Hello there,

So since I recently began the Retro TNA Review Thread, I've been thinking, and I've been watching a lot of retro weekly wrestling lately, and I think I'd like to do more retro reviews. What better way to continue than by celebrating the 30th anniversary of WCW Monday Nitro. Nitro began on September 4, 1995 and ran until March 2001. During this time, WCW Saturday Night was still a thing and I will even try to review that, as well as (and God help me) Thunder, once it debuts in 1997. This review will include every WCW pay-per-view.

Because I'm thinking about doing other weekly reviews, my plan is to stick with the weekly episodic format by watching each show once per week and following along with the actual timeline sequence. That means it will take me years to see this through. Of course, you never know what can happen or change within the next 5 1/2 years, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

I know there's a Nitro watchalong thread with a Discord chat, and I'm going to look into joining that, as well as inviting everyone involved to watch these episodes along with me and take part in fun discussion.

I was born in 1994 and my dad was a WCW fan. I vividly remember watching Nitro and Thunder in the 1998/1999 era and I'm very nostalgic about it. However, I also think most of WCW absolutely sucks. That means I will have fun talking about the ridiculousness of it. It will be opinionated, I will shit on some things, and I will boast about the things I like. But with that being said, I will start preparing for this journey by watching the first Nitro and Saturday Night, will have both posted on Monday, and we will see how it goes!

The first episode of WCW Monday Nitro was a landmark moment in wrestling history. We’ve heard every version of the story hundreds of times in the last 30 years. The common consensus is that Eric Bischoff was in a meeting with Ted Turner and Turner executives when Ted asked Eric what he needed in order to compete with the WWF. Bischoff has stated that his response was preposterous in his mind, and he never thought Ted would agree to it, but his answer was to go head-to-head with RAW on Monday nights. The decision was then made that not only would WCW compete with the WWF on Mondays, but WCW would do it live every week, to compete with WWF’s taped schedule. What this started was a dirty fight between two billionaires and the rest would be history.

The first WCW Monday Nitro took place at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. It was a packed house in the unique setting, with fans towering around the ring from every angle. It was a successful first episode that would start a 5 ½ year run on TNT that some people love and some people hate. In this journey of reviewing every WCW Monday Nitro, Saturday Night, pay-per-view, and Thunder, we will experience some really good stuff, and some of the all-time worst shit ever done in pro wrestling. The Retro WCW Review begins with WCW Monday Nitro Episode 1.

PART 1: THE INTRO

The show opens with the iconic WCW Monday Nitro open, complete with one of the best theme songs in wrestling history. To this day, I love Nitro and Thunder’s theme songs so much. The sweet video of WCW wrestlers hitting their signature moves shown in a gritty street with explosions. As the intro finishes, you’re taken to an aerial view of Bloomington, and then an aerial view inside the Mall of America, transitioning to Eric Bischoff and the debuting Steve “Mongo” McMichael on commentary, who are joined by the legendary Bobby “The Brain” Heenan shortly thereafter. Mongo is wearing a leather jacket that would make Jesse Ventura blush. Bischoff teases that Hulk Hogan will be in action tonight. And that’s all. Hogan’s opponent isn’t named, no other matches are announced… nothing. But then, Jushin “Thunder” Liger makes his entrance.

PART 2: JUSHIN “THUNDER” LIGER VS FLYIN’ BRIAN

Bischoff talks about WCW’s relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling and introduces the audience to Liger. I love Liger as much as anyone, but should the first talent you see on a brand new show be someone from another promotion? Brian Pillman is out next, who just recently returned from a broken leg 4 weeks before. This match was… not what I expected or remembered. Pillman and Liger had some classic matches and this was not one of them. The crowd was hot, however. Liger utilized a Romero Special to a huge reaction, deservedly so because it’s always a visually stunning move.

A funny note, Pillman hits a cross body to the floor and Bischoff mentions that WCW is “where the best live.”

