Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WCW Monday Nitro 9/20/99
A hurricane put the brakes on Thunder! Instead they had a recap episode of the world title since Great American Bash and showed a couple of PPV matches and discussed those angles, as well as the Hummer and Sting.
Here is what I do not like, as evidenced by the intro to Thunder and the intro to this Nitro, which I already saw. They even have the creepy voiceover guy is that Sting planned (or perhaps so) all along. They went back to him being a free-agent back in 96 and then being a loner and even (briefly) working for the Wolfpac, and that he had this in the back of his mind for years, to takeover WCW, or whatever his plan is. I like that they are going deep with it, but at the same time it would make Sting’s 96-7 Crow meaningless. Now I see where they could go with it, and that is his rejection by WCW before going into the rafters. However, it is too much of a stretch. I could see him discussing about how sick he is coming to the rescue, like with the nWo, and even Flair and not getting any thanks for it. But he just had the presidency! And gave it up. So, I will wait and see but I am not sure how much longer this angle will be going with the Russo era right around the corner. Last week was not too bad. Sting did fine as the dick heel, no Super Hogan though Bret ate the pin. Great to see Flair back and Goldberg got more air time. There was some wrestling on the program too and that was nice. Hopefully Benoit faces Sting this week….Still it felt soulless and that is something hard to describe. I feel that something is missing, like they are just going through the paces and the “must watch” vibe of Nitro is gone, as it has been for a couple of months now. It is becoming predictable and even stale, there are some good moments and some solid wrestling but at the same time, something has to happen, not a swerve like with Sting, but one thing for sure, RAW is better paced and the wrestlers are becoming more and more charismatic. First hour remained fairly strong with a 4.2 and then fell to a 2.9 but the third hour was a disaster with a 2.3 for a near 3.1. RAW received a near 6.1 off of a 5.9 and 6.2.
Match 1: Juventud Guerrera and Psychosis v. Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr.
Kidman and Psychosis starts and Kidman lays into him and headscissors him over. But Juve knees him in the back as he comes off the whip and he stumbles into a brainbuster. Juve goes up top and leaps into a scissor takeover and Kidman is wallowing. Juve runs around the ring and swats at Rey! The delay allows Kidman to counter the whip and he flips Juve over but he lands on his feet. Rey got the tag and Kidman puts Juve on his shoulders and Rey springs into him and then connects with a moonsault. Juve though snags him and spins him into a sideslam. Psychosis is in and Juve holds him for Psychosis leaps into him. Now Kidman leaps into both heels! Juve is doubleteamed and he bounces off the ropes but is clotheslined to the floor. Rey is launched into him, and now Kidman faceplants Psychosis and Kidman goes up top but Juve is right there and he is shoved into a dropkick from Kidman and Psychosis wins!
*** Great opener. I guess you do need to give the heels a victory as Psychosis has won three times in three years.
Eddie and Konnan, who I thought was dead come out and stomp the shit out of Juve and Psychosis chant. Kidman tries to unmask Psychosis. Chavo stops him and now they are fighting. Eddie separates them. Juve and friends are yelling at the Animals. Chavo has the mic and tells everyone that he understands Spanish. Psychosis’ mask for Kidman’s hair next week. Kidman wants to do it now. I did love the Eddie chants…..Chavo says no and they leave. Why hair matches? Who are the heels?
I thought Goldberg was coming out next segment. They showed last week’s.
Match 2: Brian Knobs v. Goldberg
Well, fuck me I am wrong. Jimmy Hart is not happy with Goldberg and claims Flynn was blindsided by Goldberg after they gave him the air time and trusted him. Knobs tells the crowd to shut up. Knobs is screaming that he is the nastiest man on the planet. He wants Goldberg out right now!
The crowd is fucking rabid. Goldberg takes out Knobs and drops him to the floor. Knobs grabs a chair and hits Goldberg five times and finally Goldberg goes down. Knobs helps him up and shoves him into the railing. He is shoved into the post but Goldberg shakes it off and decks him and thrusts him into the steps. Back in the ring Goldberg takes off his head with a boot to the head. Jimmy comes in and hits him with the megaphone but is hoisted up. Knobs has it and unloads on Goldberg with it. He is readying Pitty City! But he turns right into a spear! Jackhammer and match!
**1/2 That was a decent brawl. Could have been longer. Well, Goldberg did absorb inhuman amounts of blows.
Arena a bit over half full. I would say 10000 give or take.
Goldberg has the mic and he wonders why Sid left last week. Sid has been a great intimitador. But Goldberg is a great one. He is focused and will take it out on one person. He will give Sid five weeks because at Havoc Sid is his and he is next!
