WCW Monday Nitro
April 10, 2000

Our hosts are Mark Madden, Tony Schiavone and Scott Hudson. This is the landmark episode of Nitro where WCW "relaunched".

The show opens with the tneire company (including an unmasked Jamie-san) at ringside. A load of people continue to pour out from the back. Steiner, Vampiro. Booker T, Kidman, Jarrett... and Van Hammer. Plus, a bunch of others. Jarrett grabs the stick and says that when he came to WCW 6 months ago, he was the handpicked future WCW Champion and he's handpicked by Vince Russo. Fans chant "asshole". Jarrett then brings out "the man who once was Vince McMahon's best kept secret". He brings out Vince Russo. The first time we'd ever see Russo on TV. It's funny how WCW openly admits that they suck and that Russo is there to improve them. Russo takes the stick and says he came to WCW with only one thing in mind and that was to beat Vince McMahon at his own game. He says that when he came to WCW, the New Blood of WCW was starting to shine, but "the good ole boys" tried to derail everything. He name drops The Radicalz and points out that they left for greener pastures because the direction sucked when WCW removed Russo from the book. Eric Bischoff's music hits and he comes down (gray hair and all) and they stage a face off, but hug.

Bisch says that Russo and he have a lot in common. He also was screwed by "the good ole boys". He points out the mistakes that he made in WCW including Scott Hall, Sting, DDP, Kevin Nash and the biggest mistakes of them all -- Sid (wished he was) Vicious and Hulk Hogan. In the back, all of the people he named dropped are watching on a monitor backstage and then they all pile out on the top of the stage. Bischoff asks DDP what's the matter. "Bischoff, I don't know what the hell you're smokin.... but you better STEP AWF!" Bischoff says that if it wasn't for him, DDP would still be a bartender claiming to know Bon Jovi. Russo says that he wants to point out the biggest piece of crap -- Ric Flair. "Ric Flair, you are a piece of shit on the bottom of my shoe. And I'm gonna scrape off that shit and flush your ass down the toilet personally!" Russo vacates all the titles and the playing field is all even. Fans chant Goldberg. Bischoff asks Sid for his belt, and Sid takes the mic. HONOES! He says that if Bischoff wants the belt, he'll have to come up and take it from him. "Okay!" says Bischoff. Bischoff asks Sid where his scissors are... twice. You know, because half the people in the arena have no idea what he's talking about and sit in silence. He pushes Sid's buttons and Sid is about to snap, but he hands over the belt. Sid looks absolutely heartbroken.

Backstage, Hulk Hogan is arriving ot the building.

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

Sting talks to Hogan and lets him know that Bischoff has called him out. Schiavone says that there will be a four man tournament tonight and the winner will face Jeff Jarrett at Spring Stampede for the World Heavyweight Title.

1 - #1 Contenders Tournament - Diamond Dallas Page with Kimberly vs. The Total Package with Miss Elizabeth
Russo and Bischoff kill Page's music and pyro as he comes to the ring. Luger comes out and they do they same. No pyro, no music. They finally lock up and make things happen. DDP with a swinging neckbreaker. Low blow by Luger behind the ref's back. Luger dominates and nails Page repeatedly in the corner as Hudson calls it pay per view quality wrestling. DDP no sells everything and nails a punch of shots to Luger. Luger with 3 backbreakers. Buff Bagwell's music hits and he comes out and poses in the middle of the match. It distracts Luger and Page hits a low blow on Luger and stomps away. Bagwell hits on Kimberly outside the ring, distracting DDP. He then goes to Liz and hits on her, distracting Luger. Bagwell kisses her and Luger is pissednaw! DDP spins Luger around and nails the Diamond Cutter. The cover, the victory at 4:21. 1/2*
Winner: Diamond Dallas Page

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

Backstage, Hennig confronts Russo. He says that tonight, Hennig can face Jarrett and if he wins, he gets Jarrett's spot at Spring Stampede. Elsewhere, Hogan is still looking for Bischoff.

