Original Airdate: February 22, 1999
From Sacramento, California; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (first half) and Bobby Heenan (second half)
Ricky Rachtman is at a Nitro Party in Berkeley California, and I'm half surprised the students don't stop to protest the fact that the dancers are called Nitro 'Girls'
Nitro Girls are on the road to spring break
Nitro Girls
Mike Enos v Jerry Flynn: Tony puts Enos over as coming off of a ‘big victory’ on WCW Saturday Night, which pretty much automatically disqualifies it from being a ‘big victory.’ But, now I have to look, and he beat… Barry Darsow. Yep, huge. Flynn dominates things, and puts him away with a cross-armbreaker at 3:59. So… we’re pushing Jerry Flynn now? They should be overtaking RAW again anytime. DUD
Backstage, Torrie Wilson puffs David Flair up, ahead of his face-to-face meeting with his dad later
Backstage, Gene Okerlund catches up with Booker T, who is ready to leverage his win over Disco Inferno into a win over Bret Hart later tonight. Gosh, I haven’t seen Gene do a backstage interview like this in forever, and it’s a much smoother and better use of time than bringing the guys out every time
Rachtman is still at the Nitro Party, with some kid who loves Rey Mysterio Jr
Backstage, Vincent talks up Stevie Ray
Scott Steiner/Diamond Dallas Page feud review video
Bam Bam Bigelow v Van Hammer: Hammer wisely tries to wrestle him, holding a wristlock, and preventing him from moving around too much. Bam Bam escapes, so Hammer dives with a 2nd rope clothesline, and Bigelow bails. Back in, Bam Bam manages a snapmare to set up a headbutt drop, and he dumps Hammer over the top. Bam Bam follows for a bodyslam on the floor, and inside, he snapmares into a chinlock, as Larry goes on a weird rant about parenting. Hammer escapes, and lands a jumping shoulderblock, but misses an elbowdrop, and ends up back in the chinlock. Hammer escapes again, but misses a corner big boot, and Bam Bam delivers an over-the-shoulder tombstone at 9:01. A little too long, but not terrible. ½*
Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell meet a girl in the gym during the day, but when they go to hook up with her that night, they find that it’s a drag bar. And then they walk in on Goldberg doing promo photos, and Scott tells him that he’s next. Oh man, what the fuck was this?
#1 Contender’s Match: Bret Hart v Booker T: The winner becomes the top contender for the WCW United States title. Bret’s theme is so unremarkable that you don’t even realize it’s him until you actually see him. Especially for the supposed top guy, that’s one of the biggest misses ever. Speaking of misses, Larry continues ranting about parenting, and it’s some of the most reductive stuff you’ll ever hear. They feel each other out early, and Booker catches him with an elbow, so Bret bails, and stalls. Back in, Booker wins another exchange with an armdrag, and Hart bails again to break the momentum. Back in, Booker dominates in the corner, and lands the axekick for two. He holds an armbar, as we cut away from the match, because Disco Inferno is harassing guys in the production truck. It’s a three hour show, are they really unable to keep these segments from cutting into matches? Especially interesting matches? We had a ten minute Bam Bam Bigelow/Van Hammer match earlier, uninterrupted. Bret escapes the hold, and hits a hotshot to take control, then drops Booker again with a Russian legsweep for two. Bret with a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and they spill to the outside, where Hart hammers on the back. A backbreaker gets the Hitman two, but a trip to the corner backfires when Booker clotheslines him. Hart is up first with a side suplex, and a pointed elbowdrop follows, then a few legdrops. Booker flashes a small package for two, so Bret ropeburns him, and delivers a bodyslam. A figure four looks to put things away at center ring, and he gets a few two counts off of it, but Booker fights into the ropes. Bret hammers him on the ropes, but a criss cross ends badly when Booker lands a jumping forearm. Booker keeps coming with a spinkick before Bret can cut him off, and a sidewalk slam follows. Booker goes upstairs, but Hart crotches him before he can dive, and the Hitman vertical superplexes him off! Both men are left looking up at the lights from that one, and Bret is up first at eight. He goes for the Sharpshooter, and gets it on, but they’re close to the ropes, and Booker gets them right away. Bret holds it to the five count, and the damage is done, allowing Bret to go back to working the back. They criss cross, and Hart tries a sunset flip, but Booker reverses the cradle at 17:43! This wasn’t a great match, but it was a very solid one, with Bret guiding Booker through the storytelling. Not that Booker needed ‘help’ at this stage, but this was very much a Bret Hart style match. * ¾
Backstage, they set up for the Flair/Flair face-to-face meeting later
Disco Inferno v Kaz Hayashi: Hayashi is wearing Glacier’s gear now, after buying it off of Sonny Onoo a little while back. Disco insists on singing the national anthem, since this match ‘involves international competition.’ That's a great bit. They cut his microphone off midway through it, so Disco attacks, and delivers a clothesline for two. Disco dumps him to the outside, but wastes time, and Hayashi turnbuckle smashes him. Hayashi with a flying bodypress, and a headscissor takedown sends Disco to the apron. Disco manages to snap Hayashi’s throat across the top, but fails to pull Hayashi back in, and ends up on the outside for his trouble. Hayashi dives after him, and cracks him with a chop on the way back in, then snapmares him into a seated dropkick. Hayashi grabs a chinlock from there, but Disco escapes, so Kaz dropkicks him. Again, but Disco dodges it this time, and lands a clothesline for two. Disco with a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and he goes to a chinlock of his own. Hayashi escapes, and uses a sunset flip for two, but Disco cuts him off, and delivers a vertical suplex. Powerbomb, but Hayashi counters into a rocker dropper on the way down. Kaz keeps coming with a backbreaker, but a flying senton splash misses, and Disco delivers a swinging neckbreaker, ahead of a jawbreaker at 6:03. * ¼
