On December 28, 1997, WCW presented Starrcade 1997, widely regarded as the biggest pay-per-view in company history. While the main event of Sting vs. Hulk Hogan dominated headlines and represented the long-awaited collision that had been building since the birth of the nWo, the undercard was packed with matches that served as true narrative payoffs to stories stretching across 1996 and 1997. One of the most meaningful was Larry Zbyszko vs. Eric Bischoff - a match where control of WCW Monday Nitr

On August 4, 1997 WCW Monday Nitro aired on TNT from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. In the main event and in one of the most unexpected title changes in WCW history, Lex Luger defeated Hollywood Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Lex's reign would last less than a week (as he would lose the title to Hogan at Road Wild on August 9th), but the reaction to his victory was one of the biggest pops of 1997. | Davenport Sports Network