WCW Monday Nitro (March 24, 1997)

 Original Airdate: March 24, 1997  

From Duluth, Minnesota; Your Host is Tony Schiavone with Larry Zbyszko (hour one) and with Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan (hour two). We open with a shot of Larry Hennig in the crowd, which was apparently a shot at the WWF, as son Curt Hennig had teased Titan with a return for WrestleMania that he had no intention of making

WCW United States Title Match: Dean Malenko v Konnan: They've got blue and red turnbuckles this week, which is a look that definitely did not last. Konnan takes him down for a fujiwara armbar early on, but Dean escapes, and bodyslams him. He ties Konnan up on the mat, but the challenger armdrags free, and they square off again. Criss cross ends in a stalemate, so Konnan throws a knee, and elbows the champion down, as WCW Cruiserweight Champion Syxx appears on split screen to talk shit. Konnan with a powerbomb for two, but another criss cross ends badly when Dean throws a leg lariat. Konnan fights back with a drop-toehold and a magistral cradle for two, then uses a bodyslam to set up a dive, but it misses. That looked terrible. Malenko puts it away with the Texas Cloverleaf at 3:31. Boy, that finish looked terrible. I think Dean was supposed to catch him in the Cloverleaf, but they got their wires crossed. Afterwards, Gene Okerlund gets a word with the champion, and he's doesn't have time to think about Syxx or Eddie Guerrero, because he'll be defending against Chris Benoit at Spring Stampede. ¾*

 

Mortis v Jerry Flynn: Listening to them try and put over Mortis's training in various fighting styles is pretty funny. Not that it's a bad strategy, but these two are just terrible at trying to explain it. Mortis dominates in the early going, but Flynn throws kicks in the corner, and hits a spinheel kick. Cross corner whip works, but the charge in doesn't, and Mortis elbowdrops him. Kneedrop follows, and Mortis throws a spinheel kick of his own. Rocker dropper from the middle gets two, which probably should have been the finish if Mortis is going over. Facebuster into a cradle gets two, but Flynn powerbombs him to block another move from the middle rope, and Jerry makes a comeback. But then Mortis just cuts him off, and finishes with a Samoan drop off the middle rope at 4:55. They really should have wrapped up after the rocker dropper spot, because this dragged on for a bit too long. ½*

 

Juventud Guerrera v La Parka: Larry making Ricky Ricardo jokes about them is a bad look. Guerrera shoves him around at the bell, so Parka flips out, but gets out fought in the corner. Guerrera goes up with a flying bodypress, but Parka catches him, and sets him down on the top turnbuckle as a taunt. That backfires when Guerrera dives with a headscissors to send Parka to the outside, and Guerrera dives again with a flying bodypress into the aisle. Guerrera with a springboard missile dropkick for two on the way back inside, but a corner charge goes badly, and Parka clobbers him with a clothesline. Parka adds a flying moonsault for two, and a spinheel kick knocks Guerrera to the outside to regroup. Parka is on him with a tope suicida, but Guerrera blocks a suplex back into the ring, and dives with a springboard flying somersault senton. He takes Parka upstairs for a rana off the top, but Parka counters to a powerbomb from the middle, and a flying corkscrew senton finishes at 4:17. Solid, if a little underwhelming. * ¾

 

Review of the Outsiders/Steiner Brothers feud, leading to Okerlund bringing the Steiner's out to talk Spring Stampede. Nothing of note here

 

Public Enemy v High Voltage: Voltage attack before the bell, but an attempt to whip Enemy into each other gets reversed, and Kenny Kaos gets dumped. Dust settles on Rocco Rock and Robbie Rage, in a battle of alliteration. A distraction by Kaos allows Rage to side suplex him, and Kenny tags in for a flying axehandle. Kaos with a tilt-a-whirl slam for two, and Rage with a bodyslam, but a standing moonsault misses. That allows the tag to Johnny Grunge, and Roseanne Barr the door. The Enemy isolate Kaos for the assisted flying somersault senton splash, but they waste time putting Rage through a table instead of covering. That allows Jeff Jarrett to run in and whack Grunge with the briefcase, and Kaos pins him at 3:43. Short and inoffensive. *

