Not only is WCW in a new era in regards to a hideous logo, but they’ve entered a new era with a fresh character as the WCW World Champion. Diamond Dallas Page finally reached the mountain top prevailing in the four way main event at Spring Stampede to win his first WCW World Championship. The live crowd at Spring Stampede certainly didn’t respond with a overwhelming positive reaction to the title switch to DDP.
That may be because the title change to DDP likely came a little too late. DDP has lost a good chunk of steam as a babyface in recent months. It’s reasonable to say that DDP’s peak as a top face for WCW was likely in the spring and summer of ’98. However, at that same time Goldberg was rising up the ranks quickly and Sting had long been the top dog for WCW against the NWO. Despite the competition, a short reign in the summer of ’98 similar to Luger’s brief run in ’97 may have been the best opportunity to garner the best crowd reaction for the moment.
Instead, DDP’s facing an uphill battle of winning over the crowd again if he were to remain as a babyface in this role. The same competition exists with Sting and Goldberg likely seen as more popular than DDP making him the third highest babyface in popularity carrying the title. The direction of the DDP character is a bit confusing considering Savage helped DDP win the title and they had a heated rivalry in ’97 and there’s not been any logical reason to explain a new association.
WCW needs to take risks and try something new and different. DDP has the WCW World Champion is something new and different. I can’t knock it until it’s played out and see the direction they take it.
Lets get into Nitro.
APRIL 12TH — YAKIMA, WA — SUN DOME
DDP TRIES TO CHECK OUT THE BUFFET, CONFRONTED BY SAVAGE, ATTACKED BY SCOTT STEINER
CONTEXT: DDP is at the buffet table trying to get some free food when Randy Savage walked up and told DDP that he owes him for giving him the WCW World Championship. DDP dismisses that and as soon as Savage walks away with Gorgeous George, Scott Steiner runs into the scene and whacks DDP over the back with a steel chair leaving DDP laying in the food. Steiner told DDP he’s coming for him and his wife.
Bob’s Take: Initial reaction makes me think that they’d be teasing Savage going after DDP for the title to revisit the feud from 1997, which tends to be their trend. Revisit feuds that were successful and get diminished results. Lets hope they don’t do that. Steiner attacking DDP means they aren’t forgetting about the feud from a couple of months ago. Steiner tends to get a more positive reaction from the crowd despite being abrasive. Anyway, not a bad start to the show to quickly grab the audiences attention. 1 for 1
STING HAS SOMETHING TO SAY
CONTEXT: Sting is happy to be back and be back in black. Sting says many have tried to take him out of wrestling, but they’ve all failed. Sting promises it will never happen because he’s got cats eyes and nine lives. Sting assures the fans that he’s here to stay. Sting talks about wrestlers being overnight success and having power in the palm. Sting notes that wrestlers claim they built the house that is WCW, but he’s the only one that’s stayed through thick and thin. Sting says the house hasn’t been built by DDP, who gets booed. Sting says he’s going to shake things up and he’s calling out DDP tonight. Sting says if DDP has anything hanging between his legs he’ll see him. He’ll be waiting.
Bob’s Take: That’s the crowd reaction you’ll see from a top babyface and is something that DDP has not been getting in recent weeks. Hell, DDP got audible boos when Sting mentioned him. If they are teasing a Sting/DDP showdown at Slamboree, I think that would be one hell of a match on a PPV setting. 2 for 2
MATCH #1: WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION REY MYSTERIO JR. VS. JUVENTUD GUERRERA
FINISH: Late in the match, Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit run into the ring and attack Mysterio while also disposing Juventud. Mysterio is stomped in the corner until Raven and Saturn run into the ring and make the save. Commentary asks “where’s Kidman?” After the match, Mysterio shoves Saturn and takes a DDT by Raven. The camera had panned away from the moment, but it can be seen.
