WCW Monday Nitro (November 10, 1997)

Original Airdate: November 10, 1997

 

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

 

The nWo join us to open the show, and each member is carrying a Canadian flag this week, signaling the impending arrival of Bret Hart. Kind of funny seeing all of Shawn Michaels’s buddies enthusiastically rolling out the welcome wagon for Shawn’s nemesis. We start with Kevin Nash making his return for the first time in over a month so he can accept Giant’s challenge… if Giant is ready to meet him in the battle royal at World War 3. Eric Bischoff then takes a moment to welcome Bret into the fold (“a real knockout kinda guy”), and they make it official by singing O Canada in his honor - as the announcers cast doubt over the chances that Hart would join this group. WCW United States Champion Curt Hennig getting especially funky is the highlight here

 

Harlem Heat v Lord Steven Regal and Dave Taylor: Booker T and Regal start, and Regal pops him in the jaw to escape a wristlock, but gets backdropped while coming out of the ropes. Booker with a superkick, but Regal fights him off in the corner, and both men manage tags. Stevie Ray delivers a turnbuckle smash and unloads in the corner, then drops him with a clothesline. Back to Booker for a front-facelock, but Taylor railroads him into the corner, and tags. Regal and Taylor try a combo, but Booker fights them off, and there’s the tag to Stevie - Roseanne Barr the door! Sidewalk slam on Regal sets up a flying splash from Booker, but Steven dodges. Stevie rushes in to help, but Taylor clips his leg to prevent a slam on Steven, and Dave suplexes Stevie for the pin at 2:55. This was super short, and I certainly didn’t expect the heels to go over clean here. *

 

Nitro Girls start a dance dance revolution

 

Disco Inferno v Chris Jericho: Why didn't the Disco Inferno and Harlem Heat ever team up? I mean, you know, other than that is would have been a horrible idea. Slugfest to start, won by Jericho. Clothesline finds the mark, but a corner charge doesn’t, and Disco uses a clothesline of his own. Backdrop, but Jericho counters with a sunset flip for two, so Disco clotheslines him again. 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop misses, allowing Jericho a spinkick, and a butterfly backbreaker leads to the Liontamer at 1:59. Not much to it, and the crowd completely ignored them since they were distracted by Raven coming through the crowd for 90% of it. Afterwards, Kidman throws a drink at Disco, and gets his ass kicked, but the rest of the Flock make the save - until Scotty Riggs (sporting an eye patch after his last altercation with the Flock) backs Disco up. ½*

 

Barbarian v Glacier: The crowd is surprisingly thin tonight. Glacier suckers him into the corner and unloads. Series of kicks leads to a wristlock, but Barbarian quickly escapes, and blocks a monkeyflip with a clothesline. Jimmy Hart hits ringside as Barbarian dumps Glacier to the outside, and apparently this is his return. I honestly never noticed he was gone. A quick check shows he hasn’t been on TV since August, though I don’t recall an angle explaining it, so maybe it was something exclusively on one of the B-shows. Barbarian with an inverted atomic drop, but Glacier counters a belly-to-belly suplex with an overhead version. That triggers a distraction from Hart, allowing Barbarian to recover with a clothesline. 2nd rope axehandle looks to follow, but he lands in the Cryonic kick at 3:37. This was really bad. Afterwards, Meng chokes Glacier down with the Tongan Death Grip. Well, good for him. DUD

 

The Flock hit the ring so Raven can apologize for the whole trying to blind Scotty Riggs thing, but you know, he had a rough childhood, and stuff. Putting a microphone in his hand is certainly a better way to try and get Raven over than just having him sit silently in the crowd for months on end

 

Steve McMichael/Bill Goldberg feud review video

 

Alex Wright v Yuji Nagata: They trade wristlocks to start, but Wright gets arrogant, so Nagata knocks him to the outside with a spinkick. Baseball slide, but Alex dodges, and he clothesline Nagata on the floor. Wright adds chops out there, but takes too long getting to the top rope on the way back inside, and Nagata is able to vertical superplex him. Wright hides in the ropes and manages a hotshot onto the top turnbuckle when Nagata goes after him, and a flying stomp finds the mark. Backelbow, but Nagata counters with a suplex - only to miss a knee in the corner. That allows Alex his own suplex for two, so Sonny Onoo sexually assaults Debra McMichael on the outside, and that distraction allows Nagata to slap a submission on Wright at 3:22. I’m not going to say that first hour was brutal, but man, I’m not going to not say it, either. ¾*

 

WCW World Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff join us to complain that Sting has apparently made a movie, and Hogan is upset that he’s invading his territory. Okay, but did he stay off the west side? Because there were warnings about that

 