 

Okerlund brings Giant and Lex Luger out, and Giant wearing a normal sized Nitro t-shirt like a bib is a pretty funny sight. Anyway, it's another interview where nothing of note is said. I get wanting to put the guys on TV, but give them something to do or say

 

Psychosis v Super Calo: Psychosis gets control with chops on the ropes, and a spinkick puts Calo down, but Calo slides between his legs during a criss cross, and fires off some boots. Springboard flying armdrag sends Psychosis to the outside, so Calo tries a baseball slide, but Psychosis dodges. That did not look good. Back in, Psychosis uses a bodyslam, and he crotches Calo across the top rope, then knocks him off with a flying spinheel kick to the back of the head. Clothesline, but Calo counters with a crucifix for two, and a dropkick puts Psychosis back on the floor. Calo dives from the apron with a headscissors into the aisle, and he bodyslams Psychosis out there to set up a slingshot somersault senton splash. Calo dives on the way back in, but Psychosis blocks with a spinkick, and uses a bodyslam to set up the flying legdrop at 3:43. Like earlier cruiserweight bout, this was solid, if not particularly engaging. * ¾

 

Hugh Morrus v Chris Benoit: They slug it out to start, with Chris getting the better of it, but running into a press-slam. Morrus capitalizes with a cross corner whip and an avalanche, but Chris fights him off with a corkscrew legwhip, and dodges a second avalanche. Benoit with a German suplex to set up the flying headbutt, but Konnan runs out to shove him off the top, and Morrus dives with the No Laughing Matter at 2:01. Too short to really go anywhere, but they were working a mile a minute out there. Afterwards, Kevin Sullivan joins the rest of the Dungeon of Doom in kicking the crap out of the Crippler, until Dean Malenko runs in for the save... only to get the crap kicked out of him as well. That goes on until Ric Flair himself comes in for the save, fighting off the entire group like he's Hulk Hogan. * ¼

 

Hollywood Hulk Hogan t-shirt ad

 

Harlem Heat v The Faces of Fear: This show feels so long. It's hard to believe it has the same runtime as RAW, which has been just flying by. Booker T starts with Barbarian, and quickly gets into trouble in the form of a double team in the corner that ends with Booker down on the outside. Back in, Barbarian takes him up for a side superplex, but Booker manages to block, and dive with a flying twisting bodypress for two. Tag to Stevie Ray for a tandem backelbow, and Stevie bodyslams Barbarian to set up a legdrop. Cross corner whip, but Barbarian reverses, and cracks him with some chops before passing to Meng. Meng with a side suplex, and the Faces go to work on Stevie. Cheap shot from Booker puts Barbarian down to turn the tide, and the Heat double team. Booker with the axekick, but the Harlem Sidekick misses, and Meng clotheslines him off the ropes. The Faces hit him with stereo headbutts off the middle for two, and Meng uses a backbreaker for two. Backdrop, but Booker blocks, and tries a bodyslam – getting toppled for two. Barbarian tags in with a sidewalk slam for two, as the match starts to drag. The Faces keep cutting the ring in half on Booker, until Stevie comes in and just stops it. Well, that's one way to get it done. Rocket launcher on Meng looks to finish, but Barbarian saves at two, so Booker kills Meng with a Harlem Sidekick, but Barbarian saves again. That allows Meng a piledriver, but now Stevie saves, and Roseanne Barr the door. Sister Sherri takes a bullet from Meng to save Booker, and Booker capitalizes with a schoolboy at 8:31. It's never not fun watching big guys throw each other around, but this felt like it went on for too long. *

 

Okerlund brings Ric Flair and Chris Benoit back out, as this show just keeps dragging on without anything really happening. How was this beating RAW?

