WCW Nitro 11/9/1998

Written by: Kevin Kindelberger

WCW Monday Nitro 11/9/98

On Thunder they hyped Hogan running for President….despite the election being in two years, but whatever. Apparently Ventura becoming governor made him jealous, er, burned a fire in ass to run for president. I am sure this will absolutely go nowhere. We are nearing the PPV and not much has been set up beyond what happened at Havoc. Nothing has really changed. I have no idea if Goldberg is wrestling, the nWo or Wolfpac. I am guessing Hart and DDP will have a rematch but other than that not much has been done. Hopefully today will change some of that. I have been enjoying Nitro and Thunder but they have been spinning their wheels as of late, so hopefully something positive occurs. The ratings stayed at a 4.1 while RAW won by nearly a point with a 5.0.

They hype up Hogan running for president as they do all sorts of Americana like pictures in a montage. Oh shit they are doing a RAW by having Clinton here…..I hope it is just Hogan.

Gene is with Bobby and they are in the garage of the arena waiting for Hogan and a couple of limo’s arrive. Instead it is the nWo and Wolfpac and the brawl is on! Hall is stuffed in a garbage can as Konnan brandishes a pipe to hold off the Giant as security holds them back.

Highlights of the Hitman putting Sting and DDP on the shelf.

Match 1: Kaz Hayashi v. Juventud Guerrera

They start and EB has come to the announce table and wants that bald-headed piece of garbage left in the back to watch for the president as he will be here. He tells Larry to get back to work. The fans call him an asshole!

Juve is chopping away but is sent to the apron where he hotshots Kaz’s neck off the top rope; he goes up top and leaps into a dropkick. He falls to the floor and is flung into the railing. Back in the ring, Kaz ties him up in the ropes and wallops him in the back of the head. He sends him running into the ropes and then boots him to the floor, between the ropes. He dives out on top of him. Back in the ring, Juve tries to fight back but gets caught in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and then follows up with a dropkick. He lays him down, drops the knee on him and flexes for the camera. He grounds Juve who gets up only to be chopped into the corner and slapped around and then choked.

Commercial.

Kaz is sent into the ropes and then nailed with a heel kick and a headscissor takeover sends him to the floor. Juve balances on the top rope and leaps right into him. Kaz is whipped into the safety rail, in the ring he ducks a lariat and strikes with one of his own. Kaz just stands over him, gets rolled up and nearly pinned. Kaz knocks him back, slowly pulls him to his feet and crushes his head with a brainbuster and he gets a two count. Juve counters by hanging him out to dry on the top rope, Kaz grabs and tosses him but Juve lands on his feet and now they exchange roll ups. Kaz is knocked off the superplex attempt as the Cat has come down. Juve leaps and strikes with a headscissors. Now Kaz fights back, but is sent to the corner, floats over and rolls him up getting two. But the ref is distracted and Sonny Onoo runs in and kicks Kaz in the head and Juve rolls him up for the win.

***1/2 Really solid start. Too bad about the ending but it does keep Kaz strong.

Recap of Nash getting beat up in the lockeroom by the nWo two weeks ago.

Match 2: Alex Wright v. Barry Horowitz

Wright orders Penzer to tell the crowd to be completely silent so he can concentrate on his match. The fans call him an asshole! Wright runs him down and then catapults him with his feet. Barry comes right back with two hiptosses. Wright comes back and jumps on his gut and then dances for the crowd. They show some “Secret Service” agents canvassing the ring. Wright dropkicks him and gets two. Wright knocks him to the floor and bodyslams him. The Wolfpac call happens and it stops and Wright is baffled. It stops so he goes back to work but here they come!

They stop the match and do their introductions. Nash cannot take it anymore. He is tired of the nWo picking off the Wolfpac and want them tonight. He does not care who it is, Hogan or Hall or anyone. Lex has heard that Bret Hart is in the building and probably hiding. Lex wants him tonight. Konnan is making sure that they take care of the nWo for Sting. He calls them out, and here comes Bischoff and Nash calls him estrogen boy. EB responds that they are boring the hell out of him. He warns them to be careful because they may just get it. And they will get it and calls Nash a Princess and tells them to wait right there.

Match 3: Lodi v. Scott Norton

About ten seconds.

NR

What the Hell happened to waiting in the ring? Oh well.

The Disciple comes down and Schiavone is waiting for him. Who cares…..Tony wants to know where he stands and he is his own man and he repeats that a few times. Ray and Horace and Vincent come down. Horace tells him to shut his stinking mouth. Horace babbles and Disciple threatens him and the nWo puts the boots to him. Horace has the belt and whips him with it and then chokes him out. Disciple fights back and now Vincent hits the ring and gets clobbered. But Ray puts an end to that and has him in the corner. The Warrior rambles to the ring and takes out Horace and Vincent with a clothesline and Ray is dumped to the floor. He holds up an oWn shirt and then beats Horace with it…..Warrior got quite the pop here. The segment was terrible though.

