Original Airdate: February 8, 1999
From Buffalo, New York; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Nitro Girls - complete with a creepy looking Diamond Dallas Page watching from the wings
Backstage, the Wolfpac have captured Arn Anderson, and are letting Disco Inferno beat him up for laughs
At a bar somewhere, Torrie Wilson (unnamed, in her debut) is being flirtatious with an unseen individual
Rey Mysterio Jr v Blitzkrieg: They feel each other out at the bell, and Rey manages a takedown with a wheelbarrow armdrag. A criss cross sees Blitzkrieg fire back with a dropkick to put Rey on the outside, and Blitzkrieg dives after him. Blitzkrieg with a flying rana on the way back in, but Rey catches him with a powerbomb for two on the way down. Rey uses a slam to set up a slingshot moonsault for two, but Blitzkrieg blocks a side suplex. A reversal sequence ends in Blitzkrieg hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a somersault senton leads to a standing moonsault for two. He shifted from the senton into the moonsault as if it were one move. Rey tries a charge in the corner, but misses, and ends up on the outside. Blitzkrieg is on him with a flying bodypress, but Rey manages a dropkick to block. Rey whips him into the guardrail before taking it back inside, where he delivers a springboard flying guillotine legdrop for two. Rey with a vertical superplex for two, and he grabs a chinlock, but Blitzkrieg escapes, and uses a sunset flip for two. Rey cuts him off with a clothesline, and a snapmare allows him a headscissors hold. Rey with his own tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two, but Blitzkrieg shoots back with a dropkick, so Rey uses a headscissors takedown to set up a bronco buster. Rey climbs, but Blitzkrieg knocks him off the top. That allows Blitzkrieg a flying corkscrew moonsault, but Rey dodges. Rey with a rana off the top, and that’s enough at 8:22. Good action here, and the crowd was into it. ** ¾
Kevin Nash/Lex Luger v Rey Mysterio Jr/Konnan feud review video
Kanyon shows up at Raven’s mom’s house, where mom has asked him to come by because Raven is depressed. But, it turns out that it’s all a work, and he’s actually having a great time riding around in his Ferrari - he just wants his mom to think that he’s depressed
Booker T v Fit Finlay: Posturing early on, until Booker makes the mistake of playing to the crowd, and Finlay nails him. Fit pops him with uppercuts, and a short-clothesline gets him two. A backslide is worth two, and Fit uses a chincrusher on him. Fit with a snapmare to set up a kneesmash, and he adds a kneedrop. Finlay with a shoulderblock, and a criss cross sees Booker go down when they collide on a leapfrog. Another criss cross sees Booker land the Harlem sidekick for two, and he chops Fit in the corner. Another sidekick, but Fit ducks this time, and Booker ends up going over the top. Fit is on him with an axehandle from the apron, and he hammers on Booker out there. Inside, Fit works a sleeper, but Booker manages to reverse. Fit gets loose, and pops him with a few uppercuts, before dumping Booker back to the outside. Booker beats the count with a slingshot sunset flip, but Fit is free at two. Fit pounds him back down for a kneedrop, and he grabs a chinlock from there. Booker escapes, so Fit whacks him again, and decides to try a superplex, but Booker blocks. That allows Booker a flying bodypress for two, and the axekick delivers. Booker keeps the comeback going, and a missile dropkick finishes at 14:11. Solid, if a little underwhelming. *
Backstage, Hollywood Hulk Hogan tells Horace that he’s going to be his successor someday
Backstage, Ric Flair assigns Eric Bischoff his menial duties for the day: clean the bathrooms
Raven and Kanyon go to the bank, where Raven withdraws $10,000 in one dollar bills. “What are those for?” wonders Kanyon. Yeah, I’ll bet no acting was needed there
Backstage, Jimmy Hart sends the Faces of Fear in to wreck the bathroom that Bischoff is cleaning. With poop magoops
Backstage, Hogan tells Brian Adams that he’s going to be his successor someday. Clearly, this dude paid a lot of attention during his years with Vince McMahon
Gene Okerlund brings Ric Flair out, and he wants Hogan to enjoy the next two weeks, because it’s all over for him at SuperBrawl IX. He then calls WCW United States Champion Bret Hart out, and he doesn’t care if Bret has a groin injury, he’s defending the title tonight. And his opponent? Roddy Piper. I like how Flair’s argument is that they don’t want some part time champion, and then names Piper - a guy who hasn’t wrestled since Fall Brawl - as his challenger
Torrie Wilson is riding around in her limousine, flirting with a still unseen person
Video package on the history of the WCW World Tag Team title. I appreciate the effort to add some luster back to the belts
Nitro Girls
Backstage, Hogan tells Stevie Ray that he’s going to be his successor someday
Backstage, the luchadores want Eric to fetch them some lotion for their bathroom time
WCW World Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Curt Hennig and Barry Windham v Brian Adams and Horace: Curt attacks Adams to jumpstart things, and their partners quickly jump in to brawl as well. Curt hits Adams with a backelbow, but Brian no-sells, and press-slams him for two. Adams tosses him to the outside for Horace to abuse, and Curt gets whipped into the guardrail while out there. Inside, they work Hennig over, and the crowd is pretty dead for this, probably because there’s been so much backstage stuff between matches. Curt manages a bridging fisherman suplex on Adams, but Horace saves at two, and the nWo spike piledrive him. That draws Barry in, and the referee has to deal with that, so no count as Adams makes a lateral press. Vincent and Stevie Ray fight over who gets to interfere, and it results in Adams accidentally eating the slapjack, with Hennig falling on top for the pin at 8:59. This was extremely weak, especially the silly finish. DUD
