WCW Monday Nitro (June 10, 1996)

Original Airdate: June 10, 1996

From Wheeling, West Virginia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko (hour one); Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan (hour two)

Last week, Scott Hall promised a big surprise for next week. And, as Tony astutely notes, "next week is this week."

Booker T v Scott Steiner: They really had a great tag division in 1996. It doesn't take long for them to start shoving and slugging, and Scott tries a backslide, but Booker back flips to avoid it. That leads to a criss cross, with Scott trying a German suplex, but Booker repeatedly blocking. He tries a savate kick, but Scott ducks, and butterfly suplexes him, then adds an inverted atomic drop before clotheslining Booker over the top. Scott dives off the apron with a flying axehandle, but runs into a boot as he tries a charge on the way back in, and Booker axekicks him for two. He keeps Steiner grounded with a front-facelock, and a bodyslam leads to a flying bodypress for two. Suplex, but Scott counters with an inverted DDT, and starts slugging in the corner. Belly-to-belly suplex and the Frankensteiner look to finish, but Booker dodges it, and nails him with the Harlem sidekick for two. Sidewalk slam sets up a flying splash, but Steiner rolls out of the way, and hits an overhead suplex for three at 5:54. Fun stuff! Afterwards, Gene Okerlund wants to talk to Scott about his upcoming tag match against Fire & Ice for the pay per view, but Debra McMichael interrupts because she's feeling guilty that she caused this issue between her husband and the Horsemen. Gene telling her that getting sexually harassed wasn't her fault in between complimenting her appearance and looking down her top seems particularly tone deaf. Anyway, she wants a sit-down with the Horsemen tonight to try and talk things over, and maybe even call off the match for the Bash altogether before someone gets hurt. ** ½

Diamond Dallas Page v Jim Powers: Larry's pseudo intellectual commentary style is getting really annoying already, and it's only the third week! Powers uses his power to dominate Page in the early going, and a pair of schoolboys each get two. Bodypress for two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Page matslams him. DDP keeps coming with a gutwrench stomachbreaker for two, but hits boot on a charge, and Jim unloads with a series of turnbuckles smashes. Kneelift and a dropkick get him two, but he runs into a backelbow, and the Diamond Cutter finishes at 4:05. Not much to it, but I continue to enjoy Page's pinballing around for everyone, and he's really starting to get his finisher and mannerisms over. *

Video review of the Kevin Sullivan/Chris Benoit feud

Backstage, WCW United States Champion Konnan notes that his Bash opponent El Gato is "a legend in South America of legendary proportions." Watch a lot of Orient Express matches down there, do they?

Sting v Meng: I think what's annoying about Larry's commentary is that it comes off as forced when he's playing heel. It's fine when he'd cut a promo as a wrestler, but the character just doesn't translate to announcing, and it feels like he's trying to 'play' Jesse Ventura. They throw bombs at each other to start, with Sting getting the better of him with a pair of clotheslines, followed by a one-handed bulldog. Bodyslam, but Meng counters with a small package for two. He tries a corner whip, but Sting reverses, and schoolboys him for two. Meng responds with a shoulderbreaker to set up a trip to the top rope, but Sting crotches him up there, and the Scorpion Deathlock finishes at 3:11 - complete with a tap out! Blink and you'll miss this one. ½*

Backstage, Gene has managed to get Debra McMichael in a room with Bobby Heenan. He refuses to call off the match for Sunday, so Debra wants to talk to Ric Flair directly. Bobby leads her into another room, but then slams the door shut in Okerlund's face, and when it opens up again a few seconds later, Debra runs out of the room with her hair all frazzled, being chased by a pants-less Nature Boy. Renegade and Joe Gomez (who are scheduled to wrestle the Horsemen later) try to save her, but end up getting beat down in severe fashion

