WCW 1998: Empire Falls

RKOwnage · August 24, 2020

WCW 1998: Empire Falls

We begin in December of 1997. Darkness has descended upon World Championship Wrestling. Following years of prosperity and prestige, WCW finds itself at a crisis point. The New World Order has ruled the professional wrestling landscape for eighteen long months. The rise of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and The Outsiders has coincided with the fall of former stalwarts "The Total Package" Lex Luger, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, and, of course, "The Man They Call" Sting. The nWo claims all of the major championships in WCW: Curt Hennig recently became United States Champion, The Outsiders are embroiled in a feud with The Steiner Brothers claiming to be the true World Tag Team Champions, and outside of a brief Luger reign, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship has gone Hollywood for most of the past year and a half.

With World War 3 in the books, WCW's future looks as bleak as ever. Sixty men entered three rings seeking to ensure a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at SuperBrawl VIII. While it was announced that Kevin Nash would not compete, the nWo reign of terror continued as Nash's replacement was revealed to be none other than "Hollywood" Hogan himself! As The Giant remained to take on Hogan and Scott Hall by his lonesome, a figure descended from the rafters with a black baseball bat. Hogan sprinted out of the ring in fear, but the figure turned and cracked The Giant with the bat, sending him out of the ring to the floor. A mask removal confirmed WCW's fear - Kevin Nash ensured that Scott Hall was the World War 3 winner!

Even in these dark days, however, a flicker of hope still remains for World Championship Wrestling. Sting's long-awaited return from the shadows is upon us. Commissioner JJ Dillon has announced that Sting will take on "Hollywood" Hogan for the World Heavyweight Championship in just a few short weeks at Starrcade! With the rank-and-file of WCW struggling valiantly to stay afloat, will Sting be the avenger that drags the company back up from the depths? Or will Hogan and the nWo finally bury the company on which it initiated its hostile takeover eighteen months ago? These answers, and more, will all be revealed as we move through Starrcade and into the year 1998!

_________________________________

Hey guys! For those of you who don't know me, I used to have a pretty long-running WWE 2004 diary here a few years back. Since then, I've been on and off with TEW and haven't really had anything strike me, but I'm back. I'm almost done with January 1998, Starrcade is booked, Souled Out is in the process of being booked, and I have some ideas moving forward.

My first few posts, up until the Starrcade preview, are going to be posted directly from another forum, it's just going to take me time to get the coding right. Hope you like it!

RKOwnage · August 24, 2020

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="51706" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="zR1N1s6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zR1N1s6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WCW World War 3 November 23, 1997 The Palace of Auburn Hills; Auburn Hills, MI Tag Team Match The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart def. Glacier and Ernest Miller World Television Championship Perry Saturn © def. Disco Inferno Grudge Match Yuji Nagata w/ Sonny Onoo def. Ultimo Dragon World Tag Team Championship The Steiner Brothers © w/Ted DiBiase def. The Blue Bloods Raven's Rules Match Raven w/The Flock def. Scotty Riggs Grudge Match Steve McMichael def. Alex Wright (replacement for Bill Goldberg) WCW Cruiserweight Championship Eddy Guerrero © def. Rey Mysterio, Jr. WCW United States Heavyweight Championship No Disqualifications Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude © def. Ric Flair 60-Man World War 3 Match; Winner Becomes #1 Contender Scott Hall won by last eliminating The Giant</div></div></blockquote> Following World War 3, we've had one week of television. Here are the storylines heading into Starrcade in the fourth week of December: <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iL68ba8s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iL68ba8s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="DZJ5esKs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DZJ5esKs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WCW World Heavyweight Championship Sting vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan © Notes: Hogan has held the championship and run rampant all over WCW for the better part of the last two years. Sting had been biding his time in the rafters, but hasn't been seen in a few weeks. JJ Dillon has announced that the two will square off in the main event at Starrcade, as WCW sees its biggest star go one-on-one with the leader of the New World Order in a fight for the future of the company. <img alt="7LgH7YOs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7LgH7YOs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="OR2DXWGs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/OR2DXWGs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="cCIk5fts.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cCIk5fts.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="94GtGYhs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/94GtGYhs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WCW World Tag Team Championship The Steiner Brothers ©? vs. The Outsiders ©? Notes: For much of the past year, these two teams have been at each other's throats. The Steiners enlisted "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase as their manager, as he claimed to know the inner workings of the nWo better than anyone. In October, the Steiners became champions by defeating Scott Hall and Syxx, who replaced Nash after an injury. Since that night, The Outsiders have continued to come to the ring with identical title belts, calling themselves the real World Tag Team Champions. Something has got to give. <img alt="o1EEMT3s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/o1EEMT3s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="cF9b2j1s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cF9b2j1s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WCW vs. nWo Notes: The overarching war between World Championship Wrestling and the New World Order rages on, as various combinations of wrestlers have been at each others' throats as of late. Ric Flair and Diamond Dallas Page have found themselves looking to pry the United States Championship from Curt Hennig. Hennig blasted Flair with the belt to retain the belt at World War 3, but this rivalry isn't over. We also have Ray Traylor on a one-man mission against the likes of Buff Bagwell, Konnan and Scott Norton, while "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, Nitro's color commentator, has had enough and wants to get his hands on Eric Bischoff! Finally, Lex Luger, The Giant, and the remainder of the WCW resistance are doing their best to hold the line against the gang mentality of Randy Savage and the rest of the nWo! <img alt="FJqWLphs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FJqWLphs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="16H2nzds.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/16H2nzds.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Chris Benoit vs. Raven Notes: The Flock, a group of derelicts led by the enigmatic Raven, have been interjecting themselves into WCW programming and railing against leadership. Most recently, at World War 3, Raven put down a valiant effort from Scotty Riggs after three DDTs. The Flock carried Riggs out, and the next night on Nitro, he was seen with the group at ringside. Chris Benoit, though, has had enough. He wants Raven to meet him in the ring. <img alt="xP9CzFvs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xP9CzFvs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="7VGm6fJs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7VGm6fJs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Bill Goldberg vs. Steve McMichael Notes: Bill Goldberg, a former NFL player, has exploded onto the scene the past couple of months, defeating established WCW veterans such as Hugh Morrus, The Barbarian, and Wrath in a matter of minutes. He may have bitten off more he can chew, however, by stealing the Super Bowl ring of Steve "Mongo" McMichael. The two men were supposed to face off at World War 3, but Goldberg was found assaulted with a lead pipe backstage as Mongo laughed in the ring shining up his recently retrieved ring. Once the two lock horns, this will be Goldberg's toughest challenge to date.</div>

RKOwnage · August 24, 2020

WCW Champions and Roster: December 1997

<div style="text-align:center;">WCW Champions

(as of Week 1, December 1997)

<img alt="FfjoJ4wt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FfjoJ4wt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Current Champion: "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan (3)

Held Since: WCW Road Wild; August 9, 1997

Previous Champion: Lex Luger (2)

<img alt="bQCdvkWt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bQCdvkWt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship

Current Champion: Curt Hennig

Held Since: WCW Monday Nitro; September 15, 1997

Previous Champion: Steve "Mongo" McMichael

<img alt="EU3r9Q5t.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/EU3r9Q5t.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

WCW World Tag Team Championship

Current Champions: The Steiner Brothers (6)

Held Since: WCW Monday Nitro; October 13, 1997

Previous Champion: The Outsiders (3)

<img alt="5Jz06clt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5Jz06clt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

WCW World Television Championship

Current Champion: Saturn

Held Since: WCW Monday Nitro; November 3, 1997

Previous Champion: Disco Inferno

<img alt="1z4OBOlt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1z4OBOlt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

WCW World Cruiserweight Championship

Current Champion: Eddie Guerrero

Held Since: WCW Fall Brawl; September 14, 1997

Previous Champion: Chris Jericho (2)

____________________________________

WCW Roster

(as of Week 1, December 1997)

Face, Heel

Main Event

Diamond Dallas Page

"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan

Kevin Nash

Lex Luger

Randy Savage

Rick Steiner

Roddy Piper

Scott Hall

Scott Steiner

Sting

The Giant

Upper Midcard

Booker T

Buff Bagwell

Chris Benoit

Curt Hennig

Eddie Guerrero

Konnan

Meng

Raven

Ray Traylor

Ric Flair

Stevie Ray

Midcard

Alex Wright

Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Chris Jericho

Dean Malenko

Disco Inferno

Ernest Miller

Goldberg

Hugh Morrus

Juventud Guerrera

Mortis

Rey Mysterio Jr.

Rick Martel

Saturn

Scott Norton

Steve "Mongo" McMichael

The Barbarian

Wrath

Lower Midcard

Fit Finlay

Glacier

Hammer

Johnny Grunge

Kidman

Riggs

Rocco Rock

Steven Regal

Ultimo Dragon

Opener

La Parka

Lenny Lane

Prince Iaukea

Psychosis

Sick Boy

Enhancement Talent

Evan Karagias

Lodi

Louie Spicolli

Occasional Wrestlers

Barry Darsow

Brad Armstrong

Chris Adams

Dave Taylor

Ice Train

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

John Nord

Lanny Poffo

Managers

Debra McMichael

Elizabeth (Randy Savage)

Jacqueline Moore (Harlem Heat)

James Vandenberg (Mortis & Wrath)

Jimmy Hart (The Faces of Fear)

Kimberly Page

Rick Rude (Curt Hennig)

Sonny Onoo

Ted DiBiase (The Steiner Brothers)

Vincent (Buff Bagwell, Konnan, & Scott Norton)

Other On-Air Personalities

Arn Anderson (Personality)

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Commentator)

Dusty Rhodes (Commentator)

"Mean" Gene Okerlund (Interviewer)

JJ Dillon (Commissioner)

Madusa (Personality)

Mike Tenay (Commentator/Interviewer)

Tony Schiavone (Commentator)

Tag Teams

The Faces of Fear (Meng & The Barbarian)

Glacier & Ernest Miller

Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray)

Mortis & Wrath

Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge & Rocco Rock)

The Blue Bloods ("Lord" Steven Regal & "Squire" Dave Taylor)

Lex Luger & The Giant

The Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash)

The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner)

Vicious & Delicious (Buff Bagwell & Scott Norton)

Stables

New World Order ("Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Randy Savage, Curt Hennig, Buff Bagwell, Konnan, Scott Norton, Syxx, Rick Rude, Vincent)

Raven's Flock (Raven, Saturn, Riggs, Kidman, Hammer, Sick Boy, Lodi)

Injured/Unavailable

Brian Adams

Rick Rude

Syxx

The Booty Man</div>

RKOwnage · August 24, 2020

WCW Monday Nitro: Monday, Week 1, December 1997

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="sxWjZ5C.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sxWjZ5C.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

WCW Monday Nitro

Monday, Week 1, December 1997

Rupp Arena; Lexington, KY

We kick off with some fireworks and the broadcast team of Tony Schiavone, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome us to WCW Monday Nitro! After a bit of banter regarding last week's show, where the nWo destroyed a mannequin of Sting, Schiavone gives us a run-down of the card here tonight. Tenay expresses his hope that Diamond Dallas Page will wrest the United States Heavyweight Championship away from Curt Hennig in our main event, but Heenan warns his colleagues that Hennig, his former client, is still a force to be reckoned with.

As the familiar nWo theme music kicks in, the three let out a simultaneous groan and we head to ringside.

Rating: 78 (B)

The entire crew comes down to the ring – we've got The Outsiders with their dubious WCW World Tag Team Title belts, the United States Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig and his manager Rick Rude, Eric Bischoff, Buff Bagwell, and, of course, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. Eric starts the show by berating WCW and specifically The Giant for sticking his nose where it didn't belong last week, and getting his hand crushed for his services. He gloats that not only do they hold all major titles in professional wrestling, they also have the man who will go on to SuperBrawl to get his "opportunity" at the nWo Championship, Scott Hall.

Hall takes the microphone and does his nWo survey for the Kentucky crowd. He talks about how The Steiners are full of crap and that there's only one true WCW Tag Team Champions. He cedes the mic to Rick Rude, who hypes tonight's main event, letting the crowd know that Hennig, his client, was going to send Diamond Dallas Page packing back to the Jersey Shore.

Finally, Bischoff reclaims the microphone and, grinning, holds it for Hollywood Hogan himself. He mentions how Sting hasn't been around in a few weeks because he's scared of the New World Order, brother. Sting finally realizes what he's gotten himself into – and he knows that when push comes to shove, he can't stand one-on-one, face-to-face with the nWo Champion, Hollywood Hogan. As Hogan continues to rip into Sting, he's cut off by a familiar voice saying "whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on…"

It's "The Total Package" Lex Luger! Lex walks out to the top of the ramp and addresses Hogan. He lets him know that while the nWo has been pulling crap and beating up fake dolls of Sting, that he's been in touch with the man himself. And ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake about it – Sting will be at Starrcade, and no matter where Hogan is, no matter what he does – Sting is watching! The crowd pops as Hogan and the nWo laugh and pretend to shake with fear. Luger's music hits as we head to our first commercial of the night.

Rating: 86 (B+)

<img alt="8nM0yBds.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8nM0yBds.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="NWXH0kLs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NWXH0kLs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera

Some fast-paced cruiserweight action opened up the show as the two luchadores went toe-to-toe. Similar styles were on display in this one, with Guerrera having the slight power edge. At one point, Juvi looked for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and Rey landed awkwardly on his neck. Shortly thereafter, however, Mysterio rolled out of the way of a Moonsault and picked up the win with a springboard Hurricanrana!

Rating: 71 (B-)

Note: Mysterio was irritated because Juvi nearly injured him by botching the backbreaker.

Next up we have "Mean" Gene Okerlund at the top of the aisle, and he brings out Diamond Dallas Page for an interview. Gene asks Page about his title opportunity tonight, and DDP says he's had enough. He says it's been over a year since the New World Order came to WCW, and he's done nothing but embarrass them at every turn. He knows that everyone from Savage to Nash to Hogan is afraid of him, as they showed at World War 3 when Scott Hall stole the win from him. He says that tonight, Curt Hennig is gonna be the latest in the nWo to feel…the…BANG!, as Page pledges to take the United States Title back to WCW!

Rating: 68 (C+)

<img alt="xP9CzFvs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xP9CzFvs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. (imagine a jobber)

Bill Goldberg vs. Jeremy Lopez

For this one, the broadcast crew welcomed their former colleague Steve "Mongo" McMichael to the commentary table. As Schiavone and Tenay spoke of Goldberg's recent dominance, the former United States Champion called him "nothing more than a wannabe football punk." Schiavone questioned Mongo on his lead pipe attack at World War 3, and Mongo deflected, saying that he doesn't know who hit Goldberg with the pipe, but maybe he should've kept his helmet on. Meanwhile, in the ring, Goldberg made quick work of local talent Jeremy Lopez with a Jackhammer.

Rating: 49 (D+)

After a commercial break, The Giant hits the ring with a massive cast still on his hand and wrist. He grabs a microphone and rips into the nWo, calling out any and all of the group for a fight right here, right now. While the crowd goes wild, WCW Commissioner J.J. Dillon makes his way to the top of the aisle with some bad news. He informs the audience and The Giant that he has not been medically cleared for action. Dillon may have let The Giant take on "Hollywood" Hogan last week, but that was a mistake that he won't repeat. Over The Giant's objection, Dillon announces that if The Giant gets into any physical altercation before he's cleared, his contract with World Championship Wrestling will be terminated.

However, from Dillon's understanding, The Giant's prognosis is that, barring a medical setback, he'll be ready to compete by the time Starrcade rolls around. So, Dillon asks The Giant to stay patient, and while he won't let him compete tonight, he's going to allow Giant to choose his nWo opponent for Starrcade! This seems to placate The Giant and the audience for the time being, as the commentators speculate – who will The Giant select?

Rating: 85 (B+)

Next out to the ring is "The Crippler" Chris Benoit, set for action against a member of The Flock, all of whom are at ringside behind the guard rail as usual.

Benoit grabs a microphone and addresses the group. He says that it doesn't matter which one of them he takes on, he just wants to address Scotty Riggs. Riggs, wearing an eyepatch and seated next to Raven, looks vacantly at Benoit. Benoit says he respects Riggs and knows how great of an athlete he is and he knows that he's better than this. Better than The Flock. Better than Raven. Benoit turns to Raven and calls him out to face him in the ring. Riggs stands up and hops over the railing, but Raven grabs his shoulder. The crowd buzzes as Raven starts to climb over the railing himself, but he slides back off and grabs Saturn by the arm. The WCW Television Champion jumps the railing and heads into the ring – we've got a TV Title match!

