WCW Monday Nitro - April 19, 1999
by Wrestling Recap's Bob Colling
From: Gainesville, FL
Nitro opens up with Goldberg arriving to the building saying that tonight he will defeat WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page for the championship!
Opening Contest: Chris Benoit/Dean Malenko defeated Scott Armstrong/Steve Armstrong
Benoit and Scott kick off the contest with Benoit backing Scott into a corner but they only exchange shoves. Benoit misses a chop and Scott delivers a few right hands and counters a power bomb with an arm drag. Steve tags in to hip toss Benoit with his brother. Steve power slams Benoit but is attacked by Benoit from behind and falls to the floor where he is double teamed by Malenko and Anderson. Malenko tags in to dropkick Steve as he lies on the mat. Malenko clotheslines Steve in the corner followed by a few stomps and knocks Scott off the apron. Benoit returns to the ring with a chop and a forearm shot for a two count. Steve gets a two count on Malenko following a sunset flip. Malenko works on Steve with several shots in the corner. Steve is dumped to the floor again where he is double teamed briefly. Malenko connects with a spinning heel kick for only a two count. Benoit drives Steve down with a back suplex for a near fall. Steve manages to stop Malenko after several more moments with a running bulldog out of the corner! Scott gets the hot tag and cleans house with right hands and a backdrop. Benoit is double dropkicked to the floor and Scott nearly rolls Malenko up for the win. Malenko power bombs Scott and locks in the Texas Cloverleaf for the win. *** (That was a really fun opener, folks. The crowd was hot throughout and they put on some great overall action. Good start to the show.)Backstage, Roddy Piper looks over some papers that Ric Flair had signed previously. We also see Randy Savage and Gorgeous George arrive to the building. Savage is told at first he is not allowed to enter, but Piper comes over and says he is taking responsibility for Savage.
Mean Gene interviews WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Diamond Dallas Page. Page decides to send a special shout out to Hulk Hogan. Page hopes that Hogan recovers quickly from the knee injury he suffered thanks to DDP at Spring Stampede. Page talks about Goldberg being a little overzealous and wants him to be focus tonight just like he is. Page says he sees a lot of himself in Goldberg. Page tells us that he isn’t going to put the title on the line. Goldberg’s music hits and stalks the ring. He has a nose to nose confrontation with Page, which during Page apparently accepted a title match.
Backstage, Roddy Piper and David Flair sign some more papers. Also, Gene talks to DDP about his upcoming match against Goldberg. Page confirms that the title will be on the line. Gene shows us footage of what DDP did to Hogan at Spring Stampede.
Second Contest: Psychosis defeated WCW Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr., Juventud Guerrera and Blitzkrieg to win the title
Alex Wright is shown in the front row, sporting a much different look than before. Psychosis drives Blitz to the mat with a sit out front suplex and Juvi side slams Rey. Rey and Blitz are sent into each other chest first as Juvi and Psychosis both keep the advantage of the match. Psychosis misses a spear in the corner and hits the ring post. Blitz spin kicks Juvi but ends up getting hit by Rey with a springboard Thez press as Juvi holds him in the air! Juvi backdrops Rey over the top to the floor and holds Blitz so that Psychosis can deliver a dropkick for a two count. Juvi comes off the top but accidentally leg drops Psychosis instead of Blitz. Blitz clotheslines Juvi in the corner and Rey returns to the ring to connect with a split legged moonsault for a two count. Psychosis turns on Juvi with a short arm clothesline followed by a slam and a spinning heel kick. Both Psychosis and Juvi are dropkicked to the floor and met with baseball slides. Blitz and Rey springboard off the middle rope to hit two moonsaults! Blitz stops Rey on the apron with a right hand but Rey battles back and leaps off the top only to be met with a dropkick. Blitz with a few rolling senton splashes for a two count. Juvi springboards off the top rope to dropkick Blitz from behind. Juvi begs off Rey but is met with right hands. Rey head scissors Juvi and springboards off the middle rope with a moonsault for a two count as Psychosis breaks up the pin. Rey breaks up Psychosis pin attempt with a dropkick. Juvi bulldogs Rey for a two count. Juvi plants Rey with a reverse neck breaker and Psychosis hits Rey with a top rope splash but only gets a two count! Rey leaps off the middle rope wit Psychosis to connect with a bulldog and follows up with a split legged moonsault for only a two count. Back from a commercial, Juvi head scissors Rey and Psychosis dropkicks Blitz off the top to the floor. Juvi somersaults over the top onto Rey and Blitz on the floor! Psychosis leaps off the top with a somersault