Nitro-Glycerin - Monday Nitro recap for October 26, 1998

The show starts with a performance by The Nitro Girls.

It is announced by Tony Schiavone that some systems went down prematurely during Halloween Havoc last night, and that 10 to 20% of households watching Halloween Havoc were not able to see the end of Hollywood Hogan vs. The Warrior as well as the entirety of Diamond Dallas Page vs. Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Because of this, World Championship Wrestling has decided to air DDP vs. Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Halloween Havoc in its entirety for free on the second hour of the show. Schiavone says that this was not a ploy by WCW to go off the air early.

Stevie Ray beats Kenny Kaos after Buff Bagwell shows up, distracts the referee and Kenny Kaos, and tosses Stevie Ray a slapjack, which he whacks Kenny Kaos with as soon as he turns around. Bagwell and Stevie Ray attack Kenny Kaos after the match, but Rick Steiner rushes in and makes the save. Rick then checks on Kenny Kaos, and asks him to be his partner to take on the nWo tonight, as nobody gave him a chance when he first started. Kaos says his tag team partner is on the shelf with a bad shoulder, but he has idolized Rick for a decade, and would be honored to defend the WCW World Tag Team Championships with him tonight.

Kanyon beats Prince Iaukea. Before the next match, it is announced that Hollywood Hogan vs. The Warrior will not be shown in its entirety tonight, as the end of the match is considered too graphic to show on cable TV on not suitable for the Turner networks, and because of that, that match can only be shown on pay-per-view. Also, when Kanyon asks who's better than him, the crowd still chants "Everybody!"

We see another performance by The Nitro Girls, this time at the commentary table.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews The Four Horsemen ("The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, "The Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko). Flair says Steve "Mongo" McMichael is missing in action, but he will be here before the night is over. Flair says that Eric Bischoff has come under some hard times while trying to keep Horsemen out of the building and off of television, and tells him the Horsemen are here and here to stay. Suddenly, Bischoff shows up, and says he has underestimated Flair and did not realize how much that he meant to the fans, and that there is no doubt in his mind that everyone wants to see him wrestle again. To show Flair the goodwill in his heart and bridge the gap between himself and Flair, he will give Flair the opportunity to wrestle tonight, as he wants to give the fans what they want. After Bischoff leaves, Flair admits he does not trust Bischoff, but he will be in the ring dressed to kill.

Dave and Karen Mason of Hampton, Virginia are this week's Nitro Party Pack winners. We see some footage from their Nitro Party.

Alex Wright beats Barry Horowitz.

Wrath beats Sick Boy.

Pyrotechnics signal the start of the second hour.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Halloween Havoc is replayed in its entirety. (Due to this replay, this would be the last episode where Nitro would beat Raw in the ratings; after this, Raw would continue to dominate for the rest of the Monday Night Wars.)

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Kevin Nash in his dressing room. All of a sudden, Scott Hall shows up. Nash tells him it was not about winning or losing, and it was about getting Hall back as a friend. Hall admits he hit a wall last night, and that it is time to change his life. Nash says his walking away from Hall during their match was not about proving a point, and that all he needed to do was to beat some sense into Hall. Hall says that if if maybe he can change his life, maybe he can help Nash out if he wants him. This proves to be a set-up as The Giant shows up and boots Nash in the face, and Hall joins in on the attack, which ends Nash is both figuratively and literally thrown through a wall.

We see a video package of The Nitro Girls, followed by a performance by The Nitro Girls.

nWo Hollywood shows up. Eric Bischoff introduces Horace Hogan as the newest member of nWo Hollywood, and Hollywood Hogan says it is quite obvious to everyone in the wrestling world that he is the god of wrestling and that the nWo is the sole residing power, and if you're blac-and-white, you would die for those colors. This is why Stevie Ray, Scott Hall, Vincent, Scott Steiner, Buff Bagwell and The Giant are watching his back, for anyone who messes with nWo Hollywood is digging their own grave. To join nWo Hollywood, one must spill their blood and stab themselves in the heart to prove their loyalty, and for that, he is proud to introduce Horace Hogan as the newest member of nWo Hollywood and bestows the colors of the black-and-white on him for life, and hopes that he will chop all obstacles with the edge of his hand and prove by the end of the night that he is true to the black-and-white.

