Henderson Posted September 19, 2023 Author Share Posted September 19, 2023 Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund giving you this week's WCW Hotline - Special SuperBrawl Report! While this report will be centered around WCW's upcoming PPV - SuperBrawl - I'll also bring you the most recent news within the pro wrestling world! ECW has reportedly moved up to "Medium" size. The boost follows their monthly event, which this month was Market Street Mayhem. The event saw a number of matches that were all well-received and featured a main event where Taz successfully defended the ECW World Heavyweight title against Too Cold Scorpio. The WWF have signed Dustin Rhodes to a contract extension. It looks like we'll be seeing more of the bizarre Goldust in the future. Now on to WCW news! In hopes of rejuvenating the lower card division, WCW have signed Kaz Hayashi and El Hijo Del Santo to handshake deals. The Japanese high flyer Hayashi should be a great addition of talent! I've received word that Santo's signing mostly has to do with WCW's attempts to appeal more to the Mexican market, as WCW is hoping to expand their popularity South of the border. Despite being one of the most popular wrestlers in Mexico, Santo has not been employed since he left CMLL in November 1995. There continues to be fallout from the Kimberly/Alex Wright affair, mostly for Diamond Dallas Page. Page has been openly complaining of feeling "isolated" backstage which has been detrimental to his morale. As a result, I've heard a few rumors that Eric Bischoff has been trying to get involved in creating new friendships for DDP backstage. Despite this trouble recently backstage, the backstage environment remains extremely positive. Morale is very high from several factors, continually winning the monthly area battles with the WWF, record high ratings, backstage rules, and several close friendships have resulted in an all-time high backstage rating. Folks, the time has finally arrived, we're headed straight for SuperBrawl VII coming from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the home of WCW! It's been some time since our last major PPV, Starrcade 1996. We held Clash of the Champions XXXII in January but as in years past, that was a minor event in between shows. SuperBrawl has indeed shaped up to be a must-see event and I have the official card lineup for you exclusively on this Hotline Report! Strap yourselves in, this is going to be a major show where the Nature Boy Ric Flair will have a colossal task in trying to regain the World Heavyweight title from Hollywood Hulk Hogan and the New World Order! Week 4, February 1997 LIVE from the Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA World Heavyweight Title: Cage Match: Ric Flair vs Hollywood Hogan (c) Diamond Dallas Page vs Paul Levesque Lex Luger vs Kevin Nash United States Title: Scott Steiner vs Brian Pillman (c) Paul Roma vs Wrath Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs Faces of Fear (c) Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) Eddie Guerrero vs Arn Anderson 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Hollywood Hogan Diamond Dallas Page Lex Luger Scott Steiner Wrath Harlem Heat Dean Malenko Eddie Guererro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 World Heavyweight Title: Cage Match: Ric Flair vs Hollywood Hogan (c) Diamond Dallas Page vs Paul Levesque Lex Luger vs Kevin Nash United States Title: Scott Steiner vs Brian Pillman (c) Paul Roma vs Wrath Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs Faces of Fear (c) Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) Eddie Guerrero vs Arn Anderson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) My picks: Hollywood Hogan (c), Diamond Dallas Page, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Wrath, Harlem Heat, Fit Finlay, and Eddie Guerrero... Edited September 20, 2023 by Lord Byron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdBloodedSausageMaker Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 World Heavyweight Title: Cage Match: Ric Flair vs Hollywood Hogan (c) It's too early for Hogan to drop the strap. Diamond Dallas Page vs Paul Levesque Levesque is a good fall guy for the nWo to lose. Lex Luger vs Kevin Nash Could go either way. I think Nash needs the win a bit more, and also he has the nWo backing him up. United States Title: Scott Steiner vs Brian Pillman (c) Steiner's on the way down, Pillman is on the way up. Paul Roma vs Wrath Wrath could be in a main event, Roma is a tag team guy. Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs Faces of Fear (c) Could go either way. Faces of Fear are heels. They could also be good nWo recruits, they were both WWF wrestlers first Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) Malenko has been more seriously booked. Eddie Guerrero vs Arn Anderson Eddie has an excuse and can afford a loss here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Hollywood Hogan DDP Lex Luger Brian Pillman Wrath Harlem Heat Dean Malenko Eddie Guerrero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smw88 Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Hollywood Hogan (c) Paul Levesque Lex Luger Scott Steiner Wrath Harlem Heat Dean Malenko (c) Eddie Guerrero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAwesomeZero101 Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Week 4, February 1997 LIVE from the Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA World Heavyweight Title: Cage Match: Ric Flair vs Hollywood Hogan (c) Flair isn't going to be the one to end Hogan's reign so soon. Diamond Dallas Page vs Paul Levesque I'm feeling a NWO sweep tonight and it seems DDP might have heat backstage. Lex Luger vs Kevin Nash Nash to get his win back and maybe a return of Hall? United States Title: Scott Steiner vs Brian Pillman (c) There is a close one but I still feel like NWO is going to sweep the night. Paul Roma vs Wrath Roma has no chance in hell of winning. Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs Faces of Fear (c) Coin flip but I feel like NWO will want the titles back and Faces of Fear ain't gonna be good babyfaces against them. Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) Dean continues his hot streak with the title. Eddie Guerrero vs Arn Anderson Guerrero to get his revenge after last month. Pre-Show Comments: First time commenting but love what you're doing in WCW, excited with the path you're taking mixing guys who were in WCW in real life (Sting, Luger and Flair) with guys who weren't at the time or not pushed (Austin, Pillman and Steiner). Keep up the great work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 Week 4, February 1997 LIVE from the Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA Attendance: 70,000 (SELLOUT!) - SuperBrawl VII opens to a panned arena shot of a frenzied hometown crowd after a brief intro video hyping the event. As the camera pans around the packed arena, Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Tony Schiavone welcome everyone. - JR: Welcome everyone to SuperBrawl 7! I'm joined by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Tony Schiavone and guys, I've got to say what huge event this has shaped up to be! We're expecting nothing short of a monumental night as WCW returns home in Atlanta for this blockbuster event! Tony: No doubt about it, Jim! It's great to be with both you and the Brain here as I've been looking forward to this event for over a month now! Fans, there are huge marquee matchups taking place right here tonight and, Bobby, it couldn't be any more fitting to have the name "SuperBrawl" for this event! Heenan: "Brawl" it's sure to be, Tony and JR! Everywhere you look, guys are fighting, women fighting, people are at each others throats and at the heart of it all, WCW and the NWO are on a collision course that leaves everything in its path of destruction! If you ask me, I'm not sure that there will be any winners at the end of it once all the dust settles! JR: Bobby, I couldn't have put it any better. WCW and the NWO are indeed at each others throats and after weeks, after months of sheer NWO dominance of WCW, they've finally shown some strength and solidarity and stood up to the group of thugs! WCW has a perfect opportunity to take back the main titles from the NWO, in the world heavyweight title and the United States title! Tony: If there's one man that I have the faith in to reclaim the world heavyweight title, it's the man Hollywood Hogan defeated for that very belt - the Nature Boy Ric Flair! He's won it on several occasions and he's always been the man to step up when so much was at stake and Brain, JR, tonight the stakes couldn't be any higher! JR: That couldn't be more true, Tony! Ric Flair knows what's on the line in this match! It's inside a steel cage that we see hanging high above the ring and that means there's going to be a winner and I just hope to God almighty himself that it's the Nature Boy. On the flip side, Scott Steiner has been on a fantastic tear of late and has never been one to back down from the NWO! Tonight he is in prime position to take the US title away from long-reigning champion Brian Pillman! Heenan: Well Pillman's held that title since May of last year and if you ask me, it doesn't look like he's going to be losing it any time soon! If you go back and look at his history, he either hasn't defended the title very often or when he does, he gets plenty of assistance from his NWO buddies! I don't think much of that is going to change here tonight! Scott Steiner terrifies the NWO! They don't want any part of him after the threat he gave to Hollywood Hogan and the world title! They sure as heck don't want him getting the US title off of the current longest reigning champion in WCW! JR: That's a great point, Bobby! Steiner's been one tough guy all throughout this battle with the NWO! He's always stood up to them whether or not he was by himself or had people by his side! I think he's been a pivotal member of the WCW roster and is a big reason why the momentum has seemed to shift and we've seen some unity from WCW fighting against the NWO! We've even seen Steve Austin coming out to assist WCW and he's made claim several times to want to stay out of it! Tony: If you ask me, if you're a part of the WCW roster, there is no staying out of it! The NWO has impacted every single facet of this company and staying neutral is just the same as siding with them. After seeing Sting take the side of the NWO, we need solidarity in the WCW locker room now more than ever! JR: There's no doubt Sting's alliance with the NWO being no less than a punch to the gut of the morale of the WCW locker room. I also see that impacting no one more than the Total Package Lex Luger as he's Sting's best friend. I've known Sting for a number of years and I still can't believe it and every time I think of Sting turning his back on WCW, it makes me sick to my stomach! Heenan: We just need to stop talking about Sting! Forget him! We've got our own roster built to take on the NWO! We've got Flair, Steiner, Austin, Luger, Steamboat! All of those guys are finally working together and they're doing it all without Sting's help! It's true though. For the last couple of months, Luger's also been lost! He's been fighting against the NWO for so long that I'm starting to see little cracks in the Total Package! You can only fight against something for so long before it begins to wear you down, and I see Lex Luger being worn down! I'm not the only one to notice it either because Kevin Nash has been trying his hardest to get Luger to join the NWO for awhile now! I'm afraid that they're getting very, very close! Tony: I think we can all see just a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel in the war against the NWO, Brain, so I just hope Lex Luger can hold out just a little longer! Tonight he faces Kevin Nash in what will be a deciding match, I believe, in just how well Luger will be able to fend off the NWO's advances. JR: Guys, we could sit here all night long and talk about these things, that's for damned sure, but we've got Mean Gene Okerlund backstage and he's standing by with the Enforcer, Arn Anderson, who's going to kick things off against Eddie Guerrero in a fantastic feud they've got going on! So Mean Gene, we're going to you, my friend! Mean Gene: JR, Tony, Bobby, thank you all, my friends, and I couldn't agree more! The stakes are at an all-time high tonight for SuperBrawl and Arn Anderson, tonight you get what you have been looking for for a very long time!! You will go one-on-one against Eddie Guerrero who has tried extremely hard for the last few weeks to get out of a match with you! Anderson: Well see, Mean Gene, I knew from the very get-go that those attempts were ill-fated! Eddie Guerrero knows what it means to step in the ring with the Enforcer and he wanted no part of another match! See, Eddie, you had a little glimpse, a little taste of what that was back at Clash of the Champions! You were running around here for months before that thinking you were some kind of a God! You wanted a challenge? Well a challenge you got. It was a challenge you weren't prepared for, Eddie Guerrero! Well finally, here we are! There's no more talking, just doing! I said I wanted to beat some respect back into you, Eddie, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do tonight! As a matter of fact, earlier today, I went back to the board of directors! See, I was at the arena early when I saw them putting that cage together and began to raise it high above the ring and I got to thinking to myself, "What a wonderful opportunity!" So I went to the board of directors office just a couple of blocks away and I got a new stipulation added to our match tonight! Since that cage is already there, I thought what better idea than to go ahead and make more use out of it?!?! Eddie, tonight, our match is gonna be a cage match! And what better way than to beat some old school respect into you than to have an old school cage match?! No escape, no disqualification, no rules!! There's only pin or submission and Eddie, I don't lose and I don't submit when I'm at the top of my game and Eddie, I'm at the top of my game