Original Airdate: August 3, 1998
From Denver, Colorado; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half). Larry is missing until after the first match, apparently fighting a gag order from the nWo
Nitro Girls
Gene Okerlund brings Diamond Dallas Page out, and apparently Jay Leno will be teaming with him this Saturday at Road Wild to face Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. Boy, they really waited until the last minute to announce that one. And it’s not like there’s a lot of other top level matches announced. It’s been a really lax build, which is uncharacteristic for them during this period. Their pay per view shows may not have all been winners, but they were reliably well developed, top to bottom
Diamond Dallas Page v Barbarian: Barbarian just throws this challenge out after making his entrance, and Page accepts. Who was he supposed to be facing here? Page with a swinging neckbreaker to win a reversal sequence, and he goes for the Diamond Cutter, but Barbarian blocks. Page tries a ten-punch count, but Barbarian uses a low blow to block, and he takes control. Barbarian unloads in the corner, but Dallas turns the tables, so Barbarian throws a kick to the gut. Barbarian puts the boots to Dallas, but a corner charge gets blocked, so Barbarian tries a short-clothesline, but DDP reverses. Jimmy Hart distracts him to allow Barbarian to recover, and he tries a bodyslam, but Page counters to the Cutter - blocked again. Barbarian goes back to the slam, but this time Dallas is able to successfully counter to the Cutter at 3:26. ¼*
Eric Bischoff is out to host his stupid Tonight Show skit, with guest Hollywood Hogan. As usual, this segment runs super long, and is pretty terrible, BUT, at least it’s building to an announced match now
WCW United States Champion Bret Hart hype video
Psychosis v Tokyo Magnum: Psychosis attacks before the bell, and unloads in the corner, but Scott Norton runs in on both guys for a no-contest at 0:23. Well, this was certainly a good use of time and talent. Afterwards, Norton makes an open challenge, so Hugh Morrus comes out - and promptly gets powerbombed. DUD
Nitro Girls
Gene brings WCW World Champion Bill Goldberg out, and he’s ready for the nWo at Road Wild. Apparently in some sort of battle royal? They haven’t made it clear. That draws Sting out, but nothing comes of it, as Goldberg gets distracted by nWo Hollywood, and chases them
Backstage, Sting finds Lex Luger unconscious on the floor. Apparently the announcers are now officially blind, as they can’t recognize that the guy sprawled out on the floor is Lex
Jim Duggan v Brian Adams: A criss cross allows Jim to throw a clothesline, and another pair of them knock Adams out of the ring. He hustles back in, so Duggan hammers him with fists, and throws an axehandle to put him down. Backdrop, but Brian blocks, and delivers an inverted atomic drop. Adams uses a snapmare to set up a chinlock, and the announcers are still all confused about how the guy we saw down is Luger. He wasn’t wearing a disguise, you morons. Jim fights Adams off in the corner, so Vincent tries to interfere, but it backfires. That allows Hacksaw the three-point stance, so Vincent tries another attack, but misses. The distraction allows Adams to recover with a piledriver, however, at 3:09. DUD
Backstage, Gene tries to get word with Sting, but Sting won’t open his door. Bret Hart shows up instead, offering himself as a partner for Sting since Luger suffered such an unfortunate accident
Gene is out, shilling an American Iron Horse motorcycle
The Flock are out to talk shit about Saturn, but Raven takes exception to Lodi taking his own shots at Saturn, and breaks his flunkies fingers. That draws Saturn out, so Raven bails, but instead of helping Lodi, Saturn beats him up as well. This probably sounds more interesting on paper than it was. This whole angle is a mess, and has been for a long time
Backstage, Gene is still trying to get Sting to come out of his room, when he spots Bret chatting with Scott Hall down the hallway. This is stupid
Nitro Girls
Gene brings JJ Dillon out, and he asks Dean Malenko to join them. Dean, in turn, wants WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho to join them, and Chris is all too happy to come out and run his mouth. But it’s quickly closed, when Dillon announces that Malenko will referee Jericho’s title match against Juventud Guerrera at Road Wild
Eddie Guerrero v Juventud Guerrera: We’ve had only some seven minutes of actual wrestling time thus far, some ninety minutes into the program. And people always said WCW was the ‘wrestling’ show compared to the WWF’s brand of ‘sports entertainment.’ So much for that. Eddie responds to a handshake attempt with a slap to the face, so Guerrera goes to a headlock, but Eddie quickly escapes. Guerrera with chops, so Eddie tries a pop-up, but Guerrera counters with a dropkick. Eddie manages a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a side suplex follows. Eddie with a pair of chops, but Guerrera blocks another tilt-a-whirl, and uses a headscissor takedown. Guerrera with a flying spinheel kick to send Eddie to the outside, and Guerrera is on him with a suicide dive. Guerrera with a cross corner whip on the way back inside, but the charge in is blocked with a hotshot on the turnbuckle. Eddie tries a powerbomb, but Guerrera counters with a DDT for two. Guerrera with a springboard flying dropkick, but Eddie blocks the scoop sitout brainbuster, and delivers a shoulderbreaker. That allows Eddie to go up with a flying frogsplash at 4:06. Really putting Juvi over strong ahead of his title shot on Saturday. * ¼
Gene is out showing off that motorcycle you can buy
