Old School Fan Posted August 3, 2023 Share Posted August 3, 2023 Buff Bagwell vs Scott Steiner Blue Bloods (Regal & Dave Taylor) vs Harlem Heat Wrath vs Fit Finlay Alex Wright vs Perry Saturn Lenny Lane vs Randy Savage Steve Austin vs Big Bubba Rogers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted August 3, 2023 Share Posted August 3, 2023 My picks: Scott Steiner, Harlem Heat, Fit Finlay, Perry Saturn, Randy Savage, and Steve Austin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted August 3, 2023 Share Posted August 3, 2023 Scott Steiner Harlem Heat Wrath Perry Saturn Randy Savage Steve Austin No nWo Souled Out? Interesting. 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smw88 Posted August 4, 2023 Share Posted August 4, 2023 Scott Steiner Harlem Heat Wrath Alex Wright Randy Savage Steve Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigelow Cartwheel Posted August 4, 2023 Share Posted August 4, 2023 Steiner Harlem Heat Wrath Saturn Savage Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted August 9, 2023 Author Share Posted August 9, 2023 Week 2, January 1997 LIVE from the Corel Centre - Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 18,038 Jim Ross: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to WCW Monday Nitro! I'm Jim Ross and with me is the American Dream Dusty Rhodes! We seem to be missing our other good friend, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan so that means we're just going to have the two cowboy's out here with you tonight! We are live for the first time in Canada, and what a crowd we've got here tonight Dusty! Folks, we're fresh off last week's Monday Nitro where WCW finally fought back against the NWO! In the last several months, WCW has thoroughly been beaten down and seemed to be on our last legs. Lex Luger, Scotty Steiner, and Ric Flair have all felt the wrath repeatedly by the NWO and felt another blow with the Macho Man Randy Savage joining the NWO, but last week, finally, FINALLY, Dusty Rhodes, WCW fought back, which, I'll add, is just in time for Clash of the Champions coming up this Sunday! Dusty: Jimmy boy, lemme break it down like this for ya....Last Monday night, WCW finally fought back. We finally saw some life breathed into the WCW locker room. Lex Luger, Ricky Steamboat, and Scotty Steiner all came together to fight against the NWO as the program came to an end last week. Despite all this, the NWO continues to gain strength each and every week! They get new members outta the woodwork and WCW gets blindsided all over again! During all this, we've had one man still standing off in the shadows. We've had one man we need back now more than ever to battle the NWO! If you haven't figured out who it is, I'm talkin' about the Stinger, baby! We need Sting back! We don't need him sitting off to the sides and watching WCW crumble from the sides! We need him back to help hold up that crumbling wall! I know Sting's had a rough time. I know he feels betrayed by WCW. But there's still a bunch of us out there who never doubted the Stinger, and we need him! Rating: 80 - Dusty's stopped as Bobby Heenan walks in the picture, stepping up to the commentary booth and grabbing the headset, sitting in the open chair. Ross and Dusty just look, dumbfounded, at Heenan as he casually sits down and looks at the two. - Heenan: What??? I'm here! Ross: Where the hell were you?!? The show's already started! Heenan: I had business to attend to. I'm here to tell you both that I'm here for a long time! Bobby Heenan is going to be at this announce booth each and every week with the two of you and I'm not going anywhere! Dusty: Oh brother... Ross: Bobby, you're gonna sit here until the first sign of trouble comes along! Heenan: Well I'm here now! Let's get the show on! First match of the night, Steve Austin versus Big Bubba! Man, let me tell you about that Steve Austin! He shocked everyone at Starrcade! Ross: Ok Bobby... Rating: 87 Steve Austin vs Big Bubba Rogers vs Austin walked out, not just with a great reaction from the Canadian crowd, but with a bit of a different look also. Sporting a goatee and a mean attitude, Austin trekked to the ring. Bubba made his entrance and the two locked up. Austin was on fire tonight and took the fight to Bubba. It was quick work and Austin put him away at 7:49 with a Stunner. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 80 Quote tHe FolLoWInG AnnOunCEmENT hAs BeEn PAiD fOr BY tHe NEW WORLD ORDER: Hogan: Riddle me this, big Sexy and BP! I heard some rumblings that Ric Flair wants to get a piece of the NWO again! He goes so far as to want to challenge the worlds greatest wrestler, the man who made wrestling what it is today!! Even better, he wants to challenge for the NWO world title, dude! Well guess what, brother?! Ric Flair isn't a blip on the map! Ric Flair wasn't a challenge before, and he's not a challenge now! Ric Flair can't even lace up my wrestling boots, brother! I've already beat Ric Flair and I'm bored! Ric Flair, you're the last thing from a challenge for Hollywood Hogan! So how about step to the back of the line and work your way up if you want to step in the same ring with Hollywood! Rating: 95 Lenny Lane vs Randy Savage vs Lenny Lane didn't stand a chance in this one. Savage was all over the young wrestler as soon as he stepped in the ring. Elizabeth accompanied Savage to the ring and even got a few cheap shots in on Lane while Savage distracted the referee. Savage won easily with the Flying Elbow at 7:04. Winner: Randy Savage Rating: 67 Tony Schiavone is in the ring and calls out his interview guest; Lex Luger. Luger comes out to a great ovation from the Canadian crowd and steps into the ring. Tony says last week was a great night for WCW as we finally saw WCW come together for the goal of fighting against the NWO, something we hadn't seen up until that point... Luger: Tony, last week was a pivotal moment for WCW! Not only was it big for WCW, but it was big for me as well! Last week, the NWO finally saw that WCW has had enough and we're sick and tired of the sneak attacks, the gang attacks, and the outnumbered attacks! Last week, myself, Ricky Steamboat, and Scott Steiner all came together to give the NWO a taste of their own medicine! Let me just take a moment to give a special word of thanks to Steamboat. We teamed up last week and had a hell of a match and took it straight to the NWO! When the NWO realized they weren't going to walk all over the two of us, they did what they always do, they resorted to their gang attacks. Well guess what?!? Scott Steiner ran down to even up the odds a bit and they realized they bit off more than they could chew! From this point forward, WCW won't lay down and the NWO can expect more of what they got last week! Tony, I'm going to finish off Kevin Nash and if Hogan's looking for some better challenge that he doesn't think he'll get from the Nature Boy, then I'll be more than willing to step up and provide Hogan with that challenge he so desperately wants! Rating: 80 Alex Wright vs Perry Saturn vs This was an abysmal match that the Canadian crowd did not care at all about. Despite being given a decent amount of match time, the crowd never got into it. Saturn won with a Death Valley Driver at 10:22. Winner: Perry Saturn Rating: 33 Wrath vs Fit Finlay vs They looked to reengage the crowd with this next match, which they did but marginally. Wrath won with the Meltdown at 7:43. It got over a bit more with the crowd mostly because it was a shorter match and Wrath manhandled Finlay. Winner: Wrath Rating: 54 Cameras are backstage for a taped promo with Paul Levesque. Levesque says that he's come to WCW and joined the NWO to make an impact, something he wasn't allowed to do with his former employer. Levesque says while he was wasting away up North and not used, he realized where he needed to go to advance his career. Now that he's with the NWO and kicking ass, he's coming after the TV title. Diamond Dallas Page wants to stand in his way, but Levesque is going to use him as a stepping stone to achieve a title. Rating: 65 Mean Gene is at the base of the ramp for an interview and welcomes Lord Steven Regal. Mean Gene presses Regal and says that last week on this show, he said he was going to challenge the Faces of Fear for the titles here tonight! Regal snubs his nose at Gene and says after thinking about it, he'd rather win the tag team titles at a more prestigious show like Clash of the Champions instead of Monday Nitro, let alone at a dump of a city like Toronto that's a red-headed step child of the United Kingdom. Harlem Heat interrupted the interview and didn't like that Regal was thrusting himself right into a tag team title match when they're the number one contenders. Booker says that if the Blue Bloods are able to beat them in the match tonight, then they can claim the #1 contendership. Rating: 84 Blue Bloods vs Harlem Heat vs Both teams went right after one another as soon as the bell rang. Once some order was restored and the illegal men got to their respective corner, things slowed down as Taylor and Regal were able to slow the match to their pace. This greatly impacted the hard-hitting style of Harlem Heat and Stevie Ray was isolated from his corner. Booker T was able to get the hot tag and clean house but some blatant cheating by Regal was able to turn things around. Regal shocked everyone when he got the pin on Booker at 12:27. Regal was the star of the match. Winners: Blue Bloods Rating: 74 Mean Gene is backstage, this time with the Enforcer Arn Anderson. Last week, Anderson had words for Eddie Guerrero, saying he's going to stoop down to his level. Arn says he's going to make good on his promise because at Clash of the Champions, he's going to take Eddie on again. The difference this time is that Eddie won't be able to cheat but Arn is sure to bring the pain to Eddie. He says at Clash, it's going to be a Strap match between the two. Arn looks forward to slapping the skin off of Eddie and make him beg for mercy. Rating: 94 Buff Bagwell vs Scott Steiner vs Bagwell began this match with smiles and poses but quickly realized the danger he was in and the smiling vanished. Steiner beat Bagwell from one end of the ring to the other and had Bagwell quickly begging for a timeout. It didn't happen, obviously and Steiner continued his assault. As Steiner looked to finish things and motioned for the Steiner Screwdriver, the crowd got to their feet as there was activity at the stage. Pillman, Levesque, and Nash ran to the ring, followed a bit more slowly by Macho and Hogan. Pillman and Levesque got in the ring first and immediately attacked Steiner and was shortly followed by Nash, Macho, and Hogan. The referee called for the bell at 11:39 for the DQ. Winner by DQ: Scott Steiner Rating: 75 The victory was merely a footnote as the NWO continued a brutal attack, once again, on Scott Steiner. Steiner never had a chance as he was jumped from behind. He was held up as Hogan and Savage took turns pummeling Steiner before Savage hit a couple Flying Elbow drops followed by some Hogan Leg Drops. Once they felt satisfied with the attack, the spray cans again came out. Steiner was flipped over and they proceeded to tag NWO on his back, a vision that's been seen numerous times to this point. Jim Ross, completely lost himself at the announce booth as he exclaimed for someone to come out and help Steiner. No one could comprehend why no help ever came out after the way the show ended last week. Similarly, they couldn't understand why, after Luger just said earlier that this very thing wouldn't happen again, was now happening once again. Ross: Where the hell is everyone?!? Where's Luger?! He just said earlier this wouldn't happen! He said WCW was united! He said they finally have stood up to the NWO! But he's not here! There's no Luger! There's no Steamboat! There's no Flair! Arn Anderson, Sting, Austin!! There's no WCW to be seen anywhere!! Dear God in heaven, someone needs to get out here!!!! Rating: 80 Final Show Rating: 82 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 3 hours ago, Henderson said: Steve Austin vs Big Bubba Rogers vs Austin walked out, not just with a great reaction from the Canadian crowd, but with a bit of a different look also. Sporting a goatee and a mean attitude, Austin trekked to the ring. Bubba made his entrance and the two locked up. Austin was on fire tonight and took the fight to Bubba. It was quick work and Austin put him away at 7:49 with a Stunner. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 80 Now that's the Stone Cold Steve Austin I'm talkin' about! 😎 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 It's still surreal to see Jim Ross and Steve Austin on the WCW side of the Monday Night War. 😛 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 (edited) Sunday Week 2, January 1997 LIVE from Seattle, WA (Generic Arena) Attendance: 68,000 Ross: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to WCW's Clash of the Champions 32! I'm Jim Ross and boy oh boy am I excited to once again call the action for Clash of the Champions! It's been quite a while since I've been involved in this broadcast but Clash of the Champions is known for delivering incredible action in the ring and I'm really looking forward to once again being a part of it! I'm joined by Bobby "the Brain" Heenan and "Iron" Mike Tenay and fellas, we've got a ton of stuff to go over tonight! This past week on Monday Nitro, just when we thought WCW was finally standing up to the New World Order, we were kicked in the gut again when the NWO once again viciously attacked Scott Steiner to end the show, a scene we've been having far too often on Nitro! Tenay: For weeks, even months, WCW has been the target of attack after attack by the NWO with seemingly no recourse. Finally just two weeks ago, it looked like WCW was coming together to stand up to the NWO when Lex Luger, Ricky Steamboat, and Scott Steiner all joined forces to fight back after another attempted ambush. WCW was in high spirits last week to start the show, but Jim, Bobby, the end of the night saw WCW walk away with their heads down once more. Heenan: Ya know, there's only so many times a guy can be beaten down and kicked before he finally gives in. The NWO have been at the throats of every WCW member for the last few months and they've done a great job of beating WCW down to the point they'll just roll over and submit. That's what the NWO's doing. They're beating WCW down into submission. We're on the verge of falling apart and if someone soon doesn't do something about it, we're all gonna be out of a job and looking for work! Ross, you better not unpack your stuff just yet because you might be looking for a new job already! Ross: I'm not sure about that, Bobby, but I do agree that the NWO is mercilessly trying to beat WCW like a scalded dog! This past Monday on Nitro, the show began with Dusty Rhodes pleading for Sting to come back and help WCW. Then on Saturday Night, Lex Luger once again begged Sting for forgiveness and apologized for not believing him. My question is, everyone's told Sting they're sorry, they've expressed remorse over that entire thing, so what in God's name is it gonna take for the Stinger to come back to WCW and help us fight this battle?!?! Heenan: Sting's a lost soul. WCW ripped his heart right out of his chest and he's mad about it! Can you blame him?!? For