[1997-10-06-WCW-Nitro] Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Gene interviews Roddy, I suppose responding to a promo earlier in the evening where Scott Hall said he has beaten Piper in the past. Piper says he's tired of the lying and orders Hall and Nash to defend the tag titles next week or they will be stripped, injuries be damned. He also sets up a Texas Death Match (calling it Piper Rules and with it eventually being billed as a Las Vegas Death Match) for Halloween Havoc between Savage and Page.

 

Hogan and Bischoff - both looking very angry - interrupt. Hogan is dead serious and has no sunglasses on and does a really great promo, telling Piper he's spent the last 15 years in Hogan's shadow and that he can't be the icon because Hulk is still around. Hogan says he's going to prove to Piper's wife and kids that he's the only icon, end Piper's career and make an honest man out of Piper because he's going to send him home.

 

Bischoff cheapshots Piper in the knee and Hogan beats the crap out of Piper. Piper makes a comeback and beats them both up and it's not great action, but this is a great segment that does an awesome job hyping Havoc.

[soup23]

I can't believe my eyes but the lead up to age in a cage has been done well and the crowd is hot. This was really effective of showing Piper changing the rules and Hogan/Bischoff taking measures to ensure that didn't happen. I loved Piper getting a comeback with the beatdown and the NWO just wanting to drag Hogan out.

[El-P]

I'm amazed how good the build for this match has been, as both Piper and Hogan cut really strong promo, Piper as the commisionner and Hogan as his great old self that he was during the summer. I have zero desire to watch this match, but damn this whole segment is as rock solid as anything.

[PeteF3]

Speak of retrogressive feuds...and yet, yeah, this is another hot segment that had no real right to be. Hogan spits out an absolutely vicious, venomous promo talking about how Piper has spent the past 15 years in his shadow--it's actually a bit similar to Shawn's shooty promo earlier in the night, but Hogan is WAY more concise and actually works to sell the PPV instead of spouting bullshit about how he works less and has more money and giving us other irrelevant asides. Hogan promises to end Piper's career at Havoc and put him in a wheelchair, then Piper gets double-teamed by Hogan and Bischoff. Eric lines up for a karate kick but accidentally hits Hogan--a cliched spot but it really works here because that type of thing didn't typically happen during an NWO beatdown, and the crowd goes nuts for Piper's big comeback. And a great job of making the decrepit commissioner look like a threat, as the NWO runs down but wants no part of getting into the ring and confronting Piper head-on--they just pull Hogan away and bail as Piper goes nuts swinging around the title belt. I don't want to see this match again either, but I do approve of everything about this segment.