wrestling / Video Reviews
From The Network- A Batch of Nitro (Episodes 1-4)
Loading... WCW Monday Nitro
9-4-95
Minneapolis, MN
Your hosts are Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan, and Steve “Mongo” McMichael.
The Mall of America atmosphere is cool for the first show and already gave Nitro a unique feel right off the bat.
Jushin Liger vs. Brian Pillman
Capo kick in the corner by Liger to start and he hits an Asai moonsault for 2. Chin lock by Liger but Pillman comes back with a slingshot head scissors. Pillman hits a second rope hurricanrana for 2. Snap mare and Pillman goes to the rear abdominal stretch. He converts it into a cover for 2 and Liger drop toe holds Pillman into the Mexican Surfboard. He converts it into the chinlock to stretch the back of Pillman. Tilt-a-whirl head scissors by Pillman and he charges but Liger backdrops him to the floor. Summersault senton off the apron by Liger and he tries to suplex Pillman back in but he blocks and suplexes Liger to the floor. Pillman goes up and he hits a crossbody to the floor onto Liger!!! Back in, Pillman goes up but Liger crotches him and follows up. Superplex by Liger gets 2. Liger goes up and he leaps but Pillman dropkicks him on the way down for 2!!! Powerbomb by Liger gets 2. Liger puts Pillman on top and follows up with the Frankensteiner for 2!!! Tornado DDT by Pillman gets 2. Pillman counters a German suplex into a wheelbarrow roll-up for 3!!!
Winner- Brian Pillman ***1/2 (Great choice of opener for Nitro’s debut. It already differentiated itself from Raw, with high flying non-stop action and it was a preview of the Cruiserweight style that would be a major focus of Nitro in the later years. )
Hulk Hogan is signing autographs at his Pastamania shop at the Mall of America. He shills his pasta during his promo and says with the power of his pasta, he will beat Big Bubba tonight.
Ric Flair vs. Sting
Before the match, LEX LUGER COMES OUT!!!!!! His WWF contract had just expired and he worked their PPV the night before. Press slam by Sting and he hits a second one. Hip toss and a dropkick by Sting and Flair bails. Back in, Flair pokes the eye of Sting and he chops away in the corner. Flair fires away but it has no effect on Sting. Press slam by Sting and Flair comes back with a crossbody knocking both men all the way to the floor. Sting presses Flair back into the ring and he goes for the Stinger Splash but misses. Sting comes back with a bulldog and he charges in the corner but eats elbow as we go to break.
Back and Flair goes up. Sting stops him and presses Flair off the top. Another press slam by Sting gets 2 as Arn Anderson makes his way out. Sting goes up but misses a flying splash. Delayed suplex by Flair has no effect and Sting cleans house. Clothesline on the apron by Sting and he hits some punches in the corner. Hip toss by Sting and he puts Flair on top. Sting follows and Flair fights him off. They exchange counters and Sting gets a backslide for 2. Sting puts Flair on top and he follows up. Superplex by Sting and Sting spends some time looking at Arn, allowing Flair to clip him. Figure-4 by Flair and he uses the ropes for added leverage. The ref catches Flair and he refuses to break so the ref DQs him. Arn Anderson comes in and he begins to brawl with Flair. Flair is able to get away from Arn and heads to the back.
Winner by DQ- Sting ***1/2 (This is every Flair/Sting match that you have ever seen and that’s not a bad thing. The finish sucked but Flair had to look like a scumbag heading into his match with Arn at Fall Brawl so I guess it served a purpose.)
Scott Norton confronts Eric Bischoff about his contract and gets into a face to face with Mongo. Randy Savage comes out and he confronts Norton. Savage wants a match right now but Bischoff will not allow it.
Video package for Sabu airs.
Michael Walstreet says he will be a real player in WCW.
