A Collective Review of WCW Road Wild 1997 (Luger vs. Hogan, Savage vs. Giant) by Lance Augustine
Welcome back to the TJRwrestling retro reviews where we are breaking down every WCW Pay-Per-View during the “Monday Night War” era. I just went over the main event of the 100th Episode of Nitro that saw Lex Luger defeating “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan to win the WCW Heavyweight Title. It was a monumental step for me as a wrestling fan, and I hope you all enjoyed the detour from the PPV’s. We are back on track now and this will be the second Sturgis show for WCW. The name was changed to Road Wild this year over the previous name of Hog Wild, but I still think both names stink. You can check out all of the shows we have covered for the site here. What will be the fallout of Luger winning the title a mere 6 days before this? Let’s find out!
WCW Road Wild
August 9th, 1997
Sturgis, South Dakota
The show opens with a package showcasing the rematch between Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Lex Luger for the WCW Heavyweight Title before showing a sky view of the motorcycles and the set for the show. We are joining at the top of the show by the usual suspects of Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. They talk about the matches on the night and speculate is WCW can take control of all the titles from The NWO. Seeing Tony Schiavone in a jean jacket is something. They go down to the ring for the first match.
Vicious and Delicious (Scott Norton and Buff Bagwell) vs. Harlem Heat (Booker T. and Stevie Ray)
Bagwell and Stevie Ray share some words before the bell sounds and the match is underway. Booker and Bagwell start the match off for their teams and lock up in the middle. Both men take turns putting the other in an armbar before Bagwell takes him out with a hip toss and a dropkick. Bagwell hits a series of dropkicks before tagging Norton into the match. He works Booker into the corner, but he fights out and takes Norton down with a sidekick. He tags in his brother and Ray starts pounding on Norton in the corner. He tries to throw him to the other side, but Norton reverses it and takes him out with a clothesline. It’s short-lived though, and Ray takes him down with a clothesline of his own. Booker tags back in and hits Norton with a vertical suplex a follows that up with a forearm shot for a near fall. He tags Ray back in the match and he continues working on Norton before quickly tagging Booker back into the match. Norton catches him charging in and hits a slam and both men are down. Norton reached and tags in Bagwell who starts to clean the house. He tries to throw Booker out of the ring, but he reverses it and Bagwell is the one to go out. He got dangerously close to the ledge of the ring area. Bagwell gets back in the ring and Ray hits him with a clothesline and covers him for a two count before slapping on a chin lock. Booker tags back in and they double team Bagwell in their corner. Booker hits a Scissors Kick for a two count. Booker works him into the corner, but Bagwell comes out and takes him down with a clothesline. Booker makes a tag and Ray comes in to continue working on Bagwell and hits him with a slam. Bagwell starts to fight back as they show Miss Jaqueline coming down to the ring. Bagwell hits a crossbody on Booker in the ring and gets a two count. They get back to their feet and Booker takes Bagwell down with a clothesline. Bagwell mounts a comeback and hits Booker with a Powerbomb. Bagwell tags Norton back in the match and he takes out both members of Harlem Heat with clotheslines. Norton takes Booker down with a shoulder block, while Ray and Bagwell fight to the outside. Norton hits Booker with the shoulder breaker on the inside of the ring, but Jacquelyn climbs up to distract him. Booker hits a Harlem Sidekick and slams him down. He makes the cover with Jacquelyn grabbing the foot and picks up the win after 10:20.
Winner(s): Harlem Heat
Match Rating: 2.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This wasn’t a bad way to open the show, although they didn’t do anything spectacular. Both teams got ample amounts of time to shine, and both got some nice offense in. Booker T. was probably the biggest star in the match and even though the fans have no idea what’s going on, it was fine for the most part.
The Steiner Brothers and Ted Dibiase are talking “backstage” on the website and he is really putting the brothers over. It’s time for the next match.
Mexican Death Match
Konnan vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Mike Tenay is joining the booth for this match. This is just a No DQ match. It should also be noted that Mysterio tweaked his leg Monday on Nitro and there should be a target on that.