The match proceeded to get pretty clunky and downright scary when Liger hit a top rope frankensteiner, but came down directly on his own head. A few minutes later one of my biggest pet peeves happened, courtesy of our esteemed referee Nick Patrick. I will never forgive my buddy for pointing this out to me, but watch a Nick Patrick match and you’ll never be able to not see this again – Nick Patrick has a habit of putting his hand under a wrestler’s shoulder mid-count, particularly if they’re supposed to kick out. He does this every single time, and almost always does it while laying completely on his side, like his just lounging about. It’s super annoying, and he did it in this match to no surprise from me.

Pillman picks up the win with a modified victory roll. I was glad it was over. Every botch or missed move kept getting called out on commentary in case I missed it, too. Thanks, Mongo and Brain. Pillman looked pretty frustrated a time or two, and I think Liger was shaken up after piledriving himself from the top rope.

WINNER: FLYIN’ BRIAN
GRADE: 1 *

PART 3: PASTAMANIA IS RUNNING WILD, BROTHER

Bischoff throws to a commercial after the match, but before we go, Sting has a few words in a pre-tape. He’s warning Ric Flair that “There’s nobody that can hook on the Scorpion Deathlock better than yours truly. YEAH!” LA Knight was apparently inspired by this exact promo.

Back from commercial, Bischoff interviews Hulk Hogan inside the PASTAMANIA restaurant in the Mall of America. Hogan says he’s eaten so many “Hulk-A-Roos” and “Hulk-A-Yous” that Big Bubba isn’t going to know what hit him. He will defend the WCW Heavyweight Title against Big Bubba in the main event.

PART 4: RIC FLAIR VS STING (WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP)

Ric Flair is out first wearing a brown/orange robe that makes him look like your grandma’s couch from the 70s. You know the one. There’s no doubt Flair had his aura and the crowd was alive for this match. But then they really got loud for THE MAN CALLED STANG. WCW had the entrance themes figured out. I love Sting’s classic music, the flat top, the neon colors, this is PRIME WCW BABY.

After the bell rings, the fans stand and direct all their attention to the entrance because Lex Luger has arrived on Nitro. The first shot of the Monday Night War was this very moment. To put in perspective how shocking this was to not just fans, but the WWF, Luger teamed with Shawn Michaels to defeat Owen Hart and Yokozuna the night before. They had this man main eventing in their company the night before, and they had no idea he’d be going to Nitro. Commentary refused to say Luger’s name for a few minutes, with Bischoff calling for security to get Luger out of there. Heenan told Bischoff they’re at a public mall and Luger had a right to shop there, which was hilarious. Mongo said it was just “unabashed arrogance.”

Focusing on the match, it was super repetitive. The basic sequence of the match was press slam, press slam, no sell, press slam, no sell, press slam, no sell, press slam, no sell, Figure 4. I’m not joking. Sting press slammed Flair 5 times and did the “Sting no-sell” spot 4 times. But Sting gets a pass because he’s the MAN CALLED STANG!

Arn Anderson comes out to confront Ric Flair. I haven’t watched the previous pay-per-views or any editions of Saturday Night from 1995, so I don’t know when or why Arn and Flair broke up or why they have a rivalry. Arn attacks Flair, forcing Flair to cowardly retreat to a huge pop from the crowd.

WINNER: STING VIA DISQUALIFICATION
GRADE: 2 *

PART 5: WE CAN DO IT RIGHT NEEOOWWWWW, YEEEEAHHHHH

Scott Norton makes his way to the announce table for some reason during the skirmish. Norton is very mad and I have no idea why. He teases challenging Mongo to a fight, but is confronted by Randy “Macho Man” Savage. Norton says he’ll fight Savage, and Savage says “WHY WAIT, LET’S DO IT RIGHT NOW, YEAH!” The crowd goes nuts. They love their Macho Man. But, we don’t get the match. Instead, we get a Sabu hype video!

A vignette is shown for the upcoming Nitro debut of Sabu. Highlights of him with various WCW enhancement talents (such as Barry Horowitz), climaxing with a botched table spot. The main event of his debut vignette is a moonsault through a table where the table and the jobber toppled over on top of him instead of breaking.