dive of his own onto everyone on the floor! Juvi leaps off the top in the ring to connect with hurricanrana on Psychosis for a two count. Rey power bombs Juvi for a two count. Blitz puts the figure four on Psychosis but Rey leaps off the top to leg drop Blitz! Juvi leg drops Psychosis from the top for a two count of his own. Psychosis drives Rey down with a tilt a whirl back breaker for a two count. Juvi plants Blitz with a sit out power bomb and Rey gets a two count on Blitz. Rey takes Juvi off the top with a hurricanrana but only gets a near fall as Psychosis breaks up the pin. Psychosis gets a near fall on Blitz following a simple vertical suplex. Rey dropkicks Juvi to the floor and works on Blitz with several right hands. Rey hits the bronco buster and plays to the crowd before doing the same to Psychosis. Juvi grabs Rey looking for a power bomb but Rey hits a hurricanrana instead. Juvi drops Rey throat first across the top rope and springboards off the top with a dropkick to send Rey to the floor. Psychosis clotheslines Juvi over the top to the floor as well. Blitz scoop slams Psychosis and hits an incredible spinning 450 splash off the top but only gets a two count! Juvi plants Blitz with the Juvi Driver but Rey breaks up the cover. Rey face busters Juvi and they both fall to the floor as Rey attempts a hurricanrana. Psychosis shoves Blitz off the top rope and connects with a top rope leg drop to pick up the win and title! ***1/2 (This was a fantastic fast pace contest. It may have gone on for too long but these four men put on quite the show and one of the best cruiserweight matches I have ever seen!)Mean Gene calls out WCW President Ric Flair for an in-ring interview. Flair starts off telling all the kids that he will buy them all drinks if they go out with him later tonight. Roddy Piper makes his way down to the ring. Piper calls Flair the “Dennis Rodman of WCW.” Piper tells Flair that he thinks Flair is sick and he should step down as WCW President. Flair questions Piper’s reasoning for that statement. Arn Anderson chimes in with a good one-liner… “I’ve seen Flair with his pants off many times… it doesn’t mean anything.” That leads to Flair stripping down to his underwear. Gene reads a paper that Piper has him which is from the General Courts of Justice. Piper and David Flair have asked for Ric to be committed because he is insane. Piper also says that Ric signed papers last week to wrestle Kevin Nash this week. Flair offers to wrestle Piper at Slamboree where if Piper wins he can run the company. They head to the backstage area arguing with Piper throwing a few punches to end the segment.
Backstage, the New World Order Black and White attack Konnan when he refuses to go see Kevin Nash.
Third Contest: Brian Knobbs defeated Hak in a hardcore match
As most hardcore matches go, they whack each other trash cans, kendo sticks and other various objects tossed in by Hak’s manager. Knobbs uses a ladder on Hak as well. Hak misses a top rope senton splash and crashes through a table. Knobbs delivers several shots with a kendo stick until Hak’s manager prevents him from using it. Hak connects with a slingshot leg drop but doesn’t cover Knobbs. Bam-Bam Bigelow whacks Hak with a kendo stick off the top rope and Hak head butts the ladder. Knobbs pins Hak following a trash can assisted big splash. *1/4 (just your typical hardcore match that the crowd liked somewhat. They kept it pretty short too, so it wasn’t that bad.)Backstage, Randy Savage introduces Madusa to train Gorgeous George. Madusa says she is in WCW to “make a difference.” She has been in WCW since 1995… how long before you make a difference?
Backstage, Scott Steiner threatens Kevin Nash about getting a title shot if Nash wins the WCW World Championship. Steiner believes he deserves the title shot and not Nash.
Fourth Contest: Buff Bagwell defeated Disco Inferno
Inferno works on Bagwell to open the bout with several stomps in the corner. Bagwell back elbows Inferno as he charges the corner and chokes Inferno with his own shirt. Bagwell hip tosses, power slams and dropkicks Inferno to the floor before playing to the fans. Bagwell hip tosses Inferno back over the top to the floor. Inferno drops Bagwell throat first across the top rope and returns to the ring to connect with a swinging neck breaker. Inferno atomic drops Bagwell followed by a clothesline. Inferno leaps off the middle rope but misses a forearm drop. Bagwell backdrops Inferno followed by a clothesline and a snap power slam. Bagwell goes to the top rope but is crotched by Inferno. Bagwell avoids the Last Dance and comes off the ropes to hit a running Blockbuster for the win. *1/2 (Not a bad match but nothing all that great happened. A pretty standard match between these two.)WCW United States Champion Scott Steiner makes his way down to the ring with a few ladies. Steiner insults Buff Bagwell by saying that real men aren’t Chippendale dances or wax their eyebrows. Steiner also insults Bagwell with homosexual references.
