WCW: Monday Nitro
March 16, 1998
Panama City, FL
Club La Vela
SPRING BREAKOUT ’98

The current WCW champs are as follows:
WCW World Champion: Sting (2/22/1998)
WCW U.S. Champion: Diamond Dallas Page (12/28/1997)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders (2/22/1998)
WCW World Television Champion: Booker T (2/22/1998)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Chris Jericho (1/24/1998)

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

We start the show with some EXCITING still shots from the end of UnCeNSoReD last night. Just when you think the answers, the nWo change the questions. Tony makes sure to tell us they are “stronger than ever” after another PPV, but I don’t see any evidence that suggests that. Only you, Schiavone.

The new World order (sans Randy Savage and Elizabeth) head to the ring to talk. While everyone else is wearing their gimmicks, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash are dressed for a cruise. Eric Bischoff is trying to hold it all together because Randy Savage is clearly not with the crew. Hollywood Hogan tells everybody that Kevin Nash beat the Giant last night. His whole crew bows before Nash. Hogan says he gave Savage a beating within an inch of his life last night and welcomes him back into the nWo because it’s 4-LIFE. Hollywood says Bischoff made a match for tonight: Hogan and Savage versus Sting and Lex Luger. Hogan wants Savage to prove himself again by “carrying the load” in the match. Bischoff points out that there’s no rafters at Club La Vela so sorry Sting. Hogan says Sting won’t be here tonight anyways because Savage beat him so bad. He did it just for Bischoff, too. Didn’t they do this same bit in late 1996-early 1997 by telling everybody the next night after a PPV that they won their matches when they in fact lost their matches? They really do need to freshen it up, but it looks like DX is about to take over as the coolest group in wrestling.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY THEMED NITRO GIRLS!

• Bill Goldberg vs. Lodi (w/the Flock)
  

Lodi comes out wearing a floater and carrying “insider” signs. RF Video gets a big plug. The Flock have their own little area apart from the crowd to sit and sulk. Lodi gets destroyed with the Spear and the JACKHAMMER in :47. Riggs, Kidman, and Sick Boy are obliterated with press into powerslams and spears. Saturn is smart enough not to attack Goldberg, but appears on the apron for a staredown to begin their little rivalry.

Gene Okerlund hypes the WCW hotline to inform us about a major player stepping away from pro wrestling. Ric Flair maybe?

• Ultimo Dragon vs. Fit Finley
  

Finley debuts his shorter bleached blonde Eminem hairstyle here. He gets physical beating the crap out of Dragon in the corner to start. Dragon does the headstand in the corner and kicks Finley away. He follows up with the Kick Combo and Finley is FRUSTRATED. Finley wears down Dragon on the mat and slams his chest off the apron. Dragon has a little issue with his balance, but he’s doing kip-ups all over the place so you should cut him a break. Finley walks away from a pescado and hits the Finley Roll back inside the ring for two. Dragon avoids a European uppercut and locks in the DRAGON SLEEPER, but Finley knees Dragon back. Dragon flips out of a suplex and tries the DRAGON SLEEPER again and this time he’s got Finley where he wants him for the tapout. (4:41) A little disappointing performance, but they could have a good one in a better setting with more time. *½

NITRO GIRLS!

• Scott Norton (w/Buff Bagwell) vs. Chris Adams
  

Chris Adams looks so unexciting and out of place here, but I wonder if WCW gets that. Adams tries to wrestle Norton to start and gets overpowered. When Norton misses an elbow drop, Adams hits him with a SUPERKICK. All it does is knock Norton into the ropes. Adams misses a charge and crotches himself in the ropes. Buff gets some time to beat up Adams on the floor. Back inside, more domination from Norton. Adams makes one more comeback and heads up top, but Buff shakes the ropes. Adams still manages to come off the top and Norton isn’t fazed by whatever kick he’s trying to pull off. Time for the SHOULDERBREAKER to end this at 3:08. Good night, Chris.

We get a montage video of college kids at Panama Beach enjoying the great taste of Cinn-A-Burst gum! They also crowned a Miss Nitro 1998 too and Kanyon puts the sash on her. I bet that was an experience for him. This Miss Nitro 1998 chick is way hotter than half of the Nitro Girls – if you can believe thaaaaaat.