Big Bubba Rogers vs. Hulk Hogan w/Jimmy Hart
Hogan overpowers Rogers to start and Rogers hammers away in the corner to come back. Avalanche by Rogers and Hogan fights back with rights. Rogers pokes the eye to end that and he hits a back breaker. Rogers works over Hogan in the corner and he charges in the corner but eats boot. Punches on the mat by Hogan but the ref pulls him off. Rogers catches Hogan with a shot and he jumps on Hogan in the ropes. Rogers goes after Jimmy Hart on the floor but Hogan attacks to save. Back in, Hogan chokes Rogers with Hart’s jacket and he hits some punches in the corner. Corner clothesline by Hogan and he works over Rogers in the corner. Slam by Hogan and he hits some elbow drops. Hogan hammers Rogers on the mat and he slams Hogan on the floor. Rogers misses the avalanche in the corner and Hogan hits some rights. Rogers catches him with the Bossman Slam for 2 as HOGAN IS HULKING UP~!!!! Big boot by Hogan and he hits the leg drop for 3.
Winner- Hulk Hogan * (This was basic Hogan vs. big man formula but in 1995, this formula was no longer working and the crowd didn’t care for this at all.)
After the match, the Dungeon of Doom comes out to attack Hogan but Lex Luger comes out to help Hogan clear the ring!!! Hogan and Luger face off as we go to break.
Back and Hogan asks why Luger is here. Luger says he is here because he wants to take the championship from the real World Champion. He says he has been down the road Hogan has and he wants to get it on with the big boys in WCW. Hogan says if Luger shakes his hand right now, Luger gets a title shot next week. Luger accepts!!!
9-11-95
Miami, FL
Sabu vs. Alex Wright
Sabu takes Wright down to start and he hits a springboard basement leg lariat. Hurricanrana takes both men to the floor and he hits a baseball slide. Slingshot summersault pescado by Sabu to the floor and he sets up a chair. Sabu goes for Air Sabu but misses and crashes into the railings!!! Uppercuts by Wright and he dropkicks Sabu on the floor. Slam on the floor by Wright and back in, Wright hits a missile dropkick knocking Sabu back to the floor. Baseball slide by Wright and he hits a suicide plancha to the floor!!! Back in, Sabu goes up but Wright stops him and follows up. Superplex by Wright but Sabu comes back with another springboard leg lariat. German suplex by Wright gets 2. Wright goes up but Sabu stops him and follows up. Victory Roll Slam off the top by Sabu gets 3. After the match, Sabu puts Wright on a table on the floor and he leaps off the top, driving him through the table!!! The ref DQs Sabu for his actions.
Winner by DQ- Alex Wright **1/2 (The match fell apart at the finish but the rest of the match was crazy where they threw everything at each other. It was like an early preview of what the ECW and later Independent style would later become.)
Ric Flair comes out and says the only thing missing on his night out in Miami was Double A. Flair talks about how he and Arn could do anything tomorrow and says the Four Horsemen symbol is the symbol of excellence. Lex Luger comes out and Flair puts him over. Flair declares Hulk Hogan falls to Luger tonight.
WCW US Championship- Sting © vs. VK Walstreet
Bischoff fires his second shot in the Monday Night War by informing us Shawn Michaels beat the big man (Psycho Sid) with a super kick on Raw. Rights by Sting and he hits a hip toss. Dropkicks by Sting and he sends Walstreet hard into the corner. Walstreet bails and back in, he dumps Sting to the floor. Sting comes back with a slingshot shoulder block that comes up short. Head butt to the midsection by Walstreet and he hits a back elbow. Elbow drops by Walstreet and Sting comes back with a sunset flip for 2. Rights by Sting and he hits a clothesline. Flying knee to the back by Sting and he hits the Stinger Splash. Sting goes up and he hits a crossbody off the top for 3.
Winner and Still WCW US Champion- Sting *1/2 (This was nothing special and this looked downright ugly at points.)
