|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Apr 20, 2022 15:01:57 GMT -5
FALL BRAWL '96 (Sept. 15, 1996)
The announcers welcomed everybody to Fall Brawl and plugged the night’s main event, War Games. WCW vs. The nWo. Video went to the parking area where WCW’s Randy Savage was arriving in his car, but before he could get out of the car, a monster truck raced in and smashed into the drivers side door. It went back and rammed it yet again. After about four or five times the monster truck finally drove away.
Rey Misterio Jr. pinned Mr. J.L. with the Top-Rope Frankensteiner in 15:11. Rating: ** 1/2 (Rey Misterio Jr. won the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)
Fall Brawl officially opened with a new Cruiserweight champion being crowned. JL had been on a hot streak and has knocked off top competition since winning the title, but Rey Misterio Jr. was a different beast.
JL tried to position Rey for a superplex, but Rey spun around, reversed it into a frankensteiner which held JL down for a pin.
Backstage in the parking lot
EMTs were tending to Randy Savage as the rest of Team WCW was there in support. But Savage was removed from his car and loaded onto a stretcher and taken away in an ambulance.
The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Meng pinned Enos with the Tongan Death Grip in 11:36. Rating: * 1/4
The Destruction Crew has had some success recently against Harlem Heat and was trying to use that to catapult up the tag rankings. But their road was blocked by The Faces of Fear.
In a hard hitting contest, The Faces of Fear prevailed, Meng putting Mike Enos away with his Tongan Death Grip.
Scotty Riggs pinned Alex Wright after a side step in 8:18. Rating: *** Alex Wright suffered a broken ankle and will be out for 3 months.
It’s safe to say that the partnership that took these two to the top of the tag team mountain is over. Scotty Riggs had hope Wright would come around and reform their team, but Wright rathered blow the whole thing up.
The two had quite a fight while the match was lasted, but it was unfortunately cut short. With Scotty Riggs on the floor, Wright tried coming off the top rope down on him, but Riggs moved and Wright crashed.
Wright was clearly hurting from the fall, he tried to walk it off but couldn’t really put weight on his leg. He insisted on resuming the match, fighting off ringside doctors, but once he got into the ring, Riggs caught him in a roll up and got the pin.
Eddie Guerrero pinned Konnan with the Frog Splash in 12:38. Rating: *** (Eddie Guerrero won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)
Konnan put his TV title on the line against someone who’s he claimed was like a little brother to him. But that big brother mentality seemed to also give Konnan a false sense of security and an overconfidence, as he seemed legitimately shocked when Guerrero put together an early string of offense that drove Konnan out of the ring.
Konnan, though, weathered the storm and even had Guerrero locked in his Tequila Sunrise hold. But when Guerrero got to the ropes and the ref called for the break, Konnan thought he won the match.
While the referee tried to tell Konnan what happened, Guerrero came from behind to catch Konnan. He hit him with a brainbuster suplex and then went up top to hit his Frog Splash. Guerrero got the win, and the TV title.
Glacier pinned Johnny B. Badd after a Cryonic Kick in 4:46. Rating: ** 1/2
The beginning of this match was mostly Johnny B. Badd mocking Glacier’s martial arts style. Badd was having fun doing his own imitation. He even took time out to yell at Ricky Steamboat at ringside and make fun of Steamboat’s arm being in a sling. But as soon as he turned back around, he walked right into Glacier’s Cryonic Kick.
The Unforgiven (Barry Windham and Justin Bradshaw) defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) when B. Windham pinned Booker with the Superplex in 15:42. Rating: *** 3/4 (The Unforgiven retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)
One early interesting aspect of this match, was, perhaps for the first time in their WCW careers, Harlem Heat was getting the support of the fans. They even seemed to be caught off guard by it, but looked to be enjoying the support.
The Unforgiven though didn’t care if they were cheered or booed, they just wanted to inflict pain and hold on to their titles by any means necessary.
With Windham down on the mat, Booker T went to the top rope for his Harlem Hangover. But Windham crawled over and grabbed the ref’s leg holding on to him.
Meanwhile, Bradshaw and Stevie Ray were fighting on the floor. Bradshaw got enough of a break, he was able to grab a pipe from under the ring, and smack Booker in the knee. Booker dropped to where he was sitting on the top turnbuckle. Windham got up in the ring, went over and hit him with a superplex that got his team the win.
Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Arn Anderson with the Stone Cold Stunner in 13:11. Rating: ** 3/4 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)
Arn Anderson wanted this match after questioning where Steve Austin’s loyalties lie, with WCW or the nWo. We’re not sure if any of those questions got answered, just that Steve Austin’s loyalties lie with himself.
The possibility of Austin joining the nWo may have been a concern to Anderson, but mainly, he wanted to bring the US title back to the Horsemen.
Anderson put everything he had into going after the belt, but Austin has been at another level since returning to WCW with his “Stone Cold” moniker. When Anderson went for a DDT, Austin ran Anderson back into the corner. When Anderson bounced out, Austin hit his Stunner and got the pin.
War Games No-Countout-No-DQ-Match: The nWo beat WCW after Scott Hall made Big Van Vader submit to an armbreaker in 41:21. Rating: *** 1/2
The nWo brought their assault against WCW to one of WCW’s flagship events, War Games. WCW was facing an uphill battle after the assault on Savage earlier in the night.
The match opened up with Lex Luger and Scott Hall the first two men in the ring for their respective teams. For most of the period, Luger was getting the upper hand on Hall until Hall caught Luger with a low blow.
The time ran out and it was announced that WCW won the backstage coin toss, and Ric Flair ran down to give WCW the advantage. Hall spent most of the period trying to run away and keep his distance, but Luger and Flair caught up with him and started to beat him down with Flair working on his knee.
That all changed with Kevin Nash came in the match and evened things up. The match got pretty even for a bit with the two sides going back and forth with strikes and counters.
It looked like WCW would get back on the advantage when the time ran out and Big Van Vader began his walk to the ring, but he was blindsided by the nWo’s Hulk Hogan with a chair. Hogan repeatedly attacked Vader’s arm with the chair until pretty much the clock ran back out and it was time for Hogan to enter the cage.
The nWo now had the numbers edge and used it to their advantage. It came time for the next WCW entry, but with Savage taken to the hospital, there was no one to jump in the cage. That was until Diamond Dallas Page came running down, with his own chair in hand. On his way down the ramp he helped Vader up and came with him into the cage.
Luger saw DDP came in and shook his hand they stood side by side as the clock began to tick down for the final nWo entrant. But when the clock hit all zeroes, no one came out of the back. But instead, Page took his chair and blasted Luger across the head with it. Diamond Dallas Page was the fourth nWo man in War Games.
It was four strong nWo members against Luger, Flair and an injured Vader. From there it was only a matter of time. Scott Hall locked in an armbreaker on Vader until he officially called for the bell to end the match.
After it was over, the cage began to raise, Rick Rude came down to join his nWo buddies in celebration. They continued the attack. The remaining Horsemen tried to come help Flair but were all taken out.
However, video showed in the back an ambulance arriving and Randy Savage jumping out. Savage raced to the ring to try and help WCW, but the same fate befelled him. Savage was beaten and spraypainted as the nWo reigned supreme.
Card rating: ** 3/4
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2022 12:10:35 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Sept. 16, 1996) Nitro opened up with shots of fans arriving to the arena where in the concourse, people wearing nWo shirts were passing out flyers promoting the group. The announcers explained that the nWo negotiated some stipulations to War Games, where since they won, they received open access to WCW arenas, the ability to set matches involving nWo members and free TV time whenever they wanted it. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Booker pinned W. Bloom with the Harlem Hangover in 9:50. Rating: * ½Harlem Heat has had issues with the Destruction Crew and aimed to settle them tonight getting a decisive win. Interview with Chris CandidoChris Candido, with Tammy Lynn along side, talked about how he previously said he was gonna keep an eye on the Fall Brawl TV title match and wanted to get his title back he said he was cheated out of. He said he did keep an eye on Fall Brawl, he watched the entire event and knows now what he's gotta do. Marcus Bagwell pinned Konnan with the Fisherman Suplex in 14:34. Rating: *** ¾ The Horsemen have decided they and they alone need to be the protectors of WCW, and that includes holding titles. Marcus Bagwell has set his sites on Eddie Guerrero’s TV title. To get in line, he had to get through former champion Konnan, but it was a task Bagwell was up to. During the match, cameras caught in the crowd a wrestler announcers identified as former WWF wrestler the 1-2-3 Kid. It was unclear what he was doing there. The nWo sits outside in a limoFresh off their victory at War Games, the nWo, with their newest member Diamond Dallas Page, were outside the arena in a limo. The group bragged about getting yet another victory over WCW. DDP commented that they might as well start calling this nWo Nitro, to which Hogan said that has a nice ring to it. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Lord Steven Regal with the Stone Cold Stunner in 12:03. Rating: ** 1/2 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)We thought we might see Candido in the previous match between Bagwell and former TV champion Konnan, but instead he showed up, sneaking behind Austin who was celebrating his win, attacking him with a chair. Candido laid out Austin with a chair until Austin was out cold. Candido set up the chair and sat down to talk. He said he once thought he needed to get the TV title back, but he realized, he was graduating up. While he'll always hold dear the accomplishments he had as TV champion, there are bigger things in his career. Bigger things like the US title. Interview with the former 1-2-3 KidGene Okerlund went over to where the Kid was sitting and asked him what he was doing here. The Kid answered that he’s heard this is the place to be, where the big boys play. But then he asked Gene who won War Games since he was on a plane and couldn’t see the end. Okerlund told him the nWo won. To which the Kid replied “Shucks.” Carl Ouellet pinned Villano IV with the Cannonball in 5:08. Rating: * ½Carl Ouellet had another impressive performance and is turning heads with the WCW front office. But he's also catching the eye of others. During his match, a mysterious man in a black trench coat was spotted watching Ouellet in the corner of the arena. Announcers identified him as former Independent star 911. Dance Break
Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan were talking about the remainder of the card, plugging the main event top contenders match, when all of a sudden dance music began to play and a number of scantily clad dancing girls came out from the back and began to dance on the stage. Following them out was Disco Inferno who danced with all the girls for a few minutes before they all left and went to the back. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Greg Valentine and Honkey Tonk Man when S. Steiner pinned Honky after a top rope bulldog in 13:04. Rating: ** ¾Early in the match, the former 1-2-3 Kid stood up from his seat and revealed some sort of remote control. He pushed a button and a bunch of nWo propaganda, flyers promoting the group and making fun of WCW fell from the sky and littered the ringside area. In the match, the Steiners were clearly upset by the flyers in and around the ring and it threw them off their game for a bit. However, they were able to come back and pick up the win. Randy Savage pinned Ric Flair after a small package in 17:42. Rating: ** ¾Flair and Savage were fighting to decide who gets a world title shot against Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc. Flair and the rest of the Horsemen, however, were upset at Savage for not making it to the cage for War Games, blaming him for WCW’s loss. Before the match, Davey Boy, Arn and Bagwell spoke saying they warned Savage and everyone to hold up their end of the deal and they failed. The Horsemen, though, couldn’t help Flair get the win over Savage, as the Macho Man turned a Figure Four into a small package to earn the title shot. But after the match, all four Horsemen got in the ring and kept attacking Savage after the match. Vader came down to the ring apparently trying to bring peace. Vader, arm still bandaged up from War Games was saying they were all WCW and can't afford to be finger pointing. Davey Boy, though, got in his face saying WCW doesn't need failures like him. They need a group like the Horsemen. Vader shoved Davey out of his face, but then got his leg clipped out by Anderson. The Horsemen then continued to beat down both Vader and Savage. Video showed the nWo, their newest member who they called Syxx, all sitting in a limo watching the match and laughing at WCW’s infighting. They brought up a comment the announcers made earlier about most of WCW’s top stars being in Japan next week and missing Nitro and commented that they might need to fill the void at Nitro. Card rating: ** 1/2 ---------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Sept. 23, 1996) The nWo arrives
On a night where many of WCW’s top stars were overseas doing an event in Japan, the entire nWo arrived as one unit. And thanks to a stipulation of their win at War Games, they were able to walk right in. They commented about how fun tonight was going to be with Randy Savage one of the few top stars in the building. Rey Misterio Jr. pinned Psychosis with the Top-Rope Frankensteiner in 9:49. Rating: *** 1/2 (Rey Misterio Jr. retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Rey Misterio successfully defended his Cruiserweight title against Psychosis. The two had a great back-and-forth match that Misterio won after his hurracanranna. The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) defeated Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher when Barbarian pinned Thrasher with a flying clothesline in 8:10. Rating: *The Faces of Fear took on the newest team to arrive in WCW, the Headbangers. The unorthodox pairing caught the former champions off guard early, but their experience edge, combined with their power and athleticism allowed Faces of Fear to score the win. Johnny B. Badd pinned Scotty Riggs with the Tutti Frutti in 11:38. Rating: *** 1/4It was announced that the winner of this match would face Stone Cold Steve Austin for the United States title. The match went back-and-forth for a while until Riggs’ former partner, Alex Wright came down to the ring on crutches. When Riggs tumbled to the outside and the ref was admonishing Badd, Wright broke a crutch over Riggs’ head. Badd came and pushed Riggs back into the ring and quickly put him away. Randy Savage defeated Pat Tanaka by disqualification in 5:52. Rating: ** [Scott Hall and Kevin Nash interfered against Randy Savage.]Savage was won of the few top WCW stars not overseas but that left him vulnerable to the nWo. In the middle of his match, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall ran in and attacked. Savage tried to fight them off, but more nWo members piled into the ring and demolished the top contender to Hollywood Hogan’s world title. Savage was knocked unconscious as all the nWo members turns hitting him with powerbombs, diamond cutters, Outsider Edge’s and leg drops. They gave him a spray painted “nWo” tag as Nash and Hall carried him to the back. After demolishing Savage, the nWo members went to the broadcast booth and took over the show, scaring away the WCW announcers and taking over the show. They also introduced the newest nWo member, their head of security, Vincent. With that, they welcomed us into nWo Nitro! Diamond Dallas Page defeated Chris Kanyon by countout in 4:28. Rating: * 1/4
Rick Rude, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were on commentary as DDP made his nWo debut with Chris Kanyon as his opponent. Page executed a few offensive moves then tossed Kanyon outside where Vincent made his presence felt pounding away. Scott Hall said that looked like fun and left the booth to go down to ringside. He hit Kanyon with an Outsider Edge on the floor and Kanyon was in no shape to beat a count back into the ring. Syxx pinned Lizmark Jr. with the Top Rope Legdrop in 5:05. Rating: ** 1/4
Syxx made his first in-ring appearance. Lizmark Jr. was his sacrificial lamb. DDP stopped by the booth saying this nWo life “is just too sweet.” But he felt a bit guilty for having Hall and Vincent led a hand, he should go return the favor. He went to the ring and hit Lizmark with a Diamond Cutter before Syxx hit a flying leg drop to get the pin. While the referee was wanting to disqualify Syxx, Hall was sitting ringside and told the ref, no, he needs to count the 1-2-3. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) when Nash pinned Meng with the Jackknife Power Bomb in 9:25. Rating: -1/4*Rude and DDP were joined by Hogan in the announce booth as Hall and Nash came to the ring for a match. Two youngsters were set to be their challengers, but the Faces of Fear attacked them during their walk to the ring and took their place in the match. Hall and Nash were a bit taken back, but let it go and had their match against Meng and The Barbarian. Rude even mentioned being impressed by the guts of the two, saying they would make pretty good nWo members if they were able to see the light and came over to “fight on the side of good.” Faces of Fear started to take control of the match, but the nWo rushed the ring and took them out. Hall held the referee’s face in his chest saying if he can’t see it, he can’t call for a DQ. Once the damage was done, Hall released the ref as Nash jackknifed Meng for the win. Card rating: * 1/2 ------------------------ MONDAY NITRO (Sept. 30, 1996) WCW stars meet in the ringNitro opened with Lex Luger, Big Van Vader and Randy Savage in the ring. They were soon joined by several others such as Eddie Guerrero, The Steiner Brothers and the Faces of Fear. Luger spoke saying many of them were over in Japan last week and as a result, the nWo took things over. Watching the tape of the show made him sick. It made everyone in this ring sick. And they are not letting it slide. WCW is putting up a united front. But as they were talking about unity, they were doing so without any of the Horsemen present. That soon changed as all four, led by Ric Flair made their way to the ring. Flair said he thought WCW needed to unite, but when he joined with them, they let him down. Luger, Savage and Vader were failures. The groups went back and forth until Luger finally laid it out, there's a bunch in the ring that don't have anything to do tonight, so let’s have an 8-man tag to see who is the best for WCW. Mr. J.L. defeated Dean Malenko by disqualification in 15:49. Rating: *** 1/2In a match that would have huge implications in the Cruiserweight division, former champ JL faced the man he won the belt from, Dean Malenko. Each were looking to get a shot at new champ Rey Misterio Jr. After a great match, Malenko actually made JL submit to his Texas Cloverleaf, but Malenko refused to break the hold. He kept it on long enough for the referee to reverse his decision. Chris Candido pinned Bobby Eaton with the Blonde Bombshell in 0:13:31. Rating: *** ½Last time we saw Chris Candido, he was laying out Steve Austin with a chair, challenging Stone Cold for his US title. Stone Cold tried to pay him back after his match, but Candido took Tammy Lynn and snuck out through the crowd. Austin was in the ring with no one to beat up, so he just went ahead and Stunned Bobby Eaton for the fun of it. Disco Inferno dance breakDisco Inferno came out again with several gorgeous ladies for a dance party in the ring. Disco spoke briefly, saying he's realized there are people in WCW who take this sport way too seriously. Wrestling should be fun and good times, and that's what he's all about, doing this all with a smile on his face. Scotty Riggs pinned David Taylor after a short clothesline in 6:00. Rating: **Scotty Riggs was upset over what happened last week. He called out Alex Wright to face him. Wright showed up on the video board saying of course Riggs would want to challenge a handicap. That showed his severe lack of class. Wright said he’s hurt and it will be months before he can get back in the ring. But if Riggs wanted a fight, he can find someone to fight him. At that point, David Taylor came to the ring to face Riggs in a match. He took an initial edge, but it wasn’t long before Riggs seized control of the match and won it fairly easily. 911 pinned Van Hammer with the Choke Slam in 6:09. Rating: 1/4*
911 has been hanging around WCW arena’s for a few weeks, standing back watching Carl Ouellet's matches. Tonight he made his official WCW debut and made quick work of Van Hammer, almost making a point to showcase he was a tougher man. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) when S. Steiner pinned Meng with the Frankensteiner in 13:23. Rating: *While there seems to be quite a bit of dissension within WCW, and the night’s main event is evidence of that, this match was between two teams firmly together in backing WCW. There was quite a bit of mutual respect between the two teams, as they even shook hands before the match. And even after the Steiners prevailed, the Faces of Fear again extended their hands to congratulate the Steiners. Arn Anderson, Davey Boy Smith, Marcus Bagwell and Ric Flair defeated Lex Luger, Big Van Vader, Eddie Guerrero and Randy Savage when M. Bagwell pinned E. Guerrero after a vertical facebuster in 15:18. Rating: ** 3/4The Horsemen have said they need to be the ones leading WCW and everyone should fall in line behind them. But the group across the ring from them are highly capable as well. Eric Bischoff and the announce crew kept mentioning while it’s great to have a match of this caliber, it’s sad to see WCW’s best fighting each other instead of the nWo. After things all broke down and everyone began fighting all around the ring, Anderson tossed Bagwell some brass knucks that he knocked Eddie Guerrero out with setting up the end. The Horsemen celebrated their win as they left, all the while still calling the WCW group recovering in the ring, failures. Meanwhile, the nWo was shown sitting in a hotel room watching Nitro. They were laughing at the fact WCW was too worried about fighting each other. Hogan said taking over is going to be so much easier than they thought. Card rating: **
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 21, 2022 11:37:06 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 7, 1996) Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Stone Cold Stunner in 9:09. Rating: ** 1/2 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Stone Cold successfully defended his US title against Johnny B. Badd, but after, Chris Candido once again attempted to blindside Austin. Only Austin was wise this time around. He caught Candido trying to sneak up and delivered a Stunner to him. Meanwhile, Badd refused to leave the ring, throwing a tantrum and blaming everyone else for his loss, but himself. He was interrupted by dance music and the appearance of several beautiful women coming out from the back, followed by Disco Inferno. Disco danced down to the ring and told Badd he needs to stop getting so down on himself. Badd was a much better wrestler when he was having fun and living the life. He needs to put a smile back on his face and the success will follow. Badd apparently didn't like this idea, attempting to swing at Disco, who ducked then countered by hitting Badd with a swinging neckbreaker. Disco and his girls then went back to dancing, and danced all the way to the back. Lex Luger made M. Wallstreet submit to the Torture Rack in 6:59. Rating: *Lex Luger was interviewed after his match, but he was interrupted by Diamond Dallas Page. Well, at least his voice. DDP was over the loudspeaker having taken over the arena's sound system. Page said he's gotta actually give Luger credit for being smarter than he thought he was, cause Luger was right about DDP the whole time. A video than began to play of the night the nWo attacked WCW in the back lot of Universal Studios at Nitro. Page was talking to Rick Rude around the corner from the main assault. They saw, and laughed at, Kevin Nash throwing Rey Misterio javelin style into a trailer. Page then spotted The Barbarian walking toward the assault and ran over and stopped him by attacking him from behind where he couldn’t see who it was. Rude is then heard telling Page, "Quick, they're coming," to which DDP then dropped to the ground, rolling around holding his leg moaning in pain. The Unforgiven (Barry Windham and Justin Bradshaw) defeated Villano IV and Villano V when B. Windham pinned Villano V with the Superplex in 7:54. Rating: ** 3/4 (The Unforgiven retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)The World Tag Team Champions were impressive in a dominant win over Los Villanos. After the match, The Outsiders began to approach the ring. The Unforgiven was ready to fight but Nash said none of that would be necessary. He said they were simply extending a courtesy. Due to the nWo’s win at War Games, they earned the right to challenge for whatever titles they want whenever they want, so they’ll see them at Halloween Havoc. Rey Misterio Jr. pinned Mr. J.L. with the Top-Rope Frankensteiner in 10:14. Rating: *** 1/4 (Rey Misterio Jr. retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)
