DHK1989 Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Ric Flair Steve Austin Blue Bloods Brian Knobbs Diamond Dallas Page Eddie Guerrero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 Week 1, June 1997 LIVE from the Providence Civic Center - Providence, RI Attendance: 14,225 - Anticipation is thick in the air for this edition of Monday Nitro as JR welcomes everyone to this weeks show, fresh off Slamboree just a short 24 hours ago. Scott Steiner retained his US title and also now has a new manager, after securing Francine's services, as part of the match stipulations. We have a new Television champion in Fit Finlay, who shocked everyone by picking up the win last night but none more surprised than Lord Steven Regal himself. Harlem Heat failed to recapture the tag team gold from the Outsiders and from events after the match, it looks as though they might be parting ways. The brothers are here tonight and we will hear from them a bit later. To top things off for last night, Ric Flair and Brian Pillman suffered through a knock-down, drag out fight that ended with a double pin. If one thing's for clear, neither man will be satisfied with that result. JR also mentions a "huge announcement" that is to take place tonight. Ross has no idea what it is and he's tried to talk to Mean Gene to get some insight but he's sworn to secrecy. All three men at the commentary booth tonight will be looking out for whenever that announcement is to happen! Nitro's about to kick off with the first match tonight! - Rick Martel vs Eddie Guerrero vs The former model faces one of the hottest stars in WCW at the moment. Martel is in his own streak since returning to WCW though, as he's yet to be pinned. He's had quite an impressive introduction to WCW so far and hopes that momentum carries over past this match. The match started off very quickly paced as Guerrero looked to keep the speed up. Martel, for his part, did a good job at keeping up and hitting some of his own quick moves like some arm drags, drop kicks, and suplexes. It was a solid showing but Eddie continued to just be unstoppable, putting in another amazing performance. Eddie got the win at 9:31 with the Frog Splash. Winner: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 81 Cameras cut to the backstage area for the first time tonight. The screen shows Eric Bischoff in one of the dressing rooms and his feet are propped up on a small table while he lounges back. Bischoff seems to not have a care in the world as his arms are clasped behind his head and he's flashing his trademark smile. He says that Hollywood Hogan didn't just have more important things to do last night at Slamboree, but he also is way too busy to appear in some podunk state like Rhode Island tonight. Bischoff laughs and says that Hogan probably even has a higher income than the states GDP. Bischoff says that Hogan doesn't have to show up if he doesn't want to and seeing that he's the president of WCW, no one's going to tell him otherwise. Before the screen fades out, he says he can just hear the crowd wanting their money back now that they don't get to see Hollywood Hogan. Rating: 80 Diamond Dallas Page vs Kaz Hayashi vs Kaz attempted some quick moves at the start of the bell but it didn't take long at all to notice that this was going to be a one-sided match. Hayashi got some quick kicks in but DDP quickly out-powered his opponent. It was clear that DDP was in no mood for messing around tonight and got the win at 8:02 after turning a fireman's carry into the Diamond Cutter. Winner: Diamond Dallas Page Rating: 67 Nitro returns from it's first commercial break and Brian Pillman is backstage for a promo. Pillman says that last night's match result was less than stellar and as much as he doesn't like the Nature Boy, he's sure they have at least one thing in common - That last night was unacceptable to the both of them. Pillman knows he's the better man than Flair and would also love to inflict more pain onto him as possible. He makes the challenge right now before Flair can avoid it, he wants Flair again at the Great American Bash. Flair always claims that "to be the man, you gotta beat the man??" Well at the Bash, Pillman's going to walk away, THE MAN! Rating: 100 Scotty Riggs vs Brian Knobbs vs This match was everything you would expect it to be, nothing spectacular. Scotty Riggs did, as usual, impress with his beautiful drop kicks. The match also didn't take very long, as Riggs got the victory at 6:40 with a flying forearm. Winner: Scotty Riggs Rating: 37 Tag team action is up next, but first, Steven Regal grabs a microphone after he and Earl Robert Eaton made their entrance. Regal says the Blue Bloods take on Lance Storm and Mike Barton next. For the past several weeks, Eaton and Taylor have made strides to recruit Lance Storm into the Blue Bloods (mostly on Saturday Night). Regal says tonight he's feeling generous, though he shouldn't after being cheated out of his Television title last night, so he's going to give Lance Storm a couple of options first. 1. Regal will allow Storm to come out here and officially join the Blue Bloods and forego getting beaten to a bloody pulp, or; 2. He can come out with a loser like Mike Barton, get his bloody arse kicked, and still have no choice to join the Blue Bloods. Regal says either way, Storm will be joining the Blue Bloods, he can just either do it willingly or be forced to. He says with Lance Storm joining, they will be one step closer to obtaining the greatest workers from all around the world. He also says that Fit Finlay's win last night was a total fluke and that he will get his Television title back, one way or another! Rating: 100 Lance Storm & Mike Barton vs Blue Bloods vs Not many wrestlers can showcase their talent with the poise, professionalism, and skill such as the Blue Bloods. Lance Storm definitely ranks up there, though his tag team partner tonight, Mike Barton, was clearly more brutish. Storm clearly rejected