Monday
Nitro #128
Date:
February 23, 1998
Location:
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Commentators:
Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
We're
finally past SuperBrawl and Sting is the undisputed world champion.
We also have a new member of the NWO in the form of Scott Steiner who
finally turned on his brother last night to give the Outsiders the
tag titles. Things are interesting in WCW at this point as we're
heading into Uncensored in a few weeks. Let's get to it.
We
open with DDP, Booker T, Flair and Hart all talking about Scott
Steiner turning.
Gene
Okerlund asks Rick Steiner about his brother turning but Rick has
nothing to say.
Here's
Luger with a mic in hand. He congratulates Sting for winning the
title but says there's a black cloud over WCW in the form of the NWO.
Rick Steiner must be hurting because he lost a brother last night.
Luger wants to beat some sense into Scott but gets Curt Hennig
instead, starting a match.
Curt
Hennig vs. Lex Luger
Luger
throws him around a bit and armdrags Hennig down to the floor. Luger
pulls him back in but here's the now blonde Scott Steiner for the DQ.
Steiner
lays out Luger with a belly to belly and chokes him a bit while
posing. Luger comes back with the forearm but Buff runs in while
Hennig is just watching. Rick Steiner runs out and beats up Buff
which sends Scott running away. The NWO B team comes in to beat down
the good guys until Sting repels down to make the real save. A bunch
of WCW jobbers plus Booker and Benoit come out to check on Rick and
Lex.
Diamond
Dallas Page vs. Hammer
I'm
assuming this is non-title. Page is taken down by a quick headlock
takeover as the fans are all over Lodi. Back up and Page hits his
knee lift/swinging neckbreaker combo for two but a Diamond Cutter is
easily countered. A middle rope clothesline puts Page down but
Hammer stops to pose. Page fires off rights and lefts in the corner
but gets thrown off the middle rope. The discus lariat takes Hammer
down again and a middle rope Diamond Cutter is good for the pin.
Rating:
D+. There wasn't much to this
one but the fans are white hot tonight. Page is one of the few
people that figured out you only need one big move to get over and he
milked that idea for years on end. Hammer is the perfect kind of guy
for Page to beat in a quick match and is yet another example of a
random opponent being better than being repetitive.
Hogan
and Bischoff talk to someone in a limo before coming out to the
arena. Hollywood yells about how he had Sting beat last night and
how he paid off Nick Patrick but Patrick did his job anyway. Sting
is nothing special and Hogan will prove that tonight by letting Hall
have a shot at the title so Hall can give it back to Hogan where it
belongs.
Now
on to Savage who knocked Hogan out with “a ten pound crowbar”
last night, so Hollywood wants a cage match at Uncensored so he can
kick Savage out of the NWO once and for all. Savage pops up in the
crowd and a few catchphrases later we have a match, but it's going to
be Hogan kicked out of the NWO once and for all.
Ultimo
Dragon vs. Kaz Hayashi
This
is Hayashi's debut. Feeling out process with Kaz taking over via a
quick headscissors and an armdrag to send Dragon to the corner. The
Dragon headstand sets up a dropkick out of the corner and Dragon
fires off the kicks to the back and chest. Kaz dropkicks him to the
floor and hits a corkscrew dive to take Dragon out again.
Back
in and a good looking moonsault gets two on Dragon and a standing
rana gets the same. Dragon can't hook a German suplex so he goes
with La Majistral into a leg bar but Kaz is in the ropes. A dragon
suplex gets two for Kaz but he gets crotched on the top. Dragon's
super hurricanrana and the Dragon Sleeper are good for the
submission.
Rating:
C+. I love going back through
these old shows and seeing fun random matches like this one. Hayashi
looked very good here and gave Dragon a run for his money. Kaz would
eventually fall through the cracks in the cruiserweight division and
become pretty worthless but at least he had a good debut.
Call
the Hotline to hear an interview with Sting!
Nitro
Girls.
Nitro
Party winner.
