Nitro-Glycerin - Monday Nitro recap for December 29, 1997

Purple and gold balloons fall from the roof of the arena at the start of the show.

We see a performance by The Nitro Girls, who then welcome "The Living Legend" Zbyszko back to commentary. It is then announced that Zbyszko will get a shot at Scott Hall at Souled Out on January 24th.

Bill Goldberg quickly beats Glacier. Lodi and Billy Kidman are seen in the front row during the match.

This Saturday on WCW Saturday Night: Steve "Mongo" McMichael! Disco Inferno! Diamond Dallas Page! Chris Jericho! Mortis!

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Bret "The Hit Man" Hart. Bret says people had a lot of doubt about where he was going, and he had to judge the situation from close up. He always found that actions speak louder than words, and yesterday was an example of good old-fashioned justice prevailing like it's supposed to. As far as the nWo goes, they are "the lowest, most rotten, evil, corrupt bunch of scum" who remind him of the scum he just left behind, and it was an honor and a privilege to see the rise of WCW, as he looks to great matches and satisfying all the WCW fans. He says he wants to wrestle guys like The Giant, Lex Luger, "The Crippler" Chris Benoit and even Sting and test his skills. He then says that WCW will learn what "The Excellence of Execution" is all about, as WCW is where the big boys play and that it's time to show he is the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. He says the nWo will pay the price, with "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan paying the price as he has looked for him for a long time, saying that Hogan ran away from him a long time ago but cannot run or hide no longer, and that Hogan will have to get in the ring with him.

Raven's Flock (Raven, Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Sick Boy, Scotty Riggs, Lodi, Van Hammer) are seen in the front row. Raven announces that last week, Saturn defeated "The Crippler" Chris Benoit, and that in the last few weeks, they have beaten and humiliated him. He says any sane person would know when enough is enough, but calls Benoit "a masochist with severe psychological damage." He says that if Benoit insists on receiving punishment every week, then he insists that his flock inflict it. Van Hammer then jumps the guardrail to get in the ring for the next match. When Benoit shows up for the match, he dives over the guardrail to get a piece of the Flock before being tossed into the ring by Hammer.

"The Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Van Hammer ends in a no-contest when Raven's Flock (Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Sick Boy, Lodi, Scotty Rigs) attacks Benoit as he has Van Hammer in the Crippler Crossface. As he is attacked, Steve "Mongo" McMichael rushes into the ring to save Benoit. During the match, it is announced that the encore for Starrcade will be aired tomorrow and also receive a special New Year's Eve showing on December 31st at 8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Flair congratulates Diamond Dallas Page for beating Curt Hennig for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, then tells Hennig that they still have a date with destiny. He also says that Sting did what he said he was going to do, and also gives Bret "The Hit Man" Hart for his part in Sting's win. He says that Bret didn't mention his name when mentioning who he wanted to wrestle in WCW, then reads an article from The Baltimore Sun which refers to him as the greatest wrestler in the world.

Ultimo Dragon is attacked from behind by Eddie Guerrero while on the way to the ring for the next match.

Ultimo Dragon quickly beats Eddie Guerrero with the Dragon Sleeper to become the WCW Cruiserweight Champion! Eddie Guerrero attacks Ultimo Dragon after the match, but it doesn't change the fact that Ultimo Dragon is the new champion.

An unhappy "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff make their way to the ring. Hogan says the way it is, the way it was and the way it always will be, he is the man and made wrestling what it is today, and says he remembered WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon call Nick Patrick the most qualified referee for the match, and that Nick Patrick called for the bell and declared him the winner after the leg drop. He then says that Bret "The Hit Man" Hart interfered, punching out Nick Patrick and "lying to the world." He says that Bret stuck his nose in his business, and that he is the only world heavyweight champion. Hogan says he and Bischoff are open for suggestions for WCW to save face, because he fears no coward like Sting, Bret or anyone else as he is the man and "your champion." Bischoff tells J.J. Dillon to fix it, saying Dillon messed it up.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan shows up as Tony Schiavone says that the next hour will be a two-man broadcast team thanks to Heenan's actions last week. Heenan tells Schiavone that he was the only one who bit the bullet and sacrificed himself for WCW. Heenan puts himself back on second hour commentary, much to the surprise of Schiavone and Mike Tenay as Heenan says he would have stayed on WCW even if nWo took control of Nitro and Schiavone tells Heenan he really is a weasel. The Nitro Girls then perform on the commentary table.

Diamond Dallas Page retains the WCW United States Championship against Mortis. Pyrotechnics then signal the start of the second hour as DDP leaves through the crowd.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon. Dillon says it's a privilege to be on WCW Monday Nitro, and thanks "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko for that. He says that the upcoming New Year's Eve will be quite a party after all that WCW has been through. As for the World Heavyweight Championship match, the decision to make Sting the World Heavyweight champion is final. He is tired of Eric Bischoff and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan crying and complaining and making excuses, and announces that Sting is in the building tonight. He tells Hogan and Bischoff that if they want solutions, they can fix this by beating Sting to take back the World title, as Sting has authorized him to announce that he is putting the World title on the line. He tells Bischoff and Hogan to put up or shut up, saying that Sting is willing to face any member of the New World Order with the title on the line tonight on Nitro.

Booker T beats Disco Inferno to become the WCW World Television Champion! After multiple tag team title reigns, Booker T gets his first taste of singles gold. Stevie Ray celebrates with Booker T in the ring after the match.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interview WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon, who says that Sting is serious about putting the World title on the line but has not gotten any response. All of a sudden, Eric Bischoff shows up. He tells Dillon he's his, and that he is on for the challenge as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan will step in the ring and win the World title back. He tells Dillon not to screw it up this time.

Curt Hennig, now accompanied to the ring by Rick Rude, beats Chris Jericho. After the match, Chris Jericho pushes David Penzer out of his seat and smacks the steel chair into the ring post, finally having had it with his losing streak.

We see another performance by The Nitro Girls.

Bill Ripken of the Detroit Tigers is spotted in the crowd. This week's Nitro prize pack winners are Adam Yeasel and Katie burke of Champaign, Illinois, and we see their Nitro party footage.

Before the next match, Buff Bagwell tells Lex Luger he still can't beat him and calls him out again.

Lex Luger finally beats Buff Bagwell with the Torture Rack after knocking Scott Norton off the apron. Afte rthe match, Luger says that "Macho Man" Randy Savage is next on his hit list.

Sting vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan takes up the remainder of the show. Referee Randy Anderson is knocked out by a Stinger Splash meant for Hogan just before the show fades to black.

Raw Deal - Raw recap for December 29, 1997

Before the next match, The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust is dressed as Baby New Year, carrying a rattle and drinking out of an oversized baby bottle. Goldust wishes everyone a happy new year on behalf of himself and Luna Vachon, and says he is putting his name in the "1988 Royal Rumble." He knows that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will also be in the Royal Rumble match, and is saying that he is the toughest S.O.B. in the World Wrestling Federation. Goldust says he is the toughest S.O.B., not Austin, and that he will prove it tonight. After spanking Steve Austin's ass, he's got a present for him as well. He pulls out a pair of black panties from his diaper and tells Austin they can play dress-up, with him being Austin's Barbie girl and Austin being his big Ken. He tells Austin to drive himself the ring in his little pink Corvette so they can get it on. Austin gets in the ring and grabs the microphone, and Austin talks about how he was paralyzed earlier this year, before saying that he's still here and that the language, fingers and violence will continue into 1998. He tells Goldust he won't wrestle him tonight, and instead says he has a gift for him. As Austin insults Goldust and says he does what he wants, when he wants, something comes down from the roof. Once it's low enough, Austin pulls on a cord to drag it towards the ring and it eventually lands there. After a ring worker unhooks it from the roof, Austin pulls the black cover off of it to reveal it is a port-a-potty. He says 4 out of 5 construction workers agreed it stinks like hell as they passed by it outside, and asks the crowd to give him a "hell yeah" if they agree. Goldust tries to get in the ring and attack him from behind the port-a-potty, but Austin sees it coming and slams the port-a-potty door before he lays him out and tosses him in the port-a-potty. He then says that's exactly where you go when you mess with Steve Austin. Goldust gets out of the port-a-potty, but Austin gives him a Stone Cold Stunner, pushes him back in and then pushes the port-a-potty over. Austin then stands on top of it and says that's the first commode full of whup-ass he's ever opened, and it's not the last. Austin then grabs a bottle of baby powder at the apron and tosses it into the ring before leaving.

It is noted that a wooden crate is on the stage.

The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz) beat Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo Jr.) in a Long Island Brawl despite interference from Jose Estrada after Savio Vega accidentally kicks Jesus Castillo Jr. in the head from the apron. During the match, it is announced that Crush has decided not to be in the WWF anymore after being attacked by Kane. (In reality, he left partially due to the Montreal Screwjob.)

"Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna are in the ring, and Triple H is seen with his leg in a cast and two crutches in his hands. He is sorry to inform everyone that he will not be able to defend the WWF European Championship last night, as he dislocated his kneecap last night during a match. He tells Owen Hart he will have to wait for him to stomp his guts in. He tells The Undertaker that "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels isn't here tonight as he is at home with a 102-degree fever and "is shivering and sweating and has the sick thing going." He tells The Undertaker he will have to wait until Royal Rumble to rest in pieces. The Undertaker's music hits, but instead of The Undertaker, out comes a few druids wheeling out a casket. All of a sudden, Triple H says there's one thing left to do: break it down. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels comes out of the casket, which is covered in DX-related graffiti. Shawn says that D-Generation X (Shawn, Triple H, Chyna) would like to bring in the new year with style, and if it were up to the WWF, they'd have him roll out in a casket with "two skanks," but since he takes only the finest women, one of whom is in Venice, California, he'd rather come out alone than with "two ugly bimbos." He then introduces the two new members of D-Generation X: Chyna's breasts. Shawn says Chyna is not only the toughest woman in the WWF, but "the breast damn woman in town." Triple H says that if Chyna had a nipple for every time someone said she was "the breast damn woman here," she'd be a millionaire and they'd have to change their name to "Double D-Generation X." Shawn tells Owen Hart he is lucky that Triple H is lucky, but in due time, he will be better and rid the World Wrestling Federation of "that tiny little nugget." At Royal Rumble, The Undertaker will fail to beat him after a third chance, which he has given him out of the goodness of his heart. Shawn talks to Chyna's breasts, saying she understands her and that he can talk to her, but Chyna tells him "eyes up here." Shawn then looks at the camera and says 1998 will be the year of D-Generation X, and absolutely nobody is going to crash their party. WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter shows up, and Shawn and Triple H make fun of Slaughter's gut. Slaughter orders Shawn to defend the WWF Championship against Owen Hart tonight before wishing DX a happy new year.

