Grilling JR #63: Monday Nitro 7.6.98

[@joshuagenecobb051]

That's why I liked NITRO as a kid. Every Monday night was like a pay per view. The card was loaded. Great matchups .

[@Ellie-i7q-t5w]

Please let JR do more of these watch along commentaries. I like how he describes the action in the ring thru the wrestlers' perspective. The way he described the communication between Goldberg and Hall was both informative and entertaining.

[@haz-dog4411]

Been waiting for this one LEGENDS

[@Podcastforthewin]

Holy advertisements

[@MS-it9vv]

Greedy as hell

[@MS-it9vv]

Goldberg had roughly the same technical skill in the ring as the Ultimate Warrior. They were both meant to be tanks; high-energy intros, no-sell defense, and unstoppable offense. The problem with tanks, though, is that once their armor is breached, they're no longer fearsome. And, they're largely one-trick ponies.

[@victorysaber1608]

Or they get exposed by someone and that someone gets fired. Aka william regal

[@chrismorgan8330]

@@victorysaber1608 Regal was fired for being a crackhead.

[@victorysaber1608]

@@chrismorgan8330 it didn't help he had some previous slaps on the wrist. But he was fired for shaming goldberg. You realize Scott hall was plastered n high on how many pay per views. Nash hogan showed up wasted, drinking in trailers, raven on all sorts of illegal drops. So saying drugs took regal out is just untrue.

[@henrikschmidt3964]

WCW had passed it's peak by this point, and this was far from the perfect show. About a year earlier they had the hottest wrestling show I have ever seen. Bobby Heenan was a shell of his former self in WCW, but his call as Goldberg pinned was awesome. He really helped making it feel like a big deal. Oh and as I recall, Chris Jericho was outstanding on the mic on this day too. His heel persona in WCW is still my favourite incarnation.

[@blueblur2273]

Watched both on the network recently in my re-watching of the Monday Night Wars. The WWF had the better show from top to bottom but WCW had the best/most interesting spots with the Goldberg/NWO segments. But agree that WCW had passed it's peak by 98. Goldberg was the only one really keeping the company competitive at this point.

[@GLPitt1]

I don't know about "Past it's Peak". Ratings wise it was still very hot. The cutting edge stuff that got them there was in '96 & '97. But they were still rolling in '98. You could pick apart the booking & story from most of the stuff the previous 2 years too.

[@blueblur2273]

@@GLPitt1 That's actually what I meant. From a creative standpoint particularly when it came to the storylines they had past their peak which was 96-97. Splitting the NWO was a good idea that revitalized the NWO brand which was starting to get stale in 98 but they never capitalized on it by having the faction actually faceoff. Goldberg was the hottest thing going in mid 98 but they never capitalized on it by involving him in a storyline and making him the face of the company much like the WWF did with Austin in 98. Then their Thunder which started off good but soon clearly became the B show. WCW was still exciting in 98 but it had definitely taken a step back. Sure WCW ratings were better than they have ever been but that's mostly because the business was on 🔥 at that point. The most important thing to focus on with the ratings was the fact that they were losing to the WWF and that's partly because their product had taken a step back creatively.

[@murraysaucedo897]

I have to disagree with you on this one. I thought they were beginning their decline but WCW was still hot in 98. To me, they all went downhill after Starrcade 98. That was the last good PPV they put out. It was all shit after that. In fact, I stopped watching WCW altogether after May or June of 1999. It was all WWF for me after that. I’d occasionally very occasionally switch channels on Monday after that but whatever WCW was doing wasn’t enough to keep me hooked longer than maybe 5 minutes.

[@josephboza7448]

They knew WWF had a taped raw so thats why Goldberg won the title here. Bobby was so happy cause that was the first real hit towards the NWO.

[@misternewman1576]

There will never be another moment like this in the wrestling, EVER.

[@brandonford4474]

There's a difference between "too many adds" & an "insulting amount of adds" the add volume as of late is insulting, mid sentence interruptions with multiple adds, some several minutes long, every few minutes is Insulting.

[@3210-n1x]

Yeah you must be joking if anything there was too much podcast in between the ads

[@continentalflyer9596]

You know mark, you can easily put on "ad" block not "add" .... ad is a commercial whether it be for television, podcast, magazine or radio. "Add" is a form of mathematics ....... the more you know *cue rainbow and music* ....... oh yeah God Bless Jeff the Drunk!

