Raw vs Nitro "Reliving The War": Episode 168 - January 11th 1999

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Reliving The War takes an in-depth look at the WWF vs WCW "Monday Night War" era of pro wrestling. Week by week every episode of WWF Raw and WCW Nitro gets covered (including every match and every promo) to find out which show was really the best.
On Nitro this week Ric Flair promises to make Eric Bischoff’s life a misery, Chavo Guerrero throws a birthday party for Pepe, The Giant makes his last appearance on WCW and the big man also main events Nitro in a match against Kevin Nash. Goldberg also reveals his plans moving forward when he gets booked a match against Scott Hall at WCW Souled out.
On Raw Vince McMahon continues to make preparations for his participation in the 1999 Royal Rumble match. Mankind lets fans know who he wants to face at WrestleMania XV, the WWF make fun of Goldberg with the arrival of Gillberg, and yur main event features a unique "Corporate" Royal Rumble featuring members of the Corporation and DX.
00:00 - Intro
01:40 - Ric Flair promo
04:12 - Saturn vs Ernest Miller
05:35 - Eric Bischoff visits Ric Flair’s office
06:41 - Pepe’s birthday party
08:30 - Mankind promo / nWo Elite arrives
13:24 - Outlaws vs Owen & Jarrett / Rey Mysterio vs Kaz Hayashi
16:34 - Gillberg’s streak begins / The Giant Promo
19:18 - Booker T vs Lenny Lane
21:40 - X-Pac vs Al Snow / Nash and Hogan Promo
24:14 - Kane vs Mankind / Scott Steiner vs DDP
29:20 - Goldberg promos
30:03 - Triple H vs Edge / Eric Bischoff sets up the ring
32:21 - Ministry of Darkness arrives to Raw / Hall vs Bigelow
38:05 - D’Lo & Terri promo / Curt Hennig vs Ric Flair
41:08 - Vince McMahon’s message to Steve Austin
41:59 - The Corporate Royal Rumble / The Giant vs Kevin Nash
47:33 - Final Scores / Credits
#WWF #WCW #nWo

[@kanemura93]

I love how angry and aggressive Hart sounds when he says "...my cat!!"

[@toptenguy1]

YES!! The pure disdain in his voice... I chuckle EVERY SINGLE TIME. lol

[@stevefromyellowstone7911]

@@toptenguy1I look forward to the Smokey the cat bit every week. It’s the highlight of my weeks lol

[@dokwalk621]

​@toptenguy1 its like a big f u to all fans 😂

[@commanderjoj6426]

The “Mr. McMahon” promo was pure gold.

[@spartanq7781]

"I stopped beating my meat to beat real meat." Vince: 1999.

[@thepubknight6144]

I lost it at the "I hate Austin" screams while he's pumping iron with Shane 😂😂😂😂

[@TwistedSMF]

Let's hope by AEW moving to the MAX channel, We can see promos like that. That was hilarious..... lol

[@mattk3654]

😂😂😂😂😂 I stopped choking my chicken to chase a real chicken I took a break from beating my meat to beat up some real meat😂😂😂😂

[@commanderjoj6426]

Looking back on this post Vince allegations and investigations, yeah, this hits way different. Funny, but way different.

[@retepoteil]

Always loved when foley said it’s about time I got some new entrance music 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mikebass8647]

After three years, it’s about time…… Proceeds to use same song for next 25 years. Love Foley 😂

[@toptenguy1]

While a funny line, he DID have a ton of different themes (Dude Love, Cactus Jack, and his latest theme was a remix). lol

[@marcludwick512]

@@mikebass8647 Before his new theme here in 99, what was he using? His original Mankind theme still?

[@auraofazure]

You know, if WCW can straighten out their booking issues, they can get back on track. Just as long as they don’t do something stupid like book the first hour of Nitro without any matches, but they’d never do that… right?

[@GATguy98]

*MarkyD has entered the chat*

[@anonymousnobody326]

@@GATguy98 Shuv it. *Insert random TNA reference here.*

[@Morechinlockvicar]

@@anonymousnobody326a wild slapnutz appears.

