Raw vs Nitro “Reliving The War”: Episode 180 – April 5th 1999

Reliving The War takes a look at the Monday Night Wars on a weekly basis. WWF Raw is War (on USA Network) and WCW Monday Nitro (on TNT) went head-to-head every Monday night in a TV ratings battle, leading to both companies putting on some of very memorable matches and memorable moments moments. This series aims to cover every single match and promo during the whole Monday Night War.

It’s the Nitro go home show before Spring Stampede and WCW have a few surprises in store; Sting has promised to make an appearance and we’re going to learn the main event for the big pay per view. The manliest match of all time (Scott Steiner vs Meng) takes place this week, Jim Duggan returns to Nitro, and Ric Flair defends his WCW World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.

On Raw this week, the Corporation rally against the Ministry and try to avert a sacrifice taking place, but unfortunately, they fail to do so – but is it, Stephanie McMahon? Elsewhere on the show, Mankind takes on Val Venis and Al Snow is up against Hardcore Holly. Our tag action this week is the New Age Outlaws versus the Brood.

00:00 – Intro
02:19 – Goldberg interview
03:37 – Hak vs Kendall Windham
04:06 – Konnan vs Lizmark Jr
04:33 – X-Pac & Kane vs Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett
08:43 – Corporation promo / Ric Flair promo
12:30 – Ivory promo / Scott Steiner vs Meng
16:11 – Hardcore Holly vs Al Snow / Jim Duggan vs Lenny Lane
18:33 – Outlaws vs The Brood / nWo Battle Royal
21:38 – Ken Shamrock vs Viscera / Mankind vs Val Venis
24:28 – Saturn & Raven vs Kidman & Mysterio
26:30 – Godfather vs Goldust / Chris Jericho vs Booker T
28:46 – Ministry of Darkness sacrifice / Buff Bagwell vs Bam Bam Bigelow
31:27 – Triple H & Rock vs Big Show
34:35 – Flair vs Hogan vs DDP vs Goldberg
37:30 – Final Scores / Credits

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Welcome back to Reliving the War, welcome to  April 5th, 1999, and welcome to a new era for   World Championship Wrestling. Tonight we’ve got  Nitro live from Las Vegas, Nevada, while WWF Raw   comes from Long Island, New York. They say what  happens in Vegas stays in Vegas; this new Nitro  

Set should’ve stayed in Vegas because all it does  is give me horrible flashbacks. I kinda associate   this set and the next Nitro set with the bad  times; it reminds me of WCW at their very worst.  

But if there’s one thing this series has made me  realize, it’s that we tend to remember things that   happened 25 years ago a lot differently – it’s  my hope we still find some hidden classics within  

This era of Monday Nitro, so let’s start at the  very beginning and take a look for ourselves.   We now have a 2-man commentary team of Tony  Schiavone and Bobby Heenan, and it looks like   Schiavone’s updated his hairstyle to go along with  this new Nitro set – both look absolutely shit.  

Bill Goldberg’s walking around with a lottery…  tumbler? A hopper? Yeah, he’s got one of those,   and he’s walking around backstage looking  annoyed. He comes out for an interview with   Mean Gene Okerlund, and Billy boy says that, back  at Starrcade, he was on the receiving end of the  

Ultimate screwjob – only in pro wrestling would  that statement be acceptable. Goldberg says he’s   taking matters into his own hands; he’s gonna  hold the Goldberg lottery, and whoever’s name   gets selected will be Goldberg’s next victim –  looks like we’re completely ignoring the Bret Hart  

Spear from last week. Kevin Nash comes out, and  Nash says people won’t be talking about Bill in   10 years’ time; they’ll be talking about the guy  who ended Goldberg’s streak. Goldberg says Nash is   living in the past, and to prove Goldberg wrong,  Nash tells Bill to forget his little lottery  

Because Bill’s gonna face Kevin Nash this weekend  at Spring Stampede. Goldberg accepts the match, so   we’ll see Nash vs. Goldberg 2 at the pay-per-view  this week. Just another quick reminder here that   Spring Stampede will go live on my channel on the  26th of December; this Sunday, I’m watching Santa  

With Muscles, and by God, you’re gonna join me.  Ric Flair tells Arn Anderson to go sort this out;   it appears that Ric didn’t know Nash was gonna  challenge Goldberg. Back in the ring, we’ve got   the first Nitro match of this new era, Hardcore  Hak vs. Kendall Windham, and Tony Schiavone just  

Had to let every fan watching at home know that  he really likes Chastity’s schoolgirl attire;   the man had no shame. Fans chanting boring during  a hardcore match is never a good sign, and fans   laughing at Hak taking this bump right here isn’t  a good sign either. They got into it a bit more  

When Hak used his kendo stick, but overall the  match wasn’t good; Hak won via pinfall after   performing a Russian leg sweep. The next match saw  Konnan take on Lizmark Jr., and while the outcome   was predictable, the in-ring action was a lot  better. Lizmark Jr. made one too many mistakes,  

And Konnan was able to capitalize; the rolling  clothesline followed by the Tequila Sunrise was   enough to give K-Dawg the victory. Hype videos  were played for Meng and Scotty Steiner; these two   face each other very soon in a US title tournament  semifinal match, and it’s gonna be awesome.  

