Original Airdate: July 20, 1998
From Salt Lake City, Utah; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Nitro Girls
Scott Hall is out, and he thinks Kevin Nash isn’t a real man like Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Stevie Ray v Johnny Boone: Stevie is cutting promos on his way to the ring, and this week he claims that he doesn’t have the WCW Television title belt with him because Booker T is holding it for him. Stevie wrecks Boone, but Chavo Guerrero Jr shows up, and he’s got the TV title. Stevie with a pedigree at 1:58, and he chases Chavo off, getting the belt back along the way… which he promptly hides, since it contradicts his earlier story. I’m digging that we’re getting more personality from Stevie, he’s a great character. We also didn’t get many full on jobber squashes on Nitro, interesting change of pace. DUD
Gene Okerlund brings Rick Steiner out to discuss Hogan tipping Buff Bagwell’s wheelchair over last week, and once again Rick is dressed like a dad going to watch a high school football game rather than a wrestler. Anyway, this somehow turns into Rick yelling about Scott Steiner instead of what happened to the guy whose neck he broke. So then Bagwell comes out, and suddenly Rick cares again. Well, kind of. “I feel, in some way, it’s my fault.” But he does offer Bagwell any help he can, and Buff forgives him. They embrace, and Scott runs out to whack Rick with a chair. Buff initially defends Rick, but then whacks him with the chair himself, and rips the neck brace off, showing that he’s fine now. This wasn’t a bad direction, but they rushed it. They should have had Scott attack this week, and do the Bagwell reveal the next week
Gene brings WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho out, and he agrees to put the title on the line against Dean Malenko next week - but only if Dean agrees that this is his last title shot
Scott Hall is out again, taking over the commentary desk to do his own introduction for Nash’s emotional interview with Tenay
Outside of the building, a wrecked car is parked in a space marked ‘star of the show.’ Man, with all their supposed budget, they couldn’t get something better than a ten year old Toyota to wreck?
Steve McMichael v Sick Boy: McMichael goes after Lodi before the bell, allowing Boy to sneak attack. Inside, Mongo tries a slam, but Boy blocks. Boy tries a rollup, but McMichael blocks, and lands a clothesline. Irish whip, but Boy springboards back with a backelbow for two, only to turn into a slam. That allows McMichael a pair of three-point stances, and a tombstone finishes at 1:26. Even for such a quickie, this had no flow. Also, we’re nearly through the first hour, and we’ve had less than four minutes of wrestling. DUD
Eric Bischoff hosts the Late Show, and he actually does a topical monologue. And holy shit, is it bad. And, yeah, that’s kind of the point… but we still have to sit through it. And there’s not even a pay off, he just gets around to making fun of Jay Leno, and that’s it. Also, why did they shoot this from a single angle, just a close up of Bischoff, and nothing else? They had a full set and a live band there!
Out by the truck, Hall has gotten ahold of the tape of the Nash interview, and finds Kevin to throw it in his face. That triggers a brawl, and it quickly turns into a big fight between the nWo Hollywood and Wolfpac factions
Bret Hart is out, and he wants his match with Diamond Dallas Page for the vacant WCW United States title moved up to right now, instead of the main event. As he’s saying this, we cut to backstage, where Konnan finds DDP laid out, apparently attacked. Bret claims to know nothing, and keeps demanding the match right now, until JJ Dillon comes out to tell him he’ll have to wait
Saturn v Yuji Nagata: We’re now officially into the second hour, with under four minutes of wrestling thus far. Not that it’s been a bad show, but geez. I’m shocked to learn that Sonny Onoo was only 35 at this point. He looks at least ten years older. Saturn with a bridging northern lights suplex for two right away, and he goes for a cross-armbreaker, but Nagata is in the ropes. Saturn unloads in the corner, but Nagata fires off an overhead suplex, and starts going after the leg. Saturn reverses a German suplex, but Nagata cuts off a comeback with a big boot for two. Nagata with a saito suplex, but a kneesmash in the corner misses, and Saturn cradles for two. Saturn with a suplex for two, so Nagata tries a roundhouse kick, but Saturn counters to a superkick. That draws Onoo onto the apron to distract the referee, and Raven runs in to drop Saturn - allowing Nagata the pin at 3:21. Afterwards, the Flock run out to attack, but Kanyon makes the save. He gives Kidman a piledriver off the middle here that looks great, and draws a big pop. He goes to help Saturn up afterwards, but Saturn thanks him with a death valley driver. ¾*
WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Sting and Kevin Nash v Giant and Scott Hall: Nash looks like he’s wearing two different outfits tonight. He starts with Hall, but Scott throws the toothpick, and then passes to Giant before Nash can respond. Giant dominates, but Nash reverses a cross corner whip, and follows in with a clothesline. Nash with a big boot, so Hall runs in, but Sting cuts him off, and the champs clean house. Speaking of outfits, Sting in grunge pants is weird. The dust settles on Sting and Hall, and Sting wins a reversal sequence with a short-clothesline. Tag to Giant, who promptly misses a corner splash, so Sting hits him with one of his own. Stinger Splash, but Giant gets a boot up to block. Sting tries a bodypress, but literally bounces off of Giant, and Giant gives him a headbutt drop to the groin. The challengers work Sting over, until he escapes an abdominal stretch from Hall, and makes the hot tag. Nash runs wild, and looks to finish Hall with the powerbomb, but Giant saves him from taking it. That draws Sting in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Stinger Splash on Hall sets up the Scorpion Deathlock, but Bret Hart pulls him off. That allows Hall to recover with a crucifix powerbomb on Sting at 9:58. The match was really nothing special, but the heat was off the charts. The crowd was losing it throughout here. *
Disco Inferno and Alex Wright v Great Muta and Masahiro Chono: The heels attack while Disco and Alex are busy dancing, and they dump Disco to the outside, and gang up on Wright. Chono gets a cross corner whip reversed on him, and Wright lands a spinheel kick on the rebound. Tag to Disco to put the boots to Chono in the corner, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a big boot. Tag to Muta, and he unloads with chops, but Disco puts him down with a swinging neckbreaker for two. A cheap shot from Chono allows Muta a takedown, and he slaps a grapevine on Disco for the submission at 2:14. Afterwards, Scott Norton comes out to beat up Disco and Alex too, for fun. ¼*
Nitro Girls, but one of the production guys pulls Kimberly away, mid-performance. I get that they’re trying to build drama around DDP’s condition, but he couldn’t have tapped her shoulder right before she went out there? The whole routine is thirty seconds long, anyway
Ultimo Dragon v Tokyo Magnum: Tokyo’s dancing offends Dragon, and Dragon wrecks him with a clothesline, then a kick. Into the corner for chops, and a cross corner whip leads to a headstand dropkick. Dragon with a series of strikes, so Magnum tries throwing chops, but loses that exchange. Dragon with a bodyslam, and more strikes, but Tokyo manages a rana off the top for two. Tokyo uses a bodyslam to set up a dive, but Dragon is up, and dropkicks him out of the air. Dragon with a brainbuster and the dragon sleeper at 2:27. I wasn’t feeling this, Dragon treated him like a joke. ½*
Jim Powers v Scott Norton: I’m not liking Jim’s chances here. Norton with a shoulderblock right away, and he unloads in the corner. Jim ducks a clothesline, and manages a kneelift, but a bodypress gets countered into a powerslam. Norton unloads in the corner again, but Powers blocks an avalanche, and tries making a comeback. Yeah, nope. Norton with a powerbomb at 2:24. ¼*
Hollywood Hulk Hogan is a dastardly heel: the video package
nWo Hollywood are out to celebrate the tag title win, and more ‘you’re not a man’ talk, as Hogan tells DDP to get in there with Bret already. Well, it worked on Nash
Eddie Guerrero v Konnan: Konnan has Antoine Carr with him - or ‘Isaac Hayes,’ as Bobby calls him. Eddie with a sneak attack, and he wins a criss cross with a clothesline. Another criss cross allows Konnan a pop-up flapjack, and a press-slam follows, so Eddie bails. Back in, Konnan manages a side suplex for two, so Eddie goes to the eyes, but Konnan wins a criss cross with a sitout facebuster for two. Konnan with a rolling clothesline for two, as Chavo shows up, dressed as Konnan. Konnan stays focused with a hangman clothesline for two, but gets distracted by Chavo, and Eddie suplexes him. Chavo keeps playing it up, so Eddie steals Pepe - and the referee disqualifies him for having a weapon at 4:27. This was pretty weak, and the finish was very weak. ¼*
Lex Luger v Curt Hennig: Lex knocks him around to start, and a hiptoss puts Curt on the outside. Lex goes to pull him back in, but Hennig snaps his throat across the top to block, and puts the boots to Luger with a trio of punts. Hennig with a somersault necksnap for two, and he takes Lex into the corner for chops. Sleeper, but Lex escapes, and makes a comeback. The referee gets bumped, so Rick Rude runs in, but Lex gets him in the torture rack. That allows Hennig to recover, and he delivers a bridging fisherman suplex at 5:19. ¼*
WCW United States Title Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Bret Hart: This is for the vacant title. I’m surprised they didn’t run a tournament, considering how much TV time they had to fill every week. Page stumbles out, and Bret is right on him, attacking the taped ribs and taped knee with no mercy. Hart with a Russian legsweep to set up a legdrop, and he gets the Sharpshooter on, but Dallas makes the ropes. Back to the hold, and this time he’s at center ring, and submits at 2:51. A real barnburner. Afterwards, Page does a stretcher job, as nWo Hollywood comes out to celebrate their second new title of the night. DUD
BUExperience: Both shows were good this week. I want to give RAW a slight edge, but you’d do well with either, so I have to call it a push.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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