Back from commercial, and “Mean” Gene Okerlund is in the ring. He’s there to announce the winner of the HARLEY DAVIDSON SWEEPSTAKES, of course. Mike Hill from Cullman, AL, congrats to you. Back at the announce desk, Bischoff is hyping up WCW Saturday Night (coming up on September 9, which I will cover next) and the next big PPV, Fall Brawl.

PART 6: MICHAEL WALLSTREET IS A REAL PLAYER

We go now to a vignette for the new debuting superstar known as Michael Wallstreet. Wallstreet informs us that “the New Generation is nothing more than the few generation.” He claims the IRS will be watching him closely in WCW, but that’s fine because everyone will know Michael Wallstreet is a real player.

He did to himself in his promo what they did to Sabu in the view a few minutes ago. This sucked. And if we aren’t counting Lex Luger’s presence, this promo from Wallstreet was the only reference to WWF throughout the night. Interesting.

PART 7: BIG BUBBA VS HULK HOGAN (WCW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
It was a smart move to book Hogan, the World Champion, in the main event with Big Bubba, who Hogan had a huge run with a few years prior in the WWF. It was safe booking and it worked every time. Hogan is out with Jimmy Hart to “American Made,” which was another fantastic theme song.
Bischoff’s one good commentary line of the night was, “Hogan spent a lot of time in Minneapolis and has a lot of fans there,” since Minneapolis was a short drive away. I love Bischoff referencing AWA, because it made him sound like he knew what he was talking about, for once. I love Eric, but he just wasn’t a good commentator.

The Dungeon of Doom is mentioned for the first time on the show by the announcers. Heenan says Big Bubba has the fastest hands in the sport, next to Johnny B. Badd. I love Heenan putting over Marc Mero for no other reason than Heenan just loved wrestling and knew when to do certain things.

As the action picked up, I noticed Hogan was completely wrestling as a heel in this match. Even to the point referee Randy Anderson pulled Hogan off of Bubba by his hair. Hogan threatened Randy Anderson with a punch, and went right back to cheating. Eye rakes, throat chops, closed fists, the 10 punch in the corner (Anderson climbed the ropes to physically pull Hogan down). I’m not sure if Hogan was wrestling Big Bubba or Randy Anderson.

Hogan kicked out of the Bossman slam, Hulked up, dropped the leg for the 3 count.

WINNER: HULK HOGAN
GRADE: 2 *

After the match, the Dungeon of Doom run in to attack Hogan, but Lex Luger makes the save. The heels retreat, and Luger is face to face with Hogan.

PART 8: THE BATTLE AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

A hype video is shown for Fall Brawl. “THE BATTLE AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY RAGES ON AS WCW PRESENTS FALL BRAWL!” Apparently, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, and Vader will join forces to fight muscular dystrophy. Sadly, Vader would not join the fight against muscular dystrophy. He would unfortunately not be in War Games either (which has not been mentioned at all).

Back in the ring, “Mean” Gene is standing with Hogan, Luger, Sting, and Savage. Luger says he’s in WCW to become the World Champion. He’s tired of playing with kids and wants to get it on with the big boys. Hogan promises he’ll be champion forever and a day and if Luger wants some, he can have a match next week on Nitro. Our main event for September 11, 1995 is set!

As we wrap up the debut of Nitro, Mongo is sitting ringside with his dog dressed as Satan and Bischoff says WE’RE OUT OF TIME!

END OF SHOW

And there you have it. The first Nitro is in the bag and honestly, after not having watched this for a long time, I was not a fan. I have some notes I’d like to go over.

- The commentary is awful. Going from Mike Tenay and Don West in the Retro TNA Review to Bischoff, Mongo, and Heenan is like going from a tomahawk steak to a TV dinner Salisbury steak. I had it so good until I didn’t. Bischoff just was not the guy for the job here. It’s mind-boggling that Tony Schiavone was with the company but not on commentary. There had to be a legitimate reason that I’m just unaware of… right?

