WCW Monday Nitro (February 24, 1997)

Original Airdate: February 24, 1997

From Sacramento, California; Your Host is Tony Schiavone with Larry Zbyszko (hour one) and with Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan (hour two)

Public Enemy v Jeff Jarrett and Steve McMichael: So Jarrett is now a member of the Four Horsemen, so at least, finally, one of the groups storylines finally advanced. Rocco Rock starts with Steve, as the announcers try to sell the load of shit that was the finish of the main event at SuperBrawl the night before. Tags to Johnny Grunge and Jeff, and Grunge wins a criss cross with a right hand, and he adds a swinging neckbreaker. Tag to Rock for a 2^nd rope axehandle, and he adds a backelbow, but runs into a cheap shot from McMichael. Jeff tags him in for a combo, and the Horsemen work Rocco over, as the announcers put over Jeff's win last night as the 'biggest of his career.' In what world is beating a rookie football-player-turned-wrestler a bigger accomplishment than, I dunno, multiple Intercontinental titles in the WWF? Jarrett powerbombs Rock for two, so he calls Steve in with the briefcase - only for McMichael to turn on him, and Rock to score the pin at 4:35. Jarrett and McMichael as a team felt like a good use of both. Steve is limited, so hanging out on the apron for extended periods is a good fit for him, but it was a waste of a talent like Chris Benoit to keep tagging with him. Afterwards, Horsemen Ric Flair and Arn Anderson come out to chew Steve out, and Flair doesn't want any family squabbles. Jarrett is a Horsemen, and that's that, so get over it. ¾*

Jim Duggan v Galaxy: Well, this is an interesting combo. Also, I see Duggan has already went back to carrying the American flag instead of the WCW one. Makes sense. It's easy to get people to cheer for you when you're waving their country's flag. Galaxy disrespects the flag at the bell, which is a bad idea, and Jim kills him with clotheslines until Galaxy bails. Duggan follows to pound on him some more out there, and he delivers a bodyslam on the floor. Inside, Jim keeps hammering, and not much else. Galaxy finally goes to the eyes, but a flying moonsault press misses, and Jim hits the 3-point stance. He has it won, but decides to tape up his fist, and deliver a final knockout blow for the pin at 3:20. Three minutes of punches followed by a punch finisher. Can't say he isn't consistent. Afterwards, Duggan calls out Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and are you kidding me? It's actually a fairly decent promo, but it's not ten years ago, no one near the main event cares about you, Hacksaw. DUD

Hugh Morrus v Joe Gomez: The announcers hype up a simulcast of tonight's broadcast. Apparently you can log on to the internet, and listen to the show live. I feel like listening to audio of Jim Duggan matches might be a low-key form of torture. Besides, if I wanted to listen to someone yelling 'ho' and loudly grunting, I'd just buy the soundtrack to The Sopranos. They size each other up to start, as the announcers talk about how many people are in the hospital following last night's pay per view. Yeah, I'm not surprised. I felt like I needed to check myself in after that one, too. I feel like they missed the boat running some kind of twin angle for Steve McMichael with Gomez. Twin angles are money, maybe the WWF wouldn't have made their comeback. Plus, it would be an easy sell, they even work at about the same level. Joe kinda flounders around with stuff to prolong his squashing here, until getting caught in a poorly executed spinebuster, and put away with the No Laughing Matter at 3:14. DUD

nWo denim jacket ad. They really should have had the Outsiders record all of these, since everybody else sucks at them

Ice Train v La Parka: They trade chops to start, as Teddy Long pops up on split screen to make a desperate plea to Jacqueline to get away from Kevin Sullivan. All considered, he probably should have been more concerned about Benoit and Woman. Parka gets control and goes up with a flying spinheel kick for two, but Train quickly fights back with a slam, and an avalanche. Parka buys time with a chincrusher, and another pair of spinheel kicks connect. Never realized that, like, all of Parka's offense is jaw oriented. Train bails, so Parka dives with a somersault senton, and he takes it inside for a clothesline, but Train won't go down. Parka tries whipping him into the ropes, but Train reverses, and clobbers him with a big clothesline. Train with a bodyslam, then a regular slam to set up a splash at 3:57. ¼*

Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho v The Faces of Fear: Another team of guys who fought at the pay per view the night before. What is this, BattleBowl? Or did Vince Russo jump two years earlier than we knew? Jericho and Barbarian start, and Barbarian wastes no time just destroying him in the corner. Chris manages to dodge a big boot, and he makes a little comeback - hitting a 2^nd rope dropkick, and passing to Eddie for a slingshot somersault senton splash for two. Barbarian cuts Eddie off with a pop-up flapjack, however, and it's over to Meng to unload in the corner. Meng brutalizes him with a powerbomb, but a criss cross ends in Eddie using a headscissors takedown, and Chris tags in for a tandem backdrop. Jericho adds a senton splash for two, so Barbarian takes a cheap shot during a criss cross, and Meng capitalizes with a side suplex. Barbarian tags in and superplexes Chris for two, but Jericho counters a knee with a schoolboy for two, so Barbarian passes to Meng to beat on this blond punk in the corner. Jericho fights off a cross corner whip with a springboard bodypress for two, but now Meng's just straight mad, and stomps the shit out of him. The Faces deliver their backdrop/powerbomb combo, but Guerrero breaks up the pin at two, but the Faces stay focused with stereo 2^nd rope headbutt drops for two. The Faces keep working Chris over, but he won't give up, and manages to hit Meng with a springboard moonsault press, followed by an enzuigiri to allow the tag - Roseanne Barr the door. Eddie and Chris with some combos, but Dean Malenko runs out to shove Eddie off the top rope while he's trying the Flying Frogsplash, and Barbarian scores the pin at 7:39. The first hour has been really terrible, but at least they capped it off with a good match, even if the crowd seemed out of it. ** ½

