WCW Saturday Night - Saturday, 02/20/99
WCW Saturday Night - Saturday, 02/20/99
- Welcome to Saturday Night! Tonight's main event is Chris Jericho vs. Booker T
- For tonight's show and next week's show, let's be on the lookout for DDT Digest's own Aldo, who writes:
I just got back from the Lakeland Saturday Night tapings. If you see a guy that stands about 5'4" or so in a green "Italia" shirt either holding up a WWW.DDTDIGEST.COM sign or doing the SMBU, that is yours truly. You don't know how much of a bitch it is to get your signs shown when taller people are hogging your area...
- I received a wide spectrum of concurring and dissenting opinions on my thoughts on Nitro and specifically the Flair beating. Here's a sampling of the mailbag:
- 'Cowie' comments on the Flair beating:
That was the sort of beatdown the Horsemen would dish out 12 years ago..Acts like breaking Dusty Rhodes' hand and leg (2 separate occasions), Sam Houston's leg, raking the skin off of Ricky
Morton's face were classic Horsemen moments which may have been a tad violent in their time, but I don't think many wrestling fans found them inappropriate.
- In a letter sent to WCW, Robert B. offers another opinion on the Flair beating:
...It was violence for the sake of violence and nothing more. It may have had a thread of a story line but, it was a sad and disturbing plot. Thugs beating someone to a pulp in a deserted field and then leaving him to fend for himself in the guise of sport should not be considered entertainment but, extreme and
unnecessary violence...
- Now, on the quality of the show, 'VileEnce' remarks:
Not since that God-Awful "nWo Nitro" episode have I felt embarrassed to be
watching pro wrestling. (OK...maybe the Chucky skit--but that was only a couple of minutes). But Monday's show is the kind of show that the casual fan turns on--then turns off for six months or so.
- Tim writes:
This has got to be the worst Nitro ever. And I'm usually pretty tolerant as far as that goes. There were no "good" matches out of the SIX they showed, too many past clips, and that Flair beatdown was stupid. I
got the picture after about 2 minutes, but 10 minutes of it??
- Vince comments:
That was the worst Nitro I've ever seen...The stadium was terrible, looked like a crappy High School auditorium...The Flair gang beating...seemed like a scene out of a David Lynch movie...The lucha match
seemed "off". There were a LOT of blown spots...I thought we were finished with the damn cattle prod...The stupid first person skits...I mean, send David Flair to the Power Plant, and once he knows how to wrestle, THEN get him involved in angles...All in all, I almost flipped over to RAW, and I HATE the WWF.
Figure that one out.
- Most people argued that the show wasn't as bad as the infamous nWo Nitro which aired on 12/22/97. If you recall, the third hour of that show lost to RAW's second hour, setting the stage for RAW's takeover of the ratings the next year. In
defense of that show, it did have nine matches compared of Monday's six. Speaking of ratings, head-to-head RAW crushed Nitro 5.9 to 3.55 this Monday.
- As to the Flair beating, my main criticism was not the appropriateness of the scene, but rather the hypocrisy of WCW's self-promotion as "family entertainment." Also, when WCW attempted to add a rough edge to the show, it forgot to entertain at a poor time, 9:00 EST.
- Finally, a few people wrote in to identify Blitzkrieg's finishing move as Hayabusa's Stardust Press.
- Bobby Blaze vs. Lash LeRoux
- Blaze begins with a side headlock.
- Blaze lands a shoulderblock, then rams Lash in the corner.
- Blaze continues with a hip toss.
- Lash counters with a spinning neckbreaker.
- Lash lands a nice headscissors takeover.
- Lash continues with a dropkick.
- Blaze lands a boot to the face.
- Lash executes his split-lariat combo, then applies a headlock.
- Lash lands a belly-to-belly variation.
- Lash continues with a couple of elbows and a scoop slam.
- Blaze catches Lash off a springboard attempt, then slams him down.
- Blaze begins a flurry with a high knee and a spinkick.
- Lash responds with a kick to the gut, the Cajun yell, and the fireman's carry slam.
- Lash gets the pin. Who's next?
- Scott and Larry ramble.
- Hector Garza vs. Barbarian (w/ Jimmy Hart)
- Barbarian lands a quick shoulder.
- Garza delivers a few shots to the arm
- The Barbarian shoves Garza into the corner.
- Garza lands a dropkick, then nails Jimmy Hart.
- Barbarian lands a lariat and a boot.
- The Barbarian applies an armbar for the win.
- Gene has info on Torrie Wilson on the hotline.
- Fit Finlay vs. El Dandy
- Dandy lands a quick drop toe hold.
- Finlay applies a wristlock, then lands a lariat.
- Dandy lands a right hand, but Finlay responds with a boot.
- Dandy kicks Finlay, but Finlay replies with a knee.
- Finlay lands an uppercut, then tosses Dandy out of the ring.
- Finlay drops Dandy across the apron a couple of times.
- Randy Anderson prevents Finlay from using the chair.
- Dandy takes advantage with a shot, but Finlay sends him into the post.
- Back in, Finlay applies a chinlock, but soon misses a shoulderblock.
- Dandy misses a splash from the top.
- Finlay lands a fireman's carry roll through slam.
- Finlay lands a Tombstone for the win.
- Backstage, Meng attacks the Barbarian and Jimmy Hart
- Dave Taylor vs. Hugh Morrus (w/ Jimmy Hart)
- Morrus applies a bearhug.
- Taylor lands some right hands and a dropkick.
