The Monday Nitro Workrate Report
A weekly look at what did and didn't work on Monday Nitro by Oliver Postlethwaite
Monday, March 15th, 1999
Here goes: I was outta town last week, relied on TSN's tried and true
Wednesday afternoon airing of Nitro which wound up being cut to 1:10
because of, fucking, soccer so on my big Nitro debut (not counting the
last time we did this) I get 1/3 of the show to review, missing the
Misterio Jr. vs. Kidman match which no doubt was number one and the best.
What Worked
The confrontation to set up the main event ruled it in a way that
WCW angles hardly ever do. Everyone got heat, everyone had an issue
and everyone could talk. Too bad about the match.
Chris Jericho worked two great high spots into his match with Booker
T in a way that made sense and looked cool so this one worked baby.
I like T but I see definite areas where he needs improvement. He's
willing to sell but his execution is still a little stiff. He's got
charisma but relies on the crowd too much to approve everything he
does. Nothing major, just some polish AND I'd still rather see him in
the ring than the majority of North American heavyweights. I'm of two
minds on Jericho going North. It'd be great for his character and
as a professional would make him a SUPERSTAR. But the wrestling fan
in me can't get up for Jericho vs. anybody in Titan nearly as much as
he can for Jericho vs. Benoit or Hart in an honest to god wrestling
feud.
What Didn't Work
Konnan and Disco Inferno wrestled a match that easily would have worked
had I been watching Raw but I wasn't so it didn't. It was pretty solid
but unspectacular and it needed something special to save it from a
screwy finish involving Lex Luger. Inferno is so Bret Hart lite. Instead
of coming up with funky new ways to present his pedestrian offence, he
oughtta work on some new moves. I don't hate Konnan nearly as much as
the rest of the world because he tries more often than not and looks
like he at least wants to wrestle which can't be said for most of the
other nWo and its various cast-offs.
The crowd heat fooled me into thinking that I was going to praise
Hogan and Nash vs. Goldberg and Flair for being a miracle match but
outside of a well executed kick by Nash and a wicked bump by Charles
Robinson there was nothing here but a whole load of crap. Perennial
whipping boy Ric Flair sold everything, Goldberg did a little but
his pseudo-selling doesn't really count and the bookermen put their
egos over business again. My utter contempt for Hogan had been kept
at bay for most of the past three years because he dropped the hulk
up and did, considering this is Hogan, his fair share of jobs. But
no matter how much changes in wrestling, nothing ever does and Flair
still gets no respect. Hey, I feel no shame in liking the fossil.
I always have and always will. Shane is dead.
Ollie
