WCW Hog Wild 1996

Hog Wild 1996 was an interesting show for many reasons. It was WCW’s first effort at programming an August pay per view into their increasingly competitive schedule, which they decided to hold outdoors at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, with tickets given to bikers for free in the midst of the hottest angle they’d ever stumbled onto with the nWo. The result led to a disinterested crowd (many of whom actually sat on their bikes for the duration of the show) filled with non-fans who grabbed free tickets to a random wrestling show on their vacation, but had little/no knowledge of the participants or angles presented.

From Sturgis, South Dakota; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes – trying their best to fit in, and not recreate Altamont.


Opening WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio, Jr. v The Ultimo Dragon: Dragon dominates Mysterio on the mat early, drawing 'USA' chants from the crowd to encourage the Mexican Mysterio. Well, Mexico is North America. That's probably what they meant. It's hard to chant 'North USA,’ and plus they’re on vacation. Lay off! Dragon unloads with the kicks, and a dropkick grounds the champion. Handspring elbow, and a running sitout powerbomb nearly kills him. Figure four, but Mysterio makes the ropes. Torture rack into a backbreaker, and he hooks a surfboard, but Mysterio slips out on top of him for a quick two count. That just pisses Dragon off, so he tries the handspring elbow again, but misses, and takes a springboard dropkick to the floor. Baseball slide knocks him into the dirt (the setup didn't feature bleachers, allowing fans to ride their bikes (or motor homes, which are visible in the background) into the show, so the ring is on an elevated platform to make it more visible, while everything else (ringside, the aisle way) is about five feet lower, on the fairground dirt). Mysterio then follows with an insane springboard bodypress over the hill, and into the dirt. Rey drags him in for a rana, and he tries another springboard, but gets dropkicked on the way down. German suplex gets two, and the Asai moonsault hits. Flying version gets two, so he tries the powerbomb again, but takes a rana. Mysterio with a top rope version for the pin at 11:35. Some nice spots, but both guys spent most of the match trying to sort out the strange set (which didn’t do them any favors while trying to perform – both because of the design, and because of the amount of dirt getting in the ring made it hazardous), and working the crowd. **

Ice Train v Scott Norton: Train has an injured shoulder after a run in with The Giant earlier (in a desperate attempt to make him a more plausible threat to the nWo before the main event), so Norton goes right for it. He pounds the shoulder relentlessly, and hits a single-arm DDT, then grabs an armbreaker for the submission victory at 5:05. Psychologically sound in that he went after the shoulder, worked it, and finished with an armbreaker - but painfully dull, as it was five minutes of punch-kick-stomp. ¼*

Battle of the Bikes: Madusa v Bull Nakano: Loser has her motorcycle destroyed. Of course, Madusa rides a Harley in, and Nakano a Kawasaki, making it easy for the crowd to know who to cheer. Nakano jumps her coming in, and whips her around with a couple of hairpull slams. Madusa comes back with a few hairpull slams of her own, but gets locked into a modified Sharpshooter when she tries a suplex. Nakano with a DDT, and she works a chinlock. Powerbomb, but Madusa hits a rana for two. Roundhouse kick, but a second misses, and Nakano spears her. Side suplex gets two, but they botched the ending, so she tries it again, this time forgetting to bridge, and Madusa lifts her shoulder for the pin while in the hold at 5:00. Luckily, Dusty is on commentary in case anyone gets confused by that one. This was like a CliffsNotes version of their better matches. ½*