Konnan comes in quickly with a clothesline attempt, but Mysterio ducks under it. He hits Konnan with a Springboard Dropkick and hits a clothesline that takes him down. He hits a head scissors, but Konnan doesn’t put up with it much longer and takes him down with a clothesline. He stomps away on Mysterio and hits the rolling clothesline. He locks up Mysterio’s bad leg and continues to wrench down on it. Konnan grabs the ropes for an advantage, but lets the move go to tell at the crowd. Mysterio slides to the outside to recover and as he comes back in, hits a Hurricanrana. The advantage is short lives and Konnan takes out his injured leg from behind. He works on his leg in the ropes and tells the referee to ring the bell. Mysterio tries to kick Konnan away, but he can’t get away and he ties him up in the ropes to work on the bad wheel some more. Mysterio starts to fight back again and takes Konnan down to the mat. He charges out of the corner and hits him with a clothesline. Konnan is the first one up and he kicks Mysterio’s leg and locks him in another submission hold. Mysterio attempts to get Konnan off of him, but Konnan remains on the offensive and starts untying his mask. He picks Mysterio up and hits a Powerbomb before trying to take the mask off again. He pulls the mask off, but Mysterio tries to keep it on and succeeds. Mysterio hits Konnan with a dropkick and covers him for a two count. Mysterio hits a leg drop and hits a Springboard Moonsault that he completely misses. Konnan gets back to his feet and dropkicks his bad leg again. Konnan starts to fold him up, but Mysterio gets to the ropes and forces him to break it after fighting Konnan off. Mysterio hits an arm drag and tries to remain on top, but Konnan catches him and hits a Belly To Belly Suplex. Mysterio rolls him up for a two count. Mysterio hits a dropkick to the knee and signals going up top. Mysterio climbs up and comes off, but Konnan catches him and drops him right on his head. What a devastating looking move. Konnan puts on The Tequila Sunrise and Mysterio gives up after 10:20.
Winner: Konnan
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: No shock here, but this was another very good match between two guys that could straight go. Mysterio played the underdog in this one so well, and Konnan was so smooth. It was a fun match to watch. I don’t think that it was up to the standards of some of the other Cruisweight matches we have seen, but they busted their ass and did the best they could in front of a crowd like this.
After the match, the trainers hit the ring to check on Mysterio.
Mean Gene makes his first appearance and shows off a tattoo on his arm before plugging the hotline. He throws it back to the ring. Thanks for that Gene!
Elimination Tag Team Match
Steve “Mongo” McMichael and Chris Benoit vs. Dean Malenko and Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra McMichael)
If we recall, Debra turned on her husband last month which allowed Jarrett to pick up a win over him. Why is this an elimination match you ask? I don’t have an answer.
Jarrett and Benoit start off the match for their teams. They lock up in the ring with Benoit getting the early advantage. He takes Jarrett down to the mat, but both men are quickly back to their feet. Malenko tags in and Benoit takes him down with a shoulder block. They lock up and both men show some athleticism before Benoit gets a kick to the gut. Benoit takes him down with an arm drag, but Malenko rolls him up for a two count. McMichael tags in the match and Malenko takes him down. He picks Malenko up and hits a side slam. He throws Malenko in the corner and hits a shot to the head before tagging Benoit in. Benoit gets some kicks to the midsection and hits a high knee that sends Malenko down to the mat. McMichael makes another quick tag and hits a scoop slam. McMichael kicks him in the head and tags Benoit, who comes in and continues stomping on Malenko. He hits Malenko with an elbow and stares at Jarrett on the apron. He works Malenko into their corner again and hits some chops and blows to the head. He tags McMichael who continues the assault and hits another side slam before Benoit is back in. He hits Malenko with a snap suplex and covers him for a two count. Another tag to McMichael and he slams Malenko down again. McMichael tries a chop block, but Malenko rolls out of the way and finally gets a tag to Jarrett. He hits McMichael, but lays down on the mat and forces McMichael to pin him and eliminate him from the match. Malenko tries to fight off both men, but they quickly take advantage. THey show Jarrett leaving the area as Benoit and McMichael continuing beating on Malenko. He starts to come back and hits Benoit with a suplex and tries to get The Texas VLowleaf on, but Benoit is too close to the ropes. Benoit hits a Tombstone Piledriver and A Diving Headbutt before tagging McMichael back into the match. He picks Malenko up and hits another Tombstone Piledriver and picks up the win after 9:36.
Winner(s): Chris Benoit and Steve McMichael
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
COllective Thoughts: The match was alright, but I really hope we are nearing the end of the McMichael/Jarrett feud. Malenko was isolated for almost the entire match because Jarrett was only legally in for less than a minute. Obviously, Benoit and McMichael worked well together and made sure the best man was always in. I have no desire to see these gentlemen in a match again besides Malenko and Benoit squaring off. They are too good to be in the middle of this.