The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz), The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh), Scott Taylor and Flash Funk plot against Kane in the locker room.

"Thea World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock beats Kama Mustafa with the ankle lock after Faarooq distracts the referee only for D'Lo Brown to accidentally kick Kama Mustafa in the side of the head from the apron. After the match, "The Rock" Rocky Maivia, finally shows up and says he has received a lot of fan mail and phone calls asking how he feels about he elderly and Social Security, and says that as long as his pockets are lined with green, he doesn't give a damn about either of those things. He tells Shamrock that he thought he was lucky, but after tonight, he's lucky as hell. Next week, the luck streak will run out, as Shamrock will come face-to-face with Faarooq, who is amazed by this statement. He tells Shamrock that he has seven days before he gets his bad ass kicked. He tells D'Lo and Kama to know their role, and tells Faarooq to head to the back. Faarooq is still staring a hole through The Rock even after this.

In footage form earlier today, Vince McMahon says that the seats around him will be filled by WWF fans. As WWF looks back on the year 1997, the WWF thanks the fans for all the moments they've shared together while committing that 1998 will be the most action-packed year ever. Vince then says "As the old saying goes: you ain't seen nothin' yet."

Before the next match, Jerry "The King" Lawler is in the ring with "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher. Lawler can't believe that he and Christopher have to face Taka Michinoku and a mystery partner tonight, but at the same time, they don't care who it is. Lawler also says that Christopher's father is none other than Jim Ross, and that Christopher will be refereed to as "Good Ol' B.C." After Taka shows up, it is announced that his mystery partner is George "The Animal" Steele, who immediately chases Lawler and Christopher out of the ring before tearing up two turnbuckles.

Jerry "The King" Lawler and "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher beat Taka Michinoku and George "The Animal" Steele by disqualification when Steele uses a foreign object to counter one being used by Lawler. After the match, The Animal grabs a drink container from underneath the ring and throws it at referee Jimmy Korderas.

The wooden crate on the stage has started to move...

The intro to War Zone plays to signal the start of the second hour.

The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) show up in New York Rangers jersey and with hockey sticks in their hands. We then see a video package of their "greatest hits," where they gloat about injuring Dude Love and putting Mankind in a walk-in freezer. All of a sudden, Dude Love's music plays, then Dude Love appears on the TitanTron. He says they broken his ribs and his heart, and that they did not play by the rules. He announces he will step down and let another man do the fighting for him. Dude Love then transforms into Mankind, and says he has been looking forward to this moment. His body may have thawed out, but his heart remains frozen, which is bad news for The New Age Outlaws. He then realizes that they may not have committed a crime, but instead gave him a favor, because it's all starting to make sense. They're on Raw in Long Island, New York, and he's finally home. He transforms into Cactus Jack, and says he's going to kick their asses. He also tells Mrs. Foley that he's not alone and has help in the form of "Chainsaw Charlie." Cactus Jack then shows up with a barbed wire baseball bat, and The New Age Outlaws immediately go to town on him. It doesn't take long until Cactus Jack puts both men in the Mandible Claw, and the match starts.

Cactus Jack beats The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) by disqualification after the match continues to spiral out of control. After the match, Cactus Jack dares The New Age Outlaws to follow him, and the fight goes to the stage. After Cactus Jack sends Jesse James into the wooden crate, a chainsaw starts cutting through the crate. Inside is Chainsaw Charlie, who chases after The New Age Outlaws with a chainsaw. The New Age Outlaws have no choice but to run away.

Sable shows up, and it is announced that Sable is on split covers of the newest issue of Raw Magazine, available on newsstands tomorrow. She is proud of the new swimsuit issue available, and decides to give the fans a preview of what to expect. "Marvelous" Marc Mero shows up with a steel chair in his hands as Sable is about to disrobe, and asks her if she would do anything to humiliate him. Sable says "no," and Mero says people came here to see him wrestler, not to see her take her clothes off. Kevin Kelly tells Mero to take it easy, but Mero tells Sable that she'd be nothing without him and calls Kevin Kelly "a third-string announcer" before hitting him with a low blow. Mero then yells at Sable again, then Tom Brandi gets in the ring and strikes Mero from behihnd before helping Sable out of the ring. Mero then hits Tom Brandi from behind with the steel chair before hitting him with the TKO and stuffing the cover of the new Raw Magazine down his throat and a picture of Sable from the magazine in his trunks. Mero then says that if he sees any more posters, pictures or magazine covers of Sable, he'll do to the entire crowd what he did to Brandi. He then says that he is the star of this show.

The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz), The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh), Scott Taylor and Flash Funk are seen heading into the ring...

The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz), The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh), Scott Taylor and Flash Funk are in the ring. Chainz grabs the microphone and tells Kane that if he thinks The Undertaker has burned him, then they haven't been burned by The Disciples of Apocalypse and everyone else in the ring. Chainz then calls Kane out so they can put his fire out. Kane and Paul Bearer show up, then The Undertaker follows suit. Kane and The Undertaker stare down, then they suddenly join forces and fight off all seven men. They then stare down again, and The Undertaker leaves the ring. Paul Bearer is shocked, as is Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. The Undertaker then speaks into the camera, saying he will not fight Kane and that he will burn in Hell before he does.

Michael Cole interviews The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) backstage, who are more worried about Chainsaw Charlie than they are about their tag team title defense against The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) at Royal Rumble. The buzzing sound of a chainsaw is heard, and a chainsaw cuts through the door to the locker room. Cole and the Outlaws run for the hills while Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie look for the Outlaws.

Jim Cornette talks about the state of the wrestling industry in 1998. He says the state of wrestling stinks. He says the WCW and nWo stinks, that ECW is embarrassing and that the WWF stinks. He talks about The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust and Luna Vachon dressed up as a Christmas tree and a reindeer, respectively, as well as "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley "showing their buttcheeks on national TV and having a phony match for a championship." He says that nobody has respect for wrestling anymore and asks where wrestling - not "sports entertainment" - is. Just a couple of years ago, he left Tennessee and moved to Connecticut to work in the WWF full-time, which he compares to "trading a Hawaiian vacation for a bed in the cancer ward." He talks about how in Connecticut, there is snow seven months out of the year, there are real estate prices that would make Donald Trump's hair stand on end, and there is the rudest bunch of people he's ever seen where English is a second language and traffic jams occur at four o'clock in the morning. Over the last couple of years, however, he says he hasn't seen any wrestling. He admits there are plenty of great wrestlers in the WWF, but they don't have any time to wrestle due to everything else going on. He says the problem is that "a game show host from Minneapolis with phony hair, phony teeth and a phony tan" is running WCW while the WWF is run by Yankees up north in Connecticut who wouldn't know a wrestling match if it bit them as they sit around all day listening to fans on the Internet who wouldn't know a wrist lock from a wrist watch. He doesn't care what some Yankee from New York City wants to see; he wants to see wrestling matches with wrestlers. He wants to see real, old-fashioned wrestling and people with respect for the traditions of the wrestling industry and the sport of wrestling in general. He doesn't want to see sports entertainment and flying donkey all around. He thinks it's garbage, insulting and a shame to a fine sport. Down South, they know wrestling and grew up on it and respected it. He says it's about time that the promoters in today's industry realize that wrestling fans watching a wrestling program want to see wrestlers wrestle. The problem is that nobody has respect for tradition like he does, and says he has always been associated with real, good, old-fashioned wrestling and not a circus sideshow. If nobody else wants to bring wrestling over here, then maybe it's going to be up to him. He says it might as well be his New Year's resolution for 1998 to bring tradition and real wrestling back to the WWF.

Sunny shows up and shows off her cover for the newest issue of Raw magazine, as well as a fold-out poster of her in a swimsuit. It is then announced that former world heavyweight boxing championship "Iron" Mike Tyson has started negotiations to appear at WrestleMania 14 on March 29th in Boston, Massachusetts. Details of his WrestleMania appearance will be elaborated on when updates are available.

Owen Hart beats "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels by disqualification after "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley hits Owen Hart with one of his crutches and continues to do so. The referee is knocked down as the match ends. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels retains the WWF Championship.

Starrcade 1997 - The Results

Numerous WCW superstars are seen in the crowd, ready to see Sting and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan square off.

Before the next match, it is announced that the nWo have put out a press release stating that Kevin Nash will not be here tonight to take on The Giant. Also, it is announced that a new referee will be picked via random name draw by WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon.

Eddie Guerrero retains the WCW Cruiserweight Championship against Dean Malenko after working on Dean Malenko's knee.

Scott Hall shows up. He says that everybody here wants to see "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan take out Sting and that nobody is more interested than him as he takes on the winner at SuperBrawl. He also confirms that Kevin Nash will not be here tonight. He then calls for a referee, and tells The Giant that he won. The Giant shows up and gets in the ring, and it is noted that he is not wearing a cast on his recently injured hand. The Giant says he is a forgiving man, and says that "if I were to wrestle me, I wouldn't wanna be here, either." He also says he is a patient man and will be in wrestling for a long time, and when Kevin Nash comes back, he'll find out that he is the real giant. He also has another message for Nash, but before he can deliver it, Scott Hall throws his toothpick at him and punches him a few times only to be hit with the Jackknife Power Bomb. Scott Norton and Vincent help hall to the back, then head to the ring for their match.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage replaces Konnan in the upcoming six-man tag match, despite not being scheduled to appear. He harasses Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) at the aisle on his way to the match.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage, Scott Norton and Vincent beat The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) and Ray Traylor.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon, who calls the WCW wrestlers in the crowd a "tremendous showing of unity" as WCW has a lot at stake tonight. He says that due to interesting from both Sting and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Dillon announces that the names of all the wrestlers were placed in a random draw and that Nick Patrick will be the referee for Sting vs. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan tonight. Patrick's name raises some eyebrows, due to his prior history as a former member of the nWo, but Dillon tells Okerlund that Patrick's record is exemplary.

