Henderson Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 Week 1, May 1997 LIVE from the Birmingham-Jefferson Arena - Birmingham, AL Attendance: 17,000 (SELLOUT!) - The crowd is exited and rowdy as WCW is fresh off of last night's Spring Stampede where, Jim Ross tells us, Steve Austin was a cat's hair length away from dethroning Hollywood Hogan of the WCW world heavyweight title, if not for the NWO. A recap of Spring Stampede is done at the announce booth while still photo's are shown on screen for the viewing fans. The Outsiders managed to reclaim the WCW tag team titles but they failed on their objective to reclaim the United States title from Scott Steiner, as he defeated Brian Pillman. They didn't quite get through the entire recap before being interrupted by the NWO's music blaring through the arena speakers. - - The entire NWO, minus Bischoff and the bogus Sting, come out in full force, led by the world champion. The group marches to the ring where Hogan wastes no time getting a microphone and demanding the music be cut off. - Hogan: Last night, I proved to the world that Steve Austin is nothing but a pathetic fraud who can't cut the mustard! I said I was going to beat him from one end of the ring to the other, and I did! I did it all by myself, and if Steve Austin has one ounce of self respect for himself, he won't show his face around here, and he damned sure won't go after me or my world title again, dude! Now it's time to get down to some NWO business! Last night, I got the job done and defended my world title! The Outsiders reclaimed what's rightfully theirs, the tag team titles, from those two thieves known as Harlem Heat! They proved to the world that those two jabroni's were nothing but placeholders for those belts until big Scott Hall was ready to come back! They proved that the Outsiders are going to remain lightyears ahead of any other tag team in WCW! So on paper, the NWO had a pretty good night! But the NWO doesn't pay attention to what's on paper, the NWO pays attention to results! Two outta three just doesn't cut it, dude, and there's one guy who DIDN'T get the job done last night, and that man is you, BRIAN PILLMAN! Now before you start standing here and giving excuses, I'm gonna lay it out right here. Pillman, simply put, you dropped the ball, brother. Now, strike one, that's something the NWO can overlook. Strike two, you got people taking notice, and I can sure as hell promise you that strike three is gonna produce some action, dude! If you want to have a spot in the NWO, then you need to produce results! Scott Steiner has had your number time and time again and last night, you couldn't bring the US title back where it belongs, in the NWO! So Pillman! Tonight is your last chance, my man!! It's the last time you're going to be able to drop the ball in the NWO! We're gonna give you one final chance to prove your worth your spot in the NWO. Tonight, you're going to be in a wrestling match, and if you win that match, you'll prove to all of us that you still belong! So Pillman, we're giving you plenty of time to get ready, so I suggest you get to the back and prepare, because tonight in the main event, you're gonna face these two, the foundation of the NWO, and the new tag team champions, The Outsiders in a handicap match! Rating: 100 The Headbangers vs Hostile Intent vs The Headbangers were able to match up with someone just as unorthodox as them; Perry Saturn. Hostile Intent actually didn't have much problem working over the Headbangers in this one and they worked very fluidly as a team together. It's been clear in the last few weeks that they've really been coming together as a team and making people start to take notice. Roma got the pin fall victory in 8:12 after hitting a Flying Body Splash. Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 62 Eddie Guerrero vs Lance Storm vs This match had all of the speed and high-flying that you would expect from these two. Eddie was, as always, completely on top of his game and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Storm tried to stay squeaky clean in this match but every time he turned around, Eddie was doing something sinister. Eddie would take advantage of the referee glancing away for a second to either gouge the eyes of Lance Storm or hit a low blow. Despite being much less popular than his opponent, Lance Storm got in a surprisingly large amount of offense. Just when it looked like Eddie was firmly in control, Storm would fight his way back, garnering a large amount of support from the crowd by match's end. Eddie hit the Frog Splash for the victory at 15:26. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 89 - Mean Gene could very well have himself a busy night tonight. Nitro returns from a commercial break to see the world's most beloved interviewer standing in the center of the ring, welcoming everyone back to Monday Nitro. Mean Gene says his guest tonight is a man who needs no introduction. His guest had a perfect opportunity to take the world heavyweight title back to WCW as he faced off against champion Hollywood Hogan. In no surprise to anyone, the NWO came to his rescue and his endeavor came up just a bit short. His guest is none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin! - Austin: Mean Gene, I'm gonna make tonight's work real easy for you, in fact, just stand there, hold your little microphone, and let Stone Cold talk and don't think about interrupting me because I've got a hell of a lot to say tonight! Everybody knows that you're the greatest interviewer in the world and normally I'd let you ask me some questions, but tonight ain't one of those nights! The fact of the matter is, everybody in the entire world saw me beat the ever living hell out of Hollywood Hogan last night at Spring Stampede! Another fact is that if it weren't for that group of crybabies he goes everywhere with, not only would I have won that match, but you'd also be staring at the world title in my hands right now! And last but not least, Mean Gene, if Hollywood Hogan and the NWO think things are finished between them and Stone Cold Steve Austin, they're either delusional or stupid and last I checked, ain't not one of em' claiming to be seeing things! Hollywood Hogan, you're just about THEE dumbest son of a bitch if you think you can get rid of Stone Cold that easy! You better strike out a long section in your little black book, son, cause Stone Cold's coming after you and your little world title and you won't have one bit of time to make any more of your straight to VHS movies! Now Mean Gene, I have a feeling that I know what else you'd ask me about; You'd say "Last night, Stone Cold, Sting came out to help you while the NWO attacked you while out-numbered..." Well Mean Gene, what I'd have to say about that is, I never asked for Sting's help or anyone else's help! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and I never wanted any help from Sting! All he's done the last several months is brood around and throw a tantrum like a baby! Maybe what Sting should've been doing this entire time was wiping away those tears and putting up a fight if he was so hurt by everything! Maybe, just maybe, Gene, if he'd done that, then Stone Cold wouldn't have had to come to the defense of WCW and I could've just focused on doing what I want to do, winning titles! So Sting, the next time you get a wild hair up your ass and think to come and help Stone Cold, you can sit back, crack open a cold beer, and remember that I don't want your help!! And Gene, that's the bottom line! Rating: 100 Alex Wright vs Lynx vs All is Wright in the world as Das Wunderkind and Saturday Wright Fever continue! His opponent is known on the Mexican circuit as Violencia and he looks to expand his horizons to the US. He's an extremely talented worker but was definitely out-sized by Wright. It was a good match and kept the fans engaged mostly due to Alex Wright and his taunting and dancing. Wright won easily at 7:55 with a German Suplex. Winner: Alex Wright Rating: 56 Harlem Heat are backstage for what's presumed to be a pre-recorded promo. It's clear the two brothers are not happy about losing their tag team titles the night before to the Outsiders. Booker says that he and Stevie have always had to fight for everything they have and were never given anything. They've had much tougher fights and facing the Outsiders is nothing like fighting for survival on the streets of Harlem. Booker says that it's only a matter of time before the best tag team in wrestling gets their titles back and after that, they may not even stop there. Booker says that Hollywood Hogan himself better look out, because after they take back their tag titles, they want the gold, sucka. Hulk Hogan, they coming for you, SUCKA! Stevie Ray says that a couple of fruit-booty queens like the Outsiders better enjoy their tainted victory while they can, because the brothers from Harlem are tough, mean, and unforgiving! Rating: 82 Hugh Morrus vs Diamond Dallas Page vs DDP is coming fresh off his huge win last night against the Macho Man and the momentum couldn't have been any more clear. DDP was on fire tonight and the crowd were firmly behind him. This caused a massive uphill climb for Hugh Morrus as DDP repeatedly fed off of the crowd's support. He tried his best but it was clear tonight was DDP's night, still riding on a huge wave of momentum. DDP won at 9:55 to a Diamond Cutter that the crowd went wild over. Winner: DDP Rating: 79 - Following a commercial break, Nitro returns to another backstage promo. The United States champion Scott Steiner stands ready for his cue, the US belt slung over his shoulder as he gives a slight smirk. Steiner says that Brian Pillman once again couldn't get the job done last night and it looks like he now has to pay the consequences for it. Steiner's going to enjoy propping his feet up and sitting back with some popcorn to watch the beatdown on him. He also says that he hopes last night woke Pillman up to the fact that things are now over between the two of them and Steiner's looking forward while Pillman will have to do nothing but constantly look behind him. Rating: 70 Dean Malenko vs Lex Luger vs The announce booth mentioned how Lex Luger appears newly rejuvenated in this match as last night's match against the NWO's Paul Levesque looked to finally put an end to that chapter with the NWO. They also wondered if Lex Luger would be the next in the long line to go after Hollywood Hogan and the world title. First though, he'd have to get through Dean Malenko. Though Malenko is much smaller than Luger, it was a pretty even matchup. Luger used his strength while Malenko used his technical prowess and speed. It was a good showing from Dean, but Luger was too much. The end of the match came at 9:46 after Malenko submitted to the Torture Rack. Winner: Lex Luger Rating: 80 - As things were getting cleaned up in the ring, Mean Gene stood at the base of the ramp to bring out his next guest for an interview, one who might have been paying attention to this last match. The Television Champion Lord Steven Regal is introduced and he walks out to meet Mean Gene. Regal disgustingly looks toward the ring as Malenko is picking himself up off the mat. Mean Gene says that Regal's fresh off his title defense last night against Alex Wright and says that there are several competitors going after him and his title, namely Dean Malenko. Regal scoffs at the question, saying he's already beaten Fit Finlay, Alex Wright, and that man Dean Malenko. He's so bored of having no competition, he's half tempted to go back to England and defend his title where real wrestlers are. Regal thinks there might be someone in his home country that could put up half of a challenge. Regal says he's got nothing left to prove to those three "blokes" and that his next defense will be against some other challenger because he's getting bored. - Rating: 92 - Nitro returned from its final commercial break and Mean Gene is once again backstage but not in the formal interview area. He's apparently found Ric Flair backstage for an impromptu interview. Flair has a million dollar smile flashed across his face and Mean Gene wonders why he's so happy. Flair says he's having an amazing night, watching Brian Pillman's world come crashing down around him. Pillman has caused tons of heartache for Flair and the Horsemen and now the tables are turned, seeing Brian Pillman all alone and helpless. Flair says he's going to love watching Pillman get destroyed so much that he might even record it. Flair walks off as it looks like we might be seeing the beginnings of a new feud and Flair possibly finally getting revenge on Pillman for fracturing the Horsemen. - Rating: 100 The Outsiders vs Brian Pillman vs The Outsiders made their way out first with their newly won titles. They were all fun and games the entire way to the ring. Next out was Brian Pillman, who was anything but fun and games, with the stakes so high in this match. JR reminds everyone that this is a must win for Pillman, per the NWO, or else he's seemingly out of the group. Bobby's just waiting on some kind of typical NWO swerve. It doesn't appear so, at least at the start of the match, as the bell rings and Scott Hall starts things off. Pillman was very timid and didn't want to get caught up in Hall's ploys to lure him in. He also worked hard to stay out of the Outsider's corner as each time they tried to pull him in, he used his quickness to escape. It was a tough battle for Pillman because not only was it a handicap match, he didn't even have the fans on his side