MARCH 29TH — TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA — AIR CANADA CENTER
DAVID FLAIR & TORRIE CHAT
CONTEXT: They are talking in front of a fireplace. David can’t believe Ric is ducking Hogan and thinks his father is a coward. David talks about Hollywood taking him to the best hotels and other places that his father never brought him. David considers Ric to be a loser. Torrie tells David he doesn’t need to worry about it anymore.
Bob’s Take: They should probably shift away from focusing on David during this feud. Hogan isn’t a heel anymore since UnCensored and I’m not sure what purpose David has at this point. David isn’t a likeable character and shouldn’t be associated with Hogan since the double turn. 0 for 1
MATCH #1: KONNAN VS. VINCENT
NOTE: Before the match, Vincent cutoff Konnan’s catchphrase saying that the NWO kicked Konnan out and Vincent was made the boss. Vincent says his job is to take out Konnan.
FINISH: Late in the match, Stevie Ray comes out to ringside and distracts Vincent. Konnan locks in the Tequila Sunrise after a facebuster and forces a submission.
Bob’s Take: The fans responded fairly well to Konnan, but the action isn’t all that good, which isn’t a shocker considering it is Vincent. The feud with Disco over his music video is mildly entertaining from the comedic performances by Disco. Konnan seems to have fallen down the card in recent months. I’m surprised he’s not in the WCW US Title Tournament honestly. I’m also a bit surprised that the feud between Stevie and Vincent wasn’t resolved at UnCensored. Why must most of the feuds extend for no good reason? 0 for 2
HOLLYWOOD HOGAN & TORRIE CHAT ABOUT DAVID
CONTEXT: Torrie assures Hollywood that she still has David on a short leash. Torrie says David won’t stop talking about Hollywood and says David considers Hollywood to be his father. Hollywood notes that David needs a lot of guidance. Hollywood brags about being the man. Torrie asks if the fight with Nash was real, and Hogan promises it was real. They are referencing the January 4th scam of a match. Hollywood doesn’t know how it would play out if they wrestled again. Hogan whispers something into Torrie’s ear and they laugh.
Bob’s Take: I can see how this kind of segment is going to turn into a situation where they are both joking about how a real, straight up match would go and lead into them actually wrestling a legit match to prove they are better. I wouldn’t hate that approach. Torrie brainwashing David and manipulating him doesn’t fit anymore since Ric is a heel. I suppose we’d want David to be brainwashed now? There’s a lot of mixed messages here, but if there’s a tease for an actual Hogan vs. Nash match then it wouldn’t be the worst direction to go in. 1 for 3
HOLLYWOOD HOGAN INTERVIEW WITH MEAN GENE
CONTEXT: Hogan is 100% acting as a babyface in front of the live crowd. Hogan says the last time he was in Canada fans were making a lot of noise similar to what they’re doing right now. Hogan is out there because he’s the man who beat the man and wants to know where his belt is at. Hogan told customs that he’s going to kick Ric Flair’s ass tonight to regain the WCW World Championship. Hogan thinks Canada would be a great place to dispose of Flair. Hogan will drag Flair out to the ring himself and embarrass Flair out of the country.
Bob’s Take: This was just your typical babyface promo by Hogan. I can’t get over the pivot to having Hogan play the babyface role. I feel like the Canada crowd would go nuts for a Hogan vs. Flair showdown, but that would be good TV and WCW tends to avoid doing that. 2 for 4
MIKE TENAY SIT-DOWN INTERVIEW WITH DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE
CONTEXT: Tenay asks how Kimberly is doing, but DDP says Kimberly is doing fine despite the drama. Tenay mentions Superbrawl as the last time we saw DDP. DDP had a herinated disk and couldn’t feel his legs. DDP admits he was scared, but he’s feeling good. Tenay notes that DDP never submitted. DDP tells Tenay he’s not asking Tenay to make excuses for him. DDP says it will not play out the same way again with Steiner. Tenay asks about the 30-day stipulation. DDP tells Tenay he must be an idiot to think the 30-day stipulation was truly enforced. DDP would never put Kimberly up for a month especially after what Steiner did. DDP wants Tenay to stop playing up the People’s Champion moniker. DDP is going to return on his own terms and he’s going to get Steiner his way.