years and years, this man's done the right thing! He's stood by his friends even when his friends turn their back on him! He's fought the good fight, and look where that got him! His friends would turn on him but he always stayed loyal, always gave them the benefit of the doubt! Sting's never crossed anyone, yet one time he's suspected of it, what's WCW do?! What's his "friends" do?!?! They bail on him! They don't trust him! They don't want to listen to anything he has to say! If you ask me, I don't blame him one bit for standing off to the sides! He's letting WCW climb out of the hole they dug themselves! He's proving that WCW can't stand on two feet without the support of Sting, something all these Humanoids took for granted over the years! Tenay: To your point, Bobby, it's become crystal clear that Sting is WCW's very foundation and we've begun to see the very foundation of WCW crumble to pieces with Sting standing off to the side. The question is, how much longer can WCW afford to stand on it's own before it all falls, and how far is Sting willing to let it go before he steps in to hold it up??? Ross: Guys, I've known the Stinger a very long time. He's always done the right thing. He's always stood there by his friends side. I've never, never seen him respond this way before. It has me worried. It has me shaken. I'm terrified to see what the future holds not only for Sting, but for the very existence of WCW if they can't band together against the NWO. To make even more of a mockery toward WCW, this past Saturday Night, Hollywood Hogan and Brian Pillman joked at the challenge laid tonight by Scott Steiner and Ric Flair. They turned down their title challenges and said, instead, that Hogan and Pillman will team up against the duo of Scott Steiner and Ric Flair. Heenan: They're calling the shots and until someone's able to stand up against them, nothing's going to change! Tenay: It's unfortunate that we won't be seeing the world heavyweight or US titles on the line tonight but it does create a very interesting main event tonight! Ross: Well that's about enough talking from us, we're gonna get to the ring now for our first exciting match of the night! Strap Match: Arn Anderson vs Eddie Guerrero vs The two couldn't have been more different as they stepped into the ring. Anderson remained stoic and appeared intent to inflict severe amounts of pain to Eddie. Anderson stepped to the center of the ring and welcomed the referee attaching the unforgiving leather strap to his wrist. Eddie, on the other hand, was timid, reluctant, and stalled several times to yell out at the crowd who taunted and made fun of him being scared. Once the straps were secured to the competitors wrists, the bell rang and Anderson opened up. The Enforcer used the strap to his advantage, using it in all manner of ways. Anderson would use it to assist in clotheslines, whipping Eddie to the ropes or corners, careful not to make them consecutive corners also. Finally after slamming Eddie to the mat, he used it to whip the back of Guerrero with a sickening smack. Eddie pleaded for Anderson to stop but it just encouraged more punishment. Eddie tried to retreat to the floor but Anderson used the strap to pull Eddie back in the ring and continue the attack. Guerrero was able to mount some offense of his own after tripping Anderson with the strap and the quickly tried to touch all four corners but Double A stopped him after the second corner. The crowd was firmly invested in this match as the battle continued. Anderson maintained most of the control but Guerrero would and bursts of offense in between, each time trying feverishly to get to all four corners. In one attempt, it looked like Eddie might make it as Anderson was trying to recover on the mat. Eddie was lightning fast in getting to 3 corners but was stopped just short at the 4th. Eddie managed to knock Anderson down again but for the first time, rather than going for the corners, Eddie climbed to the top rope instead, possibly looking for the Frog Splash. Anderson was able to avoid it though as he pulled Eddie from the top rope with the strap, causing him to hit hard to the mat. Double A again punished Eddie by slapping him with the leather, the result obvious as red lash marks showed on Eddie's back. The announcers pointed out that Anderson was yet to try and go for the corners despite the match now being past the 10 minute mark. It was clear that Anderson wanted to do nothing more than inflict pain on Guerrero, which he was succeeding quite well at. Eddie went to whip Anderson into the ropes but he reversed it and hit a thundering Spinebuster. Now Anderson finally went for the corner turnbuckles. He got to the second one before Eddie stopped his momentum with a low blow. Eddie then wrapped the strap around Anderson's neck and began to drag him to the corners. Anderson locked onto the ropes at the second corner and stopped Eddie's progress. Eddie gave Anderson a few whips with the leather, asking Anderson how he liked it now that he was on the receiving end of them. Eddie picked Anderson to his feet and looked like he might try a suplex but Anderson blocked it and hit his DDT. Anderson again started going for the corners and made the 3rd one before Eddie came to enough to try and hold him up. Anderson didn't let this stop his progress though and dragged Eddie, who was doing his best to stick on the mat and pull back, the rest of the way and slapped the final corner at 17:03. Winner: Arn Anderson Rating: 92 Sensuous Sherri is seen backstage, putting the finishing touches on her lipstick. Booker T and Stevie Ray are off to the sides as she finishes and asks them both if they're ready for their match. Rating: 74 The Amazing French Canadians vs Harlem Heat vs The bell rang and Stevie Ray immediately began pummeling Rougeau. It was clear that Harlem Heat were unhappy about not getting a title opportunity tonight and Heat's frustrations were clearly being taken out on the French Canadians. Booker and Stevie traded off quick tags and using the tag exchange to hit double teamed moves. Both members of Harlem Heat used punishing offense and power moves to make their opponents regret signing the match. The French Canadians tried to turn the tide with cheap shots and eye pokes but it only seemed to enrage Harlem Heat even more. Booker T hit the Axe Kick on Oulette at 10:09 to score the win. Winners: Harlem Heat Rating: 71 Big Dusty is backstage with Alex Wright for an interview. Dusty asks what the young wrestler has in store for 1997. In what appears to be a bit of a change in attitude, Alex Wright admonishes Dusty in an assault of German language before changing into English. Wright says that for the last several months he's been dealing with a nagging injury, preventing him from showing his true potential. Wright says once he's fully healed, he's unleashing the German force throughout WCW. He's going to make people tremble at his German superiority, he's going to make all the women weak, and he's going to show no mercy to anyone who wants to step in his path. Rating: 68 Paul Levesque vs Diamond Dallas Page vs What's turned into a highly personal feud, the match began with Levesque slapping DDP. DDP returned with a slap of his own which was more vicious than the one received. Levesque retreated to the corner and DDP moved in. The fight was on from there as it spilled out to the floor while the two were locked up. They continued to fight around the ringside area, eventually leading to the referee going to the floor to separate both men and admonish them to either get back in the ring or be counted out. Through gritted teeth, the two got back in the ring where they abruptly went at it again. Levesque gained the upper hand after a cheap shot and sent him to the ropes. On the return, DDP avoided a clothesline attempt and as Levesque turned, DDP tried the Diamond Cutter but Levesque quickly dodged it and went out to the floor. After killing plenty of time, DDP got annoyed and went to grab him from inside the ring. The problem is, DDP didn't see Levesque pull out a pair of brass knucks that don't look like brass knucks, but we'll call them brass knucks anyway. He hit DDP with them which laid him out cold in the ring with the referee looking on in total confusion. Levesque climbed back in the ring and made the cover for the win at 11:54. Winner: Paul Levesque Rating: 75 Ricky Steamboat vs Wrath vs It wasn't very apparent who had the more difficult task in this matchup. Steamboat is a skilled veteran but not nearly as good as he once was. Wrath is big and powerful and has had quite the momentum going in his favor for awhile. Wrath looked to establish himself as a top competitor while Steamboat didn't want his role to diminish. Steamboat again showed that he can still go in the ring, evident by his solid performance. He was able to hold off the big man for awhile but the power moves eventually caught up with the Dragon. After Wrath hit a huge bicycle kick to floor Steamboat, Wrath hit the Meltdown at 10:28 for the surprising win. Winner: Wrath Rating: 71 Mean Gene Okerlund is standing backstage with Steve Austin, who is heard getting a good ovation by the crowd out in the arena. Austin doesn't look very pleased as Mean Gene starts the interview, noting that after running off the NWO a month ago and then his change in attitude after his match with Ric Flair at Starrcade, he's been absent from helping WCW in the battle against the NWO. He also notes that he's without a match tonight. Austin: Well how about I provide a scoop for that little hotline you've got, Mean Gene?!?! Just because I had mutual respect for the Nature Boy after we beat each other to hell and back at Starrcade doesn't mean you're gonna see me dancing and prancing around and holding hands with people! It doesn't matter to me who I end up in the ring with, whether it's Arn Anderson or Brian Pillman, I'm gonna go out and do what I'm set to do, and that's kick people's ass that stand in my way of my goal! What's that goal, you might ask??? Well you ain't gotta call the 1-900 hotline for this one, Mean Gene, cause I'll give it to ya for free! My goal is one thing, and one thing only, and that's the world heavyweight title! I don't give a rats ass about the Television title. I don't give a rats ass about the United States title. I don't give a rats ass about the tag team titles! Hell, I already held those belts plenty of times! I only give a damn about winning the world title! And let me tell ya something else, Mean Gene! I don't care who else is standing in line, patiently waiting for their shot at the title, Steve Austin isn't gonna stand in line and wait my turn! And that's the bottom line! Rating: 99 Scotty Riggs vs Buff Bagwell vs The breakup of the American Males, much to the dismay of the wrestling world, seems to be coming to a close tonight. Bagwell spent an inordinate amount of time taunting and posing which would cause you to think it would hurt him. It actually didn't and Bagwell had a relatively easy time putting away his former teammate. Buff scored the win at 7:32 with the Buff Blockbuster. Winner: Buff Bagwell Rating: 63 Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Taylor & Regal) vs Faces of Fear vs Steven Regal, fresh off his return from injury, decided to sidetrack his mission to win back the TV title and go after the tag team titles. The fact he's challenging the Faces of Fear could be considered a death wish. Regal and Taylor did their best to keep up with the physical onslaught of the champions but it was too much in the end. The Barbarian got the pin at 10:11 after hitting the Kick of Fear on Dave Taylor. Winners: Faces of Fear Rating: 77 Lex Luger vs Kevin Nash vs Luger has valiantly stood up to the NWO from the beginning and has endured several attacks and beat downs in the process. Despite the many setbacks, he's continued to push forward in the battle between WCW and the NWO. Nash simply toyed with Luger during the beginning parts of the bout, taunting him whenever possible and then starting with brutal offense, backing him in the corner before laying in repeated knees to the stomach. Luger was able to rally back with the fans support, hitting a crucial powerslam to turn the momentum. Luger began to fire up with clotheslines and after each one, the crowd became louder. Luger finally tapped his forearm and was ready to hit the Bionic strike, and he did. The crowd all got to their feet in unison and roared wildly as Luger motioned for the Rack. If it was possible, they became even louder when Luger lifted the big man and synched in the hold. Nash wildly waived his arm, giving up, and the submission win via the Torture Rack was official at 13:02. Winner: Lex Luger Rating: 82 Bravely, Mean Gene is backstage with Ric Flair and Scott Steiner. The sheer lunacy that's brought forth in this interview is off the charts. Flair is in rare form tonight, WOO-ing and smiling all over the place as Mean Gene tries to do the introduction. Steiner attempts to stand stoically and soak in, not just what Mean Gene is saying, but also the overflowing hype from the Nature Boy. Flair cuts off Gene and says that he and Steiner are well prepared, at the top of their game, and look forward to kicking the hell out of Hogan and Pillman before partying all night on the town. Steiner, a bit calmer, says his focus right now is on Pillman and Hogan and everything else comes second. One thing they both want more than anything is to get their hands on the NWO and get some payback. Rating: 99 Ric Flair & Scott Steiner vs Hollywood Hogan & Brian Pillman vs Hogan and Pillman found a way to avoid defending their titles tonight but neither Flair nor Steiner seemed to mind. The battle began as soon as the NWO made their entrance first. For Steiner and Flair's entrance, the two rushed the aisle and slid into the ring and began the brawl as the ring announcement was still being made and the music playing. The introduction and music abruptly stopped as the bell rang to begin the match mid-brawl. Flair and Hogan paired off while Steiner and Pillman found their way to the floor to continue their fight. Hogan tried to retreat but Flair kept the pressure on, closing the distance and not only raking the eyes of Hogan, but also hitting a blatant low blow right in front of the referee, and to the delight of the crowd. Things eventually slowed down a bit and the partners found their way to their corners. Flair was first to tag out as Steiner came in to a loud cheer from the crowd and continued the attack on Hogan. Steiner hit many power moves on the champion, including a great looking belly to belly suplex followed by a couple of rest holds. A poke to Steiner's eye allowed Hogan enough time to tag out to Pillman, who came in and worked on Steiner for a couple of minutes. Steiner eventually turned the tide and tagged in Flair, who was not only extremely eager to get in the ring against Pillman but the crowd also began a loud "We Want Flair" chant. Feeding off the crowd, Flair came in and immediately attacked Pillman. Flair grabbed Pillman in a headlock, rapidly hitting fists to his face while the crowd roared. Flair continued his assault, not caring for the rules at all as he hit several illegal attacks on Pillman in plain view of the referee. Each time Pillman would try to get to his corner to tag in Hogan but Flair would cut him