despite the odds clearly stacked against him. The longer the match went on, the more dreadful it looked for Pillman. Taking on one of these men is a task itself but taking on the both of them and being the tag team champions made it colossal. After some back and forth, Hall floored Pillman with a clothesline before tagging in the big man. Nash took his time to approach his downed opponent and they were confident that Pillman was finished after putting him through a beating. Nash leaned down to grab him but Pillman shocked him and everyone in the crowd as he rolled him up in a small package to get the near fall. This seemed to wake Nash up like a slap in the face as his demeanor quickly changed to one of aggression. Nash clubbed Pillman and threw him back into the corner where he punished him with a series of knee strikes and back elbows. Pillman stumbled out of the corner and dropped to the mat but Nash wasn't finished. He hit a huge sidewalk slam before lowering the straps on his singlet. Nash signaled the end as he put Pillman in position and then hit a Jackknife. He looked at Scott Hall who didn't think that was enough and called for one more. Nash obliged and hit another devastating Jackknife on Pillman before making the cover by way of putting a boot on Pillman. The match was over at 12:03. Winners: The Outsiders Rating: 80 - Everyone wonders what's to happen next as the rest of the NWO make their way out from the back. They join the rest of them in the ring and look at Brian Pillman, who's still laid out on the mat. Hogan and company look at Pillman who's now beginning to stir back to life as he directs Levesque and Bagwell to lift him up. They do and Hogan leans in, saying something to Pillman and pats him on the shoulder. It looks like the fences have been mended, JR says as the NWO begin to all tell Pillman that he "passed" the test. Hogan high fives a couple other members of the NWO before abruptly turning back toward Pillman and hits him with a huge slap across his face. Not a second later, Randy Savage jumps Pillman as the beat down commenced. The NWO jump him like a pack of wolves as Hogan grabs a microphone, telling Pillman he's nothing without the NWO and that the NWO now trimmed the first layer of fat that's been slowing them down. He says Pillman couldn't get the job done so now he's out on the streets, all alone like the loser he is. Nitro fades off the air as the attack on Pillman continues. - Rating: 90 Final Show Rating: 86 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! CURSE THE NWO FOR ATTACKING THE GOAT! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Week 2, May 1997 LIVE from The Pit - Albuquerque, NM Attendance: 18,000 (SELLOUT!) - Nitro kicks this week off with all of the usual fanfare. The pyro display is on point, followed by a panned shot of the jam-packed arena. Jim Ross says we're live this week from Albuquerque and WCW shows are red hot as we approach the summer. Fans have been selling out arena after arena as of late and the action here in WCW couldn't get any better! As the cameras go to the announce booth where the introductions are made, JR tells everyone that the action has even spilled over to WCW Saturday Night, as this past weekend's show had a lot of stuff happen. Brian Pillman spoke about being kicked out of the NWO saying he's alone and that's how he likes things, going as far as saying Ric Flair will get the loose cannon. Dean Malenko also challenged Scott Steiner for the United States title. Steiner interrupted and said he'd be more than happy to take Francine but doesn't think much of Malenko. The Blue Bloods made a pitch to Lance Storm to join their group that was turned down, and Alex Wright must have case of amnesia because he wants to challenge again for the TV title. - Things are sure to heat up much more quickly tonight as cameras cut to the backstage area as Steve Austin arrives. He heads into the arena pulling his bag behind him while he stares into the camera and says he's not afraid of anyone and if the NWO wants a fight on their hands, he's easy to find. Rating: 100 Earl Robert Eaton vs Rick Martel vs Rick Martel was a surprising arrival here tonight on Nitro as Jim Ross says he just signed a WCW contract earlier this week. The fans started out pretty unsure how to take Martel since he hasn't been seen in the US for quite some time. He easily was able to fall into the babyface roll against Earl Robert. The announcers also touched on their attempted recruitment of Lance Storm this past weekend on Saturday Night. This was a technical, if not exciting matchup that you'd expect from two veterans. They did a good job of getting the crowd ready for more to come without over-doing things. Martel picked up the Submission win at 9:53 with the Boston Crab. Heenan remarked that he can see Martel easily challenging for the TV or US titles. Winner: Rick Martel Rating: 65 Wrath vs Diamond Dallas Page vs Wrath entered the match to another solid reaction from the fans. JR commented that despite being aggressive and brutal in his matches, the crowd has seemed to really take to the big man. He was also able to hold his own against DDP, who enters this match riding a wave of momentum. The crowd had no problem eating up anything DDP did but it was a tough task as Wrath began hitting him with his powerful offense. DDP soon found himself at the mercy of Wrath, who took control of the match and began hitting one power move after the other. With the crowd fully behind him, DDP slowly began turning the tides after breaking out of a bearhug. Just as the favor began shifting toward DDP, Randy Savage interrupted things. DDP was oblivious to Savage's presence as he continued mounting his comeback. DDP hit a flapjack and signaled for the Diamond Cutter just as the Macho Man entered the ring. As DDP got up to his feet, Savage clubbed him from behind. Seeing the attack, the referee had no choice but to call for the bell at 9:43. Despite the bell ringing, Savage continued the attack on DDP as JR told everyone that Nitro had to take a commercial break! Winner by DQ: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 80 Nitro returns from commercial to find Mean Gene Okerlund backstage with the Television champion Lord Steven Regal. Mean Gene starts things off saying that Alex Wright again requested a TV title opportunity against Regal at Slamboree. Regal did his usual scoff at the remark and asked why he would give Alex Wright a shot at his title when he just beat him at Spring Stampede? Regal said that Wright needs to go back to Germany and learn how to wrestle if he ever wants a title shot against him ever again. Instead, Regal said he's going to defend his title at Slamboree against a skilled worker, one that's much more worthy of a title opportunity than Alex Wright. He's going to give some new life into the TV title by defending it against fresh opponents, ones who might not otherwise be given opportunities. Yes, Regal thinks his time will be much better spent at Slamboree as he takes on.... Fit Finlay! Rating: 97 Fit Finlay vs Scott Norton vs Finlay must have been watching the prior interview because he entered this match with a newfound energy. This was a surprisingly hard hitting and physical match as Finlay was showing he wasn't afraid of Norton's no-nonsense, tough offense. In fact, Finlay might have taken Norton off guard as he proved he can give as good as he gets. This resulted in a match that was pretty well-received by the New Mexico fans. Finlay shocked everyone by getting the win at 9:21 but got the win with a Powerslam, as Norton was way to big to be able to get him up for the Tombstone. Winner: Fit Finlay Rating: 75 El Hijo Del Santo vs Hugh Morrus vs Unfortunately for those in the arena, and probably those watching at home, this matchup was not quite the kind that fans were too eager to see. It's been pretty apparent that WCW administrators have been trying to get Santo some positive exposure in the North American market but he just isn't catching on with the crowd. It probably doesn't help that his opponents like Hugh Morrus don't generally have much going on for them, either. It wasn't anything too spectacular, though it was much better than the last performance they had together. Morrus picked up the win at 8:27 with his No Laughing Matter moonsault. Winner: Hugh Morrus Rating: 58 The crowd suddenly comes much more to life as Steve Austin's music hits the speakers and he comes walking out and heading straight to the ring. Austin takes the time to pose on each corner rope before getting a microphone and getting down to business. Austin says that he's not going to stand out here and do a 15 minute promo and he's never been long-winded, so he'll just cut to the chase. Austin says he's got Hogan's number and it's only a matter of time before the world title is his but he knows Hogan's going to try to dodge him as much as possible. Austin says he'll take on the NWO each and every week all by himself until he gets his hands on Hogan one more time. He calls out the entire group to face him and again says he's not scared of anyone. Austin stands, awaiting a response from the NWO but one never comes. He waits a moment before again calling out the NWO and says he knows they all arrived earlier because he saw their limo in the back. Again, there's no response from the NWO and Austin says they must have finally wizened up a bit or they're all just huddled in their locker room with their tails tucked between their legs. He again gives a few moments of pause to look toward the stage, but now there's some movement from the crowd... What's become known as the NWO henchmen, Paul Levesque and Buff Bagwell are seen coming through the crowd and jumping the barrier. The two slide in the ring behind Austin who's still looking to the stage. They approach Austin as the crowd begins to rumble and spin him around, though Austin must have been expecting this as he immediately begins throwing kicks and punches. The distraction was just enough to allow the rest of the NWO to come out from the backstage area and get to the ring. Hogan, as usual, hung back just enough to allow Hall, Nash, and Savage to get in the ring first and commence the beat-down. The world champion entered the ring, supremely confident as Austin began to succumb to the numbers advantage. Bagwell and Levesque held up Austin which allowed Hall to hit a few well placed punches followed by Nash with a big boot. Austin fell to the mat as they then put him in position to allow Hogan to hit a series of leg drops. The camera cuts away from the attack to Sting standing high atop the arena in the rafters. He looks down at the on-going attack as the announce booth ponders why Sting isn't helping Austin out this time. It took Bobby Heenan to remind both Dusty and JR that last week Austin said he didn't want any help from Sting after he came to his defense at Spring Stampede. It looks as though Sting is just fine with Austin's demand as he continues to watch the attack. By now the NWO have gotten out their spray cans and begin to brand Austin with "NWO" on his back. They're putting the final touches on their graffiti as Nitro fades to another commercial break. Rating: 100 Billy Kidman vs Brian Pillman vs Nitro resumes with a match following commercial and Brian Pillman came out determined to not allow last week's events to derail his momentum. He went straight after Kidman as soon as the bell rang and what followed was a fast paced encounter with several high flying moves. Pillman was on top of his game tonight as he took time to taunt out to the crowd after firmly having the match in control. He never gave Kidman an opportunity to mount any kind of meaningful offense and put the match away at 7:26 with an Air Pillman. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 70 - Mean Gene is backstage all by himself as he takes a moment to say he thinks there's more to the story between Steve Austin and Sting and that he's going to do some more digging. He also says the NWO takes advantage of every opportunity they can to play the numbers game. Either way, he's going to get to the bottom of it and report his findings to his Hotline Report. Rating: 95 Next up, we're given a short replay of events this weekend on Saturday Night where Dean Malenko requested a US title shot against Scott Steiner. Steiner interrupts and says he'll take Francine but Dean's a loser. It appears his challenge was brushed off. Back live on Nitro, we see Francine walking backstage and she eventually comes to a stop when confronted by Scott Steiner. Steiner continues to close the gap while Francine backsteps. She continues to retreat until she's stopped by the wall behind her. Steiner gets in close and says he doesn't have to beat Malenko up for her to have an excuse to be with a real man. He says she's tried to make Dean a winner but she needs to face the facts, Malenko will always be a loser that can't get the job done. Steiner says he's the complete opposite. He's a winner that gets the job done......Every time. Francine eventually ducks under Steiner's arm to walk off. Rating: 85 Faces of Fear vs Mike Barton & Brad Armstrong vs The latest victims to be fed to the Faces of Fear are Barton and Armstrong, unless, of course, they could shock the world and pull an upset over one of the most feared tag teams of all time. No? Ok....The Barbarian had a very good performance while Meng surpassed all others at an impressive 81/100 rating. As tough as Barton and Armstrong are, they were never a match for the two beasts. Meng got the win at 8:15 with the Tongan Death Grip on Armstrong. Winners: Faces of Fear Rating: 68 Booker T vs Randy Savage vs Tonight's main event was refreshing to see it involve Booker T, who's fresh off an impressive performance this past Saturday Night where he challenged for the TV title. The result of that match was a time limit draw, so Booker's sure to have a rematch on the horizon. His high-profile matches continued tonight as he takes on one of the most popular names in all of wrestling. It was clear from the bell that Savage wasn't going to make it an easy night of work for Booker T. While the two traded offense, the commentators also mentioned how Harlem Heat had difficulty against the Outsiders at Spring Stampede, with the end result of them losing their titles. A rematch has been confirmed for Slamboree, but it's clear the brothers from Harlem have to work better as a team if they want to reclaim their gold. In this match though, a tag team title shot seemed to be the furthest from Booker's mind as he looked to possibly further his singles career. He gave the Macho Man a tough time and made it clear from his own standpoint that he wasn't going to make things easy for Savage. Later in the match, Booker was on fire. He had Savage reeling and put him down with a sidewalk slam before breakdancing back to his feet. He stood, poised and ready to strike, looking to hit a sidekick after Savage got to his feet. As he stood waiting though, there was an interruption. Scott Hall made his way down to ringside and got on the apron, distracting Booker away from his opponent. Booker rushed over and hit Hall off the apron, but the distraction was enough. Savage got to his feet and just as Booker turned back, Savage clocked him with a foreign object he pulled out of his tights. Booker crashed to the mat and Savage ascended to the top rope where he hit his Flying Elbow at 15:08 for the win. Winner: Randy Savage Rating: 81 The bell's rung and the match is over but Kevin Nash has now gotten to ringside. He checks on Hall, who's picking himself up off the floor and they both get in the ring. Hall, Nash, and Savage look to strike as Booker's still laid out on the mat but the crowd erupts in cheers and screams as someone's come from the back. Luger rushes out and sprints down the aisle with a chair in his hand. As Luger slides in the ring, the NWO members see the weapon he's carrying and it gives them reason enough to bail from the ring. Just as Luger gets to his feet, they all hit the floor and regroup in the aisle. Luger dares them to enter the ring as he stands with the chair, cocked and ready to swing, before bending down and checking on Booker, who's now sitting up. Nitro fades to a close as Luger continues to dare the NWO members to get in the ring as they retreat up toward the stage. Rating: 84 Final Show Rating: 86 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanMiguel Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Big pop for Pillman vs Kidman, Santo losing to Hugh Morris hurt me a little inside though. Great show man! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80085 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 On 2/5/2024 at 10:33 AM, Henderson said: Week 2, May 1997 LIVE from The Pit - Albuquerque, NM Attendance: 18,000 (SELLOUT!) - Nitro kicks this week off with all of the usual fanfare. The pyro display is on point, followed by a panned shot of the jam-packed arena. Jim Ross says we're live this week from Albuquerque and WCW shows are red hot as we approach the summer. Fans have been selling out arena after arena as of late and the action here in WCW couldn't get any better! As the cameras go to the announce booth where the introductions are made, JR tells everyone that the action has even spilled over to WCW Saturday Night, as this past weekend's show had a lot of stuff happen. Brian Pillman spoke about being kicked out of the NWO saying he's alone and that's how he likes things, going as far as saying Ric Flair will get the loose cannon. Dean Malenko also challenged Scott Steiner for the United States title. Steiner interrupted and said he'd be more than happy to take Francine but doesn't think much of Malenko. The Blue Bloods made a pitch to Lance Storm to join their group that was turned down, and Alex Wright must have case of amnesia because he wants to challenge again for the TV title. - Things are sure to heat up much more quickly tonight as cameras cut to the backstage area as Steve Austin arrives. He heads into the arena pulling his bag behind him while he stares into the camera and says he's not afraid of anyone and if the NWO wants a fight on their hands, he's easy to find. Rating: 100 Earl Robert Eaton vs Rick Martel vs Rick Martel was a surprising arrival here tonight on Nitro as Jim Ross says he just signed a WCW contract earlier this week. The fans started out pretty unsure how to take Martel since he hasn't been seen in the US for quite some time. He easily was able to fall into the babyface roll against Earl Robert. The announcers also touched on their attempted recruitment of Lance Storm this past weekend on Saturday Night. This was a technical, if not exciting matchup that you'd expect from two veterans. They did a good job of getting the crowd ready for more to come without over-doing things. Martel picked up the Submission win at 9:53 with the Boston Crab. Heenan remarked that he can see Martel easily challenging for the TV or US titles. Winner: Rick Martel Rating: 65 Wrath vs Diamond Dallas Page vs Wrath entered the match to another solid reaction from the fans. JR commented that despite being aggressive and brutal in his matches, the crowd has seemed to really take to the big man. He was also able to hold his own against DDP, who enters this match riding a wave of momentum. The crowd had no problem eating up anything DDP did but it was a tough task as Wrath began hitting him with his powerful offense. DDP soon found himself at the mercy of Wrath, who took control of the match and began hitting one power move after the other. With the crowd fully behind him, DDP slowly began turning the tides after breaking out of a bearhug. Just as the favor began shifting toward DDP, Randy Savage interrupted things. DDP was oblivious to Savage's presence as he continued mounting his comeback. DDP hit a flapjack and signaled for the Diamond Cutter just as the Macho Man entered the ring. As DDP got up to his feet, Savage clubbed him from behind. Seeing the attack, the referee had no choice but to call for the bell at 9:43. Despite the bell ringing, Savage continued the attack on DDP as JR told everyone that Nitro had to take a commercial break! Winner by DQ: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 80 Nitro returns from commercial to find Mean Gene Okerlund backstage with the Television champion Lord Steven Regal. Mean Gene starts things off saying that Alex Wright again requested a TV title opportunity against Regal at Slamboree. Regal did his usual scoff at the remark and asked why he would give Alex Wright a shot at his title when he just beat him at Spring Stampede? Regal said that Wright needs to go back to Germany and learn how to wrestle if he ever wants a title shot against him ever again. Instead, Regal said he's going to defend his title at Slamboree against a skilled worker, one that's much more worthy of a title opportunity than Alex Wright. He's going to give some new life into the TV title by defending it against fresh opponents, ones who might not otherwise be given opportunities. Yes, Regal thinks his time will be much better spent at Slamboree as he takes on.... Fit Finlay! Rating: 97 Fit Finlay vs Scott Norton vs Finlay must have been watching the prior interview because he entered this match with a newfound energy. This was a surprisingly hard hitting and physical match as Finlay was showing he wasn't afraid of Norton's no-nonsense, tough offense. In fact, Finlay might have taken Norton off guard as he proved he can give as good as he gets. This resulted in a match that was pretty well-received by the New Mexico fans. Finlay shocked everyone by getting the win at 9:21 but got the win with a Powerslam, as Norton was way to big to be able to get him up for the Tombstone. Winner: Fit Finlay Rating: 75 El Hijo Del Santo vs Hugh Morrus vs Unfortunately for those in the arena, and probably those watching at home, this matchup was not quite the kind that fans were too eager to see. It's been pretty apparent that WCW administrators have been trying to get Santo some positive exposure in the North American market but he just isn't catching on with the crowd. It probably doesn't help that his opponents like Hugh Morrus don't generally have much going on for them, either. It wasn't anything too spectacular, though it was much better than the last performance they had together. Morrus picked up the win at 8:27 with his No Laughing Matter moonsault. Winner: Hugh Morrus Rating: 58 The crowd suddenly comes much more to life as Steve Austin's music hits the speakers and he comes walking out and heading straight to the ring. Austin takes the time to pose on each corner rope before getting a microphone and getting down to business. Austin says that he's not going to stand out here and do a 15 minute promo and he's never been long-winded, so he'll just cut to the chase. Austin says he's got Hogan's number and it's only a matter of time before the world title is his but he knows Hogan's going to try to dodge him as much as possible. Austin says he'll take on the NWO each and every week all by himself until he gets his hands on Hogan one more time. He calls out the entire group to face him and again says he's not scared of anyone. Austin stands, awaiting a response from the NWO but one never comes. He waits a moment before again calling out the NWO and says he knows they all arrived earlier because he saw their limo in the back. Again, there's no response from the NWO and Austin says they must have finally wizened up a bit or they're all just huddled in their locker room with their tails tucked between their legs. He again gives a few moments of pause to look toward the stage, but now there's some movement from the crowd... What's become known as the NWO henchmen, Paul Levesque and Buff Bagwell are seen coming through the crowd and jumping the barrier. The two slide in the ring behind Austin who's still looking to the stage. They approach Austin as the crowd begins to rumble and spin him around, though Austin must have been expecting this as he immediately begins throwing kicks and punches. The distraction was just enough to allow the rest of the NWO to come out from the backstage area and get to the ring. Hogan, as usual, hung back just enough to allow Hall, Nash, and Savage to get in the ring first and commence the beat-down. The world champion entered the ring, supremely confident as Austin began to succumb to the numbers advantage. Bagwell and Levesque held up Austin which allowed Hall to hit a few well placed punches followed by Nash with a big boot. Austin fell to the mat as they then put him in position to allow Hogan to hit a series of leg drops. The camera cuts away from the attack to Sting standing high atop the arena in the rafters. He looks down at the on-going attack as the announce booth ponders why Sting isn't helping Austin out this time. It took Bobby Heenan to remind both Dusty and JR that last week Austin said he didn't want any help from Sting after he came to his defense at Spring Stampede. It looks as though Sting is just fine with Austin's demand as he continues to watch the attack. By now the NWO have gotten out their spray cans and begin to brand Austin with "NWO" on his back. They're putting the final touches on their graffiti as Nitro fades to another commercial break. Rating: 100 Billy Kidman vs Brian Pillman vs Nitro resumes with a match following commercial and Brian Pillman came out determined to not allow last week's events to derail his momentum. He went straight after Kidman as soon as the bell rang and what followed was a fast paced encounter with several high flying moves. Pillman was on top of his game tonight as he took time to taunt out to the crowd after firmly having the match in control. He never gave Kidman an opportunity to mount any kind of meaningful offense and put the match away at 7:26 with an Air Pillman. Winner: Brian Pillman Rating: 70 - Mean Gene is backstage all by himself as he takes a moment to say he thinks there's more to the story between Steve Austin and Sting and that he's going to do some more digging. He also says the NWO takes advantage of every opportunity they can to play the numbers game. Either way, he's going to get to the bottom of it and report his findings to his Hotline Report. Rating: 95 Next up, we're given a short replay of events this weekend on Saturday Night where Dean Malenko requested a US title shot against Scott Steiner. Steiner interrupts and says he'll take Francine but Dean's a loser. It appears his challenge was brushed off. Back live on Nitro, we see Francine walking backstage and she eventually comes to a stop when confronted by Scott Steiner. Steiner continues to close the gap while Francine backsteps. She continues to retreat until she's stopped by the wall behind her. Steiner gets in close and says he doesn't have to beat Malenko up for her to have an excuse to be with a real man. He says she's tried to make Dean a winner but she needs to face the facts, Malenko will always be a loser that can't get the job done. Steiner says he's the complete opposite. He's a winner that gets the job