Original Airdate: August 24, 1998
From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Hollywood Hulk Hogan, and his entourage, arrive in a black limousine, and make their way out to kick off the show. Miss Elizabeth looks like she hasn’t changed clothes since Road Wild. Hogan promises to win WarGames, then sail on to Goldberg’s WCW World title. Oh, and Warrior isn’t going to be in WarGames, because Eric Bischoff signs the paperwork, and he won’t allow it. This was just shit. Self serving, egotistical shit
Wrath v Mike Enos: Mike powers him into the corner for a series of knees, but Wrath turns the tables, and unloads. Wrath dumps him to the outside for a trip into the guardrail, and a slingshot backelbow finds the mark on the way back in. Wrath with a butterfly suplex to set up a senton splash for two, but Enos fires back with a powerslam for two. Enos with a cross corner clothesline, but a second one misses, so Wrath tries a jumping shoulderblock, but that misses. Mike with a bodyslam to set up a splash, but Wrath rolls out of the way, and delivers a pumphandle-slam at 2:39. This was Wrath’s first TV match since January, and he looked motivated out there. ¾*
Nitro Girls are having fun in the crowd
Nitro Party video
Dean Malenko v Kaz Hayashi: Hayashi is dressed like Chris Benoit here. Dean takes him down and cranks on the leg, then into an STF. Dean goes to a side-headlock as Hayashi starts getting to a vertical base, and Dean brings him back to the mat in the hold. Hayashi manages a whip into the ropes to allow him a knee, and a somersault senton splash follows. Hayashi with an uppercut, but Dean cuts him off with a side suplex for two. Malenko works a headscissors, then into a chinlock, but Hayashi blocks a waistlock takedown, and dumps Dean to the outside. Hayashi dives after him, but Dean manages a pair of short-clotheslines on the way back in. Hayashi fires back with a bridging German suplex for two, but Dean blocks a flying moonsault. Hayashi manages a drop-toehold as Dean charges, and a magistral cradle gets him two. A dropkick misses, allowing Dean one of his own, and a tiger bomb sets up the Texas cloverleaf at 6:27. Some good stuff here. * ½
nWo Wolfpac video. WCW did not really excel at these types of things, to say the least
The Wolfpac are out, and it’s the usual tour of catchphrases, before getting to the actual point: declaring war on Hogan and nWo Hollywood. What have they been doing this whole time? Declaring hopscotch? Also, Kevin Nash claims that he’ll be ‘running the company’ soon, and if he has to be world champion in order to do so, so be it. Pretty sure that ended up going the other way around. Nash offers Bill Goldberg a chance to team up tonight against Hogan and Giant, which draws Goldberg out. And after the complete entrance… with the camera tracking him all the way from the back… with security… and pyro… he just sort of says ‘yeah cool,’ and then walks off. Riveting writing here
Jim Neidhart v Konnan: I always like seeing Neidhart out there. He’s far, far, far past the point of being ‘good’ (or even ‘serviceable’), but I’m just happy to see him. Konnan knocks him around early, and goes to a fujiwara armbar. Jim fights him off and hammers away, and a bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope splash, but Konnan gets out of the way. That allows Konnan a sitout facebuster, and the tequila sunrise finishes up at 2:34. DUD
Tony brings Stevie Ray out, but before he can start his usual parade of bullshit, Booker T is out. Booker is ready to get what Stevie did with his TV title go, as long as Stevie stands in Booker’s corner as Booker challenges for the US title against Bret Hart later tonight
Nitro Girls
Tony brings Diamond Dallas Page out, and he’s looking to add to the ranks of his Team WCW ahead of WarGames. He doesn’t like asking for help, and wants someone to take the initiative, and ‘step up to the plate.’ That brings Roddy Piper out, and he wants in. Because he’s cool
Steve McMichael v Riggs: Riggs with a cheap shot as they do a ropebreak, and Riggs stomps Steve down in the corner. Cross corner whip, but Mongo reverses, and he takes Riggs out of the corner with a bulldog. Steve puts the boots to him, but Riggs manages to dump him to the outside to buy time, and he dives from the apron with a clothesline. Riggs with a dropkick for two as they had back inside, and a knee drops McMichael. Riggs works a chinlock, but Mongo gets free, and hits a three-point stance. Tombstone, and pin, at 5:44. Pretty long for what it was. Afterwards, the Flock attacks Steve, but Dean Malenko makes the save. ¼*
Nitro Girls
Rick Fuller v Scott Norton: Norton powers him into the corner for chops, but Rick turns the tables. Cross corner whip, but Norton reverses, and catches Fuller with a Samoan drop on the rebound. Fuller responds with a big boot and a legdrop, but Norton no-sells, popping right up. Norton with a side suplex, and the powerbomb finishes at 1:11. ¼*
nWo Hollywood video. Yeah, they didn’t get better at these since… earlier
Scott Steiner is out, and he’s really excited to kick Rick Steiner’s ass right here tonight. But, unfortunately, his spaced out doctor won’t let him wrestle… though he has to be reminded why first. But Scott is ready to go, even if it has to be against doctor’s orders. So he calls ‘Rick’ out, which ends up being Buff Bagwell in costume. You can guess where it goes from there. I love these characters, but this segment fell a little flat