Saturn beats Eddie Guerrero by disqualification after he is attacked by Damian and Hector Garza. Eddie tries to attack Saturn after the match, but Saturn ducks and sends Eddie over the top rope before more Latino World Members show up, including a man wearing a red bandanna and a black vest hits him with a brainbuster-like maneuver.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Judy Bagwell. She says that Buff Bagwell has let his family down big time after all that she did for him.She wants to protect him, but he let Scott Steiner talk to her like a dog, and says Buff has degraded the family name and that the family will not tolerate it any longer. Tonight, she is a mother on a mission and tired of being nice, and tells Buff Bagwell that she loves Marcus Bagwell with all her heart, but she has had enough of Buff.

Scott Steiner and Kenny Kaos retain the WCW World Tag Team Championships against Stevie Ray and The Giant.

Pyrotechnics signal the start of the third hour.

Eric Bischoff replaces Mike Tenay on commentary for the next match, and says he will stay true to his word by letting the world see "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair wrestle...by showing footage of Flair taking on Hollywood (then Hulk) Hogan at Bash At The Beach 1994.

Kidman retains the WCW Cruiserweight Championship against Juventud Guerrera.

We see the first two videos in the WCW/nWo Superstar Series: Sting Unmasked! and "Macho Man" Randy Savage: Behind The Madness!", courtesy of Trident Entertainment. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan tries to steal one of the videos, but gets caught.

Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell show up. He says the only reason why everyone is in the arena right now is to see nWo Hollywood, and where nWo Holywood goes, there is a party. For the last two weeks, he's been going strong and putting girls down, having them tell him who their daddy is. What he wants to know is if the ladies love him for his mind or his body, and says he is their hook-up and to "holla if you hear me." He then tells Buff Bagwell that he is the best set-up man in wrestling today, and not only are they nWo for life, they are friends for life. Buff then has a message for all the mothers in the crowd, and knows that his mother Judy Bagwell was here earlier saying he ruined the Bagwell family name, and tells all the mothers that their place is in the kitchen before telling his father to set Judy straight. Scott then says that he knows two people are in the building: Rick Steiner and WCW Executive Committee Chairman J.J. Dillon. He calls out Dillon, wanting a rematch against his brother Rick Steiner tonight. Dillon shows up, and Scott Steiner says he lied to Dillon, claiming that when he turned his back on WCW, he knew that Dillon liked his brother more than he liked him. Dillon admits he liked Rick, but has nothing against him. He also accuses Dillon of thinking his brother was better than him, but Dillon tells him his track record speaks for itself and both Steiners are pretty good athletes. Scott then accuses Dillon of wanting Rick to beat him last night at Halloween Havoc, and asks him two questions: Why did the referee at the start of the match not finish the match. Dillon tells him to watch the replay tomorrow night, but Scott demands an answer from him, saying Dillon had something to do with that. Dillon says he did not touch the initial referee, and Scott and Buff accuse him of lying. Dillon says that if he were at ringside during the match, he would have sent another referee because it is the right thing to do. Scott Steiner then kicks Dillon in the gut and tells him the right thing to do is to "kick his WCW butt." Security shows up and tries to stop Steiner as he puts Dillon in the Steiner Recliner.

The Warrior shows up. Last night, Hollywood Hogan had the opportunity to face him like a man, and he failed. Last night, he had the opportunity to set a fire with but one match that will now haunt him forever. He tells Hogan there is a difference between beating someone up and genuinely beating a man, and the Warriors know he beat the hell out of him last night, and Hogan's pinfall does not change it. The Warrior tells Hogan he has opened the door to The Warrior's hell, and he is its gatekeeper. He says the time is near, then Hollywood Hogan shows up, but Horace Hogan gets on the apron and gets in the ring for Hollywood's sake only for The Warrior to take him down and out of the ring. The Giant goes in, but he fares no better. Hollywood attacks The Warrior from behind, but The Warrior takes him down and knocks Eric Bischoff off the apron.

Scott Steiner and Scott Hall vs. Lex Luger and Konnan de-evolves into an all-out brawl.

Diamond Dallas Page beats Bret "The Hit Man" Part to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Bret kicks both DDP and referee Mickey Jay in the groin at the same time, then pulls out a foreign object and wraps it around his hand. He revives referee Mickey Jay, abut DDP ducks the punch and hits the Diamond Cutter to win the United States title for a second time. Bret attacks Page after the match and punches out referee Mickey Jay, then grabs a steel chair and rams it into DDP's kneecap before putting him in the Sharpshooter. He then lets go and continues to attack DDP with the steel chair, then Goldberg runs in as the show ends.

