Original Airdate: June 8, 1998
From Auburn Hills, Michigan; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Nitro Girls
Earlier today, Tenay asked fans outside the building what they think of Sting joining the nWo Wolfpac. Really riveting stuff here
Speaking of the Wolfpac, they come down so Kevin Nash can show off his new hat. That looks like the kind of thing Triple H would wear when he was trying too hard to look cool. Sting is already ‘just another guy’ hanging out in the background, one week in. But their promo gets interrupted when nWo Hollywood take over the A/V booth, and cut their microphones. Dennis Rodman randomly messing with the lights and setting off pyro is pretty funny. But then a more powerful force interrupts, and we go to commercial mid-Hollywood Hulk Hogan rant. This whole segment was stupid
Backstage, Konnan chases JJ Dillon down, complaining about what happened. So he ran to tell the teacher? What a gang of rebels
Yuji Nagata v Jerry Flynn: Jerry with a series of strikes to get Nagata into the corner, and a cross corner whip follows, but a corner spinheel kick misses, and Flynn takes a bump over the top. Sonny Onoo is there for some cheap shots, and Nagata uses a suplex for two on the way back into the ring. Another suplex, but Jerry reverses, and delivers a clothesline to set up a kneedrop. Nagata sweeps the leg and gets a grapevine on, but Flynn gets into the ropes, and cracks Nagata with some chops. Flynn with a spinkick for two, and a DDT is worth two. Nagata fires back with an enzuigiri, but Flynn manages an armdrag into a cross-armbreaker. Nagata makes the ropes, and Onoo uses a distraction to allow him to recover with a suplex ahead of the Nagata-lock at 4:11. ½*
Tony brings Chris Jericho out to announce the result of his appeal to the championship committee, and Chris is all excited to open the envelope live on the air, but it backfires on him, and he’s left in tears. Jericho manages to carry this on charisma alone
Juventud Guerrera and Van Hammer v Horace and Reese: They have red, white, and blue banners hanging all around the arena tonight, and I genuinely hope they were just left there from SummerSlam ‘93. Guerrera and Reese start, but Hammer thinks that’s ridiculous, and tags himself back in. Well, he is their Ultimate Warrior. Everyone comes in to fight so no one feels left out, ending in the babyfaces cleaning house. Hammer then throws Guerrera at the heels on the floor, before following himself with a plancha. The dust settles on Van and Horace, and Horace manages a suplex for two. Horace with a corner whip to set up a corner clothesline, and Horace grabs an armbar, but Hammer reverses. Hammer with a sloppy cobra slam for two, and a bodyslam allows the tag to Guerrera for a springboard flying legdrop. Guerrera chops Horace into the corner, but a charge is blocked with a boot, and Horace steamrolls him with a clothesline. Horace with a side suplex to set up a splash for two, but Guerrera counters a tombstone with a cradle for two, so Horace blasts him with another clothesline. Horace continues dominating Guerrera, but a pop-up gets countered with a rana. Guerrera nearly tags, but Horace cuts him off. Horace tries a side superplex, but Guerrera topples him for two, and makes the hot tag. Hammer runs wild on both heels, and Guerrera tries a dive at Reese, but gets caught in a chokeslam at 7:57. This was really long for what it was, and felt like it had flow issues. ¾*
Backstage nWo Hollywood party with the ladies, but unlike most of their segments, this felt really laid back and chill, and made you feel like a fly on the wall. Even Bret Hart looks in awe of how casually great Hogan is on the microphone
Tony brings JJ Dillon out, and he feels really bad for what happened to Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger this past week on Thunder, but rules are rules
Eddie Guerrero v Scott Putski: Scott knocks him around to start, and a backdrop rattles Guerrero. Scott gets reversed into the ropes, allowing Eddie a drop-toehold, and Guerrero uses a snapmare to set up a bootrake. Eddie unloads in the corner, and another snapmare sets up a seated dropkick for two. Eddie goes to an abdominal stretch, but Scott escapes, and throws a German suplex for two. Eddie manages a trip into the middle turnbuckle to buy time, and a side suplex sets up a slingshot somersault senton splash. Cross corner whip, but Scott reverses, and catches Guerrero in a sitout spinebuster on the rebound. Scott with a pop-up flapjack, and a press-slam follows. Again, but Guerrero counters to a sleeper, so Scott tries a side suplex, but Guerrero blocks, and dropkicks the leg. Eddie stays on the leg as Chavo Guerrero Jr wanders down, and he goes after Eddie for the DQ at 4:34. Putski didn’t bring much to the table, but Guerrero always does, so it was still a meal. ¾*
Backstage, Nash and Konnan aren’t impressed with Hollywood’s party, and they’re not going to pay Hogan back for all the powerbomb fines he picked up for Nash a few months back. This whole nWo v nWo angle is falling really flat so far, but the merchandising was probably insane
Eric Bischoff and Giant are out (with the ladies again) to talk about Giant’s diet ahead of the match with Sting at the Great American Bash. See, he’s going to eat Sting
Tony brings Curt Hennig, Konnan, and Rick Rude out to talk about their challenge for Bill Goldberg’s WCW United States title at the Bash. How many nWo promo segments are we getting on this show? There’s literally no reason (other than padding out their three hour show) that all of these couldn’t have been done in one segment (two, max)
