Television Rewind Episode 2: WCW Monday Nitro 7-29-96
Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to Television Rewind right here on CrazyMax. It’s been a while since yours truly, xstat32x, has done a review so it’s time to get back in the swing of things with a brand new episode of Television Rewind. We are going back to one of the infamous moments in all of wrestling. It’s time to go back to WCW Monday Nitro from the summer of 1996. We are going back to the nWo welcoming themselves to the WCW roster and we are going back to Rey Mysterio Jr. turning into a human lawn dart. Thats right, we are going to be reviewing WCW Nitro from July 29th, 1996. Without further ado, lets get this show on the road.
Show Opening:
We start ringside with Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko. We have a WCW World Heavyweight title match between The Giant and Arn Anderson. Rey Mysterio is going to defend his WCW Cruiserweight Title vs. Eddie Guerrero. We will also have a tag team match between the American Males and the Steiner Brothers. Schiavone says WCW has been under attack by “these men” from the New World Order. Zbyszko says that these guys from the New World Odor are very calculated and they are attacking where the least resistance is. Zbyszko says that if they don’t learn from history then they are bound to repeat it.
They then show footage of Hall and Nash outside talking into a camera. They then show Sting and Luger walking out to their car. Luger gets called away with a phone call and that leaves Sting all by himself. Hall and Nash attack Sting from behind and they smash him with the trunk lid. They also throw Sting on back of the trunk and bash his head in a few times. Tony says that Sting is fine and will be ready to go tonight. Tony says they have no idea what to expect tonight but we have some tremendous action as we head to the ring for the first match of the night.
Match 1: Jim Duggan vs. Mike Enos
Duggan gets in the ring with his 2×4 as the crowd is already in on the USA chant. The bell rings and Enos attacks Duggan from behind. Enos tries to whip Duggan into the corner but he reverses it and hits Enos with a hip toss. Duggan then follows that up with a big time clothesline that sends Enos out to the floor as Duggan pumps up the crowd with his hoooo chant. Enos gets back in the ring and hits Duggan with a knee to the midsection. They then shoulder block each other in the middle of the ring a few times. Duggan doesn’t budge then they just head butt the shit out of each other. Not the smartest thing in the world to do but man that looked brutal.
After Duggan nails him with a head butt, Enos returns with a right hand. Duggan then follows that up with a right hand of his own. Duggan then lays in the lefts and rights a few times as Enos tries his own right hand but Duggan dunks. Duggan then hits him with an atomic drop. Enos goes over to the ropes and Duggan charges him but Enos pulls down on the ropes as Duggan flies over the top rope. Enos then goes outside and body slams Duggan on the floor. Enos picks Duggan up and he hits Enos with a right hand but Enos rakes the eyes and gets Duggan back in the ring.
Enos irish whip s Duggan into the corner and he charges in and hits Duggan with a clothesline. Duggan comes out of the corner swinging wildly but Enos gets him down to the ground with a clothesline. Enos nails Duggan with jumping leg drop and he follows that up with a reverse chin lock on the ground. Duggan gets back up and nails Enos in the gut with lefts and rights. Duggan whips Enos into the corner and Duggan follows him in but Enos hits him with a big boot. Enos goes for the pin and gets a 1 count. Enos goes back to the chin lock as the crowd chants USA.
While in the chin lock Enos tries to pry the mouth open of Duggan as the ref counts to 5. Enos releases that hold and goes right back into the reverse chin lock. Duggan finally gets up and nails Enos several times in the midsection with some rights and lefts. Duggan throws Enos into the ropes and Duggan dunks but Enos nails him with a big right foot to the face. Enos then drops a couple of head butts then an ax handle. Enos chokes him over the middle rope. Enos gets up and Duggan gets free and he gets his second wave. Duggan whips Enos into the ropes and they run into each other and they fall over.
