Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WCW Monday Nitro 7/19/99
I have ranted about Hogan….what more can I say. He instead of a dozen more deserving wrestlers is the champ. He has played the game. Bischoff loves him, and everyone thinks it is good for business. It is not. Short-term you get the boost but after a week or two it is not sustained because Hogan does the same thing week after week. On Thunder they had Vampiro beat Hammer. Great, I like a new push. But WCW rarely builds anyone up over a long stretch. They start and then all of a sudden stop. Hammer destroys many Cruiserweights, faces and Steiner and gets manhandled and then he loses to a guy who was essentially a jobber to midcarders prior to the week before. I am not a Hammer fan but look what happened with Wrath and all the other Lucha’s at the beginning of the year when the nWo reformed. They were destroyed. WCW needs to take their time and build stuff up. Get some good angles going and turn the ship around. We do not. I REPEAT do not need Nash v. Hogan at the main event of the next PPV but that is exactly what we are getting. Fuck. It was announced on Thunder. This means Nash will turn heel. Again. Hogan will do his thing. Goldberg will sit in the shadows and do…..nothing. I have said again and again that WCW disguises a lot of its crap with great set pieces and great matches….along with some serious hotshotting. Yes it makes for some entertaining stuff but then again the cracks have been getting wider and wider for months. It is more difficult to do. Hogan should not have won the title….I did some fantasy booking last week. In fact he should not win it again. Many fans are happy to see a more babyface Hogan but they are ambivalent. They want Goldberg or Sting and WCW and Hogan and Nash refuse to give them that to their own detriment. Ratings stayed at a 3.5 with a 3.6 beginning and 3.1 and 3.3. RAW received a 6.25 off a 6.0 and 6.5.
They show a replay of Savage losing last week. A lot of fans sat on their hands. Goldberg winning would have given it a bigger jump in the ratings. I think near a 4. Short-term but it could have generated interest and the crowd would have come unglued. Better for a PPV. WCW would still hover around the same ratings but it could generate interest.
No Schiavone!!!!!! YES! Scott Hudson is there and he and Heenan already play well off of each other.
Sid takes an hour to come down to the ring. He soaks in the boos and yells that Hogan has something that belongs to him. He is facing Hogan tonight. He manages to get a Hogan chant started. Not a huge one unlike what Hudson says. Sid is rambling…..he is the master of the ruler. He says this in the third person!
Match 1: Fit Finlay v. Jerry Flynn
Hart was showing off the trophy….
Fit snaps him over and drops the elbow. He gets two. Flynn is thrust into the corner and speared. Finlay hammers him but is whipped into the corner and killed with a flying wheel kick. He goes up top and leaps into Fit getting two. Fit holds onto the ropes but Jerry pulls him off by his legs. He pulls up Fit only to get a jawbreaker for his troubles. Jerry is laid over the apron and his head is run into the side of the ring. He grabs a chair, Fit does and the ref takes it. Jerry decks him and slings him into the steps. Fit nuts him and rolls him back into the ring. He bodyslams Jerry and after two puts him in a chinlock. The fans chant USA and are with the newly heel Flynn. Flynn fights to his feet but is knocked down. Fit jumps on him and continues to work him over. He pulls him up and slugs him in the skull. Flynn fights back. Hart is on the screen screaming and no one can understand him! Flynn stands on his throat and punches him twice but is thumbed in the eye. But Fit misses spear in the corner but recovers and takes out Flynn. He belatedly runs after Hart who is out back trying to hide under the bus! Fit starts to pull him out but the First Family is right there and beat him down.
**1/2 Good opener. Closer to three stars.
JJ Dillon has called in Lenny and Lodi and he has something to discuss with them; their contracts are expiring. They signed it some odd way and JJ mentions the closet! JJ will renew their contracts, but have to do it the proper way. They ask for a raise and JJ acts like he cannot hear them. He thinks they are brothers….
Here comes Hogan. Hudson calls the ovation thunderous. Gene just plugged Eyes Wide Shut….why? Hogan’s eyes were open. His world changed during the 90 days that he was out, and when he took down Savage he knew it was time to change. He also knew that everyone would be coming after him. Sid will be at his feet telling Hogan that he is the man and the greatest. But he is focused on Nash who for some reason has a chip on his shoulders and he talks about his pythons…..
