wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 1.6.97
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Written: 5.8.26
-Run Time: 1:47:58
-Plugs: Horsemen Bio Nitro’s Greatest Moments
-This show never happens if not for Ted Turner. Rest in peace sir!
-We are into 1997 and WCW is about to have their biggest year ever, but we start with the build to the first (and only) nWo solo PPV.
-Announce Team: Hour One: Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko
-Live: Civic Center, Monroe, LA
Glacier vs. Bobby Eaton
-Lockup and Glacier gets a leg sweep. Eaton doesn’t strike me as a Mortal Kombat player, but I could be wrong. Chops to the head from Glacier and he gets a hip-toss followed by an armdrag. Eaton punches out of arm control and shoves Glacier off. Something gets wonky as they weren’t on the same page. That looked rough, so they repeat the spot. It looked like Eaton was ready to feed for a move and Glacier wasn’t ready. We then get a Cryonic Kick and only two as the count/pin gets messed up as well. Eaton actually kicked out at one and Glacier just stayed on for the pin as he seemed confused. A second kick gets the real pin at 1:54.
Winner: Glacier via pin at 1:54
-Not good at all. Poor Bobby as this may be his worst match ever. Well, worst match that didn’t involve PN News and a scaffold. DUD
-Larry talks about Roddy Piper coming back to WCW and taking a leadership role.
-Three weeks ago, Bub Bubba went nWo and has been feuding with Konan since.
Mexican Strap Match: Big Bubba vs. Konan (w/ Jimmy Hart)
-We were supposed to get this match last week, but Bubba was out and Wallstreet took his place. Tony tells us that the Main Event for nWo Souled out will be Hogan vs. The Giant. Easy start as they look for leverage with the strap. Bubba gets a clothesline and the crowd boos him like crazy. Nice! Bubba whips Konan a little and then chokes with the strap. Slam from Bubba, but Jimmy grabs his leg from the floor. That lets Konan gets a take down and he goes to town with strap shots. Bubba wraps the strap around his fist and delivers a right hand. Headbutt from Bubba and he touches the first corner. Konan should know the strategy after his win last week. Bubba touches corner two and three, but Konan jumps on his back to break the momentum. Sleeper into a choke with the strap to officially break the corner run of Bubba. He fights back and uses he strap to clothesline Konan and chokes. This is at least harding hitting than last week’s strap match. Konan rallies back and starts whipping Bubba again. Konan gets two buckles, but Bubba decks him with a right hand to stop that run. Bubba ends up getting his balls smashed and Konan gets two corners, but Bubba stops the fourth and gets a knock down. Somehow that doesn’t stop the run so when Bubba punches Konan and he falls into the fourth corner that counts as a win at 5:51.
Winner: Konan at 5:51
Bubba got hosed there, but I guess the WCW ref favoring the WCW guy makes sense. Better than last week, but not a fan of the finish. *
-Bubba lays Konan out after the match.
-Gene is backstage with Kevin Sullivan. Gene wants to show a tape, but Sullivan shuts that down. Gene wants Sullivan and Benoit to get on the same page to take on the real enemy, the nWo. Sullivan isn’t having any of that. Gene says the tape is not of Benoit or Nancy and Sullivan knows who it is. He walks off from Gene.
-We are back from commercial with Gene in the arena and he brings out The Four Horsemen. Flair is riding high after The Florida Gators beat Florida State in the Sugar Bowl to win The National Championship. No Benoit or Woman! Arn says he was missing last week as he was trying to figure out the Benoit/Woman situation and he quotes Piper by saying when he thought he has the answers, they change the questions. Ric still just wants to party and notes Benoit is working Woman out in True Horseman fashion. I will be happy when we get past this period as it’s uncomfortable. Debra makes more jokes about Nancy’s appearance and gets good heel heat even if the rest of the Horsemen are cheered. She sticks up for Jeff Jarrett and he is out. Weird as he has a match with Benoit tonight, so he should be there. JJ wants to know if Flair wants a part time Horseman or a full-time Horseman that can do it all night long. Arn tells him he is not a Horseman and he needs to quit being a victim. “Horsemen are not victims, they are perpetrators.” Good line! Jarrett calls Arn out for being second fiddle to Ole, Tully, and Ric and compares him to a horses’ ass. Arn rightly beats his ass to the ring and we apparently have a match as Arn is taking Benoit’s place.
