Henderson Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 Week 2, July 1996 Attendance: 15,779 - Nitro kicks off full of excitement this week as WCW inches ever closer to what could be the biggest PPV of all time for WCW - Bash at the Beach! The war between the Outsiders and WCW, Tony tells us after welcoming everyone, has been growing increasingly violent since Scott Hall declared war on WCW and things are going to come to a head at the end of this month! A promotional package of the several assaults done by the Outsiders is played, highlighting how their attacks have gotten more and more brutal as the weeks go by. The video culminates to last week's Nitro where the Outsiders attacked not just Sting and Lex Luger once again, but some new targets in the way of Arn Anderson and the World Champion Ric Flair. Tony Schiavone tells everyone that this past weekend on Saturday Night, Eric Bischoff announced that he will confront both Scott Hall and Kevin Nash right here tonight on Nitro. All three announcers speculate what Bischoff will have to say, but all think Bischoff is crazy. That's to come later and right now to kick things off, we go to the ring! - Ricky Steamboat vs Hugh Morrus vs This was actually a pretty good way to kick off Nitro. The crowd were loud and into the matchup and Morrus did a good enough job of keeping up with the Dragon, even getting in his own offense. It wasn't enough to beat the veteran though and Steamboat got the pin at 7:02 after connecting with his flying cross body. Winner: Ricky Steamboat Rating: 70 - The WCW World Heavyweight Champion is backstage, which looks more like a pre-recorded promo. Flair uses this time to talk about Lex Luger, how he's been a pain in the ass for the 4 Horsemen going all the way back to Halloween Havoc 1995 and now his problems with the Outsiders are bleeding through to the Horsemen. Flair says Luger has a $5 million dollar body with a $5 brain and will get put in his place once and for all by Steve Austin. - Rating: 100 Perry Saturn vs Eddie Guerrero vs Another good match presented by WCW between two quick, high-fliers. Saturn wouldn't immediately be thought of as a flier, but he displayed in this match that he can hit quite a few nice aerial moves, hitting missile dropkicks, top rope splashes, and also hit a nice elbow off the top. Both men used their quickness and remained evenly matched. Eddie eventually put the match away at 12:03 with his Frog Splash, but Saturn definitely gave a solid performance. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 76 Mean Gene's guest this week is Dean Malenko. Gene asks Malenko about his recent feud with Diamond Dallas Page. Malenko says that it isn't so much of a feud, as they both have mutual respect for one another. Malenko says that it's a battle of who wants to be the best and who wants to be #1 contender to the TV title. Make no mistake, Malenko says, at Bash at the Beach, he will walk out the #1 contender and not DDP. Rating: 78 Television Title: Earl Robert Eaton vs Scott Steiner (c) vs Another match on Nitro is another solid match presented. Not only is this a title defense, but Mike Tenay tells everyone that this match ties into Steiner's on-going feud with Lord Steven Regal, who lost on purpose in their match at the Great American Bash. While Eaton's no slouch in the ring, Scott Steiner clearly let out some of his aggression he has with Regal out on his stablemate. After Steiner held control for a good while, he ended the match at 11:46 with the Steiner Screwdriver. Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 78 Following the match, Mean Gene continues his work for the night and enters the ring. Scott Steiner is celebrating his victory while Earl Robert makes his exit, feeling the effects from his match. The TV champion meets Mean Gene in the middle of the ring. Mean Gene: Scott Steiner, I must say, after an unexpected turn to a singles career after your brother's horrific injury, you've been doing quite well for yourself. Here lately, you have gotten involved with the Blue Bloods, mainly Lord Steven Regal. He claims that he can beat you for that title whenever he chooses and that he simply didn't choose to win at the Great American Bash. Steiner: Mean Gene, I don't give a crap what that idiot blue blood has to say! The cold hard facts is this; Steve Regal isn't nowhere as good as me and the fact that I am the television champion proves it! So here's what I'm gonna do Gene, I'm gonna keep defending this TV title and I'm gonna keep beating Regal, and at the Bash at the Beach, I'm gonna prove one more time why I'm better than him! Short, sweet, and just the way it needs to be! Rating: 95 Randy Savage vs Wrath vs The string of good matches on Nitro continues this week and the fans were extremely excited for the in-ring return of the Macho Man. Knowing no fear, Savage took straight to the monster Wrath, who, to his credit, didn't back down from the popular veteran. Savage started early with his rapid fire offense but one giant powerhouse of a move was able to stop Savage in his tracks. Wrath took over for a bit afterwards, wrenching Savage with several power moves but the Macho Man was able to come back, putting the match away at 10:01 with his Big Elbow. Winner: Randy Savage Rating: 80 We're back from a commercial break to the backstage area. The tag team champions Harlem Heat are in the middle of a wild brawl with the Faces of Fear. These two teams will meet once again at Bash at the Beach, if they make it that far. The scene fades out as officials rush in to try and separate the two. Rating: 67 Backstage promo time again as Sting, Lex Luger, and the Macho Man are backstage in Savage's locker room. Sting and Luger congratulate Savage on his successful return to the ring and take a moment to discuss the Outsiders. All three agree that they don't care who the Outsider's partner is, or if they even have one. No partner they could ever get will take the momentum that they have away from them. The Outsiders can beat them down as many times as they want with whatever weapon they want; They've proven that they will get back up and fight. At Bash at the Beach, it'll be a war all right - A war WCW will win! Rating: 95 United States Title: Marcus Bagwell vs Brian Pillman (c) vs Another good match and Marcus Bagwell had a pristine opportunity to showcase his own talent and ability to contend for singles titles. Pillman started off trying to toy with Bagwell but quickly learned that was a mistake. After sending him into the ropes, Bagwell ducked a clothesline attempt. When Pillman turned back around, Bagwell caught him with a beautiful dropkick. Bagwell was able to hold an advantage for a little while but some good old-fashioned cheap shots got Pillman back in control. The Loose Cannon remained there until he hit his Air Pillman at 13:27. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 75 Nitro returns from a short break to Eric Bischoff already standing on the stage set for Nitro. The anticipation is in the air and is so thick it could be cut with a knife. Bischoff looks out to the crowd before proceeding. Bischoff: Ever since we started this run of Monday Nitro back in September 1995, I wanted to make sure that we provided all of you fans, and those fans watching at home, the best professional wrestling action and excitement across the globe! I wanted to provide the best wrestlers, the best environment, and the best money value to attend all of our shows! Well the fact is, ever since this past March, WCW has been at war. You've seen brutal attacks, weapons, gang-style ambushes....Not the best professional wrestling action. While there certainly is the best wrestlers working right here in WCW, all of those other things I previously mentioned overshadow everything all the great talent here have been accomplishing. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were never welcomed in WCW by me. I didn't sanction their appearances and I'm not paying them. I'm not paying them, but apparently Ted Turner himself has provided them with employment and because of that, that makes me their boss. So what I'm requesting........No....What I'm demanding, right now, is for Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to come out here right now because I've got a few things to set straight. - The tension builds even more as Bischoff lowers the mic and waits. After a few moments, nothing happens. Fans begin to stir and Bischoff is visibly uneasy. The announcers can't believe that Bischoff is mustering up the courage, but he does. Finally after what seems like an eternity for Bischoff, fog begins to roll on the stage and the first signs of movement appears at the entrance. - - Scott Hall appears first as he "glides" out onto the stage followed by the towering Kevin Nash. They don't have far to go, as Bischoff is standing on the stage just off the side from the entrance. Both men taunt Bischoff and Hall ruffles Bischoff's hair. Hall and Nash are living it up and all smiles as they taunt him. - Gentlemen.....And I will call you gentlemen, there's been a lot of speculation since your arrival in WCW and some people claim you were sent here by the WWF and are still employed by the WWF....Are you both, in-fact, still employed by the WWF? Hall: No Nash: No Ok, now that's out of the way....I'm going to cut to the chase....I don't like the way you two have been operating around here. You've attacked high value talent, you've used weapons, you've ambushed several people, and you've put some of that high value talent in the hospital. Now since you are actually employees of WCW, my first thought was to simply suspend the both of you, but I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do that because there's three guys who have put their heart and soul into WCW and they want to defend WCW against the two of you at the Bash at the Beach. So wha.. Now hold on just a second, Ken doll...You've said your peace and I've heard just about all I care to hear. First things first, you aren't gonna tell the two of us anything and you're sure as hell not gonna come down on us with any sort of punishment! Another thing you got wrong, is your three little darlings aren't just taking on the two of us....We also got a 3rd man. What's the real sad part is Sting and Luger had to beg the Macho Man to help them....Where's everyone else been? Huh?? Where's the Nature Boy been? Where's the Huckster been? We already ran one guy outta here so fast he's still trying to come up with another name! I've heard an awful lot of talk from you, Scott Hall, but what I haven't heard much is from your friend here...- Turns to Nash - Hey, man, you don't turn your back to me you little.... - And with what seemed like leopard speed, Scott Hall delivered a punch to the stomach of Eric Bischoff. He doubled over in pain and was quickly grabbed by Nash, who spun him around and positioned him for a Powerbomb. The crowd is now making a commotion as Nash pauses to look out to the fans before lifting the WCW President in the air. Nash then drops Bischoff with a powerbomb off the stage where he crashes through a table on onto the floor. Bischoff is out cold as officials and medics rush in. Hall and Nash are quite pleased with themselves and taunt Bischoff as well as the fans before walking off. Nitro has no choice but to fade to a commercial as the camera focuses on an unconscious Eric Bischoff. - Rating: 91 Tag Team Titles: Arn Anderson/Steve Austin vs Harlem Heat (c) vs Nitro returned from a commercial with a different feeling in the air after the prior segment. The announcers were extremely grim and not as upbeat as they had been all night. They couldn't believe the villainous actions of the Outsiders and worry what will happen at Bash at the Beach. Harlem Heat and half of the 4 Horsemen get their match under way but the majority of talk surrounded by Bischoff being powerbombed off the stage. The Horsemen worked well as a team and the earlier brawl with the Faces of Fear might have softened up the tag team champions. It looked like we were about to crown new champions as Double A hit his Spinebuster. Anderson went for the cover and as the referee was counting, Sensuous Sherri got into the ring and raked the back of the Enforcer, resulting in a DQ at 14:40. Winners by DQ: Arn Anderson/Steve Austin Rating: 73 Final Show Rating: 82 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 Week 3, July 1996 LIVE from the Rosemont Horizon - Rosemont, IL Attendance: 15,745 - Nitro opens this week with a quick replay of Eric Bischoff getting powerbombed off the stage from last week's Nitro. The image of an unconscious Bischoff fades out and then goes into the intro video for Monday Nitro. Following