wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 12.18.95
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Starrcade 95 is approaching which means that show will need reviewed sooner than later. That will be the last PPV review for this Nitro run as I already did all the 1996 PPVs a few years back and will have links to each when the time comes for those shows. For now, we have a World Title Match on this week’s show. Let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Eric Bischoff, Mongo, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Augusta, GA
-Eric and the crew welcome us to the show and Eric brags about being the only wrestling show that is live every week. Spoilers: This is a double show as they are taping for next week since it will be Christmas.
-Madusa interrupts and yep, it’s this episode. This is another historic shot in the Monday Night War as Madusa has the Woman’s WWF Championship and she dumps it in a trashcan while Heenan just stares with his mouth dropped open. The F get bleeped for those wondering. Bischoff takes the belt out of the trash and holds it for a second just to make sure we know it is the real deal. The butterfly effect of course is Montreal as Vince could claim Eric might make Bret do the same thing, which he wouldn’t have, but the idea was there now.
Ric Flair vs. Eddie Guerrero
-They liked matching these two up for random matches and my guess is Flair just liked wrestling Eddie. Kind of a weird match to book as both men have separate matches at Starrcade so you would think having someone lose (cough Eddie cough) wouldn’t be the best idea. Then again, it’s Flair vs. Eddie, so bring it on. The crowd loves Flair even after ending the career of Mr. Wonderful the previous week and he milks the reaction. Some mat wrestling to start and Eddie is able to escape. Flair gives him a Woo and we go again. Flair gives one Woo too many as Eddie dropkicks him in the back and then lands a slap to put Flair on his ass. Eddie struts and Flair rolls to the floor to walk it off. Back in the ring Flair gets control of the wrist and lands a chop. Eddie back with another series of dropkicks, but misses a third as Flair holds the ropes. Flair goes for the Figure Four, but Eddie counters with a small package for two and then a backslide for two. Heenan lets us know people chant “Eddie” at him when he is at airports and hotels. That’s Bobby code for putting someone over. Flair with a belly to back suplex and then some more chops in the corner. Eddie returns each chop with a right hand. Backdrop from Eddie! Sweet Tornado DDT gets two! Eddie climbs the ropes and gets the head scissors as Flair is game for whatever Eddie wants to do here. Eddie up top, but Flair hits the ropes and Eddie crashes to the floor and I think he damaged his knee. Eddie: “Oh, my knee.” Yep! Flair is all over that and fires off chops against the railing and starts kicking at the knee. Back in the ring Flair stomps the crap out of the knee and hooks the Figure-Four and makes sure to use the top rope for leverage. Eddie fights so Flair slaps him across the face. Eddie screams “no,” so Flair cheats some more with the ropes and Eddie passes out and gets pinned at 7:35.
Winner: Ric Flair via pin at 7:35
-Fun match! Flair was a week away from wrestling for The World Title but he let Eddie look good here and even cheated like crazy to force Eddie to pass out instead of submitting. ***1/4
-Gene is out to interview Flair and Arn Anderson. Kevin Sullivan interrupts and wants Pillman kept on a short leash and Flair tries to make peace. Arn is having none of that and tells Sullivan if the Dungeon comes looking for Pillman they might get Arn and Flair.
-Just realized we have had a ton of WWE Hall of Famers to start this show: Eric, Heenan, Madusa, William Perry (he showed up to greet Mongo), Eddie, Flair, Arn, and Gene.
-Back to Eric and the crew and this time Craig Pittman is here and he wants Bobby Heenan to manage him to The World Title. Bobby politely declines as he is now a broadcast journalist and says he can pass along his name to someone like Jimmy Hart.
Lex Luger (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Marcus Alexander Bagwell
-Future nWo members explode! Lex also has a chance at the World Title at Starrcade and my guess is he doesn’t give Bagwell as much as Flair gave Eddie. Not saying that’s the wrong decision by the way. Bagwell hits a flurry to start which pisses Luger off and he regroups with Jimmy on the floor. Back in Luger gets a knee to the gut and sends Bagwell into the corner. He throws a forearm into the back but Bagwell responds with his own elbow. Luger misses a charge in the corner and Bagwell fires back with right hands and a backdrop. Clothesline from Bagwell and another. I take back what I said. Luger should have smoked Bagwell here! Lex gets the knees up to block a splash, hits a powerslam, and The Rack finishes at 3:09.
Winner: Lex Luger via submission at 3:09
-They went with Bagwell getting in what he could before one mistake and The Rack finishing in short order. Again, I think it would have been better for Lex to gobble him up, but I guess the fans needed some hope spots to get them excited before the inevitable came. *1/2
-Lex tells Gene he is going to become the next World Champion.
