Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WCW Monday Nitro 10/5/98
Last week was a great week for both RAW and Nitro. Last year’s build towards Havoc was one of the better one’s and the PPV really delivered. Hopefully this trend continues. It is obvious that Warrior and Hogan will not be a good match but if they can build a strong undercard like last year, because Piper and Hogan was awful then I will be happy. Overall I am excited as Nitro has been above average on the whole. Of course concerns exist as the midcard remains mired in the same feuds such as Saturn and Raven. Jericho is still receiving a slight push but not sure where that will go. Konnan is finally getting some wins too. However, while there is room for improvement Nitro still remains solid as a whole as they build towards Havoc and as Sting and Bret Hart seem headed for a showdown. Nitro and RAW tied for the week at 4.5.
Match 1: Lizmark Jr. v. Saturn
They lock up and tussle for a bit. Lizmark knocks him down and the hiptosses him. But Saturn gets to his feet and kicks him around and then strikes with a shot to the head. Lizmark reverses the whip and bounces him throat first off the top rope. Lizmark chops him in the chest, sends him into the corner and misses the flying leap. Saturn tries to take advantage but is kneed and backslid for two. Saturn is up first and clotheslines him. He front suplexes him and the fans love it. DVD and match.
** Started strong. Ended a bit sudden but Saturn gets another win.
Match 2: Cat v. Kaz Hayashi
Kaz gets in some offense. But loses and Oono wants to join up with the Cat.
**
Match 3: Jerry Flynn v. Juventud Guerrera
Disco at the announce table. Flynn is getting destroyed and it is over.
*1/2 Nice win for Juve. Though Flynn is a jobber.
Match 4: Villano V v. Wrath
Wrath is taking him to pieces.
* Squash.
Tenay is out with the crowd talking to fans that look like they have seen better days. He is asking about DDP and Goldberg.
A Hummer Limo has arrived on the scene. Luger followed by Konnan and Sting depart. Nash soon follows. They are walking around the back searching for something or someone. They finally find someone and charge. It is the Black and White and they get annihilated; the Black and White does. Security has arrived on the scene as does the Giant and now police are in a fat girl is one of them and she gets shoved as he looks around in befuddlement. The brawl continues. The police are trying to restore some modicum of order. Norton is there too as is Steiner. The brawl is heading down the hallway as the police could not get control. Buff grabs Sting but is kicked in the nuts! Steiner runs in to help and so does Nash and Konnan as they rejoin the fray. Sting finally finds Bret Hart and just beats the Hell out of him. He is finally pulled off and the police are trying to get control.
After the break there is still a melee. Sting is in a forklift and he runs it into the nWo Limo! The limo is picked up and dumped. Nash has a sledgehammer and bashes the limo over and over as cops frantically circle around! The tires are cut and finally the cops push them away as Schiavone keeps screaming!
Match 5: Damian v. Hector Garza
Damian places him up top and smacks him but he is pulled down. They leap around the ring for a bit. Garza grabs him by his head and tosses him across the ring. Eddie Guerrero has gotten in the ring and interrupts the match and wants to talk to them, tells them to relax. He has one question for them. He wants to know what EB has done for them. The answer is nothing. EB has forced them to fight each other. They get no money and fame. They have to share cars and hotel rooms. The house is full and yet they have no money. EB has his nose up Hogan and that is where all the money is at and they are able to do everything they want and are always in the main event but cannot even wrestle. They can join together and do something about it and form the lWo, the Latino World Order and he tosses them shirts. They are going to go wherever they want and do whatever they want and basically wants EB to kiss his butt.
The Wolfpac are huddled together conferring. Tenay walks up to them trying listen in. Tenay mentions that Hall is not here and Nash knows there are only a few places to find him in this town and they are going bar to bar. Tenay wants to bring a camera crew to follow them.
Match 6: Psychosis v. Kidman (c) for WCW Cruiserweight Title
They go back and forth. Fly around the ring exchanging kicks and slams. An armdrag sends Psychosis to the floor. Kidman rolls him back into the ring and gets two after a guillotine legdrop. Psychosis counters and drops him. But he delays the pin only getting two. He slowly heads up top and crashes into the back of Kidman’s head with a flying spinkick and he gets another near fall. He keeps Kidman grounded with a chinlock. Kidman is tossed to the floor bouncing off the apron on the way down. Psychosis leaps down on top of him. He is slow to get up but does flinging him into the steel steps. He rolls Kidman back into the ring, rolls him up and gets two. Kidman runs him over and gets two but then misses in the corner and is picked up and dropped down with a back suplex and Psychosis gets two. Kidman is put back in a chinlock and then picked up and spiked. Psychosis jaws with the crowd and then goes back to work with a chinlock. Both men exchange roll ups and Kidman barely escapes his. Kidman then strikes with a bulldog. Psychosis nails him with a spinning slam. Kidman floats over on a powerbomb attempt and Kidman powerbombs him and he gets another near fall. He misses in the corner again and Psychosis leaps back off the top nailing him getting a near fall. Kidman is placed up top and Psychosis misses the Frankensteiner, crashing and burning. The Shooting Press finishes him off.