the video, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes welcome everyone and Tony tells everyone that Eric Bischoff has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Heenan is concerned that if the Outsiders will attack the president of the company then no one is safe from an attack from the Outsiders, including those sitting at the announce table. With that, The Brain gets up and takes off his headset before walking off, much to the shock of Tony and Dusty. With less than 2 weeks to go until Bash at the Beach, tension is running high on all ends. The arena livens up as Sting and the Macho Man are shown backstage on the screen. Bobby Heenan is seen walking by them when Sting stops him and asks where he's going. The three have a conversation that can't be heard on screen but it's clear that both Sting and Savage are reassuring Heenan. Sting points back toward the arena and is nodding his head, which appears that Sting is telling Bobby that they have his back. After some reluctance, Bobby nods his head and turns, walking back toward the arena. - Sting and Savage, after sending Heenan back out to his color commentary position, are not in a happy mood. Both men are tense and not playing games this week. Sting says that the Outsiders have done their absolute best at making everyone feel uneasy and unsafe, but he, the Macho Man, and Lex Luger are going to put a stop to all of that. He says that Bash of the Beach will be a pivotal moment in WCW in that good will prevail, and evil will meet a nasty ending! Randy Savage says that the Outsiders have done their very best at trying to put the Macho Man out of business and they may have put the president of the company out, but they're never going to get rid of Sting, the Macho Man, or the Total Package. Savage says Bash at the Beach will be a living hell for the Outsiders and pain is coming their way! Rating: 100 The Amazing French Canadians vs Nasty Boys vs The Amazing French Canadians, no, not the Quebecers, take on the Nasty Boys in the opening bout. Mike Tenay tells us that Jacques Rougeau and Carl Oulette have recently signed with WCW and hope to make an impact in the tag team division. Meanwhile, we haven't seen the Nasty Boys in some time and they're hoping to rebound in their fortune. Bobby Heenan had since made his way back to the broadcast booth and said Sting and Savage assured him that they wouldn't allow the Outsiders to get their hands on him. Heenan further stated that everyone is now afraid for their lives and well-being because of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The match itself wasn't very pretty and was a fairly hard-hitting affair. The French Canadians got the win at 8:18 after Oulette hit the Cannonball on Sags. Winners: The Amazing French Canadians Rating: 62 Dave Taylor vs Eddie Guerrero vs The first match of the night didn't impress but this match was another great performance. Taylor had a small burst of offense but it was mostly all Eddie. He got the win at 8:03 with the Frog Splash. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 80 - Backstage in the interview position, Larry Zbyszko is standing by with Television Champion Scott Steiner. Before their interview, a short clip is shown from this weekend's WCW Saturday Night where the Enforcer Arn Anderson challenged Steiner to a title match at Bash at the Beach. - Larry: Scott, as you're finding out just like I did, when you're TV champion, there's no shortage of challengers every time you turn around. This weekend on Saturday Night, as we just saw, Arn Anderson challenged you for Bash at the Beach. You've had your battles with Lord Steven Regal and now you have Arn Anderson gunning for you, and many people, when they think of the Television title, think of the Enforcer. Steiner: Larry, never in my life have I backed down from a challenge and any time I've been a champion in my career, I've never been afraid of defending it! Whether that was with my brother as tag team champions, or in my singles career. Well this time is no different and I have no problem at all with being a fighting champion. Now it's true that Arn Anderson made this title recognizable and one of the most coveted belts in all of wrestling, but this is a new era for the title and Arn Anderson had his time. Now it's my time to bring this title to the next level. But Anderson, if you want a shot at me and my title at Bash at the Beach, you're on! Rating: 83 Nitro switches into another interview as Mean Gene Okerlund is standing by with Diamond Dallas Page and with him is the Diamond Doll. DDP hypes up his match at Bash at the Beach against Dean Malenko. After a few moments of hype, DDP challenges US Champion Brian Pillman to a title match next week on Nitro so he can go into Bash at the Beach as champion. Rating: 78 Ricky Steamboat vs Booker T vs Both men began this match with a handshake and continued to give clean breaks in the corners. Now is the part where you'd expect to hear about someone using a sneaky dirty move, but that wasn't the case. Both kept it clean and competitive for this match, though it was definitely lackluster for some reason or another. Booker T got the win at 9:58 after a Missile Dropkick. Winner: Booker T Rating: 65 - Mean Gene is in the ring this time after a short commercial break and ready to introduce his guests - Gene: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 4 Horsemen!!! There sure is a lot of gold here, Nature Boy, but I can't help to notice that there aren't 4 Horsemen here. Flair: Oh MEANNNNNNNN BY GOD Gene. It's good to be here tonight at the Rosemont Horizon and let me just say that Steve Austin is off conducting Horsemen business that needs to be done! As for the three of us, well, it's Monday night and there isn't gonna be a party anywhere without the world's champion! You got that pal?! Now am I a confused man, or do I see things just falling apart around here?!? We've got a couple of gangsters running around attacking people all the time, we've got company president's getting powerbombed, and we've got the most prestigious group in wrestling's history getting over looked! I mean, I'm the world's heavyweight champion! Next to me is the United States champion! And on the other side there is one of the most decorated athletes in wrestling history in the Enforcer! The Horsemen are on the verge of gaining every title WCW has to offer! We should be the talk and the focus heading into Bash at the Beach.....But who's getting all the sunlight around here?!? I'll tell ya, it's Sting, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger! Now as it stands, I have no opponent for Bash at the Beach, so it looks like I'm going to be a spectator in some matches, if you know what I mean...... Gene: I'm afraid I do, because your friends here do have matches...Arn Anderson, you challenged TV Champion Scott Steiner to a title match at Bash at the Beach and we heard him accept that challenge earlier tonight. Double A: Scott Steiner, you're a fine athlete and a fine champion. Only problem is, my friend, you've got a title that I made a hot commodity! Now it's no secret that the 4 Horsemen want to obtain every title in WCW, so Steiner, you're next on the list. It's not personal, Scott Steiner, it's just business. So when I beat you at Bash at the Beach for that title, I don't want to hear any excuses. Gene: Focused as always. Brian Pillman, you also heard a challenge earlier tonight for your US title. Diamond Dallas Page challenged you to a match right here next week. Pillman: Hahahaa.....Oh Gene, I just can't help but be amused at Dallas Page. Let the challenges come, I say, because Page, on your best day, you couldn't beat me at my worst! There's an old quote that says; Desperation is a stinky cologne, so Page, I wouldn't be quite so desperate to get your hands on a title. It certainly won't be my title. You want a match next week?? You're on! Gene: There you have it! The Horsemen are never short of confidence! Tony, Bobby, Dusty, back to you! Rating: 100 Lex Luger vs Earl Robert Eaton vs For two weeks straight, Eaton has been part of some stellar matches, though one can't be sure if it has more to do with his skill, or with who his opponents have been. Eaton had control for a short time in the match, but it was mostly all Luger who solidly had the crowd behind him. Luger got the submission at 10:11 with a Torture Rack. Winner: Lex Luger Rating: 82 Mike Barton/Perry Saturn vs Scott Norton/Wrath vs This match definitely saw some odd pairings but Barton has good chemistry fighting Wrath and Saturn has good chemistry fighting Scott Norton. This mostly average match saw plenty of power moves by the big men, but Saturn also showed that he has impressive strength also. Wrath got the win at 7:53 after hitting the Meltdown on Barton. Winners: Scott Norton/Wrath Rating: 58 Gene is backstage for another interview, this time with Kevin Sullivan. There's nothing too much of importance here, just mainly to remind people that he's still around and the Dungeon of Doom is still a thing. Sullivan talks some about fellow Doommate's matches for Bash at the Beach and Sullivan concludes by saying he wants his own match at the Bash, and the opponent doesn't matter to him. Rating: 72 The tag team champions are backstage talking about their titles as well as Booker T's win earlier against Ricky Steamboat. They're in the middle of talking when ---- The Outsiders make their presence known this week with another blindside attack, this time on the tag champions. Both men are floored in an instant and Hall and Nash, armed with baseball bats, continue the assault. Multiple shots are given to both Booker T and Stevie Ray before a flood of officials rush in, this time with police officers flanking them. Both Hall and Nash, as always, look extremely pleased with their work as the scene fades out with Heenan screaming who will stop these two men?! Rating: 72 Randy Savage vs Arn Anderson vs The fans were thoroughly hyped up for the main event as both started off mouthing words to each other. When the bell rang, much like last week, Savage lit off like a bolt of lightning, coincidental to his ring attire. The match continued to be a back and forth event, with both men telling a fantastic story throughout, of them being evenly matched and evenly skilled. Neither man lacked in the methodology and every move they performed served a purpose. It was refreshing to see, despite all of the turmoil these two have found themselves in lately, that there was no interference. Savage got the win at 17:31 after hitting the Big Elbow. Winner: Randy Savage Rating: 82 Following the match, Sting and Lex Luger make their way down to celebrate in the ring with Savage. Sting gets a microphone and says that once again the Outsiders are cowards who have to stoop down to blindside attacks, like the recent example with Harlem Heat. Sting says he's not always liked Harlem Heat, but in the last several months, they've proven to be tough guys who deserve much better than what the Outsiders gave them. Sting, Luger, and Savage all are giving the Outsiders, and whoever their secret partner might be, an excellent opportunity to show what they really have between their legs, and come out for a fair fight. The crowd loves the idea of a full-out fight tonight on Nitro and the 3 men await a response in the ring. Several minutes goes by with no response, which causes the crowd to start to grumble. Finally, some activity begins on the stage set. Hall and Nash make their way out onto the stage, all smiles and all laughs. They don't have anyone else come out with them and they don't make it any further than the top of the stage. Hall wiggles his fingers at the men in the ring and Nash just waives them off like it isn't worth his time. Nash says "It's not in my contract til Bash at the Beach!" and Hall just shrugs his shoulders before the two men look at each other and then turn and go back through the entrance. The crowd boo's loudly as trash begins to get thrown in the ring. Sting, Savage, and Luger all have a look of annoyance and disappointment on their face as Nitro fades to a close. Rating: 100 Final Show Rating: 88 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 Hello everyone, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund and welcome to the WCW Hotline Report! We are now one week away from Bash at the Beach, the most anticipated WCW Pay Per View to date! I'll have more on that later. The WWF held their "In Your House" PPV event for the month of July. Paul Wight, formerly The Giant in WCW, made his in-ring debut for the company, now known as the Big Show. He teamed with the Undertaker in a losing effort against The Ultimate Warrior and Tatanka. The 123 Kid defeated Road Warriors Hawk and Animal to retain the Intercontinental title. I have no clue why the WWF does not team the Road Warriors...... Bret Hart defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in a cage match, Shawn Michaels defeated Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog defeated Psycho Sid in the main event to retain the WWF title. Nothing much else of note occurred on the program and is reported to have been an "ok" show. Extreme Championship Wrestling, or ECW, have recently increased in size, as they've expanded out into new markets. Insiders in the business now project ECW to be a "medium" sized company. This is coming off of their "ECW Heatwave" event for the month of July. Smoky Mountain Wrestling has also increased in size, appearing to be a "medium" size company as well. Their change in status has also changed their dealings with other companies. SMW has ended their agreement with accepting developmental workers with the WWF. This in turn has caused the WWF to take a "hostile" attitude toward SMW. Upon hearing the news, Eric Bischoff reached out to SMW and the two companies have now developed a "friendly" attitude toward one another. As for contract situations around the wrestling world; In somewhat huge news, WWF star Shawn Michaels has extended his WWF contract, but not without some large degree of difficulty. It is rumored to be for 3 years at $347,900 per month. I do have it on good authority that WCW did indeed reach out to Shawn Michaels and a contract was offered and accepted. It wasn't until it was time to sign the contract that WCW reportedly backed out of the deal. Apparently, WCW had only offered the contract in order to bump up the asking price from the WWF and never actually thought Michaels would take the offer. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that whenever Vince McMahon learns that Shawn Michaels was planning on leaving the WWF, he'll be none too pleased. I've also been told that he will receive a massive 55% cut of merchandise, per his contract. In news that will disappoint many, the contract of The Bootyman has expired and will not be renewed. I'm told that as of now, he is expected to sign a deal with SMW. Needless to say, the Bootyman will NOT be the 3rd man at Bash at the Beach. Lance Storm and Dean Malenko have both extended their contracts with WCW. Paul Roma has signed a contract with WCW, though it is not an exclusive written deal. I'm told it is a "handshake" deal for about 6 months. Officials want to try Roma out in a few roles and see how he does first before a longer commitment. Several matches have been confirmed for Bash at the Beach and we thought we had a TV title defense by Scott Steiner straightened out. This past Monday Nitro, Steiner accepted a challenge that was made by Arn Anderson. Well this weekend on Saturday Night, Lord Steven Regal took exception to that challenge, stating the Enforcer can't jump ahead in line for a shot at the TV title. Regal challenged the Enforcer to a match on this week's Nitro to determine who will face Scott Steiner at Bash at the Beach. It has since been signed and made official. Also on Saturday Night this weekend, Ric Flair claimed that if anyone should be standing up to the Outsiders, it should be him and the 4 Horsemen, seeing that he is the World Heavyweight champion. Later in the night, Steve Austin confronted Lex Luger, who was preoccupied with the Outsiders. This only infuriated Austin more and eventually attacked Luger, resulting in a brawl. There was a scary moment on Saturday Night when the Face of Fear cornered Sensuous Sherri. Harlem Heat were eventually able to run the pair off. Things don't appear to be cooling down between the two teams anytime soon. A new feud also seems to be forming between Scott Norton and Mike Barton as the two had a huge fight on Saturday Night. In an interview, Dean Malenko also cheered on Diamond Dallas Page ahead of his US title opportunity this week on Nitro. I don't think it's completely in good faith though, as Malenko see's it as an opportunity to win the title at Bash at the Beach. Some were surprised to see Ricky Steamboat take on Booker T last week on Nitro. Steamboat apparently offered to take on Booker T which was quickly accepted by officials. We may see the two compete again in the future. Here is the lineup for this week's Nitro! It's the final show before Bash at the Beach!!! Arn Anderson vs Lord Steven Regal Jacques Rougeau vs Eddie Guerrero Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin American Males vs Big Bubba & Hugh Morrus Dean Malenko vs Scott Armstrong United States Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted March 18, 2023 Share Posted March 18, 2023 Arn Anderson Eddie Guerrero Steve Austin American Males Dean Malenko Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 My picks: Brian Pillman, Dean Malenko, The American Males, Steve Austin, Eddie Guerrero, and Arn Anderson... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Arn Anderson vs Lord Steven Regal Jacques Rougeau vs Eddie Guerrero (draw) Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin American Males vs Big Bubba & Hugh Morrus Dean Malenko vs Scott Armstrong United States Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kremmen Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Arn Anderson vs Lord Steven Regal* Jacques Rougeau vs Eddie Guerrero* Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin* *American Males vs Big Bubba & Hugh Morrus *Dean Malenko vs Scott Armstrong United States Title: *Diamond Dallas Page vs Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levinux Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Arn Anderson Eddie Guerrero Steve Austin American Males Dean Malenko Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Arn Anderson vs Lord Steven Regal Jacques Rougeau vs Eddie Guerrero Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin American Males vs Big Bubba & Hugh Morrus Dean Malenko vs Scott Armstrong United States Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 Week 4, July 1996 LIVE from the Orlando Arena - Orlando, FL Attendance: 15,543 - Nitro kicks off this week with a larger than normal amount of excitement and buzz in the air. Fireworks explode in the arena and the camera pans throughout the building, showing crazed fans excited for this week's show. Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Dusty Rhodes welcome us to tuning in as Tony tells us we are now less than one week way from the biggest WCW Pay Per View event in history! Team WCW will go head to head finally against the Outsiders. Speculation still runs rampant as to who their third partner will be, if they even have a third partner. There's a large degree of wonder here tonight if the third man will be revealed tonight on Nitro! Just as Tony's mentioning this, he presses his hand to his headset as he's being told something. Tony says there's activity going on backstage and they're getting camera's there now! - The Outsiders are backstage along with a limousine. The door is open and both Hall and Nash are bent over, talking to someone inside, though cameras can't catch who. The announcers go crazy, indicating it has to be the third man inside. Both Hall and Nash appear extremely confident and smile as they close the door. Both men share a laugh as they head in toward the arena. The announcers wonder if the third man will make an appearance tonight! Rating: 73 United States Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs Brian Pillman (c) vs Both men were given quite a long time in the ring for this opening bout, which also had the crowd into everything they were doing. DDP is looking to go into Bash at the Beach full of momentum, and with a title, as he face's Dean Malenko. The Horsemen, as it stands currently, looks to be largely absent from the show unless the Enforcer is able to win later tonight. This despite the group having 75% of the singles titles in WCW. It was a grueling match for both men who took the other to the limit. In the end, Pillman was just far better in the ring and was able to put DDP away at 20:20 with the Air Pillman. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 77 Dean Malenko vs Scott Armstrong vs Even though Scott Armstrong was not a huge threat to the man with 1,000 holds, it actually didn't turn out to be a bad match. As if there were any doubt though, Malenko put this away at 8:04 with the Texas Cloverleaf. Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 71 The world heavyweight champion is backstage, dressed only as he can dress from head to toe. The crowd give a cheerful approval of the world champion as he's all smiles and in a good mood tonight for Nitro. The mood suddenly changes and the smile fades as someone has his attention.... The cheers turn even louder as Sting walks into the picture. Flair takes a second to size up the Stinger before Sting starts talking. Sting: So I heard what you had to say over the weekend on Saturday Night.....Sorry Ric, but I missed the part where the Horsemen and Ric Flair get dibs on who sticks up for WCW, I wasn't aware you signed up to take on Scott Hall and Kevin Nash... Ric: Ohhhh...You've got a lotta nerve, big man, to come up and approach me, the World's champion! Perhaps if you didn't like what I had to say on Saturday Night, you want to do something about it in the ring! Relax, Ric. I'm not here to fight you. We've had plenty of battles over the years to last us both a lifetime and then some!! The fact of the matter is, where have you been for the last several months?!? I've been out there confronting Hall and Nash! I've been sticking up for WCW! I've been the one making the challenges! You were free to do any of that if you wanted, but you didn't! Now, less than a week away from a match, YOU want to claim that it's yours and the Horsemen??? Ric, you've known me long enough, I don't take a step back to anyone! If you want the Outsiders, then stand up and fight!!!!! I'm not stopping you. Stinger, I've got more responsibilities in one week than you have in one year, pal! The Outsiders didn't both me any until they wanted to get involved in Horsemen business! Now there's more than just you and your friends in the picture, so you've got two choices...You can either get in line, or get run over! WWWOOOOOOOO! Rating: 91 American Males vs Big Bubba & Hugh Morrus vs The crowd get on their feet when the greatest theme in wrestling plays - American Males - The Males proved that they are still a formidable team in WCW as they continued to work well together and utilized plenty of double team moves. Bagwell put the match away at 9:38 after hitting his Yellow Jacket Suplex on Hugh Morrus. Bagwell stood out as the performer of the match. Winners: American Males Rating: 65 Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin vs This was an unexpected match between the two, who last met at Slamboree. This match didn't end up being a classic like several of their prior ones, but it was still good. Austin went into this match full of piss and vinegar, as he's still looking to settle the score with Lex Luger. It just infuriates Austin even more that he seems to be getting "brushed aside" by Luger in favor of the Outsiders. Austin finished this match in convincing style at 9:46 with a Stunner. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 77 - Mean Gene is backstage with this week's interview. He's standing by with the Enforcer, Arn Anderson. Anderson says that in tonight's main event, he's going to give Steven Regal a free lesson in a wrestling match, and what it takes to be a champion. Arn says the TV title is synonymous with his name for a reason, and tonight he finds out. - Rating: 91 Jacques Rougeau vs Eddie Guerrero vs This was a short but good match. Nothing too elaborate, either. Eddie took the match in 7:39 with a Frog Splash. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 75 Harlem Heat are backstage for a (pre) recorded promo. They tell the Faces of Fear that they went too far this weekend on Saturday Night, where they cornered Sensuous Sherri. They plan on making them pay at Bash at the Beach, Harlem style. Rating: 76 Arn Anderson vs Lord Steven Regal vs This anticipated match saw two men who were equally as focused. Steven Regal wants to get the TV title back on "his" terms from Scott Steiner while Arn Anderson and the Horsemen are on a quest to obtain every title in WCW. It just so happens, the Enforcer has a storied history with the TV title. The crowd got to a point that they didn't know who to cheer for and who to boo, as both men went through a back and forth tirade of cheating and dirty moves. Since they didn't know who to cheer for, the crowd cheered for every blatant cheap shot after about the 3rd exchange from both. Anderson hit a Spinebuster on Regal, thinking the match was over. Double A took too long for the pin though and Regal kicked out, followed by another cheap shot. With Regal completely confident he now had the match in the bag, he brought Anderson to his feet. Anderson was able to quickly recover and hit a DDT out of nowhere! It took a brief second for Anderson to get the pin, but he won at 13:16 and will now face Scott Steiner at Bash at the Beach for the TV title! Winner: Arn Anderson Rating: 72 - The evening is beginning to wrap up following the main event. Tony, Mike, and Dusty all begin to hype up Bash at the Beach and all of the exciting matches and reveals that are to be expected. Just as fans think the show is going to fade out, A Man Called Sting.... Begins to play in the arena, getting the crowd all on their feet once more. Dusty said that we weren't gonna head into the Bash without hearing from WCW! Sting, followed by Randy Savage and Lex Luger walk out and head straight to the ring. All three men are intensity personified as they climb in and each does their taunts to the crowd. Sting has a microphone and motions for the music to cut. It fades out shortly after and Sting says that the time for talking is over and now it's time for fighting. He says that for weeks now, everyone's heard about this "3rd man." Well Sting, Mach, and the Total Package are all tired of hearing who the Outsiders partner is, and now it's time to SHOW them who their 3rd partner is! All three men motion toward the stage and beg the Outsiders to show up. After a moment, they all get their request granted. The Outsiders walk out and slowly make their way toward the ring. Sting, Macho, and Luger all have their attention on the two as they get to the ring. What started by Hall and Nash as laid back, happy expressions has now turned full intensity as the teams shared words with each other. Just as Hall and Nash get onto the apron, a flood of officials and police hit the ring to get in between the two teams. The crowd are a mix of boo's and loud cheers as the teams fight and claw, trying to get at one another. The scene is pure chaos which begins to get cluttered even more as fans throw trash into the ring. Nitro fades out as each team is fighting desperately to get at the other with Dusty having the final words that Bash at the Beach is going to be an all-out war! Rating: 100 Final Show Rating: 80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 Bash at the Beach Preview! LIVE from the Ocean Center - Pensacola, FL Main Event Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger vs Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & ??? Television Title: Arn Anderson vs Scott Steiner (c) Kevin Sullivan vs Disco Inferno Alex Wright vs John Tenta Tag Team Titles: Faces of Fear vs Harlem Heat (c) Strap Match: Scott Norton vs Mike Barton Dean Malenko vs Diamond Dallas Page Who will be the 3rd man???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) Main Event Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger vs Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & ??? (draw; no contest) Television Title: Arn Anderson vs Scott Steiner (c) Kevin Sullivan vs Disco Inferno Alex Wright vs John Tenta Tag Team Titles: Faces of Fear vs Harlem Heat (c) Strap Match: Scott Norton vs Mike Barton Dean Malenko vs Diamond Dallas Page Who will be the 3rd man???? Knowing history, it'll be Hulk Hogan Edited March 23, 2023 by Old School Fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger vs Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & ??? [No Contest] Scott Steiner (c) Kevin Sullivan Alex Wright Harlem Heat (c) Scott Norton Diamond Dallas Page Who will be the 3rd man???? Hulk Hogan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 My picks: Diamond Dallas Page, Scott Norton, Harlem Heat (c), Alex Wright, Kevin Sullivan, Scott Steiner (c), and Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and ???--with the third man being Hulk Hogan, just like in RL, as it would work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted March 24, 2023 Share Posted March 24, 2023 Main Event Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger vs Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & ??? Television Title: Arn Anderson vs Scott Steiner (c) Kevin Sullivan vs Disco Inferno Alex Wright vs John Tenta Tag Team Titles: Faces of Fear vs Harlem Heat (c) Strap Match: Scott Norton vs Mike Barton Dean Malenko vs Diamond Dallas Page Who will be the 3rd man???? HBK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undertaker27 Posted March 24, 2023 Share Posted March 24, 2023 Main Event Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger vs Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & ??? (draw; no contest) Television Title: Arn Anderson vs Scott Steiner (c) Arn Anderson Kevin Sullivan vs Disco Inferno Kevin Sullivan Alex Wright vs John Tenta John Tenta Tag Team Titles: Faces of Fear vs Harlem Heat (c) Harlem Heat Strap Match: Scott Norton vs Mike Barton Scott Norton Dean Malenko vs Diamond Dallas Page Diamond Dallas Page Who will be the 3rd man???? Knowing history, it'll be Hulk Hogan Shawn Michaels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undertaker27 Posted March 24, 2023 Share Posted March 24, 2023 Main Event Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger vs Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & ??? (draw; no contest) No Contest Television Title: Arn Anderson vs Scott Steiner (c) Arn Anderson Kevin Sullivan vs Disco Inferno Kevin Sullivan Alex Wright vs John Tenta John Tenta Tag Team Titles: Faces of Fear vs Harlem Heat (c) Harlem Heat Strap Match: Scott Norton vs Mike Barton Scott Norton Dean Malenko vs Diamond Dallas Page Diamond Dallas Page Who will be the 3rd man???? Knowing history, it'll be Hulk Hogan Shawn Michaels Quote Sorry For The Double Post I'have missed The Main Event Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share Posted March 25, 2023 Week 4, Sunday July 1996 LIVE from the Ocean Center - Pensacola, FL Attendance: 8,500 (SELLOUT!) - Bash at the Beach has a cold open, rather than beginning with a raucous crowd and pyro, a dramatic opening video plays hyping up who the possible 3rd man is for the Outsiders tonight. Complete confusion and unknowns are the highlight of the video. - Rating: 70 - Following the video, the regular opener proceeds as we get a good look at the crowded and excited arena. Fireworks explode as Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes welcome us to the show. All men are decked out in their tuxedos as they immediately begin speaking about the main event and the 3rd man. They all had their own theories to give and their suspicions. The talk continues before the screen fades out and into the first promo of the night. - The video opens up with the United States champion Brian Pillman. He talks about how he wasn't given a match in tonight's show and how WCW doesn't know what to do with a hidden gem when they have one. Pillman promises that despite not having a match, he will make his presence known and will be solidly cheering on fellow Horseman Arn Anderson in his match tonight. Pillman also threatens that you never know what ripples a butterfly effect creates until well after all the dust has settled. Rating: 100 Dean Malenko vs Diamond Dallas Page vs This feud that's been going on between Malenko and DDP has, up to this point, been a pretty cordial feud. Both men have shown respect for the other as they compete to determine (in their own world) who the #1 contender to the TV title should be. There's been several other feuds and men pushing to their own right to the TV title, but this one is the most prominent. These two men were a perfect way to open up this show. The match began with a handshake and both gave clean breaks. As the match and aggressions progressed, both men started to use more hard-hitting attacks and DDP utilized a few cheap shots. Both men were clearly taking the other to the limit. The end of the match came at 15:20 when Malenko went for a suplex. DDP reversed and looked to hit the Diamond Cutter, only to have Malenko reverse that into a rollup, scoring the surprising pin! Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 79 Strap Match: Scott Norton vs Mike Barton vs This is a feud that has largely been taking place on WCW Saturday Night, so out of the view of the majority of Nitro viewers. Scott Norton made a claim of being the toughest wrestler, not only in WCW, but also quite possibly the entire world. Norton used his many accolades in Japan to back up his claim. Mike Barton arrived in WCW and challenged Norton on that feat. This lead to an agreed strap match between the two. These two men also have claimed to want to go after the TV title, so Scott Steiner or Arn Anderson clearly will have their hands full. This match, while the crowd didn't really pay much attention, was an extremely hard-hitting match and both men used the leather strap to their advantage. Barton was nearly able to hit all 4 ring corners but Norton dragged him back and gave more of a beating. After wrapping the strap around Barton's neck, big Scott dragged him around the ring and hit all corners for the win at 10:29, though both men were definitely beaten and worn by the end of the match. Winner: Scott Norton Rating: 48 We go backstage following the match where Mean Gene Okerlund is standing by. He says that he's outside the Outsider's locker room and has been backstage all afternoon as wrestler's have been arriving. He is yet to see anyone arrive and enter the Outsider's locker room. Mean Gene does mention that he had seen the Outsiders arrive earlier and it was just the two of them. Mean Gene wants to get some answers from the Outsiders as he knocks on the door, with it eventually opening. Both Outsiders appear and both are in an excellent mood and confident as ever. Mean Gene says he wants to know where this supposed 3rd partner is of the Outsiders. Scott Hall laughs and says like he's going to tell Mean Gene who it is. Hall says that Mean Gene is going to have to wait just like everyone else....But Hall says he'll thrown Mean Gene a bone and give him a tip for his hotline; The Outsider's partner IS here right now and he WILL make his appearance, however, right now, and to start the match, both he and Kevin Nash have everything under control.... Rating: 86 Tag Team Titles: Faces of Fear vs Harlem Heat (c) vs These two teams have been battling each other over the tag titles for a long time and for awhile, they were content with just beating each other up and taking each other to the limit. Things abruptly changed just recently though when the Faces of Fear cornered Harlem Heat's manager, Sensuous Sherri backstage. After threatening the well being of their female manager, Harlem Heat have vowed to make the Faces of Fear pay for their mistake. Stevie Ray started the match very viciously attacking the Barbarian. The attack continued for a bit before the Faces of Fear were able to double team Stevie. Soon thereafter, the Faces of Fear took control of the match and wore Stevie Ray down. The crowd firmly got behind Booker T as he stood on the apron, desperate to get the tag from his brother. After overcoming attack from both Meng and the Barbarian, Stevie Ray was able to crawl to his corner after hitting a double clothesline. With a thunderous cheer from the crowd, the tag was made and Booker T entered with a fury. Booker took control by trading attacks between Meng and the Barbarian. Booker rushed the ropes and hit his forearm on both men before grabbing them and bringing them to their feet. Booker smashed both men's heads together as the Barbarian tumbled out of the ring. Booker used the opportunity to hit the Axe Kick on Meng and scored the win at 12:01! Winners: Harlem Heat Rating: 77 Grab your tissues and reach your feet, Alex Wright's bratwurst is dancing on the beach! ~ Oh - Big Bratwurst! ~ Alex Wright vs John Tenta vs Of all of the competition for the TV title tonight, this is yet another one. John Tenta, forever trying to find his way following the Dungeon of Doom, is setting out on his singles run and his path to a championship. Alex Wright is a young newcomer with tons of potential talent, who also very well could be trying to contend for a title in WCW. Wright's no small man but anyone standing next to John Tenta is going to look small. The match did not take long and Tenta was easily able to dispose of the German at 6:43 with a Tenta Splash. Winner: John Tenta Rating: 44 Steve Austin is backstage for a promo, as he's yet another Horseman without a match