Original Airdate: October 12, 1998
From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Backstage, Eric Bischoff gives security their marching orders: keep Ric Flair out. Bischoff’s description of Ric for them is like something out of the movie theater episode of Seinfeld, and it’s great
Nitro Girls
A look at WCW stars on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to promote a new partnership with Capital One
Wrath v Lodi: Wrath blasts him with a clothesline to kick start the match as Lodi messes with his signs, and Wrath unloads in the corner. Wrath with a cross corner clothesline, and a jumping shoulderblock finds the mark. Wrath finishes up with a pumphandle-powerslam at 1:04. Someone order squash? Afterwards, Meng comes out to stare at Wrath. DUD
Bill Goldberg/Diamond Dallas Page hype video
Kendall Windham v Dale Torborg: They just throw this one out there with no introductions, which is pretty backwards, since we don’t know either of these guys. That’s pretty surprising for the A-show. Dale gets dominated, but catches Kendall with a kick at 4:17. This felt like a dark match. And it probably should have been one. Dale doesn’t get to celebrate the win, however, as he looks like he blew out his knee on the finish. DUD
Nitro Girls
Nitro Party video
Sting is out, and he wants a piece of Bret Hart and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. But, instead of either of them, he gets Warrior. Warrior doesn’t like those guys either, and thinks they should team up. I mean, I think. Who can really follow Warrior’s cracked ranting?
Bill Goldberg/Diamond Dallas Page hype video
nWo Hollywood are out, and Hogan promises that Giant will take the world title off of Goldberg tonight, and bring it back home to Hollywood. He also accepts Warrior and Sting’s challenge for tonight, on his and Bret’s behalf
Backstage, Bischoff is storming around, as Flair has been sighted. A limousine pulls up, and the Horsemen step out. Eric demands they be removed, but Ric has an ace up his sleeve: he’s riding with the owner of the building! Bischoff flips out, but the owner tells him to step aside, because the Horsemen are spending the evening in his skybox with him. The guy did a great job here, but the highlight to me is Chris Benoit telling Bischoff to ‘talk to the hand’
Hollywood Hogan/Warrior hype video
Fit Finlay v Alex Wright: Fit attacks, and knocks Alex to the outside right away. Fit follows to beat on him out there, but Wright manages a slingshot sunset flip for one on the way back in. Wright uses a bodyslam, but Fit counters a suplex into a short-clothesline. That allows Finlay to dump Wright across the top rope, and a corner whip rattles the ring. Fit dives, but Wright gets a boot up to block, and Alex unloads in the corner. Wright with a cross corner whip, but the charge in gets blocked. They criss cross from there, and Wright manages a pop-up hotshot, and he hooks a leveraged pin at 1:59. This was solid while it lasted, but it didn’t last long. Afterwards, Davey Boy Smith runs out to attack Wright, but that ends up pissing Finlay off, and they get into a fight as well. Gosh, Bulldog looked like he was constantly having an allergic reaction to a bee sting during this period. ½*
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Chavo Guerrero Jr, Psychosis, and Super Calo v La Parka, Ciclope, and Villano V: I have a feeling play-by-play here is going to be a challenge. And, I’m not really up for a challenge, so we’ll just do what I do. Fuck you, what, you pay me? Chavo puts Ciclope away with a tornado DDT at 5:10. “One of the teams won!” notes Larry. My thoughts exactly. Afterwards, the LWO are out, trying to get the guys to stop fighting their own, and team instead. ½*
Nitro Girls
Scott Steiner is out, and he has some harsh words for Buff Bagwell, and his mom. That draws Buff and Judy down, but Scott makes the mistake of calling mama names, earning him a shot from both Bagwell’s at once. Scott immediately takes Buff out, targeting the bad neck, and he’s left on the mat, at his mama’s feet. Good segment
Up in the skybox, the Horsemen party with the owner