Gene is in the ring and it is Flair time. Flair has a response for last week and it is a real ball game now. He likes it and both Sting and Luger can kiss his ass. He is demanding Sting and God knows he is free at last. He is alive and going nowhere tonight. He is going to slap the paint off of Sting’s face tonight. Benoit tells him to hold on; he and Flair have unfinished business that they will deal with later. Benoit agrees that Flair has reason for revenge but he gets first shot, and shows off his contract. Benoit tells Sting to man up. Flair screams for Sting to come out. Benoit responds that all he has heard from Flair that he needs to wait for his time and other broken promises. The Revolution will be not be at the ring as he something to prove. Flair is silent and then yells that he is looking for Sting and runs after him.
Nitro Girl stuff. No Riki, Thank the Lord. They talk about the Nitro Girl. The first one is random. The other one is Robbi Spencer. Both are cute though. They come out and we are encouraged to vote. Kesha the other one is really cute.
Match 3: Chris Benoit v. Sting (c) for WCW Title
I was wrong, the crowd is quite large. They lock up and each jockey for the upperhand, Benoit is dropped and then run over. Benoit rolls to the floor. Sting calls to the fan…you are the heel dude. Benoit slowly gets up and gets back in the ring. Benoit moves in and kicks Sting and sends him for the ride. Sting ducks two lariats and strikes with one of his own and Benoit retreats to the floor again. Sting suplexes him and then dropkicks him after Benoit gets back in the ring and again Benoit retreats. Jesus, Sting is playing the face and getting cheered. He should be retreating. Benoit gets back in the ring and warily circles him; he catches a kick and whips him down and does it again and now he works the knee. He has him in a kind of bow and arrow and then keeps after the knee. He hangs Sting upside down and baseball slides into him. He tries again but Sting lifts himself up and then Sting heads to the floor and pulls Benoit’s nuts into the post twice. He gets back in the ring and Sting stomps him twice and strikes with an inverted atomic drop. Now a regular one and Sting works the thigh by stomping on it. He pulls Benoit into the middle of the ring and drops the elbow getting two.
Tony, stop talking about Hogan. Go fuck yourself. He is just rambling.
Benoit is run into the corner upside down and then right side up. Sting gives him another atomic drop but Benoit clotheslines him. But Sting recovers and keeps Benoit grounded with a rear chinlock. Sting releases the hold and keeps after him, dropping the elbow twice and getting a two count. Benoit is pulled up and front suplexed, front first. Sting delays the pin and only gets two. Benoit is shot into the ropes but he rolls up Sting for two. Sting recovers and clotheslines him and goes back to the chinlock. Benoit fights to his feet and slugs free. He goes for the dropkick but Sting hooks the top ropes and Benoit crashes and burns. Sting again delays the pin attempt and only gets two. Benoit rolls him up and gets a near fall. Sting is unhappy and stomps a hole in him. He taunts him too. Sting goes up top and leaps right into some knees! Sting misses the splash in the corner and Benoit runs him over with a lariat and he heads up top and hits the headbutt!! He covers Sting and Sting barely kicks out!! Jesus, I started sweating! Both men are laid out. The ref counts and both are up. Benoit kicks him twice and hooks him for two snap suplexes and applies the Crossface! But Sting is right by the ropes and he grabs them. They tussle and Benoit is able to apply the sleeper but he is shoved into the ref. Sting charges into a boot and Benoit hammers him and has the win with the piledriver and the fans are counting along! Benoit checks in the ref and Sting rolls him over but Benoit strikes with a German suplex and holds him and again the fans count. But Luger comes down and wallops Benoit with the bat. Sting makes the pin. Flair runs down too late and he squares off with Luger and then unloads on him. DDP attacks and destroys Flair. Hogan makes the save.
****1/2 WOW. I mean this was fucking great. At first I was worried that Benoit would get in no offense. I was wrong, that was great. It would have gotten the extra half star had Benoit kicked out and they gone at it for another minute and then Luger cheated and Flair run down….Jesus I am offering up ***** for a DQ! Oh well, I am high. Kidding. Great match.
Match 3: Scott Armstrong v. Berlyn
Fans call Berlyn a faggot. Berlyn gives him a backbreaker and then stomps a hole in him. Berlyn owns him for another minute but then he Scott mounts a comeback and mounts and pounds him in the corner. But Berlyn shoves him into the ropes where the Wall knocks him silly and the neckbreaker ends it. Berlyn chokes him out after the match. Brad Armstrong comes down and threatens both heels.