[@firewalker1372]

@@MorechinlockvicarDamn it, beat me to it 🤣.

[@brandonpage7087]

Yeah, the booking of the first hour of Nitro with no matches, or only one match would only get worse, as the year rolled on. I remember, as it was the main reason, as to why i quit watching WCW for good, before the year was up, after i had returned to watching WCW briefly, after my rage over the fingerpoke incident had subsided.

[@davidgorman994]

The pop Chyna gets when she comes out is insane. Just a lovely bit of storytelling with Vince too

[@gobblox38]

That bottom rope got the best part of the story.

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

The Giant showing up on WWF TV (in a few weeks or so) was the first big shocker of the war for me. I was late to the party in some ways. So when Paul popped up in the cage, I was like "WAIT. What? Isn't that guy on WCW??"

[@chardeemacdennis3852]

Best intro besides y2j

[@shadowmagus0413]

I LOVED the gilberg gimmick when they unveiled it. Everyone knew what WWF were doing at the time and it was hilarious.

[@DaveLikesMovies]

It was funny but it's not as good when you remember that Chris Jericho did something very similar just months earlier.

[@Ceej_MM]

Official petition to bring back "ERRBODY HERE COMES 2 COLD SCORPIO" next time he makes an appearance, week four

[@labbaby189]

signed

[@purestformofpeace]

signed

[@CarlB23]

I knew one day, you would do a FFVII reference with Bret Hart 😂

[@Venemofthe888]

The Giant's last appearance in WCW and probably the first big jump in a while and the start of a few going to the WWF to come

[@glencurtis6052]

Did WCW know he was jumping ship? I only had access to WWF in the UK at the time so had no idea what was going on with WCW

[@nicktaylor2657]

RIP The Giant Hello Big Show 😊

[@Jonathanorosz]

That’s Captain Insano

[@ArtLeeThree]

Giant,Jericho then the Radicalz. A group of guys that would keep people watching on Nitro or PPV and what did WCW get back? Jeff Jarrett?

[@theazureknight9399]

​@@ArtLeeThreeAin't he great?

[@Godeater13273]

Austin was getting mega pops for anything at this point he broke all of Hogan's records in 99. He could do no wrong he even Stunned Foley and still got cheered lmao.

[@KingSportsGuy69]

Reliving the war allows me to appreciate wrestlers now that I should have appreciated 25 years ago. I'm looking at you, Norman Smiley.

[@relicdad88]

He was awesome back in the day always had a smile watching him cuz he looked identical 2 my uncle lol big wiggle was hilarious when he wud try n do it

[@namikstudios]

Smiley's feud with Terry Funk is hilarious. Happens in 2000 from memory.

[@calwere]

Wiggle wiggle

[@DaveLikesMovies]

I loved how after Jericho left they paired Ralphus with him. lol 😂

[@num1Jaysta]

I loved Norman Smiley as a kid

[@johnlucas1543]

I LOVE the twist that Rey Mysterio Jr. was once the only one who was reluctant to be in the lWo at first... ...THEN became the only one was who was reluctant to leave the lWo in the end. Rey got jumped in effectively but after Eddie Guerrero couldn't carry on anymore, Rey had a change of heart & at last understood Eddie's mission. La Familia was of utmost importance & they can't go for the okey-doke again. And then DECADES later, the one guy who never took off the lWo shirt is the very one who REVIVED the lWo after all. LOOOOONG term storytelling right there. WOW. I'm glad they reached all the way back to this period of WCW to deliver that story to the WWF/WWE.

[@39moe123]

The ministry of darkness theme music encapsulates the mood of a group or a wrestler more than any other theme I can remember

[@onlyroyalty816]

Mr McMahons head hitting the rope at the end looked crazy!

[@polsdofer]

Yeah it was pretty gnarly

[@infamousprime694]

Whiplash like a sum’bitch!😂

[@rcharles317]

Pritchard said McMahons main guys forced him to actually learned how to wrestle after that so he could bump safer

[@IggyStardust1967]

I've met Dwayne Gill.... he's a great guy, and honestly, he deserved the kind of exposure WWF gave him with the "Gillberg" gimmick. Yes, I know it was satire, but he played it to the hilt, and still does. Him and James Ellsworth both did great jobs during their run with the company.

