WCW Nitro
1/4/99
Atlanta, GA
- We open with a dramatic video package recapping Goldberg losing his undefeated streak and World title to Kevin Nash at Starrcade...we then head inside the Georgia Dome, where the Nitro Girls dance and Tony Schiavone welcomes us to the first Nitro of the year...he is flanked by Larry Zbyszko and Mike Tenay as always and we are set for the big Goldberg/Nash title rematch here tonight...Tony also tells us that Hulk Hogan is in the house and he will address his fans for the first time since he retired back in November...he then tosses it to Jimmy Barron, who is up with the Nitro Party Grand Prize winner, Howard Kriski...he and a bunch of friends get to have a Nitro Party in the Georgia Dome luxury box for tonight's show and they are quite rowdy...I am guessing this dude is the inspiration for David Arquette's character in Ready to Rumble...he introduces us to some of the crew and they all proclaim that Goldberg will win his title back tonight...pretty cool contest and gimmick by WCW...Tony reminds us this is the first Nitro under the regime of Ric Flair, who defeated Eric Bischoff last week on Nitro...time to head to the ring
- Glacier vs. Hugh Morrus...we get some talk about the excitement surrounding Flair's win last week, even leading to Tony getting in on the celebration...they also talk about Randy Savage making a surprise return and helping Ric Flair win the match, gaining revenge on Eric for breaking his leg earlier in the year...Jimmy Hart leaves Morrus to the ring and Hugh has a freshly shaved head...Tony mentions all the domes WCW has run to close out the year, capping it here in Atlanta...more talk about Goldberg and Nash as expected...Glacier takes control and works the arm...he has very basic blue tights on here, surprising since he usually wore the decked out Mortal Kombat ones...we have a loaded card tonight, per Tony...Morrus makes a comeback and Tenay notes we haven't seen him in a couple of months but he has bulked in his time off...Glacier takes Hugh down with a legsweep but Jimmy jumps on the apron and distracts him...that backfires temporarily but Glacier showboats and eats a brutal lariat...Hugh heads up top and hits the No Laughing Matter for the win...solid opener and a great showcase for Hugh, nice win for the big man
- We head up to the booth, where Tony tells us Flair will give his first State of the Sport address...Tenay says the locker room felt completely different now that Bischoff is out and Flair is in...Larry is glad the NWO won't be able to get away with all their legalities and loopholes...after that finally get our opening animation and head to break
- After those ads, we cut outside, where Doug Dellinger is leading Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Flair's family into the arena amongst a throng of excited fans and the applause of backstage employees...we then head to the ring with Gene Okerlund and he brings out the brand new President of WCW, along with his whole crew...Flair gets a huge pop, natch...Benoit, Malenko and Mongo are also out with Flair...Dean is on crutches, as he apparently injured his angle at a house last night according to Tenay...pretty cool seeing this large entourage march out to the ring, feels like a really big deal...Gene says there are a lot of happy people in WCW...Flair is proud and happy for all the support he has gotten...for five years, a tyrant named Eric Bischoff has ran over a lot of people and the questions has been raised as to how Flair will treat Eric starting tonight...unless Eric wants to go work elsewhere, he needs to come to the ring to speak with the President...Eric emerges to a chorus of boos and Gene slags on his slovenly appearance...Eric saunters into the ring and the showdown begins...Flair gets right to the point, talking about how much pride Eric has taken to making Flair feel small in the eyes of his contemporaries and peers over and over...the easy thing to do would be to fire Eric, but he won't do that...instead, he is going to have fun taking Eric out of the main events and will now be working for Tony Schiavone in the announce booth...he is also cutting his salary in half since he won't be visible on TV any more...Flair asks Tony to prep and teach Eric how to do play-by-play...this is good stuff, Tony is selling it well...Flair talks about Randy Anderson and his battle with cancer and the way Eric treated him, firing him callously...we get a clip of that segment and fall out from back in January of 1997...Flair brings Anderson out as Tony teaches Eric his job, which is funny...Randy