Raven's Flock (Billy Kidman, Sick Boy, Scotty Riggs, Lodi, Van Hammer) are seen in the front row before the next match.

Bill Goldberg beats Steve "Mongo" McMichael. Before the match, Goldberg and Mongo go at it, and Goldberg picks up and carries Mongo into the ring. During the match, Goldberg punches Mongo off the aprona nd into a table that Goldberg set up earlier in the match, hurting Mongo and keeping him from putting Goldberg in the Tombstone Piledriver, now known as the Mongo Spike. This allows Golberg to get Mono in the air for the Jackhammer.

Before the next match, Rven - who comes out from the back - says that when he signed with WCW, he stated that he would not conform to their rules or their corporate structure. He also made sure certain stipulations were included to allow him to wrestler who, when and where he wants. He has chosen tonight not to wrestle, and he has also decided to allow Perry Saturn to finish off something that should have been finished off a long time ago: the destruction of "The Crippler" Chris Benoit. When Saturn shows up, he also comes out from the back. Benoit then tells Raven he doesn't look at reality or the truth through a veil, as things are what they are and he is who he is. When he rests, he rests in reason. When he moves, he moves with passion, and there is nothing he is more passionate about right now that dealing pain to Raven. Raven teases getting into the ring to allow Saturn to go for an attack from behind, but Benoit sees that coming and hits Saturn with a knife edge chop.

Perry Saturn beats "The Crippler" Chris Benoit with the Rings of Saturn thanks to the efforts of the rest of Raven's Flock (Raven, Billy Kidman, Lodi, Scotty Riggs, Sick Boy, Van Hammer).

Buff Bagwell beats Lex Luger. Vincent shows up during the match to provide Bagwell with some back-up. Later on in the match, Buff Bagwell knocks Lex Luger into referee referee Billy Silverman. Luger then puts Bagweell in the rack, then "Macho Man" Randy Savage shows up. Luger body slams him and puts him in the rack, but Scott Norton shows up and knocks out Luger with Rick Steiner's dog collar wrapped around his fist before placing Bagwell on top of Luger. Miss Elizabeth shows up to check on Savage after the match.



Diamond Dallas Page - taking the place of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, who is injured - beats Curt Hennig to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship! DDP celebrates in the crowd after the match.

Eddie Guerrero answers questions for an interview on WCWWrestling.com.

Eric Bischoff beats "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko...almost. Scott Hall helps out a worn-out Bischoff by placing a steel plate in one of Bischoff's boots, allowing Bischoff to knock Zbyszko out. When Bischoff kicks Zbyszko, however, the steel plate flies right off. When Bischoff asks special guest referee Bret "The Hit Man" Hart to raise his hand, Bret lays him out, and also beats up Scott Hall when he gets in the ring, putting him in the Sharpshooter. After Zbyszko chokes Bischoff out with his own belt, Bret raises Zbyszko's hand instead. "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko beats Eric Bischoff to keep Nitro in WCW's hands.

"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan retains the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Sting. Bret "The Hit Man" Hart stops David Penzer from ringing the bell, and claims that referee Nick Patrick made a fast count. (In reality, Nick Patrick was supposed to actually make a fast count, but botched the finish and performed a regular cadence on his count instead.) He punches out referee Nick Patrick, then grabs Hogan and tosses him back in the ring. He restarts the match with himself as referee, saying that he refuses to let anyone get screwed over like he did again, referring to the Montreal Screwjob. Sting hits Hogan with a Stinger Splash, fights off the nWo, hits Hogan with another Stirnger plash and puts Hogan in the Scorpion Death Lock. Hogan submits, and Sting beats Hogan in the impromptu rematch to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The WCW Superstars in the crowd celebrate with Sting in the ring. (The match is considered to be the zenith and, due to how it was booked and the aforementioned ref botch, the start of WCW's slow decline by means of poor creative decisions and backstage dissent.)

New York, New York - WWF New York recap for December 27, 1997

The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh) beat Los Boricuas (Savio Vega and Miguel Perez) by disqualification. During the match, Jesus Castillo and Jose Estrada Jr. are ejected from ringside, but Jesus and Jose rush in and interfere near the end of the match. The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball) rush in with 2x4s and run Los Boricuas out of the ring.

Michael Cole interviews The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball), who say it is time to get serious, and if this is how Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo, Jose Estrada Jr.) want to play, they'll be "up and down that ass all night long."

Tickets for this Monday night's Raw at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum will be available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis on Monday. As for Saturday Night at the Madison Square Garden on January 10th, The Undertaker and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will take on D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley) in a Steel Cage Match. $3.00 discount coupons are available at local Rite-Aid locations.

WWF The Music: Volume 2 is available on CD for $14.95 plus $4 shipping and handling.

The 1997 Year In Review - with Jim Ross' uncensored opinions - is available on The Ross Report on Option 3 of the WWF Superstar Line!

Flash Funk beats Faarooq with a surprise roll-up as Faarooq is distracted by The Rock. At the beginning of the match, Faarooq allows Flash Funk to leave the ring, as if he wants nothing to do with him, but Faarooq clotheslines Flash Funk as he is halfway out of the ring. Later on, Rocky Maivia shows up on his own time after D'Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa whip Flash Funk, then Faarooq whips Flash Funk with the leather strap as D'Lo Brown has the referee distracted.

You can win "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's Chevrolet Z71 pick-up truck, which will be awarded to one lucky winner during Royal Rumble 1998! Just call 1-900-RUMBLE-98. (All calls are $1.99, and no purchase or telephone call is necessary. You must be 18 or older and have a valid driver's license to win.) Send mail-in entries to: WWF Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 265, Devon, PA 19333. (All mail-in entries must be postmarked by January 12, 19998 and received by January 17, 1998.)

At Madison Square Garden on January 10th, "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock will face Rocky Maivia for the WWF Intercontinental Championship! Kane will take on Chainz in a revenge match! Dude Love vs. Jeff Jarrett in a special attraction match! Tom Brandi and "Marvelous" Marc Mero will square off!

Tom Brandi beats Barry Houston.

"The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry beats The Sultan with a bear hug.

Vince's Got A Shotgun - Shotgun Saturday Night recap for December 27, 1997

"The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry beats The Sultan with a bear hug.

Tom Brandi beats Barry Houston. During the match, it is announced that the 1997 Year In Review is available on The Ross Report on Option 3 of the WWF Superstar Line.

The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh) beat Los Boricuas (Savio Vega and Miguel Perez) by disqualification. During the match, Jesus Castillo and Jose Estrada Jr. are ejected from ringside, but Jesus and Jose rush in and interfere near the end of the match. The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball) rush in with 2x4s and run Los Boricuas out of the ring.

Michael Cole interviews The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball), who say it is time to get serious, and if this is how Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo, Jose Estrada Jr.) want to play, they'll be "up and down that ass all night long."

Flash Funk beats Faarooq with a surprise roll-up as Faarooq is distracted by The Rock. At the beginning of the match, Faarooq allows Flash Funk to leave the ring, as if he wants nothing to do with him, but Faarooq clotheslines Flash Funk as he is halfway out of the ring. Later on, Rocky Maivia shows up on his own time after D'Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa whip Flash Funk, then Faarooq whips Flash Funk with the leather strap as D'Lo Brown has the referee distracted.

Nitro-Glycerin - Monday Nitro recap for December 22, 1997

We see a Christmas-themed performance by The Nitro Girls.

The nWo release a new paid announcement, where Eric Bischoff tells "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko his name will go down in history after Nitro is placed in the nWo's hands. Bischoff says Nitro should have been the nWo's to begin with, as they were cheated out of it, but not this time. He says that the last thing Zbyszko will feel will be his boot in the side of his head, then tells him that his fists will hit him hard. He says that Zbyszko hasn't done his homework and that he will beat and embarrass him, and says that Zbyszko isn't even a legend in his own mind. He thanks Zbyszko for making this too easy for him, and says that tonight's holiday Nitro will be a surprise for all the fans.

WCW honors Kevin Greene.

Fit Finlay beats Eddie Guerrero by count-out after Eddie walks out of the match, saying he "doesn't need this."

We see a video package where The Giant says he is done with Kevin Nash and the nWo mocking and injuring him. He intends to come to Starrcade to dish out pain and, knowing that the nWo likes to dish out pain, tells them they'd better be able to take it.

Steve "Mongo" McMichael beats Meng after hitting him with a wooden chair and a steel chair before hitting him with the Tombstone Piledriver.

WCW honors NFL great Reggie White.

We see another performance by The Nitro Girls.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Diamond Dallas Page, who tosses a few T-shirts in the crowd on his way to the ring. He says a lot of people are talking about WCW uniting. He says if that's true, then that's cool. He calls "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair a cornerstone of WCW, which is even cooler. He says this is the time of year when people should come together. Anyone who knows him knows he's "Mr. Christmas," as his house looks like a landing pad and he and Kimberly are known as "The Griswolds." He loves giving presents and getting presents, and at Starrcade, his gift is Curt Hennig and the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. When he gets to Starrcade, he will rip Curt Hennig apart piece by piece, and Hennig will feel the bang. Page then leaves through the crowd.

This Saturday on WCW Saturday Night: Eddie Guerrero! Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and "Flyboy" Rocco Rock)! Bill Goldberg! The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner)!

We get the tale of the tape concerning Kevin Nash vs. The Giant at Starrcade courtesy of Mike Tenay.

Rey Mysterio Jr., Hector Garza and Juventud Guerrera beat La Parka, Psychosis and Silver King. Lodi, Sick Boy and Van Hammer of Raven's Flock are seen heading to their front row seats during the match.

Brandon Lowery of University of Tennessee-Chattanooga wins the grand prize of the live Nitro party.

Before the next match, "The Crippler" Chris Benoit tells the rest of Raven's Flock (Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Sick Boy, Scotty Riggs, Lodi) to give Van Hammer a hand, as he's going to need it.

"The Crippler" Chris Benoit beats Van Hammer by disqualification after the rest of Raven's Flock Raven's Flock (Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Sick Boy, Scotty Riggs, Lodi) interfere. Saturn then puts Benoit in the Rings of Saturn.