**** Damn Kidman can wrestle.
A pre-recorded interview with the Warrior where he talks about fear and WM VI. Warrior is babbling about how he is physically capable but that he was the battle mentally being in Hogan’s dreams wreaking havoc. Hogan will feel the powers of the Warrior.
Classic, Tenay is following the Wolfpac limo with his hands in the 10 and 2 position!
Here comes Buff and Scotty. Scotty does his thing in the ring, bragging and he and Buff make fun of Rick. Here comes Rick and he calls them clowns. He is tired of them faking injuries and calls them sissies! He reminds Bagwell when he was paralyzed, and now he wants to make a joke out of it. Buff’s mom does not think this is a joke and here she comes and Buff is really worried. She wants to tell Buff how she feels and gets on the apron. She reminds him about his paralysis as she screeches at him. Buff is just shaking his head! She at his side and all these fans sent him letters and then she wheeled him out in Georgia and it is not the fault of Rick. Fans are starting to turn so Buff takes the mic and yells at her and the fans turn their ire upon him. Without Buff she cannot even eat and he supports the entire family. She pushes him and takes the mic. She reminds him of when she slapped him and does so. He falls and she goes after Scotty who yells that he is not going to put up with her crap. Rick blasts him from behind and Judy hauls Buff off by his ear.
During the break Brian Adams came out and they assaulted Rick.
Match 7: Brian Adams v. Rick Steiner
Rick is out on the canvas. Scotty is down there too and he helps out Adams by choking him out. Jo Jo comes down and ousts Scotty. The police are there too. Meanwhile Adams is bending his neck back. Adams boots his head off and then pancakes him. Now he has a nerve hold applied. Adams pushes him into the corner working over the injured shoulder. Rick has rolled away from some moves but is still being dominated. Rick can barely strike with a belly to belly suplex, dropping him on his head but Adams counters with an inverted atomic drop. Rick blocks a suplex and DDT’s him. Steiner Bulldog finishes him.
** Way to make Rick look strong.
They have entered a mostly empty bar…..the Wolfpac. Looks like my kind of place, a shithole. They depart as there is no Hall.
Here comes Hollywood and his Muslim wife ten paces behind: Bischoff. Hogan babbles about Warrior being scared and that he does not want to wait until Havoc to beat him up. He looks around and no Warrior and he declares that the Warrior is no hero and will not save the day. Now he wants the crowd to save their pennies and watch the PPV as Warrior is contractually obligated to show up. Warrior will beg for mercy….the wood thing again. He is going to rub off his face paint and expose him as the coward that he is once again proving that Hogan is the God of wrestling. He continues finishing that he is too sweet and then flexes.
Match 8: Kanyon v. DDP
Kanyon poses on the middle rope and is pulled off, rolled up and nearly pinned. They lock up and DDP shoves him off with ease. Kanyon is worked over for a bit and tossed to the floor. He leaps on him as Lodi ocomes down to complain. Raven runs from behind and DC’s him! DDP just barely, and I mean barely gets his shoulder up when Kanyon covers him. Kanyon sits on his shoulders and then drives him into the canvas. Kanyon chokes him out on the ropes, but DDP rises up and fires back only to be popped in the jaw and bulldogged. Kanyon gets two and holds DDP down with a chinlock. They roll each other up and then clothesline one another and both are laid out. They pull themselves up and Page drops him with a flurry of blows and a clothesline. Kanyon gets his head rammed into the corner nine times and then he delivers the tenth with drama, slowly that is with the crowd involved. DDP gets two after a back suplex and two more after a pancake. Raven is on the apron and DDP turns towards him and DDP is knocked into him and Kanyon rolls him up for a 2.97 count. Kanyon takes him down again with a swinging neckbreaker and he gets two. He pulls him up but is struck with a jawbreaker and a tilt a whirl slam. He calls for the DC and Lodi runs in who is decleated. Raven blindsides him with the mic and the match is tossed. DDP is beaten but Goldberg runs down and he takes out Kanyon, Jackhammers Lodi. DDP Cuts Raven! Now Goldberg and DDP are face to face doing some alternative lifestyle screaming at each other. DDP turns away and poses for the crowd. Goldberg screams.
