Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 1.27.97

-Written: 5.28.26
-Run Time: 1:38:25

-Plug: I started doing NXT PPV/PLE at the start of the year and the first was published this past week.

-It’s the night after nWo Souled Out!

-Announce Team: Hour One: Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko
-Des Moines, IA

-Well, Bischoff, Hall and Nash are at the announce table and note this is nWo Nitro. Eric throws to last night’s Souled Out as we see the ending of Outsiders vs. Steiners. Patrick gets bumped so nobody is there to count when Hall hits The Outsider’s Edge. Rick with a bulldog and puts Scott on top for the cover. Randy Anderson runs in from the crowd and makes the three count to pop the crowd and give The Steiners the WCW Tag Titles.

-Eric has Randy Anderson leave the ring and head to the announce position. Hall notes Randy has a job in WCW because he is related to someone. Eric wants to know what Randy was thinking last night and then cuts him off. Randy says he received a ticket from a WCW promoter for free. Eric then brings up company policy about receiving gifts and it is a violation of that policy. Anderson pleads ignorance. Eric goes all in as he knows Randy had a tough year and Randy notes he battled cancer. Eric doesn’t want to hear it and fires him. “My wife and children are watching.” Suck a dick move by Eric and The Outsiders weren’t cool heels either.

-We continue as Eric calls The Steiners out and security shows up to keep them away from The Outsiders. Eric tells The Steiners to leave the belts with the real Champs as Anderson wasn’t a licensed referee for the event. Eric throws his weight around and notes it is his decision and final or they will be in breach of contract. Rick throws the belt to Hall and Scott throws his on the ground. Eric then fines both Steiners and tells them to go to the ring and wrestle as they have a scheduled match. The crowd boos as Hall and Nash celebrate with the Tag Titles. Hall: “Listen to the people, they love us.”

The Steiner Brothers vs. The Faces of Fear

-All four men start brawling at the bell. Steiner line to Barbarian. Powerslam by Rick to Meng. Hall throws out a challenge to anyone they haven’t faced previously. Barbarian with a sidewalk slam on Scott and then a splash in the corner. Hall thinks Barbarian is carrying the team even with Meng having a reputation as a tough guy. Meng in and brawls with Rick. Inverted atomic drop from Meng and we get the sweet backdrop into a powerbomb combo move. That is awesome! Hall: “That was sweet.” Sherri and Harlem Heat are watching in the crowd. More double team offense from the FOF as we get a suplex followed by a splash from the top rope. Hall notes Scott got to sit at home with an injury and train, so no wonder he put on 30 lbs. Double Top Rope Headbutts gets two as Scott makes the save. Chops from Meng! Clubbering in the corner! Barbarian with a top rope belly to belly, but Rick holds out and they screwed things up as they just kind of fall back with Rick on top for a two count. That seemed dangerous. Rick throws a suplex from his knees and Scott is in to start running wild. Powerbomb to Meng gets two as Barbarian makes the save. Meng with a clothesline to Scott, but goes after Rick. That lets Scott slide out of a suplex and hit a belly-to-belly for the pin at 5:57.

Winners: The Steiner Brothers via pin at 5:57
-Sloppy and hard hitting which works for me. I am a sucker for big dudes throwing each other around the ring. **

-After commercial, Tony and Larry are back at the announce position. Since they aren’t nWo, they can’t show footage, but have still photos and we take a look at Eddie Guerrero beating Syxx in a ladder match for the US Title. 

-Also, DDP makes the nWo B Team believe js is joining again before dropping Norton with a Cutter and bailing through the crowd.

Roadblock vs. The Giant

-RB attacks at the belly and doesn’t really do much. Giant reverses a whip and hits a clothesline in the corner. RB with a boot and goes for a slam, but Giant clubs him with a forearm. Another one, but again, Giant blocks a slam and gets one of his own. Clothesline from RB but he staggers into one from The Giant. Dropkick sends RB over the top and through a table in a cool spot! Chokeslam finishes at 1:49.

