From the Bowery: The Monday Night War

Posted by Robert Leighty Jr. on 10.15.2009

I miss these days!

From the Bowery: The Monday Night War

-We take a break from the WrestleMania series as I realized I started this review last year, and never finished because my computer went down around Christmas. This was an interesting release at the time, and was one of those DVDs I was eagerly waiting to view.

-A brief opening gives us a taste of what’s to come in the DVD as various men from both sides both over how competitive the war was.

-Okerlund discusses the early days of the WWF (circa 1983) and how syndication was huge for the wrestling business. Vince had a nice show on USA, and that lead to getting a go at prime time on Monday Nights with RAW in 1993.

-Vince discusses his history with Ted Turner and mentions Black Saturday without call it that.

-Cornette puts over the NWA and Flair, and says once Turner bought the company things started going down hill. That leads to Bischoff getting a shot at running things, and JR sees the writing on the wall as he heads to the WWF. JR says he took a pay cut to come to WCW, and yeah, it worked out pretty well.

-The early days of RAW are discussed. The Brooklyn Brawler puts over the Manhattan Center. Okerlund doesn’t share those sentiments as he calls the building a toilet. Sweet!

-While RAW was in a dingy arena with an aggressive crowd, Bischoff moved WCW to MGM studios. That’s where he met Hogan, and on June 11, 1994 he signs after a ticker tape parade at Disney MGM Studios. Hogan brought along Savage, who no longer wanted to be just an announcer.

-Bischoff admits he basically had control of WCW since 1995 and his first goal was to get WCW out of the red. He cut costs where he could and increased the number of pay-per-views to 7, then to 10, and finally 12. Vince did the same to keep up.

-In a meeting with Turner, Bischoff is asked what WCW can do to compete with the WWE. Bischoff blurts out that he wants prime time. Turner agrees and gives him Monday Night on TNT. Cornette and Pritchard think the idea was nuts and that it would divide the audience. Vince thinks it was a personal attack to try to weaken the WWF.

-The next topic is Lex Luger, and how his contract was coming to an end with the WWF. Bischoff never liked him, but due to Sting he gave him another chance at 20% of what he was making when he left WCW. Shockingly, Luger took the deal, and it just happens that his WWF contract came to an end the night before the 1st Nitro. Luger makes his shocking appearance and that sets the tone for what was to come. Cornette says Luger strung Vince along to make sure no document was signed.

-The very first Nitro got a 2.9, but RAW was pre-empted that night. The two sides would trade ratings victories for the first few weeks

-Bischoff realizes his show is live and RAW was taped 2 weeks prior. So, in a great dick move, he gives away the results of RAW live on his show. I remember being stunned that one side would even recognize the other at this time. Bischoff also talks Turner into putting Nitro on at 8:57 PM so he had 3 minutes to give RAW’s results away before they aired at 9:00 PM. He also started the over-run that has become a staple of RAW.

-Bischoff didn’t care he was pissing people off because they were talking about Nitro, and WCW in general. Foley says he took it personally because Bischoff was trying to put him out of a job.

-Medusa signs with WCW, and as the time she was still the WWE Women’s Champion. She asks Bischoff if she should send the title back, and Bischoff tells her to bring it to Nitro. She tosses the title in a trashcan on her first night back with WCW. Awesome!

-Vince counters with the infamous “Huckster and Nacho Man” skits. Foley thinks those skits lit a fire under Turner and it caused him to focus a lot more on WCW instead of some other projects.

-Cornette discusses Hall and Nash leaving WWF, and paints both of them as the bad guys for leaving the way they did. I’m sorry, but the 2 guys left because they wanted more money. I don’t see this as being disloyal. Do what you can to get your money when you can I say.

-May 27, 1996 (my 15th birthday), Scott Hall walks through the crowd and appears on Nitro to the shock of everyone. I still remember running around my house screaming because I thought the WWF was invading WCW. So, I guess it worked. Nash shows up 2 weeks later, and again, I recall running around the house screaming like a little girl.