I will say the crowd was loud and Gene and Heenan and Hudson are probably told to talk about how great it is. I am sure it feeds Hogan’s ego too and the I told you so. But how long will it last? I should not knock him so much but I am Hoganed out.
Match 2: Lodi v. Norman Smiley
Norman? Where the fuck has he been. Norman beats his ass and knocks him to the floor. Lenny tries to protect Lodi and Lodi gets thrust into the railing. Lenny though hits him from behind. Lodi suplexes him three times and butt bumps Lenny who I guess is his brother (Turner execs got upset over the gay angle, no loss as it was really bad.). Lodi keeps working him over but runs into a boot however he comes right back with a clothesline. Now they avoid blows and Norman takes him down and ties him up and releases it and ties him up again! Wiggle Time!!!
** Norman Baby! Lenny does the Wiggle too and Norman just leaves as Lodi joins in.
Oh shit. Bischoff has come to the announce table.
Match 3: Sting v. Ric Flair
Charles Robinson wants to check Sting out for objects. He gets a Death Drop instead! Another ref is in and Flair is gorilla slammed. He backs into the corner and Sting gets a thumb to the eye. Flair chops Sting to no avail. Sting mounts and pounds him ten times in the corner and then hiptosses him across the ring. Flair nuts him and goes to work. Flair is on the apron and he is suplexed back into the ring. Flair runs across the apron and Sting clotheslines him off the apron. They fight on the floor and Flair gets in the ring and Sting gets his throat bounced off the top rope. Sting is in the ring and flexes and places Flair up top and it is superplex time. Arn wipes out the ref and so Sting wipes out Arn. Sid blindsides Sting and runs him into the railing. Sting is rolled back into the ring. Flair pulls him into the center of the ring….no DQ for hitting the ref. Flair stomps on his nuts a couple of times. Figure Four time! Sting finally rolls through and Flair chops him and then clips the knee. Sting no sells the chops and just stares and then screams at Flair who finally backs off but Flair sets him up with a back elbow shot. Flair goes down too and then he climbs up and is caught and tossed off. Stinger Splash time! The ref is pulled in. He is out. AA is nailed and Asya eats a Stinger Splash! Flair is turned over and the Deathlock is applied. Bischoff is in the ring and he jaws at Flair and demands the bell to be rung. It finally is. Sid runs over both and Bischoff is powerbombed! YES!! Here comes Hogan and he calls for the crowd.
**1/2 Not their best match. See, Goldberg should have returned there. He spears Sid and sets up a feud. He did not need to beat Savage but it could have set something up at Fall Brawl…..I would have had Goldberg win WWIII and then get the title at Starrcade or SuperBrawl against Hart. Oh well.
Match 3: Rick Steiner (c) v. Horace for WCW TV Title
Rick clobbers him from the get go. Horace knocks him to the floor but the offensive does not last. Back in the ring Horace is getting picked apart. They brawl on the floor and Horace clocks him with a chair a few times. Nash comes down and runs Horace into the steps and Rick hits the Bulldog.
** Nothing much.
Clearly Nash attacked him because Horace is Hogan’s Nephew. Here comes Hogan and Rick and Nash leave. Hogan wants to know what is up and Hogan wonders why this is personal. Nash responds that he lied as it business as well as real personal.
Match 4: Psychosis v. Eddie Guerrero
Psychosis misses in the corner and gets rocked by Eddie in the corner. Eddie scissors him over and then slingshots into a dive. Now Psychosis fights back and he scissors Eddie over. He tosses him across the ring and gets two. Eddie is knocked to the floor and he is thrust into the railing and rolled back into the ring. Psychosis stomps on him and then strikes with a seated dropkick. Psychosis slams him and then goes up top and strikes with a corkscrew kick and gets two. Psychosis keeps after him and scissors him from the top rope. But he does not cover him. He has Eddie and climbs up top and they each block blows. Eddie floats over and helicopter’s him. The Frog Splash ends it!
*** Good match.
Villano runs into the ring and he is kocked down but the Lucha’s swarm. Rey runs down and makes the save. They stare at each other and Rey leaves.
Adams wants to know where Ray stands. Ray just wants his back watched.
