Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WCW Monday Nitro 11/16/98
Again Nitro got plastered in the ratings only garnering a 3.9 in head to head hours for a 4.3 overall while RAW got an amazine 5.5 for the night after the Survivor Series and this RAW was not a very good one either. No more Warrior. Warrior has claimed that he was promised a contract and was not given one, and that Hogan just wanted to get the win. Bischoff claims he was injured and demanded too much money. Once again it is controversy with the Warrior. I am sure Warrior wanted too much money but I also think this feud could have ended at Starrcade. The Warrior thing has been bashed for over a decade but honestly it was not overly terrible, just not that good. It had its moments and is better than the president angle. It did not draw in the fans long term but it would have been nice to see a satisfying conclusion. No more Jericho and Goldberg either and that is disappointing as that was entertaining. At least have a match on Nitro. Goldberg does not really wrestle on PPV’s so it would not have hurt anybody. Jericho thinks that Hogan and Bischoff got in his ear. Also, that EB was jealous of him getting over. Not sure why he would be jealous as he sold merchandise and got ratings. But then again this is WCW but he was allowed to do the gimmick for nearly three months, or the angle I should say and got lots of air time. Then again WCW is a notorious cluster for politics and organization. I am not sure if it would have drawn like Jericho thought. But it would have been classic to carry it on for two more weeks. Have Goldberg come out and destroy him at the PPV in either a scheduled or impromptu matches. The build for it was perfect as the fans would have seen Jericho get destroyed after months of heckling. This was the major reason he left, but also his perennial midcard status and while he will play that role in WWF, he will be treated as an uppermidcarder until 01 and go back and forth from main eventer to that role, something WCW should have figured out getting him in the US title hunt. Have him feud with Benoit, DDP, Raven, Konnan and even a match against Hart or Sting or Luger. Oh, and offer him the money before he wanted to leave. Dumbasses.
Another cavalcade of limo’s being escorted by police.
Match 1: Juventud Guerrera v. Kidman (c) for WCW Cruiserweight Title
Um, Juve lost to Rey so why does he get a title shot before Rey? Well, Rey has it for the PPV no matter what. Juve has him in a headlock after some give and go. Kidman gets free and powerbombs him. Kidman is slow to follow up but does suplex him back into the ring from the apron. Kidman slingshots on top of him and gets a two count. He keeps Juve grounded with a rear chinlock. Juve is up but is run into the corner and sandwiched. Kidman whips him into the opposite corner and this time Juve gets the legs up and strikes with a hurracarana. Juve chops him three times and the fans love it as Juve is getting cheered. Juve sends him for the ride and Juve headscissors him over. He then mounts and pounds him in the corner ten times. Juve is sent to the apron but he kicks him back and goes up top and crashes into him with a flying crossbody and he gets a two count. Both are down and now they are up, Juve kicks him but after charging him he is sent to the apron and dropkicked off and to the floor. Kidman leaps over the top and lands on top of Juve. Kidman rolls him back into the ring and gets two. Kidman has him in a chinlock. Juve is up and breaks the hold, Kidman rushes him but Juve pulls down the top rope and out goes Kidman. Juve is up top and crashes into him with a flying plancha. Juve chops him and unloads some forearm shots. Back inside the ring, Juve slams him and then strikes with a guillotine legdrop! Juve writhes around acting like he is in pain. He finally rolls over and gets a two count. Kidman is up first and gets in a blow before being sent into the corner and Juve misses but Kidman runs into a kick and is slammed. Juve waits and then leaps at him and bulldogs him and gets another near fall. Kidman counters spiking him into the canvas and gets a near fall. Kidman sends him into the ropes and tosses him with a release German suplex and yet another near fall. He pulls Juve up and tosses him back but Juve lands on his feet and he strikes with the Driver. Kidman barely kicks out and Juve is frustrated. He places Kidman up top and goes up after him, and Kidman nuts him and then powerbombs him off and gets a near fall. Kidman positions him and goes up top and Juve pushes him off and now Juve’s turn to go up top and he hits the 450 getting the win!
****1/2 What a match! Not sure about the ending and why this happened right before the PPV. But whatever; the problem is that we just saw Juve and Rey and while it was great, Kidman and Rey fought to a draw and we clearly need a rematch.
Match 2: Wrath v. Raven
Raven will not be told what to do and refuses to wrestle! Kanyon wants to know what is wrong with you. He tells Raven that he gets enough air time and needs to snap out of it. Kanyon will take the match. He does his thing and is utterly wiped out with the Meltdown.
Um, okay….poor Kanyon.
