wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 02.12.96
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-It is the night after SuperBrawl and we have a New World Champion and a famous heel turn on Randy Savage. In 1996! No, not that one. Let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Eric Bischoff, Mongo, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Florida State Fairground, Tampa, Florida
-Eric notes they are guests of George Steinbrenner here. I believe the deal is Steinbrenner paid for the show and have out tickets.
-We get still photos from last night’s SuperBrawl: The chaos between Pillman and Sullivan and Eric notes that Pillman is out of here. The big story is Ric Flair is a 13 time World Champion after Elizabeth turned on Randy Savage. Hogan beat Giant in a cage and Loch Ness debuted. Yep, we will get to him soon enough.
Hugh Morrus vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
-Macho is just a bit grumpy after what happened last night. Eric tells us that Savage gets his return match against Flair next week. Savage charges and rakes the eyes and face of Morrus. Morrus lands shoulders in the corner and hits a clothesline in the opposite corner. Eye rake from Savage and he sends Morris into the corner. He runs Hugh’s face along the top rope for good measure. Morrus goes to the throat and then the eyes. Only fair since Savage went to the eyes first. Shoulders in the corner again from Hugh. He charges and Savage gets a boot up to block. He charges out with a double ax and drops an elbow for two. Morrus back to the eyes and he chokes Savage on the top rope. They head to the floor and Savage sends Morrus into the ring post. Eric plugs the nearly 1 year old episode of Baywatch that featured Hogan, Savage, Sullivan, Flair (and Vader) as it is airing again this week. I am shocked Eric didn’t use that as a chance to take a shot at Vader and the WWF. Morrus misses No Laughing Matter. Savage with a slam and The Flying Elbow connects. He calls for another and hits it and that gets the pin at 4:51.
Winner: Randy Savage via pin at 4:51
-This was just a match to give a dominant win after last night’s loss. The crowd loved seeing Savage. *1/4
-Savage checks on a fan in a wheelchair on the way to the back in a nice moment.
-WCW Magazine commercial with The 4 Horsemen on the cover.
-Gene talks to Steve Grissom, who is the driver of the WCW car as they get ready for Daytona. Kind of sad that I remember the car was #29.
Scotty Riggs vs. Loch Ness (w/ Jimmy Hart)
-Loch Ness is Giant Haystacks, who was a big star in British wrestling in the 70s and 80s. WCW brought him over to the US for the first time with this run and he is 40 years old at this point and sadly, would pass away from lymphoma ust a little over two years after this run in 1998. He was brought in as part of The Dungeon of Doom the previous night as another monster for Hogan to slay, but it didn’t really go that way. I didn’t hear a bell but Riggs has a dropkick that does nothing. He tries another off the middle ropes and it barely moves Ness. He tries a cross-body off the top and Loch Ness can’t even catch him and falls on him. That was awful. Loch Ness can barely get off the mat after he drops an elbow. He drops another elbow for the pin at 1:09.
Winner: Loch Ness via pin at 1:09
-This was not good. My guess is they saw this match and realized the run with Hogan wasn’t happening. I did read it was also cut short because he was diagnosed with lymphoma, which makes sense as well. SQUASH
-Gene is in the aisle with Elizabeth and Woman, who have a stretcher with them and Ric Flair sits up full and he is in all his glory. He cuts a fantastically coked out promo that has Woman and Liz cracking up. Gene is a pro as and mentions the rematch with Savage next week. This was great and it must be said, respectfully, that Evil Liz is a smoke show. She explains why she turned heel and it makes all the sense as he is still mad at Randy for the marriage ending and she been taking half and now is taking it all. She stumbles on her promo a little bit here, but it’s fine as it’s not like she had much practice to that point.
