WCW: The Doctor is In

WCW/nWO SuperBrawl VIII

Battle For Control

Roddy Piper appeared on Nitro for the first time in 1998 on the January Week 4 episode, but was quickly interrupted by Eric Bischoff, Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. The trio claimed that while Souled Out didn't completely go their way, the nWo will rule again and they're going to start by teaching Hot Rod a lesson. Piper was quick to point out that they forget who has the power here, because it isn't them. Under orders from J.J Dillion, Roddy was pleased to announce that Bischoff is banned from Nitro and any nWo wrestlers wishing to perform on the show will need to renegotiate their contracts. 

Not taking this indignity lying down, Bischoff and the entire nWo stormed WCW Thunder that Thursday and quickly took over the show. "If we're not welcome on Nitro, we'll just make Thunder ours." Some of WCW's best came to answer this challenge: Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Diamond Dallas Page, the Steiners, and Harlem Heat all came out. They were quickly overcome by the nWo, who left the wrestlers laying by the time Bret Hart and Sting made their way out.

The following Monday, Piper invited Savage and Hogan to Nitro with a challenge for Bischoff. A 5 vs 5 elimination match for control of Thunder, implying that should WCW win he'll formally ban the nWo from Thunder and finally put an end to the group. Savage seemed reluctant, but Hogan wasn't worried and accepted on Bischoff's behalf even goading Piper into a match later with Savage. That match ended up going in Piper's favor after Hogan was distracted by the arrival of Bret Hart. 

Bischoff was more than happy to formally accept and promised that nWo Thunder would soon become the #1 show on cable. Things came to a head during the main event when The Outsiders scored the victory over the team of Ric Flair and Lex Luger after The Giant attacked Luger. With the nWo holding Flair down, the Giant brutalized Luger until he was run off by Sting.

With one of the prime picks for Team WCW out, Piper had only 3 other men to introduce on the Week 2 Nitro as part of his team. Ric Flair, Diamond Dallas Page and Bret Hart would join Piper in the ring with Piper promising that he would find a suitable 5th man in time for SuperBrawl. When asked about joining Team WCW, Hart made it clear that similar to coming out with Sting at Souled Out, Hart was only here to make sure Bischoff and his cronies are gone from WCW.

On the following Thunder, Bischoff was pleased to announce his own picks for the nWo. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Curt Hennig proved to be a formidable unit by standing tall over the 4 men in Team WCW at the end of the show. Hogan promised that any issues between himself and Hall was "water under the bridge" although Hall has nothing to say on the matter when asked.

With mystery around who would be chosen as the 5th man for WCW, another brawl broke out between the teams on the Week 3 Thunder. The nWo had the advantage until Scott Steiner ran down to the ring and cleaned house. A huge suplex to Hennig, another suplex to Hall and a clothesline that sent Savage out of the ring. As the nWo team scurried up the ramp, Piper formally introduced the "ace up my sleeve" and the 5th man of Team WCW. With the teams all set and the nWo seemingly on the ropes, will WCW finally be able to vanquish their foe?

 A Giant Unleashed

Following his turn on Luger, The Giant made it clear that he had no interest in the continuing battle between WCW and the nWo. The only things he cared about were the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and making Lex Luger suffer. The Giant explained that Luger couldn't hold up his end of the bargain as a team and was only holding the big man back. No longer inhibited, The Giant made short work of Ray Traylor on the Week 1 Nitro and called out Sting. Luger answered the call instead and as the two former allies brawled Sting arrived, pointing a bat at The Giant, prompting him to stop his assault and exit the ring.

Not finished with Luger, The Giant interrupted his match on the Week 2 Thunder and continued to destroy the Total Package. 3 chokeslams later, including one on the floor, and Luger was left laying before Sting could run him off. With Luger out indefinitely, Sting agreed to a match with The Giant at SuperBrawl, not speaking but simply pointing his bat at The Giant before delivering a blow to the chest with it and sending The Giant reeling. During a final confrontation on the week 3 Nitro, The Giant grabbed Sting's bat and tossed it aside, leaving the stunned Sting open for a chokeslam as the big man posed with the title.

Will Sting be able to overcome the power of The Giant or is it once again time to crown a new champion?

The Heat is On

After their dominant win at Souled Out, The Faces of Fear have proven that they will be a force moving forward as Tag Team champions. Jimmy Hart hosted an open challenge on the Week 1 Thunder that saw his team dominate Ernest Miller & Glacier. Post-match Harlem Heat hit the ring and quickly started a brawl. In the following weeks, Booker and his brother Stevie made it clear that they wanted another shot at the titles and that with no other teams in the mix, they would be the champions once again. 

While Hart initially scoffed at the idea of giving the losing team a match, Heat won a #1 contenders match against The Blue Bloods on the Week 3 Nitro to make this match official. The Faces were there to "congratulate" the team by sending Booker T through a table. Will Harlem Heat be at full health in less than a week's time or will Fear continue to reign?

Heart Full of Vengeance

With Chris Benoit defeated, Raven's Flock set their sights on his ally, Dean Malenko. While the Flock showed up to watch Malenko's match against La Parka on the Week 1 Saturday Night, they did nothing and simply left after he won. Malenko, on the other hand, couldn't help getting involved after Saturn's successful defense of the Television title against Jim Duggan. This prompted the rest of the Flock to get involved and beat down the lone technician.

"This was a test, Dean and you failed. You have revenge in your heart and we can help purge it from you." Raven claimed, announcing that The Flock were personally going to take out Malenko. While Kidman was the first to try on the Week 3 Thunder, he failed. This led to Saturn heading into the ring alone, Raven holding the rest of his group back. The two had an intense staredown before Saturn picked up Kidman and hit him with a Death Valley Driver for his failure. Raven announced that Saturn would put his title on the line against Malenko at SuperBrawl. 

Bringing the Wunder Back

While the partnership between Alex Wright and Sonny Onoo started out rough, Wright has found himself on a winning streak lately and Onoo has set their sights on the Cruiserweight title. Wright earned a shot by defeating Onoo's former client, Ultimo Dragon, and Sonny promised that the belt would be back around the waist of one of his men. Champion Rey Mysterio has followed his victory over Eddie Guerrero with successful defenses against Psychosis and Lodi. Wright has the size and strength advantage but will he be able to make up for Mysterio's speed?

Unstoppable

After a quick victory over Glacier on the Week 2 Thunder, Goldberg now sat at an incredible 30-0 record. Meanwhile, since the start of the year, Wrath has found his own dominance is singles competition. His manager, James Vandenberg, has claimed that Wrath will run through Goldberg's streak in no time, but at SuperBrawl he laid down a different challenge. Wrath's occasional partner, Mortis, would challenge the unstoppable Goldberg to see just how fit he is for Wrath. 

Something to Prove

With his brother, Scott, busy in the main event, Rick Steiner has decided to prove he is just as capable in singles wrestling. After a victory over Scott Norton on the Week 3 Nitro, Steiner was challenged by Konnan, who claimed that he is nothing without his brother by his side. Rick was quick to tell him off, claiming that even without Scott he could still suplex Konnan right out of his shoes. "In fact, how about we find out on Sunday?!"

A Comeback and a Rebound

Following his loss to Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero claimed that he was done with the Cruiserweight title and wanted to move on. Guerrero looked to prove himself with a shot at Diamond Dallas Page and his United States Championship. Coming up short in a close match, Guerrero's frustration grew to the point that he decided to challenge any competitor willing to a match at SuperBrawl. That challenge was answered by Rick Martel, a veteran who has come to WCW looking to make a comeback. Guerrero was pleased promising to make Martel an example. 

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