Original Airdate: March 9, 1998
From Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Ernest Miller v Damien: They spar to start, and Miller nails him with a kick for two. Corner whip rebounds Damien into another kick, so Damien throws an elbow, and hammers him into the corner for a cross corner leg lariat. Damien with a rana off the top, but a dive gets blocked when Miller throws a kick. Miller with a bodyslam, and a springboard flying roundhouse kick at 1:56. This didn’t really have any rhythm to it. ¼*
Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff join us to rant about Randy Savage
Gene Okerlund is on the Duke University campus for a Nitro Party. The Nitro Girls look like they have had enough of this gimmick
Sick Boy v Lenny Lane: They do some measuring to start, dominated by Lane. He makes the mistake of trading fists, but Boy misses a charge, and goes crashing to the outside. Lane is on him with a crazy dive, and a flying dropkick gets him two on the way back in. Lane tries a backdrop, but Boy blocks, and uses a firemans facebuster. He adds a pair of elbowdrops, and a corkscrew suplex gets him two. Snapmare sets up a fistdrop, and a corner whip leads to a corner backelbow. Boy with a bodyslam to set up a flying elbowdrop, but Lenny rolls out of the way. He capitalizes with a victory cradle for two, and a sloppy Russian facebuster follows. Springboard moonsault press also doesn’t quite work out (he fails to make the full rotation), and a criss cross allows Boy a butterfly facebuster at 4:24. This didn’t mesh so well, and Lane started falling apart in the final moments, despite looking good early on. ½*
Mike Tenay brings Giant out to hype the Uncensored match against Kevin Nash, and then he brings WCW World Champion Sting and Randy Savage out to challenge Hogan to find two friends for a six-man tag tonight. It’s a bad sign that the belt looks weird and out of place on Sting. Same deal with Lex Luger when he had it for a minute in ‘97. For better or for worse, that was Hogan’s belt during this period. Funny moment here, as Sting starts going nuts on a turnbuckle with his baseball bat, and Larry responds by shouting “he hates turnbuckles!”
Bill Goldberg v Barry Darsow: Goldberg with a takedown right away, and he blasts him with a shoulderblock out of the ropes. Bill with a gutwrench suplex, and a corner whip rebounds Barry into a backdrop. Another corner whip rebounds Barry into a drop-toehold, but Darsow fights him off. Barry with a few right hands, but Goldberg blocks a hiptoss with a short-clothesline, and Darsow bails. Goldberg is on him for a whip into the guardrail out there, but a punch misses, and Bill hits the ringpost. Darsow stays on the arm, but Goldberg quickly starts no-selling him, and the Jackhammer finishes at 2:35. ½*
Nitro Girl Kimberly hypes up next week’s episode by promising that there will be bikinis
WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Hall comes out, and he’s so upset that he doesn’t even have time to do a survey. He’s in to back Hogan tonight for the six-man. Not much to this segment, but it was short. They waste so much time with this stuff to fill their insane run time, though. Like, no reason this couldn’t have been a backstage segment. Nothing about this required a full entrance, etc
And speaking of wasting time, next WCW World Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash comes out to also throw his hat in as a partner for the main event. Did this really need a separate segment from Hall’s?
Dean Malenko v Billy Kidman: Malenko grabs a hammerlock at the bell, so Kidman railroads into the corner to force a break, but Dean drops him with a snap powerslam. Texas cloverleaf, but Kidman blocks, and delivers a pop-up dropkick for two. Vertical suplex follows, so Dean tries a dropkick, but Billy dodges, and covers for two. Kidman works a chinlock from there, but Dean side suplexes his way out, and he hooks the leg for two. Into the corner, but Kidman turns the tables, and uses a bodyslam to set up a slingshot legdrop for two. Kidman works a ropechoke, but Dean reverses a cross corner whip, and follows in with a clothesline. Reversal sequence allows Kidman to come back with a bulldog for two, as WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho shows up. Kidman with a clothesline for two, and a sitout bodyslam gets another two. To the top, but Malenko brings him off with an exploding gutbuster, and that’s enough to set up the cloverleaf at 5:01. Afterwards, Chris leads the Flock in to give Malenko a beat down, but they end up kicking the hell out of him instead. * ¼
Hogan and Bischoff are back so Hulk can officially accept the challenge for the six-man. There is just so much fat that needs to be trimmed off of these shows. Hulk already got the lengthy promo earlier, just do this in a quick backstage segment, and be done with it already!