Nitro continues on with some backstage  shenanigans, while over on Raw, we’ve got X-Pac   and Kane vs. Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett. X-Pac  and Kane have been wronged by Triple H and Chyna,   so these two are gonna join forces to take out  the former leader of D-Generation X. I mentioned  

Last week that Triple H vs. X-Pac should’ve been  saved for the pay-per-view, and even though Pac   vs. Hunter is announced here for the upcoming  WWF Backlash show, it doesn’t change how I felt   last week. A promo from Triple H would’ve worked a  lot better, and the Raw main event shouldn’t have  

Happened. The tag champs issued an open challenge  on Sunday Night Heat; X-Pac and Kane accepted,   and while X-Pac did well against both Owen  and Jeff in the early going, it quickly goes   downhill for the former European champion. As  the tag champs continue to single X-Pac out,  

We learn that The Rock and Steve Austin are  gonna face each other again at the Backlash   pay-per-view. We think that Kane’s getting that  all-important hot tag when Pac breaks free from   a Jeff Jarrett sleeper, but Owen gets tagged in  first, and Pac continues to struggle in this Raw  

Opening match. Owen gets a little too confident  when going for a top rope attack, though, and   finally, the Big Red Machine comes in and he  gets a big babyface pop as he takes out the tag  

Team champions. X-Pac runs back in to hit a Bronco  Buster on Owen, while Double J takes a chokeslam   from Kane. The crowd is then a little stunned when  Kane goes to chokeslam his own tag team partner,  

But Kane ends up dropping Pac on top of Double  J, and the referee counts to 3. We have new tag   team champions on Raw is War. Kane and X-Pac are  definitely an unlikely tag team, but not only are   they tag team champions after just 1 match,  they’re also extremely popular after just 1  

Match – well done, lads. Backstage, Vince McMahon  tells Shane he doesn’t want to be involved in   tonight’s show; McMahon doesn’t care about Austin,  he doesn’t care about Big Show, all he cares about   is Stephanie’s welfare. Vince tells Shane to do  what he needs to do because Vince doesn’t care,  

So Shane tells the Corporation that he’s calling  the shots tonight – according to the boy wonder,   Austin and Big Show are in for a night they’ll  never forget. Right, WCW Nitro, Goldberg walks   into Ric Flair’s office, and he’s surprised to  see Lex Luger and Elizabeth having a meeting with  

The WCW president. Goldberg says, “What’s this  all about,” and Nitro then takes a commercial   break. We come back to see Arn Anderson telling  Kevin Nash to go to Flair’s office. Big Sexy just   wants a quick cup of coffee, but Anderson seems  pretty adamant that Nash heads over to the office  

Right now, so Kev walks in and Nitro cuts away  again; we have no idea what Flair and Nash talked   about. When we come back, we see Nash and Flair  acting quite friendly towards each other, and this  

Is something Hulk Hogan doesn’t care all that much  about – Nash says he was just talking business and   trying to get more money, and he tells Hogan not  to worry. We cut away again to see Nash talking   to Charles Robinson, the referee who screwed Hogan  out of the WCW championship at Uncensored. Hogan  

Sees Nash talking to the dirty official and Hulk  wants answers; Big Kev hasn’t been returning his   calls recently, and Nash mentions what Hogan said  to Torrie last week. Hulk says he was just trying   to swerve Torrie; it’s no big deal, and Hulk also  says Nash has a completely new attitude these  

Days, and Kev says it’s all good, the band’s still  together, and Kev’s just tired. Hogan accepts this   explanation and he walks off, and when Hulk turns  his back, Nash pulls this face right here… it’s   clear these two are no longer on the same page. We’ve got a Corporation promo over on Raw next,  

While Ric Flair talks about Spring Stampede on  Nitro. Shane shows everyone a replay from Raw   last week; it’s Austin and the Big Show beating  up the Corporation after the main event. Shane   wants to make the Big Show pay for his crimes, so  tonight the big man gets put in a 2-on-1 match,  

Big Show vs. Triple H and The Rock – Rock and  Hunter were once bitter enemies, but while working   for Vince McMahon’s Corporation, the two will now  join forces. Hunter says the fans have wanted to   see this tag team; it’s gonna happen tonight  on Raw, and he also says Big Show has a whole  

Lot of big, fat, hairy ass for the Corporation to  kick – not an image I appreciate being in my head   right now. Rock’s still got Stone Cold’s Smoking  Skull belt; he doesn’t plan on handing it back,   and Rock says he wants to check Big Show into  the SmackDown Hotel, but Show would probably  

Break the toilet seat. Rock’s gonna take both his  feet and shove ‘em up Big Show’s… well… ya get   the point, and something to take note of here  is the fact that Rock refers to himself as the   People’s Champion, not the Corporate Champion. He  still stops a sing-along with The Rock as usual,  