Rey Misterio defended his Cruiserweight title over the man he won it from. Rey was successful again, but after the match, Rey has his leg clipped out from under him by Dean Malenko. Malenko rushed in to attack and then locked Rey in the Texas Cloverleaf. JL took some time to recover from the match, then helped break up the hold and helped fight off Malenko. Big Van Vader pinned Hugh Morrus with the Vader Bomb in 10:44. Rating: *** ¼Vader picked up a win over Hugh Morrus. But on his way to the back, he was blindsided by Davey Boy Smith and Arn Anderson. The two Horsemen beat down Vader, calling him a failure and a letdown. The Steiner Brothers came by to stop it, asking the Horsemen what was wrong with them. Davey told them to mind their own business or they'd be next. The Steiners tried to say we're all WCW, but the Horsemen were having none of it. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Lord Steven Regal and David Taylor when S. Steiner defeated D. Taylor by disqualification in 14:16. Rating: ** 1/4 [Arn Anderson interfered against Scott Steiner.]The Horsemen, still holding a grudge over the Steiners stepping in their business earlier in the night, reappeared in the middle of the Steiners' match. Arn, Bagwell and Davey Boy ran in and attacked the brothers causing the disqualification, once again leaving them laying after a vicious assault. Randy Savage vs. Ric FlairTonight's scheduled main event between Randy Savage and Ric Flair never got going. Savage went to the ring, but when Flair's music hit, there was no Nature Boy. Cameras were in the back as the entire nWo was beating down Ric Flair in the hallway. Well, the entire nWo except Hulk Hogan. Hogan, came up behind Savage with a chair and attacked the Macho Man. DDP even drug out Miss Elizabeth to watch Hogan beat down her ex-husband. Hogan delivered many leg drops to an already unconscious Savage, then spraypainted him with the nWo label. All the while, Eric Bischoff announced that he was receiving word nWo members were guarding the back entrance to the ringside area, cutting off any potential reenforcements. Card rating: ** 3/4 ----------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 14, 1996) Dean Malenko defeated Lizmark Jr. when Lizmark Jr. passed out in the Texas Cloverleaf in 11:34. Rating: **** ¼
Malenko has been ruthless lately. He continued that with a victory over Lizmark Jr., but as he has done in the past, he refused to let go of the hold after the bell rang. It wasn’t until Rey Misterio Jr. ran down that Malenko let down so he could meet Rey and start brawling. It was later announced the two will face each other at Halloween Havoc for the Cruiserweight title. No-Countout-No-DQ-Match: Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Booker pinned W. Bloom with the Axe Kick in 14:01. Rating: ** 1/2Harlem Heat and The Destruction Crew have had many issues of late that only a no-DQ fight could solve. The two teams brought a variety of weapons into play, and in the end, Harlem Heath showed to be the tougher team, scoring the win. Big Van Vader defeated Davey Boy Smith by countout in 8:46. Rating: ** 1/4The Horsemen attacked Vader last week, calling him a failure for losing War Games. Vader aimed to get some revenge and send a message at the same time. The match spilled to the floor where Vader took control and hit Davey with a powerbomb on the floor. Vader got back in the ring but Davey couldn’t and got counted out. It seemed as if Vader wanted to go do more damage, but the other Horsemen came down and tended to Davey, at the same time sending a warning to Vader. Carl Ouellet pinned Bobby Eaton with the Cannonball in 6:46. Rating: * ¾Another week, another impressive showing for Carl Ouellet as he dominated veteran Bobby Eaton. But he still had his hand raised in the air by the ref when 911’s music hit and he came out for his next match. 911 entered the ring, gave Carl what seemed to be a mock applause clap, then readied for his match. 911 pinned Chris Kanyon with the Choke Slam in 4:06. Rating: ** 1/4Chris Kanyon was 911’s sacrificial lamb as 911 was just as impressive and dominant in posting his win. Disco Inferno pinned Silver King with the Last Dance in 6:49. Rating: ***Music hit and a stream of dancing girls came out of the back, followed by Disco Inferno. They danced Disco all the way down to the ring. Once inside, Disco turned all business in destroying Silver King. Post match, it was back to dance fever as the girls joined him in a celebration dance. Arn Anderson and Ric Flair defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) when A. Anderson pinned S. Steiner with the DDT in 13:51. Rating: *** 1/4In addition to Vader, the Horsemen have growing tensions with the Steiners. This fight turned out a bit better for the Horsemen. It was quite a match but Marcus Bagwell proved to be the difference, coming down to give his fellow Horsemen a hand. After the match, all three continued to stomp away at the Steiners until Vader came back down to chase everyone away. Card rating: ** 3/4 ----------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 21, 1996) At the opening of the show, the announcers made mention of a steel cage hanging above the ring that they had no idea what it was there for. They were hoping they’d get answers when Rick Rude of the nWo came to the ring by himself at the start of the show. Rude said the nWo earned the right to schedule matches they want, when they want, part of the conditions of them winning War Games. So less than a week before he challenges Hollywood Hogan for the nWo world title, they are scheduling Randy Savage to go 1 on 1 with Scott Hall tonight. The Unforgiven (Barry Windham and Justin Bradshaw) defeated Hugh Morrus and Shark when Bradshaw pinned Morrus with the Lariat in 9:21. Rating: ** (The Unforgiven retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Shortly after the match began, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall came out from the back with lawn chairs and popcorn and they sat on the ramp watching the team they’ll challenge for the belts at Halloween Havoc. The Unforgiven was definitely aware of their presence and seemed to try to send a message to their future challengers. Though the Outsiders seemed to just laugh it off, once couldn’t help but be impressed with how well The Unforgiven handled the two big men. Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Barbarian by disqualification in 7:48. Rating: ** [Lex Luger interfered against Diamond Dallas Page.]The nWo wanted to demonstrate the nWo's superiority over WCW, so they were giving Diamond Dallas Page a match. This turned out to be a trap, drawing Lex Luger to the ring. Luger rushed to attack Page and was about to get him in the torture rack when Hall and Nash ran down to attack Luger. They were ready for a 3-on-1 assault but the Barbarian came back into the ring, his partner Meng ran down, the Steiners ran down, all chasing off the nWo before too much damage could be inflicted as WCW stood tall in the ring. Glacier pinned M. Wallstreet after the Cryonic Kick in 10:27. Rating: * 1/4The rookie martial artist matched up with the veteran mat technician. Wallstreet succeeded in grounding Glacier for a portion of the match but Glacier put him away with his Cryonic kick. After the match however, Glacier’s celebration was cut short when his trademark blue lighting turned red as a monster of a man emerged and stood posed by the entrance. The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) defeated David Taylor and Lord Steven Regal when Thrasher pinned Regal with the Top Rope Legdrop in 12:21. Rating: ***One of the newest arrivals in WCW picked up their biggest win to date as the Headbangers upset Regal and Taylor. Chris Kanyon pinned Johnny B. Badd after a Victory Roll in 8:59. Rating: ** ¾Johnny B. Badd was wrestling Chris Kanyon and getting the best of the young rookie to the point where he felt comfortable showboating instead of putting him away. But then the disco music hit and a number of dancing girls poured out of the back, followed by Disco Inferno. Disco just danced with the girls on the stage, drawing Badd's attention to the point where Kanyon rolled him up from behind for a pin. Randy Savage defeated Scott Hall by disqualification in 12:31. Rating: ** [Kevin Nash interfered against Randy Savage.]Despite the natural assumption the main event would turn into chaos, it was kept a 1-on-1 match with no interference. For the most part. Savage started to pick up momentum until Hall hit a low blow and both men were down. Then, out of nowhere, the cage that was hanging above the ring all night began to lower. Nobody knew what was going on, but Hogan and Nash came down, with a key to get into the padlocked door. WCW members tried to run down but the cage kept them out while Savage was getting destroyed inside the cage. Finally, Vader was able to rip the door off its hinges and WCW members rushed into the cage. The rest of the nWo came in as well and a brawl commenced until the show ran out of time in the middle of the mess. Card rating: ** 1/4
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 24, 2022 10:58:26 GMT -5
HALLOWEEN HAVOC '96 (Oct. 27, 1996) Rey Misterio Jr. pinned Dean Malenko with the Top-Rope Frankensteiner in 17:09. Rating: **** (Rey Misterio Jr. retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)After weeks of vicious attacks, Malenko finally got what he wanted, a shot at the Rey Misterio and the Cruiserweight title. Their match was a classic. The two went back and forth until Malenko tried to hit Misterio with a top-rope powerbomb. Instead, Misterio reversed it into a hurracanrana and scored the pin. Disco Inferno pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Last Dance in 13:55. Rating: *** ¼Disco Inferno came to the ring first flanked by a number of dancing girls. But before he was even able to get into the ring, Johnny B. Badd raced down and attacked Disco from behind. But Disco recovered and got back into the match. He ended up putting Badd away with The Last Dance. The dance party then recommenced. Eddie Guerrero pinned Marcus Bagwell after a Frog Splash in 12:05. Rating: *** (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Perhaps thanks to the rest of the Horsemen getting ready for their 6-man match, Bagwell was alone in the ring which led to a pretty great, clean, match. The two traded control back-and-forth until Bagwell, sitting on the top turnbuckle, tried to hit Guerrero with a top rope move he’s been calling the Blockbuster, but Guerrero instead backdropped him to the mat. Guerrero then followed it up with a frog splash to get the win. Big Van Vader, Meng and Rick Steiner defeated Arn Anderson, Davey Boy Smith and Ric Flair when Vader pinned A. Anderson with the Vader Bomb in 18:27. Rating: ** 3/4 (Scott Steiner no-showed)Before the match, it was announced that Scott Steiner was attacked in the locker room before the match. The Horsemen thought they had a handicap match, but instead, Meng stepped up and filled Scott’s place. It was actually pretty amazing how well three wrestlers with no history of working together did against an established group like the Horsemen. If the Horsemen are aiming to portray themselves as the only group that can save WCW, that argument took a big hit as they couldn’t conquer this unique trio of Vader, Meng and Rick Steiner. Lex Luger made Diamond Dallas Page submit to the Torture Rack in 15:41. Rating: * 1/4A lot of hatred have built up between these two, leading to a great brawl for the match’s first few minutes. Rick Rude was at ringside with DDP and gave him a hand at several points during the match. But Luger was able to overcome and kept fighting back. But with Rude distracting the ref, Page hit a low blow then tried for a Diamond Cutter, but Luger countered, throwing Page off into Rude who was standing on the ring apron. Page was staggered and Luger was able to get him in the torture rack to which there was no escape. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Chris Candido with the Stone Cold Stunner in 11:17. Rating: *** 1/4 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Austin immediately ran to the ring and attacked Candido, who for a moment tried to find cover behind Tammy Lynn. Though Austin was more than willing to run through her to get to Candido, Tammy ran away and left the ring, allowing Austin to chase Candido. Things settled down and Candido had the advantage for a good portion of the match, but Austin was always able to follow with a counter to get back into it. Late, Tammy tried to slip Chris her purse that Candido tried to swing at Austin. Fortunately for the champ, he ducked and then hit Candido with a Stunner. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated The Unforgiven (Barry Windham and Justin Bradshaw) when Nash pinned B. Windham with the Jackknife Power Bomb in 21:48. Justin Bradshaw sprained his left ankle. He will be out for approximately 1 month. Rating: ** 1/4 (The Outsiders won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Hall and Nash weren’t alone. Rick Rude and Syxx were there supporting their nWo mates. The Unforgiven, though WCW members, haven’t made many friends since they came together and didn’t have any backup during the match. It played out as you’d expect, Syxx and Rude taking cheap shots when given the opportunity. Though at one point, Bradshaw caught him and hit Syxx with a wicked lariat that knocked him out on the floor. This caused a bit of chaos on the floor that allowed Nash to grab a title belt and hit Barry Windham with it while no one was looking. Nash followed it up with a jackknife as Hall held Bradshaw on the floor. Hollywood Hogan pinned Randy Savage with the Big Leg Drop in 12:45. Rating: * 1/4 (Hollywood Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)The main event turned into an nWo vs. WCW brawl. While Savage was fighting Hogan in the ring, the nWo tried to make sure Savage wouldn’t get the win. But WCW had his back, with people like Lex Luger, Vader, Rick Steiner and the Faces of Fear running down to even the odds. But with so much chaos all around the arena, it’s easy to lose track of things in the ring. Savage was on the top rope ready to put away Hogan with his elbow drop, when a man in a hood came out of the crowd to push Savage off the top rope. Lex Luger ran down to the ring and punched the man in the hood, as it flew back, it revealed it was Sting under the hood. Luger was frozen for a second in shock, but Sting kicked Luger in the stomach then hit him with a reverse DDT on the floor. He put the hood back over his head and ran back out through the crowd. Hogan took advantage, got a referee in the ring, hit his leg drop on Savage and got the pin to retain his title. Card rating: **
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 26, 2022 11:44:09 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Oct. 28, 1996) nWo comes to the ringNitro opened with the nWo coming to the ring, Hogan with his world title belt and The Outsiders with their newly won world tag titles. Rick Rude took a mic and said the nWo has shown they are already the most powerful group in professional wrestling, and it’s time for a global expansion. He said the nWo is starting a recruitment drive, aiming to find the very best to bring into the organization. They will be watching everyone very closely to see who is nWo material. Disco Inferno pinned Billy Kidman with the Last Dance in 5:29. Rating: ** ½The arena lit up when the dance music hit and a stream of gorgeous dancing girls poured out of the back followed by Disco Inferno who let the girls escort him to the ring. Once the bell rang, Disco turned to all business and quickly put away the young rookie. Barry Windham defeated Mike Enos by disqualification in 10:57. Rating: ** 1/4 [Kevin Nash and Scott Hall interfered against Barry Windham.]One half of the former World Tag Champions, The Unforgiven, Barry Windham will be without his partner for a month who was injured in their match at Halloween Havoc. Windham fought Mike Enos in a tough match, but before it could come to a conclusion, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash rushed the ring and attacked Windham. Hall hit him with an Outsider Edge and Nash gave him a jack knife powerbomb as Rude looked on from the entrance. Backstage interview with The Steiner BrothersThe Steiner Brothers were talking to Gene Okerlund, Scott said he didn’t know who attacked him last night but he has a pretty good idea. He said he and his brother want to bring the World Tag Titles back home to WCW. But they were interrupted by Ric Flair and Arn Anderson who said if anyone is going to restore WCW's dignity, it's going to be The Horsemen. The two sides went back and forth before agreeing to a match in tonight's main event. Chris Candido pinned Scotty Riggs with the Blonde Bombshell in 13:30. Rating: **** 1/4 [Tammy Lynn Sytch interfered against Scotty Riggs.]Chris Candido said he's not going to let a loss last night to Austin get him down. He's still after gold and he will go through anybody he has to whether it's Austin or Eddie Guerrero. He wrestled another rising contender in Scotty Riggs and scored an impressive victory to back up his claims. Interview with Lex LugerLuger came to the ring to address Sting’s actions at the end of Halloween Havoc. Luger said there was once a time that he lost a bit of trust in Sting. But he said that was the biggest mistake of his life. He knows what’s really in Sting’s heart. And when it comes to the end of Halloween Havoc, he looked Sting in the eyes for a moment and everything was crystal clear. That wasn’t the real Sting!! Glacier pinned Bobby Eaton with the Cryonic Kick in 8:04. Rating: ** 1/4Martial Artist Glacier picked up another big win over Bobby Eaton, and as like his match a few weeks ago, his blue-lighted postmatch session was switched to a reddish glow as a figure walked out and performed his own series of martial arts moves on the aisle way. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Konnan with the Stone Cold Stunner in 13:26. Rating: *** 1/2 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Konnan made his return to WCW after a brief absence and challenged Austin for the US title. Austin got the win, but after the match, Rude, Nash and Hall and came to the ring. Austin was on guard ready to fight, but instead, Rude took a mic. He brought up when he and Austin were members of the Dangerous Alliance and said even back then, he knew Steve Austin was the future of professional wrestling. But WCW has passed him over time after time and if he really wants to rise to that next level, he needs to join the nWo. Rude brought up their friendship and the success they had once being together. Austin made no moves but backed up and slid out of the ring and left. Rude said, that's OK, he knows this was a sudden offer. But take some time to think about it and then he'll make the right decision. Arn Anderson and Ric Flair defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) when A. Anderson pinned S. Steiner with the DDT in 20:58. Rating: *** ½The two sides fought for the right to challenge the new tag champions, The Outsiders. Scott was clearly still banged up from the attack that kept him out of Halloween Havoc. The Horsemen seemed to target Scott’s back, which the announcers questioned how the Horsemen could know that would be Steiner’s weakpoint if no one was around to see the attack. In the end, that proved to be the difference, well that and some interference from the other Horsemen, Bagwell and Davey Boy, as the Horsemen picked up the win. Card rating: *** 1/4 ------------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 4, 1996) The announcers shared a big announcement, that the next WCW Pay-Per-View will be in three weeks, and it will be Battlebowl!! The event will included 40 of the top stars who will start in The Lethal Lottery. They’ll be randomly paired into 20 Tag Teams for 10 matches. The members of each winning team advance to Battlebowl, a 20-man over-the-top-rope battle royal, with the winner getting a shot at Hollywood Hogan and the world title at Starrcade. Also, on WCW Saturday Night during one of the nWo's paid segments, they announced that their recruitment drive has landed them a top name and they would announce their newest member on Nitro. That led to speculation about who that may be. Psicosis, La Parka and Villano V defeated Juventud Guerrera, Lizmark Jr. and Silver King when Villano V pinned Lizmark Jr. after a powerslam in 12:26. Rating: *** 1/4Six of Mexico’s top Luchadores fought in a very fast paced match. There was a lot of high flying, a lot of innovative offense and bodies everywhere. But for all the athleticism on display, the match ended with a power move. Villano V caught Lizmark flying off the top rope with a vicious powerslam that got the pin. Johnny B. Badd pinned Chris Kanyon with the Tutti Frutti in 7:08. Rating: ***Johnny B. Badd became the first one to offer themselves to join the nWo. This brought out Rick Rude who was intrigued by the offer and made a deal with Badd. They need someone to take care of Barry Windham. If Badd does that, he's in. Interview with Randy SavageRandy Savage said things are getting to be crystal clear. A line in the sand is being drawn. On one side is WCW, on the other is the nWo. Everyone knows which side he's on. Whether or not that was the real Sting that cost him the world title, Sting needs to pick a side once and for all. And what about Steve Austin? Where does he stand? He didn’t say yes to the nWo last week, but he didn’t say no. Eddie Guerrero pinned M. Wallstreet with the Frog Splash in 7:18. Rating: * 3/4 (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Eddie Guerrero defended his TV title against M. Wallstreet, and after the match, former champion Konnan approached Guerrero. He said he never properly congratulated Guerrero on beating him, and wanted to give him his due. But also wanted it to be known that he was due a shot to get it back. And when he gets that shot, Konnan will show why he’s the master and Eddie is the student. Chris Candido defeated Glacier via pinfall in 11:34. Rating: ***Konnan isn’t the only former champion after Guerrero’s TV Title. Chris Candido has let it be known he wants a shot as well. Tonight he became the first one to beat Glacier, though he did take advantage of a distraction. The lights flickered red and it took Glacier off his game and Candido took advantage and picked up the win. Carl Ouellet pinned The Boss with the Cannonball in 8:37. Rating: * 1/2Ouellet had one of his biggest wins to date beating the Boss. After the win, 911 appeared at the top of the ramp, gave Ouellet a mock applause, then did an exaggerated yawn and left. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Davey Boy Smith and Marcus Bagwell when R. Steiner pinned M. Bagwell with the Steiner Bulldog in 14:40. Rating: *** 1/4One week after falling to two of the Horsemen, the Steiners faced off with the other two. Scott still was favoring his back and it was again the target of the Horsemen, but this time he and his brother were able to overcome. Scott had enough left in his back to lift up Bagwell for the Steiner Bulldog. Interview with the nWoThe entire nWo came out to the ring, all in a good mood. Nash had a T-shirt draped over his shoulder. They piled into the ring and Rick Rude took the mic who called this a glorious day for the nWo. With the newest member of the nWo signed on the dotted line, there is no stopping the nWo as the top wrestling organization in the world. He passed the mic to Hulk Hogan who did the introductions of the newest member of the nWo … Sting!!! Sting, or at least someone who looks like Sting if you ask Lex Luger, came down to the ring doing the trademark Sting howl and pounded his chest repeatedly. He entered the ring, Nash gave him the shirt, he put it on and continued to yell all while getting hugs from the nWo. Card rating: ** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 28, 2022 19:39:04 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 11, 1996) Eddie Guerrero defeated Konnan by countout in 13:30. Rating: ** 3/4 (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Eddie Guerrero gave former TV champ and a man he thought was his friend, Konnan a rematch for the TV championship. But after Guerrero scored another win, Konnan snapped and attacked his former friend. While this was going on, Chris Candido, who's made his intentions clear of also winning back the TV title, sat back and watched. Barry Windham pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Superplex in 11:15. Rating: *** 1/4Johnny B. Badd got his nWo tryout in a match against Barry Windham. Windham won the match, but after, was brutally attacked by nWo member Diamond Dallas Page. Badd also took the chance to stomp away. But after Windham was rolled out of the ring, Page and Syxx turned on Badd and started beating him down, saying he failed your test. Interview with The HorsemenRic Flair and Arn Anderson called out World Tag Champions, the Outsiders. They said they and they alone can restore WCW's pride and win back the tag titles. Hall and Nash came out and said if they want a fight, they can have one tonight, but they get one shot and one shot only. Ice Train defeated 911 when the referee stopped the match in 7:31. 911 tore his right achilles tendon. He will be out for approximately 6 months Rating: 3/4*911 was in the middle of a tough match against Ice Train when disaster struck. 911 ran into the corner to hit a running clothesline on Ice Train, but something seemed to happen after the hit. 911 hobbled back and soon collapsed to the mat holding his right foot. The ref came over to check on him and soon threw his arms up in an X and called off the match. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) when Booker made Meng submit to an abdominal stretch in 14:43. Rating: *Harlem Heat and the Faces of Fear faced off, no strangers to one another. Harlem Heat won a hard fought match, as has been the custom between the two teams. After the match, all four men sat in the ring, but after an intense staredown, Meng and the Barbarian reached their hands out and shook hands with Harlem Heat. Dean Malenko made Mr. J.L. submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 14:22. Rating: *** ½Malenko called his loss to Rey Misterio at Halloween Havoc a fluke and is campaigning for another shot. A clean win over former champion JL will go a long way in helping him get that shot, but after the match as Malenko was making his declaration of his desire for a rematch, old rival Ultimo Dragon came out and instead signaled that he wanted the belt. Backstage interview with Stone Cold Steve AustinSteve Austin gave an interview in response to Randy Savage's accusations. Austin said he never told anybody he was joining anything. The only loyalties he has is to himself. But if Savage wants a fight, he has no problem stomping a mudhole in him next week. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated Arn Anderson and Ric Flair when Nash pinned A. Anderson with the Jackknife Power Bomb in 14:49. Rating: ** 1/4 (The Outsiders retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)During the tag title match, Davey Boy Smith and Marcus Bagwell stood guard at ringside. This worked for a while until DDP and Syxx emerged and started a fight in the aisle way. With the other Horsemen distracted, Hogan came down looking to give his friends a hand. However, Vader also used this opportunity to try and stop Hogan. Hogan took a few good shots from Vader, but as the referee was trying to break up the chaos outside, Hall hit Anderson with one of the title belts, and Nash hit a powerbomb to get the win. Lex Luger in-ring promoLex Luger came to the ring and demanded Sting come out and face him. After a while, "Sting" came out wearing an nWo shirt and got in the ring with Luger, but Luger wasn't buying it saying that wasn't Sting. He went to attack Sting but the whole nWo rushed in and jumped Luger. However, he had backup. Savage, Vader, the Steiners, Eddie Guerrero, Harlem Heat, the Faces of Fear, all ran down to try to rally for WCW. And for the first time in months, it seemed WCW had the nWo on its heels as they retreated. Card rating: ** 1/4 ------------------------------ MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 18, 1996)
