*Welcome back, WCW.  Welcome back.
Before I get started, you may have noticed something different about this column.  It's a New Era for WCW, and it's a New Era for "On Top Of Space Mountain."  I've got a new background in hopes of keeping up with the ever changing times.  But back to the point at hand...

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with last night's show.  I'll admit, in the days leading up to the event, I had a few doubts.  Do Russo and Bischoff have any new ideas?  Are they going to let the old guard hog the spotlight?  Regardless of the storylines, can WCW make up for it's lack of depth?  And most importantly, will it live up to the hype?  After watching the show twice last night and looking back on it today, I can honestly walk away from it satisfied.  WCW delivered with a well-thoughtout plan, and overall a more professional product.  But what stood out the most about last night's show was it had a quality to it Nitro hasn't had in a good long time: It was compelling.  Maybe it was me falling victim to the "New Era" hype, but I was on the edge of my seat for the entire night, completely unknowing of what may happen next.  And for the first time in what seems like forever...I'm whole-heartedly looking forward to Thunder.  Who will win the World Title...DDP or Jarrett?  What's the deal with Sean Stasiak's "Mr. Perfect" gimmick?  Where will Mike Awesome (I'm not bound by any contract to call him ECW Champion Mike Awesome) factor into all of this?  Where does Bret Hart stand?  So many questions left unanswered.

Let's run down the pros and cons from last night's show in chronological order as I read through the report.

PROS
*The Opening Tirade: I have to say I had my doubts about Vince Russo appearing on TV.  I was pleasantly suprised by his camera presence and his overall sense of being.  Maybe it's the accent, but I think he'll help add the edge WCW needs.
*"Can't find your scissors, Sid?": My jaw dropped when Bischoff dropped that line that's more suited for a smart-ass fan sign than for the actual program.  Maybe a little too inside, but I laughed.
*The Run-Ins: Granted, it took away from the actual wrestling product, but last night wasn't about the actual wrestling.  It was about sending a message.  I think the various interruptions by Bagwell, The Wall, Stasiak, and Vampiro got the message across loud and clear: It's the New Blood's show now.
*Tank Abbott punks Mark Madden: Amazing.  I have griped about Tank Abbott numerous times in the past, but I have to admit I like the idea of him punking out ordinary workers like Madden, rather than him KO'ing Villano V and Mike Jones.
*Billy Kidman: I always THOUGHT I had respect for Kidman.  Now I KNOW I do.  He cut an INCREDIBLE badass rebel promo on Hogan last night that really took some balls.  And his alliance with Bischoff could make for some great stuff.
*Scott Steiner: You can always count on him for a good promo.  He delivered again last night.
*The "Newcomers": I hate to group them all together, but the same points apply.  It was very nice to see some new faces walk down the Nitro aisle.  Change is good.
*Russo punks Flair: Vince Russo should teach everyone in WCW how to swing a bat like him.  I know this sounds silly, but I almost believed it was real for a second.  The crotch-chops were a nice touch, but he did about one too many.
*Kevin Nash: Nash did what he does best last night...he cut an amusing and sarcastic promo.  Of course, that's about ALL he does good, but oh well.
*"The White Hummer":You thought it was gone, but it came roaring back.  But this time...we finally got the answer.  Well, I was rooting for Van Hammer, but it was Bischoff.  I can live with that.  Anyway, it was a great way to take a parting shot at the "old" WCW.
*Bret Hart: The final twist in a captivating and compelling edition of Nitro.  Maybe all of his columns in the Calgary Sun were a work.
*NOT bringing back Goldberg: Something that DIDN'T happen was actually a positive.  I want to see Goldberg back, but looking at it in retrospect, it was good to not overdue it last night by parading him out there.  Also, WCW played just about every major card they had last night...except for one, and that was Goldberg.  It's always to save one major pop for a rainy day.
CONS
*Madden...shirtless: Frankly, I didn't need to see the beached whale in the ring.  It's ironic that Nitro's obligatory "out-of-shape man with no shirt" was Madden, rather than Hogan or Flair.
*The "Newcomers":While it was good to see the new faces, the debuts weren't handled that well.  Douglas came from the crowd, and isn't recognizable enough to get a huge pop.  Stasiak had an entrance (Mr. Perfect's old music from WWF), but again, nobody seemed to know who he was.  Awesome came from the crowd and punked Nash, but sense ECW is not completely mainstream yet, it still left many confused.  I don't think it mattered though. 
*Lack of quality wrestling: I know what I said before, and I still believe that, but it would have been nice to see a real quality Cruiserweight match or something.  I suppose that's what Thunder is for.

So overall, it was a great night for WCW, and as I am typing this, I have learned that the ratings prove it.  Overall, Nitro drew a 3.1, compared to Raw's 6.2.  This may sound bad, but it's not.  WCW, realistically, shouldn't even think about catching WWF for about a year.  Right now, they need improvement week by week, and they got it this week.  This was Nitro's highest rating since 1/24/2000.  If they can keep up the steady improvement, they can at least make this race close again.

I'll be back on Friday with my Spring Stampede preview.  The card should be announced on Wednesday, so I can then work on my predictions.  Although with Russo and Bischoff at the helm, it may just be more unpredictable than ever.

THIS RIDE IS OVER

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