• Davey Boy Smith & Jim Neidhart vs. Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom
  

Tony tells us a family drove 600 miles to get to Nitro which means this stupid family could have driven from as far west as Dallas or from as far north as Cincinnati. Let’s just hope they are on vacation and doing other things than just coming to watch a three-hour episode of Nitro and turning around to drive home. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. This is the first match of the night where the crowd chants “boring”. Apparently, WCW is trying to push Enos and Bloom a little bit. Schiavone makes a comment about how they are moving up the ladder in WCW so this gets the most time of any match so far in the show. Bulldog gets the hot tag and the match breaks down. While Neidhart and Enos go to the floor, Davey Boy delivers the RUNNING POWERSLAM for the win. (5:50) Moving on.

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

NITRO GIRLS IN BIKINI TOPS!

Eric Bischoff brings Macho Man and Elizabeth with him to the ring. He apologizes for the rough couple of months for them, but the Madness is BACK in the nWo. Yes, Hollywood Hogan had to beat him within an inch of his life to see the light, but the important thing is Randy Savage saw the light. Bischoff says welcome back and goes in for a hug, but Savage shoves him back. He tells Bischoff he never left. What he did at UnCeNSoReD wasn’t for anybody but himself and the rest of the nWo. Savage says he will beat Sting for the WCW world title and will control the nWo. Finally, Hogan will feel what it’s like to be at the bottom of the pecking order. DIG IT! So much for the nWo being “stronger than ever”, Tony.

• Raven’s Rules: Raven vs. Chris Benoit
  

Raven makes some interesting comments. He wants Benoit tonight because he cost him the U.S. title. But as for DDP, Raven is pissed that he left him behind. They could have ruled wrestling together! It’s what their mentor the Snake would have wanted. Schiavone and Tenay apparently can’t say who the Snake is. There were rumors of Jake Roberts coming over to WCW at the time though. Benoit comes out with both guns blazing. He stomps the crap out of Raven, gives him a German suplex, and chops him to the floor right out of the gate. He continues to destroy Raven around ringside and down a plank so to speak near a bunch of fans. More awesome brawling from Benoit continues as we go to a commercial break. When we return, they are fighting by the entrance ramp and Nitro set. Back to the ring, Benoit gets a Northern Lights suplex for two. This has been all Benoit. He rips off Raven’s t-shirt and chops his bare chest. Benoit delivers a back suplex and stands over Raven slapping his face. Just brutal stuff happening to Raven. He delivers the THREE AMIGOS (before Eddie!), but Raven rolls away from the Swandive Headbutt. He sets up a chair in the ring and gives Benoit a running bulldog. Now he wants the drop toehold, but Benoit tries to drive Raven down for the Crippler Crossface and eats the chair. Whoops. Raven folds up the chair and lays it on the mat for the EVENFLOW DDT. Cover, 1-2-3. (8:30 shown) Really good TV match. This is a situation where I think both guys who lost last night both get their heat back. Benoit controls 80-90% of this match with over the top brawling and Raven gets a pinfall victory over him. ***¼

NITRO GIRLS! They have silly string!

• Ernest Miller vs. Yuji Nagata (w/Sonny Oono)
  

Poor Nagata having to make Miller look like a credible mat wrestler. Our second “boring” match of the night. Nagata takes over and Miller comes back with a clothesline and the FELINER to win in 4:10. This must be the beginning of the relationship between Sonny Oono and Ernest Miller.

NITRO GIRLS!

• Scott Steiner vs. Ray Traylor
  

This match had to happen eventually, right? Steiner cowers away to start and then goes to the eyes so he can deliver the Overhead Belly to Belly Suplex. Traylor fights out of a bearhug and goes to the floor to take a ride into the ring steps. Commercials! When we return, Traylor pulls Steiner’s balls into the post. He pulls out Steiner and clotheslines him over the guardrail into the pool. AWESOME. Word on the street is the backstage people were freaking out because the pool spot was supposed to be saved for Hall and Nash later in the show. Now everything is wet too thanks to these guys. Back to the ring, Traylor avalanches Steiner and uppercuts him down. Traylor comes off the top with a passable body block for 1-2-NO! He boots down Steiner and heads up top again, but Buff Bagwell appears and crotches the man while the ref was busy. Steiner comes over and gives Traylor the FRANKENSTEINER from the second rope and applies the STEINER RECLINER for the win. (5:48) Both guys worked really hard here. Fun match! Afterwards, Buff hangs around and whips Traylor with a belt. Buff then uses the belt to “measure Scott’s bicep” and he’s now at 27 inches. Hogan isn’t going to like this! **½

Still shots of what really happened in the Kevin Nash and the Giant match from last night at the UnCeNSoReD PPV.

NITRO GIRLS!