But ya just know Rock’s gonna turn babyface again  pretty soon. Rock asks The Big Show if he smells   what The Rock’s cookin. The Big Boss Man – who we  all thought died at WrestleMania – is back with  

Us again tonight on Raw, and he’s helping Test  put the Smoking Skull belt around Rock’s waist.   Shane wants the production guys to put a photo of  the belt on the TitanTron just to aggravate Stone   Cold, and Shane says he’s gonna order that photo  to get displayed at random times during the night  

Just to remind everyone that Rock owns a piece  of Stone Cold. Shane thought this was great,   but Vince McMahon couldn’t have cared less;  Vince wonders if his son is seeking a pat   on the back or something, and even Stephanie says  it probably wasn’t a good idea to further provoke  

Austin. Vince tells his son to chill out, and  Shane looks a little disappointed. On Nitro,   Ric Flair thinks Kevin Nash vs. Goldberg at Spring  Stampede is a wonderful idea; he praises Big Sexy   for taking the initiative and challenging Goldberg  at the pay-per-view, and Flair wants to put Nash  

Vs. Goldberg in the main event spot at the big  show in Tacoma this weekend. Ric reveals that the   original plan was to have another Hogan vs. Flair  main event at Spring Stampede, but seeing as the   plans have changed, Ric wants to give Hogan his  title shot tonight on Monday Nitro. Hollywood runs  

Down to the ring and he goes to smack Flair with  his weight belt. Hogan gladly accepts this title   opportunity tonight on Nitro, and Flair says he’ll  take the opportunity away from Hulk if wood from  

The hood lays a hand on him before the main event.  Hogan says the world belt was created for him;   it was Hogan who made the belt relevant… yeah,  Hulk… and when Hogan leaves Las Vegas tonight,   he’s gonna leave with his world title. Flair  says that’s fine because tonight will be the  

Last time Flair and Hogan’s names will share the  marquee; this is Hogan’s last chance. Diamond   Dallas Page comes out, and DDP says Hogan vs.  Flair is definitely a main event that’s worthy   of the MGM Grand, but what would make it even  better is if DDP got involved and Flair changed  

It to a triple-threat encounter. Both Flair  and Hogan seem to have no issue with this,   but things get a bit out of hand when Goldberg  makes an appearance. Goldberg wants in on this   match; actually, he flat-out demands to be in it,  and when Flair reminds Goldberg that The Nature  

Boy calls the shots, Billy boy decides to throw  Slick Ric across the ring. Flair ends up leaving,   but before he walks back through the curtain,  he tells a kid in the audience to shut up,   and he also accepts this four-way match tonight  in the Nitro main event, Flair vs. Hogan vs. DDP  

Vs. Goldberg. Hogan and Goldberg then make a pact  to take out Flair and DDP during this main event;   Hogan believes this match should come down  to himself and Billy boy, so we’ll see how   this plays out at the end of Nitro tonight. Ivory cuts a promo next on Raw. Over on Nitro,  

We’ve got Scott Steiner vs. Meng, the manliest  match to ever happen on Nitro. Ivory addresses   Terri Runnels and Jacqui; she says Jacqui’s tough  and Jacqui’s proven herself to be tough, but Terri   hasn’t done a thing to back up all her trash talk.  She did burn Ivory’s face with a lit cigar, but  

She hasn’t stepped inside the ropes for a proper  fight. Ivory wants Terri to come down to the   ring. Terri shows up… and whattaya know… we’re  gonna see Terri fight here ton… no, we’re not,   Ivory rips Terri’s shirt off, and Jerry Lawler  blows a load all over the announce desk. The  

Lights go out in the arena, and the women get out  of harm’s way because The Undertaker’s here along   with his Ministry of Darkness. The whole faction  make their way down to the ring, and Taker says he   knows Vince and Stephanie are watching backstage  right now. Taker tells Vince to hold his daughter  

Tight because tonight on Raw is War, there’s gonna  be another sacrifice, ooooh. This won’t be just   any sacrifice; a certain beautiful young woman  will become one with the Ministry, she’ll be taken   from her family, and she’ll break her father’s  heart when she accepts the Lord of Darkness as  

Her savior. Backstage, Vince sends Patterson  and Brisco out to find more security guards,   he then comes to the conclusion that he might have  to give The Undertaker what he wants… that being   control of the WWF, and this makes Shane get up  and leave the room; Shane can’t believe his dad’s  

Giving in like this. After a commercial break,  the stooges come back with more security men,   and Vince tells Stephanie she doesn’t need to  worry… if I were Stephanie, I’d be absolutely   shitting myself right about now. On Nitro, Scotty  Steiner says DDP’s a liar; if Page wanted revenge  

Against Scott so badly, he should’ve entered this  US title tournament, and DDP also agreed to the   30-day Kimberly stipulation back at SuperBrawl  9. Scott says if Page wants another match, then   Dallas has to put Kimberly up for 1 night; it’ll  only take 1 night for Kim to realize that Scott’s  

