David Flair betrayed his father at Superbrawl IX last night to cost Ric Flair the WCW World Championship against Hollywood Hogan. The same man that brutally whipped David with a weightlifting belt at Souled Out was able to convince David to betray his father with the help of an attractive blonde woman known as Torrie. I can’t blame him on that one, honestly.
What could be the logic for David’s betrayal other than a woman? Ric brought David into the business far before David would ever possibly be ready to compete. Is it because Ric wasn’t there for him as a child? How about we ask Brooke and Nick Bollea how much Hogan had been actively part of their life and not on the road 300+ days a year.
If I’m booking the angle, I’d have the NWO turn on David tonight on Nitro. There’s no need for him anymore other than betraying his father. It would make them an even stronger heel stable to be that evil. Besides, David does not need to be part of the NWO in any capacity. They’re already reverting back to far too many members in the group.
Diamond Dallas Page failed to defend the honor of his wife Kimberly at Superbrawl and considering the beatdown he suffered, I’d expect DDP to be taking some time off television. DDP has suffered a lot of major losses as a top babyface and he got a noticeable amount of jeers after the match with Scott Steiner. By the way, according to the stipulation, Steiner gets Kimberly for 30-days, but I’m not sure how concrete that stipulation was or Steiner just being Steiner.
The other notable development out of Superbrawl is the unmasking of Rey Mysterio Jr. Mysterio’s mask obviously would become of the top sellers of merchandise for the WWE, so it’s a bad decision by WCW to remove that aspect of Mysterio’s identity. All so that fans can see his facial reactions better. Unreal logic.
Lets checkout the fallout from Superbrawl IX.
FEBRUARY 22ND — SACRAMENTO, CA — ARCO ARENA
RIKI RACHTMAN DEBUTS
CONTEXT: It’s the first week of the WCW Spring Breakout and it’s going to last five weeks. They are at UCB partying.
Bob’s Take: WCW trying very hard to attract the 18-36 demographic, but doesn’t translate well for the promotion. WCW should be the traditional wrestling promotion and leave the sleazy antics to the other guys. Riki is going to be here for more than five weeks, by the way. 0 for 1
MATCH #1: JERRY FLYNN VS. MIKE ENOS
FINISH: Flynn picks up the submission with a cross arm breaker.
Bob’s Take: In the past week Flynn has victories over Saturn and Booker T leading into Superbrawl, which should signal for a push for Flynn. Flynn has been an enjoyable worker thus far and his offense has been entertaining. Part of me wonders if the push would be because of Steve Blackman in the WWF gaining some steam as they have similar gimmicks. The action wasn’t too bad, and I could potentially get behind a push for Flynn. I think they should have had this match before he picked up wins over Saturn and Booker last week. It feels like a reverse way of building someone up for a push. 1 for 2
TORRIE IS PROUD OF DAVID
CONTEXT: Torrie and David are sitting on a couch where Torrie tells David that she’s proud of him and it took a lot of guts to do what he did. David says he had to do it because it’s his time to shine in WCW. David is going to have a face to face with Ric later on in the show and wants to get it over with.
Bob’s Take: David is incredibly awkward talking and there’s no confidence when he speaks. I chuckled at the thought that it’s David’s time to shine in WCW. There’s no way anyone could possibly believe that. 1 for 3
MEAN GENE CHATS WITH BOOKER T
CONTEXT: Booker says Superbrawl was all good and the crowd got him going. Booker says that Disco Inferno is the first, but not the last man to receive the Harlem Hangover. Gene mentions that Scott Hall is the new WCW United States Champion. Gene notes that Booker is wrestling Bret Hart tonight in a number one contenders match. Booker knows that Bret has no love for him, and he’s at the top of his game. Booker tells Bret to get ready to go all night. Booker will not stop until he’s the number one contender.
Bob’s Take: I’m glad that Booker is branching out from the TV Title scene. I feel as if the US Championship is the stepping stone to the World Championship, so we’re heading in the right direction. Booker is one of the few guys that is must-see when he’s in action. 2 for 4
VINCENT GETS RESPECT FROM SCOTT NORTON
CONTEXT: Vincent tells Scott Norton that Hollywood Hogan made him the man. Vincent tells Norton to take care of the children. Vincent insists he’s in charge and Norton shakes his hand before departing.