Enos gets up first and he drops an ax handle to the back of Duggan. Enos whips Duggan into the ropes and dunks over but Duggan gets Enos in a sunset flip. Enos then picks up Duggan and he drops him with a neck breaker and a goes for the cover. He gets a 2 count. Enos then gets Duggan in a head lock. Duggan gets up to his feet then Enos hits him with a suplex. Enos goes up to the top rope and goes for a splash but Duggan gets out of the way. Enos hits a few ax handles but it does nothing to Duggan. Duggan then lays in a right and left combination that drives Enos to the turnbuckle. Duggan doesn’t stop throwing punches as Jimmy Jett, the ref, grabs the arm of Duggan. Enos takes advantage and starts laying in the boots to Duggan. Jimmy Jett pushes Enos back as Duggan comes out of the corner and rolls up his fist in tape. Duggan then levels Enos with a loaded right hand and he gets the 1-2-3 and mercifully ends this pile of shit.
Recap:
This match is garbage. You can tell both guys are blown up and can’t really do anything. Duggan is super lazy in this match and is sloppy as hell. The finish was stupid and the whole match is just the drizzling shits and thats because neither man really cared. I would skip this match if I was you.
Post Match Interview: Jim Duggan
Okerlund gets in the ring and interviews Duggan after the replay. Gene asks Duggan what his take is on the New World Order. Duggan wants to know what Hulk has done to his friends, family, country men, and his fans. Duggan says the fans really believed into him and looked up to him. Duggan says he’s worked with Hogan for 20+ years and has been with him for Make A Wish as well as the Special Olympics. Duggan wants to know why Hogan has turned his back on everything that he used to love. Duggan doesn’t understand why Hogan turned his back on everything that loved him. Duggan said Hogan has been to his house and he has held his children. Duggan says that his oldest child’s first words were Hulkster and now he has to look her in the eye and try to explain it. Duggan says “Hulk I know you are a great technical wrestler but I don’t want to wrestle ya. I want to beat you up.” Did this guy really just say that? No way you can accuse Hogan of ever being a great technical wrestler. Ah well that’s Duggan for you.
Glacier Vignette
During the first commercial break of the 6 man match we get this garbage Glacier vignette. Remember he’s coming soon….for 6 months.
Match 2: Sting/Randy Savage/Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair/Chris Benoit/Steve McMichael
Savage gets to the ring and charges right after Ric Flair. Flair quickly gets to the outside but Savage follows him out. Benoit and Mongo go after Savage on the outside. Sting and Luger come to the aid of Savage. Sting ends up in the ring with Flair and he lays in the right hands in the corner. Flair gets outside and and holds onto Savage while Benoit lays in a nasty knife edge chop. All 6 men are brawling as we cut to commercial. Pretty quick start here and it’s because of Savage. You could always feel his emotion and his anger in the ring because he was so believable. That is why he is truly one of the best.
We come back from commercial with all 6 men in the ring as the bell rings. The match officially starts with Sting and Benoit. Benoit Drives Sting into the turnbuckle and he lays in a knee, a kick and a chop. Benoit whips Sting into the turnbuckle but Sting reverses it and nails Benoit with a huge back body drop then follows it up with a clothesline. Benoit goes over to the corner and tags in Flair. Flair goes after Savage but Sting grabs him and puts him in the corner. Sting lays in some punches then whips Flair into the turnbuckle. Flair goes upside down and over as Luger decks him. Flair falls to the outside where Savage is waiting for him. Savage takes him over to the VIP table as Savage dumps the fruit tray all over Flair. Flair breaks free and gets back in the ring.
Sting is waiting for Flair and Sting gets him in a gorilla press slam. Flair is backing off but ends up poking Sting in the eye. Flair whips Sting into the ropes as Savage gets the blind tag. Savage gets in the ring and we stand off. Flair then runs outside of the ring and kisses Elizabeth right on the lips to irate Savage. Savage goes out after him but when he gets to the floor Flair grabs him and tosses him back into the ring. Flair tries to get in the ring but Savage grabs him on the way him. Savage pushes Flair into the turnbuckle and Savage goes up and nails him with 10 right hands. Savage hops down and Flair reverses it on him and he nails him with a chop. Savage no sails it and nails Flair with a big right hand that sends him down to the mat. Flair rolls out of the ring and storms to the back as if he is leaving. Savage follows him out and when they get near the entrance Flair drops to his knees and is begging Savage off. What a great atmosphere so far for this match. The crowd is into it and the action is awesome.