The Big Bad Booty Daddy, and Page will become  nothing more than a memory. Out comes The Menger,   the winner of this match goes to Spring Stampede  to wrestle for the US title. We start with a   few stiff forearms from Big Poppa Pump, and Meng  replies with a few knife-edge chops. Scott takes a  

Timeout, and the match resumes with a clothesline  from Meng; let’s call it the Menger-line. Scott   decides he’s not all that tough, and he wants  to shake Meng’s hand… this, unfortunately,   doesn’t work, and Meng goes on offense once again,  but Scott fires back with a belly-to-belly before  

Sending his opponent out of the ring. Meng gets  wrecked on the outside; Scott’s now firmly in   control. Back inside the ropes, we see a bodyslam  and elbow drop from Big Poppa Pump, and this gets   followed up with a backbreaker. Steiner then sets  his opponent up for a top rope suplex, but Meng  

Fights out of it, and we see a diving clothesline.  We see more hard chops from Meng followed by more   clotheslines; Scotty takes a sidewalk slam, and  here we go… it’s time for the Tongan Death Grip.   Scott gets out by performing a low blow; low  blows must be completely legal now in WCW. Big  

Poppa Pump pulls off an overhead belly-to-belly  suplex, and even though Meng clearly has his   foot on the bottom rope, Scott Steiner still wins  the match via pinfall. I was expecting more here,   but I still feel about 70% more manly after  watching this contest. On Thunder this past week,  

The Man Called Sting got advertised for this  week’s episode of Nitro. Apparently, Sting has   a message for fans of WCW, and the commentators  believe they just spotted Sting in the rafters,   but it’s just a random dude who walks around  the arena wearing a long leather jacket.  

Al Snow vs. Hardcore Holly is our next match on  Raw, over on Nitro we’ve got Hacksaw Jim Duggan   wrestling Lenny Lane. The Raw match is not for the  Hardcore Championship, nor is it a hardcore match.  

The referee has to stop Sparky Plugg from using  a steel chair, but he was still able to pull off   his very impressive dropkick back inside the  ropes. Al took a vertical suplex; he replied   with a flying crossbody. Hardcore Holly comes back  with a swinging neckbreaker, but Holly was simply  

Outperformed in this matchup. It ends when Al hits  a Snow Plow on the Hardcore Champion, so you’d   assume Mr. Snow would now be the first in-line  to receive a Hardcore Title shot. Steve Williams   comes down after the final bell to suplex both  competitors. JR cheers his boy on while Dr. Death  

Dishes out some punishment, and the crowd didn’t  take too kindly to Steve Williams showing up at   all. Back in the production truck, Shane McMahon  orders the producers to show Austin’s Smokin Skull   belt on the TitanTron. He thinks he’s being  so smart, but he’s really coming across as a  

Complete jackass. And check it out – Christian’s  getting punished by The Undertaker for giving away   Stephanie’s location last week on Raw – I could be  wrong here, but it looks like Edge is actually not   too comfortable with this at all, seeing as his  BFF’s taking quite the whippin’ from the Lord  

Of Darkness. So, we’ve got the in-ring return of  Hacksaw Jim Duggan on Nitro. Hacksaw was diagnosed   with kidney cancer around 8 months ago, but he got  the all-clear and he’s coming back to work tonight  

In Las Vegas. Ol’ Hacksaw has had a lot of health  issues, but the guy has an unbeatable spirit that   I don’t think gets celebrated enough. Hacksaw Jim  Duggan’s the fuckin’ man. He wipes Lenny out with   a few punches, and the crowd chant “USA” following  a double axe handle. Lenny thinks going to the  

Outside might be a good idea, but Hacksaw stays  firmly in control, and the commentators learn   that they’re now in the danger zone while sitting  at ringside. I wonder if Schiavone and company   preferred sitting up by the stage? Hacksaw lays  in a few corner punches, Lane takes a clothesline.  

Duggan gets back to business with a devastating  chinlock before moving over to a hammerlock,   and Lenny Lane then gets suplexed – complete  domination from Hacksaw. The match ends with   a twirling bodyslam from Hacksaw, followed by the  Old Glory knee drop, and Hacksaw looks genuinely  

Happy to be back in the ring after the serious  health issues he just went through. Welcome back   to Reliving the War, Hacksaw; we expect nothing  but 5-star matches from this point forward.   The New Age Outlaws take on The Brood next on  Raw, while the NWO take part in a battle royal  

Over on Nitro. Christian did not come to the ring  with Edge and Gangrel for this tag team match;   the poor guy’s back must be tore up pretty badly.  We started off with Billy Gunn and Gangrel in the  

Ring, and Billy floored his opponent with this  dropkick right here, and then we go into the   standard New Age Outlaws tag routine, with Roadie  getting singled out and Billy begging for a hot   tag – I know I say this as a negative, and indeed,  when you’re paying close attention and taking  

Notes on these matches, you do notice things like  this that you maybe didn’t notice before. But   it’s hard to argue with the results, seeing as the  crowd goes absolutely nuts when Road Dogg finally   tags in his partner. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix  it. Christian ends up walking down to the ring,  

