First Entry! Intro with Nitro!

So welcome to the blog, where i'll be keeping a running tab on anything and everything I watch. Yep, in between work, writing, and sleep, we fit in some rassling...ok, I got a huge box of stuff yesterday, and a long with the Avengers cartoon (when the heck was this on), the Fantastic Four cartoon (Marvel Action Hour!), and the 2002 TNA shows (JERRY ESTRADA~!), we have these...the 1998 Nitro set. So random, so wonderful, lets begin.

WCW Monday Nitro 3:16, 1998

Will Steve Austin appear tonight? heh...moving right along...

YES, it's a club La Vila show. I question for a moment if there are any wrestling fans in the audience, only to remember, yes, WCW was quite popular. And unexplainable "Larry" chant, which I'm sure, to someone, justified the amount of screen and angle time Zbyszko got during 97-98. And...there goes my dvd player, the heck?

(switching players)

And here comes the nWo as Teney, Tony and Larry talk about how amazing Uncensored was. Bischoff sums up for us that, no, the nWo isn't falling apart. Glad to know, let's fast foward...someone is going into the water, TONIGHT!

Lodi vs Goldberg

Tony lets us know that Goldberg is "literally stalking" to the ring, as opposed to what? Oh, a press slam...spear...Jackhammer. So while the pin happens I'll ask, where did Lodi come from? He never seemed to wrestle, ever, except maybe a handful of matches. I can only guess he went to the powerplan like Sick Boy, but that doesn't seem right. Anyway, the entier Flock is attack Goldberg, except for Saturn. They would have a pretty good match at Spring Stampede that year, and a so so rematch at Slamboree. 0 for 1

Fit Finlay vs Ultimo Dragon

Interesting. This is Finlay's first match with the short blonde hair whic he still sports to this very day. Does anyone want me to do some sort of rating? Stars, thumbs up or down...not sure. Anyway, Finlay controls for a moment, but Dragon comes back with the corner headstand spot (Finlay is confused!) and the kick combo. Now Fit goes for the nerve hold, mask pulling, elbows, and Dragon gets up and is slapped. Finlay drops him over the top rope for two. And another cover...someone mention that Finlay keeps covering "because each cover expends some energy." European uppercut...Dragon flips out of a body dro, dropkick, and misses a plancha. Oh, Finlay throws him chest first into the sie of the ring. Back in the ring, rolling samoan drop! I love that move, and a double stomp. Another upper cut, and I should mention there was a dragon chant a minute ago. Finlay escapes the Dragon Clutch and continues the mauling. Seconds later, Dragon counters a suplex into another Dragon Sleeper, and FINLAY TAPS! whoa...aw, dang. Well done though. "Sometimes that's what it takes, a counter to a counter" thanks Tony. 1 for 2

Nitro girls, i expect the crowd to start booing, there's probably more risque things occuring right now in the crowd.

nWo music?

oh good, its a match at least

ah ok, you know, I think I'll just crib the Keith video rant style *goes back to assign points to previous matches* As you might know, one point for a good match...
and onto the next match

Scott Norton vs "Gentleman" Chris Adams
Adam's nails the Superkick like a minute in, which doesn't do much. Splash in the corner and Norton tosses him over the top...which is legal now according to Tony! Let's see if that even lasts through the show. Knees and elbows in the corner. Short arm clothesline as Larry goes on about how none of the nWo have no soul, god his rants are boring. Buff notes that this isn't England...Chops in the corner. Anothe corner charge misses, hip toss and drop kick, but Norton swats down a missle dropkick. Shoulderbreaker and that's the pin. I really wish he would follow that with an arm bar of any kind. But i guess the theory is, if you break the shoulder, he can't lift it! 1 for 3

they crowned miss nitro....johnny grunge got to help with it! as did Scotty Riggs, Rocco Rock, and my fast forward

