WCW created a new live, Monday night show to compete and hopefully overtake the struggling WWF. There's a bizarre introduction where they show buildings and streets explode and are on fire with wrestlers Hulk Hogan and Sting shown on the buildings. Ok.
WCW Monday Nitro is a live, one-hour show and this week's inaugural episode takes place oddly enough from the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's definitely different but pretty cool and different. This probably is not going to happen every week but this is the first edition so it will be much different to stand out.
Nitro is live whereas WWF Monday Night Raw is live on Monday one week and then tape up to a month's worth of shows. Eric Bischoff, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and former Chicago Bears football player Steve McMichael are the commentators.
For some reason, Bischoff keeps saying "WCW, this is where the big boys play!" as this must be WCW's new slogan for their new Monday Night program.
The WWF has really been struggling this year with really poor matches and stories and even characters. WCW has not been a whole lot better with the Dungeon of Doom (self explanatory) and Hulk Hogan holding onto the WCW World Heavyweight Championship among many things.
WWF Raw has not been shown this week and last week because of stupid Tennis preempting Raw on the USA Network. I hate this time of the year. Nitro looks to be off to a good start with Raw not being shown until next week.
The first match on the very first episode of Nitro, live from the Mall of America, is between "Flyin" Brian Pillman (The Hollywood Blonde if you will) vs. Japanese wrestling sensation Jushin "Thunder" Liger. These two had a feud three years ago and had some thrilling matches when Liger was in WCW when I first started watching.
I wonder if WCW is bringing in Japanese wrestlers from time-to-time to help steal the thunder (no pun intended) from the WWF since WCW has had a relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling for some time. WCW has even signed wrestlers from Mexico and from Japanese promotions and even some from ECW.
This was a great high-flying match like these two have had before. Pillman drop kicks Liger as Liger was coming off the top rope. Liger gives Pillman a Frankensteiner off the top rope. Pillman rebounded by giving him a DDT off the second rope.
Pillman won a thrilling match, the best match on the card as far as I'm concerned, when he reversed Liger's German Suplex attempt into a roll up for the win. Pillman shakes Liger's hand and they raise their arms in celebration. What a way to kick off Monday Nitro. Pillman is getting ready for his upcoming match with Johnny B. Badd at Fall Brawl.
Eric Bischoff interviewed WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan in the food court area earlier in the day as we come back from commercial break. Hogan referred to his fans in the foot court as "Pasta Maniacs" (ok whatever lame) and talks about his upcoming match with Big Bubba Rogers.
WCW United States Champion Sting defends his title against rival Ric Flair in another high caliber match on the inaugural Nitro. If they keep showing these type of PPV main event type matches, the WWF and Monday Night Raw could be in serious trouble if they haven't already. Of course this is the first Nitro so each week may not have these high profile matches and they might not want to take away from their PPV to show it "free" on TNT.
Anyway, back to the match. As if the night wasn't big enough, here comes oh my god Lex Luger!! Luger is dressed in a white dress shirt and dress pants. What is this 1989-1991 with Flair, Sting, and now Luger? Wait! I thought Luger was in the WWF? I just saw him two weeks ago at SummerSlam helping Diesel beat King Mabel in the main event.
The way Eric Bischoff and everyone is talking it looks like he was not supposed to be there and he's still an employee of the WWF. Could you imagine if that were the case? I doubt it, I think he is now back in WCW and they are just playing this up like he's invading WCW. It's a good work though for sure.
You can tell Luger given his past success and with other WWF superstars coming into WCW and being put into the main event spotlight. It was a lot better than his end of the WWF stint where he was mid card at best teaming with Davey Boy Smith as "The Allied Powers" and feuding with Tatanka.
Back to the Sting-Flair match, Sting keeps gorilla press slamming Flair. Arn Anderson makes his way to the ring as he is feuding with his "former" best friend Flair. Flair had Sting in the Figure Four and Sting tries to turn him over but Flair has the ropes. Flair refuses to let go of the ropes and is disqualified. Anderson ran in and attacked Flair, setting up their match at Fall Brawl.
Scott "Flash" Norton made his way to the commentator booth and is yelling at Eric Bischoff for some reason. "Macho Man" Randy Savage came out and challenged Norton to a match next week on Nitro, Norton accepted.
Next they showed highlight clips of Sabu from his time in ECW and in Japan as he will be making his WCW TV debut next week on Nitro. Then they hype up this week's episode of WCW Saturday night featuring Johnny B. Badd vs Dick Slater and Sting and Randy Savage taking on the Blue Bloods.
IRS is shown as he is now "Michael Wallstreet" as he rips the WWF about the New Generation as well as the "IRS." Much like Lex Luger, Mike Rotunda has also left the WWF to come back to WCW.
Now on to the main event, Hulk Hogan is defending his WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Big Bubba Rogers. It's nice to see the World Heavyweight Championship being defended on Monday Night instead of only at a PPV as Raw rarely has a world title match. Again, this is the debut episode of Nitro so big things are going to happen.
This isn't the super high caliber World Title main event, but Hogan and Rogers (going back to their days as Hogan and Big Boss Man in the WWF) are still very big names, mostly Hogan but still. Rogers hits his finisher on Hogan and gee Hogan kicked out. Now he's "Hulking Up", who could have seen this coming?
Let me guess what happens: Hogan gives Rogers three right-handed punches, a big boot, and the leg drop for the win. Here's the play-by-play. Three right-handed punches, a big boot, and the leg drop for the win. How did I guess that? I'm psychic ladies and gentlemen.
Here's a shock, the Dungeon of Doom run in and attack Hogan. Randy Savage and Sting run in to help Hogan as does Lex Luger, who helps the trio run off the Dungeon of Doom. As Hogan and Luger have their backs turned to each other and bump into each other, they turn around and are about to punch one another as they restrain themselves.
Hogan demands to know why Luger is here. Luger basically trashes the WWF and says he's back in WCW and challenges Hogan for a World Title match the next week on Nitro. Savage is suspicious of Luger being here as Sting seems supportive as they are friends.
Hogan shakes Luger's hand and the World Title match will be on live next week on Nitro. Wow, another World Championship match in the main event. This will be the first actual head-to-head Nitro vs. Raw, although Raw starts at 9 as Nitro starts at 8 and will be over by then.
No comments:
Post a Comment