right here tonight! Rating: 94 Cage Match: Eddie Guerrero vs Arn Anderson vs Both men entered the ring with nothing less than 100% focus as the cage lowered. Eddie put up a brief argument with the referee as the cage lowered but it quickly went away as the bell rang. It didn't take long before both men attempted to gain the upper hand as several holds and counters were locked in and reversed by both men. Eddie was the first to try and use the cage to his advantage as he tried to ram the Enforcers head into it. Arn blocked it and Eddie instead found his head meeting the steel as Bobby Heenan said Arn Anderson is like a totally different wrestler once he gets inside a steel cage. His career has been built on the brutality that takes place inside a steel cage at War Games and he's now essentially foaming at the mouth at the opportunity. Eddie bounces from one side of the cage to the other as the Enforcer repeatedly strikes Eddie into it without mercy. Ross tells fans watching that this match will differ from the main event, as you cannot win this match by escape, not that Anderson would want to anyway. Anderson spent the next several minutes brutalizing Eddie into the unforgiving steel. Eddie didn't gain an advantage until Arn set him up on the top rope and then joined him for an attempted SuperPlex. Eddie managed to block it which caused Anderson to crash to the mat. The announce booth thought Eddie would attempt his Frog Splash but instead he waited for him to get to his feet and hit a flying head scissors. It was then Eddie's turn to take control and use the cage to his own advantage. He didn't get to enjoy his offense as long as the Enforcer did though. Arn quickly turned things around and Eddie found himself on the apron between the ropes and the cage. Anderson raked Eddie's forehead back and forth across the steel which caused him to open up. Blood poured over Eddies face as he entered back into the ring and Anderson looked to continue the punishment. That stopped short when Eddie delivered a low blow with both arms for extra leverage. A Powerbomb got Eddie a 2 count as he staggered around the ring, now covered in blood. He sent Anderson into the ropes, attempting a clothesline. Anderson ducked hit Eddie with a few punches before sending him into the corner. Guerrero got a burst of energy as he sprinted out of the corner only for Anderson to catch him with his signature SpineBuster. Anderson went for the cover but Eddie kicked out at 2. Anderson dragged him back to his feet and looked to send his head into the cage again, but this time Eddie blocked it. Anderson ended up having his head crash into the steel instead, the announcers wondering if Anderson would come away bleeding like his opponent. He didn't, but the damage was still done as Anderson staggered backward. Eddie caught him with his own signature back body drop before motioning to finish things off. Eddie quickly climbed up the ropes and paused just briefly before jumping off, looking to hit his Frog Splash. Arn was able to move himself out of the way which caused Eddie to crash hard to the mat. Anderson got to his feet and looked to lay in some more offense before motioning for his own finish, the DDT. Arn locked in the first part but Eddie quickly fought out of it and went to kick Anderson. Arn caught his foot and taunted him but Eddie quickly hit an enziguri. Both men were down but Eddie found some strength to get to his feet shortly after. He again climbed to the ropes and looked out at the crowd. The announcers all wondered why Eddie wasn't going for the Frog Splash again before Eddie slowly looked up and behind him to the top of the cage. The crowd slowly started to get louder and louder as everyone realized what Eddie was thinking. Anderson was still down on the mat when Eddie began his climb to the top of the cage. When he reached the top, Eddie slowly stood unsteadily before leaping off with a Frog Splash. Time seemed to stand still as Eddie took forever, flying through the air. There was a huge crash as Eddie connected with the Frog Splash and the crowd were beside themselves. In the carnage, Eddie bounced off of Anderson and he slowly made his way toward the downed Enforcer, able to only sling an arm across the veteran. It was good enough as the referee began the count and ended it at 17:54 in a spectacular match! Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 94 - There was a brief promotional break for WCW to allow the crowd to come down off their high from the first match, returning to a backstage promo by Steve Austin. He didn't seem too pleased, explaining that he wanted Randy Savage in a match here tonight only to have Savage dodge him. Austin referenced the ending of Nitro last week and says while he's not going to go around claiming to be best friends with anyone in WCW, he's not about to let some group of rejects like the NWO interfere with his goal of being world champion. Austin says he's not afraid of a fight and will still kick the teeth down the throat of anyone in WCW that gets in his way. There's one thing that annoys him worse than a bully and that's an unfair fight. He says the NWO have gone too long attacking people from behind and outnumbering their victims. Since he's off tonight, he might just find himself involved in some NWO matches if he feels like it. We'll see how the NWO like having to look over their shoulder at every opportunity now. - Rating: 100 - Mike Tenay is backstage with Lord Steven Regal. Tenay talks about Dean Malenko defending the TV title against Fit Finlay tonight and not against Regal, who's claimed to still be champion because he's never been defeated. Regal says he isn't too sure how he isn't in the title match tonight and some bloke from Ireland is. Regal says Finlay's doing what the Irish always have done and that's ride the coattails of England. Regal will be paying close attention to this match tonight because he will be looking to get the TV title back after tonight and anyone else is going to have to get in line behind him. - Rating: 75 Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) vs w/ While this match was certainly good and full of technical wrestling, it wasn't nearly as well-received as the opening match. There was significant time given to this match though so both men used the opportunity to build the match up quite well. Francine made her presence known at every opportunity as well so Finlay not only had to be concerned with Malenko but also interference from the outside. Steven Regal also made his way out onto the stage entrance that caught the attention of Malenko. This nearly cost him the match as Finlay turned and lifted him for his Tombstone piledriver finish. In a nice move, Malenko fought the move and reversed it into his own Tombstone! Rather than go for the cover, Malenko got up and grabbed Finlay's legs. He looked out to Regal on the entrance and taunted him before locking Finlay in the Texas Cloverleaf, causing Finlay to tap at 16:28. Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 80 Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs Face of Fear (c) vs Two tough teams went into this match knowing each other inside and out after the many battles they've had. Ross praised both teams as being two of the best, not just in WCW, but in wrestling as a whole and ranking them in the top 5 along with the Road Warriors and Steiner brothers. They've created excitement within tag team wrestling unlike their competition who just has a mess of their division. The hard hitting action began from the opening bell as all 4 men brawled while the referee struggled to maintain order. Jimmy Hart jumped on the apron to try a distraction, only to get booted off by Stevie Ray. This allowed the Faces of Fear to gain the early advantage and isolated Stevie from his corner. The Faces of Fear were in control and Stevie Ray in trouble as they went for a double team move, only for Stevie to dodge it and hit a double clothesline on return. With the fans feverishly cheering on Stevie as he crawled toward his corner, he was just able to make the hot tag to Booker as Meng was trying to prevent it. Booker came in like a ball of fire as he rocked both Meng and the Barbarian. He finally crashed their two heads together as the Barbarian fell to the floor outside. With Meng rocked, Booker hit his Axe Kick and then ascended to the top rope, perched and waiting for Meng to get to his feet. When he did, Booker jumped off and hit his Missile Dropkick to score the win at 9:40 and reclaim the tag belts! Winners and NEW champions: Harlem Heat Rating: 79 - Following the bell, Meng rolled to the outside to regroup with Jimmy Hart and the Barbarian. Inside the ring, Booker helped Stevie Ray to his feet as the referee presented the brothers with their newly won titles. Both brothers went to opposite corners and held the titles up high as the crowd cheered on the duo with JR and company praising their hard fought road to getting the belts back but also doubting their war with the Faces of Fear to be over. - Rating: 69 Paul Roma vs Wrath vs After another brief promotional video, the crowd is seemingly given a breather to regroup themselves as the next match begins. While Roma was doing a nice job of resurrecting his career in a tag team with Saturn, his singles career wasn't panning out to do the same. Wrath completely dominated every aspect of this match and quickly hit the Meltdown on Roma for the win at 6:55. Winner: Wrath Rating: 70 United States Title: Scott Steiner vs Brian Pillman (c) vs We've reached yet another pivotal match tonight as Brian Pillman looks to defend his title against Scott Steiner, who's been a thorn in the side of the NWO for quite awhile now. Steiner may have come up short against Hollywood Hogan and the world title a couple of times but he definitely gave them reason for a scare. Steiner made his way out first and seemed laser-focused into his task. Pillman came out second and when Randy Savage accompanied him, everyone knew the task just became extra difficult for Steiner. Pillman did his best to begin the match in control and at his pace but he was quickly overwhelmed by Steiner. Scott pummeled him back toward the corner where he continued to beat on him. The referee counted and reached 5 as Steiner continued the attack. He tried to intervene but Steiner shoved the referee backward as Heenan urged on commentary to let the beating take place! The referee again counted to 5 and tried to step in to stop the attack, only to be shoved off again. Steiner was now in threatening territory of a disqualification as the referee again began the count but Steiner was obviously in no mind to stop. The ref again reached 5 and this time more forcefully stepped in and backed Steiner off, who got a finger in the face and a fierce scolding by the referee. This gave Pillman precious seconds to try and catch his wind as Savage encouraged him on from the outside. Steiner continued his offense, hitting a series of suplexes and powerful clotheslines. After delivering one Steinerline, Scott dropped down for the pin and the referee began counting. Steiner abruptly got off the cover and began doing pushups in the ring, saying "I ain't done yet!" to the delight of the crowd. Steiner picked Pillman up and set him in the corner, lifting him up to the top rope. Everyone began to stand on their feet as Steiner also climbed to the top, looking like he was going to go for a FrankenSteiner from the top. Pillman managed to fight him off as the two teetered dangerously on the top rope. Steiner crashed down to the mat and Pillman remained perched up top, waiting on Steiner to get back to his feet. He did and Pillman quickly leapt off, hitting Steiner with a picture perfect Air Pillman! The referee was in perfect position and began the count but Steiner kicked out at 2!! The crowd was going nuts as Pillman, wide eyed and astonished, looked to the referee thinking he had a sure win. Savage paced furiously on the floor outside while Pillman tried to recoop inside. He grabbed Steiner by the hair and lifted him to his feet, whipping him into the ropes. Pillman jumped but Steiner caught him with his brother Ricks flipping powerslam, sending homage to the injured Steiner. He didn't go for the pin though and saw the opportunity to inflict a few more punishing moves. Steiner sent Pillman again into the corner but this time he stumbled out. Steiner caught him and flipped him over head with a great looking overhead belly to belly. This time, Steiner climbed to the second rope, waiting on Pillman to get to his feet. It looked like Scott was going to send more homage to his brother Rick by hitting a bulldog for the finish. As Steiner stood waiting, Pillman crawled to the referee and grabbed at his legs. The distraction was just enough to allow Savage to quickly leap to the apron and shove Steiner down to the mat. With Steiner stunned, Savage quickly climbed to the top rope and jumped off with a Flying Elbow before quickly sliding out of the ring. The oblivious referee checked on Pillman who assured him he was ok before dropping down of the cover. The referee counted again but once again Steiner kicked out at 2!! Pillman was stunned again but not as much as the first time. He quickly regrouped and looked to lock in a standard vertical suplex. Pillman went to lift Steiner but the attempt was blocked. He tried again and again Steiner blocked it. Steiner was the one next to lift Pillman up for his own suplex, but it wasn't a standard suplex. The crowd sensed the change as Steiner lifted Pillman and held him up for a moment before crashing down with an unexpected Steiner Screwdriver!! The crowd came unglued as Steiner immediately covered Pillman. Savage tried furiously to get into the ring before the final three count, but he failed as the hand fell for the third time at 13:31! Winner and NEW US Champion: Scott Steiner Rating: 90 - The bell rang but Scott Steiner couldn't even enjoy his victory. Randy Savage was now finally in the ring and immediately began an attack on Steiner, who didn't even get up from the mat yet. The attack continued, allowing Pillman to slowly recover and eventually join in. The two on one attack