wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 5.12.97
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Written: 5.2.97
-Run Time: 44:50
-If you like these Retro Reviews, give my book covering 1996 WCW/WWF PPVs a look. It is on sale at Amazon in Kindle and paperback form. Click below!
Leighty’s Retro Wrestling PPV Reviews: 1996 WWF and WCW
-This the third one-hour show in a row thanks to the NBA playoffs on TNT. Knicks beat the Heat 89-76 to take a 3-1 series lead. The Jazz beat The Lakers 98-93 in OT to close out that series in five games. This has been your NBA on TNT playoff recap for this week.
-Announce Team: Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, MD
-Michael Buffer starts the show and tells us to get ready to rumble. Big feel to this show already.
-Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth head down to the ring and Savage doesn’t have crutches for the first time since Spring Stampede. Savage notes he is healed because DDP attacked him from behind last week and it got his adrenaline going. DDP is now the one using crutches and if he hobbles out here, he will slap him Hollywood style.
-We go to the announce desk and Tony tells us that Eric Bischoff has claimed Sting wants a one-on-one interview with him tonight.
WCW World Television Championship: Ultimo Dragon (c) (w/ Sonny Onoo) vs. Juventud Guerrera
-Regal gets an insert promo and is going back to his carnival roots to get back The TV Title. Lockup and Dragon gets shoved off and gets a shoulder tackle. Juvie throws forearms and springs off the top with a cross-body for two. Head scissors sends Dragon to the floor. Back in Dragon flips to counter a backdrop and fires off his rapid kicks. Tilt-a-whirl into a over the shoulder back breaker from Dragon. That gets a OHHH from the crowd. Sleeper, but he lets go because we need to keep the pace going. Dragon misses a clothesline and Juvie lands a spin kick for two. Perfect-plex gets two. Juvie goes for a rana, but Dragon powerbombs him. Dragon misses a moonsault but lands on his feet. Juvie gets a sunset flip reversal for two. Dragon with a lionsault press for two. Juvie blocks a suplex and sits down for a two count, but Dragon rolls back for another two count. Dragon blocks a charge in the corner and they fight up top. They fight into a position where Dragon gets a top rope superplex, which again, pops the crowd. They trade standing switches and both end up on the floor. They trade forearms and Dragon goes to the eyes. Dragon in first to get the ref which lets Sonny trip Juvie. He goes after Sonny, but Dragon sling shots to the floor with a kick. Sonny they lands a hook kick for good measure. Up top they go again and Dragon gets a rana and a Dragon Sleeper finishes at 5:14.
Winner and Still WCW World Television Champion: The Ultimo Dragon via submission at 5:14
-Crazy, fast paces for this one with a rather subdued crowd other than for a few spots and Sonny getting involved. Fun match though! ***1/4
-Gene is in the ring and brings out Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, and Kevin Greene. Greene cuts a good fired up promo. He was a massive wrestling fan and he took this seriously, which I applaud. In Charlotte he will break his foot off in the ass of the nWo. Flair doesn’t really say much as he kind of let Piper handle this one. The Outsiders and Syxx pop up on the screen and we get a “down where? Right here,” from Hall and Nash. Syxx then insinuates he is smashing Flair’s wife each morning. Nash says the match will be no DQ and no count-out because they call the shots.
Dean Malenko vs. Mongo (w/ Debra and Jeff Jarrett)
-Mongo badmouths Reggie White as he makes his way to the ring. Wild times in sports as WCW got two active NFL superstars and later an NBA all-star to wrestle on PPV. That will never happen with the risk of injuries and how much money teams spend for these players now. Interesting enough, this is a battle of Horsemen since Dean eventually made the group. Mongo swats Dean away as he tries a dropkick and then starts stomping away. Dean blocks a charge and hits a dropkick on the knee. He goes for the Cloverleaf, but Mongo blocks and chokes Dean on the bottom rope. Mongo with a reverse chinlock as the crowd starts a weak “Reggie” chant. Jarrett trips Dean behind the ref’s back and Mongo decks him. He goes for a slam and the ref accidentally gets bumped to the floor. Reggie White is out and now the chant is louder. JJ gets involved again and Mongo gets the upperhand. White reverses a whip and the place pops as Reggie hits a clothesline. He hits a splash and then shoves JJ off the apron. Dean gets a roll-up and the ref is back in to count the pin at 3:15. Heenan notes Mongo was in a 10 minute match when Reggie attacked him. Just a little off there Brain, but you’re still awesome.