Regal's threat, as he walked to the ring and proceeded to slap the taste out of his mouth. After the initial shock, Regal was able to take control over the younger worker. Traditional tag team wrestling then began to take place. Both teams utilized some double team moves, though the Bloods had the experience and worked better together. The ending saw Regal catch Storm in the Regal Stretch and get the submission victory at 10:12. Winners: Blue Bloods Rating: 75 Steve Austin vs Dean Malenko vs This match was interesting because it involved two men who are furious about two very different things. Austin showed up to Slamboree last night, JR tells us, to get his hands on Hollywood Hogan, only for Hogan to no-show the event. There's no doubt that Austin showed up tonight hoping to get his hands on Hogan, again just for Hogan to no-show. On the flip side, Dean Malenko just lost his manager last night to Scott Steiner. During Malenko's entrance tonight, he turned, expecting Francine to make the usual entrance, though she never did. Dean almost appeared lost on his way to the ring. Once the bell sounded, Malenko had trouble focusing and kept looking out to the corner where Francine usually stood. Austin wasn't about to let up on the Man of 1,000 holds and brutalized him with a physical offense. Meanwhile, the commentary team discussed that Francine wasn't very unwilling to go with Steiner, it seemed. It also was pretty clear that she helped Steiner win that match. Is there possible ulterior motives? Dean was eventually able to get his focus back and took control of the match, slowing things down greatly with his technical moves. Just as it looked like Malenko was going to attempt the Texas Cloverleaf though...... Scott Steiner and Francine made their way out onto the entrance stage. This immediately got the attention of Dean Malenko, who fully turned toward the two. Steiner had his hands all over Francine that immediately caused Malenko's eyes to nearly bulge out of his head. The shock overcame him even more when Francine planted a huge passionate kiss on the United States champion. Malenko was enraged and was beside himself, but he was soon brought back into reality as Steve Austin spun him around, kicked him in the gut, and hit the Stunner to get the win at 12:27 in a good match. Winner: Steve Austin Rating: 78 Nitro returns from a commercial break to Mean Gene Okerlund standing backstage with Harlem Heat and Sensuous Sherri. Mean Gene does the intros and jumps a bit as Sherri caresses him on his cheek in the middle of it. The brothers flank both sides of Mean Gene and he starts with Booker T, saying the two haven't exactly been on the same page as of late. Booker: Mean Gene, it's like this man, any time in wrestling and especially in tag team wrestling, things don't always go as planned! Teams go through ups and downs, and blood or not, it doesn't matter! Me and Stevie Ray are no exception to that rule! Right now, me and Stevie Ray are going through one of those tough times. Nothing seems to go right, and we can't get our gold back....But all that's gonna change soon, man! We'll hit our stride and we'll be back to being the very best tag team, not just in WCW, but in all of wrestling! Gene: Stevie Ray, I assume you have a similar opinion? Stevie Ray: Gene, we've been through harder times than this. We understand it, we know how to fight our way back! All we've done, from the streets to the ring, is fight! But we also know reality! And the reality is, Harlem Heat can't stay a team forever. Every team has a clock on it, and it could be that Harlem Heat's clock has just about run out! We're one of the most decorated teams in all of wrestling, Gene. We've held the WCW tag team titles 6 times! We've already established ourselves as one of the most dominant teams ever in WCW! There ain't much more to prove when it comes to being a team, Gene. Gene: Wait a minute! Does this mean Harlem Heat's breaking up???? Booker: Now hold on just a second there, Mean Gene! Harlem Heat ain't going nowhere, but let me just say that we've come to an agreement! My brother knows that I want some singles championships in my career! I know my brother has the same goals! We ain't gonna keep each other from those goals. We've agreed that we're gonna face the Outsiders one more time, this time at the Great American Bash! If we can't get our titles back, then we're gonna go our separate ways as a team. There ain't no hard feelings, there's no score to settle, it just means we're gonna start a new chapter in the life of Harlem Heat! Now can you dig that?!? Rating: 92 Cameras transition to another part of the backstage area next where Tony Schiavone is standing by with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Tony asks about the storied career that he's had up to this point and wants to know where the future stands. Steamboat gets into the questions but can't finish answering before he's interrupted. Bagwell scoffs and says that old relics like Steamboat continue to get time on Nitro when it should be younger guys like him that gets the spotlight. Bagwell goes on to say that Steamboat's not buff, and he's not the stuff, and that he should just go back into retirement where he belongs. Steamboat says that there's a big difference between saying words and backing it up in the ring, and so far, he's yet to see Bagwell back up those words. Things got a bit more intense now as Bagwell takes off his sunglasses and leans in, glaring The Dragon in the eyes as the two are nearly nose to nose. He challenges Steamboat to a match next week on Nitro and vows to beat him, not just in the match, but he'll send him back to retirement. Steamboat accepts and the image fades out. Rating: 66 Nitro returns from another commercial break to another promo backstage. The Nature Boy is standing with Arn Anderson, intense as always, and addresses last night's match with Brian Pillman and also what Pillman had to say earlier. Flair