Original Airdate: June 15, 1998
From Uniondale, New York; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Public Enemy v Barbarian and Hugh Morrus: The bell sounds some thirty seconds into the episode, in a welcome departure from the twenty minute opening interviews. Everyone trades off with weapons right away, with Barbarian and Morrus dominating, and even Jimmy Hart getting in on the action. They keep trading off in relatively aimless fashion, until everyone goes through tables on the outside, and Rocco Rock ends up on top for the pin at 5:24. DUD
Earlier today, Mike Tenay hung out with the rowdy New York fans outside of the building
Nitro Girls
Gene Okerlund brings Randy Savage out, and he doesn’t have much to say, other than being happy to be in New York. And he challenges Diamond Dallas Page to a cage match for tonight, since why not
Fit Finlay v Chris Benoit: Tenay decides that this is basically a top contenders match for the TV title, for reasons known only to him. They feel each other out early on, and Fit takes control, using a snapmare into a chinlock. Finlay throws a shoulderblock after Benoit escapes, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Chris uses a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Finlay bails, but Benoit is on his tail with chops on the outside, and he forces Fit back in to unload on in the corner. Finlay fires back with a clothesline for two, and a bodyslam leads to a reverse chinlock. Chris fights to an electric chair to escape, but Finlay takes him back down, and works a chinlock to keep control. Fit works him over, until Benoit manages a German suplex, followed by a clothesline. Chris with a vertical suplex to set up a flying headbutt drop, but Finlay dodges. That allows Finlay a bodyslam to set up a pump-splash for two, but a second try gets him dropkicked over the top. Chris suplexes him back in from the apron, and a corner whip sets up a charge, but Finlay blocks. That allows him a rolling fireman's carry slam, but Benoit counters the tombstone to a crippler crossface at 11:30. Some good stuff, but pretty dull overall. Afterwards, Okerlund comes out to get a word, and Benoit calls Booker T out to settle some unfinished business. Booker is quick to oblige, but instead of getting in his face, Benoit sings his praises, and shakes his hand. He then offers to back Booker if he ever needs it, but Stevie Ray takes exception to it, since Booker’s already got a partner. Stevie then stomps him when Chris doesn’t back off, but Steve McMichael runs in to make the save, making a surprise return after some four months away. Great post-match segment here. *
Okerlund brings Diamond Dallas Page out to respond to Savage’s challenge, and it’s on for tonight. On like Super Mario Bros
Nitro Girls
Okerlund brings Roddy Piper out, who announces that he will referee the Savage/Page cage match
High Voltage v Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan: Chono and Tenzan are the IWGP Tag Team champions at this point, and come out with the belts. High Voltage try going at them, but it ends badly, and Robbie Rage ends up getting himself double teamed. Kenny Kaos comes in to help turn it around, and they manage to clean house, though the crowd doesn’t really give a crap about them. They work Tenzan over, until the crowd loses patience with the match completely, and chant for random stuff. High Voltage collide during a miscommunication, and Tenzan hits a flying headbutt drop on Kaos… for two? Man, I was sure that was the finish. And then Chono just takes his head off with a big boot for the real finish at 9:04. This was really long for what it was. ¼*
The nWo Wolfpac are out to celebrate Sting bringing the WCW World Tag Team title home last night, and Sting promises to reveal his choice for a partner later on tonight as they’ll defend against Harlem Heat
Kanyon v Sick Boy: They don’t wait for the bell here, and Boy puts the boots to him, but a hiptoss gets countered to a swinging neckbreaker. Kanyon hammers him in the corner, and an elevated neckbreaker gets him two when Lodi puts Boy’s foot on the ropes. Kanyon chases after Lodi, allowing Boy to recover, and he clobbers Kanyon with a clothesline from the apron. Boy with a springboard missile dropkick for two on the way back in, and a fireman’s facebuster follows. Boy wastes time gloating, allowing Kanyon an electric facebuster, in a really bad transition. Kanyon takes him into the corner for a ten-punch count, and he bulldogs him out. Reverse STO, so Boy goes to the eyes to block, but still gets hit with it a moment later, giving Kanyon the pin at 3:27. All sizzle, no steak here. Like an ECW match where they have lots of flashy moves, but no story. ¼*
