home | wrestling | flashback_reviews | nwa-wcw | nitro

WCW Monday Nitro - April 4, 1999

by Wrestling Recap's Bob Colling

From: Las Vegas, Nevada

After the announcers hype up the show, Goldberg makes his way down to the ring to be interviewed by Mean Gene.

Gene begins the interview with Goldberg by talking about being at the craps tables earlier on. Goldberg has a lotto basket with him, similar to what Flair used two weeks ago. Goldberg has been on the other end of bullshit since losing the championship. He also states that being off pay per views recently is something he will have to take care of. Goldberg is going to pick out of the lottery for his next victim, who he will wrestle at Spring Stampede. However, before he can do that, Kevin Nash makes his way out. Nash is wearing a Red Wings jersey and warns Goldberg to attempt to spear him because he could have a metal plate underneath the jersey! As usual, Nash talks about being the guy who ended Goldberg’s streak at Starrcade. Goldberg suggests that Nash needs to stop living in the past. Nash announces that Goldberg will wrestle him at Spring Stampede, so Goldberg can forget about the lottery. Goldberg accepts this and notes that wrestling Nash will be similar to a Christmas present.

Backstage, Ric Flair and Arn Anderson are watching the show on a monitor. Flair tells Anderson to take care of the situation.

Opening Contest: Hak defeated Kendall Windham

A rather stupid contest between two guys that just don’t work well with each other. Hak plants Windham with a bad DDT was a highlight to go along with several kendo stick shots. Hak earns the win with a white Russian leg sweep.

Backstage, Goldberg enters Flair’s office to see Flair, Anderson, Luger and Elizabeth. Anderson ends up leaving to find Nash who was in the kitchen. Nash will get in the office in a little while.

A video promoting Konnan vs. Disco Inferno is shown.

Second Contest: Konnan defeated Lizmark Jr.

Konnan mule kicks Lizmark followed by a face buster and gets the win with the Tequila Sunrise.

Backstage, Kevin Nash enters Flair’s office as the show goes to commercial. Hogan ends up seeing Nash and Flair walking around and questions Nash. Nash assures Hogan that it is just business. Nash talks to Robinson about having him in their pocket for Hogan’s match later on. Hogan comes over and says that Nash hasn’t been returning his calls. Nash brings up the night he beat Hogan for the title. Hogan believes that Nash has an attitude issue but Nash claims he is just tired. This is sounding like a soap opera…

Mean Gene calls out WCW World Heavyweight Champion and WCW President, Ric Flair for an interview. Flair praises Kevin Nash for coming out and making a match with Goldberg for Spring Stampede. Flair says he will take away the World Championship match at Spring Stampede and wrestle Hulk Hogan tonight! Hogan decides to run down to the ring and chase Flair to the match. Flair tells Hogan if he touches him before their match; there will not be a match. Hogan will show everyone just who the most powerful man in professional wrestling truly is. Hogan believes he will leave the arena tonight with the championship. Flair says this will be the last time Hogan gets his name ahead of his, which Hogan agrees with because he will not give Flair a title shot once he wins it tonight! DDP comes out and mentions that he has no love lost for either Hogan or Flair. DDP wants the title match to be a three way, but Flair isn’t sold on that idea. Hogan chimes in saying he will beat both men! Guess what? Here comes Goldberg! Goldberg wants to be involved if there is a title match. Flair makes sure to say that since he is the boss, Goldberg will not be in the match! Goldberg tosses Flair around which pisses Flair off! Flair announces that he will see all three men later tonight. Hogan will take out Flair whole Goldberg will take care of DDP. That is the deal they made with each other to close out the segment.

Before the next match, Scott Steiner cuts a promo. Steiner calls DDP “Diamond Dallas Trash” He is so clever! Steiner believes Page is a coward for not entering the tournament if he wanted a piece of Steiner so badly. Steiner tells Page that is he wants revenge; he will need to put up Kimberly for one night. Oh boy…

Third Contest: Scott Steiner defeated Meng to advance in the finals for the WCW US Title Tournament

A pretty simple contest between two brawlers. Steiner gets out of the Tongan Death Grip by poking Meng in the eyes. Steiner proceeds to low blow Meng before taking him over with an over head belly to belly suplex. Steiner pins Meng by using the ropes for leverage.

Tony Schiavone goes nuts as we are lead to believe that Sting is in the rafters. However, upon further viewing it is just a random guy in a black trench coat.

Backstage, Ric Flair is on the phone telling someone that he is the man. Flair demands the cameraman get out of his office.

Fourth Contest: Jim Duggan defeated Lenny Lane

Duggan handles Lane very easily throughout the squash match. Duggan delivers a spinning scoop slam before hitting Lane with Old Glory to win the bout.

