Original Airdate: October 20, 1997
From Biloxi, Mississippi; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (hour one) and with Bobby Heenan (hour two)
We open on a scene of chaos backstage, where someone has laid out several members of the nWo. There’s a Roddy Piper t-shirt on the scene, so naturally the detectives on commentary assume it must be Sting. No, just kidding, they actually think it might be Piper. I know, I was surprised, too. So WCW World Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Eric Bischoff storm the ring to complain, and oh wait, apparently they are blaming Sting too after all. Apparently he ‘left fingerprints all over the backstage area,’ according to Bischoff. How is that even possible, the man wears gloves. So Hulk calls Piper and Sting out right here right now for a cage match, and there’s even a cage hanging above the ring for just such an occasion. I wonder how much Turner money they blew on that just for this grandstand challenge for a match that never even happened. Nor did literally any other cage match of any kind on this show. Seriously, just how open was Ted’s checkbook in those days?
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Eddie Guerrero v Chris Benoit: Benoit with a few takedowns to start, so Guerrero tries chopping him, but Chris sends him flying with a pop-up flapjack. Cross corner whip, but Guerrero dodges the impact, and throws a dropkick. Benoit comes back with chops that knock Guerrero over the top, but Eddie counters a suplex back in with a rollup for two, and he snapmares Benoit over for a bootrake. Chris fights him off with more chops, and he dumps the champion to the outside to dive into with a tope. Chris with a side suplex on the way back inside, but Guerrero manages to trap him in an abdominal stretch. Benoit armdrags out of it and throws a clothesline, but another pop-up is countered with a rana. Guerrero unloads in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed. That allows Benoit to try a dive, but Eddie crotches him. Superplex, but Benoit blocks, so Eddie tries a tornado DDT, but Benoit blocks that as well. He charges, but Guerrero dodges, and Chris eats turnbuckle. That knocks him silly long enough for Eddie to dive with the Frogsplash at 6:36. This was criminally short. ** ¾
Wrath v Bill Goldberg: The announcers clarify that Curt Hennig retained the US title in the match with Diamond Dallas Page last week, which is nice to know since that finish was such a mess. Goldberg spears him before Wrath can even get his entrance gear off, and the Jackhammer finishes at 0:12. Well, that was certainly to the point. DUD
The 1-800-COLLECT Slam of the Week is Goldberg giving Wrath the Jackhammer in the last match. You can’t say that company wasn’t decisive
Steve McMichael v Mortis: Mongo gets into an altercation with Goldberg on his way to the ring. Steve blitzes Mortis to try for the same path to victory Goldberg found, but he gets distracted before he can finish up, and Mortis drops him with a reverse STO for two. Mortis unloads in the corner, and he delivers a death valley driver for two. Corner charge misses, allowing Steve a schoolboy for two, but Mortis fires back with a spinheel kick for one (count broken when Steve is in the ropes). Mortis with a bodyslam to set up a pair of elbowdrops, and he tosses Mongo over the top for the manager to abuse. Mortis vertical suplexes him back in from the apron for two, but Steve wins a criss cross with a side suplex, and he makes a comeback. Tombstone, but he gets distracted by the manager again, and Mortis recovers. He tries making his own comeback, but Steve brushes him off, and spikes him with the tombstone at 4:57. This was pretty bad, with McMichael still looking awkward and clumsy. Afterwards, Gene Okerlund comes out to get a word, and apparently the stipulation is that if Steve beats Debra’s mystery client at Halloween Havoc, she has to leave the promotion. And speaking of Debra, she comes out to stir the pot, but won’t tell us anything about the mystery man other than that it isn’t Jeff Jarrett. DUD