Arn Anderson (w/ Flair, Mongo, and Debra) vs. Jeff Jarrett
-Arn is wrestling in a t-shirt, boots and jeans. Arn gouges the eyes as the fans want to see the DDT. Jarrett shows fire as he responds with right hands. Arn sends him to the floor and follows. Jarrett gets a swinging neckbreaker back in the ring with his feet on the ropes for the pin at 1:04.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett via pin at 1:04
-The Horsemen surround Jarrett but Debra gets between to save him. Mongo then gets mad at Flair for putting his hands on Debra and Flair freaks out to pop the crowd. The Horsemen being in shambles actually makes sense as to why they can’t get focused and go after the nWo. It would have been cool if Jarrett or someone ended up secretly being in the nWo causing all these issues to weaken the group. The match was just there for the angle, but had more heat and intensity than anything else on the show. *
-Flair makes peace as he will accept that if Mongo is okay with Jarret, then he is okay. Flair shakes hands with Jarrett and they strut together. Arn says “to hell with this,” and walks away. I don’t blame him!
-Hall and Nash want us to buy Souled Out merchandise!
-Saturday Night: 6:05 PM: Regal, Dallas, Malenko, Amazing French Canadians and more!
WCW World TV Title: Lord Steven Regal (c) vs. Diamond Dallas Page
-Page’s music plays, but no Page, so Regal enters first. Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s music hits and he has more pyro than Cody Rhodes. I guess he is taking DDP’s spot.
WCW World TV Title: Lord Steven Regal (c) vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
-Eric Bischoff, Kevin Nash and Syxx are out to take over the commentary desk. Larry is done and just hands over the headsets and walks off. Nash tells him to go get a coffee. Eric thanks his third grade teacher for all the qualities that made him who he is today. He talks about DDP finally getting it and Nash says Page is having dinner with Hall. So that’s why he’s not here tonight. Eric invites him to the house for a cold beverage on the weekend. Duggan throws jabs and winds up to hit a right hand. Nash ignores the match and talks about the nWo PPV with the Miss nWo contest. Oh boy, I forgot about that. Eric wants the women out there to send in a picture and letter on why they should be Miss nWo. Syxx: “No fat chicks.” Well there goes any chance of Mike Awesome watching. Nash makes double wide trailer jokes since they are in Louisiana. Back to the match as Duggan gets a slam for a two count. He hooks a reverse chinlock and transitions into a side headlock. He goes for a backdrop, but Regal kicks him in the chest and then chokes on the middle rope. More gaslighting from the nWo as they talk about Hogan dominating Piper at Starrcade. Nash compares the match to two drunk guys getting into a fight over Labor Day at a softball game. Twenty years of softball and he isn’t far off. Umpires didn’t want to work games in our league due to softball bros who quit working and had their wives support them so they could play slow pitch softball. Bischoff takes a shot at Randy Savage and tells him to find work somewhere else. Regal misses a rolling senton and Duggan fires away with right hands. Syxx channels his inner JR and calls them soup bones. Double down and Duggan goes to the tape. Nash is all for a guy who will take a short cut. We have a draw at 8:28. Quick timer!
Draw at 8:28
-The commentary overshadowed the match and then we didn’t gets a finish. *
-Nash makes my day as he takes a shot at the Cowboys for losing and tells Duggan if he is going to wave a WCW Flag, he might as well put on a Cowboys jersey as he is backing a loser. Jokes about the Cowboys will always be appreciated!
Hugh Morrus vs. Jim Powers (w/ Teddy Long)
-BIG MEATY MEN MATCH for 10 year-old Big E, who was likely watching at home. Powers off the ropes with a clothesline for two. He connects with a knee-lift and then a dropkick. Clothesline misses and Morrus catches him with a powerslam. No Laughing Matter finishes at 1:40.
Winner: Hugh Morrus via pin at 1:40
-Can’t call it a SQUASH as Powers controlled the match. 1/2*
-Hour Two Pyro! Tony is now joined by Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan on commentary!