- Morrus counters with a few shots and a lariat.
- Hart gets in a choke on Taylor.
- Taylor lands a few elbows.
- Morrus spashes Taylor in the corner three times.
- Morrus lands the No Laughing Matter for the win.
- Ciclope vs. Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
- Ciclope misses a dropkick, allowing Chavo to toss him out of the rin.
- Chavo lands a crossbody, then sends it back in.
- Chavo lands a belly-to-back and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
- Ciclope powerbombs Chavo, then dropkicks him.
- Ciclope spinkicks Chavo, then executes a lariat and a suplex.
- Chavo counters with a boot to the face and a lariat from the middle rope.
- Chavo lands a backdrop and another lariat.
- Ciclope nails Chavo with a sidekick.
- Chavo yanks Ciclope's hair, then Tornado DDTs him for the win.
- Konnan and Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Lodi and Al Greene
- Konnan does his thing on the mic.
- Lodi begins versus Rey.
- Lodi lands a lariat, but Rey responds with a headscissors takeover.
- Hudson mentions Goldberg's challenge to Steve Austin on the Jay Leno show, and says he's awaiting a response.
- Rey lands another headscissors takeover.
- Now Greene and Konnan are in.
- Konnan punches Greene, then lands a hip toss.
- Konnan continues with a DDT and a dropkick.
- Rey is in, landing a springboard leg drop.
- Greene lands a powerbomb.
- Lodi is in, suplexing Rey a few times.
- Greene is back in, getting in a lariat and a face slam.
- Rey lands a boot and tags Konnan.
- Konnan clotheslines Al and Lodi.
- Rey works on Lodi, landing a bronco buster.
- Konnan lands a boot and slams Greene.
- Rey lands a top rope huricanrana on Lodi and Konnan applies the Tequila Sunrise on Green for the win.
- Barry Darsow vs. Mike Enos
- Enos chases Barry around the ring.
- Back in, both men have putters. Darsow put his down, and then Enos breaks his.
- Darsow begins a flurry, landing an axehandle and a choke.
- Darsow continues with a toss out of the ring, where he lands another axehandle and sends Enos into the steps.
- Back in, Darsow lands a lariat and a leg drop.
- Enos gets in an elbow, but Darsow lands another lariat and a suplex.
- Enos fires back, clotheslining Barry and executing a belly-to-back.
- Enos continues with a lariat and a slam.
- Darsow is whipped into referee Johnny Boone, sending him outside.
- Enos lands a suplex and covers, but there is no count.
- Darsow grabs the putter, but Enos takes it away and nails Barry.
- Boone comes back in to count the pin for Enos.
- Hak vs. Bull Pain
- The Sandman is now "Hak." He arrives wrapped in barbed wire.
- Bull Pain begins with a few shots, but Hak clotheslines him and tosses him outside.
- Bull Pain sends Hak into the rails.
- Hak lands a suplex, then sends it back inside.
- Hak whips Bull Pain into the corner.
- Bull Pain tosses Hak outside.
- Hak sends Bull Pain into the steps, then sends it back in.
- Hak lands a top rope huricanrana.
- Bull Pain lands a jawbreaker, then goes for Hak's stick.
- Hak lands a Russian leg sweep for the win.
- Hotline plug
- Villano V vs. Psychosis
- Villano lands a lariat, but Psychosis responds with his own lariat.
- Psychosis lands a dropkick and a headscissors takeover.
- Villano counters with a face slam and sends the action outside.
- Back in, Villano applies a chinlock.
- Psychosis rolls up Villano, then backdrops him outside.
- Psychosis lands a crossbody on the outside.
- Back in, Villano catches Psychosis in mid-air and slams him down.
- Psychosis lands a rana and a boot to the face.
- Villano lands a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but misses a splash.
- Psychosis lands a leg drop off the turnbuckles for the win.
- Nitro highlights
- Chris Jericho vs. Booker T
- Jericho enters.
- Ads.
- Booker T enters.
- Booker T begins with a shoulderblock.
- Hudson announces that Saturn vs. Jericho has been added to the PPV.
- Jericho lands his own shoulderblock.
- Booker T lands a sidekick and an elbow.
- Booker T sidekicks Jericho, who retreats outside.
- Booker T sends Jericho into the rails, then goes back in.
- Jericho lands a sidekick, then a lariat followed by a suplex.
- Jericho chops Booker T, then dropkicks him outside.
- Jericho lands an elbow, then sends him into the rails before going back in.
- Jericho chops Booker T, who tries a roll-up.
- Jericho slams Booker T, then lands a slingshot bodypress.
- Booker T boots Jericho, then lands a lariat.
- Jericho replies with a kick and a whip across the rope.
- Jericho lands a sidewalk backbreaker, but misses a dropkick.
- Booker T whips Jericho into the corner, then lands a belly-to-back suplex.
- Jericho dropkicks Booker, then chokes him.
- Booker lands a kick, then a few forearms.
- Booker misses a splash in the corner.
- Jericho takes advantage by ramming his leg into the post.
- Jericho lands a scoop slam.
- Booker gets in a boot, then executes an axekick.
- Jericho counters with a slapjack, but Booker recovers.
- Booker T lands a sidekick and climbs the ropes.
- Disco Inferno grabs Booker T, DQing Jericho.
- Jericho and Disco beat on Booker.
- Saturn runs in to make the save.
- Booker T lands an axehandle on Disco.
- Jericho sends Saturn across the rails as we go.