[@kylehill3883]

Rey keeping his shirt surprisingly works today since he brought back the LWO.

[@les7884]

That Vince message to Stone Cold almost had me completely fooled. Jesus, AI is trippy 😂

[@CampChamp00]

I can't believe it isn't real cuz it's absolutely something vince would say 😂

[@spartanq7781]

"I've stopped beating my meat to beat real meat." Vince: 1999. Youngish Vince was crazy.

[@UnkleBot]

just heard it i was like i don't remember this hahahahaha

[@MosestheGrey]

Oh My God. this was the best Road Dogg intro yet and you said your running our of ideas. Hah! Well done.

[@mtbelley]

I loved the Icing on the cake while Chavo is standing there covered in frosting. Lol😂

[@maxxpower3d6]

25 years later, Rey Mysterio commandeers Legado del Fantasma and with them revives the LWO. Now that's some long-term booking.

[@mrdude88]

LoL. Everything fell in place perfectly and there were many ways the faction wouldn’t work in the WWE. The story wouldn’t work if Rey had took off his color, if Eddie Guerrero wasn’t as over as he was in the WWE, if Rey or Eddie weren’t the focus of the LWO in WCW.

[@thejongshow8821]

Yet the LWO and Santos is boring as hell

[@MidwestMachete]

Disagree on Santos, dude can be entertaining. LWO just stinks because it's just Rey Mysterio and his fan club. No one else really gets to shine.

[@thejongshow8821]

@@MidwestMachete santos is getting the baby face Roman reigns treatment

[@dizzy1369]

The same LWO Mysterio didn't want to be a part of 😂🤣

[@cwilliby]

I discovered Wrestling Bios early this year and it quickly became a favorite channel.. initially, I held off on RTW because I didn't think I'd have the time to tackle such viewing. I finally started that journey about 2 months ago and NOW I'm fully caught up. Looking forward to every Thursday for many weeks to come. This channel should have 1 million subscribers x10 😎

[@PeterHowe228]

Regarding the Giant leaving WCW, that was the best move he could have made, he left while WCW's decline was only beginning. He had some starts and stops in WWE but in the long run his move was absolutely the right call.

[@ricstormwolf]

The continuing story of Wood from the Hood, Flexy Lexy and Buffy Wuffy. Can't wait to watch this.

[@Obscusion2]

Seeing Pepe get thrown in the wood chipper almost makes me wonder if Raven throwing up his arms in confusion during the botched attempt at doing the same to Moppy in mid-2001 was him simply thinking "Huh, it worked just fine in WCW..."

[@louisvelez40]

Man I’m loving the Chavo and Smiley segments. More entertaining than I remembered and then the Road Dogg stuff with Bret is legendary

[@DigitalBath742]

I love that Biker-Michael-Liker is still getting referenced. Bless Ahmed Johnson and his difficulty with the English language.

[@ainnocent]

Crazy how he was one of the main players in RTW in the early years. People that once seemed like mainstays are all but forgotten Sunny I'm looking at you

[@egalego8809]

Honestly, I had to rewind to hear the episode number. Episode 168... that's more than 3 years of content. That's not including the pay-per-views you cover as well, apart from all the other content you do. Thank you for bringing us all this content these past 3 years.

[@sherrix6881]

Could have just looked at the title. Don’t forget to thank the editors too!

[@brettrossi034]

"Chavo screaming is the icing on the cake here".... While COVERED in icing from the cake 😂🎉

[@starastro4591]

That undertaker “ministry theme” is one of the best WWF themes of that era

[@bryangray936]

Nothing will beat his 1998 theme🤷‍♂️I still get goosebumps when that electric guitar solo comes in plus the chanting mmmmwah chefs kiss😂

[@CampChamp00]

Super slept on theme

[@Cableguy15]

@@bryangray936 Yeah, that one is excellent. I also really enjoy his WM 15 theme. The one before they slowed it down to make it more demonic.