Tank Abbott says he's not a "candy ass RASSLUR", he's a shoot fighter and he can kick your ass. He came to WCW to beat up anyone who thinks they're a shoot fighter. He calls out Goldberg. Too bad he's on the injured reserve list. Until Goldberg returns, he'll beat up all innocent victims. Wow, he's a terrible promo. Abbott goes and attacks Mark Madden on the announce table while Madden is begging for Tank to attack Schiavone. He rips off Madden's shirt exposing his nasty girth.

In the back, Jarrett is bitching at Russo. Elsewhere, Kidman is preparing to go to the ring as Torrie tries to stop him.

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

Hogan's search for Bischoff continues! This time, he finds him. Bischoff is scared. He invites Hogan into his office for a private meeting. Meanwhile, Kidman makes his way down to the ring. He says that he's been held down, used and abused and told to keep his mouth shut, but no longer. He addresses the biggest egomaniac of them all, Hulk Hogan. He recalls Hogan's shots at Kidman, and says that he he has talent and heart, two things Hogan doesn't. He says that he may not be able to draw flies, but Hogan can since he's a pile of shit. He calls out Hogan and Hogan is on his way out of Bischoff's office when he sees Kidman on a monitor. Hogan's music hits and he comes out. Hogan asks who Kidman thinks he is. He says that Kidman gives young guys in the business a bad name. Hogan runs down Kidman and then proceeds to get knocked the fuck out! He pummels him and puts the boots to him, but Hogan beats on Kidman. He throws him head first into the ringpost. Bischoff comes out with a chair. He fakes an alliance with Hogan, but hits him with the chair which busts him open. The first Russo Swerve of the evening! Kidman pins Hogan and wins this "impromptu match". I hate Kidman and I hate Hogan, but seeing Kidman actually take Hogan down was hilarious.

Backstage, Ric Flair has arrived.

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

In the back, Hogan is destroying shit and cursing up a storm. He's enraged at what just happened. Elsewhere, Flair is watching the events from earlier on a monitor. His music hits and comes out to the ring. His hair is breathtaking. Flair grabs the stick and calls out Russo. He says that if what he's told is correct, he's full of crap. Russo grew up watching Flair. Flair says he's not old, he's great. So is Hogan, Sting and Page. He calls out Russo, but instead, Scott Steiner's music hits. He says he was watching in the back and he's bored to death. He says that with the exception of one (The Rock) all the past WWF Champions in recent memory have been from WCW because Flair got them all fired. He puts in a pair of fake, billy bob teeth and distracts Flair when Shane Douglas runs into the ring and attacks Flair. Security tries to stop him.

Kevin Nash is arriving in the back and Bret Hart is sitting in the audience.

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

Backstage, Flair is looking for Douglas, and wants him. Shane Douglas is backstage with Gene Okerlund. Okerlund demands to know what he's doing here. Douglas runs Flair down and says he hates Flair and always has. Okerlund says he's out of line, and Douglas tells Okerlund to kiss his ass or get Franchised.

2 - #1 Contenders Tournament - Sting vs. Sid Vicious
Sid nails Sting in the corner, but Sting kicks him up over the ropes and hits the Stinger Splash with quickness and clotheslines him out of the ring. Low blow by Sid to sting... another freaking low blow in a match tonight. Sting is dropped across the ring barrier. Back in the ring, Sting slams Sid's face to the mat. Sting with a splash, but Sting gets the knees up. Despite being a face, Sid plays heel. Right. Dominance by Sid. Sid locks on the Million Dollar Dream and slams him to the mat. Pinfall, but Sting kicks out. Another resthold by Sid as Sting breaks free. Double clothesline. The Wall's music hits and he comes out to the ring with a table. Sting lands on the ref, by accident and then hits and misses a Stinger Splash. Sid goes for the Powerbomb and hits it, then Wall nails Sid with a chair and takes him out of the ring. Chokeslam through a table takes him out for good. Again, security comes out to force him away. The ref counts out Sid and Sting wins the match by countout at 6:43. 1/4*
Winner: Sting

Flair comes down to the ring with a mic. He says that we want Shane Douglas. Flair is pissed off and he's tired of hearing Douglas bitch. He wants Shane Douglas and he wants him tonight. Diamonds are Forever... and so is Ric Flair! WOOOOO! In the back, Hogan is still destroying everything in his path, tipping over couches and the like. He comes across 3 Count and throws them too. He threatens to kill Bischoff (the son of a bitch.)