Prince Iaukea v Juventud Guerrera: Disco Inferno comes out before the match, wanting to dance instead of wasting time with this nothing match. Prince takes him out, and the match begins in earnest. They criss cross, as WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman comes out with a chair to make sure Disco behaves. Prince with a springboard schoolboy for two, and a superkick gets another two. Prince ground him in a chinlock, and a legdrop is worth two. Back to the chinlock, but Guerrera escapes, and uses a rocker dropper for two. Dropkick, but Prince dodges, and snap suplexes Juvi for two. Another chinlock, as Disco sneaks back out. Prince tries a side suplex, but Guerrera blocks, and chops him into the corner. Guerrera with a cross corner whip, but Prince blocks the charge in with a backdrop over the top - only for Guerrera to land on the apron. That allows Guerrera a matslam, and a flying dropkick follows. Guerrera uses a slam to set up a dive, but Disco shoves him off the top. Prince rushes to his aid, but that backfires when Guerrera recovers on him with a scoop sitout brainbuster at 4:01. This didn’t really work, probably because it was surrounded by shenanigans. *
Kevin Nash is out (in a FUBU jersey, since 1998), and he’s ready to lean on his old days as a bouncer to deal with a drunk Scott Hall. That draws Hall out, and he suckers Nash into chasing him to the back, but Hall dives into the back of a limo, so Nash chases in a Cadillac DeVille. I don’t know why, but the idea of Nash driving a DeVille just tickles me for whatever reason
WCW Television Title Raven’s Rules Match: Chris Jericho v Raven: They spill to the outside right away, and Chris manages to whip him into the guardrail. Chris grabs a chair on the way in, but Raven dropkicks it back at him. Raven tries whipping him into the chair, but Jericho reverses, and they spill back to the outside. Chris gets reversed into the post out there, and Raven uses a drop-toehold into a chair on the way back in. DDT, but Chris counters to the Liontamer at 3:00. This was too short to be much of anything. ¼*
Gene Okerlund brings Rick Steiner out to talk about brother Scott, but before they can get too far, we hear that creepy laughter over the PA again, as we’ve heard for weeks. And this time we finally find out the source, as Chucky (the literal doll from the horror movies) shows up on the video wall, and threatens Rick. Also, he recommends we go see Bride of Chucky, in theaters next week. This was about as dumb and stupid as it gets, and exactly the kind of silly shit Eric Bischoff always talks about pushing the product away from in the post-nWo era
Diamond Dallas Page hypes up WCW’s appearance on QVC later this week
Bischoff is out, fuming about the Flair situation. He demands security accompany him up to the skybox to have them removed, and they march over to make that happen. To the owner of the building. So they end up at the suite (with Eric covered in shit that people in the crowd threw at him), and Eric tries to toss him out, but gets swarmed by security. These segments are great character development, and you just love to hate Bischoff. The announcers are also in all their glory mocking him here, and it’s fantastic
WCW World Title No Disqualification Match: Bill Goldberg v Giant: Giant manages a dropkick, and a cross corner whip is followed in with a clothesline. Giant with a Russian legsweep, and a pair of turnbuckle smashes, but Bill blocks a third. Bill with a few smashes of his own, and a kick to the gut leads to a bodyslam. Spear, so Stevie Ray comes in with a chair, but Goldberg no sells it. That allows Giant a chokeslam, but DDP saves at two. Giant chokeslams him, but Bill saves with a spear, and Giant fucks off for the countout at 2:44. Nothing as a match, but entertaining nonetheless. DUD
Nitro Girls
Sting and Warrior v Bret Hart and Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Sting and Hogan start, and good thing, because Warrior looks like he blew himself up on the entrance. A criss cross allows Sting a clothesline, and he adds an inverted atomic drop, before teeing off in the corner. Tag to Bret, and a cheap shot from Hulk allows the Hitman to take control. The heels work Sting over, until Bret misses a 2nd rope elbowdrop, and Warrior gets the hot tag. He runs wild on Bret, so Hogan comes in with a cheap shot, but Warrior no sells. That draws nWo Hollywood out for the DQ at 5:38. This was exactly what you’d expect it to be, but not what you’d want it to be. Poor Bret looks like he got his bell rung by Warrior, too. ¼*
BUExperience: Huge marquee match on top, a lot of bullshit underneath - you know the drill. Usually you can at least count on a strong undercard match, or two, but no such luck this week. The Bischoff/Flair stuff was outstanding though, if a little too long overall.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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