<img alt="5Jz06cl.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5Jz06cl.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

<img alt="FJqWLphs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FJqWLphs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="RoSa0JAs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RoSa0JAs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Chris Benoit vs. Saturn ©

A solid technical affair ensued, as Benoit went hold for hold and strike for strike with Saturn. After a series of suplexes, Benoit had Saturn on the ropes. At this point, The Flock jumped the railing and Sick Boy and Kidman slid into the ring. With Benoit cornered, the crowd popped as Riggs slid into the ring. He put his arms up to Sick Boy and Kidman, signaling for them to stop, with Raven looking on from outside the ring. As he turned to face Benoit, Riggs hit a surprise soccer kick to his groin, getting Saturn disqualified.

With the bell ringing and the commentary team appalled, Raven's Flock puts the boots to "The Crippler." Tenay notes that clearly, Raven's indoctrination of Riggs has been successful, and Heenan questions what this eerie development means for the remainder of WCW. Raven drops Benoit with a DDT and sits next to his fallen body.

Rating: 68 (C+; promo); 70 (C+; match); 58 (C-; beatdown)

<img alt="cF9b2j1s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cF9b2j1s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Next up is an advertisement paid for by the New World Order. With the nWo theme playing, we see fast-cutting, black-and-white close-up shots of various members. Hollywood Hogan reiterates he's not scared of Sting and that he's going to finish him off once and for all at Starrcade! Meanwhile, Buff Bagwell chimes in, letting "The Total Package" know that if Sting was a real man, he would've come out and talked to the nWo himself, but instead, all he did was send his little bitch out to do his dirty work! Bagwell laughs obnoxiously.

Rating: 81 (B)

<img alt="25caO54s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25caO54s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="o3plZ1ys.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/o3plZ1ys.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="oR6p0Fms.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oR6p0Fms.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="TSnyvt7s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/TSnyvt7s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Glacier and Ernest Miller vs. The Faces of Fear

Glacier and Miller, fresh off a difficult loss to the Faces of Fear at World War 3, didn't have it going on this night either. Meng looked especially dangerous, as he nailed Miller with a savate kick and then ended the match by locking in the Tongan Death Grip on Glacier, which led to referee Randy Anderson calling for a stoppage.

Rating: 62 ©

We come back from a commercial break with an electrifying preview of WCW Saturday Night. We'll see Alex Wright go one-on-one with "Lionheart" Chris Jericho, and Hugh Morrus take on one half of Harlem Heat, Stevie Ray!

And, not only that, Schiavone informs the audience that if you call into the WCW Hotline right now, you can hear Jericho talk about his upcoming match and what his plans are in WCW!

Rating: 54 (C-; hype); 44 (D; Hotline)

<img alt="cF9b2j1s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cF9b2j1s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Another abrasive black-and-white nWo ad airs, and this time it's Rick Rude and Curt Hennig talking about the main event title match against Diamond Dallas Page. Hennig mentions that the New World Order isn't the one who's been embarrassed, it's WCW who's embarrassed by being associated with the likes of DDP and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Hennig states that just like at World War 3, when he finished off Flair, he's going to show Page who the real United States Champion is right here tonight.

Rating: 81 (B)

<img alt="iTTTnChs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iTTTnChs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="hMU9WWms.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hMU9WWms.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="aq50JMCs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/aq50JMCs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bAdXyx5s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bAdXyx5s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Public Enemy vs. Mortis & Wrath

This one was, as predicted, a bit of a knock-down, drag-out brawl, and it wasn't pretty. It ended when Johnny Grunge got caught with a pump-handle slam from Wrath, who covered for three.

Rating: 55 (C-)

Next, Mike Tenay calls the Cruiserweight Champion Eddy Guerrero out for an interview. Guerrero saunters out slowly to boos, grinning. Tenay says that Guerrero has had an impressive run as champion so far, including a win over Rey Mysterio Jr. at World War 3, and notes that Eddy has no shortage of challengers heading into Starrcade. Guerrero cuts him off and says that there's no one in the cruiserweight division who can measure up. He doesn't know who he's taking on at Starrcade, but it had better be a worthy opponent.

Rating: 59 ©

As we come back from a commercial break, Schiavone mentions the issues between Larry Zbyszko and Eric Bischoff before moving on to talking about the main event, up next. At that moment, The Outsiders and Bischoff himself show up, ready to kick the commentary team out. Heenan drops his headset immediately and heads out, as Nash and Hall motion for Tenay and Schiavone to get out. Instead, "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko comes to their aid and starts to shove Bischoff! Nash and Hall grab him and begin to lay the boots to him when The Steiner Brothers hit the commentary area! Rick and Scott even the odds and throw hands with Nash and Hall, who retreat!

Ted DiBiase grabs a microphone and addresses The Outsiders. He says that they can call themselves the real World Tag Team Champions, but you can't just buy props and become champions. He says he's a smart man and knows that Hall and Nash won't step into the ring with The Steiners alone. So he proposes that they kill two birds with one stone and challenges The Outsiders and Eric Bischoff on behalf of The Steiners and Larry Zbyszko to a six-man tag team match at Starrcade!

Rating: 82 (B; confrontation); 79 (B; promo)

<img alt="bQCdvkW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bQCdvkW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

<img alt="B9t6WLrs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/B9t6WLrs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="5TpzTghs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5TpzTghs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Curt Hennig ©

This match began with the normal commentary team, who discussed not only the match at hand, but DiBiase's challenge to the Outsiders. The crowd was hot for this one, as two great competitors went one-on-one. Of course, Page had to deal with Scott Norton, Rick Rude, and Vincent along the outside, and so was at a disadvantage for most of it. In the end, however, Vincent got on the apron put was pulled down – by "The Nature Boy"! Ric Flair was in the house and threw a right hand knocking down Vincent and then one to Norton! He pump faked Rude, who held his hands up as Hennig yelled to the outside. Referee Nick Patrick tried to control the situation, and Page took advantage – Hennig turned around right into a Diamond Cutter! Page made the cover – 1, 2, 3! New United States Champion!

After the match, with Page's music blaring, Vincent slides in the ring and tries to attack him, but Page ducks – Diamond Cutter! Norton is too late for the save as DDP slides out of the ring and is held up by Flair! Page and Flair escapes through the audience with the United States Title and the crowd erupts with cheers! Schiavone deems this a major win for World Championship Wrestling and as we head off the air, says that the New World Order is on the ropes!

Rating: 81 (B; match); 87 (B+; celebration)

Overall Show Rating: 82 (B). This show increased our popularity in 22 regions.

Backstage Notes: Paul Orndorff had some heat with the locker room for being obnoxious. He received a slap on the wrist, but nothing noteworthy came of it. Also, both members of Public Enemy provoked Ric Flair into a heated argument and were given a stern warning not to do it again. Similarly, there were no noteworthy reactions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Monday Nitro Quick Results

Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera

Bill Goldberg vs. Jeremy Lopez

WCW World Television Championship

Chris Benoit vs. Saturn © w/Raven's Flock (DQ)

Glacier & Ernest Miller vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

Public Enemy vs. Mortis & Wrath w/James Vandenberg

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Curt Hennig © w/Rick Rude</div>

RKOwnage · August 24, 2020

WCW Saturday Night: Saturday, Week 1, December 1997

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="UM1H8eJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/UM1H8eJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

WCW Saturday Night

Saturday, Week 1, December 1997

Burr Gymnasium; Washington, D.C.

The broadcast team of Mike Tenay and "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko welcomes us to the show and lets us know that tonight, we've got some hard-hitting, high flying action as well as an exclusive interview with Diamond Dallas Page!

Rating: 85 (B+)

Ron Killings vs. Lord Steven Regal

Without "Squire" Dave Taylor, Regal took on a charismatic youngster. Killings got in some early offense, but eventually the veteran Regal outclassed him and locked in the Regal Stretch.

Rating: 41 (D)

When we come back from break, Raven is sitting in the corner of the ring with a microphone. He delivers a quick promo about how Riggs understood that WCW wasn't going to give him what he wanted. It doesn't view people like him as a star. Chris Benoit, on the other hand, is a man who was hand-picked to be a member of The Four Horsemen, WCW's longest running institution. Raven says that Benoit will get a piece of Raven on his time, and under his rules.

Rating: 79 (B)

Evan Karagias vs. Buff Bagwell

With his nWo goons by his side, Bagwell picked up an impressive victory over Karagias. Throughout the match, he taunted Lex Luger and even finished Evan off with the Torture Rack! The announcers stood by in disgust.

Rating: 57 (C-)

Tenay is standing in the ring as he introduces Steve "Mongo" McMichael for an interview. He asks Mongo about the lead pipe incident at World War 3, and a defiant McMichael says that "if Goldberg don't watch out, he's gonna get knocked outta WCW just like he got knocked outta the NFL, baby!"

Rating: 52 (D+)

We get a quick recap of The Steiners' segment from Nitro, where they and Zbyszko challenged The Outsiders and Eric Bischoff to a match at Starrcade.

Non-Title Match

The Steiner Brothers vs. Sick Boy and Hammer

Although their leader Raven was looking on, Sick Boy and Hammer faced a tall task against the WCW Tag Team Champions. Rick finished off Sick Boy with a Flying Bulldog with Zbyszko singing their praises from the announce table.

Rating: 75 (B-; recap); 72 (B-; match)

Mike Tenay is at the aisle again as he welcomes The Giant for an interview. The Giant admits that he's been thinking about which member of the nWo he'll take on at Starrcade, but that he hasn't made a decision, but this Monday night on Nitro, he'll reveal his choice.

Rating: 83 (B+)

After a commercial break, we get a recap of a few weeks back, where Harlem Heat and The Faces of Fear got into a brawl, and despite multiple chair shots by Booker and Stevie, Meng just kept coming and locked in the Tongan Death Grip on Stevie.

Stevie Ray vs. Hugh Morrus

This was a hard-hitting affair, but unlike Meng, Stevie was able to keep Morrus down with a big Spinebuster for the win.

Rating: 64 (C; recap); 54 (C-; match)

Next out to the ring for an interview is Diamond Dallas Page, who says that for the last few years, WCW has seen some dark, dark days but with DDP as the new United States Champion, WCW. Is. BACK! BANG!

Rating: 88 (B+)

Disco Inferno vs. Lenny Lane

This was the first appearance for the Disco Inferno since he was pasted into the mat with a handful of flying elbows from "Macho Man" Randy Savage a couple of weeks back. The former TV Champ got back in the win column against Lane with a Piledriver.

Rating: 44 (D)

After we come back from commercial, Tenay and Zbyszko run down the matches for this week's Nitro. The slate of contests announced thus far include Rey Mysterio taking on "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as well as Konnan going one-on-one with Raven!

Rating: 69 (C+)

A quick recap airs, showing Nitro two weeks ago, where Alex Wright suffered a surprising loss to Prince Iaukea. After the match, he blamed his loss on Debra McMichael, who he sent packing!

Chris Jericho vs. Alex Wright

These two athletic young grapplers went at it, and as has been the case for Jericho more often than not since losing the Cruiserweight Championship to Eddy Guerrero back in November, he found himself on the losing end here. Wright, tied up with Jericho and the referee, raked Jericho's eyes, hit a chop block, and locked in the STF for a submission victory.

After the match, Wright celebrates as he walks back up the aisle, while Jericho is dejected in the ring, slapping the mat before exiting.

Rating: 61 (C; recap); 62 (C; match); 42 (D, post-match)

Following our final commercial break, a video recaps the feud between Ray Traylor and the nWo.

Ray Traylor vs. Scott Hall

The commentary team instantly noted that Hall didn't show up alone – he was flanked by Buff Bagwell, Konnan, Vincent, and Scott Norton as he walked to the ring. While Traylor showed his guts and toughness, the numbers were just too much. Distractions abounded and Traylor eventually got hit with the Outsider's Edge for the three count.

After the match, Traylor gets what we all knew was coming – the classic nWo beatdown. Hall hits another Outsider's Edge, Vincent lands some sort of clothesline, Norton manhandles the 300-plus pounder, and the nWo stands tall heading into this Monday's Nitro! Diamond Dallas Page and Larry Zbyszko hit the ring for the save, but the damage is already done. They tend to Traylor as the show fades out.

Rating: 72 (B-; recap); 76 (B-; match); 74 (B-; beatdown)

Overall Show Rating: 79 (B)

Backstage Notes: None

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Saturday Night Quick Results

Ron Killings vs. Lord Steven Regal

Evan Karagias vs. Buff Bagwell

Non-Title Match

The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase vs. The Flock (Sick Boy & Hammer)

Stevie Ray w/Booker T and Jacqueline vs. Hugh Morrus

Disco Inferno vs. Lenny Lane

Chris Jericho vs. Alex Wright

Ray Traylor vs. Scott Hall w/Vincent, Scott Norton, Buff Bagwell, Konnan</div>

Gouge · August 24, 2020

I actually just recently finished watching WCW 1998 in it's entirety so this stuff is very fresh on my mind right now. I'll be reading along for sure!

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

WCW Monday Nitro: Monday, Week 2, December 1997

WCW Monday Nitro

Monday, Week 2, December 1997

Bud Walton Arena; Fayetteville, AR

Fireworks explode as Tony Schiavone, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and Mike Tenay once again welcome us to WCW Monday Nitro! They briefly run down the card, which includes Kevin Nash taking on "The Crippler" Chris Benoit, as well as Raven against Konnan! As they run down the show, they are surprised - not by the typical arrival of the nWo to kick them out of their seats, but by Larry Zbyszko, The Steiner Brothers, and Ted DiBiase, who post up near the table in case of nWo interference!

Rating: 71 (B-)

vs.

Dean Malenko vs. Psychosis

Mike Tenay let us know that there's a big future in store for Psychosis in the Cruiserweight Division here in WCW, but despite Psychosis's best efforts, he came up empty on a Missile Dropkick attempt and was locked in the Texas Cloverleaf as Malenko picked up the win by submission.

Rating: 61 ©

After a commercial break, a graphic announces a championship match for Starrcade: following his victory, Dean Malenko will challenge the winner of Saturday Night's upcoming bout between Prince Iaukea and Eddie Guerrero for the Cruiserweight belt at the jam-packed pay-per-view event!

Rating: 56 (C-)

Before turning back to the ring, the announce team brings us back a couple of weeks ago, when, after defeating Disco Inferno, "Macho Man" Randy Savage buried him in Flying Elbow after Flying Elbow. Elizabeth stood by and watched, and Heenan in particular says he can't believe that she would allow Randy to do what he did to the Disco Inferno that night.

vs.

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Randy Savage w/Elizabeth

"The Macho Man" has been inside those ropes with some of the greatest of all time and rarely had as much trouble as he did with the plucky luchador Rey Jr. Every time Randy would land a big maneuver and the crowd thought it was over, Mysterio would barely get a shoulder up. Rey also had Savage on his heels with his innovative offense, but in the end, the veteran would grab the win with a Flying Elbow Drop.

Out of sheer frustration, after the bell, Savage disregards the warnings of Randy Anderson and continues to drop Flying Elbow after Flying Elbow from the top rope, just as he did to the Disco Inferno a couple of weeks ago! This time, however, he is greeted by the ominous entrance of a familiar foe as The Giant steps his way down the aisle! As The Giant enters the ring, Savage retreats in spite of The Giant's no-contact order from JJ Dillon. Giant grabs a microphone and has a simple message for "The Macho Man" - "why don't you pick on someone a little bit bigger at Starrcade?!" Tony lets out an audible "YEAAHH!!" from ringside as the challenge has been laid down!

Rating: 70 (C+; recap); 79 (B; match); 74 (B-; Giant save)

After a quick break, we get a graphic reminding us that Konnan of the New World Order would be going one-on-one with Raven later on this evening! Heenan says that Raven and his crew give him the creeps, but that he'd be happy to welcome Raven to the WCW fold if he'll stand up against the nWo.

Rating: 61 ©

vs.

The Public Enemy vs. The Faces of Fear

These two heavy-hitting teams brawled it out and bombs flew back and forth with Jimmy Hart's squealing voice emanating from ringside. At one point Public Enemy set up a table on the outside, but they never got to employ it. Despite Rocco's and Johnny's best efforts, it took a Savate Kick to Rocco and the Tongan Death Grip to Grunge to complete a victory by stoppage for The Faces of Fear.

After the match though, they weren't done. The two savages conducted a well-orchestrated beatdown of the former WCW Tag Team Champions, including sending them both through the large wooden cafeteria-style table posted outside the ring! Leaving Public Enemy in a heap, the Faces appeared satisfied...for now.

Rating: 55 (C-; match); 62 (C; beatdown)

Note: Both members of Public Enemy showed up wasted. Thankfully they didn't pull anything with Meng or Barbarian or they'd have ended up in the hospital instead of the unemployment line.

We get a Saturday Night preview next, which hypes the already announced Cruiserweight Title match between Prince Iaukea, the former WCW Television Champion, and Eddie Guerrero! We'll also see"The Total Package" Lex Luger in action!