- Their build to Fall Brawl was almost non-existent on this show. I have no idea who is wrestling at Fall Brawl. I also have no idea what the beef is between Arn Anderson and Ric Flair. If I were a casual fan who hadn’t watched since 1990, I would’ve thought they were still best friends, kicking ass, in the 4 Horsemen. What happened? There was ONE hype video for Fall Brawl. If I’m on a new channel with a new audience and I have a PPV coming up in 3-4 weeks, I’m running that ad 3-4 times at a MINIMUM.

Overall, it’s a fun show, but definitely not the best. If I were watching in 1995, I would’ve said “Ehhhh I guess I’ll give it another shot next week.” A fun fact about this week was it was the ONLY time RAW took the night off. Ever. The two shows go head-to-head for the first time on Episode 2 of Nitro, on September 11, 1995. So when WWE brags about “no offseason,” remember they took a night off 30 years ago and they can suck on that.


Side note: I was going to do one episode per week from the start, but I've decided to speed through September and catch up so that each weekly review will be on the 30th anniversary of each episode. The next few reviews will not be as detailed.

As we embark on the journey of Retro WCW Review starting with the debut of Monday Nitro on 09/04/2025, it is time for our first review of Saturday Night. A couple things before we get started:

- While watching this, I discovered WCW Pro, which was another Saturday show that took place on Saturday mornings. I will not be covering WCW Pro, because I feel like Saturday Night is more of a staple of the promotion and because honestly, I don’t want to.

- I had to find a website that has all episodes of Saturday Night, because Peacock only has the show through 1994. That means I’m watching taped versions from random people who have uploaded them onto the internet, which means bad quality. There were a couple times I just couldn’t hear what was going on. But honestly, I like that. That makes this feel more nostalgic and adds to the humor of it for me. If you care to watch these along with me, google TV Archive WCW Saturday Night and you should eventually find it.

- My reviews of Saturday Night won’t be as in-depth.

- This might actually be the first episode of Saturday Night I’ve ever seen in its entirety. I might’ve skimmed through a couple episodes from the earlier 90s, but I don’t remember. So I’m pumped for this.

PART 1: OHHHHHH CANADAAAAAAA

The show opens with a recap from last Monday’s debut edition of Nitro. Lex Luger and Hulk Hogan face off to end Nitro, setting the stage for their upcoming match on next Monday. Nitro is already being positioned as the A show of the promotion.

After the recap, you get a look at Center Stage. It’s unique and it’s beautiful. Tony Schiavone is on commentary with Bobby Heenan, and I’m even more upset that Schiavone wasn’t used on Nitro. I don’t know how long I’ll have to listen to Eric Bischoff on Nitro, but it’ll be too long.

After the quick introduction, Vader’s music hits and out comes the Mastadon (oops, not yet). During my extensive research (5 minutes), I believe I’ve learned that this is Vader’s final WCW appearance. This taping took place a whole month prior to the airing on September 9 and Vader was let go from the company around a month later, which coincides with the airing of this show. I could be wrong however, as Vader was still being promoted for Fall Brawl. We shall see.

Waiting on Vader in the ring are his opponents, Bobby Starr and SCOTT D’AMORE. Are you kidding me? A week after my first Retro TNA Review where I said it was hard to believe Scott D’Amore was ever a wrestler, I find my first ever Scott D’Amore match.

Vader, wearing his singlet backwards for no apparent reason, as he often did, makes quick work of Starr and the future Team Canada Coach. Vader squashes Starr with the Vader Bomb and D’Amore interrupts the pin for some reason, which earns him a moonsault from Vader for the win. Heenan says Vader’s moonsault is like watching a cow do acrobatics.

WINNER: BIG VAN VADER

PART 2: THE BATTLE AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY RAGES ON

Yes, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, and Vader are still set to battle muscular dystrophy in War Games at Fall Brawl.