WCW honors Jim Kelly.

The nWo harass the commentary team off the commentary table, and force cameramen and security to wear "nWo Monday Nitro: shirts. The Nitro logos are taken down, and replaced with an "nWo Monday Nitro" motif as part of a hostile takeover of the show. Ring announcer David Penzer is attacked by Buff Bagwell for siding with WCW.

After the commercial break, Buff Bagwell spray paints "nWo" on the ring mat, and pyrotechnics is fired off to celebrate the nWo's re-christening of the show. A giant "nWo Monday Nitro" sign is lowered onto the stage. A new title video plays for "nWo Monday Nitro."

Eric Bischoff arrives on a motorcycle before getting in the ring and bringing out the entire nWo. Bischoff tells "Hollywood" Hulk HOgan that tonight is his night, and that the nWo will take care of Lex Luger. Since everyone is watching and in the audience thanks to Hogan, Bischoff has a few gifts for him. As flyers wishing Hogan a merry Christmas drop from the roof of the arena, Hogan is gifted with not one, but two brand new motorcycles, one of which has Hollywood's face on it. (The second motorcycle with Hogan's face is brought out, as the guy wheeling the first one in can be heard saying the first one was not the right one.) Hogan is also gifted with a "nWo Monday Nitro" convertible limo complete with hot tub and his own set of Nitro Girls in the back.

WCW Executive Committee Chairman talks to Rick Steiner and Ted DiBiase, telling them they aren't required to go out there tonight, but Rick says that's not how they do things and that they're going out there anyway.

Eric Bischoff, Rick Rude and Kevin Nash take over commentary for nWo Monday Nitro.

Rick Steiner beats Scott Norton by disqualification after the nWo interferes. Scott Steiner and Ray Traylor show up to back Rick Steiner up and clear the ring.

nWo honor Dennis Rodman.

Curt Hennig retains the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship against Disco Inferno.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan shows up at the commentary table, wanting to talk business with Eric Bischoff. He says that he has admired Bischoff since he showed up in WCW and that he left the WWF because of him. He calls Bischoff "the Donald Trump of wrestling" and says that Bischoff makes Steven Spielberg "look like some guy making 8mm films in a garage someplace." He says he has been a winner and wants to be with a winner, and that he has to be with Nitro. He considers his broadcast career to mean more than wrestling and managing, and sees that nWo is on the way to being #1 and wants to be part of Nitro. After saying Kevin Nash is "the Giant," Bischoff lets him in. When Rick Rude asks if Sting deserves to have his neck broken by "Hollywood' Hulk Hogan, Heenan says yes. Kevin Nash lets Heenan take his seat on commentary as he heads to the back.

Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) beat Raven's Flock (Scotty Riggs and Lodi) after Riggs leaves Lodi high and dry. Mike Tenay rejoins commentary during the match.

Buff Bagwell beats Chris Jericho, then lays out referee Mickey Jay with a lariat after the match.

The New World Order shows up. Eric Bischoff wishes everyone a merry Christmas, then says that Vince McMahon "fears everyone right about now" when Hogan shows off a "Vince fears Hogan" sign. Bischoff then awards Hogan with a ring that looks just like the WCW World Heavyweight Championship that tells everyone he is World champion as the championship belt is a little tight. Bischoff tells Hogan that he has made wrestling something everyone can be proud of, and shows a banner of Hogan's Sports Illustrated cover from 1984, followed by another banner of Hogan choking out Sylvester Stallone in Rocky II.

The "nWo Monday Nitro" limo heads to the back.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage heads to the commentary table before the next match and dedicates his match against Lex Luger to "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage beats Lex Luger after Luger accidentally hits referee Randy Anderson with the running forearm, Buff Bagwell attacks Luger from behind and Kevin Nash hits Luger with the Jackknife Power Bomb as the referee is still down.

Eric Bischoff and "Hollywood' Hulk Hogan show up again. Bischoff says it's a wonderful life being with Hogan, and that it's nothing that he would have ever imagined as he thanks Hogan. Hogan says that the nWo will party on into 1998, and that the party is over for Sting as the weight of the world is on his shoulders and he shall be stung. A member of the Nitro crew brings out a box, but Bischoff doesn't remember ordering another present. The "nWo Monday Nitro" limo returns with Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, who heads into the asile. Inside the package is a plastic replica of Hogan's head, and Hogan is in shock as he looks over Bret's head and sees Sting, who swings down into the ring on a zip line to the end the show.

Raw Deal - Raw recap for December 22, 1997

D-Generation ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna) show up, with Shawn and Triple H in white bathrobes. Shawn wants to know if all the fans of the WWF have been good little boys and girls, because if they are, DX has a present especially for them. Until then, they have some business to take care of. Triple H focuses on The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) and how they brought their domination to a screeching halt. As for the newly-christened team of The New Age Outlaws - "Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn - who want to take credit for L.O.D.'s downfall, in Triple H's words - they are just vultures trying to pick the bones off their kill, and if they know what's best for them, they'll stay out of DX's business. He then focuses on Owen Hart, he has Owen in his sights and he will be his worst nightmare and send him packing. He tells Owen that if he needs a pacifier to suck on - since he's the baby of the family - then he can come see him because he's got one just for him before doing a crotch chop. Shawn then takes the microphone and focuses on The Undertaker, whom he says couldn't beat him the first or second time and will not beat him the third time. At the Hell In A Cell Match, he beat him like a red-headed stepchild, and tells 'Taker he can ask any woman in the world, and they'll tell him he doesn't rest in peace, but instead stays up all night long. He then gives the WWF their special Christmas present: disrobing to holiday-themed boxers before stripping down to holiday-themed thongs which are covered up on-screen. Shawn then tells the WWF Superstars that if they want, they can come out to the ring and kiss them under the mistletoe as Chyna holds up mistletoe with both hands behind Shawn and Triple H's backsides. WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter shows up, and Shawn and Triple H put their robes back on. Slaughter says it's close to the Christmas season and he's in the giving mood, so he gives them a gift. He first tells Shawn he hasn't defended the WWF European Championship in over 60 days, and either gives him the choice of defending it against an opponent of his choosing or being stripped of the title. Shawn tells Slaughter that he's not afraid to be stripped of anything, and that he doesn't give away belts for anybody, saying he will defending the European title against anyone, anywhere, any time. Slaughter then announces that Shawn's opponent is Triple H, much to the chagrin of both Shawn and Triple H. DX have a team huddle, then Triple H says that he knows Slaughter is trying to ruin D-Generation X by having him beat Shawn. Shawn takes the microphone and says he was with him until he made it to the part about beating him, and tells him he doesn't wear a championship on each shoulder by being a loser. He tells Triple H to ask around in the locker room and he'll find out that he doesn't lay down for anybody.

Before the next match, Michael Cole interviews The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn). Henry O. says that The Headbangers did not outsmart him an Phineas. He also says that he and Phineas haven't forgotten about The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn), saying that they owe them a tag team title shot.

Thrasher beats Henry O. Godwinn after Phineas I. Godwinn stomps Thrasher. Henry O. hits Mosh with the Slop Drop, then he and Phineas pull out leather straps and whip Thrasher and Mosh with them until referees and officials get in the ring to try to restore order.

Mankind is in the bowels of the arena. He says that when you break Dude Love's ribs, his ribs hurt too. He doesn't want to drink eggnog around the fire. Instead, he wants to make the yuletide gay and give rather than receive. He says he will give The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) a beating in what he calls "the fight before Christmas."

We see footage from last week's Raw after the show went of the air. Santa Claus is in the ring, expecting Sable, but Sable doesn't show up and Santa finds out Sable isn't coming. Santa goes a boy from the audience instead, and Santa isn't impressed. Santa asks the boy what he wants for Christmas, but the boy tells him he's not the real Santa Claus. Santa asks the boy who gave him the right to say that and sends him back to the audience, then "Stone Cold" Steve Austin shows up. Santa wishes Austin a merry Christmas, then Austin tells him to shut up. The boy, who is still at ringside, is mentioned by Austin, and tells Santa not to kick the boy out of the ring. When confronted about his authenticity, Santa insists he's the real deal. Austin then asks Santa what he asked for when he was six years old and had been "a good little S.O.B. all year." Santa says it was a Barbie doll and tiddlywinks. Austin says it wasn't a Barbie doll, and says he can tell him what he can do with all those tiddlywinks. Austin says Santa is fat enough and has the rosy cheeks, then tells him to stand up. Austin asks the boy if that's the real Santa. The boy says no. Austin tells the crowd to give him a "Hell No" if he's not the real Santa, and he gets one. Austin then gives him a Christmas present straight from his own heart: a Stone Cold Stunner. He then hits Santa with an elbow drop off the second rope before tossing him out of the ring.

We hear "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley arguing behind the door of their locker room before Shawn leaves and Chyna tries to reason with him.

Paul Bearer shows up during the next match. Kama Mustafa crotches The Undertaker on the rope as the referee is preoccupied with Bearer before the break.

The Undertaker plants "The Rock" Rocky Maivia with a Tombstone Piledriver when Paul Bearer comes back with Kane. The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, The Rock) get out of the ring, then Paul Bearer tells the world to feast their eyes on The Undertaker before calling him a shell of a man that he once was. Last week, he gave him one last chance to step up and face his brother, but he tucked tail and ran. Bearer says that he is ashamed to ever have anything to do with him, and cannot believe that he proudly stood by his side and called him his friend. He says 'Taker is nothing anymore, and says it is said that his poor parents with the maggots and the worms. The Undertaker puts his hands on Bearer, then Kane puts his hands on The Undertaker. The Undertaker is about to attack Kane but relents, and Kane gets the upper hand. Bearer dares The Undertaker to attack his brother as Kane continues to stomp The Undertaker in the corner. Bearer calls Kane's attack on The Undertaker proof that The Undertaker, then declares 1998 will be the year of Kane.

The intro to War Zone plays to signal the start of the second hour.

Before the next match can take place, Owen Hart attacks "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley from behind, and is stopped by WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Shawn and Triple H accuse Slaughter of being in on Owens' attack on Helmsley.

The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) are wearing miner's helmets as they go into the bowels to the building to find Mankind. They find someone and assault him from behind, but when they turn the lights on, the find out it's not him.