began to unfold as they took their frustration out on the new champion but it didn't take long before the crowd again came to life. Lex Luger came sprinting out from backstage and slid in the ring. Savage tried to cut him off but the brawl immediately started. Luger dropped Savage with an inverted atomic drop before turning his attack on the already spent Pillman. He hit a couple of rapid fire clotheslines before sending Pillman over the top rope with another clothesline. Steiner also was able to help out Luger as the two set Savage up to hit a double clothesline on him, also sending him out to the floor. Luger quickly checked on Steiner before calling for the US title. Luger put the belt over Steiner's shoulder, who was finally able to celebrate his championship win! - Rating: 100 WCW held another quick promotional break and when live action returned, Luger was standing in the middle of the ring with Mean Gene Okerlund. Gene couldn't get over the new US Champion and wondered if this also meant that good fortune was to come later in the main event. Gene stated that Luger got his warm-up in, as his match against Kevin Nash is coming up next. Luger said he's never been more ready in his life for a match and this match couldn't have bigger stakes. The Total Package said that Scott Steiner winning the US title and returning it to WCW is only the beginning. He says the NWO is back pedaling and on the defensive while WCW is slowly, finally, coming together and being able to work as a team. Luger says that while his match against Kevin Nash may not be for a title belt, the significance is just the same. Luger promises to continue a win for WCW and even goes a step further by saying he vows to get Sting back where he belongs and on the side of WCW! Rating: 100 Lex Luger vs Kevin Nash vs The crowd was definitely loud for the introduction of this match but it didn't have the fast paced action as the others. Nash entered this match with a clear chip on his shoulder and was extremely aggressive as soon as he began to lay in his offense. The fight also spilled out onto the floor where Nash took charge, sending Luger into the guard railing and also shoved him into the ring post. The fight returned to the ring where Luger eventually was able to mount an offense of his own and the crowed strongly urged him on. Luger looked to bounce off the ropes and hit Nash with a running clothesline but Nash was able to get a boot up, connecting with a massive Big Boot that stopped Luger in his tracks, dropping him on the mat. At this point, Nash began to settle in and hit his signature offense in preparation of setting him up for his finish. After hitting his Sidewalk Slam, Nash signaled it was time for the Jackknife. He put Luger in position but Luger managed to block it! He flipped Nash over his back as the two were down. Nash, having more strength, got up first but Luger met him with a kick to the gut. Luger began mounting his own offense and hit numerous running clotheslines and then tapped his forearm to signal the Bionic Forearm! The crowd was again on their feet and cheering the Total Package on as he waited for Nash to get back up. He eventually did and Luger wasted no time rushing toward the big man. Luger jumped and connected with the forearm, but he didn't connect with it on Nash! At the last second, Nash pulled the referee in front of him, causing the referee to take the hit. Luger wasted precious seconds checking on the downed ref, allowing Nash to club him over the back. With Luger down, Nash quickly rolled out of the ring and grabbed a steel chair from outside. He got back in the ring as Luger was getting to his feet. Nash raised the chair high over his head to swing it at Luger but Luger was able to kick Nash in the midsection. The chair dropped to the ground as Luger again fired up a comeback. One clothesline, two clotheslines, three clotheslines later, Luger again was ready to go for the forearm. As Nash was picking himself up off the mat, he also grabbed the steel chair that had fallen a few moments earlier. As Luger rushed this time for the forearm, Nash swung, connecting the chair right to Luger's head. Nash tossed the chair over the top rope and down to the floor before picking Luger back up to his feet and putting him in position for the powerbomb. He lifted Luger high in the air and dropped him before going over to the referee to slap him in the face a few times to wake him up. Nash put a foot on Luger for the disrespectful cover while the referee counted an agonizingly slow count, ending the match at 11:23. Winner: Kevin Nash Rating: 84 Diamond Dallas Page vs Paul Levesque vs The grudge matches between WCW and the NWO continue with this one. The crowd clearly weren't as invested in this match as they had the earlier ones but were still firmly behind DDP. Levesque spent a large amount of time taunting DDP but things didn't go so well for him after the bell rang and Page went after him like a man possessed. Once things settled down a bit, both men traded a fair amount of offense. In the end, DDP appeared to have a bit more aggressiveness in the match which allowed him a better advantage. DDP ended up hitting the Diamond Cutter at 10:04 for a clear-cut win. Winner: DDP Rating: 78 - Following the match, cameras are backstage inside the NWO's locker room, seemingly unbeknownst to them. There seems to be some pretty high tension within the group, centered around Brian Pillman's loss of the United States championship. Hollywood Hogan is in the middle of the group, telling them all to regroup and refocus. Hogan doesn't hold back in saying Pillman dropped the ball by losing his title and that the NWO needs to get back on track. Hogan says that everyone in the group needs to pull their weight and get the job done. He also says that the entire group needs to pay close attention to his match tonight with Flair because if Hogan motions for backup, the troops need to come running. He says the most important thing of the night is that the NWO keeps the world title within the faction. Pillman is obviously displeased with being called out and Savage reassures him that he'll be able to get the title back in the group at a later time. Heads nod all around as it looks like everyone in the group is back on the same page and prepared as we head into the main event. - Rating: 100 - Cameras again transition to another area of backstage as Ric Flair is standing with Mean Gene. After a brief introduction from Okerlund, Flair looks intensely into the camera, almost like he's never been more focused at any other time in his professional career. - Flair: Hogan!!! Tonight, it's you and me, pal! Two men walk in; One man walks out! On top of that.......On top of all that, one man will walk out as the worlds heavyweight champion! I've had big moments throughout my career, I've had big matches, my name's been on nearly every marquee in every city in this entire country! I know how to get ready for a big match! All those big moments, my entire career, culminate to this very night! They all have prepared me for this match! When that cage lowers and it's just you and me inside that ring, Hogan, you have nowhere to go!!! You can use any dirty trick in the book you want, but you know something Hogan?!?! I, INVENTED, THE BOOK! I wrote it! I'm, without a doubt, the dirtiest player in the game, pal, and tonight is the night that WCW gets some payback on the NWO! We've had battles before, Hogan, but those are all going to pale in comparison to tonight!!! I'm gonna get my hands around that fake-tanned neck of yours and I'm not letting go! I'm gonna make you bleed!!! I'm gonna make you sweat!!! And most of all Hogan, tonight, inside that ring, I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY THE PRICE!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO! Rating: 100 World Heavyweight Title: Ric Flair vs Hollywood Hogan (c) vs There's no more hype, there's no more lead-up, there's no more discussion. The match has finally arrived and Flair made his way out first. Normally Flair makes his way to the ring full of pomp and circumstance; Not this night. Flair appeared focused and paced quickly to the ring, foregoing his usual taunts and elegant displays. Soon after, the NWO music played and Hogan played the world title as a guitar on his way out. Hogan didn't appear to be sweating what awaited him inside the ring at all as he cockily made his way to the ring. Once inside, Hogan jogged around the ring, holding the world title up high as he passed Flair. The music faded out and the two men stood in the ring as the steel cage slowly lowered for the second time tonight. JR told everyone that the tension could be cut with a knife inside the arena as both men waited for the start of the match. Once the cage was secured in place, both men walked to the center of the ring where they stood, staring at one another as the referee gave the match rules. Hogan was seen mouthing taunting words to Flair, who just stood and stared intensely at Hogan. The referee concluded and both men stepped backward as the bell rang. They locked up and Flair quickly went for a reverse wrist lock. Hogan edged his way out of it and countered into a wrist lock of his own before shocking fans and taking Flair down to the mat with a leg sweep. Hogan remained on Flair and, now both of them were on the mat, moved up to lock in a grounded arm bar. The commentators couldn't believe that Hogan was outwrestling the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Hogan again shocked everyone by releasing the arm bar and then spun around on Flair's back, now locking in a front face lock. The referee checked in with Flair who of course wasn't going to submit to this but the damage to Flair's ego was already done. He'd been out-maneuvered by Hogan early on with offense that no one had ever expected. Flair fought his way to his knees, still locked in the face lock before getting up to his feet. Hogan transitioned into a side headlock and Flair backed Hogan into the ropes where he whipped him forward and out of the headlock. Flair again was shown up as Hogan hit a solid shoulder block on the return, sending Flair end over end into the opposite corner. Flair sat for a moment stunned, looking at Hogan as Hogan taunted and flexed his muscles at him. Normally, Flair would retreat to the floor and regroup his offense but not in this match. The solid steel preventing any escape, at least for the moment. Jim Ross reminded everyone that this cage match doesn't have the same rules as the one earlier that started the show. In this match, either man could indeed win by exiting the cage, or climbing up and over the top to the floor. Flair got to his feet and approached Hogan again as the two once more locked up. This time, Hogan pushed Flair back into the corner where it appeared there was going to be a clean break. That wasn't the case as Hogan laid a punch to the Nature Boy. Like something in him snapped, Flair became enraged, grabbing Hogan and spinning him around into the corner before Hogan could even react. Flair responded with thunderous knife-edged chops to Hogan's chest. He hit three in a row before sizing Hogan up and hitting some punches as the crowd came back to life. Flair continued the assault and climbed to the second rope, blocking Hogan in where he then began a series of punches. The crowd counted along but Flair stopped at 7 to lean down and bite Hogan's forehead. He got down as Hogan stumbled out of the corner. Flair grabbed him behind his head and lead him into the opposite cage wall, head first. Hogan crashed into it and stumbled back but Flair grabbed him again and lead him to the other side, doing the same. Hogan again stumbled backward and fell to the mat this time as Flair taunted out to the crowd. Hogan's forehead was already bleeding, if not from the biting, from the two hard shots to the steel cage. Flair had the momentum now on his side and looked to possibly try to end things early. As the match can also end in pin or submission, Flair grabbed a leg of the world champion and looked to lock in the Figure 4. Flair spun but Hogan was able to kick him forward. Flair was sent face first into the cage wall and also collapsed to the mat. Hogan worked his way up and again looked to take control. The two brawled to the ropes where Hogan got the better of Flair, causing him to stumble out onto the apron. As seen earlier, Hogan then began to grate Flair's head into the steel, his turn to come away bleeding now. The fight got back into the center of the ring where Hogan hit a couple of punches but Flair was able to return with his own attack of more knife-edged chops. Flair's white hair was slowly starting to turn crimson as blood fell from Hogan's face, the two already looking to have suffered through a long battle. Things looked to be a stalemate as the two fought back and forth. They eventually separated to their own corners before walking back to the center of the ring to face each other again. Hogan this time motioned for a test of strength, which Flair agreed to after some hesitation. As soon as they locked both hands, Hogan took control, wrenching down on Flair's hands as he screamed in agony. Flair went down to both knees in the center of the ring while Hogan yelled out taunts at him. The Nature Boy found some way to get back up to his feet and delivered a swift kick to Hogan's groin. The low blow caused the crowd to yell with approval to the challenger. Hogan released the hold as he was in pain as Flair quickly hit a thumb to the eye. With Hogan temporarily blinded, Flair saw his opportunity to stalk behind the champion. Flair delivered a nasty chop block to the back of Hogan's knee, causing him to limp around the ring. Flair did this two more times before Hogan finally dropped to the mat. With the crowd firmly behind him, Flair began to take control and hit his signature knee drops to Hogan's already bloody head. After grabbing Hogan and bringing him to his feet, Flair went for a vertical suplex which he impressively hit. He again brought Hogan to his feet and looked like he was going to go for a belly to back suplex but he hooked Hogan's leg and instead delivered a shin-breaker. Hogan