Scott Norton vs. Randy Savage
Norton attacks Savage as he enters the ring and hits a short arm clothesline. Norton blocks a sunset flip and he tosses Savage away. Hip toss by Savage and he clotheslines Norton to the floor. Savage goes up and hits a double axe handle off the top to the back of Norton. Back in, Savage clotheslines Norton and he goes up. He leaps but Norton catches him in the bear hug. Norton works the back of Savage and he hits a powerbomb for 2. Back breakers by Norton and he hits a press slam on Savage. Powerslam by Norton gets 2. Flying shoulder block by Norton knocks Savage back to the floor. Hanging DDT back in by Norton and he goes up. He leaps but Savage swats him down. Flying knee to the back by Savage and he hits a back elbow. He throws some jabs at Norton as the Dungeon of Doom comes out. Savage sends Norton into Shark who collapses onto Norton, who can’t move!!! Flying elbow drop by Savage gets 3!!!
Winner- Randy Savage **1/4 (They made Scott Norton look like a beast throughout the match and the finish didn’t make him look bad since the Dungeon of Doom screwed up their interference. However, the Dungeon of Doom comes off looking like geeks for two straight weeks so who the hell thought they were a threat to Hogan and Savage in any way.)
WCW World Championship- Hulk Hogan w/Jimmy Hart © vs. Lex Luger
Feeling out process to start and Hogan catches Luger with a drop toe hold. Suplex by Hogan but Luger pops right up!!! Suplex by Luger but now Hogan pops right up. Luger bails and back in, Hogan hits a back drop. Corner clothesline by Hogan and he charges in the corner but misses. Powerslam by Luger and he grabs the Torture Rack!!!! Hogan’s arm only goes down twice and Luger releases the hold, thinking he won the match. He covers Hogan for 2 and HOGAN IS HULKING UP~!!!! Rights by Hogan and he hits the big boot. Leg Drop by Hogan but the Dungeon of Doom comes out for the DQ!!!
Winner by DQ- Hulk Hogan *1/2 (This had the big main event atmosphere and Luger looked good in his first post-WWF appearance. Finish was a cheap cop-out but at least this time the Dungeon of Doom set up some storyline stuff.)
Sting and Randy Savage help Hogan fight off the Dungeon of Doom and when the ring is cleared; Hogan and Luger begin a shoving match as we go to break.
Back and Hogan says it’s bad that Vader has gone AWOL for Fall Brawl but he noticed that Luger wasn’t attacked by the Dungeon of Doom so he wants to know what side he is on. Savage asks the same thing but Sting tells Hogan and Savage that Luger could be the fourth man for their team. Savage would rather go 4 on 3 but Sting wants Luger to join them. Savage now questions Sting and Jimmy Hart’ allegiance to Hogan and Savage but Hogan finally decides to ask Luger if he wants to be part of the team. Luger says he’ll join the team but he wants another title shot down the line.
9-18-95
Johnson City, TN
The Giant and Kevin Sullivan arrive in an ambulance and the Giant declares himself the one true immortal. The Giant wants Hogan to dream and think about what he did to him at Fall Brawl.
American Males (Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Scotty Riggs) vs. Blue Bloods (Steven Regal and Bobby Eaton)
As the Blue Bloods come out, Harlem Heat attacks Bobby Eaton and toss him backstage. Harlem Heat enter the ring and Booker T says the Blue Bloods didn’t belong. They proved they were the best tag team last night and they’ll prove it by putting the belts up right now!!!!
WCW World Tag Team Championships- Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) w/Sister Sherri © vs. American Males (Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Scotty Riggs)
Both teams brawl to start and Stevie officially starts with Riggs. Stevie works Riggs over in the corner but the Males come back with a double dropkick. Stevie catches Bagwell with a sidewalk slam and Booker tags in. Booker catches Bagwell with a powerslam but he misses a leg drop. Tag to Riggs and Stevie nails him with a knee to the back, allowing Booker to hit a Scissors Kick. Tag to Stevie and he stomps away on Riggs. Leg lariat by Booker gets 2 and he tags Stevie to block a sunset flip. Slam by Stevie and Booker tags in. Summersault leg drop misses and Bagwell tags in. He cleans house on Harlem Heat but he misses a dropkick on Stevie. Col. Robert Parker comes out and he grabs Sherri and starts to walk out with her. Bagwell counters the Pumphandle Slam into a cover for 3!!!
