saturn does not and Kanyon barely makes the save. Kanyon places him up top and Raven is there too and we get a triple back suplex. Raven tries to pin each but only gets two. Kanyon has Raven down for the count with the Flatliner but Saturn makes the save. Saturn grabs Raven and hits the Death Valley Driver but Kanyon pulls him to the floor and they hammer each other. They fight up the ramp and it is a countout in a Raven’s Rules match?

*** Fun match. Angle advancement.

Match 8: Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Dean Malenko

Dean puts him in a headlock but Rey reverses it. Now Dean has the wrist and both flop to the mat and go back and forth with Rey sending him to the floor with an armdrag and Rey goes after him but Dean moves and they roll back into the ring. Dean takes him down by the arm and works it over. Rey escapes and they exchange holds, and both men are up. Dean runs him over. He waits for him to get up and kicks him into the corner and back suplexes him getting two. Rey is able to knock him to the floor and then flips out on top of him. Rey rolls him in and springboards in but Dean moves and Rey is nearly pinned but Rey returns the favor. Rey charges him in the corner and Dean launches him into the corner where his knee gets hung up. Rey is grabbed and he escapes only to be rolled up for two. Rey is sent to the apron and lures Dean in and has him up top and wants a Frankensteiner from the top but Dean counters with a super gutbuster. Jericho has come out and he winds up the belt and smacks Dean. Rey rolls over and pins him.

*** A bit short but solid.

Disco is with Wright in the ring. Disco claims he had Konnan beat until Lex attacked Wright for no reason and cost them the match. Disco does some sort of rap and tells Nash and Luger to get their tushes in the ring….yes their tush.

Match 9: Disco Inferno and Alex Wright v. Lex Luger and Kevin Nash

Nash gets the cowd riled up and Wright looks worried. Luger starts off and tosses him. Luger is tossed and Wright dances only to be clotheslined and now Luger takes both out and they retreat. Konnan stops their retreat and runs them into the railing. Sting splashes Wright on the railing and they are back in the ring and Disco gets the boot and powerbomb as Wright is Racked and it is over.

*1/2 Squash.

Match 10: Steve McMichael v. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie attacks him right at the bell. He dropkicks him twice and hammers him in the corner. Mongo tries to fight back but is whipped into the ropes and dropped with a forearm. Now Eddie leaps right into him and is slammed. Mongo suplexes him. Chavo comes down riding Pepe and Mongo is down and Eddie is up for the Frog Splash but Chavo will not move. Eddie hops down and kicks Chavo into Mongo and that upsets the latter and he Tombstones Chavo.

** Nice to see Eddie not get pinned.

Match 11: Hollywood Hogan v. Scott Hall

Hall tosses the toothpick at Hogand and then does it to EB. Hogan hits Hall, and then rakes the back. But Hall bites his hand! Hogan has the arm, and takes down Hall. He allows him to get up and now Hall has the arm and paintbrushes Hogan to the cheers of the crowd. But Hogan counters with a clothesline. Hogan pulls him up, punches him a few times and now rabbit punches the head. Hogan continues to work him over and gets some help from the Disciple. Hogan back suplexes him and Hall has the ropes but EB still counts two. Hogan chokes out Hall and then goes over and shoves EB as the Disciple chokes out Hall. Hall blocks Hulk and now he sandwiches Hogan in the corner and stomps and hits him. Hogan comes back and cheats a bit and has him in the sleeper and Hulk almost has him but Hall reverses it. EB makes him break and Hogan nuts him. EB does not mind it nor does he mind when Hogan stomps on his nuts. Hogan pulls him up and it is big boot time. Hogan calls for the crowd. DDP runs down and runs over over Hogan and then the Disciple who is just staggering. EB is given the Diamond Cutter and now Hogan recovers quickly and takes out DDP. Nash sprints to the ring and he never moves this quick. Nash beats on Hogan. He helps out Nash and holds Hogan for a bit until Hall attacks Nash. Now Hogan and the Disciple are beating up DDP.

** Not a good match but it worked for angle advancement.

Match 12: Curt Hennig v. Goldberg (c) for WCW Title

Curt is reluctant to get into the ring. After about four minutes of intros they are staring one another down. Curt slaps him. Goldberg screams and blocks Curt’s blow and decks him. Curt is speared! Jackhammer and over.

*1/2 Curt has just helped make Goldberg and buried himself in the process. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing but it is nice to elevate others and Curt is done as a semi-uppercarder. They are serious about Goldberg.

***1/2 A decent follow up to the PPV. Nothing special but it did the job and that is what matters. Hall and Hogan had some good drama. The Wolfpac got involved, Hart had a solid match but was wasted. Goldberg got in the main event and the Cruiserweights got some air time. The first two matches were filler but it settled into a decent show. No Rodman and company and that was really nice.