APRIL 5TH — LAS VEGAS, NV — MGM GRAND
GOLDBERG IS WALKING WITH A ‘RANDOM DRAW’ BIN
CONTEXT: Goldberg is breathing heavy walking with a purpose towards the ring.
Bob’s Take: Anytime Goldberg is walking and doing so with a pissed off look you know he means business. The random draw bin is likely the same one from Spring Breakout that Flair used. If Goldberg is going to randomly draw names and destroy the unlucky name, I could get behind that. 1 for 1
GOLDBERG HEADS TO THE RING FOR THE ‘GOLDBERG LOTTERY’
CONTEXT: Mean Gene is in the ring to conduct an interview with Goldberg. Goldberg is not happy about having lost the WCW World Championship back at Starrcade and being off UnCensored. So, Goldberg is going to take matters into his own hands. Goldberg has a lottery and it has everyone’s name in it. Whomever he pulls out of the bin will be his next victim at Spring Stampede. Before Goldberg can draw a name, Kevin Nash joins the segment. Nash warns Goldberg that he doesn’t know what’s underneath his hockey jersey. Nash believes fans will be talking about him in ten years because he ended the streak. Goldberg tells Nash he can live in the past, but today is another day. Nash reveals that Goldberg doesn’t need to pull a name because it’s going to be Goldberg vs. Nash at Spring Stampede. Backstage, we see WCW World Champion Ric Flair watching with Arn Anderson and sends Anderson out to take care of a situation.
Bob’s Take: What in the world? A highly anticipated rematch from Starrcade that has been largely ignored since January 4th is now going to be happening at Spring Stampede six days before the PPV. This screams to me that they have a pay per view in less than a week and realized that Goldberg isn’t booked and figured to do the rematch on short notice. The build is basically what happened four months ago without any new developments. I think there’s interest in the match still, but the randomness of the match being booked on such short notice is a bit baffling. 2 for 2
MATCH #1: HARDCORE HAK VS. KENDALL WINDHAM — KENDO STICK MATCH
FINISH: Hak delivers a side Russian leg sweep with a kendo stick across Windham’s throat to win the match
Bob’s Take: They couldn’t figure out a better match to start the ‘new WCW’? This feels like the perfect spot to put on a great Cruiserweight match and keep the crowd hot, but instead we get a lukewarm Hardcore Hak competing against Kendall Windham, who has zero momentum or any reason for fans to care about him. It took less than three seconds for the audience to chant ‘boring’. That has to be the less than ideal reception from the crowd for your first match in the new era of WCW. Windham had a couple of decent looking lariats, but this was not a good match and one of the worst ways to start the show action wise that I can think of. 2 for 3
GOLDBERG STORMS INTO RIC FLAIR’S OFFICE
CONTEXT: Goldberg is backstage and barges into Flair’s office, but upon entering sees Lex Luger and Elizabeth sitting on the couch. Goldberg asks “what the hell is this?”
Bob’s Take: Yeah, what the hell is Luger doing in the President’s office? I’m sure he’s up to no good. 3 for 4
ARN ANDERSON MEETS WITH KEVIN NASH
CONTEXT: Anderson walks up to Nash saying that Flair needs to speak with him. Nash laughs, but Anderson says it is important. Nash assures Anderson that he’ll be there in a minute.
Bob’s Take: This feels like an attempt to manipulate both Nash and Goldberg. 4 for 5
MATCH #2: KONNAN VS. LIZMARK JR.
FINISH: Konnan wins the match by submission with the Tequila Sunrise
Bob’s Take: Lizmark Jr. may be one of the least important Cruiserweight wrestlers under contract in WCW. It’s either Lizmark or Damien at this point, I’d say. The crowd initially seemed red hot for Nitro, but now with two lackluster matches their interest is noticeably decreasing at a rapid rate. WCW continues to fumble the first hour unopposed with some of the least interesting wrestling I’ve ever seen. There’s no way anyone is watching this show and not switching over to RAW at 9pm to watch a better entertainment product. 4 for 6
RIC FLAIR IS ON THE PHONE, UNTIL KEVIN NASH ENTERS
CONTEXT: Flair is on the phone with someone to meet at the lobby after the show. Anderson promises that Nash is on the way, and at that moment Nash enters the room.