Savage doesn’t care and goes after Flair. He kicks him in the gut then runs him into the bleachers. Savage then rolls Flair back into the ring and he goes to tag in Mongo while Savage tags in Luger. Luger and Mongo start out with a collar and elbow tie up. Luger quickly gets him in a headlock. Mongo backs him into the ropes and nails him with a back elbow but Luger barely budges. Meanwhile, Larry is making fun of the scars on Mongo’s face during the action. Quality commentating. Both men start it again and this time Mongo gets the headlock but Luger pushes him off and Mongo stumbles to the other rope and eventually falls through the middle rope for no reason. What a clumsy and uncoordinated garbage wrestler Mongo was.
Mongo is frustrated as he gets back into the ring as Luger is waiting for him. They get in a collar and elbow tie up again. Mongo gets the head lock again and holds on as he goes in to tag Flair. Flair drives Luger into the corner and chops Luger 2-3 times. Flair then throws in some rights and lefts but Luger doesn’t feel any of it. Luger then gets Flair in a gorilla press slam. Benoit comes in to help but Luger decks him with a big time clothesline. Luger then picks up Flair and nails him with a delayed vertical suplex back into the ring. Luger goes for the pin and gets a 2. Flair decks Luger in the eye and then tags in Benoit who comes in and rams Luger into the turnbuckle then lays in the chops and kicks to Luger.
Benoit is getting admonished by the ref but Savage comes in anyways and decks him with a double ax handle. Savage continues to go after Benoit as the ref tries to get him out of the ring. Benoit gets Luger into his corner and lays in a chop as he tags in Ric Flair. Flair comes in and whips Luger into the ropes but Luger ducks the elbow and nails Flair with a clothesline. Luger then tags in Sting. Sting comes in and starts to chew on Flair’s forehead. Sting then hits Flair with a hip toss and he follows that up with a standing drop kick that sends Flair reeling to the corner. Flair is on the apron outside as Sting tries to pick him up but Flair rakes him in the eyes. Flair then climbs to the top rope but Sting comes to and superplexes Flair off of the top rope. Sting goes for the cover but Benoit comes in and makes the save.
Flair grabs Sting by the tights and throws him off to the apron. Sting goes over the top and tries to get a pin but Flair tags in Mongo. Mongo comes in and stomps on Sting then nails him with a vicious clothesline in the corner. Mongo picks Sting up and nails him with a back breaker. Mongo then tags in Benoit. Benoit comes in and nails Sting with a back elbow. He goes for the cover and gets a 2. Benoit then picks up Sting and drops him with a back suplex and he goes for another pin and gets a 2. Benoit then picks Sting up again and tags in Flair. Flair comes in and lays in a right hand to the mid-section. Sting gets backed up into the corner as Flair lays in some chops. Sting punches back with right hands. Flair then hits Sting with another chop and sends Flair down. Sting goes for a pin but Flair gets out of it. Sting gets up and gets Flair in a backslide but Benoit breaks it up. Flair then ends up getting Sting in a figure four leg lock near his corner.
Flair gets a little extra help from Woman from outside of the ring. Flair then slaps Sting in the face and it just fires up Sting. Sting then rolls through twice and reverses the hold. Flair then drags Sting over and goes for the figure four again but Sting rolls him up and gets a 2 count. Flair tags in Benoit and he comes in and works the left leg over on Sting. Benoit picks up Sting and nails him with a snap suplex. The ref gets a 2 count. Benoit then gets Sting in an standing Boston crab but Luger comes in and breaks it up. Benoit tags in Flair and he comes back in to lay in the chops to Sting. Jimmy Hart comes running down to the ring and he says they need help. Hart says its the Outsiders and we need a camera man in the back. In the ring Luger gets a tag and he comes in and attacks Flair and Benoit. Luger has the momentum as Hart gets up on the apron begging for them to stop because they need help. Luger finally looks at Hart and heads to the back. Sting and Luger and Savage head to the back.
nWo Attacks the WCW Locker Room
Finally a camera crew heads to the back and they show Arn Anderson laying on the ground riving in pain. Hall and Nash are standing over Marcus Bagwell holding baseball bats. Riggs comes out of the trailer looking to help out Bagwell but Hall picks up a light and blasts Riggs in the face with it. Rey Mysterio then comes out of the trailer and he tries to get a body press on Nash but Nash catches him and lawn dart throws him into the side of the trailer. I will never forget watching this live and thinking holy shit this is awesome. This was so amazing for it’s time because you really felt like they were working on behalf of the WWF. The beginning of the nWo angle is so money and a big reason for it is this episode of Nitro.