tonight, and as such is very unpleased. Austin says that while WCW's preoccupied with some Outsiders, he and the Horsemen are going after titles and pure dominance. Austin doesn't care what anyone else is doing in WCW, he only cares about himself and those in the Horsemen. Austin's priorities are right where they should be, and that's claiming the number one spot in the company and taking a backseat to nobody. While Lex Luger's too busy dodging him and worrying about the "well being of WCW," Luger should be worried about his own well being because after tonight, Austin see's Luger's schedule wide open. Austin says one way or another, like it or not, he's got Luger's ass dead to rites at the next pay per view - Road Wild - and that....Is the bottom line. Rating: 95 Kevin Sullivan vs Disco Inferno vs Two dancing heartthrobs in back to back matches is really what this sold out crowd came to see....Forget about any 3rd man. Actually, if the Outsiders were smart, Alex Wright or Disco Inferno would be the mystery 3rd man. There's still some hope. What there isn't any hope for, unfortunately, is the Disco Inferno having any chance in this match. He was more concerned about his dancing, which cost him the match. Sullivan got the pin at 7:38 with his completely uncomfortable looking Double Stomp. Winner: Kevin Sullivan Rating: 61 After a brief promotional break, Bash at the Beach continues on and some royal music begins playing in the arena. Shortly following is Lord Steven Regal walking out to plenty of boos from the crowd. Instead of going to the ring, Lord Regal heads to the broadcast booth where he sits down with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes. Heenan tells Schiavone to make some room for the Lordship as he sits down, completely disgusted with Tony's portion of the broadcast booth, calling it "filthy." The Brain offers his handkerchief for Regal to wipe the seat down prior to sitting. Regal says he has a large interest in the outcome of this next match and will sit in for guest commentary. Rating: 73 Television Title: Arn Anderson vs Scott Steiner (c) vs The crowd were extremely excited for this matchup and Arn Anderson delivered a hell of a performance in this match. Scott Steiner was clearly the stronger and quicker man in the match but the Enforcer gave a great old school lesson on brute force wrestling. Whenever Scott would try to use some fast paced moves, Double A would gain the advantage and slow it down with headlocks and sleepers, draining the energy of the TV champion. Steiner went for the Steiner Screwdriver early, only for Anderson to reverse it into his own suplex. Later in the match, Anderson went for a move off the middle turnbuckle, but Steiner caught his legs, catapulting him into the opposite corner. Both men seemed very evenly matched with the other. This caused Regal to want to take a closer look at the action and he made his way to ringside as both men were down on the canvas. Arn made it to his feet first, though slowly. Seeing Steiner still down on the mat, he turned to bounce off the ropes, only he didn't see Steven Regal right outside. As Anderson went back, Regal pulled down the top rope and causing the Enforcer to violently tumble backward over the ropes and to the floor. The referee wasn't looking at the time, conveniently, and looked confused when he saw Double A down and on the cold floor. The referee began his 10 count which Anderson was never able to recover from. The referee counted to 10 at 13:29 resulting in a count-out victory by Scott Steiner. Regal headed back up the aisle looking very happy in the result. Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 82 Following the match, we go backstage where the World Heavyweight Champion and final Horseman, Ric Flair, is seen tonight. Flair looks intensely focused as Mean Gene asks if he saw the events that just transpired. Flair responds that he saw, but Double A is a man who can take care of himself and any retribution Regal has coming to him will be hell on Earth. With that, Flair says that he isn't here to talk about Regal or Anderson, but Sting. Flair says that last week on Nitro, Sting told him to stand up and fight against the Outsiders if he has a problem with their actions. Flair says he's the World's Heavyweight champion, not Sting's errand boy. Flair will go after whoever he feels like going after because he's the Nature Boy and he's the World Champion, not because some pissant like Sting tells him to! Flair thinks Sting should worry more about looking over his shoulder because throughout his entire career, he's always had people turn on him. Nobody knows who the mystery partner is for the Outsiders, but if Sting's history has anything to do with it, then he'd bet money on it being one of Sting's own partners. Rating: 89 Pre-Match hype promo time. Sting, Lex Luger, and the Macho Man are backstage in their dressing room and all three men are more than ready for their battle tonight. Sting says he heard what Ric Flair just had to say and that tonight isn't about any one individual; War had been declared on WCW and it's the responsibility of everyone here that they stand up for their home. Sting also thinks the World Champion should be the first person to stand up in defense and the fact Flair didn't maybe suggests that he's not the right guy to be carrying that championship around. Luger thinks it's pretty poetic that Flair suggests one of Sting's partners might be the Outsider's mystery partner because if anyone knows anything about turning on your friend, Ric Flair wrote the book on it. Luger says he's Sting's best friend and over the last few months has gotten to know Randy Savage quite well. While they're not best friends, he's come to respect Randy Savage as wrestler and more importantly, a person. Savage is fired up and ready to go. He says the battle plans have been laid out and the guns are cocked. The arena might not be big enough to hold the battle, but here's where the war kicks off! All three men make their way out of the dressing room where they're heading to the ring! Rating: 100 Main Event: Sting, Randy Savage, & Lex Luger vs The Outsiders & ??? vs The match of the night that everyone has been anticipating is finally here. The tension can truly be cut with a knife as Sting, Savage, and Luger all wait for the Outsiders and their mystery man to come out. The Outsiders finally emerge, but they emerge with just the two of them, no other partner is anywhere to be found. Once in the ring, Sting and his partners all look frustrated and demand to know what's going on. Scott Hall assures their man is here, but they can handle it for now and demands the match start. It didn't take much more than that for things to get started. Lex Luger and Scott Hall started things off. Luger utilized his strength early on, shoulder blocking Hall down to the mat. It looked like things were going to get over quickly as Luger had Hall reeling after a few clotheslines followed by his signature forearm. This brought Kevin Nash in illegal as he bashed Luger from behind. This naturally caused things to get out of control as both Sting and Randy Savage jumped in the ring. A huge fight ensued and Nash had Luger tied up in the corner and Savage paired off with Hall. Sting rushed into the corner for a Stinger Splash, but Luger ended up taking the brunt of the move and appeared to strike his head on the uncovered portion of steel on the turnbuckle. Luger collapsed out onto the floor as Nash stumbled back into the ring. Luger was motionless as both Sting and Savage exited to check on him. The referee called for medics from the back who rushed out to tend to Luger. One stated that Luger needed treatment and they brought out the stretcher for the Total Package. As he was stretchered out, the match resumed which was now a 2 vs 2. The Macho Man was in against Scott Hall who ended up taking control before bringing in Nash. Both men worked over the Macho Man, keeping him from tagging in the Stinger. Savage was eventually able to make the big tag, which brought the crowd to life, who deflated a bit after Luger was pulled out. With the crowd roaring, Sting used his speed and attack to get the Outsiders on their heels. After knocking Hall down on his feet and getting Nash rocky with some fists and kicks, Sting rushed the ropes. Sting rebounded but was met with a huge big boot from Nash which floored the Stinger. The Outsiders kept firm control afterwards once again as they isolated Sting from his corner but that didn't stop the Macho Man from engaging the crowd, getting them loud and vocal for the Stinger. Hall had brought Sting down with a side headlock and appeared to be fading out, but the vocal crowd gave Sting enough energy to fight back. With one final blow, he got Hall to release the hold. Sting bounced off the ropes and came back with a big face crusher, causing Sting and Hall to lay on the mat. Hall began making his way to his corner to tag Nash. Sting slowly moved toward his corner. Sting made it to a knee by the time Hall made his tag. Kevin Nash rushed in and again cut off the Stinger. He picked up Sting and delivered his signature sidewalk slam and the motioned it was time to end it. The announcers were playing up the mystery man all match which Heenan stated they don't even need one now as it's two on two. This supports his claim that all along they never had a 3rd man, that it was just mind games to get under their opponents skin, which seemed to work. Nash set up Sting for the powerbomb and just as he went to lift him, Sting was able to reverse it, giving big Nash a backdrop. Sting stumbled on his feet, looking like he was going to fall but at the last minute was able to reach out and tag the Macho Man to a thunderous cheer from the crowd. Savage quickly climbed the turnbuckle and jumped off, hitting Nash with a double axe handle before rushing Hall in the corner. His attack sent Scott Hall flying off the apron and crashing into the outside barrier. Savage spun an arm high in the air out to the crowd, working purely on adrenaline as he grabbed Nash to bring him to his feet. Nash hit a huge double armed low blow on Savage, causing him to double over and crumple to the mat. Fans are suddenly seen getting to their feet and cheering loudly as some activity is going on from the entrance......... The cheers are deafening as Hogan, who hasn't been seen in months, walks out and marches toward the ring.... Tony: IT'S HULK HOGAN!!!!! Dusty: HULK HOGAN IS IN THE BUILDING!!! Tony: You're damn right he is!!! Dusty: GO GET EM HULKSTER!! Bobby: YEAH BUT WHO'S SIDE IS HE ON?!?!?! Dusty: Ge...What are you talkin' about?!?!? Bobby: Who's side is he on?!!? You can't trust anybody!!! - Hulk Hogan gets in the ring which causes Kevin Nash to bail to the outside where he meets Scott Hall. In the ring, Hogan tears off his shirt and has the crowd going crazy. Hogan paces around the ring and looks out to the floor at Hall and Nash as they glare back inside the ring at Hogan. - Tony: Hulk Ho...Hul...HUL....!!!! - In a shock to everyone watching, Hulk Hogan backs to the corner and delivers a leg drop to THE MACHO MAN! This had to be an accident! Hogan quickly gets up on his feet and backs to the ropes and drops another leg drop on Savage! Hogan gets up quickly again before taunting out to Hall and Nash, who are now getting in the ring. Hogan's all smiles and offers his hand up for Nash and Hall to hit high fives. Hall and Nash pull Savage to the center of the ring where Hogan hits another leg drop on the Macho Man. Scott Hall grabs the referee and demands he count the pin as Hogan arrogantly covers Savage. The referee counts the pin and the match officially ends at 21:23 - Winners: Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & Hulk Hogan Rating: 79 Sting, who's already beaten, valiantly tries to come in to Savage's defense but Nash easily shoves him out to the floor. The Outsiders and Hogan celebrate in the ring as the fans begin to throw trash in at them. Mean Gene Okerlund makes his way into the ring with an exasperated look on his face. Mean Gene: Hulk Hogan!?!?! What's the meaning of this!?!? Of all the years I've known you, Hulk Hogan, you should be ashamed of yourself!!!! Hogan: What you can do, Mean Gene, is stand there, shut your mouth, and be my microphone holder! What you've just witnessed, is the beginning of the greatest takeover in the history of professional wrestling, brother! What you can call this right here is the New World Order of professional wrestling! I've seen these two, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, over the last few months come in here from another organization! An organization that nobody knows better than me! They want