FEBRUARY 1ST — MINNEAPOLIS, MN — TARGET CENTER
EARLIER IN THE DAY — HENNIG & WINDHAM UNITED
CONTEXT: Footage of Curt Hennig and Barry Windham arriving together earlier in the day is shown. Hennig and Windham have agreed to be partners. Hennig says they are one step closer to getting their hands on Hall & Nash to get revenge for what they did to him last week. Hennig believes they will win the tag titles.
Bob’s Take: Hennig and Windham as a full-time team is a fine move. It’s a little funny that this segment was used to confirm their partnership when they were the co-main event at Souled Out as a team. I doubt there’s a tag match with the Outsiders, though. 1 for 1
SCOTT STEINER CONTINUES TO HARASS KIMBERLY
CONTEXT: The Nitro Girls are doing their routine when WCW Television Champion Scott Steiner came out and attempted to convince Kimberly to give him a shot. Kimberly backed off and tripped over a fellow dancer falling down and being knocked out.
Bob’s Take: I hate this angle. It makes Steiner look dumb, and the focus is on Steiner/Kimberly more so than anything DDP has been doing with Steiner. 1 for 2
KONNAN & REY MYSTERIO CHAT WITH MEAN GENE
CONTEXT: Rey Mysterio cut a promo saying that Lex Luger has a personal issue with him trying to take his LWO shirt and now the mask, which is very important to him. Mysterio has much respect and love for Nash and Luger since he watched them as a kid. Mysterio says they made a big mistake dropping their knowledge to Konnan. Mysterio promises that he’ll take Luger down to earn his respect if that’s what it takes. Konnan knows the NWO went after Mysterio to get back at him, and Konnan doesn’t ride like that. Konnan says that they are going to make them bow down. Mysterio challenges Nash & Luger to a match at Superbrawl IX. Mysterio wants to do a mask vs. hair match, whether that hair is Luger, Nash or even Elizabeth. Konnan feels bad for them as they use to he his dogs, but now they have to sit down to take aim.
Bob’s Take: I can appreciate the attempt to perhaps elevate these two, but it came across as if the crowd wasn’t exactly excited at the prospect of a tag match. Personally, this seems to be the perfect time to have Luger do a job on PPV and put over Mysterio. But, it’s much more likely that the NWO is going to steamroll the up and coming faces to maintain their heat for the bigger names. The promo wasn’t all that great, but it’s something different than we’re use to seeing this early on a Nitro episode. 2 for 3
NEW WORLD ORDER AT THE AIRPORT
CONTEXT: The B-Team are talking about getting a rental car, but Vincent says that the rentals are all taken. Vincent leaves to try and get a car. Stevie Ray walks off, but comes back and says that he got a hookup after talking to Hogan. Ray thinks that his talk worked out well. They enter a limo, but there’s only four seats and Vincent gets kicked out of the limo. Vincent calls up Kevin Nash needing a ride, and apparently Nash will be there soon. Within three-seconds the Wolfpac shows up and pickup Vincent.
Bob’s Take: Something is up with Vincent and the Wolfpac, but I’m not sure what they are trying to do with Vincent. I’m confused, but interested. Yes, I’m interested in Vincent. I can’t believe it either. He’s been entertaining in this delusional Wolfpac member character work. 3 for 4
WCW PRESIDENT RIC FLAIR REVEALS ERIC BISCHOFF’S JOB FOR THE SHOW
CONTEXT: Flair tells Bischoff that he has 57 more days of this embarrassment. Flair shows Bischoff that in the 27 degree weather, Bischoff is going to be sitting in a dunk tank. Bischoff is going to be the town clown. Bischoff complains, but does it to not breach the contract. Bischoff tells Flair he’s going to get the last laugh tonight. Bischoff asked Ric where his son David was at.
Bob’s Take: This was fine because I’m now curious to see how Bischoff will get the last laugh. I’m sure the last laugh will involve David. 4 for 5
MATCH #1: BARRY WINDHAM & CURT HENNIG VS. CHRIS BENOIT & DEAN MALENKO — WCW TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT MATCH
FINISH: Hennig pinned Benoit with the Hennig Plex after Benoit hit a diving headbutt on Windham.
