WCW: Monday Nitro
February 2, 1998
San Antonio, TX
Alamodome

The current WCW champs are as follows:
WCW World Champion: Vacant (1/8/1998)
WCW U.S. Champion: Diamond Dallas Page (12/28/1997)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders (1/12/1998)
WCW World Television Champion: Booker T (12/29/1997)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Chris Jericho (1/24/1998)

HOUR NUMBER ONE! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Larry Zbyszko.

Everyone is wearing jean shirts! Tony makes sure to announce how big a crowd they have tonight. It is the second biggest crowd to date for WCW (the Georgia Dome show on 1/5/98 did a few thousand more) at 21,213 with 20,005 paid. So yeah, this is kind of a big deal.

NITRO GIRLS~! They show footage of the Nitro Girls over at UTC last week.

• Psychosis vs. Juventud Guerrera
  

This might be the first time “Juvi Juice” appears on the back of Guerrera’s tights. I’ve never noticed it before this match. Anywho, they have a little bit of an awkward start as Juventud is trying to ground Psychosis while the Flock make their way to their seats. Commercials! When we come back, Psychosis is in charge slamming Juventud around. He flies down into an inverted atomic drop though. Guerrera comes off the top with a flying headscissors for two. Over in the corner, Juventud delivers a victory roll drop of sorts and gets another nearfall. Just a nasty neckbreaking move. After they trade more nearfalls, Psychosis gives him a reverse suplex and we’re on the floor. Psychosis does a crazy dive down into a dropkick. Back inside, Guerrera hits the 450 SPLASH and picks up the win. (5:18 shown) It was kind of a clunky match, so they just went to their usual spots. Still fun. **½

NITRO GIRLS~!

Diamond Dallas Page comes out and meets Gene Okerlund in the ring. He’s got a U.S. title defense this coming Thursday on Thunder against Chris Benoit. Okerlund wants to know if DDP understands what he’s doing giving Benoit a title shot considering he’s crippled men all over this planet. Page says Benoit not only deserves this shot because he’s one of the “best up and coming wrestlers in the world”, but he wants to see if he can make Benoit feel the bang.

Schiavone announces they have upped the ante on jackknife powerbomb fees. WCW will now fine anybody (Kevin Nash or otherwise) $150000 if the move is performed.

• Ultimo Dragon vs. Kidman (w/Lodi)
  

Seems like I remember this match being on an “End of the Millennium” TV special that WCW did at the end of 1999. Kidman gets his own entrance instead of jumping the rail from the Flock seats. He pearl harbors Dragon, but winds up taking the Kick Combo. Dragon goes for the DRAGON SLEEPER early. Lodi distracts the ref while Perry Saturn appears and nails Dragon. Kidman comes back with a slingshot legdrop for two. He applies a chinlock and when Dragon fights out, he stays on Dragon with a snap suplex. He runs into a boot though and takes a snap suplex as well. Half crab by Dragon, but Kidman reaches the ropes. Dragon shows off with a fancy lucha stretching submission. Kidman catches Dragon charging him and delivers a sitout spinebuster for two. Springboard bulldog gets two. Kidman sends Dragon into the corner and puts him down with a clothesline for another nearfall. Dragon though stops Kidman up top and puts him down with a DRAGON HEADSCISSORS. That leads to the DRAGON SLEEPER for the tapout. (5:47) Afterwards, Raven’s Flock (sans Raven) do a number on Ultimo Dragon leading to Kidman getting that SHOOTING STAR PRESS after all. I’m not going to lie: this was a little dull. *½

You know you would want to go.

Kevin Nash comes out wearing the Syxx t-shirt and pops the crowd. He says he just saw Kidman do a powerbomb (he’s not Mike Tenay, but he thinks it’s called a tiger bomb?) and nobody escorted him out of the ring in handcuffs or announced any fines. He thinks it all has to do with who is doing the move more than about the movie itself. WCW is just mad about what he did to their precious Giant. Since he and Hollywood Hogan are such good pals and there isn’t a fine big enough that’s too much for them, Nash says he will do what he wants whenever he wants and there isn’t anything WCW can do about it. He’s too big, too talented, too sexy, and just too SWEEEET. Tony thinks there are more powerbombs coming.

HOUR NUMBER TWO! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Larry Zbyszko.

• WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Super Calo
  

Jericho is still wearing the Rey Mysterio t-shirt because he’s hilarious. He gives all his millions of Jericholics a big THANK YOU for making him the great cruiserweight champ he is today. He hopes the injury that happened to Rey Mysterio will never EVVVERRR happens again. Good to see my boy Super Calo getting a title shot here on Nitro. They actually lock up and transition to headlocks and hammerlocks to start. Calo gets off a couple kicks, but takes a hotshot from Jericho. He delivers a stalling suplex and grabs a chinlock on Calo. Jericho dropkicks the knee and hits a slingshot splash for two. He gets caught up top and takes a spill from the top rope down to the floor. Calo does a slingshot senton on Jericho, but I think he may have missed most of that. Jericho asking the cameraman – “Help me.” Back inside, Calo gets a suplex for two. He even lands a double jump missile dropkick for 1-2-NO! Calo tries his awesome headscissors out of the corner, but Jericho counters and locks in the LIONTAMER for the tapout. (5:08) Some cool moments from both guys. Nothing spectacular and the crowd feels dead. *½

• WCW World Television Title Match: Booker T (c) vs. Steven Regal
  

As Regal makes his entrance, Tony mentions that tickets go on sale for Nitro in my town Winston-Salem, NC for March 9. OMG THEY SAID MY TOWN. I’m a mark for that sort of thing. This is the first we’ve seen of Regal on Nitro since November. Regal tries to have a *wrestling* match with Booker to start, but then Booker busts out the flying forearm. Regal goes to the eyes and delivers a couple European uppercuts. They exchange nearfalls, but Booker puts down Regal with a Harlem Side Kick. SCISSORS KICK gets two as well. Booker misses a flying forearm, but Booker comes right back with a back suplex. SPINAROONIE leads to the Harlem Side Kick for the win. (4:23) Regal will have a much more interesting match next week. You just wait. The live crowd seems into the heavyweights more than the luchadores, which is a little surprising I must say. *

Looks like Bobby Heenan joins us at the commentary table at around 9:30 PM EST. Heenan does not wear a jean shirt. Remember he’s from Beverly Hills. They don’t do that sort of thing there, folks.

• Hugh Morrus vs. Konnan (w/Vincent)
  

Former Dungeon of Doom members face off here. Crowd is solidly behind Konnan. Morrus throws him around and Konnan backpedals. He wants a handshake and Morrus kicks him in the gut. Konnan fires back with the Rolling Lariat. He chokes Morrus in the ropes a little bit. Morrus comes back and nails Vincent to go up top for No Laughing Matter, but Konnan pops up and powerbombs him down. He delivers a Pedigree without hooking the arms for the three-count. (4:09) Big pop from the Mexican crowd here. ½*

• Jim Neidhart vs. Scott Hall (w/Dusty Rhodes)
  

Hall comes out here without one of his tag belts. Nash will be teaming later tonight with Buff Bagwell against the Steiners. Not sure if the Freebird Rule is in effect for that one or not. We shall see. Hall does the survey thing. San Antonio is a very pro-nWo town. Do you have any idea how scary it would be for WWE to have a guy come out and ask the crowds who they came to see? Hall lets us know he’s still miffed about not getting the world title shot he’s owed at SuperBrawl VIII. He asks Dusty what he thinks about all this. In his own way, Dusty Rhodes says that when Hall should have got the gold mine, he got the shaft. Nevertheless, the road for the new World order goes on forever and the party never ends. Back to Hall, everybody knows when you’re nWo, you’re nWo 4-LIFE. Alright, bring out Neidhart.

Louie Spicolli appears out of nowhere telling Hall that he was robbed and shouldn’t fight until he gets his world title shot. Spicolli says he’ll fight in Hall’s place starting right now. Of course it’s a setup to get Neidhart to turn his back away from Hall. Hall nails him from behind with the microphone before the bell rings. Oh, now the bell rings. They trade punches knocking each other down until Neidhart shows us his heavily taped thumb that he jabs down next to Hall’s windpipe. Don Muraco might call it the Oriental Spike. Dusty causes a distraction bringing Neidhart off the hold. He climbs to the first rope allowing Hall to recover and bring him down with the OUTSIDER’S EDGE for the three-count. (2:05) Dusty helps Hall out of the ring while Spicolli does a number on Neidhart. That brings out Davey Boy Smith for the save. ½*

Gene Okerlund introduces Lex Luger to the ring – looking like Denim Dan tonight. They will meet at SuperBrawl VIII in what will now be a No-DQ match. He seems pretty confident since Randy Savage has no friends. Luger mentions the Torture Rack and the crowd doesn’t seem interested.

NITRO PARTY VIDEO~!

And, NITRO GIRLS~!

• Bill Goldberg vs. Mark Starr
  

This doesn’t look good for Mark Starr. They try to break each other’s legs and ankles to start. Goldberg then delivers the Press Slam into a Powerslam. The Spear and the JACKHAMMER is all she wrote at 1:12.