Torrie Wilson leads her unseen companion through a hotel lobby, and into an elevator, come-hither look fully deployed
Bill Goldberg/Bam Bam Bigelow hype video
Backstage, Hogan tells Vincent that he’s going to be his successor someday
Okerlund brings Bam Bam Bigelow out, and he offers to take Goldberg’s wife for a walk on a dogleash. That draws Bill out, and you’d better believe they’re throwing down. Security separates them, with Goldberg in control
Bruise Cruise ad
Nitro Girls
Backstage, DDP hangs out with Jason Hervey, when Rita Sever shows up to do an impression of him
Diamond Dallas Page v Kenny Kaos: Kaos overpowers him at the bell, but DDP is fired up, and beats him to the outside for a trip into the rail. Kaos beats the count, so Page schoolboys for two, and then hooks a second one for another two. Page with a clothesline, so Kaos bails to the apron to break the momentum. Back in, DDP holds a headlock, but Kaos forces a criss cross, as Bobby suggests that Kimberly leave the Nitro Girls and ‘dance at some mall somewhere, for kids.’ Kaos with a springboard flying clothesline, and he ropechokes Page from there. Kaos with a gutwrench powerbomb for two, and he goes to a chinlock. Page escapes, and makes a comeback, finishing with the Diamond Cutter at 5:45. ¼*
Raven takes Kanyon to the mall, where he wants to get him some goodies at Versace
Monday Night Jericho t-shirt ad
Raven and Kanyon visit the strip club, but we don’t get to actually see that scene, just some establishing shots, and then they’re back at mom’s house, where Kanyon is now in on the scam
Ernest Miller is out, and making grandstand challenges to anyone. Backstage, the nWo sees this, and decides to fuck with Vincent for messing things up earlier by telling him that Miller was mocking him. Vincent takes the bait, and heads to the ring. He seems to be wise to their machinations, however, and tries to get Disco Inferno to take the spot instead, but even Disco is too smart for him this time
Ernest Miller v Vincent: Vincent just gets murdered here, but Miller falls off the top rope while going for the finisher, and Vincent hooks the leg at 4:21. DUD
Backstage, Scott Steiner follows Kimberly as she tries to get to her car, but DDP attacks, and they brawl. Scott slips away as security separates them, and takes off in Page’s Cadillac - Kimberly in the passenger seat. Page chases, but Scott decides to make it easy, and shoves her out - Kimberly taking a nasty spill on the concrete. Obviously a stunt double, but still a cool scene
Backstage, Zbyszko floods the bathroom, while lecturing Bischoff
WCW United States Title Match: Bret Hart v Roddy Piper: Piper isn’t much older than Hart, but he looks like his father out there. Piper slugs at him to kick things off, and Hart gets dumped to the outside. Piper is on his tail for a shot into the rail, and inside, Roddy uses an earringer. Piper with a ten-punch count, so Bret goes to the eyes, and throws some punches of his own. Piper sweeps the leg, so Hart grabs the ropes to save himself, then bails when Piper gives him the clean break. Back in, Piper tags him with more fists, so Hart tries choking, but Piper uses a mulekick to put a stop to it. Hart oversells it like nuts, claiming to have reinjured his groin, as they cast doubts as to whether Piper hit him with the kick or not. Bret is going full Eddie Guerrero here, and I love it. He suckers Piper in and hammers into the corner, then ropechokes him. Hart keeps working him over, and he decides to stop to pull Will Sasso over the rail, beating him up on the outside. That gives Piper some time to recover, and he takes control as they go back into the ring. Piper with a vertical suplex for two, and a side suplex is worth two. Bret suckers him into the corner to trigger a slugfest, and Piper gets the sleeper on, but the referee gets bumped. That results in both guys colliding for a double knockout spot, and Hart pulls a weapon out. Piper hooks a small package, but there’s no referee, and Hart blasts his challenger with the weapon. Bret tries to revive the official, but Sasso interferes, and Piper recovers with a schoolboy at 12:24. This wasn’t WrestleMania VIII, but it was a nice moment, and kind of a fun bookend of their 1992 match, with Bret putting Roddy over for the secondary title this time around. ½*
At the hotel, Torrie and her companion reach her room. That must have been one hell of a long elevator ride
The Outsiders v Ric Flair and Steve McMichael: Everyone brawls to start, and the dust settles on Scott Hall and Flair. Ric dominates, and swipes at Kevin Nash to draw him in, but Mongo clips the leg, and the Wolfpac bail. The dust settles back on Hall and Flair, and Ric uses an inverted atomic drop, but Scott fires back with a clothesline. Hall with a cross corner clothesline, so Flair goes to the top, but gets slammed off. That allows Scott an abdominal stretch, but Flair uses a hiptoss to escape. He adds an elbowdrop, but Hall is close to his corner, and tags. Flair dodges a clothesline to allow a tag out, and Mongo dominates both Outsiders. A cheap shot from Hall on the apron puts a stop to that, and the Outsiders take control on McMichael. Steve gets away from Hall long enough to make the tag to Flair, and he runs wild. Hall gets locked in the figure four, as we split screen to the back, where Hollywood Hogan is walking around with a bucket of water. That seems newsworthy. Hall escapes the hold as Hogan comes out with his bucket, and he throws the water on McMichael’s face. That leaves Steve in bad shape, and the Outsiders destroy Flair. Hulk coems in to finish the job, but Bill Goldberg makes the save. That then draws Bam Bam Bigelow out, and finally the referee just calls the bell at 10:45. ¼*
BUExperience: Way, way, way too much of the backstage ‘invisible cameraman’ stuff, but at least there was some good wrestling, too. And, because it ran unopposed, it drew Nitro’s highest rating since the previous summer.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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