Bob’s Take: There’s no denying that the fans love the Horsemen, Benoit & Malenko. The money is always in the babyfaces chasing, so I’d doubt that the Horsemen are going to win the tournament. Windham & Hennig could be the favorites to win the titles despite not having much success as a team since they were involved in a major angle with the Flair’s last month. Windham and Hennig picking up a clean pin here is a great move, though. I was expecting a cheap finish if they won, but the fact that Hennig used his smarts to pin Benoit is fantastic booking and gives the heels momentum that they certainly need. 5 for 6
BISCHOFF AT THE DUNK TANK
CONTEXT: At the dunking tank. JJ Dillon is throwing balls at the target and misses every single time, but Bischoff ends up being dunked anyway. La Parka is there dancing, too. Bischoff is livid.
Bob’s Take: It’s humorous that Dillon couldn’t hit the target. It’s no harm comedy to continue to get some revenge on Bischoff. 6 for 7
THE WOLFPAC ARRIVES TO THE ARENA
CONTEXT: Stevie Ray tells Kevin Nash that everything is good with the NWO since they got a limo to the arena this week. Ray tells Nash that Vincent dropped the ball for not having the cars ready. Vincent pops out of the Wolpac limo and Scott Norton intervenes asking why can’t they get along. Nash likes that Norton is trying to be positive. Nash reveals that Hogan isn’t there this week. After a commercial, NWO Black & White go to their locker room and are greeted by a group of women.
Bob’s Take: I doubt Hogan is actually not here this week. There wasn’t much substance here, but they’re doing something with Vincent. I can’t put my finger on it, but Vincent is being used for some reason to probably spy or even destroy the Black & White. 6 for 8
WCW PREISDENT RIC FLAIR INTERVIEW
CONTEXT: Flair thinks it’s a beautiful night because Bischoff is going to be wet all night from the dunk tank. Flair believes that the NWO is falling apart. Flair talks about Superbrawl and how Hogan has to tarnished the title. Flair is ready for a fight at Superbrawl. Flair lists several of his past opponents that made him ready for this kind of moment. Flair says that he’s tired of WCW United States Champion Bret Hart and all his documentaries, and thus Hart will fight Chris Benoit at Superbrawl for the title. Scott Hall & Disco Inferno make their way out to cut off Flair. Hall says that Benoit is the number one contender because he washes Flair’s car. Hall thinks he could beat Flair, but Flair tells Hall he lives in a fantasy. Hall doesn’t think Benoit has the guts to fight him. Benoit comes out and accepts the challenge leading to a brief brawl between Hall, Inferno, Benoit and Flair with the Horsemen standing tall.
Bob’s Take: It’s kind of a weird booking decision to announce Benoit as the challenger to Bret Hart when a few minutes ago Benoit loss cleanly to Hennig. I obviously would love a Bret vs. Benoit PPV match, but it came across as a weak announcement due to the timing of it. With Hall getting involved, it would be smart to have Benoit beat Hall to gain momentum for such a match. A Hall vs. Hart match wouldn’t make much sense considering they’re both heels. The timing of the booking and this announcement came across too weird and forced. 6 for 9
MATCH #2: KENNY KAOS VS. VAN HAMMER:
FINISH: Hammer wins the match following a double leg slam.
Bob’s Take: I can’t wrap my head around why Van Hammer is getting a match on Nitro at this point. This is the kind of match that belongs on Saturday Night, but nowhere near Nitro. I wouldn’t have hated this if Kaos had won the match, at least. 6 for 10
HARDCORE HAK ARRIVES IN WCW
CONTEXT: After the match, Hak, formerly known as Sandman in ECW comes out with a kendo stick. Hak whacks Hammer several times with a kendo stick and hits a side Russian leg sweep. Hak is wrapped in barbed wire and takes credit for having barbed wire matches.