Before the next match, "Marvelous" Marc Mero says that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and he thanks the Marc Mero fans who braved the weather so the greatest boxer-wrestler in the world. He has something special for each and every one of his fans: a look at "his property" Sable, who is in a reindeer suit. He says that things are going to be his way before ordering Sable to disrobe him, which she does. The light on the reindeer nose glows, then Marc Mero makes fun of it before telling her to get out. After the match begins, Sable takes off the reindeer mask and stays at ringside.

"Marvelous" Marc Mero beats Scott Taylor, then hits him with a low blow after the match. Tom Brandi shows up before Mero can hit Taylor with another TKO and fights off Mero. Mero tries to retreat, but Brandi hits in the back of the head with a baseball slide, causing Mero to hurt his knee. Sable then takes off the reindeer outfit to reveal a Santa-style dress, leggings and black high heels underneath. She then grabs the microphone and wishes the WWF fans a very merry Christmas before blowing a kiss.

"Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley says that if "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels wants a fight, he'll get one. Chyna tells Triple H he has nothing to prove by beating Shawn, but Triple H says he has everything to prove, especially since Shawn keeps calling himself the showstopper. Triple H says he has his lucky shirt on, and tells Shawn he has a lesson to be taught, and he's going to teach it to him.

The Jackyl grabs a microphone and puts Kurrgan on a pedestal during the next match, and addresses being called a cult leader by saying that he simply has a message to start a revolution.

Kurrgan the Interrogator beats 8-Ball, then 8-Ball attacks Kurrgan and The Jackyl. Recon and Sniper attack 8-Ball along with Kurrgan, then Skull shows up with a 2x4 and clears the ring.

The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) are still looking for Mankind deep in the building.

"The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock beats D'Lo Brown with the ankle lock, then keeps Faarooq and Kama Mustafa at bay. "The Rock" Rocky Maivia shows up with a microphone, saying Shamrock is lucky as The Nation (Faarooq, D'Lo, Kama, The Rock) can tear him up with a snap of his fingers. He then says his fans want to know how he feels about the Gulf crisis, then says it isn't really important. He then acknowledges that Shamrock is called "The World's Most Dangerous Man" before saying the UFC is full of has-beens and never-was. He then has a gift for Shamrock: a one-on-one match at Royal Rumble for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. He then asks Shamrock if he has the guts before he and The Nation leave. Once again, Faarooq reluctantly looks at The Rock like he's lost his mind before heading to the back with him.

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels says it's ugly between him and "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and calls Triple H the ugliest thing about DX as he says he will take care of him once and for all. Chyna tells Shawn he has nothing to prove, and Shawn agrees, saying he is the European and WWF Championship. Shawn says he has his lucky shirt on, but he still has to smack him around.

The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) are attacked by Mankind, but The New Age Outlaws get the upper hand and lock him in a walk-in freezer.

Luna Vachon and The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust show up. Goldust is dressed up like a Christmas tree, and Luna says that Goldust wishes to express himself in verse. Goldust reads 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. Suddenly, Santa Claus shows up and tosses candy into the crowd. Luna Vachon takes offense to this, as does Goldust. Goldust then continues to read, then Santa smacks Goldust in the back of the head with his sack. Santa then unmasks and reveals himself to be Vader. Goldust and Luna retreat.

"Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley "beats" "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels in a joke of a match to win the WWF European Championship! Shawn pretends to cry while Chyna console him and Triple H celebrates his title win. As WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter watches from the stage, Shawn grabs a microphone and pretends to cry, and Chyna consoles him. Triple H and Shawn hug, then Triple H says that other than his kid being born - even though he doesn't have one that he knows of - winning the European Championship is the greatest moment of his life. Triple H, Shawn and Chyna celebrate. Shawn tells Slaughter they didn't need his help, but they made an ass out of him anyway. Triple H points at Slaughter and laughs. We hear Sgt. Slaughter tell Triple H from afar that he will defending the title against Owen Hart next week.

Nitro-Glycerin - Monday Nitro recap for December 15, 1997

It is announced that Bret "The Hit Man" Hart will be here tonight to clear the air about rumors of him joining the New World Order.

The New World Order shows up, checking the underside of the ring for Sting on the way to it. Vincent looks through the crowd with binoculars in search of Sting. Masahiro Chono speaks a few words for the crowd, then Eric Bischoff says hello to Kevin Nash, who is currently preparing to prove who the true giant really is. Curt Hennig says North Carolina may be "Flair country," but the United States Heavyweight Championship makes him the man in the nWo. He and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair will get in a steel cage at Starrcade with the US title on the line and that history will be made as Flair will be retired after Starrcade. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan continues to call Sting a coward, saying he would never come out and come face-to-face with him, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is concerned about a sneak attack by Sting, and he plans to search the building for him, making sure Sting is stung if he finds him.

The New World Order release another paid announcement where they mock The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) and Ray Traylor.

Ray Traylor beats Vincent. Sick Boy, Lodi and Van Hammer of Raven's Flock are seen heading down to their ringside seats during the match.

We see The Nitro Girls at the commentary table.

Disco Inferno retains the WCW World Television Championship against Yuji Nagata after giving both Sonny Onoo and Nagata Chartbusters.

This Saturday on WCW Saturday Night: Disco Inferno! Chris Jericho! Diamond Dallas Page! The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner)! Lex Luger!

Eddie Guerrero guests on commentary for the next match. Dean Malenko stares down Eddie from a distance before the match.

Fut Finlay beats Dean Malenko after Eddie Guerrero distracts Malenko, which causes Malenko to hit Eddie with a forearm.

Raven 's Flock (Perry Saturn, Sick Boy, Billy Kidman, Van Hammer, Lodi) is seen in the front row.

Rey Mysterio Jr. and Juventud Guerrera beat Psychosis and La Parka.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund announces that Charlotte Police Chief Snyder and Major Barnes along with Doug Dellinger of WCW security are in the ring due to his next guest: "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, who shows up for the first time since his retirement. Anderson says he's now living in a new house he bought just down the road, but he still considers his real home the ring, as it is the only place he has felt comfortable since he was an adult. He says it's good to be back in the ring, if only for a little while. 90 days ago, Curt Hennig and the New World Order robbed Charlotte, North Carolina of seeing "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. He then tells Hennig he should have finished the job, as Ric Flair is here in the building. Ric Flair shows up, and takes the opportunity to honor the Charlotte police force, and says the police memorial is a tremendous monument to the fallen officers of the town. On behalf of WCW, he congratulates them and hands them a check for $15,000. Chief Snyder says that 22 officers slain in the line of duty, fifteen in the past eight years. On behalf of the police department and the families of the slain officers, the police department thanks WCW for the generous donation to their memorial. The police and Dellinger leave, then Ric Flair says that on behalf of Anderson and the city of Charlotte, he wants WCW to send in a video of the greatest Nitro party of all time. He calls Curt Hennig out tonight, because Charlotte can dance all night and dance a little longer, and the nWo can't beat him up in this city.

Pyrotechnics signal the start of the second hour. "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews WCW Executive Committe Chairman J.J. Dillon, but it isn't long before Eric Bischoff shows up. Bischoff says he has not yet done everything to get out of his match, and tells "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko to stay on commentary. Bischoff says the match isn't fair, saying he is not wrestler and never said that he was and that Zbyszko outweighs him by 60 pounds. He will get in the ring with Zbyszko, but Dillon has to agree to one thing: punches, kicks - especially to the head - and knock-outs count. Otherwise, the match is off. Dillon says he doesn't like Bischoff personally, yet he wouldn't say anything behind his back that he wouldn't say to his face. He agrees to Bischoff's demands due to Bischoff's martial arts background, but only if submissions count due to Zbyszko's wrestling background. Bischoff says the match is on.

We see another performance by The Nitro Girls.

Before the next match, Scott Hall gets a lot of cheers for WCW and a lot of boos for the nWo during his pre-match survey. Nevertheless, he says that tonight is "one more for the good guys."

Scott Hall beats Chris Jericho with both a choke slam - to mock The Giant - and The Outsider's Edge.

Kevin Potran and Rick Burko of Central Michigan University are the Nitro Party Pack winners this week. We see footage of their Nitro party.

Before the next match, it is revealed that Bill Goldberg has attacked Steve "Mongo" McMichael from behind. WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon sends Goldberg to fight Meng in Mongo's place, and Goldberg tells him "You want another victim? You got it!" As Goldberg heads to the ring, Mongo gets up and goes after Goldberg, and referees, officials and WCW security have to hold both men back.

We see another performance by The Nitro Girls.

The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) retain the WCW World Tag Team Championships against Konnan and Scott Norton by disqualification after Vincent interferes. Ray Traylor rushes into the ring, forcing the nWo to clear the ring.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage beats Booker T after referee Billy Silverman is knocked down and Miss Elizabeth keeps Booker T from going to the top rope. A fan tries to attack Savage during the match, but is quickly apprehended by security.

We see another performance by The Nitro Girls, and pyrotechnics signal the start of the third hour.

Scotty Riggs fights "The Crippler" Chris Benoit in Raven's place, denying the fans Benoit vs. Raven for the fourth week in a row.

"The Crippler" Chris Benoit beats Scotty Riggs with the Crippler Crossface. After the match, Benoit grabs the microphone and says "Quoth the Crippler, nevermore" again before calling out Raven for ducking him, saying the anticipation of pain is worse than pain in his case. He tells the rest of Raven's Flock (Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Sick Boy, Lodi, Van Hammer) that they claim to be non-conformists before saying they're looking at one. He then fives over the guardrail and fights the Flock, but the numbers game catches up and Perry Saturn puts him in the Rings of Saturn.