Fifth Contest: Stevie Ray won a four man battle royal to become the leader of the Black and White

First Elimination: Vincent by Brian Adams after a big boot.
Second Elimination: Brian Adams by Stevie Ray after a clothesline.
Third Elimination: Horace Hogan by Stevie Ray after a backdrop over the top to the floor.

Footage of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Billy Kidman winning the tag titles last week is shown.

Sixth Contest: WCW World Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio Jr./Billy Kidman defeated Raven/Perry Saturn to retain the titles

Saturn backs Rey into a corner delivering right forearm shots briefly. Saturn runs into a big boots followed by a head scissors. Raven enters to help Saturn hit Rey with an electric chair/elbow drop combo! Raven legally tags in to hold Rey over the middle rope as Saturn leaps off the top to leg drop Rey for a two count! Saturn slams Rey before heading to the top rope only to miss a leg drop. Kidman gets a tag and dropkicks both opponents. Kidman face busters Saturn before hitting Raven with a bulldog out of the corner. Double top rope big splashes by the champs on Saturn for a two count. Raven backdrops Rey to the floor but Kidman knocks him to the floor as well. Kidman heads to the top rope only to be crotched by Raven as we go to commercial. Saturn tosses Kidman over the top rope with an over head belly to belly suplex. Saturn slides a chair into the ring but tags out to Raven. Raven drop toe holds Kidman into the chair for a two count. Saturn kicks Kidman on the side of the head. Raven tags in dropping Kidman with a front suplex. Saturn leaps off the top to splash across Kidman’s back! Kidman counters a power bomb attempt from Raven with a face buster! Saturn and Rey get tags with Rey splashing Saturn from the top rope. Saturn catches Rey on a springboard moonsault attempt. Rey wiggles free to kick Saturn in the corner. Rey hits Raven with a spinning heel kick. Rey bronco busters Saturn but runs into a big boot from Raven. Kidman recovers by planting Saturn with a sit out spine buster for a two count. Raven backslides Kidman for a near fall. Rey dropkicks Saturn who stumbles into the referee. Rey leaps off the top rope hitting Raven with a hurricanrana! Rey attempts a springboard but Saturn again catches Rey by planting Rey with the Death Valley Driver! Benoit and Malenko run into the ring. Malenko drops Saturn with a vertical suplex. Benoit leaps off the top with a diving head butt. Rey is put onto Saturn to pick up the win. ***

Seventh Contest: WCW Television Champion Booker T defeated Chris Jericho by disqualification to advance to the finals of the WCW US Title Tournament

Booker backs Jericho into the ropes but breaks away cleanly. Jericho shoulder blocks Booker after elbowing out of a hammerlock. Booker dropkicks Jericho to a corner and follows up with a clothesline. Booker drops Jericho with a standing sidekick. Booker runs into a big boot but gets out of a suplex attempt. Jericho gets out of a vertical suplex as well by dropping Booker groin first on the top rope. Jericho springboards off the middle rope to dropkick Booker to the floor. Jericho avoids a sidekick and clotheslines Booker. Jericho fails on a moonsault attempt as Booker gets his knees up. Booker scissors kicks Jericho and plants Jericho with a spine buster for a two count! Jericho flapjack Booker but the champ gets up quickly to sidekick Jericho, again. Scott Steiner runs in with a chair but gets the chair kicked in his face. Booker backdrops a charging Jericho over the top rope to the floor and the referee calls for the bell. Jericho has been DQ’d. *3/4
After the match, Booker stares at Steiner who is on the floor.

Eighth Contest: Buff Bagwell defeated Bam-Bam Bigelow

Bigelow gets the upper hand to open the match with a knee lift and right hands. That doesn’t last long as Bagwell comes back with a few dropkicks to stagger Bigelow. Bagwell manages to clothesline Bigelow over the top to the floor. Bigelow returns to the ring and begins to pummel Bagwell in the corner with right hands and boots. Bagwell big boots a charging Bigelow in the corner two times to stop his momentum. Bigelow misses a splash and is met with a face buster from Bagwell. Bagwell attempts a scoop slam but Bigelow lands on top of him for a two count. Bigelow scoop slams Bagwell but misses a top rope swanton bomb. Bagwell nails Bigelow with a leaping clothesline and cross body for a near fall. Bigelow pokes Bagwell’s eyes to prevent an elbow smash. Bagwell ends up missing a cross body and falls to the floor. Hak runs down to the ring to send Bagwell into apron. Hak whacks Bagwell over the head with a kendo stick and Chastity blinds Bagwell with a fire extinguisher. All that happened with the referee knocked out after he got clipped by Bagwell’s feet. Bagwell leaps off the middle rope to connect with the Blockbuster for the win! *
After the match, Bagwell celebrates the win.

A video promoting Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash for Spring Stampede is aired.

Kevin Nash is on commentary for the main event. Will he get involved?