And Road Dogg ends up throwing him in the ring.  Billy Gunn then hits a Famouser on Christian,   and Billy wins the match for his team by pinning  a guy who wasn’t even involved in the match. The  

Commentators say this is gonna piss The Undertaker  off even more; these Brood boys are messing up big   time, and if I were Christian, I’d probably call  a taxi right about now. On Thunder this past week,  

Hogan admitted to stirring the pot within the  NWO Black and White, but he only did it to see   who had what it really takes to lead the group.  Everyone passed with flying colors, apparently,   so tonight on Nitro, the true leader of the group  will finally be decided after a good ol’ fashioned  

Battle royal; the last man standing becomes the  leader of the Black and White. Stevie Ray’s gotta   win this one because he’s wearing a sick hat, and  we all know what they say about a wrestler wearing  

A hat… he… uh… he… usually wins battle royal  matches. All four men go at it, and there’s no   alliances here; everyone fights one another before  we see the first elimination. And there it is,   Vincent – the longest-serving NWO member of this  battle royal – will not be the new leader of the  

NWO. An alliance is then formed between Horace  and Brian Adams; Stevie Ray must be a threat,   so these lads want to eliminate Stevie as soon as  possible. Stevie performs a double clothesline,   and he takes out both men. His chances  then look better when Adams and Horace  

Begin fighting. Horace almost gets eliminated  here when Brian lifts him up for a press slam,   but a rake to the face and clothesline from Stevie  leads to Brian Adams getting eliminated next.   Horace then tries to get an early advantage  as he tries to get Stevie out of the ring  

Immediately after Brian Adams got eliminated, but  the plan backfires, and Horace is our battle royal   runner-up – Stevie Ray is now the official leader  of the NWO Black and White, and it’s from this  

Point on when the NWO begins to fizzle out. We’ll  still see the NWO logo on TV, and guys will still   represent both sides of the group, but this is it,  guys; this is where the end truly begins.  

Jim Ross interviews Steve Austin, and JR wants to  know why the Smokin Skull belt means so much to   Stone Cold. Austin says he uses the belt as a way  to piss Vince McMahon off, and Austin also says  

If the Corporation wants to keep provoking him by  putting images of the belt on the TitanTron, then   it’s gonna cost Vince McMahon a lot of money, more  on this later on. Saturn and Raven take on Kidman  

And Rey Mysterio next on Nitro; on Raw, we’ve got  Shamrock vs. Viscera and Val Venis vs. Mankind. I   was able to squeeze in 2 Raw matches here because  the Shamrock vs. Viscera match was really short.   Shamrock runs into the ring, and he lights  Big Vis up with multiple punches and kicks.  

Viscera fights back, and he’s able to perform  a falling powerslam. Shamrock kicks out, and he   stupidly goes for a bodyslam; this doesn’t work  out, and Viscera goes back on offense briefly,   though a missed corner attack lets Kenny boy  throw more punches at his opponent. Ken hits  

A belly-to-belly; the lights then go out, and The  Undertaker’s music plays. Ken gets attacked by the   whole Ministry of Darkness, including Christian,  and The Undertaker watches all this go down while   standing at the entranceway. The Ministry  ends up carrying Shamrock out of the arena,  

While Shane McMahon tells the Corporation not to  take action. Shane reasons that this is likely a   trap, and there’s nothing the Corporation can do  right now, so Ken gets carried into the Ministry’s   sweet ride, and Ken Shamrock has been abducted.  This wouldn’t have happened if Kenny boy stayed  

In the mufug dojo, by the way. Mick Foley  then took on Val Venis in our next Raw match,   and Mick says he just made the cover of Newsday  in New York City. Val Venis cares not for this   accomplishment, so the match gets underway, and  Venis gets knocked out of the ring. Mankind lets  

Venis get back inside the ropes, but Venis isn’t  so gracious when he attacks Mick in the corner.   Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole talk about a recent  ESPN documentary that looked into the world of pro   wrestling recently, and Jerry Lawler says it was  nothing more than a hatchet job. The King says  

WWF Raw’s been destroying Monday Night Football  recently, and this is why ESPN and parent company   ABC released this documentary. I’m gonna cover  the documentary soon on the channel, by the way,   so please subscribe if you want to see what  it’s all about; I’ve never watched it before,  

So I’m pretty curious myself. A Byte This special  with Vince McMahon gets advertised in the middle   of this match; Vince was apparently gonna go  after ESPN and ABC on this program. Meanwhile,   we’ve got Mick Foley reversing a suplex, and it’s  time to go into the match finish. Venis pulls off  

A spinebuster, and he signals for a Money Shot.  Mankind hits the ropes, and the Big Valbowski   gets absolutely wrecked. We then see a Mandible  Claw without Mr. Socko, and this makes Venis   fall out of the ring. On the outside, Mick keeps  the pressure on by smacking Val’s head off the  

