8/30

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This week's Nitro definitely began and ended with questions that were not yet answered. Lex Luger brought proof that Hulk Hogan was not the hero he says he is, but was the "proof" just pure conjecture? Or worse, was Luger framing the Hulk for reasons that only he could know? Meanwhile, Sting, tortured by doubts about Hogan, discovered a shocking sight at the end of Nitro that brought up all kinds of questions that scream for answers.

The rest of the show saw the debut of Berlyn and his entourage, a dire warning from The Demon -- the new KISS wrestler -- to Vampiro, and challenge after challenge being thrown out by the wrestlers to opponents. The main event featured the dream team of Hogan and Goldberg against The Triad.

Indeed, this Nitro opened a whole new can of worms tonight and left viewers anxious to find out the answers to the many questions left hanging.

Show Results

No Contest: The Brits (Dave Taylor and Steven Regal) vs. Disorderly Conduct
Nitro began immediately with this match. No small talk, no video clips. The Brits went after DC with a series of suplexes and solid technical maneuvers until Sid Vicious interfered in the first match of the night, powerbombing Disorderly Conduct, pinning them, driving up his win/loss record to 75-0.

Post match saw Sid claim he was the Millennium Man once again. After the incessant Goldberg chants caused him to snap, Vicious powerbombed an unfortunate Disorderly Conduct as punishment to the crowd. Sid coined the phrase, "Sid. Enough said." as he rambled on maniacally.

We saw Lodi and Lenny outside the arena asking security why they were not on the access list, then take off in a taxi cab.

Nitro showed a video package encapsulating last week's highlights.

It was announced that Goldberg would face DDP later in the show and that the new KISS wrestler, The Demon, would make an appearance.

Interview: Lex Luger:
Gene Okerlund asked Luger what info he had to prove that Hogan was not being up front with Sting and the fans. Luger said the red and the yellow stood for good and right and that Hogan proved he was neither good nor right. He then promised he would have irrefutable evidence later in the night to prove that Hogan was not what he seemed. He said soon we would all see that Hulkamania is not at all what it seemed.

A black Mercedes limo pulled up outside the arena and Berlyn and his female interpreter stepped out.

Nitro Flashback: The KISS performance last week and the unveiling of The Demon.

Scotty Riggs d. Lash LeRoux
Riggs arrived with mirror in hand and declared, "God, I love myself." Once in the ring, LeRoux didn't share those sentiments about Riggs and sent him flying across and around the ring. Riggs took the offensive and delivered a snapmare and a big clothesline to the red-haired crusierweight. Vampiro and ICP were seen walking down to the ring. On the apron, Vampiro told Riggs that he owed him, as Riggs looked at him, stunned. Vampiro jumped into the ring and sat on the ring ropes observing as Riggs managed the pin on LeRoux.

Post match, Vampiro claimed again that Riggs owed him something but Riggs was stumped. The Vampire-like one and the Posse walked off with no explanation.

Interview: The Revolution (Shane Douglas, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit and Saturn) came to the ring and Douglas took the mic. He called for a change in WCW and claimed that the Revolution was the real deal. Saturn then challenged for a TV Title match at Fall Brawl. Malenko then declared, "Out with the evolution, in with The Revolution!"

Kaz Hayashi d. Lodi (with Lenny Lane)
The brothers both stayed in the ring when the bell went off, but Lenny was disposed of quickly. Hayashi dominated the match, freely pummeling Lane on the outside while fending off Lodi in the ring. A swift moving match, both men executed high risk maneuvers and traded nearfalls. A referee bump allowed Lenny to jump in the ring, and he was immediately rolled up by Hayashi. As the ref recovered, he counted the 1,2,3 for the pin. However, when he saw that it was Lenny, not Lodi, who made the pin, he was more confused. Kaz was declared the winner.

Interview: Hulk Hogan:
Coming out to a deafening ovation, Hogan said his son influenced him to do the right thing and that he would never stab Sting in the back, as Luger indicated. He said that if Luger was setting him up and framing him, he would go after The Total Package. He said the title shot he was giving Sting at Fall Brawl was between he and Sting and didn't involve Luger. What Luger would bring as evidence later on could have a huge impact on whether Hogan would be trusted by Sting - and the fans - or not.

Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddy Guerrero d. Blitzkrieg and La Parka
La Parka and Mysterio went at it first in the ring and soon began a shoving match that ended up outside the ring. Tagging in, Eddy delivered a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Blitzkrieg. The Chairman scoopslammed Rey then, as the match progressed, we saw Vampiro and ICP standing on the ramp observing. All four men ended up in the ring. A Frankensteiner by Mysterio to Blitzkrieg and a top rope frogsplash by Guerrero ended the match in a hurry. Vampiro, who was now ringside, was a victim of an over the top rope splash by Rey (with a little help from Eddy). Something tells me that bad blood exists between Vampiro and the two Mexican superstars.

Interview: Berlyn (with his entourage):
Although the man can speak English, he refused to do so and brought his interpreter to the ring to answer Gene Okerlund's questions. Speaking only in German, Berlyn said, through his interpreter, that he has a knowledge of wrestling that Americans don't understand and that his wrestling is an art. He called himself a perfect machine and named Buff Bagwell his first victim. Why? Because Bagwell represents what Americans are all about, something the German mystery man despises. He then called out Bagwell who did not immediately answer the odd challenge.

A disheveled Luger appeared on the ramp and claimed he had gotten attacked in the back and managed only to see a blur of red and yellow running away. Now, more than ever, he was convinced that Hogan was not at all the hero that he portrayed himself to be.

Tag Team Title Match
The West Texas Rednecks (Barry and Kendall Windham with Curt Hennig) d. Kenny Kaos and Prince Iaukea
Kendall went after Iaukea both in and outside the ring, slamming the young Prince and pinning him with ease.

The Rednecks called the other tag teams weak. Harlem Heat ran to the ring and cleaned house until Bobby Duncum Jr. showed up with bull rope and hog tied Booker T and stomped Stevie Ray, leaving the Heat in the dust.

Gene Okerlund Interview:
Mean Gene re-introduced Luger who came to the ring with a determined look on his face and an envelope in his hand. Okerlund questioned Luger's motives. Luger called out Sting, claiming what he had to show the world was vile but Sting needed to be there to see it. Sting complied and entered the ring, more than a little confused. Luger reminded Sting of their 13-year friendship and said that Hogan was doing more than rehabbing his knee when he was away.

He then pulled out a picture which showed Hogan beside the white Hummer used to attack Kevin Nash weeks back. Hulk came to the ring and asked where the picture came from and claimed it proved nothing. Sting, torn between his new friend and his longtime soul mate, stood silently until DDP ran in out of nowhere and sucker punched Hogan then sped out of the ring. An argument ensued between Sting and the Hulk, and the two needed to be separated by security. Nothing was settled and, if anything, more questions surfaced. Was Luger being sincere? Did Hogan drive the Hummer that nearly ended Kevin Nash's wrestling career weeks ago? And why did Diamond Dallas Page run in and attack Hogan? No answers, just questions.

Buff Bagwell d. Van Hammer
As the match began, Berlyn's entourage stood on the ramp and took notes. Buff found himself being mangled by an aggressive Van Hammer. A Bagwell dropkick and a running lariat slowed Van Hammer down but Bagwell was weakened by a smash to the mat from the top rope and several stiff punches by Van Hammer. The fight spilled to the outside where Van Hammer kept up the offense and Berlyn's entourage continued to observe and take notes, no doubt gaining info on Buff's style. A very aggressive Van Hammer dominated until the poser rallied and applied the blockbuster on the former hippie for the pin and the win. Bagwell paid no mind to Berlyn's crew.

Flashback: Footage of the June 7 Hummer attack on Kevin Nash's limousine was shown, which still answered no questions about The Hummer driver.

Evan Karagias d. Mike Enos
Evan hotshotted a few too many times, getting caught by Enos after a top rope jump. Enos threw the smaller man around the ring, despite Karagious' high flying efforts. A powerslam by Enos garnered a two count and a piledriver weakened the smaller man even more. Vampiro and ICP came to the ring and, while the Insane Clown Posse distracted the referee, Vampiro attacked Enos allowing Karagious the big win.

Post match saw Vampiro claimed Evan owed him and a confused Karagious asked over and over what he owed Vampiro. Evan left the ring in confusion as Vampiro stood confidently in mid-ring.