has a brutally ugly bright yellow sweatshirt on...Flair offers Randy his job back at double the salary...Randy accepts and hugs Flair...Flair thanks DDP, Booker, Schiavone and everyone else that helped out last Monday night...he also thanks Savage for helping too and welcomes him back to WCW...he has one selfish decree to make tonight and that is at WCW Souled Out, Flair will wrestle in a handicap match against Curt Hennig & Barry Windham...interesting stuff from Flair...now his son David steps up and asks to be Ric's partner at Souled Out...Ric says he isn't ready, but Arn steps in and gives David the OK...Ric gives in and the match is set...this segment was really well done, reset everything and established Flair as a great President for WCW...paid off a lot of NWO nonsense that has gone down over the last two years
- Konnan has a new t-shirt...buy it for $20 and he will rap for us some more
- Booker T vs. Emory Hale...back from break and Tony is torturing Eric slowly...funny stuff...Tony keeps trying to engage Eric, but he won't utter a word...Larry doesn't think Tony is being harsh enough on Eric...Booker starts hot, nailing the big Hale with a back elbow...Tony notes that Hale has bene impressive on Thunder as of late...Booker drops him with a spinebuster but misses an elbow drop...he recovers with a side kick and missile dropkick for the easy win...not much of a showing for Hale, quick victory for Booker...Eric is still silent as we head to break
- After commercial, the Nitro Girls are getting jiggy...next week, Nitro is in Knoxville, TN and in the weeks after that, they will be in Columbus and Dallas...get your tickets now...Tony really is a pro...Eric has his feet up and refuses to speak...Tony threatens to report Eric to Flair in his meeting tomorrow...Larry wants him fired...Tony sarcastically teaches Eric about how dealing with producers talking in his ear, making them repeat things that have already been said...this is great
- Norman Smiley vs. Chavo Guerrero, Jr...the Big Wiggle is in the house...Chavo is out next and he has Pepe, his wooden horse, in tow...Tony asks Eric to fill in for Tenay and give some lucha background on Chavo, but no dice...lots more pimping for Goldberg/Nash as Chavo dumps Norman to the floor and then rides Pepe around the ring...Chavo slugs away at Norman as he tries to get back in the ring...Norman finally slides in and chops Chavo to the mat...Norman has been hot lately, picking up a big win at Starrcade...he does his great swinging slam and stomps away as Larry puts over his talents...Norman powerslams Chavo for a near fall and then turns it into a heel hook...Eric is still silent as Tony discusses how Pepe has been a distraction for Chavo...Chavo blocks a back suplex with a roll up for two but he eats a stiff back elbow...Norman follows with a dropkick that knocks Chavo to the outside...he comes back in via the top rope as Norman wiggles...Chavo lands a missile dropkick, leading to Norman doing the Big Wiggle and then collapsing mid thrust...Chavo picks up a few near falls and then blocks the chicken wing and picks up the win with a sunset flip...very good match...Norman attacks Chavo after the bell and takes him over with a vertical suplex and a slam...Norman grabs Pepe and spikes it into Chavo's face and then beats on him with it...I liked this whole segment, Norman is always entertaining...break time
- Horace Hogan vs. Chris Benoit...after commercial, the NWO music fills the arena for the first time and Tony tells us that this coming Saturday, the Falcons will host the 49ers in the NFL playoffs right in this very arena...pretty sad state of affairs that Horace got an entrance over Benoit, even if Horace has the superior theme...Benoit comes out with a flurry, but Horace lands a few shots to slow him up...Benoit comes back with a series of Germans...Larry thinks Flair should put Eric on the international show and Tony jokes that he can go work with Scott Hudson…Larry is putting over Benoit big time as he mauls Horace…Horace blocks a right hand and suplexes Benoit out to the floor and the flies out with a tope…wow, good on him, that was impressive…Horace’s uncle Hulk will be here later, first time since November…back inside, Horace drops an elbow for two as Tony points out to Eric that Randy Anderson is refereeing this match…Benoit catches Horace up top and snaps him to the mat with a superplex…he heads up top and flies down with a diving headbutt but he is too dinged up to cover…Horace yanks him into the corner and plants him with a stiff shoulderbreaker for two…Horace picks him up, but Benoit catches him and rides him down into the crossface for the win…very good match, impressive showing for Horace…the big night for the Horsemen continues