[@karlitosway7474]

There’s a dope remix of that theme on my channel you should check it out

[@joshz7712]

I'm looking forward to WWF St. Valentines Day Massacre. I used to have it on VHS back in the day and I've seen it so much I can quote commentary lol.

[@maceomillions2192]

🔥🔥🔥

[@dasdeke]

My favorite part of Thursday. In all seriousness, this series has kept me sane this month during my end of year duties. Thank you so much for what you do!

[@Darthloozer]

Pepe getting thrown in the wood chipper was the saddest moment in Reliving the War!

[@Pulloutkingquis2]

The McMahon A.I. promo is pure gold 😂🤣

[@TheChadhausen]

I think “Wiggle Wiggle” is the best thing since this show started 😂😂😂

[@ShaunInce123]

And this episode marks the last appearance of The Giant on WCW Nitro. One month later at St Valentines Day Massacre, he debuts as Paul Wight in WWF.

[@betterthanmost9549]

The big nasty bastard.

[@timbartschwolfman]

Big Show got out of WCW at the Right time

[@trillionzillion6743]

We’re gonna find out in 3 weeks no need for spoilers

[@TravJam317]

The rumor was that the Giant was going to be named Titan in the WWF, so Bischoff made sure to say that "the Titanic just sunk" at the end of the show to bury the gimmick before it debuted. The WWF balked at the name as a result, but they didn't have another one for him for a while, so that's why he went by his real name before finally being named the Big Show later on.

[@michaelreich4827]

​@@TravJam317Titan and Big Show were both shitty names.

[@XKTwentyFive]

Vince doing the Hogan shirt tear cracked me up! 😁🤣

[@robbo8074]

47:15 Vinces head proper snapping on the bottom rope looked pretty nasty 😂

[@Ryan216Ohio]

When I seen Kevin Nash in the longest yard. I couldn’t believe how naturally funny he was lol 😂

[@trillionzillion6743]

I see him In Daytona Beach every once in awhile kool dude…

[@dr.snakes]

Out of all the prison guards, he was the least racist, and most likable. Especially after the cons switched his pills. 😅😅

[@kbhalacy]

Ministry Taker was imo the most "powerful" incarnation of the deadman

[@ianperry9598]

This is my first episode of RTW all caught up! So now I have to experience them weekly, just like someone had to back them. Can’t wait!

[@douglassawyer5879]

Welcome to the cool club!!

[@bronxprince1669]

That McMahon elimination looked brutal 😂

[@leovitoriano319]

11th January 1999, when I turned 7. I remember blowing out my candles and my parents letting me stay up to watch WWF, but I fell asleep. Dude, the nostalgia you give me is amazing. Love you man

[@tysoncarpenter8628]

Hell yeah bro I watched all the way up till like 3 or 4 episodes ago. So everything after is all new to me. Love this show! It's the best show on KZbin if u ask me!

[@wftbanks5737]

6:41 you and Pepe share a birthday

[@coreylineberry8557]

@@wftbanks5737 So do I... But I was 2 years away from my birth.

[@alberto87linternato6]

Vince message to SCSA blew up my mind. It cut me in two pieces

[@Wetwilly87]

After the finger poke, I started to watch Raw exclusively at this point, from time to time I would switch back to Nitro to see what was going on and it was usual Hogan promos or NWO elite nonsense. From here on out all these Nitro reviews will be all new to me.

[@namikstudios]

Not many people actually did this. The rating for this Nitro on the 11th was 5.0, which is exactly the same as the "Finger Poke" Nitro the week before. Nitro/WCW didn't lose any significant amount of viewers over the fortnight. If you did switch you missed out on some of Ric Flair's and Roddy Piper's best work, which is coming up soon...

[@mattdeters8306]

NITRO = Now I'm Turning Raw On

[@at3479]

Whenever these come in on a Thursday, I make sure to watch these with my son. He just loves that opening to these videos

[@McMullet97]

To be fair, the '99 Royal Rumble is one of, if not, the best Royal Rumble matches ever. Souled Out never stood a chance 😂

[@Jp808]

This is such a packed episode of RAW. Really shows vinnie understood there was no letting of the gas. He's so damn lucky WCW decided now of all times was the time to slow down

[@jesiahtheguy4503]

I gotta say my man, Norman smileys song is probably your bust work. Cheers!