Bob’s Take: Hak had originally been introduced as Raven’s uncle in recent vignettes, but now is here as Hardcore Hak. This tells me that it’s likely the Raven angle that could have led to a Piper match has already been dropped. It’s probably a better decision to have Hak in WCW doing a version of the Sandman gimmick anyway. 7 for 11
MATCH #3: BAM-BAM BIGELOW VS. HAK — HARDCORE MATCH
FINISH: Bigelow wins the match following the Greetings From Asbury Park onto a steel chair
Bob’s Take: Bigelow seemingly going back to his ECW days could be a worrisome development for him. Bigelow is in line for a Goldberg PPV match, but if WCW is attempting a hardcore division it’s likely that Bigelow’s run in the upper midcard is going to be limited. Bigelow shouldn’t be regulated to the hardcore division as he’s capable of being a viable heel if given the proper direction. The fans responded well to the hardcore aspect, and popped for the barbed wire. Bigelow picking up the clean win is the right move to justify his creditability for a match with Goldberg in a few weeks. 8 for 12
NEW WORLD ORDER PROMO
CONTEXT: Lex Luger and Elizabeth cut a promo where Elizabeth puts over the group for being elite and uniting the NWO. Luger is elated to be part of the Wolfpac. Luger credits Elizabeth for putting on a great performance to make the Goldberg ruse successful. Luger says it was the greatest feeling he’s ever felt to deck Goldberg from behind on January 4th. Luger says that Goldberg needed to be put in his place, and boy was he ever.
Bob’s Take: Honestly, this promo makes me want to see Goldberg destroy Luger at Superbrawl. They should pivot to Goldberg/Luger for Superbrawl as it’s a bigger match without a doubt. 9 for 13
DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE LOOKS FOR REVENGE ON SCOTT STEINER
CONTEXT: WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman is telling Diamond Dallas Page what happened earlier in the day when Kimberly fell and hit her head due to Scott Steiner. DDP walks off and is on the search for Steiner. DDP enters the Wolfpac locker room and demands to know where Steiner is at. Page warns the Wolfpac they better pray, and Steiner especially better pray. DDP walks out of the room, and Steiner appears out of another room. Steiner says that Kimberly slipped and tells Wolfpac that DDP may be looking for Kimberly’s clothing. A woman’s hand appears and it’s suggested that Kimberly is messing with Steiner. Nash tells Vincent to go out and slap DDP in the face. However, Vincent tells Disco Inferno a different story where Inferno will slap DDP and then the Wolfpac will come out on cue to help. Inferno likes the idea and heads out. DDP is in the ring and calling out Scott Steiner to get out to the ring right now. DDP confirms that Steiner is under his skin. Disco Inferno comes out instead of Steiner. Inferno tells DDP that a match for Superbrawl will work and then slaps DDP. Nobody comes out and DDP plants Inferno with the Diamond Cutter. Vincent returns to the locker room and denies fumbling the ball. Nash tells Vincent that he’s actually getting smart, and Vincent smiles it off. DDP gets in his car and drives off.
Bob’s Take: Is Vincent about to be presented as a mastermind? The segment was fine, and DDP didn’t come across too bad overall. Steiner’s performance for the angle has been rather lackluster and hasn’t been portrayed all that well. 10 for 14
MATCH #4: WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION BILLY KIDMAN VS. LASH LEROUX
FINISH: Kidman won the match following the Shooting Star Press off the top rope
Bob’s Take: This is the kind of stuff that WCW needs to be doing with the WWF ratings soaring and WCW kind of dipping a little bit. LeRoux is a young talent and hasn’t been overexposed anywhere on TV. LeRoux getting a shot to shine a bit on Nitro is only going to help him, and having a fun match with Kidman helps everyone. Kidman isn’t forced to wrestle the same three guys over and over again and LeRoux can leave a mark a bit on the division. LeRoux’s power focused offense in the Cruiserweight division comes across very well. This was much better than I would have expected it to be. 11 for 15
BISCHOFF AT THE DUNK TANK — CONTINUED
CONTEXT: Bobby Heenan is at the dunk tank and tells Bischoff that he has no problem with Flair. Heenan decides to give Bischoff the balls so that nobody can dunk him. Heenan slips on water and hits the target causing Bischoff to drop into the water.
Bob’s Take: Classic Heenan, I love it. 12 for 16
HULK HOGAN & CHUCK ZITO
CONTEXT: Hogan and Zito are in a limo talking about having fun with a kid. Hogan says every time they whack the kid it hurts Flair.
