An Alternate Timeline! WCW Triumphant! (Part 2)

1998!

In Early January of 1998,The nWo's internal troubles continue[mainly between hogan and nash.]. Hollywood Hogan gets a Rematch with Sting on Nitro,the match ends in controversy,as hogan "accidentally" knocks out the referee.Nick Patrick comes out to officiate..giving the match to Hogan. J.J. Dillon comes in and demands a restart to the match.Bischoff argues,but is ignored. the match restarts once the original ref comes to and Sting wins. On the 1st WCW Thunder (a new 2 hour show),It's announced that,despite the Controversy in the Hogan/Sting match on Nitro,Sting will still keep the Championship and will face Hollywood Hogan at Souled Out. On the same show,Bret Hart and Ric Flair start a mini-feud after weeks of confrontation. The Hart/Flair feud ended in Early March. 

On the Next Nitro,Goldberg continues his dominance and The Giant/Nash match at souled out will be a #1 contenders match. the nWo clash even more..this time after a host of misunderstandings. At Souled Out,Kevin Nash defeats the Giant and becomes the #1 contender for the WCW Championship. Randy Savage is beaten by Lex Luger and when the other nWo guys try to come to Savage's aid,Hollywood calls them back.Hulk Hogan loses to Sting,thanks to interference by the nWo,who mess things up for Hogan. The Next Nitro,Savage calls out Hogan for calling back the nWo when he was in trouble.2 then start a small feud.While Eric Bischoff sides with Hollywood Hogan,Nash sides with Savage. Scott Hall defeats DDP for the US Championship at Souled Out.

In February of '98, Hogan and Savage battle it out in a series of matches,Savage is kicked out of nWo when he wins the final one. At Superbrawl VIII,Sting defeats Nash thanks to Hogan's interference.The Egotistical Hogan claims that No One in the nWo deserves to be champion but him. Nash is given a rematch,but it ends in a DQ,when Hogan attacks Nash. Savage comes to Nash's aid and attacks Hogan.

The nWo attacks Savage and Chaos ensues. Lucha Libre and Japanese Wrestling are given a full platform during Nitro's 2nd hour. Goldberg still dominates and wins the WCW US Championship from Scott Hall at Superbrawl VIII. Hogan and Nash are given another chance to win the title at the event,when they face Sting in a 3-man brawl. Sting Wins and Nash and Hogan blame each other for the nWo's loss. Also at the event,The Steiner Brothers retain the Tag Championship against Public Enemy. Scott shows signs of a narcissistic heel.

In March of 1998,On The 1st Nitro of March ,Hollywood Hogan gets his final rematch with Sting,but he loses thanks to Kevin Nash. The 2 address their issues on the following Thunder and eventually get into a fight. J.J Dillon comes out later in the show and decides its time to put an end to the nWo. So he offers an ultimatum at Uncensored.

If the Kevin Nash fails to get the WCW Championship from Sting at the event in a no-dq match,The nWo must disband. Bischoff,with The nWo, comes out and offers his own ultimatum,Should Sting lose,he must either Join the nWo or leave the company AND if the nWo wins,they get full control of WCW's shows and PPVs....every single one. Sting arrives and agrees to this. 

Goldberg continues dominating and will meet Randy Savage for the US title at Uncensored.At Uncensored,Bret Hart defeats Scott Hall.Earlier in the match,Hollywood called back the nWo who were trying to help Hall and forbid them to do so. Nash argues this logic,but Hollywood tells Nash that Hall is a loser for losing the US Championship and the nWo doesn't help losers.Nash decides to disobey and help,His buddy.Hogan stops him and the 2 have a fight.The nWo try to separate them. Randy Savage loses his match against Goldberg.

Nash loses the mach against Sting,thanks to Hollywood Hogan,who put Pride and Ego ahead of his stable. On the following Nitro,The nWo is officially defunct and Nash and Hogan blame each other.The 2 start a lasting feud. DDP officially becomes the #1 guy on the mid-card and is set to face Goldberg at Spring Stampede. The WCW Superstars express their feelings about the end of the nWo. Eric Bischoff continues to be the advocate for Hollywood Hogan. Ric Flair expresses his want to be champ again.