The Demon appeared and said, "Hey Vampiro. Now here, not now, not this time." Vampiro jumped from the ring, clearly shaken.

No Contest: The First Family (Hugh Morrus and Brian Knbbs, with Jimmy Hart) vs. The Revolution (Dean Malenko and Shane Douglas)
Knobs called The Revolution "punks" as the match started. A melee began immediately as all four men brawled in the ring. Mayhem ensued as The Revolution took on the much bigger First Family. Malenko slapped The Texas Cloverleaf on Knobs but wily manager Jimmy Hart broke the hold. Knobs extracted revenge on Malenko by throwing him to the outside and smashing him across two metal chairs. A Morrus No Laughing Matter was thwarted by Douglas, then the self-proclaimed "franchise" jumped over the top rope, slamming both opponents onto the concrete outside the ring. It was then that the referee called for the bell, realizing that order would never be restored to this all out street fight. The fight continued onto the ramp where the teams had to be physically separated.

Gene Okerlund Interview: Hulk Hogan:
Okerlund asked Hogan what the story was with Luger's picture of him near the Hummer. Hogan said he would prove that Luger was framing him next week. He then challenged Diamond Dallas Page and asked Goldberg, DDP's scheduled opponent, to come to the ring. The Man complied and Hogan said that DDP was on his nerves and, although Goldberg was scheduled to wrestle Page, Hogan wanted a shot at him instead. Goldberg had a better idea. He suggested that they wipe out the Triad for good. An unhappy Page appeared on the ramp with Kanyon and Bigelow and agreed to wrestle the dynamic duo.

Television Title Match
Rick Steiner d. Disco Inferno
Wearing a fur vest and a psychedelic cowboy hat, The Inferno declared he is a superstar and a sex symbol as well as an icon. He said there was a guy in the back who is trying to be an icon like Disco Inferno and that man was wearing his TV Title. He then called out Rick Steiner who gladly agreed to take out the Inferno for good. Inferno said that Steiner should place the belt around his waist rather than fight him for it, but before the words were out, Disco was on the mat getting ripped apart by the Dog-faced Gremlin. It took moments for Steiner to dismantle the Inferno for the win. After the ball rang, Steiner slapped on a submission hold, nearly separating Disco's shoulder, but Saturn ran into the ring and made the save. After a scuffle, Steiner walked away, leaving Saturn standing tall in the ring. But come Fall Brawl, these two are sure to share the ring again.

U.S. Title Match
DQ: Chris Benoit d. Jerry Flynn (with Jimmy Hart)
Flynn started out strong with a series of rapid fire kicks and an inside crescent kick. However, a Benoit chop was the great equalizer. Hart attempted to interfere but zipped through the ring to the other side to get away from the intense Crippler. In a grueling match, Flynn used a combination of punches and kicks to keep Benoit at bay. Three German suplexes by Benoit signaled the end for Flynn who was then on the hurting end of a flying headbutt. Hart signaled for The First Family to come out and, before a pin could be made, a disqualification for interference was called. The Revolution made the save, running off The First Family who mocked the "crybaby punks" as they left the arena.

Post match saw Chris Benoit challenge Sid Vicious to a match. Benoit said it would take a lot more than a powerbomb to take him out. A brave US champ indeed.

DQ: The Triad (Diamond Dallas Page, Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon) vs. Goldberg and Hulk Hogan
Hogan fought off all three opponents in the ring then tagged in Goldberg who did the same. Page flew off the top rope, leveling Goldberg with a swinging neckbreaker. Pulling out an illegal object, Page slammed The Man then allowed his fellow Triad members to double team him, keeping Goldberg grounded. As the Triad worked over Goldberg, Hogan tried to tag in but was unable to. After a double clothesline to the Triad by Goldberg, the hot tag was made. Goldberg speared Kanyon but got Diamond-Cut by Page. The steel chair was too much for the referee and a DQ was called. Hogan and Goldberg cleared the ring and stood triumphantly together. Two heroes. Or one hero and one villain?

In the back, Sting went into Hogan's locker room and saw a shocking sight: Randy Savage and Gorgeous George were sitting there waiting for Hogan. But why?