WCW Monday Nitro (October 9, 1995)

Original Airdate: October 9, 1995

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan. All three are wearing Chicago Bears jerseys

Last week, the Dungeon of Doom nearly killed Hulk Hogan by shaving his mustache off without using any shaving cream, or even aftershave lotion. Barbarians!

Sting stops by the announce position, and promises to solve the problems between Randy Savage and Lex Luger later on tonight

WCW United States Title Match: Sting v Shark: Kind of weird that they'd have Sting make an entrance, talk to the announcers, then go right back behind the curtain and make a full entrance again. Couldn't he have just stopped by on the way to the ring? That looked so bush-league. Shark attacks him on the way into the ring, and quickly hits a scoop powerslam. Elbowdrop and a legdrop get two, but Shark misses a charge in the corner, and Sting capitalizes with a pair of Stinger Splashes, then hits a flying bodypress to retain at 1:17. About as good as a minute long title match could be, I guess. ¼*

We take another look at the Hogan shaving from last week. They're treating this like he was raped up the ass by a pit bull, or something. Kinda makes me feel like I'm not getting near enough credit for my daily shaving routine

Halloween Havoc promo

Sabu v Mr. JL: JL's outfit makes him look like a cross between Rey Mysterio and the Black Scorpion. Sabu attacks in the corner to start, and bodyslams him to setup a slingshot somersault legdrop. Sloppy springboard leg lariat follows for two, but JL manages a jumping backelbow during a criss cross, then puts Sabu on the floor with an enzuigiri. JL dives after him with a tope, but gets caught with a spinheel kick on the way back in, and Sabu follows with a somersault plancha. He adds an Air Sabu out there, but an attempt to vertical suplex JL back in is countered into a bridging German suplex for two. JL adds a cross corner dropkick, but gets reversed through another cross corner whip, and Sabu adds a clothesline to setup a slingshot moonsault. Camel clutch, but JL gets the ropes to escape, so Sabu heads up - only to get spike DDT'd off for two. He goes up, so Sabu tries countering with a rana off the top, but JL hangs on. Missile dropkick, but Sabu catches him in a powerbomb, and a camel clutch finishes at 4:28. This was none stop action, and while it wouldn't really standout at all today, this was wild and crazy stuff for 1995. Management was impressed enough to give them a rematch for Havoc, and understandably so. Unfortunately for them, this was airing directly opposite the exciting conclusion of the big six-man tag on RAW, which was a much better segment. **

Gene Okerlund brings Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage out for an in-ring interview, and Sting has a bright idea to solve the issues between them once and for all: have them wrestle again at Halloween Havoc. Sting's like one of those family therapists with the foam mallets, or something

Chris Benoit vignette

Disco Inferno comes out to showoff his disco dancing skills

Big Bubba Rogers v Hawk: Bubba attacks before the bell, and avalanches him, but gets caught in a powerslam as he tries following up. Hawk takes over, but Disco Inferno shows up to dance on the apron, and Hawk decides to beat him up instead - getting himself counted out in the process at 1:39. RAW was airing an endless series of video packages opposite this, but this wasn't much better. DUD

Gene Okerlund brings Hulk Hogan out for an in-ring interview, and Hulk is wearing all black to mourn his moustache. Gene and Jimmy Hart really should have shaved theirs off too, in a show of solidarity. I mean, clearly the Hulkster's taking it way too hard, and here his friends are, rubbing it in his face with their own glorious moustaches. Anyway, Hulk keeps calling out the 'son of Andre,' so Giant decides to show up outside of the arena in a monster truck - complete with Zodiac riding on the roof like a really weird hood ornament. Gene informs Hulk that Giant is outside, and Hogan decides to go fight him out there - or, 'head into the fun' as the announcers call it

Halloween Havoc promo. It's really weird to hear them try to sell the main event as 'the World Champion - the man who had his moustache shaved off!' in completely serious tones

Another Halloween Havoc promo. Really?

Two uniformed Chicago police officers come out, and inform us that they are working hard to keep Hogan and Giant apart backstage. Well, obviously not working too hard, if they can spare sending two guys down for that, but whatever

Cage Match: Ric Flair v Arn Anderson: Really short cage here. Arn attacks, but Ric blocks a shot into the cage, and unloads in the corner. Cross corner whip gets reversed, however, and Arn backdrops him on the rebound, then tosses him into the cage wall. He chokes away, and hits a spinebuster for two to avoid some chops. Ric manages to toss him into the cage to turn things around, and grates Arn's face into the mesh. Ric with a hanging vertical suplex, so Brian Pillman starts climbing in, but Flair knocks him off, and hits Arn with a flying axehandle. Kneebreaker sets up the Figure Four, but Anderson is ready with a set of knux to block, and he gets the pin off of it at 6:43. Just going through the motions here, but it was still more intriguing than the Skip/Fatu match RAW was airing opposite. *

BUExperience: RAW had the higher high, but Nitro was the better overall show this week, as after the big six-man opener/beat down, RAW had nothing left, while Nitro was entertaining throughout. Call the shows a push overall - which fans in 1995 seemed to as well, resulting in another tie in the young ratings war.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	10/9/1995
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.6	2.6
Total Wins	2	1
Win Streak	n/a	n/a