December 29, 1997

Nitro opens with clips from last night's PPV: Bret Hart arrives. Bret Hart turns his back on Hogan and fights for WCW, Sting stands triumphant in the middle of the ring with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Announcers Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Larry Zybysko talk about the excitement over Sting's win last night and Bret Hart's decision to turn down the nWo and side with WCW instead. Zybysko congratulates WCW on finally standing together. Tenay says the word in the locker room is that Hogan and the nWo want an explanation for The Hart Foundation's treachery. Zybysko suggests Hart simply has the intestinal fortitude so many who have faced the nWo have lacked.

Bret Hart's music hits and The Hitman leads out Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart to apparently answer those questions. Smith and Neidhart work the crowd a bit then The Hitman gets down to business. He thanks WCW fans for the warm welcome. Everyone wants to know why he chose WCW over the nWo; everyone from "up north" goes nWo. But Bret isn't like everyone else. He's seen how the nWo operates. He believes you settle things fairly in the ring and the nWo doesn't do that. They've set out to take all the belts and take over WCW. Sting stood against them and in the biggest match in WCW Hogan and the nWo wanted to screw Sting out of a fair fight and screw the fans out of a clean finish they've waited over a year to see. Everyone knows about what happened to Bret "up north". He got screwed and he wasn't going to let anyone else get screwed.

Hogan's music hits and he comes out to give his view on things. He says Bret talks about his integrity but he lied to Hogan and the nWo and used them. Bret stopped Sting from getting screwed by screwing Hogan. Bret says he made Hogan no promises. He never claimed he would watch Hogan's back. The nWo laid out the red carpet for The Hart Foundation and assumed nobody would refuse them. They believed what he wanted to believe. Hogan screwed Hogan.

The Outsiders join Hogan. Nash tells Bret that Shawn says hi. The Hart Foundation may be new players in the game, but the nWo still makes the rules and runs the show. The nWo always has a plan and the events of Starrcade are just a temporary setback. The rest of the nWo files out and start to make their way slowly and menancingly toward the ring.

Sting walks out of the shadows near the entrance ramp with the WCW Title around his waist and carrying his usual black bat. He does his trademark howl and that stops the nWo in their tracks. He points the bat at Hogan then Hall then Nash and shakes his head. Bret challenges the nWo to a match tonight in the main event. Sting nods in approval. Hogan agrees as we go to a commercial.

In the back, Disco Inferno is scurring around looking for a place to hide. Goldberg's voice is heard somewhere else in the building calling Disco's name.

Juventud Guerrera and Rey Mysterio Jr come out for a match. The announcers explain this was supposed to be Juventud vs Eddie Guerrero, but Eddie didn't show up tonight for Nitro. So JJ Dillon made this match, with a shot at Eddie's title on the line.

[Winner Gets A Cruiserweight Title Shot]
Juventud Guerrera pinned Rey Mysterio Jr. after a top-rope Frankensteiner in 0:06:20.
Rating: *** 3/4
(Eddie Guerrero no-showed.)

Magnum Tokyo comes out for a match. As he dances in the ring, out comes Disco Inferno. He looks like he's still afraid. He goes to the ring and asks Magnum Tokyo - as one dancing enthusist to another - to help him. Goldberg is looking for him after his interference last night at Starrcade. Magnum doesn't seem to understand what he's saying. Tenay explains that Magnum Tokyo doesn't speak English. Then Goldberg's music hits. Disco freaks out. Goldberg charges the ring. Disco throws Magnum at Goldberg and escapes through the crowd. Goldberg is pissed that Magnum Tokyo got in his way and starts pounding on him so the referee starts a match.

Bill Goldberg pinned Magnum Tokyo with the Jackhammer in 0:00:44.
Rating: *

DDP is with Mean Gene Okerlund in the back with his newly won title around his waist. He talks about how good it feels to be the champion and to have the belt back in WCW, both his and Sting's. He heard about the challenge thrown down for the main event tonight: Sting and The Hart Foundation against the nWo. He says the nWo better pick another member for their team because he wants to be a part of the match.

Booker T comes out. He says Stevie Ray is still another week away from being healthy enough to wrestle. He wants a piece of one of Vandenberg's cronies. Ernest Miller comes out and says since Stevie is hurt he'll team with Booker tonight because he wants a piece of Glacier. He talks smack about Glacier until James Vandenberg leads out his goons and sends all of them to the ring.

Handicap-Match
Glacier, Mortis and Wrath defeated Booker T and Ernest Miller when Mortis pinned Miller with the DOA in 0:19:07.
Rating: ** 3/4
[James Vandenburg interfered against Ernest Miller.]

After commercials, Raven is slumped in a corner of the ring with a mic. He says Benoit may have taken the TV Title from Saturn last night but Raven has still denied Benoit what he wants most: to get his hands on Raven. He will continue to deny Benoit a match, making Benoit feel some small part of his pain. Dean Malenko comes out and wants to know why Raven attacked him last night at Starrcade during his match with Eddie Guerrero. Raven says it is revenge for Malenko coming to Benoit's aid a week ago on Nitro. Malenko wants a piece of Raven, but Raven bails and sends in Kidman instead.

Dean Malenko made Kidman submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 0:07:14.
Rating: ** 1/4

Alex Wright defeated Chris Benoit by countout in 0:07:24.
Rating: ** 3/4
(Chris Benoit retained the WCW TV Title.)
[Debra and Raven interfered against Chris Benoit.]

Alex Wright finally got the title shot he's been wanting and comes away with the win but not the title. After Benoit had been knocked out to the floor, Raven hit him with a chair from the front row. The referee didn't see it and Benoit got counted out. After the match, The Flock attack Benoit but Malenko makes the save.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews The Giant in the back. The Giant says his knee isn't 100% after Savage's attack last week on Nitro but he'll get revenge for the attack nevertheless.

The nWo (Curt Hennig and Randy Savage) defeated Ric Flair and The Giant when Curt Hennig defeated Flair by disqualification in 0:11:13.
Rating: *
[Arn Anderson interfered against Curt Hennig.]

Arn got into a fight with Ric Rude outside the ring and when Hennig tried to get involved Arn hit him too, drawing the DQ.

The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart and The British Bulldog), Sting and Diamond Dallas Page defeated
The nWo (Buff Bagwell, Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Scott Norton) when Hart made Bagwell submit to the Sharpshooter in 0:15:18.
Rating: DUD