Here comes Glacier and I guess his opponent is Kanyon. I am glad it was not a match.
Match 3: Kanyon v. Glacier
Wrath follows Glacier into the ring and gives him a Meltdown!
Now Wrath has left, after the break, and Kanyon rolls over and gets a two count. They fall to the floor and Glacier suplexes him. He breaks the count, sets up the steps but Kanyon blocks and Glacier is driven into them and then his head is bulldogged into them! Glacier is rolled into the ring. But he hits the Cryonic Kick and gets a near fall. Kanyon runs him over and gets a two count. Glacier gets two after a bridged suplex and the fans are chanting boring so Kanyon finishes it with the Flatliner.
**1/2 Actually rather entertaining.
A replay of Hogan arriving at Imus’s studio. He talks about a Flat Tax before going in. Bischoff is there and there is quite the crowd. Hogan may not always like Ted Turner but he always pays up and he presents a check for his charity. He challenges him too. Hogan is tired of all these plastic politicians and can put the country straight.
Match 4: Sonny Onoo v. Masked Dude
I am guessing Kaz Hayashi. Sonny paid him off but the man still shoves him down. He unmasks and it is Hayashi. No crowd response. Sonny tries to escape and as Kaz goes after him the Cat runs down and kicks Kaz. Cat calms down the Onoo with a slap and he enters the ring getting the win.
NR Not sure of what to say about this debacle.
Match 5: Stevie Ray and Horace v. Dean Malenko and Steve McMichael
Horace wails on Malenko in the corner but Dean floats over and back suplexes him. Horace kicks him but gets his other leg grabbed, and he is tripped up and taken down. Horace gets to the ropes. Mongo gets the tag and he and Horace circle around one another. Horace pushes him into his corner where Mongo is doubleteamed. Ray stomps a hole in him as Horace chokes him out. Ray continues to work him over but he is faceplanted. Malenko is in and goes for the Cloverleaf but is poked in the eye. Horace gets the tag and suplexes him. Dean ducks after going off the ropes and drops him with a high knee. Mongo and Ray are in and the nWo is taken down. Horace is still the legal man. Vincent trips up Mongo. Arn decks Vincent. It has broken down in the ring, Ray uses the Slapjack on Mongo and Arn has had enough and brings a tire iron in play clearing the ring.
*1/2 Pretty dull. The fans were hot for the Horsemen but they should beat this nWo team cleanly.
Dillinger has come down and wants the tire iron….
Gene calls out Flair! Gene wonders if AA has been kicked out of the building. Flair states that he has been taken to jail due to that coward Bischoff. Mongo is in the hospital but Flair is not worried. Flair wants to talk about tradition and EB does not have any. He would hit him so hard if he was a man that his two nipples would end up on his back. Flair did not save all his money because he is a Horseman. He will fight tonight or some night. He introduces Barry Windham. Barry is a real wrestler something EB woud know nothing about. Gene is not sure if Bischoff knows he is in the building. Barry babbles but does mention the Horsemen. Barry is here to stay right now and they are about tradition. Flair says something and here comes Bischoff. He reminds Barry that he fired him a couple years ago. Flair is not allowed to hire anybody and spend Ted’s money but he is allowed too. Flair states he can spend his own money and Barry is going to tear up his girlfriend tonight. Flair tells Liz to be ready because BW is in town.
Match 6: Eddie Guerrero v. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Eddie admits that Rey beat him with some help but the lWo needs him and he respects him. He knows that Rey beat him. If Eddie wins Rey joins but if not Eddie is done and despite wanting him in the lWo he will leave him alone. Eddie agrees and they will part as friends. Eddie and Rey exchange waistlocks, and now Eddie has the wrist. Rey reverses it and Eddie rolls free and then run off the ropes until Eddie is monkey flipped into the ropes and now Rey strikes with a headscissor’s takeover and a spinning backbreaker. Eddie retreats to the floor in order to regroup. Eddie gets back in the ring and takes Rey down, but Rey climbs up the ropes, leaps back and knocks Eddie off him and down to the mat. Rey whips him into the corner. He leaps over him and onto the top, flips back and nicks Eddie. Both are slow to get up and this time Eddie catches him and slams him. Eddie is knocked to the floor and Rey moonsaults off the apron striking Eddie. Eddie’s minion rolls him back into the ring and Eddie dropkicks Rey as the ref is distracted. Eddie powerbombs Rey and has the pin but the ref is still distracted. Juve comes down and hits the guillotine legdrop on Rey, accidentally. Eddie tosses him to the floor and then finishes Rey with the Frogsplash.