Ring steps. Back in the ring, Mankind performs  his double-arm DDT, and credit to Val Venis;   he was so good at selling DDTs. We then see a  Mr. Socko Mandible Claw, and Mankind – still   in his referee shirt from WrestleMania – wins  our match via submission. Backstage, the lights  

Begin to flicker in Vince McMahon’s dressing room;  this freaks Vince and Stephanie out quite a bit,   and we also see the Ministry of Darkness having a  team meeting, spooky stuff. Judging by the talent   involved in this Nitro tag team title match, this  should be a good one. Rey goes full throttle at  

The opening bell, and Saturn’s in trouble in  the early going, but Raven runs in to help his   partner, and already we’re seeing a Doomsday  Device from the challengers. The commentators   wonder why Saturn doesn’t go for a pin, but  clearly, Perry and Raven want to dish out more  

Punishment. Already Rey’s desperate to tag out,  and he gets a chance to do so when Saturn misses a   leg drop. Kidman comes in, hitting both Raven and  Saturn with dropkicks. Perry then takes a double   underhook facebuster, while Raven takes a tornado  DDT, and the tag team champions then pull off  

Tandem aerial attacks that get the crowd all fired  up. After a commercial break, we’ve got Saturn   dumping Kidman out of the ring with an overhead  belly-to-belly suplex; this looked incredible.   Things get even worse for Kidman when Raven hits  his signature drop toe hold on a steel chair, but  

Rey’s right there to break up Raven’s cover. The  crowd tries to will Kidman back into the match as   Raven delivers a front suplex, while Saturn flies  through the air with a frog splash to Kidman’s   back. But the break comes when Raven foolishly  tries to powerbomb Kidman – Billy Kidman refuses  

To be powerbombed. Rey gets the hot tag; he goes  to work on Raven and Saturn. He thinks he’s being   smart by delivering a bronco buster to Saturn, but  Raven has the perfect counter for that particular   move… oooh, boy. Still, Rey refuses to stay  down, even after getting his balls pulverized,  

And he manages to dropkick Saturn, but the referee  also goes down here, and this creates a problem   for the challengers. Saturn hits the Death Valley  Driver; there’s no referee to count the fall,   so here comes Benoit and Malenko to attack Saturn  and Raven. Saturn takes the diving headbutt,  

Malenko pulls Mysterio on top of Saturn, and the  tag team champions retain their titles. This makes   no sense; Benoit and Malenko are scheduled  to face Saturn and Raven at Spring Stampede.   You’d assume that would’ve been a title match if  Raven and Saturn defeated Kidman and Mysterio here  

Tonight on Nitro – but anyway, that’s how it  ended, and the match was still pretty good.   The Godfather wrestles Goldust next on Raw, over  on Nitro it’s Chris Jericho vs. Booker T. Goldust   gets offered one of Godfather’s creatures, but  because he literally sniffed one of the ho’s,  

Godfather decided to just beat the shit out  of Goldust instead. Godfather then went to   work on the IC champion, and in the middle  of the match, Dustin went out for another   sneaky sniff. He just really likes the smell of  hookers, I guess, but Godfather makes Goldust pay  

With a big boot followed by a back suplex.  Goldust then gets a ride on the Ho Train,   just before Godfather goes outside to attack the  Blue Meanie. This one ends in a countout when   neither man makes it back inside the ropes in good  time – the Godfather’s creatures try to fight the  

Meanie while Godfather’s busy with Goldust,  and that’s it really, absolute garbage and a   complete waste of TV time. Back in Vince’s private  room, the lights begin to flicker again; they go   out completely this time, though, and Stephanie  screams for her dad. Raw goes to commercial break  

Immediately afterward, so we aren’t sure if  The Undertaker got little Miss McMahon or   not. So Chris Jericho was eliminated from this  US title tournament but he got back in thanks to   Curt Hennig getting injured. It doesn’t really  matter, though, because Booker won this match  

Following interference from Scott Steiner. Jericho  was looking pretty good here, too. He was able to   pull off his springboard dropkick, and he dodged  a spinning back kick when Booker got up, but it   went downhill for Chris after missing a Lionsault  and taking an axe kick. Booker performs the Harlem  

Sidekick and he signals for the Heat Seeker. This  is when Big Poppa Pump runs down to the ring,   and even though Scott fails to do any damage,  Nick Patrick still awards the match to Booker T.   This means we’ve got Booker vs. Scott Steiner for  the US title at Spring Stampede. Say goodbye to  

Chris Jericho, though. This is his final televised  match in WCW. He wasn’t done with the company, but   he did tell WCW he wasn’t signing a new contract,  and Bischoff decided to take him off TV. Chris was  

Then forced to lose every single one of his house  show matches up until July 1999, but don’t worry,   we’ll be seeing the Ayatollah again very soon.  Although things ended badly for Chris in WCW,   the company did give him a platform to show what  he was capable of. It’s a big loss for World  

Championship Wrestling, but at the same time, the  company didn’t really understand how good he was.   The Undertaker’s sacrifice is up next on  Raw, on Nitro Bam Bam Bigelow wrestles Buff   Bagwell – weird pairing right there, but ok. Buff  makes fun of Bam Bam before the two go to work.  

