WCW Monday Nitro
February 9, 1998

[Dark Match]
Yuji Nagata and Kaz Hayashi defeated Los Villanos (Villano IV and Villano V) when Kaz defeated Villano V by disqualification in 0:09:00.
Rating: *** 1/4
[Mean Mike interfered against Kaz Hayashi.]

Disorderly Conduct attacked Nagata and Hayashi.

[Dark Match]
The Giant pinned Rick Martel with the Choke Slam in 0:12:04.
Rating: **

[Dark Match]: No-Countout-Match
Ciclope, Damien, Blitzkrieg and Hector Garza defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr., El Dandy, Psychosis and La Parka when Blitzkrieg pinned Dandy with the Stardust Press in 0:10:27.
Rating: ** 3/4

Schiavone, Tenay, and Zybysko welcomed everyone to Nitro and informed us that the nWo limo was running late but would arrive later in the show. Ric Flair's music played and The Nature Boy came to the ring by himself looking pretty pissed off. He talked about Curt Hennig and Rick Rude attacking Arn Anderson last week. Arn suffered a severe concussion and doctors have ordered him to stay away from wrestling. Flair talks about Arn being a great friend and great Horseman. Arn has a wife and kids; Flair wants Arn to be able to hold his family and remember them and his days in the ring. As he talks, Flair gets more and more worked up, in that wild and crazy way he can get. He calls Hennig a piece of shit. He's going to finish things where they started with Hennig: he wants their match at Superbrawl to be a cage match. Hennig tried to end him at War Games in September in a cage; in two weeks he'll repay the favor. Flair throws down the mic and storms off, still looking ready to kill.

In the back, Flair encounters Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael, and Dean Malenko on their way to the ring. Benoit wants to know if Flair wants their help. Flair says things with Hennig have gotten personal. He needs to settle things by himself and thanks them all for their support. Then Flair storms off. Mongo comments he's never seen Flair so angry. Even the normally stoic Malenko seems unsettled.

Sick Boy defeated Dean Malenko by countout in 0:12:06.
Rating: **** 1/4
[Lodi and Hammer interfered against Dean Malenko.]

Benoit and McMichael spent the match keeping The Flock away from the ring, without complete success.

JJ Dillon comes to the ring. He says the WCW Executive Committee have carefully considered everything that has happened since Starrcade. Hogan is indeed entitled to a rematch for the title. That Hogan lost the title is related to the actions of Bret Hart. That Hogan lost at Souled Out is related to the actions of Sting. Furthermore, Bret Hart was a world champion and only lost that title under very questionable circumstances. And there is the matter of the tension in the last couple weeks between Bret and Sting. Therefore, the main event at Superbrawl will be a match for the WCW World Title: Sting vs Hollywood Hogan vs Bret Hart!

In the back, a limo pulls up. The first person out of the limo is Ric Rude, who barely has time to adjust his tie before being blindsided by Ric Flair! Flair slams the door shut and pummels Rude, clearing wearing brass knux on his right hand. Flair slams Rude's face into back of the limo then throws him to the ground. He tries to open the limo's door, but it's locked. He pounds on the glass and the door suddenly opens, knocking him over. Curt Henning gets out of the limo, but Flair tackles him against the side of the limo. The rest of the nWo pours out of the limo and everyone starts pummeling Flair, who tries impossibly to fight everyone off. Suddenly, The Hart Foundation charges to the rescue! Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart fight with the nWo. Numbers still aren't in their favor, but it saves Flair from any further beating. Security shows up not long after to break everything up.

Booker T defeated Rick Steiner by disqualification in 0:00:08.
Rating: 1/4*
[Scott Steiner interfered against Booker T.]

Stevie Ray and Scott Steiner were at ringside to support their tag partners. Booker T exchanged words before the bell with Scott Steiner before the match started. Scott decieded to hit the ring and suplex Booker, ending the match after it had barely begun.