Chris
Benoit vs. Raven
Benoit
stalks him to the ring in a callback to their match on Thunder a few
weeks ago and the brawl starts in the aisle. Chris takes over and
whips Raven so hard into the barricade that you can see it bend.
Benoit chokes him with Raven's own jacket and whips him across the
ring but Raven avoids the Swan Dive, giving Raven two. Raven
bulldogs Benoit onto a chair for two before baseball sliding the
chair into Benoit's head.
The
fans are all over Raven here and he takes too much time going up,
allowing Benoit to smack the chair back into Raven's face. Raven is
tied up in the corner after being whipped into the chair so Benoit
rolls some Germans for two as Kidman runs in for the bell. I say
bell because it can't be a DQ under Raven's Rules and the chair was
used for over half the match. Then again I doube WCW thought it that
far through.
Rating:
C. The usual physical brawl
here with an ending that doesn't make a lot of sense. Questionable
DQ aside though, the chair shots were good here as yet again the
weapons don't overshadow the intensity between the two guys which
makes for a much better match. The problem these two have is their
first match is never going to be topped so even the decent matches
like this one look a little weaker.
The
whole Flock comes in but Page comes out, leading to a threeway brawl.
Raven is sent to the floor and the other two want to fight but keep
having to take out the Flock.
Hour
#2 begins.
Cruiserweight
Title: Chris Jericho vs. Lenny Lane
Jericho
comes to the ring in Juvy's mask but has to take it off for the fans
to see his gorgeous face. He knows the people want this to be Monday
Jericho and JJ is 84% of the way to making the change. The fans are
all over Jericho from the bell and the champion isn't pleased with
it. Lane dropkicks him into the ropes and kicks him in the back for
good measure, freaking Jericho out even more.
A
quick suplex gets two for Jericho but Lenny is right back with a
clothesline to send him to the floor. Jericho gets back in and
celebrates, only to be clotheslined out again. Lane dives on him
this time before pounding away back in the corner. A Downward Spiral
gets two on Jericho but Chris throws him right into the Liontamer to
retain. Short and not much to see but Lane looked good.
The
announcers recap the night and we get a clip of Scott Steiner from
earlier.
Rick
Steiner vs. Vincent
Rick
is all over him from the bell, pounding away with kicks and punches.
He throws Vincent to the corner and bites him a bit before finishing
him off with the Steiner Bulldog. This barely lasted a minute, as
should have been the case.
Yuji
Nagata vs. Saturn
Feeling
out process to start with both guys taking it to the mat. Nagata
takes over with his kicks but Saturn comes back with a release dragon
suplex. Yuji goes after the leg to set up the Nagata Lock but
starting with a spinning toehold. Back up and Nagata is clotheslined
down while looking at the crowd but he kicks Saturn's bad leg from
the mat.
Off
to a leg lock from Yuji as this has been one sided so far. A quick
overhead belly to belly gets two on Saturn but he comes back with a
head and arm suplex of his own. Nagata hits a Saito suplex but
Saturn gets a rope to escape the Nagata Lock. Saturn easily takes
him down and the Rings of Saturn are good for the submission.
Rating:
C-. This was an odd match with
Nagata dominating for over five minutes before Saturn just tripped
him down and made him submit. It's like Saturn wasn't even trying
and then turned it on for the win. Nagata was similar to Alberto Del
Rio here as he only focused on one body part to set up his finisher.
It makes sense but it doesn't make the match very interesting.
TV
Title: Booker T vs. Renegade
Renegade
still has a job? He hasn't been on Nitro in nearly a year and I
can't believe I'm seeing him in 1998. Renegade shoves him into the
corner but the champion comes back with some forearms and a spin kick
to take Renegade down. A spinebuster gets two for Booker but
Renegade clotheslines him into the ropes and chokes a lot.
Renegade
puts Booker on his knee after a pumphandle backbreaker before
throwing him to the mat like trash. Booker blocks a superplex and
comes back with a missile dropkick and the ax kick for two each.
Booker is crushed in the corner but blocks a handspring elbow with a
Harlem sidekick (missed by about four inches) for two. Another side
kick is good for the pin to retain.
