Live from Casper, WY
Airdate: August 5, 1998
Attendance: 3,524
Hosted by Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, & Lee Marshall
Who will win tonight’s battle between nWo Hollywood and nWo Wolfpack? What happens on nWo Nightcap? Could anything else happen on the go-home show for the PPV?
Opening montage.
We revisit stills from Nitro. Stills?
Next, we revisit the harassment of both DDP and Kimberly by nWo Hollywood from Nitro.
Match 1: Giant versus Lizmark, Jr.
Highlights:
- Valiantly, Lizmark, Jr. nailed and dropkicked Giant at the bell.
- He attempted a springboard manuever, but Giant caught and chokeslammed him.
- 1-2-3.
- Giant won at 0:26.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Giant.
After the match, Giant grabs the microphone and cuts a promo on Goldberg.
Same Goldberg video from Nitro airs.
Luger enters the ring and grabs the microphone. As the Casper faithful chants “Lu-ger,” their hero names Hall as one of the perpetrators who knocked him OUT COLD on Monday. He’s ready to get his hands on nWo Hollywood, and Konnan along with Sting joins him to rile up the Casper faithful.
Malenko approaches the ring, but Chris Jericho interrupts him. When Jericho questions his ability to remain neutral, Malenko shoves him away.
Match 2: Juventud Guerrera versus Psicosis
Highlights:
- Dean Malenko was the special guest referee for this match.
- As Psicosis ambushed him at the bell, Guerrera reversed a cross corner whip but got vaulted to the apron on his follow-through.
- He mounted the top turnbuckle and scored with a flying headscissors.
- When he clotheslined Psicosis, Guerrera got 2.
- Psicosis reversed an Irish whip and clotheslined Guerrera.
- After Guerrera reversed a cross corner whip, he ate boot on his follow-through.
- He countered a powerbomb into a DDT for 2.
- While Psicosis fed Guerrera a spinebuster, he got 2.
- Guerrera monkey-flipped Psicosis over the top rope to the floor, prepped for a tope suicida, but Jericho crept his way to ringside and CREAMED Guerrera with the Cruiserweight title belt. SNEAKY!
- Mounting the top turnbuckle, Psicosis launched a guillotine leg drop.
- 1-2-3.
- Psicosis won at 3:09.
Rating: ***
Summary: Thanks to Jericho, Guerrera brings a 2-loss streak with him to the PPV. The Casper faithful were seriously into Guerrera.
Following the match, Jericho celebrates while Malenko stares him down.
Master Lock sponsors the replay.
Promotional consideration paid for by the following: Slim Jim
nWo Nightcap: Eric Bischoff and Elizabeth, to canned applause, make their way to the set, and he runs down Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks. Next, he makes fun of both DDP and Kimberly, and a fan tosses a beer at him. Bischoff acknowledges the toss but calls the beer “stale.” When Bischoff sits down and makes another crack at Kimberly, DDP arrives and launches himself at him. He beats up Bischoff and destroys the set. To save Bischoff, Casper’s finest pull DDP off him. Giant heads to the destruction, places the unconscious Bischoff over his shoulder, and carries him backstage.
On WCW Saturday Night, Hugh Morrus squares off against Meng, Saturn battles Kanyon, and Luger & Nash wrestle Adams & Vincent in the main event.
Match 3: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan versus Meng
Highlights:
- When the bell rang, Duggan and Meng brawled like two drunks down at Louie’s.
- Duggan gave Meng a cross corner whip but ate a clothesline on his follow-through.
- As Meng fed him a knee to the midsection, he missed an elbow drop.
- Duggan gave Meng a ten-punch count-along and inadvertently mooned the Casper faithful.
- After a double clothesline put both wrestlers down on the mat, Morrus, Barbarian, and Jimmy Hart approached the ring.
- Morrus dragged Duggan to the floor, and Barbarian nailed Meng.
- While Morrus made Duggan HIT THE POLE, referee Billy Silverman threw the match out at 1:33.
Rating: NONE
Summary: Must be a setup for a match at the PPV. Yes, in fact, it’s the kickoff match.
After the match, Morrus and Barbarian double-team Meng, and Hart grabs Duggan’s 2×4. Hart mounts the top turnbuckle and WAFFLES Meng with it. Although Meng no-sells it, he eats a Mafia kick from Barbarian. Duggan returns, grabs his 2×4, and blasts Morrus with it. Upon chasing the heels away, Duggan and Meng share a stare down. Meng hightails it to chase after the heels to end the segment.
Schiavone shills an American Ironhorse motorcycle while I sort my sock collection.
nWo Hollywood minus Hogan sidesteps the motorcycle and heads to the ring. As Rude runs down Goldberg, Hall insults nWo Wolfpack and accepts their challenge.
Match 4: Stevie Ray versus Steve “Mongo” McMichael
Highlights:
- As Mongo hit the ring, the match was ON.
- Stevie Ray fed Mongo a big boot, slammed him, but ate a sidewalk slam.
- When Mongo tackled him twice, he gave Stevie Ray a cross corner whip only to eat a back elbow on his follow-through.
- Abruptly, Chavo Guerrero, Jr. approached ringside with a microphone.
- He stated that he had the notary stamp and used it to “make (himself) a champ.” HA!
- After Chavo took the World TV belt, Stevie Ray sauntered after him.
- Stevie Ray ripped up his “notarized” document but got counted out at 2:31.
Rating: DUD
Summary: More angle than match flavored by Chavo.
