wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Hog Wild ’96
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-We continue with 1996 as I have three shows to do this month and then Fall Brawl in September to complete the year. I will rank every PPV match from WCW and WWF once I get Fall Brawl finished as I well, and then I will have to find something else for this Retro Series. Now for this show, Eric Bischoff likes to ride motorcycles and had this idea where he would have a PPV live from The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. They claim 250,000 people because that is the attendance for the entire rally, so I guess you could say they aren’t lying, lying. I will say it is a cool looking setting as WCW was always good for taking chances like this. Now the crowd, well, we will get to that.
-Announce Team: Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Date: August 10, 1996
-Sturgis, SD
-Attendance: 5000
-PPV Buys: 220,000 (This was a special Saturday night show which seemed weird at the time.)
WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Mysterio Jr (c) vs. Ultimo Dragon (w/Sonny Onno)
-Mike Tenay joins the booth as per usual. Tony asks Bobby where his tattoo is. Heenan: “I don’t draw on myself.” Tell ‘em Brain! Oh, that’s right. This show is fresh off the heels of nWo destroying WCW in the backlot at Disney MGM (now Hollywood Studios). That is where Rey was lawn-darted by Nash into the side of a trailer in one of the most memorable bumps of all time. Go find it on YouTube or Peacock or wherever. It was great and it is no wonder, with stuff like that, WCW was kicking the crap out of WWF at this time. Now as mentioned, this is an outdoor show and the ring is on a raised platform so the crowd can see better. Early mat sequence to start as Tenay notes this is the first meeting between the two. Rey is rocking his Spider-man mask tonight. He was way ahead of the superhero craze that was about to dominate pop-culture in ways nobody ever imagined. Dragon with a chinlock and he releases to get a slam. The crowd starts a USA Chant and Dragon is smart enough to sell it. Heenan makes jokes to insult any of our Mexican friends that may be watching. Dragon with a spin-wheel kick. They try to show each other up with springboard moonsaults and it’s a stalemate, but this crowd isn’t impressed as others would be. Instead they just wants to chant USA. Dragon goes through his series of kicks and gets a sweet dropkick that sends Rey flying back across the ring. Handspring elbow in the corner like Muta from Dragon! Running Powerbomb, but no cover from Dragon. Instead he goes to a Figure-Four as the crowd continues to let us know this show is taking place in the United States. Dusty verifies that he never won a match against Rey Mysterio Jr with this hold. Oh man, now I want to see Dusty vs. Rey for some reason! Can you imagine Rey trying to fly around the ring against Dusty. The crowd would love it. Tenay mentions Jushin Liger was found to have a brain tumor. Hearing that in 1996 was heavy and then Liger was back in the ring before the end of the year. Dragon continues to dominate and gets an upside down surfboard. Rey falls back for a two count, but goes back to selling his knee. Rey comes off the top with a springboard dropkick that sends Dragon to the floor. Baseball slide knocks Dragon off the platform and to the dirt. Rey springs off the top and clears everything to crash on Dragon on the dirt. That looked great because he came flying into the screen. No wonder this man needed so many knee surgeries. Back in the ring Rey springs again, but Dragon catches him with a dropkick. Damn! Dragon gets the fake move that Rey uses and hits a slingshot crossbody that sounded painful thanks to the platform they are wrestling on. There are mats, but you could hear the wood as they went splat. Back in the ring Dragon gets a German Suplex into a bridge for two. Quebrada, but no cover. Dragon up top and a moonsault gets two. Another running powerbomb is countered into a head scissors. To the corner and Rey tries a top rope rana, but Dragon shoves off. Rey then springs back up to get the rana and the pin at 11:35 to retain.
Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Rey Mysterio Jr via pin at 11:34
-Sweet match here as the division was really taking off now that Rey was off and running. Dragon made a good impression and it didn’t take long for him to get himself over either. The bump all the way to the dirt floor by Rey was crazy though. ***3/4
-Gene plugs his Hotline!