** Berlyn is feuding with the Armstrongs?
ICP arrived earlier tonight in their own bus. Vamp and Shaggy are telling J to get more aerial and other random things.
More recapping from Flair last week. No Bret Hart. He comes back and gets pasted and loses and it out this week. But he is back next week!
Gene calls out DDP and he does his catchphrase about everyone loving him. He has done more for wrestling than Pete Rose has done for baseball (in Cincy, depressing place and the Bungles suck and will also suck!). DDP taunts the crowd some more and wants more boos. Gene tells DDP has more problems now that Flair has returned. DDP mocks Flair and his Woooo and how old he is. They will face tonight!
Match 4: Blitzkrieg v. Evan Karagias
They have gone back and forth the first minute or two. Blitz drops him with a spinkick to the head and works him over in the corner. Evan fires back and Blitz flips away but he is dropkicked and rolls to the floor. Evan springs into him. Back in the ring, Blitz regains the initiative and slams him and then misses the corkscrew plancha. Evan slams him and goes up top but is nailed and Blitz goes up after him and goes for a Frankensteiner but is shoved off and Evan strikes with a flying crossbody and gets two. Blitz spins out of a move but he is taken down and pulled into position. Here comes Sid as Evan hits the Frogsplash….
**1/2 Not bad. Could have been better. Goddamn fans chanting boring. Go fuck yourselves Bengal fans. Sorry….
Sid demolishes both. I think Blitz is dead he was dropped on his neck. He pins Blitz as the fans chant for Goldberg. Sid has the mic and he tells Goldberg that he is not running. He is basically mowing people down. He will beat his record and will take him out. But Goldberg is not allowed ten feet from him before Havoc or he will lose his opportunity. At Havoc Goldberg will be another number as Sid becomes the MM. He grabs Evan and powerbombs him again!
Match 6: Eddie Guerrero v. Saturn
They shove each other. They go at it, and Eddie retreats to the floor. Eddie is tossed back in by Shane. Saturn takes him down and puts him in a chinlock.
Commercial.
Eddie fights up to his feet and press slams him and the springs off the ropes nailing Saturn. Saturn is whipped into the ropes and a spinkick drops him. Eddie grabs his wrist and walks the top rope flipping Saturn over getting two. Saturn counters with a T Bone and then he tosses him across the ring. He gets a near fall after an elbow drop. He calls for the DVD but Eddie escapes. Saturn drops him and places him up top, and Eddie fends him off and Frankensteins him from the top rope! He points at the crowd and slowly goes up top and misses the Frog Splash. Saturn though charges and misses flying over the top rope. Konnan tosses him back into the ring and Saturn goes after him and there is some shoving. Shane Douglas knocks out Eddie with a chain and Saturn does not like it and delays but finally covers Eddie for the win. Now the Animals are not happy….
*** Good match. I think both groups are becoming Tweeners? Not sure.
We got this far without Hogan….Here he comes. Gene calls last week a travesty. Hogan can regain the belt in five weeks. Hogna is looking forward to it. The Red and Yellow is running wild in Cincy. He is not impressed with Sting and will say a prayer and kick some ass. Hogan is not happy about having his career nearly ended. He is also displeased with what happened with Bret. Also with what happened with Flair (what about Benoit) tonight and that is strike three. He and Flair and Hart will take on Sting, Luger and DDP next week. He blames Bret Hart shooting on the papers and radio but they have something in common and the same goes for Flair. At Havoc he is going to kick Hogan’s ass. Gene it is not a sea of Yellow and Red, only a few have it. Jesus. He is not getting booed but come on WCW.
Match 7: Shaggy v. Lenny Lane (c) for WCW Cruiserweight Title
I was wrong earlier, I said Voilent J was getting ready by talking about his match. My bad. The same fan runs into the ring and is again being led away as he screams “that’s it” over and over. Lenny is taken down and then he hugs Lodi and dropkicked in the back. He is powerslammed by Shaggy and nearly pinned. Shaggy goes up top but is crotched. Lenny charges but bounces off and goes down and Shaggy misses the guillotine legdrop. Lane gets two after a spinning powerbomb. He scoop slams him and walks around the ring and then crawls over and sidles on top of Shaggy getting two. Fans call him a faggot. Lenny kicks him, Shaggy floats behind and bulldogs him getting two. Shaggy has him in the corner and talks to him. He places Lenny up top and grabs him and gets a near fall after a running powerbomb. Lenny tries to duck away but is rolled up and nearly pinned. Shaggy is on the apron and while he knocks Lenny back, Lodi pulls him down face first onto the apron. Back in the ring, Lenny flips him over his head and Shaggy barely lands on his feet. He is shoved into Lodi and who crashes into Vamp and J. Lenny rolls him up for the win.