Bigelow makes Bagwell pay for being a cocky  little shit, but Buff Daddy comes back with   a dropkick and Bigelow gets sent to the outside  with a clothesline. The crowd is accepting Buff   as a babyface, by the way, even though he’s as  arrogant as ever. Bigelow takes a facebuster,  

But he foolishly goes for a bodyslam and he gets  squished under Bam Bam’s weight. Buff gets choked   out at the ropes, and Bigelow looks to end it  with a top rope senton. Buff moves out of the way,   and Bam Bam ends up taking another 2  clotheslines and a running crossbody,  

But the referee then takes a bump when Bigelow  goes for a bodyslam. Buff gets dumped out of the   ring; Hardcore Hak and Chastity run down.  Bigelow gets nailed with the kendo stick,   and he gets blasted with a fire extinguisher, and  this was Buff’s cue to pull off the Blockbuster,  

But he has absolutely no visibility. He waits  for a moment before hitting his finishing move,   and whatever WCW used here must’ve been pretty  awful, seeing as fans are covering their mouths   at ringside, and Bobby Heenan can barely talk.  Buff Daddy wins on Nitro. Bam Bam Bigelow faces  

Hak this week at Spring Stampede; the match wasn’t  great, but it is fascinating seeing people react   to a babyface Buff Bagwell. The Ministry brings  someone out for a sacrifice, and Jerry Lawler   thinks it’s Stephanie. The King also wonders where  Mr. McMahon and his security team are right now,  

But it looks like Vince is way too late, as The  Undertaker makes his entrance. Whoever that is,   is already on The Undertaker’s symbol, and she’s  about to be lifted high into the air. Undertaker  

Says this is not the girl he wants, but she’ll  have to do for now. We’ve all had that feeling on   a Saturday night, haven’t we? We then cut over to  Vince’s private room, where we see Stephanie safe  

And sound with her old man, and it’s then revealed  that Ryan Shamrock is the one currently on The   Undertaker’s symbol. Yay, they found a good use  for Ryan Shamrock. Taker says this is all Vince’s   fault, and Vince is responsible for this.  When Taker looks at Ryan, he sees Stephanie;  

It’s time for Stephanie to come home and become  a part of the Ministry because everyone has to   answer to a higher power, and that higher power  is currently calling out to Stephanie McMahon.   Undertaker speaks in tongues as Ryan gets lifted  up. Kenny boy was abducted earlier on, so there’s  

No one to help her, and this little piece of  business gets wrapped up with Vince saying this:   “Stay away from Stephanie, you evil b______.” Raw ends this week with Rock and Triple H vs.   Big Show in a 2-on-1 handicap match, on Nitro  it’s the four-way match featuring Flair, Hogan,  

DDP, and Bill Goldberg. There’s not much of a  match to speak of here on Raw, unfortunately;   most of the time gets taken up with promos and  post-match tomfoolery. On Sunday Night Heat,   Triple H said he owns D-Generation X; he  was responsible for the creation of DX,  

And that means he’s gonna come down to the ring  wearing a DX shirt while using the DX song as   his entrance theme. He tells the quote “nimrods”  in the audience “you can all suck it” just before  

The Rock comes out, and once again, the fans can’t  help but to join in on The Rock’s catchphrases.   This happens more than once; The Rock gives up,  and he gives permission for the fans to join in,   and as mentioned earlier on, you just  know a babyface turn was coming up soon;  

The Rock is just way too popular to remain a bad  guy. The Big Show makes his way down to the ring;   he’s now got his famous entrance music, and we’re  gonna start here with Triple H and Show going at  

It in this Raw is War main event. Hunter takes a  headbutt from the big man that knocks him to the   mat; this gets followed up with a backdrop, and  already Triple H wants to tag out. In comes Rocky,  

And again, things don’t go too well for Team  Corporate. A few clubbing blows to the back   leave The Rock stunned, and even though Rock’s  able to lay in a few punches, all it takes is   one headbutt to put Rock down again. The former  WWF champ decided to poke Big Show in the eyes  

Before tagging out again, and Triple H instantly  takes a big boot followed by a backbreaker. Triple   H gets a foot up in the corner, and he climbs the  ropes to get in a few punches. This plan falls  

Apart when Show lifts Hunter up, and Triple H gets  slammed to the mat. Shane jumps on the apron, and   Chyna grabs Show by the leg, but this only leads  to a very short advantage for The Corporation;   Hunter and Rock are really struggling here against  this giant. When Show goes to chokeslam Rock,  

Chyna runs in for a low blow; the crowd boos as  the ref calls for the bell, and now The Big Show   has to fight off Rock, Hunter, Chyna, and Shane  McMahon. The numbers are too much here, and Show  

Gets floored when Rock uses the Smokin Skull belt  as a weapon. The Great One even hits a Corporate   Elbow on The Big Show while the crowd chants  for Austin. Stone Cold then makes an appearance,   and the crowd naturally lose their shit, and while  Austin’s able to take care of The Corporation,  

