DHK1989 Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 NWO El Hijo Del Santo Steve Austin Lance Storm Dean Malenko Harlem Heat Alex Wright Faces of Fear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 nWo El Hijo del Santo Steve Austin Lance Storm Dean Malenko Harlem Heat Ricky Steamboat Faces of Fear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 My picks: The NWO, Hugh Morrus, Steve Austin, Lance Storm, Steve Regal, Harlem Heat (c), Alex Wright, and Faces of Fear... Also: Sting finally picks a side. He seems like he's going to join the NWO and embraces Pillman and Levesque in the ring...before hitting the Scorpion Death Drop on them to thunderous applause from the audience. He then destroys the other NWO members before beating up Hogan... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaCeLo3 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...
Henderson Posted November 15, 2023 Author Share Posted November 15, 2023 Week 4, March 1997 LIVE from the Pontiac Silverdome - Detroit, MI Attendance: 73,962 - The Pay Per View feed goes live and WCW wastes little time before a panoramic shot of a jam-packed arena is shown while an excited Jim Ross welcomes everyone to the March edition of their monthly event - Uncensored! After shots of the wild fans, the cameras settle in on the announcers and Jim Ross introduces "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and Tony Schiavone. JR tells everyone that halfway through the show, Bobby Heenan will replace Dusty on commentary and that tonight looks to be quite the evening! Brief footage from this past Monday Nitro was shown and footage after Nitro went off the air - Showing Sting enter the ring to again cause a standoff between the NWO and WCW and then Sting leaving with the New World Order. Dusty says the last few months have proven to be an extremely dark time for WCW with Sting siding with the NWO. WCW has fought valiantly and continues to fight against the NWO despite the odds being stacked against them. Ric Flair, Lex Luger, and Scott Steiner have all proven to be worthy men trying to be the solid foundation for WCW against the NWO, but it just proves to be too much for just the three of them. Steve Austin has shown moments of solidarity with WCW but he more often than not goes to the beat of his own drum. Dusty says it's going to take someone else to stand up with Flair, Luger, and Steiner, but the WCW locker room seems to be running dry! Schiavone believes that tonight's main event is going to be a pivotal moment for WCW and their fight against the NWO. This is their opportunity to get one up on the NWO after months of being beaten down and attacked. Whether they can do it when the odds, like Dusty said, are still stacked up against them because remember, the NWO has the numbers advantage. With all the exciting action ahead of us, we're going right to the ring for the first match tonight, sure to live up to the "Uncensored" title! - Hostile Intent vs Faces of Fear vs Tensions have been running high between these two physical teams for the last couple of weeks. It all started when Jimmy Hart and the Faces of Fear promised to make examples out of Hostile Intent, who were very early into their newly formed team. They, namely Perry Saturn, took that personally. At the beginning of the match, Saturn started things off against the Barbarian. Saturn started strong with a very impactful offense. Schiavone had announced that Saturn was a former Army Ranger and not afraid to mix it up, even against an intimidating team as the Faces of Fear. Before long, Barbarian tagged out but Saturn didn't seem to mind, waiting for Meng to approach him in the ring. Pretty soon, the two were brawling all over the ring and eventually spilled out to the floor. After a brief fight between all 4 men, order was once again restored and Saturn and Roma traded quick tags and worked fluidly as a team. Faces of Fear were able to regain the advantage once Roma was in there for awhile though, as his offense isn't nearly as physical as Saturn's. Meng and the Barbarian took turns wearing down Roma and leaving Saturn seething to get tagged back in. After several illegal double team moves, Saturn had enough, rushing into the ring and attacking both members of the Faces of Fear. Roma was eventually able to get back into the mix and all four men spilled out to the floor to continue their fight. Saturn and Meng ended up brawling up the aisle as Roma and Barbarian fought all around the ringside area. It wasn't long before the ringing of the bell was heard and the referee had counted both teams out at 7:51! Winners: Double Count-Out Rating: 61 Alex Wright vs Ricky Steamboat vs There's no Saturday Wright Fever tonight because Wright attacked Steamboat as soon as he stepped in the ring. In a newly focused and aggressive attitude, Wright pummeled Steamboat around the ring as the Dragon attempted to take off his robe. The match got officially underway and Steamboat slowly began to build his way back, culminating in hitting his signature chop to Wright as he rebounded off the ropes. The crowd was firmly behind Steamboat as he continued his comeback but things were stopped short as Wright hit a beautiful dropkick after Steamboat ducked under a clothesline. There was a bit more back and forth action but Alex Wright secured the win after hitting a German Suplex at 11:58. Winner: Alex Wright Rating: 61 - We've got the first backstage segment of the night up next as the WCW world champion Hollywood Hogan and Kevin Nash are climbing out of a limo. It's just the two who are in, which the commentary team finds a bit odd. As the two step out, Hogan says that the last couple of months have been rough on the NWO and that everyone didn't seem to be on the same page. Hogan tells Nash that he was right, the NWO got a little soft which allowed WCW to gain a bit of momentum back. Hogan says with Nash setting the ship on the right sail, the NWO's new direction to be more ruthless than ever will result in them being even more powerful than when they first got on the scene. Nash and Hogan slap hands and Nash says that Arn Anderson was just the first, but certainly not last. People can either join the NWO express or they can get run over and if they choose the latter, they won't look pretty at the end of it. - Rating: 92 Tag Team Titles: Blue Bloods (Eaton & Taylor) vs Harlem Heat (c) vs w/ The first of two title matches is next and Harlem Heat looked to be in prime condition as they made their way to the ring with Sensuous Sherri. Dusty points out that these two teams know each other quite well, though this is the first time since December that they've competed against each other. Booker started things off first against Taylor and easily overpowered him. After a ring-shaking hip toss, Taylor crawled backward toward his corner to tag in the former "Beautiful Bobby." Eaton stepped in to take his own turn against Booker and didn't fare much better. Booker had his way with Eaton before a sneaky eye poke halted Booker's offense. After a short advantage, Booker tagged in his brother who had even more of a powerful offense on display. Both brother's from Harlem were on form tonight as they easily dispatched the Blue Bloods. Booker wowed the fans by getting the win at 9:53 with the Harlem Hangover. Winners: Harlem Heat Rating: 63 Cameras switch after the match to once again in the backstage area, where this time pure chaos has broken out. Randy Savage is in the midst of a vicious beatdown of Diamond Dallas Page. Savage is using everything he can as a weapon and eventually settles on a chair, where he repeatedly jabs the steel into DDP's midsection while he's down on the floor. A slew of officials rush in to try and break it up, but by this point it looks as though the damage has already been done. Rating: 87 Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Dean Malenko (c) vs Steven Regal vs vs Tony Schiavone dubbed this match one of the most anticipated matchups on the card tonight as the men all made their way to the ring. Malenko was accompanied by his valet, Francine, who looked on in disgust at Fit Finlay. Regal also seemed unpleased, but not as much as Francine, at Finlay's presence but that was only because he was another obstacle in his way of reclaiming his never-lost TV title. The match awkwardly got underway as the three men tried to figure out how to fight against each other. Finlay was the only babyface in the match but it was crystal clear very quickly that Regal had no intention or interest in working with Malenko on anything. Malenko hooked Finlay in for a suplex and looked to Regal to join in for a double but Regal wasted no time clawing at Dean's face with an eye rake. There was a funny moment in the match where Regal tossed Finlay out to the floor in order to work his own offense against Malenko. The distraction allowed Malenko to get an advantage and when Finlay re-entered the ring, he also quickly tossed him out to the floor in order to work on Regal. This only proved to fire up the Irishman as he got back in the ring with a ball of fury and took on both Malenko and Regal. The crowd was getting into the match as Finlay had both his opponents reeling as he traded blows from one to the other. From here on out, the fans were on the edge of their seat for the rest of the match. All three men managed to pull off everything from brawling to wrestling to all three trading blows to incredible spots. Steven Regal was able to vindicate himself when things were all said and done. With Regal recovering in the corner, Malenko took the opportunity hit a SuperPlex on Finlay. Both men crashed hard on the mat but Regal saw his opening and locked the Regal stretch on Malenko. With Finlay incapacitated and in no position to break up the hold, Malenko had little choice but to tap out at 18:14. Winner: Steven Regal Rating: 91 - Things take a bit of a break for a short promotional video for next month's PPV - Spring Stampede - before we're back to the commentary table where Bobby "The Brain" Heenan replaced Dusty Rhodes. Heenan gives his two cents to the show so far, re-iterating that the stakes for WCW couldn't be much higher than they are tonight. Heenan is more concerned with a total takeover by the NWO if more people in WCW can't come together. Music hits while the trio are talking and the crowd all get to their feet. - John Tenta vs Lance Storm vs There wasn't much substance to this match and the fans weren't so much into it either. Tenta started the match off strong and quickly took control of the match. Things changed though when Storm was finally able to utilize his speed and aerial attack to slow the big man. I a bit of an upset, Lance Storm was able to pick up the submission win at 10:13 with a Single Leg Crab. Winner: Lance Storm Rating: 60 - Austin gets right in the ring and gets a microphone, which quickly changes the crowd's excitement level from the previous match. He says he came to Uncensored for a fight against Hollywood Hogan but he knows damn well that Hogan won't fight him tonight. He says it doesn't matter that Hogan's in the back hiding from Steve Austin but he's standing in this ring and one way or another is going to beat the crap out of a member of the NWO, so they need to send whichever piece of trash out here now to get a mudhole stomped in them. - - Austin looks like a kid at Christmas as Bischoff struts out onto the stage. Bischoff tells him to wait a minute because he knows what he's thinking; he's not out here to fight Steve Austin. He says what he IS here to do, is bring out the opponent for Austin tonight but he first tells Austin that it doesn't matter who he beats tonight because he's never in a million years going to beat every member of the NWO to get to Hollywood. Bischoff says his opponent tonight is Buff Bagwell! - Rating: 97 Steve Austin vs Buff Bagwell vs Austin was like a man possessed as soon as Bagwell stepped halfway through the ropes. Austin was on the attack and the bell rang, to little concern from Austin, who was just focused on beating the ever living hell out of Bagwell. In an attempt to get away or slow the assault, Bagwell tried to go to the opposite end of the ring and exit, but Austin was right behind him, refusing to let up on the attack. He sent Bagwell into the ropes and hit a Thesz Press on return before pummeling Bagwell with lightning-fast punches. Austin got up but he still didn't let up the attack. He grabbed Bagwell and brought him to his feet, only to flip him off before kicking him in the gut and hitting a Stunner. The referee counted the three at 6:52 and Austin looked back at the stage where a dismayed Bischoff looked on. