WCW Monday Nitro (July 15, 1996)

Original Airdate: July 15, 1996

From Orlando, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko (hour one); Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan (hour two). We’re still outdoors at Disney-MGM this week

We get a full clip of Hulk Hogan's heel turn at the Bash at the Beach (everything from the entrance until the self-counted pinfall on Randy Savage) to start. Not just still photos, but full video clips!

The Steiner Brothers v Fire & Ice: I was half expecting Ice Train to walk into one of the palm trees in the aisle, honestly. The referee's shirt is already soaked through before the bell even rings, so expect another night of lethargic performances, as the workers deal with the Florida heat in July. Scott Steiner starts with Scott Norton, and Norton powers him around to start. Steiner manages to lift his boot to block a charge, and he clotheslines Norton, ahead of an overhead suplex that sends Flash to the outside. Norton passes to Train on the way back in, and we get a power showdown with Rick Steiner, as Teddy Long wanders down to ringside. Train hits Rick with a powerslam, and an avalanche follows, but a second one misses. That allows Rick a nasty looking belly-to-belly suplex for two, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop for two. Inverted DDT gets two, but he runs into a backelbow coming out of the ropes, and Norton gets the tag. Unfortunately for Flash, Rick tags out as well, but Norton manages to dump Scott Steiner to the outside for some abuse. Back in, Norton dives off the middle rope with a flying clothesline, and he goes back up to the middle for a flying elbowdrop - only for Steiner to lift his boot to block. Tag to Rick for a clothesline and a backdrop, and Roseanne Barr the door! Fire & Ice double team, but Train ends up splashing Norton by mistake, and Rick German suplexes him at 9:28. Didn't have their usual energy this time, probably as a result of the climate. ¾*

The Dungeon of Doom are shocked that Hulk Hogan would try and take over WCW. Really?

Glacier teaser. Wasn't he supposed to arrive in July?

Backstage, Fire & Ice are arguing about the loss, so Teddy Long tries to step in and make peace, but Norton throws him to the ground

Dean Malenko v Billy Kidman: Kidman looks like he was born to be Alex Wright's tag partner here. Meanwhile, Jimmy Hart chases Malenko don the aisle, trying to talk him into something or other, but Dean brushes him off. Dean takes a cheap shot at Billy when Kidman tries a handshake, and a leg lariat sends young Kidman to the outside. Malenko follows for a powerbomb on the floor, but Billy counters with a backdrop, and hits a missile dropkick for two on the way back in. German suplex gets two, but Kidman gets overwhelmed trying to trade holds with Malenko, and ends up grounded in a grapevine. Nice little sequence there. Simple, but elegant. Kidman uses a sunset flip to throw Malenko off, but Dean fires back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two, and a saito suplex follows. Malenko bashes Billy's leg into the post for good measure, as the security guards earn their money by standing around in a pack and watching the action. Dean with a whiplash, but Kidman reverses the cradle for two, and hits a bulldog. Slam sets up a flying shooting star press, but Malenko moves, and clobbers him with a cross corner clothesline. Brainbuster follows, then a powerbomb, then a tigerbomb into the Texas Cloverleaf (all done in rapid fire for maximum damage) and Kidman is done at 5:15. Fun match, that simultaneously made an effort to get Kidman over, while also giving Malenko some heat back after losing the title last week. ** ½

Kevin Greene is here, and he's upset about Hulk Hogan! He's personally offended because he said his prayers, took his vitamins, the whole thing! That's great and everything, but wasn't he, like, well into his twenties by the time Hogan became a mainstream star? Now I can't get the image of a 27 year old Kevin Greene sitting cross-legged in front of his television, clutching his Wrestling Buddy to his chest as his undersized Hulkamania t-shirt strains at it's seams, crying his eyes out as Earthquake sends Hogan off on a stretcher

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Harlem Heat v Rough & Ready: One thing I never liked about Nitro during this period is the way they keep talking about how the 'clock is ticking' down to the second hour, as if the first hour is meaningless. Everyone brawls before the bell even sounds, with the Heat getting the better of it. Dust settles on Stevie Ray and Dick Slater, and Stevie goes right to a bearhug. You know the heat must be bad when they're going straight to the restholds. And I'm not talking about the climate. Over to Mike Enos to have a little measuring process with Stevie, and Mike gets the better of him. Bodyslam hits, but an elbow doesn't and Stevie hits a clothesline. Over to Booker T for the Harlem sidekick, but a kneedrop misses. These guys are on totally different pages here. Tag to Slater, and he dumps Booker to the outside for some double teaming, but Booker manages a mulekick on the way back in. He drops Dick with a sidewalk slam for two, but Slater fires back with a swinging neckbreaker. Back to Enos, and Booker axekicks him for two. Tag to Stevie for a bodyslam, followed by a kneedrop for two. Seriously, it's like these four guys are each trying to work an entirely different match. Finally, the Heat double up on Enos, so Slater runs in, and Booker misses a corner dropkick. That allows Slater to pound him, as Rough & Ready go for a late-in-the-game heat segment. They briefly cut the ring in half, but Stevie comes in without a tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Enos hits Booker with a powerslam, but Sister Sherri starts kissing Slater before he can cover, and Booker schoolboys him at 7:37. What a mess this was. ¼*

Rey Mysterio Jr hype video

Kevin Greene is back, and he's still mad, baby! Only this time, he's mad at Steve McMichael! Bastard probably stole his Wrestling Buddy!