 

Madusa v Malia Hosaka: This is Madusa's first Nitro match since way back in November. Madusa shoves her around at the bell, but Malia won't take it, and shoves right back. That earns her some kicks from Madusa, but Malia fights back with a dropkick, and slaps on a Boston crab. Madusa escapes into a cradle for two, reversed by Malia for two, and Malia pounds her with kicks. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, but Madusa fights her off with a snapmare of her own, and then adds another trio of them. Pinfall reversal sequence ends in the ropes, and another one does as well. Malia tries more kicks, but Madusa barely even acknowledges them, and hooks a bridging German suplex at 2:42. This was embarrassingly bad, and super awkward. -*

 

Lee Marshall is in Roanoke Virginia with the 1-800-COLLECT Road Report

 

Renegade v Jim Duggan: Is this show not over yet? I think I've mentioned this before, but there's perhaps no better fit as the face of WCW than Jim Duggan. Talk about hitting it out of the park. They feel each other out in respectful fashion to start, until Renegade takes a cheap shot, and puts Hacksaw down for a ropechoke. Jim fights back with a hiptoss, and he works a front-facelock, but Renegade escapes, and works a chinlock. Duggan fights free, so Renegade corner whips him, and comes at him with the handspring elbow. That just serves to annoy Jim, however, and Duggan tapes up his fist for the knockout at 3:49. The hits just keep on coming. DUD

 

Sting is where the Big Boys Play

 

Spring Stampede ad. Finally, they found a way to use the Horsemen as actual horsemen

 

The Steiner Brothers v The Amazing French Canadians: Scott Steiner starts with Carl Ouellet, and Scott hits a tigerbomb right away. That draws Jacques Rougeau in, but Scott press-slams him into Carl, and Rick Steiner clotheslines them both to the outside. Scott follows, but gets sent into the guardrail out there, and the heels take control as they go back inside. The Canadians work Scott over, but Carl hits boot while trying a dive off the middle, and Rick gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door. The Steiner's dominate, so Colonel Robert Parker takes a cheap shot, and the heels give Rick the Tower of Quebec spot, but the referee is distracted. That allows Jacques to try a shot with a weapon, but he ends up hitting Carl, and Rick covers at 3:54. Couldn't get any more paint by numbers than that. ¾*

 

WCW Television Title Match: Prince Iaukea v Randy Savage: Savage has most of the nWo with him here, including Kevin Nash saying hello to Shawn Michaels on camera in response to Shawn's greeting at WrestleMania the night before. Look like he even dyed his hair for the occasion, or maybe to make himself something of a combination of both Outsiders, since Scott Hall was apparently in rehab at the time. It works from a distance. Iaukea actually gets the better of Randy in the early going, causing a frustrated Macho Man to bail to the outside to regroup. Back in, Randy kicks him in the gut and tries to take it to the ropes, but Iaukea springboards at him with a bodypress, and uses a bodyslam for two. Knife edge chop connects, allowing Iaukea to get to the top for a flying bodypress, but Savage dodges that one, and drops him throat-first across the top rope. Well, you knew that offense was going to trigger Savage's Ricky Steamboat button. Macho with a bodyslam to set up the Flying Elbowdrop, but he picks the champ up at two. That draws Diamond Dallas Page out through the crowd, and he attacks the entire nWo, but that doesn't go very well for him. Yeah, not sure I get that strategy either, it's not just you. The brawl spills into the ring, and we have a no-contest at 3:14. Not much here, but man, was Randy Savage a great wrestler. He took this nothing match with this nothing guy, and made him look like a star for a few minutes, when he could have just gobbled him up if he wanted to. It's a skill. Afterwards, we get full beat down on Iaukea and Page, and despite it going on and on, no one from WCW comes out for the save. Did Giant, Luger, and the Steiners all go take a shit together, or something? *

 

BUExperience: This one just dragged on and on and on with boring mid-card matches and nothing of consequence going on, all with none of the sizzle RAW had.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	3/24/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.5	3.0
Total Wins	17	55
Win Streak		38
Better Show (as of 3/24)	28	42