WCW Monday Nitro (February 12, 1996)

Original Airdate: February 12, 1996

From Tampa, Florida; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan

Randy Savage v Hugh Morrus: Savage is still fuming over getting turned on by Elizabeth/losing the world title the night before this, and immediately takes Morrus down, gouging at the eyes. Savage with a turnbuckle smash, but Hugh manages to return fire to get control, and he goes to the eyes as well. Charge misses, allowing Macho to blast him with an axehandle, and he chokes Morrus down for two. Morrus fights back with an axehandle of his own, but he gets dumped to the outside while trying to unload in the corner, and Randy rams him into the post out there. Back in, Savage tries a vertical suplex, but Morrus reverses for two, and adds a bodyslam. He goes up for the No Laughing Matter, but Macho moves, and his own bodyslam sets up the Flying Elbowdrop. Savage isn't satisfied, however, and he gives him a second one before getting the pin at 4:50. Afterwards, Savage is still pissed, and decides to deliver a third elbow, but the referee is able to stop him. This was a total mess, but I dug Savage's intensity. DUD

Gene Okerlund brings out Steve Grissom (a driver for WCW Motorsports) to talk about his day at the track

Scotty Riggs v Loch Ness: So, Loch is his first name, and Ness is his last name? Or is his gimmick that he's a body of water? I mean, the normal human body is about, what 60% water? Is the idea that this dude is closer to 100% water? And therefore scary? Does the mythical Loch Ness monster live inside of him? Is he the monster? I'm so confused. And apparently Riggs' mind is overwhelmed with pondering this as well, as everything he throws as Loch Ness goes nowhere. He tries a flying bodypress, where Loch Ness is supposed to catch him, but they botch that, with Ness just kinda tripping and falling on top of him. Loch Ness then adds an elbowdrop to finish at 1:15. Thankfully short. DUD

Miss Elizabeth and Woman roll Ric Flair out on a stretcher for his interview, as the Nature Boy is still recovering from all the celebrating he did after winning the world title the night before at SuperBrawl. Ric is in all his glory here, as he and Elizabeth take shot after shot at Savage to keep this hot angle burning. It's a shame the matches were generally well below the standard they set in the WWF, because the angle is on fire

WCW United States Title Match: Konnan v Devon Storm: This is Storm's debut, and he looks like a bootleg DDP. Storm attacks from behind with a dropkick, and quickly dumps the champion to the outside for a baseball slide. Storm grabs a chair, and uses it to springboard after Konnan with a somersault plancha, then hits a missile dropkick off of the apron. Storm seats Konnan in the chair out on the floor, and tries a springboard off of the steps at him, but Konnan catches him in a powerbomb out there to block. Devon beats the count in, so Konnan clotheslines him down, and throws him around with various takedowns. Storm tries a victory cradle, but gets countered with a wheelbarrow suplex, and Konnan hits a slam for two. Konnan grounds him in a toehold, as we spot George Steinbrenner in the crowd (George the man responsible for bringing Nitro to Tampa this week). Storm escapes the hold and tries a toehold of his own, but Konnan counters to a leglock, and the challenger grabs the ropes to break. He hits Konnan with a springboard leg lariat, but a sunset bomb off of the apron gets countered with a rana out there. Storm beats the count in, and tries a rana off the top, but Konnan counters with a powerbomb into a somersault cradle to retain at 5:19. This was really awkward looking, as Storm tried really hard, but looked extremely unpolished, and was biting off a lot more than he could chew. *

Hulk Hogan v Arn Anderson: Hogan was so insufferable during this period, and it didn't help when the announcers were saying shit like, "here comes the man, here comes WCW!" like he's the only guy in the promotion that matters. Arn goes to a hammerlock out of the initial lockup, and cracks Hulk in the back of the head with a forearm, but Hogan blocks a turnbuckle smash, and unloads a ten-punch. Anderson tries a corner clothesline, but Hulk no-sells, and pops him with a pair of clotheslines, followed by his own corner version. They spill to the outside, where Arn tries a piledriver on the floor, but gets countered with a catapult into the post. Hulk rams his arm into the post a few times for good measure before taking things back inside, where he chokes the Enforcer with his wrist tape. Atomic drop and a side suplex set up a pair of elbowdrops and a bootrake, and Hogan pops him with the axe bomber. Corner clothesline, but Anderson manages to block with an elbow, and Arn goes up top - only to get crotched on the top as Hulk brings him down. Looks like Hulk was going for a slam off there, but Anderson slipped, and crotched himself. Arn goes to the eyes to get control, as Ric Flair and Elizabeth strut down to ringside for a better view of the action. Arn manages the rotating spinebuster, but it only gets two as the HULK UP!! has been triggered. Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Figure Four! That brings Flair in, but Hulk fights him off while still in the hold, so Woman throws a handful of powder into his eyes. That blinds him, but he's still in control anyway (since Hogan), so Liz passes Arn her heel, and Anderson whacks Hulk with it for the pin at 9:15. I like how Hogan was trying to show that he could be a team player by doing the job for Anderson, but it takes four people and two weapons to get him to get him to do it. Afterwards, Hulk cleans house on the heels by himself, with Randy Savage running out to get in on the party as well. Flair flips out after getting run off, and decides to take refuge over at the announce position, where he can cut a promo on them from a safe distance. Hogan and Savage chase them out of there as well, leaving only poor commentator Bobby Heenan to take the abuse. Of course, he was strictly 'no touch' at this point in his career, so it doesn't go anywhere like it would have if this were the 1980s (despite the promotion's tireless efforts to make you believe that it still is). * ¼

BUExperience: With RAW not airing this week, Nitro was able to score its highest rating to that point, and while they didn’t bring a whole lot to the table, the intensity of the Hogan/Savage/Flair/Anderson fallout from SuperBrawl was enough to carry the hour.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	2/12/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	n/a	3.7
Total Wins	9	10
Win Streak		2
Better Show (as of 2/12)	4	14