It was a busy week for WCW, culminating in the much anticipated Road Wild pay-per-view at Sturgis as Hulk Hogan successfully defended his heavyweight title with a clean pin on Kevin Nash, who is now "retired" as a result of the career vs. career stipulation. Sure, and I just retired from my job, too.

Before that, you had the usual Monday Run-In Show, whoops, Nitro and very uneventful taped Thunder. What I'm going to do this week is review the various feuds and how they played out at Sturgis. Surprisingly, there was little run-in activity at Road Wild. WCW was probably afraid the bikers would shower the ring with beer bottles.

Hogan's week got off to an amusing start Monday when the cameras showed him in his dressing room getting ready to come out for an interview with Gene Mean. Some little kid, presumably Hogan's son, though that was never said, asked Hogan to put on the gear he had brought him. Oh, no! It's the red and yellow. It's nice to know a cameraman can get backstage. It kind of makes up for that the fact that there are no monitors in the back. Right, Eric?

Anyhow, someone yells out, "Hogan, it's time for your interview!" Hogan rushes out into a waiting ambush by Sid Vicious, Rick Steiner and Nash. They drag him all the way to the ring. Steiner clocks him with the belt. Bill Goldberg and Sting make the save. Hogan is fired up. "I don't know who the hell you people think you are!" Hogan said. Hogan then announced that he was putting his career on the line and challenged Nash's gang to a six-man tag match. "If you ladies want to fight, you got it," Nash replied.

Hogan wasn't finished. He challenged Nash to put his career on the line, too. "Come on, big man," Hogan said. Goldberg had a few words for Steiner, including one three-letter word that got muted. Sting spoke too, mistakenly saying Road Wild was on a Sunday. Nash drew some cheap heat from the Boise crowd, saying, "I don't eat potatoes, so I don't care about Boise." Then Big Sexy agreed to the stip but had a dire warning. "If you wrestle the three of us tonight, you guys will never make it to Sturgis." Steiner got no mic time. Gosh, I'm so disappointed.

This career stipulation really had me going. I was sure they had all but announced that the Road Wild match would be a no contest with multiple run-ins. Then there were the rumors about Hogan's knee and Nash wanting to take time off. Well, they did have to keep us guessing.

The ring intros for the main event tag match took forever. Announcer Bobby Heenan said Vicious is so crazy that "he should be put in an institution." Bobby, if you had said that about Steiner, well, it's a good thing you didn't. Now if we could just get Tony Schiavone to dis Steiner. I wish Heenan would be a heel announcer again. He's very funny that way.

When Hogan came out, the song "He's American Made." And he's wearing the yellow and red. "Hulkamania has walked back into your living room!" Schiavone gushed. But, you know, at the same time Jesse Ventura was providing color commentary on RAW. Sigh. I think that says enough.

I don't do blow-by-blow recaps but here are some highlights. Hogan went to instant offense, clearing all three bad guys out of the ring. The heels regrouped outside. Goldberg got his offense in. So did Sting. But Nash rallied and was about to give Sting the snake eyes hot shot off the top turnbuckle when referee Johnny Boone stood in his way! What? Oh, I get it. Boone was telling Nash not to forget about the ref bump. Sting drives both of them into the corner. Sting did three stinger splashes on Nash. But Steiner has a chain. Goldberg spears him. Shortly thereafter, Sting has Nash in the scorpion deathlock. A second ref calls for the bell when Nash doesn't respond. Good triumphs over evil, yes!

By the way, the Boise crowd was hot all night. They popped for everything.

Hogan won at Sturgis in that old Hulkamania mode. He kicked out after absorbing a jackknife powerbomb. Then it was vintage Hulk Hogan. Hulk up, big boot, leg drop, pin. It kind of makes sense. They made such a big deal about the yellow and red that I couldn't see Hogan losing in those colors. Now Big Sexy is, geez, retired. Where does this leave Scott Hall? After WCW forgets this storyline, Nash will be back, don't worry. Maybe he'll wear a mask like Dusty Rhodes did as the Midnight Rider many years ago.

While Hogan booked himself to victory, Sting did a clean job to Sid. Sid blocked a stinger splash by grabbing Sting's neck. The Ruler of the World then choke slammed Sting and pinned him. Buff Bagwell wouldn't have done that. Sting's a main eventer. Buff is an underachiever way down on the mid-card level. That speaks volumes. More on that later.

Sid got to have some fun on Thunder, facing the Disorderly Jobbers in a handicap match. No need to elaborate on what happened. Thunder is beginning to look like WCW Saturday Night.

Goldberg pretty much squashed Steiner in the usual way. Spear, jackhammer, pin. No surprise there. But Steiner got a squash on Thunder, beating some jobber named Spyder.