After Rey gets laid out the Outsiders get in their limo and head out of dodge. Savage comes running and jumps on top of the hood of the limo as he gets dragged into the limo through the sun roof. The guy was freaking nuts. Savage is awesome. Sting, Luger, Flair, Mongo, and others are in the back checking on the wrestlers. Its utter chaos in the back at this point. Mongo is yelling at the top of his lungs saying dumb shit “they think they can come in here and do what they want.” Sting asks Eddie what happened and Eddie says that Rey is saying there are either 3 or 4. We go to commercial and when we come back doctors are checking on Arn. Woman is crying hysterically and really selling this. The people involved in this segment really sold it and made it seem as real as it can be.
Arn is saying that they used baseball bats and that makes Woman even more angry. Sting is checking on Bagwell and he says that his knee is shot. The ambulances come in and fire department. Alex Wright comes out and checks on Riggs. Meng is standing around checking on the guys as well. Eddie and Alex are talking to Rey and he is saying that he saw 4 of them. This continues for the next 10-15 minutes. Rey Mysterio gets taken out in an ambulance and Alex Wright goes with him to the hospital. They show Benoit and he just looks like he is in a trance like he’s about to just breakdown in a cry. Meng and Benoit are going face to face and Benoit is telling him to stay out of this. Meng just laughs at him as Mongo comes over and yells at Meng.
They go to another commercial and when they come back Eric, Bobby, Tony, and Larry are standing ringside. Bobby gets on and says he is talking to Eric man to man. Heenan says he has a history of neck injuries and he has nerve damage in his hand. Heenan says his job is not worth it to him. They said they almost broke Eric’s back last week. Heenan says he’s not working the show tonight unless he can be guaranteed safety. Eric says that he can do what he needs to do. Heenan says he’s not going to risk getting paralyzed or crippled for the rest of his life. Eric tells him again he needs to do what he needs to do and Heenan walks off. Again this is another part of this segment that really drove home the severity of the incident and how real they wanted it to be. Just awesome. They strap Anderson to a stretcher as well as Scotty Riggs. Bischoff says we gotta get the show going but Tony reminds him that the American Males are next. They get Anderson into the ambulance as Flair and Woman go with him. They load Bagwell into the ambulance and Sting gets in there to go with him. You can hear a emergency management member say “theres going to be no fighting in here.
Recap:
First off the match itself. The match was freakin awesome from start until it abruptly ended. The action was hot and heavy and the crowd was super into it. The faces were doing all sorts of stuff and the crowd was eating it up. Its a shame this was the match that got interrupted because it would have been fun to see an actual finish. Now onto the whole reason I am reviewing this show…the nWo attack. This was just phenomenal on all levels. It made them feel like true outsiders and as if they were working for another company. It also made you feel like anything can happen at any time when they were around. This was perfect booking in my estimation. When the guys in the ring got to the back and they just put all differences aside for the sake of WCW just really drove the point home. Hell Sting and Flair getting in the ambulance together drove the point home further.
Heenan coming out and saying he doesn’t feel safe and that he is not going to risk his life to call a show where they could come back was awesome. Just everything about this segment was a home run and I ate it up as a kid. Even as an adult who understands whats going on it is still awesome. I can look back on this and think to myself why people bought into this storyline. For a moment in the back of July 1996 WCW had the wrestling world at the palm of their hands. I guarantee you I didn’t flip the channel once while this whole segment played out and I still remember it to this day. It is one of the best segments of the Monday Night Wars and I whenever I get the chance I will always come back and enjoy this moment because it is awesome. You should definitely check it out.
Match 3: Steiner Brothers vs. High Voltage
We start the match with Scott Steiner vs. Kaos. Steiner drives him into he turnbuckle then hip tosses him out of the corner. Rick is walking around on the floor checking the entrance as if somebody might come and attack them. Steiner gets Kaos in a arm bar then a fireman carry into an arm bar. Kaos gets out of it and he whips Scott into the ropes. Scott nails him with a shoulder block that sends Kaos to the ground. In the middle of the match fireworks just start going off and making some loud ass noise. Scott then hits Kaos with a body slam. Scott goes to the outside to get Rick back into the match. Scott then tags in Rick who gets distracted. Kaos nails him with a double ax handle and some right hands.
