wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WCW Monday Nitro 5.19.97
Image Credit: WCW
Loading...-Written: 9.19.26
-Run Time: 48:51
-If you enjoy these Retro Reviews, give my book covering 1996 WCW/WWF PPVs a look. It is on sale at Amazon in Kindle and paperback form. Click below!
Leighty’s Retro Wrestling PPV Reviews: 1996 WWF and WCW
-This the fourth, and I believe, final one hour show in a row thanks to the NBA playoffs on TNT. This has been your NBA on TNT playoff recap for this week. The Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets, 101-86, in Game One of the Western Conference Final.
-We are coming off Slamboree and WCW got a rare decisive win to close a show as Piper/Flair/Greene beat the Wolfpac.
-Announce Team: Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Asheville, NC
-Mean Gene welcomes us to the show and brings out Ric Flair, who notes last night was the greatest thrill of his wrestling career. Before he can really get going, Syxx is out to note the wrong guy was in the ring last night. Flair is ready for a fight, so Gene calls him Richard to settle him down. Syxx has an issue with Flair calling him out last week. He challenges Flair to a match tonight. Flair calls him a fly in the ointment and “I am going to kick your flyweight ass.” They start brawling and Syxx jumps up on the announce position, which has Heenan freaking out. Knowing how paranoid Heenan was about being touched, I wonder if a part of all of these trips to the announce table were just a rib on The Brain.
WCW World Television Championship: Steven Regal (c) vs. Prince Iaukea
-LOUD USA chant from the crowd! Regal works the arm and throws pal strikes. Jumping knee to the head as Regal seems a little grumpy. Forearm followed a knee to the gut and then a series of palm strikes and slaps in the corner. Prince head fakes off the ropes and ends up getting a sunset flip for two. Another roll-up for two, but Regal catches him with another palm strike. Prince hits the crucifix he used to beat Regal for the Title earlier in the year but it doesn’t work this time. He tries to float over in the corner again, but Regal catches him and drops him face first on the mat. Heavy kick to the back and one to the head. He drops a knee to the back of the head and hits a reverse suplex. Nice! Regal Stretch with palm strikes for added measure and Prince gives it up at 2:27.
Winner and Still WCW World Television Champion: Steven Regal via pin at 2:27
-Regal gets his win back and this basically ended any push for Iaukea as Regal ate him up here. *1/2
-Last night at Slamboree Wrath and Mortis were beating Glacier down again, but Ernest Miller makes his debut as he runs in for the save.
Masahiro Chono vs. Dave Taylor
-Mike Tenay joins to make it a 4 man booth. He announces that Nitro will be at The MGM Grand in Vegas later this summer. He promises a major star will make his debut at the show. Well, now I want to know if that actually happened. I guess we will just have to wait until I get there. If only there was an online tool I could use to search for such information. Hold please! Oh! Cool! Chono with an atomic drop and then heels on the crowd. Another go and Taylor throws Euro uppercuts. Chono tells him to bring it and then throws Taylor to the floor. Back in and they get kind of crossed up on something but it ends with Chono getting a neckbreaker. He goes for a piledriver, but Taylor backdrops out. He charges in the corner, but Chono get a boot up to block. STF finishes for Chono at 2:58.
Winner: Masahiro Chono via submission at 2:58
-Not as fun as the first match as Chono wasn’t as vicious as Regal and Taylor didn’t any hope spots. *
-Gene is with Sonny Onoo and he is holds a grudge against Chono for going nWo so he promises to bring someone next week to face Chono. Chono wants to know now, but guess he will have to wait as well. Hold please! Oh, well, we will see how that goes for Sonny!
-JJ Dillon is sitting at a desk in his office and announces that Nick Patrick has been reinstated, but is on probation for his first 30 days.
-Then in a weird deal because WCW did stuff like this, Tony throws to JJ Dillon in his office and we hear the Nick Patrick announcement again.