Fifth Contest: WCW World Tag Team Champion Billy Kidman fought Raven to a no contest
Kidman comes off the ropes with a head scissors but Raven stops him with a knee lift. Kidman counters a power bomb by driving Raven face first into the mat. Raven connects with a sit out front slam for a two count. Raven knee lifts Kidman over the top to the floor and grabs a chair. Raven uses the chair in the ring by sending Kidman head first into the chair following a drop toe hold and leg drops the chair on the back of Kidman’s head. Kidman shoves Raven off the top rope and goes for the Shooting Star Press but Raven puts a chair over him and Kidman lands on the chair. Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko enter the ring to cause the no contest. Malenko sends Raven into a chair in the corner. Rey Mysterio Jr. has come down and leaps off the top to hit a hurricanrana on Malenko! The Horsemen bail to the floor. Saturn ends up attacking Rey but Rey takes Saturn over with a head scissors. Kidman recovers to power bomb Saturn but Raven gets up to DDT Kidman! The Horsemen run back down to the ring to cause another brawl.Sixth Contest: WCW United States Champion Scott Steiner defeated Scott Norton
Long story short, Steiner connects with a belly to belly suplex and uses the ropes for leverage on the pin attempt to win the bout. NR
Seventh Contest: Kevin Nash defeated Ric Flair
Nash knee lifts Flair in the corner a few times and connects with a backdrop. Flair bails to the floor to regroup. Flair chops Nash in a corner but Nash turns the tables and knee lifts Flair a few times and connects with another backdrop. Nash works on Flair with several right hands. Nash continues to work on Flair with several elbow strikes in the corner. Anderson grabs Nash’s leg and Flair trips Nash to the mat. The Horsemen drag Nash to the ring post and ram him groin first into the post. Anderson enters the ring to stomp away on Nash behind the referees back. Flair comes off the ropes to kick Nash in the groin. Flair delivers several right hands to keep Nash on the mat. Nash makes his comeback with a big side slam for a two count. Nash clotheslines Flair off the apron to the floor. Flair back elbows Nash as he charges towards a corner. Nash stops Flair on the top rope and power slams Flair down to the mat. Nash big boots Flair and knocks Anderson off the apron. Nash hits the power bomb but the referee refuses to make the cover and instead slides to the floor. Gorgeous George comes down and attacks Charles Robinson, the referee. George puts the referee shirt on and makes the count to give Nash the win. * (this was a pretty boring contest since their styles don’t really work well together. I guess just putting a referee shirt on gives you authority.)After the match, Flair is put a stretcher and driven to a mental hospital. Piper was taunting Flair during the whole ordeal.
Main Event: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page fought Goldberg to a no contest to retain the title
Page arm drags Goldberg after being shoved away a couple times. Goldberg shoulder blocks Page to the floor. Page works on Goldberg with a few short arm shoulder blocks and shoves Page to the apron. Page leg trips Goldberg for a one count. Goldberg fireman carry slams Page and puts an arm bar on Page but the champ reaches the ropes. Goldberg nails Page with a spear quickly but Page sends Goldberg into the middle turnbuckle and connects with a swinging neck breaker. Page connects with a belly to belly suplex but Goldberg kicks out. Goldberg tosses Page over head but isn’t able to get a three count. Goldberg side slams Page and plays to the crowd. Goldberg avoids a Diamond Cutter and power slams Page for a two count. Page connects with a head scissors take down and clotheslines Goldberg to the floor. Page heads to the top rope clotheslines Goldberg back in the ring for a two count. Goldberg nails Page with a super kick and sets up for the spear. However, Page just looks at Goldberg and avoids the spear by getting his feet up and Goldberg hits the post. Page plants Goldberg with the Diamond Cutter but Goldberg kicks out at two! Page grabs brass knuckles and puts the referee in front of him as Goldberg delivers a spear! Page tries to hit Goldberg with the knuckles but fails at doing so. Goldberg grabs Page from the apron and connects with the Jackhammer but there isn’t a referee. Page delivers a brass knuckles shot and Goldberg falls to the floor. Page continues to deliver several brass knuckle shots before getting the ring steps. Page whacks Goldberg’s leg with a steel chair several times. Page tosses a referee off the apron onto the guard railing. Kevin Nash runs down to the ring and attacks Page on the floor. Nash has saved Goldberg from a beating. Page has recovered and whacks Nash with the championship a couple of times, which Nash actually quickly stands up from and stalks Page to end the show. **3/4 (They actually put on a good match but it just became an overbooked mess to protect Goldberg. They also effectively turned Page heel here as I can’t imagine Page getting a mixed reaction following his actions this week.)Final Thoughts: I am going to say this is the best Nitro thus far in 1999. The matches were a lot of fun, for the most part, and the angle advancements towards Slamboree seemed to be executed pretty well. A rather enjoyable all around show.
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