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 67 El Hijo Del Santo vs Hugh Morrus vs Other than a match against Eddie Guerrero on Nitro a couple weeks back, not much has been seen from Santo aside from some Saturday Night matches. As a result, the Michigan crowd didn't quite know what to make of this match. The announce crew mentioned that Santo is quite a big star in Mexico and WCW is hoping some of that popularity transfers over not only to the US, but also WCW as they look to expand their market to the Southern part of the hemisphere. It was a pretty bland matchup that saw Morrus score the win at 8:26 with the No Laughing Matter. Winner: Hugh Morrus Rating: 49 Quote tHe FolLoWInG AnnOunCEmENT hAs BeEn PAiD fOr BY tHe NEW WORLD ORDER: An interruption in the regular programming gives us a promo by the NWO, this group of Brian Pillman, Kevin Nash, and Paul Levesque. Nash does the talking in this one as the camera cuts between frames. He says someone in tonight's match, be it Ric Flair, Lex Luger, or Scott Steiner, will get hurt at the hands of the NWO tonight. Who knows, maybe it'll be all three! Rating: 84 There was zero possibility that a major monthly event would be absent of Mean Gene! He eagerly stands by backstage and introduces his guests for the interview, the men who will take on the NWO tonight! All three men make their way into the picture and take their spot and all three men are extremely fired up. Flair, naturally, is the first to speak, animated as ever and proving his point. Flair says that all three men walk into battle tonight and there's only one team walking out! This isn't a cage match, no DQ, or any other gimmick but WCW is going straight to battle tonight and they're not pulling any punches! With the Total Package, the best body in wrestling, the United States champion and best amateur wrestler in the history of college athletics, and the 13-time champion Nature Boy, everyone's going to bleed, everyone's going to sweat, and the NWO, most of all, will pay the price tonight! Luger is up next and says that revenge tonight against the NWO will be bitter sweet, not because he has any feelings for the NWO, but because tonight's moment when WCW finally puts one nail in the coffin of the NWO, he's going to have to stare at his best friend who, rather than standing by his side, will be standing on the side of the enemy. Luger says it's past friendships, it's past betrayal, it's past personal feelings. He says it's now a matter of fighting for your livelihood. The NWO is trying to put an end to WCW and that threatens and hurts Luger far more than any best friends betrayal ever could. If push comes to shove, he won't hesitate to drop his former best friend to the mat if that means being able to keep WCW alive. Scott Steiner says that while the NWO was on free reign for several months unchecked, someone needed to stand up for WCW alongside Lex Luger and Ric Flair and he stepped up to the plate. Steiner says he's never been about winning accolades, he's just been about proving himself in the ring against any opponent. Now that he holds the second top title in WCW, he's going to be the champion that Hollywood Hogan wishes he could be! There's one thing he's looking to dish out tonight - Pain. Rating: 97 Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, & Lex Luger vs NWO (Kevin Nash, Brian Pillman, & Paul Levesque) vs The time for waiting and anticipation is over, the moment has arrived. WCW made their entrance first followed by the NWO. The WCW team was clearly urgently waiting for their opponents to get to the ring, as they all three paced uneasily around the ring. The NWO could almost sense this as they took their time getting to the ring and were all smiles and pre-celebratory on their way down the aisle. Once the NWO did get to the ring, it was pure, unleashed havoc. Ric Flair was like lightening flashing, all over the ring and uncontrolled. Flair not only had the performance of the match but easily the performance of the night while Paul Levesque appeared to not be up to the task of being in such a high-profile match with this caliber of opponents. Despite this, the match was pure fire and the crowd was on their feet the entire time. It took what seemed an eternity to get any kind of control over the match before each team made their way to their own corner. Pillman did his absolute best to avoid Ric Flair and Levesque and Flair remained in the ring. Flair easily controlled the pace and had his way with the younger wrestler. He eventually tagged into Lex Luger who also overpowered and controlled the less-experienced member of the NWO. As if the plan, Steiner was then tagged in who took his own turn and time to punish Levesque. Flair was tagged back in who, in plain sight of the referee, struck a nasty low blow on Levesque before shoving him into his own corner to finally tag out. Nash made the tag and slowly stepped over the top rope and entered the ring, spitting into his hands before rubbing them together, doing his best to intimidate WCW's team. The match slowed way down to Nash's pace and he used his brute power to take over the match. Things resembled an actual tag team match for awhile and all 6 men saw plenty of action. Advantage traded off between both teams as action settled down and rest holds were applied. Flair finally ended up getting his hands on Pillman, which brought the crowd back to life, and took his turn dishing out some brutal punishment on the former Horseman. It wasn't long before chaos again erupted during the match and before long, all 6 men were in a furious brawl. The referee was desperate to gain control of the match but he was doomed to failure. It didn't take long before Hollywood Hogan, Randy Savage, and Buff Bagwell made their appearance and emerged at the entrance. What followed was an eerie quiet that fell over the arena as Sting also followed behind them. They all walked at a medium pace toward the ring and Sting was about 10 steps behind them. By the time Savage stepped in the ring, Luger was getting Pillman lifted up in the Torture Rack, not seeing his former best friend making his way into the ring. Savage got in the ring and quickly kicked Luger below the belt, causing the Total Package to drop Pillman and also drop to the mat in pain. The referee didn't hesitate to call for the bell at 17:49, awarding the DQ win to WCW. Winners by DQ: Team WCW Rating: 91 - It seemed that things have only just begun despite the match being over. Hogan entered the ring and began slowly clapping his hands as the rest of the NWO started getting to work on the WCW team. Sting was last to enter the ring and Scott Steiner, who was still on his feet along with Ric Flair, began taking the fight right to the NWO. They quickly traded blows to whoever approached them. Luger was struggling toward the ropes to get himself back to his feet to prepare for a fight as well as more chaos erupted inside the ring. The crowd became unglued as the all-out fight started to take shape and the commentator's all kept a watchful eye on Sting, who was at this point still behind the rest of the NWO as the fighting started up again. The numbers game began to show the advantage as Flair and Steiner were attacked and held captive as Luger was allowed to get to his feet. Confusion showed on his face as he turned to see Ric Flair being held by Kevin Nash and Buff Bagwell while Steiner was being held by Savage and Levesque. The confusion was furthered as Sting slowly stepped forward to meet his former friend in the center of the ring. Sting stared at Luger and showed no emotion as Luger had plenty of things to say in Sting's direction. After getting nothing in return from the Stinger, Luger stepped closer so the two were nearly nose to nose. Sting took a baseball bat from the inside of his trench coat and stuck it into the center of Luger's chest before pushing him back. Luger didn't hesitate to step right back into Sting's face which only resulted in Sting again shoving Luger back toward the ropes. Hollywood Hogan was behind Sting watching the series of events and loving every bit of it. After the second shove, Hogan turned to look out toward the fans, holding his arms out to the side and laughing. While the camera was focused on Hogan, a loud "thud" could be heard in the ring followed by Tony Schiavone on commentary exclaiming "OH MY GOD!!!" - Sting shoved Luger back a second time and while Hogan was taunting out to the crowd, Luger went back to get in Sting's face for a 3rd time. Again, Sting shoved Luger backward but this time Luger sprung forward to attack. Just off to Sting's side was also Brian Pillman, taunting and loving the encounter between Sting and Luger. As Luger sprung forward, Sting ducked a forearm, resulting in Luger planting it square in the center of Pillman's forehead. Pillman dropped to the mat and just as quickly, Sting spun around and swung his baseball bat right into the midsection of Randy Savage! The crowd reaction nearly caused the roof of the Silverdome to blow off. With one arm free due to Savage doubling over, Steiner quickly began attacking Levesque again, who was so caught off guard with Sting's attack that he didn't even have time to react to Steiner. In another fluid motion, Sting used his bat to go after the knee and leg of Kevin Nash, dropping him to the mat as well, allowing Flair to get into the fight. All this took place as Hogan was turned and taunting the crowd, only to turn back to see the carnage now in the ring and his smile quickly vanish from his face. Now solely focused on Hogan, Sting quickly stepped up to the world champion seething. The crowd again became unglued as Sting began assaulting the world champion, now allowing Hogan a second to retreat. Repeated punches and kicks doubled the world champion over as Sting sent Hogan into the corner and rushed forward with a Stinger Splash, the first one seen in months! Each move from Sting caused new life in the crowd and impossibly an even louder roar from the crowd. Sting sent Hogan into the opposite corner again and looked to deliver a second Stinger Splash, but Levesque was able to pull him out of the way and took the brunt of it himself. Luger sent Pillman over the top rope and to the floor while Flair was hitting low blows and biting everyone near him. Eventually, Bagwell, Savage, and Nash were also sent outside. Levesque didn't last long as Steiner clotheslined him over the top and to the floor, leaving the world champion all alone in the ring with Steiner, Luger, Flair, and Sting. A low rumble began and got to almost earthquake levels as Hogan slowly realized he was all alone and being stalked like prey. Steiner delivered a clubbing blow to the back of Hogan's head and he doubled forward, right to Sting. Sting turned him around and hit a reverse DDT that Schiavone called a "Scorpion Deathdrop." The NWO was able to grab a leg of Hogan and pull him out of the ring. The final shot of Uncensored 1997 was of Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Scott Steiner, and Sting all standing in the center of the ring with a raging crowd throwing trash at the NWO as they retreated, beaten and bloody, up the aisle. - Rating: 84 Final Show Rating: 91 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted November 15, 2023 Share Posted November 15, 2023 Wow, almost 74,000 people at the Silverdome for Uncensored. 😧 And matches ending in DQ and count-out...at Uncensored. 🤔 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted November 15, 2023 Share Posted November 15, 2023 6 hours ago, DHK1989 said: Wow, almost 74,000 people at the Silverdome for Uncensored. 😧 And matches ending in DQ and count-out...at Uncensored. 🤔 And the closest WCW came to drawing roughly half that number IRL (at least in North America, for their own shows and not for joint events with New Japan) was for several Monday Nitros at the Georgia Dome in the late-'90s, pre-Russo (most notably Episode 147, which drew 41,412 to see Bill Goldberg destroy Hulk Hogan for the World title). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted November 16, 2023 Author Share Posted November 16, 2023 20 hours ago, DHK1989 said: Wow, almost 74,000 people at the Silverdome for Uncensored. 😧 And matches ending in DQ and count-out...at Uncensored. 🤔 I got to keep WCW being WCW! Uncensored '97 got higher attendance than the WWF's Wrestlemania. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted November 21, 2023 Author Share Posted November 21, 2023 Week 1, April 1997 LIVE from the Arrowhead Pond - Anaheim, CA Attendance: 19,000 (SELLOUT!) - Rather than the usual intro video for Monday Nitro, followed by the elaborate pyro display and crowd shots, the picture begins to fade in for this week's Monday Nitro as the trail of fire is lit and followed to the exploding "Monday Nitro" picture. When the fire is first lit, we hear commentary, but it isn't commentary from tonight's broadcast. What is heard is the announcers from just 24 hours ago at Uncensored and the unmistakable voice of Tony Schiavone. - Tony: The NWO is beating the team of Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, and Lex Luger merciless! Someone's got to do something about it! Ross: Yeah, and Sting's just standing there! With the NWO! Not doing a damned thing! Tony: Oh no! Heenan: Here he comes! He's stepping forward!! What is going to happen to everyone when he attacks Luger!? This is WCW's death right here tonight! Tony: Look out!! He's got a baseball bat!! Heenan: He just shoved Luger!!! Ross: But Lex isn't backing down!! Look at him get right back up in Sting's face!! Heenan: Telling him to do it again!!! Tony: And he did!!!! He shoved Luger again!! Ross: Yeah but Luger's going right back up to him! C'mon Lex! Heenan: Hit him!!! Hit him!! Don't stand there and get intimidated! Tony: He's not intimi----HE SHOVED HIM AGAIN!! Ross: And Hogan's loving it all! Tony: OH MY GOD! Ross: STI-----STING'S FIGHTING THE NWO! Heenan: Listen to this crowd!!!!!! Tony: He's fighting with everything he's got!! Look at him go! Heenan: Month's of aggression is being let loose right now! Ross: There's only one man left now!!! Heenan: And he's got nowhere to go!! Ross: You're damn right! Grab that son of a bi--- Tony: Stinger Splash!!! Ross: The first we've seen that in months!! And another!!! Heenan: He's not finished with him yet!!! Ross: Reverse DDT! Tony: No, no!!! That's a Scorpion Death Drop! Heenan: Opposite of the death lock! I love it! - The picture finally fades in and it shows Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Scott Steiner, and Sting all standing in the middle of the ring, united, while the NWO is in disarray, backtracking up the aisle as trash gets pelted at them from the crowd. The picture again fades out before coming back in to show a panoramic shot of the packed arena for tonight's Nitro. - Rating: 84 We're brought to the commentary desk finally where Jim Ross tells us of last night's unprecedented Uncensored broadcast where Sting has finally, unquestionably, returned to WCW. Bobby Heenan says that he knew all along that Sting was with WCW and just toying with the NWO but he just played along to make people think he believed Sting turned coat. Both Mike Tenay and Jim Ross just look at Bobby, who looks back at them innocently, before Tenay says that it's a night that no WCW fan, employee, or wrestling fan in general will never forget. Sting is home where he belongs and he's joining in to take the fight right to the NWO. Ross says that Hollywood Hogan and the NWO will be in attendance tonight, and you can be sure they're going to have something to say about Sting. Scotty Riggs vs Dean Malenko w/Francine vs w/ Another man not too pleased with how Uncensored went is Dean Malenko, who lost the TV title last night in the 3-way match against Steven Regal and Fit Finlay. Malenko was clearly in no mood to mess around and Francine also looked less than happy. It was a decent opener that went for a good amount of time but Malenko just used that time to dismantle his opponent. Malenko ended it with the Texas Cloverleaf at 10:22. Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 72 The NWO's music begins to play which brings the sold out California crowd to their feet, because everyone is wondering what the NWO will have to say after what went down last night. The group comes out in full force tonight and no one looks very happy. The usual taunts and smiles and hand slapping is foregone tonight for more annoyed looks and gritted teeth as they make their way toward the ring. Hogan un-customarily is the first with a microphone as he demands the music be cut off. The world champ says that he and Kevin Nash made clear that the NWO was going back to their roots, being more ruthless, being more aggressive, and putting WCW out of their misery for once and for all but last night's Uncensored was anything but ruthless. He called out every NWO member for dropping the ball. He called out Bagwell for losing his match and then he singled out Levesque, Pillman, and Nash for embarrassing the NWO in the main event. Nash started to take exception to the verbal lashing and began stepping up toward Hogan but Hogan was quick to cut him off and say he wanted a more aggressive NWO, he wanted a more mean Hollywood Hogan, so that's what he'll get. He told Nash to step off before he sent him back up North with another bad gimmick. Hogan tried to deescalate a bit and said to show Nash that he has good faith, to show he only wants what's best for the NWO and to light a fire, he's going to team with Nash in the main event tonight to take on Lex Luger and Steve Austin. Hogan also says that after he's done tearing those two limb from limb, he's coming after that face painted coward Sting and he's going to make him regret ever stabbing the NWO in the back. Hogan called out every NWO member that if they wanted motivation to become a pack of wolves to look no further than that coward Sting. Sting is the cause of all the NWO's trouble right now and whoever delivers Sting's head to Hollywood on a silver platter will be a made man. Rating: 88 Meng vs Paul Roma vs This is a continuation of the tag team feud between the Faces of Fear and Hostile Intent. The Meng manly meter was way off the charts on this one! Roma threw everything he had at the Mengster but he just shrugged it off and kept coming after him. Roma had no idea how to forge some kind of effective offense and lost the match at 7:54 to the Tongan Death Grip. Winner: Meng Rating: 68 Disco Inferno vs John Tenta vs This was an odd matchup and you'd never believe me if I told you that Disco picked up a victory in this one. Well he did, after Tenta went for the Tenta Splash and missed, allowing Disco to get a schoolboy rollup for the surprising win at 8:24. Winner: Disco Inferno Rating: 57 Harlem Heat and Sensuous Sherri are backstage with Mean Gene Okerlund. Fresh off their successful title defense last night at Uncensored against the Blue Bloods, the brothers are riding high. Booker says that Harlem Heat are ready and willing to defend their tag team titles against any one, at any time. Rating: 88 TV Title: Lenny Lane vs Steven Regal (c) vs This all stems from the pre-show last night at Uncensored where Lenny Lane, in an interview, requested a title match on Nitro to prove his worth. The issue is Regal is the champion after getting "his" title back and it's his first defense. No easy task for the young Lenny Lane. It was a surprisingly good match and Regal was in prime form tonight, getting the submission win at 9:46 with the Regal Stretch. Winner: Steven Regal Rating: 77 Lance Storm vs Alex Wright vs Much to the dismay of the crowd, there was no Saturday Wright Fever again here tonight. Alex Wright surprisingly came to the ring and was prepared to face Lance Storm in a no-nonsense wrestling match. It could have possibly caught Storm off guard because Wright showed his German aggression and pummeled the quick wrestler. Lance was able to fight his way back into the match and the two traded high-flying moves that got the crowd vocal on a couple occasions. Wright got the pinfall victory at 10:21 with a German Suplex. Winner: Alex Wright Rating: 57 DDP is backstage for a taped promo this time. He talks about the Macho Man and the issues he's had with him for the last couple of weeks. He says if Savage has a problem with him, then he should be a man and tell it to his face, rather than hide behind that tramp of his. Whatever personal things Savage wants to expose about his life will be "personally" dealt with. Rating: 81 Mean Gene is backstage again, this time interviewing Fit Finaly. He discusses coming up short last night in the TV title match. Finlay says Regal was in his way, which is typical for a Brit getting in the way of an Irishman. He threatens Regal that he should've stayed out of the way and he'll take that title off him whenever the two might meet again. Rating: 78 Lex Luger & Steve Austin vs Kevin Nash & Hollywood Hogan vs The crowd got on their feet as the entrances were being made and didn't sit back down. Austin wasn't thrilled, it seemed, to be teaming with Luger but the two were able to quickly settle down and work well as a team. Meanwhile on the other side of the ring, the same questions were being asked about the ability of Nash and Hogan to work well together, after the scathing promo the world champ cut earlier at the expense of the NWO. Still though, it seemed once the bell rang, both teams settled into where their hatred was to be focused. Austin wanted Hogan to start but he obviously avoided him. Nash was also quick to step in the way as he didn't want to be seen as a pushover. Nash started with some punishing offense but Austin quickly turned it around before dishing out his own and then demanding Hogan be tagged in. Nash had enough and was happy to oblige, tagging in Hogan who looked less than thrilled. As the tension mounted and Hogan slowly stepped through the ropes, he started to walk toward Austin before abruptly turning and slapping Nash on the shoulder, tagging him back in. Nash looked back in shock as Hogan ducked out of the ring. Nash stepped back in and the match continued. Luger eventually found his way into the match and after Nash took over the offense, Hogan was happy to tag in then. After this, the NWO worked well together and isolated Luger from his corner, building to the ever-awaiting hot tag. After Luger managed to knock both Nash and Hogan down following a failed double team move, Luger slowly clawed his way toward his corner. The crowd urged him on with every small inch forward until he finally made the tag. The crowd exploded as Austin rushed into the ring and wasted no time with his assault. He went after Nash before finally getting his hands on Hogan, which caused the crowd to cheer even more loudly. Clearly in an attempt to save face, the NWO began rushing out as soon as Austin made the tag. They rushed to the ring and Pillman and Levesque were first to slide in, jumping Austin. The rest of the members made their way in and began going after Luger as well, but reinforcements weren't far behind.... The crowd cheer again as Scott Steiner and Ric Flair quickly come rushing out from the backstage area. They quickly get in the ring and join in on the on-going brawl. The referee is nowhere to be seen and the match is officially declared a No Contest at 13:13. No Contest Rating: 85 It's no surprise by now that a match between the NWO and WCW results in either a disqualification or no contest. The two groups clearly can't be contained to a single match, evident by the massive fight going on in the ring. Both the NWO and WCW groups are at a stalemate as men fight all around the ring. In the midst of the fighting, the crowd is shocked as explosions go off at the top of the arena followed by a screech of the crowd as a figure is then lowering down toward the ring. The shrieks and screams turn into a burst of cheers from the crowd when they realize who it is. Unbeknownst to the men fighting in the ring, Sting is being lowered to the ring from high atop the arena's roof. As he gets closer, men start noticing before Sting finally lands in the ring. The fighting briefly pauses before Paul Levesque goes to attack Sting, who quickly meets him with a chop. Bagwell rushed in and Sting fended him off with a kick to his gut. The crowd went wild as Sting joined in the fight and after seeing him, the rest of the WCW team quickly joined in. Hollywood Hogan saw Sting and wasted no time bailing from the ring before he could get his hands on him. In much the same way as the prior night, the NWO was again run off from the ring, leaving only the WCW guys standing in the center of the ring as the Nitro credits appeared. Nitro went off the air with Sting standing in the center of the ring, glaring out to the NWO. Rating: 94 Final Show Rating: 87 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted December 4, 2023 Author Share Posted December 4, 2023 Week 2, April 1997 LIVE from the Key Arena - Seattle, WA Attendance: 16,702 Monday Nitro kicks off the airwaves for the second week in April with the usual intro video followed by panoramic shots of the arena this week in Seattle. The fans are excited for the action WCW is sure to bring this week as Jim Ross welcomes everyone to the broadcast. The announcers all take the time to talk about last week's Nitro and how the show ended, the way it should end, according to Bobby "The Brain" Heenan; with Sting standing tall in the middle of the ring with the rest of the defenders from WCW against the NWO. WCW has, no doubt, been riding high for the last couple of weeks after Uncensored and last week's show. In the middle of their discussion, music hits the speakers that gets another loud cheer from the fans as Lex Luger comes out. Mean Gene Okerlund has already gotten in the middle of the ring to await his entrance. After a few moments of introduction, Mean Gene says that no one should be happier with the last couple of weeks more than the Total Package. Luger can't help but smile and have a smirk on his face during the intro and he confirms that he has, along with the rest of the WCW locker room, been the happiest he's been in the last several months. Luger said he knows that everything seemed in limbo for the last few months regarding Sting and his appearance to align with the NWO. Luger says he's known the Stinger for the last 15 years and though he made the mistake of doubting him before, he didn't make that same mistake again. He knew that Sting didn't join the NWO and knew he just needed his time, his time to show everyone where he really stood. Well the confusion is set aside, there's no question any longer for anyone, and the Stinger's right where he belongs, back with WCW! Luger says that as for the rest of the NWO, they're all on borrowed time and he's going to prove just that at Spring Stampede. For the last few weeks, Paul Levesque has been trying to make a name for himself in WCW at Luger's expense. That's all coming to a tragic end for him, because Luger says he's finishing that chapter with Levesque at Spring Stampede and afterwards, he might just start a new one involving Hollywood Hogan and the WCW World Championship belt, bringing that, too, back to WCW where it belongs! Rating: 96 Camera's switch to the backstage area (dubbed with the caption "Earlier Tonight"). Jim Ross narrates for us, saying earlier today when Scott Steiner was arriving, he was blindsided. No sooner did Steiner shut the trunk, we see Brian Pillman show up, attacking Steiner from behind. Steiner didn't even have a chance to defend himself before Pillman attacked, using the car as his support for the attack. Steiner was slammed against the closed trunk lid a few times before Pillman laid in the boots on the downed Steiner. Just as quickly as he attacked, he ran off before Steiner could gain any kind of comeback. Rating: 97 Diamond Dallas Page vs Eddie Guerrero vs The first match tonight has two very capable wrestlers, both trying to break their way through to the upper card of WCW. DDP has been caught waging a personal war against Randy Savage while Eddie's been trying to regain his footing ever since losing the US title. After finishing a vicious feud against Arn Anderson at SuperBrawl, Eddie was provided some much-needed time off. His freshness was very apparent as DDP struggled to keep up with the high flier. Page managed to fight his way back into the match and Eddie sensed that he was finding himself in trouble. DDP signaled that it was time for the Diamond Cutter but Eddie was able to push DDP off into the ropes. On the return, DDP went for a clothesline but Eddie was quick to pull the referee in the way, who ended up taking the move instead. Eddie dodged out of the ring and began making his way back up the aisle and the referee came-to a short time later, calling for the disqualification at 12:03. Winner by DQ: DDP Rating: 80 After a quick commercial break, we return to see Mean Gene again standing in the center of the ring. He announces his guest as the new Television Champion, Lord Steven Regal. The TV champ makes his way out as arrogantly as he possibly can, no doubt with the Television title strapped securely around his waist. He gets