done......Every time. Francine eventually ducks under Steiner's arm to walk off. Rating: 85 Faces of Fear vs Mike Barton & Brad Armstrong vs The latest victims to be fed to the Faces of Fear are Barton and Armstrong, unless, of course, they could shock the world and pull an upset over one of the most feared tag teams of all time. No? Ok....The Barbarian had a very good performance while Meng surpassed all others at an impressive 81/100 rating. As tough as Barton and Armstrong are, they were never a match for the two beasts. Meng got the win at 8:15 with the Tongan Death Grip on Armstrong. Winners: Faces of Fear Rating: 68 Booker T vs Randy Savage vs Tonight's main event was refreshing to see it involve Booker T, who's fresh off an impressive performance this past Saturday Night where he challenged for the TV title. The result of that match was a time limit draw, so Booker's sure to have a rematch on the horizon. His high-profile matches continued tonight as he takes on one of the most popular names in all of wrestling. It was clear from the bell that Savage wasn't going to make it an easy night of work for Booker T. While the two traded offense, the commentators also mentioned how Harlem Heat had difficulty against the Outsiders at Spring Stampede, with the end result of them losing their titles. A rematch has been confirmed for Slamboree, but it's clear the brothers from Harlem have to work better as a team if they want to reclaim their gold. In this match though, a tag team title shot seemed to be the furthest from Booker's mind as he looked to possibly further his singles career. He gave the Macho Man a tough time and made it clear from his own standpoint that he wasn't going to make things easy for Savage. Later in the match, Booker was on fire. He had Savage reeling and put him down with a sidewalk slam before breakdancing back to his feet. He stood, poised and ready to strike, looking to hit a sidekick after Savage got to his feet. As he stood waiting though, there was an interruption. Scott Hall made his way down to ringside and got on the apron, distracting Booker away from his opponent. Booker rushed over and hit Hall off the apron, but the distraction was enough. Savage got to his feet and just as Booker turned back, Savage clocked him with a foreign object he pulled out of his tights. Booker crashed to the mat and Savage ascended to the top rope where he hit his Flying Elbow at 15:08 for the win. Winner: Randy Savage Rating: 81 The bell's rung and the match is over but Kevin Nash has now gotten to ringside. He checks on Hall, who's picking himself up off the floor and they both get in the ring. Hall, Nash, and Savage look to strike as Booker's still laid out on the mat but the crowd erupts in cheers and screams as someone's come from the back. Luger rushes out and sprints down the aisle with a chair in his hand. As Luger slides in the ring, the NWO members see the weapon he's carrying and it gives them reason enough to bail from the ring. Just as Luger gets to his feet, they all hit the floor and regroup in the aisle. Luger dares them to enter the ring as he stands with the chair, cocked and ready to swing, before bending down and checking on Booker, who's now sitting up. Nitro fades to a close as Luger continues to dare the NWO members to get in the ring as they retreat up toward the stage. Rating: 84 Final Show Rating: 86 Looking forward to more of this because this is something special your building here bro. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 Week 3, May 1997 LIVE from the Worcester Centrum - Worcester, MA Attendance: 14,800 (SELLOUT!) - This sold-out Massachusetts crowd is excited and rowdy for this week's Monday Nitro. The usual video intro is followed by a rather large firework display that hypes the crowd up even more. There's a sea of fan-made signs throughout the crowd as cameras are brought to the commentary table where JR makes the customary introductions. There's a buzz in the air as Jim Ross outlines what happened this past weekend on WCW Saturday Night. The team talk about how action has definitely increased in recent weeks on the weekend programming because there's so many things happening in WCW lately and it all can't be contained on Nitro. Ric Flair made it clear that he wants Brian Pillman at Slamboree for a good old fashioned, knock-down, drag-out fight, free of gimmicks and interference. The Nature Boy wants to get his hands on Pillman for all the damage he's done to the 4 Horsemen and now that Pillman is all by himself and out of the NWO, the timing couldn't be better. The Blue Bloods continued their efforts to recruit Lance Storm but the young upcoming star has again refused their efforts. Scott Steiner gave a peculiar interview where he said he would put up his United States title against Dean Malenko at Slamboree if he would put up his "hooch." The commentary team spent some time talking about what that could possibly be and Bobby Heenan was positive he was talking about alcohol. Finally, they spent a good amount of time talking about the ending of last week's Nitro where Lex Luger came to the aid of Booker T as he felt the wrath of the NWO. Booker provided an interview on Saturday Night claiming that there are no problems between him and his brother while Luger gave an interview saying he's happy to help out Booker T or anyone else against the NWO. As for tonight's show, the main event will feature Scott Steiner defending the US title against Scott Hall, Lex Luger and Diamond Dallas Page will be in action, the World Heavyweight champion Hollywood Hogan is here, and rumor's have been going around all day that Steve Austin has been looking for Sting! - It doesn't look like we're going to have to wait long to find out what Austin wants as his music interrupts the commentary and the fans jump to their feet, again in a total frenzy. Austin walks with his usual purpose to the ring and gets there, posing on each turnbuckle to the rabid fans as Mean Gene is seen trying to hurriedly get in the ring to meet Austin for an impromptu interview. The music dies off and Austin meets Mean Gene in the center of the ring as he says he's heard all day long that Austin's been looking for Sting and wonders what he wants with him. Austin: Mean Gene, as you and everyone else knows, Stone Cold never mixes words and I let people know exactly what I'm thinking and what I'm going to do! I ain't gonna make you read between the lines and if I've got a problem, I'll take it straight to your face! The fact of the matter is, last week I not only called out the NWO, the week before that I said I never asked or wanted Sting's help! Well last week, the NWO did what they always do, they attacked from behind. I expect the NWO to continue to be a pain in the ass but Sting's proving to be just as much a pain in the ass to me as they are! I told Sting to stay out of my business but what'd he do last week while the NWO had their run on Stone Cold? He stood way up top in the arena and watched me get beat up! Now don't for one second think that I'm pissed off that he didn't help me...Nah! The fact is, he still wants to stick his nose in my business and make his presence felt! So what I'm gonna do tonight, Mean Gene, is real simple! I'm gonna get that S.O.B. right in this ring tonight and I'm gonna get him face to face so I can look him in that painted face of his and tell him, once and for all, to stay the hell out of Stone Cold's business! And that's the bottom line... Cause Stone Cold said so! Rating: 100 Paul Levesque vs Diamond Dallas Page vs This match carried off where these two left off at SuperBrawl. It was a solid, back and forth encounter where each man got in plenty of offense and Levesque did his best to cheat around every corner. It was clear that DDP was in the driver's seat of this match, though and firmly had the crowd behind him. Everyone was caught off guard when DDP managed to reverse a Spinebuster attempt into a Diamond Cutter to win the match at 14:50. It was definitely not as good as their previous match but it was serviceable. Winner: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 68 Mean Gene is getting his work in early tonight as he's backstage with Booker T for a quick word. Last week he had a target on his back by the NWO but the Total Package Lex Luger came to his aid, amidst some trouble that seems to be brewing between Harlem Heat as they haven't appeared to be on the same page since losing their titles to the Outsiders at Spring Stampede. Booker says that all great teams have moments when times are tough but it's those tough times that make great teams even better. When you toss in the two being brothers, there's bound to be some conflicts. Booker says he's got all the confidence that Harlem Heat will work out the kinks and he knows that Stevie Ray will always have his back not just in wrestling, but also in life. He says Harlem Heat's going to get their belts back at Slamboree but they aren't just going to stop there; Booker's wanting some singles titles to go along with it! Rating: 87 Alex Wright vs Lex Luger vs Saturday Wright Fever's got a tough task ahead of him this week as the Total Package made his way toward the ring. The harsh German actually appeared more focused for this match and didn't back down from Luger. The opening bell saw Wright rush to Luger and immediately go on offense that at first had Luger reeling. He hit several European uppercuts that rocked Luger and things were looking good until he tried chopping the chiseled chest of the Total Package. It had no effect and the crowd began to get loud as Luger mounted his offense. Once that started, there was no turning back as several clotheslines and a forearm smash later, Luger had him locked in the Torture Rack for the win at 8:08. Winner: Lex Luger Rating: 78 The Macho Man cuts a pre-taped promo where he says that Diamond Dallas Page can defeat all kinds of "lesser opponents" but when it comes to facing the cream of the crop like the Macho Man, Page can't get the job done! He taunts DDP again that his wife left him for a smaller chump and he's all alone in life while the Macho Man has climbed Mount Everest, soaring with the eagles and slithering with the snakes. Page won't get the job done or be a success in life because he's a loser and will always remain a loser (all while ignoring that DDP beat him and throwing fellow NWO member in with "lesser opponents"). OH YEAH! Rating: 99 Following a commercial break, we return to what's become a familiar scene within WCW and the backstage area - a backstage brawl. This one is between Ric Flair and Brian Pillman, who's paths have apparently crossed. We join mid-fight where officials are trying to break the two up. Plenty of shots are received by both parties as the fight is eventually broken up but the two continue to jaw back and forth. Rating: 86 Rick Martel vs "Sting" vs This wasn't much of a competitive match though both men were on par with their performance. "Sting" generated a ton of heat from the crowd as he continued to play up the mannerisms of his actual counterpart. Martel proved he has a decent amount of skill in the ring as he finished things off at 8:24 with the Boston Crab. Winner: Rick Martel Rating: 64 Dean Malenko and Francine appear for a backstage promo. Malenko says there's one reason he's in wrestling and that's to be successful and win titles. There's nothing much more prestigious than the United States title and he says if he has to put up his manager Francine in order to claim it, that's exactly what he'll do. Francine was all about what Malenko was saying until he agreed to put her up in order to face Steiner. She looked disgusted as the picture faded to black. Rating: 76 Scotty Riggs vs Wrath vs It's been a little while since we've seen Scotty Riggs on Nitro. His work's cut out for him tonight with this opponent. It was a foregone conclusion for Riggs, however, as soon as Wrath stepped through the ropes. In sheer domination, Wrath easily disposed of Riggs, putting him out of his misery at 6:59 with the ever-impressive Meltdown, to the crowd's delight. Winner: Wrath Rating: 61 Hostile Intent vs Big Bubba Rogers & Scott Norton vs This is the second time these two teams have faced off and this time the result was much better. Both teams took immediately to some hard-hitting action and didn't want to back down from the other. It was probably inevitable that the larger of the two teams would gain the advantage, however. Saturn impressed the crowd with not just his strength as he hit multiple suplexes on both big men, but also his speed and aerial attack. Paul Roma ended up being the weak link in this match but it wasn't enough to keep the team down. Saturn hit an impressive Death Valley Driver on Big Bubba to get the win at 7:59. Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 72 The NWO music hits the speakers and the crowd get on their feet, as usual. They get a bit louder as they see Eric Bischoff and then the World Champion emerge. Hogan struts toward the ring as he plays the world title like a guitar, laughing and cutting it up all along the way. Once inside, both men take their spot as Hogan begins to flex his 24 inch pythons. Bischoff goes through his usual schtick, saying he can't get enough of the crowd and loves them all, JUST as much as they love him. Trash begins to pelt the ring as Hogan takes over, saying the NWO has never been better since they cut the fat off that's been slowing them down. Hollywood has never been better, either. Hogan says he's too smart, too talented, too rich, and too big for anyone to challenge him and the "NWO" World Heavyweight title, and that includes Steve Austin. Hogan says Austin wishes he could be half as successful as Hollywood, let alone have arms half the size as Hogan's. As a matter of fact, Hogan says since he's been so successful since winning the title, he's earned himself a vacation! He proved to the entire world at Spring Stampede that Austin doesn't have what it takes to compete in the main event and Ric Flair and Scott Steiner have both failed time and time again to take the title from him. Hogan says there's not one person in WCW that can step up to the plate and beat him and as such, he has no challengers for Slamboree. Hogan says he's going to take the time off and sit on the beach in Tampa. As for any possible rematch against Austin? Hogan says he's already beat Austin and he's not facing him again. Ric Flair and Scott Steiner both got multiple chances at Hollywood and those were too much. He's tired of giving proven losers more and more opportunities to make millions of dollars off him. Hogan says he's not a charity foundation and it's time people stop using Hollywood to make themselves millionaires. Rating: 84 United States Title: Scott Hall vs Scott Steiner vs One half of the tag team champions gets an opportunity to become a dual-champion, hoping to take the US title off of NWO nemesis Scott Steiner. The match started off in much the same way as you'd expect, Steiner spent some time feeling out Hall, Hall stalled and went to the outside a few times before Steiner got fed up and chased him around ringside, before finally getting back in where Hall took advantage. It was apparent that Hall was still working off some of the ring rust that accumulated during his extended absence but he still did quite well. Steiner looked to be in trouble several times but always worked his way out of it. The last bit of buildup had the crowd firmly behind the US champion as he rocked Hall with right fists that were followed up with some big Steinerlines. The longer the match went on, the more people looked to the stage or the crowd for NWO assistance. To the shock of everyone, that never came. The commentary booth wondered if this was a new direction for the NWO, letting them prove who's worthy, but then they all decided the NWO has no integrity about them to let someone prove themselves. Hall had one more resurgence and it looked like he was on his way to adding another title as he set up for the Outsider's Edge. Steiner was able to backdrop himself out of it, though, and hit his impressive Steiner Screwdriver for the victory at 16:26. Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 87 After a final commercial break, Austin's music again hits and causes just as much excitement as it did earlier. Austin powers down toward the ring and gets in. He starts talking before his music even stops and says that there's been enough waiting around tonight. He knows Sting's here and he wants him in this ring, face to face. Austin says that Sting doesn't have to worry about any kind of attack, though. If Austin wanted to attack Sting, he'll do it to his face, unlike the NWO. He tells Sting to get out to this ring because the two need to settle a few things. Screams of an excited crowd erupt shortly afterwards. The camera zooms out slightly to see a figure dropping from high above the arena. The commentary booth is at a loss of words as Sting drops from the rafters and slows as he approaches the ring mat. Sting unhooks the cable and Austin and Sting lock eyes. Both men stand motionless and neither man is seen saying a word, they just intensely stare at one another, daring each other to make the first move. The tension begins to grow with each passing second while the crowd look from one man to the other. It seems like an eternity passes before one of he men finally move. Sting's the first as he slowly steps forward toward Steve Austin. Austin continues to look on intensely as Sting closes the gap. Sting stops just before the two are nose to nose and the thought that the tension couldn't get any higher before has now become a reality. The atmosphere is thick while it seems the pot could boil over at any second, but the two men just continue to stare at one another. From Sting's coat sleeve, a black baseball bat begins to emerge. Sting holds the bat at the end, slightly tapping it against the side of his leg almost like he's pondering his next move. Sting then begins to take a slow walk around Austin while he stands in the same spot. The entire short distance around, Sting continues to stare at Austin but Austin doesn't follow Sting's path. Sting comes back around to face Austin but has given himself a bit more distance between the two. Sting extends his arm with the bat to Austin's chest. There wasn't much reaction from Austin who just continues to stand, burning holes through Sting but still not saying a word. The commentary team isn't even saying anything so we're left with just the visual and the growing roar from the crowd as the tension continues to rise. Sting then moves the bat just up from Austin's chest to just under his chin. Sting's almost daring Austin to move so he can hit him with the bat, but Austin stands defiant, not backing down. Sting cocks his head just slightly before removing the bat from under Austin's chin and then flips the bat so he grabs the barrel and presents the handle to Austin. Austin is the one this time to just slightly cock his head to the side before ever so slowly reaching his hand up to grab the offered bat. He takes it and Sting releases his grip on it and the two stand for just a few seconds, staring at each other again. Sting then extends both arms out to his side before turning his back to Austin, seemingly giving him a free shot on the Stinger. Austin just stands, continuing to stare at Sting and never even raising his arm up with the bat. After Sting stands for several seconds, arms extended and looking up and nothing happening, he looks over his shoulder at Austin. He see's that Austin is still in the same spot holding the bat and drops his arms. Sting then goes straight to exiting the ring and walking up the aisle, not ever looking back at Austin. Nitro fades to black with the camera in front of Sting so we get a final shot of Sting's face with Austin left standing in the background holding the bat. Rating: 100 Final Show Rating: 90 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 And we have done it! I have now caught up to my in-game progress. It's been a long road and I hope everyone is enjoying so far. Despite the mid-year review coming up at the beginning of June for my game, I'm going to still do a bit of a "review" up to this point. This won't be focused on top rated matches or cards, but more the inner-workings of the current game world. I'll be providing an in-depth look into popularity of workers in both WCW and the WWF, I'll go over feuds in both companies and also providing screen shots of certain things, just so it's clear that these things are actually occurring in my game. I'm also pretty relived I'm up to date now as I'll be able to give more insight into the match reviews and give road agent notes and specific finishes. I've had plenty of cheating wins or flash pinfalls throughout this game but I can't remember them and I didn't note them down unless I followed it up in the next show with an angle, so now I'll at least be able to add those things. I'll also still do the mid-year review when it comes up so that'll give everyone an idea of award outlooks for 1997. I'll also be adding in the area battles as well. Despite me crushing the WWF in the area battles every month and being a bigger size, somehow they are still considered the #1 promotion and I'm #2. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Saturday Wright Fever. Quality 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 On 2/29/2024 at 1:36 PM, Nobby_McDonald said: Saturday Wright Fever. Quality Indeed, though "Das Wunderkind" didn't win this time around. 😏 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 Hello ladies and gentlemen, it's been awhile but I'm Mean Gene Okerlund here to bring you a WCW Hotline: Special Report! There's all kinds of activity in the world of professional wrestling and on the eve of the mid-year review, I thought I'd bring you some exclusive content and backstage access that you don't get during the usual mid-year review! Starting with the exits from World Championship Wrestling, both Steve Armstrong and Dick Slater have left WCW after their contracts have expired. WCW opted to not renew either contract and wishes the best going forward for both wrestlers. Starting with area battles between the top two companies in the world, you can see that WCW is in total domination to the WWF when it comes to star power. I'll start with what should be the #1 wrestling company in the world; World Championship Wrestling. With two shows and 56 active wrestlers, television time is a premium for the talent. Sting is by far the most popular wrestler in WCW and that's without him competing in the ring since 1996! As you can see here, Sting's final match was when he was involved in the War Games match at Fall Brawl 1996. His last proper match was in a successful tag team win with Lex Luger as his partner against the Amazing French Canadians (No, not the Quebecers) in August 1996 on WCW Saturday Night. Despite being away from in-ring action, Sting has continued to be the most popular wrestler in North America, however, he is #9 on the global stage due to his popularity lacking in Mexico and Europe. WCW's most successful event to date is Spring Stampede 1997 and top rated match is Scott Hall defeating Ric Flair on Monday Nitro in September 1996. All of these matches and events have led to WCW increasing company size and increasing attendance! The WWF remains the #1 company in the world despite being a smaller size than WCW and less popular. CMLL has continued to surprise the wrestling world by competing with the two well-known companies and holding their own. The WWF holds higher popularity in The UK, Europe, and Mexico which gives them a slight edge in the top company title. I've heard rumblings that WCW plans to venture out and hold some shows in Mexico and might also possibly try to work out a deal with CMLL to help increase their popularity. Here's a look into the WWF and their current feuds they have going on. On most of their Monday Night Raw broadcasts and PPV events, there isn't much going on to further their feuds. Folks, look forward to the mid-year review that will be coming up in June. It'll be interesting to see how WCW is competing with the WWF and what company is the most improved thus far! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 I can't wait for more. I was just re-reading and I love this so much. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstephe4 Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Best diary on the forum. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 Week 4, May 1997 LIVE from the Coleman Coliseum - Tuscaloosa, AL Attendance: 15,000 (SELLOUT!) Captain Lou Albano In Memory - The video opener for Monday Nitro plays followed by a large pyro display of fireworks. Cameras bring us around where Jim Ross, Dusty Rhodes, and Mike Tenay welcome everyone for tuning in. JR mentions that Captain Lou Albano passed away over the weekend and the announce team all take a moment to extend their condolences to the family. Ross says that we're in the home stretch for WCW Slamboree this Sunday and things, not just the weather, is heating up. Last week ended on a cliffhanger with Sting giving Steve Austin an opportunity to hit him with a baseball bat, only for Austin to pass on the chance. We're bound to see a few more matches made official tonight for Slamboree and at this point, tonight's main event is set for Lex Luger taking on Wrath! There's tons of action to get to ----- - - It doesn't take long for the NWO music to hit, cutting off JR, who utters "what the hell?!" To the shock of many, it's the WCW World Heavyweight champion Hollywood Hogan who emerges from the fog with none other than Eric Bischoff. The two casually taunt their way to the ring to apparently kick off Monday Nitro. The two appear to be on cloud 9 as they make their way to the ring and climb in. Hogan takes a jog around the ring holding up the world title as Bischoff takes a microphone from his inside jacket pocket. - Ladies and gentlemen, the heavyweight champion of the world!!!!!!! Now you fans here in this arena are in for a special treat because not only do you get to start this show with the biggest name in professional wrestling, the heavyweight champion of the world, but he's also going to share with you all some gigantic, Earth-shattering news, right here tonight on Monday Nitro! See, the Hulkster has something to say pertaining to this Sunday's Slamboree, isn't that right Hollywood?!? Well ya know somethin', brah?!?! All these fans in attendance here tonight should take a moment to bask in the glory that is Hollywood, dude!! I know for a guaranteed fact that none of these fans have ever seen such a huge celebrity like Hollywood Hogan, much less a wrestling God such as myself, so how about all of these Hollywood worshipers, these NWO-ites, just take a moment to soak up the experience, dude!!! Now down to business. I've been the world heavyweight champion for over 230 days brother! I've taken on all opponents and I've taken them all down! I ran a big, smelly, pathetic giant out of this company, I've defeated the Nature