Raw Deal - Raw recap for October 26, 1998

RAW

The show starts with footage from earlier tonight where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is announced to have entered the building.

WWF owner Vince McMahon shows up with numerous officials. Vince says that against his volition, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is in the building tonight, and not only does he hold Austin responsible for every single reprehensible act he committed against him, he lets the fans knows they are held responsible as well. Vince says he has lost all faith in humanity after hearing the crowd cheers, and asks where their morals and values are as well as where they were in his hour of need. He then says they were cheering for everything Austin was doing to him, and savored every violation and liberty that Austin took against him. He then says that what they enjoyed most was when Austin forced him into the ring, forced him down on his knees and made him beg, cry and urinate himself (the latter of which gets an overwhelmingly positive response from the crowd). He says nobody came to his aid, not even Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, or WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. He announces that his ankle is re-injured, that a perfectly good Armani suit is ruined, and he hurts all over, but most of all, his feeling have been hurt and crushed. Despite the injury, the insult afterwards is something he will never forgive Austin for, as the letter Austin gave him last week was a legal document. He then announces he has attorneys behind him, and tells Austin he will fight him in court if he has to, even if it goes all the way to the Supreme Court. He tells Austin to take stock in what he has to say. The show then cuts to Austin backstage telling Vince to invest stock in Pampers diapers after urinating on himself, which is seen on the TitanTron. Vince is then wheeled to the back.

WWF owner Vince McMahon is seen talking to his attorneys, telling him there has to be a way to break the legal document "Stone Cold" Steve Austin gave him.

X-Pac retains the WWF European Championship against "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman by disqualification after X-Pac is suddenly attacked by Steven Regal. The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn), referees and officials all have to get Regal off X-Pac.

WWF owner Vince McMahon is seen angrily conferring with his attorneys over the legal document "Stone Cold" Steve Austin gave him last week.

Michael Cole reports that not only is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin here, but he also has his own locker room.

The Rock beats Darren Drozdov. During the match, Hawk inadvertently distracts the referee, allowing The Rock to hit a low blow, which causes a bit of falling out with Road Warrior Animal and Droz.

Michael Cole interviews "Stone Cold" Steve Austin about the letter he handed to WWF owner Vince McMahon, but says he cannot discuss the letter at this time. He will make an announcement later tonight.

We see footage from earlier tonight of D-Generation X (X-Pac, "Road Dogg" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) with Motley Crue.

WWF owner Vince McMahon's conference with his attorneys is over. An attorney is overseen saying that Vince "doesn't get it."

Motley Crue perform Wildside for the crowd. D-Generation X (X-Pac, "Road Dogg" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) is also part of the performance, and a fan is seen being tossed out after dancing on the stage. (The bouncer tossing the fan out is future WWF wrestler Andrew "Test" Martin. It should also be noted that the TitanTron during the concert would also be used for Chris Jericho's TitanTron when he debuts next year.)

WWF owner Vince McMahon is angry that the attorneys cannot break the legal document, and takes that anger out on one of his attorneys.

Kane beats Gangrel. Before the match, it is announced that Kane is part of the Deadly Games Tournament at Survivor Series for the WWF Championship. Christian tires to attack Kane from the top rope after the match, but it has no effect, as do Gangrel and Christian's double team. Edge shows up, but instead of attacking Edge and Christian, he hits Kane with a chop block and attacks Kane alongside Edge and Christian. Kane gets up after all that, then Edge calls Chrisitan and Gangrel to escape with him through the crowd.

Michael Cole has spoken with Shane McMahon, who has told him that the McMahon family will make a statement regarding "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

