Welcome to 1996 and also welcome to Caesar's Palace Las Vegas, Entertainment Capital of the World! Tonight we have Hogan vs US titleholder One Man Gang in a non title affair, Sting and Luger vs the Harlem Heat for the tag team titles, and Savage vs Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship, along with the sudden debut of Konnan challenging Psychosis to a match for the "Mexican heavyweight title" at Clash of the Champions tomorrow!
Savage's music hits and a whole bunch of women come pouring out of the entranceway instead of Savage. Among those women is Woman, a former Horseman! Savage comes out, grabs the mic, and informs us that this is part one of the secret weapons he and Hogan promised on New Years Day. Hogan joins Savage at ringside with the mic and tells Savage that he wants the first shot at the belt should Savage win tonight.
Flair comes down to the ring now, accompanied by Jimmy Hart. Flair swaggers up to Woman and tries to dance with her but she just slaps him instead. Flair rolls into the ring, the bell sounds, the match is on. Bischoff lets us know during these opening minutes of the match that the Road Warriors will be reunited at Clash!
From the opening bell, Savage has Flair on the ropes. He hauls him into the turnbuckle and hits ten mounted punches! Flair flops, buying him the opportunity to tie Savage up in the Figure Four Leglock, using the ropes as leverage. The referee spots this, breaks up the hold, allowing Savage to regain the momentum. With Flair flat on his back, Macho Man goes for his signature elbow drop. Jimmy Hart, seeing the trouble Flair's about to be in, hops up on the apron, waving his megaphone and distracting the ref. Behind the ref's back, Arn Anderson runs in, goes to hit Savage with the brass knuckles but cold clocks a now-standing Flair instead! Savage goes for the elbow again as Hogan runs out to chase off Arn Anderson. The bell begins to ring. Savage drops the elbow, pin, 1, 2, 3. The referee announces we have a new World Heavyweight Champion, Macho Man Randy Savage!
After the match, Savage is pissed at Hogan. He sees Hogan prancing around the ring like he just won the belt. Savage says that he was the one who won the belt, don't get it twisted, Hulkster. Hogan replies by saying he wants his title shot tonight. Savage tells Hogan that he's only the world heavyweight champion. If it was up to him, he'd have the fight right now, but Hogan's got to earn his title shot like everyone else. Savage says that he'll be Hogan's friend until that match comes, he'll still tag with him against the Giant and Flair at Clash tomorrow. Hogan agrees on one condition: Savage has Hogan's back in the match against One Man Gang tonight. Savage responds with a resounding "Double Oh Yeah."
Dean Malenko vs Brian Pillman is next. What an absolute clinic. The crowd totally hates Pillman. The match starts out with some great chain wrestling when Pillman gets overwhelmed by the Master of 1000 Holds and has to roll to the outside. Pillman comes back in and takes Malenko down with a headlock and starts screaming, "I'm the shooter! I'm the shooter!" at the camera, in reference to Malenko's ECW gimmick. Malenko gets to his feet and just attacks Pillman with strikes and throws. He corners him and hauls him up for a vertical suplex followed by a swinging neckbreaker, only getting a two-count. Pillman fights back and knocks Malenko out with a tornado DDT. Brian refuses to pin Malenko, instead walking around the ring posing. Pillman finally stands Malenko up and goes for a chop, which Malenko reverses into a double-underhook powerbomb, picking up a two-count. Pillman both thumbs and rakes Malenko's eyes, opening the opportunity for another tornado DDT, which Malenko easily reverses into a fireman's carry gutbuster. Pillman gets back up, Malenko hits him with a diving drop toehold into a grapevined ankle lock but Pillman gets to the ropes almost immediately. Pillman uses the ropes to hang Malenko up and steals a pin and the win.
Our next match is Harlem Heat vs Sting & Luger. Early into the match, Sting gets both members of Harlem Heat in opposite corners and hits them with many Stinger Splashes. He gets Stevie Ray in the Scorpion Deathlock but Booker T saves him with a scissors kick. Booker T starts working over Sting now. Sting throws Booker into a corner and goes for a Stinger Splash which Booker T reverses into a top-rope bulldog. Luger keeps trying to get into the ring to save his partner, serving only to distract the ref from the double teaming on the part of the Harlem Heat. Book misses a senton, letting Sting nearly tag in Luger, were it not for Jimmy Hart's sudden presence at ringside. Jimmy Hart distracts Luger then hands him a roll of silver dollars. Sting then makes the hot tag, Luger decks Booker, silver dollars go everywhere, he picks up the pin. Sting, oblivious on the outside, is now one half of the new World Tag Team Champions.
One Man Gang and Hulk Hogan roll down to the ring. Hogan goes for the Big Boot almost immediately but Gang escapes to the outside. So Hogan just beats the living heck out of One Man Gang on the outside. Hogan rolls him into the ring and then thumbs his eye for literally no reason. Gang manages to knock Hulk over and lands a big splash on him, which, of course, just causes Hogan to hulk up. He runs through his finisher sequence, calls for the bodyslam, bodyslams Gang, leg drop, pin. The Dungeon and the Horsemen pour out and attack Hogan but Savage makes the save. The Giant is out the curtain next, but the Zodiac stops him from attacking Hogan yet again. The Giant yells, "Tomorrow night, Hogan!" Pillman throws a fit and starts screaming, "Not tomorrow, tonight!" but Arn hauls him backstage.
Gene comes out to interview Hogan and Savage again for the third time tonight. They reveal their secret weapons. Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene is to be the special enforcer for the Hogan/Savage vs Flair/Giant match at Clash of the Champions and Miss Elizabeth is their cornerman! Savage lets us know "The Giant and Flair are meat, oh yeah," as all tension from the early interviews is entirely gone.
Official Brother Count: 20 brothers, thanks to all the time Savage and Hogan got tonight. Thats one-third of a brother per minute and our new record.
Did Hogan Go Over? Yes, and with the 1-2-3 nonetheless.
The Pepe Award for Pepe's Costume: Pepe was in a tuxedo tonight, complete with a bedazzled top hat, or what I like to call "The Bagwell, hold the airbrush."
Move of the Show: With some great athleticism by Booker T in the tag match, the award for Move of the Show has to go to that tornado DDT into a fireman's carry gutbuster from the Pillman/Malenko match, which absolutely stole the show.
American Males Memorial Buff Bagwell Sighting: The Males will be competing on Saturday Night's Main Event against the Harlem Heat in what was scheduled to be a title match, no longer.
American Males Memorial Mike Ditka Sighting: Mongo claimed to have seen Mike Ditka in the casino earlier in the evening.
The VK Wallstreet Award for the Boys Up North: Camera stalled way too long on a sign, printed in sharpie on a bedsheet, that read "WCW... WW WHO?"
Mongo Sucks: Mongo made a fart noise during the tag match. Mongo said that Hogan was going to "whip the shag out of One Man Gang."
Broski of the Week: Dude going absolutely nuts, dancing around wildly to Sting's entrance music.
Advertised Next Week: The results of Clash of the Champions!
(I can't find a rip of Clash of the Champions 32 anywhere so it looks like its lost to the ether. Recap along with the 1/29 Nitro for sure.)
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