Curt Hennig and Rick Rude are out to reveal their reasoning for turning on the Wolfpac for nWo Hollywood, and it really isn’t complicated: Hogan is where the money is
Gene brings JJ Dillon out to discuss the WCW Cruiserweight title situation, and he clarifies that Chris Jericho is indeed the champion. Chris comes out to collect his belt, and JJ is ready to give it to him… along with the reminder that he’ll have to defend against Dean Malenko within thirty days. Chris laughs that off, but Dean pops out to attack him, and they brawl into the back, with Jericho running out of the building to get away
Chris Adams v Giant: Giant is smoking cigarettes on his way to the ring now, in a weird turn. Adams tries getting in Giant’s face while he’s puffing away, so Giant chokeslams him at 0:25. Didn’t even put out the cigarette there. DUD
WCW World Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff are out, and Hulk lays out a challenge from himself and Dennis Rodman to Diamond Dallas Page and a partner of his choosing for Bash at the Beach
Nitro Girls
WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Sting and Kevin Nash v Harlem Heat: Stevie Ray and the referee have the same flat looking hairstyle this week. Did they install the low flow showerheads in the building that week? Sting and Booker T start, and a criss cross is won by Sting with a hiptoss, and Booker bails. Back in, Booker gets a hammerlock, but Sting escapes, so Booker blasts him with a jumping forearm. Tag to Stevie Ray, and he pounds Sting down right away. Sting comes out of the corner with a clothesline to allow the tag to Nash, and Kevin unloads on Stevie in the corner. Nash with a bootchoke, but Stevie fights back with a bodyslam, only to miss an elbowdrop. Tag to Sting, but Stevie fights him off, and tags. Booker misses a dropkick, allowing the tag back to Kevin, and he unloads in the corner. Nash with a big boot, and a sidewalk slam gets him two. Back to Sting for more dull punch/kick stuff, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop. Another bodyslam sets up a pump-splash for two, but a splash hits the knees. Sting manages a tag, and Kevin cuts off the tag, hitting Booker with a short-clothesline. Nash with a straddling ropechoke, but Booker blocks the snake-eyes, and schoolboys for two. The champs continue to work Booker over, but a Stinger splash misses, and Booker delivers a spinebuster ahead of the tag to Stevie. Stevie with a powerslam, but he wastes time talking trash at Nash, and Sting recovers with an inverted DDT at 11:21. Really dull, and frankly, lazy, match. ¼*
Scott Steiner is ready for his closeup
Nitro Girls
Cage Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Randy Savage: Roddy Piper is the guest referee for this one. Boy, Piper sure liked refereeing shit, didn’t he? Page goes to a… wristlock… right away, since, you know, cage match. Savage quickly escapes, and tosses him into the cage, since at least someone gets it. Macho hammers DDP with jabs in the corner, but another trip into the corner gets reversed. Page with a bodyslam, and he goes to the top rope, but gets crotched. Macho charges, but gets backdropped into the cage for his efforts, and Page puts the boots to him. Dallas chucks him into the cage for two, but Randy fights him off, and drops him throat-first across the top rope. Into the cage, but Page reverses, and this thing needs to find a direction, because just trading cage shots is getting boring. And the crowd must agree, because they start shitting on the match. Page with a discus clothesline, so Savage goes low on him with a mulekick, and uses a bodyslam to set up a flying elbowdrop for two. Slow count from Piper there, so Savage gets in his face, but Piper doesn’t back down. Why is Piper sweating like he just wrestled an hour out there? Randy piledrivers him, before turning his attention back to Page, but Dallas has recovered, and delivers a Diamond Cutter. Cover, but Piper is down. Page stays on him in the corner, so Roddy tries to intervene, but Page attacks him. Piper throws him into the cage, but now Savage has recovered, and attacks Roddy as well. Everyone brawls, with Piper basically getting the best of it all, as the cage starts rising. That allows nWo Hollywood to run in and attack all three, and I guess it’s just a no-contest at 12:30. ¼*
BUExperience: So. much. talking. here. So much. And then when they finally did wrestle, the wrestling sucked. You’d think, with all the talk of how excited everyone was to be in New York, they’d put on a better show.
RAW sucked too, though. A bad night across the board, let’s call it a draw, and hope for better next time.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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