Madusa v Malia Hosaka: Madusa throws a kick during a test-of-strength, and hooks a bridging northern lights suplex for two. Charge in the corner, but Hosaka blocks, and stretches Madusa on the mat some. Hosaka with a spinkick, and she stretches Madusa some more. Hosaka with a series of snapmares into a chinlock, but Madusa escapes, and starts throwing kicks. She uses her own series of snapmares to set up a piledriver, but Hosaka counters to an elevated crab. Not a good one, either. Hosaka tries a 2^nd rope backelbow drop, but Madusa dodges. Madusa misses a dive of her own, but then Hosaka misses another one, and Madusa hooks a bridging German suplex at 4:00. Another one that felt like the workers were on different planets. ¼*

The Outsiders welcome us to hour two by covering over the WCW logo with giant bed sheets that have 'nWo' written on them. That's fantastic. This aired opposite Shawn and Ahmed getting into a fight with Camp Cornette during the opening of RAW, and I'd give this the advantage. This just looks like such a hot, exciting product compared to the lame, cheap looking WWF show. It's like they've completely switched positions from where they were as promotions only a few years earlier

Arn Anderson v Meng: It's sad to see the Heenan Family fall apart like this. The Outsiders take seats on lawn furniture up on the stage, sipping drinks as they watch the action from a distance. Meng with a savate kick early on, as the fans ignore the match to watch both the Outsiders, and the Disney evening fireworks show. Meng works Anderson over in slow, dull fashion, but Arn manages to sweep the leg, and he drives it into the apron a few times to turn the tide. Meng fights him off and goes back to slowly pounding, until he gets tuckered out, and works a nervehold. Can you blame the crowd for ignoring this? Even poor Hall and Nash looked bored as fuck, too. But, hey, at least they're getting paid. Meng dumps him to the outside for Jimmy Hart to abuse, so Arn goes for the leg again to try and get some traction, but Meng just kind of ignores it. Meng with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and a side suplex follows. Backdrop, but Arn manages to block, but Meng counters the DDT with a backdrop. Barbarian adds a cheap shot to make sure Arn gets the message, and Meng superkicks him at 10:30. Wow, this was terrible. Two weeks in a row for Anderson, too. The summer heat just does not agree with the Enforcer, does it? This aired opposite a boring Johnson/Gunn Intercontinental title match on RAW, and I'd give the WWF the edge. Their match was boring, but this one was unwatchable. –¾*

Steve McMichael is here, and he's not worried about Kevin Greene because that dude plays for an expansion team. This aired opposite Shawn Michaels doing an equally pointless interview on RAW, so call it a push

Chris Benoit v Eddie Guerrero: Benoit forces the referee to do another pat down on Guerrero after the bell, and uses the distraction to sneak attack. Chris unloads in the corner, and a corner whip leads to Benoit firing off headbutts. Chris with a snapmare into a chinlock, but Guerrero escapes a suplex, and a reversal sequence ends in Benoit taking a spill to the outside. Guerrero dives after him with a flying bodypress, and uses a slingshot somersault senton splash on the way back in. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker connects, but Benoit drops him into the corner to avoid a follow-up, and uses a side suplex. Corner whip leads to a press-slam, and Benoit grounds him in a camel clutch. Eddie escapes, and uses a saito suplex to fight off another move from Benoit, but Chris starts chopping him to end that. Snap suplex gets two, so Chris goes to an elevated crab, and I sincerely hope someone in the back made Malia Hosaka take notes on that one. Guerrero escapes, so Chris drops him with a powerbomb for two, and uses a backbreaker into a backbreaker submission. Backelbow gets him two, so he goes to a chinlock, then a bodyslam to set up a dive, but Guerrero chases him to the top with a vertical superplex! Benoit tries to keep control with a corner whip, but misses a charge, and Eddie unloads a ten-punch. That turns into a slugfest, with Eddie getting the better of it, and a using a rana to send both guys tumbling over the top. That draws Dean Malenko out, and he throws Benoit into the post out there, allowing Eddie to beat the count in at 9:38. Okay in general, but really weak for these two. Better than the Mero/Hopper match over on RAW, though. ** ¼

Glacier teaser. I make fun of it all now, but those definitely succeeded in building anticipation with me as a young fan

WCW Television Title Match: Lex Luger v Big Bubba Rogers: Bubba gets control quickly, and uses a bodyslam to set up a trip to the top, but Lex manages to knock him off. Backdrop and a clothesline send Rogers to the outside, and Lex works a wristlock as the challenger heads back in. Bubba goes to the eyes to escape, so Lex blasts him with a running forearm smash for two, but Bubba returns fire with a gourdbuster. The entire front row looks to be made up of nothing but children and fat people. Bubba with a straddling ropechoke for two, as we spot the Outsiders hanging out at their limousine just outside the arena. Rogers with a clothesline for two, and a leg-feed enzuigiri gets two. Funny how everyone else is moving like they're covered in molasses out there in the humidity and heat, while Rogers is showing more energy than he has in months. Bubba wears him down with a chinlock, but gets into trouble in the corner, and Luger starts making a comeback. We get a double knockout spot just as the Outsiders walk into the arena, and they attack for a no-contest at 9:40. They perform a beat down as the newly christened Hollywood Hogan arrives, and he cuts a great promo on a wide variety of subjects (from Ted Turner, to Randy Savage's marriage, to the WCW fans) that deftly walks the kayfabe line, all while the fans fill the ring with trash. The WWF had a better match with Michaels/Gunn, but none of that could compete with the hot fire that was the nWo and Hogan's promo. ½*

BUExperience: Another weak effort in the ring as the workers continue battling the summer heat in Florida, but the nWo stuff is enough to top RAW.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	7/15/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.6	3.4
Total Wins	17	22
Win Streak		5
Better Show (as of 7/15)	9	29