collapsed to the mat and Flair saw it as the time to strike, grabbing Hogan and this time locking in the Figure 4! The crowd was unglued as Hogan yelled in pain. The referee leaned in to ask Hogan if he was going to submit. Hogan had nowhere to go, in the center of the ring. No NWO ran out to help and he couldn't reach for the ropes to break the hold. All Hogan could do was either fight back or submit to the agonizing pain. Hogan thrashed around and begged Flair to release the hold. Hogan yelled out several times that Flair was going to break his leg, insanely looking for some compassion. This had the opposite affect and only caused Flair to wrench it in even further. Hogan had no choice but to fight back and began to do so. Ever so slowly, Hogan began to turn Flair over to try and reverse the pressure. He managed to get Flair flipped, who was now caught in the pain of his own hold. Flair released it, but it was clear that Hogan was affected from being in the hold as long as he was. Both got to their feet and Hogan limped around the ring. Flair followed Hogan into the corner where he continued the attack and once more began biting Hogan's forehead. He stumbled out and Flair rushed him, but Hogan was able to side step and grab Flair's hair and guided him into the steel cage once again with a crushing blow. Flair stumbled back and ended up with a "Flair Flop" in the center of the ring. Hogan saw his opportunity this time as he bounced off the rope as best he could with a bad leg, clearly limping but going for the Leg Drop. Hogan jumped in the air and came down but Flair moved out of the way!!! Flair began a furious offense with chops and punches before dropping to the mat and hitting a vicious low blow. Hogan crumpled to the mat as Flair got up, hitting a few boots to Hogan's head for good measure. He looked to the cage and then at Hogan. Flair saw the opportunity and began climbing the cage. He got about three steps up on the cage before Hogan got to his feet and went in pursuit. Both men were now perched on the cage, about halfway up. All eyes in the arena looked on in anticipation as they began fighting on the cage. Flair would hit a few blows and climb a couple of steps. Hogan would recover and catch up to Flair before then doing the same. Before long, both men had reached the top of the cage where the fight continued. Flair had rocked Hogan with some blows and went to finish him off. He grabbed his head and tried to ram it into the steel but Hogan blocked it. He reversed and grabbed Flair by his red-colored hair and shoved his head into the steel. Flair came away obviously dazed but still trying to put up a fight. Hogan again smashed Flair's head into the steel and then one more time. It was too much for Flair to handle as he lost his grip on the cage and fell away. Flair took the long fall back onto the mat, leaving Hogan all alone on the cage. Hogan took the opportunity to climb over the top of the cage and began to make his way down toward the floor to declare him the winner. Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone yelled and screamed on commentary for this not to happen. Hogan took one slow step after another and begged someone from WCW to come out and stop Hogan. Bobby Heenan, never one to like Hogan, questioned their call for help, wondering if they would feel the same if Flair was the one nearing victory. Everyone in the arena seemed to hold their breath though, hoping for the same result. Hogan got to the level of the apron before he jumped off, landing and falling to the floor. The bell rang, officially ending the match at 23:16. The audience was shocked as Hogan lay on the floor, the announcer giving him the world title as the NWO music played and he was announced the winner. The final shot of the night backed away, showing Ric Flair in the ring and still on the mat. Flair was finally coming around and realized what had happened. The credits began to show on the screen while a close-up of Ric Flair, tears beginning to fall from his eyes as SuperBrawl came to a close. Winner and STILL champion: Hollywood Hogan Rating: 82 Final Show Rating: 88 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Henderson Posted October 4, 2023 Author Share Posted October 4, 2023 Week 1, March 1997 LIVE from The Palace of Auburn Hills - Detroit, MI Attendance: 17,927 - Nitro kicks off a new month, just 24 hours removed from a historic SuperBrawl VII, Jim Ross tells us. After the usual video and firework opening, cameras bring us to the announce booth. JR, Bobby, and Mike all run through the events from SuperBrawl, highlighting the crowning of a new United States and Tag Team champions, an amazing opening, and unexpected, cage match between the Enforcer Arn Anderson and Eddie Guerrero, and topping the show off with the WCW World Heavyweight title match as Ric Flair came up just short of defeating Hollywood Hogan. As tough as the loss in the main event was for Ric Flair and WCW, there still remains hope as Scott Steiner became the new champion, defeating long-time champion Brian Pillman. That victory also resulted in what appeared to be some dissention within the NWO afterwards. We have no idea what's going to happen from here, JR says, but we do know that we're heading full steam into the next PPV - Uncensored. Music abruptly comes over the speakers, leading the crowd to get on their feet in anticipation. Steve Austin walks out with a purpose as he heads right to the ring. The announce team touch on the fact that Austin wasn't too pleased with not having a match the night prior and it seems that he's going to address that issue here tonight. One thing is clear though, in Jim Ross' mind, that business is about to pick up. - Austin: I ain't one to mess around and make people guess what I'm doing out here or what it is I expect, so let me cut right to the chase! Last night at SuperBrawl, the WCW executive committee, in all their infinite wisdom, decided that Steve Austin didn't need to have a match! Now for the past few weeks, ol' Steve Austin's been in a bit of limbo I guess, so what I'll do right now is make it real crystal clear for everyone too stupid enough to comprehend things! When I was in the 4 Horsemen, I wanted to make it about the Horsemen and only the Horsemen! I didn't give a damn about anything else that was going on in WCW because the Horsemen, in my mind, were the pinnacle! Everything went through the Horsemen! Until things didn't! The NWO walked into the picture and slowly took over everything! I was still more focused and concerned about the Horsemen and getting my career where I wanted it to go, but everywhere I went, every corner I walked around, the NWO were always shoving their fat little faces in everything that wasn't their business! So what that little group did was get in the way of Steve Austin's dreams and desires, and you went and just pissed me off! So the NWO did a great job! You got under the skin of Steve Austin! I stayed out of the fight as long as I could but then I got sick and tired of that little group running around and doing whatever they wanted. So from then on, I saw fit to help out guys like Lex Luger and Scott Steiner whenever the need arised! One thing I did make absolutely clear awhile back was that Steve Austin wasn't gonna mess around with the Television title, the US title, or the Tag team titles....Nah....I've already won every single one of those belts so I figure the one title right in my sights is the World Heavyweight title! Now if you ask me, I was fine with whatever son of a bitch walked out with that belt last night, be it the Nature Boy or Hollywood Hogan, I didn't give a damn. I might have patched things up with Flair but when it comes to something I want, I wasn't gonna let our mended relationship get in the way of me winning the world title. Well since Ric Flair didn't win the title last night, that means Hulk Hogan is still walking around with that belt and the fact of the matter is Hogan, you've got something I want! So like I said, I'm gonna make it real clear so there ain't any confusion; Hulk Hogan, you can march your little ass out here right now because Steve Austin's calling you out for a match because I want that title! Don't make me go back there and search for ya, because if I find you backstage hiding from me, we'll just go ahead and have that match right here tonight so I don't have to wait to become champion! - It didn't take long for the NWO music to hit the speakers but, as expected, it wasn't just Hollywood Hogan who emerged. The entire NWO walked out on the stage who took their individual opportunities to taunt Steve Austin, who still stood in the ring. Austin seemed unfazed as the group remained on the stage as Eric Bischoff was the first to raise a microphone. - Bischoff: Steve Austin, just who in the hell do you think you are?!?!? In what world do you live in where you think you can just call out the world's greatest wrestler and get whatever it is you're demanding?!? This man, right here, Hollywood Hogan, has more responsibilities on his plate than you could ever fathom! This man has movie deals, he has contract obligations, he has talk show appearances, and he has a never-ending request of make-a-wish obligations to fulfill!! He does all that while being the world heavyweight champion!!! He's been an honorable champion for a few months now and you think you can just strut out here, make a challenge, and expect to have Hollywood grace you with his presence inside that ring?!? I don't think so! Austin, I fired you way back when because you couldn't even lace the boots of Hollywood Hogan! You thought you were a bigger star than you were, and it looks like not much has changed! So, still being the President of WCW, what I should do is just fire you right here on the spot for holding up this show, but I've got a better idea!!! You want a shot at Hollywood Hogan??? Well it's going to take much more than just walking out here and demanding it! Steve Austin, you're nothing compared to Hollywood Hogan!!! So if you want to step into the same ring as him, you've got a lot of work you're going to have to do! So since the NWO's feeling so generous after such a successful night last night....Barring one unexpected event....We briefly discussed this before coming out... Austin, if you want a shot at Hollywood, you're going to have to earn it! You're going to have to go through and defeat every member of the NWO, Austin! To add to that, I'm not talking about any bogus countout wins, disqualification wins, or anything like that, you're going to have to cleanly defeat every member, and you're going to start with Paul Levesque, and that match will be later tonight! Rating: 100 Billy Kidman vs Kaz Hayashi vs This was a high-flying match between two very fast, very promising wrestlers but unfortunately the crowd just weren't too invested in either of them. The talent is clearly there and it was obvious that if they can get some momentum under them, they could be quite popular. Kaz Hayashi got the win at 6:34 with a nice looking reverse spin kick. Winner: Kaz Hayashi Rating: 26 Buff Bagwell vs Lenny Lane vs This wasn't a competitive matchup in the least and consisted of Bagwell completely toying with the younger wrestler. Though Lenny Lane did get a few impressive offensive moves in, Bagwell was in control nearly the entire time. He easily put him away at 6:35 with a Buff Blockbuster. Winner: Buff Bagwell Rating: 48 - Nitro returns from its first commercial break with Mean Gene Okerlund standing in the middle of the ring. Gene welcomes everyone back and begins his introduction for his next guest, a man who gave his all last night in the main event but came up just short of recapturing the WCW world heavyweight title - The Nature Boy Ric Flair! - - The Nature Boy walks out in his custom made business suit and pauses at the base of the ramp for his fireworks to go off. Flair isn't his typical excited self tonight, rather he's very subdued and appears disappointed as he heads to the ring. Flair steps inside and meets Mean Gene in the center before the two shake hands. - Mean Gene: Nature Boy, last night you took on Hollywood Hogan inside a steel cage for the world heavyweight title. It was a grueling, back and forth match and you clearly gave your all but that was just short of being able to reclaim the gold, as Hollywood Hogan successfully defended his title. After last night's loss, what does this mean for you, Nature Boy, WCW, and the not-so-distant future? Flair: Gene, there's only been a handful of times in my life and in my professional career where I didn't get the job done, where I failed to make good on my promises. Over the years, I've been accustomed to having things my way and running the show. Last night at SuperBrawl was like a slap in the face, like a shock to my body, and a reality check that maybe the Nature Boy just doesn't have what it takes anymore..... - The crowd starts to grumble in disagreement with the Nature Boy and Mean Gene starts to make a response, however, he's quickly stopped as Flair slightly raises a hand, indicating he's not finished. - Hold on a minute, Gene....I've been thinking of what I was going to say all day long. Hell, I didn't even know if I should show up here tonight after what happened at SuperBrawl! Everyone in the world saw me fail to do what I set out to do last night! I failed, and then to top it all off, the entire world saw the Nature Boy break down in the center of this ring. I didn't know if I was going to show up tonight and then last night, I flew home to Charlotte, saw my family when I walked in the door, then broke down again!!! I told my family I was done! I told them I didn't have it anymore and that if I couldn't get the job done against Hogan, then I didn't have any business being in this sport anymore! And do you know what happened?!? My wife slapped me across the face and said; "Honey!?! You're the Nature Boy!!! The man all the men want to be and the man all the women want! Now take me to bed and make a woman outta me!!!" And you know what?!?! SHE'S RIGHT! She's right! So that's what I did! I took her to bed and gave her an unlimited ride on Space Mountain! I woke up this