Bob’s Take: The vibe from the interview felt more like Tenay was interrogating DDP, and DDP didn’t come across as being the babyface that he was before. DDP had some attitude, but also came across annoyed and dismissive. It’s logical for DDP to want to get revenge on Steiner since he failed to do so at Superbrawl. I’d say the match could be a good fit for Spring Stampede, but Steiner’s likely in the US Title Tournament mix and has a fresh feud with Bagwell. Regardless, it was a fine segment and there’s plenty of questions as to where DDP could go and target upon his return. 3 for 5
MATCH #2: WRATH VS. KENNY KAOS
FINISH: Wrath picks up the win with the Meltdown
Bob’s Take: At this point, Wrath’s steam and aura is mostly gone. His loss to Disco Inferno recently on Nitro seemed to be the true turning point for his career. Wrath had a ton of momentum at one point, but his undefeated streak got cut short due to Nash’s feud with Goldberg at the end of ’98. Wrath is the kind of wrestler that I don’t want to see compete in a competitive singles match. I’d much rather watch Wrath destroy his opponent in 2-3 minutes and continue on with the show. For Wrath to have an extended match with Kenny Kaos didn’t come across well and the action was completely forgettable. 3 for 6
KEVIN NASH CHATS WITH TORRIE
CONTEXT: Nash asks for an update with David. Torrie instead asks about when Hollywood beat Nash two months ago. Nash wonders what that was about and Torrie says Hollywood told her that it was a real match. Nash asks if she’s seen the tape and seems to be annoyed with Hollywood claiming it was a real match when Hogan used one finger. Nash asks if Torrie thinks Hogan could actually beat him. Nash thinks this is real interesting
Bob’s Take: They are absolutely angling for a match between Hogan and Nash. Might as well do it at Spring Stampede since there aren’t any top matches announced. I’m wondering if Torrie has been courted by Ric to now switch it on the NWO and make them implode from within. I think that could be compelling television. 4 for 7
WCW WORLD CHAMPION/WCW PRESIDENT RIC FLAIR INTERVIEW, DDP RETURNS, STING APPEARS IN THE RAFTERS
CONTEXT: Flair doesn’t like to be in Canada and notes that he could spend a week in the country with only $100. Flair has a surprise and mentions someone has been after him all night and allows them to come out and make a presentation to him. Diamond Dallas Page comes out and thinks that Bischoff must have beamed into Flair’s body. Flair admits that he can’t believe DDP has reached the level of stardom that he has. Flair knows that DDP is there for a match with Scott Steiner, but Flair decides to book DDP in a match against Hogan because they are both complaining. Hogan joins the segment and DDP promises to go through Hogan and win the belt from Flair. Hogan and DDP agree to have a singles match tonight. Flair will be in DDP’s corner, too. We see Sting standing in the rafters watching the ring.
Bob’s Take: The crowd completely turned on DDP here and booed him quite a bit. The cool factor for DDP appears to be long gone and I think it’s because of the association with Kimberly that caused DDP to lose his edge. The crowd was not supportive of DDP’s desire to win the WCW World Championship. With DDP not getting a warm welcome from the Canada crowd, I’m wondering it this leaves only Goldberg and Sting as true babyfaces on the WCW roster that are in the main event. The segment was fine and it setup a strong main event. I’m glad to see Sting back on the show, too. It doesn’t bother me that he’s doing the Crow gimmick, but they can’t have be silent and chasing Hogan again. We’ve got to try something different. 5 for 8
MATCH #3: RICK STEINER VS. SCOTT NORTON
FINISH: Steiner picks up the win following a top rope bulldog after sending Norton into the post a few times.