Triad is in the ring and DDP calls the fans stupid for not going along with Kanyon’s catchphrase. They make momma jokes about Ray!
Match 5: Kanyon v. Stevie Ray
Kanyon attacks but is run over twice. Kanyon retakes the offensive and pounds him in the corner. He is shoved off. He tries again and this time he is dumped to the floor. Ray goes out after him and flings him into the railing. Now Ray rolls him into the ring but he is met with a few knee shots to the gut. Kanyon slams Ray and strikes with a guillotine legdrop. He drops the elbow and goes back up top and misses the splash. Ray is up and Ray fires off rights and lefts and backdrops Kanyon. He follows up with a powerslam. No crowd support. Bigelow runs in and eats an elbow, and DDP is knocked to the floor. Kanyon is shoved into both and then finished. DDP delayed the elbow drop, so it may have been a pin or DQ. Triad beat him down and Booker T makes the save.
** I question Kanyon getting beat cleanly. But they are trying to make Ray a face. Ray is not that good in the ring either.
Arliss: An old HBO show where the guy was a sports agent. He was in Batman too….He is at the announce table.
Here comes Macho. Man has Hogan taken over the show….terrible.
Savage gets a nice ovation. Savage is upset about what Nash did. He is a dead man. The Macho Man is a candidate for president in the year 2000 and he says it not to hurt Hogan….Kidman is not ready for the Madness.
Match 6: Randy Savage v. Kidman
They lock up and Savage pushes him into the corner. Kidman gets a clean break. This time though Savage drops him with a hard right. Savage hits him and then kicks him back down. He uses his boot to choke him out. Savage goes after him with a chair but misses and then yells at Arliss (Savage is on the show on Sunday). Back in the ring Savage drops him again with a couple of kicks and uses the ropes to choke him out. Kidman backdrops Savage to the floor. He heads out after him but is dropkicked by Miss Madness. Savage lays him on the announce table and chokes him out with some Slim Jims. Kidman eats the railing and rolled back in the ring. Kidman rolls him up for two and Savage elbows him. Miss Madness goes for a missile kick and hits Savage instead. Kidman follows up with a Tornado DDT and Savage just kicks out. Savage piledrives him and then works him over. Big elbow time but Savage pulls his head up and tattoos the ref. He goes back up top and hits another one! Rodman runs down and decks Savage from behind!
**1/2 Because I love to see Savage. Usually Savage’s opponents get in more offense. For some reason this ddid not happen. Kidman got a little but he was squashed at the end. Kidman deserves better….still it was decent.
Arliss is in the ring trying to get Rodman under contract. Savage runs into the ring and Arliss keeps screaming PPV. Savage yells that this is not basketball and he is going to get Rodman. He wants him to take off his training bra and make him a man. Rodman waves his ass at the ladies so Savage is now going to make him his bitch! Madusa and Miss Madness start fighting.
Match 7: Konnan v. Vampiro
Konnan does his thing on the mic. He is fine with others trying to get theirs but not against him. Vampiro runs down and hammers him. Vampiro works him over and stirkes with a top rope lariat. But Vamp eats a back kick and a bulldog. Konnan follows up by clotheslining him to the floor. Vampiro runs back in and is bullogged again. He hits his rolling lariat. Here comes ICP and they attack Konnan.
** Angle adavancement.
Vampiro slams Konnan and Shaggy hits a guillotine legdrop. Raven is standing on the apron. Rey runs down and gives an ICP member a Bronco Buster. Rey though runs into a powerbomb from Vampiro and now Rey is destroyed.
Here comes the Cat. It is Buff Bagwell dressed as the Cat! Buff is going whoop someone and they need to eat a salad! Oh yeah, someone is wearing a Sonny mask who is just grunting. A girl is there and he calls her Sonny Oh Yeah! He will whip everyone including the Jacksons! Cat comes down and the fight is on. Sonny takes out the fake one with ease. Cat is knocked down and he has a briefcase but gets it knocked back into him. Sonny is belted but Buff turns right into the loaded shoe. Cat dances.
Match 8: West Texas Rednecks v. Saturn and Chris Benoit
Benoit tears into Curt and does his thing. Hammers the shit out of him. Kendall trips him up and down goes Benoit. Benoit is knocked to the floor and he is stomped on by the other guys.