PART 3: COBRA VS THE GRAPPLER

Cobra, a guy named Jeff Farmer, takes on The Grappler (not THE Grappler, but another version played by a guy named Joel Mero). This match happened, and apparently Cobra has issues with the other solider gimmick guy in WCW, Sgt. Craig Pittman. What are their issues? We don’t know, because the issues are “classified.” Heenan says he’s got a scoop though, so don’t worry. Heenan says Cobra was in Pittman’s platoon in Desert Storm, and Cobra got arrested. He added something else to his hypothesis, but I couldn’t make it out. Cobra hits a Cobra Clutch Slam for the win.

WINNER: COBRA

After the match, “Mean” Gene Okerlund attempts to get to the bottom of the beef between Cobra and Pittman. Cobra says Pittman “broke the code,” and will pay at Fall Brawl. He’s confronted by Pittman, who says COBRA broke the code. And then Cobra says PITTMAN broke the code.

I have no idea what’s happening, but I do know that so far, this is the most hyped-up match I’ve seen for Fall Brawl. After a whole episode of Nitro and the start of Saturday Night, this is the only match I’ve heard advertised, with the exception of the Hulkamaniacs vs. MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY.

PART 4: FALL BRAWL CONTROL CENTER

Ahhhhhh the Control Center. I used to do these for Pro Wrestling Mid South in Dyersburg, TN.

“Mean” Gene finally gives a full rundown of what’s to come at Fall Brawl:
- War Games: Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Sting, Randy Savage, Big Van Vader) vs Dungeon of Doom (Zodiac, Shark, Kamala, Meng) If the Hulkamaniacs win, Hogan will get Kevin Sullivan alone inside War Games.
- WCW Tag Team Championship: Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater w/ Col. Robert Parker vs Harlem Heat w/ Sister Sherri
- Arn Anderson vs Ric Flair
- WCW TV Title: The Renegade vs Diamond Dallas Page
- United States Title #1 Contender Match: Johnny B Badd vs Flyin’ Brian
- Cobra vs Sgt. Craig Pittman

PART 5: DDP VS EDDIE JACKIE

DDP is in action against Eddie Jackie. After a short offensive from Jackie, DDP side-steps a cross body attempt, hits a gutbuster, and then the Diamond Cutter for the win. Even Wildcat Willy put up more of a fight during DDP’s entrance than Jackie did in this match.

Conspicuous by her absence was the Diamond Doll, AKA Kimberly. After the match, Okerlund asks DDP where she was, and I have no clue what he said. The audio got pretty bad here until I started hearing him ramble on about how he’s ready for The Renegade at Fall Brawl.

PART 6: SHARK ATTACK

We go inside the Dungeon of Doom. I’ll admit, I’ve always thought the Dungeon of Doom was stupid, so I don’t know all the members and I don’t know the lore. By lore, I mean I don’t know who the dude is that Kevin Sullivan, Kamala, Zodiac, Meng, and Shark are all hanging out with. But I do know Shark screamed SHARK ATTACK over and over, which is tremendous.

Taskmaster says the difference between the Dungeon of Doom and the Hulkamaniacs is that Hogan can’t trust his team. Vader is only helping Hogan to get a title shot, and Savage has betrayed Hogan in the past. He says the perfect trap has been set for War Games.

PART 7: SHARK BITE

Zodiac, Shark, and Kamala are in trios action against three dudes whose names were never even mentioned. This was the greatest 6-man tag team match I’ve ever seen. Kamala is slapping his belly, Shark is just biting people, and Zodiac hit Shawn Michaels’ ladder spot from Wrestlemania 10 where he comes off the top rope with the ladder between his legs and falls on the other guy, but he did it with a jobber instead of a ladder. I honestly don’t know how else to describe this move.

After the match, Shark is still biting everyone. Chaos reigns.

PART 8: 1-900-909-9900

“Mean” Gene is teasing the latest dirt for the WCW Hotline. He says he has all the information surrounding Lex Luger’s arrival on Nitro. I bet they made some good money from this.