-The slant is a little one sided here as they are painting this as WCW only got ahead because they had former WCW wrestlers. They seem to be forgetting the fact that most of us remember Nash and Hall from their WCW runs previously. Not to mention the WWF rebounded with a former WCW star as the #1 man in their company.

-Bash at the Beach 1996: We get the ending to the match and quite possibly the greatest moment I’ve ever seen in wrestling: Hulk Hogan turning heel to usher in the n.W.o. Everyone puts over just how awesome this moment was and how it gave WCW all the momentum in the War.

-Bischoff’s idea was that he wanted a conflict between WCW and the n.W.o and how he had to make each one different from the other. We get some great footage from the early days of the n.W.o, and while watching this, just look at the crowd. It seriously looks like a riot is occurring and that’s something you don’t get anymore.

-The n.W.o invades the production truck, and that broke ground as generally you didn’t see those things. We get the awesome footage of Nash tossing Rey head first into a trailer in the back. That is still so awesome. The locals at Disney MGM call the cops because they really think a riot is occurring.

-Bischoff joins the n.W.o and becomes the heel authority figure a little over a year before Vince does the same thing. I was skeptical about this at the time because I only though of Eric as a pretty boy announcer, but many was he great at being a dick.

-Vince tells us his philosophy is to help yourself and don’t hurt the other guy. Read that again and please try to keep yourself from laughing. Gene puts over how Nitro was built around winning the quarter hours. Bischoff puts over the focus groups and how they helped him mold Nitro.

-Dibiase heads for WCW, and that gives Austin a chance to shine as his own man in the WWF. June 26, 1996 sees Austin with the King of the Ring and delivers the now legendary “Austin 3:16 speech.” 1996 really was one of the most historic years in wrestling history. As you would expect they don’t mention that Austin wasn’t originally booked to win the King of the Ring. Just think, if HHH doesn’t do the Curtain Call at MSG, he wins the King of the Ring, and who knows what happens with Austin. I think he probably still ends up being the man, and would have found another way to get there. It just may have taken a little longer.

-Jericho and Benoit put over the n.W.o. as the reason why fans tuned it each week, but also put over that WCW was putting on the better matches thanks to influx of talent from Japan, and Mexico.

-Shawn stuffs a sock down his pants and entertains the boys in the back by going out to the ring like that for an interview with JR. Vince fines him, but eventually relents and decides that’s they way they are heading with the WWF. That gives us the birth of DX and the Attitude Era.

-Things hit a bumpy road though when Austin gets tombstoned by Owen and legit breaks his neck at SummerSlam 1997. Austin still wins the IC title with a broken freaking neck though with the weakest roll-up you will ever see. Austin can’t wrestle, but he still makes his presence on RAW each week. Vince wants to protect Steve from himself during a live show from MSG, and that McMahon takes his first Stunner. Watch this moment and pay attention to the crowd: it has the same feel that WCW had a year earlier with the n.W.o.

-Attention shifts to the Rock and his joining the Nation after hearing chants of “Rocky Sucks.” A star was born!

-November 9, 1997: The Montreal Screwjob. You know the story by now, and you don’t get anything here that you haven’t heard a thousand times. It’s still pretty funny seeing Bret spit in Vince’s face however. Vince knew he was a hated man now and decided to run with it. Mr. McMahon is born and they show us parts of the “Bret screwed Bret” interview. Foley doesn’t buy that and thinks Vince knows that “Vince screwed Bret.”

-Vince brings in Mike Tyson for WrestleMania XIV, but Austin interrupts the announcement on an episode of RAW. The Austin/Tyson confrontation (which they show in full) was quite epic and it got a shit load of media attention for the WWF. Eric wasn’t concerned about the WWF heading in the gutter for their storylines, but Tyson heading to Mania got him pretty worried.

-March 29, 1998: The Austin Era is born as the final minutes of the Michaels/Austin title match at WM XIV are shown.

-Foley thinks RAW had the better show for about a year before it actually showed up in the ratings. Jericho mentions the famous Bischoff line where he was used to winning the war that he wouldn’t even check anymore. A week later we get Austin vs. McMahon teased on RAW and that gives the WWF their first win in 85 weeks. JR is gold on commentary as he worries about his job. This was a great moment as it was built all night long, but no payoff as Dude Love attacks Austin to set him up as the challenger to Austin.