Raven vignette
Mike Tenay’s journey to Mexico to learn more about lucha libre takes him to Rey Mysterio Jr’s childhood neighborhood this week
Juventud Guerrera v Yuji Nagata: Nagata hammers him with forearms at the bell, then kicks. Bodyslam and a headvice do some damage, but Guerrera ducks a big boot. He wants to criss cross, but Nagata kicks him back down, as we see that Raven and Perry Saturn are hanging out in the crowd. Nagata with a powerbomb, but Guerrera blocks a German suplex, and hooks a rana into a cradle for two. Chops knock Nagata into the corner, and Juvi dives with a springboard missile dropkick. Slam sets up a dive, but Sonny Onoo crotches him on the top to prevent it, and Nagata traps Guerrera in a kneebar at 2:22. Afterwards, Ultimo Dragon comes out to chase Onoo around, but Nagata attacks before Dragon can do any damage. This was short, and the crowd was distracted by the Raven stuff anyway. ¾*
We’re supposed to see a six-man lucha tag next, but Giant shows up before everyone can finish making their entrances, and beats everyone up as a message to Kevin Nash that he’s the only true giant in professional wrestling. And such a nice guy, too
Nitro Girls do their dances
WCW Television Title Match: Disco Inferno v Rey Mysterio Jr: Rey with a quick schoolboy for two to disorient the champion, so Disco goes to the eyes, and powerbombs him. Disco dumps him to the outside, but Rey steals the high ground on the way back in, and delivers a flying guillotine legdrop for two. Cross corner whip works, but a charge hits elbow, so Disco tries a helicopter slam, but Rey counters with a cradle. Springboard flying hip attack connects, and he sets up another dive, but Eddie Guerrero runs in to attack him, causing the DQ at 2:17. What’s with all the super short matches tonight? They were doing twenty minute overruns on a show that’s already a lengthy two hours without it, and they can’t even give us a five minute match? Afterwards, Jacqueline comes out to attack Disco while Eddie is pounding on Rey, and no official seems to care about any of it. ¼*
Hogan, Savage, and Bischoff storm the ring again, and they still want Piper and Sting. I like the intensity, but they’ve got nothing to actually say, and are just talking in circles for two segments in a row. Especially since Piper and Sting never show up to move the story along
Halloween Havoc ad
WCW United States Title Match: Curt Hennig v Dean Malenko: Feeling out process to start, dominated by the challenger until Curt bails. The fans taunt him by chanting for Ric Flair, and Malenko stays on him with a dropkick for two on the way back inside. Turnbuckle smash rattles the champ, so Hennig goes to the eyes, and he cracks Malenko with chops. Vertical suplex leaves both guys down, and they stagger up for a slugfest, won by Dean. He hammers Hennig in the corner, and a snapmare allows him a chinlock. Curt escapes, so Dean side suplexes him, and uses a sunset flip for two. Bodypress connects, but Dean falls out to the apron from the momentum, so no cover. Malenko recovers with a flying bodypress for two, but he hits boot on a corner charge. That allows Curt to go for the fisherman suplex, but Dean blocks. He dropkicks Hennig’s knee and goes to work on the part ahead of the Texas cloverleaf, but Curt has the ropes to save himself. Corner whip works, but Dean knocks himself silly while charging, and Curt hooks the bridging fisherman suplex at 9:18. Hennig honestly seemed like he was trying (and has been since coming in), but he just doesn’t have it anymore. I’m not sure if it’s age, or being out of shape, or simply the amount of time spent away from the ring, but he was a very different worker at this point than he was earlier in his career. Though not for lack of trying, which is worth something. *
Nitro Girls are wearing mom jeans. Which are cool again in 2021?