says that there's nothing he'd love more than to face Pillman again and kick his ass one more time. Pillman's nothing more than a punk who's made a career of riding other's coattails but he won't see another match at the Great American Bash as that...He'll just see it as an opportunity to show Pillman that he's half the man Ric Flair is! They both might agree that a double pin at Slamboree isn't the result they're looking for, but if Pillman thinks he's walking out of the Bash a winner, he's more mental than he thought. Flair finishes by saying it's true, to be the man, you gotta beat the man, but Flair's always going to be THE MAN! WOOOO! Rating: 100 Paul Levesque vs Ric Flair vs Flair made his entrance with the Enforcer while Levesque was oddly all alone. The bell rang and Flair was in complete form, clearly the performer of the night. The crowd was hot for everything the Nature Boy did, which was full of eye pokes, biting, and blatant low blows right in front of the referee. Flair didn't care though and several times dared the referee to disqualify him. Levesque did his best to cower and back off but the Nature Boy was relentless like a shark that smells blood in the water. Flair would toss Levesque out of the ring where Arn Anderson would inflict some pain while Flair distracted the referee. The crowd loved every second of it as that scene played out a few times. Levesque did get some offense in, but it wasn't enough to matter or remotely make any kind of difference. Flair synched in the Figure Four and got the submission victory at 15:58. Winner: Ric Flair Rating: 80 - Following the match, cameras go back to the announce booth where Jim Ross, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan are wrapping things up. Ross says that there's nothing left on the format and Nitro doesn't have much time left in the show, so he figures they should run down everything that's happened tonight. Heenan says that there was supposed to be some big announcement but it appears it was nothing more than a false alarm. All three basically shrug their shoulders at each other and begin to go down the nights events. They don't get far before someone emerges from the entrance stage and walks to the end of the ramp. - Mean Gene: Ladies and gentlemen, if you happened to catch this weekend's WCW Hotline Report, you would've heard that I said there was going to be a huge announcement here tonight on Nitro. Similarly, my good friend and colleague, Jim Ross, also stated as much at the beginning of the program. I'm here to deliver on that promise because live, on the air, right now, we have a very special guest calling into the show! Now let me make sure that he's properly connected so we can get started..... Mister Turner, sir, are you there???? Jim Ross: It's Ted Turner!!!!!! Ted Turner: Yes, I'm here Mr. Okerlund and thank you for having me on tonight. I know you've generously given me the floor to finish off Nitro tonight, so let me waste no time in getting down to business. First, let me say just how proud I am overall of the entire WCW roster and all the hard work they put in each and every week to make this company something special. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for professional wrestling and I obtained a dream come true when I purchased WCW back in the late 1980's. It's the hard work and dedication of all the employees that have made WCW, in my opinion, the best wrestling company in the entire world., we're certainly the most successful. In the past several weeks and months, one man in particular has been making the success of WCW quite difficult, and that man is Eric Bischoff. I chose Eric to lead WCW in its infancy because he was a relative unknown in the world of professional wrestling. He didn't have connections, he didn't have favors to fill, and he wasn't corruptible by big names in the business. Well ever since Eric aligned himself with the New World Order, that all changed. Eric was no longer able to remain impartial, he wasn't looking out for the good of WCW, and he wasn't holding his employees accountable. Eric has repeatedly put the members of the NWO in good favor while causing WCW members to suffer. That isn't how a president of a company should be, or a Vice President, rather. Let me be clear, I left Eric Bischoff to run WCW and in a way he is considered the de facto president, but I still am in charge of the company and have the ultimate final say. I typically would stay out of the scene and let Eric run things because he had better vision for the business than I did, but this is one of those times where I'm stepping over Eric and some things are going to change. That's why next week, live on Monday Nitro from New Haven, Connecticut, not only is Eric Bischoff ordered to be present, but so is the WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hogan. I'll be there next week in person to address the both of them, and they both will be there because if not.....If Eric Bischoff isn't there, he will be fired immediately from WCW. If Hollywood Hogan chooses not to be there, not only will he be stripped of the world title but I will direct Turner lawyers to file a breach of contract against Hollywood Hogan. As world champion, Hollywood Hogan is mandated to defend the title at least every 30 days. He has not defended the title since Spring Stampede, over a month ago. What I can confirm, along with me being present next week for Monday Nitro, is that Hollywood Hogan WILL be defending the WCW Heavyweight title against an opponent that will be announced then. Thank you. Rating: 100 Final Show Rating: 86 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 (edited) Week 2, June 1997 LIVE from the New Haven Coliseum - New Haven, CT Attendance: 11,000 (SELLOUT!) - Nitro kicks off this week with a huge buzz in the air. The fans in New Haven are ready to go and wild as the camera pans across the arena and the fireworks explode. We're then brought to the announce