[@Deadneckdave]

Bret Hart as Sephiroth absolutely ruined me. Another amazing episode.I have such fond memories of the Foley promo. I was only 15 when this aired and watching now gave me the same feeling as all those years ago. Ace job, look forward to the next as always!

[@jeremysutton448]

never missed an episode yet....MAN RTW is amazing!!!!!!!!

[@munky871]

I love this series so much. I lived pretty far out in the country as a kid so we didn't have cable or satellite. The only wrestling I got to watch was at friends house on weekends so I never really seen WCW. Takes me back seeing all the WWF stuff.

[@namikstudios]

If you have the WWE Network then put it to good use and go back and watch Nitro from 96-99. Those three years are the peak of the entire wrestling industry.

[@g-dub5272]

Big Show, Jericho, they left at the right time.

[@strifenineteen]

The beginning of Raw is Jericho was the beginning of the end for WCW for me.

[@Liinuli.]

It's gonna be weird to think of the Giant as the Big Show once again. Cause thanks to this series, for the past almost 4 years, he's been "the giant" to me.

[@iamthurnis745]

doing a rewatch of ‘99 and it’s so crazy how much the finger poke of doom is played up in history and documentaries considering the whole thing is pretty much gone and forgotten by the spring, storyline wise. can’t wait to get into it on the show.

[@namikstudios]

Yep exactly. It's just an over hyped WWE myth.

[@mazroon]

@@namikstudios Yeah, it was giving away the Foley title win that was the big blunder on that show.

[@Jonathanorosz]

Did anyone catch Vince’s elimination? His head neck caught the ropes and slammed his head in the matt. 47:13

[@criminalmindsgirl2936]

"Owen must've received special instructions from big brother Bret" 😅😅😅

[@ClassicBookASMR]

Laser pointers in the 90s were deadly, I still think they can blind you!!

[@GINGERIAN90]

Can't wait to see more of the Chavo and Norman arc 💪 R.I.P Pepe. Too funny! Thanks you for everything you do Wrestling Bios. Very much appreciated.

[@michaeljohn8056]

That vince promo was amazing

[@woobgamer5210]

I honestly cant wait for 2000-2001. I wonder what you have planned for the arrival of The American Badass version of the Undertaker

[@miterbenisdurty3862]

😅Seeing that undertaker promo with people shining the red laser pointers in his face. During that time EVERY kid had one.

[@riclulua5813]

Gilberg was awesome. Hope we "Somehow" see him again.

[@wesleymcneese8554]

I really thought we'd get more commentary about Vinces head bouncing off the ropes while Stone Cold corpses 😂😂😂

[@waynebake1123]

Vince's rope bump from Chyna is hilarious.

[@GMSpectre]

If I remember correctly, the part with Bischoff at WCW HQ was actually at the same building where DX "invaded" a year back, complete with the same security guard.

[@TheSerpentsEye]

Vince Mcmahon, getting eliminated by Chyna is such a scary bump. It looks like his head is going to come off when it gets clotheslined by the rope.

[@RyanCT89]

I pointed this out, too! That reverberation on his head looked brutal. There’s a spot where Austin comes to “talk trash” shortly after, probably to check on him. I guess he was good because Austin was laughing his ass off lol.

[@criminalmindsgirl2936]

Luna Vachon was always so underrated. She deserved better.

[@zacharythomason7359]

Totally agree.

[@tayocham1]

Hogan in gangsta gear will always be hilarious.

[@Spooky_T2i]

Vince's whiplash from the bottom rope while getting eliminated from the mini-rumble was rough. Shane was doing commentary during that match, and when his dad's head bounced off the apron his actual concerned/shocked reaction was memorable.

[@robertgrosso3317]

The Ministry of Darkness stuff with Undertaker is so damn good...I am here it was one of my favorite angles for 1999.

[@thepubknight6144]

Loved this era of Taker

[@watchmy666]

RiP Pepe.. I always wanted to see Pepe vs. Moppy with HEAD as the special guest referee

[@burritoboy2751]

Man, that would have been a five star classic! 😂

[@victoryusmc]

That Vince bump was insane, my neck hurts.

