This Day In Wrestling History - October 12

Date: October 12, 1998 (15 years ago)

Feature: WCW Nitro featured an All-Star tag main event of Sting & Ultimate Warrior re-uniting against Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Bret Hart, which was an attempt to create interest in a diminished Warrior vs. Hogan match at Halloween Havoc '98. The show also featured Goldberg vs. The Giant (Big Show) in the semi-main event...

Torch Back-Issue: PWTorch Newsletter #516.

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WCW Nitro TV Review
October 12, 1998
Live from Chicago, Ill.
Report by Jason Powell

The show opened with Eric Bischoff telling the building manager and security not to allow Ric Flair in the building. He said they would know him because he has "white hair and a big nose" and would be surrounded by some of the ugliest men around... Highlights aired of Sting being helped out of the arena after his brawl with Bret Hart last week on Nitro... Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Larry Zbyszko introduced the show as the Nitro Girls danced in the ring. They hyped the main event of the show as being Goldberg vs. The Giant... Three different highlight videos and replays took place including highlights of WCW's appearance at the N.Y. Stock Exchange, a portion of Bret Hart's challenge to Sting from Thunder for Halloween Havoc, and a promo for Halloween Havoc... After break, the opening montage aired followed by highlights of Meng and Wrath's brawl from last week's Thunder...

(1) Wrath beat Lodi with the Meltdown at 1:20... Highlights of the Horsemen - Bischoff angle from last week's Nitro aired... A video promo on Goldberg-Page aired...

(2) Dale Torborg beat Kendall Windham at 4:21. Torborg is one of the guys working the pits in the Motor Sports segments and wore a sleeveless version of the pit crew uniform (Hey, it worked for Bob Holly.) His father is baseball manager Jeff Torborg. Lots of boring chants. Torborg kicked Windham with his right leg, but injured his planting leg and quickly pinned Windham...

Highlights aired of Goldberg saving Page from Raven and Kanyon on Thunder... Sting cut a promo in the middle of the ring and accepted Bret's challenge from Thunder, but said he wanted Bret right away and didn't want to wait until Halloween Havoc. The Warrior came out and babbled on and on and eventually asked Sting to team with him against Hogan and Bret. He briefly acknowledged their past as a team, but said he didn't want to be a history teacher and moved on. He used the "Same Warrior time..." slogan and was nearly booed out of the building...

After break, Hollywood Hogan, The Giant, and Eric Bischoff came to the ring to cut a promo. Hogan gave his usual promo and accepted Warrior's tag match challenge. When Hogan's music began to play signifying the end of the segment, Giant immediately left the ring without saying a word...

As Bischoff was leaving the ring a security guard told him the Horsemen were out back. Bischoff ran out back where a limousine was parked. The Horsemen got out of the limo and Bischoff demanded security force them off the premises. Flair told Bischoff, "Different time, different city, different building" and introduced him to Bruce Wertz-MacArthur, an owner of the United Center who was inside the limo. McArthur got out and told him that while Bischoff may have a lease to the arena for the night, he (MacArthur) owned a sky box and the Horsemen would be his guests for the evening. Bischoff ranted to no avail...

(3) Alex Wright beat Fit Finlay at 1:53. Before the match, Wright said he would gain revenge on Finlay for ending his father's wrestling career. Wright won with his feet on the ropes. Afterward, British Bulldog jumped Wright and had words with Finlay...

(4) Psicosis & Super Calo & Chavo Guerrero beat La Parka & Villano IV & Ciclope when Chavo pinned Ciclope at 5:24. Good fast paced action with a ton of highspots. The LWO came to the ring to a chorus of "Eddie" chants. Eddie Guerrero told both teams that Bischoff is taking advantage of them and talked all them into joining the LWO....

Bobby Heenan replaced Zbyszko on commentary. Scott Steiner came to the ring for a promo. He said, "There isn't a woman in the crowd I can't lay down vertically and have her look up at me totally satisfied." He went on to rip on Buff Bagwell (calling him Marcus) and his mother Judy Bagwell until they came to the ring. Scott told Buff he could break his neck in the snap of a finger. Buff said he's listening to every word of his mother's advice. Scott told him he's becoming a soft momma's boy and said he should rip the NWO shirt right off of him. Scott continued to rip into Bagwell's mother by calling her an old bag. Heenan quipped, "Hey, he knows her." Steiner called Judy a rag and Buff punched him, sending Steiner down. Steiner fired back with a low-blow and then dropped him neck first over the top rope. Bagwell sold the injury as his mother stood over him. Very well done, although everyone will be skeptical of another swerve...