-X-Pac jumped ship after getting fired from WCW and joined the new DX with HHH. Pac shoots on Bischoff and Hogan and again, you could see at the time that the WWF just had a totally different vibe than WCW. They show us some of the early DX skits and how they invaded WCW. Bischoff had to counter with something and decided to challenge Vince to a match at Slamboree.

-JR mentions the WWF made new stars and WCW only did that with one guy: Goldberg!

-Bischoff realized they stumbled on something with Goldberg, and even Hogan realized it as he let himself get steamrolled by the rookie on a episode of Nitro from the Georgia Dome for the WCW Title. They won the ratings war for that week, but they probably killed themselves out a huge PPV number.

-The n.W.o becomes a problem as things get a little boring and guys keeping changing shirts to show where their allegiance was. Big Show says things were watered down way too much, and Eddie mentions it was the same old shit.

-The Horsemen reunite on an episode of Nitro with a returning Ric Flair, but nothing of note was really done after the initial buzz. Bischoff defends himself by saying he wanted to create 2 cultures: the old school NWA fan (Flair) and the counter culture base (the n.W.o and the luchadores).

-Cornette brings up that Bischoff told everyone in WCW that outside of Hogan and Savage nobody else ever drew a dime in the business. He calls this a slap in the face to Flair.

-Mysterio questions why their young stars weren’t given the same chance as the WWF young guys. He mentions guys like Edge, Christian, the Dudleys, and the Hardys. Seriously though, none of those guys were really pushed until well after WCW was buried and even then only Edge made it to the Main Event scene before Hardy was pushed their last year.

-Foley win the WWF Title for the first time on a taped RAW and Tony Schiavone is forced to make his now legendary “that’s gonna put some butts in seats” comment. The ratings show that once Schiavone made that comment 300,000 people turned from Nitro to RAW to give them the win in what most pegged as a crucial battle. Foley does clear Schiavone of any wrong doing as he mentions it was Bischoff who ordered Tony to make the comment on air.

-Bischoff realized he was impossible to deal with once WWF started kicking his ass, and he had to deal with way too many people. Flair and Benoit concur that nobody knew who was really in charge and that at times they didn’t have an idea what was happening on Nitro an hour before the show started.

-With the ship starting to sink, the WWE starts plucking the younger stars from WCW (ie: Big Show, Jericho). Jericho debuts 08/09/09 and becomes a huge star thanks to his dueling promo with the Rock. Sadly, no follow up as he was inserted into a feud with Chyna over the IC Title.

-Bischoff thought he always had Turner to fall back on, and one day he didn’t anymore. They told Eric in Sept of 99 that he needed to go home and not come back to work. Bischoff went to Wyoming and spent 6 weeks fly fishing.

-Back in the WWF HHH finally gets his push to the moon, and the DVD makes sure to mention that with HHH as champion, WWF dominated the ratings war. That shits too damn funny.

-Russo and Ferrera get a chance to run WCW, and it becomes some of the worst crap you’ll ever see because there was no Vince McMahon to filter the ideas. They show a brief bit of Ferrera doing his Oklahoma character. I will admit that I laughed at the “he was a great defensive lineman at Tijuana State.” JR says it hurt, but he learned not to take things to personally. Flair buries Russo in awesome fashion. Ha!

-Again, the disembodied voice puts over the young talent making an impact on RAW. In WCW the rats continue to flee the Titanic as Benoit, Malenko, Saturn, and Guerrero all leave in one fell swoop. Guerrero admits he hated everything about the business except for when he was actually in the ring. Benoit echoes the same sentiments as Eddie.

-Bash at the Beach 2000: Russo shoots/work shoots (whatever you believe) on Hogan and strips him of the WCW Title. Shortly after, Russo is shown the door, and they want to bring Bischoff back. Eric says he can’t fix the company and just wants to buy it. He thinks he has a deal done, but he receives call saying he can have everything but the TV time. Bischoff doesn’t see in any value in the company without the TV time. Someone else did, and that leads to McMahon buying WCW.