Bob’s Take: Flair is wheeling and dealing to make deals with guys coming after his title, that’s what I think is going on. They are cutting away from actually finding out what’s going on to add to the mystery, which I don’t mind. 5 for 7
HOLLYWOOD HOGAN QUESTIONS KEVIN NASH’S INTENTIONS
CONTEXT: Nash and Flair are walking in the hallway and they are both happy with what happened. Nash turns the corner and Hogan is there on the phone asking what that was all about. Nash tells Hogan he was talking business and trying to make more money. Hogan doesn’t seem to be believing Nash.
Bob’s Take: With what has been going on the past couple of shows you’d think that Hogan and Nash would be having a match at Stampede just to find out who the best between the two are, but instead we get a cold Nash vs. Goldberg bout out of nowhere and the overdone Hogan vs. Flair main event for Stampede. If Hogan wins the title, which may very well happen, I’d expecting a Nash heel turn for a title match at Slamboree. 6 for 8
KEVIN NASH CHATTING WITH CHARLES ROBINSON, HOGAN QUESTIONS WHAT’S GOING ON
CONTEXT: Robinson talks about his custom plates that are for Flair, but walks off when Hogan arrives. Hogan asks what Nash’s deal is lately and asks if they are on the same team. Nash jokes about January 4th being the real deal. Hogan tells Nash it is a swerve and he’s following Nash’s lead. Hogan thinks that Nash has been acting differently, but Nash says he’s just tired.
Bob’s Take: Nash is absolutely turning on Hogan, right? That has to be move. I don’t see Nash doing anything to be sub-servant to Flair, but rather simply for financial gain and potentially a title shot. 7 for 9
WCW WORLD CHAMPION/PRESIDENT RIC FLAIR IN-RING PROMO
CONTEXT: Gene asks Flair if things are getting out of control in WCW. Flair puts over Kevin Nash for coming out and making the match for Stampede with Goldberg. Flair announces that he’s going to defend the title against Hollywood Hogan tonight on Nitro instead of at Spring Stampede. Hogan comes out and doesn’t have a problem with kicking Flair’s ass tonight. Flair puts a stipulation that if Hogan touches him before the match then it’s off. Flair believes tonight will be the last time he hears Hogan’s name before his, and Hogan agrees saying that Flair will never get another shot at the title when he wins tonight. DDP comes out and wants to make it a three-way, but Flair isn’t biting. Goldberg also joins the segment wanting to be in the match, but Flair again declines and gets tossed across by Goldberg. That causes Flair to lose his mind and tells all three men he’ll see them later tonight! Hogan and Goldberg agree to take care of Flair and DDP respectively and they’ll have a showdown for the title.
Bob’s Take: This segment came across as if they have no idea what they are doing. We’ve disregarded the main event for Spring Stampede and now we’ve got a four way dance for the title in the main event. It’s obviously a huge main event for Nitro, but I can’t imagine there being a clean outcome. If there were to be one, DDP should be taking the fall. But, now without a main event for Spring Stampede what are they going to do for the PPV? You know, the show that fans pay money to watch? DDP didn’t come across as being on the same level as the other three, that was the vibe I got from the segment. Regardless, it’s an enjoyable segment and raised interest for the short-term. 8 for 10
SCOTT STEINER TRASH TALKS DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE
CONTEXT: Steiner continues with the Diamond Dallas Trash nickname and wonders why DDP didn’t enter the WCW US Title tournament if DDP wanted to get his hands on Steiner so badly. Steiner believes that since DDP didn’t disagree with the Kimberly stipulation that he’ll be able to get Kimberly as it will holdup in court. Steiner announces that if DDP wants to get revenge on Steiner then he has to give up Kimberly for one night.