Main Event: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair fought Hulk Hogan, Goldberg and Diamond Dallas Page to a no contest in a Texas Tornado Match to retain the title

Hogan works on Flair while Goldberg and DDP brawl to the floor. Charles Robinson is the referee. Hogan backdrops Flair in the ring followed by a few clotheslines until Flair chops Hogan, who no sells the chops. Hogan hammers away on Flair and delivers a big boot. Hogan delivers the leg drop but DDP rolls in to break up the count. DDP stomps away on Hogan briefly. DDP connects with a suplex on Hogan for a near fall, while Flair goes to the floor to get a breather. Goldberg has Flair on the floor before press slamming the champ back into the ring. Hogan big boots DDP but is punched by Goldberg. Hogan sends Goldberg into the guard railing as DDP clotheslines Flair off the apron. DDP plants Flair with the Diamond Cutter but Goldberg yanks DDP out of the ring! Flair is cut off by Hogan on the top rope and slammed to the mat. Hogan takes off his weight belt to whip Flair several times. Hogan also chokes Flair with his weight belt. Flair low blows Hogan while Goldberg hammers away on DDP on the floor. Flair chops DDP in the corner as Hogan works on Goldberg in the ring with right hands. The fans want to see Sting show up. Hogan clotheslines Goldberg for a two count. Flair stops DDP in the corner with an atomic drop. Hogan inside cradles Goldberg for a two count after Goldberg rolls through. Flair has the figure four on DDP but that is stopped by Hogan and Goldberg. Goldberg power slams Flair to the mat out of a press slam set up. Hogan drops DDP throat first across the top rope before working on Goldberg. Flair has a chair but DDP grabs Flair post Flair groin first into the ring post! DDP continues to work on Flair with right hands on the floor. All four men are on the floor trading right hands. Hogan rams DDP head first into the announcers table and does the same to Flair, twice. DDP gets a near fall on Goldberg following a suplex. Hogan chops away on Flair several times on the floor. Hogan drives Flair on the floor with a vertical suplex. Goldberg covers DDP in the ring for a near fall. Hogan back elbows Goldberg as he comes off the ropes. DDP sends Flair face first into the ring post. Goldberg no sells a clothesline to super kick Hogan! Page gets a two count on Goldberg after a discus clothesline. Goldberg plants DDP with the Jackhammer but Hogan breaks up the cover. Flair chop blocks Hogan’s left knee and begins to work on Hogan’s knee. Goldberg spears all three men! Goldberg covers Hogan but only gets a near fall. Hogan kicked out of a spear! Goldberg hits Hogan with the Jackhammer, which Hogan kicks out of because Nash missed timed getting in the ring to break up the pin. Sting drops from the rafters as the referee calls for the bell. *3/4 After the match, Sting points up to the rafters with his bat. Sting is pointing to the video monitors. Randy Savage narrates a video where the main event for Spring Stamped is aired. Ric Flair vs. DDP vs. Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship with Randy Savage as the referee is announced!

End of show

My Take: I actually liked the opening promo with Goldberg and the promo that hyped up the four corners main event to happen later on in the show. However, that is all I liked in the first hour and forty minutes of the program, really.

I have to give credit to Jim Duggan for returning to the ring after a battle with cancer. But, is he really helping WCW with ratings or anything? The answer to that could be no. This isn’t 1990 and fans aren’t buying into the silly offense that he provides. He shouldn’t be in the ring anyway with one kidney. So much for WCW (or WWE nowadays) looking out for the safety of their talent!

The tag title match was a good bout that didn’t need interference. The interference didn’t even make sense. Why wouldn’t Benoit and Malenko want Saturn and Raven to win the belts? They would get a title shot in six days. That doesn’t make any sense to me. When it comes to crowd noise, those four men got the biggest pops of the night.

Jericho needs to just lose since he is leaving the company. The finish didn’t make sense because Steiner didn’t actually put his hands on Booker. Why not have Booker get the win and then have Steiner attack his opponent before attacking Booker with the assumption he was going to win the bout?

Bagwell/Bigelow continued with dumb finishes. Bagwell is just recently turned face, how about you give him some nice clean wins over lower level heels? The fact that the referee woke up and had smoke all over the ring area but decided to still count a three is foolish.

The main event was pretty much a repetitive brawl that was only slightly entertaining until the final two minutes totally killed the match for me. The fact that Hogan kicked out of both the spear and jackhammer is completely disgusting. Nash totally mistimed his interference, which again, wouldn’t make much sense to me. Wouldn’t you want Goldberg to win so you get the title shot at Spring Stampede? I just don’t understand what they guys are thinking.

Overall, this week’s Nitro featured only one good bout and a couple of decent interview segments. The dumb booking decisions really bothered me. They may have a new set, but their booking is really leaving a lot to be desired.

Thanks for reading.

Sound Off!
Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!

Back to Nitro index