***1/2 Fairly short but really sweet.
Juve is stunned and the lWo puts the shirt on Rey and they hoist him up.
Judy Bagwell is in the hospital due to Scotty. She is whining at Buff about that. I missed some of what she said but who really cares.
Match 7: Chavo Guerrero v. Scott Putski
The match takes some time in starting off, and Putski runs him into the corner and then suplexes him. Gene is running to the back and Bam Bam Bigelow has arrived running over some poor helpless soul and he is yelling for Goldberg, searching all over the place. Now he arrives in the arena proper and runs down the aisle and into the ring. Chavo is down and Bigelow lays out Putski and then Chavo. Scott is powerbombed and now Chavo is dropped facefirst on the top rope. He wants Goldberg to get his ass out here! The fans are ecstatic. Bischoff and JJ are coming down flanked by security. Bigelow is still bellowing. EB wants Bam Bam outta here. JJ gets in the ring and tells Bigelow that he does not work in WCW and he is disrupting the program. Security enters the ring with police. Bigelow backs off and talks to them. Here comes Goldberg and he too is flanked by security and now they try to get at one another as a scrum ensues. JJ has retreated to the floor looking a bit baffled. The fans chant Goldberg as EB circles around trying to do something….not sure what. He is befuddled too. EB yells at Jo Jo blaming him and wants to see him in the back right now.
After the break, EB is chastising Jo Jo and how is acting all pompous. JJ cannot be fired as he quits and Bischoff is giddy as Jo Jo yells at him while leaving.
Match 7: Saturn v. Konnan
Saturn has the mic and does not like the fact that Konnnan interrupted his match wanting to take care of family business. When in fact Konnan wanted to hype himself up during Saturn’s time and he does not appreciate that and challenges him.
Konnan does his thing to get the crowd riled and Saturn has had enough blindsiding him. Saturn kicks him into the corner and then stomps a hole in him. Saturn runs him into the opposing corner, continues to kick away. Saturn clotheslines him, and looks around before following up. He barely kicks him but Konnan sells it. Konnan reverses the whip and then misses the rolling clothesline, Saturn misses a kick and Konnan takes him down with a clothesline and stomps away as the lWo has arrived on the scene. Konnan works over the arm and neck. Saturn gets to his feet, but is sent ot the ropes and bulldogged.
Fuck, interrupting the match, Gene is with Bischoff and the latter is explaining his reasoning for firing JJ. EB explains that Bigelow does not work for WCW and he will not be at the PPV. Goldberg as the champ has more important things to deal with. Goldberg comes out and wants a piece of Bigelow tonight, and he grabs EB and forces him to acquiesce. EB bangs on his dressing room door in order to try and change his mind after Goldberg leaves.
They have gone back and forth, and Konnan gets two after a Razor’s Edge. Both men are slow to recover. Saturn gets two after a bridged suplex and then they clothesline one another and both are laid out. Konnan is up and slowly climbs up top and leaps right into a dropkick. Again both are down. Saturn struggles to his feet and now they exchange shots, and Konnan kicks him but Saturn returns the favor. Now the lWo gets involved and Konnan goes after them. They pull Saturn to the floor and beat him up. Konnan goes out to help Saturn and so Saturn thanks him with a punch to the head and then tears into the lWo.
***1/2 Nice match. Too bad Schiavone had fourteen orgasms discussing Bigelow and his potential match against Goldberg. He is a fucking tool.
Saturn chases off the lWo. Konnan is on the mic declaring their match is not over and Saturn agrees and he runs back and destroys Konnan. The refs finally pull him off.
Recap of Nash and Hall dispute.
Here comes Buff and Steiner with a cheerleading official. Buff states that with all the money the nWo brings in they bought their ref. The difference between this ref and WCW refs is that they would still be tag champs. They have him count a proper three count and he does so with exaggerated gestures. Steiner goes off on one of his promos calling the men fat and how the ladies want him. He is called Superman and he is their hook up! Scotty is happy that Buff approved him hitting his mother proving they are friends for life. They bring in Steiner’s mom, a man dressed up as his mom. Buff is given permission to beat her up and does so and then pins her. Rick comes down and chases them off and Buff yells for him to leave as this is their segment. Rick tears the clothes off the woman, and yells the obvious that this is not his mother. Norton decks Rick from behind and Scotty and Buff join the fun. Norton is choking him out. The ref counts the pin!