Davey Boy Smith/Jim Neidhart vs Mike Enos/Wayne Bloom
The Destruction Crew! I never understood Enos' run in WCW, he was tagging with Dick Slater for most of it, they did ok, and then they finally brought in Bloom and didn't let them have any wins. Maybe I just have a strange love for former AWA tag champs. Tony says they are slowly moving up the ladder in WCW, and Wayne and Enos hit a nice spike piledriver on the Anvil. Enos controls Neidhart, but Jim gets a very awkward body lift back body drop thingie...tag into Bloom...and i accidently scroll forward a bit, right to the hot tag. Bulldog in, elbows and clotheslines. Powerslam on Bloom for 2, and its a pier six brawl! Wayne and Davey Boy in, running "Oklahoma" slam (according to Tony) for the three. Not bad, very basic, there was a spike piledriver. Larry Zbyszko goes on about his AWA title loss to Saito and being "jobbed out". How odd. Anyway, 1 for 4

So Nitro was three hours by this point, I wish Bischoff would have explained this in his book. Three hours just seemed too much, no matter how many Yuji Nagata vs Barry Darsow matches we got out of it.

Annoucers jibber jabber. WCW's team always seemed incredibly dorky, from Tenay being a wrestling dork, Tony looking bored or fake half the time (and it just got worse each year), and Larry being a one man Larry Zbyszko promotion machine. Ross and Lawler, to thier credit, seemed just more passionate about the product.

I think we're going to get a Randy Savage promo. Skip time.

Raven is in the ring, and he's ready for Benoit! YES!

Raven vs Chris Benoit
Raven says the fued will end tonight, with the winner going on to job to Dallas Page. And it will Raven, as he segways into a rambling promo until he mentions that "the snake is watching" which we know, never led to anything. Benoit comes out, and the announcers are spending time going over DDP and Raven breaking into the biz together, instead of the history between Benoit and Raven, so the conclusion is in very little doubt. The Crippler goes in strong and stomps a mudhole, german suplex, chops Raven to the outside and nails a baseball slide. Crowd is very into Benoit. Benoit chops him toward the crowd, down the ramp across the water, and finally back to the ring. Benoit slaps the back of Raven's head and stomps him more in the corner. Elbow off the ropes and Benoit gets two. Raven comes back with a whip into the corner, gets met with boot, and that was the quickest offense shift ever. Back from the commerical and the match has moved to the entrance. You know, in essence, this is the same structure as Dragon-Finlay, with Benoit just totally dominating to the point where there's no way he's going to win. Only it's a lot more obvious here. Bridge suplex for two...which makes sense, because its not like Benoit has any leverage with that move. Raven's shirt is torn and he gets chopped as Tony notes "I dont read tatoos" when Larry asks about Raven's ink. Benoit slaps him and taunts, and for those who say Benoit can't talk, his in ring "mic" skills are great (remember the 95 ECW against Al Snow). Snap suplex, and Benoit rolls into two more and its time for the headbutt...which misses. Raven brings in a chair for his first offense of the match. Great chair bulldog, and Raven tries to whip benoit off the ropes for the chair drop toe hold, Benoit holds on and goes to bring Raven down the crossface, but as he drives down, he hits the chair. Well of all the dumb luck. Evenflow onto the chair, and Raven wins. What a fun Benoit beating, but Raven came out looking just lucky. Pretty creative with the chair placement, but it again, Raven just looks lucky. Either way, it was a Benoit showcase, 2 for 5

Back from commerical, and it's time for the next match already...

Yuji Nagata vs Ernest Miller
Bobby Heenan has joined Tony, and we're down probably one of the worst commentary teams ever, and Tenay. At least in my mind, they never got along and when Tony would always tell Bobby to "shut up" you just got the feeling he ment it. What a dick. I'm amazed Nitro views stayed during matches like this so far into the show and while RAW was on. Heenan notes that Mui Tai sounds like food, just to remind me that he has lost a step or two by now. Not much going on, plus this is happy karate figter Ernest Miller. Nagata doing some ground work as the crowd bring out the "boring chant". Rear chinlock and it's NWO DISCUSSION TIME! Bischoff and Randy, arguing, Hogan not getting along with Savage, so much drama. Nagata controls with some forearms, but the Cat comes back with a spin kick. Some of his kicks did look good. Miller doesn't go low enough for a leap frog and that goes baout as well as you'd think. Terrible clothesline, a bodyslam and Cat hits the Feliner (top rope spin kick back leg round front kick) for the pin. Nagata controlled, as he should of, but he controlled with rest holds. Ugh, 2 for 6

we're halfway through, and I need a break, finish up this show later tonight, still to come, Luger and Sting meet Hogan and Savage! Scott Steiner in action!