Bob’s Take: Delusional Vincent is probably the best version of the character thus far, but this promo was poorly done. 2 for 5
MATCH #2: BAM-BAM BIGELOW VS. VAN HAMMER
FINISH: Bigelow picks up the win with the Greetings From Asbury Park.
Bob’s Take: The aura of Bigelow is completely gone since losing to Goldberg at Superbrawl IX. Bigelow is no longer the monster that came from ECW. He’s just a former WWF star working in the midcard scene now for WCW. He’s no longer an upper midcard act. Hammer isn’t very good and this went for an extended period of time for reasons I’m not sure of. If you’re trying to rebuild Bigelow to give him momentum this should have been done quicker and with a more dominating performance by Bigelow. By the way, it was noted that on Saturday Night Hak claimed to be the king of hardcore and it’s likely the next feud for Bigelow. So, going from Goldberg to a hardcore feud with Hak. Talk about a quick downfall. 2 for 6
THE ADVENTURES OF SCOTT STEINER & BUFF BAGWELL
CONTEXT: Steiner and Bagwell show up to a gym and Bagwell hits on a woman working out. They workout for a bit and later on the same girl gives their number to both men. Later on at night, they arrived to a club, but it’s a drag club. They try to leave, but are stopped for a moment before leaving. Goldberg is seen doing a photoshoot when Scott Steiner entered the room and suggests they take pictures of him and asks if Goldberg saw what he did to DDP. Steiner leaves and Goldberg says one of these days he’s going to shut Steiner’s mouth.
Bob’s Take: I’m not sure what the point of the first half of the video was to present Steiner and Bagwell with a comedy aspect of their characters. A showdown between Steiner and Goldberg has the potential to be a fun match, though. 3 for 7
MATCH #3: BRET HART VS. BOOKER T — NUMBER ONE CONTENDER; WCW US TITLE
NOTE: During the match, they cut away to Disco Inferno bribing a TV guy money to pirate their feed. They literally cut away from a Bret vs. Booker match to do that. Unreal.
FINISH: Booker picks up the win countering a sunset flip attempt and pinned Hart with a rollup to become the number one contender.
Bob’s Take: Early on into the match there was a near fall by Booker after a scissors kick and the crowd popped big time for it. It’s is incredibly obvious that Booker should be on the verge of breaking through and being the new era of WCW instead of the same old main event guys for the past two or three years. WCW fans are ready for a younger, fresh main event title picture and Booker would be great for that role at this point. The action was solid and better than their match in January. The crowd popped for Booker’s victory, and I hope that Booker finally elevates into the upper part of the card. 4 for 8
MATCH #4: DISCO INFERNO VS. KAZ HAYASHI
FINISH: Inferno wins the match following the Chartbuster.
Bob’s Take: It’s not a bad match. The action is decent, but Inferno is not over enough to carry an extended segment with a low level act such was Hayashi. The match probably would came across better on Thunder. Despite the underwhelming crowd reaction, I thought it was decent enough. 5 for 9
BRIAN ADAMS, THE REAL LEADER OF THE BLACK & WHITE?
CONTEXT: Backstage, Brian Adams and Scott Norton are chatting. Adams tells Norton that Hogan put him in charge while Norton was gone. Adams thinks that Hogan will put him in charge of the Wolfpac, too. Adams is confident he’ll be leader and is recruiting Norton to go to the top with him.
Bob’s Take: Okay, I’m enjoying the angle where now all the guys are delusional. 6 for 10
WCW TELEVISION CHAMPION SCOTT STEINER HOLLERS AT THE CROWD
CONTEXT: Steiner and Buff Bagwell are in the ring with one woman kneeling next to Steiner. Steiner assures the fans that DDP isn’t going to be there because he put DDP in the hospital. Steiner gave DDP fair warning that DDP wasn’t good enough or strong enough to beat him. Schiavone notes that Kimberly is not going to be with Steiner for a month. Steiner says that while DDP is on his back screaming in pain, Kimberly will be on her back screaming Steiner’s name. Steiner says that the NWO’s goal is putting WCW out of business. He’s hurt Rick Steiner, DDP and if he could find Sting he’d do the same. So, he’ll have to settle for Goldberg. Steiner proclaims that Goldberg is next on his list tonight. Steiner is going to put Goldberg in the hospital next to DDP.
