WCW Monday Nitro (May 27, 1996)

Original Airdate: May 27, 1996  

From Macon, Georgia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko (hour one); Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan (hour two). I never liked the whole hourly rotating announce teams deal

The American Males v Ric Flair and Arn Anderson: Scotty Riggs starts with Flair, and Ric is complaining of a hair pull before the echo from the ring bell has even dissipated. He gets Riggs to the outside so Arn can start in with the cheap shots, and the Horsemen go to work on Scotty both in and out of the ring, until Marcus Alexander Bagwell rushes over to save, and the Males clean house. Flair's response? He goes over to his private table and finds a bottle of booze. This guy was just incredible during this all too short period where Hogan took a break. The Horsemen try to isolate Bagwell, but he keeps fighting off their double teams. He fails to cut the ring in half though, and Anderson is able to clip Scotty's knee when Riggs falls for a distraction from the Nature Boy. The Horsemen go back to work on Riggs, but Scotty manages to knock Arn to the outside with a leg-feed enzuigiri, so Flair comes in and starts actually shoving the referee to buy time. Unfortunately for him, Riggs manages to tag out anyway, and Bagwell comes in hot! He hits Flair with a backdrop and a missile dropkick, but Arn breaks the count at two, and Roseanne Barr the door! Bagwell tries a small package on Flair, so Arn turns it over, but then Riggs reverses it right back for two! That allows Bagwell to hit a bridging fisherman suplex, but Arn breaks the cover at two, so Riggs gets rid of him, and dropkicks Flair for Marcus to cover - only for the women to poke him in the eyes! That allows Anderson to plant Bagwell with a DDT, and Flair scores the pin at 11:21. Hard work all around here, and a hot final sequence. Afterwards, the Horse men and women retreat to the dinner table to cut a promo on the football players for the Great American Bash match, and Flair is just glorious here as he rants and raves, while Gene Okerlund pretty blatantly uses the time to try and look down Liz's top. ** ¼

Steve McMichael and Kevin Greene rebut from their gym, where they work out in slow motion, while yelling things like a coupled of stunted frat boys. This whole thing feels like a deleted scene from a Jody Hill movie. I keep expecting Will Ferrell and Danny McBride to pop out and high-five McMichael and Greene any second. "Let's work out where the big boys play!" "We're coming hard all day long, let's do it baby, me and you, baby!" "I don't even got to ask, baby, I'll be doing it all day at the office!"

Mauler v Steve Doll: Wow, they're really stretching their roster now that they've gone to two hours, aren't they? Might as well take a bathroom or snack break. Can't imagine this one being worth watching anyway. Mauler charges, but Doll is ready with a backdrop, so Mauler fights him off with a release overhead suplex. Much like Meng, Mauler looks so much taller and generally larger in WCW than he did in the WWF. Blake Beverly wasn't remotely physically impressive or intimidating, but Mauler is. Doll looks like a goof no matter where he is, though. Mauler takes him upstairs for a fallaway slam off the middle rope, and a criss cross results in both guys taking a pretty good spill over the top. Mauler gets the better of it, and rams Doll into the post, and he drops Steve across the top rope as they head back in, but the crowd is distracted because suddenly the WWF's Razor Ramon is walking through the crowd. Watching people jump up and down and excitedly point is something I miss about the shock debuts of the Monday Night Wars era. There are no real genuine surprises anymore in the WWE these days. And he jumps the guardrail, grabs a microphone, and comes right into the ring, with the action stopping and the referee immediately calling the match off at around 5:15. I won't even bother recapping what he has to say, since anyone reading a review of a Nitro episode from 1996 could probably recite it on command, but it's worth noting how well done this was. And not just on Scott Hall's part. He did a great job, but everyone involved was holding up their ends as well. This was well before the "wait a minute, what is this?!" stuff became something of a cliché later on in the Wars, so it felt like legitimate shock on the part of the announcers, referee, and the workers. And the fact that Hall's speech didn't feel like the usual filtered promos added a very important layer to the realism. A lot of what he was saying might have went over some of the audience's head at the point, but that was part of what was so great about it. The best bits of pro-wrestling are the bits that can make you suspend disbelief for a second, and this did that very well. Like, even if you knew that Scott Hall had left the WWF and was coming into WCW, this felt so off-kilter and unconventional that it made you look at it sideways. I mean, he's implying that he's invading from the WWF in an era when the promotions barely acknowledged the others existence, AND he's making fun of WCW itself in a way that had never been permitted on their shows, ever. This wasn't the way a new character (even if already a well known and established star in another promotion) was introduced back then. It just wasn't done. It made you think, even if just for a second, that maybe - just maybe - you might be watching something unscripted and real. And again, this was well before the Vince Russo style became common. ¾*