Bob’s Take: Obviously they never fully got going here, but they displayed a decent match for the short time they had to develop anything. The run-in by the Horsemen shouldn’t be seen as a surprise since they’re beefing with Kidman and Mysterio over the tag titles. Raven and Saturn got a much bigger pop than I expected and proves they’re getting over a face team. I’m fine with angle advancements and that’s what happened here. 3 for 3
HUGH MORRUS AND HARDCORE HAK HAVE AN INTERESTING INTERACTION
CONTEXT: Backstage, Hugh Morrus and Jimmy Hart are hanging out when Hardcore Hak walks up with Chastity. Hak says he’s the king of hardcore. Hak hates Bigelow and he’s going to tell Morrus the trick on how to beat Bigelow. Hak hits Morrus over the head with a kendo stick, which makes Morrus laugh. Morrus proceeds to beat down a random person with several kendo stick shots. Hak walks off pleased with the potential of Bigelow losing now.
Bob’s Take: For some reason I don’t hate this. Hak wants Bigelow to lose and is showing Morrus how to do it. Morrus is a lunatic and his reaction seemed to make sense for his character. Small segments such as this to promote a match on the show are fine by me. 4 for 4
BRET HART VIDEO PACKAGE SHOWCASING HIS FRUSTRATIONS
CONTEXT: The package includes Hart’s recent appearance on NBC’s Later show where Hart talked about being upset with the mismanagement of his career and believing WCW hasn’t handled his career well since arriving into the promotion. He’s had zero WCW World Championship matches and has had zero respect. Hart has yet to wrestle Hulk Hogan. Hart laying out Goldberg with a steel plate and quitting WCW is shown. Hart insists on the NBC Later show that he’s done and doesn’t need to wrestle for WCW. Hart felt mislead by WCW. Hart considers it a “crying shame” what WCW didn’t do with him.
Bob’s Take: I feel like WCW rarely shows their talent on outside programming, but this was actually nicely done and advances the angle for Hart well. Obviously airing Hart badmouthing WCW on their own show makes it obvious it’s a work, but he’s also not telling lies. I enjoyed this. 5 for 5
MATCH #2: HUGH MORRUS VS. BAM-BAM BIGELOW — KENDO STICK MATCH
FINISH: Late in the match, Morrus went through a table after missing a moonsault. Bigelow pins Morrus after a top rope diving headbutt. After the match, Jimmy Hart attacks Bigelow for a moment, but runs away without suffering overwhelming violence.
Bob’s Take: I’m not entirely sure why this was deemed simply a kendo stick match as they incorporated tables. So, that’s basically a hardcore match. It’s a better match than the one between Kendall Windham and Hardcore Hak from last week, but it’s not anything worthwhile. 5 for 6
KIDMAN ARRIVES TO THE ARENA A BIT LATE TO HELP HIS PAL MYSTERIO
CONTEXT: Mysterio meets up with Kidman and tells his partner that he had been attacked by the Horsemen. Kidman says he had a personal appearance. Mysterio is a little bit upset that Kidman wasn’t there to watch his back. Mysterio asks Kidman to lookout for him because he’s looking out for him. Kidman promises to try and be there in the future.
Bob’s Take: Are they hinting towards a Kidman heel turn? Something didn’t feel right here for Kidman, and I like not knowing what’s going on. 6 for 7
NEW WCW WORLD CHAMPION DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE SHARES HIS FIRST PROMO AS CHAMPION
CONTEXT: The audience greets DDP with mild cheers, but there aren’t boos. DDP says that he wasn’t suppose to happen, but he did it. DDP notes that he’s the new WCW World Champion, and that prompts a scattering of boos. DDP apologizes to Hollywood Hogan about his knee. DDP didn’t want Hogan out of the match and instead wanted Hogan in the ring when he got his arm raised. DDP sucked it up and won the title regardless. DDP doesn’t think anyone understands Sting more than he does. DDP says he has a bond with Sting as they come from the heart and they thrive on competition. DDP sees a lot of himself in Sting and sees it in Sting’s eyes. DDP agrees that Sting deserves a shot tonight. The crowd erupts for that. However, DDP reveals he can’t give Sting a title match tonight. DDP has other things on his mind tonight and he’s calling the shots. DDP wants WCW United States Champion Scott Steiner tonight. They have unfinished business and they’re going to get it on tonight. DDP is going to show Steiner that size doesn’t matter and knows Steiner has heard that before. DDP is going to kick Steiner’s teeth in because he’s the new champion.