Boy Ric Flair like the joke he is, I showed Scott Steiner doesn't have what it takes to compete in the main event, and I've shut that big mouth of someone who's too big for his boots, Steve Austin! I've defeated anyone who wanted to think they could take this title from around my waist and I've proven time and time again that they all don't have what it takes to compete with Hollywood and the NWO! So the big news, brother, is that this Sunday at Slamboree, Hollywood Hogan is taking a night off, dude! I've earned a nice, long vacation and there's no other so called "challengers" to step up to the plate! I'm done with facing the same old wrestlers time after time and proving that they aren't worth the dirt on the bottom of my boots! So before Mr. Ted Turner wants to say anything about it, it's in my contract, dude, that I don't have to defend my title against anyone that I don't want to, and I'm saying right here, right now, that I'm not facing Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, or Steve Austin for this belt again!!! And if Ted Turner wants to try and change that, then I'll just slap WCW with a giant lawsuit and then I'll be the one who owns WCW, dude!!! On top of that, this man right here, Eric Bischoff, holds the key!! Bischoff is the executive president of WCW and what he says, goes, brother! I hold the title, and Mr. Bischoff holds the key!!! That's right!!!! This man right here makes more money for WCW than anyone else on the roster combined! Until some real challenger can come along for Hollywood Hogan, a true competitor that can prove they're worthy for an opportunity, this man isn't going to be forced into any match, ever again! For anyone who doesn't like that, from anyone backstage to even Ted Turner himself, I've got two words for you - BITE ME! Rating: 100 Astro Rey Jr. vs Dean Malenko w/Francine vs w/ Francine is less than enthused as she comes out with Malenko, which can only be attributed to the fact that she is on the line this Sunday as Malenko takes on Scott Steiner for the US title. Malenko has been requesting a US title match and the only way Steiner would grant it was for Malenko to put Francine up for grabs. The match itself was a pretty straight forward, fast paced and high flying matchup. Astro hit a few moves that got the crowd on their feet and excited while Malenko methodically broke down his opponent. Malenko was also able to impress the crowd with a top rope military press into a gutbuster. Malenko won the match at 7:38 with the Texas Cloverleaf and Francine stormed off at the end. Winner: Dean Malenko Rating: 71 - Following a commercial break, the fans again get on their feet when, this time, trumpets can be heard fading into the arena. The Nature Boy Ric Flair walks out in one of his many custom designed suits while the Enforcer Arn Anderson accompanies him in his finest denim wear. They stop at the bottom of the ramp briefly to show the sign of excellence as they both hold up 4 fingers. Fireworks go off behind the two as they continue their way to the ring. - Did I just happen to hear correctly just a little while ago when Hollywood Hogan claimed to be the biggest name in professional wrestling??? Did I also hear correctly when Hogan claimed he's never defending the worlds heavyweight title against the Nature Boy?! On top of that, did Hogan just claim that he won't wrestle any time he doesn't feel like it?!? I guess as long as Hogan's got that little puissant Bischoff by his side, he can do what he wants, but as far as the Nature Boy goes, Hogan, you're never going to dictate what I can and can't do, pal! The fact is, you're afraid! That's right! You're afraid to face the Nature Boy and you're afraid of losing that title because even you know the NWO can't protect you forever! So if you want to go on your own little strike, be my guest!!! You won't wrestle, but the Nature Boy will! I'm not focused on you right now anyway, Hogan! That's right! I'm more focused on beating the living hell out of that scrawny little wimp Brian Pillman! Pillman!!! I've got you one on one this Sunday, pal!! I'm gonna make you bleed!! I'm gonna make you sweat!! And I'm gonna make you pay the price for ever turning your back on me, Double A, and the Horsemen! This Sunday's going to be sweet revenge but I don't want to wait until this Sunday! Pillman, I want you in the ring right here, tonight, in the main event!!!! Don't worry though, it won't be a one on one match, because I'm going to team with the Enforcer!! That's right!!! Pillman, if you can, by some miracle, manage to find anyone that'll team up with you, it's gonna be me and the Enforcer against you and a partner!!! - The crowd clearly loves the challenge that was just laid out and Flair and Anderson look toward the entrance for Brian Pillman to emerge. It doesn't take long before his music hits and he steps out on to the stage, oddly, laughing. - Oh Nature Boy, Nature Boy....You're so damn predictable!!! How did I know that you were going to want to get me in the ring prior to Slamboree??? If you think coming out here and laying down a...."challenge" will intimidate me, than you're even more delusional than I ever imagined, my friend. Just to avoid coming out here and being as long-winded as you, I'll keep it simple. I accept your challenge tonight and don't you worry, I DO have a partner. The only thing you need to be concerned with, Ric Flair, is even making it to Slamboree this Sunday! Rating: 100 Alex Wright vs Rick Martel vs - Prior to the match beginning, Alex Wright gets a microphone - Achtung, Achtung, ich habe eine besondere Ankündigung, also alle dummen Amerikaner, haltet euren Mund und hört zu! Oh I forgot....All you American's are so stupid that you can't even understand the most dominant language in the entire world!!! It just goes to show how superior I am to all of you!!!! Not to mention, you Rick Martel!!! You're just as pathetic as these American's, maybe even more since you're French Canadian! The French....HAH! You're all pathetic! Now, as I was saying, I have a special announcement to make, so I want all of you American rednecks to shut up and listen to what I have to say! I have a new manager! This manager is going to take me to the heights that I belong and not only that, but I'm going to be the envy of every one of you losers in this arena! She knows how superior German's are to everyone else and she wants to be with a proven winner! So right now, I want my new manager to come out and stand in my corner while I put on a showcase of real talent and masculinity! Rating: 45 Kimberly emerges, all smiles, and joins Alex in the ring where she plants a long kiss right on the lips of Das Wunderkind. The crowd boo's loudly and Kimberly, satisfied with herself, exits the ring and the bell sounds to finally begin the match. Martel took firm control while the commentators discussed Wright's new valet and the controversy behind Kimberly now being his manager. A while back, there was quite the buzz going around that the two were caught together which led to the split between Kimberly and DDP. In addition, it seems this new pairing was thought to be quite awkward by the fans in attendance and didn't go down particularly well. Much was the same in this match as Alex Wright didn't prove his superiority and submitted to the Boston Crab at 7:43. Winner: Rick Martel Rating: 66 - Mean Gene is backstage to provide a Slamboree preview for this Sunday. He highlights the cage match pitting Hostile Intent against the Faces of Fear, a feud that has become quite physical between two tough teams. Their weeks of fights and out of control brawls will be contained inside a steel cage where anything goes and the toughest team will come out the victors! Mean Gene thinks that whatever team comes out victorious has quite the claim to become #1 contenders to the tag team titles. Rating: 73 Mean Gene then segues into his interview guests as they walk in. - Mean Gene says that Harlem Heat have a chance to recapture the tag team titles this Sunday as they take on the Outsiders but things haven't been going so well for the brothers for the past few weeks. Stevie Ray says that's all old news and the new news is that the two brothers from Harlem are going to beat down the two fruit booty's from the NWO and get their titles back. Booker agrees and says even the best teams run in to speed bumps from time to time, but Harlem Heat is back on the same page and ready to take their titles back from the Outsiders. Rating: 84 Television Title: Disco Inferno vs Lord Steven Regal (c) vs Between both Disco's dancing and Regal's antics, this turned into quite a fun match. The contrasting styles somehow blended to create some really good in-ring chemistry between the two competitors. When it came to the actual wrestling, Regal showed why he's one of the best in the entire world, taking Disco down with wrist locks and various other submissions and suplexes. Disco didn't get dominated though, as he fought back with a fury of offense and nearly picked up the win a couple times on some close pin falls. Regal was too far skilled in the end though, picking up the win at 9:40 with the Regal Stretch. Winner: Lord Steven Regal Rating: 81 - Nitro returns from a commercial break to a video of the US champion driving in a car. Steiner provides some commentary during the short drive saying he's getting everything in order for this weekend when he takes the services of Francine. The car comes to a stop and Steiner steps out. The camera pans out to see the entrance of a grand hotel as Steiner walks through the revolving door. The camera cuts to the inside where Steiner's standing at the lobby counter and signing paperwork. He looks in the camera and says he's going to have all the finest amenities for Francine and she's going to be amazed at what a real man can provide, as compared to Dean Malenko and his....Short comings. The camera cuts again, this time inside the hotel room where a bellhop is rolling in a cart full of room service. Another camera cut shows a maid turning down the bed and sprinkling rose petals on it, to another camera cut inside the bathroom where Steiner is lounging in a bubble bath and sipping champagne. Steiner says this weekend will be a new experience for Francine and a complete eye-opener. Francine's going to never want to go back to Malenko after he gives her the ride of her life! - Rating: 100 Buff Bagwell & Paul Levesque vs El Hijo Del Santo & Jim Duggan vs Quite the odd pairing of Santo and Duggan and Bagwell and Levesque spent a large amount of time making fun of the two, from their physical appearance to their age. Bagwell posed quite a bit, pointing to his body and then pointing to Duggan's or Santo's. Levesque and Bagwell though this was a real leg-slapper. Their attitudes changed pretty quick when Santo went on some offense to catch Bagwell off guard and very nearly win the match. The more aggressive style from Bagwell and Levesque then emerged. The match was not well received though and aside from Levesque, no one performed particularly well. Bagwell got the pin on Santo after the Blockbuster at 7:31. Winners: Bagwell & Levesque Rating: 61 Wrath vs Lex Luger vs In what was to be the main event, the crowd was pretty hyped for this one. Wrath has been on a great streak for awhile and Bobby Heenan thinks it's only a matter of time before we see some gold around his waist. The problem in grabbing a title in WCW is that there's fierce competition around every corner. Wrath started off with a great showing. He used his power to completely take control in the early parts of the match and Luger appeared to be in trouble. There were several very near falls and it seemed that all Wrath had to do was hit his Meltdown for a victory. Instead of going for the kill though, Wrath continued to try and weaken his opponent but this proved troublesome once the fans started rallying around the Total Package. Luger began to feed off the crowd as they got louder and louder and his offense started to become more impactful. This led to Luger hitting a few clotheslines followed by his Bionic Forearm. Luger started motioning for the Rack that got the crowd totally on their feet but Wrath rolled to the outside to slow things down. Luger went over to lean through the ropes to grab Wrath, but the big man had grabbed a chair and hit Luger with it, causing a blatant disqualification at 9:42. Winner by DQ: Lex Luger Rating: 73 DDP has a pre-taped promo next where he talks about the Macho Man. Page says that the two can only do so much talking and he's tired of hearing Savage talk. At some point, Savage is going to have to back it up in the ring because last he checked, DDP had his number at Spring Stampede. DDP doesn't care when or how, all Savage has to do is name the time and place. Rating: 79 Austin is backstage for his own promo next. He says that last week's Nitro left people wondering if Austin and Sting were on the same page with each other. Austin says he's going to quiet those questions real fast and says the only page Austin's on is his own. He says he doesn't give a damn about Sting and isn't worried about being his friend, the only thing he's concerned about is becoming world champion. Austin says the only reason he didn't hit Sting last week was because he turned his back to him. If he wanted to hit Sting, he'll hit him face to face. Sting can play all the mind games he wants with him, but when it boils down to it, there's one title and Austin doesn't care who has it, or who's in his way. You can be successful in wrestling or you can have friends, but