• Steve McMichael vs. Davey Boy Smith
  

This is a such weird opening feud for the Bulldog. Why Mongo of all people? McMichael calls San Antonio his backyard (although he’s from Houston) and thinks the “fool me once…” adage is a Texas saying. Davey Boy won last week, so let’s see what happens here. Bulldog pulls Mongo out to the floor – and the ref calls for the starting bell. WHAT. Anyways, these two brawl around ringside for a double countout at 1:02. They continue fighting all the way passed the announcers position and through the curtain. So the rubber match happens at SuperBrawl VIII?

HOUR NUMBER THREE! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

Because it’s the HOUR THAT CHANGED WRESTLING (or something), Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff head out to the ring to talk. Hogan gives Kevin Nash the green light to hurt as many people as he wants to with the Jackknife Powerbomb because he’s got the green to cover it. He thinks it’s still $50,000 a pop though, but WCW always had trouble with that figure. Bischoff changes the subject wanting to know what the referee situation will be like during his SuperBrawl VIII match with Sting over the vacant WCW world title. Hogan doesn’t have a problem with having to wrestle another match with Sting because he’s already beat him twice. Hollywood and Bischoff agree that Nick Patrick should be the referee for that match. As for Randy Savage, he is on his own as far as Hogan is concerned. He would help out Savage against Sting tonight, but he won’t do it because he needs to understand that Hogan is the man. After Sting will eat Savage alive tonight, Hogan will eat Sting alive at SuperBrawl VIII. Because when you’re with the nWo, you’re nWo 4-LIFE. Give it up for the real heavyweight champion of the world!

• Raven’s Rules: Raven vs. Disco Inferno
  

Raven has his own entrance as well. I believe there’s a Spanish curse word happening on a sign right in the middle of the hard camera. How unfortunate. Raven dumps out Disco and dive on top of him. You can hardly call it a plancha. He brings a chair in the ring and gives Disco an armdrag on the chair. Well that’s different. He follows up with the drop toehold. Disco comes back and clotheslines Raven out of the chair. Not hardly as violent a bump. He gets a couple nearfalls on Raven. Swinging neckbreaker gets two as well. They trade back suplexes. Disco is really trying to get the win here – even going as far as the Ric Flair corner pin for 1-2-NO! Raven ends all this coming back stuff with the EVENFLOW DDT for the three-count. (5:00) It doesn’t appear that Raven gave his boys any attention after the bell. *

NITRO GIRLS~!

• Kevin Nash & Buff Bagwell vs. The Steiner Brothers (w/Ted DiBiase)
  

Okay, so no tag titles on the line here tonight. Scott plays Steiner in peril for practically the whole match. Nash puts him in position for the Jackknife Powerbomb, but Rick runs in and Steinerlines him down. Scott drills Buff with a Steinerline and he’s about two feet away from tagging his brother when he decides to turn back around and deliver the FRANKENSTEINER on Bagwell for the three-count. (7:30) Now Rick shows Scott how furious he is at his brother about not getting a tag when it was really so simple. DiBiase chimes in, but he’s much calmer as it seems he’s already mentally checked out on this situation. *½

• Sting vs. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth)
  

Savage tells Lex to pay close attention to this match. Sting drops down from the ceiling of the Alamodome, which is about 18 stories high. It’s cool, but it takes forever. And here we go. Sting NO-SELLS to start as Savage bails to the floor and dares Sting to come join him. We get a brawl on the floor and of course Sting misses a Stinger Splash to turn the tide. During all the craziness, Savage unties a top turnbuckle pad back inside the ring while Elizabeth distracts the ref. Back inside, Sting ROAD WARRIOR HAWKS a piledriver! He hits one Stinger Splash, but the second one lands his face on the exposed turnbuckle. That KO’S Sting long enough for Savage to hit the MACHO ELBOW (biggest upset ever, Tony? REALLY?) for the 1-2-NO! Hollywood Hogan runs in and pulls Savage off Sting for the DQ. (3:58) Ahh, of course. While Savage locks eyes with Hogan, Lex Luger comes down and pulls Savage out for a beatdown. The new World order heads down to save Hogan as they distract Sting long enough for Hogan to bail out. ¾*

Until next time, so long for now.

TOTAL BELL-TO-BELL TIME: 45:35 shown.

WCW/nWo Superbrawl VIII LIVE ON PPV premieres February 22 from the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA.
MAIN EVENT for the vacant WCW world title:
Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan
No-DQ Match: Lex Luger vs. Randy Savage