WCW Nitro 12/21/1998

Written by: Kevin Kindelberger

WCW Monday Nitro 12/21/98

The ratings fell to a 4.0 but RAW fell to a 4.7. Still it is the go home show to their biggest PPV. They have a lot of good things going but I always talk about WCW spinning their wheels. It is time to push new people like I talked about in my RAW intro. They have so much talent like Benoit and Booker and Jericho and Konnan and they give them small pushes. The same goes for Wrath who gets a push that is going nowhere. I forgot Saturn and Raven. They start strong and then fade away. Like I said the WWF is guilty of that too but they wrap it around a better package; most of their guys do not breakthru but they get higher profile feuds. So the myth that WCW never pushes people and the WWF is not really true. But they do create new stars at a faster pace than WCW. They are younger too and the young guys in WCW get stuck in the midcard. You can only rely on the old guys for so long and they get injured etc. But to be fair they are able to plug guys in such as those said above as they are over with fans and respected but the question remains if they would do so.

Match 1: Fit Finlay v. Scott Putski

One issue Nitro has is that it takes ten minutes to get going. We get some recaps and of course Schiavone stinking up the joint. They need to hook the viewer to not want to change the channel despite being unopposed. They did start with a long segment with highlights of EB’s douchedom so it worked.

Sorry, I was writing the above and talking with the boss but I watched the match. It was almost ten minutes long. Great back and forth match and Putski was over with the crowd. Hot crowd and Fit got the win.

*** Fun match.

Here comes the Cat. He is booed. Oh, they are at the TWA Dome. Nice sized crowd. Cat will whoop everybody. He challenges a fan and calls him fat! Cat is reveling in the boos and calls himself the greatest. He brags about inciting the crowd as a chorus of boos rains down on him. Santa comes out giving out candy and Cat warns him to stop giving out candy. He wants to know what he has for the Cat and Santa chucks a piece of candy at him. Cat wants him in the ring. Cat states he is going whoop Santa’s ass and turns, misses and is suplexed twice and it is Saturn!

Match 2: Chavo Guerrero v. Kaz Hayashi

Kaz starts strong by hammering him, but Chavo slides under and back suplexes him. Kaz is placed up top and Chavo is shoved off. Kaz leaps and is nailed with a dropkick.k Chavo is up top and kills him with the Tornado DDT and gets the win.

** Nice win for Chavo.

Here comes Nash. Fans are fucking fired up! They finish his phrase about Big Sexy being in the house. He shouts out to Goldberg who is booed. He is getting the shot of a lifetime, to become WCW champion. He talks about Goldberg’s meteoric rise and undefeated streak. At one time he was a world champ too….Nash. He was a champ for a year and he had 197 defenses and did not lose one. He has been there and he has been pushed and pulled into things, and while Goldberg is doing movies and TV Guide Nash is getting ready for him. Nash tells him that he needs to stay focused. He has done everything that Bill has done except beat him. Now to Naitch and he hopes something is okay, and will end with a Flair phrase and that is to be be the man you have to beat the man and on Sunday he is going to kick his ass!

Gene is with Raven and Kanyon. Raven has been in therapy for years. Raven tells Gene it is none of his business. Raven’s mom is just trying to get on TV and does not care about him. She wants to be like Judy Bagwell. Kanyon mocks him and Raven decks him and his mom comes down and whines for Raven to not hit his friend and she wants Scotty to come home, and to see his doctor (she is hot) and Raven whines what about him and he recoils from her when she wants to help him and he finally agrees to go home.

EB comes out and is booed. He calls the reception overwhelming and he is happy to be here with the crowd. He is really “sorry” that Flair cannot be here. He makes fun of Flair and his family. The Horsemen have arrived and Arn is in the lead and Flair is right behind and they are on a mission to kick Bischoff’s ass as Flair jobs through the back of the dome and towards the ring. Nope they find the nWo and Norton is overwhelmed and beaten to a pulp. Bischoff wants the crowd to stand in silence for the Nature Boy and they are not silent and he calls that a lack of respect for Flair. He would kick his tail around the arena for the fans. Now Flair is outside or somewhere and EB has no idea he is there. Now Flair has arrived and chases EB who sprints for his life! The camera follows and out to the trucks and outside and the fans are all up and screaming! I mean this crowd is FIRED the fuck up. The Flair chants echo and here he comes! Holy shit the crowd….this is epic. I mean wow. Flair just soaks it up and shouts a big Woooo! Bischoff, Windham, St. Louis and tonight as God as his witness and on the grave of Bruiser Brody he will die in this arena if he gets his hands on him.

Match 3: Wrath v. Lizmark Jr.

Schiavone is pissing himself over Starrcade and ignoring the match. Even Larry wants him to shut up. Me too, Larry, me too. Wrath is dismantling him. Wrath dropkicks him to the floor and then beats him there. Back in the ring for some reason puts him in a chinlock. Lizmark gets up only to get knocked back down and runs him over. Meltdown and match.

