Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 4.21.97

-Written: 8.23.26
-Run Time: 1:35:45

-Plugs: Last Week on Nitro

-Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyskzo
-Saginaw Civic Center, Saginaw, MI

-A limo is here and out pops JJ Dillon. What could this mean?

-Show opening!

-Hour One Pyro!

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Dean Malenko (c) vs. Yuji Nagata

-Tony notes these two are familiar with each other as former opponents and partners. They work from a wrist lock and Dean gets a trip for a one count and gets a pop from the crowd. The crowds during the MNW were great. Nagata with a head scissors, but Dean escapes and fires off a chop. Nagata with a head kick and then a kick to the back. USA chant as he locks a reverse chinlock. Reggie White is sitting in the front row again. Dean is able to break with a belly-to-back suplex. Tony announces the Mongo vs. White match is signed for Slamboree. Dean with a suplex for two and he goes to a chinlock. Nagata escapes and ties up Dean’s legs while pulling back on his face. Nagata back to a chinlock. They have this hot crowd and keep going to a chinlock sadly. The crowd starts rallying Dean and pop when he hits a leg lariat for two. Nagata fires off kicks to prevent a backdrop, but Dean catches one and gets a leg drag. To the corner and Nagata hits a superkick. Overhead release suplex gets two. Dean elbows out of a standing switch but gets caught with an overhead belly-to-belly for two. Dean ducks an enziguiri and drops an elbow on the knee. Texas Cloverleaf and Nagata gives it up at 6:02.

Winner and Still WCW United States Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko via submission at 6:02
-This was fine but this crowd was begging to see a bit more. **1/4

Ciclope vs. Glacier

-Ciclope charges, but hits the corner. Glacier with kicks and gets a belly-to-back suplex. Loud “Glacier Sucks” chant from the crowd. Another suplex and Cryonic Kick finishes at 33 seconds.

Winner: Glacier via pin at 33 seconds
-That was the first real audible backslash against Glacier that I can remember. SQUASH

-The man who would be known as Wrath starts walking down to the ring and Tony notes he helped Mortis against Glacier at Uncensored. The crowd pops for Wrath and we see Mortis from behind. He lands a SICK superkick and the crowd pops. James Vandenberg is here as well. The lay waste to Glacier and gets a standing ovation from the crowd. They steal Glaicer’s helmet and Mortis tries to rip his eye out by using the spike on the helmet. There are finally some boos from the crowd, but still mainly cheers.

-Last week Sting brought ball bats for his WCW crew as they had a stand off with the nWo.

-Nick Patrick interrupts and wants to speak to the crowd. He apologizes to the WCW employees. He will never apologize to certain people. He thought the nWo was the place for the little people to speak up. The nWo is catering to the people he thought they would stop: Randy Savage and Eric Bischoff. He notes he did not want to fight Randy Anderson and he was told to keep his mouth shut when Randy Savage’s fine was rescinded. He has been jackknifed by Kevin Nash and choke slammed by The Giant, but is still here. Larry calls him out on and they argue as we go to a commercial.

WCW World Television Title: Ultimo Dragon (c) (w/ Sonny Onoo) vs. Bobby Eaton

-Eaton with kicks to the gut and lands a back elbow. He follows with a slam and drops a knee to the chest followed by another and another. Eaton misses a clothesline and then an elbow, but catches Dragon with a running clothesline. Nice! Dragon flips out of a backdrop and hits his series of kicks. Onoo grabs Eaton by the leg and that lets Dragon hits a dropkick. That sends Eaton to the floor and Onoo gets in a series of kicks. Back in the ring Eaton gets set up top and Dragon brings him down with a rana. Dragon Sleeper and Eaton is out at 2:47.

Winner and Still WCW World Television Champion: Ultimo Dragon via submission at 2:47
-A solid win over a name for Dragon and they did what they could with less than 3 minutes. *1/2

-Gene is with Lord Steven Regal and they make reference to Regal spending a night with Sarah Ferguson, the former Dutchess of York. Regal nearly breaks character laughing. Regal gets to business and says he will become TV Champion again at Slamboree. He heels on America for not being able to get the title off someone from Japan. He is holding the company together and will bring back the TV Title. He tells Dragon to get his best pink mask and tights and he will break him in half.