Lex Luger v Brian Adams: Gosh, these two couldn’t get a good match together when they were both younger and more motivated, so let’s hope this one is quick and easy. Both guys make their entrance like they’re high. Which… is possible, considering the suspects. Stalling to start, with no contact made until a full minute in. And even then, it’s just posturing. Adams gets control, and stomps Luger down for a bootchoke, and dumps Lex out of the ring for Vincent to abuse. Vincent rolls him in, allowing Adams to cover for two, and he works a headscissors, as the crowd (and even the announcers) completely lose interest in this joke excuse for a match. Adams with a pair of legdrops for two, and a corner whip rattles the ring. Adams with an inverted atomic drop, but Lex no-sells, and makes a comeback. Adams tries a turnbuckle smash to cut him off, and a vertical suplex is worth two. Adams goes to a nervehold, and a press-gutbuster gets two. Well, at least one more that had actual effort. Backdrop, but Lex uses a facebuster to block, and he goes on the comeback trail, more effectively this time. Lex with a forearm smash for two, and a powerslam leads to the torture rack, but Vincent comes in. Lex fights him off, but that allows Adams time to recover, and he clobbers Lex. He goes for the kill, but Luger blocks, and gets the rack on at 9:03. They were sleepwalking through this one. ¼*
Another mediocre video package, this one on Warrior. Who has only had one appearance thus far
Warrior is out, and he goes into another long winded, rambling promo - this week focusing on how Hulk Hogan was his hero and role model, but that now that he’s evil, Warrior is going to bring him down. So, Warrior is starting a ‘revolution,’ which he’s calling the One Warrior Nation. Bobby: “what does that mean?” He asked it so quietly I almost thought it was a hot mic situation. Anyway, he doesn’t really say anything we didn’t cover last week, and this was completely pointless. The crowd was happy to see him at first, but the promo was just so substanceless that they lost interest by the end
WCW Television Title Match: Chris Jericho v Curt Hennig: Posturing to start, until Curt just starts unloading on the guy. Jericho responds in kind, but loses the slugfest in the corner, and Curt stomps him down for two. Curt with a chop in the corner, and a snapmare sets up a somersault necksnap. Chris fires back with a spinkick, and he takes Curt into the corner for a bootchoke. Jericho tries kicks, but Curt catches the leg, and uses a corkscrew legwhip. They seemed to be on different pages with that one, and it’s lucky Jericho didn’t mess up his knee with that one. They spill to the outside for another slugfest, and Chris throws a springboard dropkick before they go back in. Jericho with a 2nd rope dropkick, and a vertical suplex gets him two. A criss cross sees Curt try a dropkick, but Jericho blocks, and gets the Liontamer on, but Hennig is immediately in the ropes. That allows Curt to recover with the fisherman suplex, but Jericho hooks a small package for two. Another slugfest, and the bell suddenly sounds at 6:03, in an apparent time limit draw. They couldn’t even let them go to ten minutes, or whatever arbitrary number the limit was that week? Six minutes?! Afterwards, the brawl continues, and Giant comes out to pull Curt off of him, despite Curt and Giant both being nWo Hollywood guys. The match was mostly fine, but the finish annoyed me. You have a three hour show, you have time to have a ten minute match. I’m guessing Warrior ran long, and messed up their timing for the rest of the show. * ¼
Nitro Girls
Backstage, Booker T and Stevie Ray argue
WCW United States Title Match: Bret Hart v Booker T: Booker’s music plays, but no one comes out. We cut to the back, where Booker is down, and Stevie is standing over him. Stevie is shocked that Booker has been hurt, but tells him not to worry - Stevie will go out there for him. So Stevie comes out and gets in Bret’s face, but Hart talks him down. nWo Hollywood soon join them in the ring, and Stevie is ready for a fight, but they ask him to join, not fight. And Stevie is very quick to accept
Bill Goldberg and Kevin Nash v Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Giant: Nash and Giant start, and they do lots of posturing. Nash gets him into the corner to hammer on, and a cross corner clothesline connects. Nash with a straddling ropechoke, but then both guys throw big boots at the same time, leaving both looking up at the lights. Tags all around, and more posturing follows. Hulk gets control, and chokes Goldberg on the ropes, but Bill no-sells a series of turnbuckle smashes. Hulk goes to the eyes, but misses a clothesline, and Goldberg catches him with a trio of shoulderblocks, before Disciple trips him up. Nash chases Disciple, but the damage is done, and Hogan is in control. Hulk with a side suplex, but Goldberg pops up, so nWo Hollywood run in on him. In full view of the referee, but no bell is called. The Wolfpac run in to back Nash and Goldberg up, and the ring is cleared, save for Bill and Curt Hennig. Goldberg hits Hennig with the jackhammer, and pins him at 8:09, despite Hennig not being a participant in the match. This was terrible in every respect - from the work, to the booking, to the finish, to the logic. Terrible. And even all the big names weren’t enough to keep the crowd invested, as they wanted to see Goldberg slaughter dudes, not get worked over. Afterwards, nWo Hollywood attacks, until DDP, Piper, and Warrior make the save. -½*
BUExperience: This week drew Nitro’s best head to head (or otherwise) rating to that point (and which would only be eclipsed once down the line, in an unopposed week). So, this was Nitro’s highest rated head to head episode of the entire war. Higher than even Goldberg winning the title earlier in the summer. For this.
That’s shocking, as this was a meandering, toothless episode. It wasn’t all terrible, but none of it felt notable, and almost all of it felt like retreads of stuff we’d already seen. This was like a week three Superstars taping, where very little is advanced, and they just keep hitting on the same talking points established in week one.
The opposing RAW felt much more immediate and consequential. Definitely a win for the WWF this week.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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