Monday Nitro #187
Date: May 3, 1999
Location: Charlotte
Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Bobby
Heenan, Tony Schiavone
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
It's the go home show
for Slamboree and even though a lot of stuff changed last week, we're
right back where we were seven days ago. Flair is still insane but
is getting to face Piper for control of the company this Sunday, even
though both are fired. On top of that we're getting ready for Page
vs. Nash and in theory Nash won't give away the title if he wins it
again. Let's get to it.
We open with Flair,
Anderson and the nurse in a limo and on his way to the arena.
There's a bus next to them full of the mental patients. A guy that
looks a lot like Scott Hall is driving.
Video on last week's
two World Title changes.
DJ Ran.
Nitro Girls.
Gorgeous George workout
video.
The Nitro Girls have a
website.
Video on Flair being
insane.
MORE DJ Ran, now with a
Nascar driver.
Kidman/Rey Mysterio
Jr. vs. Armstrongs
Non-title.
Steve and Kidman trade arm holds to get things going before a
dropkick sends Steve over to his corner. Both guys tag out and it's
Steve running over Rey with a clothesline. Mysterio comes back with
some dropkicks and brings Kidman back in, only to have him sent out
to the floor.
That goes nowhere so
Kidman comes back in and avoids a charge before taking Steve down
with something resembling a Bodog. Rey comes in with a springboard
seated senton as everything breaks down. Steve's powerbomb to Kidman
is countered and Kidman puts him on top before launching Rey up for a
top rope hurricanrana and the pin.
Rating:
D+.
The Armstrongs didn't get to do much here but there was only going to
be so much done with a week before a three way Tag Team Title match.
Rey and Kidman are a good team but they seem like they're there to be
beaten by a bigger name team and not as a long term thing. Then
again most smaller teams usually are.
Post match the Horsemen
come in and beat down the champions. Raven and Saturn come out for
the save before beating down Kidman and Mysterio. This brings the
Horsemen back in to put Raven and Saturn in their holds and stand
tall.
Highlight reel of
Jackhammers.
The
Cat vs. Buff Bagwell
We
get the usual insults to the “rednecks” by Miller before he
offers Buff the five seconds. Buff poses at him and gets kicked in
the face for his efforts. Back up and Buff dropkicks him out to the
floor and the stalling begins. Miller gets back in and wants a
handshake, only to stall even more by standing around.
Some armdrags put Cat
down but Onoo gets in a few shots to take over. Not that it lasts
long though as Bagwell comes back with a swinging neckbreaker, only
to have Onoo block a sunset flip to really put Miller in control. A
chinlock doesn't last long but Miller rakes the eyes to stop Buff
again. Bagwell makes a quick comeback and Onoo's latest interference
backfires, allowing Buff to hit the Blockbuster for the pin.
Rating:
D-.
This felt like it went on forever and the match never got
interesting. Bagwell had a nice string of wins going here as he's
getting ready for the US Title match on Sunday. Granted it's not
like a win over Miller means all that much as he's about as
uninteresting as you can be at this point. Really dull match.
Miller
yells at Onoo post match.
DJ Ran the third.
Flair and his large
company arrive and immediately go to the ring. Ric yells about
wanting Sting, Savage, George and Goldberg out here. Before they
come out here, he fires Savage and grants himself a World Title match
in Charlotte. This brings out Savage and the girls as we go to a
break. Back with Savage and Madusa beating up the security that
tries to arrest them.
Flair
grabs George as the cops come to the ring and arrest Savage.
Robinson talks trash and struts but George breaks free and slaps him
down. The nurse chokes George out as Flair insults Goldberg and
Sting. This brings out Sting to punch Ric in the face, followed by
Goldberg who does the same. Sting and Goldberg brawl, beat up
security and brawl some more until a ton of guards break it up.
Somehow this whole thing took over fifteen minutes.
After
a break, Flair is talking to Stevie Ray of all people and offers
Stevie $100,000 to take Nash out tonight. Ray agrees.
Nitro Girls.
Hardcore Hak vs. Bam
Bam Bigelow
The
winner gets Knobbs on Sunday for the title King of Hardcore. Wasn't
Bigelow the King already? They throw weapons in before the match and
trade trashcan shots to start before Bigelow nails him with a pair of
lids. A mop to Hak's face sets up the required Surge container shot.
Bigelow puts him into a ladder and through two tables but Hak hits a
quick bulldog onto a ladder and actually works the leg a bit. We
take a break because this match needs to keep going for some reason.
Bigelow superplexes Hak through two tables as Knobbs comes in with a
trashcan to beat on both guys and the match is thrown out.
Rating:
F.
Am I to understand that a hardcore match just ended in either a
doublt DQ or a no contest? I had to sit through another of these
messes and now I'm probably going to have to sit through a triple
threat match on Sunday? Horrible non-match with nothing redeeming
whatsoever. Well maybe the Surge was good.
Ray
tells the Black and White that Flair gave him $50,000 to take out
Nash. The mental patient AAA was in the bathroom because....I really
don't think I want to know why.
Video on Piper.
AAA warns Nash about
the Black and White's plans.
Konnan vs. Horace
Hogan
Konnan
threatens the Black and White with unidentified backup. Horace gets
dropped with a bulldog to start and they head to the floor for some
brawling. Back in and Horace takes over with a few clotheslines and
puts on a chinlock. A big boot and splash get two for Horace before
we're back to the chinlock. Horace goes up and dives into a boot,
setting up Konnan's usual offense. The Sunrise goes on but the Black
and White runs in for the DQ.
Kevin
Nash runs out for the save and cleans house with Konnan. So much for
them fighting a few months ago.
Some
more of Flair's friends from the hospital are in the production
truck.