Scott Norton vs. Ice Train
-Train has his arm and shoulder taped up thanks to an attack from The Giant (earlier on Saturday Night). FIRE AND ICE EXPLODE! The start throwing heavy blows and that’s all I want from this one. Just beat each other up and keep it short. Tony basically says the same thing minus the keep it short part. Somewhere Little Big E was probably enjoying this match. Norton goes after the shoulder as he sends Train into the ring post. Back in the ring Norton continues to work on the arm as they have to change camera angles thanks to the sun nearly blinding everyone at home. For those born much later than this show, you can see some of the cars that were popular in the mid 90s on the hillside above the crowd. MERICA ON FULL DISPLAY! Train makes his comeback, but gets cut off as Norton goes to the bad arm. Bobby is calling this one due to Train’s injury and Dusty thinks the ref may need to stop the match. More heavy shots from Norton, but he gets caught with a power slam for two. Clothesline from Train and another. Norton back to the arm and he gets a DDT. He hooks an armbar and Train submits at 5:04. Tony notes if the nWo is watching they don’t want any part of Norton. Probably why they got him to join the group!
Winner: Scott Norton via submission at 5:04
-It was short, but could have been shorter to really sell the Train injury. The psychology was good as Norton went after the arm and cut Train off anytime he was on the comeback by going at the arm. *1/2
-Video package on Flair as he talks about the nWo attacking Arn Anderson at Nitro. Flair is out for blood as they took out his best friend. He was cool with The Horsemen and the nWo existing together, but that’s out the window now. Flair says it’s on as it is survival of the fittest.
Bike Match: Madusa vs. Bull Nakano (w/ Sonny Onoo)
-Winner gets to take a sledgehammer to the loser’s motorcycle as it’s USA vs Japan! Nakano breaks out nunchucks and Dusty is losing his mind on commentary! I have said it over and over, but WCW commentary is awesome! Bull drives Madusa face first into the mat as we get a very loud USA chant. Madusa back with what would become a Sling Blade and then another. Bull back with a submission as she twists Madusa like a pretzel. Elevated DDT gets two. Snapmare by Bull into a chinlock as the crowd now starts a Harley chant. Harley Race is here? Medusa escapes and gets a rana into a pin for two. Spinwheel kick connects, but a second misses and Bull clubs her with a clothesline for two. Madusa gets a standing switch into a bridging German Suplex for two. Another try, but Bull gets one of her own for two. She holds it for another two count. Sunset flip from Medusa gets two! This is a little sloppy, but kind of works. Belly to back by Bull gets two though the ref’s hand hit three. No clue what happened there. Sonny thinks they won and grabs the sledge hammer and hits The Harley which freaks out the crowd. Madusa saves and destroys the Japanese bike to pop the crowd.
Winner: Madusa via pin at 5:00
-Replay showed that Madusa got her shoulder up while Bull’s were still on the mat. Not sure how the ref saw it and I think that is what led to the confusion. Match was solid as they hit each other hard at times, but a little sloppy and the ending was all kinds of confusing. *1/2
-The Steiners are surfing the net at CompuServe!
Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit (w/ Woman and Miss Elizabeth)
-Liz is rocking the leather tonight and looks absolutely amazing. There is a reason she was the first crush for a lot of us that grew up wrestling fans in the 80s. I have been watching SNME from the start on Peacock recently and there is a Halloween episode where she is wearing cheetah print as Jane and it’s jaw dropping. Tonight’s leather look is right up there. Yes, I just spent that many words talking about how great Liz looks. Now this match has gained a bit of fame for the crowd reaction and has become divisive among fans. The crow whistles at the women a lot as Benoit and Dean go face to face. They start trading right hands and to the corner where Benoit fires off some chops. He buries a knee to the gut and the crowd is crazy quiet. Yep, that’s what we are dealing with here. Malenko turns the tide and gets a sweet vertical suplex for two. Neckbreaker from Dean followed by an elbow gets another two count. Benoit back with a head butt and he lays the bad mouth. More heavy chops from Benoit and it gets a reaction from this crowd. They do a mat sequence into pin fall reversals and usually the crowd would applaud, but no dice on this night. Malenko gets a hip-toss and hooks a short arm scissors as Brain shouts out Pat O’Conner. Benoit rolls back to get a two count and then powers Malenko up on his shoulders and drops back with an Electric Chair to break. You can tell Heenan is enjoying this match though he is stretching the truth when he states the crowd loves what they are seeing. Benoit with a chinlock as the camera pans over the crowd. HEENAN KILLS IT AS HE DOES A REDNECK ACCENT: “I got a beard and an eagle on my back.” The pace starts to pick up and they collide in the middle of the ring leaving both men down. Benoit blocks a double axe off the top and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Top rope flying head butt gets a two count. Dusty notes that Nick Patrick is