They have a video clip of Sturgis and everyone riding their motorcycles. Last year I noted I didn’t really like the setting for the show and it still isn’t my favorite.
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
Alex Wright (c) vs. Chris Jericho
They lock up in the ring with Jericho taking an early advantage. Wright goes to the apron to break the hold and Jericho lets up. Jericho hits an arm drag and follows that up with some chops that sends Wright to the outside of the ring to regroup. Jericho takes Wright down as he gets back in the ring with a drop toe hold and slaps on a headlock. Wright comes back with a wristlock and shoves Jericho down to the mat. Wright takes him down with a shoulder block, but is soon taken down with a spin wheel kick. He tries to slam Jericho’s head into the corner, but Jericho reverses and sends Wright headfirst into it. He crotches Wright on the top rope. He comes off the top with a missile dropkick that sends Wright to the safety rail. Jericho comes to the outside with a splash that wipes both men out. Jericho picks up Wright with a scoop slam on the outside. Wright comes back and sends Jericho into the stairs. He hits some chops and sends Jericho back into the ring. Wright climbs to the top, but Jericho throws him off and hits a dropkick. He hits Wright with an arm drag and covers him for a near fall. He picks Wright up and sends him into the ropes, but Wright comes back with a spinning heel kick. Wright slams him down to the mat and goes up top again. Wright comes down on Jericho and completely misses him, but the announcers call it a “stomp”. Wright hits a series of uppercuts and hits a belly to back suplex. Wright goes up top again and comes off with a moonsault, but eats nothing but canvas. Jericho hits him in the midsection and hits a jawbreaker. He sends Wright into the corners and follows him in with a series of clothesline. He comes off the second rope with a Lionsault and hits a senton for a two count. Jericho gets a boot to the midsection and puts him down with two powerbombs but doesn’t make the cover. He stomps on Wright and goes up top, but Wright hits the rope and it sends Jericho down. Wright climbs up and hits a Superplex for a two count. Jericho rolls him up after Wright tries a move and hits a belly to back suplex. Jericho hits a high knee and rolls Wright up, but Wright reverses and grabs the tights to pick up the win and retain the title after 13:03.
Winner and STILL WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Alex Wright
Match Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This was a very competitive match with both men having the upper hand throughout the bout. They are a little bigger than traditional cruiserweights up to this point, but both could go in the ring. Jericho hit a lot of power moves and showed that his game was more than just being a high-flyer. Wright was a lot better than I remember him being and this match was a solid watch overall.
They show some more bikers throughout the city before going back to the ring for the next match.
“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. Syxx
Syxx starts the match by taunting Flair and they start circling each other in the ring. Syxx takes him down with a shoulder block to try and set the tone. Flair takes Syxx out by the arm and he sends Syxx into the corner for some chops. Syxx fights back with a headbutt and hits some chops of his own. He sends Flair into the opposite corner, but misses a splash coming in. Syxx lowly gets back in the ring and is taken down with a series of chops again. Syxx steps back to rebound and both men are back to a vertical base. Flair hits some chops and a shot to the head before trying a clothesline, but getting kicked in the head for his troubles. Syxx puts him in the corner and hits a back kick that sends Flair to the mat. Syxx comes in with a Bronco Buster which has Flair in a bad way. Syxx gets a reverse chin lock on as Flair is fighting for air. Syxx kicks Flair in the head and takes him in the corner where he continues to stomps on him. Syxx hits a scoop slam and climbs up top for a leg drop to score a near fall. Flair comes back and both men start wailing on each other in the corner. Syxx hits another spinning heel kick and covers Flair for a two count. Flairs gets back to his feet and hits a chop that knocks Syxx to the mat. He hits him with a knee breaker and grabs the leg, but Syxx hits an Enziguri. Syxx climbs up top, but misses a somersault splash. Flair takes his leg out and puts Syxx in The Figure Four, but he gets to the ropes. He gets Syxx back in the corner and continues to pound on Syxx’s head. Syxx goes for the Buzzkiller, but Flair fights out. He kicks Syxx below the belt and covers him with his feet on the ropes to pick up the win. The match went 11:06 in total.