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

The Hollywood premiere of Ready to Rumble was the previous Sunday and they show footage of the opening of the movie. David Arquette nailed Jarrett with a guitar. Good lord, it was the beginning of the end for them at that point. Schiavone says that Arquette is a great actor. LMFAO!

3 - "The Chosen One" Jeff Jarrett vs. Curt Hennig
Jarrett attacks Hennig on his way to the ring, but Hennig destroys him. Hogan has been notified that Bischoff is in a skybox somewhere, hiding, says Scott Hudson. The match falls around ringside, with Hennig chopping Jarrett and nailing him on the table, desperately wanting that main event slot at Spring Stampede. Jarrett drops Hennig's throat across the top rope. Match is in the ring now and Jarrett is in control. 10 count from Jarrett in the corner. Hennig chops out of it though. Jarrett with a sleeper hold. Belly to back by Hennig. Another interruption though, and it's the Mr. Perfect theme music and Shawn Stasiak comes down to the ring. Scott Hudson name drops "Meat". Hennig goes for the Perfectplex, but, Stasiak does the gum swat thing. Hennig accidently drops the referee. Stasiak goes for some sort of move, but botches it so just tosses Hennig to the mat. Jarrett hits The Stroke and picks up the victory at 4:23. 3/4*
Winner: Jeff Jarrett

Backstage, Hogan is searching for Bischoff and is yelling at fans and cursing up a storm. Meanwhile, Ric Flair is on his way to the ring to face Shane Douglas.

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

Elsewhere, Kevin Nash is talking to somebody on the phone. Could it be Scott Hall?!

In the interview area, Sting is with Okerlund. Since 1988, he's worked his butt for Bischoff. He's the most loyal star he has. And now, he's going after the new golden boy of WCW because it's Showtime!

4 - "Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas
Douglas comes down to the old Revolution theme music. Both men are in their street clothes. Flair goes for the attack but Douglas quickly drops him with 3 right hands and throws him from the ring. This is a brawl full of hatred. Personal rivalries pwn. Flair chops Douglas down and nails him in the face. He rips off Douglas' shir, but there's another one on. Back in the ring, Flair with the right jands and a low blow (again). The ref sees it, but does nothing. He rips off Douglas' other shirt and chops him. Flair tells Douglas to "poke me" as plain as day, and then Douglas does it. Move the fuck out of the way, camera man. Back outside of the ring, Flair continues to nail and chop Douglas. Flair continues to dominate when Russo comes to the ring. Another match with involvement from another party. Russo slides in and just nails Flair with a baseball bat. DQ victory for Flair at 3:01. They beat down Flair with the bat as the bell rings repeatedly. This match was shaping up to be something fun before this Russoriffic ending. Post match, Russo takes Flair's rolex and walks off. 3/4*
Winner: Ric Flair

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

Wolfpac music hits and Kevin Nash (on crutches) comes down to the ring. He has a mic, which means it's time for pwnage! BIG SEXY IN DA HOUUUSE! Damn right. He runs down Bischoff and Russo and says that he's lost some brain cells due to travelling with Scott Hall -- but his question is what happened to the "sweet little rasslin show" they did every Monday? Scott's sober, ready to come back and he's in a bad mood. If it wasn't for Scott and Nash, neither of them would be there. He says that if it wasn't for them, Russo would have been taken out by HBK and Bischoff would be bringing Verne Gagne coffee back in the AWA. He has on his "pissed" face. Out of nowhere, Mike Awesome comes in and attacks Nash. The ECW Champion is on Nitro.

Elsewhere, Hogan wants an attorney and he's gonna eat Kidman and Bischoff alive. He's sitting in his limo and shoves the camera man away when out of nowhere, the white hummer makes it's return and slams into Hogan's limo. WHO IS DRIVING THE HUMMER?! IT'S BISCHOFF AND KIDMAN!! People get arrested for these things, ya know.