always fair. Foreshadowing! Malenko reverses into a Tombstone for two and then gets multiple two counts as he keeps forcing Benoit to use energy in kicking out. Cloverleaf is blocked and Benoit gets a small package for two. Malenko with a crossbody that sends both men over the top and to the floor. Back in the ring Malenko heads up top, but Benoit meets him up there and brings him down with a top rope superplex. Small package from Benoit gets a two count. Standing switch and Malenko gets a release German Suplex that looked fantastic! Small package from Benoit gets two! Short arm clothesline gets two, but a second one is ducked and Malenko gets his own for a two count. Bobby starts repeating jokes he made earlier and Dusty calls him out for it. Benoit with a Northern Lights Suplex for two and then a bridging German Suplex for two. We are told there are five minutes left in the match. Liontamer (the nasty looking one) from Benoit as we are down to four minutes. They head out to the floor where Benoit runs Malenko back first into the apron. Back in the ring Benoit gets a roll-up for two as we hit three minutes left. Victory Roll for Malenko gets two. They fight over a back-slide and Malenko wins that, but only gets two. Benoit goes for multiple covers, but Malenko is out each time. Powerbomb gets two! Sixty seconds to go, so Benoit heads up top and now Malenko is the one to snap off a superplex for two. Oklahoma Roll gets two and we hit the 20:00 time limit as Malenko hits a powerbomb. Patrick says there needs to be a winner, so we are getting an extra five minutes. The crowd boos the announcement. Benoit with a suplex for two and then a til-a-whirl backbreaker. Benoit hooks his own Texas Cloverleaf because he has tried everything else at this point. Benoit just releases the hold as he realizes Dean won’t give up. Malenko gets a desperation enziguiri to leave both men out as we are under three minutes left in this OT. They collie heads in the corner and both are down again. Benoit goes after the knee and hooks a knee-bar while twisting on the ankle. Benoit knows there are only sixty seconds left, so releases to stomp the knee and then goes back to the knee-bar. Under thirty seconds, but Dean is able to hang on as we hit the 25 minute limit. Tony wants another overtime, but this crowd wants nothing to do with this. They are just pissed and Bobby tries to sell it as they are booing because they thought Benoit had won. Nope, they just don’t care about these two men wrestling. Malenko goes after Benoit’s knee now, but misses a clothesline and Benoit gets a Dragon Suplex for two. They counter moves again and Benoit sits down to get another two count. Malenko holds the ropes to avoid a dropkick and that lets him hooks The Texas Cloverleaf. Benoit nearly gets to the ropes, so Malenko transfers to a crossfire. Woman gets involved and that distraction lets Benoit get a roll-up at 26:58.
Winner: Chris Benoit via pin at 26:58
-So you have some that will call this an all time classic no matter what the crowd was doing and others will say they failed because they couldn’t get the crowd to react to what they were doing. I think having months of matches inside empty warehouses during the pandemic made this easier to enjoy. Everything they did was crisp and hard hitting, but the atmosphere hurt a good bit. It may have been better without the start and stops and just let them go 27 minutes. I enjoyed it, but it can drag if you are into having the crowd invested. ***1/2
WCW World Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat (c) (w/ Sister Sherri and Colonel Parker) vs. The Steiner Brothers
-Harlem Heat are the heels, but there is something that is making the crowd just a little more hostile towards them. The bell sounds and the redneck crowd is just all over Harlem Heat and they are leaning into it as they yell right back at them. Man, I need New Jack to wrestle in front of this crowd. This is the most noise this crowd has made all night as they start revving up their bikes to annoy Harlem Heat. We are over two minutes into this match and nobody has touched yet. Finally, Scott Steiner blasts Booker from behind and gets a butterfly powerbomb. Stevie Ray in and he gets tossed across the ring and Rick is there with a Steiner-line. The Heat regroup on the apron as The Steiners hit their pose. We go again and Booker lands a knee to the gut. He misses a head kick and Scott press slams him to the mat. To the corner for the 10 count punches and the crowd is eating that up. Booker rolls to the floor and gets consoled by Sherri and Stevie. Rick kicks at Sherri which pops the crowd. Makes sense for this crowd! Stevie Ray gets the tag and he lays the boots to Scott. A boot is missed and Scott lands an overhead release suplex before tagging Rick. He gets in a forearm across the face as the bikes go crazy again. Stevie gets a boot up in the corner, but misses a clothesline and Scott hits a Steiner-line. Scott gets the tag and drops a headbutt to the abdomen as Dusty wonders if that was a little low. Stevie goes to the eyes and makes the tag to Booker. Another charge into a boot in the corner which lets Scott hit a belly to belly suplex. Rick back in and Booker thumbs him in the eye. Suplex is blocked and Rick gets one of his own for two. Sherri gets into it with a fan as she yells at someone