Original Airdate: January 12, 1998
From Jacksonville, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (hour one) and with Bobby Heenan (hour two)
Gene Okerlund is outside the building, where the nWo is arriving, and Okerlund wants to stir up some shit by asking about Kevin Nash shoving Randy Savage down last week
Bill Goldberg v Jerry Flynn: Flynn attacks before the bell, taking Goldberg down, and hammering him with mounted punches. Goldberg turns the tables, and he tries for a grapevine, but Flynn is in the ropes. Flynn tries a cross-armbreaker, but Goldberg powers out of it, so Jerry tries kicks, but Goldberg steamrolls him with a spear. Jackhammer finishes at 1:27. Goldberg was starting to get over huge, and the reaction here is probably the first time it’s becoming obvious that this guy is going to become a huge star. DUD
Nitro Girls have names now
Marty Jannetty v Black Cat: This is Jannetty’s WCW debut. Kind of fitting that he comes in on the same night at the WWF brings in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. Certainly an underrated moment of the Monday Night Wars. Interestingly, this is also the same night that Shawn Michaels’ future wife debuted as one of the Nitro Girls. Marty with an ugly dropkick, so Cat flapjacks him, and spears him in the corner. Again, but Jannetty counters with a sunset flip for two, and a superkick connects. Cat tries a headlock, but Jannetty forces a criss cross, so Cat drops an elbow on him for two. Cat with a nasty DDT for two, but Marty comes back with a spinebuster, and a rocker dropper finishes at 3:00. So, apparently all the ex-WWF guys coming in this month need to use the spinebuster as a finisher set up? Was it in the contract? Thank God Bret came in at the tail end of ‘97. Jannetty looked terrible here. ¼*
Gene is still outside, where the other half of the nWo arrive, led by Randy Savage. More shit stirring from Okerlund here
Dean Malenko v Chris Benoit: Good reactions for both guys tonight. They trade wristlocks to start, and Dean gets the first pin attempt with a schoolboy for two. Chris hooks a cradle of his own for two, so Dean uses a drop-toehold into a front-facelock. Benoit fights him off with a shoulderblock, and it’s chop time in the corner, but Malenko manages a side suplex for two. Malenko tries a chinlock, but Benoit fights him off with his own side suplex, and he takes his head off with a clothesline for two. Chop gets two, so Benoit wears him down with a chinlock, but Dean escapes. Dean with a hiptoss into a short-armscissors, but Benoit muscles to a vertical base, slamming him down for an escape. Benoit with a snap suplex, but Malenko is in the ropes right at the cover. Dropkick, but Dean dodges, and cross corner clotheslines the Crippler. Reversal sequence ends in Malenko delivering a German suplex, and he goes for the Texas cloverleaf, but Benoit counters with a cradle for two. Crippler crossface, but Malenko is in the ropes right away again. Dean tries a suplex, but Benoit blocks, and a reversal sequence ends in Chris cradling for two. Corner whip works, but Malenko blocks the charge. He tries a victory roll, but Benoit dumps him on his face to block, and he’s able to trap the stunned Malenko in the crossface at 6:52. This got really good towards the end, but most of the match was just posturing. Afterwards, Raven rushes in to DDT Benoit, which Malenko objects to - so Saturn takes him out as well. Larry’s biggest takeaway from the whole thing is that ‘men shouldn’t wear earrings in their eyebrow.’ * ½
Okerlund brings JJ Dillon out to announce a $5,000 fine on Savage for hitting Eric Bischoff last week (since Eric is still technically a WCW official). That draws an irate Macho Man out to try and negotiate, but Bischoff cuts him off, offering to pay the fine himself if Randy doesn’t put his hands on Dillon
Gene brings WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page out to hype up a tag match (he and Lex Luger against Savage and Nash) for this Thursday on Thunder. Good promo from DDP here