to make everyone suffer for their past misgivings, and take out all the pathetic pieces of trash! This, this right here, is the future of professional wrestling, brother! Look at all this trash in the ring, Hulk Hogan! This is all trash they're throwing at you to let you know what they think of you!! This trash, Mean Gene, symbolizes all of the fans! This trash symbolizes those two (pointing at Sting & Savage who are exiting), get those two pieces of trash out of my sight!!!! For months, I tried to be there for the Macho Man! What'd he do??! He shoved me off, he blamed me for all of his failures! I was there for him when no one else wanted to be! I was the friend to him that he never was to me! He spent all his time blaming me for everything! Well now, brother, I get just a little bit of payback! I get to do to him what I've always wanted to do, but I was always too hesitant to do it because of all of the fans! Well from now on, brother, the fans can stick it! Randy Savage can stick it! Sting can stick it, and Lex Luger can stick it! From now on, brother, the New World Order of professional wrestling is gonna set the standard! I made what wrestling is today, dude!!! Without Hulk Hogan, there would be no WCW, there would be no WWF, there would be no professional wrestling! So what all you fans can do, what all those wrestlers in the back can do, is bow down to Hulk Hogan and the New World Order because we run the show around here now! We've got the greatest professional wrestler to walk the earth! We've got the new blood of wrestling in Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, and pretty soon, Mean Gene, we're gonna have all the titles! It's just a matter of time before the New World Order takes over the entire landscape of professional wrestling, and tonight, Mean Gene, is just the beginning! So whatcha gonna do, when the New World Order of wrestling runs wild on you?!?!? Rating: 99 Tony: Oh my God, ladies and gentlemen. We're out of time, and Hulk Hogan, You can go to hell...... Final Show Rating: 85 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 I adore this take on the nWo and how it feels more personal between Hogan and Savage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share Posted March 25, 2023 So I wanted to give a little update now that we've reached a pivotal moment in this dynasty. First off, thank you everyone for being a huge part in this and all of your participation! I hope everyone is enjoying it just as much as I'm enjoying delivering it! I will say, I immensely enjoyed writing up Bash at the Beach from the beginning of it all to the very end. This was probably my favorite show to write up so far. For the past week I've been thinking in my head how I wanted to write up the promo where Hogan turned heel and I hope I conveyed that. While I probably missed a ton of thoughts I had and wanted to write, I think I got most of it across. Also, for anyone wondering, Hogan's heel turn was a complete success and his gimmick change to Turncoat was a success. While I had many possibilities to go with the mystery man, I feel if I was going to do any incarnation of the NWO, I can't start it with any other guys. I also wanted to add in parts of real life commentary to make you guys feel the moment. I watched the video clip of that happening just prior to starting the show and it still is an amazing thing to watch every time. This is also a huge moment in my game and dynasty. Things have been fairly predictable and kept to how things actually happened, for the most part....That all changes from this point on. If I have one definitive moment in my game where I can draw a line and say without a doubt, things drastically picked up, it was Bash at the Beach 1996. We're now less than one year from catching up to where I am in the game. I'll continue to not play it until I'm probably about a month out or so from the dynasty just so I can keep the storyline's straight. Unfortunately, there won't be any prediction prizes until then, but I encourage everyone to continue and be involved! I hope everyone enjoys and keeps enjoying this, I know I am! 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 26, 2023 Author Share Posted March 26, 2023 Week 1, August 1996 LIVE from the Orlando Arena - Orlando, FL Attendance: 14,822 - WCW Monday Nitro kicks off this week with a notable different feeling. Instead of all the usual fireworks and fanfare, the atmosphere is definitely subdued. There's no pyro, there's no introduction by the broadcast booth. There's a panned shot of the packed arena and then Nitro simply fades into the intro video. - Tony Schiavone: Fans, less than 24 hours ago at Bash at the Beach, the unthinkable happened. All of us here are in even more shock than we were at the ending of last night's program. We've had more time to process it and that makes it even more unmanageable. In case any of you missed it, Hulk Hogan turned his back on WCW. Not just WCW, but he turned his back on all of you fans. All of the fans that have supported him over the years. All of you that have made Hulk Hogan what he is, he threw it all away last night. I said it to end the program last night, and I'll say it again. Hulk Hogan, you can go to hell. Bobby Heenan: You know, Tony, I'm never bashful about gloating or bragging and I've never held back at any opportunity I have to say I told you so, but this??? I get absolutely no pleasure out of this. For years I've said Hulk Hogan isn't a man to be trusted. For years I've said Hulk Hogan is hiding something. For years I knew Hogan to be what he was, a snake just waiting in the grass to strike. I've always been told I'm crazy for that, people looking at me like I have 6 eyes, but last night proved all that. Never in my life, Tony, have I regretted being right about something, until now. Tony: Well said, Brain. I think we're all just overwhelmed with a feeling of being sick to our stomach. Dusty Rhodes: It's just like getting punched in the gut, if you will....Hulk Hogan, in an instant, sucked all of the air out of the arena last night and it was all for his own personal gain. All the talk of sayin' your prayers, eatin' your vitamins, and trainin'....All for nothing, cause last night he turned his back on all that when he said all the fans can stick it...And Tony, I think tha------What the hell is this?!? - As Dusty's talking, there's a commotion in the crowd and lights on the stage begin to flash. Soon after, figures begin to emerge from the stage which generates a ton of boos from the crowd - Dusty: Oh you've gotta be kiddin' me!! He needs to get the hell outta here! - Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan all walk out into the arena. All men are gloating and cutting up as they head to the ring. It doesn't take long before the crowd begin throwing trash at the three men as they step inside the ropes. The laugh and taunt out at the crowd and Mean Gene gets into the ring for the abrupt interview. - Mean Gene: Hulk Hogan, you've got a lot of nerve coming out here to start the show with your two new friends....I'm still in shock by what you did last night and judging by this crowd response, so are all of these people!! Hogan: Well first of all, brother, all these fans can shut up if they wanna hear what I have to say!!! - This only encourages even more boos and trash to come from the crowd but Hogan seems to soak it up. - Hogan: In case all of these people were too stupid to catch it last night, allow me to formally introduce ourselves...This is the New World Order of wrestling, brother! And let me tell you something else, Mean Gene....You've got a lotta nerve talking to me like that, jack! So this is the one and only warning I'm gonna give you, because the next time, brother, I'll make sure you leave this ring on a stretcher just like Lex Luger did last night, dude! Mean Gene: WHOAA!!! I'll have my attorney on you faster than you can write the check, Hulk Hogan! Hogan: And I'll make sure your hand never writes, or holds a microphone, ever again! Now as to last night....All day long people have tried to come up to me and ask why I joined forces with the Outsiders! Well it was an easy decision to make, brother! And the answer is because these two are the future of wrestling! These two have my back! These two are thankful for what Hulk Hogan provides, unlike that no good, ungrateful little piece of trash Randy Savage! Going all the way back to Halloween Havoc 1995, Randy Savage wanted to blame me for all his misfortunes! Well what he should've done, brother, is take a look in the mirror and own up to his own failings! Despite that, I went out of my way to be a friend to the Macho Man and what'd he do!?!? He did nothing but continue to take me for granted and blame me for why he couldn't cut the mustard as world champion! He blamed me for his losses! He blamed me for just being a failure in life! Even when he challenged me to matches, I tried to talk sense into him! Well, brother, you can't talk sense into someone who's already crazy! When he challenged me to a career match, I told him I didn't want to do it! I didn't want to end his career, but he left me no choice! So that's what I did! I ended the Macho Man's career and what'd he do, Mean Gene?!?! He still blamed Hulk Hogan! I tried to reconcile with him after that and he still cut me out of his life! I did everything I possibly could, and he still blamed me....But that's not all, brother..... Not only did the Macho Man blame me, but all of these fans took me for granted to! I gave each and every one of these people something to look up to! I gave all these people a hero! I gave all of these people and all those wrestlers in the back a platform to make money and have a wrestling business, and at every opportunity, everyone spat in the face of Hulk Hogan!! But not the Outsiders! The Outsiders are loyal! The Outsiders saw the money train and they jumped aboard, brother! And now it's Hulk Hogan's turn! Now it's Hulk Hogan's turn to spit right back at all of you low life's and tell you how I really feel!!! Because as I look out at this crowd tonight, you all make me sick brother! The New World Order is going to take over every aspect of wrestling and when all these people, and everyone in WCW is beaten down to a bloody pulp, then, just then you people might realize what a God of professional wrestling Hulk Hogan truly is! Maybe then all you people will realize the gold that's standing here in this ring right now! Maybe then all you idiots can appreciate what you have!! It's only just beginning, Mean Gene, and the takeover officially began last night! I've already said the Outsiders are the future...Well as to the future of Hulk Hogan?!? Ric Flair's been walking around with something that belongs to me, dude! So Ric Flair, I want my title back, and at this month's Pay Per View - Road Wild, I'm gonna get it back dude, and then all you people will finally realize what a real world champion looks like again! Rating: 100 Kevin Sullivan vs Stevie Ray vs Under normal circumstances, Kevin Sullivan would've been more than pleased to see the destruction of Hulkamania, however, tonight he didn't seem to be too happy. After the opening promo, WCW had to take a commercial break, and when Nitro returned, these two men were already in the ring. It was nothing too pretty, but Stevie Ray won the match at 8:10 with the Heat Seeker. Winner: Stevie Ray Rating: 71 Nitro fades into a pre-taped promo with Marcus Bagwell sitting down with a dimly lit background. Bagwell voices his complete shock and disappointment of Hulk Hogan turning his back on the fans and WCW last night. Bagwell says he grew up idolizing Hulk Hogan and how Hogan made Bagwell want to start training and get into professional wrestling. Bagwell doesn't know where WCW goes from here. Rating: 68 Diamond Dallas Page vs Big Bubba Rogers vs This was another fairly straight forward match and DDP has some good work in the ring. DDP won the match at 8:44 with the Diamond Cutter, a move that is seemingly getting more and more popular each week. Winner: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 64 After a quick break, Nitro returns to another pre-taped promo where this time Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat is seated in a dimly lit backdrop. Steamboat expresses his sadness and disappointment in Hulk Hogan turning on the fans. The Dragon says that they've both wrestled for years but their paths have never really crossed. There seemed to be two constants that the fans could always count on, which was Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan to be two good guys that fans could always rally behind....Well now it doesn't seem to be the case and Hulk Hogan