WCW in-ring promoNitro opened with a group of WCW wrestlers in the ring including Lex Luger, Vader, Randy Savage and the Steiner Brothers. Luger said last week showed that WCW can unite and fight off the nWo which means their days of running wild are over. This Sunday, Luger said whether it's him, Vader, one of the Steiners or someone else, someone from WCW will win Battlebowl and they will win the world title back from Hollywood Hogan. Bobby Eaton pinned Ricky Steamboat with the Alabama Jam in 7:13. Rating: **Ricky Steamboat was fighting Bobby Eaton, when the same Monster known as Wrath that has been stalking Glacier came into the ring and began to attack Steamboat. This drew Glacier's attention as he ran down to try to help Steamboat, but instead caught a vicious kick to his head for his troubles. Konnan defeated Juventud Guerrera by disqualification in 7:46. Rating: ** [Eddie Guerrero interfered against Konnan.]Konnan was trying to prove a point to Eddie Guerrero by destroying Juventud Guerrera, but Eddie jumped in and stopped the match by attacking Konnan. But while Eddie was focused on Konnan, Chris Candido ran in behind Eddie and laid him out with a chair. Disco Inferno pinned Greg Valentine with the Last Dance in 10:12. Rating: ** 1/2As usual, a series of gorgeous dancing girls led Disco Inferno to the ring for his match. Disco had a hard time matching up with the strength of the grizzled veteran Valentine, but was able to come up with some good counters, then hit is Last Dance for the pin. nWo Sting made Pat Tanaka submit to the Scorpion Death Lock in 8:43 Rating: * ¼The imposter Sting the nWo rolled out last week easily beat Pat Tanaka using Sting’s trademarked moves. Lex Luger ran in after the match and began attacking “Sting” until “Sting” hit him low and turned the tables. He even put Luger in the Scorpion Death Lock. Out of the crowd, however, came the real Sting, dressed in black with basically plain white face paint. He jumped in the ring, grabbed the fake Sting off Luger and hit him with a reverse DDT. nWo members Hall, Nash, DDP and Syxx slowly walked into the ring and surrounded Sting but didn’t attack. Sting called out their fake version of Sting, saying, they wanted Sting in the nWo so bad, they hired a cheap imitation. Well you get what you pay for. The real Sting, may or may not be in their price range. But the only thing for sure about Sting, is nothing’s for sure. And then the nWo let him leave, then they helped the imposter up. Syxx pinned Johnny B. Badd after a top-rope leg drop in 12:02. Rating: *** 1/4 [Rick Rude interfered against Johnny B. Badd.]Johnny B. Badd failed his nWo initiation test last week and tried to get some revenge on Syxx. Badd gave Syxx a good match, but the interference of other nWo members helped Syxx get the win. DDP and nWo head of security Vincent ran into the ring and stomped away on Badd. Though he hasn’t made many friends over the past few months and tried to leave WCW for the nWo, he still had some backup as the Faces of Fear ran down and chased off the nWo. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Randy Savage with the Stone Cold Stunner in 15:56. Rating: *** ¾ (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Unsure of where Austin’s allegiance lies, Savage wanted to get the US title off of him to ensure it stayed in WCW. The two had a phenomenal match. Savage went for his top rope double ax-handle smash on the floor, but Austin caught him with a punch to the stomach on his way down then hit a Stunner on the floor. Austin tried to roll him back into the ring, but the extra time was enough to give Savage the power to kick out. Savage later took control back and tried for his elbow drop, but Austin rolled out of the way and Savage crashed to the mat. Both men staggered back to their feet, Austin along the ropes as Savage charged him, but Austin caught him and hit a Stun Gun, then followed it up with a kick to the stomach and a Stone Cold Stunner for the win. After the match, Rick Rude, Hall, Nash, DDP and Syxx of the nWo came to the ring to applaud Austin’s win. Rude again made a pitch to Austin to join the nWo, citing their past history. This time, he brought beer. He gave Austin a beer and held his up ready for a toast. Austin waited a second then toasted Rude and drank the beer as the rest of the nWo celebrated the gesture. Austin even called for more beers and got thrown a couple. He gave Rude one, toasted him, but this time kicked him in the gut and gave him a Stunner. The rest of the nWo looked shocked, and Austin stunned Scott Hall as well. The group tried to pounce, but Austin quickly slid out of the ring, grabbed his belt and backed up the ramp with both middle fingers high in the air. Card rating: *** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jul 2, 2022 16:08:06 GMT -5
BATTLEBOWL '96 (Nov. 24, 1996) Tonight 40 WCW and nWo superstars will compete in the Lethal Lottery and Battlebowl. The 40 men will be split into 20 tag teams by random draw, who will then compete in 10 tag team matches. The members of the winning teams will compete in a 20-man battle royal with the winner getting a shot at Hollywood Hogan’s world title. Greg Valentine and Rick Steiner defeated Scott Steiner and Scotty Riggs when R. Steiner pinned S. Steiner after a power bomb in 10:30. Rating: ** 1/2The night’s first match split up the Steiner Brothers. They avoided being in the ring against each other as long as they could but they couldn’t escape each other forever. Not only did they fight each other, Rick pinned Scott to advance his team on. Scott did hug his apologetic brother after the match. Arn Anderson and Lex Luger defeated The Barbarian and Johnny B. Badd when Luger made Badd submit to the Torture Rack in 8:02. Rating: **There was a lot of friction between Luger and Anderson but that didn’t stop them from actually working well. They simply demanded more out of each other. Luger put Badd in the Torture Rack while Arn DDTed the Barbarian on the floor to keep him from breaking it up. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated Juventud Guerrera and Bobby Eaton when Nash pinned J. Guerrera with the Jackknife Power Bomb in 5:42. Rating: ** 3/4Before the next match was announced, the World Tag Champions The Outsiders marched themselves to the broadcast area. Nash announced that no lottery is breaking up The Outsiders. nWo rules say they’re going to the ring as a team and WCW can send whoever they want to face them. That turned out to be Juventud and Bobby Eaton who were no match for the champs. Disco Inferno and Booker T defeated Chris Candido and Eddie Guerrero when Booker pinned E. Guerrero after a small package in 8:57. Rating: *** ½While some teams like Anderson and Luger got past their differences, the same couldn’t be said for Candido and Guerrero. The two argued non-stop until Candido finally smacked Guerrero in the back with a steel chair. Booker looked a little unsure of what to do but then just rolled him up for an easy pin. Ultimo Dragon and Mr. J.L. defeated Dean Malenko and Rey Misterio Jr. when U. Dragon pinned D. Malenko after a jawbreaker in 9:01. Rating: *** ¾ Out of all the tag matches, this was probably the best, as would be expected from the top four Cruiserweights in the world all in the ring together. Unlike some other rivals teaming together, Malenko and Misterio put their differences aside for the greater good. At least until they lost the match, then Malenko turned on Rey with a blindside attack. Dragon and JL kept Malenko from getting too much of an attack. Konnan and Carl Ouellet defeated Big Van Vader and Ric Flair when Konnan pinned R. Flair after a Victory Roll in 10:14. Rating: ** ¾Speaking of teams not being able to get along, that was Flair and Vader. Flair tried telling Vader to just let him handle things. And there was no way Vader was gonna do that. The two actually came to blows at one point leading to Flair lowblowing Vader and knocking him out of the ring. But as Flair admired his handiwork, Konnan rolled him up for a pin. Marcus Bagwell and Psicosis defeated David Taylor and Glacier when Bagwell pinned D. Taylor with the Blockbuster in 7:43. Rating: ** 1/4A second Horsemen did advance to Battlebowl. Bagwell led his team to win in what was a relatively calm match compared to some of the others. It was clean and Bagwell and Psicosis came out on top. Stone Cold Steve Austin and nWo Sting defeated The Boss and M. Wallstreet when S. Austin pinned Wallstreet with the Stone Cold Stunner in 7:02. Rating: ** (Stevie Ray no-showed)Stevie Ray was supposed to be Stone Cold Steve Austin’s partner, but Stevie was laid out in the back. nWo Sting of all people emerged to be Austin’s new partner, but Austin ran down and attacked him on the ramp. He went back and tried to do the match 2-on-1 and it worked for a bit, but soon the tide turned. “Sting” even came back down and made it a 3 on 1, and he was actually tagging in and out with Boss and Wallstreet which confused everybody. But Austin wouldn’t be held back, he mounted a rally, knocked Sting and Boss out of the ring then stunned Wallstreet for the pin. Honky Tonk Man and Meng defeated Billy Kidman and Davey Boy Smith when Meng pinned Kidman after a thrust kick to the head in 8:12. Rating: ** ¼Davey Boy was not a fan of getting Billy Kidman as his partner. He tried telling the rookie to sit back and let him do all the work. But when Davey Boy started to struggle, Kidman blind tagged himself in, and nearly immediately got kicked in the head by Meng and pinned. Davey was not happy. He brutally attacked Kidman after the match, first just knocking him around but then going to bring in a steel chair and repeatedly smacking him with it. He took Kidman out to the floor, pulled back the protective mat and hit multiple running powerslams on the part. Security finally got Davey to leave, but the damage was done and Kidman needed to be taken out on a stretcher. Diamond Dallas Page and Syxx defeated Randy Savage and Barry Windham when Page pinned B. Windham with the Diamond Cutter in 11:00. Rating: ** 3/4The final tag match was an nWo vs. WCW brawl. Savage and Windham, never really friends, were united in their hatred of the nWo. But the nWo team had Rick Rude with them who snuck a clean shot on Windham with a steel briefcase that led to a Diamond Cutter. Battlebowl Strictly by the numbers, it was 15 WCW vs. 5 nWo, and at the start, the WCW members rushed the nWo to try to get them out first. The nWo tried to fight them off but perhaps knowing they were outnumbered, all five slid out under the ropes, keeping them in the match. As a standoff ensued, the two Horsemen in Battlebowl, Anderson and Bagwell broke the ice by coming up behind Booker T and dumping him to the floor. It seemed at that moment everyone forgot the nWo vs. WCW dynamic and the all-out fight commenced. The two Horsemen tried to work together, but their old rival and former stablemate Steve Austin managed to get each one out. Two tough guys Meng and Carl Ouellet dueled for a good portion of the match before they eliminated each other, Meng clothesline Ouellet against the ropes but the momentum took them both out. They continued their fight on the floor and all the way to the back. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall worked together as expected as they combined to eliminate Konnan. Disco Inferno tried to go at them but he got tosses as well. All five nWo members were in the final eight with Austin, Lex Luger and Rick Steiner. Luger got some revenge on “Sting” getting him in the rack and then dumping him over the top rope. Steiner caught Syxx trying for a flying kick and dumped him out. But DDP came from behind almost immediately after to eliminate Steiner. Down to a 3 on 2, Austin and DDP faced off while the Outsiders worked on Luger. Austin blocked a Diamond Cutter, caught DDP with a stunner and clotheslined him over the top rope. Upset at his ouster, DDP reached back over the ropes, grabbed Austin and pulled him out and eliminated him from the outside. Luger was still left on the wrong side of a 2 on 1 against the Outsiders and it looked like the end was near. Nash set Luger up to apparently powerbomb him to the floor, but Luger slipped out down his back and clotheslined Nash to the floor. Hall charged, but Luger ducked and backdropped Hall over the top rope. Nash actually held his partner on the apron, but Luger ran with a running forearm that sent Hall flying into Nash and to the floor, giving Lex Luger the win. 20-Person Battle Royal: Lex Luger won a 20-person Battle Royal: x M. Bagwell and A. Anderson threw out Booker T X S. Austin threw out Honky X Meng threw out Psicosis X S. Austin threw out M. Bagwell X K. Nash threw out JL X Ouellet threw out Dragon x R. Steiner threw out G. Valentine X S. Austin threw out A. Anderson X Meng threw out Ouellet X Ouellet threw out Meng x K. Nash and S. Hall threw out Konnan X K. Nash and S. Hall threw out Disco x Luger threw out nWo Sting x R. Steiner threw out Syxx X DDP threw out R. Steiner X S. Austin threw out DDP X DDP threw out S. Austin x Luger threw out K. Nash x Luger threw out S. Hall Rating: ** 1/2Card rating: ** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jul 6, 2022 16:37:41 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Nov. 25, 1996) In-ring interview with Lex LugerNitro opened up with Battlebowl winner Lex Luger coming to the ring. He gave a promo on how this was the beginning of the end for the nWo. He said he will go on to Starrcade and defeat Hollywood Hogan to bring the world title back to WCW. This of course brought out Hogan. He said Luger will be no different than Vader or Savage or anyone else who tried to stop the nWo. Hogan even offered a challenge. He and Luger's old friend Diamond Dallas Page wanted to put an end to this tonight, so Hogan said go find a partner and we'll fight in the ring tonight. Ultimo Dragon made Silver King submit to the Dragon Sleeper in 10:54. Rating: ** ½The top of the Cruiserweight division has several top stars vying to become the next to challenge Rey Misterio for the Cruiserweight title. Ultimo Dragon is aiming to become the top contender and took a step toward that with an impressive victory over Silver King. Interview with Stone Cold Steve AustinUS champ Steve Austin came out for an interview with Gene Okerlund, who asked about Austin turning down the nWo. But before Austin could answer, DDP ran out from the back and laid out Austin, hitting him with a Diamond Cutter. Barry Windham defeated Hugh Morrus by disqualification in 7:01. Barry Windham suffered an elbow injury. He will be out for approximately 3 weeks. Rating: * 3/4 [Kevin Nash and Scott Hall interfered against Barry Windham.]Barry Windham got attacked during his match by the Outsiders, but his partner, Justin Bradshaw, made his return to come in the ring to chase off the Outsiders. But Rick Rude came out to join Hall and Nash. Rude spoke to Windham saying, contrary to popular belief, this thing with you has nothing to do with the World tag titles. This goes back to Rude's last match, where he was facing Windham and Windham jumped on Rude outside, knocking him off a stage giving him the back injury that ended his career. So this isn't about gold, this is personal. And then at Rude's cue, Bradshaw leveled Windham with a clothesline. Hall, Nash and Rude came in the ring and gave Bradshaw hugs as they all beat down Windham. Syxx pinned Johnny B. Badd after a flying cross body press in 14:22. Rating: *** ¼After his failed bid to join the nWo, Johnny B. Badd is still firmly on the nWo’s hitlist. Syxx defeated Badd tonight with some help from Head of Security Vincent. They continued to beat down Badd after the match, but The Barbarian ran down with a chair chasing everyone away. Backstage interview with Lex LugerOkerlund was interviewing Luger in the locker room about who he was going to choose as his partner in the main event, when Austin came up and simply told Luger "I'm your partner tonight." Davey Boy Smith pinned Billy Kidman with the Running Powerslam in 5:47. Rating: ** ½Davey Boy Smith was still upset that Kidman lost them their tag match at Battlebowl and was taking it out on him in a singles match. Kidman came to the ring still hobbled after being taken from the arena on a stretcher last night. Despite getting a quick win, Davey Boy kept beating on Kidman until Vader ran to make the save. But while standing in the ring confronting Davey Boy, Vader had his knee taken out by Ric Flair with a steel chair. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) when R. Steiner pinned Stevie Ray with the Top Rope Bulldog in 15:09. Rating: *** ½Two old rivals met again as the Steiner Brothers scored a clean win over Harlem Heat, making them No. 1 contenders for The Outsiders' world titles. Booker T and Stevie Ray confronted the Steiners after the match, but they said' Go get those belts" Backstage interview with Chris CandidoCandido gave an interview issuing a warning to Eddie Guerrero saying what he did to him last night was just a taste. He won’t stop going after Guerrero until he has that TV title. Candido’s interview was interrupted by Konnan. He told Candido he can understand the desire to smack Eddie Guerrero with a chair, but he wanted it to be known, if anyone is gonna take the TV title, it’s him. Hollywood Hogan and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Lex Luger and Stone Cold Steve Austin when Page pinned S. Austin with the Diamond Cutter in 12:47. Rating: 3/4*The nWo snuck away with the victory in the main event as the whole group came out to attack Luger and Austin. The Steiners and Harlem Heat were among WCW stars who tried to help but the numbers were too great. As the show came to an end, the cameras caught a glimpse of Sting, dressed in all black and white, standing in the rafters looking down on what was happening. Card rating: ** 1/4 ---------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 2, 1996) Chris Candido pinned Konnan after a swinging neckbreaker in 12:46. Rating: **** ¼This match stemmed from last week, Konnan claiming he should get a shot at Eddie Guerrero before Candido. Both were trying to get into position to get a shot at the TV title. The match was really good, but Candido having Tammy Lynn at ringside made the difference. While Candido was getting admonished by the ref for hitting Konnan low, Tammy jumped on the apron and smacked Konnan with her purse. It's not known what is in there, but it knocked Konnan out and let Candido get an easy pin. Wrath pinned Honky Tonk Man with the Death Penalty in 5:38. Rating: *
Wrath, who up until this point has been just making appearances harassing Glacier and Ricky Steamboat made his in-ring debut as he decimated Honky Tonk Man. Justin Bradshaw pinned The Barbarian after a lariat in 6:36. Rating: *The nWo paraded out their newest acquisition in Justin Bradshaw against The Barbarian. Bradshaw picked up a clean win but other nWo members Syxx and head of security Vincent jumped in the ring and stomped away at The Barbarian. Then, Johnny B. Badd ran down with a chair to chase away the nWo, much like The Barbarian did for Badd last week. Backstage fightIt appears nothing has changed in the last two weeks. Last we saw Meng, he was brawling with Carl Ouellet after they eliminated each other from Battlebowl as they fought to the back. Cameras caught those two backstage still fighting with security having to jump in the middle in efforts to separate them, but they were just getting tossed out of the way as the two continued to brawl with each other. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated Arn Anderson and Marcus Bagwell when R. Steiner pinned A. Anderson with the Steiner Bulldog in 11:27. Rating: ***The Horsemen are still insistent they should be the ones to bring titles back to WCW and took exception to the Steiner Brothers’ claim of being the top contenders for the world tag titles. Anderson and Bagwell challenged the Steiners but couldn’t stop the Steiners who have been on a hot streak. After the match, Anderson and Bagwell blindsided the Steiners and kept up the assault. Of all people, the Steiners’ old rivals Harlem Heat came down to make the save. After the Horsemen left the ring, the Steiners and Heat just stared at each other for a good minute, before all shaking hands. Big Van Vader defeated Davey Boy Smith by disqualification in 13:40. Rating: *** [Ric Flair interfered against Big Van Vader.]Vader and Davey Boy Smith, who've had a number of hard-hitting matches over the years, were engaged in another one tonight. Vader was in position to pick up another win when Ric Flair came in behind him with a chair and attacked the monster. Flair and Davey doubleteamed Vader to a loud chorus of boos from the crowd. Lex Luger made nWo Sting submit to the Torture Rack in 0:15:20. Rating: * ¾Lex Luger finally get the hands on the nWo imposter Sting in a one-on-one match. At least it was one-on-one up until Luger made him submit to the Torture Rack. Almost as soon as the submission was made, Hulk Hogan snuck up behind Luger and clubbed him with his title belt. Hogan and "Sting" beatdown Luger, when all of a sudden, an explosion seemd to come from the rafters and coming down to ringside via a bungee cord was the real Sting, dressed in black with black and white facepaint resembling the Crow. The real Sting also came with a baseball bat and he smacked his doppelganger in the back with it. He then took his bat and pointed it at Hogan who started pleading with Sting that he's always been on Sting's side and they need to team up. But Hogan left the ring with Sting just staring him down. By this time, Luger was back on his feet. Sting then pointed the bat at Luger, getting real close he put the bat up against Luger's chest and pushed him back with it. Sting then dropped the bat on the mat and turned his back with his arms stretched out. Luger looked confused but refused to do anything. Sting turned back around and then simply left. Card rating: ** 1/4 ---------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 9, 1996) Four Corners Match: Mr. J.L. defeated La Parka, Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis when J.L. pinned La Parka with the Moonsault in 17:48. Rating: ** ½Nitro opened with JL winning an exciting four-way Cruiserweight match. Gene Okerlund talked with the former champion after the match and asked him if he thought that performance put him in line for another shot. But before he could get a full answer out, Dean Malenko came out and said he's proven so many times in the recent past, he is simply a better wrestler than JL and the next Cruiserweight shot goes to him. Ultimo Dragon also appeared with an interpreter and said he should be given the next shot. This led to quite a bit of arguing with no solution. Wrath pinned Ricky Steamboat with the Death Penalty in 7:54. Rating: *** 1/4Wrath was impressive again in a win over Ricky Steamboat, this was definitely a personal message to Glacier as Steamboat and Glacier have been close the past few months. Justin Bradshaw pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Lariat in 12:06. Rating: *** ¼Bradshaw had another nice win for the nWo beating Johnny B. Badd who's definitely not taken his rejection from the group well. He's gone from wanting to join to wanting to take them down. But after the match, Bradshaw's former partner Barry Windham rushed in and began brawling with Bradshaw. Booker T defeated Arn Anderson by disqualification in 12:18. Rating: *** 1/4 [Marcus Bagwell interfered against Booker T.]The Horsemen didn't take kindly to Harlem Heat coming to the Steiners' aid last week. Arn challenged Booker T to a singles match, and to the surprise of a lot of people, Booker performed quite well on his own. He appeared to be ready to put Arn away with a missile dropkick, but Marcus Bagwell pushed Booker off the top rope causing a DQ. Stevie Ray came down to his brother's aid before any attack to commence. Disco Inferno pinned Bobby Eaton with the Last Dance in 8:06. Rating: ** 1/2As usual, Disco came to the ring escorted by a number of gorgeous dancing girls. Eaton aimed to wipe the smile of Disco’s face, but he was seemingly having quite a good time picking up the win. Interview with Lord Steven RegalLord Steven Regal did an interview with Gene Okerlund with Gene asking his Lordship where he's been lately. Regal said he went back to Europe a while, cause quite frankly, he's been disgusted with some of the things he's been seeing. He pointed out Disco Inferno, who comes out here with "dancing jezzebelles" and that's supposed to be impressive? Disco came out to address Regal's concerns telling him Regal might not like the flashiness, but that's life in the 90s. Go back to 1952 if he wants to see a 20-minute wristlock. Disco went on to say he's just here to have a good time with his girls. He's having fun, the fans are having fun and he's winning matches. He then asked Regal what was the last big match he won? To which Regal responded with a punch. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) and Lex Luger defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and Diamond Dallas Page when R. Steiner pinned Hall after the Top Rope Bulldog in 22:06. Rating: **The main event ended in chaos with the nWo attacking until the glass shattered and Stone Cold Steve Austin ran down. He went primarily after Diamond Dallas Page but as a whole, WCW regrouped and stood tall. One nWo member who wasn't at ringside was Rick Rude. Rude instead waited until after the chaos then showed up at the broadcast booth. Bobby Heenan was scared, but Rude told him not to worry, he's here for Eric Bischoff. Rude pointed out that the agreement when the nWo won War Games was that they can set their matches and challenges for any title they want. Well the title he wants is Bischoff's title of Executive Vice President. He reminded Bischoff that his in-ring career was over thanks to Bischoff's carelessness so he made an offer. He told Bischoff to get anyone he wants from WCW, he's got an nWo guy waiting to go. They can face at Starrcade and if Rude wins he becomes EVP. Bischoff asked what's in it if he wins. Rude said he will leave town for good. Card rating: ** 3/4
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jul 12, 2022 10:00:48 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 16, 1996) Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Candido by disqualification in 11:16. Rating: ** 1/2 (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.) [Konnan interfered against Eddie Guerrero.]