A limo ringed by security has arrived and Gene and Bobby are told to leave as this is a restricted area. Gene refuses to leave. A series of stretch limo’s has arrived.

Some presidential music plays and out comes Hogan with some Boa’s wrapped around him. EB salutes him and he is flanked by security and an American flag unrolls from the rafters and there are balloons and confetti. Gene is in the ring with him. Hogan congratulates Jesse ‘the Mind” Ventura and Americans are sick of politics as usual and want Minnesota to be put back on track. He blesses him numerous times. Gene asks EB if he agrees with what Hogan said and he does. But he wants to move on to bigger and better things. Gene asked if Hogan is really going to run, and Hogan claims his phone rang off the hook. He will return Ventura’s call later. He decided that after so many calls that he is going to run for the president. He will give America a brand new start and take everyone into the new millennium. Gene asks what Party, and Hogan is in some sort of negotiations and we need to stay tuned. EB is his manager. Gene slyly asks Hogan if he likes a good cigar and Hogan gets serious: “I don’t smoke.”

Here comes Bret Hart. Lex got lucky to escape with his life. He tells Sting to get well soon as there is plenty more where that came from. As far as DDP goes; he is in some hospital right now, trembling and shivering, thanking Almighty God that he did not end his career. He tells him to Fed-Ex the belt to its rightful owner. Now back to Luger, Bret is finished with him and dished it out to him. Instead Konnan makes him sick. He is going to strap on his knee brace and kick the crap out of him. Everyone is scared of him in the back except the Nitro Girls and they better start getting scared!

Match 4: Eddie Guerrero v. Rey Mysterio Jr.

Rey shows off his shirt to Eddie as Eddie tries to entice him with an lWo shirt, Rey takes it and tosses it and then trips up a charging Eddie. He sends him to the floor with a headscissors. Eddie gets in the ring and begs him to join, but pokes him in the eye but Rey leaps on his head and takes him down again with a headscissors. Eddie rolls to the floor in order to regroup. He slowly gets back into the ring, and kicks him in the gut. Eddie stomps a hole in him, has the leg and goes to work on the knee. Rey is hobbled and Eddie has him up for a powerbomb and Rey slips over the top but he is shoved down and Eddie has him in kind of grab, destroying the knee. He finally breaks the hold by slamming the knee onto the mat. Eddie slingshots to the floor striking the knee as it dangles over the apron. Eddie nails him with a couple of chops, climbs up and Frankensteins him off the top rope after placing him up top. Eddie gets a two count, Rey kicks him but the leg is grabbed and the knee is twisted a couple of times. Rey responds by rolling him up for two. Eddie clips the knee and works it some more. Rey crawls to the ropes, breaking the hold. Rey springboards off the ropes and strikes with a headscissor takeover and now a spinning neckbreaker. Rey is gimpy but is able to strike with a low dropkick. But Eddie takes him down again by attacking the knee. He sits on the knee and then dives over the top hitting it. He knocks him to the floor. He sandwiches the leg in between the post and steps and then dropkicks the steps! Rey is wallowing in misery as he is rolled back into the ring and he goes back to work on the knee. Rey finally escapes and runs Eddie into the corner: Bronco Buster time but he falls backwards, selling the knee but recovers and gets two after a split-legged moonsault. Eddie reverses the whip and powerbombs him. Or was he powerbombed, damn, lost track as Rey spikes him into the canvas but he is caught on the slide and his leg is bashed into the mat. Chavo has arrived with Pepe and he has the shirt that was going to be for Rey. Eddie does not appreciate that and Rey knocks him into Chavo and Rey takes a bit of time and finally wraps him up for the win. The lWo stomps on Chavo but Rey, magically recovered pulls him to safety.

***1/2 Slow developing but I was not bored at all.

Here comes Bischoff. He will not shirk his wrestling responsibilities despite being Hogan’s campaign manager. Flair will not wrestle because he failed his physical. JJ Dillon over-stepped his bounds by fining Scott and Buff. He would like to introduce some attorneys and here they come. EB is taking an hour to get to the point. An attorney deducted Steiner’s and Buff’s paycheck. He mocks them and wants to know who they work for. EB kicks all three, and then pounds them for a bit and leaves!

Here comes Scotty and Buff. The ref refuses to get into the ring. Steiner has the mic and brags about his prowess with the ladies: He is the cream of the crop and can rock their bodies all night long. Buff cackles that he will ref Scotty’s matches. Steiner states that Piper is the Commissioner and so his fine for 100000 dollars is bogus. Piper is to scared to come out. He continues that he is not such a bad guy and tells WCW to send somebody as he is not leaving until he gives the crowd what they want.

Match 5: Scott Steiner v. Chris Adams

This will get ugly. Adams is doubleteamed right away and is destroyed. Rick comes out and they run. Rick is willing to put the tag belts on the line and will find a partner if the two girls are willing…..they accept.

NR Angle advancement.

