WCW Monday Nitro (August 11, 1997)

Original Airdate: August 11, 1997

 

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

 

Backstage, Giant is served with papers by the local police. They were probably looking for Steve Regal

 

The Nitro Girls give Charlie Brown a dance lesson

 

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Outsiders v Bobby Starr and David Moore: The Outsiders cut a promo on the Steiner Brothers before the match, gloating about keeping the belts at Road Wild, and considering the political maneuvering they pulled to make that happen, this came off especially poorly. And then the jobbers come out to the Steiner's music, and the nWo insist on putting the belts on the line, even though it's supposed to be non-title. Kevin Nash with the powerbomb at 1:27. We haven't seen a full-on squash from these guys in forever, it was kind of fun. Afterwards, the Steiner Brothers show up to brawl, getting a big reaction as they clean house. They really should have grabbed the belts the night before, cutting them off again really killed any chance they had at being taken seriously again. DUD

 

Meng v Wrath: Meng attacks for a brawl in the aisle before the match officially starts, and he manages a superkick on the way into the ring. Clothesline sends Wrath right back over the top, but Wrath pulls him right out with him, and he whips him into the guardrail. Wrath dives with a somersault senton from the apron, but a trip to the top rope on the way back in ends badly when Meng crotches him. Meng capitalizes with a superplex for two, but a corner charge hits boot, and Wrath dives with a 2^nd rope clothesline for two. Bicycle kick gets two, but Meng slaps on the Tongan Death Grip for the pin at 2:43. This was fun, but too short to really go anywhere. Afterwards, Mortis runs in to attack, but Barbarian makes the save, and hopefully that leads to a tag match at some point, because it would probably be a ball. *

 

Gene Okerlund brings the Steiner Brothers back out, and they'd like to let us know that they don't suck, despite choking in their big title shot for, like, the thousandth time. Ted DiBiase then accuses Nick Patrick of still being an nWo agent, and I'm glad that they're at least using that as an angle, because as I noted in the review, it was a really weird choice to use Nick as the official otherwise. Points to them for that. Patrick comes out to refute those accusations, and really, DiBiase has got some balls throwing those kind of accusations around considering he just defected from the nWo himself. Sounds like he's just trying to get as many eyes off of him as possible

 

Eddie Guerrero v Chris Jericho: Eddie tries a charge at the bell, but Chris sidesteps him, and delivers a pair of dropkicks. Press-slam follows, but Guerrero lands on his feet to block a monkeyflip, and they criss cross. Jericho gets the better of it with a pop-up hotshot, and a spinheel kick puts Guerrero on the outside to regroup. Guerrero goes to the eyes on the way back in, allowing him a drop-toehold, and a dropkick. Eddie with chops in the corner, but Jericho reverses a cross corner whip, and follows in with a trio of clotheslines. Lionsault, but Guerrero lifts his knees to block. Chris keeps coming with a powerslam for two, and he wins a reversal sequence with a release German suplex for two. Butterfly powerbomb leads to the Liontamer, but Guerrero blocks, so Chris turns it into a giant swing instead. Guerrero falls out of the ring, allowing Chris to dive with a suicida, but a trip to the top on the way back in ends badly when Guerrero knocks him off. That allows Guerrero to go up with the Frogsplash at 4:33. Short, but good. ** ¾

 

The Nitro Girls are back, but WCW Cruiserweight Champion Alex Wright shows up to step on their toes. Figuratively, of course, he's a premium dancer, and would never step on anyone's toes

 

WCW United States Title Match: Jeff Jarrett v Dean Malenko: So I guess that's the end of their little stable after, what, two whole weeks? Poor Alex Wright never even got to go through the recruitment process. Dean is all fired up and unloads to start, until the champion bails. Malenko chases him into the aisle, so Jeff tries a whip into the rail, but Dean reverses. Back in, Malenko hits a pair of leg lariats, and Jarrett bails again. He takes a walk, but Steve McMichael cuts him off at the entrance, forcing him back into more fists from the challenger. Jeff resorts to hiding behind Debra, and that allows him to send Malenko into the steps to turn the tide. Inside, Jeff throws a dropkick, and a side suplex follows. Snap suplex connects, and Jeff starts working the leg, but a straddling ropechoke misses. That allows Malenko to make a comeback, and a butterfly powerbomb sets up the Texas Cloverleaf, but Eddie Guerrero runs in to attack him for the DQ at 6:18. This was solid. Afterwards, Eddie and Jeff work Malenko over, until Mongo makes the save, though Dean sends him packing. Can't blame him, look what happened last time he tried forming an alliance. **

 

Gene brings Ric Flair and Curt Hennig out, and poor Okerlund seems to have forgotten what show he's hyping for a moment. So it's another week of Flair trying to get Hennig to join the Horsemen, with Curt refusing to commit. Great, maybe it'll drag on for six months like it did with Jarrett

