WCW Nitro 11/17/1997

The go home show and last week did not do too much in building it up as it mostly focused on Hogan and Sting. Nash did threaten the Giant and they set up the Flair and Hennig match. The Bret Hart opening was ant-climactic and I sincerely hope that they do not botch his arrival. Still, one so-so after a quite a few good ones means nothing. WCW has become the more entertaining promotion the last month and a half and if they do not do anything too inane or crazy leading into Starrcade I doubt that will change anytime soon.Here comes the nWo. No Hogan. EB talks about love and Hall tells us it is Survey time and WCW wins this one and the fans chant for Sting. Hall shouts out for Syxx and wants to know where Larry is and the fans erupt. Hall mocks him for moving too slow even on fast forward and that he could not even beat Easy E. Nash grabs the mic and tells Larry to sit down before pulling his Medicare. The nWo has an agenda, the Einsteiners have not beat them as they are the true champs and hold up tag belts. Nash makes fun of the Giant and calls him Quasimodo and Nash is fine being sexy and too sweet. EB was excited for bringing about big surprises and they want to bring out another one. And here comes Hogan. He points at the entrance and it is Rick Rude!!!! He was just on RAW! Rude has a lot to say and what a difference a day makes. He wants to discuss the rights and the wrongs of wrestling. What is wrong is Shawn Michaels claiming he is champ when he never beat Bret Hart. What is wrong is for Vince to order a ref to ring the bell in order to rob Hart of the title. What is right is for Bret to leave the Titanic and swim to the refuge that is the nWo. Also, what is right is the nWo destroying WCW and for beating the living…out of Sting. What is wrong is that he did not have the chance to participate. This time Rude will partake. EB wants the crowd to give it up for Rick Rude. Hogan asks the crowd if they know what it is like to be like to be him. To be champ and that Sting has been Stung and all his family is there and he talks about blood. The fans tell Hogan he sucks and Hogan tells them that Sting will not be seen around WCW anymore. And that the nWo is for life.

Rude was paid per appearance and after the Screwjob decided to leave. He was in the locker room when Bret decked Vince.

Gene calls out Traylor who does not want anyone’s sympathy and of course he gets blindsided and his ass kicked by the nWo and they tag him too.

Match 1: Glacier v. Meng

Glacier takes it to Meng right away, sweeps the legs out from under him and gets a two count. Meng back suplexes him and then clotheslines him. Meng chops him in the chest and Meng chokes him out in the corner. Meng gets some cheers as he pounds Glacier, who leapfrogs him but is still nailed. Glacier makes a comeback with some kicks. Meng whips him in the corner, misses and Glacier kicks him again and after a clothesline that does not harm Meng dropkicks him and then back drops him. Hart gets on the apron and Glacier kicks away but is grabbed by the throat and Barbarian is in the ring and attacks. The ref calls for the bell and gives Meng the win. Here comes Ernest Miller and he cleans house…..forgot about how they where buddies. Miller though is put in the Death Grip.

Match 2: Alex Wright v. Steve McMichael

Mongo sends him to the floor and is distracted by Debra and is belted from behind. Alex dances around and then spinkicks him in the gut and he gets two.. Alex pulls him to the floor and pounds him. After a couple of chops he rolls Mongo back into the ring. Mongo is bodyslammed, Wright goes up top and misses the flying crossbody. Mongo kicks him in the ribs as and stomps away as Debra yells at him. He tosses the ref and the match is tossed as Mongo continues to unload on Wright. A punch sends him over the top and he runs for the hills.

Angle advancement to set up his match with Goldberg at the PPV.

Match 3: Chris Jericho v. Rey Mysterio Jr.

They lock up and Jericho works over the arm, and puts him in a side headlock. Jericho runs him over, Rey leapfrogs and then catapults him. Rey is placed on the apron and he strikes with a springboard dropkick. Rey flies over him off the springboard but is grabbed and bodyslammed. Jericho clotheslines him, Jericho muffs a chop and the second one did not look too much better. Jericho whispers in his ear and he is whipped into the corner off the reverse. Rey goes up but Jericho meets him up there and he super gorilla press slams him from the top! Rey rolls to the floor. Jericho drags him around by the mask, rolls him back into the ring and stomps on him. Jericho has him up in a vertical suplex, holds him for a bit before sending him down for a two count. Jericho double underhook backbreaks him and is stomps him and now he gets two after a trifecta of backbreakers. Jericho gets whipped into the corner and worked over until he powerbombs Rey but he misses the Lionsault. Rey rolls him up and gets a near fall. Jericho buries him with a double powerbomb and goes for it again but this time Rey flips onto his feet and finishes him off with the springboard hurracarana.

Good match. Rey is over.

Benoit denies Bret Hart would be with the nWo.

EB comes out to taunt Larry and he smacks him upside the head. Larry goes after him and the nWo B team is there and they lend him a hand as EB kicks him in the head and they stomp a hole in him. EB kicks him in the chest and puts his foot on him and flexes. Tony calls for help some medics or somebody.