What a week it was for Chris Benoit! He finally gets the U.S. strap. Can you believe it? Yeah, David Flair got punished because his dad wouldn't job to Shane Douglas but so what? Things started out Monday with Rhodes meeting in the back with the Revolution. "Are things going to change?" Dean Malenko asked. Dusty assured him they would. About that time, David Flair strolls by with Torrie Wilson on his arm. Flair foolishly runs his mouth and within seconds is screaming from a crippler crossface. Dusty told Benoit to let him up. Dusty, newly empowered as chairman of the "championship committee" told Flair he would defend his title against Benoit tonight. Yes, the end is near. It just hit me. This is the second time a cameraman has journeyed backstage. How about putting a monitor back there so the Revolution won't look so inept later on?

When it came time for the match, Charles Robinson was the ref. Wait. No, he's not. Nick Patrick tells him to take a hike. It really is over. Flair wants no part of this. He's leaving. No he's not. Perry Saturn and Malenko each grab an arm and escort Flair back to the ring. As usual, Shane is incidental. Benoit absolutely destroys Flair and pins him. Diamond Dallas Page snuck in and hit a rock bottom on Benoit but got chased off. Yes, Shane was the last one in the ring. Benoit then grabbed the stick and told Page he would two time, two time, two time kick his (muted) at Road Wild. He said make it no DQ, too.

And so it was. Benoit took on DDP. And Kanyon. And Bam Bam. Remember, this is no DQ. So you, say where is the rest of the Revolution? Well, they're backstage. And they're watching a monitor! Somebody listened to me. So what do the Revolution members do when Kanyon and Bam Bam run in? They stay back there and watch on the monitor! Why aren't they at ringside to cover Benoit's back? Because this is an angle for Douglas to turn against the Revolution. That's how they're going to get him over. It took me a while to catch on. But what I don't like is that it's killing Malenko and Saturn's heat.

Anyhow, Benoit won this de facto handicap match, hitting the diving head butt and pinning Page. They let him keep the belt, unreal. No one is more deserving than Benoit. He works hard, is way over and his mic skills are improving. He's paid his dues. Bob Ryder says that DDP booked the match himself. Take notes, Buff. Jobbing is part of the job description. Benoit can stand on his own while Malenko and Saturn are booked into oblivion.

At Road Wild, Malenko, Saturn and Douglas beat Curt Hennig, Barry Windham and Bobby Duncum when Saturn hit the Spicoli driver on Duncum. After the match, the Revolution guys all fought off the Rednecks.

Malenko and Douglas also squared off against Barry Windham and Duncum of the Rednecks on Thunder. Douglas won with the perfectbuster.

Earlier on Monday, Curt Hennig and Barry Windham faced Public Enemy. The PE is back after a miserable jobber run at the WWF. Nothing has changed. They are still jobbing. They did get to please the crowd by putting Windham through a table. But Hennig pinned Johnny Grunge in the ring after apparently hitting him with a cow bell, though the cameras missed it completely. Hennig and gang came out to a new song, "Good Old Boys."

Gene Mean interviewed Hennig and talks about how Chad Brock was going to sing. Hennig said he would knock Brock's (expletive) off the stage. Hennig says, no, his group will debut Good Old Boys. No they won't. "You boys have been pre-empted," Gene Mean said. Hennig then threatened to take Gene Mean out.

Hennig was later seen fuming when Brock was singing. Hennig and the rest of the Rednecks confronted Brock after the song. Hennig towered over Brock, who also looked like he hasn't missed too many meals. The Revolution came out to back Brock. Hennig and Brock will begin a feud as the country music civil war heats up.

And what a big week it also was for Harlem Heat. The newly reformed team won the world tag team titles from the Triad at Road Wild. Booker T hit a missile drop kick and pinned Bam Bam Bigelow after DDP's botched run-in. DDP had climbed up on the apron but Stevie Ray whipped Bam Bam into DDP, setting up the pin. This was really no surprise. The fans wanted it and WCW gave it to them, which doesn't always happen.

On Monday, Kanyon took on Booker T. Did everyone else get involved? Duh. At the same time, Chris Jericho was making his RAW debut. Need I say more? Booker was winning but after a ref bump, Kanyon hit him with a tag title belt and then nailed the flatliner for the upset win.

Now it really gets fun. Let's talk about Randy Savage and Dennis Rodman. Oooh, yeah.

Gene Mean brings Savage out on Nitro. The crowd pops. Well, like I said, they popped for everything. Savage banged fists with several fans on the way to the ring. Isn't he supposed to be a heel? Savage says Gorgeous George isn't here tonight. The crowd boos. Then it's time to campaign. "I will win the presidency. You know I will," Savage said. "I will be getting rid of that scumbag Dennis Rodman and then Gorgeous George will be back!" Savage then questions the ties between Vicious and Nash. "I'm the baddest dude on the planet," Savage said. "And you don't want none of this! You put your hands on Gorgeous George and you will die!" What about the hummer driver?

Later on, Rodman had his own Gene Mean segment, spoke incoherently and was challenged by Savage. The two of them confronted each other on the runway and were kept apart by security.

