WCW Monday Nitro (February 26, 1996)

Original Airdate: February 26, 1996

From Knoxville, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan

Sting v Big Bubba Rogers: Bischoff gives away all the results of the 'World Whining Federations' show during the entrances for this one. Honestly, he didn't even need to give away the results. Just reading off the card should have been enough to dissuade anyone from changing the channel. The size each other up a bit to start, until Sting denies him a handshake, and hits a one-handed bulldog. How untrustworthy do you have to be that you can't sucker STING?! Bubba comes back with a hotshot and a punch for two, so Sting tries a Thesz-press, but gets countered with a spinebuster for two. Chinlock, but Sting fights free in the corner, so Bubba hits him with his own variation of the stinger splash. Clothesline follows for two, as I notice an entire group in the first row who have showed up in costumes. Not wrestling related costumes, either. They spill to the outside, where Rogers gets into it with a little old lady to the point where security tries to shoo her back to her seat, but she basically tells him to fuck off. Gotta love crazy little old ladies. Actually, this particular one was a fixture at SMW shows in the Knoxville area for years, and is notably insane. Back in, Rogers tries a backdrop, but Sting counters with an ugly looking piledriver. Instead of the usual 'fall back on your ass' style, he dropped to his knees like a tombstone. That could have ended really badly, but thankfully didn't. Slugfest goes Sting's way, but Rogers lifts his knees to block a 2^nd rope pump-splash, and he tosses the Stinger to the outside. Rogers goes up, but Sting crotches him up there, and dives back with a flying bodypress at 7:14! Fun match, and much better than what RAW was airing opposite (Roberts/Yankem, an Ultimate Warrior vignette, and the first part of Diesel/Holly). * ¾

Gene Okerlund brings WCW World Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger out for an interview, but they're immediately interrupted by the Road Warriors, who want a title match. 'Any time, any place,' says Lex, but that backfires when the Warriors want it to be a Chicago Street Fight. It turns into a pissing contest, including a funny bit where the Warriors call Lex out for not being from the 'real' Chicago, and only coming close when he 'drops off his laundry to be cleaned.' Luger gets offended, but Sting quickly interjects to note that they're right. Luger is still offended, and tries to save face by accepting the challenge for the Street Fight, despite, um, not knowing what one is. 'Why don't you go flex your pecs in the mirror and think about it?' notes a pissed off Stinger. Luger (as usual during this period) was fantastic, and made this segment into something special and memorable beyond the content. Give WCW the edge over the conclusion of the Diesel/Holly snoozer on RAW

Lex Luger v Renegade: And Lex comes out flexing his pecs, ha. Feeling out process to start, with Renegade actually dominating, and sending Luger to the outside following a series of shoulderblocks. Lex goes to the eyes on the way back in, but Renegade blocks a hiptoss, and clotheslines him. Into the corner, Renegade unloads a ten-punch, so Lex tries an inverted atomic drop, but Renegade rebounds with another clothesline for two. Backdrop follows, but a bodypress is ducked, and Renegade wipes out in the ropes. That's enough to turn the tide, and Luger goes to work on him. Elbowdrop gets two, and a side suplex is worth two. Backdrop, but Renegade counters with a sunset flip for two, so Luger throws a clothesline for two. Chinlock, but Renegade starts to escape, so Lex throws a knee to cut him off. He tries turnbuckle smashes, but Renegade reverses one, so Lex corner whips him. Renegade no-sells, so Lex tries a vertical suplex, but Renegade pops up. He starts mounting a comeback, using a bulldog to set up a flying splash, but Jimmy Hart runs out to shove Renegade off the top rope to the floor to save! Luger rolls him in, and the Torture Rack finishes at 5:47. This was a lot more competitive than you'd expect at this stage in Renegade's career. Totally watchable, too. Afterwards, Sting runs out to chase Hart off, and bitches at Luger for how he got the win, but Lex pretends to be oblivious. Sting's like a woman who just discovered her husband is cheating on her here, shouting at Lex about how he 'promised it was over,' and how Sting told him that it was 'him or me.' Luger frantically and vehemently denying everything is just great stuff. Advantage Nitro over the WWF's Ahmed Johnson squash, Mankind vignette, merchandise shilling, and tag team title tournament update. But, give RAW some points for really packing a lot of variety in on their shows. **