WAR ZONE

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin shows up. He tells Vince that he told the cops that the gun was a toy, and that there would not be any pain involved, and there wasn't. He told Vince that he wouldn't feel a thing...and he didn't. Nevertheless, Vince soiled himself in the center of the ring, and Austin tells Vince that he should believe him when he tells something...but then again, maybe Vince shouldn't. He then pulls a brand-new contract with the World Wrestling Federation out of his back pocket. Not only is he back, but the contract guarantees at least one title shot, which is all he needs. Austin tells Vince he has him "right by those little brass balls of [his]," as the only way he will leave the WWF is if he quits, which he does not see happening any time soon. Vince is wheeled out onto the stage, and says that even if his attorneys cannot do anything, he will find a way to make it happen, even if it means finding a way to make Austin say he quits. Vince then puts Austin in a match tonight, and it will be an "I Quit" match against "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock. Vince says he has no idea how Austin sleeps at night, and asks if he has a conscience whatsoever. Vince says he set an example and sacrificed for 28 years, and Austin turned him into a monster. All of a sudden, Shane McMahon shows up. Vince asks him to come to the ring, but Shane heads to the ring. Shane tells his father he does not listen to him anymore, and that he is an officer - and more importantly, a stockholder - in the company. He says that what Vince did to Austin was wrong, and tells him personally that it was him who hired Austin back. Shane then tells his father Vince that after 28 years, he finally has Vince's attention. He says he has seen Superstars come and go, and it is all because of Vince's ego. All his life, people have asked him what it is like to be Vince's son, and says he has lied year after year to protect Vince and the family name. He is finally tired of all the lying, and says Vince never cared about him as nothing he did was ever good enough for him. All he ever wanted from Vince was to be proud of him, but he has realized that it will never happen as it has always been about Vince and how he made Vince look. He now stands as a man in the ring, not a boy, and is proud of the person he has become. After 28 years, he has finally dredged up the courage to stand up to Vince. Shane says it's ironic, as he is just like Vince after all. Austin then asks the crowd to give him a "hell yeah" if Vince got what he had coming to him. He gets a "hell yeah."

Shane McMahon is seen leaving the arena when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin hands him a beer.

Before the next match, The Godfather tells Tiger Ali Singh there are no hoes tonight as he is not offering him the deal. If Singh wants to mess with his money, he'll show him that "pimpin' ain't easy."

Tiger Ali Singh vs. The Godfather ends in a no-contest after both men disregard referee Tim White. Referees and officials have to separate both men, and The Godfather knocks Singh out of the ring.

Michael Cole interviews Vince McMahon. Vince is dumbfounded by the question, and he is then helped out of the arena.

Kaientai (Dick Togo, Men's Teioh, Sho Funaki, Taka Michinoku) beat The Oddities (Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, Golga, Kurrgan) by disqualification after Violent J shoves the referee.

A heartbroken WWF owner Vince McMahon is wheeled out of the arena. Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter tells Vince they will take care of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin before the night is over.

Michael Cole interviews "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock, who says this is the only time he will say "I quit." He tellss Austin he has to earn a title shot against him, and that this match is to see who the world's most dangerous man really is.

"Marvelous" Marc Mero beats Goldust by disqualification after Goldust hits him with the kick to the crotch in the corner, which is now coined "Shattered Dreams." This happens after Jacqueline slaps Goldust only to be kissed on the lips. Before the match, it is announced that Sable is on the cover of the newest Raw Magazine, available on newsstands tomorrow, while Jacqueline is the centerfold. During the match, it is announced that WWF owner Vince McMahon and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will fight - in claymation form - on Celebrity Deathmatch this Thursday night at 8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central. After the match, Sable shows up, and tells Jacqueline that if he's got the time, she's got the place: Survivor Series. Sable goes on to say that at Survivor Series, there will be a new Women's Champion.

Michael Cole interviews Al Snow and Mankind. Mankind calls Al Snow an exceptional wrestler, but Head is the stupidest thing he has ever seen. Snow reminds Mankind he is talking to a sock, but Mankind doesn't care, as he painted Mr. Socko himself. Mankind and Al Snow argue over what one word they have for The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) before they challenge them for the WWF tag team titles: "Socko" or "Head."

The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) retain the WWF Tag Team Championships against Al Snow and Mankind after extreme miscommunication between Mankind and Snow. D'Lo Brown and "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry attack The New Age Outlaws after the match until referees restore order. Mankind and Al Snow are then seen tensely trading Head and Mr. Socko to one another.

Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter are seen heading to ringside before the next match, where it is announced that Shamrock is part of the Deadly Games Tournament for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin beats "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock in an "I Quit" Match.. Near the end of the match, Gerald Brisco grabs at Austin's leg. Referee Tim White confronts Brisco only to be attacked by Pat Patterson and WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. As Austin fights Brisco, Patterson and Slaughter outside of the ring, Mankind rushes in and puts the Mandible Claw on Shamrock. Austin then gets back in the ring and hits Shamrock in the head with a chair, knocking him out. Referee Tim White gets back in the ring, and Austin grabs Shamrock's arm and taps it on the mat, making it look like Shamrock is tapping out to win the match. After the match, Brisco, Patterson and Slaughter all get in the ring only to eat Stone Cold Stunners.