WCW Monday Nitro (March 25, 1996)

Original Airdate: March 25, 1996

From Huntsville, Alabama; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan

Randy Savage v Belfast Bruiser: Savage's outfits are getting gaudier by the week. Feeling out process to start, with Bruiser dominating. He gets Macho in a sleeper, but Randy fights free in the corner, so Bruiser takes him to the mat with an elbowsmash to the nose. Bruiser pops him with a couple of European uppercuts, but a turnbuckle smash gets reversed, and Macho drills him with a clothesline, then sends him to the outside with a high knee. Randy follows, but gets reversed into the post, and Bruiser drops him across the guardrail for good measure. Back in, Bruiser uses a short-clothesline for two, but misses a charge in the corner, and Savage quickly capitalizes with the Flying Elbowdrop at 5:05. This was energetic, but not really much to it. It also aired opposite a hot Michaels/Cassidy match over on RAW, and that's a definite point for the WWF. ¾*

Gene Okerlund brings WCW World Champion Ric Flair, Elizabeth, and Woman out to discuss Lex Luger costing the heel team the Doomsday Cage match last night at Uncensored. Not much to this beyond Flair's usual bluster, and definitely less interesting than the conclusion of the Michaels/Cassidy match on RAW, coupled with the post-match angle involving Bret Hart

WCW United States Title Match: Konnan v JL: Konnan chops him in the corner to start, but JL takes him down with a headscissors, then sends him to the outside with a second one. Reversal sequence is dominated by Konnan, and he throws a dropkick to set up a DDT, followed by a somersault senton splash for two. Konnan ties him up in a surfboard, but JL manages a fireman's carry to allow him an armbar, and another reversal sequence ends in JL hitting a jumping backelbow. JL goes up with a missile dropkick for two, but Konnan returns fire with a gutwrench powerbomb for two, but another powerbomb is countered with a sunset flip for two. Konnan tries a monkeyflip, but JL counters with a cradle for two, reversed by Konnan for two. The champ uses a bodyslam to set up something off the middle rope, but JL DDTs him down for two before he can dive. He tries another headscissors, but this time Konnan counters with a whiplash into a somersault cradle at 6:19. Far from good, but definitely more interesting than the Helmsley/Montoya match on RAW, as well as the Goldust segment. * ½

Booty Man v Disco Inferno: This really should have been saved for pay per view. I mean, this is a potential Starrcade main event if I've ever seen one, and I've seen them all. Booty dominates in the early going, and works Disco's booty with several atomic drops, as the camera ignores the match to focus on Kimberly. Heck, if that was a regular occurrence, Booty may have gotten over. Anyway, Booty wants Kimberly to spank his ass, and when she does, it revs him into high gear, and he finishes Disco with the high knee at 1:14. This was goofy, but not in the harmless fun kind of way, since we were meant to buy Booty as a legit main event level star. Give the WWF the edge with their Mankind vignette and Undertaker interview on RAW, since at least those were building towards interesting things. DUD

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Lex Luger and Sting v The American Males: Luger is in top form tonight, snubbing the fans the whole way down the aisle, except for when Sting happens to be looking - then he's enthusiastically high fiving them. Lex starts with Scotty Riggs, and a criss cross ends in Scotty pulling out a pair of dropkicks, so Luger goes to the eyes. Riggs keeps focused with a backdrop, but wastes time celebrating, and gets clobbered with an axehandle. Luger adds a lariat before stopping to take a cheap shot at Marcus Alexander Bagwell, but that pisses Bagwell off, and he pulls Lex to the outside for a brawl. The dust settles on Sting and Bagwell, and they do a nice criss cross, ending in Marcus hitting a backdrop - as the announcers relate stories of how Sting trained Bagwell, which is great. Another criss cross ends in Sting hitting a bodyslam, and both men tag out, with Lex pounding Riggs down. Sadly, the announcers don't mention that Lex gave Scotty his start as a flag bearer for him in the WWF. Bagwell tags in to try a bodypress, but Luger dodges, and puts the boots to him. Criss cross goes Marcus' way with a jumping forearm though, so Lex tags out, and Sting comes in - Roseanne Barr the door. Sting with a bodypress on Riggs to retain at 6:20, with dumbass Bagwell opting not the break the count despite being right there since he's such a nice guy. What a dope. Not a major work, but a fun little tag match. Call it a push with the Hart/Michaels hype video and Owen/Ahmed match over on RAW. * ¾

WCW World Title Match: Ric Flair v Giant: Liz throws handfuls of Randy Savage's alimony money into the crowd on the way to the ring, which is just a fantastic. That naturally draws Macho himself out in a rage, but he's held back by a bunch of guys, and can't get his hands on them. That's a great angle, based in reality, and relatable for a lot of people, as opposed to the cartoony stuff. Giant shoves him around at the bell, so Flair wisely bails out to stall for time with his women. Back in, Flair tries going at him, but keeps bouncing off the massive challenger, before taking a press-slam. Giant with a second press-slam, and damn, I'm not sure Flair has hit the ground from that kind of height since 1975. Ric tries running away, but Giant drags him back in, so Flair tries using the chops, but the big redwood no-sells. Giant with a vertical suplex, so Flair tries a bodypress, but gets caught in a backbreaker. Giant decides to go up with a flying splash, but Ric moves - though Giant overshot it by such a large amount that it wouldn't have come close to connecting regardless. Still, points for effort, I suppose. Ric quickly capitalizes with more chops, but Giant no-sells that as well, and it's only when he misses a big charge in the corner and takes a massive bump over the top that he finally starts to sell. Ric is right on him, using a rope to choke the challenger, but Giant beats the count in, so Flair goes to the eyes to bring him to his knees. Damn, ON HIS KNEES Giant is almost Flair's height. They get into a slugfest from that position, with Flair able to win by going low, allowing Woman to get some abuse in for good measure. Ric goes up, but Giant recovers enough to slam him down, and he hits the Chokeslam! Unfortunately for him here comes Arn Anderson with a chair, and that's a DQ at 8:56. Kevin Sullivan quickly pulls the chair away from Arn, but that causes confusion with Giant over who whacked him, and he chokeslams Sullivan - with Anderson laughing it up in the background! That quickly turns to fear when Giant decides to chokeslam his ass as well! This was actually a really fun match, with Giant working hard coupling well with Flair's mastery. Definitely better than the post match brawl to set up the six-man tag at WrestleMania and Tell Me a Lie music video that were airing on RAW. ** ½

BUExperience:  This was a pretty good, very easy to watch episode, though I’d have to give RAW the edge this time around, with the Michaels/Cassidy match being the best of the week, and the focused WrestleMania build. 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	3/25/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.8	3.1
Total Wins	10	14
Win Streak		4
Better Show (as of 3/25)	6	17