Original Airdate: April 20, 1998
From Colorado Springs, Colorado; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Disciple hit the ring to open, promising to take the WCW World title from new champion Randy Savage tonight
Backstage, Bill Goldberg warms up for his WCW United States title shot later tonight
WCW World Champion Randy Savage hits the ring to respond to Hogan’s promise. Savage clarifies that he, like, doesn’t care for Hogan. Oh, you don’t say? And then he introduces the guy that he claims is the new leader of the nWo: Kevin Nash
WCW United States Champion Raven is mumbling to himself in a bathroom somewhere backstage
Nitro Girls. I should note that we’re a half hour into this show (with commercials) and we haven’t been to the ring yet. They’re usually a lot better about staggering the non in-ring segments
Chris Adams v Konnan: Larry wonders if Savage’s proclamation of Nash as the nWo’s leader is actually an official thing. Well, they’re a street gang. I don’t think they’re going to hold a meeting of their board of directors. Adams dominates early, and a dropkick sends Konnan to the outside. Konnan comes back in and manages a rolling clothesline, and a snapmare sets up a seated dropkick for him. Konnan takes him to the mat in an armbar, so Adams slugs free, and tries a cradle for one. Crucifix cradle gets two, but a bodypress misses, and Chris wipes out in the ropes. That allows Konnan to drop him with a DDT, and the tequila sunrise puts it away at 3:27. ¼*
Backstage, Goldberg continues to warm up
Nitro Girls do the thing in the ring
Nitro Party video. I was in college a few years after this, post-Monday Night Wars when the sport was ice cold, and so I can’t even imagine groups of kids getting together to watch wrestling every week, like it’s football. What a time to be alive
Barbarian v Wayne Bloom: Barbarian knocks him around early on, so Bloom tries clotheslines, but Jimmy Hart interferes to allow Barbarian to keep control. Barbarian drills him with a big boot from there, and it’s actually enough to end it at 1:14. ¼*
Raven continues to spew in the bathroom
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho v Juventud Guerrera: Chris dedicates the match to Dean Malenko, complete with photo, in case we’ve forgotten what he looks like. Guerrera blitzes him, and a flying headscissors sends the champion to the apron. Guerrera drags him back in for a chinlock, but Jericho escapes, and wins a criss cross. He tries a springboard bodypress, but Guerrera ducks, and Jericho spills to the outside. Guerrera is on him with a dive, and a springboard flying spinheel kick gets the challenger two on the way back in. DDT gets another two, but a reversal sequence ends in Jericho countering a rana into the Liontamer. Guerrera fights and fights, before ultimately passing out at 3:44. About a quarter of this was the Liontamer, and the rest (while good) was too short to properly develop. ¾*
Backstage, Goldberg continues warming up. No wonder that dude would blow up so fast in the ring, he was already an hour into a workout before the bell would ring
WCW United States Title Raven’s Rules Match: Raven v Bill Goldberg: Michael Buffer does the ring introductions for this one, giving it a proper big match feel. Raven puts the belt at center ring and dares Goldberg to take it, then tries a spear to get control. He manages to stagger Goldberg, and a dropkick allows him to send Goldberg to the outside, but Bill reverses a whip into the guardrail out there. Goldberg gives him a second one (Raven takes those very nicely), and Goldberg tries a submission on the way back in, but Raven makes the ropes. Goldberg with a superkick to knock Raven back to the outside, and the champ is ready with a chair when Bill goes after him. That allows Raven to take control, and he brings the chair inside for a drop-toehold on the seat for two. Raven tries a sleeper, but it doesn’t go well, so he tries a cross corner clothesline, but Bill no-sells. Raven looks for another, but Goldberg is ready with a spear this time. Sensing danger, the Flock come in, but Goldberg no-sells them all, and fights them off - including a Jackhammer on big Reese! The Flock is wiped out, so Raven tries bailing into the crowd, but the fans force him back over the rail! I’m sure they were plants, but that was a great visual. I’m not sure it was the wisest booking considering Raven had already legitimately been attacked by fans twice during this period, but great nonetheless. Inside, Goldberg with another spear, and a (very abbreviated) Jackhammer picks up the title at 4:56. This was really fun, even if not technically great. This was the kind of the match the WWF usually excelled at booking. * ¼
Nitro Spice Girls
Ultimo Dragon v La Parka: Criss cross to start, and Parka cracks him with a serious chop, then drops him into the middle buckle with a drop-toehold. Spinheel kick puts Dragon on the outside, and Parka dives after him with a flying bodypress. He sends Dragon into the post before rolling him in to cover for two, and a kick to the shoulder blades gets him another two. Parka goes to a chinlock, but Dragon fights, so Parka clobbers him with a clothesline for two. Parka with a snap suplex for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying splash, but Dragon blocks. Dragon makes a comeback, as Eddie Guerrero drags Chavo Guerrero down to ringside. Eddie forces Chavo to nail Dragon, allowing Parka to hit a dive for three at 4:51. A very aggressive performance by Parka here. * ½
Chris Benoit v Curt Hennig: Rick Rude joins us on commentary, dodging questions as to what side he and Curt are taking in the nWo split. Benoit attacks to jumpstart the match, and goes to town on Curt’s bad knee. That draws Rude down to ringside to drop Benoit across the rail, and Curt looks to capitalize with the fisherman suplex, but Benoit counters to the crippler crossface! He has it locked in, but Rude dives on him to save, causing a DQ at 2:37. A complete and total nothing of a match. Afterwards, Booker T runs in to save Benoit from a beating. DUD
Gene brings Roddy Piper out to do what he does: ramble. The point buried in there is that the Savage/Hogan title match is no DQ