Diamond Dallas Page v Sgt. Craig Pittman: Page mocks him at the bell, and suckers Pittman into doing one-handed pushups, but his attempt at a sneak attack goes badly. Sarge takes him down in a hold, but Page is in the ropes before it gets too far, and he immediately complains of tight and hair pulling. DDP goes to the eyes as Pittman makes his denials, but an attempt at a headbutt ends in Dallas spilling to the outside, and ending up tangled in some wiring. That's quite the oversell. Page manages to snag Pittman's throat across the top rope on the way back in, but Craig fights him off and hits a cross corner whip. He goes for the Code Red, but Page is in the ropes, which leads to a miscommunication between Pittman and manager Teddy Long - allowing DDP to hit the Diamond Cutter at 2:58. Too bad Hall couldn't have interrupted this shit, 'cause that Mauler/Doll match was actually shaping up to be pretty decent. DUD

Review of Randy Savage's descent into madness over the last few months. Few did 'unhinged' like the Macho Man. Too bad we never got a feud with Loose Cannon era Brian Pillman before that relationship blew up

Backstage, Shark is changing in the regular locker room like a schlub, since he's no longer a part of the Dungeon of Doom

Hulk Hogan knows George Foreman, Shaquille O'Neal, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Greene, and Sugar Ray Leonard! Just in case you were wondering!

WCW World Title Match: Giant v Shark: This kicks off the second hour (complete with a changing of the guard for the announce teams), and Bischoff refuses to even dignify Scott Hall's interruption earlier. Though it's worth noting that they consider the start of the second hour 8:50pm, so clearly their programming block is set by the same timekeeper who calls for time limit draws in nineteen minute and twenty second matches. They're billing Shark as "over five hundred pounds" here, which is a crazy exaggeration even as crazy wrestling exaggerations go. He tries to sneak attack the champ, but gets largely ignored, and clotheslined down. Shark keeps coming with a bodyslam, but Giant reverses, and pounds his challenger in the corner. We're all of two minutes into this, and it's already dragging badly. Shark goes to the eyes to finally get some traction, and he hits a 2^nd rope flying clothesline, so Jimmy Hart starts distracting him. That allows Giant to grab him in the Chokeslam, and that's enough at 3:59. You'd think, of all people, John Tenta would know Jimmy Hart's tricks a little better than to fall for them. And it's not like he did some unique distraction. It was the same shit he always does, and did on Tenta's behalf (or to Tenta) a million times. Afterwards, Big Bubba Rogers runs out to trim off some of Shark's hair. I guess he figured he and Ed Leslie have changed gimmicks so many times since coming into WCW, that they may as well start overlapping. DUD

WCW Television Title Match: Lex Luger v Maxx: Bischoff continues staunchly refusing to acknowledge Scott Hall's appearance... by talking about Scott Hall's appearance. Also, why'd they drop the 'Muscle' from Maxx's name? 'Maxx Muscle' isn't a game changer, but it's a decent enough wrestling name. 'Maxx' by itself is a dog's name. Despite that, Maxx manages to overpower Luger a few times in the early going, and hits a powerslam for two. He puts the boots to the champion, and continues to dominate with some ropechokes, followed by a sidewalk slam for two. Headbutt gets two, and an elbowdrop is worth two. Did Lex owe Maxx some money, or something? Because he's being way too generous here considering their respective positions on the card. I mean, Luger holds two titles and is challenging for the world title at the next pay per view, while Maxx can't even hold on to his last name, but I don't think Lex has even gotten a single move in yet. Maxx keeps it going with a clothesline for two, but Luger starts to fight back, so Maxx puts him down with a right hand. Corner whip hits, but he runs into a boot on the charge, and Lex finally manages to get something in with a shoulderblock. He adds a powerslam, and the Torture Rack finishes at 5:42. What was this match? Afterwards, Okerlund comes out to talk about his shot at Giant at the Great American Bash, and I'm half surprised Gene doesn't make fun of him to his face for selling that much for freaking Maxx. This aired opposite the Goldust/Warrior match over on RAW, and I'd call it a push, since both segments sucked. ½*