Bob’s Take: Steiner has found a way to cut an entertaining promo about having sex with a coworkers wife. A match between Steiner and DDP would make sense for Stampede, but the timing of the US Title tournament is likely going to prevent that from happening. 9 for 11
MATCH #3: SCOTT STEINER VS. MENG — WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT
FINISH: Steiner dropped Meng on his head with an overhead suplex after a low blow and used the ropes for leverage on a pin to win the match.
Bob’s Take: I was not expecting to hear the Dungeon of Doom theme song in April 1999, but that’s apparently what Meng is using for his theme nowadays. It was always unlikely that Meng would win here, but the action was actually surprisingly solid. The Vegas crowd popped for Meng’s offense and they reacted well to the potential Tongan Death Grip. Meng continues to be an act in WCW that could probably benefit from a push and it would be well received from the fans. 10 for 12
STING IS IN THE RAFTERS… JUST KIDDING IT’S A WCW CREW WORKER
CONTEXT: Up in the rafters there is a figure hanging out and commentary believes it is Sting, but it’s just a WCW crew worker. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Sting back o Nitro.
Bob’s Take: Gotta feel bad for the fella being a disappointment. It’s just a silly tease leading up to Sting’s inevitable return. 11 for 13
MATCH #4: JIM DUGGAN VS. LENNY LANE
FINISH: Duggan wins the match following a knee drop.
Bob’s Take: There’s something about Duggan that continues to allow him to be an over act in WCW. This is his return from cancer that he had been diagnosed with in the summer of ’98. It’s a feel good moment, but they could probably have used an opponent that actually served a purpose on television recently. I’m sure Lane was picked because he’s a younger guy who can bump around for the veteran. It wasn’t designed to be a great match, but it was a good moment. 12 for 14
MATCH #5: HORACE VS. VINCENT VS. BRIAN ADAMS VS. STEVIE RAY — BATTLE ROYAL FOR LEADERSHIP OF NWO BLACK & WHITE
FINISH: Ray backdrops Horace over the top to the floor to become the leader of the NWO Black & White.
Bob’s Take: It’s a rare moment where you can feel the crowd become absolutely deflated upon realizing what the match was going to be. At this point, none of the four men have any steam nor do they have anything of interest going on. They have all been presented as idiots and gullible losers who have been played by Hollywood Hogan for months. Who wants to be the leader of a dead brand? Battle royals are typically boring, but when it’s involving guys that nobody cares about it turns into torture. 12 for 15
MATCH #6: WCW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS KIDMAN & REY MYSTERIO JR. VS. PERRY SATURN & RAVEN
FINISH: Late in the match, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko come out. Malenko nails Saturn with a vertical suplex and Benoit hit a diving headbutt off the top. Malenko put Mysterio on top of Saturn to retain the titles.
Bob’s Take: The Vegas crowd responded well to Raven and Saturn during their entrance signaling that the duo is an over tag team in just a few weeks since their reunion. This was a great tag match with constant action and several good near falls. The crowd ate it all up and this was something they reacted to far more than anything else in-ring wise thus far. The interference is a trademark bummer for WCW, but it makes sense to the current feud involving all three teams. A fantastic TV tag match. 13 for 16
MATCH #7: WCW TV CHAMPION BOOKER T VS. CHRIS JERICHO — WCW UNITED STATES TITLE TOURNAMENT
FINISH: Late in the match, Scott Steiner ran down with a steel chair, but Booker kicked the chair into Steiner’s face. Booker backdropped Jericho to the floor, who landed on Steiner and appeared to favor his ankle. Booker wins by disqualification.