Bob’s Take: Steiner’s promo work on DDP was actually pretty good here. I liked the screaming his name line while DDP is screaming in pain. A match between Steiner and Goldberg is intriguing, and I hope it’s competitive. 7 for 11
CHRIS JERICHO PROMO ON SATURN
CONTEXT: Jericho calls Saturn a cross dressing, cross eyed freak. Jericho gave Saturn a chance to redeem himself and get out of the dress, but Saturn walked away instead. Jericho thinks that Saturn is truly demented and suggests that Saturn must really be a homosexual without saying the word. Jericho wants Saturn to ditch the dress.
Bob’s Take: That promo was a little edgier than I expected. It’s interesting that Jericho wants Saturn to be out of the dress because it’s actually something Saturn has seemingly embraced. An interesting development to the story. 8 for 12
MATCH #5: CHRIS JERICHO VS. HUGH MORRUS
FINISH: Late in the match, Saturn comes down to the ring and decks Jimmy Hart off the apron. Saturn spikes Jericho with a Death Valley Driver. Morrus takes advantage hitting the No Laughing Matter for the win. After the match, Saturn and Morrus trade punches until officials stop them.
Bob’s Take: A heel vs. heel matchup is always an odd choice especially when neither man does anything to make the viewer root for them. Jericho is naturally more likable, but having cut the promo right before the match probably ended a chance of a sympathy cheer from the crowd. Morrus doesn’t have any momentum, but he’s associated with Jimmy Hart and nobody likes that. Jerry Flynn got a push in a similar fashion with a win over Saturn, so I wonder if Morrus could be line for a push soon. The action isn’t bad, but certainly not memorable. 9 for 13
THE NEW TAG CHAMPS HENNIG & WINDHAM CELEBRATE
CONTEXT: This is footage from Superbrawl IX. Hennig tells Windham that he’s the best partner that he ever had. However, Malenko and Benoit come over and attack the champions with straps.
Bob’s Take: Obviously the feud is going to continue as I expected. I’m sure Benoit and Malenko are going to be the champions sooner rather than later. 10 for 14
KEVIN NASH & REY MYSTERIO JR. CONFRONTATION
CONTEXT: Kevin Nash, Lex Luger and Elizabeth came out first and Nash notes that Scott Hall took a few shortcuts. Nash claims the NWO stands for the right in the sport. Nash says that Rey Mysterio went to the commission for a rematch. Nash doesn’t want to fight and would rather give the mask back since it doesn’t fit him anyway. Mysterio joins the segment. Mysterio wants a piece of Nash in a singles match. Nash laughs at Mysterio and agrees to give a beating to Mysterio.
Bob’s Take: A simple and effective segment to setup a match. It’s still a dumb decision to unmask Mysterio. 10 for 15
MATCH #6: KEVIN NASH VS. REY MYSTERIO JR.
FINISH: Mysterio manages to fight out of a powerbomb attempt and lands on Nash to pull off a major upset victory.
Bob’s Take: Similar to Booker T earlier in the evening, the crowd is responding incredibly well to Mysterio and his offense against Nash. I love the upset. They need to followup on this and allow Mysterio to breakout. 11 for 16
HORACE IS THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE NWO BLACK & WHITE
CONTEXT: Horace tells Scott Norton that Hollywood put him in charge while Norton was in Japan. Disco Inferno is seen standing next to the discussion, but didn’t provide anything to the segment.
Bob’s Take: Will Norton be told he’s the man, too? Will any of these guys spill the beans? I’m compelled. 12 for 17
MEAN GENE CHATS WITH THE WCW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, HENNIG & WINDHAM
CONTEXT: Hennig says he’s the not kind of guy to say I told you so, but he does anyway. Hennig puts over Benoit and Malenko for being really good and admits he may have taken them lightly. Hennig says there’s a difference between being good and being great. Windham dismisses the notion of a rematch and says they have other contracts to sign before them. Windham tells Gene that the Horsemen have had a bad week and have other things to attend to. Hennig says their names will be on the tag titles for a long time. Hennig doesn’t think they deserve a rematch and Windham claims they won fair and square.
Bob’s Take: Looks like the champs are going to dodge the challenge of Malenko and Benoit for a bit. There wasn’t anything riveting from the promo. It was just a standard heel promo. 13 for 18
HOLLYWOOD HOGAN DECLARES THAT SCOTT NORTON IS THE LEADER
CONTEXT: Norton tells Hollywood that all the members have told him that they are the leader and wants to know what’s going on. Hollywood says there’s been mistakes and the ball has been dropped. Hollywood tells Norton to takeover and be the man. Norton accepts the offer.