Winner: The Giant via pin at 1:49
-This was exactly what it needed to be after Giant took a loss (protected) last night. *1/2 The dropkick through the table spot was worth a star by itself.

-Giant challenges Hogan to a match tonight for The World Title.

WCW United States Championship: Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett

-Eddie with a side headlock, but Jarrett escapes and struts to big time boos from the crowd. Eddie with a snap mare into a headlock. Jarret escapes so Eddie gets a hammerlock. Jarrett back with a clothesline and he struts again. Eddie with a dropkick after being tossed in the air. He sets way too early on a backdrop and JJ gets a swinging neckbreaker. Sunset flip from Eddie, but Jarrett keeps his balance and throws a punch. Eddie avoids and gets a small package. Jarrett with a clothesline. They are moving out here as they know they aren’t getting much time. Jarrett drops his weight on Eddie’s back on the ropes and points to his head to get more heat. Eddie ducks ab elbow and gets a cross-body. Both men collide and the ref starts a double count. JJ up first, but gets caught with a head scissors. Inverted Atomic Drop by Eddie and he drops JJ with a Euro Uppercut. BRAINBUSTER! Eddie heads up top, but JJ meets him up there. Superplex as Debra is pulling Mongo to ringside. Debra wants Mongo to hit Eddie, but he decks JJ instead and that’s a DQ at 4:34.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett via DQ at 4:34
-They were having a sweet little match before the ending. **1/2

-Tony and Larry are thrilled to announce they were sent footage Hogan vs. Piper at Starrcade and they play it, but the video cuts out before Hogan’s arm drops a third time. Bischoff is back and tells them to never pull a stunt like that again. He then destroys the VHS tape. I would have sold them the copy I have. Larry: “Geez, he can beat up a tape. That’s impressive.” That made me laugh!

-The Outsiders want you to buy The Souled Out T-Shirt for $20.

-This Saturday at 6:05 PM: Harlem Heat vs. Public Enemy, La Parka vs. Lex Luger, and Glacier in action!

Billy Pearl vs. Ultimo Dragon (w/ Sonny Onoo)

Billy Pearl? So, real name Brian Walsh and he was trained by Kowalski and made his debut in 1985. Looks like he did a lot of work as an enhancement guy for the WWF from 93-95 and then had 3 matches for WCW before doing some more jobs in the WWF in the summer and into 1998. He taped two matches in Feb for Saturday Night against Konan and Benoit. Dragon dropped the CW Title only six days ago to Dean Malenko at Clash of The Champions. Knuckle lock-up and Dragon goes to a bridge. Pearl tries to drop his weight, but Dragon kicks off and they go through a sequence of flips and Dragon lands on his feet. Pearl with a dropkick and the USA chant starts. Dragon with a side headlock and gets a shoulder tackle. Pearl shoves Dragon back and tries a backdrop, but Dragon lands on his feet. Dragon with his rapid fire kicks and then a few kicks to the back. Slam from Dragon and he drops an elbow. Handspring elbow misses and Peal gets a slam. Pearl off the top, but Dragon catches him on the way down with a dropkick. SOS Slam and moonsault followed by a Tiger Suplex for the pin at 2:43.

Winner: Ultimo Dragon via pin at 2:43
-Like last week we are getting a run of short matches, but these are more energetic. This was a fine sub 3 minute match and Pearl looked fine out there. He looked like cruiserweight Bob Backlund. *1/2

-Gene brings out The Four Horsemen and Flair is proud of Woman and Benoit being together. Ugh! Flair tells Debra to listen to Mongo. Arn is proud of Benoit for beating up Sullivan and says The Horsemen are back on a roll. Mongo yells at the crowd and is pleased with what he had to do to Jarrett. Debra says she has been pulling for Benoit to be a Horseman. Benoit has more words for Sullivan and tells him it’s time to let go. We are still six months away from the final blow-off between these two.