booth where Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay welcome us to the broadcast. JR says that we all know that Ted Turner will be here, live tonight, and that Hollywood Hogan has already been seen arriving earlier tonight with the world title. All this was after Turner's mandate last week that Hogan be here. What no one knows for sure though, is when Ted Turner will come out here. What we do know, is that there's a ton of action planned for tonight as Booker T takes on Paul Levesque, Arn Anderson faces Dean Malenko, Buff Bagwell takes on Ricky Steamboat after last week's challenge, and Eddie Guerrero and Diamond Dallas Page will battle it out! JR's then told that Dusty Rhodes is standing by backstage in the parking garage, awaiting any new developments! - That's right, babayyy!!! I'm down here in the bowels of the arena, if you will, just waiting for the arrival of the head honcho himself, Mr. Ted Turner! Jim, Mike, and Bobby, I don't have any word on just when to expect Mr. Turner himself, but rest assure that I will be back here all night if I have to, just to wait on his arrival! I can't think of any moment in WCW's history that's been as big as this, daddy!!!! So I'll hang out here as long as I have to! Wait a minute!!! - Just as Dusty's finishing up, headlights can be seen coming down the tunnel and finally, a long black stretch limo comes around the corner and into view. The luxury car pulls up to a stop not far from where Dusty stands and he approaches the car just as the limo driver rushes around and opens the rear door. We see a leg exit before a figure stands up, meeting Dusty's gaze. - - Ted Turner himself has arrived and he starts to head toward the inner workings of the arena, with several staff members starting to flock to his sides. - Jim Ross, it looks like we ain't gonna have to wait long to hear what Mr. Turner has to say about Hollywood Hogan and the world title!!! We gotta take a commercial break but when we come back, I think we're gonna see some more fireworks out in that arena!!!! Rating: 82 - Nitro returns from a short break and Mean Gene is already standing in the center of the ring. Stage lights are flashing as Mean Gene introduces the owner of WCW - Ted Turner! - - Turner walks out, absent any music, and he's also by himself. There are no other staff members walking alongside him and he walks with a slight smile on his face, but otherwise makes no reaction or interacts with the fans on his way to the ring. Once in, Mean Gene welcomes Ted Turner as the two shakes hands. - Mean Gene: Mr. Turner, I presume that since you're not wasting any moment appearing here tonight, you have quite the announcement to make, so I'm going to stand here and be your microphone stand and let you address whatever it is that you came here to address! Ted Turner: Thank you Gene. Let me just say what an honor it is to be here tonight and how proud I am of all of the people that work hard to make WCW as successful as it is. Now the first thing that I'm going to request, is that Eric Bischoff and Hollywood Hogan come out here because I'm not just addressing Hollywood Hogan and the world heavyweight title, but I also have a few things to address with Mr. Bischoff. Oh, and before I forget, I'm quite aware of how the New World Order operates and that when there's one member, there's usually several more lying in wait somewhere, so Eric Bischoff and Hollywood Hogan are to come out here by themselves! - A thick tension begins to fill in the arena as Mean Gene and Turner stand in the ring, waiting for Bischoff and Hogan to come out. After a few moments and some rumbling in the crowd, the stage lights again start to flash and Bischoff and Hogan emerge, sans music. - - Hogan nor Bischoff look very pleased as they make their trek toward the ring and climb inside. The two step up to Mean Gene and Turner and Bischoff immediately adopts an almost defeated look on his face. Hogan stands stone-faced with his eyes shielded behind his dark sunglasses but it's very clear that Hogan is all serious in this moment as he clutches the world title across his shoulder. - Ted Turner: Eric, I'm going to address you, because quite frankly, you're the easier one to address in this situation..... Eric Bischoff: Mr. Turner.....If I may sir, I have a feeling -- Ted Turner: No, Eric, you may not. You've had your opportunity to change your behavior in these last several weeks and you've failed. You've had more than enough opportunity to correct the wrongs that you've done and all you've seemed to do is dig your heels in even further. You've had zero checks and balances for months and it's done nothing but reinforce your position and attitude. As owner of this company and your boss, I take full responsibility in that and I should've done something months ago the second you aligned yourself with the NWO. It's been made very clear to me that you are unable to be impartial when it comes to this war between WCW and the New World Order. It's also been made clear to me that you treat WCW talent unfairly and give NWO members preferential treatment. It's also been clearly demonstrated by you that you will allow the world heavyweight title to be held for ransom and not hold the champion accountable for refusing to defend his title, as required. Therefore, Eric, effective immediately, you are hereby suspended indefinitely as Executive Vice President of WCW operations! - The crowd, Mean Gene, and the commentary team all collectively lose their minds as Bischoff verbalizes his displeasure in the announcement. Bischoff tries to plead his case off microphone to Ted Turner but he's clearly having none of it. Hollywood Hogan equally outrages at the decision as he can feel his advantage quickly slipping away by the moment. He has no idea how much worse things are going to get. - And Eric, also effective immediately, you are going to have a replacement who is going to come out right now. This man will fill the role of