Chris Benoit v Dean Malenko: Benoit is the de facto face, because he brings two leather clad women with him (Elizabeth, and that Woman he killed). Slugfest to start, won by Benoit when he starts throwing chops, but Malenko catches him in a hanging vertical suplex. Neckbreaker gets two, so he goes to a chinlock. Restholds piss Benoit off, though, so he chokes the life out of him. Um, well, not really. You can't exaggerate shit like that when it comes to Chris Benoit. They go into a reversal sequence - ending with Benoit hitting an electric chair - and he follows with a snap suplex for two. Abdominal stretch, but Malenko wrestles out, so Benoit goes back to the chokes. I wonder if WCW was considered partially liable, seeing as he practiced it so much, on their dime? Flying headbutt gets two, so he tries a tombstone, but Malenko reverses. Texas Cloverleaf, but Benoit cradles him for two. They spill to the outside, where Malenko posts him, but gets caught on the top rope, and super-duperplexed down. German suplex, but Malenko reverses into his own release version for two. Overhead suplex for two, so Benoit hits him with a well executed Northern Lights suplex for two. German suplex hits, and he locks him in an elevated Boston crab. Malenko won't quit, so Benoit tries the German again, but gets cradled for two. Backslide gets two, and a rollup for two - as Malenko is battered, but throwing whatever he can to try to put Benoit away. He gets caught in a powerbomb, however, and Benoit tries the flying headbutt again – only to get caught with a superplex for two. He hits his own powerbomb for two, but the time-limit expires at 20:00. They decide to give them another five minutes to finish up, but the crowd is getting restless. The match restarts, and Benoit hits a side suplex for two. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two, and he goes to the Texas Cloverleaf. That's Malenko's signature hold, though, so he works to counter until Benoit just gives up. He keeps after him, but Malenko throws an enzuigiri. It's not enough to hold off Benoit, though, and he locks Malenko in a grapevine. Malenko won't quit again, though, and the time-limit goes at 25:00. The referee decides to give them another five minutes (why not just throw the time-limit out the window there, since apparently you have that power now), leaving the crowd on the verge of busting out the pool cues. Benoit backdrop, and a full-nelson suplex gets two. Again, but Malenko reverses, so Benoit reverses, only to miss a dropkick. Cloverleaf, but Woman gets involved, and Benoit schoolboys him for the pin at 26:55. They were going for an epic here, but the crowd just wouldn't get into it, sitting on their hands and making catcalls at the valets. Well worked match, with crisp execution all around, but it didn’t flow well - not helped by the lack of interest from the bikers. *** ¼

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Harlem Heat v The Steiner Brothers: Apparently redneck bikers and two black brothers from Harlem are not a good match, for those hosting dinner parties this weekend. The crowd just boos the Heat mercilessly, though at least they're engaged for this one. For the wrong reasons, sure, but small steps. Booker T and Scott Steiner in first, but the crowd starts revving their engines to psych out the Heat – stalling the bout. Scott finally jumps him, and hits a butterfly suplex. Booker tries a roundhouse kick, but gets presslammed, and taken into the corner for the ten-punch. Tag to Stevie Ray, but he misses a roundhouse as well, and gets overhead suplexed. Tag to Rick Steiner, who immediately works a chinlock, as the crowd pelts the Heat with trash. Realizing it's probably not the best idea to give them a stationary target, Rick works a clothesline, and both tag out. Booker with a sidewalk slam, but he gets caught in a belly to belly suplex for two. Rick with a suplex for two, but a cheap shot from the apron turns the tide. The Heat cut the ring in half, causing more engines to rev, until Booker misses a splash off of the 2^nd rope, and Scott gets the tag. He's a house of arson - suplexing everything - but a four way brawl breaks out, giving Heat manager Col. Parker the chance to whack Scott with his cane for the pin at 17:53. That was a ballsy finish to book in front of that crowd, but good for them. Obviously they didn’t want to change the titles, but they would have probably been better off going with some sort of countout or DQ finish instead, because it was getting dangerously close to Altamont-levels by the end. Dull match, but a hell of a sociological study. ½*

