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Torch Flashbacks
WCW NITRO FLASHBACK - 15 yrs. ago (03-02-98): Hart's in-ring Nitro debut, Hogan & Hall vs. Sting & Savage

Mar 3, 2013 - 2:06:19 PM
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WCW Nitro Flashback - 15 yrs. ago
March 2, 1998
Report by Wade Keller, PWTorch editor


Headlines: Bret Hart made his in-ring Nitro debut beating...Brian Adams via DQ in four minutes. Plus, the main event was Sting & Randy Savage beating Hollywood Hogan & Scott Hall via DQ.

(Live from Philadelphia, Pa. - 4.8 rating).

[Q1: 4.1]... Tony Schiavone introduced the show and said that Nitro may go down as one of the biggest nights in the history of professional wrestling. Limousines pulled up behind the Spectrum. Hulk Hogan, Rick Rude, Scott Hall, Scott Steiner, Scott Norton, Curt Hennig, and Eric Bischoff got out of the limo. Hogan said, "He's coming back across the line tonight." Kevin Nash, of course sipping coffee, joined them and they were all laughing together... Larry Zbyszko and Mike Tenay talked about the state of the NWO...

(1) Chris Benoit beat Riggs at 3:18. Benoit had to deal with Raven's Nest at ringside early in the match. Benoit finished Lodi with a series of rolling German suplexes followed by the Crippler Crossface... A Ric Flair soundbite hyped the TV main event...

[Q2: 4.9]... Footage aired of Randy Savage being awarded National Lampoon's "Real Man of the Year" award. Schiavone said it only adds to the jealousy between Hogan and Savage. He plugged Savage guesting on NBC's "Later" show on Tuesday night...

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff came to the ring. Hogan said Savage signed on to be with the NWO for Life and there is no way he can manage his career without the NWO because he couldn't manage his marriage. He called Savage a midget and said he is only on "Later" because he couldn't get on the Tonight Show or Conan O'Brien... They went to St. Joseph's University live for the Nitro Party there with Gene Okerlund interviewing students while the Nitro Girls danced in the background...

(2) Juventud Guerrera pinned Chavo Guerrero Jr. at 3:58 with the 450 splash. Schiavone called it one of the biggest wins of Juvi's career. Come on, Tony...

[Q3: 5.1]... (3) Prince Iaukea pinned Psicosis at 4:58. Psicosis had Iaukea pinned, but lifted him by the hair before the three count in order to dish out more punishment. He went for a top rope huracanrana, but Iaukea reversed it and landed on top of Psicosis and scored the pin...

[Q4: 5.2]... (4) Raven pinned Disco Inferno at 2:49 with the Evenflow DDT... They showed more footage from the Nitro Party at St. Joseph College...

[Q5: 4.7]... (5) The Public Enemy beat Hugh Morrus & Barbarian (w/Jimmy Hart) when Rocco pinned Morrus at 3:15. At the start of the match TPE ripped Hart's shirts open. A minute later, as Barbarian held Grunge, Hart whipped him with his belt. At 2:00 Morrus superplexed Rocco through a table in mid-ring. At 3:10 TPE put Morrus on a table and it began collapsing even before Rocco splashed him. Schiavone tried to cover for the gimmicked table by saying the weight of Morrus caused the collapse, but the live crowd booed heavily. The collapsing table took the wind out of the match...

Randy Savage and Elizabeth walked to the ring. Savage called Hogan "pathetic" and denied that he is in Hogan's shadow. "The only dark cloud I've got hanging over me is the fact that I've been carrying you all of these years," he said. Savage said he would team with Sting one time only later that night, but said Sting would be doing things his way. Sting then came out (without the WCW Title belt). A fan in the front row held up a sign that said, "Brandon Lee is turning in his grave." Sting sent a message to Hall for having the NWO attack him rather than wrestle him last week. Sting then told Savage that for a whole year, every time he looked up and saw Hogan's face, he saw his face, too. He told Savage he only knows one way to do business, and it's his own way. Sting then left. Schiavone made a big deal out of Sting talking. With the Sting-Hogan rematch out of the way and a substantial drop in the buyrate, the decision has probably been made to have Sting talk more to try to move his character to the next level...

(6) Goldberg beat Sick Boy at 1:38. Sick Boy went for a springboard tackle, but slipped on the top rope and fell to the mat. Fans laughed. Goldberg side-speared Sick Boy in a new twist and then finished him with the jackhammer...

[Q6: 4.6]... WCW premiered a Stuck Mojo music video featuring Dallas Page and Raven's Nest. The video was performed in a wrestling ring. Page cleared the ring of Raven's Nest, throwing them into the mosh pit of fans at ringside... Mike Tenay interviewed Page. They played it up as if Page attacking Raven's Nest in the video was a shoot, saying that he was saving the band from Raven's Nest attack. Page promo'd his match against Raven at Thunder...