Best of Seven Series Match: Chris Benoit (3) v Booker T (2): Both guys are cautious to start, posturing. Booker gets the first takedown, but Benoit counters a waistlock into a hammerlock. Booker reverses as they get to a vertical base, but a savate kick misses, and both guys back off. Lockup ends in Benoit going to another hammerlock, but Booker reverses, so Chris throws an elbow, but Booker responds with a side suplex. Chris calls for a test-of-strength, and pops Booker with a shot as soon as they engage, but Booker blocks the potential takedown. Booker lands the savate kick, so Benoit bails to break the momentum, but Booker pops him with a backelbow for two on the way back in. Booker goes to an armbar from there, but Benoit fights to a vertical base, so Booker suplexes him for two. Back to the hold, but a clothesline misses when Benoit forces a criss cross, so Booker tries a bodypress, but wipes out in the ropes. That allows Chris to put the boots to him, and he dumps him front-first across the top rope, before knocking him to the outside entirely. Booker beats the count, so Benoit throws a backelbow for two, but Booker pops off a small package for two. Chris cuts him off with a snap suplex for two, and there are a couple of teens in the crowd who look like they’re on a first date, and can’t be bothered to give a shit about this one. Chris with a cross corner whip for two, and a backbreaker gets two. Benoit with a clothesline to set up a flying headbutt drop, but the move knocks Chris silly, and Booker is able to get a foot on the ropes by the time a cover is made. Chris puts the boots to him as Stevie Ray makes his way down to try and motivate his brother, but Chris hooks a bridging German suplex for two. Booker fights back with a spinkick, and a spinebuster, followed by a flapjack. Benoit blocks the follow up, however, and he beats Booker into the corner, stomping a mud hole. Chris with a cross corner whip, but Booker stops short, and catches the incoming Benoit with a sunset cradle at 11:10. This might be their best match yet, telling a great story, and doing an excellent job of getting the initially disinterested crowd invested. By the end, they were hanging on their every move. ***
Nitro Girls
Backstage, Hogan and Hart are still hanging out on the casting couch, but the girls are gone, so they turn their attention to making fun of Randy Savage
WCW Television Title Match: Fit Finlay v Norman Smiley: Fit grabs a standing side-headlock at the bell, but Norman slugs free, so Fit uses a snapmare. They criss cross, ending in Smiley delivering a hiptoss, and he adds a dropkick before going to an armbar, but Fit is in the ropes. Fit goes to a nervehold, and he cracks Norman with an elbowsmash, then an uppercut. Fit with a bodyslam, and a drop-toehold leads to a LeBell lock, and he shifts into a cover for two. Fit with a clothesline, and he dumps Smiley to the outside, but misses a punch out there, and smashes his hand into the post. Great sound on that one. Inside, Smiley wants a comeback, but Fit immediately cuts him off with a bodyslam, as the crowd does a very lively ‘wave.’ Fit goes to the mat with a wristlock, but Smiley gets into the ropes, and hammers the champion in the corner. Smiley with a corner whip, and a backdrop follows, but Fit hits him with a rolling firemans carry slam, and the tombstone finishes at 5:42. This didn’t really click, but it wasn’t bad, and certainly didn’t deserve the disrespect from the crowd. *
Tony brings Sting out, for the big, big interview he’s been hyping all night… which amounts to Sting calling Giant ‘fat’ a bunch of times, and telling him to quit smoking
Tony brings Roddy Piper out, and if you thought this show was rambling and nonsensical so far, we’ve been in the shallow end. Randy Savage comes out to join the insanity, but they’re interrupted by Hogan and Hart up in the stands, and Hulk makes Miss Elizabeth kiss Bischoff to really get under Macho’s skin
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Dean Malenko v Disco Inferno: Dean pounds him into the corner to start, stomping a mud hole. A cross corner whip leads to a powerslam for two, and a backdrop leads to the Texas cloverleaf, but Disco is in the ropes before the champ can get it on. Dean responds by unloading in the corner, but Disco goes to the eyes, and delivers a swinging neckbreaker for two. Disco adds a bodyslam to set up an axehandle drop for two, and an inverted atomic drop leads to another neckbreaker, but Malenko blocks. Dean lands a leg lariat, and the cloverleaf finishes at 2:21. This was fine for what it was, but too short to be of substance. * ¼
Nitro Girls
Backstage, Hogan has all the girls to himself now. Pretty sure that was a full heel turn in Bret’s eyes. He presents clips of he and Scott Steiner hanging out with Carl Weathers on the set of Assault on Devil’s Island. Didn’t that already come out months ago? Hulk with long hair is just weird
WCW United States Title Match: Bill Goldberg v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Chavo charges him, but gets bounced, and Goldberg chucks him with a suplex. Bill adds a press-powerslam, and the spear leads to the jackhammer at 1:19 - with Eddie Guerrero cheering him on from the aisle. Chavo did a great job of making Goldberg really look like a monster. Not that the guy needs much help in that department. ¼*
The Wolfpac are back, since we haven’t had enough nWo bullshit this week, I guess. It was too much before, but now that they’re two individual groups getting equal time, it’s really overkill. So they call Diamond Dallas Page out to induct him into the group, and Dallas comes out to consider it, but gets jumped by Hogan and Rodman, who deliver a pretty vicious beating with some chairs. And the Wolfpac that their sweet time making the save, too. They need to work on their recruiting methods
BUExperience: There was just so, so much talking this week, and most of it wasn’t especially good or interesting. The opposing RAW was one of the weaker ones from this period, but it was still better than this dreck.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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