Eddie Guerrero gave Chris Candido the TV title shot he earned by beating Konnan, but Konnan made his presence felt, running in and jumping Guerrero causing a disqualification. Candido of course wasn't happy with the interference and Konnan costing him the match. When Candido approached Konnan and asked him what the deal was, Konnan made a reference to Tammy hitting him the head with something then attacked Candido. Konnan then caught Tammy on the outside and stole her purse. He brought it back into the ring and hit both Candido and Guerrero with it, then dumped it out and a brick fell out. Konnan gave both men one last stomp before leaving. Lord Steven Regal defeated La Parka when La Parka passed out in the Regal Stretch in 7:10. Rating: *** 1/2 (Super Calo no-showed.)Regal made his return to the ring and the technician excelled in grounding and eventually forcing a submission from La Parka. After the match, he commented, that was wrestling. No dancing, no show, just a beat down. This cued up Disco Inferno's music and a stream of dancing girls came out of the back. Regal awaited Disco to come out after them, but instead, Disco came out from the crowd behind Regal and laid him out with his Last Dance. A Fight in the Parking LotThe announcers got word there was some commotion going on in the parking lot. Cameras cut back there only to find Meng and Carl Ouellet brawling amongst the cars in the lot. Like last time, security raced in to try to break them up but were being tossed aside as the two were adamant about fighting each other. It finally took an overwhelming number of security personnel to hold them back. Randy Savage pinned Davey Boy Smith with the Flying Elbowdrop in 14:44. Rating: ** 1/2Savage and Davey had a solid match that ended with Savage hitting his flying elbow for the win. Once the bell rang, Eric Bischoff of all people came to the ring and approached Savage. Bischoff said he agreed to Rick Rude's challenge for his job title and he needed to find someone 100 percent WCW that will fight to the death to ensure the nWo doesn't get their way. Savage said if he needed a warrior to fight for WCW against the nWo, he's the guy. Arn Anderson and Marcus Bagwell defeated The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) when Bagwell pinned Mosh with the Blockbuster in 9:43. Rating: ***The Horsemen picked up a win over the young Headbangers, but after the match, Harlem Heat's music hit and Stevie Ray and Booker T came down after the Horsemen, only to have Anderson and Bagwell escape before any confrontation. Syxx, Justin Bradshaw and nWo Sting defeated Barry Windham, Johnny B. Badd and The Barbarian when Bradshaw pinned B. Windham with the Lariat in 13:43. Rating: *** 1/2The three nWo members faced a very eclectic mix of their enemies. The cohesion and teamwork of the nWo gave them an edge. Even though there was no in-fighting in the Windham/Badd/Barbarian team, the nWo had double and triple team maneuvers down and Bradshaw put the match away with a vicious lariat on his former partner. Lex Luger defeated Scott Hall by disqualification in 14:40. Rating: -1/2* [Hollywood Hogan interfered against Lex Luger.]Lex Luger continued his hot streak, he was about to put away Scott Hall in the torture rack when he saw Hollywood Hogan sneak in much like two weeks ago. Luger this time dropped Hall and turned to Hogan before he could strike. Of course, this let Hall come from behind with a low blow. He and Hogan then doubleteamed Luger. Nash ran down and joined in the beating followed by the rest of the nWo. WCW members tried to rally for the save. The Steiners, Austin, Vader and Savage among others came down, but the nWo had weapons, spraypaint and handcuffs that they used to keep the WCW side from striking together. Card rating: ** ----------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 23, 1996) Arn Anderson, Davey Boy Smith, Marcus Bagwell and Ric Flair defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T), Big Van Vader and Billy Kidman when D.B. Smith pinned Kidman with the Running Powerslam in 15:25. Rating: ** 3/4
The Horsemen came together to fight a group of foes who's been giving the groups problems lately, namely Vader and Harlem Heat. Needing a fourth partner, Billy Kidman approached the group on Saturday night offering to help out, wanting revenge for recent beatings Davey Boy Smith laid on him. Kidman has a lot of guts that's for sure, but maybe Davey Boy isn't the best person to pick a fight with. Smith got the win for his team again by slamming and pinning Kidman. though this time, Vader and Harlem Heat were around to make sure there was no extra assault. Glacier pinned David Taylor with the Cryonic Kick in 8:44. Rating: *** ½Glacier’s recent adversary, Wrath, came out for a closer look at the match. Soon after the opening bell, Wrath came from the back and just stood at the top of the aisle way with his arms folded, not moving during the match. Glacier became aware of Wrath’s presence but focused on his match and came away with the win. As soon as it was over, Wrath simply walked to the back. Disco Inferno pinned Lord Steven Regal with the Last Dance in 11:15. Rating: **Regal went to the ring first and you can see the disgust on his face when Disco’s music hit and a string of dancing girls came out from the back to lead him to the ring. Regal was able to use his expertise in mat wrestling to take control and wear down Disco, but Disco got a surge from the crowd backing him up as he overcame Regal’s technical prowess and hit his Last Dance to get the pin. Interview with Randy Savage and Eric BischoffRandy Savage had Eric Bischoff by his side as he gave an interview calling out Rick Rude and his mystery wrestler. He accused Rude of having no guts having to hide his identity. Rude came out and said don't worry, his guy is the Perfect choice to help him takeover WCW. Diamond Dallas Page defeated Barry Windham by disqualification in :44. Rating: * [Stone Cold Steve Austin interfered against Diamond Dallas Page.]Before DDP could even get in the ring, Steve Austin ran down and attacked him from behind. Austin pounced on DDP like a Rattlesnake going after its prey. DDP tried to fight back but Austin was relentless. DDP's only option was to run away and escape. But while Windham was in the ring watching this all go down, his former partner Justin Bradshaw came from behind him and laid him out with a lariat. Rey Misterio Jr., Ultimo Dragon and Mr. J.L. defeated Dean Malenko, Villano IV and Villano V when Misterio Jr. pinned Villano V with the Top-Rope Frankensteiner in 11:05. Rating: ** ¾Good help is hard to find, at least for Dean Malenko. He picked the Villanos to partner with against the 3 men he will be in a 4-way Cruiserweight title match with at Starrcade. The Villanos were little help and Malenko snapped and attacked them after the match. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) and Lex Luger defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and Hollywood Hogan when Luger made Hall submit to the Torture Rack in 16:19. Rating: * ¼The main event ended with Luger making Hall submit to the Torture rack, but Chaos insued. All the nWo and a bunch of WCW members all converged in the ring. Sting even came back down and looked like he was going to get involved. It appeared he was going to go after nWo Sting, but Rick Steiner grabbed Sting first and got punched. Johnny B. Badd got in Sting's way and he got hit as well. Barry Windham then tried to grab Sting, he got hit with a Scorpion Death Drop. The real Sting, then threw his hands in the air and just left as the brawl carried on until the TV time ended. Card rating: **
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on May 5, 2023 15:33:11 GMT -5
STARRCADE '96 (Dec. 29, 1996) Four Corners Match: Rey Misterio Jr. defeated Mr. J.L., Ultimo Dragon and Dean Malenko when Misterio Jr. pinned J.L. with the Top-Rope Frankensteiner in 15:06. Rating: **** 1/4 (Rey Misterio Jr. retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)
The four best cruiserweights in the world produced an electrifying opener to The Granddaddy of them All. The action was all over the place with everyone taking turns doing high impact moves. Rey went for a top-rope hurracanranna on Malenko, but Malenko reversed it into a powerbomb. Malenko then locked in his Texas Cloverleaf, only to have Ultimo Dragon come from behind and lock him in the Dragon Sleeper. JL then took everyone out with a flying spinning heel kick. But later in the match, Dragon and Malenko took each other out on the floor, and Rey this time hit JL with his top rope hurrancanrana to get the win. Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Windham with the Lariat in 12:45. Rating: *** 3/4This was a hard-hitting affair between the former partners. There was a lot of brawling and the referee gave them leeway as they brawled around ringside. Windham looked like he was going to gain his revenge, but out of nowhere, Bradshaw hit a vicious lariat which knocked out Windham. Glacier pinned Wrath with the Cryonic Kick in 8:31. Rating: ** ¼Two high-level martial artists gave an early exhibition of their skills, but Wrath took control early when he switched to a power, brawling attack. But Glacier weathered the storm and was able to get back to his typical martial arts style, finally delivering his big kick. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated Arn Anderson and Marcus Bagwell when Booker pinned Bagwell with the Harlem Hangover in 14:44. Rating: *** ¼Harlem Heat made their case to be next in line for a shot at the World Tag Titles by beating the Horsemen. Harlem Heat was ready for any dirty trick the Horsemen could bring to the table. Carl Ouellet pinned Meng with the Cannonball in 9:39. Carl Ouellet suffered a concussion. He will be out for approximately 2 weeks. Rating: -1/4*Another hard-hitting affair with two guys that just love to fight. The fight began early and the two took very few pauses from trading shots with each other until Ouellet got Meng down in the corner then hit him with his Cannonball. Though after the match, Ouellet did look a bit woozy when getting his hand raised. Triangle Match: Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Candido and Konnan when E. Guerrero pinned Candido with the Frog Splash in 13:29. Rating: *** (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)In the ring there was fantastic action from these three, but some noise was made outside the ring during the match, as right in the middle of things, Syxx of the nWo came down to ringside, took the TV Title belt off the announcers table and left with it. After Guerrero picked up the win, he was looking for his belt when the official had to tell him what happened. Meanwhile, Konnan came up from behind and attacked Guerrero, leaving him laid out. Disco Inferno Dance BreakAs has been custom recently on Nitro, Disco Inferno provided us with a break in the action. He came out with a number of beautiful dancing girls to entertain the crowd. However, the joyous nature of their performance was interrupted when Scott Norton ran out from behind and started brutally attacking Disco. Big Van Vader pinned Ric Flair with the Vader Bomb in 9:54. Rating: ** 3/4Davey Boy Smith was at ringside to help give Flair some aid, but Vader was too much. He dominated Flair earlier, but even after Davey helped Flair turn things around, Vader soon got back at it, first taking out Davey on the outside, then getting back in the ring and finishing off Flair. Curt Hennig pinned Randy Savage with the Hennig Plex in 13:39. Rating: *** 1/4In a greater sense, this match was between Eric Bischoff and Rick Rude. Bischoff had Randy Savage serve as his WCW representative in a match with his EVP job on the line. Rick Rude’s mystery wrestler turned out to be his long time friend Curt Hennig, making his debut as the newest nWo member. The match in the ring was a dream match for many, but the ending was a nightmare for WCW faithful. Things got chaotic at ringside when Bischoff and Rude began getting physical. As the ref tried to interject, Savage hit his flying elbow and would’ve had Hennig pinned if the ref was watching. However, Syxx came down with his stolen TV title belt and nailed Savage with it. By the time the ref turned back around, Hennig picked up the unconscious Savage and hit his Hennig Plex and got the pin. Rick Rude is now in control of WCW. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Diamond Dallas Page with the Stone Cold Stunner in 15:47. Rating: *** (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)In the WCW/nWo war, WCW managed to hold on to the US title as Steve Austin fought off a host of nWo interference to beat DDP. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) when Nash pinned S. Steiner with the Jackknife Power Bomb in 17:41. Rating: ** 1/4 (The Outsiders retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)In a world full of justice, the Steiner Brothers would be world tag team champions now. But instead, the gold still belongs to the nWo’s Outsiders, thanks to the new WCW Executive Vice President Rick Rude. The Steiners hit Hall with their Top Rope Bulldog and the referee was about to count to three, but Rude pulled the ref out of the ring by his legs. While the Referee protested, Rude was saying “I am your boss now. You do what I say.” And then he punched out the ref and waved for another one to come down from the back. nWo head of security Vincent was shoving another referee down the aisle. The Steiners meanwhile were confronting Rude, they didn’t see Kevin Nash come in with a belt and knock Scott unconscious. Hall held down Rick as the new ref reluctantly came in and counted the 1-2-3. Hollywood Hogan pinned Lex Luger with the Big Leg Drop in 13:25. Rating: -* 3/4 (Hollywood Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)There has been no greater soldier for WCW than Lex Luger, but tonight, he couldn’t overcome the nWo numbers game. He had a number of his WCW faithful friends, such as Vader, giving him a hand and watching his back, but the nWo just had too many on the attack, and Rick Rude forced the referees to let things go. Vader was trying to fight off Scott Hall and new nWo member Curt Hennig, Harlem Heat was out lending a hand, but no one stopped Kevin Nash from getting in the ring and powerbombing Luger, leaving him prone for Hogan. Card rating: * 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on May 10, 2023 20:54:37 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Dec. 30, 1996) The show opened with the nWo, inclduing new WCW EVP Rick Rude coming out to gloat about their Starrcade wins. Rude said the first order of business, is for a wrestling organization to reach the next level, it needs to be on PPV. Therefore, they are announcing nWo Souled Out, live on PPV on Jan. 25. Rude also announced that with him in charge, the nWo is officially taking over. He gave every member of the WCW roster 30 days to switch their WCW contract to nWo contracts. After that, "You're with us, or against us." Eddie Guerrero pinned Greg Valentine with the Frog Splash in 9:25. Rating: ** 1/4 (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Eddie Guerrero defending his TV title dispite not physically having the belt. After his match he called out Syxx to bring him back his belt and lets settle thigns in the ring. Syxx appeared on the jumbotron and said if Eddie wants the belt back, he'll soon be in touch to tell him how to go get it. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) defeated The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) when S. Steiner pinned Mosh with the Frankensteiner in 9:12. Rating: ***After the Steiners beat the Headbangers, Hall and Nash of the nWo made their way to the ring. The Steiners were ready to fight but the Outsiders said they're here for business. They said the Steiners showed them something at Starrcade, pushed them to the limits. Rick especially drew the eye of everyone. So they got an offer. They want to put on the best show possible at Souled Out. So they are giving Rick Steiner, and only Rick Steiner the option. The Steiners can have a rematch against the Outsiders OR Rick Steiner can go 1 on 1 against Hollywood Hogan for the world title. Rick looked lost for a second. Scott took a step back and gave Rick a thumbs up. Rick then announced he'll take the match with Hogan. Dean Malenko made Ricky Steamboat submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 16:59. Rating: ****
Despite being on the losing end of last night’s 4-way Cruiserweight match, Malenko won’t stay down for long. He wrestled a legend tonight in Ricky Steamboat in an absolute phenomenal match that ended with Malenko making Steambot tap. Disco Inferno pinned David Taylor with the Last Dance in 9:53. Rating: ***Disco Inferno made his typical entrance with a line of dancing girls leading him to the ring to the delight of the crowd. Disco was clearly having fun with the dancing, but as he’s shown, he can be all business once the bell rings. Tonight was another successful outing for Disco. Curt Hennig pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Hennig Plex in 10:40. Rating: ***New nWo member Curt Hennig fought Johnny B. Badd in the main event and scored a win, but all heck broke loose. nWo members came down to attack Badd, but they were countered by a number of WCW stars including the Steiners and Marcus Bagwell. But with Rick Rude's decree earlier, new allegiances were revealed. Disco Inferno came to help WCW, but he was attacked from behind by Scott Norton, who started fighting alongside the nWo. Michael Wallstreet also fought with the nWo as did The Boss, as they apparently took Rick Rude up on his offer. The brawl was chaotic and kept going on even after the cameras faded out. Card rating: ** 3/4 ------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Jan. 6, 1997) Marcus Bagwell pinned Chris Kanyon with the Fisherman Suplex in 7:42. Rating: ** ¾Marcus Bagwell of the Horsemen won the opening match and was joined in the ring after by the rest of the group, Flair, Arn Anderson and Davey Boy Smith. Bagwell was the only Horseman who went to the ring to help WCW in the brawl with the nWo last week and he was asked about it. Bagwell said he knows the Horsemen have taken a stance that they won't be tagalongs and will be at the front of the line or not at all. But Bagwell said the strategy isn't working. The nWo is getting strong and the Horsemen haven't been getting anywhere fighting other WCW guys. They need to unite. Flair said Bagwell has been a loyal soldier for years, but he needs to know his role. He does what Flair says. Flair pointed out he's fighting Steve Austin for the US title tonight. Bagwell has a choice to make if he still wants to be a Horseman or not. Syxx defeated Super Calo by disqualification in 7:15. Rating: * 1/4 [Eddie Guerrero interfered against Syxx.]Syxx came out for his match with Super Calo wearing Eddie Guerrero's TV title belt. Midway through the match, Guerrero rushed in and attacked Syxx. The nWo member, though, was able to buy some time with a low blow, run and grab the belt and race to the back. Carl Ouellet pinned Shark with the Cannonball in 11:13. Rating: *Carl Ouellet has been picking up a lot of momentum lately and continued his winning streak with a win over Shark. During the match, Rick Rude came out to the top of the entranceway and was seemingly taking notes. The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) defeated M. Wallstreet and The Boss when W. Bloom pinned Boss with the Butterfly Suplex in 10:30. Rating: **Two of the new nWo recruits, Wallstreet and the Boss fought the Destruction Crew in a tag match to showcase themselves in their new roles. However, the Destructiion Crew pulled off the surprise win. This brought out Rude, DDP, Bradshaw, Hall and Nash. They asked their new signees what the heck happened? Wallstrett and Boss tried to explain and plead their case, but were attacked by the rest of the group. Triangle Match: The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) defeated Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) and The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) when M. Hardy pinned Barbarian in 18:29. Rating: ***
Hall and Nash said since Rick Steiner chose to "abandon his brother and selfishly wrestle for his own title," the Outsiders need quality challengers for Souled Out. So they set up a match, Harlem Heat vs. Faces of Fear, winner to earn the title shot. However, when the match started, Hall and Nash said there will be a third team added to the mix. Matt and Jeff, the Hardy Boys. Two very young, very small guys went to the ring to be a part of the match. Hall and Nash sat ringside, eating popcorn watching the match. But they soon decided to get involved, jumping in and attacking both Harlem Heat and the Faces of Fear, leaving the young Hardy Boys as the winners. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Ric Flair with the Stone Cold Stunner in 14:41. Rating: *** 1/4 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Flair fought Austin for the US title with Bagwell the only Horseman ringside. Late in the match while Flair was in trouble, he reached out to Bagwell for some help. Bagwell had a pair of brass knuckles, but instead of slipping them to Flair, put them back in his pocket and walked away. Flair was livid, but it didn't matter as he soon was hit with a Stunner. Card rating: ** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2023 11:02:36 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Jan. 13, 1997)
Rey Misterio Jr. pinned Ultimo Dragon with the Top-Rope Frankensteiner in 10:41. Rating: *** 3/4 (Rey Misterio Jr. retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Ultimo Dragon was given a one-on-one match with Rey Misterio for the Cruiserweight title but couldn’t get the job done. It was a fantastic match, but Rey again proved why he’s the best cruiserweight in the world. Curt Hennig pinned Barry Windham with the Hennig Plex in 11:36. Barry Windham suffered a torn groin. He will be out for approximately 2 months. Rating: *** ¼The latest nWo acquisition was tasked with taking out one of its top enemies and it looks like he got the job done. It took a while for Hennig to get control, but he weathered a Windham rally and caught him with his Hennig Plex for the pin. After the match, Windham had to be helped to the back by officials. Backstage with the nWoBackstage, M. Wallstreet and The Boss went to the nWo and asked for a second chance. Rude said he's in a giving mood. He's generous. So he's giving them their second chance, they can fight the Faces of Fear tonight to earn their nWo spots. Glacier and Dean Malenko battled to a draw in 12:02. Rating: ** ¼