Rick gets fed up and starts hitting him with right hands. Kaos regains control and gets Rick in a head lock. Kaos tags in Rage and they hit Rick with a double drop kick then a double elbow drop. Rage clubs Rick in the back then tags in Kaos again. They then get Rick in a double suplex. Kaos tags in Rage and he can’t figure out which rope he wants to get in through. Rage then bodyslams rick and climbs up to the top rope and hits a flying shoulder block. He ends up getting a 1 count. Rage tags in Kaos and he comes off the top with a cross body but Rick catches him and gets him in a power slam.
Rick tags in Scott and he comes in and decks both guys with a clotheslines. Scott then nails Rage with a tilt a whirl side slam. Scott then nails Rage with a dragon suplex then he tags in Rick. Rick comes in and picks Rage up and rams him into the turnbuckle chest first. Rick then nails Rage with a vicious clothesline. Rick decks Kaos with a right hand that sends him flying off the apron. Rick tags in Scott and he comes in and just destroys rage with the Steiner Screwdiver and the 1-2-3. What a dangerous and reckless move by Scott Steiner but man was it awesome. Steiner Brothers are your winners.
Recap:
There isn’t much to this match but the best part about it was Rick selling the fact that someone may come and attack them. This added to the idea that these guys could strike at any moment which played great based off what just happened. Scott being focused and destroying these guys was pretty awesome. You can tell High Voltage were just a couple of meatheads who weren’t really ready for prime time. The Steiner Screwdiver at the end was dangerous as hell but pretty awesome to see. It’s like the Owen Hart tombstone out of a suplex. Only Scott Steiner would think this is a good idea. I would check out this match just for the way Rick is selling things as well as the Screw Driver at the end.
Match 4: Eddie Guerrero vs. Big Bubba
Before the match starts Bubba makes fun of Eddie for being short. He gets down on his knees as if he is going to fight him like that. Bubba was awesome. The match starts with Eddie getting Bubba in a side head lock. Bubba pushes him off then nails him with a big time shoulder block. Bubba then slaps the taste out of Eddie and throws him to the outside. Bubba gets on the middle rope celebrating but Eddie gets back in the ring and when Bubba turns around he slaps him across the face. Eddie then whips Bubba into the opposite turnbuckle and nails him with a drop kick. Bubba falls to the outside as Eddie climbs up to the top rope and decides to hop down since Bubba didn’t turn around. Eddie gets Bubba in an arm bar but Bubba reverses it and gets him in an arm bar of his own. Bubba then throws Eddie off the ropes and picks him up and just throws him in the air then slams him back down to the mat. Eddie got some pretty good hang time here.
Bubba then drops a knee to the throat of Eddie. Bubba straddles over Eddie and slaps him in the first 2-3 times. Eddie gets up and Bubba drops him with a head butt. Bubba picks up Eddie in a gorilla press then drops him across the top rope. Bubba drops the elbow and goes for the nonchalant cover and gets a 2. Bubba picks up Eddie and drapes him over his shoulder like he is going for some sort of snake eyes move in the corner but Eddie slides down and pushes Bubba chest first into the turnbuckle. Eddie then gets Bubba in a side suplex. Both guys get up at the same time and Bubba decks him with a big time right hand. Bubba then grabs Eddie by the mouth and is prying it apart. Bubba picks Eddie up and hits him with a right hand. Bubba throws Eddie into the ropes and he goes for the throw in the air but Eddie reverses it into a drop kick. Bubba then bounces off the ropes and comes back and decks Eddie with a big time clothesline.
Bubba starts to choke out Eddie on the mat. Eddie tries to get back into it but Bubba nails him with an uppercut. Bubba gets Eddie in a camel clutch type move. Eddie gets free but Bubba decks him with a forearm to the lower back. Bubba gets Eddie in a head lock move. Bubba falls down and wraps his legs around Eddies midsection and then gets him in a chin lock. Basically has Eddie all tangled up on the mat. Bubba picks Eddie up and pushes him back into the corner. Bubba hits him with a chop then irish whips Eddie. Bubba follows him in and hits him with a big time splash. Bubba goes for another lazy cover and only gets a 2 count. Bubba is not taking this match serious because of the size of Eddie. We know how this story ends.