[@brandonford4474]

@@continentalflyer9596 Says the AssWipe Spelling Police, in KZbin comments, LMAO

[@HakunonMatata]

"Adds"

[@jiggyjaguar]

Every time i hear "karl malone" i think of jimmy kimmel in black face, great childhood memories

[@Rschr101]

Too bad Kimmel thought he needed to apologize for that. So embarassing. Theres a reason hes had the career hes had and Carolla got stuck doing online shows. Shame. Carolla should be hosting late night, not that lame liberal Kimmel.

[@pillboss1987]

“This here, Karl Malone”

[@RCMPoui]

pillboss1987 Of the Utah Jamz

[@chrismorgan8330]

@@Rschr101 if somebody else did it that fat liberal would demand their heads but whem he does it he just apologizes.

[@danielescalera6638]

The dislike is buff Bagwell

[@claywilliams1594]

Every time I think of Karl Malone being in wcw and Dennis Rodman NWO freaking awesome time wcw was freaking awesome during this time . Had Tony and the brain calling the matches was bad ass . Mean Gene doing his reports and interviews so bad ass .

[@delbertprince5302]

Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman were very entertaining in the tag team matches......

[@Seanstrong316]

Does JR realize Shawn Michaels is a "leg slapper"?

[@MS-it9vv]

Interesting content, but THUMBS DOWN for all the greedy ads.

[@DiamondOz]

Kind of funny hearing JR and Conrad more or less oblivious to Johnny Swinger because he's one of the best things in Impact right now. Still in great shape and he's funny as hell.

[@MSAmuroRay]

What a call from bobby. What a night.

[@Aizenborgman]

Love this ep

[@henrikschmidt3964]

'Hey Conrad, you know how I know you're gay? Cuz, you think a lot about Chris Kanyon'. :D Seriously, glad to hear you guys put over his talents. He could and should have been so much more. And as JR said - who cares if he was gay? He was a great wrestler.

[@kristophergraham8970]

hello guys.one more added thing.you are right about the crowd reaction after the show.when we were leaving the dome and heading to marta the crowd was still hollering and screaming outside into the station and on the train.it was something else.God bless kris

[@AdamJWofford]

I completely agree on the thigh slapping! I can’t stand it.

[@Falconesports2025]

A few episodes ago I thought when they brought up thigh slaps they meant the talent using thigh slaps to call certain spots but I guess they're referring to the thigh slaps for enhanced audio like on a super kick lol I like the audio they just have to disguise the slap better.

[@Jaysonfear42069]

I was at this show omg amazing

[@alanlowry7285]

I love these watch alongs, but Connie should have corrected JR in regards to the Wolfpack. In 98, they were babyface and the black and white were heels. Loved the RVD 420 comment by JR too

[@3210-n1x]

Wrestling was so cool back then, hogan flair sting Hall steiners, wen men were men.

[@mikelois5297]

Whats the heat between goldberg and conrad?

[@heathertiller3644]

Love these shows and both of the guys but Conrad’s fake laugh is annoying af!

[@joshuacampbell289]

You have to remember that Heenan ALWAYS hated Hogan all the way back in WWF. He never trusted him. Always wanted to see him go down. In story of course.

[@danielescalera6638]

Man WCW was stacked in 98 NWO Sting Rey Eddie Booker Benoit Jericho Bret Hart Finley Steiners Goldberg Piper DDP Raven Kanyon Saturn And yet they couldn't make all that work SMH 🤦‍♂️

[@blueblur2273]

That's because their only concern was the N-W-O! At this point in the war they had a more stacked roster than the WWF but were losing in the war because they didn't know how to utilize it properly. Goldberg V Hogan match was a desperate attempt to win back the ratings and it worked. Unfortunately it was a short term plan which didn't do WCW any favors in the long run

[@danielescalera6638]

@@blueblur2273 they focused on the NWO cause it sold tickets and merch and PPV but in 98 it was already 2 yrs old it wasn't gonna last forever. Plus they had their N64 videogames which were badass

[@blueblur2273]

@@danielescalera6638 That was the difference between them and the WWF. Even though the WWF had Austin they made sure to push the Rock, DX and etc because they understood that the more guys they had over was beneficial for the long scope of things. 👍 on those N64 games. WWF No Mercy, WM2000, Attitude, WCW World Tour and Revenge are some of the best wrestling games till this day. I still play No Mercy today and it's much more customizable and easier to play than those 2k games. Only wish we could get a WWF VS WCW game.