Glacier and Dean Malenko were putting on a pretty good back and forth match before Wrath came down and attacked Glacier. Malenko didn't take kindly to not being able to win the match himself and started going after the much bigger Wrath until referees had to separate everyone. The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) defeated The Boss and M. Wallstreet when Barbarian pinned Wallstreet with the Flying Clothesline in 9:24. Rating: 1/4*The Faces of Fear were a finely-tuned machine and overcame the desperate attempts of Wallstreet and Boss to show off to the nWo. Faces of Fear won the match and the nWo came to ring to confront Wallstreet and Boss. Before anything could be said, The Destruction Crew, the team who beat Wallstreet and Boss, ran in and attacked the two from behind. The rest of the nWo just looked on, some seemingly impressed. Interview with Disco InfernoThe music hit and a string of beautiful dancing girls came out, followed by Disco Inferno as the all danced to ringside. He said he's definitely a lover, but he's also a fighter. And Scott Norton will find out all about that. He said he will go in to the nWo's house at Souled Out and take Scott Norton's head off. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Diamond Cutter in 13:42. Rating: *** ¾Diamond Dallas Page scored a win for the nWo over one of their new enemies in Johnny B. Badd, but Curt Hennig came down to help DDP beat down Badd after the match. However, Marcus Bagwell ran down to make the save and help Badd fight the two off. Gene Okerlund caught up with Bagwell and Badd after and said, if there was any question, he is all WCW and he will gladly fight alongside any WCW wrestler. He offered to team with Badd to fight against Page and Hennig. Rick Steiner pinned Justin Bradshaw with the Steiner Bulldog in 14:01. Rating: *** 3/4Rick Steiner picked up momentum going into his match with Hogan with a win over Justin Bradshaw. But Hogan came down after his match and asks what gives him the idea that he can beat a wrestling God like Hollywood Hogan? Hogan showed him a video of his brother Scott laid out in the back. When Steiner got angry, other nWo members jumped him and they attacked and spraypainted Steiner. Card rating: *** ----------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (Jan. 20, 1997) Dean Malenko pinned Hugh Morrus after a sunset flip in 9:48. Rating: *** 3/4Dean Malenko was trying to prove a point to Wrath that he can take down bigger men. A decisive win over Hugh Morrus and making him submit will go a long way into proving that point. Carl Ouellet pinned Chris Candido with the Cannonball in 10:49. Rating: *** [Tammy Lynn Sytch interfered against Carl Ouellet.]The nWo laid out an open invitation to anybody who can take the US title from Steve Austin and bring it to the nWo. They recruited Carl Ouellet to try and get the job done after he beat Chris Candido. Big Van Vader and Lex Luger defeated The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) when Vader pinned Thrasher with the Vader Bomb in 18:23. Rating: ** 1/4The Outsiders' plan for an easy title defense against the young team the Hardy Boys got derailed. They were scheduled to have a match tonight but Lex Luger and Big Van Vader, who Rick Rude has had banned from the buildings since took over, came out through the crowd and attacked the Hardys and took their match. They then said, it doesn't look like the Hardys will make it to Souled Out. Instead, Luger and Vader will take their place and challenge The Outsiders for the World Tag titles. Backstage with the nWoThe nWo members were all shown in a suite backstage sipping champagne. Hall and Nash brought up Luger and Vader throwing themselves into a tag title shot, Nash said it's OK, beating up Luger is fun and Vader is just a big blob of goo. Hall followed by saying "You know who we haven't beat up in a while? Flair. I miss that." Rick Rude then threw out the idea, what we should do at Souled Out, have the nWo Invitational Battle Royal. "We get all of us, vs. Flair. Maybe we throw a No. 1 contender stipulation in there to make sure he shows up." Nash: "Get some Luchadores in there as well. I wanna see how far I can throw Juventud Guerrera." Eddie Guerrero pinned La Parka with the Frog Splash in 8:58. Rating: **** (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)After Eddie Guerrero beat La Parka, Syxx appeared on the jumbotron and told Guerrero he's a little too loco to approach face to face so He's safely in the back. But if Guerrero wants the belt back, the deal is he has to fight Syxx in a ladder match at Souled out. Johnny B. Badd and Marcus Bagwell defeated Lord Steven Regal and David Taylor when Badd pinned D. Taylor with the Tutti Frutti in 9:23. Rating: *** 1/4
Bagwell said if his regular running mates weren’t willing to go outside their bubble to fight the nWo, he’ll find someone who’s willing to fight for WCW. He and Badd had a tune-up match tonight before facing the nWo at Souled Out and worked well together to beat Regal and Taylor. Rick Steiner defeated Kevin Nash by disqualification in 14:03. Rating: 3/4* [Hollywood Hogan interfered against Rick Steiner.]Rick Rude booked Rick Steiner in a “warm-up” match against Kevin Nash, though it was more of a chance for Nash and the nWo to soften Steiner up before he challenges Hollywood Hogan. Nash’s partner Scott Hall patrolled ringside, as did Hogan. They took every chance they could to get a cheap shot. They were content to let the rest of the match unfold when Nash had the upperhand and was beating Steiner around the ring, but as soon as Steiner started making a comeback, Hogan ran into the ring and ambushed Steiner. The rest of the nWo ran in and started to jump Steiner but WCW guys such as Luger, Vader, Bagwell, Badd and Guerrero ran down and brawled with the nWo. The camera faded out on the massive riot. Card rating: ** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2023 11:05:40 GMT -5
nWo SOULED OUT (Jan. 25, 1997) Ladder Match: Eddie Guerrero defeated Syxx in 19:49. Rating: *** 1/2 (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)The opening match was a great ladder match, Guerrero and Syxx hit each other with a wide variety of moves both before the ladder was brought into the ring, and even after when each used the ladder to further inflict pain on the other. Eddie was climbing up the ladder when Syxx was knocked down, but Syxx went to the top rope and came flying off with a spinning leg kick that knocked Eddie off. Syxx then started to climb, but Guerrero tipped the ladder, sending Syxx flying all the way to the floor outside the ring. Eddie then climbed up and grabbed his TV title back. Scott Norton pinned Disco Inferno with the Power Bomb in 12:45. Rating: ** ¼Disco actually skipped is usual dancing girl entrance as he was all business, rushing to the ring to start the fight. Disco gave a valiant effort but in the end’s Scott Norton’s power was too much as he earned the win. The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) defeated M. Wallstreet and The Boss when Enos pinned Boss after a power bomb in 15:23. Rating: ** ½Both The Destruction Crew and Wallstreet and the Boss were looking for nWo spots. The higher-ups set this match up to determine their membership. The Crew followed up their win from a few weeks ago with another one tonight. After, they joined several other nWo members in beating down Boss and Wallstreet. Curt Hennig and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Johnny B. Badd and Marcus Bagwell when Curt Hennig pinned Badd with the Hennig Plex in 19:24. Rating: ****Quite frankly, this match stole the show. Four great workers put on an exceptional match. Badd and Bagwell proudly carried the WCW banner into the match, but the willingness of Hennig and DDP to go the extra mile when it comes to underhanded tactics may have made the difference. The ending was chaotic, when Bagwell hit Hennig with a spinebuster, only to have DDP come back and hit him with a Diamond Cutter. But Badd knocked him out with a Tutti Frutti punch, only to get caught by a Hennig Plex. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Carl Ouellet with the Stone Cold Stunner in 19:20. Rating: ** 1/2 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Ouellet’s power was quite a test for Austin, but Stone Cold showed his toughness going toe-to-toe with the big man. Austin eventually got in position to hit Ouellet with a Stunner and celebrated the win with a couple beers. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated Big Van Vader and Lex Luger when Nash pinned Luger with the Jackknife Power Bomb in 17:50. Rating: * 1/4 (The Outsiders retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)Luger and Vader took a page out of the nWo playbook by bullying their way into the title shot and the makeshift team nearly were able to knock off the tag champs. However, strength in numbers again played to the nWo’s advantage. Luger was about to put Kevin Nash in the torture rack, but while Scott Hall was distracting the ref with Vader outside, Syxx came in and hit Luger with a belt, giving Nash the chance to powerbomb him. 25-Person nWo Invitational Battle Royal: Diamond Dallas Page won a 25-person Battle Royal: Rating: *** 3/4The nWo’s master plan didn’t totally come to fruition as before the match, Luger, Vader and Eddie Guerrero jumped a couple entrants and took their place in the match. Bagwell was pleased to have some strong WCW backup and fought alongside them, However, Flair and Anderson were just as willing to fight the WCW guys as the nWo. However, their miscommunication and arguing allowed the nWo to eliminate them all at once. Toward the end, Vader eliminated Curt Hennig, only to have Hennig pull the rope down from the outside and have Vader spill over. It was Hall, Nash and DDP along with Luger and Guerrero in the ring. Scott Hall tossed out Eddie Guerrero, but Luger tossed out Hall. Nash ran to give Luger a big boot, but Luger moved and Nash was suddenly straddling the top rope. Luger shook the rope a couple times before Nash finally went to the floor. However, Luger turned right into a Diamond Cutter. DDP tossed him out and won the nWo Invitational. Hollywood Hogan pinned Rick Steiner with the Big Leg Drop in 16:50. Rating: ** 1/4 (Hollywood Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.) [Scott Steiner interfered against Rick Steiner.]For someone not used to singles wrestling, Rick Steiner looked like a seasoned veteran of one-on-one battles. But of course, it’s never one-on-one when you’re dealing with the nWo. But despite their presence, Steiner never gave it, fighting off the various interference. Having enough watching in the back, Scott Steiner came out with a lead pipe to watch his brother’s back at ringside. Late, Rick Steiner made a rally and Hogan was Staggered. It looked like he was setting him up for a Bulldog off the top rope, but Rick Rude and Kevin Nash distracted the referee, while Hall made a move toward Steiner on the top rope. This though brought Scott to the apron to keep Hall from doing anything, but then in one of the most shocking moments WCW might have ever seen, Scott Steiner hit his brother with a lead pipe!! Rick fell to the ground, Hogan hit him with a leg drop and pinned him. After the match, the nWo members surrounded Scott in the ring. But Scott dropped the pipe and then started giving them all hugs. Rick Rude pulled out an nWo shirt and gave it to him and Scott put it on. Card rating: ** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2023 11:10:28 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Jan. 27, 1997) nWo in-ring celebrationThe nWo opened the show all together in the ring, including Scott Steiner who was sporting a new look with dyed platinum blonde hair and a goatee. The group bragged about the success of Souled Out and Hogan and the Outsiders all retaining their titles. They brought up DDP winning the nWo Invitational Battle Royal, despite some unwelcome guests. Rick Rude bragged said this is proof that the nWo is taking over professional wrestling, and the way things are going, once the nWo is done, WCW won’t even be a footnote in wrestling history. We brought up the ultimatum he gave a few weeks back saying time is running out. Everyone needs to get on board with the nWo, because if you’re not with us, you’re against us. Hollywood Hogan spoke about his run as world champion. He said he’s gone through everyone WCW has to offer. He’s getting bored beating up WCW’s so-called best and he’s ready for someone new to step up to the plate. Eddie Guerrero pinned Lord Steven Regal with the Frog Splash in 12:52. Rating: *** 1/4 (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Eddie Guerrero is back in possession of his TV title belt, but he still has a list of people looking to take it away from him. After he beat Steven Regal, Eddie was blindsided by his former friend Konnan, who stood over Eddie saying "I hope you didn't forget about me Eddie." The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) when Enos defeated M. Hardy when M. Hardy passed out in the Double Hammerlock Submission in 7:22. Rating: **The Destruction Crew has been making strides to earn nWo membership and the group gave them an exhibition against the young brother team of Matt and Jeff Hardy where they showcased their strength and ruthlessness. In-ring interview with The Four HorsemenThe Horsemen had a group meeting in the ring. Flair and Anderson spoke out against Bagwell about how he's been going against the group and trying to do his own thing. Bagwell stressed he wasn't going against the group, he was going along with WCW as a whole. Bagwell laid it out, saying he doesn't want to fight Flair or Anderson or Davey. He wants the four of them to fight together with WCW. Flair asked him point blank, would he rather fight alongside Lex Luger or Ric Flair. Bagwell answered that he'd rather them all come together. Flair said wrong answer and then attacked Bagwell. Chris Candido pinned Mr. J.L. with the Blonde Bombshell in 11:47. Rating: ** 1/2Chris Candido had an impressive win over Mr. JL, but before he could fully get to the back, Disco Inferno's music came on for his next match. Disco was accompanied by his string of dancing girls, who tried to get Candido to dance with them but he threw is hands up in frustration and continued his walk to the back. However, Tammy on the other hand took a minute to join in the dancing fun before Candido pulled her away. Disco Inferno pinned Psicosis with the Last Dance in 7:09. Rating: *** 3/4Once in the ring, Disco had a pretty easy time beating Psicosis, then had another dance party after the match in the ring with his girls. Wrath pinned Glacier with the Meltdown in 8:08. Rating: **This match began as a martial arts showcase between the two devolved once Wrath decided he had enough and was going to use pure strength and brutality to beat Glacier. nWo in-ring celebration part 2The nWo came back out to continue their celebration. They presented Diamond Dallas Page with a plaque with his name and likeness on it as a prize for winning the nWo Invitational. DDP though brought up the fact that winning the battle royal should make him the No. 1 contender for the nWo World Title. DDP said if Hogan is tired of going through WCW guys, maybe its time it becomes an nWo exclusive title chase. Hogan asked if DDP really thinks he has what it takes to lead the nWo? He's done some good things for the group but he couldn't beat Luger back at Halloween Havoc, he couldn't get the US title off Steve Austin. So he should just take his prize and be content with that. Page seemed to fall in line and shook Hogan's hand, but then he turned and dropped the champion with a Diamond Cutter. Before anyone in the nWo could react, Page grabbed his plaque, slid out of the ring, jumped the guardrail and escaped through the crowd. ------------------------ MONDAY NITRO (Feb. 3, 1997) Chris Candido pinned Bobby Eaton with the Blonde Bombshell in 0:08:48. Rating: ** ½After Candido finished off Eaton, he pulled a chair and sat down in the ring. He talked about how everyone in WCW seems to be choosing sides. But all he needs by his side is Tammy and he will become a champion once again. He addressed Disco Inferno trying to get Tammy to dance with him last week and said he's coming dangerously close to crossing a line. At that point, Disco's music played and he came out with his dancing girls. Disco said he doesn't know what Candido is getting so upset about. He's just trying to have a little fun and anyone, including Tammy, who wants a little fun, should come with him. Candido got pissed and started shouting saying Disco better stay away from him and Tammy. But while Candido was ranting, he didn't see Tammy giving a sly smile to Disco. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when S. Ray pinned Enos after a kick to the head in 14:58. Rating: ** ½The Outsiders have declared The Destruction Crew the No. 1 contenders for the nWo world tag titles, but Harlem Heat took exception and tonight took it out on the Crew. The brothers won then told the Outsiders, it looks like there's a new No.1 team in town. And they'll see them at Superbrawl. Syxx pinned Juventud Guerrera after a top-rope leg drop in 10:01. Rating: *** ¼After not being able to win the TV title, Syxx has set his sights on the Cruiserweight title and said he’s going to start running through the division until he gets to Rey Misterio. Justin Bradshaw pinned Arn Anderson with the Lariat in 12:38. Rating: *** ½Bradshaw of the nWo beat Arn Anderson, then staked his claim to being the next in line to challenge Steve Austin for the US title. He said all it takes is 1 lariat, and that belt will finally become nWo property. Dean Malenko defeated Shark when Shark passed out in the Texas Cloverleaf in 10:01. Rating: *** ¼Malenko still wanted to prove a point that he was more than just a Cruiserweight and can tangle with the biggest guys in the company and take them down. They don’t get much bigger than Shark, and Malenko made him submit to the Texas Cloverleaf. Scott Steiner defeated Lex Luger via pinfall in 15:50. Rating: **Steiner got help from his new nWo family to beat Lex Luger, taking advantage after Curt Hennig hit Luger with a chair. After the match, Rick Steiner came to the ring with a mic. He said he's not here to fight, he just wants to talk. He told his brother, he just wanted to know, why? Scott replied "You really want to know?" But instead of answering, he just punched his brother in the face and the nWo then began to beat him down. Having so much fun, the nWo called out DDP to tell to come to the ring and settle their differences like men. DDP’s music came on and the nWo began to look to the entrance way, but instead, DDP snuck in the ring from the back, hit Curt Hennig in the back with the plaque the nWo gave him last week. He was able to hit Scott Norton with a diamond cutter before the rest of the group realized what was happening. Then DDP snuck out of the ring just as quickly as he appeared and went back out through the crowd. Card rating: ***
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2023 11:13:26 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Feb. 10, 1997) Eddie Guerrero defeated Konnan by disqualification in 8:48. Rating: ** (Eddie Guerrero retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Nothing was settled between Konnan and Eddie Guerrero with the TV title on the line. When it looked like Guerrero had the advantage, Konnan began to assault Guerrero with a chair to cause the DQ. Dean Malenko made Glacier submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 14:56. Rating: ****Malenko figures to have settled things with the martial artist after making him tap out to his Texas Cloverleaf. Interview with Stone Cold Steve AustinAustin came out to do an interview with Gene Okerlund, but before Austin could start, Bradshaw ran out and hit Austin with a lariat, then saying "All it take is 1, and this belt is mine." Syxx pinned Psicosis with the Top Rope Legdrop in 13:43. Rating: ***Syxx was hoping to prove a point to Rey Misterio Jr. that he is better than any luchadore. He was impressive in a victory over Psicosis. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Boss and M. Wallstreet when Booker pinned Wallstreet with the Book End in 0:08:41. Rating: ***
Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) when S. Ray pinned J. Hardy with the Slapjack in 0:04:13. Rating: ***
Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated Justin Bradshaw and Scott Norton when Booker pinned Bradshaw after a Hotshot in 0:05:53. Rating: * ½Rick Rude told the Outsiders that despite his lofty position within WCW, the championship committee still has authority over title matches, and as long as Harlem Heat is ruled No. 1 contenders, they earn a shot at the Outsiders. So The Outsiders were desperate for someone to knock off Harlem Heat. They reached back out to M. Wallstreet and The Boss telling them they could make things right if they took them out. They didn't. So the Outsiders came back and said, that wasn't their real match. They fed them the Hardy Boys and Harlem Heat beat them very quickly. So once again they said that wasn't the real opponents, and brought out nWo members Bradshaw and Norton. The two took advantage of a worn down Harlem Heat, but Steve Austin came back out and with the ref distracted, hit Bradshaw with a Stunner. He stood over him saying "All it takes is 1 you dumb son of a bitch." Big Van Vader and Curt Hennig battled to a double countout in 0:17:35. Rating: *** 1/4Curt Hennig went after Big Van Vader but all heck broke loose late in the match. Norton came out to attack Vader, but Lex Luger had his friend's back. The four continued to brawl through a commercial break. nWo calls out Diamond Dallas PageThe upper brass of the nWo has been livid about what Diamond Dallas Page has gotten away with the past two weeks. The entire group, including Hollywood Hogan, was in the ring and demanding DDP come into the ring and face him like a man. DDP’s voice came over the sound system saying he’s not as stupid as Hogan looks. He knows better than anyone how the nWo operates and that gives up an edge. He knows how to stay one step ahead of the nWo. But if you really want to see him that bad, he’ll be right down. Hogan and Rude said Page wasn’t coming from the back, so they dispatched nWo members into the crowd to wait for DDP to come down from whatever side. But this left everyone’s back turned and no one saw DDP come out from under the ring. He snuck in behind Hogan and hit him with a Diamond Cutter, then raced back out before the nWo goons could get their hands on him. Card rating: ** 3/4 --------------------------
MONDAY NITRO (Feb. 17, 1997) Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated Arn Anderson and Ric Flair when S. Ray pinned A. Anderson with the Slapjack in 15:02. Rating: ** ¾
The Horsemen were the latest obstacle thrown in front of Harlem Heat but again they cleared it. Marcus Bagwell made his return after the match and grabbed a mic and told Flair and Anderson, "You guys still think you can do things alone? If you want to be bitter stubborn old men, go right ahead. But look what it's getting you. Losses. I joined the Horsemen the same time Steve Austin did and look what he did after he got away from you. You two are anchors holding down progress. Maybe you have the right idea though not joining the WCW team, because WCW doesn't need you." Flair was livid "I am WCW. I built this company." Bagwell replied "Maybe, but right now, you're killing it." Dean Malenko made Wrath submit to a kneelock submission in 8:16. Rating: ****One week after taking care of business against Glacier, Malenko looks to have done the same with a win over Wrath. Disco Inferno pinned Chris Candido with the Last Dance in 2:44. Rating: ** ¼
Chris Candido and Disco Inferno finally met in the ring after weeks of confrontations. But Disco shockingly won the match quickly. As Candido was berating Tammy for seemingly dancing when Disco’s music came on. Candido got on the mic and demanded another match saying that was a fluke and it was all Tammy’s fault. Disco wasn't having it, saying he should take his loss like a man. But after some back and forth, Disco said he’ll gladly take another match so he can teach another lesson about how women deserve to be treated. Scott Steiner made Scotty Riggs submit to the Steiner Recliner in 14:44. Rating: *** 3/4Scott Steiner beat Scotty Riggs but was confronted again by his brother Rick who kept asking, "Why?" Scott again knocked Rick out but this time he answered, saying "You want to know why? Because this has always been about me. I could've left you years ago and went on my own path and become a world champion, but I said no because of you. I put my own career on the backburner for our team. But what do you do the first chance you get? You throw away a chance for us to be champions together, to be selfish. You said yes to the route I turned down because of you. So if that's the way it's going to be, that's the way it's going to be. It's all about me now." Syxx pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Top Rope Legdrop in 15:00. Rating: ** 3/4Syxx got another big win to build momentum for a Cruiserweight title match against Rey Misterio. Gene Okerlund approached Syxx after and admitted to Syxx he’s looking like a fine-tuned machine, but he has no idea where Rey Misterio has been. Syxx said, “Yeah, that’s weird that Rey is sitting at home, getting rusty. It’s almost like he’s been barred for arenas to get any training in. Funny.” Lex Luger defeated Curt Hennig by disqualification in 15:41. Rating: 3/4* [Scott Norton interfered against Lex Luger.]
