The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro – 10.02.95
We’re skipping a week on the Network for some reason. Was there no show aired 9/25?
Live from Denver, CO
Your hosts are Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan and Mongo.
Lex Luger v. Randy Savage
The video package shows what happened between them last week, so clearly there was a show and the Network has just omitted it for some strange reason. Luger has put his career on the line here, and since he’s not in the WWF he probably won’t choke. They fight to the floor on a lockup and we take a break for a Halloween Havoc commercial that shows Hogan legdropping Vader a bunch of times. Well played. Back with Savage elbowing Luger out of the ring, where Luger wins a battle for a neckbreaker, and back in where Savage gets a small package for two. Luger hits him with a press slam, but Savage gets a hard-fought backslide that Luger blocks and reverses for two. Collision and both guys are out, but Savage tosses him and makes the comeback. Double axehandle to the floor, but Luger runs him into the post. Back in, ref is bumped and Savage drops the elbow to no avail. The Giant heads out and chokeslams Savage and Luger keeps his career at 12:30. I was really into this feud and it was one of the things that pulled me back into watching WCW at the time. ***
Eddie Guerrero v. Dean Malenko
Eddie’s entrance is delayed by a Disco Inferno appearance on the ramp, as he wants to dance. I don’t recall that leading anywhere. They fight over a knucklelock and Eddie flips out of it while Mongo ponders the 1000 moves of Dean Malenko as compared to a book with 100 sex positions. They do a crazy pinfall reversal sequence as we cut to HOGAN’S LIMO ARRIVING! OH MY FUCKING GOD! He wants the Giant! Back with the match and another intricate reversal sequence, but both guys end up on the floor. So then Eddie hits him with a dive from the top rope and literally a quarter of the way up the aisle. WHOA. Back in, brainbuster and frog splash hits the knees. Another series of switches and Eddie gets the last reversal for the pin at 5:41. Dean is upset, but he asks for a rematch like a man. Too short to be worth much, and the Hogan bullshit brought it down some, but what there was, was spectacular technical wrestling for the time. ***
Hulk Hogan joins us with a neck brace, but an old woman throws powder at him from the front row and attacks him with her cane. And of course, that’s no lady, it’s Kevin Sullivan! Wait, is that a stunt granny? So this brings out the Giant, who gives Hogan the Zeus neck twist and allows Sullivan to SHAVE THE MOUSTACHE! All the babyfaces storm the ring and Giant just chokeslams the fuck out of everyone one at a time. Question: How would Zodiac have voted in the Scotland referendum? Too bad the monster truck silliness brought things down because this was a great old school heel beatdown.
Ric Flair v. Arn Anderson
Flair comes out throwing chops and Arn backdrops him for two and goes to work on a hammerlock. Arn goes to the eyes, but Flair low-bridges him to the floor and they brawl out there. Back in, Arn elbows him in the gut, but Flair pokes him in the eye, so Arn puts him down with a spinebuster for two. Flair fights dirty again and gets the figure-four, but they spill to the floor again and brawl. Back in, Arn tries a DDT and Flair blocks it, and it’s back to the figure four. This brings out Pillman for the DQ at 8:30 and the beatdown is on. **1/2
Next week: Ric Flair v. Arn Anderson in a cage, plus Sting v. Avalanche and Hawk v. Big Bubba! Just reading in the WON from that week and Meltzer is kind of freaking out about how both sides are already hot-shotting stuff because of ratings. This, of course, is NOTHING compared to what would come. Dave kind of hated this show because the proto-Crash TV formula wasn’t a thing yet in 1995, but I really liked it for precisely that reason.