[@danielescalera6638]

@@blueblur2273 good point WWE pushing DX and the Nation and Shamrock and Foley and Taker and Kane and the brood and Dudleys and Hardys and Al Snow and Kurt Angle and the Radicals kinda all got hot at the same time and Vince made that money from them.

[@blueblur2273]

@@danielescalera6638 Yep all those guys made him the billionaire he is today

[@chrisortiz8072]

Scott hall has always been one of those what if guys.. I mean look at all he accomplished messed up even imagine him 100%

[@theopoluspuckett5827]

I LOVED (ALEX WRIGHT) & HIS DANCE!

[@printingandflyers]

To Help Keep Them Cool Add in blazing hot stage lights, and wrestlers are bound to overheat. Wet hair helps to keep them cool during a m

[@dalynsanders]

The promos during the DDP Karl Malone rodman Hollywood Hogan feud were pretty bad

[@starkindustries8143]

Too many ads

[@pillboss1987]

Red Assed J.R. is my favorite J.R.

[@Jukeboxster]

Maybe wrestlers wet their hair to keep cooler during the match. Body dissipates a lot of heat through the head, and water helps the heat leave the body through evaporation.

[@mbroz9581]

Why did Hogan come out last?

[@eabcool]

because he was the champion

[@DuckTheHeel]

Cause, brother. Hulksters always the main draw HH

[@jamalabdelbaset6635]

WCW in 98 was a train wreck in my opinion. You could tell WWF was starting to gain some steam in the Summer of 98, particularly when Austin became champ, The DX Army being formed, and Rock starting to emerge as a star with The Nation.

[@robertbrunelle8076]

what about those dancing fools the wwf had

[@jasonsackett8171]

What is the ongoing joke about him always asking about Batistas dong??

[@natedodd2287]

I miss the days of Lazer Tron

[@dalynsanders]

Nein Nein Nein! Haha

[@torchkit]

"You can't change the future." Huh?

[@dalynsanders]

I disagree with what they said about Chavo. 98 arguably is his best year

[@dalynsanders]

Kanyon had cool-looking moves, but 50% of the time they did not make sense

[@kenadams9376]

Liked him better as mortis.

[@AmericanGypsy206]

Back in 1998 WCW had a shit load of talent, but kept the focus on Hulk Hogan because Eric Bishoff would’ve got down on his knees for him which he probably did the whole time he was running WCW, in 1993 the WWF actually knew Hogan was past his prime and nobody cared about him anymore. He was washed up

[@williamcraig2869]

Can JR do an entire episode of his podcast without ever dropping those several F-bombs next week?

[@zachjohnson637]

Who gives a fuck?

[@KillaMusiktv]

Booker t is no where near 6’4 or 6’5. He was 6’1 maybe 6’2 at his prime. These guys really believe the kayfabe height of the wrestlers listed. 😂

[@chrismorgan8330]

He played basketball at my high school and was listed as 6'3 and 1/2 in basketball shoes making him around 6 foot 2.

[@hxcmarc4399]

To this day, I'll never understand why Goldberg was so over. He had the exact same match, his whole career, every night. No mic skills. Couldn't wrestle a lick. Mark for himself. One of the most overrated wrestlers of all-time.

[@Irritant1000]

10 minutes max as well. Regal exposed him and he got fired for it lol

[@Rschr101]

The Stone Cold effect. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[@DuckTheHeel]

A lot of shit that sucked got over in the 90s. Space Jam. Aqua’s Barbie Girl. The major motion picture Armageddon.

[@blueblur2273]

You all are dumb as shit if you can't see why Goldberg was over. He was a monster. The attraction is in his intensity and strength. It also helped that he had a great look and how real his attacks looked. He delivered the spear and jackhammer with more power and ferociousness than anyone else I've ever seen. It was so great because it looked like he was really killing people (which we found out later he was). I recently rewatched the Monday Night Wars with my little cousins and even they were huge Goldberg fans by the end of it. And his matches definitely weren't all the same. Go watch his matches with DDP(HH), NWO Sting, Raven, Perry Saturn, Chavo or Rocco and you'll see they're all different.

[@Ellie-i7q-t5w]

Happens a lot. Remember Warrior? Like in most entertainment industries, talent and skills don't guarantee success. The best wrestlers may be out there doing part time jobs to support themselves.

