Sunday, July 15, 2012

WCW Monday Nitro - 1/29/96

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the home of football, Canton, Ohio. Our congratulations to the Dallas Cowboys and condolences to Kevin Greene. There's a capacity crowd tonight, everyone has turned out for the big main event title match between Randy Savage and the Giant. Also on the card tonight, Flair vs Hogan in a grudge match, the debut of the Road Warriors, and Sherri vs Madusa!

We open with Flair vs Hogan. Flair is accompanied by Jimmy Hart, Hogan is accompanied by Woman, some proto-Nitro Girls (including Kim Page I think) and "the lady of all ladies" Miss Elizabeth. The match starts with Hogan throwing Flair around the ring. As many times as we've seen this match up, Flair bumping and selling for Hogan never gets old. Hogan hulks up at least four times over the course of this match. He hulks out of a pin following a side suplex, hits his finisher sequence, and goes for the pin but Jimmy Hart is up on the apron distracting the ref. Hogan gets up to deal with Hart as AA rushes the ring. He meets a Big Boot but this gives Jimmy Hart time to grab Miss Elizabeth and hand one of her shoes to Flair. Flair gouges Hogan's eye with the high heel, picks up the pin as Hogan writhes in pain. Post-match, Hogan rolls from the ring, really selling this eye injury. I've never seen Hogan sell anything like this. Savage runs out to check on him and blood starts pouring from Hogan's face. I'm forced to assume Savage juiced him.

Next up, we have the Faces of Fear, the Tongan tag team of Meng and Barbarian in their first appearance together, against the redebuting Road Warriors. A ton of "LoD" chants and Heenan keeps calling them the Legion of Doom too. In the early moments of the match, Hawk no-sells a piledriver. Animal tags in and the Faces of Fear work him over, targeting his recently healed back. Heenan lets us know, during this sequence, that he does not like Achy Breaky Heart. The hot tag gets made, Hawk clears the ring of the Tongans. The set Barbarian up for a Doomsday Device, the crowd goes wild. Meng interferes at the last minute but Hawk still manages a diving clothesline on Barbarian to pick up the pin.

Mean Gene is now in the ring with Kevin Sullivan and Hugh Morris. Sullivan says that AA broke the agreement between the Dungeon and the Horsemen. He promised that he would take care of Pillman, but Pillman has remained totally out of control. Pillman and Arn Anderson come down to the ring and Anderson starts to lecture Pillman. The run-in in the Hogan match was supposed to be Pillman, but he was nowhere to be seen, forcing Arn to pick up the slack. AA tells Pillman that its time for Tough Love and takes off his belt. The Dungeon jump the Horsemen and steal the belt. Sullivan starts whipping Pillman with it but Anderson makes the save. He says that the Horsemen take care of their own and demands a match: Him and Pillman against Sullivan and Hugh Morris.

Next is another interview with Gene, this time with Sister Sherri but before she can say anything Madusa jumps her. Madusa just beats the tar out of her all around the ring and ringside area. Snap suplex, series of stiff kicks to the chest, military press slams. Finally, Sherri steals a flash pin but Madusa keeps beating her up in the post-match. Two refs have to pull her off Sherri and drag her into the back.

In the main event, and final match of the night, the Giant comes out to the ring unaccompanied. I never noticed how cool and scary his entrance is. Savage's music starts and Woman and Liz come out but Savage doesn't. He has snuck up behind the Giant and nails him with the belt. The referee calls for the match to be thrown out before the bell even rings. Flair runs in and attacks Savage. He and the Giant pummel the champ for like five minutes before Hogan, still selling the eye injury, comes down to the ring wearing an eyepatch, making the save. The Dungeon runs down after him but he clears the ring again using a chair. Meanwhile Flair and the Giant have made their way up to commentary. Flair grabs a mic and tells everyone Hogan won't have anywhere to hide in the double cage at Superbrawl. He then grabs a headset and yells, "I'm the host! Superbrawl! Superbrawl!" to close the show.

Brother Count: Zero brothers in this entire show, probably owing to no Hogan or Savage promos.

Did Hogan Go Over? Not at first. He died but then rose from the grave like the Christ himself, steel chair in hand.

The Pepe Award for Pepe's Costume: He's a little football player tonight with pads and helmet.

Move of the Show: Not a lot of "wrestling" on this here wrestling show tonight so by default I think this has to go to Madusa's real clean snap suplex on the floor.

COBRA:  COBRA, NEXT ON TNT

American Males Memorial Buff Bagwell Sighting: No Buff, No Males.

The VK Wallstreet Award for the Boys Up North: This week really takes the cake, given that Goldust had just won the Intercontinental Championship at the Royal Rumble last week. Let's really break it down.
"WCW, where the big boys play and everybody else wishes they could be. Forget about it, Vince, get a job in a pizza parlor." - Eric Bischoff
"We're not talking about Ru-Paul wannabes, we're talking about professional athletes." - Eric Bischoff
"She's a lot more of a man than 'Goldfarb'" - Mongo

Mongo Sucks: Two winners this week:  "Look at him out there, he's wearing his own face on his back like 'who cares?'" and "There's gonna be some romping and stomping."

Advertised Next Week: More build to Superbrawl on February 11th!

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