Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 10.02.95

-So far I have been enjoying this trip down memory lane with this series. These shows have been a blast and are an easy watch. I am going to try to do Halloween Havoc 95 when we get there, but I am trying to balance things, so I don’t get behind my run through the 1991 PPVs and major shows. I will just keep chugging along here and see what happens. Let’s get to it!

-Announce Team: Eric Bischoff, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Mongo
-Denver Coliseum, Denver, CO

-Ric Flair interrupts Eric and company at the broadcast table. He steals Eric’s headset and yells that tonight will be a Mile High Night that Arn Anderson will never forget. Heenan laughing and applauding Flair makes me smile! He’s always been fair to Flair!

-We go back a few weeks as Randy Savage and Lex Luger want to wrestle in a wrestling ring, but Gene tells them this is not the time or place.

-Now we go back to last week on Nitro where Randy Savage gets attacked by The Giant following Savage’s match against Kevin Sullivan. Luger is out to apparently attack Savage, but The Giant gets in his face and plants him with a choke slam.

Lex Luger vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage

-This is the 5th episode of Nitro, and they have already run Luger vs. Hogan and now Luger vs. Savage. Eric came out guns blazing against RAW. Also, if Luger loses, he has vowed to leave WCW and that lets Mongo work in a shot against RAW. Lockup to start and they jockey for position all around the ropes. They fall through the ropes and continue the lockup on the floor. That looked smoother than when Jericho and Dak tried it a few weeks ago. We take a break at 1:03.

-60 seconds of Peacock commercials. Again, that will cause a difference in match times compared to the longer commercial breaks TNT had when the show aired live.

-WCW Halloween Havoc commercial!

-Back at 2:30 with Savage in the ring and he mocks Luger by opening the ropes for him. Luger slaps Savage in the face and well, angering Savage is probably not the best move. He lands a back elbow and gives chase to Luger on the floor. Luger works to get a Rude Awakening on the floor. Back in the ring Savage gets a small package for two. Luger with a Gorilla Press Slam and he makes sure to hold Savage up there for a bit before dumping him. Luger sets too early on a backdrop and gets caught with a boot to the chest. Savage tries for a backslide and they fight over that. Savage nearly gets it, but Luger uses the middle rope to block and ends up turning to get the backslide for a two count. We get a collision to leave both men down. Savage is up first and heads up top. Luger lands a shot to the gut to stop a double axe. Savage back as he dumps Luger to the floor and hits the double ax from the top to the floor. Luger gets dropped on the security railing, but counters a whip and sends Savage into the post. Back in the ring, Savage gets a knee to the back. The ref gets creamed on a reversal into the corner. Savage with a slam and he heads up top to drop The Flying Elbow! No ref as he goes for the cover. Savage goes to wake the ref and here’s The Giant! He PLANTS Savage with a Choke Slam. That was a good one! Luger crawls over and could just take the pin, but he wants The Rack and gets it. Savage is toast and the bell sounds at 9:35.

Winner: Lex Luger via submission at 9:35
-This was fun! Two big stars with a personal issue and they just beat on each other. Luger losing was never going to happen, and I assumed we wouldn’t get a winner, so it was nice to see one. Giant interference would end up making all the sense in a few weeks. ***

-Disco Inferno dances, but his music gets cut off by Eddie Guerrero so he can make his entrance for the next match.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko

-To think just months earlier this was the hotness in ECW! Lockup and Eddie shoves Dean on his ass, but Dean kips up. They go into their wrestling sequence where Eddie gets monkey flipped, but lands on his feet and the crowd applauds. Just speed and crispness as they counter each other and Dean ends up getting a dropkick. Dean with a slam and tries to roll over into a pin, but Eddie kicks out. We cut away to Hulk Hogan, sporting a neck brace, arriving in his limo. He asks Jimmy Hart is with him or against him and Jimmy says he is with him. LIAR! We get back to the match and Dean has a Full Nelson, but Eddie counters. Standing switch from Dean and he snaps Eddie over to get a two count. Eddie tries a monkey flip out of the corner and they both end up going over the top to the floor. Eddie heads up top and FLIES onto Dean with a cross-body. Back in the ring Eddie gets a suplex and heads up once again. Frog Splash is blocked as Dean gets the knees up. Standing switch again and Eddie gets the last reversal for the pin at 5:29.