Mr. Wallstreet vs. Scotty Riggs
-If you recall, Mr. Wallstreet was told his nWo contract was not valid and thus he is still signed with WCW. He is a bit ticked off he can’t wear nWo colors, so he has a WCW shirt with a with a circle and line through it. Clever! Nick Patrick is the ref and Wallstreet gets annoyed with him in the opening moments. Wallstreet blocks a monkey flip and starts laying in the boots. Belly-to-back suplex followed by a reverse chinlock. Wallstreet gets into another argument with Patrick. He goes back to Riggs and lands a back elbow. He pitches Riggs to the floor and then goes back to arguing with Patrick. Wallstreet goes for a weapon in his pocket, but Patrick stops him and they play tug of war as Riggs comes off the top with a sunset flip. Wallstreet grabs the ropes to the block but Patrick kicks his arms and Riggs gets the pin at 2:50.
Winner: Scotty Riggs via pin at 2:50
-This was all about Nick Patrick and his road back to being a regular referee again. 1/2*
-Ric Flair and Mark Martin are out with Gene to plug the Valvoline NASCAR. The Valvoline car is being given away and Flair makes racing puns. I am so glad we are done with this product placement in wrestling today.
-Lee Marshall is on The Road with 1-800-Collect in Nashville, TN. Hey, I just reviewed In Your House 2 from Nashville (that will be out in a few months). Marshall sings “Weasel Hotel.”
-Last night at Slamboree Randy Savage and Diamond Dallas Page got into another brawl as the feud continues to be red hot. I can’t state enough how much this feud helped DDP.
Jeff Jarrett and Mongo (w/ Debra) vs. The Steiner Brothers
-Jeff and Scott start so nWo 2000 explodes! Jeff with a swinging neckbreaker followed by a snap suplex. Scott just stands up as Jeff celebrates. Scott with a Gorilla Press, but drops JJ on his face like Warrior. He sets Jeff up top and brings him down with a Samoan Drop in a sweet spot! That gets two as Mongo makes the save. Mongo in and he wants some of Rick! They start trading heavy punches. Mongo clips the knee and hits a back elbow where it looked like Rick just jumped into the elbow. Rick back with a suplex and a bulldog from the middle ropes. Everyone in the ring! Mongo and Rick run into each other as Scott gets dumped to the floor. JJ with the briefcase, but Kevin Greene is out. Scott trips JJ and Greene uses the case to deck Mongo. Rick gets the pin at 3:33.
Winners: The Steiner Brothers via pin at 3:33
-Another match where the angle was the story. The crowd was hot for it and Green has been waiting nearly a year to get revenge on Mongo, so this made sense at least. *1/4
-Back from commercial and we see that Mongo rushed to the back and got into it with Greene before security separated them.
Syxx vs. Ric Flair
-Bell sounds and Syxx lands his series of kicks in the corner. He misses a charge and Flair starts firing away with chops and right hands in the corner. Syxx reverses a whip and lands a spin kick. Here’s Hall and Nash and we have a DQ at 59 seconds.
Winner: Ric Flair via DQ at 59 seconds
-Not a surprise that we didn’t get a real match. More angle advancement. 1/2*
-Flair has no help as Mongo is fighting with Greene and I guess Piper isn’t there. Benoit and Jarrett must be busy as well. The nWo lay out Flair with an Outsiders Edge. Nash cuts a promo and says they want to put Flair and Piper out of business. Nash: “Piper you better be strapped up on that mountain, because we are going to bum rush you, old man.” It makes my heart proud when I see an nWo beating and garbage tossed into the ring. That’s the good stuff!
-Eric Bischoff is out to close the show for a second week in a row. He has words for Sting as he is not worth a drop of Hogan’s perspiration. The crowd chants for Sting! Sting pops up through the ring and is behind Eric as the crowd LOSES THEIR MIND! Scorpion Death Drop! That’s definitely a way to send the crowd home happy after they had to watch Flair get beaten down.
-Thanks for reading!
