Original Airdate: January 4, 1999
From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Nitro Girls
Jimmy Baron is in the Nitro Party Suite, with the grand prize winner of the Nitro Party contest
Glacier v Hugh Morrus: Morrus with an armdrag right away, stunning Glacier. Another one, so Glacier throws a kick at the gut to slow him down. Morrus tries a backdrop, but Glacier blocks, and continues smacking Morrus around. Cross corner whip, but Morrus reverses, and delivers a powerslam on the rebound. Glacier goes to the eyes to buy time, and a legsweep puts Morrus on his ass. That draws Jimmy Hart onto the apron, but Morrus’ attack backfires. A criss cross looks to give Glacier a chance to finish him, but Morrus hits a clothesline, and dives with a flying moonsault at 2:43. DUD
Outside, Ric Flair and his family arrive, flanked by Arn Anderson. Of note: a young Charlotte is with him this time
Gene Okerlund brings the Four Horsemen out, and everyone is in a celebratory mood, now that Flair has control of WCW. Ric summons Eric Bischoff, and a sullen Bischoff comes out. Ric decides he wants to humiliate Eric like Eric humiliated him, and you know what would be fun? How about Eric having to work for Tony Schiavone! Second order of business: he brings referee Randy Anderson out, and gives him his job back. Third: he’s booking himself in a Handicap match against Curt Hennig and Barry Windham at Souled Out, but David Flair speaks up. He doesn’t think Ric should fight alone, and offers to partner with him. Flair doesn’t think he’s ready, but Arn gives his blessing, and so Ric accepts. This segment was excellent
Booker T v Emory Hale: Bischoff is at Tony’s side now, and they’re torturing him, of course. Booker with a missile dropkick at 1:02. DUD
Nitro Girls
Chavo Guerrero Jr v Norman Smiley: A reversal sequence to start, ending in Chavo landing a clothesline. A dropkick knocks Smiley out of the ring, but he gets back to the apron, so Chavo uses turnbuckle smashes while he’s still out there. Smiley drops down to snap Chavo’s throat across the top rope to allow himself to get back inside, and he uses a swinging bodyslam once in. Smiley with a slam for two, and he gounds Chavo in a modified anklelock. Chavo fights up, so Smiley whips him into the ropes for a knee, but Chavo counters with a schoolboy for two. A reversal sequence ends in Chavo hooking a victory cradle for two, so Smiley dropkicks him out of the ring. Chavo hustles to the top rope to dive back in with a missile dropkick, however, and he slugs Smiley down for two. Chavo with a sloppy slingshot cradle for two, so Smiley tries for the crossface chickenwing, but Guerrero counters with a sunset cradle at 4:00. Had its moments, but also a good degree of sloppiness. Afterwards, Smiley flips out, and decides to kick the shit out of Chavo. What is it with dudes who use the crossface chickenwing and snapping? A study should be done. ½*
Chris Benoit v Horace: Randy Anderson is out to referee, which seems like a conflict of interest. Benoit immediately destroys Horace in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Horace biels him across the ring. He looks for a follow up, but Benoit catches him with a rolling German suplex. He tries a vertical suplex, but Horace reverses it over the top, and then dives with a tope! Inside, Horace lands a short-clothesline to set up an elbowdrop for two, and a backbreaker follows. Horace goes upstairs, but Benoit superplexes him off, and then goes up with a flying headbutt drop himself! He goes in for the kill, but Horace drops him into the corner, and hits a shoulderbreaker for two. Suplex, but Chris counters to the crippler crossface at 3:58. This was actually pretty solid, with Horace working hard to hang. *
Backstage, the police arrest Bill Goldberg, who has no idea what that’s all about, and goes on a rant about how he’s a pillar of the community. This was meant as sincere, but listening to it now, I can’t help but think of the scene in the Wolf of Wall Street where Jordan is being led away for drunk driving, and slurring how he’s a ‘family man’
Outside, WCW World Champion Kevin Nash yells at the police, complaining that they just took away his opponent for tonight. Hollywood Hulk Hogan happens to walk by, and just kind of chuckles at the whole situation. Meanwhile, in the background, some other cops are taking a statement from Miss Elizabeth