you can't have both. Rating: 100 Ric Flair & Arn Anderson vs Brian Pillman &.......... vs Flair and Anderson made their entrance first followed by Brian Pillman, who came out alone. Pillman stopped at the end of the ramp while Flair and Anderson looked on, almost laughing that it didn't seem that Pillman had a partner. Music that's familiar to the crowd then starts to play and someone is seen walking through the fog. Everyone's shocked to see Eddie Guerrero walk out as Mike Tenay reminds everyone at home that these two men had quite the bitter feud over the US title last year and now seem to be joining together. He also says that Eddie's just gotten cleared to return to the ring after suffering a fracture earlier this month. The two make their way to the ring and the match gets started. Pillman starts off against Arn Anderson and the Enforcer quickly finds his way in the driver's seat. Pillman is reeling and Double A is relentless as he goes after everything he can. The crowd goes nuts when Anderson tags Flair in and Pillman quickly rushes over to tag out to Guerrero. Flair lays in measured hits but Eddie is able to use his quickness to duck an attempted attack as he comes off the ropes. What ensues next is a pretty straight forward tag team match. Once Eddie managed to wear down Flair a bit, Pillman was then happy to get in the ring and take over the offense. The fight eventually spilled out onto the floor where things then broke down a bit. The referee was able to finally gain a bit of control and get the fight back inside the ring as Eddie and Arn Anderson were the legal men. After Arn hit his signature Spinebuster on Eddie, things broke down again after the pin attempt was broken up by Pillman. Flair and Anderson managed to clear the ring of both Eddie and Pillman and the crowd was electric as the two regrouped on the outside. After conferring with each other, they both said "forget it" and began walking up the aisle toward the back. Anderson and Flair looked on in disbelief as the referee completed the 10 count and officially awarded the match by countout. The crowd began to boo heavily and tossed trash at Eddie and Pillman as they walked up the aisle, but the two didn't care at all. The match officially came to an end at 18:02 and it seems everyone is going to have to wait until Slamboree where the Nature Boy will finally get his hands on Brian Pillman. Winners by Count Out: Ric Flair & Arn Anderson Rating: 88 Final Show Rating: 91 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 2 hours ago, Henderson said: That's right!!!! This man right here makes more money for WCW than anyone else on the roster combined! Until some real challenger can come along for Hollywood Hogan, a true competitor that can prove they're worthy for an opportunity, this man isn't going to be forced into any match, ever again! For anyone who doesn't like that, from anyone backstage to even Ted Turner himself, I've got two words for you - BITE ME! Be careful what you ask for, Bischoff, because you and Hogan just might get it (as I recall happened IRL when Bischoff was stripped of his presidency of WCW by Turner via Turner Sports head Harvey Schiller, while we know what happened when Hogan fired off his mouth one time too many and Sting stepped up)... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Eddie and Pillman could be a helluva team if you decide to go that route fulltime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 Card Preview: Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair United States Title: Francine is on the line if Malenko loses! Dean Malenko w/ Francine vs Scott Steiner (c) Eddie Guerrero vs Astro Rey Jr. Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Lord Steven Regal (c) Cage Match: Faces of Fear vs Hostile Intent Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs The Outsiders (c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Ric Flair Scott Steiner Eddie Guerrero Lord Steven Regal Faces of Fear The Outsiders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Brian Pillman pls Scott Steiner Eddie Guerrero Regal Hostile Intent The Outsiders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Byron Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Eddie Guerrero, Lord Steven Regal, Hostile Intent, the Outsiders... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair United States Title: Francine is on the line if Malenko loses! Dean Malenko w/ Francine vs Scott Steiner (c) Eddie Guerrero vs Astro Rey Jr. Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Lord Steven Regal (c) Cage Match: Faces of Fear vs Hostile Intent Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs The Outsiders (c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair United States Title: Francine is on the line if Malenko loses! Dean Malenko w/ Francine vs Scott Steiner (c) Eddie Guerrero vs Astro Rey Jr. Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Lord Steven Regal (c) Cage Match: Faces of Fear vs Hostile Intent Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs The Outsiders (c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanMiguel Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 Ric Flair Scott Steiner (c) Eddie Guerrero Lord Steven Regal (c) Faces of Fear The Outsiders (c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 Week 4, May 1997 LIVE from the Fleet Center - Boston, MA Attendance: 18,000 (SELLOUT!) WCW Slamboree kicks off with what's become a regular sellout crowd, this time in Boston, MA! The capacity crowd is rabid and excited for tonight's show as the announce team of Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Tony Schiavone welcome everyone and say tonight is going to be a huge night for WCW. Harlem Heat are in the first match of the evening and they have an opportunity to reclaim the tag team gold from the Outsiders. Heenan's worried about Harlem Heat as they haven't seemed to have been on the same page lately, which in his experience, doesn't bode well for the two. JR says that brothers occasionally go through tough times but when it boils down to it, they have each other's backs. He likes their chances tonight against two bullies like Hall and Nash. The Faces of Fear and Hostile Intent set forth to battle once and for all inside a steel cage, which the cameras show hanging high above the ring. Prior encounters between these two tough teams have not been able to contain them, so the only hope is they can square off inside the steel. Scott Steiner defends his US title against Dean Malenko, but that isn't the only thing on the line as Steiner has his chance to take Francine away from Malenko. It seemed that Francine was less than happy that Malenko put her up for grabs just to get a shot at the title. Heenan thinks this could backfire severely on the Man of 1,000 holds. To cap things off for the night, Ric Flair will finally battle against Brian Pillman. Flair blamed Pillman for the fracturing and eventual dissolve of the 4 Horsemen and has been itching to get his hands on him ever since. The time never seemed better than when Pillman was brutally kicked out of the NWO for being the "weak link" according to Hollywood Hogan and now Pillman's all alone. There's tons of action to get through and JR tells us that Mean Gene is backstage and has caught up with an arriving Steve Austin! - Austin's just getting out of his car and slinging his bag over his shoulder as Mean Gene, dapper as always in his event tuxedo, catches up as Austin begins to storm toward the inside of the building. Gene says that Austin doesn't have a match tonight, presumably because Hollywood Hogan has refused to compete tonight. Austin says that Hogan might not be wrestling inside the ring, but that won't keep him from finding that coward somewhere in the back and kicking his ass from one end of the arena to the other! - Rating: 100 Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs The Outsiders (c) vs Each team made their entrance and the match got underway as the two brutes, Stevie Ray and Kevin Nash started things off. Scott Hall spent some time taunting Sensuous Sherri outside the ring that got the attention of Booker T. The ensuing referee distraction allowed Nash to take the quick early advantage. Things then evolved, oddly, into a pretty regular tag team wrestling match. There were a few tags made by both teams before Stevie Ray was eventually worn down by the Outsiders. Some quick tags by the champions and then isolating Stevie from his corner made things look bleak for the challengers. It wasn't until the Outsiders attempted some double team work on Stevie that the tides turned. Stevie ducked a double clothesline attempt and hit one of his own as all three men collapsed to the mat. Booker stretched out for the tag as the fans began to rally behind the challengers. Booker slapped the top turnbuckle pad and stomped his feet, getting the crowd louder as he urged Stevie while he began to make the long trek across the ring. Just before he was able to get to Booker's outstretched hand, Scott Hall grabbed him by the boot and pulled him backward, bringing him to his feet. Hall hit a few punches to the wobbly Stevie Ray before going for his signature discus punch, only for Stevie to duck out of the way! Kevin Nash had also gotten to his feet behind Stevie so when he ducked, Nash took the punch from Hall right to his face. Nash dropped to the mat and Hall rushed forward to try and catch his partner before he fell, but it was too late. This allowed Stevie to fall forward and get the hot tag to his brother, who rushed into the ring full of fury while the crowd went wild. Booker unloaded his assault on Hall, then Nash, then through them both into the corner before hitting a sandwiched clothesline on the two. Hall stumbled out of the corner and right into a Harlem sidekick before then focusing on Nash. Booker was on fire and he could feel the tides shifting as he climbed up to the top rope. Booker was perched and waiting for Hall to get back to his feet so he could hit the Missile Dropkick. The crowd was nuclear as they anticipated Harlem Heat getting the titles back from the NWO. Hall slowly got to his feet and began to turn around about the same time Nash was getting to his feet and focusing in on Booker. Booker, perched, began to stand to his feet high up on the top rope, waiting for Hall to inch closer. Stevie Ray saw Nash heading for his brother and ran to the ropes and bounced off, hitting Nash with a big boot. The only problem is, Stevie rushed the same side his brother was standing on and bouncing off the ropes caused Booker to drop hard on the turnbuckle. Scott Hall managed to clothesline Stevie over the top rope right after he had dropped Nash and then set his sights on the injured Booker T. While seated on the top rope, Hall turned Booker around and hooked him in the Outsider's Edge and dropped him. The match was over at 12:51 and the Outsiders just managed to defend their belts. Winners: The Outsiders Rating: 78 - The Outsider's barely celebrated their victory before escaping the ring and heading to the backstage area. Stevie Ray slowly climbed back in the ring and helped Booker up to his feet and tried to apologize. Booker had none of it and shoved his brother off, obviously frustrated. Sherri quickly got in the ring and got between the brothers as she tried to mediate things, but it was clear that the last few weeks has gotten the brothers frustrated. Booker turned and walked off, leaving Sherri and Stevie Ray in the ring. - Rating: 76 - Alex Wright is backstage with his new manager, and girlfriend, Kimberly. Wright says that he wants to be taken seriously as a main contender within WCW. He says he's just as tall as guys like Lex Luger and Sting but being a full-blooded German makes him far superior to any of them. Kimberly agrees and says that after experiencing everything Germany has to offer, it's clear that Alex Wright is the next big thing in WCW. Wright said he started things off by taking DDP's woman, next he's going to start taking titles. - Rating: 61 Cage Match: Faces of Fear vs Hostile Intent vs As soon as the cage door was locked and the bell sounded, the two teams went right after one another. It was clear from the start that this match wasn't going to be anything other than a wild brawl and the first team to inflict as much damage as possible were going to be the victors. This isn't the type of match to showcase in-ring ability, but Meng shone in this match and Tony Schiavone even commented that for the past several months, Meng has been quite impressive in his matches. This led the announcers to discuss potential singles success by not just Meng, but also Perry Saturn. The fight raged on with little control from the referee. The cage was properly used throughout the match by both teams as it seemed men were thrown into it left and right and faces were repeatedly grated against the unforgiving steel. The shocking end came at 9:46 after Saturn climbed high atop the cage and lept off with a body splash onto the Barbarian for the pinfall win! Winners: Hostile Intent Rating: 75 Cameras cut to the backstage area following a promotional ad to see DDP walking through a hallway. It doesn't take long before DDP is brutally ambushed from the side though.... Randy Savage rushes in with the attack but it isn't just him. Paul Levesque joins in on the assault with the Macho Man as the two double team him. The two on one assault is too much by itself, but factor in that DDP was blindsided, he stood no chance at defending himself. The assault continued on but