In April of '98,During a Tag Team Championship match on the 1st Thunder of the month,The Steiner Bros. lose their Tag Team gold against Steven Regal and Dave Taylor[the bluebloods].Scott blames Rick for the loss and turns on him. The 2 have a feud..with Scott as the narcissistic heel known as Big Poppa Pump. 

Lucha Libre and Puroresu are even bigger hits than before. The Cruiserweight Division is as great as ever too. Ric Flair and Sting re-spark their old rivalry.DDP,Bret Hart and Goldberg begin a mini-rivalry for ownership of the US championship. WCW ratings raise.On final Thunder of the month, The Blue Bloods loose the Titles to Bagwell and Norton,who remain the Champs until August.

The 3-way rivalry for the US Title leads to Goldberg,DDP,and Hart having a 3-way brawl at Spring Stampede(an announcement made by J.J Dillon on Nitro). Also,The Steiner Feud gets Heated,as Scott uses personal attacks against Rick.Scott Hall becomes the TV champion. WCW reinstates it's Women's division,with Madusa as the champion.The division is Not sexualized..unlike what they have in the WWE. DDP wins the US Championship at Spring Stampede by pinning Bret Hart. The
following Nitro Hart cries fowl and demands a rematch. DDP mocks Hart. This leads to a DDP/Bret Hart feud,a feud that lasts until mid-june. Nash and Hogan have a match at Spring Stampede,the match ends in a double DQ.

Also at Spring Stampede,Flair battles Sting for the WCW championship and loses. Randy Savage regains his ambitions to be the world champion again and JJ Dillon decides to grant him that chance at Slamboree.Flair cries foul and starts a fight with Savage.The 2 meet on Nitro for a number 1 contenders match.Flair wins.Savage assaults Flair after the match.The 2 re-ignite their legendary feud. To prevent "fan burn-out",WCW Saturday Night is reduced to a single hour and all lesser WCW shows were canceled.Puroresu and Lucha Libre become full mainstays in WCW,giving the company a big ratings boost. In Late April, WWF's Degeneration X (DX) invaded Nitro. The WCW not only confronted the degenerate gang,but they also managed to beat them back. This incident was a ratings boost for Both the WCW and the WWF.

In Early May of '98,The Road to Slamboree begins with Ric Flair trying to woo Elisabeth away from Savage.He tries this multiple times and each time ends in a brawl between Savage and Flair.Sting watches from the rafters each time and is amused. In Mid-May,Scott Hall loses his TV title to The British Bulldog. Madusa re-ignites a feud with Aja Kong for the WCW Women's championship Eddie Guererro and Rey Mysterio start a friendly rivalry in the cruiserweight division. Both men eventually meet for the Cruiserweight title the next month,when Guererro wins it from Dean Malenko at Slamboree. The Nash/Hogan war continues.DDP battles Bret Hart for the US title at Slamboree.

The cheers for DDP prompt Hart to become a Heel. DDP retains his title. However,at The Great American Bash,he loses it to Chris Benoit,when Bret Hart helps his fellow Canadian win. DDP and Hart have one final Grudge Match in a Steel Cage on Nitro the next week following the event. Hart Wins that one. During his match at Slamboree against Hollywood Hogan,Nash gets cheered. He becomes a Face shortly after.

At Slamboree,Savage costs Flair the Title.Flair would return the favor at The Great American Bash when he costs Savage the chance to be WCW Champion again.In Late May,Goldberg is moved up to the uppercard and starts main eventing Nitro and fueds with Scott Hall,when Hall challenges him.This feud goes on for months.Hall is announced as the #1 contender for the WCW Championship at Great American Bash.

In June 1998, Liz betrays Savage again at the Great American Bash during his Match against Flair.The 2 have one final steel cage confrontation at Bash at the Beach,which Savage wins. Also At the Great American Bash,Sting battles Scott Hall for the championship. Goldberg costs Hall the match. The 2 battle in a Street Fight at Bash at the Beach. A fight where Goldberg Wins. The next night on Nitro,Bret Hart is named the #1 contender for the WCW Championship. Both Ric Flair and Randy Savage have a problem with that and confront Hart. Sting comes out and tells the 3 that he doesn't care who he fights. So a 4-way battle for the WCW Championship is made for Bash at the Beach...which Sting wins.