Saturn v Hammer: It’s too bad they didn’t bring Kevin Wacholz in to give Hammer something more substantial to do. They brawl in the aisle before the entrances are even over, and Saturn reverses him into the apron out there, then shoves him into the steps for good measure. Saturn with a flying clothesline on the way into the ring, but Hammer comes back with a powerslam, and adds a clothesline. Hammer hammers him in the corner, but Saturn blocks a slam, and turns the tide. Saturn with a cross corner elbow and a suplex, but Hammer comes back with a spinebuster to buy some recovery time. A corner big boot misses, however, and a Saturn clothesline sends both men tumbling over the top. To be clear, that’s a Saturn thrown clothesline, not a move name, like ‘cactus clothesline.’ Saturn misses a charge on the outside, allowing Hammer to drop him across the rail, but Saturn fights him off with a drop-toehold into the steps. Drop-toeholds were all the rage that night. They brawl up the aisle from there, and it’s a double countout at 4:48. Hammer looked really sluggish here. ¼*
Public Enemy v Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell: Johnny Grunge starts with Buff, and Johnny dominates. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker connects before the tag to Rocco Rock, but Buff quickly fights off a wristlock, and tags. Scott press-slams Rock, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Rock grabs a sleeper. Scott escapes with an overhead suplex, and a pair of cross corner whips work, but Rock comes back with an inverted atomic drop. He adds a swinging neckbreaker on the way to a tag, but Johnny runs into a cheap shot from Bagwell right away. That allows the nWo to take control, and they work Grunge over. To the outside, they try braining Johnny with a chair, but Rock saves, and rolls his partner in… on the other side of the ring. Even the announcers have to call out what a moronic move that was. Rock gets the tag anyway, and Roseanne Barr the door. They try putting Bagwell through a table, but it backfires, and the Buff Blockbuster finishes at 7:09. ¾*
Militant Nitro Girls
WCW Television Title Match: Booker T v Psychosis: Booker slugs him into a bodyslam right away, and a whip into the ropes sets up a backelbow for him. Snapmare gets Booker two, and he holds an armbar from there. Savate kick gets two, so he goes back to the armbar, as Bobby puts over the joys of using the time limit to keep titles, suggesting Booker go get a hot dog to pass the time. Clothesline sends Psychosis over the top, and Booker bodyslams him on the floor out there. He rolls him in, but Psychosis is quick, and steals the high ground. He puts the boots to Booker, and a turnbuckle smash rattles him. Psychosis with a dropkick to the knee, and he goes upstairs for a flying spinheel kick for two. Booker tries to fight back, so Psychosis clips the knee, and grounds him in a chinlock. Booker fights free and deliver a sidewalk slam, but a kneedrop misses, allowing Psychosis to dropkick the leg again to keep control. Psychosis bashes the leg into the post to really damage the champion, and he continues to work the part from there. Booker comes back with a big spinebuster, and he wins a criss cross with a jumping forearm. Flapjack leads to the Harlem sidekick, and Booker goes up with a missile dropkick to retain at 7:51. Solid contest here, with strong psychology throughout. * ¾
Lex Luger v Brian Adams: Lex controls early on, delivering an inverted atomic drop, and following with a ten-punch in the corner. Adams tries his own inverted atomic, but Lex no-sells, and uses a series of clotheslines to send Brian over the top. Luger dives after him with an axehandle from the apron, but Brian blocks. He tries for the steps, but Luger reverses, and vertical suplexes Adams back into the ring. Splash, but Adams lifts his knees to block, and delivers a press-gutbuster for two. That looked great. Brian with a backbreaker for two, but Lex counters a suplex with a neckbreaker. Luger makes a comeback, so Vincent distracts him, and Adams makes a last ditch effort, but Lex powerslams him. That draws Vincent into the ring, but Lex racks him. Cue Konnan, but Lex racks him, too. That’s enough to allow Adams to recover, but a big boot misses, and Lex rebounds with a forearm smash at 5:01. This was one of the rare cases where two guys had a better match in WCW than a previous one in the WWF. Adams looked like a total loser here though, unable to put it away after loads and loads of help from his pals. *
WCW World Title No Disqualification Match: Randy Savage v Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Hollywood dominates him early on, working him over. A side suplex gets the challenger two, and he dumps Randy to the outside for Disciple to abuse. Hulk hops out to whack Savage with a chair, and inside, Hogan works the bad leg of the Macho Man. Randy gets hold of Hogan’s belt to turn things around, and a bodyslam sets up the flying elbowdrop, but he hurts his knee on the landing, preventing a cover. That allows Hulk to recover, and he strikes at the knee again. Hogan slaps a figure four on, but Savage escapes, so Disciple comes in to help Hogan pound him down. They work the leg until Kevin Nash runs in. He looks to make the save, but Eric Bischoff shows up to block him. Nash fights off the triple team, powerbombs Hogan, and puts Savage on top. The referee is down, so Nash goes to revive him, but now Bret Hart shows up. He knocks Nash out, puts Hogan on top of Savage, and revives the referee to count the pin - Hollywood winning the title back at 14:43. This was really long and quite terrible. And I don’t get what the hell was going on with that finish, is Hart a heel now? The crowd is as confused as I am. And so is Roddy Piper, who runs out to get in Bret’s face - resulting in the Hitman knocking him out. I don’t get this at all, and it’s really off-putting. DUD
BUExperience: After losing in the TV ratings for the first time in forever last week, Nitro came back with a vengeance this week, delivering a stacked card with two major title changes, and pay per view fallout. Once again, I enjoyed both shows tremendously, and there’s no clear winner from a quality standpoint. Call it another push this week… what a great time this was to be a wrestling fan.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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