Original Airdate: May 25, 1998
From Evansville, Indiana; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Nitro Girls
Raven comes out to vent about his various issues of late. Mortis is going to pay, but Saturn is his friend, and he needs him. He even fires the rest of the Flock to show Saturn how much he needs him, but Saturn doesn’t answer Raven’s calls here
Glacier challenges Saturn to a superkick v superkick match. No wonder Saturn couldn’t answer Raven, the guy’s phone is probably ringing off the hook
Nitro Girls
WCW Television Title Match: Fit Finlay v Mike Enos: Mike tries getting in has face, but Finlay quickly takes him to the mat, and schools him. Fit with a few uppercuts, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two. Another snapmare sets up an elbowdrop, and a bodyslam follows. A cross corner whip works, but the charge in doesn’t, and Enos throws a clothesline. Mike drops him across the top rope ahead of a headbutt for two, and a fallaway slam gets two. The crowd is surprisingly into Enos. Powerslam, but Mike’s leg gives out, and his knee is hurt. That allows Fit to capitalize with the tombstone at 3:54. Solid action. One thing I’m noticing is that WCW crowds generally stay invested through the entire match (even stuff like this without any huge stars), while the WWF crowds go crazy for entrances and angles, but fall asleep during the actual match. * ½
Saturn v Glacier: Well, that was quick. Glacier with a series of strikes for a takedown, but Saturn returns the favor. Glacier with a savate kick, but then Saturn returns that favor as well. Saturn grabs a side-headlock, but Glacier escapes, and throws a big boot. Glacier unloads in the corner, but he wastes time gloating, and Saturn turns the tables. Saturn with a cross corner whip, but Glacier spinkicks him on the charge in, but another big boot misses. That allows Saturn as spinheel kick, as Raven wanders out. Saturn stays on Glacier with a suplex, and a bodyslam sets up a flying splash, but Glacier lifts his knees to block. A criss cross results in both men trying a bodypress, and both end up down, as Van Hammer shows up to attack Raven in the aisle. That ends up distracting Glacier, and Saturn drills him with a death valley driver at 4:13. Would it have killed them to finish with a superkick? ¾*
Starburst Road Report
Giant, Brian Adams, and Vincent come out, and Giant calls Kevin Nash out. Nash happily accepts, and it’s a brawl, with Randy Savage, Curt Hennig, and Konnan quickly hitting the ring to back Nash up. But then Lex Luger shows up with a chair to clear the Hollywood guys out, and Konnan tosses him an nWo Wolfpac shirt - which Lex happily accepts. The announcers act like this is a huge heel turn, but the crowd is going wild for it
Chris Jericho v El Dandy: Jericho attacks before the bell, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets kicked. Dandy hammers him into the corner, but a charge allows Chris a drop-toehold. Chris tries an Oklahoma roll, but doesn’t even get a count, and then Dandy hooks his own for two. Dandy with a spinebuster, and he goes up for a flying dropkick, but Jericho dodges, and hooks the Liontamer at 1:01. This was too short to be anything. Afterwards, Jericho calls JJ Dillon out to protest how he lost his title at Slamboree, but Dillon refuses to reverse the decision. ¼*
La Parka v Konnan: Parka with a clothesline for two right away, but a corner dropkick misses. Konnan tries a corner splash, but that misses, so Parka tries an avalanche, but Konnan is ready with a drop-toehold. Konnan with a clothesline of his own, and a snapmare sets up a seated dropkick. Parka fires back with a short-clothesline and a spinheel kick to knock Konnan to the outside, and Parka dives after him with a flying axehandle. That didn’t look good. Parka rolls him in for a bodyslam, setting up a flying splash, but Konnan gets the boot up to block. That allows Konnan a sitout facebuster, and a cradle DDT sets up the tequila sunrise at 3:04. Flat match. ¼*
Nitro Girls
Mortis promises more pain for Raven. Oh, and he wants to be known as ‘Kanyon’ from now on
Gene Okerlund brings Roddy Piper out, and Piper starts making fun of Randy Savage’s hair. Oh no, this is going to end in tears. Savage comes out to respond, and the meat here is that they hate each other, but they hate Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart more. Piper tosses out more pop culture references here than Vince McMahon doing commentary on taped episodes of Superstars in 1994. All this draws Bret out, and he claims to be pals with Piper, successfully driving a wedge between the already wedged partners. Poor Wild Cat Willie looks like Scotty J during the meltdown scene in Boogie Nights
Juventud Guerrera v Kidman: Tony sending well wishes to various viewers feels straight out of TBS in 1986. The initial lockup goes to a stalemate, but Kidman wins a criss cross with a sitout spinebuster. Kidman unloads in the corner, but misses a charge, and Guerrera clotheslines him. Guerrera with a series of chops, and a headscissor takedown sends Kidman to the outside. Guerrera is on him with a suicide dive into the aisle, so Lodi distracts him, and Kidman manages a sitout facebuster for two on the way back in. Backdrop, but Guerrera counters with a sunset flip for two, so Kidman blasts him with a really well executed dropkick. Kidman grounds him in a chinlock from there, but Guerrera fights free, so Kidman clobbers him with a clothesline. He dumps Guerrera to the outside, then back in for a slingshot legdrop, getting two. Corner splash, but Guerrera dodges, and lands a clothesline to buy some recovery time. Guerrera gets vertical, but his charge is countered when Kidman powerslams him for two. Guerrera with a cradle for two, but Kidman cuts him off again. They end up in a reversal sequence, ending in Guerrera delivering a matslam, and he goes up for a flying spinheel kick for two. Kidman with a powerbomb for two, but Guerrera blocks a suplex, and they get into another reversal sequence - ending in Kidman German suplexing him. That allows Kidman to go upstairs, but Guerrera blocks a dive with a dropkick. That allows Guerrera a scoop sitout brainbuster, and he goes up for the flying 450 splash at 9:21. This built into one hell of a match. Great execution throughout, and lots of back-and-forth action. *** ½