- Tony is notified of some sort of disturbance backstage so we cut over there…Goldberg is being detained by police and he is told that they have a warrant for his arrest…Goldberg is shocked and runs through all the stuff he has done for the community of Atlanta and basically tells the cops to bugger off…he proclaims his innocence and refuses to go downtown…there are half a dozen cops and Goldberg keeps talking down to them but they won’t back down…they repeat they have a warrant and Goldberg will go downtown regardless of whether he likes it or not…Goldberg tells them they will have to use all their guns and mace to get him to go…the cops don’t care about his community service, he has to go to the hoosegow…they tell him just to go down there and get things fixed so he can come right back…Goldberg finally listens to his buddy Jack the Cop and agrees to be cuffed, but he maintains this is wrong…after a break, we go back outside where the cops usher Goldberg to the squad car…Kevin Nash comes out angrily, bitching about how he has a match with Goldberg tonight so he can’t go to the clink…the car takes off and an angry Nash notices Hollywood Hogan in the distance, laughing…Hogan says that as a politician, he appreciates a man doing his time and thanks Nash for his vote…he struts into the arena as Nash stews…as Hogan walks by, we see two detectives chatting with Miss Elizabeth…we then head back to the ring
- Saturn vs. Chris Jericho…Saturn is out first and he has some interesting attire on…Jericho and Ralphus are out next as Tony still tries to badger Bischoff into talking, but he won’t cave…Tony says this won’t reflect well on his next review…we get some talk about Goldberg and how he has been humiliated in the town that means so much to Goldberg, where he played football and where he defeated Hogan last July…Jericho stalls, arguing with fans and trying to fluster Saturn…they finally lock it up and trade some basic holds…Larry talks about the trouble David Flair could be in at Souled Out…Tony requests that Eric be at the offices by 9AM tomorrow so they can review tonight’s show and do some prep work…Saturn sends Jericho flying with a belly-to-belly and then nails him with a series of kicks to the skull…Jericho ducks a charge and dumps Saturn to the apron and then knocks him to the floor with a springboard dropkick…we take a break mid-match and when we return, Saturn has slapped a sleeper on Jericho…they are still trying to find out why Goldberg was arrested but no dice yet…Jericho slips free and takes back over, but that is short lived as Saturn hits another belly-to-belly…he brushes off a spin wheel kick and whips Jericho over with a t-bone suplex for a near fall…Saturn goes for a blind springboard, but Jericho yanks referee Scott Dickinson in the way and he takes the blow…Jericho takes advantage, punts Saturn in his rings and drops on him with a Lionsault…he locks in the Walls as Dickinson awakens and calls for the bell…Jericho celebrates as Dickinson gives him the win…Saturn screams that he didn’t give up, but the win was via DQ, blaming Saturn for hitting the ref…Dickinson walks off behind Jericho & Ralphus and Larry thinks the fix was in…another good match in a series of them so far tonight
- We head over to the local pokey as Goldberg is checked in and ushered to a room…the cops tell him he is under arrest for charges of aggravated stalking against Elizabeth Lebetski…Goldberg has no clue who that is, but Jack tells him that it was Miss Elizabeth…the cops need to wait until the detectives chat with Liz and then will proceed accordingly…Goldberg has accepted his fate but is still pissed
- After commercial, the Nitro Girls get jiggy while Tony & Larry discuss the Goldberg situation…now we head back up to the sky box and Jimmy Barron at the Nitro Party…things are getting rowdy as Howard keeps calling out his nephew, and it just seems mean spirited now, like he is unintentionally rubbing it in that he isn’t at the party….Jimmy asks for highlights of the night…a few guys chant to “Free Goldberg” and another schmuck says his favorite moment was when Goldberg went to jail, which also seems mean…these guys are assholes…and now we go backstage where the detectives are talking to Liz…she recaps the events, stammering and trying to explain how Goldberg stalks her all around from city to city…Cagney & Lacey ask her to simmer for a minute as they go talk outside