What was a pretty good match quickly turned into another brawl. Luger was ready to put Hennig in the torture rack before Scott Norton ran down and caused the DQ. This of course drew Vader to the ring and the four engaged in another big brawl. Handicap-Match: Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and Hollywood Hogan when Page pinned Hogan with the Diamond Cutter in 0:00:51. Rating: -*
The nWo made it clear to DDP, after weeks of avoiding the nWo in the ring, he would fight Hogan and The Outsiders in a handicap match, and if he chooses not to, he forfeits his No. 1 contender status and his Superbrawl title shot. The nWo hit the ring first and when DDP's music hit, The Outsiders left the ring to go meet him on the ramp. Only, he never showed up. But Harlem Heat did. Heat rushed out and attacked The Outsiders fighting them around the entrance way and into the back. This left Hogan alone in the ring who didn't see DDP come out of the crowd. He smacked Hogan in the back of the head with the plaque he got a few weeks ago. This was all before the match officially began, so once the bell rang, DDP pinned a nearly unconscious Hogan. He celebrated holding up the world title belt as the camera faded out. Card rating: * 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2023 11:15:17 GMT -5
SUPERBRAWL VII (Feb. 23, 1997) Syxx pinned Rey Misterio Jr. with the Top Rope Legdrop in 16:38. Rating: **** 1/4 (Syxx won the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Syxx and Rey Misterio had a classic match that thankfully wasn’t ruined by nWo involvement. Syxx got the job done, beating Rey clean. Rey tried to hit Syxx with his top rope hurracanrana, but Syxx turned it into a powerbomb. He then went back up top and came off with a leg drop and got the win. Disco Inferno pinned Chris Candido with the Last Dance in 13:40. Rating: *** ¼Disco proved his win over Candido on Nitro was no fluke. Though it did take him a bit longer this time around and it was more competitive of a match, Disco again came out on top. After the match, Disco began to dance and tried to get Tammy to come into the ring with him, but Candido pulled her down of the apron, and carried her to the back. No-Countout-No-DQ-Match: Konnan made Eddie Guerrero submit to the Tequila Sunrise in 20:36. Rating: **** 1/4 (Konnan won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)A fantastic match saw Konnan tap in to his newfound ruthlessness to beat Guerrero for the TV title. Konnan used the no DQ stipulation to his advantage. He was outside on the floor as Eddie came off the top rope at him, but he didn’t see Konnan holding a chair. Konnan swung the chair into Eddie’s leg as he flew down. The rest of the match, Eddie was hobbled and Konnan took advantage, eventually putting him away with his Tequila Sunrise. Marcus Bagwell pinned Ric Flair after a tiger suplex in 11:00. Rating: **Flair came to the ring with Horsemen Arn Anderson and Davey Boy Smith by his side, but sent them to the back saying he’s gonna handle this one on one. Bagwell, who’s worked with Flair for years as a Horsemen, was seemingly aware and ready for many of Flair’s tricks. He eventually caught Flair in a suplex and got the pin. After the match, Flair was frustrated. Arn and Davey came back out but Flair held them back. He reached out his hand to Bagwell and Bagwell shook it. Flair told him “Let’s fix this.” Curt Hennig and Scott Norton defeated Big Van Vader and Lex Luger when Norton defeated Vader by disqualification in 6:53. Rating: * 1/2After months of being victimized by the nWo, it seems Luger and Vader are starting to pick up some of their tricks or habits. It wasn’t too long into the match, when Luger and Vader, fed up with cheap shots, went and grabbed chairs and came back and started decimating the two nWo members with them. They got DQed but didn’t really seem to care. Scott Steiner pinned Rick Steiner in 14:08. Rating: ****One month after turning his back on his brother, Scott Steiner had to face Rick one on one. Rick still seemed hesitant to fight Scott, but soon snapped and started brawling with Scott and getting the better end of thing. But Scott has embraced the nWo style of villainy and turned things around with a low blow the ref couldn’t see. Late in the match, Rick got back in control and went for his top rope Bulldog, but Scott turned around just in time and caught him and turned it into a vicious belly-to-belly suplex that earned him the win. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Justin Bradshaw with the Stone Cold Stunner in 10:38. Rating: ** 3/4 (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Bradshaw was the latest nWo member to try to win the US title from Steve Austin and the latest to fail. Bradshaw, though, used his raw strength and power to get Austin on the ropes, but when he tried to hit his lariat, Austin ducked, then kicked Bradshaw and hit his Stunner. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) when Booker pinned Hall with the missile dropkick in 21:40. Rating: *** (Harlem Heat won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)This may be the first time any WCW member got the best of the nWo in a match of this magnitude. Harlem Heat has brought the World Tag Team titles back to WCW!! The match went back and forth for quite a while until it reached its chaotic ending. Booker T was getting worked over in the ring when Scott Hall went for his Outsiders Edge, but Booker T slid down his back then caught him with a Harlem sidekick, allowing him to make the hot tag to Stevie Ray. Stevie ran in and cleaned house. He took out both Hall and Nash until Hall went with a low blow. This allowed the Outsiders to set up to put him away, but Booker T recovered by this time and rallied. All four men were going at each other. Stevie clotheslined Nash out of the ring and both spilled to the floor, while Booker went up top and hit a missile dropkick on Hall and got the pin and the titles! Hollywood Hogan pinned Diamond Dallas Page with the Big Leg Drop in 16:40. Rating: * 1/4 (Hollywood Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)Diamond Dallas Page gave Hulk Hogan everything he could handle in his world title defense and it looked like Page might finally have been the one to take Hogan down. Hogan did his traditional “Hulk up” and went to hit DDP with his big boot. But DDP caught the foot, spun Hogan around and hit him with a Diamond Cutter. At this point, though, the nWo raced to the ring, but DDP saw them. He shot himself through the middle rope to take out Nash, then caught Scott Hall with a Diamond Cutter on the floor. Rick Rude distracted the ref as more nWo members came into the ring, but Page took them all out. Then coming down out of the stands and into the ring came Macho Man Randy Savage, who hadn’t been seen since Starrcade. Savage seemingly held more nWo members off with a chair as Page readied to hit another Diamond Cutter on Hogan, but then Savage swung the chair and nailed DDP with it. He left the ring as Hogan hit the leg drop to beat Page. After the match, the nWo all ganged up in the ring. Savage came back in and gave the nWo salute to Hogan, Hall Nash and others and then helped them attack DDP. But as the attack commenced, the cameras caught up in the rafters, Sting looking down as the show faded out. Card rating: *** 1/4
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2023 11:20:30 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (Feb. 24, 1997) In-ring interview with Harlem HeatNitro opened with new world tag team champions Harlem Heat coming to the ring with a huge ovation to talk about their win last night over The Outsiders, and how it was the first piece in bringing the nWo crumbling down. However, they were interrupted by Hall, Nash and Rick Rude. Rude said as it turns out, Booker T was not the legal man when he pinned Hall, so under his power as WCW EVP, he is stripping Harlem Heat of the titles and handing them back over to The Outsiders. Heat responded that they will hand over the belts over their dead bodies. When it looked like a fight was about to break out, music played and for the first time since Starrcade, Eric Bischoff made his return to Nitro. He got in the ring by Harlem Heat's side. He talked amongst them for a minute before turning his attention to Rude. He made an offer, Harlem Heat will turn the belts over under one condition. At Uncensored, they settle this once and for all, WCW vs nWo, one match winner takes all. Championships and power. Rude said they need some time to iron out specifics, but it sounds like he has a deal. Villano V, Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis defeated Mr. J.L., Super Calo and Silver King when Juventud pinned J.L. after a backslide in 11:23. Rating: ***Six Cruiserweights all vying to get themselves noticed by the championship committee put on a high-flying show that ended with Juvenetud Guerrera catching JL in a backslide. Disco Inferno pinned M. Wallstreet with the Last Dance in 9:14. Rating: * ¾Disco Inferno carried his momentum from beating Chris Candido into another big win tonight, but after the match, was ambushed by Candido with a chair. Candido sat down on the chair next to a nearly unconscious Disco and told him, he comes out here every week with all his dancers, thinking he's God's gift to women. But there is no way he will ever have Tammy, because Disco is nowhere near the man Candido is. Interview with KonnanNew TV champion Konnan came out for an interview mocking Eddie Guerrero. He said if Guerrero wants another shot, he should walk out here and come get his belt back, but oh wait, that's right. Eddie can't walk right now. Konnan said any other potential challengers take note, if they step to Konnan, they'll end up the same way. Interview with The Four HorsemenPrior to a match, Ric Flair came out and introduced all four Horsemen, including Marcus Bagwell. Flair said sometimes it takes a good friend and loyal soldier to get you to look in a mirror and realize you’re making bad decisions. But the Horsemen are as solid as ever and will show it tonight. Arn Anderson, Marcus Bagwell, Davey Boy Smith and Ric Flair defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom), Shark and The Boss when D.B. Smith pinned Shark with the Running Powerslam in 14:53. Rating: ** 3/4After ironing out their differences, the Horsemen were back united. They showcased their unity with an 8-man tag win. After the match, Flair made a declaration, saying the Horsemen may have taken the wrong road, but they are 100% WCW and whatever Eric Bischoff has in mind for Uncensored, they want in. The losing 8 man team put all the blame on Shark for the loss, as the Destruction Crew and the Boss, all jumped Shark after the match. Promo for Prince IaukeaA video played promoting the arrival of Prince Iaukea to the Cruiserweight division, billed as one of the top cruiserweights in the pacific rim. He’ll make his debut next week. Johnny B. Badd pinned Scott Norton with the Tutti Frutti in 14:13. Rating: 3/4*Johnny B. Badd hasn’t been on the winning end of many of his battles against the nWo but he caught fire tonight and hit Scott Norton with a knockout punch. Curt Hennig pinned Lex Luger with the Hennig Plex in 16:57. Rating: DUDIn the main event, Luger finally got a one-on-one match with Curt Hennig but he had to know that wasn't how things were going to go. The nWo made their collective presence felt helping Hennig get the win, and that included newest member Macho Man Randy Savage. But of all people coming to Luger's aid, it was Diamond Dallas Page who ran in fought off Savage, getting revenge for Superbrawl. After the nWo cleared out, DDP helped Luger to his feet, Luger was unsure of what to do. But when DDP extended his hand, Luger took a minute, but eventually shook it. Card rating: * --------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (March 3, 1997) In-ring promo from Eric BischoffEric Bischoff opened Nitro in the ring announcing they have made a deal with the nWo for the Uncensored main event. It will be an 8-on-8 tag team elimination match. If the nWo wins, they get full branding rights over the titles, PPVs and Monday Nitro. They all will become official nWo properties. If WCW wins, Bischoff gets his old position back as EVP from Rick Rude, and WCW will be able to challenge for any title the nWo holds at any time it choses. This brought out Ric Flair and the Horsemen who approached Bischoff and said they want to be represented on Team WCW. To this, Luger and Vader came to the ring to ask the Horsemen why they should trust them now after months of them fighting against them. The sides exchanged words and it was decided that they will team up tonight in an 8 man match against the nWo, Flair and Anderson will fight alongside Vader and Luger. Konnan defeated Ice Train when Ice Train passed out to the Tequila Sunrise in 9:03. Rating: * 3/4 (Konnan retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Konnan successfully defended his TV belt against Ice Train, beating him with the Tequila Sunrise. Once again, Konnan kept on the hold a long time after the bell, and after the match, Ice Train needed to be helped to the back. Billy Kidman pinned Pat Tanaka with the shooting star press in 13:28. Rating: *** (Prince Iaukea no-showed.)Prince Iaukea was set to make his WCW debut tonight, but he was found unconscious in the back right before his match. Instead, Billy Kidman took his place and picked up one of the biggest wins of his career beating Pat Tanaka. No-Time-Limit-Match: Dean Malenko made Wrath submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 11:02. Rating: ** ½Dean Malenko has been trying to prove for weeks he can take down even the biggest of men to send a message to Wrath. Tonight he proved his point against Wrath himself. The Boss pinned Shark after an enzuigiri in 7:49. Rating: *Boss defeated Shark with some help from the Destruction Crew. After the match, Boss pulled out hair clippers and while Shark was knocked unconscious, Boss shaved half of Shark's head. Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Headbangers (Headbanger Moshand Headbanger Thrasher) when Booker pinned Thrasher with the Missile Dropkick in 16:23. Rating: ** 1/2 (Harlem Heat retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)After Harlem Heat's win, Eric Bischoff came to the ring and asked the brothers if they would join team WCW at Uncensored. They enthusiastically accepted. Marcus Bagwell, Ric Flair, Lex Luger and Big Van Vader defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall), Curt Hennig and Randy Savage when Luger made Curt Hennig submit to the Torture Rack in 20:26. Rating: ** 1/4The Horsemen worked well along with Luger and Vader, showing they can come together to fight for the same cause. A huge brawl ensued after the match as the rest of the nWo members came down, but WCW had support from Harlem Heat, Rick Steiner, Steve Austin and DDP. The brawl was wild, but at one point, Ric Flair was all by himself with his back to the entrance way, when Jeff Jarrett came down and smacked Flair over the head with a guitar before leaving. Card rating: ** 1/4 --------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO SPRING BREAK (March 10, 1997) Billy Kidman pinned Chris Candido with the Shooting Star Press in 11:58. Rating: *** ¼Billy Kidman, fresh off a win last week, got another one, though this one came after Disco Inferno laid out Chris Candido while the referee was down. Candido was livid after the match and challenged Disco to one more match at Uncensored, and he will put Tammy on the line. nWo in-ring promoThe nWo were all in the ring giving a promo about how everyone should soak in the scene. This will be the last time you see the WCW logo on this show. After next week, this will all be nWo Nitro. Rude said how Bischoff has been going around, recruiting his team, and it's nice to know who you're facing. But when it comes to the nWo, the 8 guys representing the most dominant force in wrestling, might be in the ring right now, but maybe some aren't, leaving the door open for some potential surprises. Rude said that anyone wearing the black and white nWo colors, will be someone WCW needs to watch out for. He looked up when he said that, but then corrected himself saying “oh right, there’s no rafters here.” Konnan made Psicosis submit to the Tequila Sunrise in 8:00. Rating: *** 3/4 (Konnan retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Konnan had another successful TV title defense and again after the match kept Psicosis locked in his hold. But before too much damage could be done, Eddie Guerrero made his return, rushing in and attacking Konnan, making the save for Psicosis. Interview with Jeff JarrettJeff Jarrett, sporting a new look with short blonde hair, was interviewed by Gene Okerlund who asked him point blank if after last week if he was now in the nWo. Jarrett said don't be an idiot. He's been out injured for the past 6 months because of Ric Flair. Ever since he signed with WCW a year ago, Ric Flair has been the bane of his existence. So he doesn't care if he's WCW or nWo, Jeff Jarrett is anti-Ric Flair. Scott Steiner made Bobby Eaton submit to a Fujiwara armbar in 9:46. Rating: *** 1/4Bobby Eaton has been a vocal critic of Scott Steiner’s change in attitude saying this can’t be the same person he went to war with in the early 1990s. Steiner sent a message tonight with a brutal victory over Eaton. But after the match, Rick Steiner ran in to attack his brother. Scott ran out of the ring, saying he guess he didn’t prove his point at Superbrawl. He challenged Rick to a First Blood match at Uncensored. Davey Boy Smith and Marcus Bagwell defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Bagwell pinned Enos after a tiger suplex in 14:31. Rating: **The Horsemen scored a win over the nWo’s associates, showcasing they still are a united group. Arn Anderson came out after the match and had words for Jeff Jarrett. He said he doesn’t care if Jarrett is or isn’t nWo, he crossed the line. There’s nothing more he’d like to do than whoop Jarrett’s ass, but you can’t keep Ric Flair down for long. Flair will be back at Uncensored, ready for war with Jarrett. Meanwhile, he said he got done talking to Eric Bischoff, and Anderson and Bagwell will be fighting with WCW against the nWo. Johnny B. Badd pinned Carl Ouellet after a powerslam in 3:34. Rating: * ¼
Carl Ouellet has taken exception to Badd saying he’s got the best knockout punch in WCW. So he challenged him to a match tonight, where Badd got the win, catching Ouellet with a powerslam. Ouellet took a mic after and asked Badd “If you really call that a win? I thought you were gonna knock me out.” The two went back and forth before settling on fighting again at Uncensored in a Texas Death Match. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Randy Savage in 14:44. Rating: ** (Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Randy Savage was the latest nWo member to try to beat Austin for the US title and actually probably came the closest out of anyone. That wasn’t much to do with anything he did as much as it was other nWo interference. But fortunately Austin had a helping hand, whether he knew it or not in DDP. As Rick Rude had the ref distracted, Kevin Nash had just powerbombed Austin, leaving him prey for Macho Man’s elbow drop. But DDP came out, met Savage on the top rope and hit a Diamond Cutter coming off of it. DDP then went outside and dove into Nash, as Austin crawled over and draped an arm around Savage to get the pin as the ref came back. That however began a huge brawl, nWo vs. WCW. But in the middle of it all, the lights around ringside momentarily went out, the came back in a bright white glow. Then a dark silhouette of a Crow formed on the ring. Card rating: ** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 12, 2023 11:22:03 GMT -5
UNCENSORED '97 (March 16, 1997) Disco Inferno pinned Chris Candido after The Last Dance in 8:24. Rating: ** ½Disco got the win and due to the stipulation, got possession of Tammy. But after the match, he took a mic and told Tammy he doesn't feel women should be a thing anyone should be able to "win." So he will let her choose her own path, if she wants to come with Disco great, if she wants to stay with Chris that's fine too. Candido grabbed Tammy by the hand and tried to lead her out of the ring before she could answer, but Tammy instead kicked him in the groin, then took Disco's hand and the two danced their way to the back. BACKSTAGEThe cameras went backstage where Stevie Ray was laying face down unconscious. Many of the Team WCW members came to the scene trying to help him out. As Stevie was loaded into an ambulance, Bischoff tried to give a pep talk to the rest of Team WCW saying this was not over and there still is a strong enough team here to win this for WCW. Falls Count Anywhere: Konnan pinned Eddie Guerrero after an elbowdrop in 16:49. Rating: *** 3/4 (Konnan retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Eddie Guerrero and Konnan aimed to settle their feud. The match was pretty crazy and spilled out of the ring, into the crowd and went all around the arena. As the match wore on, it was evident Eddie’s knee wasn’t fully healed after Konnan’s attacks the past few months, and Konnan took advantage. Their fight went into the main concourse where Konnan rammed a hot dog cart into Guerrero’s leg to the point where Eddie was easy pickings to pin. The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Barbarian pinned W. Bloom with the Flying Clothesline in 10:26. Rating: * 1/4The Faces of Fear went after the nWo associate’s the Destruction Crew and picked up a big win in the name of WCW. Texas Death Match: Carl Ouellet pinned Johnny B. Badd with the Cannonball in 18:01. Rating: ** 1/2It would seem that with Ouellet’s size and strength advantage, Badd would be an easy opponent in this type of match, but Badd went toe to toe with him. Badd even nearly had Ouellet knocked out but he made it up at the count of 9. Ouellet though took over the match, got Badd down and delivered 5 straight cannonballs before Badd couldn’t get up. First Blood Match: Scott Steiner defeated Rick Steiner in 15:26. Rating: *** ¾
Rick Steiner has come a long way from hesitating to even hit his brother to trying everything he could to make him bleed. Rick and Scott exchanged chair shots and used a variety of other weapons on each other. In the end, Scott Steiner pulled Barbed wire out from under the ring and wrapped it around a baseball bat and ran it against Rick’s head until he finally busted open. Ric Flair pinned Jeff Jarrett after a Victory Roll in 15:49. Rating: ** 1/4