Rating: 75 (B-)

As we head back to ringside, the New World Order music hits and the commentary team hypes up the upcoming tag team contest between Curt Hennig and Scott "Flash" Norton against Ric Flair and DDP. But it's not just the two competitors who enter the aisle way - they're accompanied by The Outsiders, Vincent, and Buff Bagwell. The nWo crew heads over to the announce table, with Hall wiggling his fingers in faux fear at Zbyszko and The Steiner Brothers. After some jawing back and forth, Zbyszko and the Steiners throw right hands! After a big brawl, the nWo starts to get the upper hand, but Page, Flair, and Lex Luger hit the table area for the save! The Outsiders and Bagwell head out through the crowd and the WCW faithful cheer along with the commentary team!

vs.

Diamond Dallas Page and Ric Flair vs. Curt Hennig and Scott Norton

Throughout this contest, Hennig smartly relied upon the strength and speed of Norton to wear their opponents down for his technical maneuvers. But once the crowd willed Flair to tag in Page, the United States Champion caught fire. And when Vincent tried to get involved, Page ducked a clothesline attempt by Norton which caught Vincent and sent him to the floor! Amidst the confusion, Norton turned around into a Diamond Cutter! DDP made the cover and Hennig elected not to make the save as Page and Flair took the victory!

Rating: 82 (B; brawl); 75 (B-; match)

After another commercial break, "Mean" Gene Okerlund welcomes "The Total Package" Lex Luger back out to the entranceway. Luger walks out flexing for the fans as Gene questions him about the words and actions of Buff Bagwell. Luger's words are succinct - he tells Okerlund that if Buff thinks Lex is Sting's bitch and he thinks he can do all Luger's moves, then he should meet him in the ring at Starrcade! Lex lets Buff know that if he accepts, Lex will make Buff his bitch!

Rating: 70 (C+)

vs.

Kenny Kaos vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

This one was a quick one, and it wasn't pretty. "Mongo" simply toyed with the newcomer all the while taunting Bill Goldberg into the camera. Kaos attempted a cross-body which Mongo turned into the Mongo Spike for the victory.

After the match, McMichael grabs a microphone and continues his jawing at Goldberg. To his dismay though, Goldberg hears his remarks and makes his way down to the ring! As the two stare each other down, Mongo, chomping on gum, tells him he'll "see him at Starrcade, baby," and slides away through the ropes.

Rating: 31 (E+; match); 71 (B-; staredown)

Next up, Konnan makes his way out to the ring for his match against Raven. Raven, seated at ringside with The Flock as usual, doesn't appear to have any interest in getting up to wrestle. After a few moments, "Mean" Gene Okerlund hits ringside and is irate, asking Raven what his deal is and whether he's friendly with the nWo. As Raven silently stares straight ahead, Okerlund chastises him for being a selfish coward. Lodi holds a sign in front of Gene with "RAVEN RULES" crudely written on it, and Gene smacks it away, exclaiming "get that garbage out of my face!" Unexpectedly, the music of "Lionheart" Chris Jericho hits and Jericho says he's always looking for an opportunity, and if Raven is too much of a coward to fight Konnan, he'll do it!

vs.

Chris Jericho vs. Konnan

Jericho used the surprise factor to his advantage early, as the commentary team noted the stylistic differences between preparing for Raven and preparing for a agile youngster like Jericho. Konnan eventually settled in, however, and the veteran picked up a clean submission victory with the Tequila Sunrise.

Rating: 62 (C; pre-match); 73 (B-; match)

After a final commercial break, the commentators hype our main event! Kevin Nash makes his way out to the ring alongside Scott Hall and Buff Bagwell. Then, as Chris Benoit makes his way out, he's jumped from behind by Riggs, Hammer, Kidman, and the rest of The Flock! In the ring, Bagwell obnoxiously feigns shock, Hall points and laughs, and Nash smirks and shrugs. The three lean back and let the assault continue, as Raven drops Benoit with a DDT on the floor! With Benoit barely moving, Raven points toward the ring, and Saturn grabs Benoit in a Fireman's Carry and rolls him in for Nash. The Flock escape through the crowd as the commentary team is livid at Raven! Conflicted, referee Nick Patrick waits for Benoit to crawl to his feet, and after Benoit says he wants the match to start, Patrick calls for the bell!

vs.

Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Nash

Unfortunately, this match was over before it started. Despite Benoit's grit, determination, and best efforts, the damage was already done. While he almost surprised Nash with the Crippler Crossface, Kevin was able to make his way out and landed a Jacknife on the beaten-down Benoit for a victory.

Predictably, the entire nWo immediately enters the ring to lay a beatdown on Benoit and Eric Bischoff and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan saunter down the aisle. As Hogan drops a leg on Benoit and Konnan breaks out the spraypaint, the nWo music is cut off by the music of...Roddy Piper!

After getting a beat-down of his own at the hands of the nWo just last month, Piper still looks worse for wear, but stands at the top of the aisle with a microphone in hand. He says "oh, yanno, it's been a bit of a pain since the attack you boys put on me, but I uh, just happened to be in the area so I thought I'd stop by and see how you guys were doin'! And uh, while I was here I walked over to JJ Dillon's office and talked to him for a bit and he wanted me to let you know, Hogan, that at Starrcade, it ain't just gonna be you gettin' your be-hind kicked by Sting...it's gonna be you and Sting...in a steel...cage...match!"

Piper laughs as Hogan's eyes widen and his jaw drops! He and Bischoff protest off-mic, saying that can't be, and that Piper has no authority to make that announcement! The broadcast ends with the nWo in the ring and a camera shot of Sting in the rafters, looking...pleased.

Rating: 82 (B; Raven attack); 75 (B-; match); 92 (A; announcement)

Overall Show Rating: 81 (B). This show increased our popularity in 21 regions.

Backstage Notes: Prior to the show, The Public Enemy egged Lex Luger into a fight, and I planned to suspend them both after their warning last week. Since they were wasted in the ring against the Faces of Fear, though, they both got the ax.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Monday Nitro Quick Results

Dean Malenko vs. Psychosis

Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Randy Savage w/Elizabeth

The Public Enemy vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

Diamond Dallas Page and Ric Flair vs. Curt Hennig and Scott Norton w/Vincent

Kenny Kaos vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

Chris Jericho vs. Konnan

Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Nash w/Scott Hall and Buff Bagwell

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

WCW Saturday Night: Saturday, Week 2, December 1997

WCW Saturday Night

Saturday, Week 2, December 1997

Young Arena; Waterloo, IA

At ringside, we're greeted by Mike Tenay and "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, who run down tonight's card: we've got Lex Luger, Scott Steiner, and Eddie Guerrero, all in action! And, Chris Benoit is here to address the assault by Raven's Flock last Monday night on Nitro!

Rating: 70 (B+)

Glacier w/Ernest Miller vs. Kidman w/The Flock

Although his tag team partner was at ringside, Glacier had trouble with the numbers game. Hammer took Miller out and after a sit-down Facebuster, Kidman made the cover on Glacier for the win.

Rating: 55 (C-)

With The Flock in the ring, Mike Tenay walks down for an interview with Raven. Seated at ringside, however, Raven wants none of it. Tenay tries to get him to answer a question about The Flock's assault on Chris Benoit this past Monday, but The Flock bullies Tenay out of the ring and to the floor.

Rating: 82 (B)

Backstage, James Vandenberg is standing with Mortis and Wrath. He reminds us of how Mortis and Wrath are a destructive force and that WCW is going to crumble under their power.

Rating: 59 ©

Fit Finlay vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

Fit Finlay is a man known for being able to take a punch, but even he wasn't able to withstand the lumbering, bludgeoning blows of Mongo. A Mongo Spike did the trick.

Rating: 45 (D)

Mongo talks trash to Bill Goldberg into the microphone, and as he walks to the back, Goldberg's music hits and he's on his way out for a match. They get in each other's faces as Mongo keeps jawing and says he'll see him at Starrcade.

Bill Goldberg vs. Louie Spicolli

Goldberg, clearly motivated by his staredown with McMichael, took his frustrations out on Spicolli. A Jackhammer led to the victory.

Rating: 75 (B-; staredown); 58 (C-; match)

Next, we get a recap of the announcement this past Monday by Roddy Piper of all people that Sting would get his opportunity to face "Hollywood" Hogan.... in a steel cage at Starrcade!

An nWo promotional commercial airs, but it's not Hogan this time, it's Randy Savage accepting The Giant's challenge from Monday, and Buff Bagwell accepts Luger's! We've got two more matches set for Starrcade!

Rating: 78 (B; recap); 82 (B; commercial)

At ringside, Ultimo Dragon and Chavo Guerrero await their opponents from The Flock in tag team action. After a few moments, Raven grabs the hair of Sick Boy and Lodi and sends them in to represent his Flock.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Ultimo Dragon vs. Sick Boy and Lodi w/The Flock

To Raven's dismay, the lucha style of Chavo and Dragon gelled more effectively than the less-defined style of Lodi and Sick Boy. Ultimo ended this one with an Asai Moonsault to Lodi.

Rating: 78 (B; segment); 58 (C-; match)

As we come back from a commercial break, we get a preview for this Monday night: we will see Saturn defend the WCW Television Title against the former champion, The Disco Inferno! But not only that, we have a major, major main event where "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair will go one-on-one with "The Macho Man" Randy Savage!

Rating: 73 (B-)

Backstage, we get a pre-taped promo with Chris Benoit in which he addresses Raven's assault on Monday. He says that if Raven wants to put him out, he had better do it himself, and that he's calling him out to meet him in the ring on Monday.

Rating: 56 (C-)

Lex Luger vs. Mike Enos

Luger spent much of the match flexing and getting the crowd going as he was sending a clear message to Buff Bagwell. He was able to hoist the massive Enos up for the Torture Rack to get the win.

Rating: 57 (C-)

Prior to our next contest, we see a graphic for the latest match announcement for Starrcade. JJ Dillon has announced that The Faces of Fear will step into the ring with Harlem Heat!

WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Prince Iaukea vs. Eddy Guerrero ©

Guerrero took all he could handle from the plucky Iaukea, but eventually finished him off with a Frog Splash to complete the title defense.

After the match, Mike Tenay enters the ring to interview Guerrero about his now-confirmed title defense against Dean Malenko at Starrcade. Eddy essentially tells Tenay that Dean doesn't have the killer instinct to get the job done, and that he's not scared!

Rating: 65 (C; graphic); 66 (C+; match); 67 (C+, promo)

Following our final commercial break, a video recaps the brawl at the commentary table on Nitro. After, Larry Zbyszko cuts a quick promo from the announce table. He says he's confident because he knows that Bischoff and The Outsiders are a bunch of pansies who won't be able to handle "The Living Legend" and The Steiner Brothers!

Rating: 74 (B-)

Scott Steiner w/Rick Steiner & Ted DiBiase vs. Alex Wright

Wright put up a good fight, but his athleticism alone wasn't enough against Steiner's all-around wrestling ability and power. Wright was looking for a cross-body, but Steiner fought back and ended up climbing the ropes to hit a Frankensteiner for the win.

With The Steiner Brothers in the ring, Larry Zbyszko removed his headset and walked down to celebrate with the team and Ted DiBiase! They look ready to take on the nWo at Starrcade!

Rating: 75 (B-; match); 63 (C; celebration)

Overall Show Rating: 76 (B-)

Backstage Notes: None

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Saturday Night Quick Results

Glacier w/Ernest Miller vs. Kidman w/Raven's Flock

Fit Finlay vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

Bill Goldberg vs. Louie Spicolli

Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Ultimo Dragon vs. Lodi and Sick Boy w/Raven's Flock

Lex Luger vs. Mike Enos

WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Prince Iaukea vs. Eddy Guerrero ©

Scott Steiner w/Rick Steiner and Ted DiBiase vs. Alex Wright

Munit · August 26, 2020

This is great! Love the presentation and choices with booking. Surprised you are running with Mongo. Everytime I see him now it reminds me of Mongo (botch) Mondays. The highlight to my Monday 🙂

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

WCW Monday Nitro: Monday, Week 3, December 1997

WCW Monday Nitro

Monday, Week 3, December 1997

Rochester Community War Memorial; Rochester, NY

Tony, Brain, and Mike Tenay welcome us to the show! We are thirteen days out from the Starrcade mega-card, but tonight, we have a pay-per-view caliber main event as "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair goes one-on-one with his longtime rival "The Macho Man" Randy Savage! As Heenan calls for "The Nature Boy" to finish off whatever brain cells are left in Savage's head, The Steiners, Ted DiBiase, and "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko hit the announce table area and post up once again to ensure no nWo interference. Tenay mentions how excited he is after the massive announcement last week by Roddy Piper that Sting would be taking on "Hollywood" Hogan inside a steel cage at Starrcade!

Rating: 61 ©

Backup at the announce table was well-timed, as the music of the nWo hits and much of the gang hits the ring, taunting Larry and The Steiners. We get Eric Bischoff, Buff Bagwell, Curt Hennig, Rick Rude, Konnan, Scott Norton, and the nWo Champion, "Hollywood" Hogan. Unlike their normal gloating and open scheming, however, Bischoff's and Hogan's words are much more pointed. Hogan argues that a steel cage match favors him over Sting because "The Stinger" is a yellow-bellied coward too afraid even come out of his hiding spot to look the nWo Champion in the eye man-to-man. Bischoff takes the microphone and calls it a miscarriage of justice that Piper, who had no authority to make the match, was allowed to send Sting into Starrcade to get buried by Hogan, and he demands that JJ Dillon come out and reverse Piper's decision.

Dillon enters the aisleway with "Mean" Gene holding the microphone. Dillon says that Eric is right, Piper did not have the authority to put Hogan and Sting in the cage. He says that he doesn't buy their nonsense because he knows Hogan is afraid of Sting. But Dillon says that Piper made the announcement with Dillon's permission, and that if they want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, so be it - in two weeks at Starrcade, it will be Hogan. It will be Sting. And it will be inside a steel...cage! And if Hogan doesn't sign the contract or doesn't show up, then he will be sure that Hogan and the nWo never appear on WCW television again! The crowd erupts again as it is now confirmed - the Starrcade main event is set!

Rating: 95 (A*)

vs.

Harlem Heat vs. Mortis and Wrath

In preparation for their Starrcade showdown with The Faces of Fear, Harlem Heat looked to pick up a big win against another hard-hitting team, Mortis and Wrath. Unfortunately, though both teams looked impressive, we didn't get to see a conclusive ending as Meng and The Barbarian hit the ring and assaulted Harlem Heat for a disqualification. Stevie took a kick to the face from The Barbarian and Meng locked in the Tongan Death Grip on Booker! With Jimmy Hart barking orders, Jacqueline Moore tried to get in the ring to stop the assault, but ended up on the receiving end of a Powerslam from The Barbarian!

Rating: 66 (C+)

After a commercial break, "Mean" Gene Okerlund is at ringside where Raven's Flock is seated. Gene starts in hot with Raven, blasting him for refusing to take on Konnan last week and then assaulting Chris Benoit before his match with Kevin Nash. He calls Raven a traitor to WCW and asks him why he's aligned himself with the New World Order.

After initially hesitating and ignoring Okerlund, Raven speaks. He says that Gene and the masses don't understand. His actions last week had nothing to do with the nWo. They had nothing to do with WCW. He explains that the nWo and WCW are two sides of the same coin, and that he is not a sheep that is going to align with either tribe. Instead, Raven is here to provide clarity and cleansing to WCW. He plans on ridding the landscape of men like Chris Benoit who don't know what it's like to be cast aside. When Gene asks whether he's going to be a man and get in the ring with Benoit, Raven goes silent and Hammer climbs over the rail with Riggs and they escort Gene away by his arm.

vs.

Disco Inferno vs. Saturn ©

In a rematch from a few weeks ago in which Saturn captured the Television belt from Disco Inferno, the former champion looked to gain revenge. Despite Disco's best efforts, though, thanks to the swarm of Flock members surrounding the ring, the dangerous Saturn was able to catch him in the Rings of Saturn for the victory.

Rating: 80 (B; promo); 60 (C; match)

After a quick break, we see Lord Steven Regal in the back on the WCW Hotline looking rather disgusted with either the caller or the WCW support technician seated next to him. Call up now!

Rating: 59 ©

vs.

Rey Mysterio Jr. and Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera

Fast-paced cruiserweight action followed and it got the crowd going. The combination of Rey's innovative offense and Dean's ground and pound technical style were on display as Juvi tapped to the Texas Cloverleaf with Eddy looking on, choosing not to intervene.