We see a video package of Sting.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon, who confirms that Eric Bischoff is throwing a tantrum after being put in a match against "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko and being unable to weasel his way out of the match. As if on cue, Bischoff shows up and wants to know who Dillon will use as the referee for their match. Dillon tells him it will be Randy Anderson, as they don't get much better than him. Bischoff is disappointed, and wants a tall referee that can see everything from every angle, and wants Kevin Nash. Dillon recommends Scott Dickerson, but Bischoff says Dillon can't keep picking guys fatter than him. When Dillon asks who Bischoff wants, Bischoff brings up Syxx, who still has a broken neck. Dillon then says he will pick a nWo guy, but Bischoff has to have the say on who he picks. Bischoff is okay with this, and Dillon immediately has the guy for the job: Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, who shows up and gets in the ring. Bret says it took a long time to get here, and that it's great to be in "Ric Flair country." Bret says that if Dillon is looking for a referee, he would be honored to do the job. Bischoff is excited that Bret is here at $7.5 million a year on Ted Turner's money with weekends off, but he tells Bischoff to do what he can, win if he can, but not to look to him for any help as nobdody knows better than him what it's like to be screwed by a referee. Bischoff tries to get Bret back on his side, but Bret doesn't seem to be listening to him.

The nWo release another paid announcement where they ridicule Lex Luger.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Lex Luger. Instead of Luger, however, he gets Buff Bagwell. He knows Lex Luger is in the building, having this interview planned out, then says that Luger is cowering in the locker room now that he's in the ring. He says that Luger hasn't beaten him, can't beat him and won't beat him. As if on cue, Lex Luger shows up and says Bagwell is so thoroughly pathetic from calling himself "the new Total Package" that he went to the production truck and got himself a match against Bagwell. Bagwell says he needs a referee for a match, but Lex has one lined up in the form of Nick Patrick. Bagwell then says he's not warmed up yet, but Luger has that covered by slapping Bagwell in the face. This starts the match, and Okerlund gets out of there.

Buff Bagwell beats Lex Luger by disqualification when Vincent and Scott Norton interfere and Luger sends Bagwell over the top rope.

Before the next match, Curt Hennig says he is truly too good to be true, as the gold he wears around his waist is something that belongs to him, because he is what he is and he is the best. He says there is nobody in the crowd that can beat him, and he hocks a loogie after uttering "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair's name before telling he feels like dancing all night and dancing a little longer, because he can and he is bigger, better and cooler than Flair. No matter what anyone says or thinks, there will be another Curt Hennig in the wrestling world, and he doesn't care who is brought out to the ring, as the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship is proof of that. Hennig keeps speaking as the show goes to break. (It is later revealed that Hennig was drunk that night.)

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair beats Curt Hennig by disqualification when the nWo interferes seconds after the match begins. Curt Hennig retains the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. Flair fights off the nWo, but the numbers game quickly catches up with him. As Curt Hennig puts Ric Flair in the Figure Four Leg Lock, Diamond Dallas Page shows up and fights off the nWo, and he is joined by The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) and Lex Luger. The nWo quickly retreats, and Diamond Dallas Page dares Curt Hennig to take the United States title from him. As Luger and the Steiners carry Flair to the back, due to it is noted by commentary that Bret "The Hit Man" Hart is not with the nWo. Page then grabs a microphone, and says he feels pretty good right now. He asks Hennig how he's feeling, and tells him he has a spot in the middle of the ring for him and calls him out, telling him to get in the ring and feel the bang. Two fans try to get in the ring, and one of them is kept out of the ring by announcer David Penzer while the other guy gets shoved down and kicked by referee Randy Anderson, who then puts him in an eye gouge before security takes it from there. Instead of Hennig, Page gets the entire nWo, including "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, and Page gets in the crowd to escape the nWo. Once again, Bret is not with the nWo. Hogan says that what just happened is an example of what happens when you mess with the nWo, then asks why Sting didn't come out to face him while the nWo was out here earlier. The lights go out as Hogan calls Sting a coward, and Sting is spotted in the rafters. The lights come back on, and Hogan calls out Sting as yet another fan is in almost in the ring and is being escorted out by security. The lights then go out again, then they come back on. Sting is then spotted on top of the entryway standing over the Nitro logo. Hogan continues to call out Sting, and Sting comes down from the entryway and approaches the ring as the show ends.

Raw Deal - Raw recap for December 15, 1997

Michael Cole interviews The Undertaker in the ring. It is announced that at Royal Rumble on January 18th, 1998, The Undertaker will face "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship, and it will be a Casket Match. The Undertaker says he has fought Shawn on two occasions, although nothing has been settled except for the fact that he can beat Shawn at will. He says that Shawn thought he had the world in his hands when he won the WWF Championship, but with the title comes the #1 contender. Shawn will not have to look into the eyes of the reaper, and when he does, he can't beat him. 'Taker's history in Casket Matches is legendary, as he has only lost one Casket Match and it took 10 men to put him in that casket. He says there are not ten men in D-Generation X (Shawn, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna), and that Shawn doesn't have ten friends to help him. He tells Shawn to give his soul to the lord, because the rest of his scrawny ass will belong to him, and after Royal Rumble, someone will rest in peace. Kane and Paul Bearer arrive, and Bearer calls the meeting "a beautiful family portrait" and the only thing missing are the parents that he murdered. Bearer says that all the agony of the WWF Superstars right now is 'Taker's fault, and the list is growing day by day. He gives The Undertaker one more chance to step up to the plate and be a man. Kane then slaps 'Taker in the face, then 'Taker stops Kane from slapping him a second time before leaving.

WWF: The Music: Volume 2 is available now!

Before the next match, Jerry "The King" Lawler says Taka Michinoku is "skoshi" ("small) and that he is "oki" ("big"), and that "that tempura shrimp" is "skoshi" tonight.

Taka Michinoku beats Jerry "The King" Lawler by disqualification after Taka is attacked by "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher. Taka fights back against Brian Christopher, and ducks out of the double team attempt by Christopher and Lawler. During the match, it is announced that the UFC Ultimate Japan event, where "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock's younger brother Frank Shamrock will compete for the UFC Middleweight Championship, will be on pay-per-view on December 21st.

On Option 3 of the WWF Superstar Line, you can learn how D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna) almost started a near-riot.

The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) say that tonight is not going to be pretty. They've never fought the likes of D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna), whom Hawk calls "Michael Bolton before the haircut, Fabio and RuPaul."

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The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, "The Rock" Rocky Maivia) shows up. The Rock calls himself the "the undisputed Intercontinental Champion," "the people's champion," and "the best damn Intercontinental Champion there ever was." Faarooq tries to interrupt The Rock, but The Rock tells him "the champ is talking." Unfortunately, The Rock is a very unhappy man due to the fact that "that thief in the night" "Stone Cold" Steve Austin stole the title. As the undisputed WWF Intercontinental Champion, he orders Austin to come out and give him the belt back. Austin shows up, but without the belt. Austin tells The Rock he doesn't just order him around, as he does what he wants, when he wants. He tells The Rock he whipped his ass, and that The Rock stole the title from him because he's a piece of trash. He then explains that he forfeited the title to him, because for once in his life, he was in a good mood and had mercy for him. He tells The Rock he'll find out where his title is and tells him to stick around, and that when he messes with him, he's in over his head. The Rock gives Austin one hour to return with his property, or else The Nation of Domination will search the entire building until they find Austin and beat him Faarooq is seen throughout the promo staring a hole through The Rock, as if to ask him who in the world he thinks he is.

We see the WWF Attitude vignette for "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock.

Before the next match, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn brags about what "Road Dog" Jesse James did to Dude Love last week, then says James will finish Dude Love for good. Billy Gunn then guests on commentary for the match.

Dude Love beats "Road Dog" Jesse James. During the match, Dude Love switches between Dude Love and Mankind, and also attacks "Bad Ass" Bily Gunn twice. After the match, Gunn tries to hit Dude Love with a chair, but Dude Love kicks Gunn in the gut and fights Gunn on the entrance ramp. James attacks Dude Love from behind, and Gunn and James hit a double-team vertical suplex on Dude Love on the stage. Referees have to stop Gunn and James from pushing Dude Love off the edge of the stage. Dude Love fights back, but Gunn and James push a referee into Dude Love, sending him off the edge of the stage and hip-first into a table eight feet below. Gunn and James then check on Dude Love, then stomp on him some more before leaving.

During the break, Dude Love is helped up by both referees and medical staff.

"The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry beats The Brooklyn Brawler with a bear hug in his Raw debut. Before the match, we take a look at Mark Henry's Olympic background as well as footage of his record 935-pound deadlift, and it is announced that more about his background and the injury he has recovered from will be mentioned on Livewire. During the match, it is announced that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has left the building, but has asked a camera crew to follow him.

It is announced that Owen Hart is in the building tonight, and that he will be confronted by Vince McMahon next.

The intro to War Zone plays to signal the start of the second hour.

Vince McMahon enters the ring to interview Owen Hart. Vince says he knows Owen Hart is here tonight as he has been spotted, and informs Owen that he has endangered the fans with his actions as of late by crawling over ringside fans to interfering in matches, and that his actions will not be tolerated. He reminds Owen that he is still under contract to the World Wrestling Federation, and orders him to appear in the ring right now. Owen is seen in the crowd, now with facial hair and an even shorter haircut. He climbs over the guardrail andenters the ring, and Vince asks Owen who he thinks he is. Owen turns the question around on Vince, and says he doesn't owe Vince an apology - or anything - and that he's tired of pleasing everybody and that "the bullshit stops here." He says his Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and The British Bulldog did what they had to do, and that is is time to do what he has to do and remain in the World Wrestling Federation. He spent nine years breaking his back night and day to earn a reputation, and nobody is running him out of the company like "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels did to Bret, Bulldog and Neidhart. Vince thinks this is all about the WWF Championship, but Owen tells Vince he's stupid and that it's more about "a piece of leather with tin on it," and that this is real life and about his reputation, respect and dignity. He tells Vince exactly what he is going to do: make Shawn Michaels' life a living hell. He doesn't give a shit if anyone calls him "the sole survivor" or "the black sheep." He says Shawn started this and now he will end this. Vince then tells Owen what he is going to do: send uniformed security to the ring so that the safety of the ringside fans is not endangered, as next week, Owen wil use the ramp and compete like everyone else. Owen stares a hole through Vince and grabs him by the suit collar before saying something to him. Uniformed security then escort Owen out of the ring as the crowd chants for him, and Owen leaves through the sea of people with uniformed security escorting him out of the building.

Tom Brandi (formerly Salvatore Sincere) beats The Sultan after tricking The Sultan into knocking The Iron Sheik off the apron. Before the match, it is announced that Dude Love is in the hospital with fractured ribs. It is then announced that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has last been seen by his camera crew on an abandoned bridge. After the match, Tom Brandi is attacked from behind by "Marvelous" Marc Mero with a low blow.