WCW Commissioner until I deem otherwise. Before I bring him out here, let me just say that this is a man who the both of you are also very familiar with and he's not going to be disregarded as easily as you might have done before.....Let me introduce you to your new boss and the new Commissioner of WCW... Jesse "The Body" Ventura!!!! - The crowd again loudly voice their approval as Ventura steps out and greets the fans. The entire commentary team is again besides themselves, especially JR and Heenan, who have worked closely with Ventura in the past. Hollywood Hogan stands in the ring and has his jaw dropped and upon hearing the name, quickly removed his sunglasses and looked at the stage with his eyes wide. Ventura is grinning from ear to ear as he gets to the ring and steps inside where he walks right up to Hogan and says a few words. He then looks at Bischoff, who's grimaced face and repeatedly yelling "NO!" only gets a laugh from Ventura. He shakes Ted Turner's hand and begins his inaugural address. - Jesse Ventura: Thank you, Ted Turner for this wonderful opportunity and I promise you that I'll make the most of it and not let you down! Now as I understand it, Mr. Turner has taken care of his business at hand and is now going to leave me to conduct my own business that we have previously discussed.... - Turner takes a modest exit from the ring as Ventura continues on. - Ventura: Now since Eric Bischoff has already been dealt with by Mr. Turner, that leaves me to address you, Hollywood Hulk Hogan and the WCW World Heavyweight title! If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you would let me continue on uninterrupted, but we all know that the immortal Hulk Hogan just can't stand off to the sides and let things take place! No, you've got to interject wherever you see fit! But let me remind you, Hogan, that this isn't a discussion, this is a decision that's already been made by Ted Turner and myself, so the only thing you're able to do at the moment is listen up! As the WCW World Heavyweight champion, you're mandated to defend that title at least once every 30 days! The last time you defend that title was at Spring Stampede over a month ago! You decided to not defend the title at Slamboree and you decided to no show Monday Nitro last week. Well the days of you controlling the title scene are over, Hulk Hogan! While it's true that you have creative control on your contract, there are a few other things that you cannot control, such as when you are to defend that title! You've already stated that you won't defend your title against the Nature Boy Ric Flair or Steve Austin and while I don't agree with that, legally I can't force you to if you're invoking your creative control, but what you can't do, Hulk Hogan, is deny every opponent we might want to give you! Another thing that you can't do, is get out of this match tonight, because Hollywood Hogan, you WILL be defending that title right here, live tonight on Nitro! Before I announce who your opponent will be, let me lay out a few more stipulations for this match. Should any member of the NWO interfere in this match tonight, not only will you be stripped of the title but you'll also be suspended from WCW! In addition, if there's any kind of underhanded tactics that take place, and the NWO finds some loophole or way to get involved, you'll be stripped of the title! It's time WCW is going to play with a fair field and the NWO isn't going to weasel their way in to getting what they want anymore! Additionally, your opponent tonight will be against a man that's been more deserving of a title opportunity than anyone else I can ever think of! This man had single handedly put WCW on his shoulders and stood up to the NWO, he's withstood countless cowardly attacks, and he's tried to get WCW to collectively defend itself! So to finally announce the main event tonight, Hollywood Hogan, you will defend the world title right here tonight against none other than The TOTAL PACKAGE, LEX LUGER! Rating: 89 Diamond Dallas Page vs Eddie Guerrero vs WCW's very nearly already reached an emotional high as they come back from a commercial break to the match introductions. Eddie Guerrero and DDP both make their entrance and the match begins with the two trading blows and then into a fast-paced encounter. Eddie was once again beyond form tonight and made everything look fluid and easy. There were several near falls and also an ensuing 10 count as both men lay on the mat following a superplex. DDP was the first to slowly get to his feet and signaled for the Diamond Cutter. He braced himself on the ropes as Eddie started to slowly make his way to his feet. DDP started to wait to attack but he never got that opportunity. The referee was checking on Eddie as he was trying wobbly to get to his feet. The Macho Man rushed down to the ring and grabbed DDP's legs, sweeping them out from under him and pulling him from the ring and to the floor. He immediately went on the attack with a couple of punches before hitting DDP with his own finishing move, the Diamond Cutter, on the floor. Savage quickly escaped through the crowd so when the referee turned to see Page out cold on the floor, he was completely confused. He had no choice but to start a 10 count. DDP remained motionless on the floor as he counted him out at 13:11. Winner by Countout: Eddie Guerrero Rating: 89 The Loose Cannon is backstage for a promo. He says that though he and Flair agree that their Slamboree match was a terrible ending, that should be mistaken that they're starting to see eye to eye. Pillman says he can't wait to get his hands on the Nature Boy again at the Great American Bash and he promises two things; 1. Ric Flair will bleed and bleed profusely and 2. Brian Pillman will walk away the winner. Pillman wants to guarantee there is a winner at the Great American Bash while also guarantee there will be no count-outs, no disqualifications, and not confine their match only to the ring. He