After the match, Mike Tenay grabs a microphone and asks Eddy about his performance and how he's going to prepare for Malenko at Starrcade. Guerrero points out that Dean never made him submit and that he's not going to do it at Starrcade either! Despite Malenko's pleas for the Cruiserweight Champion to come back to the ring for another fight, a frustrated Eddy backs up the aisle, mouthing off at Dean and the fans.

Rating: 66 (C+; match); 73 (B-; Eddy promo)

After a commercial break, "Mean" Gene is backstage with "The Total Package" Lex Luger. Lex says he hopes Bagwell and the nWo were watching his win over Mike Enos on Saturday Night because that's how it's done. He notes that he was surprised by Bagwell accepting his Starrcade challenge, and at that moment, Bagwell appears onscreen grinning. Buff tells Lex that he's the real "Total Package" and flexes his biceps. Gene calls him a pompous moron and tells him this is not his segment time. Luger waves Gene off and tells Buff he can't wait to Rack him at Starrcade when Bagwell steps in the ring one-on-one. Before he can finish his sentence, he's attacked from behind by Vincent! Buff gets a couple of punches in before Luger pushes him off and cracks Vincent with a right hand! As Gene scurries away, Luger gets the upper hand and locks Vincent in the Torture Rack! Bagwell retreats as Luger drops Vincent and poses for the camera!

Rating: 80 (B)

vs.

Bill Goldberg vs. Fit Finlay

Despite Finlay's toughness and proclivity for a good fight, he was no match for the sheer power, athleticism, and explosiveness of the undefeated Goldberg. A Spear and a Jackhammer ended this one in swift fashion.

After the match, Steve "Mongo" McMichael walks down the aisle in his Chicago Bears Starter jacket and a microphone. He tells Goldberg that just like Jeff Jarrett, who recently quit WCW "when he saw the look in mah eye," Goldberg better run scared while he still can. Bill doesn't appear afraid though, and he takes the opportunity to leave the ring and bull-rush McMichael! As the two tussle, Goldberg gets up to hype himself up and play to the crowd! As he turns around though, Mongo had slid the lead pipe he used at Starrcade out of his Bears jacket and smacks Goldberg in the head with it! He puts the boots to Goldberg and holds the pipe high!

Rating: 54 (C-; match); 73 (B-; brawl)

Next out are The Outsiders along with Eric Bischoff, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Rick Rude, and Curt Hennig. They get on Larry Zbyszko and The Steiner Brothers, who are still posted up by the announce table. Kevin and Scott taunt The Steiners with their nWo Tag Team Title belts as the Steiners hold up the true belts and shout back at them. Meanwhile, Bischoff calls Larry "The Living Loser" and lets out a shrill laugh. Ted DiBiase grabs a microphone and tells the nWo that his clients aren't going to fight at the announce table like last week - they're coming to the ring! But they noticed they're a bit outnumbered, so they made a couple of phone calls just in case.

As the trio makes their way toward the ring, they're backed up by "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Diamond Dallas Page once again! Tony notes that Flair is scheduled to take on "The Macho Man" later tonight, but first we get a sneak peek! There's a major brawl in the ring as Rude immediately slides out. Amidst the chaos, Zbyszko gets a hand on the jacket of a fleeing Bischoff, but right before Larry lays the lumber, Nash grabs Bischoff's leg and pulls him outside the ring to the disappointment of the WCW faithful. The nWo licks their wounds and heads out through the crowd as The Steiners and friends taunt them from the ring!

Rating: 88 (B+)

Before the next segment, we get a preview for Saturday Night - we have "The Crippler" Chris Benoit, La Parka and Psychosis, and Diamond Dallas Page all in action!

Speaking of Benoit, he's out to ringside next for an interview with "Mean" Gene. Gene asks if he has anything to say to Raven regarding Raven's assault last week prior to Benoit's match with Kevin Nash. Benoit says he's disgusted by how much of a coward Raven is and he wants him at Starrcade! Benoit walks over to the side of the ring where Raven's Flock is seated and tries to goad Raven into accepting his challenge, but Raven simply stares at him disinterested. With the likes of Lodi and Kidman taunting him, Benoit snaps and launches himself over the railing right into Raven, knocking him backwards! Gene lets out a cry of shock as Benoit's surprise attack pays dividends. He grabs Raven's chair and cracks Hammer in the head with it, swinging it wildly as The Flock retreats!

Rating: 58 (C-; preview); 65 (C; brawl)

vs.

Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage

It's main event time! Savage walked to the ring surrounded by a substantial portion of the nWo, and Flair was backed by The Steiners, Larry Zbyszko, Diamond Dallas Page, and Lex Luger! The two picked up right where they left off, as Savage jumped Flair as soon as he hit the ring. The drama outside the ring was too much for referee Nick Patrick to adequately control, as Savage picked up the victory once Curt Hennig blasted Flair in the head with one of The Outsiders' Tag Team belts behind Patrick's back and Savage dropped an elbow for the pin.

Basically as soon as the bell rings, the tension outside the ring descends into full-blown chaos. Konnan catches a Diamond Cutter from Page, Vincent is Powerslammed by Scott Steiner, Hall and Bagwell put the boots to Zbyszko, and pandemonium reigns - and then The Giant hits the ring! Cognizant of JJ Dillon's warning that if The Giant threw a punch with his hurt hand, he would be suspended indefinitely, The Giant's arrival is simply to buy time for the WCW loyalists to regroup. Hall, Nash, and especially Savage feign fear at The Giant and mock him, asking him to hit them. That's when "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan runs down the aisle with the nWo Heavyweight Championship and cracks The Giant with it! A beatdown ensues as the nWo puts the boots to the fallen WCW wrestlers. All of a sudden, the lights go out...

The power returns to the arena and a new man is standing in the ring, clad in black, monochromatic face paint, signature baseball bat in hand - it's STING!! For the first time in weeks, Hogan's challenger is in the ring and lays waste to the nWo members inside the ring! Scott Norton takes a bat to the gut, doubles over, and gets cracked in the spine with the same weapon. "The Macho Man" hurls his body at Sting, who steps to the side and grabs him for the Scorpion Death Drop! Kevin Nash just ducks a swing at his head, and this allows for Team WCW to get back to their feet and fend off the remaining New World Order members! The show ends with Sting, The Steiners, Zbyszko, DDP, Flair, Luger, and The Giant riling up the crowd and the nWo heading for the hills!

Rating: 78 (B; match); 93 (A; post-match)

Overall Show Rating: 84 (B+). This show increased our popularity in 22 regions.

Backstage Notes: Prior to the show, Fit Finlay agreed to a contract with WWF and let WCW management know he would be leaving when his contract expires at the end of the month.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Monday Nitro Quick Results

Harlem Heat w/Jacqueline Moore (DQ) vs. Mortis and Wrath w/James Vandenberg

WCW Television Championship

Disco Inferno vs. Saturn w/Raven's Flock

Dean Malenko & Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Eddy Guerrero & Juventud Guerrera

Bill Goldberg vs. Fit Finlay

Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage w/the nWo and Elizabeth

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

WCW Saturday Night: Saturday, Week 3, December 1997

WCW Saturday Night

Saturday, Week 3, December 1997

Great Lakes Sports City Superior Arena; Fraser, MI

Our usual commentary team of "Iron" Mike Tenay & "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko welcome us to the show and run down the pandemonium that ended Nitro, including the return of Sting. Larry says that he's glad that Sting has WCW's back against those New World Order punks, but that he wishes he showed up a minute earlier so he could have slapped the hair off that weasel Bischoff's head! They quickly run down the card and then it's time for tag team action.

Rating: 85 (B+)

Prince Iaukea and Lizmark Jr. vs. Psychosis and La Parka

Fast-paced, reckless cruiserweight action started the show, as it often does. It was the power of La Parka that was the difference though, as he caught Lizmark with a Powerbomb for the win.

Rating: 48 (D+)

Next up is a backstage interview with The Steiner Brothers and Ted DiBiase aimed entirely at The Outsiders and Eric Bischoff. Scott says he noticed that when he hit the ring, Kevin Nash was the first one to run for the hills and that's because he knows at Starrcade the Steiner Brothers and "The Living Legend" are gonna put the three of them in the ground!

Rating: 79 (B)

A video package recaps the previous few weeks of the feud between Chris Benoit and Raven, including Benoit's attack on The Flock this past Monday.

Chris Benoit vs. Kidman w/The Flock

With The Flock surrounding the ring, Benoit was at a clear disadvantage, but it didn't matter. Raven ensured that his men stayed out of the match and after Kidman came up empty on a Missile Dropkick, Benoit locked in the Crippler Crossface for a submission win.

Afterward, Benoit celebrates in the ring with his hand raised. He continues to jaw at Raven in the crowd and spits in his direction! As The Flock converge, Benoit slides out of the ring and raises his arms, the stoic Raven wiping off the area on his shirt where Benoit spit and we head to an ad break.

Rating: 65 (C; recap); 69 (C+; match); 68 (C+; post-match)

The following advertisement has been paid for by the New World Order...

We get a quick ad by "Hollywood" Hogan and Eric Bischoff, mainly focused on Sting and Larry Zbyzsko. Bischoff says the old WCW, like Larry, will probably croak soon, while Hogan says "that clown Sting" has a death wish too if he wants to step inside a steel cage with Hollywood, brother!

Rating: 84 (B+)

Back at ringside, Mike Tenay introduces the newest member of the WCW roster, Rick Martel! He says he's been a champion all over the world and now he's ready to come to "where the big boys play" and take his career to the next level.

Rick Martel vs. Brad Armstrong

Martel's debut match came against Brad Armstrong, a man who is no slouch inside the ring himself. After a few minutes, though, Martel showed his technical prowess and locked in a Boston Crab for the victory.

Rating: 49 (D; promo); 53 (C-; match)

Backstage, Harlem Heat are backstage, notably without Jacqueline, who caught a Powerslam on Nitro from The Barbarian. Stevie says he's sick of those suckas getting into Harlem Heat's business and that The Faces of Fear went too far when they took out Jackie. Similarly, Booker says come Starrcade, it's on and that The Faces are gonna get what's comin' to 'em.

Rating: 68 (C+)

Right after a commercial break, we get a quick recap of Steve "Mongo" McMichael's assault of the undefeated Goldberg this past week on Nitro, as well as a graphic hyping their match at Starrcade.

Rating: 69 (C+)

Hugh Morrus and Ray Traylor vs. Lenny Lane and Ace Steel

Despite the athleticism of Lane and Steel, the power of Traylor and Morrus was too much. Morrus finished off Ace with the No Laughing Matter.

Rating: 44 (D)

Mike Tenay is again at ringside introducing a new WCW signing - this time it's the former NWA World Tag Team Champions, The Rock 'n' Roll Express! Gibson and Morton talk about the crop of new young talent here in WCW and how they're excited to go from taking on The Freebirds and The Midnight Express to stepping in the ring against the likes of The Steiner Brothers and Harlem Heat.

Rating: 48 (D+)

The following advertisement has been paid for by the New World Order...

Another nWo ad airs, only this time it's The Outsiders. They waste no time mocking Zbyszko and "The EinSteiners," with Hall saying it takes all three of those idiots to put together a complete sentence. Nash adds that DiBiase thinks he can destroy what he built, but that the nWo only got stronger when it got rid of him, so he, the Steiners, and Zbysko are dead men at Starrcade.

Rating: 84 (B+)

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Lord Steven Regal

These former rivals squared off one more time, and unlike many of the early meetings, Regal was able to use Duggan's lack of athleticism against him to get him on the mat and finish him off with a Regal Stretch.

Rating: 59 ©

We get a quick Nitro preview next - this Monday, we've got "Lionheart" Chris Jericho in action, and we've got a huge six-man tag team match as Lex Luger and The Steiners take on "Hollywood" Hogan and The Outsiders!And, as Tenay notes, "Mean" Gene Okerlund has promised that for the first time in over a year, "The Man They Call" Sting would be not only making an appearance, but has promised to speak to the WCW audience about the past, the present, and Starrcade!

Rating: 74 (B-)

Next up, it's main event time. As Diamond Dallas Page makes his way to the ring to face a member of The Flock, he steps right up toward the ringside area where Raven is seated. Page talks trash to the entire Flock until Raven gets up in his face and the crowd starts buzzing. As DDP tells him to come on and face him, Raven waits until the tension is at his highest, sits down, and pushes Riggs forward. The crowd boos but Riggs complies and we've got our main event.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Riggs w/The Flock

Riggs put up a fight, but Page has simply been on fire the past few weeks. Riggs caught a Diamond Cutter and DDP covered for the 1, 2, 3 after just a few minutes.

After the match, Page celebrates with his United States title. He gets up on each turnbuckle and sends the fans home happy with a BANG! in the center of the ring.

Rating: 89 (A; staredown); 76 (B-; match); 75 (B-, celebration)

Overall Show Rating: 76 (B-)

Backstage Notes: None

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Saturday Night Quick Results

Prince Iaukea and Lizmark Jr. vs. Psychosis and La Parka

Chris Benoit vs. Kidman w/Raven's Flock

Rick Martel vs. Brad Armstrong

Hugh Morrus and Ray Traylor vs. Lenny Lane and Ace Steel

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Lord Steven Regal

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Riggs w/Raven's Flock

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

WCW Monday Nitro: Monday, Week 4, December 1997

WCW Monday Nitro

Monday, Week 4, December 1997

BSU Pavilion; Boise, ID

Fireworks explode as Tony Schiavone welcomes us to the final stop before Starrcade 1997! He, along with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and "Iron" Mike Tenay, hype the massive main event signed for tonight - the original New World Order of "Hollywood" Hogan, "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash, and the World War 3 winner Scott Hall will take on The Steiner Brothers and "The Total Package" Lex Luger! And, not only that, but Lex has promised that tonight, for the first time in over a year, we will hear directly from "The Man They Call" Sting, who will chronicle his journey into darkness just six nights before he has the opportunity to end the New World Order once and for all!

Rating: 83 (B+)

The iconic music of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair hits as the commentary team reminds us that last week, Flair was beaten down by Randy Savage and Curt Hennig before being helped out by The Giant and Sting. Flair gets in the ring dressed in business casual clothing which he already starts removing as he is clearly fired up. With "Mean...WOOOO...Gene" in the ring holding the microphone, Flair calls Savage and Hennig out. He appears ready to take them both on right here, right now! The music of the nWo hits, but no one comes out. Flair gets angry, rips his shirt off, drops an elbow on the shirt, and screams "FINE!" He shouts that if they're not gonna come out here, then they can meet him at Starrcade! Because he's got a man that he's enlisted that's willing to take them on!

At that moment, The Giant hits the ring, the crowd roaring as he raises his casted arm in the air! Gene makes a remark about not being able to hold the microphone that high, so he hands it to The Giant's good hand. Giant says that last week, the nWo took advantage of him being obligated not to fight back, but that ends at Starrcade! Flair continues to stomp around the ring out of pure excitement. While Giant notes he's already been booked against Savage, he's more than happy to make it a tag team match with "The Nature Boy" at his side! Giant promises that if they accept, he's going to bury them six feet deep with a Chokeslam!

Rating: 82 (B)

vs.

Lizmark Jr. and Prince Iaukea vs. The Faces of Fear

Tenay spent the early going extolling the youth, athleticism, and talent of Lizmark and Iaukea, but Heenan began to mock him as Iaukea got caught with a vicious roundhouse kick by Meng. Heading into their matchup with Harlem Heat at Starrcade, The Faces looked impressive and Barbarian finished Lizmark off with a Savate Kick.

After the match, Harlem Heat hit the aisle without Jacqueline Moore. Microphone in hand, Booker and Stevie talk about how those suckas are gonna get the hands at Starrcade for what they did to Jackie. And that if he ain't careful, Jimmy Hart might get some heat himself!

Rating: 55 (C-; match); 62 (C; promo)

As we come back from a commercial break, Schiavone reads off two huge match WCW vs. nWo announcements for this Sunday: Curt Hennig and Randy Savage have officially accepted and signed the contract to meet Ric Flair and The Giant in a tag team contest, and Diamond Dallas Page will defend the United States Heavyweight belt against Konnan!

Rating: 77 (B)

vs.

Chris Jericho vs. Eddy Guerrero

Despite "Lionheart" Chris Jericho's recent struggles, he was on his game with an opportunity to insert himself directly into the Cruiserweight Title picture by beating the champion in non-title action. Jericho picked up some near falls in a hotly contested match, but after he missed a Lionsault attempt, Guerrero quickly capitalized and finished him off with a Brainbuster.

After the match, clearly frustrated with the plucky Jericho, Guerrero assaults him. He puts the boots to him and tries to lift him up for a second Brainbuster, but Eddy's opponent at Starrcade, Dean Malenko, runs out for the save! Guerrero slides out of the ring and retrieves his title belt as Malenko points at him and threatens him.

Rating: 74 (B-; match); 63 (C; beatdown/save)

The following advertisement has been paid for by the new World order...

