WCW Monday Nitro (September 4, 1995)

Original Airdate: September 4, 1995

From Minneapolis, Minnesota (inside the Mall of America); Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan, and Steve McMichael – in McMichael’s WCW debut

Brian Pillman v Jushin Liger: They trade wristlocks to start, and Liger controls with a standing side-headlock. He chops Brian into the corner, then hits an ugly moonsault press for two. He grounds Pillman with a chinlock, but walks into a headscissors, and Brian unloads some chops of his own. A sloppy 2^nd rope flying rana gets two (looked like Brian was going for a rana, but Liger sold it like a headscissors), and Pillman snapmares him into an abdominal stretch on the mat. Brian's looking really out of shape, and chubby at this point. Criss cross goes Liger's way with a drop-toehold into a surfboard, and he backdrops Brian out of the ring. That was also screwed up, as Liger went for a backdrop, but Pillman sold it like Jushin had sidestepped, and he was supposed to just fall over the top from his own momentum. Liger goes after him with a somersault bodyblock off the apron, and tries to suplex him back in, but Brian reverses to the outside. Pillman dives after him with a flying bodypress, but he gets superplexed on the way back in for two. Liger tries a flying axehandle, but gets dropkicked out of the air for two. Liger regroups with a brutal powerbomb for two, and gives him a top rope rana for two, but a second one gets countered into a tornado DDT for two. German suplex, but Liger reverses, so Pillman counters into a victory cradle for the pin at 6:50. Not close to on par with their pay per view match from 1992, and suffered from what looked to be some communication issues, but still more exciting than anything RAW had done since the Hart/Hakushi match two months earlier. *

Earlier, Hulk Hogan promotes his new Mall of America restaurant: Pastamania! No, really. Can't be worse than that bullshit Beach House he runs in Florida, where he sells replica belts for 6x retail simply because he's the vendor

WCW United States Title Match: Sting v Ric Flair: But, before the bell, here comes the first big angle of the Monday Night Wars, as Lex Luger wanders down the aisle in street clothes, and makes eye contact with both guys until security removes him. That was a big deal to say the least, as Luger may not have been well used at the end of his WWF run, but he was still a huge name, and this was another big get for WCW - even if they didn't really want him. With that out of the way, Flair struts around, but criss crosses into a press-slam - then takes another one for good measure. Hiptoss and a dropkick put Flair on the floor, so Ric asks for a test-of-strength, and rakes the eyes when the stronger Stinger gladly accepts. Chops in the corner, but Sting no-sells (you'd think Flair would have learned by now), and another press-slam. Ric throws a bodypress to send them both tumbling out over the top, but Sting no-sells some more chops, and press-slams him back in. Stinger Splash misses, but Sting no-sells that as well, and bulldogs him instead. Flair dodges another Splash, but still can't turn the tide, as Sting slams him off the top rope. Another press-slam gets two (Are they going for some kind of record? This match is to press-slams what chops were to that Austin/Jericho match from 2002), but a flying splash hits mat, and Ric delivers a hanging vertical suplex. Unfortunately for him, that gets totally no-sold as well, and Sting unloads a pair of clotheslines, then corner whips Flair for the Flip. Ten-punch count sets up a hiptoss, but Ric blocks a superplex, only for Sting to win the resulting bridging reversal sequence with a backslide for two, then superplex him anyway. Unfortunately, he notices Arn Anderson at ringside, and the distraction allows Flair to clip the knee. Figure Four, but Arn decides he doesn't like Ric using the ropes, and walks in to break it up for a disqualification at 10:20. Afterwards, Flair gets into an altercation with Anderson, and they brawl to the back. A basic CliffsNotes version of their matches, this would have been disappointing for pay per view, but was fine for TV. * ¼

Scott Norton shows up in street clothes to slap Eric Bischoff around for misusing him, until Randy Savage runs down for the save

Sabu vignette. To the shock of no one, that deal didn't last long

Michael Wallstreet vignette. Man, this show is becoming the Law of Diminishing Returns... for returns

WCW World Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Big Bubba Rogers: Hogan overpowers him through a lockup battle, but gets caught in a side-headlock. Hulk powers out and shoulderblocks him, and easily controls a test-of-strength until Bubba takes a cheap shot, and splashes him in the corner. Backbreaker hits, but a corner charge hits boot, as some kids in the front row prominently display 'Hogan sucks' and 'Hogan is a wimp' signs. Ouch. Hulk with mounted punches, but I guess the signs really got to him, because he quickly falls prey to a straddling ropechoke. He cheats to turn things back around (using Jimmy Hart's jacket to choke Rogers with behind the referees back), then follows with cross corner clothesline. Bodyslam sets up a series of elbowdrops, but Bubba goes to the eyes, and hits a bodyslam of his own. Scrapbuster looks to finish, but it's a HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Legdrop! 7:05! With that out of the way, Hogan's archrivals the Dungeon of Doom run in for a beat down, and though Hulk pretty easily fends off the five-on-one assault by himself, Lex Luger runs back out to help anyway. Hogan doesn't appreciate the spotlight stealing, and nearly comes to blows with Luger over it, until Randy Savage and Sting rush out to break things up. The match was total formula stuff, but that was a helluva hot angle with Luger. That's the kind of shit they should have been focused on, not that Dungeon of Doom silliness. ¾*

Fall Brawl promo

Meanwhile, Hogan and Luger are still staring down in the ring, so Gene Okerlund joins them, and Luger challenges Hulk for a shot at the title - while taking some shots at the WWF, natch. Hulk accepts, for next week. Great segment here, immediately capitalizing on the hot angle, and setting up an exciting main event for next weeks show. Though, it should be noted what an asshole Hulk was coming off as here. No wonder people turned on him, en masse

BUExperience: With RAW taking the week off due to USA Networks coverage of the US Open, Nitro was able to get a free pass to attempt to capture some of RAWs audience. And what a start, as they loaded up with star/star matches, two title defenses, and no squashes – coupled with a hot, much talked about debut.

While this was light years ahead of what RAW was doing, it’s worth nothing that this debut was actually very reminiscent of RAWs own debut in 1993: an exciting, stylish hour of wrestling, from a unique venue. Unfortunately, Nitro would eventually fall apart under the weight of its own excess, but they were certainly off to a good start!

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	9/4/1995
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	N/A	2.5