Winner: Ric Flair
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: What a shine Syxx got from being in the ring with Flair. He was on the offensive for almost the entire match and, in typical Flair fashion, he sold like a million bucks. The leg drop off the top was a standout move, as well as him being able to hit Flair with a Bronco Buster. What a sight that was. Flair winning in that fashion is fine because it fits his character so well. Also, the crowd was into everything Flair did, so it seems like he is the most recognizable star besides probably Hogan for this event.
Diamond Dallas Page (w/Kimberly Page) vs. Curt Hennig
These two have been hitting each other with finishers leading up to the culmination here.
Hennig hits a high knee to the midsection to start the match and Page is sent to the outside. He pulls Hennig out with him and starts getting some shots to the head before they roll back in. Page hits a knee, but Hennig takes him down by pulling the hair. He puts Hennig in the corner and hits some elbows to the head and a series of chops. Hennig fights out, but it’s short-lived and Page takes him down by the hair. Hennig slides crotch first into the ring post and Page comes out to capitalize. He pulls him against the post, but as he comes back in, Hennig gets a thumb to the eye. Page gets back on top with a punch to the head and takes Hennig down. He climbs up top, but Hennig hits the rope and sends him crashing down. Hennig starts choking him with his towel and continues to do so as Page is thrown over the top rope. He pulls Page back in and hits a clothesline and a knee to the head. Hennig gets him in the corner and hits a chop to the chest before hitting the flip neck breaker. Hennig chokes him in the corner and hits him with an elbow to the head. Hennig brings down a knee on the leg of Page and works on the leg in the ropes. Hennig pretzels the leg and continues to stretch Page who is in a lot of pain. Hennig put Page in a Sleeper, but he gets out with a jawbreaker. Page hits a Sunset Flip, but only get a two count. Hennig takes him down as soon as they get up and gets a near fall of his own. Hennig hits a shot to the head that has Page against the ropes. Page comes back with a clothesline and gets a two count. On the kick-out, Hennig threw Page on top of the referee and wiped them both out. Hennig takes off the turnbuckle pad and slams Page’s head against it. Hennig picks Page up and hits the Hennig Plex, but Page kicks out at two. Hennig continues working on the head, but Page fights back with some elbows and he slams Hennig headfirst into the exposed steel. He knocks him down again and picks Hennig up for a flapjack, but Hennig kicks the referee on the way up. Ric Flair comes down to the ring, but Page hits him with a Diamond Cutter. Hennig hits the Hennig Plex again off the distraction to pick up the win after 9:41.
Winner: Curt Hennig
Match Rating: 2.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This was a good match, but nothing spectacular. Page was starting his ascent to the top of the company here, and actually got a better reaction than some of his peers on this show. Hennig was a great worker as well and I feel like their styles worked well together. The two ref bumps might have been a bit much, but it is what it is. Flair interfering in the match starting the conversations about Hennig becoming a member of the Horsemen.
Mean Gene is back to promote the hotline once again. He talks about Raven and Stevie Richards and how their relationship is happening in WCW. He then shoots to a promo video for WCW Fall Brawl 1997. Next one down the pipe.
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) vs. The Giant
The Giant starts the match with some mind games that keeps Savage on the outside of the ring. The Giant turns his back which allows Savage to slide in the ring and hit him from behind. He picks him up for a scoop slam, but The Giant falls down on him. He works Savage into the corner and hits a series of chops and kicks before he tosses him across the ring. The Giant stomps down on the head and tears off the shirt of Savage. He hits Savage in the back with a forearm and it sends him out of the ring. Savage hides behind Elizabeth as The Giant gives chase, but it’s of no use, and he gets pressed into the ring. Both men are back in the ring and The Giant hits a headbutt but misses two boots. Savage takes his legs out and pulls him around the ring post and slams the knee on the steel. He continues kicking the legs out from under The Giant and has him grounded. Savage gets in the face of the referee and stalks The Giant as he tries to get back up. He comes off the ropes and hits a few clotheslines, but The Giant stays up. Savage climbs up top and comes off with a crossbody for a two count. Savage is back up top only this time he is caught in a Chokeslam. The Giant picks him up and puts him down to pick up the win after 6:05.
Winner: The Giant
Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: Obviously, these two are legends in the business. This match was kind of a miss though. It’s not that they didn’t try hard, there just wasn’t much to it. Savage got limited offense in, but he played it smart working on the legs. This match was more of a way to keep the rivalry between the NWO and WCW.