Bob’s Take: It appears that Hogan and Zito are going to take out David Flair? This is interesting, I guess. 13 for 17
BOOKER T INTERVIEW
CONTEXT: Mean Gene chats with Booker T backstage, who is drinking some coffee. Booker is in deep thought. Booker knows that Gene is thinking the same as the people are. Booker talks about having a torn ACL in 1998. Booker didn’t listen to the doctors and came back in half the time they recommended. Booker is rethinking the process after his match with Bret Hart last week. Booker is going to turn a negative into a positive. Booker reveals that he’s got a match with Disco Inferno at Superbrawl. Booker promises to derail Disco Inferno at Superbrawl.
Bob’s Take: Not a great promo by Booker T, but a match with Disco Inferno doesn’t sound too bad. Booker could potentially be a focus in this feud with the NWO with this match against Inferno. That’s something I can support. 14 for 18
SCOTT STEINER PROMO
CONTEXT: Steiner tells DDP that he needs to let it happen between Steiner and Kimberly. Steiner can satisfy all of her fantasies in one night.
Bob’s Take: This was a better promo and the crowd reacted to Steiner wanting to sleep with DDP’s wife. They need to avoid Steiner stalking her as it comes across poorly. 15 for 19.
MATCH #5: WCW TELEVISION CHAMPION SCOTT STEINER VS. CHRIS JERICHO
FINISH: Late in the match, dress wearing Saturn came out and decked Jericho. Steiner hit a suplex and locked in the Steiner Recliner to win the match.
Bob’s Take: Heel vs. heel matches are always a little bizarre, but Jericho played the babyface be default which isn’t surprising considering how entertaining he tends to be. Jericho had a few moments of shine, but this is Steiner showing dominance and adding momentum for his eventual PPV showdown with DDP. A basic match for the most part and it continues the Saturn/Jericho feud a little bit. 15 for 20
BRET HART AT MADTV
CONTEXT: Footage from an episode of MadTV is shown where WCW United States Champion Bret Hart was a special guest. Bret whacked comedian/actor Will Sasso over the back with a steel chair. Hart smashed Sasso’s knee with several chair shots and shoved a production assistant. Bret insulted the live audience and reminded them that Sasso tried to humiliate him the last time Hart was on the show. Hart isn’t going to let that happen again. Hart also put the Sharpshooter on Sasso.
Bob’s Take: This is surprising since WCW never promoted WCW wrestlers doing things outside of wrestling on their shows. Sasso is a funny guy, and this segment was fine for what it was. I suppose it just puts over Hart more as being a hothead. 16 for 21
NWO WOLFPAC INTERVIEW
CONTEXT: Kevin Nash, Lex Luger and Elizabeth make their way out to the ring to cut a promo. Luger talks about Rey Mysterio Jr. and Konnan challenging two big stars like themselves. Nash acts confused about them wanting a match with them and talks about the stipulations they suggested. Nash accepts the match where if Nash or Luger are pinned then they will put Elizabeth’s hair on the line. Liz is a bit concerned about this, but Luger calms her down a little bit. Nash confirms it will be Rey Mysterio’s mask against Liz’s hair.
Bob’s Take: I know that WCW has been determined to get rid of the masks, but it makes little sense to do that considering the amount of money they could make selling the mask. Liz is never going to go bald, so it’s silly to add that stipulation. It’s obvious that Mysterio is losing his mask. They didn’t act serious at all for the match either. 16 for 22.
MATCH #6: THE CAT VS. SCOTT NORTON
FINISH: Norton picks up the win following a powerbomb
Bob’s Take: Cat has potential to be a good undercard heel if they decide to put a focus on him. He’s annoying, but he’s also funny when confronted by opposition. Cat is the kind of character that people enjoy seeing get his butt kicked. Norton is a badass, but this went way too long and should have been a quick squash for Norton. 16 for 23
GOLDBERG INTERVIEW
CONTEXT: Goldberg chats with Mean Gene in the ring. Goldberg wants to forget about the past. Gene brings up Bam-Bam Bigelow and mentions that Bigelow is an extremist. Goldberg wants Bigelow to look into his eyes and tell Goldberg if he sees fear because Bigelow will not see even a tint of fear. Goldberg walks the walk while Bigelow talks the talk. Goldberg says that Bigelow is next.