Bob’s Take: Alright, so this is an interesting promo. There were a few hints to a heel turn, but he’s maintaining a little bit of babyface qualities. DDP suggesting Sting deserves a shot, but can’t give him one is a heel way to word it, but instead wanting revenge against Steiner keeps a hint of face tendencies. DDP seems to be in a bit of limbo character development wise, and it’s oddly interesting. Judging by this promo, I’d imagine DDP is gong to try and avoid Sting for as long as possible until they meet at Slamboree. It makes sense. 7 for 8
RIC FLAIR DELIVERS HIS WEEKLY PROMO WITH MEAN GENE, SAVAGE & STING GET INVOLVED
NOTE: During Flair’s entrance, Schiavone announces that Roddy Piper has arrived to the arena.
CONTEXT: Flair is joined by Arn Anderson and referee Charles Robinson. Flair is a bit frustrated about Sting calling out DDP and DDP claiming to be the champion. Flair announces he’s going to hold the title up, but Gene says he’s not sure Flair can do that. Flair insists there is no champion and is cutoff by Randy Savage. Savage comes out with Gorgeous George by his side. Savage has a paper in his hand and wants to lay the smackdown on Flair. Savage has something that WCW management wrote up and Flair signed. Savage tells Flair that what Savage did last night is final and DDP is the WCW World Champion. Flair wants to talk about reality and promises that Savage will never wrestle in WCW ever again. Savage isn’t reinstated and he’s not coming back to work. Flair tells Savage he’s not going to be a referee and he’s not going to clean the bathrooms. Charles Robinson chimes in and says Savage isn’t a referee. Robinson says Savage isn’t qualified to referee any match. Robinson calls George a bimbo and is met with a slap across the face. The crowd erupts for that. Flair tells Savage to walk while he still can. Savage wants to wrestle in WCW. Savage wants to put George in a match against Flair’s girl, Robinson, and if George wins then Savage is reinstated. Flair agrees to the match. Sting makes his way out to join the segment. Sting says since DDP is dodging him and Savage isn’t reinstated, Sting wants a piece of Flair. Anderson chimes in and says Flair will take the match and he’ll be in his corner. Sting calls Flair a chump. Sting gets in Flair’s face and keeps on saying they’re going to get it on like good ol’ times.
Bob’s Take: Jeesh, quite a bit to unpack here. We’ve already got a special attraction booked for Slamboree. Robinson vs. George is such a WWF kind of match to be taking place on a WCW PPV. It’s such an odd sight of a match that it’s intriguing to see how that could possibly go in the WCW universe. Sting vs. Flair is a fine TV match that never needs to have much build behind it. The history speaks for itself. It’s a relatively fresh match since they haven’t wrestled on TV in a singles match since January 15th, 1996. That’s over three years. I enjoyed the overall segment and anytime you’re able to book a match several weeks out for a PPV, that’s a good thing. This also continues to give me the vibes that DDP will defend against Sting at Slamboree. 8 for 9
MATCH #3: THE MASTER BLASTERS (BLADE & IRON) VS. EL DANDY & LA PARKA
NOTE: The Master Blasters are Bret Hammer (Dick Hertz in ECW) and Chase Tatum, who are managed by Jimmy Hart. They wear stockings over their heads.
FINISH: Kevin Nash makes his way out early into the match while drinking a Surge. Nash has a microphone and tells the guys to hang on a moment. Nash ends up cleaning house after they don’t leave the ring. Nash delivers big boots and a side slam. Nash powerbombs Dandy and Parka. Tatum also takes a powerbomb. Nash grabs the microphone.