Bob’s Take: Okay, so now everyone has officially been told they are in charge. They all can’t be complete morons to not mention it, right? Will any of these guys watch a replay Nitro and see they are all being lied to? Probably not. Regardless, I’m interested to see how this plays out. 14 for 19
NORTON IS ABOUT TO REVEAL BUT..
CONTEXT: Norton is about to reveal to the NWO that Hollywood made him the boss, but Ernest Miller is in the ring challenging Norton to a match. So, Norton leaves to go take care of business.
Bob’s Take: At least they’re dragging out the story, I guess. 14 for 20
MATCH #7: ERNEST MILLER VS. SCOTT NORTON
FINISH: Norton pins Miller after a powerbomb
Bob’s Take: There’s potential for Norton to be much more than what he’s been used as for WCW. Norton is a believable badass and his offense is great. I hope Norton branches out front the NWO. He’d be a great guy to consider for a singles push to combat the NWO for how they’ve treated the lower card guys. 15 for 21
MAIN EVENT: WCW TELEVISION CHAMPION SCOTT STEINER VS. GOLDBERG — NON-TITLE
FINISH: During the match, Bagwell knocked out the referee and exposed the turnbuckle, but was taken out by Goldberg with a spear. Rick Steiner made his return and clotheslined both Bagwell and Steiner on the aisle. That led to the NWO Black & White coming out where Vincent is rolled into the ring since he’s the leader and is clotheslined by Steiner followed by a spear from Goldberg.
Bob’s Take: I fully expected the non-finish since neither man needs to do a job, which begs the question why even book the match to begin with. The action was average, but the crowd was amped for the action. Despite the lack of finish, it was a decent main event. 16 for 22
DISCO INFERNO IN THE PRODUCTION TRUCK
CONTEXT: Disco is denied access to the truck, and is told to do it himself which he will do, apparently.
Bob’s Take: I’m sure something isn’t going to add up correctly. 16 for 23
THE NEW WORLD ORDER CONTINUE TO MOCK THE HORSEMEN
CONTEXT: Ric Flair arrives to the arena, but the show cuts away from his apparent arrival and focuses on a video package where Torrie Wilson is flirting with David Flair. This is another parody segment. Disco Inferno enters the scene as Mean Gene as David says he’s the new and improved Space Mountain. Kevin Nash enters the scene acting as Arn Anderson. It’s the same impression Nash did back in 1997. Scott Hall enters and is mocking Roddy Piper. Vincent is in the scene mocking Steve McMichael. Hollywood Hogan enters the scene impersonating Ric Flair. The parody segment continues on for an extended period of time.
Bob’s Take: The trend continues where they go back to segments that were more effective and entertaining in 1997. It’s making WCW feel more and more as if it’s a nostalgia promotion and not a true competitor to the WWF. Can they not think of something new and exciting? I didn’t like this being at the end of the show and even more so it didn’t come across well not taking place in front of a live crowd. 16 for 24
While there were still some questioning decisions, I’d say this was an enjoyable overall Nitro. Rey Mysterio Jr. and Booker T getting major wins is a great sight to see. There was quality wrestling throughout the show, which is always a plus.
They need to pivot away from Hogan vs. Flair or the NWO vs. Horsemen feud at this point. To literally revisit the same kind of segment they did nearly two years ago screams to me that they don’t have an original thought. If they can’t freshen up their main angles the distance between them and the WWF will only expand greater and greater in short order. It may be better business to get the title back on Goldberg and feed him heels for a while since that’s what worked previously.
Personally, I’d probably figure out a way to put the title on Bret Hart prior to the this show. Bret could absolutely have great matches with the entire roster. Imagine Bret vs. Rey Mysterio, Saturn, Jericho, Benoit, Malenko, Booker, DDP, Kidman and countless other in-ring workers having great 10-15 minute TV matches for the world title. That’s the approach they should be going for. Hell, at this point, if Booker defeated Hogan for the title had TV matches with the same guys listed that would be a lot more interesting than the need to depend on old, unoriginal angles.
WCW can’t be afraid to try something new instead of failing with the previous stuff that garnered them a lot of money in the past. Not nearly enough time has past to bring it back and make it feel new and interesting. Their talent pool is incredibly deep, and they need to take advantage of it.
Nitro 2/22 TV Rating: 4.7
Thanks for reading.