Original Airdate: July 13, 1998
From Las Vegas, Nevada; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Nitro Girls
nWo Hollywood are out in full force, and Hulk Hogan is putting the blame on losing the WCW World title on Scott Hall’s shoulders. But Hall isn’t taking it, and claps back at Hulk. So they’re going to face off tonight, and Hulk appoints Eric Bischoff as the referee to see where his loyalties lie. Hall was getting good reactions here, but Hogan was big-timing him here. And then Disciple gets all hot and bothered, and throws out a challenge to Diamond Dallas Page for tonight. He was 10x more effective as a character when he didn’t speak. Just hearing his voice felt like it sucked all the air out of his gimmick
Barbarian v Horace: Horace successfully slugs him into the corner to start, and a cross corner whip sets up an avalanche, but Barbarian dodges. Barbarian hammers him down, and a suplex follows, drawing Lodi onto the apron. That allows Horace to go out and grab a stop sign, and the tags Barbarian with it. Horace throws a clothesline for two, and a flying splash gets him two. He goes for the stop sign again, but Barbarian kicks it back into his face for the pin at 2:02. Afterwards, the Flock runs in on Barbarian, but Meng makes the save, making his first TV appearance since February. But then he attacks Barbarian too, for good measure. DUD
Gene Okerlund brings Curt Hennig and Rick Rude out, and Hennig wants a rematch against WCW World Champion Bill Goldberg tonight, since Hennig believes he’s discovered Goldberg’s weakness, and he’s ready to exploit it
Gene brings new WCW Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr out, but before Rey can celebrate his new title, Chris Jericho is out. He demands that the title be returned to him, since there’s an obscure rule that says that the match at the Bash was null and void due to Dean Malenko’s presence. JJ Dillon is out, and confirms that Jericho is technically correct, and should be returned the belt. An understandably upset Mysterio coughs it up, and Dean is out to complain about this, so Chris makes an offer: Rey faces Dean tonight, and the winner can have a title shot sometime
Nitro Girls
Nitro Party video. Just a bunch of drunk guys shouting
Jim Duggan v Rick Fuller: Duggan blitzes him, and dumps Fuller over the top with a clothesline. Fuller comes back in and manages to get Jim down for a ropechoke, and a bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope splash, but Duggan gets out of the way. Jim takes him into the corner for a ten-punch count, and Duggan tags him with an axehandle, ahead of a three-point stance at 1:46. This probably would have dropped into negative stars with a few more minutes. DUD
Okerlund brings Buff Bagwell out, and he’s accompanied by his doctor this week, instead of his mom. This week, Buff calls Rick Steiner out to talk about what happened, but as soon as Rick shows up, Hollywood Hogan arrives. He thinks Bagwell needs to toughen up, and Hulk tips over his wheelchair. This should have been a bigger deal than it was, really. They should have given that spot to someone other than Hogan, because Hulk had too many bigger fish to fry to capitalize on this, and it was basically forgotten as a result
Fit Finlay v Bret Hart: Hart hammers him into the corner, and he ropeburns Finlay from there, so Fit goes to the eyes. Finlay with a big uppercut, and a forearm follows for two. A clothesline sets up a kneedrop, and Fit puts the boots to him. To the outside, Bret manages a low blow to shake Finlay off, and Fit eats the guardrail. Inside, Hart uses a backbreaker and a headbutt drop to the groin, so Finlay goes to the eyes again. Fit with a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, and he grounds Hart in a chinlock. Bret fights to a vertical base and slugs in the corner, and a cross corner whip works, but the charge in does not. Fit with a clothesline for two, but Hart fires off an inverted atomic drop to set up a clothesline. Sharpshooter, and Fit’s finished at 4:27. Add this to the (ever growing) list of ‘Bret Hart WCW dream matches (that sucked).’ ¾*
Nitro Girls
Stevie Ray v Rick Martel: This is Martel’s return to the ring after suffering an injury at SuperBrawl back in February. He sticks and moves on Stevie, and a 2nd rope clothesline finds the mark. On to an armbar, but Stevie fights into the corner for a break, and uses a cross corner whip. The charge in misses, allowing Rick to go back to the armbar, but a criss cross ends in him getting dumped. Stevie goes after him with an axehandle from the apron, and inside, Stevie tries a backdrop, but Martel counters with a sunset flip for two. Martel pops up with a clothesline, and he puts the boots to Stevie. A dropkick gets him two, and Rick goes back to the armbar. Bodypress, but Stevie catches him in a slam. Stevie goes for an elbowdrop, but misses, and Martel uses a backdrop. A backelbow gets Rick two, but a charge in the corner hits an elbow, and Stevie boots him down. Bodyslam, but Martel counters to a side suplex. The Boston crab looks to finish, but Bret Hart runs out, and nails him with a chair to break it up. The referee doesn’t see it, and Stevie capitalizes with a pancake piledriver at 8:03. And this was effectively the end of Martel’s career, save for one more match on the independents in 1999. Afterwards, Gene comes out to ask why Stevie is carrying around Booker T’s WCW Television title belt, and Stevie claims that Booker gave him ‘power of attorney’ to be TV champion in his absence. ½*
Barry Darsow v Konnan: Barry attacks from behind, and pounds Konnan down for a choke on the ropes. More choking, and Darsow lands a clothesline for two. A corner whip sets up a charge, but Konnan sidesteps, and throws a rolling clothesline. A snapmare sets up a seated dropkick, and a sitout facebuster sets up the tequila sunrise at 1:57. Sleepwalking. DUD
Gene brings Diamond Dallas Page out, and DDP not only accepts Disciple’s challenge, but he wants the match right now…