Rey Mysterio Jr v Juventud Guerrera: Both guys are dressed way too similarly here. Rey tries grabbing a rack early, but Guerrera escapes with a DDT, and comes at him with a springboard flying dropkick. Guerrera goes to a grapevine, but Rey kicks free, and they do a pinfall reversal sequence. Guerrera with a spinkick, and they trade chops, leading to a Guerrera-won criss cross. Guerrera with a flying moonsault press for two, and he grabs a chinlock, but Rey dumps him to the outside with a headscissors to escape, then follows with a baseball slide into another headscissors out there. Rey goes to the top on the way back in, but Guerrera brings him off with a sunsetbomb for two, and a baseball slide sends Mysterio to the outside for a tope. Guerrera with a springboard flying somersault senton on the way back in, but Rey catches him with a powerbomb, and uses a springboard flying rana into a cradle at 5:35. This never really found a groove. Just a few hot moves in between lots of dead zones. *

Lee Marshall phones in the 1-800-COLLECT Road Report from Atlanta Georgia

WCW Television Title Match: Prince Iaukea v Pat Tanaka: Tanaka tries to scare him back with martial arts threats, and it totally works, with Iaukea just cowering, and looking totally inept. Way to know your role, Pat. Iaukea fights back with some basic stuff, but Pat goes to the eyes, only to run into a knife edge chop as they criss cross. Iaukea tries a kick, but Pat catches the leg, and legwhips him down. Nicely executed there. Tanaka with a cross corner whip, but Iaukea rebounds at him with a clothesline, and this kid's offense is terrible. He keeps making a move, and then backing off on it. Tanaka with a sitout powerbomb for two, but Iaukea reverses a whip into the ropes, and hits a Samoan drop. That sets up a springboard flying seated senton splash, and Iaukea finishes him off with a flying bodypress at 2:55. Just another match, as this show plods along without much in the way of angles or intrigue. ¾*

Dean Malenko v Ultimo Dragon: They trade off on the mat to start, with neither guy dominating, and a criss cross goes to a stalemate as well. That triggers a cheap shot from Dean to grab control, and he drops an elbow for two. Backdrop, but Dragon fights him off with a series of kicks, and plants a dropkick on him for two. Dean sweeps the legs and hammers him with mounted punches, then dumps Dragon to the outside, following for a whip into the guardrail. Back in, Malenko drills him with a brainbuster for two, and he works a chinlock. Dragon starts to escape, so Dean shifts to a camel clutch instead, but Dragon counters to a modified surfboard, then shifts to a bridging toehold. I always liked that move, but it looks more unpleasant for the attacker than the attackee. Dragon tries a powerbomb, but Malenko counters with a backdrop, and gives him a tigerbomb for two. Abdominal stretch, but Dragon dumps him to the outside before he can get it locked on, and adds a springboard dropkick. He didn't even connect with that one, leaving the announcers scrambling to cover for it. Dragon does better with a flying bodypress on the floor, but he hurts his knee on the landing, and back in they go. Dean tries a pop-up powerbomb, but Dragon counters with a rana into a cradle for two - reversed by Malenko for two. Dragon with a magistral cradle for two, but Malenko counters the handspring backelbow with a German suplex, then chokes the man instead of making a cover like he normally would - getting himself disqualified at 8:55. I get that they're trying to get Dean's heelish edge over, but that finish was a really crappy way to do it. Like, he's not suddenly stupid. Afterwards, Gene Okerlund wants to know when Dean is suddenly an idiot, apparently, but he's just frustrated because of all the bullshit going on in his life over the last few weeks, and he's especially hot at Eddie Guerrero for fucking up his match with Syxx last night. ** ¼

Diamond Dallas Page v Squire David Taylor: Taylor attacks while Page is stretching, though the bell had already sounded, so he kind of had that coming. I guess he's got the opposite of whatever Malenko caught, because he turned face and got stupid. Page quickly fights him off and hits the Diamond Cutter, but the Outsiders are wandering around, distracting him from covering. And then the referee just kind of escorts Taylor to the back, so I guess Page wins by countout at around 1:36? Doesn't matter, the show doesn't care either, as it's all about the nWo stuff. So Page tries holding the high ground, but gets distracted, and Randy Savage attacks from behind to put him down - he and the Outsiders beating him up. Afterwards, once Page is cleared out, WCW World Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan joins them to give Savage a proper welcome into the group - even gifting him Miss Elizabeth to mark the occasion. Yeah, I'd turn on WCW for that, too. DUD

Uncensored ad

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Giant and Lex Luger v Harlem Heat: Eric Bischoff comes out to stop them before the match can start, and he's backed up by the entire nWo. He wants the tag title belts back, since Luger wasn't medically cleared last night, or tonight, and can't be a valid champion. So they strip them of the title, with Lex agreeing not to fight as long as the nWo put up all their titles at Uncensored. As opposed to other pay per views where they don't put up belts? I'm confused. And speaking of confusing, then Sting comes out, doesn't resist a hug from Hogan, and stands with the nWo to close the show. It’s pretty clear from watching this that they’re just throwing shit out there, without any sort of long term plans

BUExperience: What a weird Nitro, as it was just match/match/match with very little else going on, and not even much in the way of big stars before the very end. Especially odd for a post pay per view show.

RAW dragged a lot, but it was more innovative and exciting than this, so give them the win.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	2/24/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.5	3.0
Total Wins	17	51
Win Streak		34
Better Show (as of 2/24)	24	42