***1/2 Another solid match. Angle Advancement and Kanyon was not chumped but the way Goldberg dealt with him it made him look weak.
Wolfpac has arrived at another tavern and this one is crowded and they are yapping at the Pac and camera crew. No Hall. They leave and bleep out “fuck” from Nash.
Match 9: Disciple v. Jobber
Disciple wins quickly.
DUD-who cares.
Shit he has the mic. The crowd does not care. He is done carrying Hogan’s bags and he is his own man, now and forever and the fans DO NOT CARE!
Hogan and EB are in the back entering a dressing room. They just saw him entering it but he is not there. Warrior pops up in the mirror and EB does not see it as Hogan freaks out. The ultimate stage error occurs as the announcers see him too and are not supposed too. Larry bellows that he is in the walls and EB acts like he cannot see him as Hollywood cracks up and EB demands the camera cut. What a clusterfuck!
Wolfpac enter another bar and they are greeted with cheers. Hall is there and Nash attacks him. They fight on top of the pool table. The announcers had been silent for minutes as they knew they had fucked up! the brawl enters the bathroom. This bar looks like someone’s shitty basement!
Bischoff is in the ring and assures us that Hogan is just fine. He turns his attention towards Flair and makes fun of him. Flair will not be here tonight and he is a coward and a fossil. Arn comes out and EB calls him the one armed bandit. AA states that EB needs a geography lesson and this is a Horseman town and the fans erupt. AA is in charge of head games and Flair is indeed here. EB responds no way and he reminds them that they work for him. Arn does not like authority and calls out Flair but no Flair yet. Here comes Reid with his medal from the wrestling tournament. EB is baffled that he is here and Reid tries to act like Flair, does a decent job but falters and then tells EB that he is here to handle his dad’s light work. EB is upset that this is happening on live TV and wants to know why he is here. Arn responds that he is taking his company back and EB calls the kid snot nosed and wants them both out of her. He turns around and Reid tackles him and then does it again. EB goes after him and Arn stops him! AA mocks him for being taken down twice by a ten year old and Reid shows him the Four! Classic! David Flair is at ringside.
After the break EB is freaking out and he wants Flair right now and he is the president of WCW and Flair works for him. Liz is trying to call him but cannot get a hold of him as EB screams and paces. Beth Flair is on the phone and she tells EB off and he continues yelling at her that he wants Flair and cue Flair’s music and EB looks worried as Flair with a big grin struts on out! The nWo comes from behind but the Horsemen are there and the Stevie and Vincent and Adams get beaten up. Bischoff has run off. Now David gets in the ring.
Match 9: Sting v. Bret Hart
Sting has reentered the building and he has Bret Hart with him. He is wailing the shit out of him. He tosses a table top thing at his head and now they are in the cafeteria and Bret gets control bashing Sting’s head off the table and punches away with alacrity. He suplexes Sting into the table! He picks up a trashcan dumping it onto Sting. Now Bret has a chair and drives it into the Achilles, sets up the chair over the leg and ankle and drills it with a trash can. Bret pulls him up and hammers him. He has a chair but Sting pushes a wheeled cart into Bret knocking him down. Both men are gimpy. Sting has a trash can and Hart a pole. They fight into doorways and slams doors into one another. But Bret pushes him back and drills him with the pole. He gets on the cart and wants to run him over but Sting hits him with the pole again and puts Bret in the Sharpshooter. He releases it and walks away as Dillinger comes down and Bret hobbles away.
***1/2 Not really a match but awesome nonetheless.
****1/2 Look I may be overrating the shows a bit but damn if I am not having some serious fun and honestly that is all that matters. Yes, the Warrior in the mirror thing was an absolute clusterfuck. They should have just had no visual and Hogan act like he sees him. I know they wanted to make it so the audience could follow along and of course the announcers fucked up. Look it happens. It is wrestling, not an Emmy winning drama. But critics pounce on that incident. Ultimately it was a dumb segment but shit happens and it did not drag out. Who cares. The Hall thing took a turn to something watchable. The brawl at the beginning was fun. Now that shit is common but for Nitro it rarely happens and it was a nice change of pace. The early matches were rather dull but picked up pace with some decent matches. The ending was great too and I really enjoyed the Flair segment. Overall it set up the PPV with Hart and Sting, Hall and Nash, Warrior and Hogan, DDP and Goldberg, Juve and Disco, Rick and Scott and for I actually know what is going on. Good stuff.