WCW Monday Nitro (April 29, 1996)

Original Airdate: April 29, 1996 (taped April 22)

From Albany, Georgia; Your Hosts are Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Lex Luger and Sting v Harlem Heat: Lots of posturing to start, before they settle on Sting and Booker T to start. Sting dominates a feeling out process, then passes to Luger for a tandem backelbow for two, but Lex gets decked, and Stevie Ray tags in. Stevie pounded Luger into a pile of baby oil in the corner, but misses a charge, and Lex returns the favor. Minus the baby oil. Back to Sting for a tandem clothesline for one, and the champion works the arm. Stevie fights him off long enough to get the tag, but Booker runs into a dropkick as they criss cross, and Lex tags in for a 2^nd rope flying axehandle. Back to Sting, but he gets dropped by Booker with a sidewalk slam, and the challenger manages to add the Harlem sidekick for two. Stevie comes in with a nasty looking bicycle kick for two, but a double knockout spot allows the hot tag to Luger, and Roseanne Barr the door! Powerslam on Booker gets two, but the Heat double up on him in the corner, and deliver a powerbomb/flying elbowdrop combo. That draws Jimmy Hart out to throw a towel in on the Heat's behalf, but the referee doesn't fall for that. It does distract Booker long enough for Sting to schoolboy at 8:37. This dragged some, but it wasn't bad wrestling. ¾*

The Steiner Brothers v Fire & Ice: Rick Steiner and Ice Train start, and they feel each other out. Train catches Rick with a powerslam as they criss cross, and he adds an energetic avalanche in the corner, but misses a second one, and Rick tosses him with a release German suplex. Both men tag, and Scott Steiner quickly drops Scott Norton with a suplex, then adds an overhead version to send Norton to the outside. Steiner immediately forces him back in for a flying bodypress, but Norton catches his big ass in a press-slam, and adds a pair of clotheslines. Third one coming, but Steiner counters with a hotshot, and passes back to Rick. They bounce off one another during a criss cross, and Train tags in to hiptoss Rick. Big boot on Scott follows, and Train press-slams Scott Steiner, but telegraphs a backdrop, and nearly eats a tigerbomb before Norton saves him. Norton clotheslines Scott over the top, but while he's busy with that, Rick drills Train with the Steinerline at 3:16. It was short, and it was sloppy, but it was also a lot of fun while it lasted, with all four guys letting loose on each other with stuff. * ¾

Gene Okerlund brings WCW World Champion Ric Flair out to talk about his title defense tonight, but more importantly, to continue to taunt Randy Savage

Glacier teaser. I remember seeing one of these on one of the weekend shows around this time, and it was a super long one, to the point where I wasn't sure if what I was watching was still wrestling at a certain point

Parking Lot Brawl: Lord Steven Regal v Belfast Bruiser: This is just what it sounds like, as both guys are fighting outdoors in the parking lot, with a circle of cars surrounding them to form a 'ring.' They slug it out, and Bruiser gets the better of it, ramming Regal's face into the hood of a car. He tries a boot, but Regal dodges, and Bruiser's leg goes through a car window. Steven throws him into the car a few times, so Bruiser grabs a piece of concrete, but Regal pokes him in the eyes to block, and rubs his face in the pavement. Bruiser gets hold of a spare tire and beats on Regal with that, then throws him into the grill of a pickup truck a few times until the bumper falls off. Bruiser beats on him with that, then slams him onto the hood of another pickup, before choking him with the seatbelt. This is just wild. Bruiser drops him across a guardrail, but Regal manages to knock him on the flatbed of on of the trucks, and they brawl on it. Bruiser forces him over the top and over the hood, then drags him over to another car for some rams into the window, but Regal reverses, and Bruiser goes through it. Regal whacks him with the truck bumper from earlier, but gets knocked onto the hood of a truck, and Bruiser elbowdrops him. He tries a tombstone, but Regal manages to block. Regal tries a piledriver on the hood of a car, but Bruiser counters by backdropping him onto the roof. Regal tries again, and this time manages to piledriver Bruiser onto the hood of the car for three at 6:20. Well this was something different. They were just killing each other with stiff action here, and the unique match style and atmosphere was awesome. This was not unlike the Backlot Brawl from WrestleMania, but felt grittier. It's hard to really rate as a wrestling match, but it was definitely entertaining, and definitely worth checking out. ** ½

WCW World Title Match: Ric Flair v Giant: Flair stalls to start, trying to buy time after getting pinballed by Giant. Giant with a press-slam and a corner whip to flip Flair to the floor, so Flair stalls some more. He gets Giant to chase after him so that he can steal the high ground, and Slick Ric goes to the eyes as Giant climbs back in. He goes to work with chops in the corner, but Giant no-sells, so Flair goes upstairs, but Giant slams him off. The challenger adds a vertical suplex, but Ric holds the ropes to block the Chokeslam, and pops Giant one down low. Ric loads his fist and drills Giant in the face to put him down for the Figure Four, but Giant has such long reach that he's able to counter to the Chokeslam while in the hold! He drops Flair with it, and we have a new champion at 5:50. Giant could be entertaining when motivated, as he often was early in his career. Okerlund comes out to get words with the new world champ, who promises to be a fighting champion between grunts and snarls. *

BUExperience: Though this aired on the same night as the opposing RAW, they didn’t have true head-to-head competition this week, as Nitro was regulated to an earlier start time due to the NBA playoffs. The WCW show was much better and more eventful than the opposing RAW, though the timeslot change hurt them a lot, resulting in their lowest rated episode in over five months.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	4/29/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.9	2.1
Total Wins	14	14
Win Streak	4
Better Show (as of 4/29)	8	19