Nitro Girls
Nitro Party video. I call bullshit on this. I was in middle school in 1998, and I can guarantee you that zero girls were watching wrestling, let alone having wrestling themed parties
Ultimo Dragon v Chavo Guerrero Jr: This is supposed to be Eddie Guerrero’s match, but Chavo steals it away from him, now keen to do his uncle’s bidding. It’s like a Kreacher in Deathly Hallows level transformation here. Chavo even tries getting an ‘Eddie’ chant going, in a funny bit. A criss cross to start, ending in Dragon using a legsweep. He chops Chavo into the corner, and a headstand dropkick connects. Chavo fires back with a 2nd rope dropkick, and he unloads on Dragon, but gets caught with a corkscrew legwhip. That allows Dragon to get a stump puller on, and then an octopus hold. Dragon with a spinkick, so Chavo bails. Dragon gets him in a chinlock once back inside, and he lands a handspring backelbow. Dragon tries a rana off the top, but Chavo blocks. He tries a suplex, so Dragon counters to the dragon sleeper, but Chavo blocks. That allows Chavo a ropechoke, and a tornado DDT puts it away at 4:37. This was okay, but it was more about getting the storyline across than the actual ring work. And that’s perfectly fine. And, speaking of the storyline, afterwards JJ Dillon comes out to announce that Chavo will face Eddie at the Bash. *
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Dean Malenko v Lenny Lane: Posturing to start, until Dean takes him to the mat for some schooling. Dean works a mat-based side-headlock, and Bobby is openly losing his train of thought a lot lately. He joked about needing a roster to keep track of all the allegiances earlier, but I’m starting to think it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Lane lands a bulldog for two, and a bodyslam sets up a legdrop for two. Chinlock, but Dean maneuvers into the corner, and slugs free. Dean takes him to the mat in a toehold, but Lane makes the ropes, and goes to the eyes. Irish whip, but Malenko reverses, and throws a leg lariat. Dean tries a slam, but Lane blocks, and dives with a 2nd rope sunset flip - only for Malenko to counter to the Texas cloverleaf at 4:30. ¾*
WCW United States Title Match: Bill Goldberg v Johnny Attitude: Johnny comes out dressed like Goldberg, complete with mocking his mannerisms. I’m guessing this is not going to end well for him. Honestly, given how confused the announcers get about Sting, I’m surprised they aren’t buying it as Bill. Attitude tries a spear right away, but Goldberg absorbs it, and press-slams him. Goldberg with a spear of his own, and the jackhammer finishes at 1:13. He decimated him here. DUD
Best of Seven Series Match: Booker T (0) v Chris Benoit (0): The winner of the series gets a WCW Television title shot at Great American Bash. They slug into the corner right away, with Booker getting the better of it, and delivering a backdrop. A forearm knocks Benoit to the outside, and the Crippler wisely takes a moment to regroup. Back in, Benoit hammers him, but Booker counters a German suplex with a victory cradle for two, so Chris bails. Back in, Booker is on him with chops, and a savate kick finds the mark. A bodyslam gets him two, but Benoit blocks a backdrop, and drops Booker front-first across the top rope. Booker falls out of the ring following that, but beats the count in, so Benoit puts the boots to him. Chris with a clothesline for two, and a snap suplex gets him two. He goes to a chinlock, but Booker escapes, and schoolboys for two. Benoit responds with a chop for two, and another clothesline gets two. Back to the chinlock, so Booker fights to a vertical base, but Benoit sweeps the leg this time. That allows Chris some chops, and he goes to town in the corner. Benoit looks really unfocused here. Another chinlock, but Booker fights him off in the corner, so Benoit goes with a backbreaker for two. Chris goes up for a flying headbutt drop, but Booker dodges, as Fit Finlay wanders out to observe. Booker comes back with a spinebuster, and a flapjack follows. Harlem sidekick, but Benoit ducks, and a reversal sequence ends in Booker delivering the axekick. A sidewalk slam sets up the flying somersault legdrop, but Benoit dodges, and covers for two. He gets the crippler crossface on from there, and Booker is forced to submit at 11:44. A lot of back-and-forth, but the match felt like it was running in low gear. * ¾
Giant and ‘Sting’ v Sting and Lex Luger: After endless speculation by the announcers all show, the real Sting is on Luger’s team, but does not have an nWo shirt on. He and Luger clean house to start, and the dust settles on the two Stings. At least the announcers actually acknowledge that the imposter doesn’t look all that much like the genuine article. Sting dominates his doppelganger, and then tags Lex in to have a turn. Giant turns it around on Luger, allowing ‘Sting’ a pair of pointed elbowdrops for two. They cut the ring in half on Lex,
but ‘Sting’ misses a corner splash, and the real Sting tags in with one of his own. He adds an inverted DDT, and ‘Sting’ is pinned at 6:02. Total junk, as usual for the top of the card. Afterwards, the Wolfpac come out to welcome Sting into the fold with a t-shirt, and the show closes with Sting debating whether or not to accept. Quite the cliffhanger this week. DUD
BUExperience: Nitro, despite being long, was very focused this week, and the wrestling was better than RAWs. I’ll give WCW the edge here. Plus, they actually delivered their main event.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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