and they respond “bite me.” When I watched this live at 15, I didn’t pick up on all this hate and heat for this match. Stevie cuts Rick off and hooks a chinlock. Tag to Booker as the crowd tries to get Rick going. He responds by catching Booker in the middle of a leap with a power slam for two. Tag to Scott and he hits a dropkick. No tag as Rick gets back in and the fans cover for The Steiners. Booker reverses a whip and Steiner gets low bridged over the top to the floor. Again, that sounded sick because of the stage the ring is set on. Stevie posts Rick on the floor and Sherri gets in a back rake. Back in the ring Booker misses a side kick and gets hung up on the top rope. Stevie gets the tag and cuts off Rick before going back to a chinlock. The fans start pelting the ring with garbage. Rick breaks free, but runs into a weak looking pump kick. Tag back to Booker who stomps a bit and gets a two count. He gets a chinlock and takes it to the mat. Rick starts elbowing his way out, but Booker slams him down. He misses an elbow, but pops up with a spin-a-roni and hits The Harlem sidekick. “That’s for all your hillbillies.” Booker was being nice there! Stevie Ray back in and he gets a suplex and hooks a nerve hold. Another slam and Booker back in where he goes to the middle rope. He misses and Rick is able to get the hot tag to Scott. He is in and runs wild with right hands. Booker gets dumped with an overhead belly to belly for two as Stevie makes the save. Parker accidentally throws powder in Booker’s face, but Sherri has more and hits Scott in the face. Parker breaks his cane over Scott’s head and Booker gets the cover at 17:53.
Winner and Still WCW Tag Team Champions: Harlem Heat via pin at 17:54
-The heat for this was pretty crazy, but it’s sad it was only because Booker and Stevie dared to be black at a biker rally. The match went too long for what was needed and Heat retaining sure ticked off the crowd, but the titles were on borrowed time until The Outsiders took over the division. **1/4
-Video package of the WCW guys riding their motorcycles from Minnesota to Sturgis. I have never been a motorcycle guy because they terrified me. Lots of video of tattoos, leather, and dead animals. Good for the people into that stuff, but not for me at all.
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair (c) (w/ Woman and Miss Elizabeth) vs. Eddie Guerrero
-Big spot for Eddie here! Too bad Flair got injured as I enjoyed his run against the young guys while holding this title. Oh, and yes, we get more of Liz in leather! Ric lets us know that “these girls have a Harley to ride, right here. 1200 cc! Wooo!” I don’t want to accuse anyone either, and especially Heenan as I love the guy, but he sounds kind of drunk as this show has gone on. Though, I mean, I can see how WCW could cause one to drink. Ric tries to intimidate Eddie to start, but it’s not happening as he slaps Ric in the face. Ric bails to slow things down as he is one to do. We go again and Ric gets a side headlock and runs Eddie down with a shoulder. Something weird happens on a suplex attempt as Eddie seems to come down and hurt his knee, while Flair seems to have hurt his shoulder. They each take a few seconds to regroup and then start unloading chops on each other in the corner. Flair loses the battle and rolls to the floor to break again. Lockup and Eddie gets a side headlock and uses the middle ropes to take it to the mat. Ric rolls over to get a few two counts. Eddie comes back and they start trading chops again. Eddie wins the exchange and catches Flair with a backdrop out of the corner as the lights around the ring go dim. Flair back with several right hands that drop Eddie. To the corner for some chops and more right hands. Sobering thought as Flair and Schiavone are the only ones still alive counting the wrestlers, announcers and valets on the floor. Eddie back with a dropkick to sends Ric to the floor and back in for a backdrop. Clothesline sends Ric over the top to the floor. Ric begs off in the corner, but Eddie slugs away and we get a Flair flop. Eddie gets too close and Ric gets in a thumb to the eyes and just punts Eddie in the balls. Effective! Ric misses an elbow and Eddie gets a crossbody for two. He heads up top and comes off with a sunset flip, but Ric holds off and tries to land a punch. Eddie moves and ends up getting the figure-four as Woman screams like crazy. Ric gets to the ropes to force a break. Eddie with a head scissors for two. Tornado DDT for two! Great sell job from Flair there! Flair begs off again, so Eddie goes to the Flair strut and tells the women to kiss his ass. Eddie misses a charge in the corner which lets Ric go up top and that goes as expected. Eddie gets two off a slam as Heenan continues his running joke of thinking every pin got it done. Sunset flip from Eddie which lets Ric show his ass to pop the crowd. Dusty: “He had him by a crack boys.” Chop from Flair, but Eddie shakes it off and goes to the eyes. Dirtiest Player vs. Cheat 2 Win! Eddie up top with The Frog Splash, but he lands on the knee on the way own. Uh oh! Eddie tries a roll-up, but Ric blocks and drops Eddie with a clothesline. Figure-four and Woman gives extra support or she is there to keep Ric from falling out of the ring per Bobby Heenan. Eddie doesn’t submit, but gets counted out for three at 14:15.
