WCW Monday Nitro (June 17, 1996)

Original Airdate: June 17, 1996

From Richmond, Virginia; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko for hour one, with Bobby Heenan replacing Zbyszko for hour two

A rather lengthy recap of last night's Great American Bash pay per view starts us off, but hey, it was their best show in years, so you can't really blame them for wanting to talk about it

Stevie Ray v Rick Steiner: Stevie attacks from behind, and pounds Rick down for some eye gouging, then puts the boots to hi in the corner. Stevie with a clothesline and a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop for two, but runs into a nasty looking overhead suplex on a charge, and Rick backelbows him to set up a flying bulldog for two. Man, Stevie's lucky he's still walking after that suplex. He manages a powerslam to fight Steiner off, but a 2^nd rope flying forearm drop misses, and Rick Steinerlines him for three at 2:14. They spent more time recapping the Bash at the top of the show than they did on this entire match. Booker T runs out to nail Rick with a Harlem sidekick as Steiner is having his hand raised, and Stevie powerbombs him, but Scott Steiner runs out to make the save - only to get beat-up as well. Well, so much for that plan. ½*

Disco Inferno v Joe Gomez: This is Joe's debut. Disco establishes dominance over the rookie by throwing him around a bit to start, but he wastes time dancing, and Joe gives him an atomic drop. Gomez with a pair of hiptosses and a dropkick to send Disco to the outside, but Inferno's more concerned about his hair than the match. Joe forces him back in for another dropkick, but a bodypress misses, and Gomez wipes out in the ropes. That allows Disco to pound him, but Gomez fights him off in the corner, and hits a trio of corner whips. Backdrop, but Disco counters with a swinging neckbreaker - only to take too long before covering, thus allowing Gomez a crucifix cradle at 3:36. This was crap, but Disco's character is entertaining at least. ¼*

Backstage, Gene Okerlund is with Ric Flair and his busty ladies, and Ric's in a jovial mood now that he's finally got a blonde in the harem. Too bad he couldn't get a redhead to complete the quartet (quartit?)

The American Males v Arn Anderson and Chris Benoit: Benoit is sporting a massive bruise on his face as a result of last night's brawl with Kevin Sullivan at the Bash. Not sure if it's real of makeup, but honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it were real. That match was brutal. The males mock the Horsemen by holding up four fingers facing downward, so you know they mean business. Scotty Riggs starts with Anderson, but Arn elects to knock Bagwell off of the apron before even making contact. You gotta love the Enforcer, man. He gets cocky, allowing Riggs to schoolboy him for two, but now he's managed to piss Arn off - and that's not a good thing. Criss cross sees Anderson try a piledriver, but Scotty counters with a backdrop, and throws a dropkick for two. Tag to Bagwell for a flying axehandle, so Arn passes to Chris. Benoit destroys him with chops, but Marcus fights back with a leg-feed enzuigiri. Dropkick misses, allowing Chris to try a powerbomb, but Bagwell counters with an armdrag. Reversal sequence sees Bagwell hit a hiptoss, but Benoit lifts his knees to block a splash, and Arn tags in. Backdrop, but Bagwell counters with a backslide for two, and a bridging fisherman suplex is worth two. Benoit tags back in to unload on this kid with more chops, and he drops him with a side suplex to set up the flying headbutt, but Riggs breaks the cover at two. That allows Bagwell a clothesline, but Arn sneaks in with one of his own to even the score, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Males blast Benoit with stereo dropkicks, but Riggs runs into a cheap shot from Arn, and Chris drops him across the top rope for the pin at 5:38. Sucks for them, but there's a woman in the front row who seems like she BADLY wants the Males inside of her, so hopefully they drowned their sorrows in her later. ** ½