off. It also didn't appear that Hogan was very eager to get in the ring with Flair either though. Steiner was tagged back in and shoved Pillman to his corner, basically making the tag to Hogan himself. A reluctant Hogan slowly stepped into the ring as Steiner stood in the middle of the ring and flipped Hogan off, causing the loud crowd to roar once again. Steiner immediately took control and backed Hogan into a corner, mounting the ropes and began raining fists down as the crowd counted along. Pillman tried to come in and save Hogan but Flair also entered the ring, causing a break down of the match. Steiner called for the FrankenSteiner as Flair was working on Pillman in the opposite corner. Pillman was able to hit a swift kick to Flair's crotch to allow himself some breathing room. Steiner sent Hogan into the ropes to prepare for his move but Hogan latched onto the top rope, stopping his momentum. About the same time, Pillman grabbed hold of him and the two bailed out to the floor. Flair recovered and stood next to Steiner in the ring as they watched their opponents regroup and seemingly retreat toward the back. The referee began the count as trash began to rain in the ring and also get tossed in the direction of Pillman and Hogan, who were now back stepping up the aisle as they watched their opponents in the ring. The referee counted to ten, officially marking a count-out victory at 19:25. Winners by Count Out: Ric Flair & Scott Steiner Rating: 82 With Hogan and Pillman in the aisle, Steiner and Flair were still watching them and didn't notice what was stirring behind them. Levesque, Bagwell, Nash and Savage all came out of the crowd behind them and got in the ring. Flair and Steiner never knew what hit them as the attack began. Hogan and Pillman began laughing and making their way back to the ring as the attack continued inside the ring. More trash and drinks found their way being tossed in the ring as Nash began a game of batting them out of the air. Savage hit some Flying Elbows to Flair and Steiner and Nash even took a moment from batting practice to hit a Powerbomb on Flair. Hogan also got into the action with a couple of Leg Drops a piece. As the attack continued, fans again began to get distracted as one head after another began to look up. Soon after, several fans began pointing in the same direction, followed by most of the crowd. Cameras finally were able to capture what everyone was looking and pointing at. Sting once again stood high atop the arena and was looking down at the carnage in the ring. Sting looked on without any emotion or desire to do much of anything as the NWO continued their attack, oblivious of the observer high above the arena. In an all-too familiar scene for WCW shows lately, the credits began rolling as the spray cans came out and Ric Flair and Scott Steiner were once again branded "NWO" on their backs. Rating: 93 Final Show Rating: 85 Edited August 14, 2023 by Henderson 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80085 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 This diary is amazing. Please never stop doing this. It should win prizes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted August 31, 2023 Author Share Posted August 31, 2023 Week 3, January 1997 LIVE from the River Center - Baton Rouge, LA Attendance: 14,384 This week's Nitro broadcast opens up to a very down and depressed trio. Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome viewers to tuning in. Ross tells everyone that WCW has been through a hellacious 24 hours, as Clash of the Champions did not go in the favor of WCW. Still photos are shown from the night before as they commentate, mentioning Lex Luger was the only WCW member to win his match against the NWO. Another night ended, Bobby Heenan tells us, with WCW flat on the mat and getting spray painted. Tenay also throws in that this includes, again, Sting watching the events taking place and doing nothing about it. They all wonder what it's going to take for WCW to finally turn the momentum but, Jim Ross says, it clearly isn't going to involve Sting helping and WCW's going to have to find a way forward without him. Television Title: Brad Armstrong vs Dean Malenko (c) vs Brad Armstrong spent much of 1996 trying to establish himself as a main competitor for the TV title while never actually succeeding at getting a shot at the belt. He was able to do so in this match, however, he had to contend with not only one of the best mat technicians in the industry but also while keeping a watchful eye on the "Extreme Queen" on the floor. After several instances where Armstrong was able to match the technical prowess of the champion, Malenko finally bailed to the outside to confer with his manager. After a brief consultation, he returned to the ring and immediately took control after hitting a poke to the eye. Things progressed from there with plenty of interference behind the referee's back by Francine, culminating in the Texas Cloverleaf for the win at 15:08. Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 70 As the commentators briefly discuss the last match and continue on from events last night, cameras turn away from the broadcast booth and go to panoramic shots of the crowd before settling on one individual sitting alone in the upper levels of the crowd - Sting. Ross: Oh what in God's name is this?!? Heenan: It's Sting!!! Ross: What the hell's he doing here tonight?! Tenay: This is becoming the norm with him, it seems. Always hanging out somewhere in the arena, making his presence known but staying so far away from the action, where he can do something! Ross: Folks, this is becoming beyond ridiculous! Sting's here, ladies and gentlemen, once again! Sting's here. He's here, and he's not doing a damn thing except for sitting somewhere in the arena watching. Well how about this, Sting, DO something! Don't just sit there and watch! We get it, you're pissed off about WCW turning their back on you! You're pissed off people doubted you. Get over yourself! WCW is under attack each and every week. Your old friends are getting attacked every single week and you just sit there! You might as well just get the hell out of this arena if you aren't gonna do anything! Heenan: Ross, remind me to not sit next to you anymore. If this man hears what you just said, he might just do something...This isn't the same colorful guy we all used to know. Something's snapped in him and he's angry. Ross: He's angry??? HE is angry, Bobby Heenan?!? Good! I want him to be angry! I want him to get up off his rear end and do something to help the company he once stood for! I haven't been here in awhile, but I got to know Sting quite well for a number of years when I worked here before. You're right, he ain't the same guy I used to know because that man stood up for what was right! That man wasn't afraid of standing up to bullies. Not this man I'm watching. This man just sits there and lets things happen! Damnit Sting! You need to stand up and be a man! Folks, we've got to take a break.... Rating: 68 Scott Norton vs Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs Sigh..... What cannot be understood, is why does Chavo keep going against complete monsters in the hopes of turning his misfortunes around? Scott Norton is not the man you wrestle when trying to end your losing streak. It didn't take long for Norton to hit a brutal Powerbomb and end the match at 6:41, continuing poor Chavo's losing streak since August 1996. Winner: Scott Norton Rating: 49 Ross: Oh God, here we go! The NWO's music hits and Kevin Nash and the Macho Man are the first to walk out, followed by Eric Bischoff, as usual flashing his million dollar smile. Paul Levesque, Buff Bagwell, and the long-time United States Champion Brian Pillman soon follow. They all casually make their way to the ring, seeming to not have a worry in the world. They step in and Nash is the first one to signal for the music to cut. Nash: Ya know, last night at Clash of the Champions, I finally faced my arch nemesis Lex Luger...Well Luger, I gotta hand it to ya, the NWO has been busting your chops for the last several months and you've persevered! You took everything the NWO gave you and you kept on coming! There comes a time in a mans life where he has to realize just when it's time to throw in the towel! You can only fight the good fight so much and for so long before it finally drags you down and gets the best of you. You've been fighting alone, all by yourself and getting no help. What do you have to show for it? A victory over Kevin Nash??? It ain't about victories. It ain't about titles, and it ain't about being cheered by the fans. I used to care about all that, Luger! I cared about all that before I woke up one day and realized all those things don't matter! What matters in this business is money! What matters in this business is having people who will watch your back! Take a look around, Luger! You've got nothing! So what I want right now, is for you, Lex Luger, to come on down that aisle and step into this ring with Kevin Nash and the NWO, because I've got something to say to your face! Ross: He can't fall for this! It's for sure a trap! A minute, maybe two minutes go by. The NWO eagerly look toward the stage and after some time, the crowd begins to stir. Everyone's left wondering if Lex Luger will actually come out here after being called out by Kevin Nash. The speculation finally ends after Luger's music plays over the speakers and he walks out. Foregoing his usual crowd pose, Luger walks straight to the ring, obviously suspicious of the intentions but nevertheless, he walks up the steps and right into the ring where he meets Nash in the center. With the rest of the NWO just off to his side and behind, Nash says some words to Luger off mic as the music fades out. Nash: Luger, like I said, last night, you got the better of me. I'm not ashamed to say it. What I've gotta ask you though, is what's next?? You're just gonna resume where you left off, fighting the NWO all alone, and getting nowhere. Nowhere except probably back in the hospital! Or........You can finally, for once in your life, do something different! You can do something for yourself! You can join a true group of friends who will have your back! The Macho Man finally realized it was smarter to join the NWO than to continue fighting on the losing side, and you can too! At the end of the day, you can make money or you can make friends, but you can't have both! You can join us and the attacks stop! You can join us, no questions asked, and we'll welcome you in like family! - Luger doesn't say anything immediately and puts his hands on his hips. Nash smirks at Luger before passing the mic to the Macho Man. - Savage: Luger, I know what you're thinking, thinkin', thinkin'!!!! I was right where you are now a few short months ago! I stood up and fought the good fight right next to ya!!! But the little known fact is that the Macho Man can actually make a level-headed thought from time to time!!! It might've been that last beating I took at the hands of the NWO to make me see the light, but I saw it! Luger, it's time you put down the battle plans for WCW! WCW is losing the war and lemme tell ya, Luger, history is written by the winners, not the losers! Join the NWO and finally join the winning side, OH YEAH! Bischoff: Lex, I just have to say...We've all been there! I know what's going through your mind! You have the opportunity of a lifetime given to you at this very moment! Take that opportunity!!!! - Luger, visibly contemplating his options, looks to be a defeated man as he stands there in front of the majority of the NWO. Jim Ross is heard on commentary begging for Luger to stay with WCW and not give in. Luger finally gives a slight nod of his head before asking for the microphone from Bischoff, who hands it over with a huge grin as he looks at Nash. - Luger: Ya know, I can't help but stand here and while listening to all of this sudden praise coming from the NWO and wonder, what's the catch? For months, you all have jumped me from behind, shown no mercy, and beaten me down. You've made me question my ability to stand up for what I believe in and you, Randy Savage, a man who once stood beside me and fought alongside me, turned your back on me! But now all the sudden, you want me to join the NWO. I've always been taught that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck...So just like tonight, if something just doesn't seem to add up, that's because it doesn't! So let me be crystal clear, man to man, face to face, to each and every one of you.... I wouldn't join the NWO if it was the very last option I had in life! I wouldn't join the NWO yesterday, today, or TOMORROW! I wouldn't join the NWO if you convinced every other guy in that locker room to join and you beat me to within an inch of my life every single week or broke every bone in my body!!! - The crowd gradually gets louder and louder with every Luger comment, to the point where the audio is drowned out from their cheering. - I am WCW! I bleed WCW! And if it's the very last thing I ever do, I'm going to continue fighting for WCW until I run through every single member of the NWO and then have all of you, one by one, BEGGING to be accepted back into W.C.W! - With the crowd roaring and the NWO in utter shock and disbelief, Luger tosses the microphone down and in one defiant act, turns his back to the NWO and exits the ring, heading to the back. Jim Ross and company collectively lose their minds as Luger confidently walks up the aisle and disappears behind the curtain as Nitro goes to a commercial break. - Rating: 85 The Amazing French Canadians vs Hostile Intent vs Paul Roma and Perry Saturn are back teaming, this time against the French Canadians. While it was a solid tag team matchup, there was nothing spectacular or noteworthy. What maybe was a surprising event, Hostile Intent picked up the win at 9:17 after Saturn hit a top rope splash on Rougeau. Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 55 Alex Wright vs Scotty Riggs vs Fresh off his new harsh German attitude, Alex Wright looked to keep the bad fortunes for the former American Male going. The crowd didn't particularly get excited for this match despite solid ring work and Riggs hitting his perfect drop kick a few times. Alex Wright got the pin at 9:48 with his superior German Suplex. Winner: Alex Wright Rating: 53 Tony Schiavone is backstage with a furious Scott Steiner. Steiner cuts the introduction short as he says he's had enough with the NWO and their attacks, he's tired of being spray painted to end the shows, and he's had it with Brian Pillman running around like he's a superior champion. He says Pillman might have held that US title for a long time but that's because he dodges challenges and he dodges having to defend the belt. Steiner says that's all going to change because he wants him at SuperBrawl and he won't just beat him like a b--ch he is, he'll take his title too!. Rating: 82 Harlem Heat vs Big Bubba Rogers & John Tenta vs No matter the opponents size that Harlem Heat face, they always are able to match the power on display. Booker T and Stevie Ray showed their versatile ability and that they can go toe to toe with the largest of challengers. Heat continued to work fluidly as a team and Stevie Ray got the crowd on their feet with a big powerslam on Tenta. The match ended at 9:35 when Booker wow'd the crowd by hitting the Harlem Hangover on Bubba. Winners: Harlem Heat Rating: 73 Lance Storm vs Buff Bagwell vs This wasn't much of a competitive match and mostly displayed Bagwell's new found antics. Using as much opportunity as he could, Bagwell would pose and taunt after hitting nearly every move. Buff finished things off at 7:59 with the Blockbuster. Winner: Buff Bagwell Rating: 63 Mean Gene is backstage with Arn Anderson for the interview of the night. Gene immediately begins talking about the ongoing feud with Eddie Guerrero and how the Enforcer defeated Eddie last night. Anderson is quick to say that the lesson is far from over for Eddie and the pain and punishment will continue, this time at SuperBrawl. The interview is suddenly interrupted though as another subject rushes in from off camera.. Eddie comes into the picture, his left arm in a sling, and claims that he sustained a very serious injury last night during their match. Eddie says he for sure won't be healed up in time for a match at SuperBrawl, if he's even able to come back at all to wrestling. Eddie shows a great deal of remorse, saying there's nothing he would like more than to face a wonderful competitor like Arn Anderson again, but injuries happen in the wrestling world. A skeptical Arn and Mean Gene look on but Anderson goes along, saying he'll be Eddie's biggest supporter during his injury and make sure he comes back 100%. Arn walks off, but not before giving Eddie's left arm a pat on his way off. Eddie watches the Enforcer walk away before looking at Mean Gene. Mean Gene smirks and slightly nods towards his shoulder. Eddie quickly remembers and grabs his arm in severe pain before rushing off again. Rating: 96 Cameras backstage happen to catch, mid brawl, Diamond Dallas Page and the Macho Man furiously beating on one another. While it isn't known for sure just what started this brawl, it doesn't take one very long to figure out why. The fight continues as officials rush in to separate the two, a typical theme for Monday Nitro. Rating: 78 Mean Gene is again standing by backstage, this time with Harlem Heat. They appear in no mood for festivities and Booker T says that they've proven, without any doubt, that they are the #1 contenders to the tag team titles. They want their shot at SuperBrawl to regain the belts and Stevie says they won't rest until they get their titles back. Rating: 92 Paul Levesque vs Ric Flair vs The main event of the night pits the newest NWO member against the Nature Boy. He might have quickly realized his mistake as Flair lit his chest up with chops at the start of the match. Flair dragged Levesque all around the ring, out to the floor, and the ringside area just totally manhandling him, much to the crowd's delight. Flair was on such a roll that he even managed to climb up to the top rope and hit his double axe handle, though it only generated a two count. Levesque didn't totally get dominated and was able to mount a small amount of offense, but Flair was firmly in control for this match. There were plenty of eye pokes and low blows, but Flair eventually started working over his knee and locked in the Figure 4, right in the middle of the ring. Levesque couldn't take the pain any longer and tapped out at 12:43, ending the match and giving Nitro, for once, a clean ending as Flair celebrated in the ring. Winner: Ric Flair Rating: 84 Final Show Rating: 85 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 Week 4, January 1997 LIVE from the United Center - Chicago, IL Attendance: 19,080 - We're welcomed to Monday Nitro this week with a great shot of the crowd packed into the new United Center in Chicago. Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome everyone and begin to run through the events of the last week. Ross tells us that the WWF is fresh off their Royal Rumble where, once again, the Undertaker won for the second year in a row. Ross tells us this is one reason he left the WWF, because they end up doing the same things over again because they have no idea what their path into the future is! He also tells us the man who used to work here as the Giant lost to the WWF champion Psycho Sid in the main event. Ross says the action on Nitro is much hotter than the WWF's recorded show and as we head toward SuperBrawl, the rails might just come off. They're suddenly interrupted as Scott Steiner emerges from the entrance and is walking with a purpose toward the ring, absent his usual music. - Steiner: I want everybody to take a good look right now, because what you're lookin' at is the next United States Champion! I'm gonna be the next US champion after I beat the living hell out of Brian Pillman at SuperBrawl! Pillman! The only reason you've been champion for so long is because you've been hidin' behind the NWO the entire time! The NWO's done their best to beat me down every single week, but guess what?! The next week, I'm right back here taking on whatever you bunch of cowards wanna bring! I've been standing up for WCW and getting my ass kicked almost every single week! I've been doing this all by myself! I teamed up with the Nature Boy Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions thinking things were finally turning around into my favor and WCW's favor, only to get jumped once again by the NWO! I'm sick and tired of being the only one to stick my neck out for WCW! Where the hell's Luger?! He's supposedly been fighting the NWO every single week, but I ain't seen him around! I saved his ass a few weeks ago and he couldn't even bother to help out at Clash!? Where's Austin at?!? He wants to think he's this big badass??? All I see is him hiding and steering clear of the NWO at every opportunity! Where's other guys at like Booker T?! He's too worried about the tag team titles? Well guess what Booker and Stevie, I dominated the tag team division long enough! You think you're WCW but I haven't seen the two of you stick up for WCW other than when it fit going after the titles! Last but not least, where the hell's Sting??? He's supposed to be the franchise of WCW?? All he's been doing is sitting around arena after arena feeling sorry for himself! Sting, I've known you a long time and what you're doing is just proving to be as big a coward as the NWO! While you've been up at the top of arena's watching me get beat up, I've been the guy to be in this ring week after week going after the NWO! I've been the one going after Hollywood Hogan and trying to bring the WCW World title back to WCW where it belongs! I've been the guy out there every week, NOT YOU! I'm sick of all the crap from all the guys back there who only look after themselves! Rating: 99 - Things don't end there, however, as the crowd begin to stir just off from the hard camera. The announcers discuss amongst themselves until another camera can get into view what's getting them all excited, which has now caught the attention of Scott Steiner in the ring. - - Sting is making his way through the crowd at a quick pace and, Ross tells us, is walking in the direction of the ring. The closer Sting gets to the ring, the louder the crowd gets. He pauses at the guardrail to look at Steiner, who's still standing in the ring and now watching Sting. As Sting climbs over the rail, the crowd is now completely worked into a frenzy. Sting stops at the stairs and looks up at Steiner once more in the ring. He slowly begins climbing the steps as the announce booth says we're about to see Sting finally step into the ring, but it isn't against the NWO. Sting gets on the apron and steps through the ropes and, one step at a time, walks up to Steiner in the center of the ring, not taking his eyes off him once. The two stand in the center of the ring and the crowd is buzzing. Steiner is saying something to Sting but Sting stands silent and motionless before Steiner suddenly shoves Sting! Sting was pushed back a couple of steps but defiantly walks right back up to Steiner, face to face. Steiner didn't like this so he shoved him again! Sting again took a couple steps backward before walking right back to Steiner. He's seemingly had enough this time, getting right in Sting's face and yelling at him. The camera zoomed in close to their heads as they're nearly pressed nose to nose. Suddenly the end of a baseball bat is visible, coming up just under Steiner chin. The camera zooms out to see Sting standing there, holding the bat up against the underside of Steiner's chin. This naturally causes Steiner to stop at once and he begins to back up. Sting extends the bat and his arm as Steiner holds his arms out to the side, still saying stuff to Sting. Sting suddenly uses both hands to shove Steiner backward a few steps but Steiner, in an act of defiance on his own, immediately walks back toward Sting and again is stopped by the end of the bat into his chest. Sting quickly shoves him back again and Steiner comes forward. Sting cocks the bat up like he'll hit Steiner with it if he continues, which stops Scotty in his tracks. Sting suddenly turns the bat around, presenting the handle of it to Steiner, offering it to him. The announcers are puzzled by Sting's actions as Steiner slowly and unsurely takes the bat. Sting then extends his arms as he turns around, putting his back toward Steiner. - Heenan: He's giving him a free shot! Ross: What in God's name is this?! Tenay: It must be some kind of a test! - Steiner stands with the bat, unsure what to do. The crowd roars with excitement as Steiner still contemplates his decision. Sting peeks over his shoulder and see's Steiner still standing there and then turns around. Sting gives one last look to Steiner before exiting the ring and leaving back up through the crowd, leaving everyone wondering what Sting's plan is. - Rating: 100 Steve Austin vs Big Bubba Rogers vs Speaking of Austin, he's in this match against Big Bubba. Austin was completely on fire and had the crowd eating up everything he did. The match wasn't even close to being competitive as Austin was all over Bubba since the bell rang. He quickly put this one away at 7:03 with the Stunner. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 70 - Tony Schiavone is backstage and introduces Arn Anderson for his interview. Anderson says that his battles with Eddie Guerrero have rejuvenated him and feels like giving Eddie another lesson tonight. He says tonight's lesson will be teaching respect to Guerrero and if he can't learn it peacefully, then he'll have no problems teaching it physically. - - Eddie is heard off camera yelling "wait, wait!" as he comes into camera view, his right arm in a sling. Anderson and Schiavone both lean and glance at the arm, which Eddie notices. He looks at his slinged arm before quickly telling the Enforcer that there's no way he can be in a match tonight because he's still injured from Clash of the Champions. In his left hand is a piece of paper which Eddie says is a note from his doctor saying he could be out months due to his severe injury. Tony tries to grab the paper and asks to look at it before Eddie jerks away and says medical information is highly confidential and that Tony might try and steal his identity. Eddie tells Arn that he "promises" his first match back will be against Arn but right now he just hopes to be able to return to the ring. - Rating: 84 Scott Norton & John Tenta vs Harlem Heat vs Scott Steiner must have looked at the format for the show prior to going out to open Nitro as Harlem Heat's in action next! Tenta has a new partner this time in Scott Norton, again creating a very formidable, tough team to challenge Heat. Just as in the prior match, despite the huge size of their opponents, Harlem Heat did a good job matching the powerful moves. Booker had a standout performance in this match, which wasn't particularly long. Booker got the win at 7:33 after hitting the Axe Kick on Tenta. Winners: Harlem Heat Rating: 74 Following a commercial break, Mean Gene is in the center of the ring and reveals his next guest for an interview - The Nature Boy Ric Flair. Flair emerges to a loud reaction from the fans and makes his way to join Mean Gene inside the ring. Gene asks him about the earlier comments made by Scott Steiner, who was his partner at Clash of the Champions which saw them both laying in the ring getting spray painted at the end of the night. Flair says that what Steiner said is right. He's been feeling the wrath of the NWO nearly every single week and he keeps coming out and taking them on, virtually on his own. Flair says he should do a better job of stepping up and joining forces with him and also puts all of WCW on notice. Flair says that it's time to put up or shut up and that Sting's been walking around for months sitting on the sidelines. He says it's time Sting finally stand with WCW and put an end to his holdout. He knows Sting was upset by what happened but he'll get nowhere if all he does is live in the past. Flair says there's probably no one that knows Sting better than him and if the Nature Boy can't even see it from Sting's perspective, then maybe it's time for Sting to stop sulking and stand up like a man. He says when things get tough, the best athlete's don't just take their ball and go home, they fight because fighting proves who's the best! Rating: 90 Earl Robert Eaton vs Fit Finlay vs Eaton and Finlay entered this match as two men vying for contendership for the TV title. While Finlay has had more luck than Eaton, the former Beautiful Bobby proved to be no slouch either. He was able to hit some of his old classic moves to get Finlay off his game. To the surprise of many, Eaton was able to pick up the win at 8:09 with his Alabama Jam. Winner: Earl Robert Eaton Rating: 71 Lord Steven Regal vs Diamond Dallas Page vs w/ Lord Regal looks to keep the momentum going for the Blue Bloods but his task is a bit more challenging in the likes of DDP. This match saw a lot of brawling mixed in with technical holds from Regal, who was really on his game tonight, to the point of actually exposing DDP as being the inferior worker. There was little effect of attempted distractions on the part of the Diamond Doll, though Regal did snub his nose in her direction a few times. The crowd responded well to both competitors in this match and DDP was able to hit a Diamond Cutter out of a failed clothesline attempt by Regal, picking up the win at 12:23. Winner: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 79 Quote tHe FolLoWInG AnnOunCEmENT hAs BeEn PAiD fOr BY tHe NEW WORLD ORDER: Hollywood: Riddle me this, riddle me that, who can tell me where the Stinger's at?!? HAHAHAH! I bet I know something you don't, big Kev! Nash: What's that, Hollywood??? Hollywood: Why does the Stinger always watch the NWO but never get involved?? Pillman: OH! I know, Hollywood!! I know!!! Hollywood: Shhhhh!!! Don't spoil the surprise!!! Nash: Ummm...Because he's jealous of my devilish good looks but afraid of my physical superiority at the same time? Hollywood: Close, but no cigar, big man! The Stinger doesn't get involved with the NWO because he IS NWO, my dude! Nash: AH! SAY IT AIN'T SO, HOLLYWOOD! Not the Stinger! Turned his back on WCW??? Hollywood: See, you're wrong, big man. Sting didn't turn his back on WCW; WCW turned its back on the Stinger long before! Now they'll suffer the consequences because the Stinger - Is on our side! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Rating: 100 Saturn vs Wrath vs Saturn has had a good stretch of performances for awhile but is really put to the test in this one against Wrath. Despite being heavily outsized, Saturn didn't back down or show any hesitancy on his part. Wrath remained as physically dominating as possible but Saturn was able to catch him off guard several times and hit some high-impact moves of his own, to the delight of the crowd. Despite a good showing, Wrath had a bit more in the end, putting Saturn away at 8:26 with the Meltdown. Winner: Wrath Rating: 72 Paul Levesque & Buff Bagwell vs The Armstrongs vs Although this match featured plenty of taunting and posing by Bagwell and Levesque, there was no chance at all for the Armstrongs to come away victorious. Levesque ended up getting the pin at 8:14 after hitting the Apex. Winners: Levesque & Bagwell Rating: 53 - As Jim Ross and Co. recap the nights events, the NWO music plays and Kevin Nash, unexpectedly, walks out by himself and heads to the ring. Ross comments that the has no idea what Nash has planned as he steps into the ring and takes a microphone out of his back pocket. - Nash: I've been sitting in the back all night, watching the show and struggling to stay away! I saw Arn Anderson out here earlier trying to get a fight against Eddie Guerrero. Seeing that he failed to get the fight he was looking for and seeing how I've got nothing else to do tonight, I'll take on Arn Anderson and send him to the glue factory where he belongs! So Arn Anderson, c'mon out here and get that fight you've been looking for! Rating: 97 Kevin Nash vs Arn Anderson vs The crowd were solidly behind this impromptu matchup and it didn't take long before the Enforcer's music played and he walked out. A referee ran from the back and rang the bell as the two men went at it. Nash ended up going on defense early as Anderson took control and slowed the match down to his pace. Nash eventually took over when Anderson's attention was on the referee, clubbing blows to the back of his neck and shoulder blades. Anderson was able to regain control soon after but made a mistake in going for his patented Spine Buster. Nash was able to block it and shove his knee into Anderson's midsection. The setup was perfect for Nash to hit his Jackknife at 12:23 for the win. Winner: Kevin Nash Rating: 82 Final Show Rating: 87 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Man, I cannot put into words how good this is. I keep waiting for a few shows to be posted so I can binge it. It's realistic, it's fun, and most of all it's just a good story. Easily one of my favorite diaries ever. I love this version of the nWo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 All of the incredible praise I've received for this dynasty is really overwhelming and I never expected it! I hope I can continue entertaining everyone as the story progresses. I'm really looking forward to playing again, that's for sure! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 5, 2023 Author Share Posted September 5, 2023 Week 1, February 1997 LIVE from Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, MI Attendance: 17,657 Following the video open and various camera shots throughout the arena, the familiar pyro display goes off as the fans anxiously await this week's Monday Nitro, tonight emanating from the Motor City in Detroit! Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome everyone as they discuss the events from last week's Nitro, where the NWO claimed Sting to now be a part of their group. There obviously hasn't been any verbal statement from Sting regarding this but his actions in recent weeks could suggest he is part of the renegade group, as he's done little to help WCW in their invasion. They also touch on the odd behavior from Sting last week where he gave Scott Steiner an opportunity to hit him with his very own baseball bat while his back was turned. Steiner declined to attack and Heenan said that showed Sting that Scott Steiner doesn't have what it takes to be as ruthless as you need to be against a gang. Music begins to play in the arena as Nitro gets underway with the first match tonight! Lance Storm vs Lord Steven Regal vs Regal has been a man on a mission since returning from injury and leaving no one to guess he wants his TV title back. Mike Tenay describes Lance Storm as a young wrestler with an incredible future, one that surely has gold in it, however, on this night it isn't meant to be. Regal demolished Storm and was extremely brutal and aggressive in this match, ending it at 6:45 with the Regal Stretch. Winner: Lord Steven Regal Rating: 70 - Mean Gene Okerlund is backstage with a visibly distraught Total Package Lex Luger. Gene starts the interview by saying everyone heard Hollywood Hogan and the NWO last week claim that Sting is standing on the sidelines in helping WCW because he's joined the New World Order. After weeks and months of Luger begging for the return of the Franchise, Mean Gene wants to know what's going through Luger's mind. - Luger: Mean Gene, as you know, WCW as well as I, have gone through a lot in these last few months! I made the mistake of not trusting my best friend and I've paid the price many times over for that. I haven't even spoken to my best friend since last September, and we all know that wasn't the best conversation, either. When I heard Hollywood Hogan utter those words last week, that Sting was with the NWO, it hit me like a freight train, Gene. However, we all know that the NWO relies on mind games and overwhelming their victims! I made the mistake before of not trusting the Stinger, of doubting him, and Mean Gene, I'll be damned if I'm going to make that same mistake again! I can't believe it, I won't believe it, and I DON'T believe it! If there's one guy in this company that lives, breathes, and bleeds WCW, it's the Stinger! Mean Gene, I'll never believe that Sting would join the NWO until I hear those words straight from his mouth himself and he puts that NWO t-shirt on!! The NWO plays on mind games and I'm not falling for it again! Kevin Nash, things aren't finished between the two of us either and I can tell you one thing, you've got a fight coming your way! Rating: 90 Brad Armstrong vs Wrath vs This match was mostly over before it even started. Wrath dominated Armstrong from bell to bell and there was no question in the winner on this one. Wrath got the pin fall victory at 7:43 with the Meltdown. Winner: Wrath Rating: 70 - The night's abruptly interrupted when the NWO's music blares through the speakers and Kevin Nash leads the group out. The announcers ponder what the occasion is that brings nearly every member of the NWO out tonight before the answer is revealed with near speechless shock from Jim Ross. - Ross: Oh my God..... Ross: This isn't the fake Sting, ladies and gentlemen, this is the real one. Sting is walking out with the New World Order... - The unmistaken gait of the real Sting is witness by all those watching and the crowd looks on, stunned, as the real Sting walks out with the rest of the NWO. There are high fives all around the group, though Sting remains unemotional and doesn't interact with them. Sting makes his way up the aisle with the group when he gets to Hollywood Hogan, who drapes an arm around Sting and taunts into the camera as they continue toward the ring. Once inside, there's more celebration and taunting and the crowd just stares in the ring, too shocked to react to what they're witnessing. - Hogan: Ooooh! Mr. Bischoff, this is just too much to handle!!!! It's just, too sweet, if you will!!! We said it last week and WCW wanted to stay in denial!! They can't admit that the ship is sinking so rather than jump off, all those losers are just gonna stay on the ship til it sinks all the way down to the bottom of the ocean, brother! United States Champion Brian Pillman, would you be so kind as to do the honors, brother?!?! - Pillman has an NWO shirt and holds it out to Sting but Sting doesn't take it. In fact, Sting doesn't even look at it and maintains the same blank look in his eyes. Pillman becomes uneasy and looks at the other NWO members who also start to get uncomfortable. Bischoff looks at Hogan whos smile is slowly fading before he suddenly perks up. Hogan takes the shirt from Pillman and drapes it across Sting's shoulder and pats him. - Hogan: Ok, ok!!! The Stinger's just a little bashful because of the last few months!!! Sting just doesn't know how to react anymore! Look at him! It's a perfect fit, brother! I mean, the Stinger's been wearing the NWO colors for months now, dude!! Who's really all that surprised that he chose the NWO??? Things couldn't be any better for the NWO! The NWO championship belt is right where it belongs, around the waist of Hollywood!!! Ric Flair's proven what a joke he is and an unworthy challenger!!! The Stinger's now joined the NWO!! Life couldn't be better, dudes!!! Nash: Let me just say, Stinger, the black and white for sure looks good on you, my man! It's good that you've finally seen the light and come over to the dark side, unlike his former loser best friend Lex Luger! Luger, I'm glad things aren't over between us because now you're gonna have to deal with the NWO full force! As a matter of fact, I might just have your old best friend here stand in my corner!! Savage: Ooooohhh yeah!!!!! Life couldn't be better for the NWO or for the Macho Man, yeah!! Tonight and tonight only, the Macho Man opens the door to the old vault and takes on Ricky the Dragon Steamboat in the main event!!! Just like back in the day, the Macho Man's gonna take care of business against the Dragon and I'm gonna be a Dragon Slayer, YEAH! As a matter of fact, I'm gonna dedicate my win tonight to the newest member of the NWO - The Stinger! Levesque: Diamond Dallas Page, you've had a problem with me from the get-go! Well tonight when I take on Dean Malenko, I'm gonna make an example outta him and for what I have in store for you! Page, there's one place you belong and it isn't in the middle of this ring! I'm gonna send you back to the trailer park where you belong and maybe you can take that tramp along with you!!! If you haven't noticed, here in the NWO, we have REAL women! Not some fake bimbo tramp like you have running around with you everywhere! One thing you'll learn about me Page, is I don't make threats, I make promises, and I promise to make your life a living hell! Pillman: I've heard an awful lot of hot air coming from the mouth of Scott Steiner lately! He says I've only been US Champion for so long because I hide from my opponents?? I've been US Champion so long because I am the best United States champion in the history of WCW! In case you forgot, Scotty, I beat you back at Fall Brawl and you've had plenty of opportunities since then to beat me for this belt, and you couldn't do it! At SuperBrawl, you want another shot??? Be my guest but let me give you a little spoiler for that match; it's gonna end up just like all other times you failed to win this title!!! The NWO's at the top of our game and it's gonna take a lot more that crying and whining to change that, Scotty!!! Rating: 100 Hugh Morrus vs Scotty Riggs vs The crowd was still reeling off of the prior segment during this match. Riggs had some nice moves in this one but it wasn't enough to get him the victory. Morrus got the win at 7:45 after the No Laughing Matter. Winner: Hugh Morrus Rating: 55 Buff Bagwell vs Steve Austin vs There's quite a difference when Bagwell is pulling his antics in a match against, say, the Disco Inferno. It's quite an entirely different thing when he tries it against an opponent like Steve Austin. Bagwell began with his dancing pose only to be met with a middle finger, much to the crowd's delight. After Bagwell turned to say something to the camera, he was then met with a flurry of punches. Austin was again completely on fire tonight and the crowd was totally into everything he did, which was pummel Bagwell from one end of the ring to the other. The match ended at 7:33 with the Stunner. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 76 Television Title: Paul Levesque vs Dean Malenko vs w/ Levesque was set out to gain yet another title for the NWO in this one so he appeared a bit more focused, that is, aside from his numerous taunts and gestures toward Francine. Despite both competitors being disliked by the crowd, it was overall well received by them and had good competitive action. It looked as though Levesque was sure to become the new champion after hitting a face crusher and signaling for his finisher - the Apex. As he picked him up, Diamond Dallas Page slid into the ring and blasted Levesque with a Diamond Cutter, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The referee promptly called for the DQ at 9:41. Winner by DQ: Paul Levesque Rating: 76 Eddie is backstage making a sandwich and, amazingly enough, he has no sling on either arm this week. He seems pretty excited as he's putting his sandwich together and making tough choices as to what condiment he's going to add when his excitement is interrupted.... Eddie looks up to see the Enforcer and realizes his mistake as he briefly glances at both his arms. Double A gives him a smirk and a pat on the shoulder before saying he's glad it looks like he's all healed up. Anderson says this means their match can proceed and it looks like tonight would be the perfect time for it. Eddie obviously thinks of some reason to give before saying he's still injured. Eddie says he's out of his sling but the doctor's don't want to rush him back into anything, so tonight is out of the question. Arn leans in a bit closer and says at SuperBrawl, there won't be any excuse and he won't be able to avoid him any longer. Rating: 94 Hostile Intent vs Big Bubba Rogers & John Tenta vs Tenta and Rogers are back to teaming this week as they look to beat Paul Roma and Perry Saturn. Despite the size difference, it was a pretty competitive matchup but the big men used their size to their advantage. Saturn showed off some great strength and even suplexed Tenta during the match, getting the crowd on their feet. The surprise came at 10:02 when Saturn got the pin fall win after a Death Valley Driver on Rogers. Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 62 Harlem Heat are backstage with Mean Gene for an interview. There's nothing ground breaking about this interview, Heat just are extremely confident in getting the tag titles back at SuperBrawl against their long-time nemesis, the Faces of Fear. Rating: 77 Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat vs While this didn't even come close to their classic they had years prior, it was still a great matchup and Savage easily had the performance of the night, some rating him a 96/100. Steamboat was no slouch either and showed that he can still perform quite well. The match was a back and forth affair until Brian Pillman made his way to ringside. This essentially made the match a 3-1 handicap as Steamboat not only had to deal with Savage, but he also had to deal with distractions and interference from Pillman and Elizabeth. Steamboat ended up making a comeback but it was cut short by interference from Pillman while Liz distracted the referee. This allowed Savage to climb the ropes and hit the Flying Elbow as the referee made the pin at 15:52 while the rest of the NWO made their way to the ring once again. Winner: Randy Savage Rating: 76 Ordinarily, this would be a scene witnessed so many times prior, except this time Sting once again accompanied the NWO to ringside. They all climbed in the ring and congratulated Savage on his victory before the beat-down of Ricky Steamboat continued. Levesque and Bagwell held the half-conscious Steamboat by the arms as Pillman and even Hogan took opportunities to punch him. They all encouraged Sting to attack him as well but Sting just stood in the corner and appeared to be uninterested. Seeing their efforts to involve him weren't working, they continued on with their attack. Meanwhile at the announce booth, they all were sickened by Sting's actions and hoping someone from WCW would come out from the back to help Steamboat, but no help ever emerged. Nash Powerbombed Ricky Steamboat before the spray cans made their appearance and Nitro went off the air as "NWO" was being spray painted on Steamboat's back while Sting was off to the side watching. Rating: 91 Final Show Rating: 82 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted September 5, 2023 Share Posted September 5, 2023 (edited) I think Sting is playing a con--fooling the NWO into thinking he's with them but, at Superbrawl, he'll turn on them when they least expect it. And the crowd will go absolutely nuts... Never trust a scorpion, NWO, because you will get stung... Edited September 5, 2023 by Lord Byron 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 7, 2023 Author Share Posted September 7, 2023 Week 2, February 1997 LIVE from the Birmingham-Jefferson Arena - Birmingham, AL Attendance: 17,000 (SELLOUT!) - Nitro opens with the usual festivities this week, lots of pyro and crowd shots of the packed arena before going to the announce booth where Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay welcome everyone. Ross says last week Sting did the unthinkable and is with the NWO. They all take turns discussing the fact that Sting has made it obvious he isn't siding with WCW and has chosen Hollywood Hogan and the NWO. This was further clarified last week when everyone was witness to a brutal attack on Ricky Steamboat by the NWO and Sting stood by watching. Ross says that they're not going to let one man rain on the fact that WCW seems to be finally coming together, with or without Sting. Tonight is a huge event for WCW because Hollywood Hogan and Ric Flair will sign a contract to meet at SuperBrawl in a cage match for the world heavyweight title. Unlike the WWF, they're not going to make everyone wait until the end of the night because the contract signing will be after the first match! - Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs Lord Steven Regal vs It's no secret that Chavo has had quite the difficult time picking up a win in WCW. Regal is no easy opponent but Chavo was able to match up much better with his style of wrestling versus, say, a guy like Wrath or John Tenta. Despite the more competitive nature of the match, Regal was simply on fire again tonight, being rated by many as a 92/100 performance. The crowd was excited for the opening match and saw Regal get the win at 8:29 with the Regal Stretch. Winner: Lord Steven Regal Rating: 80 Mean Gene is excited for tonight as he tells the crowd that Ric Flair will have a chance to win the WCW world heavyweight title at SuperBrawl because a contract signing will be taking place right now between the two competitors. Mean Gene first introduces the challenger, the Nature Boy Ric Flair, who comes out by himself. The announcers all agree that this isn't such a great idea for the Nature Boy, as Hogan is virtually guaranteed to not come out alone and could easily be setting up Flair for a trap. Nevertheless, Flair is also smiling from ear to ear as he makes his way out and walks, or struts, rather, to the ring. Once inside, he meets Mean Gene in the center and shakes his hand before giving a loud WOOOOOOO! A brief interview with Flair takes place where Flair says he's wanted to get his hands on Hogan ever since losing the world title to him at Road Wild and then he's wanted to get payback for what the NWO did at War Games. Flair says Fall Brawl and War Games was the catalyst for everything we've seen since with Sting and now that he's with the NWO, he's done worrying about Sting. As far as Flair's concerned, Sting is a coward just like the rest of the NWO and if he wants to buddy up with Hogan, then it's his funeral. Flair's not only going to win the world title back at SuperBrawl, but he's going to cut the head straight off of the NWO! Mean Gene then introduces the world champion - Hollywood Hogan. Hogan naturally and surprising to no one doesn't come out alone. The United States champion Brian Pillman, Eric Bischoff, and Kevin Nash all accompany the NWO figurehead to the ring who all taunt Flair along the way. As they step inside, Bischoff puts up his fists and taunts Flair while Mean Gene says this is not supposed to be a physical encounter. Mean Gene invites the two competitors to sit at the table that's been set up in the ring for the contract signing. Flair sits across from Hogan who's completely nonchalant about the encounter. Nash stands next to the seated Hogan with his arms folded, glaring a hole through the Nature Boy and doing his best to intimidate him. Bischoff holds onto the world title as the NWO music fades out and Mean Gene gets down to the introductions. He says the two men are here to sign a match contract for SuperBrawl that will pit them both inside a steel cage for the world heavyweight title. He has Flair sign the contract first since he's the challenger. As Flair signs, Brian Pillman obnoxiously taunts the Nature Boy, but he gives him no attention and signs his name without a moments hesitation. Next up is the world champion, Hollywood Hogan. Mean Gene says Hogan's held the title since defeating Flair at Road Wild last year and this match will guarantee a winner, as it's inside a steel cage. Hogan says he's beating everyone who's lined up to try and take his title and at SuperBrawl, the same results gonna happen that happened at Road Wild; he's going to beat Flair like an old dirty rug and just when Flair's begging for mercy, he's going to beat him a little more! Hogan says not to worry about the NWO because Flair's washed up and never could compete with Hollywood, so he doesn't need help beating him. Hogan says while he made wrestling what it is today and was the cause for its popularity, Flair struggled to sell out bingo halls in the South. Flair's always been a big fish in a little pond and that's why he was never successful in New York. Despite all the trash talk, Flair looks on with a fire behind his eyes and an intense, focused look on his face. Hogan pauses to look at Flair before signing the contract, which at the conclusion resulted in Pillman jumping and screaming forward in Flair's face. It proved to be too much, as Flair sprung up and pie faced Pillman with a right hand, shoving him back. Flair braced himself for the attack as Nash flipped the table over and Pillman rushed toward Flair, only to be held back by Hogan. Mean Gene had already rushed out of the ring at this point but Hogan remained calm and cool, slowly patting Pillman on his chest and telling him he's got it. Nash just stood looking menacingly as Flair was on his feet, braced for a fight. Hogan turned toward Flair and inched closer as the two were nearly nose to nose, leaning over the flipped table. The camera zoomed in as words were being exchanged and Ross tells us that we have to take a commercial break. Rating: 93 Wrath vs Mike Barton vs Wrath had a good performance in this one that wasn't even remotely competitive. He put Barton away easily at 6:33 with the Meltdown. Winner: Wrath Rating: 70 Tony Schiavone is backstage with Scott Steiner for an interview and wanted to get his thoughts on the events surrounding Sting last week. He says he knows that Scott's tried to get Sting back on the side of WCW but it looks like all those attempts have failed. Steiner says that last week Sting proved where his loyalty lies and that it doesn't lie with WCW anymore. He says that's fine with him because he'll be the one to pick up the WCW banner and run with it. Steiner says WCW's success at ridding itself of the NWO shouldn't rely on one man anyway. Steiner says his only regret is not hitting Sting with his baseball bat when he was given the choice and says if he's ever given the opportunity again, Sting's going to end up in the hospital. Rating: 86 Television Title: Ricky Steamboat vs Dean Malenko (c) vs w/ Ordinarily, this would be a good matchup, however, it was clear the Steamboat was still feeling the effects of the attack from the NWO last week. Although he was beat up, the two still put on a good performance but something just didn't click with it. Steamboat did everything he could to derail the offense by Malenko but he also had to contend with is manager, Francine. During one comeback, the Dragon found himself going on a roll, hitting several of his signature arm drags followed by a karate chop. Steamboat went to bounce off the ropes only to have Francine hold the top rope down, causing him to spill over and outside to the floor. He was barely able to avoid being counted out and dragged himself back into the ring but this only allowed Malenko easy access to lock in the Texas Cloverleaf at 15:45 and get the submission victory. Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 64 Following another commercial break, Mean Gene this time is backstage and standing by with Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero is dressed in street clothes but now wearing a neck brace. Mean Gene asks him to explain himself this week and tells Gene that he injured his neck while working out earlier in the week. Eddie pulls out a piece of paper and says it's a "doctor's note" forbidding him from competing in the ring at SuperBrawl. Eddie says it actually specifies that he is not to wrestle against Arn Anderson. Eddie says there's nothing he loves more in this world than wrestling and he was looking forward to facing a legend like the Enforcer, but sadly due to his latest injury, he's going to have to sit out. Rating: 90 United States Title: Fit Finlay vs Brian Pillman (c) vs This is actually the first time since before World War 3 that Pillman defended the US title. This didn't keep Pillman from having the performance of the night though, being rated a 97/100. Pillman mocked Finlay at every opportunity and used his quickness to avoid the Irishman as much as possible. Finlay was still able to catch him a few times and deliver his stiff offensive moves, but it wasn't enough. Pillman got the win at 12:29 with the Air Pillman. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 90 Hostile Intent vs Earl Robert Eaton & Steve Keirn vs I'm really at a loss to even try and explain why the Blue Blood Eaton is teaming with Keirn. It's possible that the Bloods were trying to recruit Keirn, but there's no backstory available. This was an odd but decent match which saw Roman get the pin fall victory at 10:02. Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 64 Buff Bagwell & Paul Levesque vs Ric Flair & Lex Luger vs From the opening bell, Flair and Luger punished Buff Bagwell and Levesque from one corner to the other. By the time order had finally been restored in the match, meaning the illegal men finally went to their corner, the match was already half through. Flair and Bagwell were the legal men and Flair attacked him with a fury before Luger was tagged in. Luger Dominated him until he tossed him into his corner to tag in Levesque. He was also still hurting from the beginning brawl and Luger continued the punishment. It became clear quickly that Luger and Flair were going to dominate this one and Luger quickly got Levesque up in the Torture Rack where he wasted no time giving up at 12:51. Winners: Ric Flair & Lex Luger Rating: 73 In typical Nitro fashion though, things didn't end there. As the bell sounded, Pillman, Nash, Savage, and Hogan all hit the ring and the brawl ensued. Flair and Luger were outnumbered and jumped from behind but they still fought back with a fury. It didn't take long though before the crowd exploded into cheers as two more men slid into the ring to join the fight; Scott Steiner and Arn Anderson hit the ring though still outnumbered, it was clear that WCW had the momentum on their side. Bagwell and Levesque were already weakened and it allowed WCW to fight like their life depended on it. With the crowd roaring and Jim Ross on commentary exclaiming that finally, WCW was coming together, they all fed off of the moment. It was clear that Luger, Flair, Steiner, and Anderson weren't backing down and took the fight straight to the NWO. One by one, WCW removed a member of the NWO from the ring. Bagwell and Levesque were dispatched first. Flair hit a vicious low blow on Savage and shoved him out to the floor. Steiner hit Pillman with a beautiful FrankenSteiner and caused him to roll out onto the floor. Luger clotheslined Nash over the top rope and finally, Hollywood Hogan was left all alone. Hogan did his best to beg off the four men who were now starting to encircle him. Just as Luger and Flair rushed forward, Hogan dove out to the floor. WCW stood tall for the first time against the NWO who were trying to regroup on the floor as the credits rolled and Nitro faded out. Rating: 99 Final Show Rating: 82 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund, bringing you this edition of the WCW Hotline Report! It's bee a little bit since the last Hotline update, but I have some huge news for you regarding some backstage events in WCW! LOVE TRIANGLE BACKSTAGE! Tensions ran high this past Monday night on Nitro when Diamond Dallas Page apparently walked in on his wife Kimberly and Alex Wright engaged in certain affairs..... All three were backstage this past week on Nitro, though none were used. I was told that several wrestlers backstage had to hold DDP back from Alex Wright, who furiously tried to exit the room unscathed. Page has filed for divorce earlier this week and it has already been announced that Kimberly and Alex Wright are now a couple. This naturally has developed quite the hatred DDP has toward Alex Wright. How or will this effect the involved parties going forward remains to be seen, however, I had been told that Wright was in the slow process of introducing a new "harsh German" gimmick in recent weeks that has been getting rave reviews from management. DDP is currently working a program with Paul Levesque of the NWO and I'm told there are no plans to incorporate Wright into this feud. This couldn't come at a worse time for DDP as he's already struggling with a poor reaction to a gimmick change, looking to be more of a "working man's man." The change has not gone particularly well and DDP is still trying to find his footing on it. MORE BACKSTAGE TROUBLE? Speaking of Paul Levesque, there appears to be more trouble brewing backstage. Levesque was a guest on a radio show this week and revealed that he and The Total Package Lex Luger have recently had some trouble behind the scenes. When pressed, Levesque wouldn't elaborate to anything specific, but it was clear he had a rather blatant hatred toward Luger. I reached out to both for a comment but they wouldn't provide one. Both of these incidents come at an odd time as the WCW