Diamond Dallas Page v Disciple: Page wrecks him to start, and delivers a side suplex, but Disciple goes to the eyes. Disciple with a ropechoke, and a turnbuckle smash. His offense is really lacking. Disciple with a (sloppy) piledriver, as Rick Rude wanders out. Disciple goes for the kill, but Page manages a chincrusher to block. He goes upstairs, but Rude shoves him off. Disciple tries to use Rude for another cheap shot, but it backfires, and Page schoolboys at 2:25. Disciple did not look good out there, possibly still dealing with ring rust, since he hadn’t really worked over the last two years. Or, you know, he just wasn’t very good by this point. Afterwards, Page soaks up the cheers, but Hogan pops out with a chair at the entrance, and the nWo beat him down. DUD
Triangle Match: Raven v Saturn v Kanyon: They all start brawling in the aisle during the entrances, and Kanyon hits Saturn with an electric facebuster. Raven attacks, but Kanyon fights him off with a fireman's facebuster, but that allows Saturn to recover, and clothesline Kanyon over the top. Saturn puts Kanyon on a table for a flying splash through it on the floor, and he goes for a dive on Raven, but Kanyon crotches him on the top before he can. Mike Tenay somehow gets confused by that, unable to keep track of who is in the match. That’s out of character for him. A tower of doom spot ends in Raven getting two counts on both guys, and Kanyon hits Raven with a reverse STO, but Saturn saves at two. Saturn with a death valley driver on Raven, but Kanyon saves at two. That ends in Saturn and Kanyon brawling on the outside, and both are counted out at 5:45. They all worked hard, but this was hard to follow as a story. ½*
#1 Contender’s Match: Rey Mysterio Jr v Dean Malenko: Feeling out process to start, and Rey dumps him to the outside to win a criss cross. Baseball slide, but Malenko dodges, and both guys slide back in at a stalemate. Dean with a nice takedown into a keylock, then into a headscissors, but Rey counters to a front-facelock. Dean starts to counter, so Rey lets off, and both guys get back to a vertical base. Malenko wins a criss cross with a shoulderblock, but he backs off, letting Mysterio get back up. An exchange in the corner ends in Rey eating the mat for two, but a criss cross seeds Dean getting bumped. Rey is on him with a dive, but a springboard on the way back in misses, and Malenko uses a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Texas cloverleaf, but Rey counters to a cradle for two - reversed by Malenko for two. A reversal sequence ends in Rey hooking a bridging cradle for two, and he uses a corner whip. Rey charges in, but Dean is ready with an alley-oop - so Rey tries landing on the top rope, but misses, and ends up wrenching his bad knee into a tree of woe. I’m not sure if that was the spot they were going for, but I’m guessing not, and it looked scary. Malenko wins another reversal sequence with a cradle for two, so he takes Rey up for an exploding gutbuster. That draws Chris Jericho out, and he whacks Malenko with the title belt, allowing an oblivious Rey to pin him at 5:32. Fun stuff here, and it advanced the storyline. Wins all around. ** ½
Lex Luger and Kevin Nash v Disco Inferno and Alex Wright: Lex and Alex start, and Wright gets a wristlock on, but Luger reverses. Wright manages a takedown to escape, but Lex responds with a clothesline and a hiptoss, followed by a backdrop. Disco comes in, but Lex dispatches him with a clothesline, and the heels bail. Sting and Konnan force them back inside, and Nash is ready with a big boot on Disco. He casually powerbombs him from there, as Lex holds Wright in the torture rack, and we’re done at 2:27. A complete squash, but the Wolfpac looked like they were having the time of their lives, and it shone through. ¼*
Eddie Guerrero v Steve McMichael: Eddie charges with a dropkick at the bell, and he chokes Mongo down in the corner, as the announcers pat themselves on the back for the blockbuster week WCW had. Pride does come before the fall. Eddie with a clothesline to set up a bootrake, but McMichael fires back with a side suplex, and he adds a vertical suplex. Meanwhile, Chavo Guerrero Jr rides out on Pepe, as McMichael delivers a three-point stance. McMichael gets distracted by Chavo, allowing Eddie to clip the leg, but Chavo comes in, and the referee disqualifies Eddie at 2:10. This was pretty much all angle. ¼*
Hollywood Hulk Hogan v Scott Hall: As promised, Eric Bischoff acts as the special guest referee. Hulk tries pushing him around, but Hall doesn’t take it, and gets in his face. They posture, and Hulk gets him in a headlock, unloading rights. Hogan with a corner clothesline, so Hall throws rights, but Disciple nails him. Bischoff doesn’t intervene, and Hogan uses an atomic drop, ahead of a schoolboy, but they’re in the ropes. Bischoff nearly counts the fall anyway, though. Hulk tries a turnbuckle smash, but Scott reverses, and delivers a cross corner clothesline. Hall unloads in the corner, and a fallaway slam follows, but Bischoff is ‘distracted’ and doesn’t count the pin. Hall gets in his face, allowing Hogan to recover with a sleeper, but Hall reverses. Bischoff breaks it, allowing Hogan a low blow, and big boot follows. He wants the legdrop, but DDP runs in, attacking Hulk and Bischoff. No bell sounds, but it’s pretty much a no contest at 6:53. Afterwards, Kevin Nash runs out to back up Hall, but Scott quickly turns on him, and Scott seems to be back in the Hollywood fold. Uh… okay…? DUD
WCW World Title Match: Bill Goldberg v Curt Hennig: Hennig looks like a star at this point, it’s a shame that his body wasn’t at that level anymore. Goldberg slaps him, which ends very badly for him. Goldberg with a spear, and the jackhammer finishes at 1:19. Well, so much for that plan. Hell of a spear, though. ¼*
BUExperience: This was a very enjoyable episode, but I have to give RAW the edge here. These Nitros remain entertaining, but they’re just too long.
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