Original Airdate: December 14, 1998
From Tampa, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Nitro Girls
Giant/Diamond Dallas Page feud review
Raven v Scott Putski: Raven comes out, but starts crying about his mom didn’t love him, and says he doesn’t want to wrestle. That draws Kanyon out to try and talk some sense into him, but when it doesn’t go anywhere, Kanyon blows up his spot by talking about how rich he grew up in Palm Beach. Rich doesn’t necessarily mean loved, though. But I get the point Kanyon is making. I don’t really get this angle, though.
Eddie Guerrero v Villano V: Eddie connects with an elbow, but misses a dropkick, and Villano armdrags him. A criss cross allows Villano a monkeyflip, and another armdrag follows, then a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. A dropkick puts Guerrero on the floor, and Villano is on him with a tope. Villano tries a suplex back in, but Eddie counters to a side suplex, and he pounds Villano into the corner. Eddie with a jumping backelbow, and a brainbuster follows, as the crowd jeers him. Guerrero stays focused with a ten-punch in the corner (“his Latin temper,” per Tony), and a bodyslam sets up a slingshot somersault senton splash (“that move of his,” also per Tony). Eddie takes him back into the corner, but Villano slugs back, so Guerrero goes to the eyes, and uses a snapmare into a mat-based abdominal stretch. Villano escapes, so Eddie sweeps the leg, and drops a few elbows on the knee, before putting him in a Muta-lock. Corner whip, but Villano reverses, and powerslams him for two on the rebound. Villano with a flapjack to allow him a surfboard, but Eddie escapes. Villano stays on him with a dive, but Eddie’s LWO backup crotches him before he can. That allows Guerrero a vertical superplex, and Eddie caps it with a flying frogsplash, but stops the count at two. And the referee just throws the match out at 6:20. Solid match, stupid finish. So Eddie offers Villano a spot in the LWO, and he accepts. * ½
Nitro Party video
Wrath v Al Greene: The announcers compare Wrath to Bill Goldberg, which is pretty funny, right after they beat him. Way to rub it in. Wrath with the pumphandle-slam at 3:43. See, the other difference is that Goldberg would have killed this dude in under ninety seconds. DUD
Ric Flair/Eric Bischoff feud review video
Gene Okerlund brings Eric Bischoff out to talk shit about Flair, until Ric himself comes out, and Eric runs off. Flair then cuts his own promo, and it’s a really weird one, where he basically exposes all of his spots by dropping elbows and knees on the mat, and doing the flip in the corner off of nothing. Flair then gets so fired up that he has a heart attack right there in the ring, which draws Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, and medics out. Gene tells them to stop filming to sell that it’s real, though, of course, they don’t. In fact, they add a few new camera angles for good measure. We even get David Flair out to check on him, though unnamed, in a nice touch. They wheel Ric out to the ambulance, as Gene comes over to the commentary desk, and he thinks it’s a shoulder injury, not a heart attack
Meanwhile, Bam Bam Bigelow sneaks into the building while everyone is distracted by Flair. He’s met by Scott Hall, who gets in his face, but Bigelow gives him a beating. Security intervenes, as Kevin Nash shows up to try and defend Hall. Too little too late, tough guy. And then Goldberg shows up to yell at both guys, as each man is held back by a platoon of security guys
Gene brings WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman out, and he wants Rey Mysterio Jr to join them. Billy respects Rey, but is disappointed that every time they lock horns, it ends in interference or some other bullshit finish. So he challenges Mysterio to a match right now, which Rey accepts
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Billy Kidman v Rey Mysterio Jr: They criss cross right away, ending in Rey taking him down. Rey with a cross corner whip, but Kidman blocks the impact, and a reversal sequence ends in Rey crotching the champion on the top rope. Rey tries a rana off the top, but Kidman counters with a sitout powerbomb for two. Another reversal sequence sees Rey dump him over the top, and Mysterio hits him with a baseball slide, then dives with a bodypress from the apron - sending both men tumbling over the guardrail. Rey with a springboard dive on the way back in, but Kidman throws a dropkick to block. That gets Billy two, so Rey tries a springboard moonsault press, but gets caught, and Kidman rebound clotheslines him for two. Kidman with a cross corner whip, but a corner splash misses. Rey takes him upstairs to bulldog off for two, and he hits a bronco buster, ahead of a slingshot moonsault for two. Rey with a bodyslam to set up a flying senton splash, but Billy rolls out of the way. That allows Kidman a slam to set up a flying splash for two, and he grounds the challenger in a chinlock, as the announcers learn that Flair was having chest pains and shortness of breath. So, I guess we’re downgrading him back to ‘heart attack.’ Kidman dumps him to the outside for a plancha, but he hurts his shoulder on the landing. Better get an EKG, just to be safe. Billy with a slingshot legdrop for two on the way back in, but a charge in the corner gets blocked, and Rey hooks a victory cradle for two. Victory roll, but the LWO run in on both guys for a no contest at 7:14. Kidman and Mysterio team up to fight the gang off, but they get overwhelmed, and beaten down. ** ¾