The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, "The Rock" Rocky Maivia) shows up again. It is announced that Vince McMahon has apologizes for his reaction to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin knocking him off the apron last week. The Rock then tells Austin that his time is up and that Austin is as gutless as can be. He tells Austin that he has pissed him off and that The Nation is coming to take the Intercontinental Championship. We then see Austin on a bridge on the TitanTron, with the WWF Intercontinental Championship in his hands. Austin tells The Rock that if he wants the title back, he'll need a few things, such as a mask to see under the water, a snorkel, a regulator, an oxygen tank, flippers, a cell phone and a pager - which he throws into the nearby river. Austin then says he doesn't give a damn about the WWF or The Rock, and throws the Intercontinental Championship in the water along with everything else. He then says he doesn't give a damn if The Rock finds it, saying if he does, good for him; if not, maybe he'll drown. The Rock is livid.

The WWF wishes everyone a happy holiday as they advertise a special Raw Is War Christmas next week.

Vince McMahon makes a special announcement. "It's been said that anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation, but now, more than ever, truer words have never been spoken. This is a conscious effort on our part to open the creative envelope, so to speak, in an effort to entertain you in a more contemporary manner. Even though we call ourselves "sports entertainment" because of the athleticism involved, the key word in that phrase is "entertainment." The WWF extends far beyond the strict confines of sports presentation into the wide-open environment of broad-based entertainment. We borrow from such program niches like soap operas like The Days Of Our Lives, or music videos such as those on MTV. Daytime talk shows like Jerry Springer and others. Cartoons like the King of the Hill on Fox, sitcoms like Seinfeld, and other widely accepted forms of television entertainment. We in the WWF think that you, the audience are, quite frankly, tired of having your intelligence insulted. We also think you are tired of the same simplistic theory of "good guys vs. bad guys." Surely, the era of the superhero who urges you to say your prayers and take your vitamins is definitely passe. Therefore, we've embarked upon a far more innovate and contemporary creative campaign that is far more invigorating and extemporaneous than ever before. However, due to the live nature of Raw and the War Zone, we encourage some degree of parental discretion as it relates to the younger audience allowed to stay up late. Other WWF programs on USA such as Saturday Morning Livewire and Sunday Morning Superstars, where there is more than a 40% increase in the younger audience, however, need no such discretion. We are responsible television producers who work hard to bring you this outrageous, wacky, wonderful world known as the WWF. Through some 50 years, the World Wrestling Federation has been an entertainment mainstay here in North America and all over the world. One of the reasons for that longevity is as the times have changed, so have we. I'm happy to say that this new, vibrant creative direction has resulted in a huge increase in television viewership for which we thank USA Network and TSN for allowing us to have the creative freedom, but most especially, we would like to thank you for watching. Raw and the War Zone are definitely the cure for the common show."

Steve Blackman beats Jose Estrada, Jr.

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels knows that Owen Hart is mad at him, and tells Owen Hart that he's not hard to find as he took all the gold off the waists of his family. "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley acknowledges that Shawn got rid of Bret "The Hit Man" Hart and The British Bulldog and that he got rid of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and asks if it would be Chyna's turn to get rid of Owen Hart. Shawn says the WWF would be afraid that Chyna would tear Owen apart, so it has to be him or Triple H, and they will settle it like they settle every major decision in their careers: a game of rock, paper, scissors which Triple H wins. Shawn tells Owen that he's in for a bad time as Triple H is coming his way. They haven't forgotten about The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk), as they will tear them apart tonight.

The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) beat D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley) by disqualification after Chyna hits Animal with a low blow while "Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn smother Hawk's mouth with a handkerchief covered in chloroform. After the match, Chyna nails Animal from behnd with the European Championship, then James and Gunn bring Hawk into the ring to shave Hawk's mohawk with an electric razor. DX, James and Gunn then powerbomb Animal through the commentary table. Billy Gunn then hits Hawk with a leg drop from the top rope, and Shawn hits Hawk with a top rope elbow drop after is revealed that Hawk is severely injured. James and Gunn leave, and Shawn is impressed by their actions as the show ends.

Nitro-Glycerin - Monday Nitro recap for December 8, 1997

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan replaces "The Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko on commentary for the first hour as Zbyszko wants to focus on his match at Starrcade.

Ray Traylor beats Konnan when the lights go out. When they come back on, Konnan is mysteriously knocked out in the middle of the ring.

Steve "Mongo" McMichael beats The Barbarian. Raven's Flock (Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Van Hammer, Sick Boy, Scotty Riggs, the unnamed member) is seen in the front row during the match, and it is noted here - and throughout the episode - that Raven is not here tonight. After the match, Jimmy Hart calls for Meng as Mongo knocks him off the apron, and Meng catches Mongo with the Tongan Death Grip.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Disco Inferno. He says that his match against Jacqueline at World War 3 was a no-win situation. He says that the locker room has no respect towards him, and if they want to say something about him, they should say it to his face.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Buff Bagwell. For years, he has heard about Lex Luger, who didn't show him anything last week. He says that WCW has kept him down for six, and says it's time to step up to the plate. He knows Luger is in the building, and if he's 1/100th of the man he is, he will accept his challenge. He says Luger can't beat him because he's buff and he's in Buffalo, New York.

Eddie Guerrero guests on commentary for the next match.

Dean Malenko beats Prince Iaukea with the Texas Cloverleaf.

We see a performance by The Nitro Girls at the commentary table.

The New World Order brag about injuring The Giant in their newest paid announcement.

This Saturday on WCW Saturday Night: "The Crippler" Chris Benoit! Dean Malenko! Diamond Dallas Page! Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray)!

Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith of Buffalo Bills fame are in the crowd tonight. A portion of the proceeds from tonight's show will go to Jim Kelly's son's charity Hunter's Hope.

We see recorded footage from Kevin Nash, who tells The Giant that he's the true giant of professional wrestling. The Giant may be bigger, but he's the best big man wrestling has ever seen. He says The Giant wanted none of him after he knocked him out with a baseball bat, and calls out The Giant for calling him out while he was injured, knowing he could beat him then. He challenges The Giant to a match at Starrcade, and this time, The Giant is injured and can't used his choke slam. He says The Giant is a giant lamb going to slaughter while he is at the top of his game.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews The Giant. The Giant agrees with Kevin Nash, saying he is one-dimensional. But that dimension is all he needs, and despite all that's been done to him, he's coming for Kevin Nash at Starrcade He says that there's only one giant, and it's him, and when he comes to Starrcade, he's bringing the choke slam with him.

We see another performance by The Nitro Girls.

Raven is scheduled to take on "The Crippler" Chris Benoit, but instead, the as-of-yet-unnamed newest member of his Flock fights him instead. We soon find out that his name is Lodi.

"The Crippler" Chris Benoit beats Lodi with the Crippler Crossface. After the match, Benoit grabs the microphone and says "Quoth the Crippler...nevermore," before calling Raven out, telling him to get in the ring so he can find out what being abused and victimized is all about.

Pyrotechnics signal the start of the second hour.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Flair says that Starrcade is coming soon, and he is betting on Sting to beat "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. He knows that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash are not invinicible, and that The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) will take them down. He tells Curt Hennig he wants him in a cage, where two men enter and one man walks out, and that one man walking out will be The Nature Boy. On the subject of Bret "The Hit Man" Hart supposedly joining the nWo, Flair says he would be remiss to say that Bret calling himself the greatest of all time only works when he has his own newspaper column in his own hometown, and tells him to come to Charlotte, North Carolina so he can show him real life. He says that Bret has joined the nWo to duck him, but he wants to show Bret that the best there is, was or ever will be is The Nature Boy, and comparing Bret to him is like comparing John Elway to Jim Kelly.

Hugh Morrus vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage ends with the lights going out. When they come back on, both men and the referee are down, and Savage is seen wearing a Sting mask.

Rick Rude and Eric Bischoff show up and approach the commentary table. Rick Rude calls Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan "the three monkeys," "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil." He tells Schiavone that the fans might buy his "crap," but the nWo knows better. Rude says WCW pays them, the production crew and the power bill. He says that if they know what's going on with the lights, they had better pray that it doesn't happen again because they will be back if it does and they will take out the entire commentary team. Rude then forces Tenay and Schiavone's hands on their eyes and mouth, respectively, and Bobby Heenan gets what is going on and places his hands on the speakers of his headset to avoid having Rude put his hands on him. Rude and Bischoff leave, and the commentary team have to take a commercial break to regroup as they are amazed, horrified and fearing for their lives at Rick Rude's behavior.

Disco Inferno beats Perry Saturn to take back the WCW World Television Championship and snap a losing streak that started when Disco lost the title. During the match, he sends Perry Saturn into the rest of Raven's Flock (Billy Kidman, Van Hammer, Lodi, Sick Boy, Scotty Riggs).

Bryan Rudick of the Zeta Beta Tau chapter of the University of Illinois-Champagne is the winner of this week's Nitro prize pack. We see some footage from his Nitro party.

We see another performance by The Nitro Pack.

Buff Bagwell beats Lex Luger by count-out after Luger is distracted by both Scott Norton - who shows up near the end of the match - and Vincent. Condolences and prayers are sent out before the match to executive producer and director Craig Leathers, whose mother Sarah passed away over the weekend.

The nWo make fun of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in their newest paid announcement.

We see a video package of Sting.

Diamond Dallas Page beats Scott Hall by disqualification after the nWo runs in and attacks Page. Eric Bischoff and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan show up before Hall puts Page in The Outsider's Edge. Another Sting dummy drops down and crashes through the ring, and the nWo get a good laugh out of it. Hogan says that when you're with the nWo, you're with the nWo for life, and that everyone knows that Sting is a coward and that he scares him off. He says that Scott Hall is the clear-cut winner tonight just like everyone in the nWo. The nWo then pull the dummy out of the ring, and Hogan says this is the best thing that can happen as he continues to make fun of Sting, saying he and Scott Hall should be tying up as Sting is just a big disappointment. Hogan then unmasks the dummy only to find out that the dummy is the real, genuine Sting. Sting is still attached to his harness as he fights off the New World Order to end the show.