backstage environment is said to be at an all-time high with overall good attitudes, though Meng did complain about being left off of this past Monday's show. Back at Clash of the Champions, Arn Anderson, Eddie Guerrero, and Ric Flair were all pointed out by Eric Bischoff after the show for their fantastic performances and all were said to be very happy about the mention. Main Event Ends Run WCW announced this week that the end of January saw the ending of long-running weekend show Main Event. The show in recent years was used to showcase lesser-used talent and did not promote current events. WCW thought it was appropriate to not re-sign the show to a new deal and rather leave the time slot open for other future ventures. In unrelated WCW news, Tammy Sytch, better known to fans as Sunny in the WWF, appeared on a daytime talk show last week and revealed that her friendship with Bret Hart has come to an end. Sytch didn't point to one event to signal the ending of the friendship other than saying they have slowly parted ways in recent months. Puerto Rico based promotion World Wrestling Council has apparently moved up to a "Medium" size this week. They point their success to boasting some big star power by the likes of Jeff Jarrett, Ricky Morton, and Ron Simmons. They've also signed Marc Mero previously and Jake "The Snake" Roberts, though Roberts sustained a severe spinal cord injury in January that will keep him out of action for over a year. In addition to those workers, they also have Jesse "The Body" Ventura and "Superstar" Billy Graham at the announce booth. I've also been told they are in the works of finalizing a deal with Curt Hennig, who is also currently working for the USWA. Raven, who was working for both ECW and ECWA had signed an exclusive contract with ECW at the end of January. As a result of the exclusive contract, he has now left ECWA after fulfilling all of his dates. I've also received word that Rey Mysterio Jr. has signed an exclusive 2 year contract extension with CMLL. He currently holds the NWA World Middleweight championship and has been a main star for that promotion. I'm told WCW did reach out to Mysterio and offer a deal, however, the bidding war for CMLL went past what WCW felt comfortable spending for him. WCW has had a long break between Clash of the Champions and SuperBrawl giving them plenty of time to build toward some huge matches, as SuperBrawl is typically one of WCW's main PPV's of the year. Nitro will no doubt see more development as we near closer! Here's the card for this week's Nitro, coming from Louisville, KY! Week 3, February 1997 Randy Savage vs Scott Steiner The Amazing French Canadians vs Lex Luger & Ricky Steamboat Tag Team Titles: Fit Finlay & Mike Barton vs Faces of Fear (c) Perry Saturn vs Lord Steven Regal Steve Austin vs John Tenta Diamond Dallas Page vs Alex Wright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 Randy Savage vs Scott Steiner The Amazing French Canadians vs Lex Luger & Ricky Steamboat Tag Team Titles: Fit Finlay & Mike Barton vs Faces of Fear (c) Perry Saturn vs Lord Steven Regal Steve Austin vs John Tenta Diamond Dallas Page vs Alex Wright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 My picks: Randy Savage, Lex Luger and Ricky Steamboat, Faces of Fear (c), Lord Steven Regal, Steve Austin, and Diamond Dallas Page... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 Randy Savage Lex Luger & Ricky Steamboat Faces of Fear Lord Steven Regal Steve Austin Diamond Dallas Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smw88 Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 Randy Savage Lex Luger & Ricky Steamboat Faces of Fear (c) Lord Steven Regal Steve Austin Diamond Dallas Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 13, 2023 Author Share Posted September 13, 2023 Week 3, February 1997 LIVE From Freedom Hall - Louisville, KY Attendance: 17,828 - A huge pyro display follows the normal Monday Nitro opening video sequence as Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome everyone to this week's WCW Monday Nitro. All the announcers are in chipper spirits this week and JR tells us it's mostly due to how Nitro came to an end last week, with WCW finally seeming to stand together to run off the NWO. Tenay says it was a sight that the WCW faithful aren't used to seeing and the momentum appears to have drastically turned around all in just one week. The Brain tells us that we can't get too comfortable because he has no doubt Hollywood Hogan and the NWO have something up their sleeve, never ones to sit at a disadvantage. JR agrees and also reminds everyone that Sting is now a member of the NWO and things have still remained quiet with him. He does have a source that informed him that they did see Sting sulking around the arena earlier today, so it's anyone's guess as to what will go on with him tonight. Music begins to play in the arena just as they're finishing the recap, signifying the first match of the night! - "Riddle me this, riddle me that, I hear Alex Wright's Bratwurst is as big as a bat!" Diamond Dallas Page vs Alex Wright vs DDP entered the ring looking in a particularly foul mood tonight which only appeared to get worse as Alex Wright made his way out to the stage and began dancing. While Wright stepped through the ropes, JR eluded to an altercation last week at Nitro involving the two but didn't delve further into it. The match started off with Page delivering a very stiff slap across the face to a shocked Alex Wright. From there, the match seemed to mostly go as normal with DDP handling most of the offense. Page put things away at 8:51 with a Diamond Cutter. Winner: DDP Rating: 64 - Interests pique a little bit as cameras move to the backstage garage area where a long limo is pulling up and comes to a stop. The doors open to reveal the NWO, which appears to be out in full force tonight, exiting. Celebrations and smiles are all around the NWO, seemingly unfazed by the events ending last week's show. Hollywood Hogan steps out and has a piece of paper in his hands as he steps up to Bischoff and puts an arm around him. The group slowly make their way inside the arena as Hogan and Bischoff have the attention of the camera. Hogan says that after last weeks events, he has a restraining order against Ric Flair and that the paper in his hand says if Flair gets within 100 feet of Hogan, he'll be arrested and the SuperBrawl match will be voided. The NWO all laugh and appear ultra confident of their plan heading into SuperBrawl as Nitro fades to its first commercial break. - Rating: 100 Steve Austin vs John Tenta vs This was a no nonsense match featuring two men with different styles but their attitudes seemed to mesh quite well. Austin egged on Tenta to bring everything he had at him which he was able to block and unleash a furry of offense to Tenta instead. With the big man reeling, Austin clotheslined him over the ropes to the outside where Tenta tried to regroup. Once back in the ring, he used his size to take advantage and take over the match. He had Austin nearly pinned a couple times before Austin slowly started to make his comeback. Tenta managed to stop the comeback with a thundering headbutt, dropping Austin to the canvas. Seeing the opportunity, Tenta went for his Earthquake Splash but Austin rolled out of the way. Once both got to their feet, Tenta turned, meeting a swift kick in the gut followed by the Stunner at 9:31. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 79 - The NWO music hits the arena and the crowd get on their feet to see who's coming out this time as Kevin Nash and the United States Champion Brian Pillman emerge from the fog. While the two are making their way to the ring, cameras manage to catch another individual... Sting is perched high atop the arena looking down as Nash and Pillman get into the ring. The announce booth wonders why Sting isn't walking out with them and Heenan says Sting's still a lost soul, whether he joined the NWO or not. He says Sting's so unpredictable no one knows what he'll do at any given moment. Nash looks out to the crowd and notices all the heads in the audience looking up which causes him to also look, spotting Sting in the catwalks. Nash points up at Sting and nods his head as the music fades out. - Rating: 69 Nash: I'd like to take this opportunity to call out up there to my boy Sting! Stinger, you made the right choice by joining the NWO! Now I know and the rest of the NWO know that you need some time! We know you've been all lone these last several months and you need to reintegrate yourself with society, and that's all well and fine by us! You came out here a couple of weeks ago and got the tshirt, you're sporting the colors, Stinger, we know you stand with the New World Order! Like I said, you made the right choice! Macho Man made the right choice! It's only a matter of time before Lex Luger wakes up and smells the coffee and makes the right choice of his own! Luger, I'll give credit where credit's due! You've held fast and you've stood up as well as only one man can for WCW! Don't let last week's little fluke trick you into thinking you've got guys that will watch your back the way the NWO could! Luger, I've been nice for as long as I can but I'll be honest, my patience is starting to wear thin! If I've gotta beat it out of you at SuperBrawl, then that's exactly what I'll do because Lex, you can only get run over so many times by a big diesel truck before you give in! Ya see what I did there???? Pillman: Oh Kevin!!!! You're hilarious, my friend!!! Indeed, at SuperBrawl, there will be a lot of eyes being opened to the sheer dominance that the NWO has over WCW! Lex Luger will find out, and Scotty Steiner, you also will find out! I, on the other hand, won't be as nice to you as Kevin Nash has been to the Total Package! See Scotty, the NWO actually see's potential in Lex Luger! He's been out here for months battling us, withstanding nearly everything being thrown at him! It's never shaken his resolve! Unlike you, you've failed a couple of times going after Hollywood Hogan and the world heavyweight title but now you have the audacity to come after me and the US title??? What in God's name do you think gives you the right to come after me?! I've held this title since May of last year! I'm the best US champion this company has ever seen! I'm sure as hell not you swoop in here and act like you're the savior of WCW because, Scott Steiner, you are not! That's all ok though. Try your best as you might Scotty, but at SuperBrawl, your best just won't be good enough!!!! Rating: 99 Perry Saturn vs Lord Steven Regal vs Saturn has really come into his own in the last few months showing himself to not just be a formidable singles wrestler, but also a tag team wrestler. Regal continued to highlight himself as one of the best workers in WCW at the moment and the recipe by bringing these two together worked magically. The match was a combination of technical wrestling and powerful suplexes by both men. The crowd also was totally into anything both of these men did. Things looked to be over as Saturn locked Regal in the Rings of Saturn and the crowd was on their feet, anticipating Regal tapping out, who's hand was up and prepared to give the signal. He fought his way to the ropes eventually, causing the hold to be broken. From there, Regal was able to regain the momentum and ended up getting Saturn locked in Regal's submission hold, the Regal Stretch. Saturn also battled, attempting to get to the ropes. He wasn't able to though and gave up at 9:57 in a great match! Winner: Steven Regal Rating: 90 Tag Team Titles: Fit Finlay & Mike Barton vs Faces of Fear (c) vs The odd team parings continue as the Faces of Fear look to successfully defend their tag team belts. Despite the odd paring, there was no doubt that the ring contained some insanely tough men. It looked a bit as though Finlay and Barton could withstand the punishment and power the the champions dished out and also managed to return it quite effectively. The crowd also got into the match as they witnessed punishing blows by both teams who just taunted each other and kept on beating each other up. It was a headbutt from Finlay to Meng that was their undoing. The Samoan shook it off and promptly locked Finlay in the Tongan Death Grip for the win at 9:13. Winners: Faces of Fear Rating: 80 - Following the match Jimmy Hart got in the ring with his clients and, with them flanking each side, he ripped into Harlem Heat as being wanna-be champions and said at SuperBrawl, the Faces of Fear will show everyone why they're the most dominant team in WCW and he hopes the boys from Harlem have been preparing and training hard because he wants them at their absolute best when the Faces of Fear completely obliterate them, so there's no excuse as to what team really runs WCW! - Rating: 72 - Levesque is backstage and ready to cut a promo as WCW returns from a commercial break. He looks as smug and confident as ever as he gets started. - Levesque: Ya know, you can take a person out of the trailer park, but you just can't take the trailer park outta the person! Diamond Dallas Page, it looks to me like you've had quite a few problems lately! All this time you've been worried about me and what you should've been doing is paying more attention to what goes on in your double-wide! See Page, I'm a man of opportunity and what I see ahead of me at SuperBrawl is one fine opportunity to not only beat your ass like the redneck you are, but to send you packing back to the trailer park you came from but this time......Ohhhh this time, Page, you'll be there all. Alone! And how fitting is that???? You'll be all alone because no one likes you and you're a loser. Your problems have just begun, Page! You can count on that! Rating: 62 The Amazing French Canadians vs Lex Luger & Ricky Steamboat vs Luger and Steamboat continued to work well as a team as the announcers wondered if Kevin Nash's attempts to get him in the NWO were having any effect on him. Similarly, they also wondered how Sting's entrance into the NWO was effecting him as well. The translation to the ring was seeing a bit more of an aggressive Lex Luger that what we're used to seeing. He nearly got his team disqualified as he continued to beat on Carl Oulette in the corner, even prompting Ricky Steamboat to enter to get Luger to back off. It looked as though there was a brief argument between Steamboat and Luger but things quickly settled down and Luger tagged out. The match ended at 9:58 when Luger was eventually tagged back in and got Rougeau in the Torture Rack for the submission win. Winners: Lex Luger & Ricky Steamboat Rating: 69 - Nitro returns from a commercial break and Mean Gene Okerlund is standing at the base of the ramp. He introduces his guest Eddie Guerrero, who hobbles out from the side of the entrance on crutches. Mean Gene asks Eddie for an explanation and he says that while he was at home over the weekend rehabbing his injured shoulders and neck, he fell and injured his knee. Eddie says that everything he's been doing lately to try and get back in the ring is just derailing him further and keeping him from his passion in life. Eddie nearly comes to tears as he's describing injury after injury he's suffered, all in the name of trying to give Arn Anderson the match at SuperBrawl he so dearly wishes to have. Mean Gene isn't buying the