Brad Armstrong v Bobby Walker: They make a big deal of how Walker is a Power Plant trainee, which is one of the earliest instances I can remember them really talking about the Plant on TV. Feeling out process to start, with Walker doing a good job with the basics, but flubbing a lot of the more advanced exchanges. He's trying stuff way above his pay grade here. Though, it's worth noting that he's already some seven years into his pro career at this point, despite the billing as a 'rookie.' Walker with a small package for two, so Brad tries a hiptoss, but Bobby counters with a backslide for two. He adds a backdrop, and comes off the top with a dive (nearly wiping out while trying a fancy springboard) for the pin at 4:27. This was like dark match level stuff. Give the edge to the WWF, as they were airing a recap of In Your House and an interview with Steve Austin and Ted DiBiase that saw DiBiase offer to put his career on the line in the rematch with Savio Vega. DUD

Lord Steven Regal v Alex Wright: Feeling out process to start, with Wright using his quickness to avoid getting trapped in a hold, and managing to send Regal to the outside following a pair of headscissor takedowns. Alex goes after him with a baseball slide and a plancha, but gets into trouble on the way back in, and Regal works him over. Alex manages a belly-to-belly suplex for two, so Regal bails to the apron, and bonks him in the face with his knee when Wright goes after him. Wright holds his own in a slugfest, and tries a schoolboy, but it only gets two, and Regal quickly grounds him in a headlock. An ugly pinfall reversal sequence ends in Wright throwing a dropkick, and he starts firing off uppercuts as he makes a comeback effort, but Regal blocks a monkeyflip, and hooks a somersault cradle at 9:47. This was all over the place. Both guys are great, but not together. Afterwards, Okerlund comes out so Regal can gloat about beating 'Junior Adolph,' and generally rant about the state of the promotion like an old man shaking his fist at the youngsters from his front porch. This aired opposite the Smoking Gunns/Bodydonnas match and highlights from the PPV main event on RAW, and I'd give the WWF the edge. ½*

Sting v Scott Steiner: They measure each other some to start, and Sting gets control with a dropkick, followed by a 2^nd rope backelbow, and a clothesline to send Steiner to the outside. Sting dives after him with a plancha, but gets caught in a tigerbomb on the way back in, and Scott plants him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Sting bails, so Scott dives off the top with a flying axehandle out on the floor, and rolls the tag champion in to cover for two. Steiner with a cross corner shoulderblock and a release overhead suplex for only two, so he grounds Sting in an STF, then tries a cross-armbreaker. That wears Sting down enough for another pin attempt, but it only gets two, so Scott bodyslams him. He tries a suplex next, but Sting counters with an inverted DDT, and drills Scotty in the corner with the Stinger Splash! Another one, but Steiner dodges, and drops him with a dragon suplex. That draws Lex Luger out for support, but Rick Steiner follows suit to make sure there's no funny business. Scott stays on track with a Samoan drop off the middle rope, but Sting dodges the Frankensteiner, and slaps on the Scorpion Deathlock! Unfortunately, Steiner is in the ropes, so it goes nowhere. That allows Scott to come back with a tombstone, but Sting reverses for two - only for a splash attempt to hit the knees. That allows Scott to try another suplex, but Sting reverses him over the top - only for Steiner to land on his feet, and try carrying Sting over to finish the move on the floor! Luger attacks to stop it, leading to Rick attacking back, and we have a double DQ at 10:07. A little slower than you'd hope, but a pretty good match for the most part. Afterwards, both teams brawl until a bunch of guys run out to pull them apart. Call this a win for Nitro over the Vader/Johnson RAW main event. ** ½

Bischoff and Heenan wrap things up from the announce booth, but they're interrupted by Scott Hall, who tells them that 'we' are sick of Bischoff running his "big mouth." Who is 'we?' "You know who." Hall wants Bischoff to tell 'Billionaire Ted' to get three of his big boys out to play, because Hall wants to settle this war in the ring, not in the newspapers and dirt sheets. This was more brilliance, as he was heavily (HEAVILY) implying that the WWF had declared war on WCW, and that he was representing them. And Eric and Bobby just sitting there dumbfounded is a great touch. They're not cutting promos back, they're just shocked. This aired opposite the Goldust/Ahmed angle on RAW, and while both were legitimately great, only one changed the course of the entire business, so give Nitro the edge

BUExperience: Nitro is usually a really fun, peppy hour, but this first foray into two hour episodes dragged often and badly. This issue would get a lot better once they started importing the cruiserweights not long after this, and thank God, because you’re not going to compete with the WWF in prime time with two hours of Steve Doll and Bobby Walker matches.

Of course, while this episode had many flaws, it also had one of the most memorable and influential angles of all time on it, so it earns the win over RAW on the strength of that alone. But it was hardly a blowout.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	5/27/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.3	2.8
Total Wins	16	16
Win Streak		2
Better Show (as of 5/27)	8	23