morning a new man! I looked myself in the mirror after contemplating not showing up here tonight and reminded myself, I'M RIC FLAIR! Gene, this suit cost me $25,000 dollars, my shoes cost $15,000, this Rolex on my wrist was $35,000....I AM CUSTOM-MADE FROM HEAD TO TOE, PAL! Not show up?!? Gene, I lost last night! Plain and simple! But I'll be damned if I'm going to let Hulk Hogan and the rest of his NWO goons run the Nature Boy out of my home; where I belong! WCW! It's not going to be that easy for them! If you boys want me out of WCW, you're gonna have to bury me dead in the ground! Last night, I didn't get the job done! There's no two ways about it, but if you all think for one second that Ric Flair isn't set out to make your lives a living hell, you're sadly mistaken! I'm not done, I'm far from finished, and the NWO is going to have hell to pay! WOOOOOOOOO! Rating: 100 Scott Norton vs Ricky Steamboat vs Steamboat entered this match looking to continue his fast offense and dodge whatever Norton threw his way. This worked for about the first few minutes before Norton reversed a corner whip and hit a body-crushing splash on him in the corner. Norton impressed with his physical offense and not holding back despite taking on a legendary worker. In another shocking move, Norton picked up the win at 10:06 after hitting a Powerbomb. Winner: Scott Norton Rating: 58 - The crowd again get on their feet as the NWO hits the speakers once more inside the arena. The group strolls out and this time it looks like they're working their way to the ring for a promo. Bagwell taunts fans along the way while the Macho Man stops midway in the aisle to grab a fans DDP sign to tear it in half. The group gets in the ring and this time Hollywood Hogan takes the microphone while Eric Bischoff props the defaced world title over his shoulder. - Hogan: Ya know something, all my NWO-ites??? We planned on coming out here tonight to address a few issues and conduct NWO business, but all that got interrupted by that no-good loser Steve Austin! For some insane reason, brother, Austin thinks he's some much bigger star than he is, while in reality, he couldn't even lace my wrestling boots, brother! But I'm not out here to talk about Steve Austin and waste any more air on him, dude! The first order of business that we need to take care of has to do with what went down last night at SuperBrawl! Now, ever since last night, I've been in deep, closed door discussions with Big Sexy and Eric Bischoff, and we all agree that there's a glaring problem that the NWO needs to deal with right now, brother, and that issue is with you - Brian Pillman!!!! - The crowd is shocked as Hogan turns and points toward Pillman, who was leaning in the corner of the ring. Pillman clearly wasn't happy but the call-out caused him to look at Hogan, wide-eyed, and slowly stand up straight. Pillman is seen mouthing the words "What are you talking about?!" to Hogan as the world champ continues on. - Hogan: I'll tell ya what I'm talking about, my man. I'm talking about how you couldn't cut the mustard last night! I'm talking about how you lost the US title in your match against Scott Steiner! I'm talking about how you dropped the ball, dude! Big Sexy, Kevin Nash, got the job done against Lex Luger. I got the job done against Ric Flair. Last night, you weren't focused and that lack of focus resulted in you giving a title back to WCW. Well in case you didn't notice, Pillman, the NWO is at the top of the pecking order here in WCW! When you go and lose your title, let alone lose it to a chump like Scott Steiner, all you do is make the NWO look weak, and weakness isn't what the NWO is all about! Pillman: Hold on just a second, almighty Hollywood.....It seems to me that you're conveniently leaving out another man who couldn't get the job done last night...As a matter of fact, he did a great JOB against Diamond Dallas Page. Yeah, your buddy right there Paul couldn't get the job done either, so why are you only jumping down my back?!? I also seem to remember that the Macho Man was out at ringside with me and what did he do to help me out against Scott Steiner?!? - Before Hogan can respond, the Macho Man rushes forward and takes the microphone out of Pillman's hands. Enraged, he takes his sunglasses off and looks Pillman in the eye. - Savage: It ain't my fault you lost your title! Fact of the matter is, you just couldn't get the job done against Scott Steiner and the fault of that is squarely on your shoulders! It ain't the job of the NWO to make sure you kept your title! If you can't get the job done yourself, then all you are is a weak spot in the NWO! As for you calling out Paul and losing to Diamond Dallas Page??? DDP is nothing but a piece of trailer park trash! Don't let a fluke of a victory by that loser make you think he got the best of Levesque! Diamond Dallas Page is a loser who couldn't even keep his own wife from bailing on him! How about you stop making excuses for yourself and stop trying to get someone else to be the scapegoat for your own failures! All that does is make your appearance in the NWO even weaker! - Things look to be heading toward a conflict blowing up as Savage and Pillman are now nearly nose to nose. Kevin Nash steps in between them and has a mic of his own. - Nash: Hold on, hold on....Things are getting a little more blown up than they need to be. Pillman, it's real simple; you're a hell of a talent. If you weren't, the NWO never would've taken you. People have their bad days and Brian, last night was a bad day for you. Nobody's going anywhere so we don't need to get all worked up, ok? All we're saying is, last night was strike one. You messed up, you dropped the ball. Pick it up and move on, that's all we're saying. Don't do it again and things will be all good between us, ok? Pillman: Whatever you say, boss man. Rating: 100 El Hijo Del Santo vs Eddie Guerrero vs Eddie continued his hot streak from last night into tonight as he took on a new signing from Mexico. El Hijo Del Santo is a very well known wrestler in Mexico who looks to be expanding his star power to the United States. The two matched up well and the result was a very fast-paced match with some high flying mixed in. Eddie got the win at 10:14 after a Frog Splash. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 79 Mean Gene is once again ready for an interview, this time backstage as he stands with the new tag team champions Harlem Heat and their manager, Sensuous Sherri. Mean Gene starts off by congratulating Heat on reclaiming the gold and saying their on-going battle with the Faces of Fear has really put the attention back on the WCW tag team division. Booker says that he and Stevie live and breathe for the tag team division and their goal is to be recognized as the greatest tag team not just in WCW, but in the entire industry. Stevie Ray says they're not backing down from anyone and will defend the titles against anyone who wants a piece of Harlem Heat. As for the Faces of Fear, they've battled them so much that it looks like things between them are finished, at least for the time being. Rating: 82 Steve Austin vs Paul Levesque vs The first obstacle for Steve Austin and his path to Hollywood Hogan began with this match. Making good on his promise, Austin came out like lightning against Levesque, ambushing him before the bell even rang. Levesque was able to hit a few cheap shots here and there to temporarily gain the advantage, but it never lasted long. Austin had Levesque retreating from one side of the ring to the other, a few points in the match "stomping a mudhole" in Levesque, according to JR. Late in the match, Levesque attempted to cause a DQ by going outside the ring and grabbing a chair. He brought it back in and prepared to hit Austin with it as he was getting to his feet but the referee grabbed it away from him and scolded him. The distraction was enough to allow Austin to spin Levesque around and put a well-placed boot into his stomach before hitting the Stunner for the win at 12:13. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 78 Mean Gene continues to stay busy tonight as he's once again backstage for an interview, this time with Lord Steven Regal. Regal says it's a complete travesty that he didn't get a TV title match last night at SuperBrawl while some swamp creature like Finlay got it instead. He says it was just a pathetic attempt by WCW to prevent him from getting back what's rightfully his. Regal says he wants a shot at "his" TV title next week against Dean Malenko and he's not taking no for an answer. Rating: 100 Cameras cut backstage to something we haven't seen in awhile - a wild brawl! The Faces of Fear and Hostile Intent are beating each other like government mules (according to JR) for what reason other than, why not?? The teams are broken up by officials as it looks like this was a kickstarter for a new feud. Rating: 61 Scott Steiner & Lex Luger vs Brian Pillman & Randy Savage vs It's main event time as both Luger and Pillman entered this match looking to turn the momentum back to their side. Steiner and Luger entered together as Steiner proudly wore his newly won US title around his waist. Technically Savage and Pillman entered together but Pillman lagged well behind the Macho Man on the way to the ring. It looked like tensions were still running high between the NWO members but once the bell rang, they appeared to work well together. It was obvious that the earlier confrontation lit a fire under Pillman and he didn't want a repeat of the earlier event. They did a good job isolating Luger from his corner and then slowed the match way down. The crowd was firmly behind Luger and Steiner and urged Luger repeatedly to get to his corner to make a tag. Each time though, the NWO would cut him off or they would cheat and cause Steiner to rush in the ring, allowing more double teaming on Luger during the referee's distraction. Luger was eventually able to mount a comeback and hit a couple of inverted Atomic Drops on Pillman. He then rushed and connected with some clotheslines, which resulted in the Macho Man rushing in. Luger was able to hold Savage off as well, clotheslining him over the top rope and to the floor. An exhausted Luger dropped to the mat and with the thundering crowd, Luger began crawling toward his corner. Pillman was still down as Luger got to the center of the ring, still a long way to crawl, outstretching his hand every time he would inch closer. Steiner stood on the apron, also extending his arm out as far as it could go, calling for Luger to keep going. Lex continued to crawl, agonizingly slow toward Steiner. The crowd was electric as he got closer and closer each time, extending his arm out to still be so far away. Luger would yell out at Steiner and Scott would yell back at him to keep trying. He finally got all the way past Pillman in the center of the ring, who was now starting to stir back to life. Luger extended his hand again and Steiner did the same but Luger was still a couple of feet away from the tag. Pillman finally realized what was going on and grabbed Lex by the boot. Luger turned, seeing Pillman and trying to kick him off as Pillman began crawling up further to Luger to try and prevent the tag. Luger would trade looks from Pillman to Steiner with the crowd urging the Total Package to make the tag. One swift kick from Luger was just enough to get Pillman off him as he turned back to Steiner, the tag just within reach! All he had to do was scoot forward just a bit more, outstretching his hand. Steiner's hand remained out stretched to Luger waiting on the tag. Finally, and with a burst of excitement from the crowd, Luger made the tag to Steiner. Pillman had just gotten back to his feet as Steiner rushed in, trying to beg off the new US champion! It didn't work as he lit up Pillman with strikes as he backtracked into the corner. The Macho Man was just now getting back in the ring also and went to help Pillman. Luger was still down on the canvas, exhausted, but he was also trying to heroically work his way back to his feet. Steiner began getting double teamed but as fresh as he was, was able to start fighting off Pillman and Savage. The crowd was electric as Luger finally got his way in and grabbed the Macho Man while the two started fighting. It didn't take long after that when the troops arrived. They didn't immediately get in the ring though to help out Pillman and Savage. They instead surrounded the ringside area and it was soon obvious why. Elizabeth also came out to ringside and got on the apron, distracting the referee as he was trying to regain order from the chaos inside the ring. He soon was telling Liz to get down and the distraction allowed Nash, Bagwell, and Levesque to get in the ring. Bagwell and Levesque went after Luger while Nash went after Steiner. Nash clubbed Steiner on the back of the neck before turning him around and quickly delivering a Jackknife Powerbomb. Once the damage was done, the intruders bailed out of the ring and, seeing the dirty work done, Liz also got down from the apron. The referee turned to see Pillman making the cover on Steiner and the pin was counted at 16:08. Winners: Brian Pillman & Randy Savage Rating: 92 In expectation, Nitro didn't go off the air just yet. The rest of the NWO climbed back in the ring where they celebrated victory, like there was none of the earlier observed tension among the group. JR and company believed it to be a rouse as the beatdown again resumed. In their usual celebration after a beatdown, the NWO brought the spray cans back out and Nitro came to an end once again with Lex Luger and Scott Steiner getting "NWO" branded on their backs as they lay beaten in the middle of the ring. Rating: 100 Final Show Rating: 93 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 Week 2, March 1997 LIVE from New Glasgow Stadium - The Maritimes, Canada Attendance: 3,307 - Nitro opens this week to another trip to Canada. The crowd might be smaller but they're definitely as excited as ever as JR, Bobby, and Mike Tenay welcome everyone to this week's broadcast. JR tells us this past weekend on WCW Saturday Night was quite busy as several wrestlers had things to say. Scott