 

Eric Bischoff leads the nWo out to clarify that the police business with Giant earlier was them delivering a restraining order, which states that he can't come within fifty feet of the group. So then Giant comes out, crosses the fifty foot line, and promptly gets arrested. This was okay, but it felt like they were building Giant as the next challenger for Hollywood Hogan's title, though it didn't end up going that way at all

 

The Nitro Girls are back in black. And gold

 

Harlem Heat are doing a podcast

 

The Steiner Brothers v Chris Benoit and Steve McMichael: Scott Steiner starts with McMichael, as the announcers talk about how the Steiner's don't give up easily, and will not stop chasing the tag title. Clearly. Scott and Steve throw each other around a bit, and Scott delivers a belly-to-belly suplex for two, before both guys tag. Rick Steiner absorbs some chops, and manages a powerslam, but he misses an elbowdrop. Back to Scott for a press-drop, and he ties Benoit up in an STF, but telegraphs a backdrop, and Benoit snap suplexes him. Tags all around, and both guys come in slugging. Mongo manages a three-point stance to set up an elbowdrop, and a bodyslam follows. Steve goes upstairs with a flying axehandle, but Rick catches him in an overhead suplex for the pin at 4:02. That finish felt really odd, like Steve was supposed to kick out, but missed his mark. The count also looked weird, with the referee hitting the first count before Rick had even made the cover. Not sure if it was messed up or not, but it certainly didn't look good. *

 

Gene brings Lex Luger out "for the ladies." Good thing Shawn Michaels wasn't in WCW at the time, or he'd surely be trashing a locker room after that sort of comment. So, despite just coming off a World title run and pay per view main, Lex already feels irrelevant

 

The Nitro Girls stop by to invent yoga pants

 

Diamond Dallas Page v Buff Bagwell: Bagwell gets a hiptoss to start, but he stops to pose instead of following up. That allows Page to recover with a wristlock, and a shoulderblock sends Bagwell to the outside to regroup. Back in, Dallas grabs a headlock, but Bagwell counters to a hammerlock, and they do a reversal sequence that ends in DDP hitting a clothesline. Bagwell fires back with a dropkick, and a ropechoke sets up a cheap shot from Vincent. A nice reversal sequence ends in Bagwell delivering a neckbreaker for two, but he wastes time arguing the count with the referee, and Page makes a comeback. Diamond Cutter, but Bagwell counters with a backslide for two. Clothesline follows, but Page fights off another cheap shot from Vincent, and the Cutter finishes at 4:02. *

 

Lee Marshall is in Birmingham Alabama with the 1-800-COLLECT Road Report

 

WCW Television Title Match: Ultimo Dragon v Mortis: They spar a little to start, won by Dragon with a kick combo. Mortis fires back with a backelbow to set up a choke, and he unloads in the corner, but misses a charge. That allows Dragon to take him upstairs, but James Vandenberg hooks his ankle, allowing Mortis to recover. Mortis tries a superplex, but Dragon counters with a gourdbuster on the way down. Floatover DDT, but Mortis counters with a bridging northern lights suplex, and a rocker dropper is worth two. He tries the Samoan drop off the middle, but Dragon counters with a powerbomb, and the Dragon Sleeper finishes at 3:08. This didn't really get off the ground. ¾*

 

Gene brings JJ Dillon out to offer Sting another contract for a match, this time with Syxx. But, unfortunately for him, Sting is not interested, and rips it up. Man, between Sting and Raven they're sure no friends to the environment

 

Randy Savage Madness gear ad

 

Curt Hennig v Randy Savage: Criss cross to start, won by Savage with a clothesline. That allows Randy to dump him to the outside with an elbow, but Curt reverses him into the rail, so Macho hides behind Elizabeth. Curt bulldozes him with a clothesline anyway, and they brawl up the aisle for a bit. Back in, Hennig keeps control by punting him in the ribs a few times, and the somersault necksnap connects. Kneelift follows, but Macho comes back by going after the leg. Piledriver, but Hennig dumps him to the outside to buy time, only for DDP to run in for the DQ at 5:03. Considering this is the only ever one-on-one meeting between these two legends (televised or otherwise) this was extremely disappointing to say the least. Afterwards, Scott Hall runs out to attack Page, and Macho gives him the flying elbowdrop, as Hennig walks out. That results in Luger returning to make the save, and they do a weird tease that Luger might be nWo, though that certainly didn't go anywhere. ¼*

 

BUExperience: RAW had its moments, but Nitro just flew by this week. A fun, if very light, episode.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	8/11/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.9	3.8
Total Wins	17	74
Win Streak		57
Better Show (as of 8/11)	38	50