** Jesus do something with this guy.

Eddie and Rey are in the ring, and Eddie tells him that the lWo is about all of us and not just one of us. He is going to have to teach him a lesson and Rey will not be one hundred percent at the PPV and shoves him.

Match 4: Rey Mysterio v. Eddie Guerrero

Rey ducks and hammers him and then knocks him around. Eddie is knocked to the floor but as Rey leaps out he is driven into the railing and now he is flung into the steel steps. Rey is rolled back in and Eddie leaps into him, rolls into him over the top actually. Eddie hangs him over his back pulling on him. It keeps going to a random commercial and then popping back…..Rey is on the apron and Rey blocks the suplex and suplexes him to the floor. Rey is rolled back into the ring, after being shoved into the railing. He is now shoved into the corner and placed up top. Eddie strikes with a hurracarana from the top and now it is Recliner time. He starts to rip off his mask and then pushes him down. Eddie chops him in the chest and clubs the back over and over. Rey is taken down and Eddie dropkicks him in the back of the head. Eddie pulls him up and pokes the eyes and then snaps him over. Eddie taunts him a bit and Rey avoids him and springs off the ropes and strikes with a headscissor takeover. Rey sells the knee and Eddie goes to work on it. Eddie works it some more, breaks the hold and the crowd lets him know he sucks and Eddie punches him in the back. Now an STF.

True Commercial…..

Eddie has him bent over his back again. Rey rolls through and they both roll one another up for counts of two. Eddie though snags him and gives him a brainbuster. Eddie slowly makes his way up top and misses the dive and rolls through as he saw Rey move. Rey is hucked into the corner where he is hung upside down and kicked and then dropkicked. Eddie goes for a baseball slide and Eddie slides into the post as Rey lifts himself up. Rey leaps out on top of him, rolls him back into the ring but misses the flying dropkick from the top. Eddie takes him down gets a two count. He shoves him into the corner and batters him with blow after blow. Rey has had enough and fires back only to be sent into the corner. Eddie charges but thrown into the corner and then smashed face first into the canvas. Rey is up top and leaps and Eddie rolls to the floor. But Rey slides under the ropes and scissors him over. He rolls Eddiie back in and slingshots into him getting two but is rolled up for two count as well. Eddie picks him up and spikes him and now a powerbomb and he holds it down getting two. Rey spins out of the powerbomb and armdrags him and now another scissors and he gets a near fall. A series of reversals and Rey is shoved into the ref and Rey is nailed with a tilt-a-whilr backbreaker. The Bodyguard holds Rey and Eddie dropkicks him instead as Rey ducks. Rey flips over the ropes and faceplants Eddie. He has the win and Kidman is out but the ref is down. Kidman wants to hit Eddie so Rey brings him up and instead Kidman accidentally knocks out Rey and Eddie gets the win.

****1/2 Fuck Yeah, what a great match.

Big Poppa Pump is down and he promises to be the ladies’ righteous lover and is their hook up. He claims to have Mark McGwires and here comes the nWo ref riding a bike and Buff is disguised as him. Steiner assures him that he is one of his biggest fans and is rooting for him to break Maris’ record. McGwire is a big Steiner fan and Steiner calls him a redneck and of course he is as he lives in St. Louis. Buff drinks something or takes something and it is Androstein….Steroids and he claims he could not break the record without it! Um, Buff and Steiner and Roids? He takes off the Cardinals Jersey and tells the crowd this is what we think of them and tries to set the hat on fire but cannot so they stomp on it! Now it is on fire and Buff states St. Louis plain sucks!

Match 5: Norman Smiley v. Prince Iaukea

Norman controls the match and the fans love the dancing. Norman has him in the Wing and finishes him quickly!

***** NORMAN….kidding. **

Match 6: Barry Windham v. Hammer

Windham takes it to him but here comes Flair and he unloads on BW. He nuts him and runs him from railing to railing. BW fights back but gets his eyes gouged. BW escapes to the ring but Flair is relentless and keeps beating him and uppercuts him in the nuts again and knees them now! He now nuts him over and over and just unloads rights and lefts, sprinkling in some chops. He kicks him in the nuts again. He sets him up for another giant nut shot. Vincent runs down and is destroyed. AA runs down and beats on Vincent as Flair takesit to BW some more. Adams and Horace come down but Benoit and Malenko charge from behind. Flair is still beating Windham! Now it heads to the back and people are being run into trucks and now security runs in to try and restore order. Oh, this is part of the dome I think just closed off. Over half from the looks of it. Now Benoit is being cuffed and stuffed as is Malenko.

