WCW Monday Nitro (March 10, 1997)

Original Airdate: March 10, 1997  

From Panama City, Florida; Your Host is Tony Schiavone with Larry Zbyszko (hour one) and with Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan (hour two). Cool set design this week, as they are at an outdoor nightclub, with the ring set up in the middle of a swimming pool

WCW World Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman are hanging out

Roddy Piper arrives with his three partners from last week, who are all dressed in togas. Well, it is a spring break party this week, at least they'll fit in

High Voltage v Jeff Jarrett and Steve McMichael: Kenny Kaos starts with Steve, and Kenny grabs a wristlock, but Steve reverses, so Kaos throws knees. Steve bops him off with a backelbow, so Robbie Rage runs in, but Steve sends them both flying with 3-point stances. This crowd is way too hot for Steve 'Mongo' McMichael. Tag to Jeff for a drop-toehold/legdrop combo, and Jarrett adds a swinging neckbreaker, then a straddling ropechoke. A cheap shot from Rage turns the tide, and Voltage go to work on Jarrett. Rage hits knees on a springboard flying splash, however, and Jeff starts making a comeback before finally tagging. Steve with a neckbreaker and a tombstone for the pin on Rage at 4:42. Nothing special, but this is going to be a fun night if the crowd stays like this. Drunk college kids get rowdy, who knew? *

Gene Okerlund brings Piper and his crew out for an in-ring interview about Uncensored, and John Tenta's never looked more like James Gandolfini than he does here. Unfortunately, Piper is more interested in ranting about Howard Stern, Dennis Rodman, and the WWF than the pay per view, while randomly (and annoyingly) shouting 'uncensored' at every once in a while. That eventually draws the Four Horsemen out (I assume because so much pointless rambling is like catnip to the group in 1997), and Arn Anderson doesn't want a group of 'amateurs' going up against the nWo at the PPV. Fair point with the other two guys, but poor Tenta. Anyway, the Horsemen will be taking their place for the show, since fuck them. This actually turned into a good segment once the Horsemen showed up to stop Piper's rambling

WCW Television Title Match: Prince Iaukea v Squire David Taylor: Iaukea wins a criss cross to start, as we cut away from the ring to watch the nWo arrive in a Hummer limousine, where Michael Wallstreet gets mysteriously knocked out on the way into the club. Well, they're all wearing sunglasses at night, that was an accident waiting to happen. Back in the ring, Taylor abuses Iaukea with uppercuts, but Prince sunset flips for two. Taylor tries a slam, but Iaukea topples him to retain at 2:46. Hard to rate it because most of the match was focused on the nWo, but looked pretty basic. ½*

WCW United States Title Match: Eddie Guerrero v Jim Powers: Really lining up the big challengers tonight. Dean Malenko is out to do guest commentary here. Eddie dominates on the mat to start, as Dean cuts a promo on Guerrero. Kind of funny that he talks about how he's achieved more than Guerrero by noting that he's won the Cruiserweight title three times, totally ignoring that Eddie is currently the reigning US champ. Powers powers Eddie around to take control, and an overhead suplex gets him two. Hanging vertical suplex is worth two, so Eddie uses some speed to put him down with a slingshot somersault senton splash for two. Teddy Long protests because that cover was in the ropes, but it backfires when Powers collides with him on the apron, and Eddie schoolboys at 2:50. ¾*

Diamond Dallas Page v Sgt. Craig Pittman: They measure each other to start, until Page grabs a standing side-headlock. Pittman whips him into the ropes, but Dallas rebounds with a shoulderblock, and a rocker dropper sends Craig bailing. DDP tries pulling him back in, but Pittman snaps his throat across the top rope to block, and he works a chinlock until DDP gets into the ropes. Pittman stays on him with a clothesline for two, so Page tries a small package for one, but Pittman belly-to-belly suplexes him for two. Page buys time with a chincrusher, but Pittman blocks the Diamond Cutter. He makes a last ditch effort in the corner, but a charge hits boot, and the Cutter ends it at 4:18. I like how Page has been setting up the Cutter by letting the guy block the first attempt before coming back to hit it on the second try. Pittman looked bad here, though. Afterwards, Gene comes in to talk about Randy Savage, with the lights dying in the middle of the promo. Page keeps going like nothing happened, pro that he is. ½*