Bob’s Take: A shorter match than I expected, and a bit sloppy from Norton, but it wasn’t the worse thing I’ve ever seen. Steiner is getting a ton of momentum since his return and looks to be destined for a title match of some kind. The crowd didn’t seem to be interested in the action, which is noticeable since they’ve been reacting to mostly everything on the show to thins point. 5 for 9
WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION REY MYSTERIO TALKS TO KIDMAN
CONTEXT: Backstage, Rey Mysterio meets up with Kidman to be his partner tonight for the WCW Tag Team Championships against the Horsemen. Kidman noted that they’ve been partners before and it didn’t work. Mysterio tells Kidman they tear it up and they can be champions together. Kidman doesn’t want to mess around and wants them to leave partners. Mysterio tells Kidman he’s got his back as Kidman agrees to be his partner tonight.
Bob’s Take: This is probably not a good sign for Benoit & Malenko’s title reign. Why can’t they have the Horsemen look strong? Yes, I am completely assuming they’re going to lose the titles, but ever since they have indirectly turned heel because Flair turned they don’t have the same feel as a strong tag team. I’m hoping for at least a fun match between the two teams. 6 for 10
MATCH #4: WCW TELEVISION CHAMPION BOOKER T VS. CHRIS ADAMS
FINISH: Booker wins the match following a missile dropkick off the top rope
Bob’s Take: A decent match, but obviously Adams never had a real chance to win the title from Booker here. Booker tends to make lower level matches more interesting and entertaining no matter the opponent. 7 for 11
CHRIS JERICHO PROMO
CONTEXT: Before the next match, Jericho talks about being 100% Canadian and became everything he is because of Canada. However, he now lives in the United States. Jericho talked about walking around Toronto and saying hello to everyone. However, he realized that Canada sucks and he’s glad he lives in the United States.
Bob’s Take: That was some good heel work by Jericho, but I’m not sure why you’d want Jericho to turn on the hometown crowd that likes him. Especially when his opponent is just Jerry Flynn. 8 for 12
MATCH #5: CHRIS JERICHO VS. JERRY FLYNN
FINISH: Jericho gets a rollup out of the corner and puts his feet on the ropes to win the match
Bob’s Take: At one point, Jericho kicked Flynn directly in the face out of frustration with a botched a finish it looked like. The action wasn’t too bad, but Flynn hasn’t connected well with the push he got leading into UnCensored. Jericho is quite talented, but having him turn on the crowd took them out of the match. 8 for 13
BRET HART CALLS OUT GOLDBERG, GOLDBERG ANSWERS
CONTEXT: Hart appreciates being somewhere he’s respected and quotes ‘O Canada”. Hart is a bit frustrated that he’s a five-time World Champion and can’t get a match with anyone. Hart believes that Hogan is afraid of him. Hart came to WCW to earn a reputation, not to ruin it. Hart brags about beating Steve Austin every time they ever wrestled. Hart notes that Goldberg fancy himself a football player. Hart removes his Canadian Hitmen jersey to reveal a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Goldberg comes out and quickly spears Hart, but they both are motionless on the mat. Eventually, Hart recovers first and covers Goldberg making a three count on his own. Hart reveals that under his jersey was a steel torso protector. Hart grabs the microphone and promptly quits WCW. During the break, Eric Bischoff confronted Hart on the aisle about his antics.
Bob’s Take: It’s a great angle and the first segment in ’99 that made Goldberg interesting and have an interesting story. It certainly helps that this took place in Canada. If it happened in the USA, it wouldn’t have gotten nearly the reaction that it got here. The only negative is that Hart quit WCW. That prevents a proper followup in the weeks and potentially months to come. It kind of kills the angle dead that he’s not going to be there. This is likely the best segment thus far in ’99 and it’s probably not even close. Bischoff appearing is a peak behind the curtain as it would suggest that Bischoff is still overseeing the program and company despite Flair’s role. 9 for 14
MATCH #6: BUFF BAGWELL VS. NORMAN SMILEY
FINISH: Bagwell picks up the win following the Blockbuster
Bob’s Take: Considering Bagwell is a self absorb egomaniac who is obsessed with his body, it’s a bit surprising to see him get a babyface reaction and have a seemingly successful babyface turn. The action was rather boring, but Smiley had moments of showing his personality. Bagwell is another guy that I’m surprised isn’t in the US Title Tournament. 9 for 15
MATCH #7: WCW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS CHRIS BENOIT & DEAN MALENKO VS. BILLY KIDMAN & WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION REY MYSTERIO JR.