suddenly one more person rushes in and floors Levesque. The Total Package is the one to rush in for the save on DDP. He hits Levesque a couple more times as he falls to the floor before turning his attention to the Macho Man, who's still putting the boots to a fallen DDP. Luger shoves Savage who then see's Luger. With his eyes wild, Savage begins to back off as he tells Luger he's making a huge mistake. Levesque then gets to his feet and the two NWO members make their exit while Luger helps DDP up. Rating: 81 Television Title: Fit Finlay vs Lord Steven Regal (c) vs The match kicked off and Regal acted like he didn't have a care in the world, until he had to lock up with Finlay. Afterwards, Regal acted like he was smelling the worst thing in his life and told Finlay to take a shower. Regal continued to strut around the ring with his British aristocrat manner that only he can do. He also took his time to lock several different wrestling holds on Finlay to showcase his superior technical ability. Finlay was able to fire back though and showcase his own offense which was a good mix of hard hitting moves and some unorthodox technical wrestling that can only be described as classic European. The two demonstrated very well that they have a vast variety of movesets. Regal took charge for a large part of the match and looked to lock in the Regal Stretch. Finlay surprised him though after reversing a body slam attempt and Finlay got Regal up for his Tombstone Piledriver finish. Regal furiously kicked to reverse it though, and he was successful. He had Finlay in position to hit his own Tombstone but Finlay was able to slide off and quickly rolled up Regal for the shocking win at 12:47! A stunned Regal sat up quickly as the bell rang with his eyes as wide as plates and a look of pure contempt on his face while Finlay celebrated his title win! Winner and NEW Champion: Fit Finlay Rating: 84 Brian Pillman is backstage for a promo and begins it with holding up the Horsemen sign and giving a "WOOOO!" Pillman is sinister and says he looks forward to getting ahold of the Nature Boy and showing him he's not as great as he thinks he is. Pillman might be all alone, but that's the way he's always preferred it. He only goes to the beat of his own drum and isn't interested in being a team player. Pillman takes credit for the 4 Horsemen breaking up and not giving Arn Anderson or Ric Flair any other path in wrestling since. He says that the 4 Horsemen is all that Anderson and Flair have while Pillman has his entire career ahead of him, forging his own way and doing it on his own, not on the coat tails of other wrestlers like the two of them have done their entire career. Pillman says tonight is going to be a sweet night and the Horsemen will be finished for good. Rating: 86 Eddie Guerrero vs Astro Rey Jr. vs I won't begin to even try and convince you that this match was competitive. Eddie Guerrero was far too skilled for Astro to make it a competitive match, but the two did showcase quite the high flying match that kept the crowd engaged. Eddie was just too good to allow Astro to get any kind of meaningful offense in. He did manage to hit a few high spots in the match, but it was all Eddie and everyone knew it. Eddie got the win at 11:43 with the Frog Splash, providing Astro with the best match he's had in his career so far. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 82 - Mike Tenay is backstage with Buff Bagwell for an interview. Bagwell says that he's tired of seeing old guys in WCW every time he turns a corner. Bagwell thinks that these old guys like Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, and Ricky Steamboat need to get out of the way to allow the young guys of WCW, like himself, to take the ball. - Rating: 67 United States Title: Dean Malenko w/ Francine vs Scott Steiner (c) vs The co-main event is up next and the crowd was definitely into this one. Steiner spent a substantial amount of time taunting Francine who stood on the outside. This almost cost Steiner the match and his US title as Malenko quickly rolled up the champion who just barely was able to get a shoulder up in time. The two men traded offense from there and the match spilled to the outside shortly after. They each took turns beating each other around the ringside area. Each time Steiner would put Malenko on the floor, he would turn his attention to Francine. He'd repeatedly ask Francine if she was ready to "be with a real man." Once back inside the ring, Malenko was able to take control again after Francine took an opportunity to rake Steiner's eyes. The advantage didn't hold though, as Steiner caught Malenko with a great looking butterfly suplex. Following the move, Steiner dropped to the mat and began doing pushups while looking right at Francine and taunting her, saying he can "go all night." Malenko became furious with the constant taunts toward his manager and hit a low blow on the champion. He called Francine to get a steel chair and get on the apron. He walked over to her and demanded the chair but Francine refused. Malenko again demanded the chair but she wouldn't hand it over. Malenko finally demanded the chair one more time and this time, Francine shoved it toward him, just a bit too aggressively. The chair caught Malenko in the forehead as he stumbled backward, right into a waiting Scott Steiner, who lifted him up for the Steiner Screwdriver. The win, and Francine's services, were then secured at 15:20. Steiner and Francine the left and headed up the aisle while Francine was saying "Oops!" Winner: Scott Steiner Rating: 86 - Eric Bischoff is seated in a dark room for the next promo. Eric's all smiles and laughs as he says that Steve Austin's probably wandered all over the backstage area for Hollywood Hogan, but he's never going to find him. He won't find Hollywood because he's not here tonight. Bischoff says that Hogan has much more important things to do than show up to Slamboree. Hollywood has movie premieres to attend, talk shows to be on, scripts to read, and elite parties to be at while Steve Austin just hopes to be booked on the card each night. Bischoff says that Austin might not like it, but Hollywood's the world champion, Bischoff is the WCW Executive Vice President, and Steve Austin is just dirt on the bottom of Hollywood's boots. Rating: 82 - Ric Flair cuts a pre-match promo backstage and says that Brian Pillman is a disgrace to the 4 Horsemen and a disgrace to professional wrestling. Wrestling is all about tradition and all Pillman does is spit in the face of tradition. Pillman would be nothing without the long line of men that came before him and that he's too enthralled in his own ego to recognize that. The Horsemen have never been about one man, it's always been about the group. Tonight, if Flair has to beat just a little ounce of respect into him, he's going to enjoy every second of it, and Pillman has no one to help him. - Rating: 82 Brian Pillman vs Ric Flair vs The bell barely rang before Flair rushed at Pillman. He tried to escape but Flair was all over him and chased him all around the ring. The performance between these two could barely have been any better and they showcased why they are two of the best not just in WCW, but in the world. The crowd was in the palm of their hand the entire match and Flair showed why he's the dirtiest player in the game. There were several low blows, eye rakes, biting, and hair pulling in between all of the classic Flair offense. On Pillman's side, he was blatant about the cheating and dirty moves and begged the referee to disqualify him, knowing it wasn't going to happen. Arn Anderson was at ringside and Pillman would take any opportunity he had to taunt toward the Enforcer. There were several times the taunts became too much and Anderson would jump on the apron but the referee's distraction only allowed Pillman to cheat more. As the match wore on, it looked to just be a stalemate and no clear victor would ever emerge. Even as they both grew tired, the blows were neck and neck. Flair eventually got busted open but he wasn't the only one, as Pillman soon after found himself bloodied. Flair attempted a Figure Four but Pillman rolled him up in a small package for a near fall. Likewise, Pillman went for the Air Pillman, only for Flair to roll it through and get his own near fall. Flair took advantage for one final time and sent Pillman into the corner, looking for a Super plex off the top rope. Flair got him up and lifted him and the two crashed extremely hard to the mat. Flair's arm was draped over Pillman but Pillman's arm was also draped over Flair. The referee saw this and began making the count, hitting the three at 26:08. The announcers and the crowd were all confused as to who the winner was. Neither man moved and neither man kicked out. The ring announcer walked over to the referee, who leaned through the ropes and told him his decision. The ring announcer looked a bit surprised and brought the microphone to his mouth to tell the crowd the decision. The referee has declared the match a double pin fall! Winner: Double Pin (Draw) Rating: 90 Final Show Rating: 92 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted April 11 Author Share Posted April 11 Hello everyone, I'm Mean Gene Okerlund to bring you this week's WCW Hotline Report! The fallout from Slamboree 1997 is very positive and everyone as a whole is very happy with how the show went down! The backstage atmosphere couldn't be any higher for WCW at the moment and everyone is excited for the success of the show. This was emphasized before the show began as Brian Knobbs entertained everyone before the show by doing funny impressions of several workers. I'm told the best impressions were of Hollywood Hogan and the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Arn Anderson continued to relax everyone backstage as he had a BBQ for everyone. A post-show speech was given by Eric Bischoff where he singled out Eddie Guerrero for his awesome performance and Brian Pillman and Ric Flair for their great performances in the main event. Earlier today, I'm told that Fit Finlay requested a meeting with Eric Bischoff where he wanted a $14,000 salary increase after winning the Television title. The full increase was not granted, though he was given a $3500 increase. I'm told Finlay was quite angry with being denied the full increase in his salary. We'll have to see how this plays out going forward. WCW and ECWA have come to terms with a developmental program where WCW can send wrestlers to the promotion to obtain additional skills and exposure. There has been several workers such as Billy Kidman, Lenny Lane, and one other newly signed wrestler that have been assigned there. I'm told this new signee could be one to look out for in the future. CMLL star Rey Mysterio Jr has sustained an injury that will keep him out of action for the next 2 1/2 months. The timing couldn't be worse for Mysterio or the promotion, as he was forced to vacate the NWA World Middleweight championship he's held since September 1996. CMLL has continued to suffer severe injuries from several of their top talent in the last year and a half. Sad news for WWF women's wrestler Candi Devine, as she recently recovered from a very severe injury she sustained while wrestling in May 1996. She made strides in returning to the ring though after conferring with her doctors it was determined that she retire from active competition. This has caused many within WCW to be concerned about Rick Steiner, as he suffered a very similar injury. Steiner is still currently recovering and the hope is that he will return to the ring. I'm told that WCW offices had reached out to Smoky Mountain Wrestling about ending the declared war that SMW had announced. Eric Bischoff was interested in exploring SMW for a developmental territory but Jim Cornette, the owner, wasn't interested in terminating the war. We still have no idea why SMW targeted WCW but they wish the war to continue, it seems. The WWF are looking to spice up their show a bit as it was announced that Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels will be starting a feud over the WWF world heavyweight title. We'll see if Michaels will be able to claim his first world title. It was also announced that a feud between Owen Hart and the Big Show will also be in the main spotlight soon. There could be a change to a couple of monthly WCW events. I'm told they are toying with the idea of replacing August's PPV Road Wild and creating a permanent event in January rather than Clash of the Champions. Nothing is confirmed as of yet and the idea is still in the infancy stages. Stay tuned in future Hotline Reports for more information. Folks, I have it on very good authority that there is going to be a major announcement for tonight's Monday Nitro! I can't elaborate but it's something you don't want to miss! Here is the lineup for Nitro! Week 1, June 1997 LIVE from the Providence Civic Center - Providence, RI Paul Levesque vs Ric Flair Steve Austin vs Dean Malenko Lance Storm & Mike Barton vs Blue Bloods (Regal & Eaton) Scotty Riggs vs Brian Knobbs Diamond Dallas Page vs Kaz Hayashi Rick Martel vs Eddie Guerrero 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Fan Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Paul Levesque vs Ric Flair Steve Austin vs Dean Malenko Lance Storm & Mike Barton vs Blue Bloods (Regal & Eaton) Scotty Riggs vs Brian Knobbs Diamond Dallas Page vs Kaz Hayashi Rick Martel vs Eddie Guerrero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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