Ric Flair was out looking for revenge on Jeff Jarrett, while Jarrett had more than 6 months of animosity against Flair built up. Jarrett tried to take a page from Flair’s book and went after his legs, before trying to put on a Figure Four. But Flair wrapped up Jarrett and rolled him up for a pin. However, this only infuriated Jarrett, who took a guitar and smashed Flair over the head with it. He then locked in the Figure Four until the rest of the Horsemen ran down to chase Jarrett off. 8-on-8 Elimination Match WCW vs. nWoThe rules of the match where two men from each team would come to the ring at the start of each 3-minute round. Eliminations occur by pinfall, submission or being thrown over the top rope. Things looked rough for Team WCW, entering the match down 8-7 when Stevie Ray was found unconscious and injured before the match. Vader and Booker T opened the match against Curt Hennig and Syxx. Vader and Booker got the best of things early, but right before the end of the round, Vader went to clothesline Hennig near the ropes, but Hennig ducked and Vader went over the top rope. The Outsiders came next for the nWo with Horsemen members Anderson and Bagwell came for WCW. The nWo had the numbers advantage and grew it more when Anderson was tossed out of the ring. Bradshaw and Norton came next for the nWo with Luger and DDP coming down for WCW. WCW started to even the odds a bit as Luger eliminated Hennig and Page took out Syxx. But Savage came down early and pulled out DDP from outside the ring to eliminate him. Soon Booker T was eliminated as the final round was set to begin as Hogan strutted down to the ring. But the final WCW member coming down was Stone Cold Steve Austin who began cleaning house once he entered the ring. Out went Bradshaw, then Norton, then Savage. But Scott Steiner, who was not a part of the match, came to give the nWo a hand, bringing a lead pipe that he used to knock out Austin leading to his elimination. The Outsiders then double teamed Bagwell to eliminate him. It came down to Luger vs. Hall, Nash and Hogan. But Luger rallied. He caught Hall in a Torture Rack and got a quick submission, then did the same to Nash. Curt Hennig looked like he saved the day for the nWo when he fired spraypaint into Luger’s eyes, and Hogan then eliminated a blinded Luger. It looked like the nWo had won, but then fireworks exploded from near the rafters and a man came streaming down to the ring on a zipline. Bischoff came out with a mic and introduced the 8th member of Team WCW ... STING!!! Eliminated nWo members tried to charge Sting in the ring, but Sting had a bad and fought them all off. Then Sting grabbed Hogan, hit him with a Scorpion Death Drop and pinned him to win the day for WCW. Elimination Match: Big Van Vader, Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, Lex Luger, Marcus Bagwell, Sting, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Arn Anderson beat The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall), Curt Hennig, Hollywood Hogan, Randy Savage, Syxx, Scott Norton and Justin Bradshaw in 23:05 Survivors: Sting Rating: ** 1/4
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 29, 2023 16:44:25 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (March 17, 1997) The nWo arrivesAfter their loss last night, the nWo wasn't in the best of moods. Cameras caught a number of them arriving at the arena at the start of the show, no one was saying anything, there was no trademark swagger they usally have. All you could hear was Scott Hall saying "Somebody's going to get hurt tonight." Billy Kidman pinned David Taylor with the Shooting Star Press in 12:09. Rating: ***In the opening match, Billy Kidman kept up the hot streak he's been on, stepping out of the Cruiserweight division but still getting a win over David Taylor. M. Wallstreet and Scotty Riggs battled to a no contest in 5:54. Rating: **Scotty Riggs and M. Wallstrett didn't get much time in the ring before a distraught Chris Candido came into the ring with a chair and knocked out both men with it. Candido then set the chair up and sat down and took a mic. He was speechless for a second before finally saying, "She chose him." He then got up and left. Interview with Prince IaukeaGene Okerlund interviewed Prince Iaukea, who's been billed as a top Cruiserweight prospect, but was attacked before his debut a couple weeks ago. Iaukea went right to the top putting the blame on Cruiserweight champion Syxx of the nWo, saying the attack was trademark nWo, and It's obvious Syxx would want to take him out. This brought out the champ, who confronted Iaukea, saying the nWo and especially himself have better things to worry about then some punk rookie. They exchanged words and eventually agreed to go right to the ring for a title match. Syxx pinned Prince Iaukea after a German suplex in 10:00. Rating: * 1/4 (Syxx retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Syxx picked up the win but kept stomping away at Iaukea after the match before Billy Kidman ran down and fought Syxx off. Scott Steiner made Johnny B. Badd submit to the Steiner Recliner in 13:41. Rating: *** ¼Scott Steiner made an enemy out of Stone Cold Steve Austin last night and after Steiner picked up a win tonight and kept his opponent in the Steiner Recliner, Austin ran down and started brawling with Steiner in the ring until security broke them up. Marcus Bagwell defeated Jeff Jarrett by disqualification in 4:30. Rating: 1/2*Marcus Bagwell got a match with Jeff Jarrett after what he did to Ric Flair last night, but Bagwell suffered the same fate quickly into the match, getting hit over the head with a guitar. This brought Arn Anderson out who rushed Jarrett, but Jarrett ran out and Anderson backed off to tend to Bagwell. Justin Bradshaw pinned Davey Boy Smith with the Lariat in 14:46. Rating: *** ½With Flair not in the building after last night and Anderson tending to Bagwell, this left Davey Boy without Horsemen backup during his match against Bradshaw. The nWo member won the match clean, but after the match nWo members Curt Hennig, Randy Savage, Scott Norton came to help Bradshaw decimate Davey Boy. Eventually, WCW members Luger, Vader and DDP ran down to help but the damage was done. Cage Match: Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) when Booker pinned Hall with the Harlem Sidekick in 15:47. Rating: * (Harlem Heat won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)As part of the stipulation for winning at Uncensored, WCW earned the right to challenge for any title the nWo has at any time. Harlem Heat chose tonight to fight the Outsiders for the World Tag Team titles they never truly lost in a cage match. With the cage keeping the rest of the nWo at bay. Harlem Heat won the match and the titles. But after the match, the nWo rushed the cage, Syxx, Hogan and Savage came in through the cage door then put a pad lock on it. They joined Hall and Nash in a 5-on-2 attack of the new champs but just like last night, Fireworks came off the ceiling and Sting came ziplining down into the ring. He had a bat in hand and took out everyone with the bat before pointing it at Hogan and backing him into a corner. Rick Rude meanwhile took a key and unlocked the door, getting Hogan out of there before Sting could attack him. Other nWo members began crawling to the door as Sting and Harlem Heat stood tall in the ring. Card rating: ** --------------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (March 24, 1997)
Disco Inferno pinned Matt Hardy with the Last Dance in 5:53. Rating: *** ¼Disco Inferno opened the show with his trademark dancing girls coming out with him, but Disco stopped his entrance middance, to point to the back as Tammy Lynn came out dancing to Disco's side and they went arm and arm to the ring. Disco made quick work of his opponent and then the dance party continued. Billy Kidman and Prince Iaukea defeated Super Calo and Psicosis when Kidman pinned Psicosis after a backslide in 11:19. Rating: ***Prince Iaukea and Billy Kidman formed a tag team for tonight. Gene Okerlund caught up with them after the match and Iaukea said when you're dealing with people like the nWo, it never hurts to have people watching your back. Kidman said Iaukea was attacked a couple weeks ago, nobody's safe. It's always better to have strength in numbers. Carl Ouellet pinned Chris Kanyon with the Cannonball in 5:49. Rating: ***
Carl Ouellet has been professing himself to be the toughest man in WCW, Chris Kanyon at one time walked by and heard his claim, and said only "I've seen tougher." Ouellet tried to make a point of Kanyon tonight, beating him pretty handily. He asked Kanyon after he was ready to admit that he was the toughest wrestler not only in WCW but in this entire business. Kanyon again just said, "I've seen tougher." But got another beating for it. Interview with Diamond Dallas PageGene Okerlund was doing an interview with Diamond Dallas Page about Randy Savage, when Savage ran out from behind and blindsided Page. Savage decimated DDP on the floor before spraypainting nWo on Page’s body. The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Barbarian pinned Enos with the Flying Clothesline in 15:46. Rating: * ¼The Faces of Fear made an example of the nWo associates, The Destruction Crew, coming up with a victory that should put move them up the tag team ladder. Syxx pinned Rey Misterio Jr. with the Top Rope Legdrop in 13:05. Rating: ** 3/4 (Syxx retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Rey Misterio got a chance to win back his Cruiserweight title from Syxx, but fell victim to the nWo numbers game. Rey was going for his top rope hurracanranna, but Scott Hall came out to distract the ref, while Vincent got on the apron, climbed up and hit Rey with what looked to be brass knuckles. Jeff Jarrett pinned Arn Anderson with the Stroke in 13:41. Rating: *** ½
Jeff Jarrett swore vengeance against the Horsemen and is backing up that decree. Arn was ready to hit Jarrett with a DDT, but Jarrett backed him up into the ref, knocking him down. Jarrett took advantage of the down ref and smashed a guitar over Anderson’s head. Backstage attack on Stevie RayThe cameras raced to the back where they caught the Outsiders and Syxx attacking Stevie Ray. Stevie tried to fight back but the numbers were too much. Scott Hall gave Stevie an Outsiders Edge on the floor. Booker T finally got to the scene but the damage was done and the nWo ran off. Justin Bradshaw, Curt Hennig and Randy Savage defeated Big Van Vader, Lex Luger and Stone Cold Steve Austin when Bradshaw defeated Vader by disqualification in :06. Rating: *Lex Luger called out the nWo said he wanted to take advantage of the clause where any WCW wrestler can challenge an nWo wrestler at any time, he wanted a world title match with Hollywood Hogan. Instead Rick Rude came out and said "Aw shuck, Hollywood Hogan isn't here tonight. He's out in Hollywood closing a deal on a new movie. So it was decided that instead, the main event would be a 6 man WCW vs nWo tag team match. The nWo used its numbers advantage to attack the WCW team. Steiner came out and blindside Steve Austin to start the assault. ------------------------------ MONDAY NITRO (March 31, 1997) Lex Luger in-ring promoLex Luger tried again to request a match tonight against Hollywood Hogan for the World Title. However, once again Rick Rude informed Luger that Hogan was not in the building, but Luger could have a main event fight tonight against Curt Hennig. This time, Eric Bischoff, recently reinstated into power, informed Rude that Hogan is contractually obligated to defend his title. If he does not appear at Spring Stampede to face Luger for the World Title, he will be stripped of the belt. AND, the match at Spring Stampede will be in a steel cage. Billy Kidman beat Syxx battled by disqualification in 14:48. Rating: *** (Syxx retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.) [Vincent interfered against Billy Kidman.]Billy Kidman's hot streak of late earned him a Cruiserweight title shot against Syxx of the nWo. Kidman looked like he might pull off the upset, but when he was up on the top rope getting ready for a shooting star press, Vincent pushed him off and Kidman crashed hard to the floor. He got the win by DQ but Kidman was definitely hurt after his fall. The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) when Thrasher pinned W. Bloom with the Top Rope Legdrop in 14:57. Rating: ***The Destruction Crew were victims of a mild upset from the Headbangers, but after the match, the Crew got some help from their new friend The Boss, and the three began attacking the Headbangers. However, Boss' recent nemesis, Shark, ran down to even up the sides. 2 Cold Scorpio pinned Mr. J.L. with the Flying Scorpio Splash in 11:40. Rating: ** ¾2 Cold Scorpio made his return to WCW and had a fantastic match with former Cruiserweight champion, Mr. JL. But Scorpio showed the same kind of moves that made him a former TV Champion and picked up the win. Rey Misterio Jr. pinned Jeff Hardy with a Hurracanrana in 12:03. Rating: ***Rey Misterio picked up a quick win over young rookie Jeff Hardy. After, Rey Misterio spoke to Gene Okerlund and called out someone he used to look up to, Konnan. He said the way Konnan has been acting lately, he didn't recognize him anymore. These words brought Konnan out who called Rey ungrateful for everything Konnan has done for this generation of Luchadores. If Rey thinks he can be the man all of a sudden, he can meet him at Spring Stampede. La Parka pinned Randy Savage after a The Diamond Cutter in 6:46. Rating: ** 1/2Randy Savage thought he was gonna have a pretty easy time with La Parka, toying with the Luchadore early in the match. He went up for his flying Elbow, but La Parka instead got a foot up to catch Savage coming in. With Savage stunned, La Parka then hit him with a Diamond Cutter and got the 1-2-3!! La Parka then left the ring and went up in the crowd, taking his mask off to reveal himself really being Diamond Dallas Page. Interview with Jeff JarrettJeff Jarrett came out for his interview with his guitar and a bottle of champaign. He handed a glass to Gene Okerlund and pour a drink. They did a salute, Gene asked what to and Jarrett said the death of the Four Horsemen. Gene threw his drink down but Jarrett continued to gloat about taking each and every one of them out. He called it his Greatest Hits Tour, and set out an open challenge for anyone who wants to be next. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) when Nash pinned Meng after the Jackknife powerbomb in 21:03. Rating: 3/4*
The Outsiders were named No. 1 contenders for Harlem Heat's world tag titles after beating the Faces of Fear, thanks to Kevin Nash hitting Meng with a low blow, then delivering a jackknife powerbomb. Backstage
Before the next match, the announcers said something was going on in the back, the camera cuts backstage to where Big Van Vader is laying face down unconscious with what looks like a cracked cinderblock next to his head. Luger was there along with medical professionals, but they told Luger he needed to go to the ring for his match, while Vader was loaded into an ambulance and taken away. Lex Luger defeated Curt Hennig when Curt Hennig passed out in the Torture Rack in 14:19. Rating: **Luger got the win but quickly after was attacked by the nWo, including Hollywood Hogan who was allegedly not in the building tonight. The decimation the nWo has been doing lately on the WCW roster caught up WCW as the numbers game was in favor of the nWo and even though WCW members tried to help out, the nWo fought them off. Card rating: ** 1/4
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 29, 2023 16:46:54 GMT -5
SPRING STAMPEDE (April 6, 1997) 10-Cruiserweight Battle Royal: Juventud Guerrera won a 10-person Battle Royal against Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Jeff Hardy, La Parka, Lizmark Jr., Matt Hardy, Mr. JL, Prince Iauke and Psicosis Rating: *** ¼It was down to four men, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Juventud Guerrera and Prince Iaukea. Syxx tried to eliminate those he thought were his biggest challengers, namely Guerrero and Malenko. While they were battling along the ropes, Syxx snuck up on the apron and pulled the ropes down and both men were eliminated. Soon after Jueventud eliminated Iaukea to win the match. But Syxx came out and said congratulations, but the match is going to happen right now. Juventud Guerrera pinned Syxx after a running power bomb in 0:21. Rating: * (Juventud Guerrera won the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)But he likely regrets that decree cause in between the time he made it and the ref started the match, Dean Malenko came back down and attacked Syxx from behind. He tossed the champ into the ring, the match started and Juvy got the quick pin and the title. The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) and Shark defeated The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom) and M. Wallstreet when Thrasher pinned W. Bloom after a power bomb in 7:42. Rating: **The Boss was scheduled to take part in the match, but was not in the area, so M. Wallstreet took his place. Without the Boss’ size and strength, to counter Shark, the big man was nearly unstoppable, clearing house to lead to the Headbangers picking up the pin. Konnan made Rey Misterio Jr. submit to the Tequila Sunrise in 16:48. Rating: *** 3/4 (Konnan retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)After calling out Konnan last week, Rey got his shot at the TV title, But Konnan is a wiley one. He knows the moves and tendencies of all the luchadores quite well and put that knowledge to good use, waiting for Rey to make mistakes then capitalizing on them. Johnny B. Badd defeated Jeff Jarrett by disqualification in 13:47. Rating: ** 1/4Jarrett put out an open challenge for whoever wanted to be next on his “Greatest hits tour” and Badd answered. Badd took control late in the match and was ready to hit Jarrett with his knockout punch. However, as Jarrett as showed he likes to do when his back’s against the wall, he came in with his guitar and smashed Badd over the head with it to get disqualified. Scott Steiner pinned Stone Cold Steve Austin after an overhead belly-to-belly suplex in 16:16. Rating: *** 1/2 (Scott Steiner won the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Steiner finally did was the nWo has been trying to do for 6 months, take the United States title off Stone Cold Steve Austin. Of course he couldn’t do it by himself. A host of nWo swarmed the ring after Austin hit Steiner with a Stunner. As Austin fought them all off, Steiner snuck out of the ring to grab a lead pipe from underneath. As the ref was trying to restore order and Austin was facing the incoming nWo forces, Steiner smacked Austin with the pipe. Booker T pinned Scott Hall with the Missile Dropkick in 13:54. Rating: *** 1/2Booker took a rare step into singles territory, going after Scott Hall in an effort to get revenge for Hall injuring his brother Stevie Ray. Hall seemed to be caught off guard with how well Booker wrestled in a singles match and paid the price, getting caught with Booker’s missile dropkick. Diamond Dallas Page pinned Randy Savage with the Diamond Cutter in 19:56. Rating: **** Animosity was high between these two and it produced a fantastic match. Savage and DDP went back and forth for nearly 20 minutes before DDP turned an attempted body slam into a Diamond Cutter. After the match however, Savage lowblowed DDP and went back on the attack, eventually taking out his spraypaint and drawing “nWo” on his body. STEEL CAGE MATCH Hollywood Hogan pinned Lex Luger after a small package in 14:42. Rating: -** (Hollywood Hogan retained the WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.)Late in the match, a cameraman got right up against the cage, but the dropped his camera and threw some sort of powder in Luger's eyes. This blinded the challenger, allowing Hogan to come roll him up and retain his title. The cameraman then took a hat and wig off, revealing himself to be Rick Rude. Card rating: ** ½
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 29, 2023 16:52:53 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (April 7, 1997) Syxx comes to the ringSyxx demanded to speak to Eric Bischoff. He demanded a rematch for the Cruiserweight title, saying as former champion, he's entitled to a rematch. While Syxx was in the ring, both Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko came in to confront him for costing each the Cruiserweight battle royal. However, both began arguing about who gets to fight Syxx first, so Syxx was more than happy to let them have their own match. Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero battled to a double disqualification in 14:49. Rating: ** ¾The match was another Guerrero/Malenko classic, until Syxx, Scott Norton, Vincent and Justin Bradshaw ran in and attacked both causing a double DQ. In-ring interview with The OutsidersKevin Nash and Scott Hall got in the ring and they too called out Eric Bischoff. It was pointed out that Bischoff made Hollywood Hogan defend his belt, successfully as they pointed out, or be stripped. They asked if Harlem Heat was going to get the same ultimatum since Stevie Ray is injured. Bischoff told Booker they have a point and he had no choice. Either they defend the belts next week against the Outsiders, or they will be stripped of the titles. Disco Inferno pinned Glacier with the Last Dance in 8:55. Rating: *** ½Disco Inferno came out as usual with his array of dancing girls, but came to the ring arm and arm with Tammy Lynn. He continued his winning streak with an impressive win. Randy Savage pinned La Parka with the Flying Elbowdrop in 6:13. Rating: ** ½Savage took out frustrations on La Parka after the stunt a few weeks back where Diamond Dallas Page dressed as him. After the match Savage kept dropping elbows on La Parka until DDP ran down and attacked Savage. He hit him with several Diamond Cutters, then in a reversal of tradition, spraypainted WCW on his body. The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) and Shark defeated Villano V, Silver King and Lizmark Jr. when Thrasher made Lizmark Jr. submit to a full nelson in 9:14. Rating: *** 3/4The Headbangers and Shark were pleased with how their alliance worked out at Spring Stampede and decided to keep it going. They scored another win over three Luchadores tonight. Interview with Johnny B. BaddJohnny B Badd gave an interview wearing a neckbrace after Jeff Jarrett's guitar shot last night. Badd said it was cheap and Jarrett knows Badd is a better man. This brought out Jarrett who didn't let the neckbrace stop him from attacking Badd. He put him in the Figure Four until security came to pull him off. Carl Ouellet pinned Hugh Morrus with the Cannonball in 6:30. Rating: ** 1/2After his win, Ouellet proclaimed himself the toughest man in WCW. Coming out to counter him was Chris Kanyon. Kanyon said maybe in Canada he could pass for a tough guy, but in New Jersey he’d just be a wimpy runt. Ouellet was outraged and challenged Kanyon to a match next week. Scott Steiner defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin by disqualification in 15:49. Rating: *** 1/4 (Scott Steiner retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Rick Steiner ran in and interrupted the match, attacking his brother with a steel chair. Card rating: ** 1/4 -------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (April 14, 1997) Juventud Guerrera, Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero defeated Justin Bradshaw, Syxx and Scott Norton when E. Guerrero defeated Syxx by disqualification in 7:44. Rating: * 1/2In maybe the most unlikeliest of 6 man teams, rivals Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko teamed up with Cruiserweight champion Juventud Guerrera to fight the nWo group that attacked all three last week. There was some tense times between Guerrero and Malenko but once Vincent attacked Juventud with a chair causing a DQ, the group banded together to fight the nWo. Carl Ouellet pinned Chris Kanyon with the Cannonball in 11:06. Rating: ** 1/4Kanyon was able to get a bit more offense in than in their last encounter, but still was no match for Ouellet. After the match however, Ouellet kept assaulting Kanyon after the match until none other than Bam Bam Bigelow showed up to save Kanyon and fight off Ouellet. Konnan made The Barbarian submit to the Tequila Sunrise in 16:03. Rating: ** 1/4 (Konnan retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)