As Chavo tries to scamper away, Stevie Ray catches him only to get belted. Mongo nails Stevie Ray with a double axe handle but tastes the steel railing. It tastes like the Yellowstone burger at Branding Iron.
We revisit Nitro when Big Poppa Pump and Buff Bagwell mocked Rick. Speaking of Rick, he joins Schiavone at ringside amid music timing issues. Rick wants to beat up BPP and his “girlfriend” Bagwell and cuts a meaningful promo.
Video airs featuring the “Enforcer” Arn Anderson. Lots of shots of the currently absent Flair are included.
Prior to the next match, Kanyon’s music plays, but he doesn’t show. Instead, Raven appears at the entrance and warns Saturn that the match at the PPV could be a handicap match. He volunteers the Flock to face Saturn in a handicap match RIGHT NOW.
Match 5 (handicap): Saturn versus Sick Boy & Riggs (w/ Lodi)
Highlights:
- Sick Boy reversed an Irish whip, but Saturn tossed him away.
- When Riggs jumped in, Saturn fed him an overhead belly-to-belly suplex.
- Stupidly, Lodi inserted himself into the match, and Saturn stomped his “broken” fingers.
- Saturn applied a cross arm breaker to Riggs, but Sick Boy made the save.
- As Sick Boy tagged in, he dealt Saturn a springboard dropkick.
- Sick Boy delivered a modified neckbreaker and tagged in Riggs.
- After Riggs hit a sidewalk slam, Sick Boy tagged in but mistakenly nailed Riggs with a springboard back elbow.
- Saturn folded up Sick Boy with a release German suplex and decimated Riggs with a superkick.
- While he destroyed Sick Boy with a Death Valley Driver, Saturn pinned him at 2:24.
Rating: *
Summary: Showcase match for Saturn
Afterward, Raven slides into the ring and brawls with Saturn. Riggs tries to help but eats a T-bone suplex. Distracted, Saturn falls prey to an Evenflow DDT by Raven. The Casper faithful showers him with a “Raven sucks” chant as the segment ends.
Match 6: Disco Inferno (w/ Tokyo Magnum) versus Eddie Guerrero
Highlights:
- Eddie fed him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but Disco reversed an Irish whip and flapjacked him.
- As he piledrove Eddie, Disco got 2.
- He dealt Eddie a swinging neckbreaker for another 2.
- When he slammed Eddie, Disco mounted the second turnbuckle but missed an aerial maneuver.
- They leapfrogged one another, and Eddie connected with a flying forearm.
- After Eddie delivered a shoulder breaker, Magnum jumped onto the apron to dance.
- Eddie sent Disco into Magnum sending him flying ahead of schedule to Sturgis.
- While he hit a brainbuster, Eddie mounted the top turnbuckle, but Magnum shoved him off.
- Nevertheless, Eddie’s splash landed, and he pinned Disco at 2:58.
Rating: ½*
Summary: Shenanigans gone awry for Magnum costs Disco the match.
Castrol sponsors the replay.
Bagwell’s on the phone, and Rick joins the broadcast table. As he touts BPP, Bagwell tells lies about Rick. Due to the chair shot on Nitro, BPP is “injured and can’t wrestle” at the PPV.
Alongside Disciple and a limping Bischoff, “Hollywood” Hogan heads to the ring and grabs a microphone. He cuts a promo on DDP yet craves Rice Krispies.
Match 7: Sting, the “Total Package” Lex Luger, & Konnan versus Scott Hall, Curt Hennig, & Brian Adams
Highlights:
- The match began on the floor, and Luger made Hall taste the steel railing. It must have tasted like the Heavy Kev’s Homewrecker at The Fort.
- When Luger fed him an atomic drop, he dealt Hall the inverted version.
- He hammered Hall with a flying forearm and got 2.
- As Hennig tagged in, Luger clotheslined him.
- Tags were exchanged on both sides, and Adams delivered a backbreaker to Konnan for 2.
- After Adams baited nWo Wolfpack into the ring to distract referee Nick Patrick, nWo Hollywood triple-teamed Konnan. How dastardly!
- Hennig planted a knee lift upon Konnan, and Hall tagged in.
- While Hall disintegrated Konnan with a fallaway slam, the Casper faithful chanted “Wolf-pack.” Makes my heart proud.
- Nonetheless, Sting tagged in and rammed Hall face-first into the mat.
- He cracked Hall’s nuts with an inverted atomic drop, and all six wrestlers were in the ring.
- Leapfrogging Adams, Konnan planted him face-first into the mat.
- He trapped Adams in a Tequila Sunrise, but Hennig made the save.
- Rolling up Adams, Konnan pinned him.
- nWo Wolfpack won at 5:57.
Rating: *
Summary: Hot main event WITH A CLEAN FINISH!
Before the show leaves the air, nWo Wolfpack clears the ring.
Conclusion: The main event serves as an appetizer for the battle royal at the PPV. Finally, all the talking about the Leno match is over, so we’ll see what happens. DDP’s annihilation of Bischoff and the set is a nice touch. Casper offers a great crowd, and WCW delivers.
In dark matches, Rey Mysterio, Jr. beat Jericho, and Goldberg defeated Giant.
Next week, Bret “Hitman” Hart defends the US title against Luger.
Rating: 3.3
IN OTHER NEWS THIS WEEK: According to Meltzer, on July 30, Scott Hall was arrested for simple battery and disturbing the peace by intoxication in Baton Rouge, LA. According to a 56-year-old woman, Hall fondled her breast and put her hand near his crotch. Unfortunately for Hall, this would not be the last time he would violate the law.
Stay tuned for WCW Road Wild ‘98!
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