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

Kidman and Bischoff come and spray "NB" on Hogan. No cops or anything because it's all good.

5 - #1 Contenders Tournament - Diamond Dallas Page with Kimberly vs. Sting
Page gets his entrance music and pyro this time. Before the match starts, Jarrett comes down and joins commentary. Sting shoves DDP all the way across the ring and out of the ring. Shoulderblock by DDP. Kick by Sting and the bulldog. Stinger Splash hits twice. Page falls down and klocks on the Scorpion Deathlock, but Page grabs the rope quickly. DDP recovers outside of the ring and upon re-entering, he and Sting talk trash and both nail each other, but Sting gets the better of it. DDO guts a belly to belly. Pinfall, but Sting kicks out. Sting hits a clothesline. Sting clotheslines DDP over the top as Jarret yaks to Kimberly. DDP nails Jarrett, but Vampiro runs in and nails Sting, effectively ending their brief alliance. He hits the Nail in the Coffin and lays him out. Yes, another match with a run in. Good God. DDP climbs into the ring after layout out Jarrett, hits the Diamond Cutter, and wins the match at 3:41. Jarrett comes in the ring and goes to hit DDP with the guitar but hits Kimberly. 1/2*
Winner: DIamond Dallas Page

~COMMERCIAL BREAK~

As we return, they recap everything that just happened. In the back, Russo and Bischoff are celebrating with Jarrett and send him back out to the ring. He cuts a promo about how he realizes his destiny at Spring Stampede in 6 days. He runs down DDP but the man himself runs down to the ring and a brawl is on. Steiner runs in and DPP nails him and takes him out too. Eventually, the two on one is too much. Luger runs down though and cleans house. Bagwell runs down too. Vampiro, The Wall. The ring is filling up quickly. Sting runs in and beats down everyone like the nWo vs. WCW days. Booker T comes down as does The Cat. The fans chant for Goldberg. He's gone, idiots! In the end, The New Blood is standing tall. Russo and Bischoff come to the top of the stage and smile at this all. Bret Hart showsup behind them though and stare them down as we close the show.

Thoughts: A mixed bag here. On one hand, it created a lot of new storylines and got some people like Kidman, Douglas and the like some notice. However, a lot of this was just bad. None of the matches had much depth to them, and most were in the 3 minute vicinity. The end of the show would have been perfectly fine if they had just had the New Blood standing tall, but instead, we get the Bret Hart appearance that went absolutely nowhere. The kickstart of the Douglas/Flair angle was fun. Hogan/Kidman was fun. On the whole, it wasn't a bad show for angles, so I guess that's a good thing. I'll give it a 3/5

Since it's completely relevant and adds to this show's overall rating---I was in the crowd for this show! I went just to see Miss Hancock and caught only a glimpse of her in that opening segment. No Los Fabulosos, either. Dammit.

There were ALOT of free tickets given out for this show, which affected the crowd. For one, the mayor of Denver, Wellington Webb, declared April 10, 200 as "Goldberg Day". Radio ads ran, promoting "Goldberg and the stars of WCW". Thus, most fans showed up expecting to see Goldberg.

Most were just casual wrestling fans and had no idea what was going with WCW at the time. I remember a buncha' kids next to us kept hollering: "I got two words for ya" all night.

Also, in Kevin Nash's little segment, when he talked about "that sweet little rasslin' show", he said: "I mean, where's the DOG at?!" Referring to Al Green's recent gimmick. NOBODY in the crowd got this... but the crowd had heard the word "dog" and started barking. That was the biggest pop The Dog ever got-- he was off camera, not even in the building and nobody knew what the hell they were chanting for.

Oh yeah, an older guy on the other side of us turned and said, regretfully, "well, I guess this is the end of Team Package". Hey, ONE fan was "in the know"!

When we left, I remember talking with my buddy and we agreed: 'well, this is probably the best they could do with what they have'.