says a wrestling ring simply isn't enough to contain the two of them, as a Flair's ego takes up the entire space of a ring alone. He still doesn't want any gimmick's and wants a simple fight to the end between the two of them. A Last Man Standing match is the only way to determine the true winner. Rating: 100 Dean Malenko vs Arn Anderson vs A showcase of two no-nonsense wrestlers clash in this one. It would seem like Arn Anderson was mirrored of his younger self as the two were very evenly matched but Mike Tenay pointed out that they are only 2 years apart in age. There were plenty of technical moves mixed in with physical offense by both men as they tried their best to wear down the other. Malenko was actually able to take control late in the match and things were going well for him, but that didn't last for long... For the second week in a row now, Scott Steiner and new valet Francine step out onto the stage. It doesn't take long before Dean's attention is focused on the two as the furiously begin to make out and grope one another. Malenko becomes furious as he witnesses the distraction and doesn't notice Arn Anderson getting back to his feet behind him. Steiner and Francine stop just long enough for Malenko to remember he has an opponent, but he turns right into a signature Arn Anderson Spinebuster as the match ends at 9:52. Winner: Arn Anderson Rating: 82 Ricky Steamboat vs Buff Bagwell vs This match came about after Buff was complaining of older wrestlers taking the much needed spots from the younger wrestlers, and Buff's desire to break into a singles star, of course. In the run up to the match, he wasn't taking Steamboat as a serious threat anymore and thought him to be well past his prime. This was a lesson that the cocky young wrestler would learn as Steamboat showcased his experience over Bagwell. On the chance Bagwell would get a good move in, he failed to capitalize on it and would taunt and pose instead. This always led to Bagwell losing the momentum and Steamboat taking over. The match came to an end at 10:14 when Steamboat hit the Flying Body Press for the victory. Winner: Ricky Steamboat Rating: 66 Mean Gene is backstage with a clearly unhappy Steve Austin. Okerlund says that there's a new boss in WCW and that with Ventura leading things, it looks like WCW might have a fair playing field finally. Austin says he couldn't give two craps about Ventura being the new boss because it looks like he's just another coward with his tail tucked between his legs. It's a different person, a different voice, but the things all stay the same. The bottom line is that Hogan's afraid of losing his title to Austin and that's why he's avoiding him. It doesn't make any difference though because Austin's going to be paying real close attention to tonight's title match and whoever ends up winning is going to have a target on their back. It's going to take more than creative control to save Hogan from Austin if he wins tonight! Rating: 100 Booker T vs Paul Levesque vs This match involved some closely matched competitors but the crowd just didn't react like it was thought they would. Their prior match back in January was much more well received. It's not clear if one of them seemed off their game tonight, but things just didn't mesh. To make it simple, Booker T won at 11:18 with an Axe Kick. Winner: Booker T Rating: 67 The Headbangers vs The Blue Bloods vs Earl Robert and Squire Dave were making up the Blue Bloods in this contest. They remain on their quest to recruit Lance Storm, who's wanted nothing to do with the group, but it looks like the Blue Bloods won't take no for an answer, especially now that it's gotten the attention of Lord Steven Regal. Taylor and Eaton vastly out-wrestled their more inexperienced opponents and picked up the win at 7:30 following a Super Kick by Taylor. Winners: Blue Bloods Rating: 46 Hollywood Hogan appears backstage for a promo, flanked by Eric Bischoff, the tag team champions, and the Macho Man. Hogan says that tonight it's clear that the NWO is being screwed over by WCW because they know that it's not possible to beat the NWO without cheating. Hogan says he's defended the world title with more class and dignity and has made this title mean something again and Ted Turner and WCW are terrified that there's no worthy opponent to ever take it from him. The NWO's been banned from ringside or they're threatened with suspension. Hogan says the deck might be stacked against the NWO but Hollywood is the greatest wrestler known to man. If anyone can defy the odds one more time, it's none other than Hollywood! He looks forward to destroying the Total Package from post to post and when he raises the world title in victory, Ted Turner, Jesse Ventura, and anyone else from WCW will have no choice but to kneel before Hollywood Hogan and proclaim him to be the God that he is! Nitro fades to its last commercial break. Rating: 94 World Heavyweight Title: Lex Luger vs Hollywood Hogan (c) vs Each man made their entrance, Luger's being more poised and stoic while Hogan's was full of taunting, laughing, and over confidence. Luger stood in the ring opposite from Hogan like a solid rock, focused and zoning in as Michael Buffer was brought in for the match introductions. JR commented that the bell hasn't even rung yet and there's already the big-match feel in the arena and the thick tension in the air earlier had return, almost like a fog holding over the ring. The fans were all on their feet, waiting for the bell to ring and the two competitors to clash. It was clear everyone in the arena felt a bit more hope, seeing as the NWO have been barred from ringside and Hollywood Hogan appeared to be all on his own. For Hogan's part, it didn't seem to mind him as he continued to laugh and taunt Luger in between his stretches and warmups during the introduction. The men met in the center of the ring while the referee gave out the rules of the match. Hogan stared at Luger, cocky and