Ron Powers vs. Lex Luger

-Well, I looked up Pearl, so I guess I need to go research Powers. Seems he was trained by Harley and did work in New Japan in the early 90s. This is his Nitro debut and would go on to have two more matches in WCW. He got a win over Buck on Saturday Night and has a match in a few weeks on Nitro against The Giant. Spoiler: He loses! Luger runs Powers over with a shoulder tackle. Powers shoves Luger and gets a finger to the eyes over the ref’s back. Luger sends him chest first into the corner and hits a clothesline. Forearm follows and The Rack finishes at 1:12. I would have popped if his name was Max Powers. STRAP IN AND FEEL THE G’S

Winner: Lex Luger via submission at 1:12
-This was what you would expect. SQUASH

-Gene interviews Luger in the ring and he has mutual respect for The Giant. This was setting up their short lived Tag Team to make a credible challenger for The Outsiders.

-Hour Two Pyro!

-Announce Team: Hour Two: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan

-We go back to earlier in the night as Eric Bischoff fires Randy Anderson and strips The Steiners of the Tag Titles.

The Amazing French Canadians (w/ Colonel Parker) vs. The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson and Mongo) (w/ Debra)

-The AFC double team Arn to start as Mongo won’t get out of the ring. Arn gets dumped over the top and thrown into the railing. Back in Arn starts fighting out of the corner, but Jacques goes to the eyes. Carl in and The AFC stomp Arn down in the corner. More double teaming and Jacques slams Pierre on Arn. He mocks The Horsemen hand signal to piss off the crowd. Carl with a head of steam and we get a high and low on Arn. Double team stun-gun as they are wearing Arn out here. Atomic Drop sends Arn into the corner and he ricochets back and cracks heads with Carl. That gives Arn a chance to make the hot tag to Mongo. Lariats for everyone! He clips the knee of Carl and sends him flying with a backdrop. Gorilla Press Slam to Jacques and he throws him onto Carl, who catches him. Mongo clotheslines both men down. The AFC get run into each other. Parker throws a flag into the ring, which the ref sees, but he misses Mongo using the briefcase on Jacques for the pin at 4:30.

Winners: The 4 Horsemen via pin at 4:30
-Another energetic match. Arn got squashed here, but Mongo looked like a killer. This ended up being Arn’s last match. **

-Lee Marshall is On The Road with 1-800-Collect and is in Memphis as Nitro will be at the Mid-South Coliseum next week. Weasel and Elvis jokes are made!

The Outsiders (w/ Syxx) vs. The Extreme

-The Extreme make their debut here: Devon Storm and Ace Darling. I don’t like their chances! Hall attacks Darling from behind and beats him up in the corner. He throws him across the ring and slaps him in the face. Ace ducks a clothesline, but gets tossed with the SOS Slam. He makes Ace tag Storm and beats him up as well. Nash in and drops Stom with a clothesline. Sidewalk Slam as Hall just watches perched on the top rope. Nash asks Hall if he wants to finish this and The Outsiders Edge finishes at 1:58. Hall made sure to pin Storm with one foot on his chest.

Winners: The Outsiders via pin at 1:58
-Total destruction! SQUASH

Joe Gomez vs. Kevin Sullivan (w/ Jimmy Hart)

-I’m sensing our third start SQUASH. Sullivan attacks and takes it to the floor. He throws a chair at Joe, but no DQ. Double Stomp back in the ring finishes at 43 seconds.

Winner: Kevin Sullivan via pin at 43 seconds
-Sullivan was pissed after the loss to Benoit and showed it here by beating up Desperado. SQUASH

-Hulk Hogan is out next with Eric Bischoff and Liz (still having her rock the short nWo dress). BOO! Eric sends Liz to the back! You monster! Eric gaslights about what happened last night with Hogan using his scientific skills to get the win. Giant joins Savage and Piper on the list of losers. Hogan accepts the challenge of The Giant for tonight and also plugs his next movie. Sting and Randy Savage are watching from the crowd. Eric tells Savage if he wants to get some of the nWo deal they can talk. Hogan: “The Macho Man may have seen the light.” You don’t say! Eric reiterates Savage has no future in WCW. Hogan promises to pose after tonight’s match.