- After a break, we head to a random house party, where the LWO is living it up…Eddie Guerrero is at his sleaziest here, showing off some low riders and chatting up random people at the party…La Parka in his mask, macking a couple of mamacitas is fantastic…Eddie tells El Dandy to go park the cars while he entertains the ladies inside…Silver King is dancing all sexy but Eddie takes him away for some reason…later in the night, Eddie is surrounded by the ladies as the rest of the lucha crew is stuck on a couch, bored and alone…Eddie heads to another room with three of the chicks…now we head to the kitchen where the LWO boys are playing cards and sipping drinks…Eddie makes his way to the table and asks for gratitude from Damien for all he has given them…now he makes Damien and Dandy go get sodas for the ladies…this is fantastic…outside after the party, Eddie makes sure his boys know this is about the LWO and not any of them individually…I could have watched three hours of that skit
- Rey Mysterio & Kidman vs. Juventud Guerrera & Psychosis…this is set to be a tornado match here as the LWO hits the scene…Bobby Heenan has taken over for Larry on commentary…Heenan wastes no time getting in on the Bischoff trashing as Tony talks about the Goldberg stuff…Bobby doesn’t buy the story despite how attractive Liz is…Psychosis drops Kidman with an inverted suplex and I guess this is not a tornado match as they are tagging in and out…Juvy and Psychosis have issues but still are able to work Kidman over…Bobby talks about how long the legal process can take…Kidman battles back and is able to powerbomb Juvy after a Rey assist…Rey takes Juvy out to the floor as Tony notes Rey is still reluctantly in the LWO…Juvy springboards in with a dropkick, knocking Rey outside and then Psychosis flies off the top with a guillotine legdrop…ouch, that must have hurt quite a bit…Bobby continues to taunt Eric, bringing up the first Nitro and Mongo…Rey makes a comeback but Juvy cuts him off before he can make the hot tag…Juvy catches Rey with a backbreaker for two…Rey finally kicks Psychosis off and makes the tag, triggering a brawl between all four…Kidman is read hot, taking both LWO members down and dumping them both outside…Kidman and Rey both head up top and fly off with axehandles…Psychosis and Kidman head back, but Rey springboards in to get a near fall…Juvy catches Rey on an Irish whip and drops him with the Juvy Driver but Kidman makes the save…Rey uses his quickness to cause some miscommunication, but things swing as Kidman flies off the top and accidentally dropkicks Rey in the back of the head…Psychosis follows with a guillotine legdrop and the LWO gets the win…usual frantic spotfest, fun as always…interesting finish and I wonder where things are headed with Rey
- We head back to the police station as Jack is relaying what Liz said to Goldberg…Goldberg fills Jack in that they are booked in the same arenas and hotels by the office…he also clarifies that he owns the gym that Liz is a member at…Goldberg tries to leave but Jack tells him they still need to sort things out and he needs to hang tight
- After a commercial, Gene Okerlund is in the aisle and he brings Kevin Nash out for a talk…the great Wolfpac theme fills the arena and Nash looks a bit dejected…Nash thinks Goldberg got screwed at Starrcade…he also thinks Liz’s charges are bullshit and he knows Hogan is behind this…so, Nash asks Flair to put give him a match with Hogan…Hogan is still under contract and Nash will consider it a warm-up match before his title bout with Goldberg…Flair comes out and says he knows that if Liz is involved, that means Hogan is pulling the strings…Flair tells Hogan that he will take Goldberg’s spot if Goldberg doesn’t make it back in time…Nash is ecstatic and he walks off with Flair
- After break, we are back to watching the detectives questioning Liz…this is a new detective now and he wants to hear everything for himself…they are really drilling her with the details…Liz is still getting very defensive…now she accuses him of calling her and hanging up…they tell Liz to chill again as they go back to regroup and we go to commercial