Then on Tuesday, Jay Leno had Rodman as a guest on the Tonight Show. Leno questioned Rodman about Savage. Leno showed footage from Nitro and said Rodman appeared to be backing down. He asked if Rodman would do it again if Savage came out now. Of course, Rodman and George came out to a big pop from the audience. I'm really sensing that Savage is beginning a face turn. Rodman stood up, Savage charged and they went tumbling over a pair of chairs. Security guards were pulling them apart as the show went to commercial.

Savage did have a match on Thunder with Evan Karagias and it ended up being very entertaining. Karagias, a long time jobber, got some mic time. Maybe they're going to do him what they did to Billy Kidman. Basically, Karagias sucked up to Savage and pleaded with him to let Mona have her "job" back. Savage replied that Mona could contend for Miss Madness 2000. Savage acted like he was going to be a sportsman but quickly attacked Karagias.

Karagias actually got some offense in, including a nice plancha over the top rope that sent Savage's sunglasses flying. But Savage regained the upper hand and hit the top rope elbow. He covered for the pin but pulled Karagias up after a two count. Savage hit a second elbow. Mona entered the ring and pleaded for him to stop. Shouldn't that have DQ'd Karagias? Referee Johnny Boone leaped on Savage's back and started rabbit punching him. Savage shrugged the ref off, piledrived him and kicked him out of the ring. Karagias ate a third elbow. Since nothing was announced, I guess this was a no contest.

At Road Wild, wild was the word. Savage and Rodman battled to a 2-2 draw on the contest to see who could punk the most referees. The brawl turned in Savage's favor when he stuffed Rodman in a port-a-john and tipped it over! Later, George hit a Chyna-blow and handed Savage a chain. Savage wrapped the chain around his fist, punched Rodman and pinned him.

Now it's on to Buff, who ain't got the stuff. Bagwell has recently resisted doing jobs. His reward? A feud with the Cat, a Friend of Bischoff (FOB). It started Monday when Bagwell took on Scott Norton. Wouldn't you know it but the Cat appears on the runway, clad in his ruby reds. Tony lauds Bagwell as one of the "fastest rising stars in WCW." What are you smoking, Tony? Bagwell has been in WCW for six years or so and is still a mid-carder. Of course Cat and Sonny Onoo run in and Bagwell takes a briefcase shot. But he kicks out of Norton's pin attempt. An angry Norton clotheslines the Cat and Bagwell hits the blockbuster on Onoo, who really sold. Heenan said Bagwell was the winner but the ref didn't indicate anything.

At Sturgis, the Cat and Onoo went for their usual shtick as Onoo climbed on the apron. But Bagwell whipped the Cat into Onoo and the briefcase and got the pin. However, the Cat and Onoo laid out Bagwell after the match. Buff, as the Rock would say, "know your role!"

Last but not least, there's the nice looking feud between Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Kidman against Vampiro and the ICP.

Vampiro and the ICP with Raven opened Nitro with a match against Norman Smiley, Prince Iaukea and Lash LeRou. Tony orated that Lash LeRou is "young, up and coming....." Let me finish it for you, Tony. He's a .....jobber. Raven says his new group is known as the Dead Pool. Did he check with Clint Eastwood first? The crowd is popping for the heels. All six end up in the ring at once. "Who's legal?" Heenan asks. "Who cares?" Shaggy 2 Dope hit a moonsault and Hugh Morrus destroyed the locker room. Yeah, the Dead Pool won. Surprised?

The Dead Pool wasn't finished. They still had two run-ins to do later.

Eddie and Rey took on Dave Taylor and Chris Adams, who seems to have taken Fit Finlay's spot. The crowd boos the Brits and chants "USA, USA" for the.....Mexicans. Well, whatever pleases them. I'll be honest. I didn't see much of this match. Why? Because Jesse Ventura was being interviewed by JR and confronted by HHH on RAW. I kept flipping back to watch for the inevitable run-in. Eddie hit a frog splash and that triggered the run-in. Kidman then ran out and the good guys chased off the heels.

Later on, Kidman faced Disco Inferno. Tony informs us that Scott Hudson will be back on WCW Saturday Night. Thanks, Tony. You are so delighted that he won't be taking your spot. Disco and Kidman traded some nice spots. Disco hit the piledriver but Kidman kicked out at two. Then Disco made a terrible mistake. He went for a powerbomb. End of story. Nobody powerbombs Kidman. Ever. Kidman turned it into a face jam and in came Vampiro and the ICP. Vampiro nails a super Spicoli driver on Kidman! What a move. Disco turns to help Kidman but gets punked. Eddie and Rey save the day again. The crowd lets out a loud Eddie chant. The group then reaches out to Disco in friendship. He spurns them for now. Rumor is that Disco will be joining them and the group will be called the Dirty Animals.

I have also read numerous accounts that WCW will turn Eddie against Rey. I think that would be a big mistake. These guys are sensational as a tag team. And Eddie couldn't be more over than he already is. On the other hand, turning Douglas should get him over.