-The Final Nitro: March 2001: Look in my archives and you’ll see the review for this show. Everyone discusses how they felt about that night. The WCW guys were worried because they didn’t know if they would get a chance in the WWE. Flair was happy to see the company go because it should have been closed down a year earlier. Tell us how you really feel Ric.

-Things finish with everyone talking about the War being a good thing for the business as it brought out the best in everyone involved. Shawn puts over what Eric Bischoff and WCW were able to accomplish. Briscoe drives me fucking nuts through this whole DVD with his ass kissing to Vince. Where others are somewhat impartial and will give credit when it’s due, Briscoe just comes off as a smug ass the entire time. Just leaves a sour taste in my mouth because the DVD closes with Briscoe saying “one thing you learn from this is don’t mess with Vince McMahon.” Great way to wind up the DVD!

”WWF Tag Titles: The British Bulldog © & Owen Hart © vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels
-RAW: 05/26/97

-Vince and JR are your commentary team at this time. I believe this is Shawn’s first match back since losing his smile. The LOD watch on a monitor in the back as they have the next shot at the titles. If Bulldog/Owen retain they will meet the LOD at the King of the Ring. If Shawn/Austin win the titles, then LOD get their title shot next week on RAW. Big brawl to start as Austin and Michaels meet the champs on the floor as they were making their way to the ring. Owen eats a knee from Austin as they start things inside the ring. Austin looks for the sharpshooter, but Bulldog makes sure to stop that. Austin remains in control however and drops an elbow from the second rope. He makes the tag to Michaels and Owen outwrestles him so he can make the tag to the Bulldog. Shawn gets Bulldog to leave his feet on a leap frog attempt and when he lands, Shawn casually pokes him in the eye. Ha! He follows that with a frankensteiner (as called by Vince)/hurricanrana (as called by JR). Bulldog catches a boot attempt, but that leads to the enziguiri which Bulldog sells with a flip. Austin gets the tag, but doesn’t do much as the camera focuses on the remaining three Hart Foundation members standing (or in Bret’s case sitting in a wheel chair) at the top of the ramp. Shawn comes back and starts to work the arm, and makes the tag back to Austin. He gets sent to the floor by Owen as we head to a commercial break. We come back with Owen locking Austin in a sleeper, but that’s countered with a jaw breaker. Each man is able to make the tag to his partner, and Shawn gets an early advantage. That doesn’t last long though as Bulldog lifts him with a press slam and drops him crotch first on the top rope. Owen tosses Shawn back first into the railing on the floor and once back inside Shawn is your lost smile in peril. The running powerslam from the Bulldog looks to finish things, but Austin comes in to break the count. Owen comes back and hits a sweet gutwrench suplex and drops a leg to get a two count. Shawn tries to quicken the pace but runs right into a nice belly to bell suplex. That gets another two count as Austin breaks up the attempt again. Shawn is able to get a fluke sunset flip on the Bulldog, but Owen has the ref so the count isn’t made. Shawn tries to argue but gets mowed down with a clothesline and he drops a leg for another two count. Bulldog gets a front facelock, and Shawn is able to get to his corner to make the tag, but the ref was distracted by Owen, so no dice. Owen comes back and tries a second rope superplex, but Shawn pushes off and hits a crossbody for two. Instead of making the tag he tries to take on Owen and eats an enziguiri. JR is all over that as he brings up Shawn’s past encounters with Owen and that move. A blind charge by Owen misses and Shawn is finally able to get the hot tag. Bulldog also got the tag, but he has no luck as Austin stomps a mud hole in the corner. He looks for the stunner, but Owen stops that noise. Shawn comes back in and while the ref is trying to get rid of Owen, sweet chin music lays out the Bulldog and Austin gets the 3 count for the tag titles at 10:26 (shown). After the match the Hart Foundation (sans Bret) works over Shawn in the ring. Austin could give a shit less and locks his eyes on a helpless Bret. He charges up the ramp and beats the hell out of the wheel chair bound Hart in a great moment. The Foundation chase Austin off before he can do anymore damage. The DVD does include an interview with Austin in the back after the match and he takes sole credit for the win. Shawn interjects and we have one of the first of many instances of Tag Champions who hate each other.