Jim Duggan v Squire Dave Taylor: Duggan with a hiptoss and a pair of clotheslines to send Taylor to the outside, and Jim with a few knees as Dave comes back in, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and gets ropechoked. Taylor tries a 2^nd rope flying bodypress, but Duggan dodges, and hits the 3-point stance. Unfortunately for him, Taylor is in the ropes. Duggan gets mad about it, and nails him with the taped fist for the pin at 2:22. Mercifully short. DUD

Video package promoting WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko's title defense against Rey Mysterio Jr at the Bash

Backstage, Big Bubba Rogers is still riding the unbelievable high of giving another man a haircut. And who hasn't been there? Bubba twirling a pair of scissors around in the same manner that he used to twirl his nightstick is pretty funny, though

WCW World Title Match: Giant v Scott Norton: Too bad Catch Me If You Can wasn't set in the 90s, because Frank totally could have used 'Scott Norton' as an alias. He is 'the Flash' after all. Sorry. Norton tries to attack from behind, but Giant shrugs him off, and hits a powerslam. He bootchokes Scott in the corner, so Norton tries fighting back with a series of avalanches, but the third one hits boot. They spill to the outside, where Norton tries another charge, but hits the post, and Giant chokeslam's him on the floor. Back in, that gets three at 1:42. Afterwards, Giant wants to continue the beating, but Lex Luger runs out for the save! This aired opposite the Owen Hart/Yokozuna King of the Ring Qualifier on RAW, and I'd give the WWF the point there. DUD

Lord Steven Regal v Billy Kidman: Really early into Kidman's run here, and he looks to be more kid than man at this point. Regal wastes no time, destroying him right out of the gate, but Kidman manages to dodge a backelbow, and hook a sunset cradle for two. Bulldog sets up a flying 450 splash, but Regal dodges, and a suplex sets up an elevated crab at 0:57. He refuses to release the hold after the bell, so Sting runs out to make the save. This aired opposite highlights from a house show on RAW, so give Nitro the win here. ¼*

The Nasty Boys v Public Enemy: Public Enemy have their summertime white outfits on for tonight. They don't wait for the bell to start brawling, with the action quickly spilling out to the floor, giving us the dreaded split screen. Things finally settle on Brian Knobbs and Johnny Grunge to start, and Brian quickly gets him in the Nasty corner for some double teaming. Tag to Jerry Sags, and he ends up in the Enemy corner, but he fights off a double team, and drops a leg to Grunge's groin. Meanwhile, on commentary, Heenan explains that Debra came out of Flair's dressing room looking all frazzled because she had immediately attacked Woman and Elizabeth as soon as the door was shut, and Ric was just protecting them. Bobby could have had a career in politics with that kind of spin. The Enemy manage to get control of Knobbs, and start cutting the ring in half in painfully dull fashion, but he fights Grunge off long enough for the tag to Sags - Roseanne Barr the door! The Nasties clean house, so Rocco Rock decides to take a walk to find weapons - in this case a trash can. Knobbs knocks it away from him, and the Nasties go for the kill on Rock, but Grunge 'shoves' Brian off the middle rope to save. More like 'gently poked him on his side.' Maybe Knobbs is just really ticklish? Anyway, that gets Rock a two count, so he goes up, but Sags hits him with a trash can, and that's a DQ at 9:44. I'd have really liked to see Regal and Kidman get a few more minutes than this getting so much time. This aired opposite a good Mero/Skip King of the Ring Qualifier on RAW, and that's a definite point for the WWF side. –¼*

Hey guys, are you enjoying Nitro? Well, just remember, it's brought to you by and made possible by Hulk Hogan! Without him, this would just be two hours of guys sitting around and farting in their underwear. And don't you forget it

Video review of the Horsemen/football players feud. They're really relying super heavily on these video packages tonight. This is one of the hardest sells I've ever seen WCW do for a pay per view, actually. The WWF was airing the conclusion of the Mero/Skip match on RAW, and that's a point to them