WCW Television Title Match: Perry Saturn v Chris Benoit: Saturn attacks on the floor during the entrances, and delivers a clothesline as they go inside to officially start the match. Suplex follows, but Chris comes back with headbutts, followed by chops. Chris unloads in the corner, and tries a sunset flip, but Saturn reverses the cradle at 1:52. The ending seemed botched there, looking like it was supposed to be a two count, but someone messed up. Afterwards, the Flock run in, but Benoit fights them off, until Fit Finlay comes in to tombstone the Crippler, before leaving him to get devoured by the Flock. ¼*

 

Nitro Girls have been playing Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker

 

Gene Okerlund brings Ric Flair out to do his weekly ranting about Curt Hennig

 

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio Jr v Eddie Guerrero: Guerrero attacks with a running dropkick as Rey steps through the ropes, and a pair of backbreakers get the challenger two. Uppercut finds the mark, but a corner dropkick doesn’t, and Rey uses a monkeyflip. Reversal sequence ends in Rey using a headscissors takedown, and a dropkick sends Eddie to the outside. Rey dives after him with an awkward looking headscissor variation on the outside (that was not one of his better innovations), but a trip to the top on the way back in ends in Guerrero superplexing him for two. Rey comes back with a backdrop and a springboard rana into a cradle for two, and a bodyslam sets up a springboard moonsault for two. Mysterio grounds him in a headscissors, but Guerrero escapes, and delivers a seated dropkick to the back of the head. Pop-up flapjack leads to a powerbomb, but Rey slips free, and uses a flying DDT. That one also looked awkward. Rey goes for a springboard flying rana to finish, but he lands in a hotshot, and Guerrero gets to the top for the frogsplash at 5:57. This was kind of a mess, honestly. It felt like they were just going through various spots, without much connection between them, or storytelling. Afterwards, Dean Malenko shows up to stare Guerrero down. * ¾

 

We get clips of some frat boys hosting a Nitro Party. “Mom and dad, your kids are safe at college,” quips Schiavone

 

Ray Traylor v Randy Savage: Ray jumps him on the outside and sends him into the guardrail out there, then feeds him a helping of post. Ray whips him into the steps next, and a leg-feed enzuigiri on the way back inside knocks Savage right back to the outside. Ray bashes him with a chair out there, and a big boot finds the mark as they go inside. Macho goes to the eyes to shake him off, but Ray quickly recovers with a spinebuster for two. Corner splash and a straddling ropechoke follow, so Miss Elizabeth crotches Ray on the top as he climbs for a dive. That allows Savage a bodyslam, and the flying elbowdrop finishes at 3:40. This told a decent story, and Savage was game to do some bumping for him, though Taylor was moving really poorly out there. ¾*

 

Nitro Girls shine on. Still only one girl with a headband, as the budget cuts continue

 

WCW United States Title Match: Curt Hennig v Diamond Dallas Page: They really needed to give the nWo guys individual themes. Watching these old shows and hearing that same music over and over gets really old really fast. They measure each other to start, and Page gets control with a bodyslam. Hennig tries bailing, but DDP keeps him inside with a headlock, and delivers a swinging neckbreaker. Diamond Cutter, but Hennig hits the deck, and bails. He decides to walk out, but Page drags him back inside - only for Curt to sucker him into a turnbuckle smash. That allows the champ to punt Page in the taped ribs, and he works the part. He gets busted using the ropes during an abdominal stretch, however, and Page makes a comeback. Cutter, but Hennig blocks with a chincrusher, and he whacks Page in the ribs with the title belt to draw the DQ at 7:04. This wasn’t very good, but at least it was psychologically sound, and Page did a good job of selling. ¾*

 

Macho Madness t-shirt and bandana ad. With no price or contact info

 

Lex Luger v Ric Flair: A sign in the crowd welcomes ‘the rack package,’ which sounds way too sexual, frankly. Lex powers him around to start, and a clothesline sends Ric over the top following a press-slam. Inside, Ric tries chops, but Luger is no-selling, and he clotheslines the Nature Boy down. Lex continues to hammer in the corner, so Ric goes to the eyes, and clips the knee to turn the tide. Flair works the leg, and slaps on the figure four, but Luger makes it to the ropes. Ric stays on the leg, but an attempt to suplex Luger over the top gets reversed back inside, and Lex makes a comeback. Torture rack looks to finish, but Hennig runs in on Luger for the DQ at 7:59. Really basic, and a terrible finish. Afterwards, Flair and Hennig brawl up the aisle. ½*

 

Hogan and Bischoff join us - again - and they still want Sting. Right here, right now, in fact. Sting comes down from the rafters to answer the challenge, but the nWo run in on him, and we get a big beat down to end the show

 

BUExperience: This was a pretty lackluster episode, one that felt like it was firmly in cruise control. RAW wasn’t a great show, but even with all the problems and controversy surrounding it, it felt more interesting.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	11/10/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	3.4	4.3
Total Wins	17	85
Win Streak		68
Better Show (as of 11/10)	45	54