Match 8: Bobby Duncan Jr. v. Chris Jericho (c) for WCW TV Title
Jericho has controlled most of the match and suplexes Duncan. He puts his foot on him and gets a one count. Bobby pushes him off and then launches him straight up in the air. Bobby clotheslines him to the floor. Duncan leaps off the apron, crashing into Jericho and then tosses him over the railing. Back in the ring Duncann leaps off the top and gets two after a lariat. Jericho ducks a blow and then kicks off of Bobby and then stomps on the chest. Duncan misses and is taken down, Jericho tries to turn him over but is kicked off and then dropkicked. He heads to the floor and just leaves and is counted out.
** Fun match at times, I guess they have some lower midcard plans for Duncan as they hyped up the match.
Here comes Hogan again. Or I should say it is the first time tonight. Jesus this shit sucks. More confetti and balloons. Hogan thanks everyone and claims this the greatest week of his life. Hollywood is the only man to lead this country and thanks everyone again for embracing him. He calls out his campaign manager claiming it is Monica Lewinsky. She congratulates im and states that everyone knows the President loves a good cigar and they have a long embrace and maybe a kiss. She leaves and an upset looking Bischoff comes down. Hogan settles EB down about Goldberg and Hogan will be on top again and take the belt from him bringing it home. Here comes Scott Hall, and he discusses the nWo saying and you it about being in it for life. Hall wants to know where EB’s head is at. EB counters that it is basically Hall with the issues and now it is not the time and place to air that dirty laundry. Hall disagrees but EB wants to deal with it later. He tells Hall to beat it so Hall decks him! Hogan hits Hall and attacks him. He chokes him out with his boa and Nash runs down and Hogan skedaddles. Hall and Nash square off…
Match 9: Bret Hart v. Chris Benoit
Benoit attacks him right at the bell, stomps a hole in him and Bret staggers drunkenly around the ring and is dropped by a shot to the chest. Benoit stomps some more and after a snap suplex gets a two count. Benoit works him over in the corner, just dismantling him with a bunch of blows. A chop drops him after being whipped into the corner. Benoit gets a two count and another one after a back suplex. Now Bret Hart fights back and elbows him in the back of the head and works over the sternum, and uses his foot to choke him out. He pulls up Benoit and a headbutt takes him down. He pulls him up by his hair and slams him down. Hart slams him again and gets two after the elbow from the middle rope. Bret does his methodical offense, working him over with chops and kicks. Benoit fights back and puts Bret up top and superplexes him off! Benoit calls for the diving headbutt; climbs up top and connects! Benoit is slow to cover and Bret kicks out. Benoit clotheslines him up and over the top. Benoit misses the baseball slide but is in hot pursuit. Bret has a chair and runs into the ring but it is knocked back into his head. Benoit now has it as Bret begs! The ref pulls it away and Hart uppercuts him in the nuts. Bret acts surprised by the boos. Bret has the chair and begins to dismantle him and the ref calls for the bell. The ref is shoved down, and here comes Malenko and he attacks Bret stomping and kicking him to the floor. Hart leaves and once Dean has his back turned runs back down and assaults him. He goes back to work on Benoit, grabs the chair again and Dean gets some too. DDP comes down and clotheslines Bret to the floor. He runs after him and flings him to the steps. The fans erupt as DDP limps around the ring and asks Wichita what is up. He wants to know where Bret is going as he asked him to bring this to him and Bret turns around curses at him and leaves again. DDP puts Hart on the same level as Hogan. The same goes for Savage too….not sure where that came from. Now it is the Hitscum Hart! He wants Hart to come and get the belt. It does not matter how many times he gets knocked down he will get up. Before Dillon was fired he got a contract for the PPV and challenges Bret.
***1/2 Decent match and solid angle advancement.
Here comes Bigelow.
Match 10: Bam Bam Bigelow v. Goldberg (c)
Just over a minute left……Bigelow attacks him as Goldberg is surrounded by the pyro and the brawl is on. They are wailing on each other. Now security runs down to split them up as they try to get at one another.
NR Angle advancement.
****1/2 Now that was an enjoyable show. They had a great match to start the show. If I had a choice between 20 minutes of talking on RAW or a near 20 minute match to start Nitro I would choose the latter every time. The rest helped advance the feuds and while I am not sold on the build towards the PPV, they did some of that too. The Hogan crap was kept to a bare minimum. The Hart match was solid and overall the show was great. Now Bryan Alvarez and company throw a big stink about the main event, a sign of WCW not delivering, I have two words: Fuck Off. Seriously? It is called building towards a match, people always bitch about how WCW gives away free matches on TV and now they have a potentially solid one and they wait and get skewered. Jesus. Now, if they do not follow through then I will eat my words and write a humble apology…..Now they just need to do something with Wrath, like change his terrible name perhaps?