- After that, we are back to the ring where Gene brings out Hollywood Hogan…the fans boo quite loudly as Voodoo Child fires up and Hogan struts out, decked in all black and looking quite sharp, I may add…Gene asks where Hogan’s political career stands and Hogan says it’s obvious that wrestling still centers on him…he is here to formally say goodbye, as he promised on the Tonight Show…he also was going to announced this VP for the election…he calls Goldberg a sexual deviant and was sick to his stomach after hearing the accusations…he calls Nash lucky and talks him down…Hogan has watched the Wolfpac huff and puff and he will respect Flair’s power, so he will have one last retirement match tonight…good promo and the plot thickens…as Hogan heads to break, Tony asks fans not to change the channel because he has found out that Mick Foley will be winning the WWF title over on Raw…he has a good chuckle about that as we hit break
- When we come back, we head to earlier tonight when Chris Jericho was praising Scott Dickinson for his superior referee skills and then tells him to take control and DQ Saturn next time he puts his hands on him during a match…clearly that pep talk paid off for Jericho
- Scott Steiner vs. Konnan…Steiner is the new TV champ and he is being led out by a giddy Buff Bagwell…this is a great duo, one of my favorites…Steiner cuts a promo as only he can, asking the ladies to come hook up with a real man…he also talks about how WCW has been trying to censor Steiner ever since he burned Mark McGwire’s hat and jersey…he is out of his mind and he loves it and now that he is the TV champ, he can’t be censored…Bagwell does the Dirty Bird and then teases heart problems…Steiner smack talks K-Dawg and tells him to come out and catch a beating…Konnan makes his way out as Eric continues his silent treatment…Steiner continues to talk shit and Bagwell runs interference as Steiner hammers Konnan off the bell…Konnan fires back with a flurry in the corner and Steiner bails to the floor…Tony again tells the fans not to turn over to a taped show just to see Mick Foley win the World title…he can’t believe Foley would be their World champion…Eric doesn’t even comment on that…Tony takes his digs about Raw being taped as Steiner beats Konnan around on the floor…Buff gets some licks in too and asks Konnan if he speaks Spanish…that made me laugh for some reason…Buff continues to lend a hand as Steiner is just dominating the action…he sends Konnan over with a belly-to-belly…Konnan kicks Steiner away and comes off the middle rope with a dropkick…Steiner eats a boot on a charge and Konnan snaps him down with a facebuster…he goes for the Tequila Sunrise but Buff gets involved to draw the DQ…Steiner dumps the referee to the floor and out comes the NWO referee as Steiner locks in the Steiner Recliner…he follows that with some chair shots and posing…decent match, but I can watch Steiner talk and beat on fools all night long, baby
- Wrath vs. Bam Bam Bigelow…back from break and Tony is shilling tickets…Thunder is coming to Providence soon…still no further word on Goldberg’s status so it looks like Nash/Hogan is on…Eric finally speaks and just mutters “Goldberg’s jailbait”…Wrath speaks, talking about how he has run through all his competition over the last six months…he wants come competition so he issues an open challenge…these things never end well…Bigelow answers the call and stalks to the ring…the bell sounds and we have a match…Bigelow shakes off some blows and they have a big stand still on a double shoulderblock spot…Wrath runs through Bigelow with a pair of clotheslines but misses a third and tumbles to the floor…they fight out there as Eric mutters “prison punk”…Bigelow runs Wrath into the post before shoving him back inside…Wrath turns things around as we get more Goldberg talk…Bigelow drops a headbutt near the groin of Wrath, drawing him a warning…the match spills outside again…this has been really sluggish, I was hoping for a better stiff hoss battle…apparently these two get unlimited time outside of the ring…they finally head back inside but Bigelow brings a chair in with him…Mickie Jay takes the chair away, distracting Bigelow, allowing Wrath to back drop him…they tumble back outside and are slugging away…Bigelow whiffs on a chair shot, but Mickie gets shoved down…they brawl into the aisle and the bell is finally called for to signal a no contest…this was disappointing
- We once again go backstage where Liz is still meeting with detectives…they want to go over all the information again…Liz stammers again and now is getting lost in her story, mixing up details…the jig is up and the detectives are calling her out on her bullshit…the detective notices that Liz keeps checking her watch…they threaten Liz with charges and jail time and then go off to talk about their next move…Liz admits she was mistaken and it may have been other bald wrestlers…she feels bad about costing Goldberg his title match and asks them to apologize for her…they tell her to go screw…Tony tries to get info out of Eric, but he is silent