PART 9: JOHNNY B BADD VS DICK SLATER

Johnny B. Badd was in his prime in 1995. He makes his way to the ring with a confetti gun and the crowd loves it. During the match, Sister Sheri comes to ringside on crutches, and I don’t know why. No back story was given, so we’re just going to deal with it. She’s yelling at Col. Robert Parker, who is managing Dick Slater. Slater goes for a pin with his feet on the ropes for leverage and Sheri knocks him over, which prompts Bunkhouse Buck to come to ringside and try to intimidate Sheri. Harlem Heat isn’t far behind though. Booker T and Stevie Ray hit a stereo punch to Dick Slater, which allows Johnny B. Badd to pick up a pinfall victory. Booker T snatches Sheri up and carries her out of the arena, and she’s not happy about it.
Again, I feel like I’m missing a lot of context here, but it was fun nonetheless.

WINNER: JOHNNY B. BADD

PART 10: ARN ANDERSON UNHINGED

After a brief tease for the main event, Sting and Randy Savage vs the Bluebloods, we go to the home of Arn Anderson for a sit-down interview with his wife Erin.

An off-screen interviewer is asking Erin Anderson about the issues between Arn and Ric Flair. Erin is upset, says Arn has changed and the fall of his friendship with Flair has caused issues in their personal life. While she tries to talk about the rift in her family, Arn comes into the room and apparently had no idea the TV crew were in his house. He’s telling his wife to shut up, demanding they turn the cameras off, and calls the TV crew “blood suckers.”
Afterwards, a clip from WCW Pro is shown from earlier in the morning, when Ric Flair was set to take on Flyin’ Brian. Flair never made it to the match because Chris Cruise discovered Arn Anderson had broken into Flair’s dressing room and ran Flair out of the building.

PART 11: DISCO FEVER

Get out your platform shoes, because Disco Inferno is coming next week! The debut of Disco Inferno on WCW Saturday Night next week. I can’t wait. This was a hilarious vignette. Shots of Disco dancing like he’s in Saturday Night Fever intertwined with him making several funny comments about different WCW talent, complete with his subtle Italian accent. Heenan put Disco over pretty strong on commentary.

PART 12: FLYIN’ BRIAN VS BARRY HOUSTON

Flyin’ Brian makes short work of Barry Houston to no surprise. After the match, “Mean” Gene catches up with Pillman to ask about his match with Johnny B. Badd coming up at Fall Brawl, to determine the #1 contender for the US Heavyweight title. Pillman says friendship goes out the window at Fall Brawl, and he’s ready for the challenge.

PART 13: STING & RANDY SAVAGE VS THE BLUEBLOODS

Before the main event, it’s time for a final commercial break, as Sting and Savage are on screen with a tease. Sting says, “I love WCW, I love the Bluebloods, and I love to kick YOU KNOW WHAT!”

Back from commercial, Lord Steven Regal and Earl Robert Eaton make their entrance. This is my first “Earl Robert Eaton” match and I’m excited. I love Bobby Eaton. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few different times years ago and he was one of the nicest people I’ve been around in the wrestling business. I’m looking at a picture of he and Jim Cornette I have hanging in my office right now. A funny, talented, sweetheart of a man that I miss.

And now for the MAN CALLED STANG! Sting makes his entrance first, wearing the Macho Man’s hat, jacket, and sunglasses. He’s copying Savage’s mannerisms and having fun with it. At times like this (and later the Joker Sting), you can really tell Sting was having a blast. Heenan makes a funny comment that if Savage comes out with a new blonde haircut, he’s leaving.

Savage makes his entrance without a new blonde haircut, but his face is painted like the Stinger. Suddenly, the last 30 seconds have made WCW Saturday Night awesome. I’m sure Sting and Savage were happy to be working with Regal and Eaton, the smaller venue of Center Stage was probably a lot of fun, and I think they were having a good time here. I love to see it.

Regal might have the best facial expressions in the history of the business, but Bobby Eaton was hilarious here. He looked utterly disgusted by the display of Sting and Macho Man.