Before the latest Harlem Heat-Steiners brawl can get very far, the nWo storm the ring and toss everyone. Hogan wants a mic, but Hennig gets it first and tells Flair he's on for the cage match and says he'll finish what HE started at War Games: retiring the dinosaur that is Ric Flair. Hogan takes the mic back as the nWo tries to calm Hennig. He's going to take the belt back to the nWo at Superbrawl where it belongs. And speaking of belts where they belong, he wants to know why Savage dropped the ball last week against DDP. Savage says he'd be US Champion right now if Spicolli hadn't botched his interference. Hogan says needing outside help is a lousy excuse, but Savage throws that back in his face pointing out that Hogan's a giant hypocrite to say that. Nash tells the boys to simmer down and challenges DDP to a match at Superbrawl.

The announcers inform us that Ric Rude went to the hospital to be checked on after the beating he recieved from Ric Flair.

Vicious & Delicious (Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton) defeated Brad Armstrong and Lenny Lane when Bagwell pinned Lane with the Buff Blockbuster in 0:09:01.
Rating: * 1/4

After the match, Norton gave both opponents the Shoulderbreaker for good measure.

In the back, Gene Okerlund is with The Hart Foundation. Bret Hart says he wont refused the match with Hogan and Sting for Superbrawl. Bret says he respects Sting and they are on the same side. He says many people forget history, but he hasn't. He says Sting should look up what happened between Hogan and the Hitman in 1993 and it will be very clear where he stands.

Alex Wright gets a mic before his rematch with Finlay. He says Finlay's brute force prevailed last week, but he's smarter and quicker. Plus he's got a better body as evidenced by Debra being in his corner. Finlay is just a big dumb, ugly ox.

Fit Finlay defeated Alex Wright by disqualification in 0:03:39.
Rating: * 1/2
(Fit Finlay retained the WCW TV Title.)
[Debra interfered against Fit Finlay.]

Debra made the mistake of tripping Finlay when the referee was looking and got Wright disqualified. Wright yelled at Debra after the match for screwing up, including cursing at her in German.

Konnan made Lex Luger submit to the Tequila Sunrise in 0:03:51.
Rating: **
[Louie Spicolli interfered against Lex Luger.]

Konnan knocked Luger out of the ring and started arguing with the referee. Spicolli attacked Luger and gave him the Spicolli Driver on the floor then rolled him back into the ring. With Luger knocked loopy, Konnan locked on his finisher in the middle of the ring.

Triangle Match
Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Jericho and Juventud Guerrera when E. Guerrero pinned Juvi with the Frog Splash in 0:11:03.
Rating: ***
(Chris Jericho retained the WCW Cruiserweight Title.)

Eddie Guerrero went to get the championship belt, but the referee handed it to Jericho instead. Guerrero asked what was going on. Jericho explained Guerrero should have read the match contract closer: Jericho had it specify that the title would only change hands if the champion were pinned or submitted. Guerrero congratulated Jericho on learning the art of cheating so well and offered a handshake. Jericho accepted the handsake...only to to have Guerrero kick him in the groin! Jericho fell over in pain and Eddie put the boots to him. Jericho rolled out of the ring and retreated back to the locker room as Eddie got a mic and demanded a mano-to-mano title match at Superbrawl!

The nWo (Curt Hennig and Kevin Nash) defeated Ric Flair and Diamond Dallas Page
when Nash pinned Page with the Jackknife Power Bomb in 0:08:23.
Rating: * 1/2
[Buff Bagwell interfered against Diamond Dallas Page.]

Hennig and Flair had gotten into a vicious brawl at ringside, which distracted the referee. Buff Bagwell came down and got on the ring apron and exchanged punches with DDP. Buff dropped back to the floor and Page turned around right into a big boot from Nash who then Jackknifed him for the pin.

The rest of the nWo proceded to storm the ring area to deliever a gang beating to Flair and Page. The Hart Foundation run out to try to make the save, with Lex Luger and The Giant not far behind. Finally, Sting rappels from the ceiling to the ring. As the last of the nWo are cleared from the ring, Bret Hart bumps into Sting and we have a tense staredown in the middle of the ring as the show goes off the air.