WCW Monday Nitro (June 2, 1997)

Original Airdate: June 2, 1997

From Dayton, Ohio; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko, and Bobby Heenan

WCW Cruiserweight Champion Syxx and WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Hall are in the ring as the show opens, and they're pleased that Ric Flair isn't in the house tonight, following the beating they gave him last week. Unfortunately for them, that draws out JJ Dillon to burst their bubble by noting that Ric is actually on his way to the building right now, and in fact, he will arrive just in time to have a match with Hall tonight

 

Alex Wright v Glacier: Wright attacks before the bell, and uses a leg lariat to put Glacier down for a serious pounding. Nice fire from Wright here. He gloats, however, allowing Glacier to make a comeback. Glacier with a cross corner whip, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and gets kicked in the face. But then Wright just dances again, and Glacier kicks him in the head at 1:39. This is a weird push for Wright, where he just jobs all the time. Afterwards, Wrath and Mortis attack, beating on Glacier, and even letting Wright gets some shots in. That's nice of them. Sharing is caring. ¼*

 

Buff Bagwell v Joe Gomez: Bagwell pounds him down right away, but stops to gloat, and hits boot on a charge. Hmm, where have I seen that before. Joe tries a dropkick, but misses, and Bagwell clotheslines him down. Criss cross goes Joe's way with a dropkick for two, however, and he uses an overhead armdrag. Into the corner for a ten-punch count, but Buff fights him off with a hotshot, and he dumps Gomez to the outside for Scott Norton to beat on. Back inside, Bagwell uses a bodyslam and the Blockbuster at 2:55. He came off the top with it this week, which looked great. This was basically the same as the opener, only with the cocky guy actually winning in the end. ¼*

 

Prince Iaukea v Hugh Morrus: Konnan attack Morrus with a broom during the entrances, but Hugh recovers enough to make it to the ring for the match. Though he's dazed, Morrus still pounds Prince down to start, but a criss cross goes badly, and Price uses a standing dropkick, then hooks a schoolboy at 0:46. Did they think they were still on the one hour format this week? What's with all the quickie matches? DUD

 

Gene Okerlund brings JJ Dillon out to talk about the tag team division, with Dillon noting that the Steiner Brothers are the committee’s unanimous choice as top contenders to the tag title. That draws Harlem Heat out to dispute that finding, and I was certain this was setting up a top contender's match between the two teams, but nope. Or, well, not yet, anyway

 

Diamond Dallas Page is hanging out at the Power Plant, squashing jobbers, and thinking about what a loser he used to be. But then he started beating up Johnny B. Badd and Eddie Guerrero on a regular basis, and everything changed

 

The Steiner Brothers v Great Muta and Masahiro Chono: Scott Steiner starts with Muta, and Muta snaps him over with a nice armdrag to start. I like how he put his full weight into it to get over how big Scott is. Scott with an armdrag of his own as they measure each other, which has Muta complaining of a hair pull. Scott with a hiptoss, but Muta throws strikes to escape an overhead wristlock, and wins a criss cross with a spinkick. Backdrop, but Scott counters with a tigerbomb, and he adds a press-slam for good measure. Muta bails to regroup, while Scott passes to brother Rick Steiner. Chono tags in as well, and wants a test-of-strength, but Rick easily shakes off the knucklelocks with a suplex, and Chono bails as well. Back in, Rick hits a powerslam during a criss cross, so Muta dives with a flying axehandle, but Rick blocks, and the Brothers clean house. Chono manages to take a shot at Scott to turn the tide, and the heels put the boots to him, but Scott manages to clothesline them both down to allow the tag to Rick - Roseanne Barr the door. The Brothers go for the kill with a combo, but Harlem Heat show up to cut them off, and they knock Rick silly. That allows Muta to capitalize with an elbowdrop, and a grapevine finishes at 8:52. This was fine as the first and last sections of a much longer match, but felt like it was missing about ten minutes in the middle. Afterwards, JJ Dillon comes back out, and apparently now the Steiner's are not top contenders anymore since they lost. Good lesson: crime pays. * ¼

 

Gene brings Ric Flair out, and Ric doesn't know if he can beat Scott Hall tonight, but he sure can't wait to find out. Especially since Kevin Nash ain't in the house, and it's not like Flair is scared of Syxx. Ric also calls Hall a 'honky,' which, really?