Match 6: Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell v. Rick Steiner (c) and Judy Bagwell for WCW Tag Titles

Jesus. She is wearing the belt! Judy ducks a clothesline and decks Buff and he runs to the floor. Rick knocks Scotty to the floor. Buff refuses to fight, and Scotty yells at Judy and calls her a bag, and he wants to slap her. This is not happening tonight as there is no ref. Rick wants a piece and tells them to bring it, and wonders if Buff is scared of his mother. Rick throws out a challenge at the PPV. Buff counters that Judy does not have a contract and she responds that she has whipped his butt all his life and at the PPV she will do it again and this time she gets paid.

Angle Advancement—-this could be awful.

Match 7: Konnan v. Bret Hart

Konnan hammers him right at the bell, runs him over with a clothesline and stomps him right to the floor. Konnan goes after him and bashes his head into the railing. He keeps after him, pounding away and now Bret is run into the steel steps. Bret finally rakes the eyes and tosses him back into the ring. He elbows him in the back of the head, and headbutts the gut. Hart jaws with the fans a bit as he kicks Konnan. He rubs his forehead across the top rope. He measures all his blows and bites him. Bret chokes him out in the corner and kicks him in the chest a couple of times. He grabs him and takes him down with a Russian leg sweep. He goes up to the middle rope and leaps right into a boot. Konnan is up and he clubs the back and the back of the head, down goes Bret and Konnan breaks the choke with the boot at four and a half. He drapes across the back of Bret and chokes him out with the rope. He mounts and pounds him, and Konnan shoves the ref away but this allows Bret to clip the back of the knee. Bret now works over the knee. Bret cranks back on the knee; he pulls him over to the post as the fans chant for Sting. He wraps it around the post, the leg. He has them tied around the post working over the leg. Bret has a chair and just pummels Konnan’s knee with it. The ref calls for the bell but that does not stop Bret. Luger runs down and chases him off. Bret cannot get away, and finally does as Lex brandishes the chair.

**1/2 Not bad. Just a brawl.

Konnnan is carted off.

Gene calls out Jericho. He was born here and he is glad he left as this place sucks. Gene informs him that someone is here. If he is talking about Greenberg that is fine as he is now 4-0 against him. He asked Greenberg to come out and meet him and he knows he is not in the building. Gene disagrees. But Ralphus told him that Goldberg was not here. Jericho continues that Goldberg has no guts and will not be here. Goldberg is in the back and lead to his locker room. He notices what is going on as he looks on the monitor as Jericho goes off. Goldberg destroys his locker room. He jogs to the entrance and glares down at Jericho. Goldberg slowly makes his way towards Jericho who has his back to him. Jericho is utterly destroyed with a spear on the floor. Goldberg tears off his belt. He beats up Jericho a bit and leaves him lying and he leaves.

Match 8: Giant and Scott Hall v. Kevin Nash and Lex Luger

Hall tosses his toothpick at him so Nash spits on him. Nash drives him into the corner and does his typical offense there. He picks him up and Hall slides behind and now he goes on the offensive. He hammers him but Nash takes him down and Luger is in the ring. He flexes at Hall and drops him. He follows up with an inverted atomic drop and clothesline. Giant gets the tag after Hall rakes the eyes of Luger. The Giant goes to work. Luger comes back, mounts and pounds him. Hall tries to sneak up but is tackled. Luger turns right into a blow from the Giant. The Giant nuts him with a kick. He picks up Luger and slams him. Giant drops the big elbow. Hall gets the tag and kicks and stomps him in the corner. He uses his boot to choke him out as the fans chant: Let’s go Wolfpac. Luger knocks him down but Hall reaches out and makes the tag. The Giant headbutts him, places him over the ropes and chokes him out until the count of four and Hall joins in too. Giant stands on Luger. Luger is getting hammered, another headbutt sends him down. Hall is back in and he paintbrushes him and a shot to the head sends him back down. Luger is sent into the corner and down he goes. Hall hits the fall away. Hall motions for the Edge but is backdropped. Both men are down. Luger dives and makes the tag. Hall is popped in the head a couple of times with each one sending him down. A snake eyes in the corner and he leaps on him as he is hung up on the ropes. The Giant is booted off the apron. Hall is booted too. The Giant runs in but Luger clears him out. Bret Hart runs in from behind, clips the knee of Nash and goes to work on it. Now Hall has joined in. Luger takes out the Giant, and he has a chair and clears out the ring.

** The end was the best part.

**** I really want to rank it higher. The matches were great, for the most part, Bret was on fire and the fans were hot. Jericho and Goldberg had a classic segment. But the whole president thing just bogged it down. It was asinine. Just a stunt to keep Hogan in the limelight. Also, the Warrior got a pop but Beefcake just blows, probably literally! I just did not dig that segment. The Warrior has been reduced to nothing and it is his last show! You take those two segments and the questionable Judy Bagwell one and you have a spectacular show. As it stands it was really good and the PPV finally had a little set up.