still taunting while Luger stared at Hogan with intent, his jaw taut and eyes glaring. It was clear Luger had waited for this moment for a long time and he seemed to be playing the match through his head. The bell rang and the crowd gave out a loud cheer, with Bobby Heenan wondering out loud when the last time he could remember that fans cheered when the bell rang. It was clear everyone was looking forward to this match and excited with the possible outcome. Still though, it was a long way to go and Luger still with a monumental hill to climb. Despite the conditions put on the NWO, everyone still had the thought in the back of their mind that they were going to find a way to get involved, cheat the system like they had done so many times over the last several months. We knew they're in the arena, as we just saw them before the last commercial break, and others had earlier matches. Hogan jogged around the ring and stretched his arms while Luger still stood in the middle, rotating around with Hogan. The champion finally approached Luger as they stood for a moment in the middle of the ring and Hogan was seen sending some kind of verbal trash toward Luger. After a moment of that, Hogan shoved Luger, who only took a half step back. It was clear immediately that Hogan was intimidated by his inability to shove Luger back any further and did it again after Luger stepped back up to him. Luger finally had enough and gave Hogan a shove of his own, but this one cause Hogan to stumble back and fall to the opposite corner. The crowd let out a massive cheer as Luger stepped in toward the downed and bewildered Hogan and flexed his muscles. Hogan again had his jaw dropped and his eyes wide as he quickly exited the ring and walked around, rethinking his strategy, and possibly realizing what trouble he was in. Hogan climbed back in the ring after a count of 5, taking the steps back in and telling the referee to get Luger back, even though he remained standing in the center of the ring. Hogan took his time, obviously trying to control the pace of the match but the momentum was clearly on the side of the Total Package. He stepped in and approached Luger, wanting a test of strength, to which Luger happily obliged. The two locked up and the test seemed pretty even at first before Luger gained the leverage. Hogan slowly collapsed to his knees and cried out in pain, furiously shaking his head when the referee asked if he wanted to give up. Hogan was in the hold for what seemed like forever before he was able to work his way back up to his feet. A swift kick that looked suspiciously low got Luger to break the hold and this allowed Hogan to go on the offensive. He did several back rakes to Luger as he stalked him around the ring. In the corner, Hogan choked Luger and chopped him. With each hit, Hogan's confidence grew and so did his taunting. The light attacks turned into heavier ones; a belly to back suplex followed up with some rapid fire elbow drops. Hogan hit two before popping up to his feet and looking to go for a third before quickly pausing and choosing an eye rake with his boot instead. The referee admonished Hogan, but he couldn't care less. Heenan said that Hogan would prefer a disqualification in order to keep his title but Mike Tenay countered and said Ventura already said he was keeping a close eye on the match and would surely restart it in the event of a purposeful DQ. Almost sensing the commentary, Hogan took off his weightlifting belt and looked to hit Luger with the strap, which he did, testing the referee's leniency. JR said that Randy Anderson wasn't about to let Hogan get out of the match that easily, which is the only reason he didn't disqualify Hogan for that blatant hit. Seeing that he was getting a pass, Hogan whipped Luger a couple more times with the belt, each time a sickening "crack" echoed through the arena followed by Luger's agonizing yell. Red welts were beginning to be visible on Luger's back where the leather belt made contact. Referee Randy Anderson finally had enough of the foreign object and got in Hogan's face, much to the delight of the crowd, admonished him, complete with a finger in his face, and snatched the belt out of his grasp. Hogan grabbed Anderson by the shirt and threatened to punch him but Anderson was almost daring the champion to do it. It was audibly heard on camera when Anderson told him to "go ahead, you're still not getting out that easy!" While Hogan was focused on threatening the referee, Luger fought his way up to his feet and found the discarded weight belt. He picked it up and looked at it, then looked to the crowd, who started getting louder and louder, urging Luger to get some payback. Luger let out another yell as he turned toward Hogan, who still had Randy Anderson by the shirt, and cocked his arm back. Luger swung forward and hit Hogan in the back with the belt. Hogan immediately cried out and dropped his grasp on the referee. Turnabout's fair play as Luger then began whipping Hogan with his own belt as he tip toed in pain around the ring as Luger continued to whip him. Inflicting enough damage, Luger tossed the belt out of the ring, gave Hogan another flex that got the crowd fired up even more, and sent him to the ropes. On rebound, Luger hit a clothesline that dropped Hogan to the mat. He got up and Luger delivered another one, only for the sequence to repeat itself a couple more times. Hogan got up again and was met with an inverted Atomic Drop that caused Hogan to stumble back into the corner. Out for blood, Luger closed in quickly and mounted the ropes, dishing out a 10-count punch that the crowd loudly counted along with. Luger rushed forward for another clothesline but Hogan ducked. On the rebound, they both struck each other with a double clothesline and the two lay on their backs on the mat. Anderson started to administer the double 10 count as they start to lay, sweaty and out of breath, on the mat. Hogan got up first and went to a