"Hollywood" Hogan is joined by Eric Bischoff and the two talk Sting. Bischoff says he can't wait to hear what Sting has to say tonight and he wonders aloud whether he thinks the WCW fans are stupid enough to buy his reason for hiding on the roof for the last year. Hogan feigns fear of Sting and cackles, telling his challenger that finally, after all his ducking Hogan, Sting is stuck inside a cage with Hogan's 24-inch pythons and there's no way out! Hogan and Eric conclude by declaring that the nWo Title is staying with Hogan through Starrcade and through 1998, brother!

Rating: 92 (A)

vs.

Chris Benoit vs. Dave Taylor

With Raven and The Flock looking on, Chris Benoit looked to pick up a win heading into Starrcade and he did just that. Taylor put up a competitive effort, but it was Benoit who was able to outclass his opponent with a Flying Headbutt and the Crippler Crossface.

As soon as the bell rings, Raven's Flock swarms the ring and puts the boots to "The Crippler." Hammer, Lodi, Kidman, Riggs, and the rest all make sure that Benoit can't make it back to his feet as Raven himself slowly makes his way over the railing and into the ring. He grabs a microphone as the Flock members lift Benoit to his knees. Raven, sitting in front of Benoit, says that if Benoit wants to prove that he truly deserves the adoration and admiration he gets from society, he can meet Raven in the ring at Starrcade. But, Raven says, he fights under his rules. And because of that, Benoit is going to have to go through his Flock in a Gauntlet match at Starrcade! Raven grabs Benoit's head and drops him with a DDT as The Flock celebrates around him.

Rating: 70 (C+; match); 68 (C+; Flock attack)

vs.

Steve "Mongo" McMichael vs. Ice Train

These two heavyweights went toe to toe in a pretty ugly match, with McMichael coming out on top after a Spinebuster.

After the match, McMichael loudly talks so the camera can hear him, letting Bill Goldberg know that he has his number, that Goldberg got punked last week, and that he's gonna get his "Atlanta-Falcon-reject" bell rung this Sunday! As he turns around, Goldberg has slid in the ring, and he catches McMichael with a Spear! The crowd comes back to life as Goldberg celebrates, clearly ready for Mongo this Sunday!

Rating: 35 (E+; match); 69 (C+; Goldberg run-in)

After a commercial break, Diamond Dallas Page is backstage on the WCW Hotline answering questions about his upcoming title defense against Konnan of the New World Order!

Rating: 77 (B)

vs.

Ernest Miller vs. Lord Steven Regal

Although the two competitors had no previous issues with one another, it was clear that Regal was disgusted with Miller's flash and style. While Miller had Regal on his heels for a bit, eventually Regal was able to catch a kick and lock in the Regal Stretch for the win.

Next up is a preview of Saturday Night! One night before Starrcade, we will see Ray Traylor take on Buff Bagwell and Goldberg go one-on-one with Alex Wright!

Rating: 57 (C-; match); 52 (D+; SN preview)

With Luger and the Steiners in the ring ready for the main event with Ted DiBiase and Larry Zbyszko as backup, the nWo music hits and...more New World Order members than expected come out to the aisle. "Hollywood" Hogan talks about how he has a match to prepare for this Sunday and that he has to get ready to send "The Stinger" packing back to that bat's nest in the ceiling, dude! Hall, who takes a quick survey as to who was here to see the n...W...o, says that as the true World Tag Team Champions, the Outsiders and the nWo choose when and where they wrestle, and it ain't gonna be in Idaho of all places against those three wimps in the ring. And, Kevin Nash simply says he doesn't feel like wrestling The Einsteiners tonight because they aren't worth his time and that he had Vincent call the nWo a limo out of this hick town, but he didn't think a limo would be within 100 miles of this place anyway. Instead, Eric Bischoff announces that the nWo will be sending out a different team. All WCW representatives involved, the commentary team included, call this a new low for the cowardly nWo!

vs.

Lex Luger and The Steiner Brothers vs. Buff Bagwell, Konnan, and Scott Norton

While Lex and the Steiners had different objectives in mind at Starrcade, they had a common goal of delivering as much pain as possible to the nWo in this one. The sheer power of the WCW team was at times difficult for the nWo team to handle, but Bagwell spent as much time as he could avoiding Lex and hiding behind Norton. With Luger about to Rack Konnan and the Steiners with Buff ready to take the Steinerizer, Hogan, Hall, and Nash, along with the remainder of the nWo, hit the ring again and jumped the WCW team to cause referee Randy Anderson to call for the bell!

With their departure clearly a ruse, the nWo continues their assault on the WCW faithful, as the numbers game yet again piles up in favor of the insurgents. Luger catches a boot from Nash, Norton bodies Zbyszko to the ground, Rick Steiner runs right into a big Clothesline from Hall. Before the damage is too great, however, we see the arrival of Sting from the rafters! Konnan gets a bat to the stomach and Hennig in the arm as the nWo scatters and regroups up the aisle.

Sting grabs a mic and, with the WCW wrestlers in the ring rallying around him, begins to speak for the first time in over a year. He says that when this all started, when the nWo infected WCW, he wasn't sure what to do. When Hogan betrayed him and the faithful, and Sting would hear fans cheer for the nWo night in and night out, he felt stabbed in the back by the people who had pushed him to the top over the past decade. But as time went on, and the battle lines were drawn between WCW and the nWo, and as he was watching from above, Sting says he understood who he could trust. Sting says that he will forever bleed World Championship Wrestling because WCW courses through his veins, and that the New World Order is a disgrace not only to this company and this business, but an insult to the hearts and souls of all the Little Stingers around the world who tune in every week and have to see the disgusting display put on by Hogan and his cronies. He proclaims that the time for standing by is over, the time for talking is over, and the time for running is over. Hogan, this is war, brother! And after all the cowardice and all the fear and the sneak attacks, in six nights at Starrcade, Hogan, it's finally......showtime!

Sting then suggests that although Hogan loves to play the numbers game, in war you gotta remember not to make too many enemies, and that he should have been careful about how many enemies he made when he and The Outsiders invaded WCW on that fateful night at Bash at the Beach. Because WCW is "Where the Big Boys Play," and Hogan has made a lot of those "Big Boys" backstage very, very angry. With the nWo still in the aisle, all of a sudden, wrestlers wronged by the nWo begin to appear at the entrance to the stage behind them. We see everyone from "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Diamond Dallas Page to The Giant, Ray Traylor, Chris Benoit, and Harlem Heat, among others! Surrounded on both sides, Hogan, Bischoff, and the gang plead and attempt to weasel their way out. As Hogan tries to get over the barricade to escape through the crowd, both sides of the WCW army converge on the New World Order and a brawl breaks out! While The Giant stands by hyping up the WCW soldiers with the cast still on his hand, the remainder of the forces go blow for blow with the nWo! With chaos reigning on this final Nitro before Starrcade, a euphoric Tony Schiavone lets the TV audience know that we are out of time, and that this Sunday, it's Hogan!!! Sting!!! in a cage!!! With the future of WCW at stake!!!

Rating: 88 (B+; pre-match); 75 (B-; match); 99 (A*; Sting promo); 99 (A*; brawl)

Overall Show Rating: 86 (B+). This show increased our popularity in 25 regions.

Backstage Notes: Prior to the show, "Gentleman" Chris Adams provoked Ray Traylor into a heated argument and was given a stern warning. Adams understood and promised to improve his behavior. Also, Stevie Ray was chided for mocking Psychosis about his push.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Monday Nitro Quick Results

Lizmark Jr. and Prince Iaukea vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

Non-Title Match

Chris Jericho vs. Eddy Guerrero

Chris Benoit vs. Dave Taylor

Steve "Mongo" McMichael vs. Ice Train

Ernest Miller vs. Lord Steven Regal

Six-Man Tag Match

Lex Luger & The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase & Larry Zbyszko (DQ) vs. Buff Bagwell, Scott Norton, & Konnan w/Vincent

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

WCW Saturday Night: Saturday, Week 4, December 1997

WCW Saturday Night

Saturday, Week 4, December 1997

Robert A. Mott Athletics Center; San Luis Obispo, CA

With just one more night before the Starrcade mega-show to end 1997, Mike Tenay and Larry Zbyszko welcome us to WCW Saturday Night! Larry looks a bit the worse for wear after the brawl which ended Nitro, but after a quick rundown of tonight's card, Zbyszko says that he couldn't be prouder to stand with WCW against the "New World Odor" and that tomorrow night he's gonna show that little yellow weasel Eric Bischoff what it's like to step into the ring with a real man!

Rating: 78 (B)

The nWo b-team music hits as Buff Bagwell heads out to the ring for action flanked by Scott "Flash" Norton and Vincent. With his opponent, Ray Traylor, already in the ring, Bagwell first grabs a microphone and trashes his Starrcade opponent, Lex Luger. Bagwell says that tomorrow night he's going to show the world who the real "Total Package" is! But tonight, he's going to show the world just what a fat, old, disgusting slob Ray Traylor is and put him out of his misery! Traylor, incensed, has heard enough, as he runs outside to lay the hands to the nWo trio! He grabs Bagwell by the head and rolls him into the ring to get the match started!

Ray Traylor vs. Buff Bagwell w/Vincent & Scott Norton

Although Traylor had the early momentum, the numbers were too much to overcome. With Norton jawing with Traylor and distracting referee Nick Patrick, Bagwell hit a low blow on Traylor behind Patrick's back and finished him with a Blockbuster.

Rating: 71 (B-; promo); 60 (C; match)

A pre-taped interview with Diamond Dallas Page airs next, and he tells Tony Schiavone that Konnan is going to feel the BANG this Sunday at Starrcade!

Rating: 87 (B+)

Next, we get a video recap of the barbs and the attacks thrown back and forth between Bill Goldberg and Steve McMichael to hype their upcoming matchup at Starrcade.

Bill Goldberg vs. Alex Wright

Wright had a surprising early advantage, but Goldberg was too much. He continued his undefeated streak by lifting the German Wunderkind up for the Jackhammer.

Rating: 50 (D+; video); 63 (C; match)

Backstage, Lord Steven Regal is on the WCW Hotline! Tenay notes that for someone who has such disdain for the people, he sure does sit for the Hotline a lot!

The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. Cassidy O'Reilly & Tom Howard

The RNRs showed that they could still go, as they finished off the youngsters with a big double Dropkick.

Rating: 62 (C; Hotline); 38 (D-; match)

Another recap video airs - this time, we see segments from the past couple of weeks which led to the Starrcade match pitting The Giant and Ric Flair against Curt Hennig and Randy Savage! Zbyszko says that he can't wait for The Giant to wrap those massive hands around the throats of the nWo members and deliver some Chokeslams!

At ringside, Mike Tenay calls down "Lionheart" Chris Jericho for an interview. Tenay lauds Jericho for taking on tough challengers like Konnan and Eddy Guerrero the last few weeks, and asks why he thinks he has come up short in those contests. "Lionheart" doesn't appear to take this kindly, however, and he tells Tenay that none of that matters because he's issuing an open challenge for Nitro next Monday and plans to snap his losing streak once and for all!

Rating: 81 (B; video); 70 (C+; promo)

Rey Mysterio, Jr.vs. La Parka w/Psychosis

Rey survived a dangerous encounter with the more powerful La Parka by knocking Psychosis off the apron with a dropkick and hitting the West Coast Pop on his opponent!

Rating: 68 (C+)

Another pre-taped promo airs, this one featuring The Steiner Brothers and Ted DiBiase. After DiBiase reminds us he knows the nWo secrets and how the inner workings of the organization function, he says that The Steiners and Larry Zbyszko are the team that's going to finish off The Outsiders. The Steiners echo this sentiment, and Scott calls Nash and Hall a couple of bitches that want nothing to do with stepping into the ring with the two best athletes in this business!

A video then recaps the feud between Chris Benoit and Raven's Flock, culminating in the assault this past Monday and Raven's statement that Benoit would have to go through the rest of the Flock to get to him at Starrcade!

WCW Television Championship

Tenay noted that Chavo Jr. impressed WCW management enough in last week's tag team win against Flock members that he earned a title shot against Saturn here tonight. While Chavo looked poised to pull off an upset on a couple of occasions, the vicious and powerful Saturn was able to catch him in the Rings of Saturn and walk out with a hard fought win.

Rating: 66 (C+; recap); 67 (C+; match)

After a quick break, the Cruiserweight Champion Eddy Guerrero stands by with Mike Tenay at ringside. He first says that his nephew Chavito is gonna be a star in this business, but unlike Chavo, Eddy is going to walk out of Starrcade as a champion when he finishes off that gringo Dean Malenko.

Rating: 77 (B)

Hugh Morrus vs. Mortis w/Wrath & James Vandenberg

With the diabolical Vandenberg at ringside, Mortis was able to dispatch Morrus with a reverse STO.

Rating: 57 (C-)

The following advertisement has been paid for by the New World Order...

We have The Outsiders and Rick Rude appearing on behalf of the nWo in this segment, with Nash saying that DiBiase doesn't know a thing about the nWo, and that the only reason The Steiners hired him was so someone could read the menus when they're out on the road! Similarly, Hall says that after the homeboy Konnan takes the US belt, Hogan finishes off Sting, and The Outsiders bury the Steiners, all the belts are gonna be home where they belong - in the en...Dubya...oh.

Rating: 80 (B)

Glacier & Ernest Miller vs. Curt Hennig & Randy Savage

Despite the friendship between the martial arts experts, the superior talent of Hennig and Savage were too much to overcome. Glacier caught a Flying Elbow as the finish.

After the match, Rick Rude and Elizabeth entered the ring with Hennig and Savage putting the boots to their opponents. Bagwell, Norton, and Vincent hit the ring as Miller and Glacier got the trademark nWo spraypaint to their backs. A message has been delivered one night before Starrcade!

Tenay and Zbyszko send us off with a hype video for the ultimate showdown tomorrow night - Sting goes one-on-one with "Hollywood" Hogan with the future of WCW in the balance. Tune in!

Rating: 72 (B-; match); 85 (B+; attack); 78 (B; hype video)

Overall Show Rating: 76 (B-)

Backstage Notes: None

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WCW Saturday Night Quick Results

Ray Traylor vs. Buff Bagwell w/Scott Norton & Vincent

Bill Goldberg vs. Alex Wright

The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. Cassidy O'Reilly & Tom Howard

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. La Parka w/Psychosis

WCW Television Championship

Hugh Morrus vs. Mortis w/James Vandenberg & Wrath

Glacier & Ernest Miller vs. Randy Savage & Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude & Elizabeth

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

WCW Starrcade 1997 Preview

WCW Starrcade 1997 Preview
Sunday, Week 4, December 1997
MCI Center; Washington, D.C.