Psychosis vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
-These two gave us one of the greatest opening matches of all time at Bash at The Beach 96. Probably won’t get the time to do that this week. Psychosis throws Rey over the top and that should be a DQ, but the match would be over in 50 seconds, so they have to ignore it. I hate the over the top rule because it makes me think of things like this. Psychosis slips on the ropes and lands on his head on the apron before spilling to the floor. Thankfully, Rey doesn’t sell the more and takes over. He springs in, but gets caught with a dropkick. Tenay tells us that at The Dome Show on Jan 4, Liger beat Dragon for 8 Unified Titles, but the WCW CW Title was not at stake. Psychosis up and top and comes off with a spinning heel kick for two. Back to the floor where Psychosis hits a baseball slide. He heads up and loses his balance, but goes up again. He flies to the floor, but Rey moves and Psychosis splats on the railing. Rey with a fake-out dive to the floor and then hits a somersault dive to the floor. Rey gets kicked into the ring post and Rey springs in with a splash for two. Victory Roll gets two! Head scissors from Rey as he slows the match down, which is unusual. Heenan and Tony are really sniping at each other tonight for some reason. Psychosis turns things around and hits the guillotine leg drop for two. He runs Rey throat first into the top rope and follows with a nice powerbomb for two, but Rey gets his foot on the bottom rope. Another powerbomb, but Rey counters into a pin for two. Psychosis misses a dropkick and falls on his head. West Coast Pop finishes at 6:40.
Winner: Rey Mysterio Jr. via pin at 6:40
-Fun little match as you would expect. Psychosis made me nervous a few times as he had some issues with his balance on the ropes, but the talent is enough to deliver a good match. ***
Kevin Sullivan (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
-Sucks to be Chavo tonight as Sullivan is still on a rampage due to Benoit and Woman. Chavo actually gets a missile dropkick that takes out Sullivan and Hart. Doesn’t last long though as Sullivan pitches him to the floor and throws him into the steps. Into the railing and then into the post. Heenan tells a Crusher joke and it breaks Tony and Tenay. Tree of Woe and Double Stomp finish at 2:15.
Winner: Kevin Sullivan via pin at 2:15
-SQUASH as expected. SQUASH
-We go back to last week where Piper was attacked by the nWo and taken out on a stretcher. Piper babbles in tongues and yes, that would mean something down the line.
Alex Wright vs. Eddie Guerrero
-We see video of the nWo “helping” Eddie win The US Title at Starrcade and then beating him up and stealing the belt after the match. It will be Eddie vs. Syxx in a Ladder Match for the US Title at Souled Out! Handshake before the match and Wright controls the arm. Eddie flips out and it’s a stalemate. Eddie gets a shoulder tackle and snaps off a head scissors. Dropkick misses and Wright gets a head scissors, a second one and then a dropkick that puts Eddie on the floor. Back in and Eddie gets a reverse chinlock as the announcers continue to talk about Souled Out. Eddie and Alex continue the mat wrestling as we get someone in the crowd trying to start a “boring” chant. They go again and Eddie connects with a leg lariat and gets a slam. Slingshot plancha gets two! Eddie hooks an armbar as the talk about Hogan/Giant continues. Wright fights out and gets his own reverse chinlock. Still talking about Hogan/Giant as we are five minutes into this match with not much happening. The crowd wakes up as Syxx shows up in the aisle with a ladder. Syxx climbs the ladder and shows off the US Title to Eddie. Alex hits a dropkick and gets a snap suplex for two. Backbreaker gets two! Syxx: “Come on Guerrero,. If you can’t beat Alex Wright, how can you expect to beat me?” Wright off the top with a rough sunset flip for two. Belly-to-belly suplex gets two. Wright misses a charge in the corner and Eddie hits a belly-to-back suplex. Wright stays in control as he hits a spinning heel kick and goes back up top. He comes down with a double axe and an overhead suplex into a bridge gets two. Heenan rants to Tony as they continue to annoy each other. Wright up again, but Eddie meets him up, hits a superplex and a frog splash finishes at 9:16.
Winner: Eddie Guerrero via pin at 9:16
-Weird match as Wright dominated and Eddie just rallied to hit a few moves and get the win. Until Syxx showed up, the crowd was dead and the announce team was only worried about Hogan/Giant. The last two minutes started to pick up, but it took a while. **1/2
-Lee Marshall On The Road with 1-800-Collect in NOLA as next week Nitro is in the Superdome. Weasel jokes are made that crack up Tenay and Tony.
