Original Airdate: February 16, 1998
From Tampa, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
The nWo join us to start, and they’re feeling unified this week, but Randy Savage isn’t with them. Hollywood Hulk Hogan throws some shade at Macho, but Randy shows up at the entrance, and clarifies that he’ll beat up Sting and Lex Luger by himself tonight, and then beat up Hogan just for the fun of it. Hogan gets a cheap shot in here telling Savage he’ll take the “headband off (his) bald head,” which gets a look of legitimate annoyance from Macho. I always found it hilarious how sensitive they both were about that, as if we didn’t know they were bald. Like, they both wrestled without their head coverings all the time, it’s not like some sort of Steven Van Zandt situation. We are aware
Bill Goldberg v Hugh Morrus: Morrus gets in his face, so Goldberg just starts unloading. Morrus tries a 2nd rope clothesline, but Bill no-sells, so Morrus tries a suplex, but Goldberg slips out. Spear finds the mark, and the Jackhammer finishes up at 0:57. Goldberg was not (and never ever became) a ‘good’ worker, but his stuff was so explosive, and perfect for quick squashes like this. ¼*
WCW World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers music video. So pointless, with no story to it, just random images of the Steiner’s with music playing over it. This felt like something you’d program to fill a block of time in EWR
The Outsiders stop by the announce desk, and they don’t want to wait for SuperBrawl to get a match with the Steiner’s, they want it tonight. As the announcers rightly note, great, but why are they making a case to a group of commentators? Maybe they thought they were back in the WWF?
Sick Boy v Mark Starr: Lodi distracts Starr to allow Boy a sneak attack, and Boy uses a bodyslam ahead of a springboard missile dropkick. Boy with a cross corner whip, but he hits a boot on a charge, and Starr clotheslines him. Starr adds a vertical suplex, but Boy recovers quickly, and hammers Mark. Boy with a hanging vertical suplex, and a bodyslam sets up a flying elbowdrop, but Starr lifts his boot to block. Starr throws a clothesline, and a dropkick gets him two. Inside cradle gets him two, so Lodi trips him up, and Boy delivers a butterfly facebuster at 3:27. This felt amateurish at points, and the transitions were really rough, but they were trying. ¾*
Nitro Girls do their Nitro Girls thing
Public Enemy v The Outsiders: Johnny Grunge starts with Scott Hall, and Scott goes for the arm, but Grunge uses fists to fight him off. Grunge levels him with a clothesline for two, and a swinging neckbreaker leads to a tag to Rocco Rock. The Enemy cut the ring in half on Hall, so Kevin Nash just comes in to break it up. The Outsiders whip the Enemy into one another, and everyone brawls from there. Hall ends up on a table on the outside, so Dusty Rhodes distracts Grunge, allowing Scott to recover with an attack. That ends with Grunge on the table, and Nash powerbombs Rock from inside the ring to the floor to drive Grunge through it, drawing a DQ at 3:11. The Outsiders treated the Enemy like a complete joke here. ¾*
Nitro party video, including a banner that someone had a lot of fun playing around with impact fonts in Microsoft Word to work up
Gene Okerlund brings Nick Patrick out, and Patrick compares his situation to that of Bill Clinton. Not the best comparison to make in February 1998, Nick
Mike Enos v Barry Horowitz: Really bringing the star power. Barry dodges a sneak attack, and delivers a dropkick, before knocking Enos to the outside with a backelbow. Horowitz dives, but Enos catches him, and drops him across the guardrail. Back in, Enos delivers a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a pumphandle-slam sets up a pair of headbutt drops. Knee, but Horowitz counters with a schoolboy for two, so Mike powerslams him at 1:47. They didn’t get a lot of time, but kudos to them for trying to pack an actual match in the time they were given. *
Backstage, Steve McMichael knocks a cup of coffee out of Davey Boy Smith’s hand, triggering a brawl. Disco Inferno running to break it up with a comb in his hand is a great character touch
Yuji Nagata v La Parka: Nagata puts him down with a series of kicks, but Parka fires back with a spinheel kick, and Nagata ends up on the outside. Parka dives after him with a flying bodypress on the floor, but a flying bodypress on the way back in gets rolled through for two. Parka returns fire with a clothesline for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying splash, but Nagata rolls out of the way. Nagata capitalizes with a spinheel kick, and a suplex follows for two. Cross-armbreaker looks to finish, but Parka is in the ropes. Nagata tries a cross corner whip, but Parka reverses, and hits him with a dive. Parka grabs a chair, but Sonny Onoo keeps him from using it, and Disco Inferno runs in while the referee is distracted. He knocks Parka cold, and Nagata gets him in the armbreaker at 3:35. This was fine. *