Rating:
D+. Renegade is just not very
good and there's no other way to put it. At least they aren't trying
to make him into the Warrior and having him beat far more talented
people anymore. The match was nothing to see but given that it's
Booker's third match in 24 hours it's easy to excuse him being
sluggish.
Konnan
vs. Lizmark Jr.
They
trade quick rollups to start until Konnan stomps Lizmark down in the
corner to a big pop. The referee drags Konnan off of Lizmark,
allowing Lizmark to get up top, only to jump into a kick to the ribs.
Konnan spends too much time shouting though and Lizmark is able to
kick him to the floor. A springboard missile dropkick to the floor
takes Konnan down again and the fans are into Lizmark. He gets two
off a few rollups but gets caught in the cradle DDT and the Tequila
Sunrise gives Konnan the win.
Rating:
D+. This was the same formula as the Nagata match with the underdog
dominating but losing to a big move in the end. Konnan continues to
be over with the crowd but these squash matches tonight are getting a
little tiresome. We're at 9 matches and it's not even the third hour
yet.
The
Nitro Girls dance at the announcers' desk.
Vicious
and Delicious vs. High Voltage
Bagwell
starts with Rage (High Voltage is Robbie Rage and Kenny Kaos) and
takes him to the mat with a wristlock. A hip toss puts Rage down
again and it's time to strike a pose. Rage comes back with a
shoulder and a dropkick before gorilla pressing Bagwell down. Buff
slaps him in the face and it's off to Kaos vs. Norton. Norton runs
over Kaos for a bit but gets caught in some double teaming by the
electric guys.
A
backbreaker/legdrop combo gets one on Norton so it's off to Kaos to
pound away in the corner. Norton misses a charge into the post but
Buff shoves Kaos off the top. Kaos gets double teamed in the corner
and Norton sends him into the barricade. Back in and Kaos gets two
off a sunset flip and makes the tag to Robbie. He cleans house for a
bit and gets two off a belly to belly on Bagwell, but Norton counters
a double suplex into an ugly looking botch, nearly breaking Kaos in
half. A Doomsday Blockbuster is enough to pin Robbie.
Rating:
D+. These matches haven't been
that bad but there's nothing to them at all. It's like watching a
long Superstars from the 80s but without the promos to carry the show
in between. High Voltage didn't look terrible but it's not easy to
get into a Norton/Bagwell match. Nothing to see here other than some
decent high spots from the losers.
Eddie
Guerrero vs. Disco Inferno
Disco
dances to start so Eddie lays on the top rope ala Shawn Michaels.
Eddie mocks the dancing and the fans are all over him already. Say
what you want about his gimmick but Disco is getting over through a
lot of hard work. Eddie takes him down by the arm and dances a bit
more before atomic dropping his way out of a full nelson.
They
slug it out with Disco taking over and getting two off a suplex.
Eddie takes out the knee and works it over a bit before heading up
for the Frog Splash. Disco pops up and slams him down before getting
two each off a front suplex and a swinging neckbreaker. Eddie goes
right back to the knee and crushes it even more with a slingshot
hilo. A missile dropkick sets up the Frog Splash for the pin.
Rating:
C-. This was an improvement
because of the dancing stuff but it still wasn't much of a match.
Disco continues to impress despite having one of the most ridiculous
gimmicks of all time. Eddie didn't seem all that interested out
there but Disco was working hard enough to make it watchable.
JJ
Dillon brings out Nick Patrick to congratulate him on a well
officiated title match. Was he not listening when he said Patrick
took Hogan's money? The guy is on the take but gets approval from
the boss?
Ric
Flair vs. Brad Armstrong
Friday
is going to be Ric Flair Day in Minnesota which is a pretty big
honor. Brad takes over with a quick headlock and shoulder block
before trying a figure four. Flair easily kicks off but gets caught
in another headlock. Flair takes him into the corner and unleashes
the chops followed by the strut. Armstrong can't get an O'Connor
Roll but takes Flair down with his Russian legsweep finisher. A
missile dropkick puts Flair down again but Brad misses a high cross
body. Ric asks the referee for the time, kicks Brad low and NOW we
go to school for the submission.