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Konan (c) vs. “Dangerous” Devon Storm
-Storm looks like a Rocker mixed with the gear that Naomi is currently wearing. Storm is the guy who would become Crowbar. Storm hits a baseball slide and sets up a chair in the ring. He uses it to hit a flip dive over the top rope. Another dropkick and he goes back to the chair. He puts Konnan in the chair and moves the steps. Konan catches him leaping off the stairs and hits a powerbomb to pop the crowd. Back in the ring Konan hits a running clothesline after a float over in the corner. Konan flips over the ropes and gets an awkward rana. Head scissors followed by an arm-drag and then wheelbarrow slam. Suplex gets two for Konan. He hooks a submission as the camera cuts to George Steinbrenner in the front row. Of note, is a kid sitting next to him rocking a 49ers hat. Way to be sir! BANG BANG! NINER GANG! Konan continues to work a leg submission as the crowd is fading on them. Storm gets a back elbow in the corner and hits a springboard side kick. We are getting some sloppy indie spots here! Eric mentions the power outage last week and says they didn’t mean to suggest anyone in the WWF had anything to do it. I assume the lawyers got in his ear. Konnan blocks a rana off the top with a powerbomb for the pin at 5:18.
Winner and Still WCW US Champion: Konan via pin at 5:18
-This was kind of a train wreck, but it was also kind of fun to watch as it was different. It was very indie feeling at times and like they wanted someone like Sabu, but not Sabu. *1/2
Arn Anderson (w/ Woman) vs. Hulk Hogan
-Mongo goes insider on us as he mentions heels and he’s not talking about women’s shoes. MONGO IS SHOOTING! Hogan is still sporting the eye patch, but other than that looks okay after last night’s cage match with The Giant. Arn had a brief strap match with Sullivan last night after the Pillman debacle. Hogan starts out with right hands and bites the forehead. Arn reverses a whip and hits a clothesline, but Hogan just shakes it off and hits a series of clotheslines. Hogan with his corner clothesline and Arn does a sort of Flair Flop. Hogan rakes the back and sends Arn to the floor. Arn tries a piledriver, but no dice and Hogan gets a catapult that sends Arn into the post. Arn made that look better than a lot of guys have done taking that move. Hogan wraps the arm around the post and rakes the back again. Back in the ring Hogan pounds away with right hands as my ears have to get used to Woman screaming on the floor. It’s part of her charm though. Arn tries to get a boot in the corner, but Hogan catches it and hits an atomic drop. Belly-to-back suplex followed by two elbows and then a boot take. Steinbrenner is enjoying in in the front row. Hogan with another clothesline and then he fires off punches in the corner. Arn finally shows some life as he hits an elbow to block a charge. Arn heads up top, but that’s enough offense I guess, as Hogan drops Arn balls first on the top rope. Arn finally goes of the bad eye which only took 6 plus minutes. Ric Flair and smoke show Liz are here! Arn hits a spinebuster and Arn says it’s over, but who is he kidding. Hulk-up after a hilarious over sell from Arn on the kick-out. Punches x 3 followed by the big boot. Hogan struts to mock Flair and then hooks a figure-four. That’s kind of funny actually! Flair in and Hogan puts him in a small package to pop the crowd. For some reason no DQ as Hogan decks Flair. I guess, Flair never hit Hogan. Woman throws powder in Hogan’s face and the ref has to ignore the powder flying round. Arn gets Liz’s boot and a heel to the eye gives Arn the upset pin at 9:14.
Winner: Arn Anderson via pin at 9:14
-This was a Hogan match where he dominated but the crowd was into it and Arn was more than game to play along with the formula before getting the shocking win. It took powder and a heel to the bad eye, but it was cleaner than what a lot of people would get. **
-Hogan sits up and then beats up Arn and Flair by himself. I mean, even as a Hogan fan that was pretty silly. Here’s Savage and he hits Flair with a chair and then decks Arn. Back in the ring Savage hits Flair with the chair again. I guess they wanted to send the bought crowd home happy even after Hogan took a loss.
-Flair runs over to the announce table and takes over like the nWo would do countless times in the months to come. Heenan tells Ric to stay and he takes a seat. These two are still great together. Arn cuts a promo about beating the great, and unbeatable Hulk Hogan. Randy and Hogan run them off the set and Heenan is great as looks scared for his life as Hogan and Savage confront him. I love Bobby Heenan so much! Hogan says he will face Arn again as Arn said he could beat Hogan again. Hogan calls Flair, Pee Wee Herman and tells Savage to get his money back and then claims he will be the new Enforcer of WCW. It’s like they are competing to see who can get the last word in before they go off the air. Savage wins!
-Thanks for reading!