[@eabcool]

no JR, july 1998 monday night wars is not like NXT vs. AEW. facepalm

[@blueblur2273]

😁 Yep that's because nobody gives a shit about wrestling these days

[@henrikschmidt3964]

The nWo Wolfpack were babyfaces, Jim. The other faction were the heels.

[@MohamedAli-xu3uw]

Bobby heenan: Ohhhh Thank you. Thank you Thank you. We got a new heavyweight champion of the world. The first undefeated man in the history of this sport to ever win the world's championship with a record of 107 108 who cares there's 0 on the other side. We got a new champion. Listen to this..... JR could never match up to that.

[@GoldenRetrievin]

So disappointed w the Buff angle. He had the crowd and dropped the ball w faking the wheelchair. Never make light of a legit injury. I believe he could have done great things as a face against Scott but WCW dicked this angle up and his run.

[@CasinoWoods]

14:20

[@rowds]

horrible audio popping noises. unwatchable.

[@delbertprince5302]

I don’t know which Hogan I like,if it is the Hulk Hogan in the 1980s or the NWO Hogan.....I am a big fan o the NWO......

[@kristophergraham8970]

hello guys.we were there live that night and it was a half dome show.if wcw would have promoted this for a month and had it on payperview they would have made a fortune with a full dome show and buy rates.i know I commented the other day that during this time period wcw was always just hype.this is the one show that actually had a payoff.like I said we were there that night and early in the evening we went into the cnn center to get something to eat and you could here the crowd outside chanting goldberg and this was before they let the crowd in.it is still one of the damnedest things i have ever seen.the pop at the end of the night when bill goldberg beat hogan is still the loudest pop I have ever heard live at a wrestling show and it was a half dome show.the one thing that was dumb about this show was having goldberg wrestle before the main event.like I said this was the loudest pop I have ever heard live and we have been to some of the wwe big shows.so that is something.here is the list of the loudest pops I have ever heard live. goldberg beats hogan july 1998 john cena chattanooga april 2014 arn anderson beats muta for nwa TV title january 2nd 1990 georgia mountain center gainesville georgia thanks guys.i thought you would like to hear from somebody who was there. God bless kristopher l. graham

[@blueblur2273]

If WCW had any problems it was definitely that there was not a lot of payoffs to much of the stuff they did. I don't think it's that dumb to put Goldberg on twice in 1 show because you already got people's money by that point. There's nothing to really lose besides an unlikely injury. Lastly if I could go to any live show back in the day it would of been the one on Jan 4 1999, when the crowd popped to Austin coming out to help Mankind win the title for the first time. That's probably the loudest pop I've ever heard for a show.

[@GLPitt1]

According to Nash WCW didn't actually get the $ from PPV buys. Turner Home Entertainment did. It was creative accounting. But still, WCW was focused on TV ratings because that is where ad $ cane from and it was "Billionaire Ted's" main concern at the time. Just a caveat to your point about a well promoted PPV making big $. There may have been a reason they didn't hold back this a few weeks and organize it as a PPV.

[@chadpressley646]

80s we're the decade of originality! Nothing but remakes now. Good awful rap song the same phrases over n over ...garbage!!!!!

[@Buckdawg]

SO.MANY.FUCKIN.ADS MAAN

[@acelarson911]

yes Jim, as pro wrestling fans we should enjoy and support all pro wrestling, but AEW, NJPW, IMPACT fan what have you, WWE main roster is hot GARBAGE, Vince, Bruce, Kevin and the powers that be treat there fan base as mindless sheep...it is sad

[@chrismorgan8330]

Impact = HIV+

[@Rschr101]

Amazing how far Goldberg got without having any real wrestling ability. The Stone Cold look and undefeated streak got him over but after he lost, nobody really cared. He went to WWE and let Triple H bury him for a year before he literally gave up in the ring at Mania 20. His recent run was more than embarassing. Wish I had something positive to say about the guy, but I dont!

[@greatomeister675]

He was never meant to last, he was never meant to wrestle for 20 minutes. Goldberg made most of our childhood awesome and no one can take that away from him.

[@chrismorgan8330]

At least Goldberg is a big athletic guy. Better than fat guys and toothpicks flopping around and calling that athletic.

[@Falconesports2025]

He accomplished more than you'll ever dream of.