WCW Monday Nitro (July 14, 1997)

Original Airdate: July 14, 1997

 

From Orlando, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay, with Larry Zbyszko (hour one) and Bobby Heenan (hour two)

 

We open with the debut of the Nitro Girls. I do hope they kept Gene Okerlund far, far away from their rehearsal space

 

Prince Iaukea v Alex Wright: Wright gets annoyed with Iaukea's dancing, which is pretty funny. Iaukea offers a handshake, but Alex paintbrushes him, and then beats Prince into the corner. Corner charge misses, however, allowing Iaukea a backdrop, but then Giant shows up, and he wants to cut a promo. Like, right now. The referee tells him to buzz off, so Giant chokeslams him. One for Iaukea too, and Wright is wise enough to bail, as Giant starts tearing through security guys - this thing a no-contest at about 1:44. Anyway, what's got him all hot and bothered this week is Kevin Nash dressing up like Sting and interfering in last night's the main event. Good segment, even if it did kind of make both workers look like afterthoughts. DUD

 

Eddie Guerrero v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Eddie wins the initial criss cross with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but an attempt at another one gets him armdragged. Chavo uses a backdrop and a jumping forearm to send Eddie to the outside, and Chavo dives after him with a flying bodypress on the floor. Chavo whips him into the guardrail out there (and right into a security guard), but a trip to the top on the way back in ends badly when Eddie crotches him. Eddie with a vertical superplex, but a charge ends badly, and Chavo uses a bridging northern lights suplex for two. Bridging German suplex is worth two, so Chavo uses a bodyslam to set up a flying frogsplash, but Eddie lifts his knees to block. Eddie wrecks him with a powerbomb, and the Frogsplash finishes at 4:12. This was fun, but too short to really be anything major. Afterwards, Eddie keeps beating on him, so Hector Guerrero (Eddie's older bother) comes out to make the save. ** ½

 

Okerlund brings Diamond Dallas Page out for an interview, and he's not too happy with Curt Hennig after getting left to twist in the wind at the Bash last night

 

The Nitro Girls do another dance

 

Gene brings Harlem Heat out to clarify that they're still focused even without Sister Sherri. Which they demonstrate by delivering a super unfocused promo about nothing in particular

 

The Steiner Brothers v Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton: Scott Steiner starts with Bagwell, and Buff wastes no time complaining about pulling of the tights, and such. Scott grabs a headlock, so Bagwell forces a criss cross, and throws a dropkick to win in. Scott bails to regroup, and outsmarts Bagwell on the next criss cross, throwing a clothesline to put him on his ass. Bagwell gets pissed, but makes the mistake of slapping Scotty, and that gets him backdropped. Scott adds a press-slam, and another clothesline knocks Bagwell loopy. Third clothesline puts Buff over the top, but he beats the count in, and Rick Steiner tags to get his turn, as we cut to the back, where the nWo limousine shows up, with Konnan joining them. Why are the Outsiders wearing short shorts? Back in the ring, Norton is criss crossing with Rick, winning with a clothesline. That draws Scott and Buff in, and Roseanne Barr the door. Vincent sneaks in during the chaos, and he nails Rick, allowing Norton a DDT off the middle. That turns the tide, and the nWo cut the ring in half on Rick. Bagwell tries a flying axehandle, but gets caught in an overhead suplex for his trouble, and Rick makes the tag - Roseanne Barr the door. Scott unloads suplexes, and a tigerbomb on Bagwell sets up the finish, but Great Muta and Masahiro Chono run in for the DQ at 6:48. This was pretty decent before the non-finish. * ¾

 

Raven is in the crowd again, and Gene wants to know what his big announcement is, but gets stonewalled with more poetry. Stevie Richards tries to talk back, but gets smacked around

 

Chris Benoit v Mike Enos: Enos gets in his face before the bell, so Benoit kick starts the match, beating Mike into the corner with chops. The referee steps in, allowing Enos to recover, and dump Benoit across the top rope. Mike unloads in the corner, and a slam follows, as Tenay talks about how Nashville has been 'awarded' the next Clash of the Champions. Apparently the city is the first to get the WCW 'triple crown': a Clash, a Nitro, and a Starrcade. Okay. Enos with a fallaway slam off the middle, and a forward piledriver gets him two. Bearhug, but Chris rakes the eyes to force a break, so Enos powerslams him for two. Clothesline, but Benoit counters to the Crippler Crossface at 3:46. Well, that was abrupt. * ¼

 

Nitro Girls dance dance revolution

 

La Parka v Super Calo: Parka tries a charge, but misses, and Calo takes him down. Reversal sequence allows Parka a clothesline, but Randy Savage runs in and attacks both guys for a no-contest at 0:46. Macho kicks the shit out of Parka, thinking it might be DDP under the mask again, but the real Dallas Page comes out of the crowd to attack! Unfortunately his efforts are short lived, because Curt Hennig runs in with a set of knux to knock Page out, and Savage capitalizes by delivering a Flying Elbowdrop. Gene comes out to try and understand Curt's motivations, and Hennig calls Page the 'biggest mark in the business,' and notes that he can't even last thirty seconds with Kimberly, let alone with him. This someone draws Ric Flair out (apparently the mere mention of pussy summons him), and he wants to dance. This was a solid segment before the goofy Flair cameo. DUD