Match 4: Villano IV v. DDP 

DDP rolls him up and gets a near fall. Villano V holds his leg but he is still able to clothesline Villano IV. The fans chant DDP as he knocks down Villano and once again the leg is grabbed and this allows Villano to stomp and choke him out and his brother does too as the ref is distracted. Villano puts his feet on the ropes and gets two. He hammers him some more and gets two again. As the ref is distracted V leaps on him from the top and another near fall. DDP gets up, hammers him and clotheslines him to the floor. DDP slingshots out on top of both. Rolls him back into the rink and pancakes him. He calls for the Cutter and it is all over.

A little long for a squash match but they played the switcharoo and it worked fine.

The other Villano gets it too and this time from the top rope.

Match 5: Dean Malenko v. Eddie Guerrero (c) for WCW Cruiserweight Title

Dean slaps him, Eddie responds by patting him but is shoved so he clotheslines Dean. Eddie nails him with a spinning backbreaker but Dean forces him to the floor. Dean chases him but as he climbs back into the ring he is kicked, taken down and stomped. Dean is suplexed and then run into the corner where he is mounted and pounded, run headfirst into the other corner and choked out by a boot. Eddie suplexes him again and then whips him into the corner and as Rey comes out to watch they both end up on the floor.

Commercial.

Eddie chokes him out but after a whip sends him straight up and down he goes. Dean kicks away at him in the corner. They continue to go at it for a few more minutes but my DVD is having severe issues….It ended in a double countout.

Match 6: Scotty Riggs v. Perry Saturn (c) for WCW TV Title

The Flock climbs over the railing. Kidman tells Riggs to let Raven to set him free and he declines. Saturn takes him down and bashes the back of his head into the mat. Riggs fights back, clotheslines him and then knocks him to the floor. He gets back in and back drops Saturn who retreats to the floor again, he gets up on the apron and knees Riggs and suplexes him to the floor. Riggs is rolled back into the ring and nailed with a belly to belly suplex and chokes him out on the rope. Saturn blocks a hip toss and slams Riggs getting two. Saturn runs into him after the whip into the corner, whips him into the other corner but runs into a boot and runs into it again. Now Saturn is sandwiched in the corner and suplexed. Riggs gets two after a splash. He places Saturn up top, cannot superplex him and Saturn grabs him and wants to suplex him to the floor but is knocked to the floor. Riggs leaps into the Flock who went back into the crowd. He goes to punch Raven but Saturn grabs the arm and then flings him into the steps. Saturn bodyslams him, and goes up and strikes with a guillotine leg drop and he sells himself hurt too momentarily and then finishes him off with the Rings of Saturn. The rest of the Flock comes in and stomps away. Raven is on his knees next to Riggs and exhorting him.

Not bad, decent for angle advancement.

Here coms DiBiase and the Steiner Brothers. They are hit from behind by the B Team and now the rest of the nWo comes out and lay a beatdown. Hogan whips them with his belt.

Match 7: Curt Hennig (c) v. Lex Luger for WCW US Title

Lex takes it to him right away, clotheslines him a few times and then back drops him. Curt is whipped into the corner and kicked and punched over and over. Curt comes back and snaps the neck and chokes him out on the ropes, kicks him in the ribs a few times. Curt chops him but this fires up Luger who tosses him and vertically suplexes him. Luger works him over in the corner, but gets his throat bounced off the top rope. Curt nails him with a high knee and then another one. Curt puts him in a sleeper. Luger is stuck in it for some time but gets up and back suplexes him, an atomic drop sends him to the floor and Luger goes out after him and pounds him. Hennig tosses Nick Patrick into him and then clocks Luger with the US belt, rolls him back into the ring and gives him the Perfect Plex. Nick gets back in the ring and calls for the bell. Curt shoves him down and pounds on Luger. Here comes the Giant and Luger wisely retreats.

Not bad and Hennig remains strong.

Match 8: Giant v. Scott Hall

Nash and Bischoff head to the announce table. Hall clowns around and tosses his toothpick at the Giant who throws and misses with a wild haymaker. They lock up and Hall is tossed and then worked over. He is placed up top but kicks the Giant away. Hall kicks him in the gut, pops him in the face but is thrown into the corner and is chopped in the chest. Hall is run into the corner and then chopped down. Giant has him up and bodyslams him. Hall rolls to the floor. Giant goes out and goozles him and Hall whacks the arm and hand against the post and then the steel steps. Giant slowly climbs back into the ring, Hall kicks him as he comes in and stomps on the hand over and over. Giant comes back with some headbutts and he decks him, boots him in the face. Giant goes for the chokeslam and it is blocked, Giant stares at the hand and then goes for it again and here comes the nWo and they assault the Giant. The fans chant for Sting and here comes WCW and the brawl is on. The entire locker room clears out and the show fades as Schiavone screams about WW3.

Not a bad go home show. They did prep the the PPV and the nWo is looking strong going in and heading into Starrcade too. Hopefully they play it out correctly but that remains to be seen. The wrestling was decent with Rey and Chris having a decent match and what I saw of Eddie and Dean was good too. Apparently a fan attacked Bischoff in the Larry beat down but missed and that is why Doug Dillinger was down there. Overall the last two shows have not been great but nor have they have been bad.