Big Bubba Rogers v John Tenta: Bubba's really selling his sadness over having his goatee trimmed at the Bash here. I don't think these guys understand how hair works. Bubba attacks on the floor before the bell, but Tenta manages a dropkick as they head in, and Rogers bails. Poor Tenta still has one side of his head shaved, which must have really been fun for him in his daily life. Bubba manages to sweep Tenta from the floor for a (super weak) crotching on the post, and Rogers gets a few two counts on the way back in. Straddling ropechoke hits, and Bubba works a reverse chinlock ahead of a lazy slugfest that Tenta controls. He avalanches Bubba in the corner a couple of times, so Jimmy Hart runs in with the megaphone, but Tenta absorbs the blow, and hits the little runt with an atomic drop. Scoop powerslam on Bubba follows, but instead of covering, John hits it a second time, and gets a leveraged pin at 4:42. This was bad, Tommy. Real bad. Afterwards, Tenta chases Hart around, but Bubba whips out a sock filled with coins, and beats the piss out of John with it. Fuck, just let this dumb feud be over already! DUD

Backstage, Randy Savage is ready to return to the ring for the first time since Slamboree tonight, facing Ric Flair. Well, for the first time on TV anyway, as he'd been working the house shows. It's worth noting that there appears to be several WWF era Hulkamania t-shirts in the background here

Ric Flair v Randy Savage: In a great bit of counterprogramming, this kicks off the second hour (just as RAW is coming on the air). That means Heenan is joining the announce team, but Savage is still pissed about what happened at the Bash, and chases him around the building first. Too bad Bobby was strictly 'no touch' at this point in his career, because he could have had some fun interactions with Macho during this period. Flair talks shit on his way to the ring, so Macho attacks him on the floor, and hits a corner whip as they head in. Ric tries going to the eyes, but Savage powers through it, and hits a backdrop, followed by a pair of clotheslines to send the Nature Boy to the floor. Randy follows, but Ric is able to unload with chops to take control, and he holds Macho for Elizabeth to abuse before dumping him into the first row. That just serves to infuriate the Macho Man, and he blitzes Flair over by his VIP table, stuffing the food down his throat, and bathing him in his own expensive champagne. Into the ring, Savage unloads with jabs, and hits a kneedrop. More jabs have Flair wobbly, and Savage shoves him into the corner for a ten-punch, so Ric tries an inverted atomic drop, but Macho no-sells, and just keeps pounding him! Cross corner whip flips Flair onto the apron, where Randy is ready with a clothesline to put Ric on the floor. Randy dives after him with a flying axehandle, but Flair hits the deck, and Savage wipes out on the guardrail. Back in, Flair goes to town with more chops, but Savage is so fired up that he refuses to sell. Ric responds by going to the top, but whatever dive he's trying gets rerouted as Savage charges him, and Ric crash lands. That looked awkward. Savage with a backdrop, and he dives with a flying axehandle, so Ric pulls a weapon out of his kneepad, and blasts Randy with a loaded fist! That sets up a pointed elbowdrop for two, so Savage retaliates with a low blow, and he drills him with the Flying Elbowdrop! Again, so the women head in to block is path, but he dives anyway! They bail, so Chris Benoit runs in to give it a go, but Savage piledrives him. Here comes Arn Anderson, but Savage tosses him over the top - only to get nailed with the briefcase by Steve McMichael! Steve puts Flair on top as Arn revives the bumped referee, and Flair gets the pin at 12:07. Good TV finish to properly establish McMichael in his new role. Afterwards, it's beat down city from the Horsemen, and it's really kind of too bad that the nWo angle took over the entire promotion before this thing got a proper resolution, because this was all fantastic. Much better than the dull Austin/Vega tournament match and Undertaker/Mankind feud recap over on RAW. In fact, I'd even go as far as to call this one of their better matches together from the WCW days. ***

Backstage, WCW World Champion Giant and Kevin Sullivan talk to Okerlund about all the 'cliques' in WCW at the moment. Ha! This aired opposite the opening moments of the Mero/Hart tournament match on RAW, and I'll give the WWF the edge, simply because no one wants to hear Kevin Sullivan talk. Seriously, dude was an automatic channel change for me in those days

Glacier teaser. This one actually features him in it for the first time, as opposed to just a series of graphics

At the top of the show we got an extended recap of the Bash undercard, and now we get one of the top of the card, including the powerbomb through the stage by the Outsiders. This aired opposite more of the Mero/Hart match, and I'll give the edge to WCW, as they were recapping a hot PPV, including one of the biggest and most exciting angles ever