Back on campus as Gene continues to enjoy college life
Kenny Kaos v Brian Adams: Tony recommends that everyone call their friends to let them know about the six-man tonight, but then decides that it would be pointless, since everyone is already watching anyway. Keep talking, pride comes before the fall. Adams sneak attacks, and delivers a piledriver early on. Big boot follows, and he delivers a belly-to-belly suplex, then a press-gutbuster for two. That should have been his finisher. Kaos fights him off with a chincrusher, and Robbie Rage adds a cheap shot. That allows Kenny a jumping clothesline for two, and a side suplex is worth two. Rage decides to try a dive, but Adams crotches him, and slams him off. He makes a comeback on Kaos, and a tilt-a-whirl slam finishes at 4:17. Why were they booking Adams as the babyface? ½*
Konnan comes out, and even Tony is starting to wonder just how many segments we’re going to get with the nWo doing separate interviews. And I guess the sound guys are sick of it too, as they just start the intros for the next match before Konnan can finish his promo
Juventud Guerrera v Scott Norton: Konnan is still hanging around, but Guerrera ignores him, trying a sneak attack on Norton with a dive, but he literally bounces off of the big man. Inside, Norton with a pop-up flapjack for two, but a clothesline misses, and Guerrera throws a pair of dropkicks. Springboard missile version still doesn’t take Scott down, so he tries another springboard, but gets caught, and crushed. Scott with a corner whip to rebound him into a bearhug, but Guerrera escapes, so Norton switches to a full-nelson. Guerrera refuses to quit, and manages to throw a pair of dropkicks to the legs to try and rattle Norton. He stupidly tries a bodyslam, but can’t get Scott off of his feet, and Norton ends him with an inverted shoulderbreaker at 3:37. Norton treated him like a complete jobber here, not even selling a single move for him. ½*
Chris Benoit video package
Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Benoit v Raven and Perry Saturn: Benoit and Saturn start, and we’ve got a slugfest! Saturn wins with a bridging northern lights suplex for two, but Chris clotheslines him, and passes to Page. DDP pounds the arm, and a criss cross ends in him delivering a swinging neckbreaker. Tag to Raven, but Benoit tags himself back in before Page can engage. Chris clobbers him, and Raven ends up on the outside to regroup. The Flock manages to turn the tide on the way back in, and they work Page over. For some reason, they switched corners after coming back in, which is very, very odd. Like, has that ever happened mid-match before? And the announcers not even acknowledging it makes it all the more odd. Heenan does make a funny joke about how most of the guys in the match are wearing blue jeans: “like three construction workers going at it.” Saturn misses a dive to allow the hot tag to Benoit, and Roseanne Barr the door! He hits Raven with the rolling German suplex, and it’s Crippler crossface time. Saturn tries a dive to save, but Page rings Perry off the top with a Diamond Cutter - only to land on Benoit to break the hold! That leads to Page and Benoit scuffling, and they end up fighting up the aisle - getting counteed out at 10:09. Pretty dull. ½*
Earlier today, Bill Goldberg and Disco Inferno visited the children’s hospital. I’d make a joke about how the kids have suffered enough, but Doink wasn’t there
Davey Boy Smith v Konnan: Bulldog seemed so depressed during this period. Smith dominates him early on, and he works a chinlock, until Konnan manages to fight free. Konnan puts the boots to him, and a clothesline gets him a two count. Snapmare sets up a seated dropkick for two, and a cradle is worth two. Criss cross allows Davey a powerslam for three at 2:46. That finish felt completely out of nowhere. It was a total transition move. ¼*
Tenay brings Ric Flair out, and he’s happy to be here, because if he doesn’t hear people cheering for him, he doesn’t have a reason to live. Yeah, that might be a problem. He should talk to someone