Nitro Girls + chairs. That should be a disqualification
Ultimo Dragon v Kidman: Kidman attacks before the bell, and gets some shine in on Dragon. Cross corner whip, but Dragon reverses, and takes Kidman down. Sunset flip gets Dragon two, but a charge ends badly when Kidman catches him in a hotshot. Kidman with a slingshot headscissors, and a slingshot legdrop gets him two. Kidman works a side-headlock, but Dragon counters to a headscissors, but Kidman makes the ropes. Kidman kicks him in the face for two, but Dragon blocks a backdrop, and unloads a series of strikes. Dragon with a giant swing, and a pinfall reversal sequence ends in Dragon hooking a somersault cradle for two. Kidman comes back with a bulldog for two, so Dragon spinkicks him for two. Kidman with a powerslam for two, but a trip to the top ends badly when Dragon crotches him. Dragon brings him off with a rana, but Kidman blocks the Dragon Sleeper. That allows Kidman a scoop sitout brainbuster for two, but a suplex gets countered with the Sleeper at 6:52. Kidman had been on a good run over the last few weeks, but this was weak and unfocused, though it got significantly better in the third act. *
Gene brings WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page, and Page challenges Raven to a match right here and now. Raven accepts, but Saturn comes in to back him up, so Chris Benoit makes the save. Well, that was a pretty pointless segment, honestly
Meng v Barbarian: They shove each other a bit, ending in Barbarian belly-to-belly suplexing him, and they take turns unloading mounted punches. To a vertical base to trade chops, and Meng gets control, so Barbarian suplexes him. Meng throws fists again, but Barbarian absorbs them, so Meng clotheslines him down. Meng with a superkick, so Jimmy Hart comes in with a chair, but Meng no-sells. The distraction allows Barbarian to recover, however, and a big boot finishes Meng at 2:18. Not much to it, but I dug how they made it feel like a real fight. ½*
Nitro Girls
Saturn v Rick Martel: This is scheduled as Saturn/Disco Inferno, but La Parka attacks Disco with a chair in the aisle, as payback for earlier. The beating leaves Disco unable to participate, and Saturn is going to get a forfeit win, but Rick runs out to take his spot. Saturn doesn’t appreciate it, and attacks, pounding Martel into the corner. Cross corner whip, but Rick reverses, and backdrops Saturn on the rebound. Dropkick and a headscissors follow, and he dumps Saturn to the outside for a trip into the steps, as the announcers note that Rick has a TV title match later in the show. What an idiot, then. Inside, Martel hammers him in the corner, but Saturn blocks another headscissors with a hotshot. That allows Saturn a jumping forearm, and a missile dropkick gets him two. Chinlock and a bodyslam set up a 2nd rope axehandle, but Martel blocks, and delivers a rotating spinebuster. Boston crab, but Riggs runs in to attack, and the Rings of Saturn end it at 3:17. Martel continues to look good in this run. *
Bobby Eaton v Curt Hennig: Curt dominates early on, so Bobby goes for the knee to turn the tide. Bobby works the leg, but Hennig fights him off, and hooks a bridging fisherman suplex at 2:43. It felt like they couldn’t get onto the same page here. DUD
WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v Vicious & Delicious: Rick Steiner starts with Buff Bagwell, and Bagwell is in full arrogant mode. Buff manages a vertical suplex, but Rick no-sells, popping up with an overhead suplex. Rick adds an elbowdrop before passing to Scott Steiner, and Scott gets Buff in a modified reverse chinlock. Back to Rick, but Buff nails him, and passes to Scott Norton. Rick manages a powerslam and a clothesline on Norton, and he passes to Scott for another of those modified reverse chinlocks. Back to Rick, but he runs into a double team, and ends up getting tossed to the outside for a whip into the guardrail. Inside, the challengers work Rick over, until Rick manages to fight Bagwell off, and he makes a comeback. Flying bulldog looks to finish, but Norton breaks it up at two, and the nWo runs in for the DQ at 5:09. Afterwards, the nWo beat Rick down, until Scott chases them off with a chair (though doesn’t actually make contact with anyone). I liked the foreshadowing here, with Scott Steiner not doing much other than chinlocks, and all the heel offense centered on Rick. ¾*