Chris Jericho is out to complain about being robbed of the TV title, and he brings a Konnan impersonator out to demonstrate all the ways in which he stole the belt, before Chris puts the goof in the Liontamer
Nitro Girls
Barry Windham v Emory Hale: Tony tries to massage the timeline into making Windham one of the ‘original’ Four Horsemen here. He’s on fire tonight. Windham with a vertical superplex at 2:33. Windham looked energetic here, which is a nice thing to see. ¼*
Saturn v Norman Smiley: They trade off a bit to start, until Saturn snaps, and just starts pounding him in the corner. Saturn with a half-tiger suplex, so Norman bails, but Saturn drags him back in. Backdrop, but Norman manages to block, and deliver a swinging bodyslam. Smiley with a wheelbarrow facebuster, but he gets distracted by the appearance of Ernest Miller. Saturn recovers, but Miller superkicks him, though the referee is down. Another referee runs out, but he’s the same official Saturn beat up last week, and he gives Norman a fast count for the pin at 5:56. ¼*
Gene brings WCW United States Champion Bret Hart out, and he calls out Diamond Dallas Page. Page answers the call, but it’s a set up - allowing Giant to jump him in the aisle. Giant chokeslams him off the entrance stage, as Bret pretends to be all broken up about it
Backstage, Disco Inferno tries to worm his way into the Wolfpac
WCW Television Title Match: Konnan v Stevie Ray: Ray jumps Konnan to kickstart things, and he beats him into the corner. Konnan manages to knock him out of the ring, but Ray catches him with a kneeling facebuster after getting back inside. Ray pulls out the slapjack, but Booker T (in his corner) tries to talk him out of using it. Ray tries a clothesline instead, but Konnan ducks, and delivers a sitout facebuster at 3:04. DUD
Eric Bischoff is back out, and you know things are serious and real because he has glasses on. He feels bad that Ric Flair is probably going to die, and apologizes for all the grief he’s brought him, and his family. Well, this is certain a direction
Gene brings Booker T out, and he loves his brother, but he’s not on board with his nWo journey. That brings Stevie out, and he explains that Booker pushed him into the nWo by breaking up the tag team
Backstage, Raven’s mother is trying to get into the building, but security blocks her. Kanyon finds her outside of the building, and offers to take her to see her son
Scott Hall v Horace: Hall smacks him around, but loses a criss cross, and gets tossed over the top. Inside, Horace hits a splash for two, and a bodyslam sets up a legdrop for two. Horace works a chinlock, but Hall fights to a vertical base, and uses a side suplex to break. Hall makes the comeback, but the nWo run in on him for the DQ at 6:24. This was really long for what it was (and wasn’t). Afterwards, Disco Inferno tries to make the save, but that goes badly. DUD
Nitro Girls
Scott Steiner v Van Hammer: Scott attacks from behind, as Buff Bagwell liberally interferes, with the nWo referee not enforcing any rules. Scott with the camel clutch at 1:28. Afterwards, Scott calls Lex Luger out, trying to recruit him into the nWo, since the Wolfpac doesn’t appreciate him, and even his best buddy Sting left him high and dry while he goes off to Hollywood to make movies. Lex listens, but ultimately laughs the offer off. DUD
Triple Threat Match: Bill Goldberg v Kevin Nash v Bam Bam Bigelow: The WCW World title is not on the line. Bigelow attacks Goldberg at the bell, as Nash hangs back, and lets Bam Bam beat up his Starrcade opponent. Bigelow with an avalanche, but a cross corner whip backfires when Goldberg rebounds with a clothesline. Goldberg with a superkick, but Nash saves Bigelow’s bacon at two. Nash and Bigelow work together to hammer Bill in the corner, but Goldberg keeps swinging. Bill manages to take them down with a double jumping shoulderblock, but Nash manages a clothesline for two. Nash adds a sidewalk slam for two, and Bigelow gets Goldberg a bodyslam to set up a headbutt drop for two. Bill fights them off again, and gets Nash in a leglock, but Bigelow saves with another headbutt drop. Bam Bam tries a suplex, but Bill reverses. Goldberg with a spear, but Nash saves Bigelow from taking the jackhammer. Goldberg takes Nash out, so Scott Hall comes in to attack Bill for the DQ at 5:01. This was just kind of a videogame match. But it was engaging, certainly. ¼*
BUExperience: There was a lot going on this week. Certainly, not all of it good. But most of it was engaging, and I’d give this the edge over RAW.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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