WCW United States Title Match: Ric Flair v Eddie Guerrero: Flair also gets a babyface reaction, as he too brings leather clad hotties. The same ones Benoit had, but like a quality motorcycle and/or hooker, definitely up for another ride. Flair tries to slap him around to start, but that only gets him paint brushed to the outside. Proper start sees Eddie locking on a mat-based side-headlock, but Flair counters into some pinfall attempts. He wrestles out, so they trade chops, and Flair takes the Flip. Backdrop, and Flair begs off, but Eddie continues unloading with chops. Flair has enough of his own medicine, and blows him low, but gets caught with a bodypress for two. Flying sunset flip won't knock Flair down, so Eddie catches him with a drop-toehold, and locks a figure four. Flair has it mastered, though, and escapes - but walks into a rana for two. Tornado DDT gets two, but Guerrero stops the assault to gloat - and gets dumped. Flair tries a suplex back in, but Eddie sunset flips for two. Frog Splash, but he bangs his knee up on the way down, and can't capitalize. That's all Flair needs to hear (he was reading this on his iPhone), and a rope-assisted figure four retains the title at 14:14. This is one that sounds awesome on paper, but came off fairly dull in reality – especially with the crowd more interested in Liz and Woman than anything going on in the ring. Well paced, otherwise, if unnotable. ¾*

Sting and Lex Luger v The Outsiders: This was something of a dream match at the time, and Sting dresses like an extra from Apocalypse Now: The Musical for the occasion. Lex Luger starts with Scott Hall, and overpowers him during the initial lockup, but Hall outwrestles him the second time around – dropping him to the mat with an armbar. Kevin Nash tags, causing a Luger pec-dance reaction. Kevin wants no part of that, though, and demands Sting tag in. The faces stupidly oblige, forgetting the first rule of tag team wrestling (never tag out when your dancing pectorals are psyching out a dude over six feet tall), but Sting manages a bodyslam. Stinger Splash, but Nash catches him in the corner, and drops him with the snake eyes. The Outsiders cut the ring in half, until a nice double knockout bit that sees Sting falling into a headbutt... right in Nash's nuts. Tag to Luger, and he's a house of arson, leading to the usual four-way brawl. Luger tries to finish Hall with the Torture Rack, but accidentally bumps referee Nick Patrick, and Hall falls on top for the pin at 14:36. We would later learn the nWo had bought off Nick Patrick, and he would play the part of the evil referee in various angles - including the infamous finish at Starrcade ‘97. Match was standard formula stuff, with only a modicum of exertion and enthusiasm. ½*

Main Event: WCW World Title Match: The Giant v Hollywood Hogan: Big stall session to start, as Hogan is too cowardly to lockup. Hogan with a side-headlock once they coax him in, but Giant side suplexes him, so he bails again. More stalling, as Hogan teases a test-of-strength, but won't lockup. He finally does - kicking Giant to get him down - until Giant powers up into a wristlock. Hogan reverses into his own, until Giant starts passing out headbutts. They spill to the outside, where Hogan posts him, but a second try gets reversed. Inside, Giant with a backbreaker for two - when Hogan gets a foot on the ropes. Elbowdrop misses, however, and Hogan unloads, but Giant SUCKS UP!! beating himself to the punch with his Hogan impression by about four years. Big boot! Chokeslam!... but Scott Hall and Kevin Nash run in (not even behind the referee's back - just blatantly… and it's not even Nick Patrick), and Hogan gets the title at 14:55. That was some shitty officiating. Afterwards, Hogan spray paints 'nWo' onto the title belt - which was pretty wild at the time - and has since become something of an iconic image. Hogan worked intelligently, realizing he was getting the biggest reaction of the night (likely because he was the only wrestler this crowd was familiar with going in), and playing a cowardly heel to try to swing the crowd into Giant's favor. He did obvious heel stuff like stalling and cheating, but also worked in little touches like not kicking out of Giant’s stuff (as Hulk Hogan would), but rather choosing to weakly put a foot on the ropes. Not that it made for good wrestling, as it was literally all stalling and restholds, but still smart ring work from the veteran. Match was among the worst I’ve ever seen, but proves that if you have an angle hot enough, the ring work doesn’t really matter. -**

BUExperience:  It’s certainly got historical significance going for it, but other than the novelty of the outright bizarre set and crowd – not much else. WCW was the hottest thing in wrestling at this point, and they had a good formula brewing with workrate filled undercards, and intriguing (if technically boring) main events. This lineup, on paper, is essentially a paramount example of that formula, but fell flat – mostly due to the setting. The crowd had no interest in the show other than drinking, and getting to see Hulk Hogan (the #1 heel in the company), and everything going on came off as dull, or miscalculated. *