Rey Mysterio Jr v Galaxy: Bit of a feeling out process at the bell, until Rey flings him with a snapmare, and wins a criss cross with a monkeyflip. Springboard missile dropkick sends Galaxy to the outside, so Galaxy tries a ropewalk on the way back in, but he gets crotched. Rey with a slingshot moonsault for two, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Galaxy clobbers him with a clothesline on the rebound. Galaxy goes up with a flying moonsault, but Rey dodges, and the springboard flying rana into a cradle ends it at 2:21. Too short to go anywhere. ½*

Okerlund brings out MTV's John Sencio to introduce Miss Monday Nitro, Pamela Rogers. I'm sure Debra McMichael must have been fuming. Okerlund, ever the pro, adjusts his glasses to get a better look, and insinuates that Heenan is jerking off. Gotta love creepy Gene

Eight-Man Tag Team Match: Giant, Lex Luger, and The Steiner Brothers v Greg Valentine, Roadblock, and The Amazing French Canadians: Luger and Valentine start, and Greg pops him with a cheap shot after calling for a lockup. Lex quickly fights him off and hits a bodyslam before passing to Rick Steiner, who quickly runs into a cheap shot in the heel corner. Well, duh. He ran right into their territory, like a moron. That allows the heels to go to work on Rick, but Roadblock misses a 2^nd rope splash, and Scott Steiner tags in to suplex his ass. Over to Giant with the Chokeslam at 1:52. Barely a match. Afterwards, they cut a very generic promo on the nWo to hype Uncensored. DUD

Ultimo Dragon v Juventud Guerrera: Big reversal sequence to start, and Guerrera is fiery, not taking a stalemate, and just firing more and more until he finally knocks him to the outside with a dropkick. Baseball slide, but Dragon dodges, allowing Sonny Onoo to take a few cheap shots. Dragon dives off the apron with an axehandle, but a whip into the guardrail gets reversed, and Guerrera uses chops on the way back in, but Dragon no-sells them. Dragon puts him down with a series of strikes, and an inverted rack drop leads to a surfboard. Slingshot brainbuster gets two, so Dragon works a chinlock, but Guerrera lands on his feet to block a German suplex, and sends Dragon back to the outside with a dropkick. Guerrera dives with a flying somersault senton on the floor, and a springboard flying spinheel kick gets him two on the way back inside. Victory cradle gets two, but a corner charge goes badly, and Dragon gives him a running sitout powerbomb. Nearly turned it into an accidental bucklebomb there. Rana off the top leads to a bridging tiger suplex, and that's it for Guerrera tonight at 4:50. Mile a minute here. ** ¼

Chris Jericho v Scotty Riggs: Chris tries grabbing a headlock at the bell, but Riggs wants to criss cross, and puts Jericho down with a backelbow. Riggs adds a bodyslam for two, and he goes to a chinlock, but Jericho uses a jawbreaker to escape, and he smacks Riggs with a chop on the ropes. Another criss cross goes Jericho's way with an overhead suplex, so Riggs bails to the apron, but Chris knocks him to the floor with a springboard dropkick. Jericho with a suplex back in for two, and a cross corner whip sets up a corner clothesline. Charge goes badly when Riggs catches him with a powerslam, however, and Scotty throws a pair of dropkicks. Man, even this crazy hot crowd of drunk kids won't pop for poor Riggs. Scotty goes up with a flying shoulderblock for two, but Jericho counters a side suplex with a bridging German version for two. He looks for a follow up, but Riggs pops him with a jumping forearm, only for Buff Bagwell to run in to attack Scotty for the DQ at 3:34. * ¼

Okerlund brings Madusa out to remind us she still exists

Kevin Sullivan v Hardbody Harrison: The usual Sullivan squash here, with the usual extra sauce from Jacqueline on the outside. Then Kevin decides to drag him out of the building to the beach, resulting in a double countout at 1:56. And then finally somebody gets tossed in the damn pool to finish it. A little too worked up for a stupid squash, Kev. ¼*

WCW World Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan leads the nWo out to announce the Dennis Rodman is now officially a member, though Rodman himself is not actually in the building. More nWo business, as it's time for Sting to finally get his shirt, though he just stands there, and doesn't actually put it on. Not much to this interview, but they were in all their glory here, and it was kind of fun

Uncensored ad

Okerlund brings Public Enemy out to say next to nothing, leading to Harlem Heat coming out to brawl with them as we go off the air. Did the nWo segment run short, or something?

BUExperience: Both shows were fun this week, both buoyed by interesting set designs, making them feel fresh. I enjoyed RAW more, but Nitro was an easy watch as well, even if the actual wrestling on both shows was bad.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	3/10/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.3	3.5
Total Wins	17	53
Win Streak		36
Better Show (as of 3/10)	26	42