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Lex Luger and Sting v Ric Flair and Arn Anderson: Renegade and Joe Gomez can't compete following the attack earlier, so the Horsemen get a tag title shot instead. That's quite the justice system Turner was running. The belts look like absolute hell too, in desperate need of being redone. Luger and Flair start, and Lex is quick to hit a press-slam, and a pair of clotheslines. That brings Anderson in without a tag, but Luger fights him off, and cleans house by himself. The Horsemen regroup on the outside for a minute, and Ric tries to headlock Lex as he heads back in, but Luger easily brushes him off, and hits another press-slam. Luger's flexing was always out of control (even for him) when he was in there with Flair. Corner whip flips Flair onto the apron, where Sting is ready with some abuse, and Lex hanging vertical suplexes him back in. Elbowdrop, but Ric rolls out of the way, and passes to Arn. Anderson tries to cut the ring in half, but Luger quickly gets away before he can get a groove going, and brings the Stinger in. Arn slows things down and goes to work in the corner, but Sting outsmarts him, and slugs the Enforcer down. Arn again tries to slow the tempo down, but Sting keeps out thinking his stuff, and hits a one-handed bulldog. That brings Flair in without a tag, so Sting lets him try his press-slam, and Flair bails to the outside to throw some furniture around. Sure, all fun and games when he does it, but that shit got me fired from Raymour & Flanigan. The dust settles back on Sting and Anderson, and the tag champs pinball Arn around in the corner. He manages to pass to Flair, and Ric decides enough of this shit, and just goes for a cheap shot right away. Sting no-sells, but misses the Stinger Splash, and THAT gets his attention. Ric tries to capitalize by going up, but Sting slams him off, and dives with a flying clothesline for two. Into the corner for a vertical superplex, but Arn rushes in to break up the count, and Flair is able to poke the eyes. That allows the tag back to Anderson, and he slams Sting with a spinning spinebuster for two. The Horsemen go to work, and Ric goes for the kill with the Figure Four, so Sting tries a small package, but the referee is distracted by Luger on the apron. Ric dumps Sting to the outside for some abuse, but Sting manages a slingshot sunset flip for two on the way back in, so Ric takes him down in a headlock. That leads to a pinfall reversal sequence, but Flair tags to Arn while taking a backslide, and the Enforcer comes in with a bodyslam. 2^nd rope pump-splash, but Sting lifts his knees to block, and there's the hot tag to Lex - Roseanne Barr the door! Press-slam and a powerslam on Flair only get two when Anderson saves, so Lex clotheslines them both over the top. That brings Giant out, however, and we have a cheap DQ at 17:41. This was PPV level stuff before the lame finish. Luger takes the fight to Giant, but gets hammered down in short order, so Scott Steiner runs in with a chair to help out. Sting grabs his own chair, and the three of them together are able to keep the world champion at bay! This aired opposite the Ultimate Warrior/Jerry Lawler segment, an interview with Shawn Michaels, and the first half of the boring Undertaker/Bulldog main event on RAW. Point for Nitro. ***

Bischoff and Heenan wrap things up, but are interrupted by Scott Hall again. "Where's the big surprise?" Just look behind you, buddy. It's Kevin Nash! He cuts a shootish promo on Bischoff and on WCW itself, which like Hall's promos over the past two shows redefines the boundaries for these sorts of things. It also redefines the boundaries of the English language as well, so that's a twofer. He wants Eric to find a paleontologist to round up three of the dinosaurs they've got roaming the locker room because they want their war. Bischoff tells them to show up to the Bash on Sunday if they're serious, and maybe they'll get just that! Awesome stuff, miles ahead of the rest of the shitty Undertaker/Bulldog match on RAW

BUExperience: They went a little heavy on the video packages this week, but the show didn’t drag the way the first few forays into two hour territory did, and there were a couple of good matches from the usual suspects, plus a big angle to put the cherry on top.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	6/10/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.7	2.6
Total Wins	17	17
Win Streak	1
Better Show (as of 6/10)	8	25