Winner: Dean Malenko via pin at 3:15
-This did nothing for Dean as it was all about Reggie and Mongo. Nothing match with tons of interference, but the crowd was into Reggie. 1/2*
-Reggie cuts a promo and notes Green Bay will always be better than the Bears. Well, not this past season. Still can’t believe GB blew that playoff game.
-Lee Marshall is On The Road with 1-800-Collect in Asheville, NC. Weasel joke! Larry: “Do you owe him money? He’s always on you.” Brain: “Oh, he’s horrible.” That made me laugh!
Scott Riggs vs. Wrath (w/ James Vanderberg and Mortis)
-This is Wrath’s in ring debut after spending the last few weeks beating Glacier down. Riggs is toast here as he should be. Much cooler character than Adam Bomb. Speaking of which a few people in the crowd start an “Adam Bomb” chant. Riggs misses a clothesline and hits a dropkick and another. Nothing doing though. Spinning backbreaker from Wrath. He throws knees in the corner and hits a modified Rock Bottom for the pin at 1:03.
Winner: Wrath via pin at 1:03
-Actually should have been a better SQUASH. Wrath just hits two moves. SQUASH
-Glacier is out, but he just stares as we go to a commercial break.
Konan and Hugh Morrus (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Alex Wright and Ice Train (Wunder Train?)
-Members of The Ravens are in the front row including Ray Lewis. I won’t make any jokes. I will note he cheated in his last playoff run with deer antler spray (allegedly) and that was PI on Crabtree in The Super Bowl. Ed Reed was also off sides on the 2 point conversion that would have tied the game. Okay, I am good now. DOD charges at the bell and Alex Wright bails to the floor, leaving his partner alone. We settle down to Train and Morrus. Train reverses a whip and gets a powerslam. Wright now wants a tag and the crowd boos him. It seems they are in the wrong corners, so Hart has to tell Konan to move down the apron. Wright gets Morrus angry, so he tags out as Train isn’t looking. Train takes the beating ad Wright jumps to the floor and dances. Morrus misses a charge in the corner and Train hits a splash of his own. He goes to tag Wright, but Alex has a bad knee. Konan attacks from behind as Wright limps away. He shoves Teddy Long and leaves. Morrus with a spinning neckbreaker. No Laughing Matter, but instead Morrus just jumps down and drops an elbow. What’s up with that? Konan gets the submission at 3:20. Oh, Larry also noted that Train had to feel like he was in The Twilight Zone. I love me some Twilight Zone and especially the original series. Some of my favorites: The Howling Man, Time Enough At Last, To Serve Man, Back There, and I could keep naming actually.
Winners: Konan and Hugh Morrus via pin at 3:20
-This was a wreck and even the crowd was confused by the ending as they were ready for No Laughing Matter. Wright leaning heel is fine as he is getting booed anyway, but this was bad. DUD
-We see what happened last week with the nWo destroying everyone to end the show, but we go back live as a camera is running to the back. They find Syxx and Nash leaving Piper’s dressing room with a chair. Piper is down, holding his hip, and is screaming in pain. Syxx: “Thug life.” I guess they weren’t in Charlotte. Security rushes in too late and close the door. I appreciate the cameraman had to run to the back instead of just being there.
-Eric Bischoff is out for his interview with Sting. After some stalling it is of course nWo Sting and this time even the announcers aren’t buying it. The crowd is just waiting for the real Sting as Bischoff tells this “Sting” he will never measure up to Hulk Hogan. The real Sting wanders down and Eric and “Sting” are just a tad concerned. He fakes hitting “Sting” with the bat and then lands a punch before hitting The Scorpion Death Drop. Eric bails and leaves through the crowd as the show closes.
-Thanks for reading!