[@dragonfurry69]

Poor Pepe, killed on his birthday. Rest in Pieces, you magnificent bastard!

[@buttagee6575]

Gilburg is a legend lmao. Funny how much we love that character

[@apark02]

WCW giving away the results of Raw justifies anything Vince did in retaliation like introducing Gillberg and the Huckster and Nacho man skits.

[@charlesbuckley5615]

Great story telling by RM and now we know why he restarted the faction in WWE technically he's the only true member of the LWO left

[@rogermorris9696]

And later in the WWE, the exact same story line that hapend to Gurrero and Pepe happened to Moppy and Saturn.

[@trillionzillion6743]

Al snow and Head the originals

[@sergiolangston5540]

The Vince McMahon promo had me dying

[@dynastytarikterry1988]

Mr. McMahon message to Steve Austin was funny as hell. I can't stop rewatching this part. I am dead. ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@joenarus7417]

What a great series!!! I’m so bummed to be caught up! Cannot wait until Sunday!!

[@denniswilliams6519]

I like how WCW"s idea of a crowd pleasing PPV main event is...a non title match between Goldberg and Scott Hall. People really were struggling creatively during this time.

[@namikstudios]

Not as much as WWE was struggling in 2002... Katie Vick...

[@Venemofthe888]

It makes sense for Goldberg to steamroll Hall but it's not a main event

[@bathroomattendant]

Imagining the stage hands at WWF - "Right, now we've got to get rid of the cult setup so D'lo brown can cut a promo"

[@MeNoSpeakJibberish]

The corporate Rumble was a classic

[@MatthewEaton]

Ah, the Ministry. My favorite faction ever and it ended SO POORLY. Still, give me chalk full of "evil deity" all day long.

[@DaveLikesMovies]

Did it ever really end though? It seems just like most wrestling stables it just kind of fizzled out of existence after a while. 🤷‍♂️

[@billdenny9599]

47:14 the neck snap on the bottom rope Vince took. 😳

[@justinperry8445]

Once WCW gets through this hiccup I’m sure they are gonna make a big comeback and win this war

[@suntanironman]

Yeah. Definitely. There is no reason why that couldn’t have happened (in a slightly different version of the timeline). WCW had such tremendously talented wrestlers at this time. Arguably WCW has much better in-ring workers right now in January 1999 (many of whom aren’t getting any storylines though). WCW could have definitely turned it around if slightly-better decisions were made.

[@EvDawg_]

Thank you Bios!!!

[@FerraristDX]

7:39 Oh my god, they killed Pepe!

[@silverthorn9759]

You bast***s!!

[@RyanCT89]

Vince getting thrown over and guillotined by the bottom rope looked brutal. I think Austin saw it and pretends to trash talk him to check on him. I guess he was okay enough because Austin was laughing his ass off as he was going up the ramp. 😂

[@beefgravystudios]

Pepe is no more. What a tragic end to an incredible talent.

[@terryeubanks8797]

I like that the nWo's version of "trimming the fat" is kicking out the members who get too over.

[@Dr_1212]

At that time The Wolfpack was super over Hogan joining them ruined it

[@carloshill]

Always love that intro and this nitro would be the giants last wcw appearance by this point he didn't resign with wcw and was on his way to the wwf so he did the job to Nash on his way out to write him off of wcw tv which was the same as I loved giants work in wcw.

[@jameshill3403]

Klondike Bill and bishoff had good chemistry together they should have had more skits

[@JeffreyFisher-gj2zg]

Vince's head bounced off that ring pretty hard when he got tossed

[@thegunslinger8806]

The McMahon theme Remix at the end is gold.

[@Hyde_Hill]

Insane Chavo with Pepe remains my favorite Chavo. Especially when not in Los Guerreros.

[@TheMacabreTavern]

The debut of my favorite theme! Crash is still something I'll listen to when I need a good pump up. Soon enough, it all goes downhill for Dubbya See Dubbya

[@tommyfraz.]

Ok, this Road Dogg entrance is the greatest thing ever. Well done, WB! You definitely spoil us.