-Saturday Night: Arn Anderson vs. Johnny B. Badd; VK Wallstreet vs. Alex Wright; Pittman vs. Cobra; Lex Luger and Sting will be there as well!
Earl Robert Eaton (w/ Jeeves) vs. Sting
-I do like that everyone involved in the Triangle Match at Starrcade have a match this week as does our World Champion, Randy Savage. Sting has a good tan here and I assume that will mean good things for him come Starrcade. Sting with a monkey flip and he yells to the crowd. Eaton plays off the crowd as well before we get back into things. Sting controls the arm, but gets caught with a knee to the ribs. Eaton with a double axe to the back and he chokes on the middle rope. Right hand from Eaton gets two. He hooks an armbar and grinds Sting’s face on the mat. Sting breaks with chops to the head and gets a hiptoss, but gets caught with a backbreaker. Eaton up top, but misses the knee. Sting starts his comeback and hits a Stinger Splash. Scorpion gets the submission at 3:58.
Winner: Sting via submission at 3:58
-Typical Sting match as he takes a beating for a bit, makes the comeback and gets the Scorpion for the pin. I liked the Luger/Bagwell match better as it was more energetic. *
-Gene in the ring as now Sting gets his chance to talk Starrcade. Not a fan of the Orange and Black face paint as all I can see is a Bengals fan and not Sting. He also would like to be World Champion at Starrcade.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: “Macho Man” Randy Savage (c) vs. The Giant (w/ Jimmy Hart and Kevin Sullivan)
-Savage as the fighting Champion makes all the sense in the World as he is still that guy from 1988 trying to prove he can be The Champion Hulk Hogan was. The Big Gold Belt always looked cool on Savage and I love that he wears it to the ring around his waist. Mongo mentions Hogan is probably keeping the DOD at bay in the back and Heenan makes a joke that Hogan probably works here and is parking cars. I wonder if that was an inside joke because Hogan was born in Augusta. Savage leaps on Giant’s back with a sleeper, but gets tossed off. He is up and decks Jimmy and then stupidly tries a slam. Again, he still has the mindset that he has to do everything Hogan does. Giant slugs him down and gets a boot to the gut. Slam and he calls for The Chokeslam, but instead goes to a bearhug as we take a break at 2:50.
-Well, we are right back as Peacock didn’t out a commercial there so ignore the break. Savage goes to the eyes and I don’t blame him. Clothesline and another. A third try backfires as Giant catches him and gets a back breaker for two. He lifts Savage off the mat with a two handed choke and tosses him down and he ends up rolling to the floor. Giant follows and press slams Savage back over the top and into the ring. He heads UP TOP and misses a SPLASH. Wow! Savage up for the Flying Elbow and Giant kicks out with power. DROPKICK FROM THE GIANT sends Savage back to the floor. Clubbing blow to the back and he rips the protective mat off the floor. He tries a suplex, but Savage grabs the ropes to block and Giant SMACKS off the concrete. No matter though as he bounces right up and PLANTS Savage with a chokeslam in the ring. He drops a leg and has Savage beat but Hogan is here with a chair for the DQ at 7:50.
Winner: The Giant via DQ at 7:50
-Man, Savage looks like a chump as he keeps losing matches as Champion and worst of all he needed Hogan to save his Title. The match was fun as Savage and Giant seemed to gel together. **3/4
-Hogan beats on The Giant with a chair as we get a loud “Hogan” chant. It is the place he was born! Mongo and The Refrigerator head down to talk sense into Hogan as he has snapped and is just swinging the chair at Giant and Sullivan.
-Back with Gene in the ring with Hogan and Savage. Hogan is pissed as everyone is getting Title Matches except him. Giant is trying to get back to the ring, so Hogan runs out and blasts him and Sullivan with the chair over and over. The crowd is going nuts for all of this and you would think it’s Hogan/Giant at Starrcade, but nope. We are two months out from their cage match.
-Hogan goes back to his interview and says he is sick of the probation stuff and his name is still on the Championship Belt. He says Savage owes him a Title shot and the crowd boos that. Savage notes he has to defend against Flair next week and Hogan knows he can beat him. When he beats Flair he has to get past Starrcade and when he does that, Hogan will get his Title Match. We would have to wait until October for that match, which is pretty wild as WCW had Hogan and Savage together for nearly two years before the finally put them in a match against each other.
-Eric, Mongo, and Bobby wrap things up as Hogan poses to send the crowd home happy. Though they still have to tape next week’s Christmas episode, so I guess they aren’t going anywhere yet. Thanks for reading!