Harlem Heat v The Road Warriors: Booker T starts with Hawk, and hits a bodyslam early on. He cross corner whips Hawk a couple of times, but it backfires when Hawk rebounds at him with a clothesline, then adds a dropkick to put Booker on the outside. Booker takes the high ground and clobbers Hawk on the way back in, but telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a neckbreaker to set up a fistdrop for two. Both guys tags out, and Stevie Ray feels Animal out for a bit. Stevie manages his own bodyslam, but Animal drills him with a pair of clotheslines, and passes back to Hawk, so Booker takes a cheap shot from the apron. That allows Stevie to powerbomb Hawk, and the Heat cut the ring in half on him. A tandem vertical suplex gets two, but Booker knocks heads with him in the corner, and Animal gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! The Heat manage to dump Animal, allowing Booker to hit Hawk with a sidewalk slam to set up the Harlem Hangover, but the referee is busy on the outside, so there's no count. That allows Animal to sneak over with a big boot on Booker, and Hawk scores the pin at 7:54. This was nothing special, but was competent. Call this a push with the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels face-to-face segment over on RAW. *

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Kevin Sullivan v Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and Booty Man: Big brawl to start, with the babyfaces cleaning house. The dust settles on Arn and Booty to start, but it's all stalling, so the cameras can focus on Kimberly walking out with a bouquet of roses for Booty. Hey, no problem, I'd rather watch Kimberly than this match. Booty hits Arn with a high knee, sending Anderson scurrying into his corner to regroup for a bit. The Enforcer railroads Booty in the corner, but hits knee on a charge, and Booty latches on with a sleeper. Sullivan comes in to break it up, so Booty puts him in the hold instead, but is forced to let off when Flair runs in. He gets into a strut off with Booty, and Booty takes him down with a drop-toehold. Booty Man is looking rough here, like the ring rust is really messing with his timing. Test-of-strength goes Booty's way, so Flair tries to sucker him into the heel corner, but it backfires when Booty passes to Macho. Ric immediately forces Randy into the heel corner for some triple teaming, but fiery Macho Man fights them all off. He wants his own test-of-strength with the Nature Boy, but Flair takes a cheap shot, and unloads with chops. He goes up, but Savage slams him off, only to have a flying axehandle countered with a gut-punch. Flair gloats instead of cutting the ring in half, however, allowing Hulk to tag in to blitz him with clotheslines and a backdrop. That brings in Arn and Kevin, but Hogan fights them both off, and tees off on Flair with a ten-punch. Tag back to Booty for a tandem big boot for two, so Arn and Kevin come in again, but Booty fights them off as well. Back to Savage, so Liz and Woman hook his ankle from the outside, allowing the heels to jump him. That finally puts them in control for the first time in the contest, and they cut the ring in half on Randy. Savage fights off Sullivan long enough to tag Booty, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! Booty whips all three heels into big boots from Hogan, with Arn eating the Legdrop at 12:05. This was fine once it finally got going, but certainly nothing special. The heels immediately attack after the bell, with Liz handcuffing Hogan to the ring post (the dumbass director choosing an extreme close-up camera angle that totally exposes Hogan helping her do the cuffing - and what's worse, lingers on the shot) for a beating. Quick, someone get Big Bubba back out here. Call this a push with RAWs Handicap match main event, and the Billionaire Ted skit. ¾*

BUExperience: Nothing crazy, but a solid episode this week. Good call shifting some focus on the interesting Sting/Luger dynamic, and only spending a limited amount on the tired Hogan/Savage/Horsemen/DOD stuff. Certainly much better than the opposing RAW was, though that isn’t saying much this week.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	2/26/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	3.1	3.2
Total Wins	10	11
Win Streak		1
Better Show (as of 2/26)	5	15