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

• WCW World Television Championship: Booker T (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
  

Before the match, Eddie Guerrero makes his nephew wear the “My favorite wrestler is Eddy Guerrero” t-shirt. It says “cheat to win” on the back. I never understood the spelling of his name anyways. WHICH ONE IS CORRECT? Booker takes a shove and drills Chavo with a clothesline to start. Hook Kick by Booker connects. Who would have ever thought eight years later that Chavo Guerrero Jr. would be involved in the finish of a match where Booker T wins the world championship in WWE from Rey Mysterio? Right?! NO ONE would have predicted that. Chavo rolls out after a powerslam and catches Booker on the apron. He knocks Booker to the floor and whips him into things. Back in, Chavo hits a dropkick for two. Booker fights out of a chinlock and hits the SCISSORS KICK. The 100th Street Slam sets up the MISSILE DROPKICK for the win. (5:26) Not a bad little match as Chavo is finally showing us he’s got heel wrestler potential. **

More Cinn-A-Burst gum advertising nonsense on the beach. Some putz wins $1000.

NITRO GIRLS!

• WCW U.S. Championship: Diamond Dallas Page (c) vs. Reese
  

Crowd loves DDP. Reese delivers a Great Khali Choke Bomb and thinks he’s won the U.S. title, but seems to forget you have to pin the man. When DDP gets back up, he drops Reese with the DIAMOND CUTTER and pins him in 2:54.

• WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Juventud Guerrera
  

Jericho runs down the list of trophies he’s won over the last two months. Rey Mysterio’s knee, Juventud Guerrera’s mask, and now Dean Malenko’s dignity. He makes fun of Malenko taking his ball and going home. He vows to keep the Texas Cloverleaf alive by rechristening it the Jericho Maple Leaf and making it hold #1005 just for Malenko. What a guy. Guerrera is ruling the ring with spinning heel kicks and clotheslines until Jericho catches a springboard and spikes him with a tombstone piledriver for two. The suplex and the C’MON BABY pin gets two as well. There’s a series of reversals until Jericho gives him a reverse suplex for another nearfall. A backbreaker wears down Juventud, but he comes back as he flips out of a German suplex. Hurracanrana gets 1-2-NO! Guerrera gives Jericho a receipt with the JUVI DRIVER. Jericho crotches Juventud up top, but Guerrera knocks him to the mat for a flying body attack for two. Heenan remarks how he thinks Juventud is better without the mask now. Guerrera reverses a powerbomb with a DDT for 1-2-NO! Sensing he’s in trouble, Jericho grabs his title and whacks Guerrera for the DQ. (6:26) Jericho applies the Texas Cloverleaf and doesn’t really know how it’s done. More than likely that’s a work, right? To make it seem like Malenko is some kind of expert of the hold? I don’t know. Good match though! Jericho is just on fire right now. ***¼

NITRO GIRLS! Bobby Heenan tried getting close to them.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash come out to do the survey and be the SPRING BREAK WOO guys. They challenge the Giant to a fight. When he comes out, Nash gets away from him by cannonballing into the pool. Hall sticks around and goes into the pool the hard way at the hands of the Giant.

• Sting & Lex Luger vs. Hollywood Hogan & Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth, the Disciple & Eric Bischoff)
  

They act like Sting isn’t going to show and that Luger is in some real trouble, but then all of a sudden a HELICOPTER APPEARS AND STING RAPPELS DOWN TO THE RING in one of the most incredible entrances ever in wrestling. I don’t think they thought this helicopter as the ringside mats and aprons are flying up. Sting once again proves he is Batman. Hogan and Disciple make sure Savage carries the load in this match. Despite still having the rappel gear wrapped around his waist, Sting delivers the flying splash to Savage. Tag to Luger, he whips Savage from corner to corner and delivers a suplex. He press slams Savage and poses at Hogan. Hollywood has no interest in tagging into the match. Luger hits the Bionic Forearm. When Savage gets up, he jabs Luger down south and slaps Hogan when he’s not looking for a “tag”. The ref doesn’t seem to think that’s a tag as Luger rolls up Savage for two. Hogan decides to walk out, but Savage goes out and brings Hogan into the ring. Disciple beats up Savage a little bit while Hogan clotheslines Luger and drops a series of elbows. Luger avoids the LEGDROP though and hot tags Sting. There’s a couple Stinger Splashes and then Bischoff gets decked. Disciple puts Savage back in the ring as the match breaks down. As Luger puts Hogan in the TORTURE RACK, Disciple gets in the ring and punches Luger for the weak DQ. (6:54) Luger and Sting fight off the nWo B-team together until we run out of time. ¾*

Until next time, so long for now.