Konnan had another successful TV title defense then talked to Gene Okerlund after the match, Konnan pointed out he's running through everyone, so who's next? At that point the Disco Inferno's music began playing and Disco came dancing out arm and arm with Tammy. Disco made his case for a match, and pointed to Tammy saying with this lovely lady by his side, he can't lose. Konnan warned him that people that face him end up not being able to walk let alone dance. Konnan then tried a cheap shot, but Disco ducked it then hit Konnan with his swinging neckbreaker on the floor. David Taylor and Lord Steven Regal defeated The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) when Regal pinned Thrasher after a sunset flip in 5:52. Rating: ** ¼Regal got the win for his team when he hit a sunset flip but grabbed the ropes for leverage that the ref couldn't see. The Headbangers, who had Shark with them at ringside, protested to the ref after the match but Regal told them to take their loss like men, though it maybe tough to do that while they're wearing skirts. This caused Shark to rush and knock Regal down with a vicious clothesline before David Taylor pulled him to safety. Jeff Jarrett defeated Mr. J.L. when Mr. J.L. passed out in a figure-four leglock in 10:10. Rating: **Jeff Jarrett won his match with the Figure Four, the same hold he put on Johnny B. Badd last week on the floor. He eventually let go then grabbed a mic and said if Johnny B. Badd wants to hobble down to the ring at anytime, he'll be waiting. The Outsiders come to the ringThe Outsiders along with Rick Rude came to the ring demanding Harlem Heat turn their World title belts over to them since Stevie Ray is hurt and not able to compete. Booker T came to the ring with Eric Bischoff who said The Outsiders were right. Since Stevie Ray can't wrestle, Harlem Heat is officially stripped of the belts, but Bischoff said "he'd be damned if they think he's going to hand these belts right over to them." Instead, there will be a match for the vacant titles. Booker T has found a partner to face Hall and Nash for the vacant titles. In a surprise, Booker T brought out as his partner ... MENG!!! Match for the vacant WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES: Booker T and Meng defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) when Booker pinned Hall with the missile dropkick in 20:22. Rating: * 3/4 (Booker T and Meng won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)The pair of Booker T and Meng, as unusual as it would seem, worked very well together and Booker T caught Hall with his missle dropkick to win the World Tag Titles. Card rating: ** --------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (April 21, 1997) Juventud Guerrera pinned Lizmark Jr. with the Dragon Suplex in 8:46. Rating: *** 1/4 (Juventud Guerrera retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Juventud Guerrera stepped out of the drama between Syxx, Guerrero and Malenko to have a successful title defense tonight in a solid opener against Lizmark Jr. Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Van Hammer with the Greetings from Asbury Park in 8:59. Rating: * 3/4After making his return to WCW last week to save Chris Kanyon, Bam Bam Bigelow made in his in-ring return tonight in a dominant win over Van Hammer. After the match, Carl Ouellet walked to ringside and got up on the outside apron. Bam Bam waved him into the ring but instead Ouellet jumped down and walked to the back. Scott Norton and Syxx defeated Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero when Syxx pinned D. Malenko with the Top Rope Legdrop in 8:51. Rating: ** 1/2
Syxx teammed with nWo mate Scott Norton against Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero who just could not work together at all. Their miscommunication and arguing helped lead to the nWo team getting the win. Disco Inferno pinned Konnan with the Last Dance in 14:59. Rating: **** (Disco Inferno won the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)After their confrontation a few weeks ago, Disco got his World TV title chance against Konnan tonight. The match was a pretty great one, Konnan went to work on Disco's leg to set him his Tequilla Sunrise, but it just took one second for Disco to catch Konnan with his Last Dance swinging neckbreaker to get the pin and become the new TV champion! Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Justin Bradshaw with the Stone Cold Stunner in 13:21. Rating: ***Austin picked a win over the nWo’s Bradshaw, put paid the price. Curt Hennig and Scott Norton jumped him after the match and left him laying. Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger defeated The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) when Page pinned Nash after a small package in 0:31:38. Rating: **It's been long argued by the nWo that with their history, Lex Luger and DDP would not be able to work together. But it seems that a common enemy in the nWo has mended fences between the two. They picked up the win, but their respective rivals, Hollywood Hogan and Randy Savage attacked Luger and Page after the match. The rest of the nWo joined in for a typical beatdown. But streaming down from the rafters came Sting, who with his trusty baseball bat cleared house on the nWo. He pointed his bat at Luger, but then dropped it and embraced his old friend. Card rating: ** 3/4
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 29, 2023 16:56:56 GMT -5
MONDAY NITRO (April 28, 1997) Booker T and Meng defeated Lord Steven Regal and David Taylor when Booker pinned D. Taylor with the Axe kick in 11:58. Rating: **** 1/4 (Booker T and Meng retained the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)The new tag team champions again worked really well in a successful title defense against Regal and Taylor. But they were confronted by former champions, The Outsiders, saying the only reason they beat them was their mind games. They agreed to a rematch at Slamboree. 2 Cold Scorpio pinned Bobby Eaton with the Flying Scorpio Splash in 12:53. Rating: *** ¾Scorpio is putting together a nice winning streak since his return to WCW, beating rugged veteran Bobby Eaton is his latest triumph. Juventud Guerrera pinned Syxx with the Dragon Suplex in 15:18. Rating: *** 1/4 (Juventud Guerrera retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Syxx got a return match with Juventud Guerrera for the Cruiserweight title, but couldn’t regain the title. Syxx got distracted by both Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko coming out to observe the match. Juvy took advantage of the distraction and got a clean pin. Jeff Jarrett defeated Johnny B. Badd by countout in 14:52. Rating: **Jarrett has done a fair share of damage to Badd over the past few weeks with both guitar shots and going after his legs. It paid off with a win tonight, when after Jarrett attacked Badd outside the ring and took out his legs, Badd wasn’t able to get back in the ring. But while he was getting his hand raised in victory, Jarrett was blindsided by a returning Marcus Bagwell, who came off the top rope and hit Jarrett with a flipping neckbreaker. Carl Ouellet pinned Hugh Morrus with the Cannonball in 11:34. Rating: ** 1/4Ouellet made a big statement with a dominant win over Hugh Morrus, but then took to the mic after the match to say he hopes Bam Bam Bigelow was watching. Because soon, he’ll suffer the same fate as Morrus. Diamond Dallas Page beat Scott Steiner by disqualification in 12:45. Rating: ** (Scott Steiner retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)Steiner held on to his title, but only cause of the nWo jumped in when it looked like DDP was on the verge of becoming the new champion. Hogan and Savage came down to double team Page, which brought out Luger to his aid. As Scott Steiner was trying to back away down the ramp, he was attacked from behind by his brother, Rick, and the two fought all the way to the back. After Luger caused the nWo to retreat, Hogan and Savage remained. Luger put out a challenge for Hogan and Savage to meet him and DDP at Slamboree in a tag match. Hogan said it would be a pleasure to destroy the two once and for all. Card rating: ** ------------------------------ MONDAY NITRO (May 5, 1997) Prince Iaukea pinned Billy Kidman with the Northern Lights Suplex in 12:37. Rating: *** 1/2Billy Kidman was on a hot streak before being injured in a match against then-Cruiserweight champion Syxx a few weeks back. He made his return tonight in a No. 1 contenders match against his "friend" Prince Iaukea, but after Iaukea won the match cleanly, Kidman went to shake his hand and when he did, kicked Iaukea with a low blow. Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Kanyon defeated Glacier and Wrath when Kanyon pinned Wrath with the Flatliner in 12:43. Rating: ***Bam Bam and Kanyon teamed up and were impressive in a win against old rivals Glacier and Wrath, who at Glacier's urging, decided to team up. During the match, Carl Ouellet came down again to watch, but again left before confronting Bam Bam in the ring. Interview with Marcus BagwellMarcus Bagwell did an interview about his return. He called out Jeff Jarrett for the claims he's been making about killing the Horsemen. He said maybe he can bang them up a little, but the Horsemen spirit will never die. Syxx and Eddie Guerrero battled to a no contest in 10:52. Rating: **** [Dean Malenko interfered against Syxx.]Eddie Guerrero tried to settle his differences with Syxx of the nWo but late in the match, Dean Malenko ran in and started attacking Syxx as well. Then Dean and Eddie started to fight, both still trying to fight Syxx. It took a lot of security to pull the three men apart. The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) and Booker T defeated Scott Norton, Justin Bradshaw and Curt Hennig when Barbarian defeated Norton by disqualification in 8:59. Justin Bradshaw suffered a shoulder injury. He will be out for approximately 2 months Rating: * [Vincent interfered against The Barbarian.]World tag team champions Booker T and Meng joined with Meng's normal tag team partner, The Barbarian for a 6-man match against the nWo and were victorious in their efforts. Stone Cold Steve Austin pinned Scott Hall with the Stone Cold Stunner in 13:56. Rating: ** ½Stone Cold Steve Austin has made it known he wants to tear the nWo up piece by piece. He beat a big gun tonight in Scott Hall but on his way to the back after the match, he was blindsided by Curt Hennig. Lex Luger defeated Randy Savage by disqualification in 14:00. Rating: * 1/2 [The nWo interfered against Lex Luger.]Lex Luger and Randy Savage were in the midst of a good match until several nWo members came down to stand around ringside. They helped Savage get an advantage in the match, but once Luger began making a comeback, the nWo rushed in and attacked Luger. DDP came down to try to make the save but was also a victim of the numbers game. However, making his return was Vader who slowly made his way to the ring as Kevin Nash readied himself with a lead pipe. The WCW members were keeping their distance until Sting came walking to the ring with a handful of baseball bats. He tossed bats to DDP, Luger and Vader then the four rushed the ring. Vader took out Nash with his bat, Sting took out Hall and the rest of the nWo abandoned ship as WCW stood tall in the ring. Card rating: ** 1/4 --------------------------------------- MONDAY NITRO (May 12, 1997) Interview with Hollywood Hogan & Randy SavageHogan and Savage, representing the nWo, opened the show coming to the ring to talk about their upcoming tag team match against Luger and Page. They claimed there was no way Luger and Page will be able to work together after their history. They noted last time Page teamed with Luger, he left Luger laying in a bloody mess at Fall Brawl when he joined the nWo. They even went as far to hint that maybe DDP never left the nWo after all. Luger and Page came out united to dispute what they were saying. They joked that maybe Hogan and Savage were right, and they could never match the level of trust like Hogan and Savage have with each other, two guys who would never let a woman, or a title come between them. Hogan answered that their past is the past and Savage knows that Hollywood is the top in the game, which is why he decided to be his right hand man. This kinda seemed to click something in Savage, who almost took exception to that statement, but they quickly turned things back to Luger and DDP as the war of words went on. Konnan defeated La Parka when La Parka passed out in the Tequila Sunrise in 8:22. Rating: *** ¼Konnan is getting another shot at Disco Inferno’s TV title at Slamboree and tuned up with a win over La Parka. As usual, Konnan refused to let go of his Tequila Sunrise hold until Disco ran down to chase him away. Syxx defeated Dean Malenko by disqualification in 10:58. Rating: * 1/4 [Eddie Guerrero interfered against Syxx.]In basically a reverse of last week’s encounter, Eddie Guerrero ran down to jump Syxx in the middle of his match. Though it happened when Syxx was trying to bring in a chair to hit Dean with, Eddie tackled Syxx and began brawling with him to cause the DQ. Dean didn’t seem to buy that Eddie was trying to help him out and went after Eddie as well. It took security to separate all three men. Lord Steven Regal pinned Shark after an elbowdrop in 11:35. Rating: ** 1/2Regal got the win over the big man thanks to a pair of brass knuckles he used while the referee wasn’t looking. David Taylor came in to stomp away at Shark after the match, but Shark’s buddies, the Headbangers, ran down to fight off Regal and Taylor Shark got on the mic and challenged Regal and David Taylor to get a partner and meet the 6 of them at Slamboree. Interview with Billy Kidman
Billy Kidman talked about his return and taking what Gene Okerlund called a cheap shot last week. Kidman said there's a number of guys just like him that have been busting their butts on Saturday Night and World Wide and the sydnicated shows, but don't get the Nitro time. But here comes this kid from the islands who automatically gets thrown in primetime. So he had to do something to make sure justice was served. Okerlund asked if that meant he's the one that attacked him before his debut a few months ago and Kidman said absolutely. He's tired of letting others get the glory, he wants it for himself. Scott Hall pinned Meng with the Outsider Edge in 13:14. Rating: -1/4*Ahead of Sunday’s tag team title match between the Outsiders and champs Booker T and Meng, Hall went one on one with Meng and stole a win. Booker kept Nash from interfering in the match, but Rick Rude laid out Meng with a title belt, leaving him easy pickings for Hall. Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Curt Hennig by disqualification in 2:21. Rating: ** [Scott Steiner interfered against Stone Cold Steve Austin.]Steve Austin was supposed to get a 1 on 1 match with Curt Hennig after last week, but it didn't take long for Scott Steiner to blindside Austin. Steiner and Hennig stomped away on Austin and Steiner put him in the Steiner recliner before Rick Steiner ran down to chase the nWo members off. Big Van Vader defeated Kevin Nash by disqualification in 10:17. Rating: 1/4*A long awaited showdown between the two big men of the nWo and WCW finally took place but never reached its conclusion. Hall, Hogan and Savage all raced to the ring to jump Vader, which brought out Luger and DDP. Booker T & Meng soon joined and before too long, The entire nWo was on the scene only to be met by the WCW faithful such as Steve Austin, Rick Steiner and others. The camera faded out while the brawl was still going on. Card rating: *
|
|
|
Post by cardsflyinhigh on Jun 29, 2023 16:58:25 GMT -5
SLAMBOREE '97 (May 18, 1997) Triangle Match: Dean Malenko defeated Eddie Guerrero and Syxx when D. Malenko pinned Syxx in 16:40. Rating: ****Slamboree opened with a fantastic three-way Cruiserweight match. It looked like Eddie Guerrero would get the win after hitting Syxx with his frog splash, but Malenko came from behind, grabbed Guerrero and threw him out of the ring, then went for the pin on Syxx. However, Syxx kicked out, but as Guerrero tried to get back in the ring, Malenko rammed Syxx into Guerrero, then rolled him up for the pin. The Headbangers (Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher) and Headbanger Shark defeated Bobby Eaton, David Taylor and Lord Steven Regal when Thrasher pinned D. Taylor in 14:06. Rating: * 1/2Shark came out to join the Headbangers and went all in with his new partners, dressing just like them and taking on the moniker of Headbanger Shark. The group was a well-oiled machine, compared to Regal’s group of Bobby Eaton and David Taylor, who never seemed to be on the same page. Juventud Guerrera pinned Prince Iaukea after a springboard spinning leg lariat in 14:41. Rating: *** 1/4 (Juventud Guerrera retained the WCW WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE.)Juvy retained his Cruiserweight title with a strong win over Prince Iaukea. Billy Kidman came down to interfere in the match to try to take cheap shots at Iaukea, even though Juvy shooed him away. Disco Inferno pinned Konnan with the Last Dance in 13:00. Rating: *** 1/4 (Disco Inferno retained the WCW TELEVISION TITLE.)Konnan was vicious in going after Disco’s knee to try to set up his Tequila Sunrise hold, but Disco refused to quit. He battled back, fought through the pain and eventually hit his swinging neckbreaker for the pin. After the match, Disco and Tammy celebrated with a dance party in the middle of the ring. Jeff Jarrett pinned Marcus Bagwell with the Stroke in 10:46. Rating: * ¾Jarrett overcame the passionate fight from Bagwell to pick up the win. But that wasn’t good enough. He went after Bagwell’s leg after the match and tried to set him up for the Figure Four, but his attempts were interrupted by a returning Ric Flair who ran down to save Bagwell and chase Jarrett off. Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Carl Ouellet with the Greetings from Asbury Park in 8:53. Rating: ** 1/4In a battle of the big men, Bam Bam proved on this night he was a tough as advertised, getting Ouellet up for his Greetings from Asbury Park move, although Bam Bam’s buddy Chris Kanyon was at ringside to provide a helping hand when needed. Scott Steiner made Rick Steiner submit to the Steiner Recliner in 17:17. Rating: **** (Scott Steiner retained the WCW UNITED STATES TITLE.)In a highly emotional battle, Scott Steiner retained his US title over his brother Rick. As has been the case in this rivalry, Rick Steiner always seemed apprehensive about hitting big damaging moves on his brother, while Scott was more than happy to get violent and do what was needed to get the win. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) defeated Booker T and Meng when Hall pinned Meng with the Outsider Edge in 16:09. Rating: * 1/2 (The Outsiders won the WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES.)The Outsiders have been saying without the element of surprise, there was no way the makeshift team of Booker & Meng could beat them for the titles. Though they were proven right, it did look for a while like Booker and Meng would triumph again. Meng’s normal partner, The Barbarian, also helped neutralize Rick Rude’s involvement in the match. However, when things broke down and chaos took over, Nash was able to sneak in a Belt shot on Meng, that while didn’t take him down, it did send him stumbling toward Scott Hall who hit the Outsider Edge and won the match and the titles for the nWo team. Lex Luger and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Hollywood Hogan and Randy Savage when Page pinned Savage after a Diamond Cutter in 19:15. Rating: ** 1/2In the lead up to the match, Hogan and Savage have insinuated that Luger and DDP wouldn’t be able to work together due to their history, but in reality, it seems old issues might’ve crept up between the nWo team as they were seen arguing on several occasions. It never got to the point where things blew up, and in fact, Savage did save Hogan late in the match, hitting Luger while he was getting Hogan in the torture rack, but he turned right around into a Diamond Cutter. After the match though, the entire nWo ran in and assaulted Page and Luger. Their mass numbers held off WCW reinforcements who tried to come in 1 by 1. That is until Stone Cold Steve Austin’s music hit and he ran in and began cleaning house. He took out several nWo members with Stunners, but the numbers caught up with him as well as Hogan came from behind and knocked him out with a shot with the title belt. Austin fell to the outside floor unconscious as the nWo looked to continue to attack. But from the rafters, Sting came down. He stood over Austin, protecting him with his bat. A few nWo members tried to make a run at him, but Sting knocked them down with the bat. Eventually, he clipped Austin’s unconscious body to another cord and Sting and Austin then shot up disappearing back into the rafters. By this point, WCW’s team regrouped and began to take out the nWo as the show came to a close. Card rating: ** 1/2
|
|
|
Post by LillaThrilla on Jul 1, 2023 19:17:41 GMT -5
I've read some of this in the past and decided I really should read it all. Up through the end of Page 2 so far.
Great payoff for The Black Scorpion, and one that made sense. Nice to see Rick Rude as World Champion, even briefly. Pairing him with Woman is a good touch. Crazy Flair because of the looming arrival of Hogan is a great idea.
|
|
|
Post by LillaThrilla on Jul 13, 2023 22:22:11 GMT -5
Finally caught up now. First off, this is a really solidly-booked circuit that captures the feel of 1990s WCW. It's also really good alternate history vibe: a mix of things that still happen the same, things that happen completely differently, things that happened similiar to OTL but with different people in certain roles, and things happening differently but still ending up the same. A few things I disliked or just considered odd (besides the match results editing sometimes feeling erratic; it probably only bugs the editor in me): - Ricky Steamboat still around in 1996
- Jerry Lynn winning the Cruiserweight Title while still being Mr. JL
- I'm surprised Johnny B. Badd is still using that name. After his heel turn I expected he would become Marc Mero.
- Davey Boy Smith feels out of place to me as a Horseman (but so did Sting, Luger, and Sid)
- Hardy Boys winning matches in 1997
- The Boss and The Shark hanging around for so long and under those names
But there are a lot of high points: - Marcus Alexander Bagwell fit really well to me as a Horseman
- Disco as long-running comic relief with the as-yet-unnamed Nitro Girls has been fun
- Vader sticking around has been interesting
- I liked seeing Not-The-New-Blackjacks and The International Males teams
- WCW's reaction to the nWo is much better here than in OTL, with them having a lot of infighting to help justify the nWo's dominance but also scoring some wins so they don't look like chumps.
- I was amused the Sting angle played out very similarly, but not the same. His real injury was perfect timing for the nWo angle, both further justifying his non-wrestling role and making him a great red herring for Bash at the Beach.
- DDP fit the Giant's role perfectly and was set up nicely
- Rude's role with the nWo, especially given his larger earlier role in WCW in this circuit, is great.
- Austin getting turned into Stone Cold as a result of Flair shaving his head was *chef's kiss* and, deliberate or not, he also proved a red herring for the nWo angle (I thought he might end up in the Sting role, albeit without facepaint or hanging out in the rafters)
Bravo!
|
|