Winners and New WWF Tag Team Champions: Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels via Austin pin on the Bulldog
-This was a damn fine match, and one of the more memorable moments for RAW as they were finding a new identity in 1997. I’m not as high on this match as some, but it’s still a rare classic that I was thrilled to see find its way on a DVD release. ***1/2


-RAW 09/22/07: Owen wins a match to make the finals of the IC Tournament (vacated after Austin’s neck injury at SummerSlam). Austin attacks Owen, and is surrounded by NY Police. Vince tries to talk some sense into Austin, and he ends up taking his 1st of about 10000 stunners. The MSG crowd went insane when Vince was dropped. Thankfully, Vince would get better at selling the Stunner. Austin gets cuffed and taken to jail. The commentary from JR and Lawler is pretty awesome too.

-RAW 10/27/97: The WWF decided to give Jim Cornette an open mic on RAW and let him shoot on pretty much anyone and everything. His target this week was about all the men claiming to be the icon. Cornette gives a tremendous rant as he buries Hart, Michaels, Savage, Hogan, and Piper. He does pull back a little and mentions that Hart, Michaels, and Savage are all legends, but Piper and Hogan get no such love. He buries their cage match at Halloween Havoc 1997, and gets one last shot in one Hogan. “On a personal note to Hulk Hogan, you are a house-hold word, but so is garbage, and last I checked it stinks when it gets old too.” BURN!

-RAW 11/17/97: “Bret Screwed Bret”: The entire Vince McMahon interview (with a huge Bret poster in the background) is shown. The famous line is delivered as Vince plants the seeds for the Mr. McMahon character.

Shawn Michaels & HHH (w/ Chyna) vs. The Legion of Doom
-RAW: 12/15/97

-A rare combination here as Jim Ross and James Cornette handle the commentary duties. This is the early days for DX when they were cutting edge and played the asshole heel perfectly. Shawn starts with Animal and tries to run him down. That goes about as well as expected for Shawn, so he tags to HHH. He also tries to run down Animal and he gets the same results Shawn did. Finally he gets smart and looks for a body part: namely the arm. Shawn gets the tag, and fakes running at Animal again only to bail to the floor. Unfortunately for Shawn, Hawk is waiting on the floor and runs him down with a clothesline. He tosses Shawn back in the ring, and Animal sends him back to the floor with a clothesline. Michaels is tired of being a pinball and starts to walk off with HHH. They decide to stick around and HHH has a go now with Animal. Hawk finally gets his chance, and HHH drops him with a clothesline. As Hawk builds a little momentum, Michaels buries a knee with the ring apron and that gives HHH the chance to fire off a high knee. Hawk gets caught in the heel corner and DX have fun messing with Animal and the ref to get the advantage they need. Shawn is awesome here as he tells the ref to give Animal a slap on the wrist for trying to enter the match without being tagged. He even goes as far as to slap Animal on the wrist himself. Awesome! HHH gets the tag and drops a knee as we head to a commercial. We come back with Shawn controlling with a front facelock. Hawk is able to power out and get the tag to Animal. DX is plenty screwed now as Animal dominates. The New Age Outlaws (in their early days sporting South Park shirts) head to the ring and subdue Hawk with some ether. Cornette makes me proud by putting over the smell at ringside. Inside the ring Animal continues to dominate, but Chyna rushes in to deliver a low blow to end the match at 7:40 (shown). The real fun starts after the match though. The Outlaws shave off half of Hawk’s Mohawk as DX look on impressed. All 4 men then turn their attention to Animal and powerbomb him from the apron through the announce table. After that they play can up top this as Gunn drops a leg from the top rope on Hawk. Not to be out done, Shawn heads up and drops the elbow. The two teams fight over camera time, and the Outlaws decide to leave the spotlight to DX.