**1/2 Odd ending but it was a good match.
Gene calls out Rick Steiner. He looks unhappy. No one can out wrestle him and he has respect for two men: Sid because he is going to take out Goldberg and his brother and here comes Scotty! He looks more juiced than ever! Gene wants to know if he has been filming a movie. Scotty responds that it is none of his business, and he asks Gene if has seen bigger arms. He is talking about records and while McGwire and Sosa, but he is going after Wilt’s 20000 women, and he will be there in January. If there are any freaks or hoochies out there meet him in the back. No one pushes harder than he does! Classic. When he left he was the US champ and the leader of the nWo. He turned on the TV and Hogan has left the nWo and Steiner puked Red and Yellow. He does not care what God Hogan prays to and he can take all the vitamins he wants because Hogan will kiss his ass and no one can leave the nWo without paying the price, and he is coming for Hogan and Hell is coming too!
Match 7: Kanyon v. Booker T
They go back and forth. Booker runs him over and dropkick sends him to the floor. Stevie Ray glares at him. Kanyon slowly gets back into the ring and the fans tell him that he sucks. Kanyon kicks Booker and slugs him in the head a couple of times. Booker is sent into the ropes, he ducks and a running forearm takes out Kanyon and then he kicks him in the skull. Kanyon falls to the floor and Booker goes after him but he is whipped into the railing. Kanyon grabs a water bottle, drinks some and spits it in Booker’s face. He helps him back onto the apron, stands on the ropes and suplexes him back into the ring getting two. He sets him up in the corner and bulldogs him with his leg from the middle rope and gets two. Booker blocks and counters with a one armed slam, Rock Bottom, and now a Harlem Kick. Booker kicks him in the gut and it is axe kick time! He goes up top and he is nailed by Kanyon. Booker blocks Kanyon’s superplex and shoves him off and the missile kick finishes him off.
*** For five minutes they went at it. Where is Booker going though?
Match 8: DDP v. Ric Flair
DDP heads out and is blindsided by Flair, and run into the railing. DDP is knocked into the crowd and obliterated. Flair is beating him around the arena, raking the eyes and running him into the railing again and he gouges the eyeball. Flair is relentless, and hammers him where Penzer is usually at. He finally rolls him back into the ring. DDP gets up and Flair ducks his head off the whip and is downed via a swinging neckbreaker. He hammers Flair and pushes him into the corner where a few punches drop him and DDP stands on jaw and neck. Flair is whipped into the corner and off the rebound backdropped. Flair backs into the other corner but is picked up and slammed. DDP drops the elbow getting two. He puts him in a chinlock and uses the ropes for leverage. Charles Robinson is suspicious. He breaks the hold and drops two elbows and then yells at Flair as he kicks a seated Flair back down with a kick to the chest. Flair is game and fires back and they exchange blow after blow, a Flair chop sends DDP down and now he back suplexes DDP. But he is slow to get up but DDP is greeted with a couple more chops, his kick is caught but he is able to duck the lariat and he chops some skin off and then nuts him. Figure Four! Sting runs down and he is put in the Figure Four but Luger uses the ball bat and Flair is dismantled. Hogan runs down in order to make the save but his knee is belted with the bat and Sting is crushing his knee with it. Flair covers up Hogan’s knee….
*** Great brawl. Angle advancement.
****1/2 I want to give this five stars but I cannot. It is actually closer to four. Great show. Great wrestling and they kept it simple. Well, kind of simple. I am not sure where the Revolution and Filthy Animals stand. It is clear WCW ran out of ideas for them and decided to have them feud. The fans are not really responding to Hogan, no cheers for when he came down. It would behoove them to have Goldberg instead but what do I know. Bret Hart not being there was unwise. Yes, it plays off the injury but at the same time his return was mishandled. Sting still plays the face while wrestling as if he is unsure if he wants to be the heel or not. But he did some dick things at the end interfering and had help against Benoit who owned the last five minutes or more of their match. Berlyn, who knows what is happening with him. He is not really going anywhere already and Booker is still floating around. He should face Rick Steiner or a returning Scotty. Buff never got revenge and is Charles Robinson with Sid? I think it is all refs who are afraid of him but it still seems pretty damn random at times and could be and should be handled better. Despite these issues, the show was well paced and the best damn Nitro in months and the best wrestling show in months too.