Bob’s Take: It’s not a bad promo by Goldberg, I’ll give him that. However, the match that would fit Goldberg best for right now is absolutely Lex Luger. I’d put Hall with Nash for the tag match and put Luger in a singles with Goldberg. Luger’s promo taunting Goldberg for his actions on January 4th cemented it for me that it should be that match for Superbrawl. Bigelow doesn’t have the amount of heat necessary for a match with Goldberg. 16 for 24
BISCHOFF AT THE DUNK TANK — CONTINUED
CONTEXT: Ric Flair and Dean Malenko are at the dunk tank to taunt Bischoff some more. Flair throws the ball a few times, but misses. So, Flair decides to press the target and Bischoff drops into the water. Bischoff promises to have the last laugh and asks where Ric’s son is at.
Bob’s Take: If I’m Ric Flair I’d be a little panicked that Bischoff has now said that several times. Something is going on with David, and I’m interested what they could be doing. 17 for 25
MAIN EVENT: SCOTT HALL VS. CHRIS BENOIT — #1 CONTENDER TO WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
FINISH: During the match, Mongo grabbed Disco Inferno and sent Inferno into a locker room where Arn Anderson was waiting to attack. Late in the match, Kevin Nash tries to get involved, but failed. The distraction allows Hall to hit the Outsiders Edge for the win.
Bob’s Take: A rather boring main event, and now it’s going to be Hall vs. Hart at the PPV. I’m not interested in a Hall vs. Hart match at all. Benoit’s booking on this episode seems to be a matter to cool him down or something. Kind of a bizarre approach to book Benoit in this manner. 17 for 26
HULK HOGAN PLANNING A SNEAK ATTACK?
CONTEXT: Hulk Hogan and Chuck Zito are still in the limo talking about what they’re up to. They’re talking about hurting David Flair. Hogan says they’re there to ruin David’s life. They are at a gym where David has arrived to workout. Flair and Malenko see what’s going on via a television in the back and asks what’s going on.
Bob’s Take: While we don’t see what’s going on, it’s obviously suggested that David is about o get beaten up badly by Chuck Zito and Hogan. This is effective storytelling to end the episode with a question as to what’s going to happen. So, I like it. 18 for 27
The suggested stalking and assault of David Flair is going to lead to a passionate promo by Ric Flair next week, I’m sure. Perhaps even by Thunder if they decide to confirm it. Hogan going after Ric’s family has been a good layer to the feud that’s fresh compared to their previous feuds.
Mysterio is likely going to be losing his match at Superbrawl IX, which is a baffling direction in hindsight. WCW is at a moment in time where they need to elevate younger talent to counteract the fresher characters on WWF television. I don’t envision Konnan and Mysterio prevailing over the NWO Wolfpac to advance upward. Mysterio could easily become a giant killer kind of gimmick, but I’m not sure how well that would translate.
Goldberg/Bigelow does not have the steam that it needs for a PPV match. I think it’s officially the case following this episode of Nitro. Luger attacking Goldberg back on January 4th derailed the feud with Goldberg/Bigelow in terms of heat, and Bigelow’s booking on TV has been a little questionable. Luger getting steamrolled on PPV would be a draw for me at this point.
The issue between DDP/Steiner came across a little better this week as DDP did a better job on his promo. The way that Scott Steiner is being portrayed as a stalker towards Kimberly doesn’t come across well on television. Steiner basically begging for a chance doesn’t match the vibe that I get from Steiner.
I love the idea of Booker T being involved against the Wolfpac and starting against Disco Inferno at Superbrawl. On the other end, it’s a bummer that the Raven angle with Piper is likely dropped with Hardcore Hak making his debut under a different gimmick than how he was presented before in the vignettes.
Overall, I’d consider this episode of Nitro a mild thumbs up. There was some solid action and the advancement of angles came across better than previous weeks.
Nitro 2/1 TV Rating: 4.7
Thanks for reading.