(7) Dallas Page beat Hammer via DQ at 1:55. Hammer, with his eyes barely open, entered the ring and called for Dallas Page. Page's music played and returned to the ring through the crowd. Lodi held a sign that read: "Bobby Heenan is great!" The match ended when Raven attacked Page. Chris Benoit made the save. Page accidentally hit Benoit, so they fought briefly, but then turned on Raven and doubled on him again...

[Q7: 4.4]... They went back to Okerlund live at St. Joseph's University for the Nitro Party... Tenay interviewed Bret Hart on the rampway. Bret promo'd his match against Curt Hennig at Uncensored, saying he didn't come to "the WCW" [sic] to make money, he came to make a difference. Bret said, "Your dad never beat my dad." He then promo'd his Nitro match later against Brian Adams...

(8) British Bulldog beat Scott Norton via DQ at 1:40 when Norton shoved the referee. They brawled down the aisle to the back after the match... Bobby Heenan joined Schiavone and Tenay in talking about the Nitro main event...

[Q8: 5.0]... (9) Konnan beat Super Calo at 2:05. Before the match Konnan said he got Juventud Guererra his job in WCW and how did he pay him back? By giving up and losing his mask. Konnan said Juventud would pay for his cowardice. Didn't Konnan lose his mask earlier in his career, too? The crowd booed when Konnan took a ghost bump after not even getting hit. When Konnan tried to unmask Calo after the match, Juventud ran to the ring for the save. He demanded a match with Konnan next week on Nitro... They recapped the Bret-Brian Adams feud with Flair coming to Bret's aid...

[Q9: 4.5]... Tenay interviewed Flair in mid-ring, who hyped the Nitro main event. Hennig and Rick Rude walked out to interrupt. Hennig said if he and Rude decided to kick his big nose and teeth down his throat, did Flair think Bret would come to his aid. Flair challenged Hennig to a one-on-one fight. Flair took Hennig to school and the crowd popped. Hennig took over after an eye poke. Flair took over with a low blow. When Flair set up the figure-four, Rude ran in and hit him. Hennig gave Flair the fisherman suplex and Rude counted to three. Bret made the save...

(10) Scott Steiner beat Hacksaw Duggan with the Steiner Recliner at 4:03. Scott's new finisher is a camel clutch...

[Q10: 4.6]... (11) Dean Malenko & Booker T beat Chris Jericho & Eddie Guerrero when Jericho tapped out to the Texas Cloverleaf at 4:48. Before the match Jericho said his "first guest on WCW Monday Jericho" would be Eddie Guerrero. "After seeing us, you're not going to want to watch anybody else ever again." Jericho wore Juventud's mask around his neck on a string to gloat about winning the match. It's good that the mask angle isn't just being dropped as if it meant nothing. Good action and good to see Booker T injected into the mix with WCW's elite workers since it should definitely help him improve and move to the next level as a singles contender...

[Q11: 5.3]... Scott Steiner, Konnan, Buff Bagwell, Kevin Nash, and Dusty Rhodes came to the ring. Scott said his brother Rick had agreed to be inducted into the NWO. Rick came to the ring with Ted DiBiase. Schiavone wondered if DiBiase was going full circle back into the NWO. Fans were quiet, wondering if Rick actually joined. Rick entered the ring and smiled and bonded with the NWO members in the ring. Nash presented Rick with an NWO t-shirt, but Rick threw it into his face and hit Nash. The NWO then attacked Rick. Nash set up the jackknife, but Rick backdropped out of it. Giant, wearing a neckbrace, made the save. Everyone but Nash left the ring. Giant powerbombed Nash, then sold it himself as if it hurt his own neck. Schiavone said everyone in WCW would be glad to chip in to pay Giant's $50,000 fine. Giant and Rick hugged as fans barked. Nash lay flat on his back selling the move. After a commercial, they showed Doug Dillinger trying to handcuff Giant, but the handcuffs wouldn't fit, so Giant just walked away on his own...

(12) Bret Hart beat Brian Adams by DQ at 4:30. Adams has gained a sizable gut. Would Adams have gotten a push if he didn't come from the WWF (where he was at best a mid-carder)? It shows WCW management are still marks for former WWFers. When Bret applied the sharpshooter, Hennig ran in for the DQ. This was Bret's in-ring Nitro debut and it will be remembered for all of two minutes...

[Q12: 5.3]... (13) Sting & Randy Savage beat Scott Hall & Hollywood Hogan via DQ at 7:20. Sting and Savage walked to the ring side-by-side. At the start of the match, Bischoff tried to help Hogan ram Sting into the turnbuckle, but Sting blocked it and punched Bischoff. At 2:20 Savage tagged in Sting. Savage hot-tagged Sting at 7:00 and put Hogan into the Scorpion. The rest of the NWO, including Ed Leslie (a/k/a Brutus Beefcake), ran in for the DQ. Giant made the save.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]


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