 

WCW United States Title Match: Dean Malenko v Michael Wallstreet: Wallstreet with his anti-WCW t-shirt because he can't be a part of the nWo any longer is especially sad. I also don't get the whole he was never 'officially signed' with the nWo thing. It's a rebel street gang! Wallstreet tries powering him around to start, but Dean gets the better of him on the mat, and uses a schoolboy for two. Dean unloads in the corner, and a snapmare leads to a chinlock, but Wallstreet fights him off. Wallstreet keeps getting into arguments with referee Nick Patrick over literally nothing, as the announcers talk about ticket sale records the promotion is setting all around the country. Wallstreet works a chinlock of his own, and then the leveraged abdominal stretch, but Patrick busts him. Wallstreet stays on the champion with a backbreaker, but Malenko dodges an elbowdrop, and uses a leg lariat for two. Or 'dropkick/kneelift,' per Tony. Dean with a suplex for two, and a cross corner whip rattles the challenger. Texas Cloverleaf looks to finish, so Wallstreet goes to the eyes to block, and he clotheslines the champion down. He goes for it with a big charge, but Dean ducks, and Michael takes a bump over the top. Dean tries a suplex back in, but Jeff Jarrett shows up out of nowhere to sweep the leg, and Wallstreet topples him for two. Looked like Patrick counted three there, but he says two. Looked awkward. Anyway, why does Jarrett need to bring his manager with him while he's running interference. Some alone time is good for you, dude. Everyone stands around confused about the count, allowing Dean to come from behind with a side suplex, and the Cloverleaf finishes at 6:24. Whole lot of nothing here, and a weird ass finish. I get that they're trying to heat up Malenko/Jarrett rematch, but book better, losers. Afterwards, Jarrett challenges Malenko to said rematch, with Dean accepting for next week. So... his strategy was to cost Malenko the title so he could challenge him to a rematch for... nothing? All this draws Steve McMichael out to shoehorn a promo on Kevin Greene for the Bash. Too many cooks in the kitchen with this segment. ½*

 

Harlem Heat v Damien and Ciclope: Stevie Ray stomps Ciclope down to start, and he wins a criss cross with a bodyslam. Over to Booker T for a savate kick, but a corner charge misses, and Ciclope makes the tag. He and Damien knock Booker to the outside with a sloppy combo, and Damien dives after him with a wild looking tope. Back in, Booker throws a knee to fight him off, and it's back to Stevie for a bicycle kick. The Heat work Damien over for a bit, but a brawl on the outside ends badly when the Steiner Brothers show up with a chair, knocking Booker silly. That allows Damien to hit him with a flying splash for the pin at 3:15. So... now Ciclope and Damien are top contenders, I guess? At least they're making the hunt for the belts seem important. I can (and do) appreciate that. ¼*

 

Lee Marshall is in Boston Massachusetts with the 1-800-COLLECT Road Report. Or Lee Mahh'shul as I'm sure he's called in those pah'ts

 