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho v Disco Inferno: Disco dominates a few criss crosses early on, but takes a chop in the corner, as the announcers have the most insanely stupid conversations imaginable. To the outside, Disco tries a dive from the apron, but Jericho is ready with a dropkick to block. Jericho drops him across the top rope on the way back in, but Disco blocks a charge with a spinebuster. He adds an atomic drop to put Jericho in the corner, and Disco puts the boots to him there. Swinging neckbreaker gets Disco a two count, but a criss cross goes Jericho’s way with a butterfly backbreaker to set up the Liontamer at 3:32. ½*
Back on campus, Gene is looking more out of place by the minute
WCW Television Title Match: Booker T v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Eddie Guerrero is backing Chavo up all of a sudden this week, and he distracts Booker to allow the challenger to get a sneak attack. That puts Booker on the outside, and Chavo follows to hammer him on the outside, as Eddie cheers him on. Inside, Chavo uses a pair of dropkicks, but the referee is busy dealing with Eddie, so no count. Chavo chinlocks Booker for a little wear down, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Booker Harlem sidekicks him. Spinebuster follows, and Booker goes up with a missile dropkick for the pin at 1:47. This wasn’t long enough to get out of first gear. Afterwards, Eddie turns on Chavo, since he’s Eddie Guerrero. ½*
Ric Flair v Curt Hennig: Flair is looking particularly flabby this week. Flair with a hiptoss out of the initial exchange, and Curt bails to break the momentum. Ric drags him back in to pound in the corner, and he sends him across the ring with another hiptoss. Cross corner whip, but Hennig reverses, and he backdrops Flair on the rebound. Hennig with chops in the corner, and a cross corner whip flips Flair over the top for Rick Rude to send into the post. Inside, Ric fights him off, so Hennig tries a dropkick, but Flair dodges. That allows Flair to kick him down low, and a hiptoss follows. Flair brings a chair in, and he hangs Hennig in a tree of woe to unload on with the weapon, but the nWo runs in for the DQ at 4:00. They were just going through the motions here. Afterwards, the nWo set up a beatdown, but Bret Hart makes the save. ¾*
Lex Luger and Rick Steiner v Scott Steiner and Scott Norton: Norton again? Rick starts with him, and delivers a belly-to-belly suplex, as Scott Steiner hides out on the outside. Rick side suplexes Norton, and passes to Lex for a 2nd rope axehandle, but Norton rakes the eyes. That allows the tag to Scott to hammer Lex, but Luger wins a criss cross with a clothesline. Tag to Rick, but Scott runs away, and Norton manages to clobber Rick during the chase. Inside, Norton barrels into Rick with a shoulderblock, and an avalanche follows. That’s enough for Scott to ask for a tag, and he hammers his downed brother in the corner. Rick fires back, but Scott quickly tags out before much damage is done. Norton clotheslines him, but a second misses, and Rick powerslams him. Clothesline sets up an elbowdrop, and Rick goes upstairs, but Scott shoves him off. Scott poses on the outside, but Luger goes after him, and everyone ends up brawling to the back for a double countout at 3:49. ½*
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Sting, Randy Savage, and Giant v Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Giant is in a neckbrace, and not cleared to wrestle, which is something. The babyfaces run wild to start, and the dust settles on Sting and Hogan. Sting dominates, and a few turnbuckle smashes get him a two count. Tag to Giant, but he wants to let Hulk tag out, and he gets his wish: Nash! They face off, but Hall and Hogan come in with an attack, putting Giant down. As his partners just stand there like losers. The heels go after the bad neck, working Giant over, until he sends them flying like bowling pins all of a sudden. Tag to Macho, and he goes right for Hogan, as Giant chases Nash to the dressing rooms. Savage goes for the kill on Hogan, but Disciple runs in to make the save, and Hollywood pins Randy at 9:36. A big match, but not a good match. ¼*
BUExperience: So much filler this week. Easy win for RAW.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.