He’s unable to reclaim his property. Hunter  ends up taking a stunner and a chokeslam,   but Rock gets out of the ring, and Shane hands  him the Smoking Skull belt. Shane wants the belt   put up on the TitanTron again; he tells Austin  that this is a reminder that Rock owns a piece  

Of The Rattlesnake, so Stone Cold decides to make  good on his promise and cost Vince McMahon a lot   of money. He and Show head up the ramp; Stone Cold  tells The Big Man to pull the TitanTron down, and  

This would’ve been pretty awesome, had it not been  for the piped-in sound effects the production guys   decided to use as the screen gets lowered. Austin  then rips the screen to pieces just before Raw   goes off the air, and it’s kinda weird how this  moment never gets replayed when WWE talk about  

Famous moments in Raw history. The Zamboni and the  beer truck always get brought up, but I thought   this was pretty cool, too. Kevin Nash joins the  WCW commentary team for this 4-way main event. All  

Four men will be in the ring at the same time, and  the first one to score a fall wins the match. DDP   and Goldberg fall out of the ring while Hollywood  and Flair go to work. The World Champ takes a  

Backdrop and a few clotheslines, and after hulking  up, Hollywood’s able to hit the big boot and the   big leg drop. The cameras totally missed the leg  drop, by the way. DDP breaks up the cover, and we  

Can see Page has been busted open as he suplexes  Hollywood in the ring. On the outside, we’ve got   Goldberg no-selling a few Ric Flair chops, and  Ric gets sent back into the ring with a press   slam from Billy boy. The alliance between Hogan  and Goldberg turns out to be short-lived as the  

Two fight it out at the entranceway. This gives  DDP the opportunity to hit Flair with a Diamond   Cutter, and Page almost won the belt here, but  Goldberg pulls Page out of the ring while Hogan   goes back in. Flair gets launched off the top  rope, and he almost didn’t make it either. It’s  

A bump Ric’s taken so many times, too, so not sure  what happened here. Hogan then whips The Nature   Boy a few times, and he threatens to hit Charles  Robinson, too, but Ric replies with a low blow,  

So I guess that makes it even. DDP and Goldberg  then get in the ring, and the competitors switch   it up a little. Hogan completely forgets he’s in  a fatal four-way and he walks away from Flair as  

The Figure Four gets applied to DDP. When Goldberg  breaks it up, Hogan’s like “oh yeah,” and he helps   Bill break the hold, and Hogan then refocuses his  efforts by delivering a back suplex to Goldberg   while DDP and Flair fight on the outside.  All four men end up brawling around the ring;  

Hogan and Flair fight beside the commentary  table as Nash looks on. Back in the ring,   DDP takes a powerslam from Goldberg, and,  gotta say, this has been a pretty good match so   far. The match ends with Goldberg spearing  everyone; not even joking, you get a spear,  

You get a spear, everyone gets a spear. Hogan then  gets jackhammered, and Nash doesn’t make it to the   ring on time to break the cover, so Hogan ends up  kicking out of the most feared move in all of WCW,  

Not including the deadly chinlock. Sting said  he’d be here with a message tonight, and there   he is. This match is officially over, but the fans  don’t care; they’re going nuts for The Stinger,   and yeah, it’s always good seeing The Icon.  Sting gets in the ring; he points to one of  

The big screens in the arena, and a video plays  that explains the Spring Stampede main event.   Raw wins Reliving the War this week, but it  was very close. Nitro had a better main event,   and the in-ring action overall was generally  better, but the WWF produced a much more fun  

And entertaining show, thanks to their ongoing  storylines. The stuff with Undertaker scaring the   shit out of the McMahons is good, Shane beginning  to distance himself from Vince is interesting,   Rock holding Austin’s championship is a great  way to keep the feud going; there’s a lot to  

Like about the WWF right now post-WrestleMania  15. Nitro wasn’t bad. You will find better   in-ring action on the WCW side this week, but  we still aren’t getting good stories in WCW,   and it does hurt the show overall. Raw’s on 91  points, Nitro’s got 70 points, and we’ve still  

Got 19 ties on our Reliving the War scoreboard.  In the TV ratings, Raw slipped down to a 5.8,   while Nitro jumped up to a 4.3. This would’ve  been a relief for WCW, I’m sure, but still,   the WWF continues to dominate their competition. Spring Stampede 99’s up next, and you don’t want  

To miss this one. Scott Steiner vs. Booker T for  the US title, Rey Mysterio vs. Billy Kidman for   the Cruiserweight title, Goldberg vs. Nash, the  four-way WCW title match; there’s a lot to like   about this pay-per-view, so join me on Tuesday  to see what happened. Spring Stampede is getting  

Bumped to next week to make way for a Christmas  special on Sunday. Hulkamaniacs around the world   rejoice as Santa With Muscles gets covered on  the channel this Christmas Eve, so hopefully,   you come over for some festive fun this week  on Wrestling Bios. Thank you for watching,  

Guys. I hope you enjoyed this week’s  episode of Reliving the War, and take care.