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Dean Malenko v Rey Mysterio Jr: Okerlund notes how impressed he was with Rey's 'acrobatics' at the Bash during his pre-match promo. Dean tries to overpower him in the early going, so Rey sweeps the leg in swift fashion, and gets him in a toehold. Malenko makes the ropes, but Rey lands on his feet when the champion tries a monkeyflip, and a criss cross ends in Rey hitting a springboard moonsault press. The crowd has no idea what to make of this. Mysterio dodges a springboard bodypress and hooks an Oklahoma roll for two, so Dean tries a tilt-a-whirl, but Rey escapes. Reversal sequence ends in Malenko drilling him with a short-clothesline, and he wrecks the poor challenger with a crisp backbreaker into a submission version. Malenko's execution is just incredible. Side suplex sets up an elevated half-crab, but Rey won't quit, so Dean decides to punish him with a brainbuster for two. They're letting it all hang out here. Malenko with a mat-based abdominal stretch, but Rey is in the ropes, and he wisely bails to regroup. Back in, Malenko bodyslams him to set up something off the top, but Mysterio crotches him up there. He tries bringing the champ down with a rana, but Malenko blocks, and a reversal sequence ends in Dean dropping him with an electric chair for two. Abdominal stretch into a cradle gets two, so Dean shifts it into an STF, but Rey still won't quit, so Malenko nearly busts a hole in the ring with a powerbomb for two. Wow! Exploder suplex gets two, so Dean tries tying him up in a camel clutch, and even the poor referee looks winded already. Rey won't quit, so Dean dumps him to the outside for a whip into a rail, but Mysterio reverses, then dives with a springboard flying rana on the floor! Rey goes up on the way back in, so Dean follows to try his exploding gutbuster, but Rey is ready with a sunsetbomb for two. Victory roll gets two, so Dean desperately tries a bodyslam, but Rey topples him for two. Wheelbarrow bulldog, but Malenko counters with a vicious inverted DDT, and that's finally enough to put a stop to Mysterio at 8:42! This was fantastic! You know it's a great match when you're watching it and hoping it doesn't end. I was really into this one, and liked it better than the (also very good but slower) Great American Bash match. This aired opposite a Davey Boy Smith promo/brawl with Shawn Michaels, and the Jerry Lawler/Aldo Montoya beat down segment, and you can guess which was better on your own. ****

WCW World Title Match: Giant v Scott Steiner: Scott tries a waistlock takedown at the bell, but that doesn't go very well. He shoots for the leg, but Giant easily shrugs him off, so Steiner stupidly tries a bodyslam, and gets toppled. Moron. I mean, you can't manage a simple takedown AND you've got taped up ribs, so your strategy is to try dead lifting the guy? Giant beats the piss out of him and dumps his challenger to the outside for a trip into the post, and back in they go for Giant to work a reverse chinlock. Giant works him over in rather dull fashion, and hits a vertical suplex before sending Steiner over the top with a clothesline. Giant follows to send him into the rail before taking things back inside, and Jimmy Hart distracts the referee so Giant can bring a chair in with him. Why? You're in complete control! It ends up allowing Steiner time to recover, and he pounces with a sleeper, then pops the crowd when he drops the champion with a suplex for two! They want the Frankensteiner, but not even Scott is crazy enough to try that, so instead he just breaks the chair over Giant's head. Huh? Why risk a DQ when you're in control of a WORLD TITLE MATCH?! No matter, Giant no-sells, and Chokeslams him at 10:20. This was not good, but still better than the horrid Goldust/Roberts main event on RAW. Even the Brian Pillman contract signing segment isn't enough to give the WWF an edge here. DUD

Glacier teaser

Okerlund comes out to announce that WCWs team to face the Outsiders at the Bash at the Beach will be Lex Luger, Sting, and Randy Savage. A worried Heenan notes that "during the Gulf War, we were the outsiders in Kuwait, and we kicked their tails!" The look on Tony's face is priceless here. Definitely more exciting that RAWs announcement that Mr. Perfect would be the special guest referee for the title match at King of the Ring

BUExperience: This was twice as long as RAW, but flew by twice as fast. Better wrestling, better angles, better presentation. No contest for WCW this week.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	6/17/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.3	3.4
Total Wins	17	18
Win Streak		1
Better Show (as of 6/17)	8	26