A typical thunderous WCW display of pyro is the first thing we see when the camera pans to the arena Tony Schiavone welcomes us to "The Most Important Night in the history of our sport", introducing us to his fellow announcers for the night "Iron" Mike Tenay and Dusty Rhodes. They talk to us about the referee drawing for Sting vs Hogan. They pan to the crowd, where several WCW stars are sitting in a blocked off section of the front row, all easerly waiting for Sting Hogan. Schiavone also tells us that Kevin Nash WILL NOT be here to wrestle the Giant, and with that, the show is underrway
Eddie Guerrero (c) def Dean Malenko for the Crusierweight title in a classic 20 minute match.
-Guerrero has words with both Kidman and Disco Inferno as he heads to the back.
"Rockhouse" hits the speakers and Scott Hall saunters out in a long-sleeved, red, NWO shirt, the TV belt wrapped around his weight. He puts over Washington DC on the mic. He then appears to fly into his usual routine
Hall: You may have heard by now, but we're doin a little survery.
*crowd pops*
Hall: Who here...came to see....Kevin Nash?
*bigger crowd pop*
Hall: Well....he ain't here tonight.
*crowd boos*
Hall: See, unlike your generous old pal Scott Hall, Kevin doesn't think Washington DC is very sweet.
*Crowd boos louder*
Hall: He (pauses to think) He doesn't think, he KNOWS Washington DC is fulla chumps, the biggest chump of them all is that big dummy Giant *pauses to let the crowd pop* Big man, just like when you rolled with us back in the day, Kev was just stringin' you along. He doesn't think you're in his league, or worth his time mang.
Hall flippantly tosses the microphone away, and begins to saunter back up the ramp to his music. However, just as he's about to walk through the curtain, he's knocked onto his back, and begins to crawl away from the curtain. The crowd pops as a pissed looking Giant follows through the curtain. Hall desperately crawls to the middle of the ramp, flipping over from his stomach to his back to beg as Giant wraps a hand around Hall's throat and hoists him up to his feet. Hall thumbs the Giant in the eye, and starts to throw rights and lefts at the stunned Giant, but the Giant hits Hall with a gigantic surprise Scoop Slam. The Giant again, hoists Hall to his feet, but this time, throws the winded Television Champion into the ring. Stepping in himself, The Giant pauses as Hall wobbles to his feet, and calls for the Chokeslam. Hall turns around, only to get Giant's hand clasped around his throat and chokeslamed. Giant's music begins to play, as he takes the TV Belt off of hall, holds it to the camera, and proclaims, "First, I'm coming for this. Then, I'm coming for YOU Nash." dropping the title, and stomping back stage.
Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner and Ray Traylor w/ Ted Dibiase def Vincent, Scott Norton, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage w/Miss Elizabeth
-Savage is replacing Konnan, has to make his entrance seperately from Vincent and Norton,
-Back and forth match, but Savage seems flustered and off his game for the majority of time he's in the ring.
-Scott Steiner pins Savage, who brushes off assistance from his NWO comrades and stomps backstage with Elizabeth
Mean Gene Oakerlund interviews JJ Dillon. He runs down the most heavily advertised matches remaining on the card, Hennig vs. DDP for the US Title, Zybyszko vs Bischoff for the presidency of WCW, and lastly Hogan vs. Sting. He then announces that the referee is Nick Patrick. Gene tells JJ that this could cause a lot of controversy. JJ sats that, if anything happens, the President, who becomes official after the Sting Hogan event can do something about it.
Goldberg def Steve McMicheal
-Mongo attacks Goldberg during his entrance. They brawl aorund the ring for the majority of the match, with Mongo getting the uperhand after a Ric Flair- like back kick to the groin.
- Mongo gets speared off the apron to the floor after throwing Goldberg in and trying to get back in.
-Mongo's back is so hurt he can't hit the Mongo Spike, and gets it reversed into a Jackhammer for the 3
Saturn (w/Raven) def Chris Benoit by knock out, Raven's Rules Match
-Original match was supposed to be Benoit v Raven, but Raven replaced himself with Saturn
-Another great, back and forth match up, the ended in controversy when the Flock jumped and attacked Benoit, leading to an Evenflow from Raven, and then Saturn locking on the Ricgs of Saturn and Benoit being declared unable to continue
Lex Luger def Buff Bagwell w/ Vincent via Torture Rack
-Vincent keeps distracting the ref so Bagwell can do cheap things like rake the eyes and choke him.
-Luger eventually takes out Vincent, allowing Bagwell to take the upperhand.
-The match swings back in Bagwell's favor until Luger mounts a comeback, locks in the Rack, and wins.
Curt Hennig (c) w/Horace Hogan def DDP w/ Ric Flair, retains the US Championship
-DDP makes a point of attacking Hennig early with Flair chops, one of which sends Hennig outside of the ring.
-The match swings in Hennig's favor when DDP misses a running clothesline outside the ring during the brawl and runs arm first into the ring post.
- DDP spends the majority of the match getting bost arms worked over by Hennig, Tenay insinuates that this is all to prevent a Diamond Cutter attempt.
-It's at this point that Flair and Horace (who have been shouting at each other all match) get into it. Hennig leaves a prone DDP in the ring to double team Ric Flair with Horace. Flair fights valliantl, but the numbers game, and the use of brass knucks by Horace) alllows the NWO to get the upper hand.
-Hennig enters the ring only to be on thre recieving end of DDP's babyface comeback. He runs through his usual offense, attempts a Diamond Cutter, but can't lock Hennig's head because his arms are too hurt. Hennig rolls DDP up with a School Boy grabbing him by the jeans, and getting the three.