Winners and NEW WCW World Tag Team Champions- American Males *1/2 (I understand the title change as they wanted shock value but the whole segment had too much going on and crowd didn’t react to the Males’ upset all that much.)
Ric Flair comes out and says Arn Anderson broke their code last night by getting an outsider involved in their conflict. Flair promises to chop Brian Pillman so hard Boomer Esiason will feel it in Long Island and he will find Arn Anderson so he can kick his ass.
Paul Orndorff vs. Johnny B. Badd
Paul Orndorff has the most obnoxious theme music in wrestling history and it’s fantastic. Dropkick to the leg by Orndorff and he stomps away on Badd. He chokes away on Badd in the corner and he throws some knees at Badd. Hip toss by Badd and he hits a slam. Badd goes up and leaps but eats boot on the way down as we go to break.
Back and Badd goes for a big splash but eats knees. Orndorff goes up for a flying splash but he misses. Lefts by Badd and Orndorff bails. Slingshot pescado to the floor by Badd and back in, Badd goes up. Double axe handle off the top by Badd gets 2. Badd backdrops out of a piledriver and he cleans house. Orndorff blocks a sunset flip for 3!!!
Winner- Paul Orndorff ** (Orndorff can still go and the match was solid but again, the crowd wasn’t invested in either guy so they sat on their hands and only reacted to the big spots.)
We see footage of Randy Savage bench pressing on the set of Baywatch and Kevin Sullivan attacks him. Ric Flair and a couple of other wrestlers help pull Sullivan off.
Randy Savage comes out and says to kill a snake you have to take its head off, which he plans on doing to Kevin Sullivan. Savage says Hulk Hogan is a terrible judge of character and claims Lex Luger nailed Savage with a cheap shot during War Games. He says you are either with him or against him. Savage says he predicts Luger, Jimmy Hart, and Sting will become members of the Dungeon of Doom. Luger comes out and claims Savage has a personal agenda. Savage wants to go right now but Luger is staying calm.
Brian Pillman vs. Ric Flair
Pillman chops away in the corner to start but Flair returns the favor. Pillman misses a dropkick and Flair works over Pillman in the corner. He dumps Pillman to the floor and goes up. Double axe handle off the top by Flair and he works over Pillman on the floor. Pillman snaps Flair’s neck off the ropes and he chokes away. Back in, Pillman chops Flair in the corner and Flair comes back with a clothesline from the apron. Flair goes up and leaps but Pillman dropkicks him on the way down for 2. Pillman slams Flair’s arm off the post and Flair fights back on the floor. Flair drops Pillman on the railings and Pillman tries a sunset flip back in but Pillman blocks. Flair hammers away on Pillman and he goes up. Pillman tosses Flair off the top and he goes up. Flying splash misses and Flair goes for the Figure-4 but Pillman counters with a small package for 2. They collide mid-ring and both men are down. Back suplex by Flair and he grabs the Figure-4. Pillman gives.
Winner- Ric Flair **1/2 (Decent match that served its purpose of giving Flair a bit of revenge from Fall Brawl while still keeping the Flair/Anderson saga going.)
After the match, Flair says since Anderson is not here, then next week will be the week that Anderson gets his ass kicked.
9-25-95
Florence, SC
Alex Wright vs. Disco Inferno
Inferno attacks at the bell to start and he hits a back elbow. Inferno dumps Wright to the floor and Wright comes back with a springboard dropkick to the back. Spinning heel kick by Wright gets 2. Wright dumps Disco and he hits a suicide plancha to the floor. Back in, Disco comes back with a sloppy stun gun and he works over the neck of Wright. Hip check in the corner by Disco and he hits a clothesline. Short arm clothesline by Disco and he goes up. Wright dropkicks Disco, bringing him down to the mat. Rights by Wright and he knocks Disco down with an uppercut. Back elbow by Wright gets 2. Back suplex by Disco and Wright catches Disco with a backslide for 3.