Winners: The Legion of Doom via DQ @ 7:40
-Nothing as a match, but it planted the seeds for the new DX following WrestleMania XIV and it put the Outlaws. I can only think the post match antics were why this match was included on this disc. *1/4

-D-X invades WCW: RAW and Nitro were each running a show in VA, and Vince gets the idea to send DX to invade WCW. Bischoff says he was pissed at the time, but can’t complain too much. He wishes he had thought of it. The WWF guys brag how cool the idea was, and how it was a great moment for wrestling fans. It’s funny how their story changes when TNA tried the same exact thing. Just saying.

-The Last Nitro: Various WCW wrestlers who went to the WWE discuss the rumors and what all went down on Nitro’s last night. Bischoff had originally purchased WCW, but the deal fell through, and it falls in the lap of Vince McMahon. The show was still produced by the WCW guys, but there were a lot of WWE guys overseeing things. All the faces went over, and the show ended with Sting vs. Flair. Considering they closed the first Nitro, it just seemed fitting they closed the last Nitro (not counting the RAW/Nitro simulcast with Vince stroking his ego).

-Nitro 07/22/96: The n.W.o (Hall and Nash) hijack a WCW production track. This was cutting edge stuff at the time, and gave WCW a chaotic vibe that RAW was lacking. Hall and Nash are pretty damn funny here. They are eventually thrown out of the truck by security. Nash: “Everyone to my trailer for pot-pies and Mt Dew’s.” Tremendous!

-Nitro 05/11/98: Bischoff answers the D-X invasion by challenging Vince McMahon to a match at Slamboree 98. Vince didn’t show, and Bischoff was ruled the winner by forfeit. Bischoff admits that Hogan told him that if Vince had shown he would have kicked Eric’s ass.

Chris Benoit vs. Booker T
-Nitro: 06/01/98

-This is Match #4 from the legendary Best of 7 series. Benoit leads 2-1 heading into this match where the winner of the series gets a shot at Finlay’s TV Title. Finlay watches the match from the aisle, and talks trash on both men. Schiavone, Tenay, and Heenan handle the commentary. A lock-up to start, but neither man can get an advantage. The action picks up when Booker charges in the corner, but a well placed elbow stops Booker cold. Benoit then charges out of the corner, but Booker is able to catch with a scoop powerslam. Booker heads up top and comes off with a spinning axe handle. Benoit heads to the floor to regroup, but Booker follows and fires him back in the ring. He gets caught coming back in though and Benoit stomps away in the corner. He fires off some chops, but runs into a boot that gets a two count for Booker. He goes to the rear chinlock, but Benoit is able to get to his feet to break the hold. Both men exchange blows in the middle of the ring, but once the pace picks up, Booker is able to get a flying forearm. He goes right back to the rear chinlock. This gives Tony time to discuss the NBA playoffs as he congratulates the Bulls for beating the Pacers and the Jazz for beating the Lakers in the conference finals. He puts over both Malone and Rodman as he is planting the seeds for what was to come later in the summer. Benoit snaps off a release German suplex out of desperation, and a clothesline gets a two count. He sets too early on a backdrop however and Booker drops him with the axe kick. He hits a sweet belly to back suplex, but waits to long to follow up. That delay gives Benoit the chance to counter a suplex with the crippler crossface, and Booker taps quickly at 8:19 to give Benoit the 3-1 lead in the series.

Winner: Chris Benoit via tap-out at 8:19
-This was not the best match in their series, and seemed a little disjointed for some reason. It was a perfectly acceptable wrestling match, but you would expect a little more from this two at this time. **1/2