Commercial.
BW is beating on Benoit. Hennig gets the tag and continues the punishment. Benoit ducks and chops Hennig who whips him into the corner but misses the running elbow. Saturn is in. He takes them out and now the Rednecks swarm and the match is tossed. Dean Malenko runs down and he takes out on or two but he too is swarmed. Shane Douglas has come down! He tosses Curt and the ring is cleared.
** Angle advancement.
Shane has the mic he yells at his friends and all the fans know how tough they are. Starting tonight things are about to change in WCW. Where he is from if someone keeps you down you take a stop sign and beat them and take your spot back. There is a cancer in WCW and you know who you are (Hogan) and they are going to take it back….WCW.
He has shot on Flair for years. Flair was not happy to have him here but EB hoped for a feud but Flair would not have put him over but would wrestle. The same with Sid. Bischoff spoke with Arn, due to the scissors incident back in 93 I believe. Sid also liked to no show like in the WWF back in 97. Supposedly he changed. He seems to have as he stayed with WCW until a gruesome injury in Jan. 01.
Match 9: Sid Vicious v. Hollywood Hogan (c) for WCW Title
Sid keeps his distance. After a minute or two of grab ass he gets in the ring. They lock up and Hogan is shoved across the ring. They lock up again and this time Hogan pushes him into the corner and flexes. Sid recovers and knocks Hogan down. Sid is knocked or retreats to the floor. He yells about Hogan at the announce table. Sid gets in the ring. Hogan chants, I think. Hogan wants a test of strength but Sid kicks the knee a few times instead. A running shot to the knee sends Hogan down. Hogan fires back and knocks him into the corner. He mounts and pounds Sid but is shoved off. He puts Hogan in a rear chinlock. He releases the hold but keeps hammering him. Sid ties up the knee around the post and applies pressure. The show stops for a moment!!! But it is back and Sid has him in the Cobra Clutch. Hogan finally makes a comeback and some fans cheer and some do not. Sid pounds him and sends him down with a boot to the face. Sid takes an hour and misses the legdrop. Hogan is riled up and he has a cheering section that erupts. Hogan Hulks up and shakes and quivers and unloads on Sid who is staggered Sid is rocked by a big boot but he is still up! Hogan slams him. Nash is in and blindsides a clapping Hogan and pounds him and here comes Sting and he goes after Nash and Sid. Sid is Stinger Splashed as is Nash. Steiner is in the ring (Rick) now and he now the heels regain the offensive. Here comes Goldberg to Megadeth’s music! Now the fans erupt. Nash and Sid are ousted and Rick eats a gorilla slam.
** Not as bad as it could have been. I am being gentle.
Nice to see Goldberg. I was a bit baffled as to why he did not show up last week. Where was Savage?
**1/2 I just feel something is missing. They built up some feuds the last three months and all or at least a lot of it was tossed aside for Hogan’s return. Not sure why either…..Savage has been downgraded and he could have had a great feud with Sting/Goldberg. I would rather see him against Nash than Hogan. Nash has already flipped. I feel they could have gotten more mileage out of it. They have not mentioned the Hummer either in a week or so. They had to find Goldberg something to do….Buff should have won the US belt or at least defeated Rick to end that feud for the TV belt. But nope. Malenko was downgraded too but at least Shane Douglas is here to maybe shake things up. I just feel had Buff gotten a belt and then let Dean run with the other for a couple of months. Bring in Benoit and Booker and Raven and they revolve those belts around until Scotty comes back, it would have made the midcard that much more entertaining and given them a shot at the uppercard. Raven and Booker for sure as well as Scotty. Benoit deserves a shot too….Instead it was the Hogan show. He was everywhere. The fans sided with him and I may be hard on him but Goddamn the shit has gotten really old. There was some decent wrestling….Also Eddie should vy for the US/TV belt and they could really big a huge uppercard. These guys with Goldberg and Bret Hart could run WCW from 1999 onward for at least five years. They would have built up new stars and built for the future. Ratings with interesting storylines and the great matches most can put on would have probably increased. Flair and Hogan could play a peripheral role as could Hall and Nash and Savage. They provide the big name and still wrestle and play a major role but not the dominant one. I have more to say but I am tired. I feel WCW is missing a great opportunity here.