Winner- Alex Wright ** (Decent match to start the show, as they showcased two of WCW’s younger talents and crowd was into both of their acts.)
Hulk Hogan promises he’s coming back for the Giant. He challenges The Giant to a Monster Truck brawl and then he’ll put the WCW World Championship on the line against Giant. He promises to lay The Giant to rest next to his father at Halloween Havoc.
Lex Luger comes out to confront Randy Savage and says their issue is a lack of respect. He says his wars with Hogan and Sting have given him mutual respect for them so he wants to go to war with Savage next week. Luger says he’ll put his title shot on the line against Savage and he’ll put his career in WCW on the line. Savage agrees to the match.
Kurasawa w/Col. Robert Parker vs. Sgt. Craig Pittman
Head butt to the midsection by Pittman and he hits a flying head butt. Pittman works the arm and Kurasawa fights back with kicks, knocking Pittman to the floor. Baseball slide by Kurasawa and exposes the mats on the floor. Backdrop on the exposed floor by Kurasawa and back in, Kurasawa stomps away on Pittman. Kurasawa works the arm of Pittman and he grabs an arm bar but Pittman goes to the ropes to break. Pittman backdrops Kurasawa to the floor and he hits a running head butt to the midsection knocking Kurasawa off the apron. Pittman works over Kurasawa’s shoulder on the floor and back in, Pittman hits a hammerlock suplex. Code Red by Pittman but Kurasawa gets in the ropes to break. Pittman blocks a Fujiwara arm bar and Kurasawa catches him with a German suplex for 3.
Winner- Kurasawa * (Not a good match at all. The crowd could have cared less about this and Pittman is pretty terrible in the ring.)
Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman say Flair has reached an all-time low since losing to Double A at Fall Brawl. Pillman says he and Arn will hospitalize anyone that gets in their path. Arn says he excels in tag wrestling and he explains why Flair is having a hard time finding a partner for Halloween Havoc.
Kevin Sullivan w/Zodiac vs. Randy Savage
Savage chases Sullivan to start and Zodiac catches Savage with a clothesline on the floor. He sends Savage into the post and back in, Sullivan works over Savage. He dumps Savage to the floor and he crotches Savage on the railings. He knocks Savage off the railings with a clothesline and back in, Sullivan dumps Savage to the floor again. Sullivan follows and Savage backdrops him on the floor. Back in, Savage goes up and hits a double axe handle off the top. Savage pulls Zodiac into the ring and hits a back elbow. Savage tosses the ref away so he could continue to go after Zodiac and the ref calls for the bell. Savage stacks up Sullivan and Zodiac and he hits the flying elbow drop onto Zodiac as Sullivan moves. The Giant comes out and he chokeslams Savage. Some jobbers come out to save Savage but Giant lays them all out. Giant gives Alex Wright a bear hug as he was coming off the top and then he drops him. Lex Luger comes out and he goes after Giant. Giant catches him with a chokeslam and he’s down along with Savage.
Winner by DQ- Kevin Sullivan *1/2 (It was an OK brawl for the time given but all the post-match stuff was pretty good as it made Giant look like a killer while generating more intrigue in Savage/Luger.)
Lex Luger vs. Meng
Meng attacks Luger and he chokes away on him while he is still recovering from the Giant. Piledriver by Meng gets 2. Meng continues to choke away on Luger and he hits a suplex for 2. Double nerve hold by Meng but Luger fights out. Gut wrench back breaker by Meng gets 2. Meng stomps away and he goes to the chinlock. Leg drop by Meng gets 2 and he goes back to the chinlock. Luger attempts to fight out again so Meng knocks him down. Samoan Drop by Meng and he goes up. He leaps but Luger side steps him. Corner clothesline by Luger and he stomps away in the corner. Meng pulls out the Tonga Spike and he nails Luger for 3.
Winner- Meng * (This was a dull main event that just dragged on. Meng was horrible here; he did nothing to engage the crowd and is a prime example why the Dungeon of Doom was an epic failure. They never adjusted their style or attitude to appeal to 1995 so their stuff comes across as stale and boring.)