(5) Juventud Guererra beat Prince Iaukea with the Juvi-Driver at 3:55. Before the match, Disco Inferno came out and did his dance routine. Juvi slugged him sending him to the floor. Disco left, but came back late in the match and accidentally distracted Iaukea. Iaukea hit Disco, but walked into the Juvi-Driver. Kidman ran down the aisle and jumped Disco...

Nash came to the ring to cut a promo. He said before he was a wrestler he was a bouncer and said if there's one thing he's good at it's beating up drunks. Nash called out to Scott Hall and told him it was last call. Hall stumbled out with a drink in hand and said if it was last call he wanted a double and a six (Syxx?) to go. He ripped on Nash from the rampway and said he'd fight Nash, "Down there" and did the crotch chop as the camera pulled away. Nash left the ring and ran after Hall. A camera followed him backstage as he chased after Hall who had climbed into a limo and was driving away. Nash hopped in a Cadillac and chased after the limo, nearly hitting a parked car in the process. Tenay told Schiavone he would do anything to chase after a story, to which Schiavone responded, "Yeah, even all out running."...

(6) Chris Jericho beat Raven with the Lion Tamer at 3:06. Raven went for the Even Flow, but Jericho reversed it into his finisher and got the win. Raven's new angle has him on a losing streak since losing the Flock. The storyline is that he isn't the same wrestler without them...

Gene Okerlund (making his only appearance of the night) interviewed Rick Steiner in the ring. The laugh track began playing and Chucky (the possessed doll) from the Child's Play movies appeared on the big screen. Chucky ripped on Okerlund and told him to "Shut the Hell up" which got a big pop. He ripped on Rick and told him to stay away from Scott because he was directing his next movie. He plugged his new movie and the crowd booed. This was the big Hollywood star? Lame, but not the disaster it would seem to be on paper. There isn't really much difference in this and the animated promos that air on music award shows (South Park, Beavis & Butthead)... Page cut a promo for WCW's appearance on QVC...

Bischoff came to the ring and called out J.J. Dillon and Doug Dillinger. He said that since he is leasing the United Center for the evening he was renaming it the Bischoff Center. He demanded Dillon and Dillinger force the Horsemen to leave the arena. The three of them went up to the skybox where Bischoff confronted MacArthur demanding he get the Horsemen out of the building. MacArthur said he tried to be nice, but he was having a private party in his box and said it was his arena. Bischoff said it was MacArthur's "Mommy's and Daddy's arena," then shoved him. Security immediately pounced on Bischoff and piled on top of him. Flair came out of the box and strutted and whoo'd at Bischoff who was led out in handcuffs to a squad car that took him away. Cameras picked up a shot of the skybox from inside the arena. MacArthur was being kissed by a younger woman (hope it was someone he was supposed to be seen kissing) and hopped on the rail and received a pop from the crowd...

(7) Goldberg beat The Giant by countout at 2:45, bringing his record to 150-0. Giant hit a dropkick on Goldberg and took over offense by following it up with a Russian leg sweep. Goldberg came back by kicking Giant in the gut and bodyslamming him for a massive pop. He lined up for the spear, but Stevie Ray ran in and hit him from behind with a weak chairshot. Goldberg no-sold it and attacked Stevie, but walked right into the Giant's chokeslam. Giant went for the pin, but Page ran out and broke up the count to save his title shot. Page gave Stevie the Diamond Cutter and he and the Giant left the ring and Giant was counted out. Very well done...

(8) Sting & Warrior beat Hollywood Hogan & Bret Hart via DQ at 5:40. Michael Buffer introduced Sting and Warrior as two men who had never teamed together before. Hogan asked for Sting to start the match, but was dominated so he went for a tag with Bret. Bret reluctantly tagged in and was also out-manned by Sting until Hogan snuck in distracting Sting. Hart then low-blowed Sting. Hogan and Hart doubled-up on Sting, until Warrior got the hot tag five minutes in. He clotheslined Hart twice and didn't even bother to take off his jacket. He squared off with Hogan until Giant, Scott Steiner, Vincent, Scott Norton, and Stevie Ray ran in. The fog started in the ring while Warrior was outside, making Schiavone wonder if the NWO pushed him out there on purpose, "So he couldn't disappear." When the fog cleared Sting had his baseball bat and went on to clear the ring... Poor main event and some bizarre angles, but an action packed Nitro overall. What happened to Hall and Nash anyway?...

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

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