The Amazing French Canadians (w/ Colonel Parker) vs. Harlem Heat (w/ Sister Sherri)
-The AFC sing “the real French National Anthem,” and belt out O Canada. Brawl between all four men to start. Double suplex to Jacques. It settles down to Stevie and Jacques as Tenay goes over the history between Parker and Sherri. Powerslam from Stevie and he goes to a choke instead of a cover. Booker in and he lands a back kick, but misses an elbow. Early Spin-a-roni leads to a Harlem Side Kick. Carl in to turn the tide and Booker gets tossed to the floor. Jacques runs him into the steps as Sherri confront him and he smartly backs away. AFC with a double team hot shot. Piledriver from Jacques and he tags back to Carl. Boston Crab and Carl comes off the top with a ledrop to the back. Sweet! Only gets two as Stevie makes the save. Sherri and Stevie get into it with the ref and Carl accidentally decks Jacques a flag and that leads to a tag to Stevie. Heat Bomb gets the pin at 4:05.
Winners: Harlem Heat via pin at 4:05
-These teams had a lot of tag matches together and this was another one of them. Some could double team offense and it didn’t overstay it’s welcome, so it was okay. **
-nWo Souled Out PPV commercial! Again, credit for doing something so totally out of the box and who cares if it bombed? Sometimes you just have to try new things.
-Back to Starrcade as Sting interrupts Giant/Luger, but doesn’t pick a side yet as he drops the bat in the middle of the ring and leaves. Luger ends up getting to the bat first and uses it to get the win over The Giant.
Lex Luger vs. Meng
-Meng chokes to start, but takes a boot to the chest. He lands an elbow in the corner and runs Luger over with a clothesline. Heenan goes to his classic line about starving Meng to get him ready. “Don’t feed him until he wins.” Meng fires off chops in the corner and stomps Luger down to the mat. Shoulder breaker gets two. I always liked the shoulder breaker as a move. Piledriver and Meng always did well in sticking that move. It only gets two as the announcers note Luger’s neck strength saved him. Luger starts to battle back and hits the leaping loaded forearm. Backdrop from Luger followed by a powerslam for two. Meng misses a charge in the corner and Luger gets The Rack, but the ref gets bumped by Meng’s boot. Barbarian in and the crowd really wants Sting. Powerslam to Barbarian and we get a dumb ending with the ref calling for the bell as I guess being knocked down made his vision so bad he can’t tell the difference between Meng and Barbarian. I mean, points for being cute I guess, but blah.
Winner: Lex Luger via submission at 4:52
-I was enjoying a solid power match before the silly ending. *1/2
-The entire nWo (minus Hall) is out and the garbage starts flying into the ring. Tony: “An upstart organization can’t just get a PPV as a lot have found that out the last couple weeks.” SHOTS FIRED AT ECW! Those who don’t know, ECW had their first ever PPV pulled thanks to the Mass Transit epode around this time. That shot went over my head watching live because I wasn’t on the Internet (yet) and was just finding ECW in the middle of the night. Hogan rants about beating Piper twice and what’s next for The Giant. Speaking of the big man, he is out and destroys the nWo by himself including a Press Slam of Nick Patrick to the floor. Hogan is left alone and Heenan makes me laugh by calling him “Thunderlips.” Giant breaks Hogan down with one hand. Eric throws punches and the Tony laughs his ass off. The distraction is enough though as Hogan gets a chair and the gang beating is on. Well, the nWo showed some vulnerability there, but it makes sense as the numbers are too great. Tony also points out The Giant has no friends because of what he did to WCW. Hogan abuses Giant with the chair and they let Eric land a head kick for fun. It’s fun to watch Eric take so easy to this character.
-We aren’t done as they take over the announce table and Heenan is so awesome that he climbs over the table to escape instead of taking an easier route. The nWo sing “We are The Champions,” as Sting heads down to the ring. He whispers something to The Giant, but the nWo is positive he is with them. He points the bat at the nWo. Nash: “That’s a point of approval from the big man.” Sting leaves the bat and the nWo sends Vincent down to grab it. Nash: “Hit him in the head for me.” Vincent makes sure Giant is out and gets too cocky. Giant wakes and Vincent is toast as Giant hits a chdkeslam. The nWo try to hit the ring, but Giant has a bat now and he keeps them at bay. This was great as the crowd thought they had a happy ending, and then the beating, and then back to a happy ending. “WE WANT STING,” from the crowd as they superimpose Sting over The Giant swinging the bat.
-Thanks for reading!
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