Rating:
C. This is the same thing we've
seen all night but Flair's charisma makes it work. Armstrong didn't
need Flair to make him look good and the match was a decent way to
spend four minutes. It's also nice to see Flair in the ring again in
his first match on Nitro since Souled Out.
We
see Nash's powerbomb on Giant from Souled Out.
Here's
Giant for the first time in over a month in a neck brace. He says
that he's always thinking about Nash every time his neck hurts.
Giant is going to be back in the ring someday and the ban on the
powerbomb doesn't mean a thing to him. Nash will pay and that's all
there is to it. Good solid revenge promo here.
After
a break Gene calls out Brian Adams. Tony is already talking about
what an historic moment the opening segment was. Adams cuts Gene off
and talks about being here to join the most elite group in wrestling
today. Bret Hart isn't worth getting out of your chair for but the
fans get out of their chairs as he comes walking down the aisle,
unbuttoning his shirt as he comes.
Hart
doesn't know what Adams' problem is but there's no need to jump him
from behind. Instead Adams jumps Bret from the front and a fight
breaks out with Bret getting the better of it. He puts on the
Sharpshooter but Hennig comes in for the save. Bret takes him down
as well but here's Rick Rude to make it 3-1.
Flair
comes out and the NWO is chased away to a ROAR. Flair says that he
respects Bret after Bret respected him and he's tired of Hogan and
Nash running this place. If Bret ever needs his help, Flair is there
for him just like he was Arn Anderson. Bret wants to take out the
NWO and is starting with Hennig at Uncensored. Flair thrusts his
hips at some NWO fan in the front row as only he could do.
WCW
World Title: Sting vs. Scott Hall
We
get the entire NWO but there's no Scott Hall. Eric says that they'll
leave if Sting will come out on his own and show that he has no
backup. Sting walks out (no belt) and the NWO leaves Hogan alone in
the ring. Sting is still in the aisle as another Sting comes up
behind him. The NWO jumps Sting and lays him out with fake Sting
being revealed as Scott Hall. Sting gets the spray paint as Savage
runs out, only to be beaten down as well. The debuting Disciple is
in the ring with the NWO. To this day I still have to look close at
him to realize it's Beefcake. Luger makes the save with a chair to
end the show.
Overall
Rating: D+. This was a pretty
bad show coming off last night's good PPV. I don't even know where
to begin with that ending segment. Not only does Sting not bring the
belt with him, but the new champion gets destroyed yet again? The
wrestling was nothing special either with a bunch of midcard guys vs.
lower card guys which is hard to sit through for this many hours. I
hope this isn't a sign of things to come because WCW had been on a
roll for weeks now and this stopped it hard.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com
Yeah, this sounds like a weird show, though Nitro was ALWAYS full of Filler after a point with these three-hour shows. It'd be "Midcarder (vs) Jobber" all the time, with the Luchadores being used as jobbers to the more elite Cruiserweights (with a pretty harsh glass ceiling- Lizmark, Lenny Lane & Kaz never really EVER got pushes).
ReplyDeleteIt's weird to think of Renegade as a former TV champion; I wonder if they ever brought that up on commentary once he hit Jobbertown in 1996?
ReplyDeleteLike Scott Steiner?
ReplyDeleteActually, Scottie's a good example of who SHOULD have been joining- the only problem was the group was getting so overloaded by then that he could barely stand out and do a whole lot.
ReplyDeleteUh, that was kind of my point.
ReplyDeleteThat's especially true for Adams. The fans have barely responded at all to him in his few appearances and I don't think a lot of people know who he is. He doesn't add anything to the team at all but he makes them even more crowded.
ReplyDeleteah, I thought you were ragging on the fact that Scottie was ALSO a WWF guy overloading the group.
ReplyDeleteLenny Lane got his push in 1999. Well, until it was cut off by standards and practices
ReplyDelete