Bob’s Take: If you were to tell me that Dick Hertz had a Nitro match at any point in his career I’d call you a liar. Luckily this didn’t go too long and it was only a way to get Nash on the show and clean house. 9 for 10
KEVIN NASH PROMO
CONTEXT: Nash says he’s been sitting in the back watching the event and wants to show something. We see footage from the other week where Nash interacted with Flair and bumped into Hogan afterward. Nash told Hogan he was talking business to make more money. Hogan didn’t buy that at the time. Nash reveals the business at hand with Flair was if Flair walked out of Nitro that night as the champion then he’d get a title match at Slamboree. Nash tells DDP to listen up and hopes DDP makes it to St. Louis with the title. Nash considers what DDP did to Hogan to be wrong and he’s going to pay the price Woflpac style at Slamboree.
Bob’s Take: No way. Nash lost at Spring Stampede to Goldberg and is now presented as the number one contender because of a business deal with Flair last week. Nash shouldn’t be the title challenger and it’s largely because of his loss to Goldberg. The explanation as to how he’s potentially getting the title shot makes sense, but I don’t like it. Especially because Flair isn’t even the champion. I’d much rather Sting vs. DDP. 9 for 11
MATCH #4: WCW TAG TEAM CHAMPION BILLY KIDMAN VS. PSYCHOSIS
FINISH: Kidman wins the match following the Shooting Star Press.
Bob’s Take: Kidman and Mysterio need to be branching out of the Cruiserweight division when competing in singles action. If they continue to battle other Cruiserweight workers then they can’t escape the stigma of being “just a Cruiserweight.” I’m sure part of it is that they’re not big enough to overcome other wrestlers on the roster, but you’ve got to take risks. Mysterio, for instance, had just beaten a handful of bigger wrestlers. I’m sure Kidman could be believable against other midcard workers. A good match, as expected. There’s nothing out of the ordinary as they worked their formula match. So, in that regard it lacked some excitement for me, but it was a good match despite my numbness to it. 10 for 12
GOLDBERG PROMO WITH MEAN GENE
CONTEXT: Goldberg says he’s destroyed everyone in his path since his debut in WCW. Goldberg talks about getting screwed out of his undefeated streak, but feels a little bit vindicated after winning last night at Spring Stampede. Goldberg brings up Bret Hart. Gene thinks Hart is out of the equation since he’s retired. Goldberg thinks Hart is out of his mind and hopes Hart is out of the country because he’s going to find him. Goldberg is the hunter and he’s going to find Bret Hart. Gene mentions Lex Luger and Goldberg says Luger has gotten into his business for the last time. He’s going to knock Luger’s face off. Goldberg doesn’t care who has the WCW World Championship because he’s going to get it. Goldberg commends DDP on winning the title, but he’s not immune of his challenge. Goldberg finishes off with his “Who’s Next?!” catchphrase.
Bob’s Take: Goldberg has several potential feuds to work with between Luger, Hart and DDP. The promo here was not very good and didn’t do anything to get me more invested in any of those feuds. Luger is likely out until the summer due to injury. Hart is ‘retired’. DDP has at least two other challengers in Nash and Sting to deal with. Goldberg doesn’t have a direct focus, and that’s a bit of a problem. 10 for 13
MATCH #5: WCW TELEVISION CHAMPION BOOKER T VS. RICK STEINER
FINISH: Late in the match, the referee gets knocked down. Stevie Ray hits Steiner with a slapjack as the referee recovers in the corner. Booker nails Steiner with a Harlem Sidekick to retain the title.