In July 1998,DDP gets his rematch against Chris Benoit for the WCW US Title at Bash at the Beach.Dean Malenko costs DDP the Match. DDP would return the favor by costing Malenko his match for the Cruiserweight Championship against Eddie Guererro later in the night. The 2 start a feud and have a match at Road Wild.On The Nitro following the big event,Malenko reveals that he Helped Chris Benoit so that he'd have a chance at being a Horseman,when they eventually reform.Beniot responds the following Thunder.

The Hollywood Hogan/Kevin Nash feud intensifies. Brutus Beefcake[now known as The Disciple] joins Hogan in his fight against Nash. In Late July,Scott Hall joins Kevin Nash. The 4 Men have a Tag Match at Road Wild. Bret Hart gets another shot at the WCW championship at Road Wild. He fails again,and when he does,he brutaly assaults Sting. The 2 men have a feud. Goldberg is back to being the #1 Contender for the WCW US Championship and will face Chris Benoit at Road Wild.

In August '98,Nash gets a new Ally in Lex Luger. But Hogan gets a new ally as well..Scott Steiner.The tag team match at Road Wild becomes a 6-Man Tag. At Road Wild,Malenko helps Benoit yet again and the Canadian Crippler gets the win over Goldberg.Chris Benoit returns the favor later in the night by Malenko defeat DDP. The following night on Nitro,DDP and Goldberg create a temporary alliance and continue their  feud with Malenko and Benoit.The feud ends at Fall Brawl:War Games.

In Early September of '98,Nash and Hogan each get 1 more new Ally. Randy Savage for Nash and Curt Hennig for Hogan. Both of these teams would continue to clash until Fall Brawl:War Games,where they settle things once and for all in the War Games Match. Booker T starts a successful Singles Career after his Brother,Stevie Ray is out with an injury. The Nitro after War Games,Ric Flair decides it's time to revive the 4 Horsemen. Chris Benoit and Arn Anderson agree. They decide to add Dean Malenko to the group,since he helped out Chris Benoit. Steve McMichael is out injured and won't be able to reclaim his position on the team.Chris Benoit suggests Bret Hart.Flair refuses,but Arn Anderson decides to give Hart a shot..if he's up for it.

Bret Hart,who lost his match with Sting at War Games via DQ,comes out to greet the Horsemen and tells them it would be an honor to be a Horseman. Anderson decides to give Hart a test. Hart's test is to defeat Goldberg next Monday Night on Nitro. Bret Hart accepts the challenge and with Chris Benoit's help,defeats Goldberg the following week. Bret Hart is now a Horseman. On the same Nitro,Sting and Holywood Hogan renew their rivalry.

In Early October 1998,The Ultimate Warrior unexpectedly shows up on the 1st Nitro of October and reveals that he's here to keep justice and to seek out super tough opponents to battle.Randy Savage answers the Warrior's call and agrees to face him at Halloween Havoc.They have a great match,an match that Savage ends up winning. Ultimate Warrior would leave the WCW 2 months later due to a money dispute. Sting vs Hollywood Hogan for the Title is announced for Halloween Havoc.Sting
wins that match by DQ. Bret Hart takes to his role as a horseman naturally...He even upstages Ric Flair at one point.

In November 1998,At World War 3,Goldberg wins the 60 Man Battle Royal. Also at the event,Sting Battles Hollywood Hogan in a Steel Cage...and wins. The following Nitro,Hollywood Hogan decides to take a hiatus to focus on his Acting Career. With Bret Hart,the new 4 Horsemen continue to thrive. In Late November,Nash and Hall reunite a Tag Team and eventually win back the WCW Tag Team Championship in late January of next year.

In December of '98,Sting and Goldberg develop a rivalry before their face-off at Starrcade. At Starcade '98,Goldberg defeats Sting for the WCW Championship. The 2 shake hands after the match. In late December,Ric Flair suffers an injury and has to take a leave of absence.Arn Anderson gives Bret Hart the job of temporary leader of the Horsemen. Hart would prove to be an effective and likable leader.
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Next up,we move on to 1999 and a major turning point in the Monday Night War.