has tossed away everything he's worked to achieve for 15 years. Rating: 78 The Amazing French Canadians vs Paul Roma & Perry Saturn vs The Amazing French Canadians (No, not the Quebecers) look to pick up their momentum with a win over Paul Roma and Perry Saturn. Roma and Saturn seem to be a tryout of a tag team who seemed to work well together. Saturn had a good performance in the ring, but it wasn't enough to overcome the experienced team. The Canadians picked up the win at 10:30 with the Cannonball. Winner: Amazing French Canadians Rating: 53 Scotty Riggs vs Scott Norton vs Norton looked to continue his momentum coming off of his victory last night, and that's exactly what he did. He was able to put away Scotty Riggs in convincing fashion in 8:15 with a shoulder breaker. Winner: Scott Norton Rating: 52 Following another break, Mean Gene is standing at the end of the stage ramp where he introduces his next guest... Luger walks out in jeans and a shirt and clearly not in a good mood. There's no playing up to the crowd and Mean Gene gets to his questions, sensing Luger isn't in any mood for festivities. Gene asks Luger about being taken out early in the match last night and what the future has in store for the Total Package, as Steve Austin has also been trying at every turn to get to Luger. Luger says that bad luck and misfortune resulted in Luger getting knocked unconscious last night and that if he didn't get injured, he might have been able to stop Hulk Hogan for doing what he did. Luger says it makes him sick to his stomach to see little kids crying because their hero turned his back on them. Luger says things are far from over between him and the New World Order, as they're calling themselves. As for Steve Austin, Luger says he's in no mood and that Austin's been nothing but like a little tiny dog nipping at his heels for weeks on end. Luger says if Austin wants a match so bad, he'll get it at Road Wild and that's going to be the last of any talk of Austin wanting to step foot in the ring with the Total Package. Rating: 98 Brad Armstrong vs Lord Steven Regal vs If there were two men seemingly totally un-phased by Hulk Hogan's actions last night, it'd be these two. Regal is supremely confident after having a hand in last night's TV title match and that confidence spilled over into this match. Armstrong put up a great fight in this match but it wasn't enough in the end. Regal won at 13:02 with the Regal Stretch in a good match. Winner: Steven Regal Rating: 82 Things switch to the backstage area where once again, the Outsiders are making their presence known. To the absolute disgust of the broadcast booth, Hall and Nash are viciously beating Harlem Heat down. Their usual weapons of choice are baseball bats as they beat the tag team champions. Officials rush in, but well too late after all the damage has been inflicted. Perhaps this is a message that the Outsiders are coming for the titles. Rating: 75 Mean Gene is backstage outside of the locker room door of the Macho Man Randy Savage. He knocks on the door, as he's trying to get people's reactions from Hulk Hogan last night. After a few moments, the door flies open and Savage appears, though like Luger, he looks to be in no mood for questions. Gene continues on though, like the professional he is. Savage is unhinged and wide-eyed, not even wearing his usual sunglasses as he says that Hulk Hogan made the biggest mistake of his life last night and he's going to make him pay. Savage says he's going to dismantle Scott Hall right here tonight because after last night's events, he went straight to the WCW front office and demanded payback tonight. After he tears through Hall, he's coming straight after Hulk Hogan and he's going to end his pathetic career! Rating: 100 Scott Hall vs Randy Savage vs The crowd were on fire for this match, simply put. Hall came out first followed by the Macho Man, who sprinted to the ring to get his hands on Scott Hall. The fight was on from there and Savage was like a man possessed. He didn't give Scott Hall any chance to mount an offense and any time he did manage to get a shot in, Savage used any kind of dirty move he could to get the advantage quickly back. The crowd and the broadcast booth loved this from Savage, who was more than living up to his name. Savage continued the match firmly in control until it was time to end it. About the time Savage hit a bodyslam on Hall to prepare for his elbow, a couple of guys emerge from the stage entrance... Savage was climbing the ropes that faced away from the entrance, so Savage didn't see Nash and Hogan approaching as he climbed the ropes. Just before jumping, Nash reached Savage and pushed him off the top, which resulted in Savage crashing hard to the mat. Scott Hall was able to recover enough to lift Savage for the Outsider's Edge. Hall got the pin fall victory at 18:51. Winner: Scott Hall Rating: 82 The attack of course continues after the bell as Hall, Nash, and Hogan all take turns beating on the Macho Man. The referee steps in to try and stop the attack, only to have Hulk Hogan toss him easily from the ring. Hall and Nash hold Savage as Hogan pummels away on him but this assault doesn't last too long as the crowd roar to life. The cameras pan just in time to see Sting and Lex Luger rushing from the entrance.. Luger and Sting slide in the ring which promptly results in the NWO bailing out of the ring. Luger and Sting were just a hair's length from getting their hands on them before they exited. Sting and Luger are clearly flustered while the attitudes are totally different for the NWO on the outside. They're all smiles and taunts as Luger and Sting check on the Macho Man, who get him to his feet. The scene fades out with two very different reactions from the two trio's. Rating: 86 Final Show Rating: 78 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 Week 2, August 1996 LIVE from the Hilton Coliseum - Ames, Iowa Attendance: 14,000 (SELLOUT!) - Monday Nitro kicks off this week with much more excitement and fanfare than last week. Though WCW is still reeling from the turn of Hulk Hogan, WCW has seemingly begun to find their footing in the aftermath. Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome everyone to this week's edition of Monday Nitro and Tony tells us that we have a ton of things to catch up on from this weekends WCW Saturday Night! He tells us that the WCW World Heavyweight Champion Nature Boy Ric Flair responded to the challenge last week by Hulk Hogan and that the match is now official for Road Wild later this month. Bobby says he's concerned because the stakes have never been higher for WCW or for the Nature Boy. He says that Flair better bring nothing other than his "A" game otherwise Hulk Hogan and this NWO is going to have the biggest prize in our sport. The tag team champions Harlem Heat responded to last weeks attack by the Outsiders, telling them to try attacking them head on, and many other events that we'll get into later on! For now, Ricky Steamboat has requested an interview to kick start Nitro off this week, and he's walking to the ring to meet Mean Gene! - Mean Gene: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, you asked me out here just now because you apparently have something on your mind....Often less spoken, whenever you have something to say, there's no doubt it's something big! Steamboat: Gene, what I have to say isn't anything Earth shattering, so before you go run off to your hotline to report some big news, let me just lay that out there. No, what I have to say, I think you and a lot of these people can agree with, is something I've had to process over the last week. I had a little interview last week about it, but I still can't get it out of my head. Hulk Hogan, what you did at Bash at the Beach is inexcusable. What you did is pathetic. Really, when it all comes down to it, Hulk Hogan, what you did was flat out disappointing. You turned your back on all of the wrestlers who've stood beside you for years. Not only that, but you turned your back on all the fans who made you what you are today. Who provided you with all the money you have. Who provided you with all the big houses, nice cars, and who made you popular enough to star in movies! You threw it all away, Hulk. If I didn't know you so well, if we didn't travel the roads together for so long, maybe I wouldn't be so devastated and disappointed. So Hulk, what I want to do is settle this in the ring! I want you in this ring RIGHT NOW so maybe I can knock just a little bit of sense back into your brain! I'm not taking no for an answer, Hulk! Get out here right now and face me in the ring! Rating: 92 Ricky Steamboat vs Hulk Hogan vs To everyone's amazement, Hulk Hogan actually came out from the stage entrance. The fact he was alone was another shock to everyone, though Heenan warned that the Outsiders couldn't be too far behind. Hogan came down to the ring and got right in, walking up to Steamboat as Mean Gene tried his best to exit the ring quickly. A few words were exchanged between the two, a referee made his way to the ring, and after a shove from Hogan, Steamboat started lighting Hogan up with punches and chops. The bell rang as Steamboat unloaded with a fury rarely seen as Hogan tried desperately to cower and avoid attack. Steamboat sent Hogan into the ropes and on return, hit Hogan with a huge karate chop, dropping him to the mat. The crowd was on fire for Steamboat's offense but a cheap poke to the eye stopped the Dragon, and the crowd, in their tracks. As Hogan tried to recover from the assault, he worked on punishing blows to Steamboat. After a few minutes, Steamboat was able to regain the offensive after Hogan missed a wild clothesline, but a low blow by Hogan, which was conveniently missed by the referee, got Hogan back in charge. After sending Steamboat into the ropes and hitting a big boot, a Leg Drop was all that was left to finish it at 9:48. Winner: Hulk Hogan Rating: 76 United States Title: Perry Saturn vs Brian Pillman (c) vs Another exciting match followed featuring two top future prospects for WCW. Being a member of the 4 Horsemen has given the US champ great exposure and Perry Saturn has done a great job in recent weeks by giving breakout performances. It seems that each week a new batch of fans are cheering for Saturn. This match continued a fast-paced night for Nitro and Saturn scored a few close calls, which made Pillman step up his game a bit. Pillman was ultimately successful in defending his title, getting the pin at 10:05 with an Air Pillman. WCW went on to take their first break of the night. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 81 Back from break and the Macho Man's music immediately is playing. This brings the crowd to their feet as the Macho Man walks out and heads straight toward the arena. This Macho Man is a different version of the energetic and colorful man that crowds the world over have been used to in over 10 years. Savage is now intense and dressed in black as he grabs a microphone and his music fades out. Savage: The Nature Boy Ric Flair came out on Saturday Night and told Hulk Hogan he's on for Road Wild! But what the Nature Boy failed to remember is that the Macho Man's got first dibs on that scum of the Earth called Hulk Hogan! Hulk Hogan, I said right here last week that I want to end your rotten career, and I wanna do it at Road Wild! You crossed a line at Bash at the Beach that, even for you, was lower than low! Then you have the gutless sense to blame it on the Macho Man for not being nice to you?!?! Hulk Hogan, all you've ever done throughout my entire career is steal the spotlight away every time it gets focused on someone else! Jake the Snake Roberts?!?!? Steal the spotlight away! Macho Man Randy Savage?!? Steal the spotlight away! The Ultimate Warrior?!? Steal the spotlight away! Bret the Hitman Hart?!?! Steal the spotlight away! Sting?!?! Steal the spotlight away! Big Van Vader?!?! Steal the spotlight! It's nothing but a recurring theme for you, Hulk Hogan! I didn't make you turn your back on the locker room or all of these fans and all the fans around the world! You chose to do that yourself! You did it because that's your true self, Hogan. A spineless, gutless, selfish coward whose only care in life is about yourself! I've known that for years and never let it out! Your turn on me at Bash at the Beach wasn't so shocking to me because I've always known your true colors! All these people though, unfortunately had the wool pulled over their eyes for so many years and didn't know any better! So Ric Flair, you want Hulk Hogan at Road Wild?!? Well so do I! So here's what we're gonna do! Ric Flair, I challenge you to a match right here tonight for