WCW Television Title Match: Booker T v Rick Martel: Martel Pearl Harbors him before the bell, and unloads on the champion in the corner. Cross corner whip, but Booker reverses, and delivers a backdrop. Superkick sends Martel to the outside, and the challenger stalls out there. Rick manages to clobber him on the way back in, and a snapmare allows Rick to choke him down. Kind of weird how Martel is going full heel here all of a sudden. And not at all subtle about it like, say, Bret Hart might be. Booker manages a spinebuster, so Martel bails again, but Booker is on him this time. Back in, Booker tags him with a backelbow for two, and he grounds him in an armbar. Savate kick gets the champion two, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two. Back to the armbar, but Martel drops him with a hotshot, and delivers a kneedrop of his own. He dumps Booker to the outside for some abuse, and back in for a chinlock. The match is dragging here. Booker fights to a vertical base, but misses a dropkick, and Rick gets him in the Boston crab. Booker makes the ropes, so Rick stomps on the back, and corner whips him. Charge, but Booker blocks with a boot, and spinkicks him. Bodyslam sees the referee gets bumped on the way, and Saturn is back. He nails Martel, so Booker goes after him, but ends up hurting himself in the process. That allows Martel to get the crab back on, and Booker submits the title away at 8:04. This felt long, and kind of dragged, but it was competent. Martel deserved the title here with the run he’d been having. *
Nitro Girls
Gene brings Bret Hart out to respond to Hollywood Hogan’s threats, and Bret thinks he’s all talk, and that in reality, Hogan’s been ducking him (as he has for years). Then, in the middle of all this, Brian Adams shows up in a surprise debut (though he looks so unrecognizable that the crowd doesn’t really react), and he offers to watch Bret’s back with the nWo. He extends his hand, but before Hart can take it, the nWo run in to attack, and Adams reveals an nWo t-shirt underneath his jacket. This was a really weak debut. So with Bret beaten down, Hogan himself makes an appearance to get his licks in, but Ric Flair makes the save, and the babyfaces actually clean house for once! This wasn’t a great segment, but the ending worked
Gene brings JJ Dillon, WCW Television Champion Rick Martel, Booker T, and Saturn all out, and JJ books Martel defending the title against Booker at SuperBrawl, with the winner giving Saturn a shot later in the show. This was a solid segment, with logical story points, and that made the title seem important. They should have probably just made it a triple threat, though
Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero v Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit: Guerrero and Benoit start, and they get right into trading chops. Benoit with a press-slam, so Jericho tags in, but Benoit backdrops him. Over to Dean, and Malenko delivers a leg lariat, so Eddie tags back in. Reversal sequence ends in Dean delivering a pop-up hotshot, and he dumps Eddie over the top, where Guerrero regroups with Jericho. Inside, Dean delivers a flapjack, and Benoit tags in with more chops. Snap suplex gets him two, and a bridging German suplex is worth two. Back to Dean with a wheelbarrow suplex, but Jericho saves him from a Boston crab. Dean stays on Eddie with a suplex, but Eddie escapes, and drills him with a brainbuster. Guerrero dives with a flying frogsplash, but Benoit saves at two. The referee restores order, and Eddie drops Malenko in the corner, and passes to Jericho for a missile dropkick. Butterfly backbreaker sets up the Liontamer, but Benoit is coming in, so Jericho abandons it. Eddie dives at Benoit, as Jericho and Malenko engage in a reversal sequence - ending in Dean hooking the Texas cloverleaf at 6:06. Good execution and speed throughout here. * ½
Eric Bischoff comes out to clarify, again, that there is no dissension in the nWo, and that it’s all just a ‘right wing conspiracy’
Sting and Lex Luger v Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage: The nWo attack in the aisle to kick start things, and we get a brawl on the outside to start. They pair off with Sting/Hogan and Luger/Savage, and finally the dust settles on Lex and Randy. Randy dominates, but gets in Hulk’s face as they tag, and Lex nearly makes it to Sting while they’re working their shit out. Hulk hits Luger with a clothesline to set up a trio of elbowdrops for two, and a bodyslam sets up the legdrop, but Luger dodges. Tag to Sting, and the pop is pretty nonexistent there. Hulk ends up in the Scorpion deathlock, but the nWo run in at 4:38, since we haven’t seen enough of that finish yet tonight. Afterwards, Ric Flair and Bret Hart run in to make the save for the babyfaces, and once again WCW gets to stand tall. Twice in one night, are they crazy?! DUD
BUExperience: This (unopposed) episode did Nitro’s highest rating ever to that point, and while this wasn’t an actively bad show in any way, you definitely felt every second of its three hour runtime. It felt like a real chore to get through on my end.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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