Original Airdate: December 28, 1998
From Baltimore, Maryland; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Last night, after Starrcade, the nWo celebrated Eric Bischoff’s win over Ric Flair with some champagne in their limousine
Video package highlighting Eric Bischoff’s misdeeds as a part of the nWo
Nitro Party video. They’re wasting a lot of time for a show coming off of a pay per view, especially with the massive title change that ended it
Nitro Girls
Ernest Miller v Shima Nobunaga: Chris Jericho accompanies Nobunaga, promising to watch his back against Miller and Sonny Onoo’s cheating. Miller stomps the crap out of him anyway, but Ernest gets cocky, and Nobunaga schoolboys for two. Miller shakes him off and chokes him down, so Nobunaga tries a bodypress, but gets caught in a powerslam. Miller with a roundhouse kick at 1:14. DUD
Chavo Guerrero Jr v Norman Smiley: Smiley dominates early on, but Chavo wins a criss cross, and knocks him out of the ring with a dropkick. Back in, Chavo throws chops and uppercuts, so Smiley tries to criss cross, but loses to a headscissor takedown. Chavo looks for a bulldog, but Smiley counters with a side suplex, and that takes the pep out of Guerrero’s step. Smiley with a corner whip into a swinging bodyslam, and he grounds Guerrero in a chinlock from there. Chavo manages a sunset flip for two, but Smiley tags him with a backelbow before he can rally. Smiley puts the boots to him, and a vertical suplex gets him two. Smiley works a headscissors, but wastes time playing to Pepe, and Chavo recovers. Guerrero with a backdrop, and a springboard bulldog connects. Smiley fights him off, but again wastes time with Pepe, and Chavo recovers. Chavo with a side suplex, but now he wastes time with Pepe, and Norman slaps on a crossface chickenwing at 7:38. I found the storytelling dynamic here really frustrating. ¼*
Down in Palm Beach, Raven arrives at home, where his mother wastes no time mothering him. I haven’t been a huge fan of this angle in general, but this segment was great stuff
Booker T v Fit Finlay: Fit pounds him down to start, and Booker ends up on his ass on the outside before long. Fit follows, but Booker nails him, and feeds him the guardrail a few times. Fit manages a snapmare on the way back in, and he grounds Booker in a chinlock. Fit with a bodyslam for two, but Booker fires back, and hits a clothesline. Booker with a savate kick, so Fit hooks him in a chincrusher to buy time. Fit drills him with an uppercut, and another chincrusher follows. Fit with a cross corner whip, but Booker counters the charge in with a sunset flip for two, before Finlay cuts him off. Fit with a clothesline for two, but a second one misses - triggering a reversal sequence that ends in Finlay delivering an inverted atomic drop. Fit adds a clothesline over the top, and he goes to the top on the way back in, but Booker slams him off. That allows Booker the Harlem sidekick, and a missile dropkick finishes at 6:51. Solid action here. * ½
Gene Okerlund brings Ric Flair out, and Ric was heartbroken at Starrcade, but now he’s just mad. And he wants Bischoff so badly that he’s willing to put his career, and everything he has in the world on the line if Eric will agree to a rematch tonight. He demonstrates this by stripping down to his shorts, literally offering the clothes on his back in exchange for the match. He then goes so far as to handcuff himself to the ropes, refusing to leave until Eric comes out to face him. Bischoff comes out laughing, and he’ll accept. Even accepting Flair’s stipulation that Ric gets control of WCW for 90 days if he wins
Nitro Girls Calendar ad
Nitro Girls
Barry Windham v Prince Iaukea: Barry comes in swinging, but Prince manages to tag him with a dropkick. Victory roll, but Barry counters by dropping him across the top, and then pounds him. Prince responds with fists of his own, so Barry vertical suplexes him for two. Barry with a bodyslam, but an elbowdrop misses, and Prince dropkicks him again. Windham kind of ignores it, though, and drops him with a DDT for two. Barry with a side suplex, so Prince makes a last ditch effort at a comeback. He manages a snap suplex, but gets caught with a bulldog at 3:54. The crowd gave them nothing here. ½*
Okerlund brings a security expert out to explain how a taser works, and he comes to the conclusion that the weapon probably played a part in Goldberg losing the WCW World title at Starrcade. Glad we got an expert examination of that
WCW/nWo Revenge ad. Oh man, I remember renting a Nintendo 64 just to play that one. Couldn’t wait to get home from school every day
Okerlund brings Diamond Dallas Page out, and he’d be more than happy to work for Ric Flair
Backstage, the Wolfpac chew Disco Inferno out for getting involved in Kevin Nash’s title win last night
Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr v Eddie Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera: Eddie is still fuming at Juventud here. Rey and Eddie start, and they criss cross - won by Eddie with a clothesline. Eddie adds a side suplex and a bootrake, as Juventud cheers him on, trying to get back in the boss’s good graces. Another side suplex, but Rey blocks, and wins another criss cross with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Eddie tags Juventud in via a slap to the face, as Rey tags Kidman in as well. A reversal sequence ends in Juventud delivering a wheelbarrow bulldog, but a corner splash misses, and Billy side suplexes him. Tag to Rey for a bronco buster, so Juventud tags out, but gets into an argument with Eddie during the switch. The heels manage to get it together to attack both babyfaces, and Roseanne Barr the door! Rey is able to springboard to knock both heels out of the ring, and the babyfaces follow with stereo somersault planchas! They roll