Raw Deal - Raw recap for December 8, 1997

Vince McMahon shows up to start the show. He says that there is no denying the popularity of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, but also says that Austin has been getting away with murder as of late, assaulting WWF officials and announcers, including himself. He then goes on to say that last night, Austin went too far, as he endangered the lives of the fans by driving his pick-up truck into the arena and all the way out to the ring and used it as a weapon against his opponent. He then hit a referee with the Stone Cold Stunner, albeit inadvertently, and as that referee was coming to and ready to disqualify Austin, another referee rushed in to count the pinfall for Austin. As a result, Vince McMahon demands that Austin defend the Intercontinental Championship against "The Rock" Rocky Maivia tonight. Stone Cold shows up and confronts Vince for ordering him to do something, and tells him that Stone Cold does what he wants, when he wants, and doesn't care who Vince is. Vince says he is the proud owner of the WWF and his boss as referees and officials surround the ring, and Austin says he doesn't give a damn. Vince then tells Austin there are consequences if he doesn't defend the Intercontinental Championship tonight, but Austin says he has consequences of his own, and asks the crowd to give him a "hell yeah" if they want to see Vince get his ass whipped. Vince also confronts Austin for his language, but Austin tells Vince he's going to pop a top on a beer, eat a hot dog or two and give him an answer to whether or not he will defend the title while Vince sweats, and if he has to come back to the ring, somebody might get their ass whipped.

Jerry "The King" Lawler beats Sunny to win the 1998 Karate Fighters Holiday Tournament...almost. Turns out Lawler has been caught using gum to keep his Karate Fighter in place and also seducing the opposition with another woman. As a result, the decision is reversed and Sunny wins the 1998 Karate Fighters Holiday Tournament.

Kane and Paul Bearer show up as The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) takes on The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn), who are accompanied to the ring by "Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn. With Animal hurt outside of the ring and James and Gunn hiding behind the Spanish commentary table, Hawk is the only person alone in the ring by the time Kane makes it there, and Kane hits Hawk with a Tombstone Piledriver. He gets up from that, and Kane hits him with a choke slam. Hawk still gets up, and Kane hits Hawk with a Tombstone Piledriver. This time, Hawk doesn't stir, and Kane and Paul Bearer leave. After this, James and Gunn attack Hawk, but Animal grabs a steel chair, and the tag team champs hide behind the Spanish commentary table again.

"Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn are in the ring. They say there is no competition in the tag team division anymore, and they have proved it. They then thing Na N Hey Hey (The Goodbye Song) by Steam, and tells them goodbye and good riddance. They then say that the only thing left is singles competition, and issue an open challenge to anyone who thinks they're tough enough to take them on to come on down. They immediately get Dude Love, and Road Dogg says he wanted one guy, not three. Billy Gunn ends up wrestling him while Jesse James guests on commentary.

Dude Love beats "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn. After the match, "Road Dog" Jesse James hits Dude Love in the head with a steel chair, then places the tag team titles across Dude Love's throat before Gunn hits a leg drop on the titles. Referees and officials try to restore order.

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"The Rock" Rocky Maivia says nobody in their right mind wants to face him one-on-one, as last night he showed the entire world that it was all about him when he kicked Austin around the ring last night (even though he lost).

In footage from last night, "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher says he should be the Light Heavyweight champion, and that he will have the last laugh against Taka Michinoku.

Jim Cornette interviews Taka Michinoku. We see footage from earlier tonight where Jim Ross teaches him a few words in English. Suddenly, Jerry "The King" Lawler appears, calling Michinoku an imposter and a phony who is "not the true champion" and saying he stole the title from Brian Christopher. He says he is only in America because there are too many people in Japan. He says he doesn't have anything against foreigners, but tells him to speak English or get out before asking him if he knows one English word. Michinoku gives him two: "You, jackass." Lawler takes off his jacket, but Cornette stops Lawler before Taka's challenger, El Unico, shows up. Lawler says that El Unico is another illegal alien and that he is still "dripping wet from swimming across the Rio Grande." He tells El Unico to go back to Mexico only to get pushed. El Unico and Taka then decide to fight off Lawler, but El Unico attacks Taka from behind and Lawler joins him before unmasking to reveal that it was Brian Christopher all along. Lawler and Christopher hit Taka with a double-team spike piledriver before Christopher and Lawler hit Taka with piledrivers of their own. Referees and officials have to get Lawler and Christopher out of the ring.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is seen eating a hot dog backstage...

The encore for D-Generation X: In Your House is tomorrow night at 8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central on pay-per-view.

We see the footage from One Night Only where "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels further injures The British Bulldog's knee to become the WWF European Champion, followed by the footage from two weeks ago where Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart was double-crossed by Shawn and "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley and stills from last night where Owen Hart attacked Shawn.

Kurrgan - no longer part of The Truth Commission and no longer The Interrogator, but still accompanied by The Jackyl, who guests on commentary - beats Flash Funk with a clawhold. The Jackyl says that Kurrgan's days of being a corporate sideshow freak for the WWF are over as of tonight as the revolution begins. Kurrgan refuses to let go, and Recon and Sniper try to get him off Flash Funk to no avail. Flash Funk wins the match by reverse decision. The Jackyl then slaps Kurrgan, and Kurrgan releases the hold before he and The Jackyl laugh. The Jackyl has to keep Kurrgan from turning on Recon and Sniper.

We see footage from last night where "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock tells "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels that he did what he was going to do until his goons jumped in, and if he has to join the Royal Rumble match to get to him, he feels sorry for everyone else in the match. He says it's not over by a long shot, and that he will get him.

The introduction to War Zone plays to signal the start the second hour.

D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna) show up. Helmsley says the military police shut down WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter last night, and that the only thing Slaughter cut down was his dignity. He then tells Sgt. Slaughter that when his wife yells "The missile has landed" in her sleep, to wake her up and say it's just a dream as Triple H is too much man for both of them. Shawn says that "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock has found out that he's not quite dangerous enough to take him on before running down his recent WWF accolades. After last night, someone tried to rain on his and Triple H's parade, and that someone was Owen Hart. He has had his run-ins with the entire Hart Foundation, and D-Generation X has destroyed them once and for all. He says the entire Hart family are like one big, huge, nasty, smelly, smoking, stinking turd, and when you look down in the toilet and see that turd, it should be flushed. He says that DX did the WWF a favor by flushing the Hart family down the toilet, but there's one small, chunky nugget that always seems to come back up to the surface and keeps coming back up. He says that Owen Hart is that nugget, and knows that Owen is somewhere. He will sit in the ring until Owens shows up so he can get rid of him. He, Triple H and Chyna then decide to play poker on a table and chairs already set up in the ring. He then brings up his promise to show up in the ring naked, thanks to Chyna, and decide to make it a game of strip poker until Owens shows up. All of a sudden, The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz) show up, and the poker game has to be brought to ringside.

Los Boricuas (Jose Estrada Jr. and Jesus Castillo) beat The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball) after Savio Vega hits one of the bikers in the back of the knee with a 2x4. D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna) continue to play strip poker at ringside.

D-Generation X's ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna) strip poker game is now in the ring. Shawn strips down to his boxers after losing yet another hand. The Headbangers (Trasher and Mosh) show up and disrupt the poker game, which immediately nets them a beating from Shawn and Triple H. Mosh gets hit in the head with a steel chair, while Thrasher is power bombed onto the table. Triple H then chokes Mosh with the steel chair before stomping him in the corner. As D-Generation continues to attack Thrasher, Owen Hart comes out of the crowd, takes down Shawn and runs back into the crowd.

Vader is about to face Jeff Jarrett when Luna Vachon and Goldust arrive. Goldust opens up his black trenchoat and flashes Vader, and Vader chases after Luna and Goldust. Jeff Jarrett beats Vader by count-out.

In footage from last night, "Butterbean" Eric Esch says his match with Marc Mero was not a boxing match, and if Mero thinks he was stalking Sable, he's got another thing coming as he is stalking Mero now, and if he finds Mero, Mero is his.

Before the next match, "Marvelous" Marc Mero shows up without Sable, and brags about what he did last night, saying Butterbean was so swollen up he looked like Uncle Fester on steroids. He then shows his displeasure with Vince McMahon booking him to wrestle a "jobber," saying he always wins and a jobber always loses. He tells Salvatore Sincere that he is a jabroni and a nobody, and says Sincere not "Sal Sincere, the pizza delivery boy," but is in reality Tom Brandi. He says Brandi was given a gimmick and that he should be ashamed of himself for performing it. Mero then announces that Sable is not here as he about it bring in someone who can't do a Merosault, won the Intercontinental Champion or ever beaten anybody: "the new and improved Sable," who is really Sable in a potato sack meant to embarrass her. He tells Sable that things are done his way now and that he is the star. Mero then tells Brandi he'll kick his butt in just a second before telling Sable to disrobe her. Sable does the opposite and disrobes herself, revealing a less than modest swimsuit underneath. Mero turns around, and is shocked as he covers her up. Salvatore Sincere - or Tom Brandi, at this point - drop kicks Mero from behind, and Mero and Sable head to the back. Brandi leads a chant for Sable, and he beats Marc Mero by count-out.

Vince McMahon is ringside before the next match, and referees and officials are at ringside along with him. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin shows up, not dressed to wrestle. Austin tells Vince he's ready to fight, but at the same time, it's not that simple. He says he's not going to wrestle after all, as he has beaten "The Rock" Rocky Maivia once and asks Vince what he's prepared to do. The Rock tells Vince to fire Austin, but Vince tells him to stay out of it and tells Austin he will be forced to strip Austin of the Intercontinental Championship and give it to The Rock. Austin dares him to take the title from him and risk getting his teeth knocked out, then says there's only one championship belt in the WWF that he is interested in: the WWF Championship. He then forfeits the Intercontinental Championship to The Rock and tells him to take it, as he doesn't want it anymore. The Rock reluctantly takes it, then Austin tells him to shake his hand. He reluctantly does, then The Rock becomes the new WWF Intercontinental Champion. Austin then hits The Rock with a Stunner before taking the belt back, saying that he has plans for the belt and that if Vince wants to find out what they are, all he has to do is be here next week. As Vince leaves, Austin knocks him off the apron as he hits the ropes.