In perhaps the most consequential pay-per-view event in World Championship Wrestling history, we have nine huge matchups, many of which could determine the future of WCW moving forward! Tune in this Sunday and end 1997 with us as we bear witness to the following clashes:

vs.
Steel Cage Match
"The Man They Call" Sting vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan ©

This battle has been brewing since that fateful night at Bash at the Beach '96 when Hulk Hogan revealed himself as the third member of the New World Order. For over a year, Sting has lurked in the rafters, silently assessing the state of World Championship Wrestling. After a series of loyalty tests with the likes of Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and many others, Sting drew the battle lines against Hollywood Hogan. For months, Sting declined JJ Dillon's offers to pit Sting against various members of the nWo including Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and indicated that he wanted one man and one man only - Hollywood Hogan himself. After defending WCW from attacks over the months since the inception of the nWo, Sting will meet Hogan inside a steel cage at Starrcade! The soul of the wrestling world is at stake - will Sting reclaim the nWo Championship for WCW or will Hogan's reign of terror continue with WCW's greatest hero vanquished?

vs.
Six-Man Tag Match
Larry Zbyszko & The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase vs. Eric Bischoff & The Outsiders

The Steiner Brothers have been one of the foremost guardians of WCW throughout the nWo era and have been a thorn in the side of The Outsiders for months. Frustrated with the nWo's constant attacks on the commentary table, "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko called out Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff, threatening to take down the "New World Odor" himself! The nWo retorted with their typical smarminess, mocking Zbyszko and The Steiners, but when former New World Order member Ted DiBiase announced he would take The Steiners to war against the organization he helped found, this rivalry kicked up a notch. Adding more fuel to the fire, the team of Scott Hall and Syxx dropped the Tag Team Championships to The Steiners back in October, and ever since then, The Outsiders have claimed that they never lost the belts, actually appearing with their own Tag Team belts in the process. A cluster of rivalries comes to a head at Starrcade as these six men take each other on in tag team action!

vs.
The Giant & "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage & Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude & Elizabeth

If you've been paying attention to World Championship Wrestling even heading back through 1995, you know that there is no love lost between "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. And, when Curt Hennig feigned a friendship with Flair only to turn on The Four Horsemen at Fall Brawl's War Games, Flair kicked off months of bad blood with Hennig as well, costing him the United States Championship against Diamond Dallas Page earlier this month on Nitro. Also, fed up with the antics of his former stable, The Giant, despite a broken hand, has been doing the most to make the nWo's lives hell. Giant has made it to Starrcade in the face of nWo attacks and a no-contact order from JJ Dillon, but will he be medically cleared to help Flair take on Savage and Hennig?

vs.
Bill Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

Bill Goldberg has torn through the WCW roster like a bull in a china shop, remaining undefeated since his debut in September. However, Mongo has repeatedly referred to Goldberg as a "never was," referencing his career in the National Football League. These two were scheduled to face off at World War 3, but Goldberg was found laid out backstage with a lead pipe by McMichael himself. After weeks of posturing and brawling, these two bruisers finally meet in the ring at Starrcade!

vs.
Diamond Dallas Page © vs. Konnan

As noted above, Diamond Dallas Page was aided by Ric Flair in capturing the United States Heavyweight Championship from Curt Hennig. Page has been one of the most prominent thorns in the nWo's side, defeating the likes of Randy Savage and Scott Hall as a staunch WCW defender. In order to reclaim the belt for the nWo, Hogan and Bischoff have chosen Konnan as the nWo's representative. Can Konnan pick up the win of his career thus far or will Page continue his roll through the New World Order?

vs.
Gauntlet Match
Chris Benoit vs. Raven's Flock

Since June, the sadistic Raven has been an enigmatic part of the WCW roster, appearing at ringside with his "Flock," a group of misanthropic misfits coalescing around Raven's teachings. After seeking to induct former WCW Tag Team Champion Scotty Riggs into the group and meeting resistance, Raven eventually defeated him in singles competition and Riggs decided to join The Flock. Seeing a talented competitor and good person be indoctrinated by Raven, "The Crippler" Chris Benoit pleaded with Riggs to reconsider, but Riggs assaulted him and allowed The Flock to beat him down. Over the ensuing weeks, Benoit went up against a number of Flock members and challenged Raven to a match at Starrcade. Raven ultimately accepted Benoit's challenge, but due to a clause in his contract, Raven need only wrestle under his own rules - in this case, Raven mandated that the Starrcade contest be a Gauntlet Match pitting Benoit against The Flock! Will Benoit even be able to make it to Raven with the odds this stacked against him? And if so, will he be able to give Raven any form of comeuppance after battling through six other men?

vs.
Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero ©

This one is pretty simple. Guerrero has traded the Cruiserweight belt with the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Chris Jericho over the past few months, but has never faced a technician the likes of Dean Malenko for that belt. Having fended off Mysterio in a rematch at Halloween Havoc, Guerrero seeks to defend against his toughest challenge to date. On the other hand, Malenko looks to take the Cruiserweight Championship from Eddy just as he defeated Guerrero for the United States Championship back at Uncensored earlier this year. Can Eddy escape the clutches of the Texas Cloverleaf, or will "The Iceman" claim a second championship at the expense of Guerrero?

vs.
Harlem Heat w/Jacqueline Moore vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

Two teams of athletic heavy hitters will go blow-for-blow in this one. This feud goes back a couple of months and has culminated in a Powerslam to Jacqueline Moore earlier this month. Jacqueline has pledged to be back in the fold this Sunday, and Harlem Heat has told Jimmy Hart to watch out. Meng in particular has been an unstoppable force of late, even coming back after having a wooden chair smashed over his head to lock in the Tongan Death Grip on Booker T. Which team will land the finishing blow at Starrcade, and will the involvement of Jacqueline or Jimmy Hart play a role?

vs.
"The Total Package" Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell

These two have made potshots at each other for a few weeks leading up to the event and Buff Bagwell has staked his claim as the one true "Total Package." Luger doesn't appear to be worried about the upstart nWo member, however, and has said that he would make Bagwell "his bitch" at Starrcade. Can Bagwell claim a career defining victory this Sunday or will "The Total Package" prove that he is the one and only man deserving of that moniker?
______________________________________________________

Starrcade 1997 Quick Preview

nWo Heavyweight Championship
Steel Cage Match
Sting vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan ©

Six-Man Tag Match
Larry Zbyszko & The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase vs. Eric Bischoff & The Outsiders

The Giant & "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage & Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude & Elizabeth

Bill Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship
Diamond Dallas Page © vs. Konnan

Gauntlet Match
"The Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Raven's Flock

WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero ©

Harlem Heat w/Jacqueline Moore vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

"The Total Package" Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell

Bonus Questions

How many titles will change hands?

Will anyone turn against the nWo or join the nWo?

How many finishes will involve interference or distractions?

Which match will open the show?

Which match will be match of the night?

Okay, I'm all caught up! Feel free to predict on the PPV if you should feel so inclined. I'm not sure if I'm doing a prediction prize just yet but I know that some people just like to predict anyway. I'm likely going to book through January '98 (I'm at Souled Out, Week 3 Jan right now) before I post the show, so for anyone who doesn't want to read all these posts at once, take your time!

RKOwnage · August 26, 2020

I actually just recently finished watching WCW 1998 in it's entirety so this stuff is very fresh on my mind right now. I'll be reading along for sure!

Glad to have you here! You can keep me in check because I'm trying to add little flourishes that hopefully make it feel like these shows are really happening at the time. I want it to feel like a WCW '97/'98 show as much as possible.

This is great! Love the presentation and choices with booking. Surprised you are running with Mongo. Everytime I see him now it reminds me of Mongo (botch) Mondays. The highlight to my Monday 🙂

In case you can't tell by my avatar I am a big time Mongo fan. Stay tuned

Trevor Belmont · August 27, 2020

nWo Heavyweight Championship

Steel Cage Match

Six-Man Tag Match

Larry Zbyszko & The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase vs. Eric Bischoff & The Outsiders

The Giant & "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage & Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude & Elizabeth

Bill Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

It's time to change history!

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship

Gauntlet Match

"The Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Raven's Flock

WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Harlem Heat w/Jacqueline Moore vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

"The Total Package" Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell

Bonus Questions

How many titles will change hands? One.

Will anyone turn against the nWo or join the nWo? Scott Steiner.

How many finishes will involve interference or distractions? All nine.

Which match will open the show? Dean / Eddy.

Which match will be match of the night? Sting / Hulk.

dukka · August 27, 2020

Starrcade 1997 Quick Preview

nWo Heavyweight Championship

Steel Cage Match

Six-Man Tag Match

Larry Zbyszko & The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase vs. Eric Bischoff & The Outsiders

The Giant & "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage & Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude & Elizabeth

Bill Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship

Gauntlet Match

"The Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Raven's Flock

WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Harlem Heat w/Jacqueline Moore vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

"The Total Package" Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell

Bonus Questions

How many titles will change hands? 0

Will anyone turn against the nWo or join the nWo? One of the steiners, I'll go for Rick

How many finishes will involve interference or distractions? 3

Which match will open the show? Harlem heat

Which match will be match of the night? Sting/hulk

Jaysin · August 28, 2020

nWo Heavyweight Championship

Steel Cage Match

Six-Man Tag Match

Larry Zbyszko & The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase vs. Eric Bischoff & The Outsiders

The Giant & "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage & Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude & Elizabeth

Bill Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship

Gauntlet Match

"The Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Raven's Flock

WCW Cruiserweight Championship

Harlem Heat w/Jacqueline Moore vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart

"The Total Package" Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell

Bonus Questions

How many titles will change hands? One

Will anyone turn against the nWo or join the nWo? No

How many finishes will involve interference or distractions? One

Which match will open the show? Cruiserweight title

Which match will be match of the night? Sting vs Hogan

RKOwnage · November 22, 2020

WCW Starrcade: Week 4, December 1997 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="51706" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="if94nxD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/if94nxD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WCW Starrcade 1997 Sunday, Week 4, December 1997 MCI Center; Washington, D.C. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n7A1gZLASW8" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/n7A1gZLASW8"</a> frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Once the above video concludes, the pay-per-view commentary lineup of Tony Schiavone, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes welcomes us to the long-awaited Starrcade 1997! Schiavone: Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, live from the MCI Center, we have for you the most consequential card in the history of World Championship Wrestling, Starrcade 1997, as five contests here tonight pit WCW against the New World Order. And "Dream," it all leads to the showdown seventeen months in the making. Rhodes: You got that right, Tony, baby, and inside that big steel cage, I hope we see Sting knock Hogan right in the mush and take the Dubya See Dubya title back right here tonight! Heenan: I hope so too, Dusty, because if Hogan walks out of here with the belt tonight, it might just be the end of WCW as we know it. And I'll tell ya what, I'm scared. I'm real scared. Sting has to stop Hogan and Bischoff or we are in big trouble. <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 76 (B-; video); 80 (B; commentary) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="u0rh16Us.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/u0rh16Us.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="XljlZf7s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/XljlZf7s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> "The Total Package" Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell</div> For our first contest of the evening, nWo faced off against WCW as Bagwell sought the biggest victory of his singles career thus far. The match opened with a test of strength as Bagwell flexed his muscles. Buff slid away from the attempts by Luger to engage, and eventually gained the early momentum with an "accidental" eye poke. Referee Billy Silverman repeatedly warned Bagwell (and the crew of Scott Norton, Konnan, and Vincent at ringside) to keep it clean. However, any time Luger would start to gather some strength and fight his way back into the match, some combination of an outside distraction or a Bagwell quasi-legal maneuver would cut him off. Throughout the match, Buff riled up the crowd by posing like Luger, and at one point calling for the Torture Rack - but Lex did not allow him to lift him into the finishing maneuver and bounced off the ropes for a big forearm! A few moments later, Luger lifted Buff up into his version of the Rack! It was at that point that the nWo members at ringside had seen enough, and they converged on Lex with a group assault! Silverman had no choice but to call for a disqualification to open up Starrcade. With a four-on-one attack favoring the New World Order, Lex finds himself in significant trouble. Bagwell, selling a back injury, calls for the other three men to lift up Luger as he returns to posing. He slaps Luger across the face and again signals for the Torture Rack, but before he can attempt it, the crowd beings to buzz... Rhodes: Ohhh baby, here he eeez! Go get 'em! Schiavone: Oh my goodness, here comes Diamond Dallas! Heenan: Yes! Page looks like he's been shot out of a cannon! Diamond Dallas Page slides into the ring and lays fists to the nWo crew! Bagwell slides out of the ring immediately as Vincent catches a clothesline and Scott "Flash" Norton walks right into a Diamond Cutter! Vincent gets a Diamond Cutter as well, but Konnan barely escapes and slides out of the ring! He and Bagwell retreat backstage as Konnan motions for the US Title belt. Page lifts Luger to his feet as the two beckon for another fight! <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 65 (C; match); 82 (B; save) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="1z4OBOlt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1z4OBOlt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="lHJ2DWAs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lHJ2DWAs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="ru7vHKas.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ru7vHKas.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero ©</div> Malenko looked to capture the WCW Cruiserweight belt for the fourth time as he continued his off-and-on rivalry with the current champion, Eddy Guerrero. Throughout the course of the match, we saw much of what makes these two some of the brightest prospects in wrestling. Impressive chain wrestling early on led to a stalemate, with a frustrated Guerrero sliding outside the ring and banging on the apron after a dropkick sent him through the ropes. Eddy took his time getting back in the ring and when Malenko got impatient and tried to grab him by the hair, Eddy dropped down to the floor and pulled Malenko out. While Eddy controlled some of the match using his superior patience and elusiveness, late in the contest Malenko was able to avoid a Missile Dropkick and tried to cinch in the Texas Cloverleaf in the middle of the ring! Guerrero pulled and scratched and clawed his way over near the ropes in the corner. After a scrum, Eddy pulled Malenko head first into the second turnbuckle and rolled him up. In the blink of an eye, referee Nick Patrick slid into position to make the count - without seeing Guerrero's arm cradling the middle rope for support! Patrick made the three count and Eddy retained! <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 69 (C+) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> We head back to the commentary table as the team discusses Eddy's questionable victory. Heenan: What a match between two great competitors, and it's great to see Guerrero put away Malenko for good! Schiavone: For good, Brain? Even you saw what was going on down there - Eddy ruined a great match by holding the ropes and if I'm Dean Malenko, I'm upset with Nick Patrick for bumbling that call there. Rhodes: You can be upset all ya want, Tony Schiavone, but da fact'a'da'matta eez that Eddy Guerrero is walkin' outta heah with that Cruiserweight gold wrapped around his waist, and Dean Malenko is goin' home empteh handed! The parties groan as they're interrupted by the music of the New World Order. Surprisingly, it's just Scott Hall, who makes his way down to the ring in street clothes. He grabs a microphone as the camera pans the crowd and we see many WCW fans booing Hall, but many nWo fans cheering him. Hall: Hey yo...I know that you all here in Washington D.C. came here to see Starrcade...but I'm here to find out just how many of you are here to see the en...Dubya...oh. We got a lot of nWo matches here tonight - you already saw Lex Loogie get his butt kicked by Buff "The Stuff"...pretty soon you get to see that Diamond Does Dallas get his belt jacked by Konnan, then you're gonna watch "The Macho Mang" and Curt Hennig finally put Ric Flair in the ground right next to that toothless coward Giant. And after that, you're gonna see me, Eric, and Big Kev finish off The Einsteiners and that "Living Loser" Larry Zbyszko-- The crowd is abuzz as Hall's promo is interrupted by the arrival of The Giant, who comes stomping down the aisle! Heenan: Oh no Tony, look, Giant still has that cast on his right arm. This isn't good, he didn't get cleared for the match tonight, did he? Schiavone: I haven't received word one way or the other from the medical team, Bobby, but if he's still unable to compete, that does not bode well for WCW. The Giant steps in the ring with a mic of his own as Hall makes faces and immature gestures at him, mocking the cast on his hand. He starts to speak, then simply drops the mic and clocks Hall over the head with the cast! Hall covers up and gets back to his feet - cast to the head again! The crowd explodes as Giant roars and tears the cast off! He raises his massive hand in the air and grabs Hall by the neck for a big Chokeslam! Hall lays prone in the ring as it looks like The Giant is ready for later tonight! <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 86 (B+) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="bQCdvkWt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bQCdvkWt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="B9t6WLrs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/B9t6WLrs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="PySH2SIs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/PySH2SIs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Diamond Dallas Page © vs. Konnan</div> With the tension between these two already high after the previous showdown in the Luger/Bagwell match, the United States belt only added intrigue. With the nWo, including Bagwell, at ringside in Konnan's corner, Page spent much of the early going trying to avoid being grabbed from the outside. Adding to Diamond Dallas's problems though was the fact that Konnan was a dangerous competitor in his own right and a former United States Heavyweight Champion. Page's resiliency kept him in this one, as he endured a variety of submission maneuvers and did not let himself get far enough into Konnan's clutches for him to lock in the Tequila Sunrise. On the other hand, any time DDP gathered some momentum with a swinging neckbreaker or a Russian leg sweep, the nWo would make their presence felt from the outside in spite of the repeated admonitions by referee Randy Anderson, allowing Konnan to return with a chop block or German suplex and regain control. About eleven minutes in, Scott Norton got up on the apron and the crowd erupted as Page surprised him with a Diamond Cutter, slamming Norton's neck into the apron and ricocheting him back to the floor! Chaos ensued as Anderson tried to hold Vincent back and Bagwell grabbed the US belt from ringside. He slid in the ring waiting for Page, who had knocked Vincent from the apron and was posing for the audience, to turn around, but before he could, he was intercepted by "The Total Package" Lex Luger, who slid in the ring! Turning his sights to Lex, Bagwell swung the belt, but Luger ducked, hit the opposite ropes, and landed a big forearm! Page and Luger looked at each other and nodded as Page put up the diamond sign and Lex signaled for the Rack! Luger lifted up the prone Bagwell and locked him in the Torture Rack right as Konnan stumbled to his feet right into the Diamond Cutter! The crowd chanted along with Randy Anderson's count – 1, 2, 3! Diamond Dallas Page retains! Rhodes: Lexth. Luguh. And Diamond. Dallas! Dubya See Dubya in full effect right heah, Toneh! Schiavone: You've got that right, Dream! Luger pays Diamond Dallas back for his help earlier tonight and World Championship Wrestling keeps the United States Heavyweight belt! <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 82 (B) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Backstage, "Mean" Gene Okerlund is standing by with The Steiner Brothers and Larry Zbyszko, who are ready to take on The Outsiders and Eric Bischoff shortly. Mean Gene: Ladies and gentlemen, I am here with a longtime wrestling great, "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko and the WCW World Tag Team Champions, The Steiner Brothers, and Larry, you've been looking to get your hands on Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff for a long time – tonight, you get to do it liiiive on pay-per-view! Zbyszko: You know Gene, let me take a minute to send a message to Eric Bischoff. Didn't it dawn on you, you little weasel, that Scott Hall didn't want to accept my one-on-one challenge because he knows I'm gonna take him on a one-way ticket to LarryLand? I've been doing this for almost twenty-five years, Eric. I was trained by the greatest World Heavyweight Champion this business has ever seen, Bruno Sammartino. I've wrestled in the Tokyo Dome, I've wrestled at Shea Stadium, I've been in Steel Cage matches, Texas Death matches, and I've been in War Games. But out of all those great moments in my career, all the championships, all the accolades – I've never wanted anything more than I've wanted to choke you out in that ring tonight, Bischoff! Okerlund moves the mic over to Scott Steiner as Rick begins barking. Scott: Yeeeeah that's right LARRY, and ya know what, HALL and NASH, Ricky and I beatchu fifty times in the past and we'll beat you another fifty times whenever you wanna! But just because Bischoff keeps politicking and running you through—running us through the RINGER, we are the TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF WCW! So, OUTSIDERS, get ready for A FIGHT! RIGHT RICK? Rick: YEEEEEAHHH – I keep gettin' PUNCHED AND KICKED and me and my brother are NEVER GONNA STOP because we're the TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS! Come to the DOG POUND – WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! OUUU! OUU! OUUU! LET'S DO IT AGEAAIIN! Mean Gene: Well you heard it straight from the horse's—or should I say the gremlin's—mouth, ladies and gentlemen! The Steiners and Larry take on The Outsiders and Eric Bischoff, and I can't wait! Back to you, Tony, Dream, Bobby! <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 84 (B+) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="SAIzf0ms.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SAIzf0ms.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="sQydEQjs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sQydEQjs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="oR6p0Fms.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oR6p0Fms.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="TSnyvt7s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/TSnyvt7s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Harlem Heat vs. The Faces of Fear</div> Next up was a hard-hitting slugfest between two of the top tag teams in professional wrestling. With Jacqueline Moore back at ringside with Harlem Heat doing her best to keep Jimmy Hart in check, the multi-time World Tag Team Champions were able to fully focus on their opponents. Early on, Meng ducked a shuffling side kick from Booker and landed a forearm to the back of his head, gaining early control by the Faces with Hart's shrill voice blaring at ringside in support of his team. The Faces spent much of the match tagging in and out and isolating Booker from his brother with powerful deliberate tag team maneuvers, from bearhugs to elbow strikes through to illegal moves like choking behind referee Nick Patrick's back. After a few minutes, Booker was able to sneak away from the grasp and make the hot tag to Stevie Ray, who came in like a house of fire! His momentum bought Booker the time to get to his feet and defend Stevie against the oncoming assaults. A few minutes later, with Booker and The Barbarian as the legal men, Jimmy Hart got up on the apron, but Jacqueline pulled him off to the floor! With Jacqueline yelling and taunting the injured Hart, Meng reached through the ropes and grabbed her by the hair! Moore was in clear danger, but outside of the view of the referee, Stevie Ray lined up a field goal kick to Meng's crotch from behind! Meng has shown his ability to withstand a lot of damage, but not even he could walk away from that one. Barbarian spun around and went after Stevie Ray, but caught a side kick to the gut by Booker! Barbarian doubles over – Scissors Kick! He rolls onto his back, Booker to the top rope – Harlem Hangover! He makes the cover – 1, 2, 3! Harlem Heat is victorious! Heenan: I didn't think anyone was gonna be able to take out Meng and The Barbarian but Harlem Heat did it! The big man flew off the top rope with that legdrop and it's gonna be a party all night isn't it Tony? Schiavone: I bet it will be, Brain, but what I do know is that you and I won't be invited. Dusty's got a chance though. <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 65 © <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Tony transitions out to a quick reminder to call the WCW Hotline! We see Eddy Guerrero in the back answering calls and telling fans that he's the greatest cruiserweight in the business today, dripping with arrogance (and sweat). <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="HEadJi8s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/HEadJi8s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="MggPB7qs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/MggPB7qs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="VWbxrKNs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VWbxrKNs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="5TpzTghs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5TpzTghs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Ric Flair and The Giant vs. Randy Savage and Curt Hennig</div> Next up was a big time WCW vs. nWo matchup as four of the biggest stars in professional wrestling stepped into the same ring. The Giant got a big ovation as he again displayed his fully healed hand for the crowd by raising it in the air with a primal yell. Throughout the match, Savage and Hennig tried to keep away from The Giant as much as possible, and they took a very similar tack to what The Faces of Fear had done in the prior matchup. Hennig tried to lock in the Figure Four on Flair at one point, but Ric wouldn't let it happen. We got a hot tag to The Giant, who came in and landed clotheslines and bodyslams on both opponents. Pumped up, he then collided with Savage with a massive running dropkick, knocking him through the ropes! Giant got the crowd going as Randy and Curt regrouped along the outside of the ring with Elizabeth and Rick Rude. Rude discussed strategy as Elizabeth looked concerned, and the huddle broke with Nick Patrick at a count of five. Rhodes: Da Giant's a house'a'fire right now, but Toneh, I know that Ricky Rude got his boys prepared heah tonight. This one's faahh from ovuh. When Hennig, the legal man, got back in the ring, he tried to use his speed and technical prowess to take The Giant down by his tree trunk legs, which didn't work. The Giant used hip thrusts to take the wind out of Hennig and backed him into the corner, where he delivered heavy blows to the chest area. Tagging Flair, Giant scoop slammed Hennig and told Ric to go to the top rope. Confused, Flair did so, and Giant bodyslammed Flair from the top rope right onto Hennig for a big pop from the crowd! Savage entered the ring and tried to get to Flair, but he was scolded by Patrick. As Randy continued to try to interfere, he was grabbed from the outside by Giant and pulled to the floor! A scuffle ensued on the outside as Hennig used the fracas to land a poke to Flair's eye and lock in the Figure Four Leglock! With "The Nature Boy" refusing to give up, Hennig to continued to apply pressure and "The Macho Man" continued his brawl with Giant by biting his injured hand to escape a Chokeslam attempt! As Giant recovered, he was hit with a big chop block from behind by Randy. Meanwhile, in the ring, Hennig found himself tipping to the side – Flair slowly used his momentum to reverse the pressure! Curt was screaming in pain and trying to crawl to the ropes. With Patrick's attention occupied, Rude furtively grabbed the hammer used for the ring bell and handed it to Savage. Randy slammed Giant's hand into the steel steps and then lined him up and drove the hammer directly into the injured bone! The Giant howled in pain as Savage ran up the steps, climbed to the top, and landed a huge Flying Elbow onto the back of Flair, breaking the hold! As Patrick escorted "The Macho Man" out of the ring, Hennig and Flair made it up to their knees, but before Flair fully made it to his feet, Hennig quickly struck with a kick to the gut and the Hennig Plex! Patrick in for the count – 1, 2, 3! Schiavone: It's obviously bad for WCW that Hennig and Savage got the win here, but Dream, what's worse is the way they did it and another possible injury to that massive right hand of The Giant. And again, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair finds himself on the losing end against Curt Hennig. Rhodes: Toneh, I've been in the ring with "Da Macho Man," I've been in the ring with Curt and those cats will do anytheeen to ween and that's why it's a shame they ended up in the en Dubya oh! Heenan: That's right Dream, I know both of those guys very well also, and man, I really wish they were on our side. Flair and The Giant are great competitors but what it really takes is chemistry, smarts, and doing what you gotta do to win. A big loss for WCW. <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 70 (C+; Hotline); 75 (B-; match) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Next, The Flock hopped the ringside railing as the music of "The Crippler" Chris Benoit hit, signaling the long-awaited Gauntlet Match. Benoit kicked off against Kidman, who, despite his more reserved attitude as of late, still found a way to give the Horseman trouble with high-impact maneuvers. However, Kidman came up empty on a Missile Dropkick and Benoit forced him to submit to the Crossface. With Lodi shouting insults at Benoit from ringside, Raven maintained his stoic posture and Sick Boy entered the fray. Despite his superior power, Sick Boy found himself on the wrong end of a series of German Suplexes which were enough for a pinfall. After that, Riggs slid in the ring and the two faced off. After all, Benoit's Flock feud began when he implored Riggs to rethink joining Raven. A nice little technical match ensued, but when Riggs went for a Fisherman's Suplex, Benoit slipped out and locked in the Crippler Crossface again, forcing Riggs to tap out! Lodi, whose yapping had continued for a few minutes, yelled at Benoit again, but Raven grabbed him by the hair and tossed him in the ring! Benoit capitalized immediately with a Dragon Suplex! He hit the top rope and landed a Flying Headbutt for a quick win! A split second later, Hammer slid in the ring behind Benoit and cracked him in the back of the head with a running boot! He jumped in and put the boots to Benoit, but Randy Anderson tried to get the match under control and ring the bell. Hammer shoved him aside and choked Benoit on the ground. As he put the boots to Benoit, Anderson tried to get Hammer away to start the contest, but Hammer shoved him back again. This was too much for the official – Randy Anderson disqualified Hammer! Hammer was irate, but the Television Champion Saturn rolled into the ring and talked him down. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="FJqWLphs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FJqWLphs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="RoSa0JAs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RoSa0JAs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Chris Benoit vs. Saturn</div> With Benoit winded and injured, the last man he wanted to see in that ring was the dangerous Saturn. Saturn showed off a lot of his versatility here, picking apart his downed foe, but he wasn't quite able to lock in the Rings of Saturn because Benoit continued to fight back. The two traded suplexes and technical maneuvers until Saturn finally landed a snap Powerbomb. Benoit kicked out, however, leaving Saturn frustrated. Saturn picked Benoit up and went for a Death Valley Driver, but Benoit slid off his back, grabbed his arm and twisted him up into an Oklahoma roll! As quickly as a lightning strike, Benoit found his way from defeat to victory over the Television Champion! Schiavone: Oh my goodness! That's the first time Saturn has been pinned in WCW! Benoit only has one man left to face! Saturn got to his feet in shock as an exhausted, out-of-breath Benoit grabbed his head in the corner and flashed a toothless grin. Angered, Saturn attacked and put the boots to "The Crippler," who only had one opponent left. Despite Anderson's efforts, Saturn locked in the Rings of Saturn as Benoit's final opponent rose from his chair at ringside and entered the fray. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="FJqWLphs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FJqWLphs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="16H2nzds.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/16H2nzds.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Chris Benoit vs. Raven</div> Raven dragged Saturn off of Benoit and told him to leave. Saturn left the ring as Raven sat in the opposite corner waiting for Benoit to get to his feet, staring. Benoit, doubled over, huffing and puffing, beckoned for Raven to "come get some, bitch." Raven slowly got to his feet and Benoit charged. A scuffle ensued and Benoit grabbed Raven's arm, but didn't quite have the strength to bring him down into the Crossface. Raven grabbed the rope and then grabbed the head of "The Crippler" and dropped him with a DDT! Anderson made the count – 1, 2, no! Benoit kicked out! Raven showed the slightest bit of annoyance, but anyone viewing the match to see where it was headed. Benoit was broken down, beaten, and spent, having been through more than a handful of matches against vicious competitors (and Lodi). Raven blew a lone clump of hair out of his eyes and grabbed Benoit by the head. He landed one more DDT and Randy Anderson made the count for a Raven victory. Rhodes: We saw a helluvalotta heart outta Chrees Benoit takin' on the whole Flock like dat, Toneh, but it just wasn't enough. Heenan: And not only was it not enough, Dream, but Chris Benoit's gonna wake up tomorrow morning feelin' like he got hit by a truck on I-95, he took a beating. This Raven has so much control over his Flock. It's scary. Schiavone: That's correct, Brain, and despite Benoit's resilience and fight, he came up short against the cult of personality Raven. And uh, speaking of personality, we're headed backstage to hear from Steve "Mongo" McMichael as he prepares to take on Bill Goldberg here tonight. Gene? <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 86 (B+; Benoit vs. Flock angle); 65 (C; Benoit vs. Saturn); 82 (B; Saturn attack); 75 (B-; Benoit vs. Raven) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Mean Gene: Thank you Tony, and please welcome a man who never has a shortage of words for his opponents, and of course I mean the former Chicago Bear defensive tackle, the Super Bowl Champion, the former United States Heavyweight Champion, Steve "Mongo" McMichael. Mongo, you've committed some heinous acts recently, attacking Goldberg with a lead pipe on multiple occasions. Just truly sickening acts that have no place in World Championship Wrestling. I have a question for you: Are you afraid of Bill Goldberg? Mongo: Am I hwat? Are ya pullin' my leg, Gene, you said it yourself – I'm a part of the greatest football team of all time, way better than these Washington Redskin marks out here in DC! I used to beat up on bigger, badder guys than Goldberg in my sleep every Sunday baby! I lined up against the best of the best – John Hannah, Mike Munchak, Russ Grimm, all of 'em – and as soon as that ball was snapped, BOOM, on your back lookin' up at Mongo! And I'm a part of the greatest team in professional wrestling history – The Four…Horsemen. WOO! I opened the door in WCW for guys like Goldberg, and he has the gall to walk in here and act like he's worth a damn. He couldn't even make it with the Atlanta Falcons, Gene. You have any idea how hard it is to get cut by the Falcons? Mean Gene: Steve, you gotta give Bill Goldberg some credit, he's undefeated here in World Championship Wrestling. Mongo: Well guess what, Gene, not for long, baby! This ain't the NFL anymore, this is professional wrestling, and the NFL was my world, but now that ring is my world. And Goldberg – tonight you're gonna get a whuppin' and you're gonna find out why you should never have crossed Mongo, baby! And you're gonna take it like a man and you're gonna like it! And if ya DON'T! Mongo uses his right hand, Super Bowl ring gleaming, to reveal the very same lead pipe under his Chicago Bears starter jacket. He laughs and walks off. <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 50 (D+) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="7LgH7YOs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7LgH7YOs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="OR2DXWGs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/OR2DXWGs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="YQstacHs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/YQstacHs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="cCIk5fts.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cCIk5fts.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="94GtGYhs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/94GtGYhs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BvrJr5ss.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BvrJr5ss.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> The Steiner Brothers and Larry Zbyszko vs. The Outsiders and Eric Bischoff</div> After the nWo deliberately and smugly made its way to the ring with their opponents salivating. Bischoff, clad in a martial arts outfit, agreed to start the match against Larry, but tagged in Kevin Nash instead. Nash and Zbyszko locked up, and despite the grit shown by the former AWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nash's pure power was too much to overcome early on. He swatted away any attempts by Larry to take control, mocking him all the while. At one point, after a few minutes of Hall working him over and tagging Nash back in, Kevin held Larry's arms back and allowed Bischoff to slap him and insult him. After tossing Zbyszko to the ground, Nash turned and made the "Wolfpac" hand signal to Hall, but as he was doing so, Larry landed a desperation chop block to the big man! Nash went down to a knee and Larry stunned him with a running knee to the shoulder, buying him enough time to tag in "The Dog-Faced Gremlin." Rick jumped in like a house of fire with a double-leg takedown to the massive Nash! Kevin covered up as Hall jumped in to stop the barrage of fists. Scott came in from the other corner and swung at Hall, who ducked it and slid out of the ring! With the Steiners beckoning for Hall or Bischoff to get in the ring, Nash was able to recover as he tossed Scott through the ropes and landed a boot to the back of Rick's head, regaining control. Later on, with Zbyszko locking up with Hall, referee Nick Patrick was tending to a fight along the outside between Kevin Nash, Rick Steiner, and Ted DiBiase over one of the tag team belts and missed a clear low blow to Larry! Hall lifted Zbyszko up for the Outsider's Edge and landed it! Instead of going for the cover, however, he turned to see Eric Bischoff, his arm outstretched for a tag! Hall tagged him in and he taunted Larry with various taekwondo poses. Zbyszko, groggy, pulled himself up to his feet and ducked a roundhouse kick! The crowd exploded as Larry landed a double-leg takedown on Bischoff and went to work! Unfortunately, his roll ended relatively quickly as Nash slid back in the ring and grabbed Larry from behind with a sidewalk slam! Scott Steiner and Scott Hall locked up along the outside as Nash lifted Zbyszko up – Jackknife Powerbomb! Right at that moment, Scott Hall down on the outside, each Steiner brother slid in the ring holding a WCW Tag Team Title belt. With Patrick warning them of a disqualification, Nash and Bischoff backed off. Suddenly, Bischoff started yelling at them to "do it!" and to "just hit me!" Scott Steiner took some steps up, and instead of swinging the belt at Bischoff or Nash, he turned and cracked his brother Rick in the side of the head! Patrick gasped as Scott Steiner stood over his brother's prone body with DiBiase screaming in disbelief from ringside! In the meantime, with garbage being thrown in the ring, Nash grabbed Zbyszko by the hair and lifted him to a knee for Bischoff to blast him in the head with a roundhouse kick! The formalities dispensed with, Eric grinned as he pinned the lifeless body of Larry Zbyszko for the win! Heenan: Ohhhh my goodness, not Scotty Steiner too! Please, no! Rhodes: It sure do look like it, Bobbeh, don’t it now. After the match, Eric motions to the back. Vincent makes his way down to the ring with a black shirt in hand. He slides in the ring and gives the shirt to Bischoff while smiling and waving at a bewildered DiBiase, who was tending to Rick Steiner. Obnoxiously, Bischoff holds out a new World order shirt for Scott Steiner, who accepts! He hugs Hall and Nash and spits in the direction of his brother and DiBiase, kicking his feet backward as if to push dirt on the two! Scott grabs both title belts, as well as the belts held by The Outsiders, and walks out with the nWo. Schiavone: The New World Order has done it again, turning one of our own against us. Scott Steiner has been a flag bearer for World Championship Wrestling for the last year and change, and now, like Bagwell, like Konnan, like Hennig, he’s a member of the nWo. Heenan: I always said that Rick could use a knock to the head to shake the cobwebs loose, but not like this. This is bad, Tony. <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 72 (B-; match); 85 (B+; Scott turn) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="xP9CzFvs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xP9CzFvs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="7VGm6fJs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7VGm6fJs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Bill Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael</div> Two goliaths went head to head in the next contest, as Goldberg sought to extend his undefeated streak against McMichael. It was an ugly, knock-down, drag-out slugfest from start to finish. Neither side seemed fazed by the clubbing blows of the other, and about six minutes in, Mongo began to get frustrated by the resilience of the newcomer. After dropping Goldberg with a swinging neckbreaker and covering for two, McMichael walked over to his jacket in the corner, muttering to himself. Looking into the camera, McMichael's eyes widened as he proclaimed that it was "time to ring the bell, baby." He unsheathed the lead pipe from the jacket and cackled. As Mongo walked back toward the prone Goldberg, Bill caught him from out of nowhere with a huge Spear, sending the pipe flying! Goldberg then let out a roar and smacked himself in the head a couple of times. As Mongo stumbled up to his feet, Goldberg kicked him in the gut and delivered a huge Jackhammer! Randy Anderson slid over – 1, 2, 3! Rhodes: This Goldberg sure looks big time, don't he Tony? Mongo ain't no little man and he chucked him like a shotput, babeh! Schiavone: That's absolutely right, Dream – it's gonna take a special athlete or a special amount of luck to take down Bill Goldberg! But up next…is the moment we've all been waiting for. Over a year in the making…it's Hollywood Hogan…it's Sting…for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Let’s take it back to the ring. <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 38 (D-) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Standing in the ring for our main event is none other than the greatest announcer in combat sports history, Michael Buffer. Buffer: Llllllladies and gentlemen, it is time for the WCW Starrcade 1997…main event! The main event tonight is for the WCW Heavyweight Championship of the world! And it will be inside the massive steel cage structure hanging precariously…above the ring. Are…you…rrrrrready? The crowd is feverish with excitement for the main event and the noise bubbles to a crescendo. Buffer: Ladies and gentlemen, llllllllet’s get ready to rumble!! The music of the New World Order hits as “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan slowly saunters out to the ring. Hogan has brought the whole gang with him, as just about the entire nWo – Scott Steiner included – make their way down with him. Buffer: Coming to the ring, standing six feet, seven inches tall, he weighs 274 and one-half pounds…he is one of, if not the greatest professional wrestler in the history of the sport and one of the most recognizable stars in the world…he is the man who in the summer of 1996, changed the course of wrestling forever…he is the leader of the New World Order. Tonight, he steps in the ring seeking to call storm clouds over WCW and continue the nWo rule with an iron fist. Ladies and gentlemen, the self-proclaimed New World Order Heavyweight Champion… “Hollywood” …Hulk… Hooooooooogan! Once the entire procession enters the ring, Eric Bischoff snatches the microphone from Buffer and hands it to the champion, who peers up into the rafters. Hogan: Sting! Come on down here and meet your maker, you coward! You wanna know something, brother, get on down here right now so I can finally show you what it means to be the greatest wrestler in the history of professional wrestling, jack, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me! <div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/elf59v2ldsY" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/elf59v2ldsY"</a> frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> It may not be Sting, but “The Total Package” Lex Luger comes out to the aisleway with a microphone himself! Luger: Yanno what, Hogan, I’m not here to mince words. You brought your whole crew to the ring, well guess what – Sting has been the standard bearer around these parts for the last decade, and when you’re the best at what you do, a whole lot of people in that dressing room respect you. And we think that actions speak louder than words. A year ago, we were split. WCW was split. It took a leader to set us straight and, through his actions, bring us together. And that man…was Sting. So if this is how you wanna play it, you better be ready. At that moment, emerging from the back is the entire WCW brigade, including Diamond Dallas Page, The Giant, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, and Harlem Heat! Rhodes: Oooooooh heah we go! Schiavone: Yes! Lex Luger’s brought the cavalry! WCW is here! Heenan: This is all great, but where the heck is Sting?! Hogan and the New World Order begin to panic as the entire place erupts for the clash! The WCW team hits the ring and are met in the aisleway by Konnan, Vincent, and Scott Norton! The Giant clubs Vincent; Ray Traylor and Stevie Ray knock Norton to the ground; and Konnan receives a low blow from Flair! The WCW team advances as the rest of the nWo squad slides outside the ring! A massive brawl continues all along the outside of the ring, with Luger doing his best to get his hands on Hogan or Bischoff. In doing so, though, Luger runs into a huge right hand from Kevin Nash along the outside. Rhodes: Come awn, Dubya See Dubya! Give it to ‘eem! Amidst the fracas, flying trash, and a cavalcade of WCW officials trying to break up the chaos, Hogan slides into the ring with the championship belt. He calls for the cage to be brought down around him and it slowly descends. Once it’s locked into place, and Hogan feels safe, the lights go out with only Hogan and Nick Patrick in the ring. <div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L62C2JCJcMA" rel="external nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/embed/L62C2JCJcMA"</a> frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> (only the first 1:10)</div> With the final lightning strike, the lights spring back on, and none other than “The Man They Call” Sting descends from the rafters! Hogan is absolutely spooked as he crawls into the corner of the cage cradling the title belt. Sting stands, staring. Hogan pleads for mercy as Patrick calls for the bell, the chaos continuing along the outside of the ring to the back! Schiavone: It’s on! Sting! Hogan! Starrcade 1997! Here we go! <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 89 (A; Hogan entrance); 86 (B+; WCW/nWo brawl); 85 (B+; Sting entrance) <img alt="F3EPDO3l.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/F3EPDO3l.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="FfjoJ4wt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FfjoJ4wt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="iL68ba8s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iL68ba8s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="DZJ5esKs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DZJ5esKs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Steel Cage Match "The Man They Call" Sting vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan</div> With the bell rung and ringside mostly cleared, all that remained was Hogan clutching the title belt and Sting clutching his trusty baseball bat. Sting raised the bat at Hogan, but after a dramatic moment, tossed it aside and removed his trenchcoat. In response, Hogan pulled himself to his feet tentatively and handed the belt to Patrick, but then shoved Patrick towards Sting and climbed up the turnbuckle to escape the cage! After an initial stumble, Sting strode over and grabbed Hogan by the back, Hogan screaming "no! no!" After a couple of hammer fists to Hogan's back, Sting landed a back suplex sending the champion crashing to the mat and writhing in pain! Along the outside, the brawl had spilled back into the ringside area as Randy Savage and Ric Flair went at it back down the aisle. In the ring, though, Hogan used this distraction to crawl over to Sting's bat and catch him in the gut with it! Sting doubled over and Hogan landed another bat blow to the back! Suddenly re-finding his arrogant demeanor, Hogan removed the white belt from his trunks and began to lash the prone Sting on the back with it, taunting him all the while. Once he was satisfied, Hogan grabbed The Stinger by the hair and lifted him up to his knees, insulting him and telling him he'll "never be Hollywood, brother." Sting, however, pushed him off and stumbled to his feet! The two traded shots in the middle of the ring, with Sting clearly gaining a second wind. The crowd's energy built behind Sting's blows and he continued to mount a comeback, blocking Hogan's punches and landing right hands of his own. An Irish whip into the corner led to a huge Stinger Splash! Sting hit the opposite corner again and landed another Stinger Splash! Hogan crumpled over onto the ropes and Sting grabbed his head – the crowd popped as Sting slammed Hogan's head into the steel! They could feel it now – Sting had all the momentum as Hogan bounced back toward the center of the ring. Sting grabbed the stumbling Hogan and lifted him for a huge Gorilla press slam! Meanwhile, a thud of steel steps reverberated through the arena as "The Macho Man" sent Flair careening into them! As Sting picked up Hogan for the Scorpion Death Drop, Savage started pulling at the cage door! Realizing it was chained shut, Randy shoved aside multiple officials and grabbed the bolt cutters from ringside and started working at the lock. Sting had thrown Hogan aside and focused on the Savage's attempted entry. From the other side, Sting started to kick the door so that Savage could be pulled off of it by the officials, but to no avail, as most of the untrained WCW staff was scared of Savage's deranged manner. All of a sudden, Savage was intercepted by a man in street clothes who began to lay into him… Heenan: Oh my goodness, Tony, look! What?! Is that—is that…? Rhodes: IT EEEEZ! <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="1mR9zO5s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1mR9zO5s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Schiavone: It's Bret "The Hitman" Hart! Bret Hart is here at Starrcade, and he's here for WCW!!! Even Sting couldn't believe his eyes as the legendary Bret "The Hitman" Hart brawled with "The Macho Man" around the outside! He had clearly taken his mind away from the task at hand though, as a wobbly Hogan stood behind him brandishing the nWo Championship belt and beckoning for Sting to turn around. As "The Stinger" turned to face Hogan, "Hollywood" advanced and looked to hit him with the title, but Sting ducked! The belt dropped between them and Sting delivered a kick to the gut! He grabbed Hogan by the head and twisted him around – Scorpion Death Drop onto the title belt! In the aisleway, Bret and Randy continued their scrum until Bret was able to land a snap suplex onto the ground! He took the opportunity to cinch in his famous Sharpshooter! Savage writhed on the ground as Bret faced the ring…where Sting had grabbed the legs of Hogan! He slid his right leg through, turned Hogan over – Scorpion Death Lock! Savage on the outside, Hogan on the inside, screaming in pain to the same devastating submission hold! The end was, at this point, a matter of "when, not if," and despite his frantic, desperate reaching for the ropes, Hogan knew it as well. After a few more seconds, Hogan submitted to Sting! Nick Patrick called for the bell! Sting became the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion! As soon as the bell rings, the cage raises and Sting collapses to his knees. Patrick picks up the championship belt from the ground and hands it to him. Bret enters the ring and the two megastars face off. Bret offers a hand out, and Sting tentatively accepts the handshake! Bret turns to his side and lifts Sting's hand up in victory! As "The Hitman" leaves, the beaten, battered stars of WCW begin to walk down from various parts of the arena. Hogan and Savage, tails between their legs, leave as everyone from Lex Luger to The Giant to Psychosis to Dean Malenko to Ted DiBiase to The Barbarian hits the ring to celebrate! With Sting on their shoulders, the roster of WCW acknowledges the plain fact that after a year and a half of martial law by the insurgent New World Order, WCW has claimed the ultimate victory at Starrcade! <div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 80 (B; match); 88 (B+; celebration) Overall Show Rating: 82 (B). This show increased our popularity in 29 regions. Backstage Notes: After the show, Eric Bischoff praised Sting for a good performance, told Bret Hart he put in a great performance, and pointed out Hulk Hogan as a good example. All three men were pleased with Eric's comments. ------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Starrcade 1997 Quick Results Lex Luger (DQ) vs. Buff Bagwell WCW Cruiserweight Championship Dean Malenko vs. Eddy Guerrero © WCW United States Championship Diamond Dallas Page © vs. Konnan Harlem Heat w/Jacqueline Moore vs. The Faces of Fear w/Jimmy Hart Ric Flair & The Giant vs. Randy Savage & Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude & Elizabeth Gauntlet Match Chris Benoit vs. The Flock Six-Man Tag Match The Steiner Brothers & Larry Zbyszko w/Ted DiBiase vs. The Outsiders & Eric Bischoff Bill Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael WCW World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match Sting vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan © Bonus Questions How many titles will change hands? One, the World Heavyweight Championship Will anyone join or turn against the nWo? Yes, Scott Steiner How many finishes will involve interference or distractions? Three, Luger/Bagwell, DDP/Konnan, and Harlem Heat/Faces of Fear Which match will open the show? Lex Luger vs. Buff Bagwell Which match will be match of the night? DDP vs. Konnan</div></div></blockquote> I know it took me like three whole months to write Starrcade - but I started a new job and moved into a new house so it's been a SUPER busy few months. I should be back relatively regularly though from now on. Let me know what you thought of the show! And a huge thanks to Bockwinkel for helping me with embedding the YouTube videos. Nitro preview should be up soon!