Winner and Still WCW US Champion: Ric Flair via pin at 14:15
-Ric was very giving here and this turned into a fun match. Nobody bought Eddie, at this point, having a chance, but he showed well in what was the biggest match of his WCW career at this point. ***1/4
-Gene has The Giant and Jimmy Hart out for an interview. Giant says he saw Hogan’s true colors before anyone else. He is going to stick his head around Hogan’s neck and drive him through the ring. The crowd boos!
Tag Team Grudge Match: The Outsiders vs. Sting and Lex Luger
-Ah, the porno music! Lots of pyro for Sting and Luger as I wonder if a young Cody Rhodes took notes! Nash pats Patrick on the ass and gives him a look which the announcers never notice. THEY WERE TELLING US THE ENTIRE TIME! I always liked that Hall and Nash would play rock, paper, scissors to see who starts the match. Hall starts with Luger, but makes sure to throw his toothpick at Sting. Lockup and Luger backs Hall into the corner and won’t offer a break. Patrick separates the two and we go again. Hall gets a hammerlock and ends up getting Luger over with a suplex and then flexes on him. Another go and Hall out wrestles Luger again and has a laugh about it with Nash. Another lockup and Hall buries a knee, but Luger blocks a hiptoss and gets one that sends Hall across the ring. Slam from Luger and he flexes at Nash and then at Hall. Nash wants the tag and Hall gives it to him. Luger pops his pecs as they stare each other down. Nash doesn’t want Luger though and spits on Sting to draw him into the ring. The crowd pop as even these bikers love Sting. He spits back on Nash and they go face to face. Nash lands an elbow to the head and Nash mocks him. Sting fires back with a right hand and then gets dumb as he tries a slam. Nash clubs him down, but Sting goes back to throwing strikes as he sticks and moves. Sting goes to the eyes and that lets him get the slam. Sting flexes and punches Hall in the face as the bikers rev their engines. Sting gets caught in the corner and eats Snake Eyes. Hall is there to run Sting down with a clothesline from the apron. Hall back in and he pounds away in the corner and then pulls the ref away so Nash can get in some shots. Nash back in as Heenan blurts out, “I don’t care who wins.” Tony and Dusty jump all over him for it, and I wonder if Heenan just threw those out to keep the fans guessing or if he just blurted it out because of the alcohol. Hall back in and he gets the SOS Slam as the announcers continue to argue. Running corner clothesline from Hall and he shoves Sting down for good measure. Back to Nash who chokes with his boot in the corner and Sting staggers into another clothesline from Hall on the apron. Sting starts his comeback as he gets Nash down to his knees, but he can’t get to Luger. Nash misses a clothesline and they collide in the middle of the ring. That lets Sting do his sell where he bounces off the ropes and falls forward into Nash’s balls. Nash is closest and gets the tag to Hall and Heenan yells out, “come on Hall.” Heenan apologizes and admits he said something he shouldn’t have. Again, not sure if character driven or alcohol driven. Nash back in and he lands the big boot and he wants Hall to hit The Outsiders’ Edge. Sting backdrops his way out and the hot tag is made to Luger, who runs wild. Hall and Nash each eat a clothesline and Sting catches Nash with The Stinger Splash. They head to the floor as Luger hits Hall with a power slam. Sting has The Scorpion on Nash on the floor while Luger goes for The Rack. Hall’s feet hit Patrick in the face and he stumbles into Luger’s knee (I mean, that looked rather obvious). That lets Hall fall on top for a quick count for the pin at 14:36.