WCW Tag Team Title Match
The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) (c) vs. The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) (w/Ted Dibiase)
The Steiners make their entrance in style riding down to the ring on their motorcycles.
Hall and Scott start the match off for their teams. Hall throws the toothpick in his face and is slapped for his troubles. Hall gets a kick to the midsection and a few shots to the head before taking Scott down to the mat with an arm drag. Hall slaps Scott in the head, but Scott comes back with a suplex. He locks Hall in a Double Underhook Suplex and that brings Nash into the ring. The Steiners come in and clean house as they tease them to get back in the ring. Rick tags into the match and Hall follows suit by tagging Nash into the match. Nash with a high knee and shot to the head of Rick. He throws him into the corner and comes right in after with a clothesline. He picks Rick upon his shoulders, but Rick fights off and hits a German Suplex. Rick makes the tag and Scott comes off the ropes with a double ax handle. Scott goes into the ropes, but Hall hits him from behind. He knocks Hall off the apron, but is wiped out with a big boot to the face. Hall tags in the match and continues to stomp away on Scott. Scott tries a hip toss, but Hall reverses it into a chokeslam before tagging Nash in. He hits Scott in the head and starts choking him on the second rope. Hall gets a cheap shot in before tagging back in and stomping away. Scott comes back, but it doesn’t last long and he is met with a Fallaway Slam. Nash comes back in and hits Scott with a sidewalk slam for a two count. He tosses Scott in the corner and lines him up for some elbows. He starts choking him with his foot and won’t let up even with the referee in his face. Hall hits Scott again from the apron before tagging back into the match. He puts Scott in the abdominal stretch and Nash reaches in for extra leverage. Scott muscles him over with a hip toss, but misses an elbow to maintain the advantage. Nash tags in and drops an elbow that lands on the back of Scott. He hits another knee in the corner and picks Scott up for some Snake Eyes. He knocks Rick off the apron and continues to take him out on the floor. In the ring, Hall is in and beats on Scott before becoming the legal man again. He knocks Scott down and continues pounding on him in the corner. Scott tries with everything to fight out of their corner, but they catch him before he is able to make a tag. Nash starts twisting the head of Scott as Hall taunts Rick from the other side of the ring.
Hall is the fresh man and puts on a chin lock. Scott tries to crawl over slowly to make the tag and picks Hall up for The Electric Chair Drop. Hall makes the tag to Nash and he gets between the brothers. Nash takes him down with a clothesline and covers him for a two count. He puts Scott back in the corner and he starts with the boot to the throat. Nash comes in and hits him again, but Scott drops out of the way and Nash gets hung up on the ropes. Scott slowly rolls to his side of the ring, but Nash makes it first and Hall is in to drop an elbow. He hits Scott with some more shots to the head and a boot to the face. He climbs up top and hits a diving bulldog before taunting Rick again. He tries to pick Scott up for The Outsiders Edge, but Rick comes in and takes him out. Scott hits a Belly to Belly Suplex and Rick is just dying to get in. Hall holds the foot as he can’t make it over, but Scott kicks him away. Scott makes the tag and Rick cleans out. He hits Hall with a slam and Scott clotheslines Nash over the top rope. Scott picks Hall up and they hit the Steiner Bulldog, but Nash pulls the referee out to stop the count. Nick Patrick gets back in the ring and raises The Steiner’s arms anyway. Turns out he disqualifies Nash for pulling him out and Te Outsiders retain the titles. The whole thing lasted 15:29.
Winner(s) By DQ: The Steiner Brothers
Match Rating: 2.75/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a very solid tag team match. Scott was isolated for almost the entire length of the match, but the hot tag was great when he finally made it. Hall and Nash were pretty underrated around this time, and both of them worked as a team to perfection. This seems like the 3rd time The Steiners have won the Tag Team Titles only to have them taken away on a technicality. All the repeat booking aside, this was a solid watch.
Michael Buffer is in the ring with a ridiculous hat on and it signifies that it’s time for the main event.
WCW Heavyweight Title Match
Lex Luger (c) vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan
As I have mentioned before, I covered the show where Luger won the title just 6 days ago.
