Original Airdate: January 11, 1999
From Knoxville, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Gene Okerlund brings Ric Flair out to open things up, and Flair reminds Hollywood Hulk Hogan that he is under contract to WCW, so he should stop thinking he’s going off to make movies, he’s a wrestler. He’s the world champion, I think he knows. Also, here’s JJ Dillon to announce Bill Goldberg v Scott Hall in a Ladder match for Souled Out, with a cattle prod hung above the ring. Next, Ric summons the LWO out, and tells them to disband the group, and just be ‘regular’ again. And they go along with it without a fight, though, curiously, Rey Mysterio Jr doesn’t. But wait! There’s more! Ric books himself against Curt Hennig tonight. Well, you can’t say this wasn’t productive
Ric Flair ‘tradition’ video package
Okerlund brings Saturn out, and Saturn wants a rematch with Chris Jericho. That draws Jericho out, wondering why they need another match, since Chris already beat him twice. But, Chris will give it to him… if Saturn agrees to wear a dress for the rest of his career, should he lose. Saturn accepts
Saturn v Ernest Miller: Saturn dominates early, and a clothesline puts Miller down for mounted punches. Referee Scott Dickinson gets in his way, however, and Miller is able to clobber Saturn. Miller with a superkick, but he wastes time posing, instead of going for the cover. By the time he gets around to covering, Saturn is up at two. Miller goes to a chinlock, but Saturn counters to a hammerlock, though Miller quickly escapes. Miller with a dropkick to the knee, but a charge in the corner gets blocked, and Saturn suplexes him. A bodyslam sets up a flying splash, but the referee is suddenly distracted by Sonny Onoo, and can’t count. That allows Jericho to run in with a shovel, and he nails Saturn for the DQ at 4:28. Though, it’s a DQ on Saturn, since the shovel shot knocked Saturn into the referee, and that’s assault, brother. Afterwards, Jericho puts the unconscious Saturn in a dress. Honestly, the jeans Jericho was wearing here were more feminine than the dress. ¼*
Nitro Girls
Over the weekend, cameras caught Eric Bischoff arriving at the WCW offices, but his keycard no longer worked, and Flair bigtimed him by making him sit in a lobby like Frank Pentangeli. This segment probably worked on paper, but it dragged really badly in actuality. And Flair was extremely subdued, making it even more dull
Okerlund brings Chavo Guerrero Jr out to have a birthday party for Pepe, but Norman Smiley crashes, and beats Guerrero up. He then steals Pepe, and throws him in a woodchipper. Why is there a woodchipper backstage?
Over at Raven’s house, Raven shows (the unnamed) Sandman his collection of Roddy Piper magazine posters
Backstage, the Wolfpac arrive, flanked by the Hells Angels. The Angels escort them to the ring on their bikes. Not much of note here, just kind of showing off their new backup
Rey Mysterio Jr v Kaz Hayashi: Rey is still sporting the LWO shirt here. He wins a criss cross with a headscissor takedown, but a reversal sequence ends in Hayashi diving with a flying sidekick. Hayashi with a big chop, but a charge misses, and Kaz ends up on the outside. Rey is on him with a somersault dive, and a slingshot headscissors brings things back in. They do another reversal sequence from there, but here’s Lex Luger to attack Hayashi for the DQ at 1:53. Too short to really go anywhere. After beating up Hayashi, Lex comes in to try and get Rey to take the LWO shirt off, but Mysterio refuses. Lex responds by beating him up, and removing it for him, but Rey gets angry, and starts sticking and moving on him. Rey gets some good shots in, but gets caught in a backbreaker along the way, and Lex puts the finishing touches on him with the torture rack. Lex is supposed to come off as a heel here, but the crowd is wildly cheering him. Konnan shows up to try and stick up for him, but that draws the rest of the Wolfpac out to punk Konnan out as well. This was quite the shift for a Rey Mysterio/Kaz Hayashi match. ½*
Okerlund brings Giant out to hype up his match with Kevin Nash for later on. Not much here, but I will note how massive Giant looked beside Okerlund, which was a great visual
Booker T v Lenny Lane: Posturing to start, until Lane takes a cheap shot. He whips Booker into the ropes, but Booker reverses, and backdrops him on the rebound. A shoulderblock sends Lenny to the outside, and Booker follows to feed him the guardrail. Inside, Booker lands a savate kick, so Lane goes to the eyes. That allows Lane to unload in the corner for a bit, and he lands a (well executed) bulldog. A forearm shot gets him one, but Booker reverses him into the ropes again, and delivers a clothesline. Booker adds a spinkick, then the axekick, as he gains firm control of the contest. Booker with a spinebuster, and the Harlem sidekick finishes at 3:53. This was solid for what it was. ¾*