the WCW World Title, cause there ain't nothing that's going to keep me from beating the living hell out of Hulk Hogan at Road Wild!! - The crowd erupts at the challenge laid down by the Macho Man and the anticipation of the world champion's response. It doesn't take long before the galloping of horses begins to echo throughout the arena. The crowd remains on their feet as the theme for the 4 Horsemen plays and out walks not just the world champion Ric Flair, but all of the Horsemen, seen together for the first time in a while in unison. Flair's all smiles as he's dressed in a suit and tie with the world title over his shoulder and he also already has a microphone in hand. - Flair: Did I....... Did I..... Did I....Just hear you correctly, Randy Savage, that you - WOO! Want a title shot right here tonight against the Nature Boy?!?! All because you want yet another shot at Hulk Hogan??? Don't get me wrong, Savage. I know you've got to settle a score with Hogan! Lord knows we all have a score to settle with him after what he did but the fact that you think you have first dibs makes me think you have it a bit confused! See, I'M the World's champion, in case you forgot about that! It seems to me that most people have forgotten the fact that Ric Flair's the heavyweight champion of the world! Everyone else has been running around here calling the shots except the Nature Boy! The fact also remains that if Ric Flair were involved in the match at Bash at the Beach, those unfortunate events with Hulk Hogan never would've even happened because I never would've given the Outsiders time to breathe!!!! But the fact I am the World's champion may just benefit you here tonight, Savage, because the Nature Boy doesn't back down from a fight and the Nature Boy and the Horsemen don't take a backseat to anyone! You want a match tonight, YOU GOT ONE! WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Rating: 100 Faces of Fear vs Cobra & Brian Knobbs vs This was an interesting paring and little is known why Brian Knobbs didn't have his usual tag team partner - Jerry Sags. What is known is that regardless, this team never stood a chance against the powerhouses of the Faces of Fear. They easily handled both these competitors and it was hardly a competitive matchup. The Barbarian got the pin at 9:39 after hitting the Kick of Fear on Cobra. Winners: Faces of Fear Rating: 67 Nitro continues on, this time switching to the backstage area. Mike Barton and Scott Norton are in the midst of a wild brawl. Both men are hitting clubbing blows on the other in between using anything they can get their hands on as weapons - Trash cans, trash can lids, doorways, garage grates, tables, you name it. Officials rush into the area to try and separate the two and clearly the feud between them is still on-going. Rating: 55 Nitro transitions into a backstage interview segment where Mean Gene is standing by with an annoyed and unhappy-looking Diamond Dallas Page. Mean Gene gets into his questions while DDP stands with his hands on his hips. Mean Gene: What a Nitro so far and still to come is the big world title match between world champion Ric Flair and Randy Savage. Joining me right now, however, is Diamond Dallas Page. Page, over the course of the last few weeks, you've been involved in a battle with Dean Malenko, a battle which up until recently looked to be rather cordial and full of mutual respect. Things all changed over the weekend on Saturday Night. Let's take a look! - Cameras switch to a recording from WCW Saturday Night over the weekend. Shown is the valet/manager of Diamond Dallas Page backstage where she is aggressively approached by Dean Malenko. Malenko gets in her face and taunts and intimidates the Diamond Doll to the point she cowers in the corner. This doesn't take long before DDP bursts in and shoves Malenko away. This results in a brief fight where DDP is left laid out before Malenko laughs and goes off screen. Cameras return to Nitro where DDP is clearly not happy with the series of events. - Mean Gene: DDP, I'd gather that is the source of your displayed anger here tonight. DDP: You know what, Mean Gene??? I thought things were pretty good between me and Dean. I thought it was just two guys, respecting the hell out of one another and appreciating each other's skills. That all changed this weekend on Saturday Night! I couldn't care less about him laying me out. That's all part of being a wrestler...But someone who's not a wrestler is the Diamond Doll! She didn't get into this business to get intimidated by no one! She's not a wrestler, either, so the fact that Dean Malenko threatened her doesn't sit well with me. I guess he feels better when he's threatening a woman.....Well good luck with that, buddy. Dean Malenko's gonna pay at Road Wild and he's gonna feel the Diamond Cutter! Rating: 72 Sting vs Arn Anderson vs The semi-main event of the night was actually advertised as the actual main event, until the unexpected challenge by the Macho Man to the world champion. Sting was on absolute fire tonight and the crowd was eating it all up. While Sting maintained his excited personality and amazing speed, he also came across as intensely focused and ready for a fight. Bobby Heenan commented that the NWO has already changed people's demeanor drastically. Arn Anderson played up his role rather well but the two were very evenly matched. Sting's performance matched that of Ric Flair tonight, as they both were rating a 97/100. After a pair of Stinger Splashes, Arn Anderson submitted to the Scorpion Deathlock at 16:27 in a great match. Winner: Sting Rating: 86 Another interview segment with Mean Gene, this time with Television champion Scott Steiner. Gene says that Lord Steven Regal proclaimed on Saturday Night that he will become a 4-time TV champion at Road Wild as he takes on Steiner. Steiner says that Regal shouldn't give up his pro-wrestling job because he sucks at predicting the future. Steiner says he looked into his own crystal ball and at Road Wild, Regal's going to get a royal ass whipping, courtesy of the greatest athlete in WCW. Steiner says since winning the TV title, he's not backed away from any challenge and Road Wild will be no different! Rating: 95 Steve Austin is backstage for his own promo. He again discusses Lex Luger and how things still aren't over between him and the Horsemen. Austin says that Luger's been dodging the Horsemen, primarily Steve Austin himself, and using the battle with the Outsiders and NWO as the excuse. Austin says that there's only two guarantees in life - Dying and getting an ass whipping from Steve Austin. Luger needs to stop caring so much about the NWO and start focusing on Steve Austin, because one way or another, he will get him in the ring and he will beat the living crap out of him. Austin says Luger better wake up and recognize that the NWO shouldn't be his top concern, it should be the Horsemen. Rating: 100 World Title: Randy Savage vs Ric Flair (c) vs To date, this is the best match that WCW has put on since beginning Monday Nitro. Not only were Sting and Ric Flair on their game tonight, but so was the Macho Man. Savage was rated a 96/100 performance for this match, just one off from Flair and Sting. This was a grueling back and forth display of wrestling and psychology by two of the best to step foot in the ring. Savage was intense and Flair was calculating. Both men were laying everything the had out on the table which created a fantastic drama in front of the sold out crowd and those tuning in at home. The two spilled out onto the floor to fight several times despite multiple warnings by the referee. Both Savage and Flair would back the other into the corner and deliver multiple strikes, refusing to give a break. The referee warned both men and after each warning, nearly found themselves disqualified after pushing the referee into the corner. Heenan exclaimed that the men should just be allowed to fight it out. The crowd never sat down from beginning to end bell in this match. When it was clear the match was beginning to draw to a close, Randy Savage began to get a slight advantage. About the time Savage was hitting a series of moves, heads began to turn toward the stage/entrance. It was soon apparent why; Hulk Hogan was making his way toward the ring, again all by himself. Savage hit a clothesline on Flair followed by a bodyslam. With the world champion down, Savage saw the opportunity to go for his finish, so he exited to the apron and climbed the corner. Savage was oblivious to Hogan's presence, otherwise he would've probably taken off after the turncoat. Savage prepared to leap off the top, but just before he was able to do so, Hogan climbed the steps and pushed Savage off the top. Just as quickly as he moved up, Hogan got down to the apron before the referee could see the interference. Savage crashed hard to the mat, hurt and already exhausted from the battle. Flair struggled himself to get to his feet, but finally did so, seeing the Macho Man down on the mat. Flair wasted no time applying the Figure Four, which Savage laid on the mat. With his shoulders down, the referee counted 3 at 20:04. Winner: Ric Flair Rating: 95 Following the bell, Hogan laughs it up and taunts into the camera as he makes his way up the aisle and toward the back. He doesn't see the Macho Man getting back to his feet and seeing Hogan in the aisle. This enrages Savage who immediately takes off, exiting the ring and going full sprint up the aisle. He finally meets Hogan, who's back is still to him and knocks Hogan down with a clubbing blow to the back of the head. Savage pounces on Hogan and hits him with rapid fire shots. The crowd is going nuts, the announcers are all rooting the Macho Man on, and officials flood in to try and break up the fight as the ending credits show on the screen and Nitro fades out. Rating: 100 Final Show Rating: 96 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund bringing you the first Hotline Report for the month of August! Jumping right into WCW news; WCW has extended broadcasting deals with a number of providers. These are all international deals that will bring WCW programming to areas of Canada and Mexico. I reported not long ago that WCW and Smoky Mountain Wrestling had gotten on friendly terms. That all has abruptly changed as they "declared war" this week on WCW. It's unknown what caused this change in attitude other than them getting a little of an over-inflated ego with their size increase. They have also extended several TV broadcasting deals. I reached out to Eric Bischoff for a reaction on this change and he seemed extremely unconcerned with SMW becoming a serious threat to WCW. Tensions ran high this past Monday night on Nitro. Mike Barton faced the Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan in a dark match before the airing on Nitro. During the match, Barton became injured following a careless move by Sullivan. He's received a Smith's Fracture which has caused Barton to claim he doesn't want to be paired with Sullivan ever again and has even told other wrestlers he "hates" Sullivan. Barton did appear on Nitro programming later in the night to brawl with Scott Norton, so it doesn't look like it will keep him out of wrestling action, though he will be impacted in his performance. In a bit of karma, Kevin Sullivan also sustained a Complete Lateral Collateral Ligament tear during a house show this week. He will reportedly be out of action for at least the next 6 months. There have been several retirements this week, notably Paul Orndorff, Dory Funk Jr, and Mae Young. We wish them all the best in their retirement! Here are this week's Monday Nitro matches! Week 3, August 1996 LIVE from Louisville Freedom Hall - Louisville, KY TV Title: Steve Austin vs Scott Steiner (c) Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Taylor & Eaton) vs Harlem Heat (c) Brad Armstrong vs Jacques Rougeau Fit Finlay vs Diamond Dallas Page Big Bubba Rogers vs Chavo Guerrero Jr Brian Pillman vs Sting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 TV Title: Steve Austin vs Scott Steiner (c) Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Taylor & Eaton) vs Harlem Heat (c) Brad Armstrong vs Jacques Rougeau Fit Finlay vs Diamond Dallas Page Big Bubba Rogers vs Chavo Guerrero Jr Brian Pillman vs Sting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 TV Title: Steve Austin vs Scott Steiner (c) Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Taylor & Eaton) vs Harlem Heat (c) Brad Armstrong vs Jacques Rougeau Fit Finlay vs Diamond Dallas Page Big Bubba Rogers vs Chavo Guerrero Jr Brian Pillman vs Sting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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