Ray Traylor v Scott Norton: Ray slugs both Norton and Vincent down at the bell, but gets overwhelmed fighting a two front war, and Scott powerslams him. Norton unloads in the corner ahead of an avalanche, and a criss cross ends in Scott barreling into him with a jumping shoulderblock. Clothesline, but Ray ducks, and manages a spinebuster to set up a splash for two. Leg-feed enzuigiri gets two, so Ray works a headlock, but Norton escapes via hotshot. Another avalanche, but Traylor lifts his boot to block this time, and a 2nd rope clothesline finds the mark. Ray adds a straddling ropechoke and a flying bodypress, but he gets distracted by Vincent, and then blinded with spray-paint when he takes the bait. That allows Norton to clobber him, and that’s a pinfall at 3:11. This was much better than last week’s mess, at least. Afterwards, Rey looks to get revenge, but the nWo run in on him, and we get another extended beat down. What was even the point of this match? Like, Ray loses again, gets beat up again - all the same as last week, and even the same finish. How does it advance anything? *
Halloween Havoc ad. I like that they actually hype up the card with these, as opposed to just hoping the event would sell itself
Nitro Party ad
Lex Luger v Booker T: They measure each other some to start, and Lex manages a powerslam for two. Booker tries a backdrop, but Luger blocks, and delivers a hanging vertical suplex. Remember when he was using a superplex as his finish in the WWF for a while? Why didn’t he ever bust it out again after that? Like, ever. It’s like Shawn Michaels and the Teardrop suplex past, like, 1994. I get moving on to a different finish, but I just find it so odd how guys can just completely drop something from their move set. Booker comes back with an axekick and a chinlock, but Lex escapes, so Booker uses a hotshot for two. Back to the chinlock, but Lex escapes again, so Booker tries a Harlem sidekick, but crotches himself on the top rope. That allows Luger to make a comeback, and the torture rack looks to finish, but Booker holds the ropes to block. Lex tries a charge, but Booker throws a kick to block, and sidewalk slams the man. Booker goes up with the Harlem hangover, but Lex rolls out of the way, and that disorients Booker enough for the rack at 6:18. Got better towards the end, but this was nyet good. Afterwards, Okerlund joins Luger in the ring, and apparently Lex is a ‘WCW wrestling juggernaut.’ What does that even mean? Larry Zbyszko (who will be the special guest referee for Luger’s match with Scott Hall at Havoc) joins them, and he guarantees to call the match right down the middle. I’m so glad this didn’t lead to Larry turning and joining the nWo, because I was totally getting those vibes, and it would have been a terrible creative choice. ¾*
Halloween Havoc ad
Syxx t-shirt ad
Nitro Girls dance. Where’s their stage this week? Did they have to cut it for budget reasons? Pointless steel cages are expensive, I guess
Scott Steiner v Scott Hall: They trade off a bit to start, until Steiner suplexes him, and Hall bails for Ted DiBiase to attack! Back in, Steiner continues roughing him up, and he traps him in a full-nelson, but Hall manages a slam and a clothesline for two. There’s some group in the crowd who have a communal ‘Nitro’ sign, that some members of the group have given up on over the course of the evening. It’s whittled down to just ‘NI’ at this point, after a few matches of just ‘NITR.’ That’s just sad. You gotta vet your sign partners, everyone knows it. Hall works an abdominal stretch, but Steiner escapes via pumphandle-slam, so Hall goes to the eyes to cut him off. Whip into the ropes, but Steiner reverses, and grabs him in an overhead suplex. Clothesline follows, but the referee gets bumped as they criss cross, and the crowd is already waiting for the run-in finish. Steiner stays on the man with a butterfly suplex, but there’s no referee to count. DiBiase works to revive him, but that allows Hall recovery time, and he grabs Steiner for the Outsider’s Edge. Still no official, so a masked man in a referee’s shirt (a very obvious Vincent) runs in, counting the pin at 7:26. And apparently we’re allowing that as an official pin. I get the idea (playing off Larry taking over for the referee during the tag title switch last week), but this was just dumb, and the match was bad. ½*
Hogan, Savage, and Bischoff show up yet again, but this time we get three Sting’s answering their challenges. The first two unmask as Piper and Diamond Dallas Page, and they attack, but the nWo run out to save, as the cage lowers over the ring. Finally! Imagine trying to explain that to the IRS if it didn’t. So the cage lowers, but it has no top, allowing the real Sting to rappel down to save his buddies as the show goes off the air. Well, at least we finally got to see the cage after a whole evening of hyping it
BUExperience: I’m not sure what about this episode drew Nitro’s highest competitive rating to that point, since this wasn’t especially heavy on star power, and didn’t have a compelling main event. It also wasn’t a particularly interesting episode in any way. Neither was the opposing RAW, but I’ll give the WWF the edge this week since their product felt more lively and creatively blooming.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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