Bubba pushes Eddie back into the turnbuckle with one arm then he grabs him by the throat and throws him in the other turnbuckle. He does the same thing again then hits Eddie with a couple of boots in the corner. Bubba then picks up Eddie and gets him in a bear hug. Bubba then just falls down and gets him in a spine buster type move for a 2 count. Bubba goes to pick up Eddie but Eddie rolls him up and nearly gets a 3 count. Bubba then chokes and punches Eddie while laying on the middle rope. Bubba then decks Eddie with a big time right hand and sends Eddie back down to the mat. Bubba rakes the ears of Eddie then hits him with a right hand. Bubba drops his knee to the throat and chokes him a little bit more. Bubba then gets Eddie in another chin lock in the middle of the ring. Going from rest hold to rest hold because Bubba’s out of shape ass is wrestling in leather pants outside in Florida in July. Its probably 85 degrees and he chooses to wear this shit? Come on man be smarter than that.
Eddie finally gets out of the chin lock after 2-3 minutes. Eddie then goes for a flying cross body but Bubba catches him and he drops him with a slam. Bubba then throws Eddie into the turnbuckle again. Eddie climbs up to the top rope and starts fighting out. Eddie dumps Bubba with a tornado DDT. Eddie then goes up for a hurricanrana but he punches himself out of it. He goes for another one and this time bubba throws him up and over and Eddie smacks his face on the turnbuckle. Eddie then gets thrown outside as Jimmy Hart gives Bubba his megaphone. Eddie goes over the top and gets Bubba in a sunset flip as Bubba goes for the megaphone but Eddie gets the surprise 1-2-3 and the victory.
After the match Jimmy Hart and Big Bubba get into a heated exchange regarding the megaphone and how he didn’t need it to win. They go back and forth as we head to a commercial break.
Recap:
Man this match sucked. Bubba dominated the whole match and he was blown up 2-3 minutes in. He just did garbage power moves and plodded around the ring taking his sweet ass time. He went from rest hold to rest hold and it just dragged and dragged. The ending was sloppy because Eddie couldn’t get over the top of Bubba’s head clean doing the same move twice. Eddie’s speed couldn’t even save this one. What a dud and a waste of time this match was.
The Following Announcement Has Been Paid For by the New World Order
We get the classic nWo type promo. Hogan says this is a tough job but somebody has to do it. Nash says everyone is wondering who is next. Nash says don’t call us but we will call you. Hall says the nWo, it’s invitation only chicos. These promos and the way they were filmed are so money and never get old. Also, how much better would it have been if they just kept the nWo at around 5-7 members instead of the 20-30 that we ended up with. Hogan when says you talk about the money and beating people up then you are talking about the New World Order. Hogan says he hopes its okay because there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Nash picks up from there and says money, power, fame, and now our own corporation. Hall says think about it new world order. We are New, we are taking over World Championship Wrestling, and we are giving all of the Orders. What a clutch line that was. Man have I mentioned how awesome these still are? Hogan says its the new way is that okay Billionaire Ted. Hall says if you don’t like it come and fight us. Hall then asks if WCW is even going to fight back or are we just going to take it. Hogan then says we make the choices, wait for the call. Hogan then says Billionaire Ted with all of horses and all of his men he wont be able to put WCW back together again.
Hall says he sees it like this. Everyone wants to know who’s next who the fourth guy is going to be. Hall says look at the third guy we brought in. Everyone wants to know if its another outsider or if it’s someone from within. Meanwhile, Hogan is in the background spewing out this evil laugh that is awesome and really enhances what Hall is saying. This is great all around here. Hogan says we don’t need you or what you want and we will take you when we want to. Hall says that Luger and Sting got soft and they are living in Billionaire Ted’s club house. Hall says they have to fight and scratch and claw for everything they got.