Winner: The Outsiders via pin at 14:36
-Decent tag match as Sting is great at taking a beating and Hall and Nash obviously gel well together. The ending was wonky, but it was the start of the Nick Patrick angle. **1/4
WCW World Heavyweight Title: The Giant (c) (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. “Hollywood” Hogan
-It’s weird seeing Hollywood Hogan head to the ring without The Big Gold Belt. Heenan notes he always knew Hogan was scum and would turn his back on everyone. Tony hates to say it, but Bobby was proven to be right. The crowd immediately starts a loud “Hogan” chant. Hogan stalls, a lot to start on the floor and then some more in the ring. Hogan gets in the first punches, which Giant no sells, so Hogan bails to the floor again. Hogan back in and Giant runs him down with a shoulder, so Hogan bails to the floor again. He yells at the fans as he tries to do what he can to get booed. Back in the ring he hooks a side headlock and Giant breaks with a belly to back suplex. Hogan rolls to the floor again and wants the ref to back Giant up. Hogan uses the ropes to stay away The Giant as he continues to stall and work every trick he can to get he crowd going without actually making contact. This is a fascinating contrast to the Benoit/Malenko match as far as what is happening in the ring and how the crowd reacts. They hook up for a test of strength and Giant dominates that one, so Hogan lands some kicks to the gut and the crowd roars. He breaks Giant down with the knuckle lock and keeps him there with well placed boots to the gut. Heenan refers to Giant as Andre which Tony has to correct. I am saddened by this Heenan performance! Giant gets to his feet and hooks a top wrist lock and the crowd chants for Hogan. Hogan pulls the hair to get the Giant back down to the mat. Hogan drops a leg on the arm and hooks a bow and arrow. Hogan goes back to the mat with a top wrist lock as I wonder why we are getting 10 minutes of mat wrestling from two giants? Heenan: “As much as I hate Hogan, he is a hell of a wrestler.” Giant uses the hair now and then hits a series of head butts that sends Hogan over the top and to the floor. Giant gets to close to the ropes and Hogan drags him out by his feet. He sends Giant shoulder first into the post and starts with the back rakes. Giant blocks being sent into the post and kind of sends Hogan into the post. Back in the ring Giant lands a kick and gets a backbreaker for two as Hogan gets his foot on the bottom rope. Slam from the Giant, but he misses an elbow. Hogan starts throwing punches and Giant turns the tables as he Hulks up! Too funny! He fires off some chops and catches Hogan with the big boot. He calls for the chokeslam and here come Hall and Nash. Hall gets thrown off the top rope as Dusty wonders where the WCW guys are. Hall eats a chokeslam and Nash gets one as well as he tried to use the megaphone. Hogan grabs the World Title and clocks Giant in the head and gets the pin at 14:56.
Winner and New WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan via pin at 14:56
-I mean, even as a Hogan fan I can’t call this a good match. Lots of stalling and generic mat wrestling to fill time before the final five minutes where they actually did something. With that said Hogan absolutely had to win the World Title here and they were smart to get it on him as soon as possible. The crowd may have cheered someone else in Giant’s spot, but who knows with this crowd as they loved Hogan. 1/2*
-Settle in as we still have about ten minutes to go! The Booty Man (wearing the nWo colors) comes out with a birthday cake (Hogan’s birthday was the next day, but it is his 70th birthday as I write this review). The Giant is still out cold and has to play dead for the next 8 or so minutes. The crowd loves Hogan and start singing “Happy Birthday” to him. Hall with The Big Gold Belt on his shoulder looks right! Booty Man thanks Hogan for being there for him for 22 years. Hogan gives him a hug and calls him his blood. He then mentions he will be facing Ric Flair in Denver (Clash on Thursday, review coming soon) and the nWo will be successful because they don’t mix business with pleasure. Flair showed he had a soft spot for Arn Anderson and Hogan won’t make that mistake as they beat the crap of The Booty Man. Hogan notes if he will do that to his best friend, what will he do to Ric Flair in Denver. Then the historic moment that stuck with a young CM Punk for over twenty years: Hogan spray paints nWo on the Big Gold Belt as Dusty is ready to puke. Crazy to think how heavy this was at the time, but doesn’t seem like as big of a deal now that we have had various personalized World Titles over the years.
-Tony, Bobby, and Dusty wrap things up and Dusty brings up a good point as he questions where WCW was to help The Giant.
-Thanks for reading!