WCW Television Title Match: Booker T v Saturn: The Flock have been removed from their ringside seats after the attack earlier, so they’re not around to back Saturn up for this. Booker dominates early on, but gets clobbered after giving up the high ground. That allows Saturn a suplex for two, and another one ends in Booker bailing to regroup. Saturn rolls him right back in for a clothesline, but Booker ducks, and comes off the ropes with a jumping forearm. Booker corner clotheslines him, but a corner charge hits boot, and Saturn hooks a leveraged cradle at 3:05. That immediately draws Rick Martel out to protest, and apparently his word is good enough to warrant a restart. Saturn immediately cradles for two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and eats an axekick. Sidewalk slam sets up the Harlem Hangover at 0:43 (3:48 total). I guess that booking might be okay from time to time, but considering the controversy in the Starrcade main event finish, and the ensuing fallout that still hasn’t been resolved, it’s not the right time for it. Afterwards, Booker thanks Martel for the assist, and Rick asks for a title shot, which Booker is game to accept. ¼*
Gene brings Giant out, and he’s got WCW’s lawyer from last week with him. They announce that, after Kevin Nash no showed his match with Giant at Starrcade, it has been ruled that Nash must put up a $1,500,000 ‘performance bond,’ which is subject to forfeiture if he doesn’t show at Souled Out. That draws Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Nash, Bischoff, and their lawyer out to respond, and they’ll agree to the bond, but only if Giant puts up the same amount, with the condition that he’ll forfeit his bond if he puts his hands on Nash before the pay per view. Giant agrees, so Nash gets in his face with taunts, since Giant can’t do anything. This was a good segment, and it’s good that they’re acknowledging the no-show from Starrcade/turning it into an angle, but there’s way too much lawyering going on in the promotion right now
Lex Luger/Randy Savage hype video
Lex Luger v Hugh Morrus: Morrus hits a spinheel kick during a criss cross, but Lex comes back with a powerslam for one. Headlock, so Morrus forces a criss cross, and they end up fighting into the ropes. Morrus takes a cheap shot on the break to take control, and he puts the boots to Lex. Avalanche misses, however, allowing Luger a side suplex, and he adds a pair of clotheslines. Jumping forearm finds the mark, but a corner whip backfires when Morrus dives off the middle with a clothesline. Morrus goes up for a flying splash, but Lex rolls out of the way, and the torture rack finishes at 2:46. This was energetic. Afterwards, Miss Elizabeth shows up in tears to distract Lex, allowing Savage a sneak attack to leave Luger looking up at the lights in the aisle. ½*
Nitro Girls are center ring
Steve McMichael v Chris Jericho: McMichael knocks him around in the early going, and a sidewalk slam drives Jericho to the mat. Bodyslam follows, but McMichael wastes time playing to the crowd, and Jericho dropkicks him. Chris with a rana off the middle for two, but a criss cross ends in McMichael clipping the leg, and he side suplexes Jericho. Chris fights back with another dropkick, but gets caught with a tombstone coming out of the corner at 3:11. Afterwards, Jericho throws a tantrum, cutting a promo through the commercial break, and bleeding into the next segment. ¼*
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Juventud Guerrera v Rey Mysterio Jr: Jericho is still in the ring as Rey makes his entrance, and refuses to leave. Rey politely asks him to, so Jericho beats him down, and puts him in the Liontamer for a while to officially turn heel. Rey can’t even get to his feet, but Guerrera attacks anyway, and the referee rings the bell. Guerrera unloads on him, so Rey tries a springboard moonsault press, but gets caught in a scoop sitout brainbuster. That allows Guerrera to go up for the flying 450 splash, and he retains at 0:49. Just an angle. DUD
Hogan and Bischoff are back so Hogan can get some proper promo time. It’s kind of amazing that they were making Hulk the focal point of the show despite the fact that his deal had run out by this point, and he was working without a contract. He could have literally showed up on RAW the next week, a la Lex Luger. But I guess they knew the chances of him going anywhere were slim to none considering there was no way he was going to get a sweeter deal than he was getting from Turner