 

Lee Marshall is in Jacksonville Florida with the 1-800-COLLECT Road Report

 

The nWo come out, and WCW World Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash is suddenly in a wheelchair. Eric Bischoff asks him point blank if he was the fake Sting last night, but Nash denies it. Meanwhile, they officially induct Konnan into the gang

 

Scott Hall and Syxx v Harlem Heat: With Nash injured, Syxx steps in, though this is non-title anyway. Syxx starts with Booker T, as the announcers do a deep analysis of the fake Sting last night. Harriet the Spy on fucking crack would be a better choice than these three. Syxx gets slapped around after getting too cocky, and both guys tag. Hall also gets cocky, and you know Stevie Ray ain't putting up with that shit. He pounds Scott down in the corner, but a charge hits boot, and Hall dives with a 2^nd rope bulldog for two. Clothesline, but Stevie reverses on him, and Booker tags in with a clothesline for two. Meanwhile, the announcers continue offering the most insane, dumb shit analysis - this time about whether or not WCW wrestlers are still intimidated by the nWo. You know, you guys can actually call the match. You don't just have to make noises to fill time. Booker knocks Hall to the outside, as the announcers move on to talking about Dennis Rodman, since calling the match is apparently still a bridge too far for them. The Heat work Hall over, cutting the ring in half and double teaming like they're supposed to be the heels. Booker with a flying bodypress for two, so Syxx runs in, but Stevie cuts him off. That allows Booker to go for the kill, but suddenly Nash has a miraculous recovery, and nails him. That allows Hall the Outsider's Edge at 8:59. The Heat were promising a 'street fight' here, but it was just a normal tag match. And a pretty boring one, at that. ½*

 

Nitro Girls are street, yo

 

Public Enemy v Great Muta and Masahiro Chono: Boy, both shows were all about that tag team wrestling this week. The nWo attack during the Enemy's dancing, and we brawl around ringside. Inside, the Enemy get control with stereo ten-punch counts, and the nWo bail. They stall for a while, and the dust finally settles on Johnny Grunge with Chono. Chono uses martial arts strikes to pound him into the corner, but a charge hits an elbow, and Grunge uses a swinging neckbreaker. Grunge adds some racist gestures before passing to Rocco Rock for a 2^nd rope axehandle, and Muta tags in. The nWo get control, but Rocco fights Chono off with a springboard moonsault press, and Grunge gets the tag back. Muta hits him with a handspring backelbow and a bulldog, but Grunge makes a tag back, and Roseanne Barr the door. Muta hits Grunge with the mist, and Chono capitalizes with the big boot at 6:45. This was bad. It had no flow, no form, and was completely unengaging. –¼*

 

Dennis Rodman nWo t-shirt ad. I don't know if that one was a big seller, but give them credit for trying to monetize literally everything during this period

 

WCW United States Title Match: Jeff Jarrett v Ric Flair: Criss cross to start, won by Jarrett with a backdrop. He struts, but that annoys Ric, and Jeff eats chops. Cross corner whip backfires when Jarrett rebounds out with a clothesline, and Jeff adds a dropkick to send the challenger over the top. Jeff follows for a backdrop on the floor, and he dives with a flying bodypress on the way back in, but Flair rolls through for two. Another chop, but Jeff reverses a cross corner whip, and Ric fails to do the flip. They try again, and Flair gets it this time, but the dive gets blocked with a dropkick. Jeff with the ropechoke, as the announcers note that Jarrett has been in WCW for almost a year. Fuck, really? It feels like he's been stuck in the same angle forever then. Jarrett with a vertical superplex to set up the Figure Four, but Flair hooks a cradle for two. He nails the champion with another chop, but Jeff pulls down the straps - bring it on Ric! Flair obliges, and gives Jeff a low blow, as Debra McMichael picks NOW, of all times, to cut a promo about her turn last night. Jarrett tries a sleeper, but Flair quickly escapes, and Debra just keeps fucking talking. That draws Steve McMichael out, as Ric puts Jarrett in the Figure Four. Unfortunately Steve can't wait for the bell, and attacks Jarrett, causing the DQ at 5:24. The finish was ridiculously dumb, but it was a pretty good match before it. ** ½

 

Okerlund brings Lex Luger out, and apparently they're ahead of schedule here, because Lex takes the time to slap hands all the way around the ring during his entrance. And you know that must have been a real chore for him. He wants Hollywood Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Title at Road Wild, and that draws the nWo (sans Hogan) out to respond, and they surround the ring. But before they can do anything, Sting comes out (looking like an imposter by wearing a mask and a bad wig), and his mere presence is enough to keep the nWo at bay as we go off the air

 

BUExperience: Both shows were watchable, but RAW felt focused, and Nitro felt like it was booked on a napkin a half hour before the show. So RAW gets the win.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	7/14/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.6	3.5
Total Wins	17	71
Win Streak		54
Better Show (as of 7/14)	38	47