performance of Eddie Guerrero though and soon enough, Arn Anderson emerges from the entrance, cutting Eddie off mid sentence. Arn casually approaches Eddie and Mean Gene who also has a piece of paper of his own in his hands. Arn says what everyone else is thinking, that Eddie's full of it and never has been injured. Arn says just for a little insurance, because he knew Eddie would try to pull something, he went to the WCW board of directors and got this little paper he has in his hands. To the astonishment and fury of Eddie, Arn says this paper is directly from the Board and states if Eddie Guerrero does not wrestle Arn Anderson at SuperBrawl in just under two weeks time, not only will he be indefinitely suspended, but he will be suspended without pay! A furious Eddie proceeds to throw a fit and even begins to jump up and down, stomping his feet before he stops and freezes, realizing he's jumping on his "bad knee" before quickly hobbling/running off screen. - Rating: 98 - Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff are backstage for a promo of their own, not an endorsed announcement by the New World Order. Hogan goes on to say that at SuperBrawl, he'll do exactly what he's always done in his career, and that's rip Ric Flair limb from limb at SuperBrawl. Hogan says that Flair's never beat him and things are going to stay that way at SuperBrawl because Hollywood Hogan is a wrestling God and he'll just prove one more time that he's the bigger name in wrestling. - Rating: 90 Randy Savage vs Scott Steiner vs This ended up being, to much surprise, a pretty straight forward match. There was plenty of taunting from both sides going around but for the most part, it was a straight match. Steiner utilized his powerful offense wherever he could to wear down the Macho Man. Savage also utilized his manager, Elizabeth, to get in plenty of cheap shots whenever he had the referee's back turned. Though most of the match was clean, the ending was not. Just as Steiner looked to finish things off with a Steiner Screwdriver, Brian Pillman came rushing to ringside and jumped on the apron, distracting Steiner and the referee. Elizabeth took the opportunity to slide a foreign object in to Savage, who made his way to his feet. He turned Steiner around and decked him with some brass knuckles and then promptly tossed them out of the ring, making a cover. The referee turned after Pillman jumped down to the floor and counted the pin at 15:24. Winner: Randy Savage Rating: 84 Final Show Rating: 89 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 17, 2023 Author Share Posted September 17, 2023 Week 4, February 1997 LIVE from the Maritimes - Canada Attendance: 2,900 - Nitro opens up this week with the usual fan fare; pyro and a raging crowd which is noticeably smaller than usual but doesn't lack enthusiasm. JR, Bobby, and Dusty Rhodes welcome everyone to Nitro and, JR tells us, Nitro is coming from Canada tonight which explains the smaller crowd. WCW is clearly trying to branch out to appeal to a larger audience outside the US. We've got a huge night ahead of us, as this is the final show heading into SuperBrawl. Dusty says it's been a long stretch between Starrcade 1996 and SuperBrawl and while we had Clash of the Champions, that wasn't a huge monthly event and the wrestlers are antsy to get in the ring and have a big show. JR reminds fans to not bother switching channels because while the WWF gives the same event each week, tonight's show is worse than usual. It's a bunch of tag team matches that aren't even exciting. He says while the WWF has a ton of big named stars on their roster, they barely use any of them whereas with WCW and Nitro, you're going to see the big names each and every week! The announce booth is interrupted as cameras go backstage to catch an arrival. - - Double A is getting his luggage out of a trunk and making his way in to the arena. As the Enforcer heads inside, the crowd is heard giving him a warm reception. The announcers begin to talk about Anderson's attempts to get Eddie Guerrero in the ring for SuperBrawl, which Eddie has done his best to avoid it. Everyone's interrupted though when Double A is jumped by two men rushing in from off screen. - - Anderson catches the men rushing in from the corner of his eye and has just enough time to react, though he still gets jumped. Blows are flying from Hogan and Savage as they do their best to quickly overwhelm the Enforcer. Arn's doing his best to fight the two off but it's clear he's definitely outmatched and double teamed. Just as quickly as the attack started though, another man rushes in from off camera. - - The crowd is heard losing their minds as Flair rushes in and immediately goes after Hogan, leaving Anderson to overcome the attack from the Macho Man. Flair furiously punches and claws at Hogan's face as he tries to regroup with Savage and retreat. A flood of officials rush in to break up the group as Flair fights with everything he has to get through the group of men holding him back. Hogan and Savage rush off as Anderson grabs hold of the Nature Boy to pull him away. Nitro fades away to the first break as JR tells everyone tonight's already shaping up to be a huge night and to not change that channel! - Rating: 87 United States Title: Ricky Steamboat vs Brian Pillman (c) vs Pillman has a tough task to defend his title against a skilled veteran as he heads into SuperBrawl with another tough defense against Scott Steiner. The long, grueling, opening match had all of the highlights you would expect from these two from everything from technical wrestling to flying action, to power moves. Pillman had a really great performance while Steamboat seemed to struggle finding his stride for this one. Pillman ended the match at 18:40 with the Air Pillman. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 77 - Back at the announce booth, the trio try to regroup with a break in action to hype up the rest of the night as well as some matches for SuperBrawl. They don't get very far before music begins to fade into the arena, bringing the crowd to their feet. Two men begin to walk out briskly and get about halfway down the aisle when Mean Gene rushes from off stage and to the ring for what seems to be an impromptu interview. - Flair: HOGAN!!!! YOU COWARD! YOU'RE A COWARD!!!! You wanna have me arrested?!?!? Here I am, big man!!! Have the cops come out, handcuff me!! I don't care!!! There's nothing that's going to keep me from getting to SuperBrawl this Sunday and kicking your ass!!! That's right! Have me arrested!!! Do you know who I am, pal?!? I'm the Nature Boy Ric Flair! I have shoes that cost more than your paycheck! Have me arrested!!! I'll make bail and I'll be right there this Sunday to take that world title! You and Savage wanna try and get the jump on the Enforcer?!? You're nothing but a sad opportunist! You take something and try and squeeze every ounce out of it! When you're done with it, you throw it away! You thought you and Savage would jump the Enforcer to get at me! Well guess what Hogan, you're nothing but a sad excuse for a man and I'm going to love every second of making you bleed, sweat, and pay the price this Sunday, pal!!!! In the mean time....In the meantime, how about tonight..... In this ring...Since Savage wants a fight so bad, I want Savage in the middle of this ring!! I'm gonna have the Enforcer outside at ringside!!! And Hogan, I want you to pay real close attention because the beating I give Savage in this ring tonight is gonna pale in comparison to what I do with you at SuperBrawl! I'll make him bleed!!! I'll make him beg for mercy!!! And I'm just simply put, gonna kick his ass until he cries for you to come out and help!!!! But one thing's a fact, Hogan! You're not coming out here because that would mean you'd face me face to face!!! Tonight, Savage, your ass is mine and this Sunday, Hogan, your getting the beating of your life!!!! Rating: 100 Paul Levesque vs Perry Saturn vs A little-known fact about these two competitors is that they trained together. This did not translate into mutual respect from the two, however, as Levesque was quick to paintbrush Saturn who responded in kind with an exploder suplex. It was a back and forth match that saw both men get plenty of offense in. Levesque hit the Apex at 7:43 for the win. Winner: Paul Levesque Rating: 69 Lord Steven Regal vs Steve Austin vs Regal tried many of the antics he used in their match last month but again it didn't have any impact on the no-nonsense Austin. Austin simply, again, flipped Regal off (much to the delight of the crowd) which caused Regal's face to contort with disgust. The brawl started from there soon after. Both men were on top of their game in this match with Austin being exceptional. Austin ended up hitting the Stunner at 9:46 for the win in a good match. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 78 Mean Gene is backstage with Eddie Guerrero, this time for a proper interview. Eddie is in appearance without any slings, without a neck brace, and without any crutches, to the surprise of Mean Gene. He asks him about it and Eddie says miracles work every single day and Eddie is 100% healthy and injury free. After intense rehabilitation, he's good as new and will be facing Arn Anderson this Sunday at SuperBrawl. Mean Gene asks Eddie if he saw the earlier attempted attack by Hollywood Hogan and the Macho Man against his opponent this Sunday. Eddie says he saw it and that he doesn't need the NWO doing his work for him. Eddie says he's going to take on Anderson and he's going to beat him all by himself so there's no question about what kind of athlete Eddie Guerrero is. Rating: 96 Harlem Heat vs Scott Norton & Wrath vs The odd tag team pairings look to continue in Canada as Norton and Wrath team together. This was another big, powerhouse duo taking on Harlem Heat but they once again proved they can also bring the toughness to their opponents and hit plenty of power moves on their own on the big men. Dusty says this is a great test for Harlem Heat ahead of their attempt to regain the tag team titles at SuperBrawl against the Faces of Fear. Stevie Ray got the pin at 9:36 after hitting Norton with the Heat Seeker. Winners: Harlem Heat Rating: 77 Nitro returns from a commercial break to a taped Lex Luger promo. Luger says after months of ambushes and sneak attacks, after having his two friends in the Macho Man and Sting turn their backs on him, it would be easy to throw in the towel and join the NWO after the push by Nash to get him to join. Luger says though that what doesn't kill a man only makes him stronger. The Total Package has been out to set right the wrong that the NWO has brought on WCW and he's not about to give up. He says that Nash has been working so hard lately to get him to join the NWO and he has to wonder what the secret motive is behind it. He says he would get immensely more pleasure out of beating Kevin Nash at SuperBrawl than he would ever get by joining the NWO. This Sunday for Kevin Nash is going to be full of pain delivered by the hands of the Total Package. Rating: 87 Mean Gene is backstage once again, this time with Diamond Dallas Page. Gene says the last couple of weeks have been a challenge for Page and Paul Levesque had some choice words for him last week. DDP says Levesque is full of nothing but hot air and that it's no surprise that low-life scum like him runs his mouth. Page says that Levesque needs his mouth shut for him and he'll be more than happy to do that at SuperBrawl. As for Page's personal life, he says it's no one's business. Rating: 85 Ric Flair vs Randy Savage vs Flair made his way out first for this one simply because it was thought if Savage came out first, Flair would rush him and the match would never make it to the ring. It seemed to be true because as soon as Savage stepped through the ropes, Flair rushed and began a flurry of attacks to Savage. Flair was simply incredible in this match and given a rating of 100/100. He overwhelmed Savage from the beginning and didn't let up on his offense, even when the referee threatened to disqualify him. The match went extremely long and even took a few commercial breaks in between. Each time when returning from a break, Flair was solidly in control of the match, which went all over the arena. The fight was in the ring, on the floor, in the crowd, and even went backstage at one point. Flair used everything as a weapon that he could get his hands on. Savage similarly used some things as weapons but it was mostly in an ill-fated attempt to hold off Flair, rather than any offensive move. Once back in the ring, Flair had the crowd raging and was totally in control. He got Savage locked in the Figure Four right in the middle of the ring. Savage was clearly in agony but didn't want to give it up. This is where things broke down. The NWO rush out with Pillman and Levesque getting into the ring first. They immediately go on the attack which causes the DQ at 23:23. Winner: Ric Flair Rating: 82 - With Flair on the mat and the Figure Four locked in, he had no ability to defend himself from attack. Pillman and Levesque kick and hammer blows quickly as Bagwell entered the ring, followed by Nash and Hogan. Anderson, seeing the NWO run out, tried to get in the ring and cut them off but the numbers were too great. Despite being outnumbered, Flair and Anderson did their best to fight back but it was clear that they were going to quickly be overrun. - - To the complete shock of everyone watching, Steve Austin was the next man to sprint out from backstage. He slid in the ring and the crowd, already loud and excited from the fight taking place, seemed to go up several more octaves as Austin got to his feet and went right after the NWO. JR, Heenan, and Dusty were all beside themselves as Austin took turns rushing from one NWO member to the next with an attack. The unexpected help also allowed Flair and Anderson to recover and start mounting their own defense as a wild brawl was unfolding inside the ring. Neither side was gaining a clear advantage and blows continued to rain down when things took another unexpected turn. - - Sting, yes, the real one, walked out from the backstage area. JR confirmed that the mannerisms meant that this was no doubt the real Sting and not the imposter we've been seeing, mostly on Saturday Night's broadcasts. The crowd almost became silent in anticipation as to what was going to happen as Sting approached the ring and didn't hesitate before climbing the steps and entering the ring. It was like a sea parting as the fighting slowly began to stop. The group formerly known as the Horsemen with Anderson, Flair, and Austin on one side of the ring and the NWO on the other. Sting stepped right to the middle as the fighting came to a stop and all eyes were on Sting. Sting stood in the middle of the ring while the NWO was behind him. He stared daggers into Flair, Anderson, and Austin as the Nitro credits appeared on the screen and then began to fade to black. With the closing seconds, JR rhetorically asked what this meant and what was going to happen this Sunday at SuperBrawl!? - Rating: 99 Final Show Rating: 87 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted September 18, 2023 Share Posted September 18, 2023 Can't wait for SuperBrawl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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