Stevie Ray v Lizmark Jr: Stevie is still carrying around the WCW Television title belt, and claiming to be ‘defending’ it on brother Booker T’s behalf. Stevie slugs him down to start, and a pop-up flapjack puts Lizmark down. Ray with a bicycle kick to send Lizmark to the outside, but Lizmark beats the count, so Ray cross corner whips him. The charge in hits a boot, allowing Lizmark a flying bodypress for two. Lizmark with a corner whip of his own, but his charge gets blocked, and Stevie kicks him down. Ray with a slam, and he looks to finish up, but Chavo Guerrero Jr is out, distracting him by revealing that he’s been going through Ray’s bag in the back. That sets Stevie out after him, and he’s counted out at 3:09. ¼*
Curt Hennig v Konnan: Curt tries a sneak attack, but Konnan fights it off, and cross corner whips him. Konnan with a hiptoss and a clothesline, so Hennig bails, and regroups. Curt manages to pound Konnan down on the way back in, and he puts the boots to the man. Curt with chops in the corner, but Konnan reverses a whip into the ropes, and delivers a rolling clothesline. Konnan with a seated dropkick, and a sitout facebuster follows. The tequila sunrise looks to finish, so Scott Norton goes to the apron, and Konnan takes the bait. That allows Hennig to recover, and he chokes Konnan down, ahead of a bridging fisherman suplex at 2:53. Afterwards, Kevin Nash hits the ring to prevent a beatdown. ¼*
Chris Jericho v Rey Mysterio Jr: Jericho’s WCW Cruiserweight title is not on the line. Chris attacks before the bell, and unloads on Rey in the corner. Jericho with a cross corner whip, but the charge in hits a boot, and Rey uses a rana to send Chris to the outside. Mysterio with a springboard flying seated senton on the floor, and a dropkick follows out there. Rey with another dropkick on the way back in, and a lightning legdrop finds the mark. Rey with a snapmare into a headscissor hold, and a springboard moonsault press gets him two. Jericho tries backdropping him over the top, but Rey lands on the apron, and springboards back in - only to get caught in a press-shoulderbreaker for two. Jericho dumps him to the outside, and dives off the 2nd rope with a flying dropkick on the floor - Rey taking a bump into the guardrail off of it. Nice spot there. Inside, Chris tries a suplex, but Mysterio reverses. Rey adds a standing moonsault for two, but Chris clobbers him with a clothesline as they both pop up. Jericho works a modified stump puller, but Rey gets into the ropes. Jericho with a cross corner whip followed in with an inverted avalanche, but a second avalanche misses, and Rey uses a headscissors takedown. Rey with a hotshot, and a springboard slingshot moonsault gets him two. A criss cross goes Chris’s way with a German suplex for two, however, and Jericho tries a springboard dropkick, but misses. That allows Rey a rana, but Chris fights him off with a butterfly backbreaker. Jericho tries a pop-up, but Rey counters with a facebuster, and he tries a springboard flying rana, but Jericho pulls the referee into the shot instead. Rey tries another springboard, but Chris catches him in the Liontamer - only for Rey to counter to a cradle. No referee, so Dean Malenko runs in and counts the pin himself at 10:56. And the stupid timekeeper actually rings the bell, and apparently it counts. Where was this timekeeper at WrestleMania IX? He could have changed everything. ** ½
Nitro Girls
Scott Steiner is out, and apparently his mother was very disappointed in him for his behavior last week, and so he’s quitting nWo Hollywood, since Sharif don’t like it. He calls Rick Steiner out so he can apologize to him in person, but instead Buff Bagwell comes out dressed as Rick, and acts like a literal dog, as Scott mocks him. Both guys were so funny here that it’s hard to boo them. The real Rick shows up with a chair, however, and he’s not laughing
Nitro Girls. They’re working overtime this week. Ah, and now I see why, as nWo Hollywood comes out, and accosts Kimberly. Bischoff talks shit, so she slaps him, and they grab her. That draws DDP out, but he’s alone against six guys, and gets clobbered. The nWo do an extended beatdown, and of course, no other babyfaces run out, since they’re a bunch of losers. This was supposed to be a hot angle, and it had all the right notes, but came off flat. And the crowd reaction was pretty subdued
WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Giant and Scott Hall v Bret Hart and Sting: Sting comes out dressed in his old ‘crow’ gear/paint, instead of the Wolfpac colors. Hall and Hart start, and there’s lots of posturing. Hart gets a wristlock on, and he tries to pass, but Sting doesn’t want the tag. Hart forces the point, and Sting comes in swinging on Scott. Sting with a one-handed bulldog, and he goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Hall is in the ropes before he can lock it on. A shot from Giant allows Hall a clothesline, and Giant tags in to legally clobber him. The heels work Sting over, so Hart comes in with a bat. He swings, but ends up hitting Hall, and Sting pins Scott at 6:13 - though it’s unclear if Bret meant to hit him, or Sting. The match was mostly okay, but nothing special. I liked the angle, though. And then they negate any positive feelings I may have, as the decision gets reversed, and the heels keep the belts. Because reasons. Afterwards, Giant beats Sting up, until Goldberg makes the save. ½*
BUExperience: Neither show was especially good this week, but RAW was certainly the more memorable of the two, so I’ll give it the edge. Nitro had the best match of the week in Jericho/Mysterio, though.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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