in the ring and snubs his nose at Mean Gene who says in spite of all his arrogance and claims, Regal made good on his promise at getting the TV title back. Regal says the title never should've been taken from him, but it was, and he corrected all the mistakes by getting it back at Uncensored. Regal was quick to dismiss Fit Finlay and said that Dean Malenko is no challenge for him, he was simply a placeholder for when the real TV champion came back. Regal says that he's the best worker in WCW and he has no problem proving that against anyone. Things took an interesting turn when the sound of trumpets slowly filled the arena and the crowd got on their feet. The Nature Boy walked out onto the stage, still in his custom-designed suit and took a moment to look out at the capacity crowd before heading to the ring. Flair stepped in, looking at Regal, before stepping up to Mean Gene. Flair, with a smirk of his own, said he couldn't help but hear Regal claim to be the best wrestler in WCW. Flair says that while Regal might think he can take that claim, the Nature Boy's the best wrestler in the whole damn world, not just WCW! If Regal wants to put his money where his mouth is, how about they have a match here tonight to prove it! The crowd goes crazy and Regal cringes. He responds and says he'll face Flair in a match tonight, but it won't be for the TV title because as far as Regal's concerned, he's not done anything as of late to earn a shot at his title! Rating: 99 Wrath vs Kevin Nash vs A battle of the big men in a rematch from this past December. By all accounts, it was a better match than the first one, but not by much. Wrath proved that he can stand up well against a big name opponent but it was clear that Kevin Nash was still a few steps ahead of him. The match ended at 7:47 after Nash hit the Jacknife Powerbomb. Winner: Kevin Nash Rating: 68 The Amazing French Canadians vs Hostile Intent vs Paul Roma and Perry Saturn have proven themselves to be a contending team for the tag team titles while the Amazing French Canadians (Not the Quebecers) have never really gotten a good foot hold in WCW. Despite the clear talent the two possess, they just have never been able to get a fire lit in their matches. It's hard telling what they may be able to do in a singles run, but as a team, something just hasn't been able to "click." Hostile Intent, particularly Saturn, showed great progress and potential in this one. Saturn was able to get the win at 8:18 after hitting the Death Valley Driver on Oulette. Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 63 Nitro returns from another commercial break and the NWO music hits the speakers. The crowd get on their feet, not knowing who to expect, and out walks Eric Bischoff. Easy E is all smiles as he struts out and points out to the crowd, and to the shock of the announcers, he's walking out to the ring all by himself. Bischoff gets in the ring and takes some time to pander to the crowd, who ruthlessly boo back at him. Instead of hearing the boo's from the crowd, Bischoff instead pats his chest and acts like they all love him. Bischoff says that after the last couple of weeks, no one should be more furious than him, but he isn't. Bischoff says he actually couldn't be a happier man because everything is falling exactly in place for the NWO. Bischoff said he couldn't help but hear what Harlem Heat had to say last week, that they're willing to take on anyone. Bischoff says that Harlem Heat should be careful what they wish for, because they just might get it! He says that he's still the President of WCW and he makes the rules, signs the paychecks, and makes the matches. Bischoff says there isn't anyone in WCW, aside from Ted Turner, who can tell Bischoff what to do, and Ted has made it perfectly clear that WCW is his baby to run and Ted won't interfere. Bischoff says that translates into Bischoff being the top man, the one in charge, and no one can stop him. Bischoff made things even more sickening by comparing himself to God. He says he's also glad that Sting finally showed his true colors and knew he never had the fortitude to stand next to Hollywood Hogan. Sting couldn't put his ego to the side long enough to stand at Hollywood's shoulder, but that's all ok! He says Sting never could and never will fill Hollywood's shoes. Sting struggled for so many years trying to be the main star of WCW, trying to keep WCW in the limelight while Hogan prospered in other promotions. He said that deep down, Sting was so relieved when Hollywood joined WCW because he knew that the success of WCW was off of Sting's shoulders! Bischoff says that now that Sting has established himself to be back on the WCW sidelines, that now makes him officially a WCW talent - Talent that Bischoff now controls! As a result, Bischoff says that Sting will be back in action, wrestling on this very show next week, with an opponent to be determined! Rating: 64 Paul Levesque vs Arn Anderson vs The announce team was shocked to see the return of Arn Anderson. The last time we saw the Enforcer, nearly a month ago, he was being stretchered out of the arena following a brutal attack by Kevin Nash. Double A appeared fresh, razor sharp, and relentless as soon as Levesque stepped through the ropes. Arn was like a man on fire, brutalizing his opponent with his signature moveset. Levesque would beg for mercy only to find none given. When that didn't work, he tried bailing out of the ring and going to the back, only for Anderson to catch up to him and beat him some more. Things got back in the ring where the Enforcer was calculating in his every move, almost like he was stalking Levesque around the ring. After a Spinebuster and DDT, Anderson won the match at 10:30. Winner: Arn Anderson Rating: 77 Next up, we get a backstage promo where Francine does all the talking in her irritating New Yawk accent. She says that Fit Finlay cost Dean Malenko the TV title because he couldn't know his place at the bottom of the card. She says that Finlay will learn his mistake and Dean will send him back where he belongs. When Dean's through with him, then maybe he'll set his sights higher than the TV title, but one thing's sure, Fit Finlay is gonna feel pain. Rating: 51 Things get much more lively next as Steve Austin's music hits the speakers and the crowd get on their feet. Austin emerges from the entrance and wastes no time powering straight to the ring. Austin gets in and is quickly given a microphone where he says he's played enough of the games of the NWO. He took out the garbage at Uncensored when he beat Buff Bagwell from one ring post to the other and he played their little games last week when he teamed with Lex Luger. Austin says it's time to cut through all the crap, he's calling out Hollywood Hogan for Spring Stampede and there's no way in hell he can dodge Austin this time. Austin says he isn't leaving the ring until Hollywood Hogan walks his little ass out here with the world title and accepts Austin's challenge! It doesn't take long for the NWO music to play once again and out walks Bischoff, Nash, Hogan, and Savage. The four stop short on top of the stage as Austin challenges them to come to the ring, despite the disadvantage. Interestingly enough, they don't take him up on the offer and stay on the stage. Bischoff has a microphone and questions who the hell Steve Austin thinks he is. While it's true that he managed to defeat a superb talent like Buff Bagwell at Uncensored, that hardly qualifies him to be the #1 contender to the world title. Bischoff reminded Austin from his earlier statement; he's the WCW President and makes the matches, Austin is in no position to walk out here and demand a match. In fact, the NWO could come to the ring right now and beat Austin within an inch of his life, but they won't do that. They won't do that because they don't want Austin to have any excuse when he eventually does get to face Hollywood Hogan and loses in record time in the center of the ring. If Austin wants to be in the ring against the big dogs, then he's got to prove it! Bischoff says if he wants Hogan at Spring Stampede, then he has to beat Kevin Nash clean in the middle of the ring, next week right here on Nitro! An annoyed Austin says that it doesn't matter how many blocks the NWO wants to stack up in front of him, he's gonna knock them all down on their ass. He started with Buff Bagwell and he'll do the same thing to Kevin Nash next week. Austin doesn't care how many NWO members he has to go through either, because when he beats Hogan's ass and takes his title, he won't have any excuse available! Rating: 99 Ric Flair vs Lord Steven Regal vs The crowd was firmly behind the Nature Boy in this one and Flair's performance was rated a 98/100. Regal was no slouch either, as his performance was rated a 91/100. How that translated to the overall match though was interesting and it didn't come off the way you might expect it would. The two put on a master class of ring work, psychology, and performance. Neither wrestler held back in getting dirty, either. Flair would hit enough low blows to make a man sterile, but not a manly-man like Steven Regal. Between the biting, chops, low blows, eye pokes, and rope holding, it was like one man tried to out-do the other when it came to dirty tactics, but Regal soon found out that no one tops the "Dirtiest Player In The Game!" There were several near falls throughout the match as well, probably none better than a great looking SuperPlex that Flair hit late in the match. The match came to an end at 24:22 when Flair locked in the Figure 4 right in the center of the ring, causing Regal to submit in what should've been a 5 star match. Winner: Ric Flair Rating: 76 Final Show Rating: 84 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 yeah TEW is quite weird in translating the individual performances to the match ratings, I don't get it at all myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted December 5, 2023 Author Share Posted December 5, 2023 Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund with this weeks WCW Hotline Report! To give the most important update right off the bat, fans will be pleased to know that I have extended my contract with WCW! You will all be seeing me for at least the next 3 years on WCW television! Tony Schiavone also has extended his WCW contract. WCW has recently signed a new tag team to the roster in the hopes of spicing up the division with some new matchups. Look for a new team debuting soon! Smoky Mountain Wrestling continues their woes, having recently fallen to "Small" size. As such, they are no longer considered to be "at war" with WCW. Now for what you all are here on this hotline for; the card for this Monday's Nitro event! Steve Austin vs Kevin Nash US Title: Hugh Morrus vs Scott Steiner (c) Debuting Tag Team vs The Faces of Fear Sting vs Mystery Opponent Fit Finlay vs Alex Wright Brian Pillman vs Perry Saturn 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 Steve Austin vs Kevin Nash (Austin wins via DQ due to NWO interference) US Title: Hugh Morrus vs Scott Steiner (c) Debuting Tag Team vs The Faces of Fear Sting vs Mystery Opponent Fit Finlay vs Alex Wright Brian Pillman vs Perry Saturn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 Steve Austin Scott Steiner Debut Sting Alex Wright Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 My picks: Steve Austin, Scott Steiner (c), The Faces of Fear, Sting, Alex Wright, and Brian Pillman... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Steve Austin Scott Steiner Debuting team Sting Fit Finlay Brian Pillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted December 10, 2023 Author Share Posted December 10, 2023 Week 3, April 1997 LIVE from the Five Seasons Center - Cedar Rapids, IA Attendance: 10,000 (SELLOUT!) Monday Nitro opens with the usual spectacle this week, the opening video followed by a wide shot of the excited crowd for tonight's show. The cameras finally settle on the announce booth where Jim Ross introduces his colleagues and gives the rundown for the night. All three are excited for the announced in-ring return of Sting tonight, as Bischoff said last week that he will be competing, but they all remained wary of what nearly guaranteed trap the NWO are planning. It doesn't take long before music fires up and we get our first match underway! Brian Pillman vs Perry Saturn vs Saturn has proven himself to be quite formidable in the ranks of WCW, forming a competing tag team with Paul Roma. He's also been quite the singles competitor, nearly matching his top match rating of 90 in this match. Pillman was his usual fire for this match, ranking a 96/100 performance. Not only is Pillman an extremely strong in-ring worker, but he's also one of the most popular stars in WCW and proved why in this match. Pillman was able to put Saturn away with the Air Pillman in 10:07 for a great opener. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 88 Next we see a pre-taped promo by Eddie Guerrero. He says that he's been a top star in WCW since arriving and it's time he gets back into a title picture, any title picture. He's had runs with both the TV and the US title but it's now been a year since holding any gold. Eddie says that's nothing more than a travesty for someone of his talent. From what he's seen, Scott Steiner looks like he could use a challenge for that belt, and Eddie knows just who can do it. Rating: 90 Fit Finlay vs Alex Wright vs All is "Wright" with the world. Das Wunderkind is back on Monday Nitro and he's back to dancing - though he's still a bit more focused and ruthless in the ring. The battle of the Europeans is underway and while Wright was more aggressive, as seen in the last several weeks, Finlay was able to match that and probably even surpass it. It was a competitive match that the Iowa crowd responded to well and Wright was able to pick up the win at 10:30 after a Superior German Suplex. Winner: Alex Wright Rating: 74 Nitro returns from a commercial break to a backstage locker room. Francine is talking to Wrath and making it pretty clear she would make it worth his while to take her on as a manager. She continues stepping towards him before grabbing the strap on his singlet, toying with it a bit and further trying to convince him. She doesn't get too far before Dean Malenko walks in to the room and stops upon seeing the two standing there. Malenko asks what the hell's going on and Wrath just steps up to Malenko and looks at him briefly before exiting the room. The scene closes with Malenko looking at Francine for an explanation. Rating: 55 Back out in the arena, the crowd get on their feet as the NWO music begins to play. Out walks Eric Bischoff, who appears to be in a great mood tonight and is all smiles as he taunts the crowd on his way to the ring. Bischoff gets in and, as usual, pats his chest to the crowd and points out to his "fans." Bischoff: Ohhhh!!! Can you believe it?!?!? What a crowd!! You people! Man, you really do love me, and who can blame you?! But let me just say, you people don't love me nearly as much......As I love you!!! And you all love me, you know why??? Because I give you people all the best wrestling action each and every week! I give you the people you wanna see! Because I hold up my promises I make to every one of you that sit in those seats and all of the people watching at home! I said last week that since Sting was now officially part of the WCW roster, that that makes him my property, seeing that I am the Executive President of WCW operations! And since I make the rules, well I've decided that you people don't deserve Sting standing off to the sidelines! No!!!! You people deserve Sting competing inside this ring, and you're gonna get Sting competing inside this ring, right here tonight, RIGHT NOW!!!! So Sting, I know you're back there, because quite frankly, I told you to be! That's right! I'm the boss, I'm the President, and when I tell a talent that they have to report to a show, they do it or face the consequences!!! Even you, Sting! So Sting, you've had a long enough vacation, so get on out here right now for your match! JR: Oh you've gotta be kidding me! - It's apparent, as soon as "Sting" walks out, that it isn't the real Sting. It also didn't take the crowd long to catch on as the imposter headed to the ring. The cheers quickly turned to boo's and inside the ring Eric Bischoff continued to try and play it serious. "Sting" climbed in the ring to meet Bischoff, who quickly started laughing. - Bischoff: I told you people you were gonna get Sting in the ring tonight, and here he is!!!! Now send out his opponent! Rating: 72 "Sting" vs El Hijo Del Santo vs The crowd were not happy about this one, even moreso when "Sting" began doing all of the real one's taunts. It wasn't a very competitive matchup, though Santo did start to mount a comeback that got the crowd behind him. After executing a couple of very poor Stinger Splashes, "Sting" locked in the Scorpion Deathlock for the submission win at 7:40. Winner: "Sting" Rating: 64 The Headbangers vs Faces of Fear vs The Headbangers make their WCW debut but couldn't have had a tougher task as their first opponents are the Faces of Fear. Mike Tenay, ever the professor to provide fans with inside knowledge, tells everyone watching at home that the Headbangers were a known tag team in other promotions such as ECWA and Smoky Mountain Wrestling. They've now found a home at WCW for the time being and surely are looking to establish themselves as a top team to go after the titles. The unorthodox heavy metal supporters took their unusual style straight to their opponents but the Faces of Fear adapted well. Any other team would have more than likely been thrown off their game by the antics of the Headbangers, but the Faces of Fear didn't blink an eye. It was a good debut, but the Headbangers were victims of their environment in this one. Meng got the win with the Tongan Death Grip at 8:17. Winners: Faces of Fear Rating: 59 We get another pre-taped backstage promo next. Arn Anderson lets fans know that he's back and he's never been better. Kevin Nash and the NWO attempted to take the Enforcer out for good but they've failed. Anderson says that the NWO can try as they might, but in the end, they're always going to fail. He stares intently into the camera as he says Kevin Nash will quickly regret his life's choices as the screen fades out. Rating: 99 We stay backstage where Kimberly had stopped DDP from advancing through the hallway. She pleads with DDP to take her back, that she made a mistake and feels terrible. DDP does his best to shrug her off and bypass her, but she jumps back in front of him and prevents him from walking away. DDP is clearly not interested in hearing what she has to say, but she tries anyway. In an instant, DDP is clubbed from behind as Randy Savage rushes into the picture. Kimberly jumps back and begins laughing as DDP is now being beaten down by Savage. She walks off the screen as the Macho Man continues the attack, with Page unable to even defend himself. The screen fades out as Savage walks off, leaving DDP on the floor. Rating: 77 US Title: Hugh Morrus vs Scott Steiner (c) vs On paper, this match would seem like an uncompetitive event, however, Hugh Morrus actually surprised quite a few people by taking Steiner's offense and then dishing out his own. While it was competitive, don't think for a second that Steiner was really at any risk of losing his title. Scotty made an example of his power by tossing Morrus around the ring with ease and hitting a couple of press slams. A top rope Frankensteiner finished things off at 14:45. Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 79 - Following the match, Steiner wasted little time grabbing a microphone. He said Brian Pillman may have gotten the best of him last week, but that was when attacking him from behind. Things will be a different story at Spring Stampede because Steiner will be happy to kick his ass then and he won't need to attack Pillman from behind, he'll do it to his face. - Rating: 100 Steve Austin vs Kevin Nash vs Anticipation is high in the air as Nitro returns from a final commercial break and Austin's music hits. Both competitors made their way to the ring and the surprising bit was Kevin Nash walking out alone. The announcers all talked about the uncertainty of a clean match between Austin and Nash, or would the NWO inevitably make their presence known if the co-founder found himself in trouble. It didn't take long for Austin to strike like the rattlesnake he is, firing multiple punches at Nash as soon as the bell rang. Nash retreated back to the corner but he found no respite there because Austin kept the assault coming. Nash dropped to the mat and Austin switched to his signature boots in the corner before the referee finally got in the middle and shoved Austin back to the center of the ring. Austin didn't care about the reprimand from the official as he pushed him aside and went back to the corner where Nash was. The separation gave Nash just enough time to recover though and he grabbed Austin and spun him into the corner where Nash began his own assault with his typical knees. From there, the match took the turn of events to be expected. The two fought outside the ring and all around the ringside area before getting back in the ring. Nash was able to maintain control, probably just from the size advantage and looked to finish things off after hitting his signature sidewalk slam. Nash made the preparations and put Austin in position for the Jackknife. Austin, still with just enough gas left in the tank, was able to block the lift and flipped Nash over. The two slowly got their way back to their feet and Austin found a resurgence of energy and began punching Nash back into the ropes. Austin whipped him to the other side and then caught him with the Thesz Press and again lit him up with punches. This is where things quickly broke down. Austin got to his feet with the crowd raging and signaled the end, only to be interrupted.... The two local NWO stooges, Buff Bagwell and Paul Levesque, sprint out from the stage and toward the ring. Austin turns and see's them running toward him and he braces for them to enter the ring. The crowd is then heard quickly changing from groans and boo's to loud cheers as another subject runs out from the stage. Double A runs out, but he isn't alone; he's got with him a tire iron and he quickly rushes toward the ring. Austin was ready for Bagwell and Levesque and delayed their entry into the ring just long enough for the Enforcer to reach them and quickly blasts both of them in the back of the head with his weapon. The two drop and Austin turns to refocus on Kevin Nash inside the ring, but he's met with a huge Big Boot to the face. The events also continue outside of the ring as Hollywood Hogan and Randy Savage run out and head toward the ring, but Arn Anderson is still there with the tire iron and holds them off from advancing any further as he kicks at Bagwell and Levesque. Meanwhile, inside the ring, Nash again looks to go for the Jackknife and again has Austin in position. This time though, he does lift Austin up but Austin surprises Nash when he flips out of it. Austin lands on his feet and delivers a quick kick to the gut before the crowd goes crazy and Austin hits the Stunner. The pin was made and the referee made the count at 14:23. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 84 There's no time for a celebration though because now that the match is over, Arn Anderson gets in the ring and stands beside Austin, still holding his weapon and still ready for the NWO to run in. They stay on the outside though as Austin shoves Nash out of the ring with his feet before grabbing a microphone; Austin: Hogan, you sorry son of a bitch! You can throw whatever you want out at me, but I got your number! I beat your little stooge Buff Bagwell, I just beat Kevin Nash, and now there's no running away and hiding from me for Spring Stampede!!! Of if you'd prefer, you can climb in this ring right now, put your little belt on the line, and get the ass beating of your lifetime over with early!!! - The crowd would love for nothing more than Hogan to face Austin right now but Hogan on the other hand, not so much.... - Hogan: Obviously you can't win without some help, Austin!!!! You're yet to prove to me you're worth little more than a speck of dirt on the bottom of my boot, brother! If you want a shot at me at Spring Stampede, next week, right here on Nitro, you take on the man, you take on the legend, you take on the man who's been like my right hand throughout my life, you take on the Macho Man Randy Savage and beat him, THEN, and only then, will you get to face me at Spring Stampede for the NWO world title, dude! Rating: 94 Final Show Rating: 89 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted December 19, 2023 Author Share Posted December 19, 2023 Week 4, April 1997 LIVE From Freedom Hall - Louisville, KY Attendance: 17,596 Quote tHe FolLoWInG AnnOunCEmENT hAs BeEn PAiD fOr BY tHe NEW WORLD ORDER: The fourth week of February, 1997 was a date to remember, but not for pleasant reasons, no. It's a memorable date for me and something I won't ever forget, because that date, SuperBrawl, was a date that was a travesty! That night, Scott Steiner, you put an end to greatness. You put an end to history! You put an end to what was, perhaps, the greatest United States title reign in the history of WCW! But you see, Scotty, all that bad will be put away at Spring Stampede. It will be a sweet, sweet day, this 4th week of April because, you see, at Spring Stampede, I get MY United States title back and it comes back where it rightfully belongs; home to the NWO! Rating: 100 - Following Brian Pillman's opening taped promo, Nitro goes into its usual intro video and camera shots of the arena tonight. JR, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan welcome everyone to tonight's show, the final Nitro before Spring Stampede this Sunday! They're all excited about the possibility of Austin getting his hands on Hollywood Hogan this Sunday, but so far Hogan and the NWO have thwarted every attempt and throwing every member in Austin's path, this week it's the Macho Man Randy Savage. First up though, we have a ton of action to get through this Nitro, starting right now!! - Billy Kidman vs Eddie Guerrero vs This was a high action, fast paced match that had the crowd's attention. Kidman and Guerrero complimented each others styles very well and "wow'd" the crowd with their high risk maneuvers, almost like they were each trying to out-do the other after every move. A blocked SuperPlex turned things around for Eddie and he managed to hit the Frog Splash for the win at 10:25. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 76 - We head backstage for an NWO promo, but it's clear from the beginning that this one is centered around Kevin Nash. The rest of the NWO are in view but Nash is the centerpiece. - So Arn Anderson managed to find his way outta the old folk's home and decided to return to WCW for some more punishment, eh?? Well Double A, I can't help it if you really like getting beat up that much and I always like to try and accommodate people whenever I can! The fact that you returned really doesn't bother me. I've got other things to focus my time and energy on than you...But once again, last week you just had to stick your huge nose in the NWO's business when we were dealing with Austin. In case your dementia kicked in and you forgot, the NWO put the Horsemen out to pasture a long time ago! Your little thing with Austin is long over, my man! That's ok though, because you got involved with the NWO one too many times. I took you out before, and this time I'll make sure to finish you off once and for all, and let me tell ya another thing; This time, there won't be any coming back for you. I'll make sure of that. Rating: 99 Dean Malenko w/Francine vs Ricky Steamboat vs It's been nearly a month since we've seen The Dragon and the fans were very receptive to him. While Malenko was performing great in the ring, Steamboat didn't do quite as well and he was noticeably slower in the ring than his opponent. This allowed Malenko to mostly remain in control. Factor in Francine distracting Steamboat whenever possible, this spelled doom for him as Malenko was able to lock in the Texas Cloverleaf at 14:56 for the submission victory. Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 62 We get a brief break in the action as we go to a video replay with the "Saturday Night" caption in the lower screen. JR tells everyone that Kimberly Page was on WCW Saturday Night this past weekend and explained her reasoning for setting up Diamond Dallas Page to get attacked last week on Nitro by the Macho Man. The video plays and Kimberly says she set him up because she's tired of being under DDP's thumb all the time. Kimberly says DDP's done nothing for her and her career other than hold her down. She says Page's always been jealous of the fans wanting her instead of him and she's now stepping out onto her own, not to be standing off in his shadow. The video replay set up the next segment where Mean Gene was inside the ring and introduced his guest at this time; Diamond Dallas Page. DDP's music hit and he marched straight to the ring, clearly not happy. He stepped in and met Gene in the center of the ring where Mean Gene tried to ask DDP about what Kimberly had to say this last Saturday. Ya know, Gene, normally I'd be happy to stand out here and answer questions for you but tonight, these questions are just a little too personal, ya know? The fact of the matter is this, Kim and I were married.......Were. We are no longer, m'Kay?! So as far as I'm concerned, she can do whatever the hell it is she wants to do. I'm done with that skank and everything about her! That was my personal life, this is my work life, so what I'm gonna do, is stand here and talk about my work life, and that has to do with you - SAVAGE! You wanted to use what was going on in my personal life to your advantage and jump me?!? I'm going to make sure you regret ever crossing paths with me! If you wanted to do business with me and have some matches, fine....But this went way beyond business, Savage! It's now gotten personal! You wanted to cross that line, so you're gonna reap what you sow and I don't wanna hear any crying from you! At Spring Stampede, you're going up against a man with nothing to lose and that makes me more dangerous than you could ever wish you were! Rating: 83 - Following a commercial break, we return to the arena with the NWO music playing. Eric Bischoff is the one to walk out this time and does his usual taunting all the way toward the ring. He gets in and taunts the crowd some more on the mic as trash begins to find its way being tossed inside the ring. - Oh you people are just too much!!! You people obviously love me, and I love you!! What I want to do right now is take a moment to apologize to all of you people....And all of you people watching at home! I can't forget about all of you, either! That's right, I want to apologize! I told everyone that last week, Sting was going to be in action. I'll admit, I.....Stretched the truth just a little bit last week, and for that, I feel terrible! I feel really, really bad. I do. So I wanted to make it up to you fans tonight, especially you fans here in Louisville, because I love you! So to make it up to you, right here tonight, I want Sting to come out here and I'll tell Sting personally, right to his face, that I'm sorry!!! Not only that, but whatever Sting decides to do because of my shenanigans last week, even if that means punching me right in the face, I'll take it like a man! So Sting!!! Please! Come down here and I will apologize right to your face! Come on Sting! - There's a buzz in the arena as "A Man Called Sting" begins to play, though no one walks out right away. Bischoff stands in the ring and it appears he's serious. The playful taunts, the million dollar smile, all the antics are all gone now and Bischoff stands in the ring looking serious. When it seemed like no one was walking out, there was a figure that could be seen through all the fog and smoke on the stage. The crowd began cheering loudly when they saw the movement and the clear painted face. - JR: Oh for crying out loud! - The cheers quickly turned to boo's when it was evident that it wasn't the real Sting walking out. Bischoff still played it off like it was real though as Sting got to the ring and stepped inside, up to Bischoff. Eric held his hands up, indicating he didn't want any physical altercation with "Sting" as the boo's rained down even louder and more trash found its way being pelted into the ring. - Now Sting, please, hear me out, ok??? I want you to know, deep down, just how terribly sorry I am about last week! I told all the fans that you would be wrestling for the first time in months! Instead, I brought out the NWO's very own Sting and had him in a match where he completely dominated his opponent and really, really showed you up on all levels, doing a better "Sting" than even the real Sting! He clearly out-performed you on every single level possible but I'm getting ahead of myself! I'm not here to talk about how our Sting is so much better than you! I'm here to apologize! Sting, truly, deeply, I apologize and I hope you can find it somewhere in that black heart of yours to forgive me! Can you, Sting, please forgive me!? - There's a pause as Bischoff holds the microphone to "Stings" mouth. He doesn't talk and just slowly nods his head and then holds his arms out to Bischoff. - JR: Oh this is sickening! - Bischoff looks shocked at the offered embrace before closing in. The two have a grotesque moment of hugging in the center of the ring as Bischoff fakes wiping tears away from his eyes. The crowd's turned nuclear with boo's deafening the arena and trash now begging to pile up inside the ring. The loud boo's suddenly switch like flipping a light switch to shrieks, cheers, and a frenzy crowd growing more excited by the second as cameras finally pick it up. - - The real Sting is making his way through the crowd and toward the ring at a brisk pace. He quickly climbs over the guardrail and stares at the disgusting scene inside the ring for the briefest of moments before going up the ring steps and stepping into the ring. The crowd is beside themselves and the three are completely losing their minds on commentary. The fake imposter is the one to notice Sting first and the embrace stops. Bischoff turns and see's the real Sting standing just feet away from him and jumps. He cowers behind the imposter and tells Bischoff not to worry. He turns his attention back to Sting now who just stands in the corner, staring at the two. "Sting" had a baseball bat with him and threatens to hit the real one. Sting just stands there and stares at him before a bat of his own slowly slides from the inside of his long trench coat. Sting raises the bat and rushes forward to hit the imposter but at the very last second he stops, just as "Sting" cowers. The imposter stands back up just to be met with a stiff punch to the face, dropping him to the mat. Sting then turns his attention toward Bischoff and takes a step in his direction. Like a jet was strapped to his back, Bischoff bailed from the ring and up the aisle as Sting stalked around the ring and glared down Bischoff. - Rating: 70 Wrath vs Big Bubba Rogers vs These two have never faced each other before so there was a lot of initially feeling each other out as the match started. Bubba had the experience advantage that allowed him to maintain control early on but it didn't last. Wrath was able to utilize his immense strength to his advantage and put Bubba away at 7:15 with the Meltdown. Winner: Wrath Rating: 68 - In the backstage area, the tag team champions Harlem Heat are arriving to the arena and getting their bags out of their car. They turn to head into the arena and are interrupted by Kevin Nash. Nash taunts the two as they come to a stop. Booker T and Stevie Ray don't take to kindly to Nash poking fun at them and ask what his problem is. Nash replies that his problem is that they hold something he wants; the tag team titles. Nash also says that he overheard what Harlem Heat had to say a few weeks ago, that they'll take on any one at any time. About that time, the brothers get attacked from behind with a steel chair. It takes a moment through all the chaos before cameras can pick up the attacker. - JR: Oh my God, He's back!! - Scott Hall blindsided the two and now Kevin Nash joins in on the attack. They continue to punish Harlem Heat before they're satisfied with the attack. - Nash: Shine those belts up real nice, cause we'll see you boys this Sunday at Spring Stampede. Rating: 80 Blue Bloods (Eaton & Taylor) vs Hostile Intent vs There wasn't much of anything significant to take place in this match. Saturn shone above all the other competitors in the ring and Hostile Intent proved to be the better team. The put the Blue Bloods away at 9:31 after Saturn hit a Death Valley Driver on Taylor. Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 64 Quote tHe FolLoWInG AnnOunCEmENT hAs BeEn PAiD fOr BY tHe NEW WORLD ORDER: - The heavy dose of NWO promo's continues tonight as Paul Levesque says that he's going to enjoy showing Lex Luger who the superior athlete is this Sunday. He said on Saturday Night that he would show Luger what an actual "total package" looks like at Spring Stampede. After a couple days more of thinking, Levesque says that he also wants to end Luger's pathetic career this Sunday. - Rating: 75 Scott Armstrong vs Scott Norton vs It's a complete and total mystery why this match was taking place now, really why at all, on Nitro. Norton completely dominated Armstrong as soon as the bell rang in this short match. It wasn't a competitive effort at all and Norton won easily at 7:10 with a Powerbomb. Winner: Scott Norton Rating: 58 - Austin's music hits to presumably salvage the crowd and they all jump to their feet. Austin goes to the ring and is clearly ready for action when he climbs in and grabs a microphone. - Austin: I don't need to come out here and do some song and dance. Randy Savage, I know you're back there eating a few Slim Jim's and staring at the monitor. Get your sorry ass out here now so I can toss it in the gutter! Rating: 100 Steve Austin vs Randy Savage vs The Macho Man rushed out and sprinted to the ring, enraged at the taunt he just received. Savage slid in the ring and got to his feet, trying to get to Austin before he had time to react. The plan failed though because Austin was ready and waiting in the ring the entire time Savage sprinted to ringside. Savage tried to throw a punch that was immediately blocked and Austin began lighting up Savage with fists. He reeled back to the ropes where Austin whipped him to the opposite side and hit him with the Thesz Press before lighting him up with more fists, this time on the canvas. The crowd was losing their minds as Austin didn't let up his attack while Savage tried seeking refuge in the corner. Austin didn't care and began "Stomping a mudhole" in Savage, according to Jim Ross on commentary. The referee tried to intervene as Austin was ignoring the 5 count but Austin simply pushed him backward to the center of the ring, flipped him off, and continued stomping Savage in the corner. Soon thereafter, the fight spilled to the floor where Austin continued the assault, though it wasn't long before Savage was able to take advantage now that more weapons were available. A quick distraction from the referee allowed Savage to turn things around and remain in control for awhile. Savage used everything at his disposal on the floor; TV wires, chairs, steps, ring posts, everything. The fight went back in the ring where the first wrestling move of the match was actually executed; a pile driver from Savage. He went for the cover that only got a two count before continuing his attack. Savage put Austin in the corner before hitting repeated and perfectly aimed jabs to Austin's face. Austin reeled out of the corner and dropped to a knee while Savage quickly climbed the ropes and jumped off with a double axe handle. The move connected and Austin again spilled out to the floor. Savage again climbed up to the top rope, this time looking to hit a double axe handle from the top rope out to the floor. Austin moved out of the way at the last second which caused the Macho Man to hit his chin on the metal guard rail. Austin slowly started to fight his way back as Savage was now bleeding from the mouth after missing his move. As Austin rolled Savage back inside the ring, all three at the commentary desk wondered how long it would take the NWO to appear. Austin hit a diving elbow from the middle rope and tried a pin, only getting him a two. He hit some more offense before sending Savage into the ropes and on return, hit a surprising Stun Gun, his old finishing move. Austin went for the cover but Savage managed to kick out just at the last second. Austin moved Savage into the corner and lifted him to the top rope where he followed. Austin looked to hit an uncharacteristic SuperPlex but Savage was able to fight Austin off and shove him off the turnbuckles. Austin hit the mat hard and Savage was left standing up top where he saw his opening. Savage flew from the top, looking to hit the Flying Elbow! He landed on the mat but Austin was able to move out of the way as the crowd cheered loudly on for Austin, who was getting to his feet about the same time a wincing Macho Man got to his, holding his arm. The two met in the center of the ring where Savage threw a wild punch at Austin, who ducked it. Savage spun around and was quickly met with a boot to the gut, doubling over, and just as fast Austin hit the Stunner! The crowd was electric as Savage dropped to the mat and Austin immediately covered him for the win at 15:56. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 90 Final Show Rating: 92 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 WCW Hotline: SPECIAL REPORT Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund bringing you this week's WCW Hotline! This week's edition is a Special Report in preparation for Spring Stampede from the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida! This past week's Monday Nitro scored the highest rating yet with a 4.99 on TNT! The WWF with their Monday Night Raw program didn't stand a chance with a 3.81. Lex Luger just extended his contract with WCW this week, so he will be seen on WCW programming for the foreseeable future! The World Wrestling Federation held their In Your House PPV this week, headlined with Bret Hart successfully defending the world championship against Psycho Sid. No titles changed hands at this event. We wish Big Van Vader well as he was recently injured. He reportedly suffered an unknown type of fracture and will be out of action for the next 6 months. Now on to the Spring Stampede Preview!!!! World Title: Steve Austin vs Hollywood Hogan (c) Quote vs When Steve Austin branched out of the 4 Horsemen, he wanted to do things only one way; His Way. Austin didn't involve himself in the growing war between WCW and the NWO and wanted to go his own direction. After the NWO interfered in one of Austin's matches, he could no longer remain neutral. Ever since, Austin made clear his intentions to go after Hollywood Hogan and the WCW World Title but the NWO have done everything they could for Hogan to avoid him by requiring Austin to beat other NWO members first. Ever since, Steve Austin has been on a war path. Will he be able to overcome the long-reigning champion or will the NWO make him just another casualty? Eddie Guerrero vs Fit Finlay Quote vs Eddie Guerrero took some time off and returned, refreshed and rejuvenated. He said he wanted to go after another title in WCW but ends up with a match against Fit Finlay. Finlay himself has been trying to prove for months that he is a main contender within WCW, particularly the TV title and recently battling Alex Wright and Lord Steven Regal for the supreme wrestler from Europe. Some think this might be Finlay's last chance at proving himself to be in the upper echelon of the WCW roster while Eddie hopes to move on to other, more profitable ventures. Faces of Fear vs Hostile Intent Quote vs These two teams have been embattled in a physical feud for a few weeks now. The Face of Fear have long since been established as one of the top teams within WCW while Hostile Intent has been working very hard to establish themselves as one. In just the short time, it seems that Paul Roma might be preventing Saturn from his true potential. A win over the Faces of Fear would certainly put an end to those thoughts but at what cost would that be to the Faces of Fear, who hope to reestablish themselves in the title hunt? Wrath vs El Hijo Del Santo Quote vs Wrath has been running through nearly every opponent he's faced while Santo is a very popular Mexican wrestler trying to establish himself in the United States. A win here would be huge exposure for Santo, but will he be able to take down the mountain of a man in Wrath? Randy Savage vs Diamond Dallas Page Quote vs What began as a simple feud between two wrestlers quickly turned personal after the Macho Man began adding DDP's personal life issues into the fray. A revealed affair between Kimberly Page and Alex Wright couldn't have come at a worse time for DDP, just as his feud with Randy Savage began. The Macho Man has clearly struck a huge nerve for Diamond Dallas Page and DDP has sworn to come out firing on all cylinders in this match. Page has really skyrocketed his popularity in the last few weeks and the exposure has made people think he's on the brink of the main event picture within WCW. A win over the Macho Man would definitely solidify that possibility but the emotion behind all of this might prove too much for DDP. Tag Team Titles: The Outsiders vs Harlem Heat (c) Quote vs Harlem Heat have quite possibly become the best tag team not just in WCW, but wrestling as a whole. Since reclaiming the gold, the brothers from Harlem claimed they would take on any challengers at any time. Enter the Outsiders. Scott Hall made his surprise return to WCW this past week on Nitro at the expense of Harlem Heat and Kevin Nash made clear that the Outsiders want the very titles they technically never lost months ago. A win over two top wrestlers like Hall and Nash would put Harlem Heat at the top of the food chain in WCW. United States Title: Brian Pillman vs Scott Steiner (c) Quote vs Brian Pillman held the US title for the better part of two years from 1995 to 1997, short of just a few months, until Scott Steiner beat him for that very title at SuperBrawl VII. Pillman was riding high until that date and not only did he lose the title, he also was given a not-so-subtle warning by Hollywood Hogan to not drop the ball again. On the flip side, Scott Steiner has been a rare shining light for WCW in the battle against the NWO and many credit the recent success WCW has had due to him. In a time where few stood up to the NWO, Scott Steiner never backed down and put WCW on his shoulders, especially when it was questionable where Sting's allegiance stood. It was also due to Steiner that we saw the first cracks within the NWO foundation after winning the US title. Both men in this matchup have a ton to prove and a ton at risk. Neither man can afford to lose but there has to be one winner and one loser. Lex Luger vs Paul Levesque Quote vs Paul Levesque has become just another NWO member to be a thorn in the side of the Total Package. Luger, like Steiner, was one of the bright spots for WCW in their battle with the NWO. For months, Lex Luger was on his own and suffered repeated attacks against the NWO but he never faltered. Luger sustained attacks week in and week out by the NWO, who hoped to beat him down into submission to joining their ranks, but he withstood. Luger hopes to finally close the chapter on running through NWO members in this match against Levesque. Paul, on the other hand, has other plans in mind. He not only wants to beat Lex Luger to further establish himself as a top star, he also wants to end Luger's career. It doesn't help that Luger more or less isn't fighting a one-on-one match when he has to look over his shoulder the entire time, waiting at any moment for the rest of the NWO to interfere. With the stakes as high as they are, which one will come out victorious? Television Title: Alex Wright vs Lord Steven Regal (c) Quote vs This match didn't become official until this past Saturday Night. Alex Wright has been trying for months to become a top name within WCW but his win/loss ratio is just barely above breaking even. One thing that hurt Das Wunderkind was a nagging knee injury that impacted his in-ring performance for the past year. Wright has now fully healed from injury and hopes to unlock his true potential. Wright has also seen a substantial increase in his popularity since unveiling a new harsh German gimmick and against the right opponent, he delivers an impressive performance. Steven Regal is just that right type of opponent. In Alex Wright's quest, he needs another great opponent. The opposite stands true for Regal, as he's able to put on a great performance against any opponent. Regal worked hard to return from injury and reclaim the title he never lost but since then hasn't really done anything. It might seem like Regal's on the outside looking in but he still holds a title within WCW. Alex Wright better hope he puts his talent where his mouth is after demanding a title opportunity this past weekend. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) World Title: Steve Austin vs Hollywood Hogan (c) (Austin wins via DQ due to NWO interference) Eddie Guerrero vs Fit Finlay Faces of Fear vs Hostile Intent Wrath vs El Hijo Del Santo Randy Savage vs Diamond Dallas Page Tag Team Titles: The Outsiders vs Harlem Heat (c) (Hall & Nash steal it due to NWO interference) United States Title: Brian Pillman vs Scott Steiner (c) Lex Luger vs Paul Levesque Television Title: Alex Wright vs Lord Steven Regal (c) Edited December 21, 2023 by Old School Fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 Hollywood Hogan Eddie Guerrero Faces of Fear Wrath DDP Outsiders Brian Pillman Lex Luger Regal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 My picks: Hollywood Hogan, Eddie Guerrero, Hostile Intent, Wrath, DDP, Outsiders, Scott Steiner (c), Lex Luger, and Lord Steven Regal (c)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 Hollywood Hogan Eddie Guerrero Faces of Fear Wrath Diamond Dallas Page The Outsiders Scott Steiner Paul Levesque Alex Wright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 Week 4, April 1997 LIVE from the Orange Bowl - Miami, FL Attendance: 74,608 We're introduced to this event by a great looking shot high above the open-roofed stadium in Miami. Once the overhead shot is through, we're brought to the announce booth where Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Tony Schiavone welcome everyone. Excitement is in the air as there are a lot of key matchups tonight, JR tells us. The stakes couldn't be any higher than for the main event where Steve Austin will attempt to dethrone reigning world champion Hollywood Hogan. Schiavone tells everyone that tonight marks the in-ring return of Scott Hall, who we haven't seen compete since last October. There's all kinds of exciting matchups tonight and WCW isn't going to waste any time in starting them because we go to the ring right now! Television Title: Alex Wright vs Lord Steven Regal (c) vs This was a last minute challenge laid out by Das Wunderkind in his attempt to be crowned not only Television champion, but the best wrestler to come out of Europe. Regal, on the other hand, was happy to have a challenger to his title not named Fit Finlay or Dean Malenko. The match began with plenty of stall tactics from both wrestlers but the European style took over soon after. What resulted was a series of quick reversals and lots of mat-based wrestling before both men got to their feet and exchanged several European uppercuts. It quickly changed to each man trying to one-up on who had the most impactful uppercuts, which Regal eventually won. The crowd were receptive to the match, thanks in large part to the charisma from both competitors, but they didn't really know who to support. Regal ended up coming out as the lesser of two evils though as Alex Wright worked extra-hard to get negative feedback from them. Alex Wright was eventually in a great position to hit his top rope finish - The Missile Dropkick, but Regal was able to avoid it, causing Wright to crash hard to the mat. Regal saw the opening and quickly locked in the Regal Stretch for the submission win at 11:12. Winner: Lord Steven Regal Rating: 78 Lex Luger vs Paul Levesque vs The action doesn't break as we go straight to the next match. Luger was in no mood for games, which was plainly obvious by the look on his face. As soon as Levesque got in the ring, Luger attacked and didn't let up. The crowd became electric as the Total Package continued his assault and got even louder when the referee attempted to pull him off, only to get shoved back. It wasn't long before Levesque was begging Luger to back off, which only seemed to fuel his desire to beat him even more. The crowd loved every bit of it as in between beatings and physical offense, Levesque looked for help to arrive from the back; help that never came. After a series of clotheslines and a flying forearm, Luger motioned out to the crowd that it was time for the Torture Rack. He lifted him up and locked in the move, securing the submission win at 9:58. Winner: Lex Luger Rating: 77 United States Title: Brian Pillman vs Scott Steiner (c) vs After a brief reset and promotional add for where Nitro will be visiting in the next few weeks, WCW rolls right on with Spring Stampede with the next match. This one was much more competitive and the crowd even louder. It probably should have been the co-main event but the crowd was still heavily invested. Scott Steiner had the crowd firmly behind him and Pillman did his best to avoid Steiner's powerful offense and control the pace of the match. Pillman utilized his speed and high-flying offense to stay out of Steiner's grasp throughout much of the match but he got caught a few times. One of those attempts, Pillman jumped off the top rope, which looked like he was attempting an Air Pillman, but Steiner caught him and pressed him high over his head. Steiner even pressed him several times before tossing him to the mat. To the delight of the crowd, Steiner continued the attack even though Pillman begged and pleaded for a timeout. In much the same turn of events from the last match, when Pillman realized he was in huge trouble, he looked to the stage entrance for help to arrive, though it never did. A few overhead belly to belly suplexes followed by a Steiner Screwdriver resulted in a solid title defense by Scott Steiner. The match ended by pinfall at 14:44. Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 98 Tag Team Titles: The Outsiders vs Harlem Heat (c) vs At the risk of crowd burnout, Spring Stampede continues on with the 3rd consecutive match and another highly anticipated bout. The questions about Scott Hall being rusty were put to bed early as he started things off against Stevie Ray. Hall and Nash worked flawlessly together and isolated Ray from his corner, leaving Booker nothing to do but watch on. After wearing him down for some time, Hall and Nash then began toying with him. Hall would slap Stevie's head several times and the pair also switched in and out several times behind the referee's back when Booker was trying to get the referee to pay attention to the cheating that was going on. From the looks of things, the NWO's poor night was going to change in this match. That is, until Booker got the hot tag in. Booker had the Outsiders reeling quickly, exploding in the ring and hitting them back and forth. The crowd was going crazy as Booker cleaned house and toppled to the outside as he fought Scott Hall. Things were hectic as Stevie Ray then began fighting with Kevin Nash inside the ring. The referee was trying to restore order and get Hall and Booker back in the ring when his focus changed to Nash and Stevie Ray. Hall was able to slow Booker down by throwing him into the ring post and he re-entered the ring to help out Nash. The two double teamed Stevie Ray and Nash was about to help Hall with the Outsider's Edge on Stevie when Booker got back in the ring. A brief fight in the ring resulted in Booker again getting toppled to the outside and Nash hit the Jackknife on Stevie Ray. Scott Hall made the cover but the referee didn't realize that Booker, not Stevie Ray, was the legal man. He made the pinfall count at 11:17 and awarded the titles to the Outsiders! Winners and NEW Champions: The Outsiders Rating: 72 We get our first proper break in the action with a backstage promo by the Faces of Fear. Jimmy Hart says that the Faces of Fear are, without a doubt, the toughest team in WCW and will prove it tonight against Hostile Intent. He then says that they're getting their tag team titles back, whatever the cost, sooner rather than later. Rating: 68 Randy Savage vs Diamond Dallas Page vs Grudge match time and things have gotten extremely personal between these two in the last several weeks. The match began as Savage proved to have the veteran advantage, easily taking control and bringing the match to his pace. Savage used hard hitting moves and also blatant illegal moves to quickly wear down DDP. Savage didn't care what the rules were in the match and nearly dared the referee to disqualify him. When he sufficiently beat DDP inside the ring, he tossed him outside and began working on him then. He threw DDP into the steps, ring post, choked him with TV cables, and used the barricade all to his advantage. He tossed him back in the ring and DDP wearily got to his feet and began swinging wildly in the hopes of hitting Savage but he easily dodged the attempts. He knocked DDP to the mat and then began taunting him for several minutes before finally leaning in to pick DDP up. In a twist of surprise, DDP nearly got the win with a quick inside roll-up but Savage was able to kick out at the last second. Furious, the Macho Man began a heavy attack again that left DDP reeling once again. This beating didn't last as long though because DDP was able to slowly fight his way back that only got the crowd more and more behind him. Just as the Macho Man was the one now reeling, DDP bounced off the ropes to hit a clothesline, only for Savage to duck under it. When DDP turned around, he was met with a signature Macho Man punch to the face and then Savage kicked him for a low blow. With the opening, Savage climbed to the top rope to hit his Flying Elbow. He leapt off and crashed down hard on DDP and the referee was right there for the pin, but Savage didn't make the pin! To dish out more punishment, Savage slowly made his way back to the corner and again climbed the ropes for another Flying Elbow. As he got to the top and taunted the crowd, DDP began to stir and get out of position. Savage hopped down and made his way back to DDP and brought him to his feet. Savage lifted DDP for a body slam but Page slipped behind him. Savage turned around just as the crowd were all getting to their feet and DDP hit the Diamond Cutter! The crowd exploded as the two dropped to the mat and DDP slowly moved to make the pin. The referee counted and the match was over at 10:12! Winner: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 82 Wrath vs El Hijo Del Santo vs There was no buildup to this match and Santo really didn't have an opportunity for any offense. Wrath gave a pretty solid performance and the crowd were hyped to see the Meltdown, which they did, which also ended the match at 6:57. Winner: Wrath Rating: 70 Faces of Fear vs Hostile Intent vs A longer promotional break was in between the last match and this one. The self-proclaimed toughest team in WCW takes on the newest team in WCW who also looked to be set out to claim the "toughest" prize. Meng was seemingly on fire tonight and put in one hell of a performance. Bobby Heenan gave the opinion that Paul Roma is holding the very talented Saturn back from greener pastures. He also said if he was able to go back to managing, Saturn was a guy he would take under his wing and go right to the top! As in their similar encounter at last month's event, it was extremely difficult for the referee to try and maintain any sense of order in this match. The match broke down several times and there were plenty of times when two men would be fighting on the floor and another two inside the ring. After one instance of all 4 men fighting on the floor, Saturn threw a chair in the ring. Unbeknownst to him, Meng also threw a chair in the ring. The two climbed in and grabbed their respective chairs, only to notice the other ready to attack. The referee warned both men but it was clear they weren't paying attention to the referee. Both men rushed forward and swung their chairs and both men connected. Saturn and Meng dropped to the mat and the referee disqualified both teams at 9:42. Winner: Double Disqualification Rating: 69 Eddie Guerrero vs Fit Finlay vs Finlay came out in this one with a new look, hoping the bleach blonde haircut and shaved mustache will result in better fortunes. The haircut might work but the mustache should've definitely remained. The match was a complete success, mostly attributed to the incredible performance by Eddie Guerrero. He had the crowd eating up everything he was doing and while Finlay had some good moments of his own, it was clear that Eddie overmatched him. Eddie got the pin at 10:03 with the Frogsplash. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 87 We weren't going to have a show without Mean Gene and his tuxedo! Gene's backstage with Steve Austin to hype up the main event, which is next. Austin was laser focused as Mean Gene did the intro. Austin said he's been playing the NWO games long enough and tonight it's time they start playing the Austin game, and that's where he beats anyone's ass who steps through the ropes. He doesn't expect a fair fight against Hollywood Hogan and actually encourages the entire NWO to come to the ring because he'll stomp a mudhole in whatever sorry piece of trash that decides to get in his way. Rating: 100 World Title: Steve Austin vs Hollywood Hogan (c) vs The stadium was completely electric for this epic event. Austin made his entry first and stared intently as Hollywood Hogan made his grand entrance. The introductions were made by Michael Buffer and Austin got an extremely loud reaction from the crowd. Austin was zoned in though and didn't even appear to hear the wild cheers from the crowd. Following the introduction for the World Champion, though, things took a turn. All the attention in the stadium, aside from Hollywood Hogan, turned to the stage entrance when the NWO music began playing. Austin looked as the entire group came strutting out and heading to ringside. Hogan stood in the ring, smiling and appearing extremely confident while his friends made their way to the ring. Bobby Heenan on commentary said that Austin just dared the entire NWO to come to the ring, and that's exactly what they're doing. Jim Ross said he wasn't surprised the NWO made an appearance, just that it was at the beginning since the group like to make their presence felt at the end of the match instead. He also reminded Bobby that invitation or not, the NWO was probably going to get involved anyway. The group got to the ring and surrounded it as the bell rang to start the match. Austin remained weary, looking as they all surrounded the ring but this cost him. Hogan rushed at the sound of the bell and attacked Austin who was distracted by the group on the outside. He took Austin around the ring as he attacked him with clubbing blows and scratching at his back. Hogan sent Austin into the ropes but Austin was too quick on the rebound for the champion and hit him with a Thesz Press, igniting the crowd into cheers as Austin rained down fists on Hogan. Buff Bagwell and Paul Levesque quickly jumped on the apron to get Austin's attention and get him off of Hogan, which worked. Like a man possessed, Austin went after Bagwell and Levesque but stopped short at the ropes as they dropped back to the floor. He knew going outside to follow them would've been a grave mistake as Tony Schiavone commented that this is the kind of stuff Austin will have to contend with all match long, urging the referee to remove the NWO from ringside. It didn't happen though and the distraction was long enough for Hogan to recover and regain control after a poke in Austin's eye. Hogan worked Austin in the corner and then sent him to the opposite side before rushing right behind him with a clothesline. He hit two more and then began working on Austin's leg. Hogan, happy with his work, casually dumped Austin through the middle rope and out to the floor. Hogan grabbed the referee by the shirt to distract him while the NWO went to work on Austin on the floor. The crowd began throwing trash as screams were heard, begging someone from WCW to come out to help Austin. Help didn't arrive though and the NWO, after their gang attack, tossed Austin back inside the ring for Hogan to continue to work over. Hogan went for a pin that only generated a 2 count but he went back to work on Austin. He dropped a couple of elbows on him before covering him again, but this time arrogantly laying his back across Austin as he kicked out at 1. Hogan continued to work over Austin for the next several minutes and never actually trying to win the match, though he would make pin attempts. After a belly to back suplex, Hogan said Austin was finished and taunted out to his NWO buddies that it was time for the Leg Drop. Hogan ran to the ropes and bounced off, jumping high in the air and crashing to the mat, but Austin moved out of the way! Hogan writhed in pain while Austin did his best to get up, though he was extremely slow due to the beating he's taken so far. The crowd got louder and louder, willing Austin to get to his feet, which he and Hogan did nearly at the same time. Hogan went for a punch but Austin blocked it, hitting his own, much to the crowd's delight. Hogan tried again and again his punch was blocked, allowing Austin to hit his own again. Hogan was now rocking and Austin was pushing the gas pedal ever more each time. The momentum shift was being felt all through the arena and the NWO took notice on the outside, doing their best to quiet the crowd. Austin began hitting consecutive punches, bringing Hogan back to the ropes. Austin whipped Hogan to the opposite side and on return, went for a wild clothesline but Hogan ducked under. Austin turned around and Hogan went to kick him in the stomach but Austin caught Hogan's foot. He flipped Hogan off and dropped his foot to the mat before kicking Hogan in the stomach and then hitting a Stunner!! The crowd was going insane as Hogan dropped but panic mode then set in for the NWO on the outside. Almost in unison, they all jumped on the apron before Austin could even make the cover. The referee rushed toward the ropes to prevent Pillman and Levesque from entering on his side, but there were three other sides with men jumping up. It was impossible to stop them all from getting in and Buff Bagwell, Kevin Nash, and Randy Savage found their way inside. Austin promptly met Bagwell with a Stunner but he wasn't so lucky against Nash and Savage. Savage clubbed him from behind and Nash wasted no time then hitting Austin with a Jackknife. The referee was sufficiently distracted and Savage and Nash made a quick escape. Hogan then hit a complimentary Leg Drop before pinning Austin at 15:53. Winner: Hollywood Hogan Rating: 97 The bell rang but the NWO, as usual, continued their assault. They were now all in the ring and Austin was being pummeled. The beating went on for a couple minutes before screams were heard from the crowd and someone finally came to the rescue. Sting comes out from the side of the stage entrance, quickly making his way toward the ring. The NWO is too busy beating on Austin to see and isn't noticed until he gets to ringside and begins climbing the steps. Sting quickly gets in the ring and is met by Levesque but Sting quickly strikes with a chop, doubling him over. Bagwell is next to rush at Sting but he's ready for him too, kicking him in the gut. Sting clubs down on the back of Bagwell for good measure before taking a baseball bat out from inside his coat. The rest of the NWO now see's Sting but isn't about to charge him due to his weapon. Sting decided to hit Levesque with the bat, for good measure, which sent him out of the ring. Savage was about to charge at Sting but Nash was quick to pull him back while Hall and Hogan continued their attacks on Austin. A quick moment later and Sting rushed the rest of the NWO in the ring. He met Savage first with a strike with his bat before moving on to hit Nash in his leg. Hall and Hogan then turned their focus to Sting but Hall was met with a shot from the bat. Hogan, naturally, didn't want any of it and bailed from the ring and the rest of the NWO followed suit. With the NWO retreating up the aisle, Sting checked on Austin who was beaten and down on the mat. Spring Stampede rolled the credits with Sting standing in the ring, once more running off the NWO. Rating: 100 Final Show Grade: 98 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Just got caught up. Man I love this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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