Hollywood Hogan and Kevin Nash relive the fingerpoke, JFK style. Considering that everyone else has spent the last 30 years doing the same, that actually makes sense
WCW Television Title Match: Scott Steiner v Diamond Dallas Page: The announcers note that Page has walking pneumonia, as if it’s some sort of badge of honor that he’s working in such a state. Posturing to start, with Page controlling, and frustrating the champion. Page gets a wristlock on, so Steiner tries to throw hands, but loses the exchange. Page with a swinging neckbreaker, and the champion wisely bails. Buff Bagwell comes in for a distraction, but DDP fights them both off, and takes Scott upstairs for a superplex - only for Bagwell to block it. That allows Steiner to dive with a 2nd rope clothesline, and that’s enough to turn the tide. Steiner dumps the challenger to the outside for Bagwell to abuse, and inside, Scott throws a clothesline to set up an elbowdrop for two. Steiner with a belly-to-belly suplex for two, but Page slugs back. Page with a cross corner whip, but Scott blocks the charge in, and clotheslines him. Scott with an eyerake for good measure, and he dumps Page back to the outside for more Bagwell fun. Steiner follows to feed Dallas the steps, but Page manages to catch him with a discus clothesline on the way back in, getting two. Scott cuts him off with a chincrusher for two, and a butterfly powerbomb is worth two. Steiner stops to pose, allowing Page to recover, and hammer the champion with fists. Page goes on a full fledged comeback, and an inverted atomic drop sets up another discus clothesline. A pancake piledriver follows, and he calls for the Diamond Cutter, but Steiner shoves him into the referee. That allows Bagwell to blind Page with powder, and Steiner nails him with a chair. Steiner slaps on the camel clutch from there, and the dazed referee calls for the bell at 10:21. This wasn’t classic Steiner, but it was surprisingly good, likely thanks to Page probably meticulously laying the match out. * ½
Goldberg is taking himself to task for his mistakes at Starrcade
Earlier today, Flair tasked Bischoff with setting up the ring. This was a much better segment than the one earlier
Scott Hall v Bam Bam Bigelow: Posturing to start, with Bigelow dominating the exchanges. Bigelow with a hanging vertical suplex for two, as Disco Inferno shows up at ringside. Bigelow with a Samoan drop, and he goes to the top, but Wrath shoves him off. That leads Bam Bam to deck him, and Disco passes the cattle prod to Hall. Hall shocks Bam Bam, Bam Bam gets pinned at 3:38. A lot going on here for a three minute match. ¼*
Goldberg reflects. Like a mirror, this guy
Ric Flair v Curt Hennig: Flair controls as they posture, but Hennig gets him into the corner for chops. Ric reverses, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Hennig backdrops him on the rebound. Barry Windham shows up at ringside, so David Flair heads down as well, to back his father up. Flair manages to get Hennig down for a series of punches, so Curt tries a charge, but runs into an elbow. Flair goes up, but Hennig slams him off, and puts Ric in a figure four. Hennig with a series of chops, and a cross corner whip flips Flair to the floor. Hennig follows to put the boots to him, with David just kind of impotently standing there. Inside, Ric delivers a hanging vertical suplex, but a criss cross results in both men looking up at the lights. Flair is up first, and uses a ten-punch, so Barry goes after David on the outside. That draws Ric over, but he manages to get Curt in, and he puts him in a figure four. It only lasts a moment, though, as Barry rushes in for the DQ at 9:02. David backs his dad up, and they manage to clean house. ½*
Goldberg is still reflecting
Nitro Girls
Kevin Nash v Giant: Nash fights off the opening salvo, and delivers a clothesline for one, then an elbowdrop for one. Nash with a few straddling ropechokes, as the announcers put over Nash’s ‘mobility.’ Kevin unloads in the corner, and he uses a bootchoke, ahead of a cheap shot from Scott Hall. Nash with a bodyslam, followed by a big boot. Man, Giant has had nothing here thus far. Nash tries for the powerbomb, but Giant blocks, and clotheslines him. Big boot, so Hall comes in, but Giant clobbers him as well. Giant corner whips them into one another for a sandwich corner splash, and Kevin bails. Giant stays on Hall with a chokeslam, but that allows Kevin the time to find a wrench (left behind by Bischoff when he was setting up the ring, nice touch), and Nash knocks Giant silly for the pin at 6:25. I thought the finish was cute. ½*
BUExperience: Not a bad show by any means, but a long one, and certainly not one that could match RAW's energy.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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