WCW Monday Nitro (January 8, 1996)

Original Airdate: January 8, 1996

From Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan. Heenan has been off his game for months, and tonight can’t even seem to remember the names of the participants in the main event

Chris Benoit v Alex Wright: Benoit attacks while Wright is getting his jacket off, and quickly snap suplexes him. Bodyslam and a matslam follow, as Brian Pillman walks around ringside messing with fans. Chris with a bridging northern lights suplex for two, and he dumps Wright to the outside for Brian to choke down. Back in, Benoit unloads in the corner, but Wright outmaneuvers him, and hits a leg lariat. Flying bodypress hits, and a catapult sends Chris flying over the top. Wright blasts him with a baseball slide out there, then dives with a flying bodypress on the floor! Inside, Wright dropkicks him for two, and a bodyslam is worth two. Boston crab, as Bischoff notes that Nitro is 'without a doubt' and 'unquestionably' the most watched wrestling program on Monday nights, despite the fact that they've been going 50/50 at this point. And, in fact, they lose tonight. Wright shifts to an STF, but Chris won't quit. Alex with a backelbow and a snap suplex for two, but he gets tripped up by Pillman while running the ropes, and dives after Brian with a plancha! That allows Benoit to recover, and Wright has to fight him off on the way back in, but a slingshot splash hits the knees. Reversal sequence ends in Chris dragon suplexing him, and Wright is done at 6:40. Much better than the Jarrett/Hakushi match and Royal Rumble report over on RAW. ** ¾

Lord Steven Regal v Eddie Guerrero: Feeling out process to start, with Regal trying to use his size to control, and stalling whenever Eddie is able to hang with him - as Bischoff continues prattling on about how WCW is the best wrestling promotion ever, and outright telling us not to bother ordering the Royal Rumble. I know the WWF destroyed all sorts of territories, but I don't remember them ever going on TV and specifically telling you not to watch some competitor. They counterprogrammed, and raided rosters, but that's just good competition. Bischoff went over the line. It's also funny to hear him go on and on about how, unlike the WWF, WCW will give you all the action for free, on the same night that RAW is airing the main event of their last pay per view in its entirety. Regal works Guerrero over in rather dull fashion, but Eddie blocks a butterfly suplex, and uses a headscissors takedown. Dropkick leads to a pinfall reversal sequence, ending in Regal poking him in the eyes, and putting the boots to him. Guerrero fights him off with a bridging cradle for two, but runs into a backelbow, and Regal hammers him again. Inverted vertical suplex gets two, and Regal tries a cradle, but gets reversed for two. Steven backelbows him down again, and drops an elbow for two. Mat-based abdominal stretch follows, but another backelbow misses, and Guerrero dropkicks him. Regal responds with two more backelbows, as this thing is dying, and needs to wrap up. Just make the comeback already. Regal keeps hammering on him, but Guerrero counters a forearm with a backslide, and gets the pin at 8:08. Pretty dull stuff, as their styles clashed. I'd give the WWF the (very slight) edge here, since they were airing a variety of stuff opposite (Ahmed Johnson squash, Brother Love Show introducing Ringmaster as Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Champion, and Goldust/Aldo Montoya). None of that was especially good, but at least it wasn't one dull long segment like this match was. ½*

Gene Okerlund brings Sting and Lex Luger out to discuss Starrcade, but first, he needs to get in a cheap shot at the WWF, talking about how the supposed 'New Generation' just added a couple of guys who are close to collecting social security. I will not that he wasn't hyping with his usual flair this week, so perhaps Scheme Gene hit a little close to home for him. Anyway, Sting wants Luger to answer for his actions back at Starrcade, but Lex is all 'dude, are you gonna believe your own eyes, or me?' And, since it's Sting, it's the latter. This version of Luger could have had a career in politics. I'd normally give the WWF the edge with their segment on Shawn Michaels announcing his comeback, but they handled what should have been a major plot point like such an afterthought that I have to call it a push

Sting v Diamond Dallas Page: Bischoff talks about how WCW Saturday Night is the top wrestling program 'each and every week' in the same breath as telling you Nitro is. Page attacks during the pat down, and hammers Sting in the corner. Page misses a charge, but holds onto the rope (Andrade Almas style), so Sting knocks him to the outside with a dropkick, then dives with a plancha. Back in, Sting takes a headbutt to the groin while trying a leapfrog, and Dallas puts the boots to him. DDP is far less interesting now that he doesn't have Kimberly bouncing around at ringside anymore. Side suplex and a swinging neckbreaker get Page two, so he grabs a chinlock. He uses the ropes for leverage, as Bischoff again has to mention how WCW gives you the top matches for free, while the WWF was literally doing just that at that very moment on the other channel. Sting escapes, and quickly delivers the Stinger Splash, but Page is in the ropes to block the Deathlock. He drops Sting with another neckbreaker for two, but gets inside cradled for two. Dallas tries going to the eyes, but Sting fights him off again, and the Deathlock wraps it up at 6:20. This aired opposite the Hart/Bulldog pay per view match over on RAW, and I've got to give the edge to the WWF there, since not only was it a brilliant match, but giving away a PPV main event on free TV was unheard of. And it's not like they're showing some old match from years before. In Your House was all of three weeks prior! * ¼

Ric Flair and Arn Anderson v Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan: After some debate, Flair and Hogan start us off. They do their usual feeling out sequences, and Hulk hits the big boot early, so Arn runs in, but Hogan cleans house. Dust settles on Savage hitting Anderson with a flying axehandle, and he tries an armbar, but Arn gets to the ropes. He tries suplexing Macho over the top to the floor, but Hulk big boots Anderson off the apron, and Savage dives with a flying axehandle on the outside. Another one gets two on the way back in, so Flair starts wheeling and dealing, and takes control despite never tagging in. Macho manages to slam him off the top rope, and he slaps on a figure four, so Arn runs in - only to get cut off by Hulk with a figure four as well! Unfortunately for Savage, Anderson is able to drop him with the DDT after the referee breaks it all up, and Ric capitalizes by throwing Randy over the top. Arn sends him into the guardrail out there, and the Horsemen cut the ring in half on Savage. Arn misses the DDT, allowing the tag to Hogan, and the Hulkster comes in hot - Roseanne Barr the door! Hulk isolates Anderson, but runs into the spinebuster - no-sold! Big boot and the Legdrop follow, so the other Horsemen run in - only to get cut off by the Dungeon of Doom, and Hulk pins Anderson at 15:16. Afterwards, the two factions continue brawling on the outside, but Giant pushes past and hits the chokeslam on both Hogan and Savage! Despite the constant talk by the announcers about how this was a pay per view caliber match, this wasn't as interesting as the actual pay per view match over on RAW. * ½

BUExperience: Nitro wasn’t especially good this week, but it didn’t stink of staleness and desperation like RAW did.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	1/8/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	3.0	2.8
Total Wins	8	7
Win Streak	2
Better Show (as of 1/8)	3	12