Backstage, Brian Adams lets Scott Norton know that Hollywood Hulk Hogan put him in charge of the nWo black-and-white while Scott was away in Japan, and that he has big plans for Scott too. Especially since he’s probably getting promoted to the Wolfpac soon
Nitro Girls
Back at the Nitro Party, the limbo games are being played
WCW Television Champion Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell are out so Scott can continue to mock Diamond Dallas Page, and make sexual advances on Kimberly
Chris Jericho v Hugh Morrus: Jericho sticks and moves, but Morrus stays on him, and delivers a press-slam. Morrus goes up with a flying elbowdrop, but Chris dodges, and spinkicks Hugh out of the ring. Jericho dives after him into the aisle, then shoves him into the steps, before delivering a vertical suplex for two on the way back into the ring. Jericho goes to a chinlock, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Morrus clotheslines him. Morrus with a backelbow, but he takes too long going for the follow up, and Jericho dropkicks him. That allows Chris a snapmare into a bow-and-arrow, but Morrus reverses. Chris mulekicks his way out of the hold, but a criss cross allows Morrus a pop-up powerbomb. Morrus adds an avalanche, then whips him into the opposite corner for another one. A third, but Jericho dodges, and schoolboys for two. Morrus cuts him off with a powerslam, and he goes to climb, but Ralphus grabs his ankle. That draws Saturn out to deal with Ralphus, and he gives Jericho a death valley driver. That allows Morrus to dive with a flying moonsault at 6:57. The finish was overbooked, but the match was okay. Afterwards, Morrus wants to get into it with Saturn, and they slug it out, before officials are able to break it up. *
Last night, Curt Hennig and Barry Windham celebrated their new tag title backstage, when Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit attacked them
Kevin Nash and Lex Luger are out to continue mocking the maskless Rey Mysterio Jr, but Rey is right there, and he wants payback. So we have a match, right now
Kevin Nash v Rey Mysterio Jr: Nash with some mocking at the bell, calling for a test-of-strength. Nash blasts him with a knee, so Rey starts moving, and goes after the leg. A spinheel kick takes Kevin down, and a springboard flying facebuster follows. Rey with a bronco buster, but Kevin catches the next move, and drops him with a snake eyes. Nash with a biel out of the corner, and he sets up the powerbomb, but Mysterio topples him for three at 2:36. Not enough time to really deliver as a match, but it was fun while it lasted. ½*
Konnan music video
Backstage, Horace Hogan catches up with Scott Norton, and lets him know that Hulk made Horace the leader now. Scott’s facial expressions here are fantastic
Okerlund brings WCW World Tag Team Champions Curt Hennig and Barry Windham out to show off their new hardware
Backstage, Norton goes to Hulk, asking who is in charge. Hogan tells him that Scott is now. This is some Vince McMahon level shit
Ernest Miller v Scott Norton: Miller calls Norton out here, and his ask is immediately answered. Miller is ready for him this time, and catches him with a few kicks, then grabs a cobra clutch. But that’s where it ends, as Norton shakes him off, and starts destroying. Norton with a powerbomb at 1:38. DUD
Scott Steiner v Bill Goldberg: The WCW Television title is not on the line. Scott cuts another promo before the match, and he’s a heat machine at this point. Posturing to start, as they measure each other. Scott tries getting control, but Goldberg keeps shrugging him off, and he takes Steiner down for mounted punches. Goldberg with a press-drop, so Buff Bagwell trips him up, and Goldberg immediately takes the bait. He chases on the outside, allowing Scott to blast him with a clothesline on the floor. Steiner adds a whip into the guardrail and into the steps before taking it back inside, where a clothesline sets up an elbowdrop for two. We get an awkward moment here, where Goldberg nearly decapitates himself while being whipped into the ropes, somehow. He really had very little actual skill. Scott with a belly-to-belly suplex, as Bagwell exposes a top turnbuckle, but Goldberg reverses a whip into it. Goldberg takes Bagwell out as well, so the heels bail, but Rick Steiner shows up to attack in the aisle, as the referee disqualifies Steiner at 6:55. This wasn’t a great match, but it felt like a big deal. ½*
Nitro Girls Swimsuit Expose
Out in the production truck, Disco Inferno is trying to get the crew to play something for him
Tony is backstage with David Flair and Torrie, awaiting the arrival of Ric Flair for their face-to-face. Ric’s limo arrives, but before he gets out, Disco’s video cuts into the presentation. And it’s the nWo doing impressions of the babyfaces, complete with Nash reprising his role as Arn Anderson. Also, Hogan as Flair, Hall as Roddy Piper, and Disco as Okerlund. It’s pretty funny
BUExperience: Some solid matches, some entertaining segments, but too long. They had the momentum of coming off of the hot SuperBrawl show, and they capitalized on it by moving the stories forward. Overall, I’d call this better than the opposing RAW.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.