[1997-10-27-WCW-Nitro] Hulk Hogan vs DDP

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

The best Hulk Hogan match of the year! You should see what DDP is able to do this with guy. It might surprise you. This is one of the few times this year that Hogan has looked like The Man in the ring and not just on interviews. Page gives him most of the match, but Hogan also makes him look like a good challenger. These two should have had a PPV series in 1998. Sting comes to the rescue after the entire NWO swarms DDP post-match, and the show goes off the air with Sting making a clean sweep.

[Kevin Ridge]

Slick avoidance by Hogan on the first Diamond Cutter attempt. Hogan matches are better on TV than PPV for this year. They aren’t even trying to disguise the fake Stings at this point. Fans go nuts for the real Sting. I get a kick out of Vincent being the first line of defense against Sting and not being able to properly set himself up for the reverse DDT. Hall and Hennig take one a piece too.

[soup23]

Holy shit, this match was awesome and I am determined it should have been the main event of Havoc with Savage going over Piper on the undercard. We could then have had Savage vs. Page blowoff at WW3. Hogan looked really motivated to have a good match and prove himself perhaps after last nights atrocity. He targets Page's ribs and they have a great back and forth. The crowd goes ape for the real Sting appearance and WCW seems to have recovered some swagger that felt like it was slipping at the end of Havoc.

[El-P]

Hogan works his ass off here. One of those "DDP puts together a match that has no business being as good as it should", especially coming off the awful Piper match on PPV. I know at this point WCW = Sting, but still, the Steiners who were scheduled later and Luger was wrestled earlier not even showing up to defend DDP makes them look like they couldn't care less about WCW at this point. That weak part aside, Sting going through the B players by himself makes him look like a superhero.

 

I get a kick out of Vincent being the first line of defense against Sting and not being able to properly set himself up for the reverse DDT.

 

Yeah. Vincent, that "WCW SN miracle worker". That was pretty pathetic.

[Superstar Sleeze]

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hogan vs Diamond Dallas Page - WCW Nitro 10/28/97

 

We have a winner, folks! The best Hollywood Hogan match of all time and of course who is it against, but my man, DDP! As awesome as DDP was in this match and he was pretty fucking awesome, Hogan absolutely crushed it! He showed a roller coaster of emotions as he was responding to how the match was progressing. Early on, he was cocky Hogan out to prove that the loss to Piper was a fluke. He busted out some great arm work and was trash talking DDP. DDP turned the arm work around on Hogan with short arm blocks, but Hogan escapes the Diamond Cutter. He retreats to the outside and tips over the stairs in a fit of frustration.There is a great spot where DDP gets Hogan down and he dives after him as Hogan rolls out to the floor. I love shit like that. Hogan is not going to fuck around anymore and he blasts DDP in the head with a punch. Hogan is busting out shit like a huge high knee that would make Jumbo Tsuruta proud. Getting away from Hogan let's talk about DDP for a hot minute. DDP's work in this is fantastic. He is selling the ribs running the ropes, on bodyslams, on just about everything and it is awesome. Then couple that with DDP's usual chippy, never say die full court press you have an all-time great performance. DDP takes a nasty tumble from the ring into railing. Hogan hits two huge chops! Hogan is now trash talking DDP and flexing. DDP is able to get an elbow drop and his selling afterwards is some the best you will ever see period. DDP wants that revenge from Hogan's bat shot to the ribs the previous night at Havoc that cost him the match to his archrival, Randy Savage. That sequence where DDP sells the ribs from being shot into the ropes only to eat a huge clothesline from Hogan is spectacular. DDP tries to fight back, but Hogan is pouring it on with the follow-up clothesline in the corner and a vertical suplex. DDP wont stay down and Hogan is now getting frustrated. DDP fight back from his knees, here he comes, he is overwhelming Hogan. Hogan tries to retreat, but DDP won't let him rest. HOGAN BIG BOOT OUT OF NOWHERE! Holy shit! He goes for the Legdrop he misses. DDP is calling for the Diamond Cutter and the crowd is on their feet. Unfortunately, they go the bullshit finish route with Fake Sting and DDP at least gets to hit the Cutter on him before Hogan whips him with his belt and the NWO hits the ring. Sting clears the ring. The fact that they went with this finish does show that WCW believed in DDP enough at this point to protect him. Still does hurt the match without the satisfying finish, but holy shit you will be hard-pressed to find a better gutsy babyface performance than the one here from DDP. Perfect combination of selling and fighting through the pain with a great sense of urgency was showcased here by DDP. Hogan was on fire, super motivated, busting out that sweet high knee, really energetic, and great heeling. Definitely one of the best Nitro matches of all time and another feather in the cap of DDP, who was just feeling it at this time and it seems impossible for him to have a bad match. ****

[PeteF3]

Is this the last great Hogan WCW match? It's awesome on almost all levels--Hogan TAKES IT TO THE MAT and actually looks better and more organic doing it than he does in Japan. He unleashes a bevy of old Japan offense like the jumping knee, and he even does a back suplex on the floor. Page does an awesome job of selling the ribs, even as he gets thrown into the ropes, but gets a few cool hope spots here and there. Hogan takes a lot of the match but definitely knows when to show fear and bail out, especially on the Diamond Cutter tease. And that was a fantastic sequence where Hogan hit the big boot out of nowhere, only to miss the Legdrop--markout city. This match really couldn't end any other way but the post-match is pretty much Nitro by Numbers at this point, and even though the crowds are still hot I'm getting a sense of diminishing returns here. They change things up a little bit as Scott Hall gets a Scorpion Death Drop instead of just the B-teamers getting one (and yes, Vincent looked horrible--Hennig's set-up was pretty awkward, too).

 

I was all prepared to complain about, ratings wars notwithstanding, DDP and Savage wrestling after the way their Death Match was sold the previous night. But this passed with flying colors thanks to the consistent story being told in-ring and DDP's selling, and the announced Babyface Flair vs. Heel Savage sounds awfully interesting though who knows what shape Savage was in. One to take a look at, though.