Flair and Arn are in the ring and Flair screams for Bischoff. For 25 years he has been a man you sonofabitch! Good or bad he can walk in the door of his house and his kids and wife always forgave him because they depended on him to live day in and day out. EB promised him the world and then took it and shitcanned on it but 40000 fans refused to allow it. Then he put his lawyers on him and while he damn near broke him, but he fought back and took it to the wire. His boy told him to beat the shit out of Bischoff and get back in the ring. He does not understand politics and lawyers but Reid understands to never quit and on Thunder EB stepped over the line and he almost quit because of that. EB kissed his wife and called him a rotten bastard. He stepped over the line and here comes Bischoff and he feels really bad and Flair charges but is swarmed by security as EB taunts him and his bad heart and now Flair is cuffed and stuffed! EB wants to fire him too. Flair is yelling that he will kill him and EB tells them to get a doctor for him and an ambulance.

Match 7: Jerry Flynn v. Booker T

Booker destroys him.

*1/2 Squash.

Match 8: Lex Luger v. Kaos

Luger shoves him into the ropes and then hiptosses him. Kaos backs away and they lock up again and Kaos shoves him into the ropes. Kaos leapfrogs and then knocks him down. He mocks the Wolfpac. They lock up again and Luger gets in a couple of blows and Kaos strikes back and connects with an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline. He gets a two count and kicks him and then uses the ropes to choke him out. Kaos gets another two count after a slam and guillotine legdrop. Luger is thrust into the corner but Kaos runs into an elbow and now clothesline time and the bionic forearm. Rage is up on the apron and he holds Kaos and whines at him and Luger just picks him up into the Rack and it is over.

*1/2 Luger is now just time filler.

Konnan comes down and does his thing. Disco is down and states that Wright is out of control. Konnan tells him to beat it and they are not friends or he is part of the Wolfpac. He got the shirt from Nash and states that they will deal with this after the match, he will prove it to him.

Match 8: Konnan (c) v. Alex Wright for WCW TV Title

Alex takes him down and brags but Konnan returns the favor and works him over for a bit. Wright is sent to the corner and hiptossed twice. Wright retreats to the floor.

Schiavone will not SHUT THE FUCK UP. He just rambles that 98 was the greatest year and unbelievable that they topped 97 and here comes 99 (too bad he does not have a DeLorean….). Commercial.

Konnan is working him over but Wright is up and slugs him down and tosses him to the floor. Wright works the arm, goes up but jumps down when Konnan moves. Konnan takes him down and after a seated dropkick gets two. Konnan has him down via the arm and the fans are getting bored. So am I. Konnan bulldogs him and rolls him over getting two. Wright is back kicked, faceplanted and pulled to the middle of the ring and the Sunrise is applied and it is over.

** Wright looked weak here but maybe this means something for Konnan…a push.

Wright throws a fit after the match recovering from the Sunrise quite quickly and leaves the ring. He keeps throwing a fit and banging chairs. He swings it at the ref.

Jericho belts Konnan from behind and the belt is over Konnan’s face and Jericho Lionsaults on top of him and Konnan is out. He brags in Spanglish. He has the belt and whips Konnan with it and puts it on. He stomps him a couple more times and calls Ralphus to tighten the belt and he leaves.

Disco comes down and wants the music cut. He has to prove he has to wear these colors. He will challenge anyone from the Black and White and will take anyone on.

It is the Giant! Not looking good for Disco. It is a match and Disco is getting annihilated. He does go for the Chart Buster but is picked up and tossed. Giant calls for the chokeslam and places him up top and super chokeslams him!

** Squash. Fun to see Disco destroyed.

Giant mocks DDP and calls him a bug. He is going to give him more pain than he ever imagined. DDP is in the crowd and he is ready for him. He may have been taken down on Monday and he keeps saying he was put down. But he keeps getting back up. He is all jacked up. Giant may be the biggest and strongest but he is sure as shit not the smartest. He will find a way to give him the DC.

Match 10: Scott Hall v. Goldberg

Three minutes left or less. Hall goes for the arm but is picked up and tossed. He runs over Hall after pushing him off the ropes. Here comes Nash and he stands and watches. Hall pokes the eyes but Goldberg blocks the bodyslam and then puts Hall over his shoulder and drives him down. Goldberg goes over to Nash and Hall goes up to him and hammers him and chokes him out with the ropes. Goldberg chants from the crowd. Fall away slam from Hall but Goldberg is up and spears him! Nash pulls Hall to safety and here comes Bigelow as Nash helps Hall out…..outta time.

** Angle advancement.

**** Damn did this start hot. But faded in the final hour. They had to cram a lot in, and this is why the need to leap right into the thick of things at the start instead of fucking around with nonsense. Still the Flair scenes were fucking gold, five star all the way and we got some solid matches including a great Eddie and Rey match. They did set up the PPV. But where is Rick Steiner and is Scott wrestling…..not sure what is going on. Okay, time for Starrcade getting late.