WCW World Title: Hulk Hogan © vs. Goldberg
-Nitro: 07/06/98

-This match was announced as the Main Event only a few days earlier on Thunder and that was also how Goldberg found out about the match. This takes place in the Georgia Dome with over 40,000 rabid fans who are all expecting to see a new WCW Champion. Goldberg had wrestled Hall earlier in the night as Hogan was throwing road blocks in his way. The crowd is jacked as you would expect and Goldberg immediately gains control with a headlock. Hogan gets steamrolled with a shoulder and backs off to regain his senses. Hogan gets a front facelock (what is it with that hold? There’s only 4 matches on this DVD and that’s hold has been in 3 of the 4 matches), but Goldberg powers Hogan back into the corner. He gives Hogan a clean break however as he is a little more cautious in this match compared to all his previous matches. That’s actually a nice story touch since this is his first shot at the Title and he should be a little rattled. A massive “Goldberg” chant starts and he dominates Hogan in a test of strength. The move is broken though as Hogan gets his foot on the bottom rope. Hogan is finally able to get the advantage after he buries a knee into the midsection. The weight belt gets used as he whips Goldberg. That only serves to piss him off however, and he takes the belt from Hogan. He don’t need a weapon (his hands are his weapon), so he tosses the belt to the floor. Hogan tries a new game plan and that involves honest to god chain wrestling. That doesn’t work either as he ends up in a full nelson. A mule kick to the balls breaks the hold, and drops Goldberg. A clothesline drops Goldberg once again, but the elbow drops from Hogan miss. Goldberg makes it back to his feet and he sends Hogan to the floor. Nothing of note happens though as Goldberg is content with waiting on Hogan in the ring. Once Hogan gets back in the ring he pushes Goldberg into the corner and buries a few knees. He fires Goldberg to the floor and after sending him into the railing, uses a chair to gain the advantage. They head back in the ring where Hogan gets a slam and drops the leg twice. I believe he even drops it a 3rd time, but the camera was focused on Curt Hennig making his way to the ring. Karl Malone and DDP are hot on his heels however. Back in the ring Goldberg is able to kick out following the leg drops to the shock of Hogan. Karl Malone drops Hennig with a diamond cutter, and that is enough of a distraction that Goldberg is able to hit Hogan with the spear to a thunderous pop. Heenan is practically pissing his pants with joy as Goldberg lifts Hogan up for the jackhammer. He holds him up there for a few seconds while the crowd loses their minds, and he finally finishes the hold to get the pin and WCW Title at 8:12. This is how it should have been with Sting at Starrcade 1997.

Winner and New WCW Champion: Goldberg via pin at 8:12
-This was your typical Goldberg match with a slight change as Hogan got in just enough offense, but not too much where it made Goldberg look weak. This was arguably the greatest moment in the history of Nitro and was easily the peak of the Goldberg’s career. The match wasn’t very good, but it was short enough to keep things moving, and historic enough to make it worth seeing at least once. **

-Nitro 09/14/98: One of the most emotional moments during the entire Monday Night War sees Ric Flair make his return to Nitro and to the 4 Horsemen. Anderson, Benoit, Malenko, Mongo, and JJ Dillon are all dressed to the nines as they welcome back Flair. This was just an awesome moment. Anderson puts over each man in the ring and then gives the crowd what they want: RIC FLAIR. For nearly a year Flair was in a legal battle with Eric Bischoff, and they finally just decided to work together. The animosity between the 2 still exists (and probably still does to this day). Bischoff comes out to ruin the reunion, and Flair just goes off. Yes, this is a great and touching moment, but it really didn’t change anything because WCW didn’t have any use for the Horsemen. Still, this is quite the moment.

-Nitro and RAW 11/17/97: One of the weirder moments as Rick Rude appears on both shows on the same night. Rude was a member of D-X and was part of the taped RAW, but his deal had expired. JR and Vince tried to get a deal done, but reports are that Rude was quite pissed with the Montreal Incident (he was good friends with Bret, and that can clearly be seen on the Bret DVD where he openly weeps over the loss of Rude). Rick decided to jump to WCW, and to piss off Vince he appeared on Nitro with the n.W.o the same night he was on a taped RAW with D-X. He even shaved off his beard to rub things in just a little more. Nice promo from Rude to as he buries the knife even deeper into Shawn and Vince.

The 411: The documentary is fairly interesting as you get some good stuff from Bischoff and Cornette, but the extras aren't anything special. The WWF Tag Title Match and the WCW Title match were good choices, but this DVD should have been a lot more than what we got. I think if they did this DVD today, it would be at least a 2 DVD set and possibly even three. For nostalgia this is a good DVD to get and it reminds you of how awesome 1996-1998, but it also leaves me wanting more.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]