Bob’s Take: The simplistic booking here is something I can get behind. Steiner had been undefeated since his return last month and had built a proper enough momentum to justify a title match. Now, the finish protects Steiner, so that doesn’t bother me. I’m confused as to why Stevie Ray came out and helped his brother. Could this be a Harlem Heat reunion? Could Booker join the Black & White? That would be a disaster. I’d rather a Harlem Heat reunion, but I don’t want Booker to backtrack and would rather Booker elevate up the card. As for the match, it wasn’t anything all that memorable. 10 for 14
WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPION SCOTT STEINER PROMO
CONTEXT: Steiner heads out to the ring to cut a promo. Steiner says finding a pretty woman in Yakima is like finding a needle in a haystack. Steiner makes several sexual references. Steiner puts over his body as being the greatest and is the greatest champion. Steiner declares he’s going to be the only champion. Steiner isn’t impressed by DDP winning the WCW World Championship. Steiner says that DDP isn’t smart or strong enough to beat him because DDP is white trash. Steiner is going to take DDP’s wife and show her that size does matter. Steiner is going to take the WCW World Championship and change DDP’s world. Steiner will then do whatever he pleases as the champion.
Bob’s Take: This felt like a filler of a segment. I’m not sure why Steiner had to come out to cut the repetitive promo on his rival DDP. It didn’t add any interest to the match for me. 10 for 15
MATCH #6: GOLDBERG VS. KENNY KAOS
FINISH: Goldberg wins the match following the spear and jackhammer. After the match, Goldberg signals for the belt.
Bob’s Take: Imagine having a strong babyface act where the fans go apeshit for when Goldberg simply destroys people and want to see him win in under three minutes on a weekly basis and it draws money and ratings? Is it a good match? Of course not. Is it an enjoyable segment? Yes, yes it is. 11 for 16
MATCH #7: RIC FLAIR VS. STING
NOTE: Charles Robinson is the referee for the match, and is playing favorite to Flair as expected. At one point, Flair submitted to a figure four, but Robinson didn’t call for the bell.
FINISH: Late in the match, Randy Savage came down to ringside and decked Arn Anderson for helping Flair on a figure four leg lock. Sting hits a Scorpion Death Drop and gets the pin after Robinson stopped for a moment.
Bob’s Take: They absolutely have a formula, but this was on the weaker side of their series of matches. It certainly lacked drama and wasn’t all that entertaining. It felt like they were focused more on angles than in-ring wrestling. The crowd seemed to be into the match, but there wasn’t a consistent level of interest from the crowd. This was a painfully average match that I was expecting a bit more from considering their history. 11 for 17
MAIN EVENT: WCW WORLD CHAMPION DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE VS. WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPION SCOTT STEINER
NOTE: Roddy Piper comes out before the main event begins to join commentary. DDP had Kimberly with him for the match at ringside.
FINISH: Late in the match, Kimberly whacks Steiner with a chair allowing DDP to deliver the Diamond Cutter and retains the title.
Bob’s Take: I was very happy that the match started with punches and the match was presented as a fight between two guys that have personal hatred. That is often lost in wrestling where they still make it feel like a wrestling match. Kimberly delivered a good looking chair shot and this should finish up the feud between the two. I enjoyed the match a lot more than I was expecting and it had a similar vibe that their Superbrawl IX match had in February. 12 for 18
I thought this week Nitro was a solid outing. The action wasn’t overly memorable by any means, but it was still unoffensive for the most part (Blasters segment was rough). There’s a lot going on storyline wise, and there are questions that need to be answered. Whenever there are questions that tends to lead to compelling television.
Sting should be the first challenger for the WCW World Championship on PPV. DDP vs. Sting seems like a stronger PPV main event than a DDP vs. Nash bout. DDP vs. Sting had a good match last year on Nitro and in a longer format on PPV could lead to a memorable PPV match between the two.
Charles Robinson vs. Gorgeous George could be fun. It screams the kind of angle that the competition would do, but it came across fairly well this week. Savage is washed and his knees are cooked. Thus, he needs smoke and mirrors and George provides that for him.
Nitro 4/12 TV Rating: 4.4
Thanks for reading.