FINISH: Late in the match, Raven and Saturn come down to ringside. Raven enters the ring while the referee is distracted and spikes Malenko with a DDT. Mysterio covers and pins Malenko to win the titles.
Bob’s Take: I’d imagine this is a three way tag feud, and I don’t hate that. It’s a bummer that Benoit & Malenko have had a completely forgettable tag title run. I was hoping for a lengthy run as fighting babyface tag champs, but the Flair turn completely derailed that dream. This was a solid match and had several big moves thrown in, but the action wasn’t over the top with big spots. They used the big spots at the proper time and got a good crowd reaction for each instance. Mysterio being a double champion adds to his push, which I’m completely find with. Mysterio has been a lot of fun thus far in ’99. WCW needs to focus on their younger talents and highlight them in a positive way. They succeeded here. 10 for 16
MAIN EVENT: HOLLYWOOD HOGAN VS. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE
NOTE: During the match, Hogan tossed DDP into the entrance way tipping over the WCW signage. Schiavone noted “WCW will never look the same.”
FINISH: Late in the match, the referee is knocked down and Charles Robinson slides into the ring to referee the match. Ric Flair tries to use a steel chair and accidentally hit DDP instead of Hogan. Hogan decks Robinson for not counting the fall, but the original referee wakes up and counts the fall for Hogan. Hogan wins after a leg drop.
Bob’s Take: I think it is safe to say that nobody was cheering for DDP here. DDP’s run as a babyface in WCW appears to be over with and now he’s hated for protecting his wife from Scott Steiner. That’s the only reason I can think of. The brawling focus by these two was the best direction they could have gone, especially brawling outside the ring. To an extent it didn’t come across as a wrestling match, but rather a fight between these two and I enjoyed it more because of that vibe. It was a bit comical for DDP to be laid out for so long, but it was a chair shot and leg drop, so it’s not a complete burial for DDP on his return to the promotion. I’m not entirely sure they expected DDP to be booed out of the building, though. 11 for 17
The Toronto crowd certainly made this a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting the episode to be. Toronto felt as if they were interested in what was happening and they were vocal throughout the whole program. It was quite refreshing honestly.
There’s quite a bit going on here, which is also nice. They are teasing a Nash vs. Hogan match since they can’t agree on whether or not January 4th was legit or not to Torrie. That match isn’t going to happen at Stampede as Hogan is clearly the number one contender and wrestling Flair for a third straight pay per view. The feud between Hogan and Flair has already peaked and now we’re just dragging it out due to lack of creativity. WCW has ran into a situation where Goldberg and Sting seem to be the only viable babyfaces. DDP may be a face outside of Toronto, but that can’t be judged until DDP is in front of a US crowd.
WCW developed an interesting angle between Bret Hart and Goldberg only to then completely kill it by having Bret quit WCW. I hate that Bret quit. While it allows them to drag out the angle, I don’t like that Bret is likely going to be off TV and can’t benefit from laying Goldberg out. Goldberg’s top enemy isn’t going to be around now. Not of a fan of the ending sequence, but the segment was fantastic prior to that.
DDP returns, tag title change, Bret quits, and Sting appears. There’s a lot that went on and Sting returning is only going to help the show. WCW needs a top face to get behind other than Goldberg. Sting fits the bill perfectly.
A good episode of Nitro this week with some fun developments and questions that need to be answered soon.
Nitro 3/29 TV Rating: 3.6
Thanks for reading.