Nash finally chimes in again and he says the whole world wants to know one thing about Lex and that is what do ya bench Lex. The way he delivers this line is hilarious and I really can’t do it justice by typing it out. Just money all around here. Hogan then says that he almost forgot something that is really important. He said on August 10th he is fighting the Giant for the WCW Heavyweight title. Hogan says that means that in one given night they get to beat up the best that WCW has to offer. Hogan finds it ironic that the WCW could be so weak that they would beg, plead, and cry out to the Giant as if he is the last hope. Hogan says at Hog Wild on August 10th the Outsiders become the Insiders and the nWo will establish itself as the greatest wrestling organization on the earth.
Hall says that in Sturgis he and the big man are going to settle a grudge match. Hall says that Sting is a glittered face punk and he says the chicos don’t need to sing it but bring it. Nash calls it Armageddon and that the genesis has begun. He says it is a new beginning and its the beginning of the New World Order. Hogan says after Hall and Nash destroy the top talent in the WCW, the Giant shall crumble and fall at Hulk Hogan’s feet. The proceeding announcement has been paid for by the New World Order.
Match 5: WCW World Heavyweight Title Match: The Giant vs. Greg Valentine
Before the match they show a recap of what happened earlier. The Giant walking to the ring gets a big time ovation from the crowd. They are treating him as if he is the only chance WCW has. They start the match with a collar and elbow tie up. The Giant just throws him down to the ground like a piece of trash. Valentine slaps the Giant in the face then chops Valentine twice. Valentine then tries to hit the Giant with clotheslines but they do nothing to the Giant. Valentine goes for a third but Giant nails Valentine with his own clothesline.
Giant picks up Valentine and clubs him in the back then chokes him out with his boot in the turnbuckle. Giant whips Valentine in the corner and he goes in for a flying shoulder tackle but Valentine gets out of the way. Valentine climbs to the top rope and he hits the Giant with a double ax handle. Valentine goes up to the middle rope and the Giant goes and choke slams him off the middle rope. The Giant picks him up again and nails him with another choke slam. Giant goes for the pin and gets the 3 count in less than 2-3 minutes.
Recap:
This is just a filler match to kill the last 3-4 minutes of the show. Valentine had nothing for the Giant and this was a way to get the Giant’s dominance over. The choke slam off the middle rope was pretty damn awesome and it was pretty cool to hear the crowd reaction for the Giant. They were eating it up and they were really getting behind as the savior of WCW. I feel like WCW missed an opportunity here to get the Giant over as a super baby face against Hogan but it is what it is and you can’t do anything about it now. All in all a okay match. Nothing special but nothing terrible either.
Post Match Interview: The Giant and Jimmy Hart
While Okerlund talks the Giant is posing as if he is Hogan. Okerlund says that at Hog Wild its WCW Vs. NWO and it comes down to the Giant vs. Hogan. Giant then starts talking and mocking Hogan in the process “you know something Mean Gene, I’ve been to the top of the mountain brother. I’ve walked through the valley of the shadow of death.” Gene asks the Giant if he has lost his mind because he is mocking Hogan. The Giant says no Gene he’s just showing everyone how easy it is to fall into the con trap that Hogan spewed. Giant says that Hogan conned America and that Hogan told them what they wanted to hear. The Giant says Hogan didn’t believe what he was saying.
The Giant says Hogan created the NWO because he knew he would never be the big fish in WCW. Giant says while Hogan is out making movies he has been beating the best athletes in the WCW. He also says he has been defending the title with every bit of honor in his body. Giant says this is WCW and that if they don’t hang together then they will all hang separately. Giant tells Hogan that he has a choke slam noose that will fit right around his neck. Jimmy Hart tells Hogan at Hog Wild they will take him out.
Final Thoughts:
When it comes to wrestling matches, this show is nothing to write home about. When it comes to history and what it meant to the business, this show is off the charts. As soon as the attack happened and everything that occurred afterward was absolutely perfect. The wrestlers were afraid, commentators walked off, guys were looking over their shoulder, and you really had no idea what was going to happen next. It was just all very well done and is a joy to watch. I try to go back and watch this episode every year or so to remember the good ol days. The wheels fell off shortly after this but for a moment in time, WCW had it all figured out and it was so damn awesome. This show is a must watch just because of the historical importance of the broadcast. If you can’t watch this show and not be entertained then I’m not sure what else one can do. All in all I had a lot of fun watching this show and you should take the time out of your day to at least watch the second half of this show to see what booking is all about.