Gene brings Jim Neidhart out, in Anvil’s return to the promotion for the first time since October 1993 (and first on TV since June of that year). Jim wants to throw his two cents in on the Bret Hart/Ric Flair debate, and Anvil clarifies that Bret is definitely the better wrestler. That draws Flair out, with Ric thinks it’s obvious that Jim’s just saying that since he’s married to Bret’s sister, so he’ll give him a chance to take it back. Jim refuses, so Flair challenges him to a match. Neidhart accepts, so Flair leads him to the ring - then blasts him with a set of knux before the bell can ring. Ric delivers a beating ending in a ringpost figure four to taunt Bret, until the Hitman runs out to make the save. What’s with Bret’s weird running ability on these shows lately? He looks like he’s constantly trying to not face plant, and it’s not the first time, either. Great segment here. Flair seems completely reinvigorated by this program, and he’s been awesome week after week
Souled Out ad
Nitro Girls
This weeks Nitro Party video is a bunch of middle schoolers who apparently are in some sort of dare to see who can scream into the camera louder
WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v The Outsiders: This is the payoff to the Outsiders walking around with the bootleg tag belts. Tony, of course, immediately cuts the angle off at the knees, noting that even if the Steiner’s win, the nWo will just go out and buy two more fake belts anyway. Scott Steiner and Scott Hall start, and Steiner’s temper is flaring right away. He bodyslams Hall to escape an armbar, and the Brothers pinball Hall in their corner. Steiner with a tiger bomb, so Kevin Nash comes in without a tag, but Rick Steiner cuts him off. The champs tandem vertical suplex the big man, and the Outsiders bail to regroup. Meanwhile, Randy Savage shows up at ringside, and he seems to want to get his hands on Nash, but Hollywood Hogan cools him down, as the crowd chants for Sting. Dust settles on Rick and Hall, and Hall tries pounding him in the corner, but Rick turns the tables. Tag to Nash, and he throws a knee, allowing him to beat Rick down. Nash unloads in the corner, but a charge hits boot, and Rick dives with a 2nd rope clothesline for two. Rick with a powerslam, so Hall runs in, but Rick cuts him off with a closed fist. Tag to Scott Steiner, but Nash counters a corner whip with a short-knee. Short-clothesline follows, and Hall tags in to put the boots to the man. Chokeslam, but he wastes time mocking Giant after delivering it, and Steiner suplexes him for two. Back to Rick to trap Hall in a grapevine, but a tag back to Scott ends badly when the Outsiders trap him in their corner for a double team. Nash tries an elbowdrop, but Scott dodges, and manages to pass back to Rick. Rick grabs a toehold, but Nash fights free. He tries a snake-eyes, but his knee is messed up, and Rick blocks. That allows Rick to get to the top for a dive, but Hogan knocks him off the ropes, and Hall capitalizes with a corner clothesline. Fallaway slam gets him a leveraged two count, so he passes back to Nash to deliver a sidewalk slam for two. They work Rick over for a bit, until the referee gets bumped, and Hogan attacks Scott Steiner and Ted DiBiase. I think that’s the first time anyone has put their hands on Ted at all since in 1993. Meanwhile, with Hogan busy, Savage sees an opening to attack Nash, but a dive ends up hitting Rick instead, and the Outsiders cover at 10:58 - with Macho fuming. This was fun. **
BUExperience: Good show this week! Though there is a lot of disarray in the promotion, this episode felt more focused, and the build to Souled Out has been strong - even if there still isn’t any clear picture of what’s going on with the held up world title. That, along with all the lawyer heavy segments, are a big issue, but this was one of the better episodes in a while, and at a lean two hours, one of the easiest to breeze through.
RAW was solid as well, and featured a good go-home build for the Royal Rumble, but I have to give the edge to WCW this week.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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