-Hennig Flair struts out of the ring, past a prone Ric Flair with Horace in tow as DDP looks on disbeliefs
Larry Zbyszko def Eric Bischoff w/ Scott Hall via knockout to become the next WCW President (Bret Hart was the special referee) As a result, Zybysko vs. Scott Hall is official for WCW Souled Out 1998
Sting def Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Title
-Hulk Hogan starts the match by powering Sting down in a Test of Strength, but Sting simply boots him in the stomach and punches him square in the mouth, causing the crowd to pop,
-The two go nearly punch for punch for about 5 minutes, but Sting knocks Hogan out of the ring with a dropkick.
-Hogan tries to shove Sting off of a headlock, but can't. Sting peppers him with punches in the headlock. Sting. gets whipped to the ropes, ducks a clothesline, but jabbed in the throat by Hogan, sending Sting down in a coughing heap. Hogan throws Sting outside the ring and poses. This starts the momentum of Hogan using dirty brawling tactics outside the ring.
Sting reverses an Irish Whip outside the ring causing Hogan to hit the guard rail, then follows that up with a guard rail Stinger Splash. Sting backs up as Hogan staggers forward, and throws him into the ring. Hogan rolls up to his knees, begging and pleading as Sting hits him with some stiff looking lefts and rights, all the way back into one of the turnbuckles. As Hogan slowly rises to his feet, Sting backs into the opposite corner. STINGER SPLA-NO! Hogan catches Sting, carries him to the middle of the ring, and hits him with a reverse atomic drop. Hogan drops to his knees at well, catching his breath from Sting's earlier flurry, "THIS IS YOUR HERO? I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Hogan beckons to the crowd as he goes for yet another chokehold on the prone Sting. Hogan drags Sting up, whips him into the ropes, and hits the Boots. The crowd boos, Hogan poses, they both know what's ahead. BIG LEGDROP! Hogan gets to his feet, smiling arrogantly and making the cuthroat gesture. He leisurely floats into the cover. ONE, TWO, THR-NO, Sting kicks out with authority. Sting springs to his feet. Hogan punches Sting as hard as he can, but to no effect. Scoop slam by Hogan, and STING POPS BACK UP AGAIN. Another slam AND ANOTHER NO SELL BY STING! Tenay excitedly remarks that Sting's eyes have gone wide with an insane fury. Hogan goes for another punch, BLOCKED BY STING! Sting beams Hogan with a punch of his own, causing Hogan to stiffen, and fall backward. Sting turns around, and ecits the ring, rummaging around ringside for something. HE'S GOT THE BAT!. As Sting gets in the ring to face a kneeling Hogan, Tenay remarks that Sting may not be in his right mind. Sting raises the bat above his head as Hogan pleads for his life....and the bat is taken away by Nick Patrick! The crowd boos as Nick goes to put away the bat, LOW BLOW BY HOGAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! NICK PATRICK DIDN'T SEE IT! Sting falls backward in agony. Slowly, with a joyous smile on his face, Hogan rises to his feet, and runs the ropes, SECOND BIG LEGDROP! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! AGAIN, STING KICKS OUT! Hogan pounds the mat in frustration, seething with rage. He stands up, and backs Patrick into the one of the corner, shouting indistinctly at him, until the camera picks up one angry phrase, "IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FAST YOU IDIOT!" While the announcers ponder this, the camera focus in on Hogan and Nick's drama, but no one notices that, in the opposite corner, Sting has amazingly pulled himself back up to his feet and is running full tilt at them. STINGER SPLASH ON HOGAN WHICH CAUSES HIM TO BONK HEADS WITH NICK PATRICK! Both men back out of the corner, and Sting grabs Hogan by the head. SCORPION DEATH DROP! Sting gets to his feet, and LOCKS IN THE SCORPION DEATHLOCK! Nick Patrick, who is dazed, but not knocked out, calls for the bell. Some of the crowd erupt in jubilation, thinking that Hogan may have tapped out, while most of the crowd, is hushed. Nick Patrick crawls out of the ring, conferring with Micheal Buffer
Buffer- Ladies and g entleman, I have been informed by Nick Patrick that, due to Sting striking an official *the crowd erupts in boos, the winner of this match by disqualification, and STILL-"
The Monday Nitro theme hits, and out comes Larry Zbyszko, looking like he's about to pop a blood vessel in rage, "NO! WE ARE NOT ENDING THIS NIGHT THIS WAY! THIS MATCH RESTARTS RIGHT NOW, and the Special Guest referee is Bret Hart! RING THE BELL!"
Bret Hart bounds from backstage, jogging as fast as he can up the ramp and to the ring. Meanwhile, Hogan has been progessively clawing his way up with the assistance of the ropes, and Sting hasn't taken his icy stare off of him since the bell rang. STINGER SPLASH IN THE ROPES! ROLL UP! Bret slides in. ONE TWO-NO! HOGAN KICKS OUT! Both men get to their feet, and Hogan waffles Sting with a punch to the jaw . Hogan waits for Sting to climb to his feet, all the while screaming "GET UP HERO!" Hogan whips Sting into the ropes. BIG BOOT-NO, STING BLOCKS IT! He knocks Hogan down, SCORPION DEATHLOCK! The NWO run out from backstage to try and help Hogan, but the WCW guys jump the guard rail and a big brawl insues outside. Meanwhile, Hogan is trying to crawl to the ropes. He's about an inch away....STING PULLS HIM BACK TO THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! HOGAN TAPPED! The shocked NWO members are beaten down at ringside, and the ring floods with jubilant WCW wrestlers, all of whom try to head for Sting in celebration, but Sting quickly exits the ring, only stopping to pose at the top of the ramp with the title. The credits on Starrcade 1997 roll with Tony's infamous call "I'm Tony Schavone and the NWO can bite us."