Chris Jericho v Saturn: Some posturing to start, evenly matched. A criss cross ends in Saturn overhead suplexing him, and he uses a corner whip, but Jericho blocks the impact. Saturn responds by unloading a series of strikes, and a suplex puts Jericho down in an armbar. Saturn tries a charge, but gets dumped onto the apron, and Chris hits him with a springboard dropkick to put Saturn on the floor. Jericho dives after him with a kneedrop from the apron, and he delivers a snap suplex on the floor. Inside, Jericho tries a clothesline, but Saturn counters to a sleeper, so Jericho drops with a side suplex to shake it off. Jericho uses a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he grounds Saturn in a chinlock from there. Saturn fights to a vertical base, and manages another overhead suplex. Jericho tries a spinkick, but Saturn ducks. A reversal sequence sees Jericho block the death valley driver, but he gets caught with a suplex for two. Saturn with an inverted atomic drop, but Jericho pulls the referee into the path of a springboard. That allows Chris to recover with a Lionsault, and he puts the Liontamer on, but the referee calls a DQ at 7:44 - blaming Saturn for the collision. * ¼
At the police station, Goldberg is led in, in handcuffs. They take him to a room, where they reveal that he’s being charged with stalking Miss Elizabeth. The cops play it off like they don’t believe the accusations, but they have to do their job and investigate. Get a lawyer, Bill. Don’t fall for that
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Nitro Girls
Up in the Nitro Party Suite, guys are fingering each other
Backstage, the cops continue to question Elizabeth, who claims that Goldberg has been following her everywhere, and that she feels threatened
Somewhere off site, the LWO party with chicas and lowriders, but Eddie Guerrero keeps stealing all the girls for himself
Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr v Juventud Guerrera and Psychosis: Kidman and Psychosis start, and Psychosis wins a criss cross by dropping Billy on his face. Tag to a hesitant Guerrera, and Kidman unloads a pair of dropkicks, but misses a third. Juvi tries a wheelbarrow bulldog, but Kidman counters with an atomic drop, and tags Rey for a flying headscissors. Rey then pops Juvi into a sitout spinebuster from Kidman for two, and a reversal sequence ends in Rey sending Juvi over the top with a headscissors. Psychosis comes in to nail him before Rey can dive, however, and Juvi recovers with a springboard flying dropkick that knocks Rey out of the ring. Psychosis is on him with a slingshot legdrop on the floor, and he lands a flying axehandle on the way back in. Rey fights off a double team, but fails to tag before getting cut off again, so Billy just comes in, but that ends in the referee harshing his mellow. Juvi with a helicopter powerbomb for two, but a dive from Psychosis gets blocked with a dropkick. That allows the hot tag to Kidman, and Roseanne Barr the door! The babyfaces his Psychosis with a combo for two, as the dust settles on Rey and Juvi. Juvi with a scoop sitout brainbuster, but Kidman saves at two. Everyone trades off, and Psychosis nearly hits the damn roof of the Georgia Dome with a flying legdrop on Rey at 7:05. Kidman and Mysterio remain a really fun pairing, and this was a fun pairing of pairings. ** ¼
At the police station, the cops relate Liz’s story to Goldberg, who thinks her claims are ridiculous. For example, she says that he’s always at her gym, which Goldberg thinks is obvious since he owns said gym. He wants to leave, but the police don’t let him
Okerlund brings Kevin Nash out, and he’s disappointed that he can’t give Goldberg his rematch, as he promised. But, since he saw Hogan in the back earlier, he thinks Hulk might have something to do with whatever bullshit Elizabeth is cooking up. So, Nash would be more than happy to beat him instead. That draws Flair out, and he books it
Nash/Goldberg hype video. Useful
The police continue to question Liz, making her repeat her claims, to her frustration
Okerlund brings Hollywood Hogan out, and he wasn’t looking for a shot at the world title tonight, but you know, if it’s being offered, sure. He’ll do it. And then go right back into retirement after winning the belt one last time. The segment closes with Schaivone making one of the more infamous statements of the Monday Night War on commentary, warning us not to change the channel to RAW, since Mick Foley will be winning their world title, and then mockingly suggesting that ‘that’ll put butts in seats.’ This was meant as a spoiler that would kill their show, but had the opposite effect, and caused people to change over to RAW in large numbers