Winner: Eddie Guerrero via pin at 5:59
-This was like the abbreviated version of what they could do, but it was needed on this show. Hogan and the guys in the Main Event world sold the tickets but Eric realized he needed younger talent that could tear the house down and that is why we get an influx of talent like these two. The Hogan promo in the middle took away from this one as they couldn’t even go picture in picture, but what we got was still fun. **3/4

-Dean turns Eddie around after the match and asks for a rematch like a man. Yes, I would like to see more of these against each other.

-Mean Gene is in the ring and brings out Hulk Hogan. He is going to rip The Giant apart but first promised his shirt to a fan in the front row. He then circles ringside shaking hands and an old lady throws powder in his eyes and beats him with a cane. It’s Kevin Sullivan obviously and that brings out The Giant and Zodiak. Giant takes off the neck brace and twists Hogan’s neck again. Sullivan then shaves off Hogan’s mustache to the shock of the crowd. The American Males are out and Giant SPIKES both of them. Bischoff notes they were supposed to face The Nasty Boys. Speaking of them, they are out and Giant sticks both of them. This is great as Giant continue to look like a KILLER and its funny hearing Heenan laugh his ass off at Hogan getting his mustache shaved. Good stuff to build towards their match at Halloween Havoc.

-Halloween Havoc commercial!

Ric Flair vs. Arn Anderson

-Bischoff wants to know why Luger didn’t come out to save Hogan? I mean, there were others that could have come out as well. This is a rematch from Fall Brawl where Arn get a win over Flair. They start quickly with Flair firing off chops but getting caught with a backdrop coming out of the corner. Arn hooks a hammerlock and stomps the arm for good measure. Flair backs Arn to the corner and CHOP! Right hands and more chops! Flair struts and lands a kick. To the opposite corner and CHOP! Arn goes to the eyes to break which Flair would approve. They end up on the floor and Flair sends Arn into the railing. CHOP! WOOO! Arn back to the eyes again and Flair gets backdropped on the floor. Now Flair goes into the railing before Arn rolls him back into the ring. Flair begs off and then he goes to the eyes. Both men cheating to win is great! Spinebuster from Arn leaves both men down. Arn is up first and goes for multiple covers, but no dice. He hooks an arm-bar, but Flair gets to his feet and shoves off to get a sleeper. Arn reverses, but Flair escapes that and gets a belly to back suplex. Mongo notes that this show is live and if we miss it, it’s gone. God Bless the WWE Library and in this case, Peacock! Eric gives an update on The OJ Trial as breaking news is out that a verdict has been reached and will be read later in the week. Flair fires off more chops, but sets too early on a backdrop and Arn catches him with an elbow. He tries to come off the middle rope, but Flair catches him with a right hand in the stomach. Figure-Four hooked by Flair and here’s Brian Pillman for the DQ at 8:19.

Winner: Ric Flair via DQ at 8:19
-I enjoyed them trying to out cheat each other, but the ending sucked. **1/2

-Flair fights off Pillman, but Arn turns the tide and the beat down is on. Flair and Hogan both getting beaten down on the same show is noteworthy! The announce team does a great job of noting Flair has no friends because of his past actions in screwing people over. Perhaps there is someone out there with a big enough (and gullible) heart to forgive Flair and be his partner.

-Eric announces that Flair vs. Arn in a Steel Cage will happen next week in Chicago! Cool!

-Also next week, Sting vs. The Shark! Sabu vs. Mr. JL! Big Bubba vs. Hawk!

-Thanks for reading!

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Best show so far as we had star power again and three solid to good matches. The Hogan beating was a good old school way to build towards Halloween Havoc. The ending to Flair/Arn wasn't the best, but I will give them credit as it explains why next week they need a cage match to settle things. Just a fun show with a little something for everyone.