- After commercial, the Nitro Girls are at it again as Tony recaps tonight’s goings on…Eric is snoring as we see Jerry Glanville in the audience…over in the booth, Eric still has his feet up and Tony is miffed that he has added nothing to the show…they think Goldberg will be back soon and hopefully he will get to the ring in time
- Brian Adams vs. Diamond Dallas Page…Adams is out with Vincent as the NWO music plays one more time…I was starting to wonder if Page was going to show up tonight…he goes through the crowd on his way to the ring…Page tries to work the arm but Adams knocks him down easily…after some back and forth, Page smacks Adams in the face and then chases him outside with some punches…Page dives over the top and takes out both Adams and Vincent…as Page climbs in, Vince hooks his legs and trips him up, allowing Adams to take control…we take a break as Adams stomps away and when we come back, he has DDP locked in a side headlock…Page comes back with a clothesline and neckbreaker…Adams slips out of a Diamond Cutter and goes low as Page charges in the corner…Adams grabs a bear hug, prolonging this match to the enjoyment of nobody…Page breaks free but Adams gets a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two…Page hits a DDT but can’t recover quickly enough to take advantage…both men are up slowly but Page catches him with right hands and a discus clothesline…Adams catches Page with an atomic drop but eats a back elbow…Vincent gets involved again, but Page swats him away and comes off the top rope and into a Cutter for the win…nice win for Page but that match was way too long for this slot…Page exits through the crowd as always…Adams goes home a loser…Vincent heads back to the subway to sign autographs
- We hit the precinct where Goldberg gets the good news from Jack…they take off the cuffs and he demands they drive him back to the Dome immediately
- We are back from break and Michael Buffer is in the ring…and it is time for the first Main Event of 1999 and the World Title is on the line…pretty damn good atmosphere for this one
- Kevin Nash vs. Hollywood Hogan…Hogan comes out first and he is flanked by Scott Steiner, which is pretty cool for some reason…Buffer explaining that Hogan is campaigning for the Presidency during Hogan’s introduction is funny stuff…once he settles in, the wolf howls and the World Champ emerges to a warm welcome from the Atlanta faithful…Buffer tells us that Nash is a “citizen of the world” which is nice to know…the crowd gets even louder when Scott Hall saunters out behind Nash…they embrace and it looks like the Outsiders are back together…Hall has a Wolfpac shirt on…Tony says they never expected Hogan to wrestle tonight, but here we are…Hogan and Steiner talk to some rat at ringside…these two should have been a regular team, there is tons of comedic potential there…Tony gets another dig in at the taped Raw…Nash tears his shirt to mock Hogan…they stall and circle around each other, building the anticipation as the crowd buzzes…Nash shoves Hogan into the corner and poses and the crowd is ready to burst…Hogan lurches back in, winds up and then pokes Nash in the chest…Nash flops to his back, Hogan covers and wins the World Title…Hall and Steiner hop in the ring and the four men embrace…Hogan is the Champion and now Bischoff is alive and gloating as only he can…outside, the detective car arrives and Goldberg emerges, sprinting all the way out to the ring to a huge pop…Bischoff is yelling now as Goldberg murders Steiner with a kick and whips Hall over with a belly-to-belly…he kicks Nash down but Hogan catches him from behind…that flurry quickly ends thanks to a spear…Lex Luger hits the ring but he turns on Goldberg and the beatdown is officially on…Bischoff is great here, gloating away as Luger racks Goldberg…the crowd is in shock as they cuff Goldberg to the bottom rope…Hall breaks out his zapper and he zaps Goldberg…Bagwell and Liz enter the ring now as well…Hogan spray paints NWO on Goldberg’s back
- Many have claimed this is the moment WCW died, but I disagree…I actually think this whole angle and show was really done, built logically and had a great swerve at the end…it is the ensuing booking that would make or break the angle and rebirth of the NWO and also determine whether WCW would thrive or perish, but for this one night in Atlanta, things were looking up in the land of Turner and it seemed as if the Monday Night War would rage on through another calendar year
Review Date: February 2013
Comments
Post a Comment