Barbarian v Chris Benoit: Barbarian powers him into the corner right away, but Chris ducks a blow, and turns the tables - unloading on the guy like he owes him money. Cross corner whip, but Barbarian has the gall to block, so Chris just pounds the shit out of him some more, and then suplexes him. That draws Jimmy Hart onto the apron, but that distraction allows Barbarian to hit Benoit from behind, and he nearly kills Chris with a nasty drop across the ropes. Benoit just dropped like a stone, right onto his neck there. Barbarian with a piledriver for two, and he takes him into the corner for a pounding, then upstairs for an overhead superplex. Chris wisely rolls to the outside before Barbarian can cover, but Barbarian drags him back in. Enough time has passed to allow Chris to recover, so Barbarian decides to take him upstairs again for another superplex, but this time Chris is able to block. Benoit capitalizes with a flying headbutt drop, and the Crippler Crossface ends it at 3:53. They were just brutalizing each other here, and it was fun. Afterwards, Benoit wants his match with Kevin Sullivan now that he's gone through Barbarian as Jimmy Hart specified, but now Jimmy says he has to beat Meng in another Death Match at the Bash if he wants Sullivan. Sorry, Benoit. Your Kevin is in another castle. It's also kind of weird that Benoit wants Sullivan so badly. You're sleeping with HIS wife... shouldn't it be the other way around? **

 

Scott Hall v Ric Flair: Tony calling this the 'biggest main event in the history of the show' is the kind of hyperbole that made him so annoying during the late 90s. Flair is wearing matching gear with Hall here, which is an odd choice. I don't think they were that coordinated when they were actually teaming at Survivor Series '92. Hall gets in his face at the bell, so Flair pounds the crap out of him. That draws Syxx onto the apron, but Flair sends him flying with a chop, and he takes Scott into the corner for some of the same. Cross corner whip, but Hall reverses, and Flair flips to the apron - diving off and onto Syxx! Unfortunately for Ric, Hall attacks while he's choking down Syxx, and Scott puts the boots to him on the way back inside. Hall distracts the referee long enough for Syxx to slide in with a bronco buster, and Scott gives Ric a fallaway slam for two. Hall with a cross corner whip and a clothesline in, followed by a side suplex for two. Leveraged abdominal stretch follows, but Ric fights him off with a hiptoss. He has no follow-up, however, and Hall unloads with right hands. Flair returns fire with chops, and manages a kneebreaker, but Hall pops off a clothesline on the way down. That puts both guys on the mat, and Scott rolls over first to cover for two. Both guys stagger up, and Ric hammers him with rights. Flair with an inverted atomic drop, so Syxx heads to the top rope, but Flair sends Hall into him. That allows Ric a vertical suplex, and it's Figure Four time, but Syxx comes in with the title belt. Flair abandons the hold to go deal with him, but that allows Scott to get hold of the weapon, and he whacks Ric with it for the DQ at 7:48. The match wasn't great, but it was lively, and also an actual match, as opposed to the joke main events we're seen on this show. Flair, in fact, has been showing lots of fire since coming back from his injury, and Syxx looked like he just graduated from the Shawn Michaels school for managers. Hall and Syxx beat him down after the bell, but Steve McMichael comes in to chase them away, and the babyfaces actually get to stand tall at the end of the show, in another nice change of pace. I get that Mongo is Flair's fellow Horsemen, but they're building to Flair and Roddy Piper challenging the Outsiders for the tag title at the Bash... shouldn't Roddy make the save? * ½

 

Oh, but it's not the end of the show, as Randy Savage shows up, and he's in full 'raving lunatic' mode. Otherwise known as 'normal,' for him. He manages to scare even Gene Okerlund off, so JJ Dillon comes out to deal with him personally, and he wants an apology! Or else Randy is going home with a note! JJ calls him out for cutting promos on Dallas Page from the safety of the crowd each week, but much like another MM named Marty McFly, you don't call the Macho Man a chicken. He puts the hurt on JJ, which draws Eric Bischoff out, pulling Macho off, and desperately cooling him down before he gets the nWo into hot water with the executive committee. This was a great segment, with real motivations, logical behavior, and feeling

 

BUExperience: Both shows were pretty fun this week. Call it a push.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	6/2/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.5	3.3
Total Wins	17	65
Win Streak		48
Better Show (as of 6/2)	34	45