Flair, Anderson and
Robinson are in the back when David Flair and Samantha come in. Ric
thanks his son for helping him and puts him in the main event
tonight. David is happy and leaves with Samantha but Ric is smiling.
He tells Robinson to book David vs. Meng and also wants Robinson to
tell Meng that David thinks Meng can't go in the ring anymore.
Anderson shakes his head.
Piper arrives in a limo
because WCW doesn't understand wrestling fans. He charges into
Flair's office and beats him up as cops come in for the save. Piper
slaps one of them as well and puts a Reality Check shirt on Flair.
After a break, Flair
sends Scott Steiner after Nash.
More DJ Ran and Nitro
Girls.
We go to a press
conference with Lex Luger and Liz but the signal goes out before
anything can be said.
Scott Steiner asks
Mysterio where Nash is. Rey points him to a dressing room and
Steiner goes in, only to get beaten down by Buff Bagwell. That might
be the worst segment I have ever seen on so many levels.
DJ Ran and the Nitro
Girls, maybe two minutes after the previous time.
David Flair vs. Meng
Samantha
has officially been named Torrie for no apparent reason. No that it
matters as David sends her to the back, making this match far less
appealing. Flair tries some chops and gets about as far as you would
expect. A big headbutt puts him on the floor but Meng throws him
back in so he can no sell even more of David's offense. Meng
actually does sell a few shots to the ribs but he rakes David's back
to slow him down again. A suplex sets up the Tongan Death Grip to
mercifully end this quick.
Ric
comes out and laughs at David as he's taken out on a stretcher. He
tells his son to never try to get rid of him again.
Video on Diamond Dallas
Page.
Gorgeous George workout
video again.
Here's DDP with
something to say. It's his standard promo now: he's come a long way,
he doesn't care what the people think, he's old but new while Flair
is old and old.
Nitro Girls AGAIN.
TV Title: Curt
Hennig vs. Booker T.
Booker
is defending in this rematch from Thunder. Hennig takes him down
with a shoulder and busts out a cartwheel of all things. The champ's
throat gets snapped across the top rope and Hennig starts on the leg
by wrapping it around the post. This brings out Stevie Ray but he
misses the slap jack shot. Rick Steiner comes out and attacks Booker
for the DQ.
Cops
are told to go get the inmates.
WCW World Title: Ric
Flair vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Page
is defending and Robinson is referee. Feeling out process to start
with Page shoving Flair into the corner and stomping away. Some
choking has Flair in trouble but he comes back with chops and right
hands in the corner. A hiptoss sends the champ out to the floor and
Ric chops away against the barricade. Both guys are sent into the
barricade and Flair chops him up the aisle.
What
looked like a low blow gets Page out of trouble and they head back
inside. A swinging neckbreaker gets two on Flair and we hit the
chinlock for a few seconds. Page fires off elbows to the head in the
corner but Ric snapmares him down and drops a knee for two. More
choking lets Page send Flair out to the floor. Back in and Flair
gets slammed off the top for another near fall and there's a Figure
Four on Flair. Robinson is freaking out but he and Ric start
whispering to each other.
Ric
finally makes a rope but Page puts it right back on. You don't see
that too often. Flair lifts Page's leg off of his to break the hold,
which you don't see that often either. Back up and Page's discus
lariat gets two before we hit the chinlock. Flair pops up and elbows
Page in the jaw before going up. Oh come on Flair you would
think......HE ACTUALLY HIT THE AX HANDLE! Savage and George come to
the ring as Flair hooks the Figure Four. Robinson goes after George
as Savage slips Page a foreign object for a shot to the head.
Another referee comes out to count the pin.
Rating:
C-.
The match wasn't bad but it was a bit too messy. It also didn't help
that we had a heel vs. a heel in a city where one of the heel was
going to be a face but the heel that is a face has been acting
especially heelish all night long. To be fair though there were so
many other problems with this show that this was bearable.
Overall
Rating: F.
Other than Gorgeous George's outfit, this was one of the most
worthless shows I can remember in a very long time. Without the
awesome cruiserweight matches or Page and Sting stealing the show,
this is a bunch of stories starting and stopping in one night (we can
also add another entry to the list of World Title matches with no
hype) with either no logic or continuity.
Then
you have the pay per view coming up. Flair was attacked by Piper and
never mentioned it. You would think Page was defending against Flair
and Nash was facing Stevie Ray on Sunday. Page getting another title
win is fine but at least have him be on camera with Nash instead of
having Flair try to take Nash out, which Nash didn't address either.
You had Steiner and the Black and White trying to take out Nash,
which was used to build up Bagwell vs. Steiner and Konnan vs. Ray.
That's good, but Nash doesn't have a single word for Flair? That's
the other problem: why wasn't Page doing that?
Finally,
what was up with Flair? He was supposed to be insane but he still
seems perfectly rational and had two plans tonight (hiring people to
go after Nash and the stuff with David) plus wrestled like he has for
years. The story seemed like a way to get us to Piper vs. Flair,
which is happening in 1999 because WCW thinks that's enough to combat
whatever Raw was running at this point. By the way, this show was up
against a main event of Steve Austin vs. The Rock. Maybe they were
lucky this disaster happened this week.
There
was no thinking put into this show and it really showed. They kind
of put the focus on Slamboree but it felt like the TV show was the
much bigger priority here. There's a thought to that, but when the
TV show is a disaster like this with everything going all over the
place, the strategy doesn't work. It was a mess this week and
Slamboree looks ok at best.
One
last note: Nitro is preempted on May 10 by the NBA Playoffs so there
won't be another Nitro review up for two weeks.
Remember to pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Nitro Reviews from Amazon at:
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