The Lloyd · November 22, 2020

Good to have you back, and that was a cracking show!! Hardly surprising with you writing it, and the talent available at the time. Some huge names on that roster!!

Big impact from Bret Hart!! Hoping you book him better than IRL WCW did.

RKOwnage · November 23, 2020

WCW Monday Nitro Preview: Week 1, January 1998

WCW Monday Nitro

Week 1, January 1998

National Car Rental Center; Sunrise, FL

Happy New Year! With the dawn of a new year comes the dawn of a new era. At Starrcade, Sting, in his first in-ring action in over a year, ended - perhaps for good - the reign of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan as WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Not only that, but Sting did so with the help of an unlikely ally, the debuting Bret "The Hitman" Hart! Both men are slated for prominent roles on this week's Monday Nitro. First, the WCW Championship Committee has allowed Sting to choose his opponent for the Souled Out pay-per-view in three weeks' time, and Sting has pledged to do so tonight! And, "The Hitman" will address the WCW audience for the first time!

Besides those two major addresses, Nitro will also feature some hotly contested matchups! In our main event, the long-standing feud between "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Curt Hennig will come to a head once more! Also, in a contest between two of the hottest young stars in WCW jockeying for position in the cruiserweight division, Rey Mysterio Jr. will go one-on-one with "Lionheart" Chris Jericho! Finally, The Giant is in action, and the nWo's Konnan will take on "The Total Package" Lex Luger! You just have to tune into Where the Big Boys Play tonight!

The card announced thus far is as follows:

Lex Luger vs. Konnan w/the nWo

Mortis and Wrath w/James Vandenberg vs. The Rock 'n' Roll Express

The Giant vs. Alex Wright

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho

Ric Flair vs. Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude

RKOwnage · November 23, 2020

Good to have you back, and that was a cracking show!! Hardly surprising with you writing it, and the talent available at the time. Some huge names on that roster!!

Big impact from Bret Hart!! Hoping you book him better than IRL WCW did.

The huge names on the roster make it harder! How can I find space to push guys I love like Regal, Hennig, DDP, Luger (whose cheesy music I had to include in Starrcade somehow), Jericho, Raven, etc. when there's so many other huge stars? Gotta get creative!

And Bret is probably my all-time favorite, maybe besides Austin, so one of my main goals with this game was to treat him better than he was treated in real life. And hopefully Goldberg won't kick him into next week this time! Glad to have you around!

Dalton · November 24, 2020

How does everyone book the ending of Starrcade so much better?

Lex Luger vs. Konnan w/the nWo

Mortis and Wrath w/James Vandenberg vs. The Rock 'n' Roll Express

The Giant vs. Alex Wright

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho

Ric Flair vs. Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude

The Lloyd · November 24, 2020

Lex Luger vs. Konnan w/the nWo

Mortis and Wrath w/James Vandenberg vs. The Rock 'n' Roll Express

The Giant vs. Alex Wright

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho

Ric Flair vs. Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude

See what you mean about star power. This is a STACKED show! But I guess back then, guys like Jericho, Rey, and a others weren't the stars they would become. I've always found that kind of thing hard with historical saves. However, here, there are a lot of guys you can get rid of due to age and probably backstage problems, leaving space for the likes of Y2J, Eddie and others to begin their climb.

smw88 · November 24, 2020

Lex Luger vs. Konnan w/the nWo

Mortis and Wrath w/James Vandenberg vs. The Rock 'n' Roll Express

The Giant vs. Alex Wright

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho

Ric Flair vs. Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude

Sign In

WCW 1998: Empire Falls

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Join the conversation