Juventud in, and the dust settles on Kidman and Guerrera. Juventud manages to get a chinlock on, but a corner dropkick misses, and Billy delivers a bulldog. Both guys tag, and Rey throws a dropkick. That draws Juventud back in, but Rey cradles for two. Eddie saves, and drops Rey with a nasty powerbomb for two - saved by Kidman. Eddie hoists Rey in an electric chair for Juventud to plant with a springboard flying bodypress for two, and Juventud adds a slam to set up a slingshot somersault senton splash from Eddie. The heels continue to work Rey over, until Billy helps him dodge, and Kidman gets the hot tag. He runs wild, and Roseanne Barr the door again! Kidman with a powerbomb as Rey dives to combo with a springboard flying seated senton for two, and a facebuster from Billy sets up a springboard flying legdrop from Rey for another two - both on Eddie. The heels get whipped into each other, but another babyface combo backfires, and both of them get dumped. Juventud hits Rey with a dive on the floor, as Eddie finishes Kidman with a flying frogsplash at 15:16. They were doing some cool stuff, but the crowd didn’t seem interested, and it was cold as a result. The flow of the match wasn’t perfect, but it should have gotten a bigger reaction than it did. ** ¼
The Wolfpac is out, and WCW World Champion Kevin Nash is in no mood to celebrate his new title, unhappy about how he won it. He also announces that Disco will face Bam Bam Bigelow tonight, and if he wins, he can join the gang. He’s also not happy with Scott Hall. While he appreciates that Hall did what he thought was right, Kevin doesn’t agree. He respects Bill Goldberg, and he offers him a rematch next week on Nitro
Disco Inferno v Bam Bam Bigelow: Bigelow biels him right away, and stomps Disco down in the corner from there. Bigelow with a cross corner whip to set up an avalanche, and a bodyslam sets up a flying headbutt drop, but Disco dodges. That allows Disco a pair of clotheslines, and he delivers a swinging neckbreaker to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Bigelow fights him off with a backelbow, but misses a clothesline, allowing Disco a jawbreaker for two. Disco with another clothesline, but Bigelow no sells, and responds in kind. That allows Bam Bam a sitout tombstone for the pin at 2:41. That finisher looked incredible, even if Disco’s head was clearly a mile from the mat. ½*
Nitro Girls
Backstage, Bischoff warms up with Curt Hennig
Ric Flair’s doctor, advocate for doctor-patient confidentiality, clarifies that Flair did not suffer a heart attack… but he had toxins in his system, and was likely poisoned
Okerlund goes to find Bischoff, who immediately denises any knowledge of said poisoning
WCW Television Title Match: Konnan v Scott Steiner: Konnan takes out the nWo referee before the bell, not wanting to get screwed out of the title. So we get an official official, and Konnan blitzes Steiner. An inverted atomic drop and a clothesline send Scott to the outside, but Steiner manages a clothesline of his own after getting back in. Scott with mounted punches, and he works the champ over. Konnan makes a comeback, and lands a sitout facebuster, then slaps on the tequila sunrise. Buff Bagwell pulls Scott into the ropes, so Lex Luger runs out, but the hold has been broken. That distraction allows Scott to nail Konnan, and he tosses him over the top. Lex is still chasing Buff around, as Scott rolls Konnan in to put in the camel clutch at 6:54. This was really bad, though putting the belt on Steiner wasn’t a bad booking decision. DUD
Nitro Girls
Scott Hall v Brian Adams: Hall is salty that Nash didn’t invite him to the victory celebration last night. Adams knocks Hall on his ass right away, and a backbreaker gets him two. Hall slugs back, but telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a piledriver. Adams adds a legdrop for two, and he ropechokes Hall. Adams works a bearhug, but Hall starts to stir, so Brian drives him into the mat with a belly-to-belly suplex. The crowd is dead here. Adams throws a big boot for two, and he slaps on a nervehold from there. Adams with a press-slam, but he wastes time posing on the ropes, allowing Hall to grab him with the crucifix powerbomb at 5:34. That finish felt extremely forced. DUD
Ric Flair v Eric Bischoff: If Flair loses, he surrenders every cent he has to Bischoff. But, if he wins, he gets control of WCW for ninety days. Considering the rumors about Flair’s finances, I’m not sure that’s a fair trade. It’s a moot point, however, as Bischoff refuses to come out for the match, and tries to bail into his limousine. Unfortunately for him, the Horsemen are there waiting, and they drag Eric to the ring. Flair is waiting for him with boots on arrival, and he drops Eric into the corner to tee off on. Flair with a low blow, so the nWo try running out, but the Horsemen cut them off. That allows Flair to keep going with a pair of elbowdrops. That draws a second wave of nWo guys out, and they start breaking through the lines. Giant makes it into the ring, and he drills Ric with a headbutt. He calls for a chokeslam, but here comes Randy Savage - in his first appearance since June 15. So Macho wants Flair for himself, but turns on Giant with a low blow, and Flair gives Bischoff a hanging vertical suplex. Figure four, and Eric is done at 4:04. Would it have killed them to book this at Starrcade? Perfect. ¼*
BUExperience: This was kind of low key coming off of such a major show. Yeah, there were some good segments, and it was nice to see Flair get his revenge on Bischoff (even if it did come off as a ‘too little, too late’ moment), but nothing about this show had the sense of urgency or excitement you’d think it would coming off of Starrcade.
Give the nod to RAW this week.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.