Steiner and Lex Luger are completely fed up with the NWO gang attacks and Luger once again appealed to Sting, asking for his help. Steve Austin plans on making the life of the NWO a living hell until he gets Hollywood Hogan in the ring, Kevin Nash wants to see the NWO ruthless and not holding back, vowing to send Arn Anderson to the glue factory, and Diamond Dallas Page had comments for what Randy Savage had to say about him on last week's Nitro. One thing is certain and that all of that carnage not just from last week's Nitro, but also Saturday Night, is sure to carry over to tonight's show! He also tells us we're going to the ring to start off with a highly anticipated matchup! - Television Title: Lord Steven Regal vs Dean Malenko (c) vs w/ Lord Steven Regal finally gets his long-awaited shot at reclaiming the Television title that he claims to have never lost. If you recall months back, Regal sustained an injury and a tournament was held for the vacant title. Ever since coming back from injury, Regal has wanted a title shot but has not gotten it. Until now. Regal, usually always one to show plenty of theatrics, was uncharacteristically focused as soon as the bell rang. Malenko was reeling quickly from an onslaught of offense from Regal and retreated to the floor where Francine comforted him. Once back inside, Malenko was able to regain the focus and the momentum, though it was odd in the match since both men are technically "heels." The crowd often had trouble deciding who to cheer for when both men used plenty of dirty tactics. Just when Regal looked to have things in the bag, another wrestler made their appearance at ringside..... JR mentioned on Saturday Night this weekend, Finlay also called out Regal and said he wasn't deserving of a title shot because he hasn't beaten anyone since his return, resulting in his appearance here tonight. Finlay climbed right in the ring and spun Regal around before hitting him with a Tombstone Piledriver, causing the DQ at 16:09. Winner by DQ: Steven Regal Rating: 77 We go backstage where Mean Gene Okerlund is catching the Nature Boy Ric Flair as he's arriving to the arena. He says he fell short against Hollywood Hogan and the world title but tonight he plans on getting back on track as he faces Alex Wright. Flair says that as of late, Alex Wright's claimed to be a ladies man, but tonight the Nature Boy will give him a first class lesson on what it means to style and profile! Rating: 100 Scott Norton vs Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs Poor Chavo. Just, no....Poor Chavo. Norton won at 7:03 with a Powerbomb. Winner: Scott Norton Rating: 52 Quote tHe FolLoWInG AnnOunCEmENT hAs BeEn PAiD fOr BY tHe NEW WORLD ORDER: We get a pre-taped promo this time from world champion Hollywood Hogan. He doesn't have anything particularly noteworthy to say, he just spends the time trashing the Nature Boy Ric Flair and how he needs a real challenge in WCW. Rating: 100 Lex Luger comes out to the bottom of the stage ramp for an interview with Tony Schiavone. The music cuts off and Tony begins his questions but it doesn't take long before the two are interrupted. Buff Bagwell wastes no time taunting Luger and that for weeks and months of beatdowns from the NWO will only continue to get worse. Bagwell goes on and says his own best friend even saw the light and joined the NWO but Luger's muscled-up brain prevents him from doing the smart thing and joining the NWO. Bagwell tells Luger the the attacks are just going to get worse until Luger finally gives in and joins the most dominate group in wrestling's history. Luger can stand the obnoxious Bagwell only so much before he hauls off and decks him. This draws a loud roar from the crowd as Luger goes on the offensive in the aisleway as a referee rushes out and to the ring. It appears we're going to have an impromptu match right here! Lex Luger vs Buff Bagwell vs The bell's rung but Luger continues the assault all up the aisle. Bagwell tries to get away but Luger closes the distance after every attack before finally getting to the ring and rolling in. Things didn't go any better for Bagwell once inside though as Luger sent him to the corner and rushed in with a clothesline. As he staggered out, Luger hit him again with several clotheslines before hitting the bionic forearm and signaling for the Torture Rack. The crowd got on their feet as Luger lifted Bagwell and locked in the hold and won the match at 8:13. Rating: 64 Alex Wright vs Ric Flair vs It's been a little while since we've been blessed with some Saturday Wright Fever. It's the battle of the bratwurst versus Space Mountain. The crowd loved it as Alex stood in the ring doing his techno dance as the Nature Boy stood and watched. Flair replied with his own dancing strut to the crowd's delight while Das Wunderkind did his best to shut the audience up. Flair jogged around the ring before leaning in and holding a hand out for a lockup. Wright went to grab it as Flair quickly pulled away and slicked back his hair before delivering a WOOOO, again infuriating Wright. Things finally got underway and Flair was in prime form tonight. He lit the young star up with his patented knife-edged chops and it didn't take long for Wright's chest to turn beet red. Flair remained securely in control throughout the match and hit a great looking Superplex before locking in the Figure Four for the submission at 9:50. Winner: Ric Flair Rating: 77 After a commercial break, a furious Steven Regal is backstage with Mean Gene for a quick interview. Regal likens Fit Finlay to a cockroach that just won't stay away and die. He wants his TV title back and wants Finlay out of the picture. Regal thinks the only solution is to have a three-way match at Uncensored for the TV title, that way, Regal says, he can beat the living daylights out of both Malenko and Finlay AND get his title back in the process. Rating: 89 The NWO music hits the speakers which brings the crowd to their feet as the NWO make their way out. As usual, all are in a good mood and taunt their way to the ring. Once inside, Bischoff drops to his knees in the center of the ring and bows down to Hollywood Hogan, who just looks surprised and flattered as he hugs Bischoff and kisses his head. The music dies down and trash is already being thrown in the ring as Hogan starts talking. Hogan dresses down Ric Flair and saying he's back jerking the curtain where he belongs. Hogan doesn't get too far into his promo before music abruptly cuts him off which results in the crowd exploding. Austin sprints out and clearly isn't in the mood for talking tonight as he rushes toward the ring. The crowd is beside themselves as Austin slides inside under the bottom rope and comes up with fists blazing. Hogan is stunned and looking in all directions, trying to find a way out of the ring. The NWO rush Austin but he has no trouble fighting each man off as he continues to try and work his way toward Hogan. Levesque and Bagwell are the first casualties but Savage and Nash have better luck at slowing Austin down. Hogan got a little confident that they would stop him from advancing but it wasn't long before Austin sent Savage flying out of the ring and then sent Nash over the top rope with a back body drop. Suddenly Austin and Hogan were the only two standing in the ring. The crowd was going wild as Hogan begged off Austin to no avail. Austin slowly stalked toward the frightened Hogan and now Hogan was backed up against the ropes with nowhere to go. Just as Austin closed in, Hogan dropped to the mat and rolled to the floor where he met back up with Eric Bischoff. The crowd booed mercilessly and began to rain more trash to the ringside area. Austin just stared at Hogan as he made his way back around the ring and to the aisle where the NWO regrouped and began to backtrack up the aisle. Rating: 100 Arn Anderson vs Meng vs The Meng Manly Meter is off the charts for this matchup. Both men put up a great performance in this one as they brought everything they had to one another. The fiercely physical matchup ended up on the floor before long where the two brawled all over and used anything they could get their hands on to their advantage. The referee continued counting both men as the fight continued on the floor. Anderson was sent into the guardrail and Meng rushed in, only for Anderson to backdrop Meng over the rail and into the crowd. Double A had just enough time to catch the count, diving back in the ring as the referee counted to 10, resulting in a countout victory at 10:12. Winner by Countout: Arn Anderson Rating: 80 Harlem Heat cut a pre-taped promo where the new champions hype themselves as the best tag team not just in WCW, but the entire wrestling world. They go on to say they'll put their titles on the line against any challengers, whether that's other teams in WCW or from outside the company. Rating: 71 We're gifted another promo, this time from the Macho Man, with Elizabeth. Savage gets extremely personal in taunting Diamond Dallas Page and the circumstances that led to his wife leaving him. Savage tells Liz that DDP clearly doesn't bring that same "bang" to the bedroom that he always claims to bring to the ring. Savage says that Page is a loser in life and a loser in wrestling and will never amount to anything. Rating: 99 United States Title: Paul Levesque vs Scott Steiner vs The NWO have an opportunity to get the US title back to their group but Levesque is up for a monumental task. Steiner attacked from the opening bell and didn't let up, clearly showing he was going to make the NWO work overtime to get the title back in their hands. Levesque was able to turn things around after some cheating though and take over for a bit, but things didn't stay that way for long. Steiner was able to hit Levesque with a Super FrankenSteiner at 13:22 for the win for his first title defense as Nitro uncharacteristically went off the air without a wild brawl. Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 78 Final Show Rating: 85 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted October 18, 2023 Author Share Posted October 18, 2023 Week 3, March 1997 LIVE from New Glasgow Stadium - The Maritimes, Canada Attendance: 3,470 - For the second week in a row now, Monday Nitro is coming LIVE from the New Glasgow Stadium, but that didn't deter fans from packing the arena once more! WCW continues it's mini-tour of Canada as JR welcomes all the viewers and says WCW will be back in the States next week from Philadelphia, PA. This weekend's WCW Saturday Night was again a packed show - also coming from Canada, as Diamond Dallas Page attacked the Macho Man Randy Savage and the Enforcer Arn Anderson came to Lex Luger's aid when he was cornered by Brian Pillman and Paul Levesque of the NWO, leading to a match that will take place right here tonight! Just as JR and company is finishing up the introduction, we're faded in to a pre-taped promo by the World Heavyweight champion, Hollywood Hogan! - Hollywood says that Steve Austin is a little fish in a big pond, like a little chihuahua nipping at the heels of the NWO! Well Hollywood says that Austin is little red riding hood and Hollywood Hogan is the big bad wolf. He isn't sweating Steve Austin because he's gonna huff, he's gonna puff, and he's gonna blow the world down around Austin and snap him back into reality, and that reality is sending him back to opening bingo halls where he belongs! Rating: 99 Diamond Dallas Page vs Big Bubba Rogers vs This was a surprisingly well-received opening match for Nitro this week. It was clear that DDP continues to grow popularity each and every week but don't think he had an easy time with this opponent. Bubba punished DDP with his powerful offense and had the former Diamond Mine leader reeling. Page was able to turn things around and in a spectacular move, reversed the Bubba Slam into a Diamond Cutter for the victory at 9:50. Winner: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 75 Buff Bagwell vs Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs This matchup was a little more evenly matched for Chavo compared to some of his other prior matches, though he still had a tough time with Bagwell. With every move Buff was able to hit, the taunts became more and more ridiculous. Chavo gave it his all but it wasn't meant to be this week. Bagwell got the win with the Blockbuster at 7:33 and Chavo remains winless for 1997. Winner: Buff Bagwell Rating: 47 Following the match, the attention of the cameras is caught by the crowd. The Macho Man's booming voice can be heard over the speakers before the camera spots him in the midst of the crowd with Elizabeth by his side. Savage goes on to say that Diamond Dallas Page is a marked man after he dared to put his hands on him this weekend on Saturday Night. He says that not only did Page lose his wife to another man but he's also going to lose his career, because attacking the Macho Man ended up with a bounty being put on his head. Rating: 100 Saturn vs Meng vs I think both men were able to find an opponent just as crazy as the other in this one. A feud between each tag team has slowly been unraveling in recent weeks and the tension and aggression continued in this one. Both men brawled wildly around the ring and the referee attempted several times to separate the two. The fight then spilled to the outside where they continued to brawl without any concern for the rules, or the screaming referee inside. Saturn found himself on the end of a disqualification when he picked up the ring bell and blasted Meng over the head with it as they fought on the floor. This didn't result in Meng falling down though, he merely shook it off and yelled at Saturn, who just dropped the bell, dumbfounded, and walked off. Winner by Disqualification: Meng Rating: 67 The fans got on their feet for this one as Mean Gene introduced Steve Austin for an interview. Austin walked intently to the ring and joined Mean Gene as the questions got underway. We all heard from Hollywood Hogan earlier, calling Austin nothing more than a chihuahua nipping at the heels of the NWO. Austin says he's got no issue showing Hogan and the rest of the NWO idiot's that he's no chihuahua but rather a big ass