Hogan shoves Luger as the bell sounds and we are underway. Hogan gets Luger in the corner and hits some high knees and some chops. He brings Luger out to the center of the ring and slaps him in a headlock. Luger sends Hogan into the ropes and takes him down with a shoulder block. Hogan is back to his feet and starts working on the arm of Luger. Luger fights out and starts working on the arm of Hogan himself. Hogan falls to his knees and Luger continues to wrap up the arm. Hogan shoves him in the corner, but Luger comes back with an arm drag and Hogan slides to the outside to regroup. The crowd is chanting “Hogan Sucks”. Hogan hits a high knee as he comes back in and pulls Luger up by the hair only to slam him headfirst into the turnbuckle. Hogan gets some shots to the head and he knocks Luger to the mat. Hogan picks him up for a slam and an elbow to get a two count. Hogan starts choking Luger and only lets up because the referee gets in the middle. They move to the ropes where Luger is choked on the second rope. Hogan tries to slam his head into the turnbuckle again, but Luger reverses it and slams Hogan’s head ten times into the corner. They find their way outside and Hogan slams Luger’s head into the stairs. He starts choking Luger with a power cord at ringside and rolls him back in the ring. Hogan picks up him and hits an atomic drop on him. Hogan slaps Luger across the face and continues working him into the corner. Hogan hits a backbreaker and scores a near fall. Hogan locks him in a Bearhug in the center of the ring. Hogan continues to wear Luger down with a test of strength, but Luger starts to fight back. Luger almost takes advantage, but Hogan hits a low blow to maintain control. Hogan stomps down on the midsection and he picks him up for a belly to back suplex and he covers him for a two count. Hogan gets a shot to the throat and sends him into the ropes for the big boot. Hogan kicks Luger as he gets back up.
Hogan hits a suplex, but Luger powers back up as Hogan poses to the crowd. He turns around and Luger hits some shots to the head in the corner. Luger starts kicking him as well and hits a forearm. He sends Hogan into the ropes and he hits him with another forearm. He tries to go keep pounding on Hogan, but the referee pulls him off. That gives Hogan the chance to get a thumb to the eye and rolls him up for a two count. Hogan with a scoop slam and he signals for the end. Hogan comes off the ropes and goes for The Hogan Legdrop, but Luger rolls out of the way. He hits Hogan with a few forearms which brings out the rest of The NWO. Luger takes them all out and continues to work on Hogan. Luger hits a scoop slam, but needs to take out more members of The NWO. “Sting” comes out to the ring and hits Luger in the back with his baseball bat. Hogan drops the leg and picks up the win to reclaim the title after 16:15.
Winner and NEW WCW Heavyweight Champion: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan
Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This was a far cry from the match they had on Nitro. It probably had something to do with the difference in crowds. I have to ask the question though. What was the use of changing the title if you were just going to change it right back? As I said in my previous review, Sting was supposed to win the title all along, so this pit stop really doesn’t make any sense besides taking a little away from it. I like this match, but there was something missing to make it better. It was very slow-paced, and it’s just a puzzling booking decision. Also, you could tell that wasn’t actually Sting. WCW could have tried a little harder on this one.
After the match, members of the WCW locker room come out and help Luger to the back.
Tony says there is something going on backstage and they are trying to figure out what it is. They continue talking about what might happen in the future now that “Sting” has turned his back on WCW. They go backstage where The NWO, including Dennis Rodman, start spray-painting the belt with the letters NWO once again. Hogan says he is sharing this moment with everyone tonight. They continuing celebrating as the show goes off the air.
Overall Show Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Taking the venue and crowd completely out of it, the matches were good to very good. Nothing really jumped off the screen, but they did the best they could. I will just reiterate it here, I hate this setting. I hated it covering the show last year, and I am sure I won’t be too fond of it moving forward. This crowd didn’t give a damn about most of the show. With all of that out of the way, there was some good on this show. I felt like the Mysterio vs. Konnan match was very good, and I thought the Tag Team Title match was entertaining as well. Hogan vs. Luger wasn’t as good as the August 4th bout, and I am just puzzled by the booking decision of changing the belt in the first place. This show also didn’t do much to push matches forward to Fall Brawl, so we will have to see where we are at the next time we reconvene.
What did you think of WCW Road Wild 1997? Loved it? Hated it? Didn’t even give it a chance? Either way, keep the conversation going over @collectiveheel on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. While you are there feel free to check out my podcast network, The Heel Turn Collective. We have two shows a week including an AEW review show every Saturday. Take care of yourselves and each other. I will be back soon with some more Collective Thoughts.