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Earlier today, cameras caught Chris Jericho coaching the referee Scott Dickinson on how to call disqualifications (Dickinson was the referee in the earlier match with Saturn)
WCW Television Title Match: Scott Steiner v Konnan: A distraction from Buff Bagwell allows Scott to pound him down, but Konnan reverses him into the corner, and unloads a ten-punch count. An inverted atomic drop follows, and a clothesline sends Scott to the outside. Konnan gives chase, but Bagwell nails him out there, allowing Scott to feed him the guardrail. Inside, Scott throws a clothesline to set up an elbowdrop, and he bootchokes his challenger from there. Scott with a belly-to-belly suplex, but Konnan blocks a superplex, and delivers a tornado DDT. Konnan with a facebuster to set up the tequila sunrise, so Bagwell comes in for the DQ at 4:03. Scott had gone incredibly downhill by this point, this was sad to watch. Not that he go a lot worse since last week, but I just rewatched the Steiner Brothers/Hart Brothers tag match from 1994 yesterday, and it’s hard to believe it’s the same guy. DUD
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Bam Bam Bigelow v Wrath: Wrath wins a slugfest, but a shoulderblock fails to knock Bam Bam down. Wrath tries again, same result, and this time Bam Bam tags him with a headbutt. They criss cross, and Wrath uses a pair of clotheslines, but a charge misses, and he goes over the top. Bam Bam follows to feed him the apron, then the post. Inside, Bam Bam delivers a pair of elbowsmashes, and a few turnbuckle smashes, but Wrath slugs back. Wrath unloads in the corner, so Bam Bam sweeps the leg, and delivers a headbutt drop to the groin. Bam Bam dumps him to the outside, and he follows to whip him into the apron, then bash him into the rail. Bigelow feeds him the steps before taking it back inside for a powerbomb, but Wrath manages a backdrop to block. A clothesline sends both men tumbling over the top, where Bam Bam tries swinging a chair, but hits the post. The referee gets bumped while trying to intervene, and this gets thrown out at 5:01. This was pretty weak and aimless. DUD
Backstage, the cops continue to grill Liz, and start to find cracks in her account. Liz did a great job throughout this, very believable
Nitro Girls
Diamond Dallas Page v Brian Adams: Page dominates early, so Adams bails to avoid getting caught in the Diamond Cutter. DDP dives after him with a plancha, so Vincent interferes, allowing Adams to stomp Page as they go back inside. Adams with a corner whip, and a punch knocks Dallas back to the outside for Vincent to abuse. Inside, Adams cootchokes him, and then works a headlock. Page escapes, and delivers a swinging neckbreaker, but Brian blocks the Cutter. Page responds with a ten-punch, so Adams goes low, and delivers a piledriver for two. Adams works a bearhug, but Page escapes, and manages a DDT. Page makes a comeback, but Adams cuts him off with an inverted atomic drop. Adams with a corner whip, but the charge in gets blocked, and DDP hits the Cutter at 8:23. Page was determined to make this good, and even if he didn’t quite succeed, you have to appreciate the effort. ½*
At the police station, the cops let Goldberg go. “Take me to the Dome,” he demands. Does Goldberg not understand the difference between the police and Uber?
WCW World Title Match: Kevin Nash v Hollywood Hulk Hogan: They circle each other a bunch, posturing. Then, Nash gives Hogan a hard shove. Hulk comes back at him with a punch - only to stop short, and give him a fingerpoke to the chest, which Nash sells like he’s been shot. Cover, count, new champion at 1:39. So the nWo is back together as a single faction, and they celebrate with the belt - just as Goldberg arrives! He runs out, and dudes go flying. Unfortunately, he gets overwhelmed fighting the nWo, and takes a beatdown to close the show. DUD
BUExperience: This episode felt endless, but you can’t deny the historical significance. Though I think it’s overstating the case, many people point to the so-called ‘fingerpoke of doom’ as the catalyst for the eventual demise of WCW. That, along with Schiavone’s ‘butts in seats’ comment are significant, but RAW was a better (and also historically relevant) show.
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