Meng (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Chris Jericho

-It is so great having Haku/Meng back on wrestling TV in 2026. At some point I need Haku and Roman sharing screen time just to see how they would handle that. Actually wild that we have both of these guys appearing on weekly wrestling shows in 2026. Meng with chops as the crowd stands up and looks at something happening. I don’t think it’s anything related to the show as the announcers ignore it. Jericho misses a missile dropkick and hits a belly-to-back suplex. He tears at Jericho’s face and gets a choke. Back to the eyes as the crowd continues to be distracted. Jericho lands a spinning heel kick, but Meng just stands there. Meng misses an elbow and Jericho hauls off with a clothesline that finally drops Meng. Springboard Moonsault goes horribly wrong as Jericho slips off Meng. Meng just drops down and then picks Jericho up for Snake Eyes, but Jericho slides out and gets a German Suplex for two. He heads up top, but Meng catches him and drops him throat first on the top rope. Tongan Death Grip finishes at 3:20.

Winner: Meng via submission at 3:20
-Between the distracted crowd and things being off, this was kind of a mess. Happens sometimes. 1/2*

-Gene is with Meng and Jimmy Hart. Kevin Sullivan and Jackie join them. Sullivan puts over the toughness of Meng and dares anyone to step to him. There are fans that scream but nobody moves. Could you imagine? Kevin talks about his kids and how they are upset with him. He wants Meng to deck him for some reason and Jackie stops him. Weird stuff!

-Video package on Chris Benoit.

-Saturday Night 6:05: Public Enemy, The Steiners, Lex Luger, Mortis!

Public Enemy vs. The Steiner Brothers

-The Steiners aren’t out as we cut to the back and they are in a fight with Konan and Hugh Morrus. Security rushes in to break them up and send The Steiners to the ring. Steiners are back in Michigan and their parents are in the crowd. Larry notes that Mr. Steiner is bigger than the Steiners. I wonder how Steiner kids will do in the business one day? Rick starts with Rocco and Scott gets the tag. He gets caught with an elbow in the corner. Scott back with a Gorilla Press Slam and he throws Rock on Grunge. Double clothesline and the crowd erupts with the biggest pop of the night. The Steiners hit their pose as things slow down. Rick and Grunge have a go now. Forearms from Rick as the crowd starts a “Michigan” chant. PE with a double back elbow. Rock with a slam and heads up top. He misses a Senton but is close enough to make a tag. Morrus and Konan are out and it’s a DQ at 3:12.

No Contest via DQ at 3:12
-The crowd was great and the match was just there for the brawl before and after. *

-They have a heck of a fight that goes into the crowd. PE actually helps The Steiners in their battle with Konan and Morrus. The crowd didn’t care there was no winner as they were into that fight.

-Hour Two Pyro!

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

-Recap of what we saw in the first hour.

-Gene is with JJ Dillon to spill the tea. Gene announces that JJ was named The Chairman of the WCW Executive Committee. Dillon puts over his respect for Gene, who notes JJ has his work cut out for him. Tony asks about Nick Patrick and JJ says his reinstatement is being taken under advisement. JJ took a look at Eric’s contract and Eric has no authority. The bad news is Eric Bischoff has an iron clad contract that has no buy-out clause. He will retain his title as EVP and will be paid and come go to any event he chooses. All contracts he signed are valid other than Bubba and Wallstreet. Their nWo contracts are not valid and they are still under contract to WCW. Eric is out and he tells JJ to bite him. He is all smiles because JJ can’t fire him. He tells JJ to bite him again and Gene is aghast. JJ mentions what Eric has done is amazing as two years ago the standard in excellence was in Stamford, CT. He reminds Eric he did not do it alone and Eric tells JJ to bite him for a third time before walking away. JJ notes he has his own two feet and will be held accountable for where he steps.

-Last week, Reggie White and Mongo came face-to-face and Mongo spit on him leading to them being separated by security.

Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) vs. Scotty Riggs

-This is a rematch from Saturday Night where Riggs got the upset win. JJ then hits Riggs with two piledrivers and locked in the figure-four after the match. If this was Memphis, Riggs would have been carried out on a stretcher and not wrestling a few days later. JJ coming out to Arn Anderson’s music just doesn’t look right. Scotty sprints to the ring and the fight is on which is good to see. JJ with a swinging neckbreaker and then a gut wrench suplex. He kicks Scotty in the ribs and hits The Stroke, but it wasn’t his finisher yet. Riggs with an atomic drop and gets a slam. Debra with the ref as Riggs kicks away. He charges and Jarrett backdrops Riggs to the floor. It made me happy when WCW finally got rid of the over the top rope DQ. JJ drops Riggs throat first on the top rope. Good thing it was the throat and not his face. Could lose an eye! Back in the ring, Riggs starts a comeback and runs wild with clotheslines. They are moving out there as I assume they are getting in all the can with a short time. Riggs gets a two count as Debra puts JJ’s foot on the ropes. Mongo is on his way out and Reggie White cuts him off and takes the briefcase. Mongo heads to the back as Jarrett knocks Riggs off balance on the ropes. Riggs lands knee first on the top rope and JJ goes right to the figure-four and Scott gives it up at 3:58.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett via pin at 3:58
-Energetic match and even got some heat for the Reggie/Mongo match. **

WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Syxx (c) (w/Kevin Nash) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr

-Kind of a dream match for light heavyweights as it’s The Lightning Kid vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. Probably should have saved this for a PPV. Syxx was set for the Six Man Tag coming up at Slamboree so should have given him a heavyweight in the mid card to beat. No matter as this should be fun. Rey gets the early advantage and Syxx is a little frustrated. Rey with a drop toe hold and gets a side headlock. LOUD SLAP from Rey! He catches Syxx with a head scissors, but then Syxx alley-oops Rey up in the air and drops him on his face. Lighting elbow! Kicks in the corner followed by the spinning back kick. Bronco Buster and it gets a pop. Abdominal Stretch and Syxx gets into position where he can use the middle rope for leverage. That gets the crowd into it and the ref questions Syxx. Nash stands up for him and Syxx sends Rey over the top with a hip-toss. Heenan reminds us that Nash once LAWN DARTED Rey into the side of a trailer. We will never forget! Back in the ring Syxx goes for another Bronco Buster but misses. Syxx tries another alley-oop, but Rey turns it into the West Coast Pop. He can’t hook the leg though and only gets a two count. Rey off the top with a head scissors and Syxx ends up on the floor. Rey flip dives onto the floor and the crowd erupts. Nash in and destroys Rey with a boot to the back of the head. Jackknife and somehow Anderson misses all of this. Buzz Kill but Rey is out at 5:55.

Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Syxx via pin at 5:55
-Fun match with an an ending that made the ref look really dumb. ***

-JJ Dillon is out and has the paramedics come out to wheel Rey away. Security surrounds Nash and Syxx to keep them away from Rey. The crowd chants for Sting as they start throwing trash into the ring. Nash and Syxx tell Dillon “bite me,” as they laugh at his threats.

-Lex Luger video package!

-Lee Marshall is On The Road with 1-800-Collect in Norfolk, VA. Weasel jokes!

-Hulk Hogan comes to us from his latest movie set with an nWo stylized video. McCinsey’s Island is the movie and I guess Grace Jones is nWo. The Giant and Brutus had parts in the movie as well. The movie has a 26 rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

-The nWo are out and in this case it’s Syxx, Nash, Bagwell, Vincent, “Sting,” Dibiase, and Norton. Syxx accuses Flair of ripping off Buddy Rogers. Nash plays off Piper’s promo from last week and says Piper and his friends left the young guys nothing. He shoots on WCW pushing son’s of their wrestlers. He notes they were both in WCW and while he was green, Scott Hall should have been a superstar. They chased both of them up North and they had to dig the business out of the hole left by people like Piper and Flair. He mentions Detroit and says it’s time for The New Generation as they have young lions ready to get their piece of the carcass. Piper and Flair can have the limos and jets, while they will pile in a Taurus and patch the potholes. Angry Nash is great and he actually got over as a face here because he was standing up for the lower class and mentioning him growing up in nearby Detroit. He ends with “we miss you Hollywood.”

Psychosis vs. Diamond Dallas Page (w/ Kimberly)

-Rough week for the cruiserweights against the top of the card this week. Psychosis up top, but DDP hits the ropes to knock him off balance and hits a Diamond Cutter for the pin at 49 seconds.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page via pin at 49 seconds
-Yep! SQUASH

-Randy Savage and Liz are in the crowd and Savage is still on crutches. I assume he really did hurt himself and that’s why they aren’t meeting at Slamboree. Savage notes that Kimberly felt the Madness. Page says Savage won’t bait him again and he won’t chase him. He calls Liz a bimbo again and calls Savage out for a match now. I mean, easy to call out a man on crutches.

-So DDP SQUASHING Psychosis was our Main Event as Gene is in the ring and brings out Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, and Kevin Greene. We are running short on time, so Flair lays down and tells him to come out and pave the highway right now.

-The nWo is out and look to the entrance and for the first time in weeks it’s Scott Hall! The nWo surround the ring and the B team gets sent in first as cannon fodder. Syxx and Flair start brawling on the apron. Everyone starts hitting everyone as we are desperately out of time.

-Thanks for reading!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

With everything that happened in this show and the ending it felt like a go home show, but we still have weeks before Slamboree. I believe the NBA playoffs mess up the next few weeks, so perhaps they wanted something like this now knowing the audience would be there. Just a normal Nitro that makes my wrestling soul feel good watching. Syxx/Rey was a strong match outside the ending and the rest is what you expect from this show. The big thing to me is they have so many feuds and stories going and do well in making sure they get touched on each week.