Bob’s Take: So, Booker wins the match because of Steiner’s intent since Steiner didn’t actually deck Booker with the chair. There was some decent action throughout the match, but the finish is silly and lame. It’s incredible that Jericho’s run in WCW is just about over with and for some reason they don’t want him to job on TV. A decent match with a poor finish. 14 for 17
MATCH #8: BAM-BAM BIGELOW VS. BUFF BAGWELL
FINISH: Late in the match, the referee gets knocked down. Hardcore Hak runs down and Chastity sprayed a fire extinguisher into Bigelow’s face. Bagwell took advantage hitting the Blockbuster to win the match.
Bob’s Take: The story of the match didn’t connect with me at all and it’s largely because of how Bigelow has been presented on television in the last couple of months. They tried to tell a story of Bigelow being some kind of monster who couldn’t be knocked off his feet. That would work if he hadn’t been getting his butt kicked in every appearance in recent memory. There wasn’t much here action wise to hold my interest. 14 for 18
MAIN EVENT: WCW WORLD CHAMPION RIC FLAIR VS. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE VS. HOLLYWOOD HOGAN VS. GOLDBERG — TEXAS TORNADO RULES
NOTE: Kevin Nash is on commentary for the main event.
FINISH: Late in the match, Goldberg hit the Jackhammer on Hogan, but Hogan kicks out due to Nash being late to breakup the pin. Shortly afterward, Sting comes down from the rafters and the bell sounds signaling the match has been thrown out.
Bob’s Take: As expected, there was never going to be a proper finish to this match. Despite that, it’s a fun match with everyone getting some shine. Goldberg got screwed over by Nash not getting in the ring and forcing Hogan to kick out of the Jackhammer, which hadn’t ever been done before. Of course, that’s completely ignored by commentary. This was probably one of the better main events thus far for Nitro in ’99. 15 for 19
THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR SPRING STAMPEDE
CONTEXT: Sting points to the video screen. At that point, Randy Savage’s voice is hard and narrates the announcement for Spring Stampede. At Stampede, WCW World Champion Ric Flair, Diamond Dallas Page, Hollywood Hogan and Sting will battle it out for the title. Randy Savage will be the special referee for the title match. Savage promises there will be a winner.
Bob’s Take: Well, Sting’s return is a bit anti-climatic as he literally just repelled from the rafters and pointed to the screen for Savage to announce the main event. This is a bit confusing. First off, what is the connection between Sting and Savage? Are they aligned suddenly? Flair is the President of WCW and that would mean he can make matches. How can Savage make this match? Can Flair not simply refuse the match? Is his power as President useless? The idea of a match between Flair, DDP, Sting and Hogan is a fairly strong main event for Spring Stampede, I will say that. However, it shows how weak the main event scene had been since DDP and Sting have literally both returned in the past two weeks and have been hot shotted into the main event because Flair vs. Hogan on its own wasn’t going to draw big numbers, I’d guess. 16 for 20
That was a far better episode of Nitro than I was expecting. I especially enjoyed how much there was in-ring wrestling and not a focus on dumb skits or angles that has plagued the show in recent weeks. The final two hours of the program was consistently in-ring wrestling and it was mostly enjoyable wrestling. The Vegas crowd was lively and their reaction to the action enhanced the viewing of the show, too.
Lets take a look at the announced Spring Stampede 1999 card at this point.
For the WCW World Championship
(C) Ric Flair vs. Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash
For the vacant WCW United States Championship
WCW TV Champion Booker T vs. Scott Steiner
For the WCW Cruiserweight Championship
(C) Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Billy Kidman
Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs. Raven & Perry Saturn
Konnan vs. Disco Inferno
There’s only six matches announced, which seems like it’s too little for the three hour PPV. I’d expect at least a couple of matches added to the show. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rick Steiner, Buff Bagwell, some kind of NWO Black & White bout, or a random Cruiserweight multi man match is added. Judging by this Nitro, a match between Bigelow vs. Hak could be on the show, too.
Spring Stampede looks to be the strongest PPV on paper for potential in-ring quality that we’ve had thus far in ’99. I’m looking forward to checking it out for the first time in a long, long time.
4/5 Nitro TV Rating: 4.3
Thanks for reading.