corner, where he started trying to remove a turnbuckle pad from the top rope. Luger followed shortly and approached Hogan but once he reached him, Hogan was able to kick back, hitting Luger with an obvious low blow this time, but the referee didn't see it as he was too close to both men. Hogan took the advantage and attacked Luger, hitting him with punches, kicks, and dragged his eyes across the top rope. There were a few pin attempts that weren't really serious attempts for Hogan to win the match but Luger still had to expel energy to kick out. Each blow was softening Luger up for what everyone watching knew was coming. Hogan hit a picture perfect bodyslam in the middle of the ring and then clapped his hands to the crowd, signaling it was time to end things. He mockingly cupped his hand to his ear like old times, getting loud boo's in return. Hogan bounced off the ropes and jumped for his Leg Drop, crashing hard on Luger. Hogan considered going for the pin but thought another Leg Drop was needed, but taunted out again to the crowd for some time before going for it again. He hit it again and Hogan motioned that Luger was finished as he went for the cover. Anderson got in position and counted, but to the amazement of everyone, Luger kicked out at 2!!! Luger fired up, almost in a way that he was the one "Hulking Up" in the match. The crowd was losing their minds as Luger got up and began surging, soaking up the energy of the crowd. Hogan tried to beg Luger off, with no luck. Luger backed Hogan into a corner and whipped him to the opposite side. Luger rushed in with a thundering clothesline as Hogan stumbled out of the corner. He hit a couple inverted Atomic Drops and Hogan was reeling. Luger then hit a couple more clotheslines before hopping up and signaling for the Torture Rack!! The crowd was going nuts and the commentary booth was saying the NWO has to be seething in the back, desperate to run out to save their leader. Luger grabbed Hogan and lifted him in position for the Torture Rack, wrenching on the world champions back. The arena exploded and Randy Anderson also lost his mind when Hogan flailed his arm to submit at 14:40 and we have a new world heavyweight champion as the bell sounded!!! Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Lex Luger Rating: 69 - Following the bell, the fans in the arena are going nuts, so loud that they drown out Luger's theme music playing. The referee awards the title belt to Luger who holds it high in the air as he collapses onto the mat. The image of Nitro fades out with Lex Luger celebrating with his newly won title! - Rating: 68 Final Show Rating: 80 Edited April 24 by Henderson 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 Just to give some insight about the last show; Hogan actually didn't block the loss. I booked a straight, clean, submission win and knew for weeks that this was the direction I wanted to go. I had been preparing myself for the inevitable creative control block notification and had been trying to think of possible ways to continue the direction I wanted to go and limiting pissing Hogan off as much as possible. So when it came time to book the match, I set it all up and clicked book, expecting the result to be blocked. Amazingly, there was no notification and the match was booked. I thought for sure something was off and thought maybe the notification wouldn't be until I went to run the show, so I did and it went through. I have absolutely no idea how or why Hogan had no complaint, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. As to the match rating; it bombed because I failed to associate a storyline with the match. I guess in my preparation to be blocked, I forgot to add a storyline. It's too bad that slight completely caused a match of that caliber to bomb. It's an unfortunate part of the game. Ordinarily a storyline would automatically attach and you wouldn't have to manually do it but Hogan and Luger are not directly involved in a storyline with each other at the moment and I didn't involve anyone else in the match to auto tag it. Luger's celebration angle bombed because I made it too short. Again, it's an unfortunate mechanic of the game because in real life, I don't think fans would complain about Luger celebrating with the title for 3 minutes rather than 5, but whatever...... All in all, I was pretty disappointed by the show but I'm hoping the following shows make up for it. I hope people are still enjoying this dynasty. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted Monday at 09:19 PM Share Posted Monday at 09:19 PM It's weird enough seeing Steve Austin and Jim Ross in 1997 WCW, but now we got Jesse Ventura! AND the Headbangers?? Talk about a random duo to be under Turner's roof. 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henderson Posted Tuesday at 03:08 AM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 03:08 AM 5 hours ago, DHK1989 said: It's weird enough seeing Steve Austin and Jim Ross in 1997 WCW, but now we got Jesse Ventura! AND the Headbangers?? Talk about a random duo to be under Turner's roof. 😂 In fairness, I grabbed JR before I had plans to make this a dynasty and I wanted the top announcer in the game, so I had to find a way to incorporate it into this! As for the Headbangers, it's sort of the same deal. I was trying to find some teams to fill out the division. Needless to say, I'm not overly impressed so far. Austin is another story. Early on, I felt like it'd be cheap to sign him, almost cheating in a way, so I gave a period of time for the WWF to sign him. They never did and wanted to sign Warrior instead. I will not, though, sign Rocky Miavia. He's been a free agent forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHK1989 Posted Tuesday at 08:03 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 08:03 PM Gotta give WWF SOMETHING it seems. 😛 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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