Jerry Flynn vs. Dean Malenko

-Jerry is no cruiserweight, so this is non-title. Flynn with rapid kicks in the corner and hits a spinning kick in the corner. Dean kind of blows that off and hits a suplex. He takes Flynn down and drops an elbow to the knee. He hooks a leg submission. Flynn escapes and throws rapid punches in the corner. Dean up top, but jumps into a back heel kick. Powerslam for Flynn gets two. Malenko catches the leg, ducks a kick, and transitions to The Texas Cloverleaf for the submission at 2:39.

Winner: Dean Malenko via submission at 2:39
-Another short match, but not as energetic and the crowd was kind of checked out. Weakest match on the show for me. 1/2*

-A police officer heads to the announce desk and hands Tony a letter. He is told to open it immediately. Tony is stunned and asks for a microphone. Tony announces that Hogan must defend the World Title at SuperBrawl against Roddy Piper. They even invoke Ted Turner’s name as a copy of the letter will be sent to him and each member of the executive committee.

Hugh Morrus vs. Chris Benoit (w/ Woman)

-Morrus uses his power to send Benoit into the corner. He misses a charge and Benoit just stomps away and chops away in the corner. He tries to bring Morrus out, but he hooks the top rope and hits a clothesline to the back of the head. Gorilla Press and he drops Benoit on his face. ULTIMATE MORRUS! Benoit back with chops and a hooking clothesline gets two as Morris kicks out with ease. Powerslam and Morrus heads up top. Last Laugh (called that this week) misses. Jacqueline (called a fan) makes her debut through the crowd and confronts Woman. As security and the ref get her away, Sullivan creams Benoit with a wooden chair. Last Laugh gets the pin at 3:07.

Winner: Hugh Morris via pin at 3:07
-They were having a hard hitting match before the angle kicked in. **

-Gene interviews Sullivan, who refuses to answer questions about Jaqueline. Jimmy Hart thinks she is trouble, trouble, trouble and now I have the EC3 song stuck in my head. Jacqueline cuts a promo saying to never compare her to women like Nancy and Debra. She says Jimmy can’t give Kevin what she can and she references a past the two shared.

Hulk Hogan (w/ Eric Bischoff, Ted Dibiase, and Vincent) vs. The Giant

-Weird they are running this match again. Hogan says nobody tells the nWo what to do and he after he beats The Giant, he wants Piper to be sent out so he can take care of him as well. Vincent and Hogan stomp Vince to start and that should be a DQ, but I guess judgment call. Giant throws Vincent to the floor and starts firing chops off. Hogan sells by screaming out for The Lord. Tony: “It hurts doesn’t it?” That made me laugh! Hogan goes to the eyes and starts firing away with right hands. Running clothesline in the corner. Giant ducks a punch and clubs Hogan down. Weak backbreaker gets two as Vincent puts Hogan’s foot on the bottom rope. Vincent gets brought in, slammed, and clotheslined (kind of) to the floor. Eric in and Giant just stares at him as he throws strikes. He grabs Eric for a choke slam and the place pops, but The Outsiders make the save before it can happen. That’s a DQ at 2:56.

Winner: The Giant via DQ at 2:56
-Better than the Robin Hood Match a few weeks back. 1/2*

-Lex Luger is out and teases being nWo, but stands beside The Giant as the fans chant “Luger.” They stare down with The Outsiders and that hints at the SuperBrawl match.

-Thanks for reading!

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

Better than last week as the run of short matches had more energy. The only thing from the show I vividly remember is Eric firing Randy Anderson and the Jacqueline debut. Your mileage may vary with this one due to all the short matches, but I was entertained and the built to SuperBrawl has begun.