Rottweiler ready to go right for the jugular of the NWO. Austin acknowledges that Hulk Hogan ran him from WCW the first time but now he's looking to return the favor. Rating: 100 Arn Anderson & Lex Luger vs Brian Pillman & Paul Levesque vs A mini-4 Horsemen reunion as Double A and the Total Package team up. Brian Pillman was by far the star of the match and he toyed as much as possible with Anderson and Luger. It was clear very early on that the Enforcer and Luger were not amused by the antics and looked to punish both NWO members as much as possible. Anderson and Luger remained firmly in control of the NWO team and worked flawlessly as a team, establishing quick tags and isolating their opponent from their corner. With things firmly in their control, Double A signaled for the end after hitting his signature Spinebuster. It was at this moment we saw some interference on behalf of the NWO. Kevin Nash hit the ring and quickly went on the attack. He bashed Double A at the base of his neck, causing him to drop to the canvas. As Anderson dropped, Nash then went straight to Luger who was standing on the apron. Luger didn't have time to react before Nash hit him with a big boot, sending him crashing to the floor. You'd think the referee would call for the bell, but none sounded. This was explained when the camera cut away from the attack, only to see Brian Pillman distracting the referee on the other side of the ring, oblivious to the carnage taking place in the ring. Nash covered Levesque over Anderson and bailed from the ring. The ref counted the pin at 12:29. Winners: Brian Pillman & Paul Levesque Rating: 88 In typical post-match fashion with the NWO, things didn't end there. Nash grabbed Luger on the floor and promptly sent him into the ring post. He then re-entered the ring where Pillman and Levesque were already starting on Double A. Nash used his brutal and powerful offense moves to his advantage to complete decimate Arn Anderson. Nash hit him with not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 Jackknife Powerbombs, each time causing Anderson to hit the mat with more force than the one before. Anderson lay motionless in the ring as a flood of officials entered to try and stop the attack. The NWO eventually left the ring as the officials checked on the Enforcer and called for medics from the back. It wasn't long before they rushed in and stabilized Anderson and loaded him on a stretcher. They put Anderson on a cot and began wheeling him up the aisle and were met halfway by the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Flair was obviously concerned for his best friend and walked with the medics and cot all the way to the backstage area to a waiting ambulance. The cameras followed the entire way as Arn was loaded up into the ambulance with the Nature Boy standing just outside. The ambulance sped off with the lights flashing and siren wailing. Ric Flair was left standing alone while he watched the ambulance speed off. Flair turned, completely enraged, and appeared to be heading back in toward the arena as Nitro cut to a commercial break. Rating: 97 - Not to worry, Alex Wright's bratwurst will get you excited in a hurry with more Saturday Wright Fever! - Ricky Steamboat vs Alex Wright vs It was painfully clear that the Canadian crowd just wasn't as in to Saturday Wright Fever as the American counterparts are. Alex spent more time dancing in this match than doing any offensive move, though some could argue his dancing is his offense. Steamboat had just as equal of a rough night, though he did pick up the win at 7:48 with a Flying Crossbody. Winner: Ricky Steamboat Rating: 51 Following a commercial break, a completely unhinged Nature Boy is backstage. He says the NWO is nothing but a bunch of cowards who attack people when they aren't looking and he's had enough of it, but he's not the only one. He says that Scott Steiner and Lex Luger have also repeatedly felt the wrath of the NWO and it's time WCW remain united and fight back! Flair said the time for taking the high road is over - if the NWO want a fight, they're gonna get a fight! After what they just did to Double A, Flair said he's taking the gloves off and not holding back anymore. His nickname's the Dirtiest Player in the Game and damnit, it's time he starts fighting like it! Flair says at Uncensored, that's exactly what it's going to be, because he's teaming up with Steiner and Luger and he's going to claw their eyes out one by one, chop their chests until they're bleeding, and bite the noses right off their faces! They want to fight, then at Uncensored, it's going to be a no-hold barred knock down, drag out fight! Rating: 99 Austin makes his second appearance of the night, much to the delight of the crowd. He gets in the ring and grabs a microphone, cutting right to the chase. Austin says the NWO like to intimidate people but Steve Austin isn't a guy they can intimidate. Austin says he's not above calling out every single member of the NWO to come down to this ring and receive an ass beating, so that's what he's doing; He's calling every damn member of the NWO to come to this ring, look Austin in the eye, and get the beating of a lifetime. To the shock of the announce team, this garnered the attention of three of the main members, Nash, Hogan, and Savage. They all walked out and stopped short on the stage as Austin looked on with a smirk on his face. He said he didn't think the three stooges standing there on the stage had the balls to come out here, but here they are. Austin said they like doing things together so much, so how about they all three come to the ring and get their asses kicked together? Nash has a microphone and says there's nothing he'd love more than to go to that ring and beat Austin up, but he's already filled his quota for the night and unless Austin's going to throw in some more money, he's not interested. Savage, in turn, said Austin isn't on Hogan's level, let alone on the Macho Man's level to share the same ring with him. Hollywood even had to take his opportunity to spew nothings in Austin's direction, but it was noticed that the three were ever so slowly making their way to the ring. Austin noticed this as well and even held the ropes open for the three, but they stopped about halfway to the ring. Nash said he doesn't fight for free and if he wants a piece of the three of them, he still has other NWO members he has to work through first. Nitro fades to commercial as the standoff continues. Rating: 100 Eddie Guerrero vs Ric Flair vs Ric Flair was in fired-up form for this match and was, by far, the performer of the night. The crowd was lively for the main event this week and the action remained fast-paced and fluid, as they had two of WCW's best performers in the ring. Eddie had moments where he was clearly keeping up with Flair and maybe even outpacing him with offense, but it was clear Flair had to veteran prowess on his side. Both men traded dirty moves and Flair put a clinic on for Guerrero on how to do them just when the referee wasn't paying attention. Eddie ended up missing his Frog Splash that allowed Flair to lock in the Figure Four for the submission win at 20:03. Winner: Ric Flair Rating: 79 Final Show Rating: 85 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 Meng no selling a ringbell to the head is one of the best things ever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 2 hours ago, Jaysin said: Meng no selling a ringbell to the head is one of the best things ever. Can't mess with those Samoan's heads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund bringing you this week's WCW Hotline Report! There hasn't been much noteworthy news in the world of professional wrestling for a little while and though this week isn't very profound, there is a bit of news to disclose! The Mexican-based Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) has recently moved up in size, now being seen as a medium-sized company. Due to the size increase and their branching out to new Mexican markets, they terminated the agreement with the World Wrestling Federation to accept their developmental workers. This reportedly infuriated WWF owner Vince McMahon, who immediately adopted a hostile attitude toward the promotion. Eric Bischoff, never one to miss an opportunity, contacted UWA owner Antonio Pena and not only adopted a friendly attitude toward the company but also negotiated a talent-trade agreement! Part of the deal will also see WCW accepting any UWA employees who decide to go on an excursion. I'm told the very first talent-trade was accepted by WCW offering popular Mexican wrestler El Hijo Del Santo in exchange for Silver King for an undisclosed number of dates. Speaking of Del Santo, in rather odd and unexpected news during an interview last week, Miss Elizabeth revealed she is now dating the 33 year old Mexican wrestler. Good luck to them and what a score for Santo! Injury Report: Meng, Dave Taylor, and WCW world heavyweight champion Hollywood Hogan continue to be effected by their current knee injuries. Despite the injuries, all are continuing to work through it though the impact is noticeable in their performances. Many believe this to be the reason behind the lackluster match that headlined SuperBrawl between Hogan and Ric Flair. Alex Wright just received a clean bill of health for his knee injury that has effected his in-ring performance for the last year. Rick Steiner continues his rehab efforts for his neck injury and I'm told that continues to go well. We hope to see Steiner back in action later this year. The WWF heads toward Wrestlemania XIII and WCW heads toward Uncensored. I'd look for the WWF to have a particularly big Monday Night Raw as they have their go-home show prior to their biggest show of the year. Raw is taped from Madison Square Garden this week while Nitro is LIVE from the Philadelphia Spectrum. Week 4, March 1997 Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair Jim Duggan vs Wrath Tag Team Titles: The Amazing French Canadians vs Harlem Heat (c) Disco Inferno vs Dick Slater John Tenta vs Alex Wright United States Title: Randy Savage vs Scott Steiner (c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 My picks: Ric Flair, Wrath, Harlem Heat (c), Disco Inferno, Alex Wright, and Scott Steiner (c)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair Jim Duggan vs Wrath Tag Team Titles: The Amazing French Canadians vs Harlem Heat (c) Disco Inferno vs Dick Slater John Tenta vs Alex Wright United States Title: Randy Savage vs Scott Steiner (c) (Steiner will retain via DQ due to NWO interference) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smw88 Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Ric Flair Wrath Harlem Heat (c) Disco Inferno John Tenta Scott Steiner (c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Week 4, March 1997 Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair Jim Duggan vs Wrath Tag Team Titles: The Amazing French Canadians vs Harlem Heat (c) Disco Inferno vs Dick Slater John Tenta vs Alex Wright United States Title: Randy Savage vs Scott Steiner (c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Ric Flair Wrath Harlem Heat Disco Inferno Alex Wright Scott Steiner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted November 8, 2023 Author Share Posted November 8, 2023 Week 4, March 1997 LIVE from The Spectrum - Philadelphia, PA Attendance: 20,000 (SELLOUT!) - Nitro kicks off this week full of excitement and energy as Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome everyone to the final Nitro of March as we head, JR tells us, straight to Uncensored this Sunday where that show is looking to surely live up to its name. After the pyro display and video open, the three man commentary booth hypes up tonight's show, promising that the rowdy Philadelphia crowd will see all kinds of action. It seems that each passing Pay Per View each month gets more and more important in the massive battle between WCW and the New World Order. In recent weeks, WCW has slowly started to band together and fight the group of intruders but JR thinks they have a long way to go before finally showing 100% solidarity. Things are kicking off with high stakes tonight as two of the top men from each side will to battle right now! - United States Title: Randy Savage vs Scott Steiner (c) vs The Macho Man emerges with the lovely Elizabeth before the US champion walks out. Things got heated right away as soon as Steiner entered the ring and made a gesture toward Liz that the Macho Man didn't appreciate. The bell rang and the two went at it full steam, taking turns battering each other before the fight spilled to the outside. Both men were nearly counted out before Steiner got back into the ring to break up the count before going back to the floor to continue the fight. It was clear that Savage wasn't too intent on becoming the new champion and was more focused on hurting Steiner, but clearly winning the US title and bringing it back to the NWO would have been an added bonus. Savage risked disqualification by picking up a steel chair on the floor and prepared to hit Steiner in the head with it. The referee halfway exited the ring and stood on the apron, threatening Savage. The two argued a bit which allowed Steiner to recover enough to kick Savage in the stomach, doubling him over and causing him to drop the chair. Steiner rolled Savage in the ring and climbed in afterwards, the referee taking a second to scold Steiner upon entering. This allowed Elizabeth just enough time to slip Savage some brass knucks that don't look like brass knucks, but we'll call them brass knucks anyway. Steiner leaned down and picked Savage up who went to swing with those brass knuckles. Steiner blocked it and rocked Savage with his own right hand, which caused the knucks to fly off Savages fist. Steiner saw this and walked over and bent down to pick them up before putting them on his own hand. This caused Liz to jump on the apron and desperately flag down the referee. With the referee yelling at Liz to get down, the crowd then was seen getting to their feet as something was going on at the stage. The crowd was on their feet as DDP ran to the ring and slid in. Steiner had gone over to Elizabeth and the referee while DDP went right up to Savage, who was now getting back to his feet. The crowd exploded as DDP promptly dropped Savage with a Diamond Cutter in the middle of the ring and exited just as fast as he entered. DDP hustled through the crowd as Steiner got the referee's attention and made a pin, ending the match at 12:05. Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 82 Alex Wright vs John Tenta vs We saw a sort of rejuvenated and more aggressive Alex Wright in this one. The German still found enough time to dance in the ring but not nearly as much as in the past. He took a more ruthless approach toward Tenta, which isn't clear if it was due to the larger opponent or an attitude change for the young wrestler. A highlight of the match saw Wright attempt his German Suplex finisher on the large Tenta, only for him to land completely on top of Wright, nearly ending the match there. Wright was able to compose himself and regain an advantage, hitting a top rope flying body splash for the win at 9:31. Winner: Alex Wright Rating: 56 Following Nitro's first commercial break, we return to see the Macho Man pacing all over backstage with Elizabeth struggling to keep up. Savage is yelling out for DDP and is furious from his earlier interference. Savage kicks open every door and looks around every corner, hoping to find Dallas Page. Rating: 97 Dick Slater vs Disco Inferno vs The dancing madness continues in this one, though Slater was in no mood for Disco's antics. The mighty DI actually had some good offense that was pretty hard-hitting for the grizzled veteran. Disco was able to get the win at 6:40 with a Piledriver. Winner: Disco Inferno Rating: 42 The crowd is heard loudly as Mean Gene is standing backstage with Steve Austin. Austin makes quick work of this interview by saying he knows that Hogan's going to dodge him at Uncensored, so there's no point in wasting his breath by challenging him to a match this Sunday. He says regardless, he'll be at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit this Sunday and that he'll take on any sack of trash from the NWO that they want to throw at him! Rating: 100 We get a promotion package of Kimberly next, showing that she's on the cover of this months WCW Magazine! The timing couldn't have been worse.... Rating: 41 Francine and TV champion Dean Malenko are backstage next. Francine does the talking in this promo and does her best trash talking while stating Steven Regal has no chance in hell at beating Dean Malenko for the TV title at Uncensored. Rating: 58 - After a commercial break, replay video is seen of last week's Monday Nitro where Arn Anderson was the victim of a brutal attack by Kevin Nash. The sheer viciousness of Nash is on full display as the video goes through the attack, followed by the sight of Anderson being stretchered out and put into an ambulance. - We return live backstage to Kevin Nash and Brian Pillman on screen. Boo's can be heard as Kevin Nash looks intensely into the camera. He says when the NWO first arrived on scene, it was take-no-prisoners, full on anarchy. The NWO made their statements by beating people up and leaving debris behind them. Somewhere along the way, the NWO got lost, got soft, and lost their direction. Nash says he's leading the charge and bringing the aggression back to the NWO. He wants guys like Brian Pillman and Randy Savage to follow his lead and stop taking it light on WCW. Nash says this ain't little league anymore. The ruthlessness of the NWO returned last week, and Arn Anderson was just the start of it. Rating: 81 Jim Duggan vs Wrath vs Ol' Hacksaw found himself on Nitro for a match, though unfortunately it was against big man Wrath. Little by little as each month progresses, the crowd has been warming up to Wrath quite a bit, despite his heel disposition. Some of it can be contributed to his powerful offense but most of it can be contributed to his finisher - The Meltdown, which they saw tonight, ending the match at 7:23. Winner: Wrath Rating: 57 The match is over and the commentary team is just beginning to go through the events of the night as the crowd is all distracted and looking up toward the ceiling of the arena. After a moment, cameras focus on a figure that hasn't been seen for quite some time - Sting. Sting looks on from above as the announcers all question why Sting is showing up tonight after being missing in action for awhile. Heenan mentions that the last time Sting was around, he was associated with the NWO. It was all clear to everyone that Sting has officially turned his back on WCW by joining the NWO's side and failing to prevent an NWO attack on WCW. Sting might be seen alone here tonight, but he's no friend of WCW anymore. He's undoubtedly showing up here tonight to let everyone know that he's still watching. Rating: 85 Things switch gear to the chaos that is the WCW backstage. Hostile Intent is in a full-on brawl with the Faces of Fear as Jimmy Hart hops all around the backstage carnage, blaring his annoying megaphone. A series of officials rush in to the scene to try and break up the fight. The chaos continues as Nitro fades out to a commercial break. Rating: 65 Nitro returns from a break with Mean Gene Okerlund standing backstage in the interview area with Lord Steven Regal. Mean Gene announces to everyone that at Uncensored this Sunday, what was going to be a one-on-one matchup for the Television title will now be a 3-way match for the title, involving Steven Regal, champion Dean Malenko, and Fit Finlay. Mean Gene announces that apparently WCW officials couldn't decide who was the actual #1 contender and added Finlay to the match now. Regal snubs his nose at the announcement and says it's nothing short of a travesty. He says WCW is doing its best to keep the title away from him - a title he never lost, by the way. Regal says he doesn't care who else they decide to throw in the match, the Lordship is walking out of Uncensored with his title. Rating: 91 Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair vs Tensions ran high in this one as soon as Flair made his entrance. In fact, Flair began sprinting to the ring while he was halfway down the aisle, dropping his robe on the floor in the process and sliding in the ring as Pillman and Flair unloaded on one another. The Philly crowd was buzzing as the two went ahead full steam. Flair and Pillman could barely have performed any better in this match and the history between the two proved to be like pouring gasoline on a fire. Pillman backed Flair into the corner and began hitting knife-edge chops but Flair quickly turned it around after a couple and began slapping Pillman's chest with his own signature chops. Flair didn't hold back and then began hitting rapid-fire punches on Pillman as he slumped in the corner. The referee, seconds away from disqualifying Flair, finally got in between the attack to pull Flair away. While in the midst, Pillman was able to hit a low blow on Flair to gain the advantage. Pillman himself was on the verge of disqualification as he gouged at Flair's face and attacked him in the corner. Soon the fight spilled to the outside where they began trading offense and getting anything in their hands for weapons. Pillman would choke Flair with TV camera cables and Flair would send Pillman into the ring posts. Pillman grabbed a chair and went to hit Flair with it, only for Flair to get a foot to Pillman's stomach at the last second. Flair then attempted to use the chair after picking it up and the referee grabbed onto it, which caused a livid Flair to get in the referee's face. The distraction allowed Pillman to attack and put Flair back in the ring. Pillman slid the chair inside the ring and grabbed another before entering the ring as well. He set Flair up after hitting a backdrop. One chair was on the mat and he placed Flair's head on it. He grabbed the other chair and was going to bash it between Flair's head and the other chair before the referee grabbed that and did his fair share of scolding Pillman. Pillman yanked the chair back from the referee as Flair got up, grabbing his own chair. Pillman swung but Flair ducked out of the way and kicked Pillman again in the stomach. Doubled over, Flair raised the chair before sweeping it down across the back of Pillman. He went down to a knee but used the chair he was holding to prop himself up still. Flair went to swing the chair again but Pillman was able to avoid this one and jabbed Flair in his gut with his own chair. The referee, clearly unable to control either man, called for the bell and declared a double disqualification. Winner: Double DQ Rating: 94 - Monday Nitro, especially a go-home show to a PPV, will never just end there. Flair and Pillman continued to brawl and fight with each other while the referee saw the carnage and just left the ring. The two continued their attacks until the expected interruption occurred..... The reinforcements arrived and the NWO made their way out to the ring. They rushed in to gang attack Flair but the Philly crowd didn't boo for long. Quickly the boo's turned into screaming cheers from the fans as more people were running out from the backstage area. Flair's teammates for this Sunday rush out and quickly met the NWO in the ring before they could begin their outnumbered attack on the Nature Boy. The brawl was wild and uncontrolled as each man in the ring went after another before moving on to someone else. The NWO tried to double team Flair but were quickly cut off by either Luger or Steiner, then their attention would turn to someone else. No one was gaining an advantage and no attempt at a double team lasted long. The crowd's attention was again taken away by something, or someone, else. Sting was once again shown high atop the arena but this time he appeared to be looking on more intently. Sting stood silent for a few seconds but clearly focused on what was going on in the ring. The crowd roared even more as Sting then moved and began walking. The roar of the crowd grew even louder as it was clear that Sting was heading toward the ring. As Sting began working his way through the frenzied crowd and toward the ring, Jim Ross informed us that Monday Nitro is all out of time and to tune in to this Sunday's Uncensored while Bobby Heenan was heard begging for just a couple more minutes to see what Sting is going to do! - Rating: 95 Final Show Rating: 94 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted November 12, 2023 Author Share Posted November 12, 2023 Hello everyone, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund bringing you this week's WCW Hotline Report! Fans were shocked on WWF Monday Night Raw this week when Bret Hart defeated Psycho Sid to become the new WWF world heavyweight champion. This victory was the final Raw before this weekend's Wrestlemania XIII. I'll get to those results later. Larry Zbyszko extended his exclusive contract earlier this week with WCW. I'm told the deal was for 1 year, so we'll be seeing the "Living Legend" at least for the next 12 months! Lance Storm, Dave Taylor, and Lenny Lane all also extended their WCW contracts this week, though I'm told this is for a non-exclusive handshake deal. WCW is still trying to gauge who they want to keep on the roster. Tommy Gilbert passed away last weekend at the age of 61. Gilbert had been unemployed at least since 1995 and has not had any involvement in the wrestling business, to my knowledge. Still, it's sad news and condolences go out to his family. This weekend on WCW Saturday Night, we were able to take a look at footage of this past Monday Nitro after the show went off the air! Sting had made his way into the ring amidst the all-out brawl between WCW and the NWO. Upon entering, the fighting came to a stop and both sides had a standoff in the ring, similar to what happened a number of weeks ago. The difference is, Sting this time made eye contact with Hollywood Hogan, which promptly ended up with the NWO exiting the ring and Sting exiting with them. The group then made their way to the backstage area, leaving Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, and Lex Luger all in the ring. Wrestlemania XIII was held in the Louisiana Superdome. The main event saw Bret Hart successfully defend the WWF world title against Psycho Sid, The British Bulldog, and the Ultimate Warrior in a 4-man match. Yokozuna defeated Ahmed Johnson for the Intercontinental title, and the New Rockers defended the tag team titles against Freedom Force. Other matches saw The Undertaker defeat Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels defeated The Big Show, 123 Kidd defeated Henry O. Godwinn, and Bam Bam Bigelow & Animal defeated Team XXX (Crush & Dennis Knight). There were a couple other matches of zero significance. LIVE from the Pontiac Silverdome - Detroit, MI Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, & Lex Luger vs NWO (Kevin Nash, Brian Pillman, & Paul Levesque) El Hijo Del Santo vs Hugh Morrus Steve Austin vs NWO Member John Tenta vs Lance Storm Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) vs Steven Regal Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Eaton & Taylor) vs Harlem Heat (c) Alex Wright vs Ricky Steamboat Hostile Intent vs Faces of Fear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, & Lex Luger vs NWO (Kevin Nash, Brian Pillman, & Paul Levesque) El Hijo Del Santo vs Hugh Morrus Steve Austin vs NWO Member John Tenta vs Lance Storm Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) vs Steven Regal Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Eaton & Taylor) vs Harlem Heat (c) Alex Wright vs Ricky Steamboat Hostile Intent vs Faces of Fear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, & Lex Luger vs NWO (Kevin Nash, Brian Pillman, & Paul Levesque) El Hijo Del Santo vs Hugh Morrus Steve Austin vs NWO Member John Tenta vs Lance Storm Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) vs Steven Regal Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Eaton & Taylor) vs Harlem Heat (c) Alex Wright vs Ricky Steamboat Hostile Intent vs Faces of Fear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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