The match started with Randy Savage and Steven Regal and I was immediately invested. I don’t know how many times the two of them worked, but I’m sure it was rare. It ended up being a very fun match. Regal and Eaton are unsurprisingly a fun tag team to watch. When the babyfaces began winding down the match, there were some comedy spots where the heels would run into each other and such. Savage nails Eaton with the big elbow for the win.

WINNERS: STING AND RANDY SAVAGE

PART 14: DISSENTION WITHIN THE HULKAMANIACS

Immediately following the match, Gene Okerlund is backstage with the Taskmaster and calls him the “leader of the Legion of Doom.” Sting and Savage make their way into the area and Sullivan asks them if they think they can really trust Vader. Vader hears this and comes into the interview, confronting Sting and Savage. Savage demands an answer from Vader, “CAN I TRUST YOU, YES OR NO?” Unfortunately, before I could hear an answer, the video ended. Someone’s grandfather was a little premature on pulling the plug this week.

And that’s a wrap for my first WCW Saturday Night! Overall, I would say it was alright. Saturday Night isn’t going to be my favorite wrestling program, but it’s fun. I enjoy the good enhancement matches, I’m excited to see the debuts of people like Disco Inferno, Eddie Guerrero in a couple months, and Goldberg later on in 1997. I’m curious to see who else might make short stints on the show. I know Edge wrestled on Saturday Night at some point, but I’m not sure if it was before or after this episode. Either way, I’m glad I’m finally watching some of this program after all these years.

Results:

Alex Wright def Sabu (referee reversed decision after Sabu continued attacking Wright after match)

United States Championship Match: Sting (champion) def VK Wallstreet

Randy Savage def Scott Norton

WCW Heavyweight Championship Match: Hulk Hogan (champion) w/ Jimmy Hart def Lex Luger via DQ



Other notes:

It’s official – Vader is out of WCW. At the start of the show, Eric Bischoff says Vader has gone AWOL and Hulk Hogan’s War Games team is down a member going into Fall Brawl. At the end of the show, Lex Luger agrees to join the Hulkamaniacs to take on the Dungeon of Doom.

Episode 2 is the debut of everything you remember about Nitro - the entrance set, the ring aprons, the announce position, etc.

Sabu makes his debut on Nitro. They refer to it as his “debut,” but I’m not sure if that’s supposed to mean just for Nitro, or if he’s been on Saturday Night, Pro, Worldwide, or any of the other 30 shows they had at the time. They’ve shown footage of him in WCW rings, so this was a little confusing. Fun trivia fact for you though – Sabu was the first man to ever use a table as a weapon on Nitro, after a dive from the ring through Alex Wright on top of the table.

One week ago on Nitro, a vignette aired of “Michael Wallstreet.” Tonight on Nitro, he’s “VK Wallstreet.” No explanation was given.

Scott Norton wrestled like he was seven feet tall against Randy Savage. Savage wasn’t a little guy and Norton was tossing him around like a cruiserweight. Savage took a hell of a beating in this match, so I’ll be curious to see if that’s a factor at Fall Brawl.

After the main event, no one knows who they can trust. The Dungeon of Doom have only been attacking specific people, and not attacking others. Jimmy Hart and Lex Luger have not been attacked, forcing Hogan to question their allegiances. Either way, Lex Luger will join Hulk Hogan, Sting, and Randy Savage in THE BATTLE AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY this weekend at Fall Brawl.

Unfortunately, I can’t find a full version of this episode.


Results:

The Renegade(c) def. Max Muscle for the TV Title

The Nasty Boys def. Johnny Swinger & Terry Richards

The Taskmaster def Jobber

Dave Sullivan def Big Bubba via countout

American Males def State Patrol

Sgt. Craig Pittman def. Gino Caruso

Brian Pillman def. Alex Wright

THE BATTLE AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY IS HERE! Fall Brawl, one of the staples of WCW Pay Per Views came and went. Vader had recently been let go from WCW, never to return. The recently debuted Lex Luger joins Hulk Hogan’s team for War Games. A reminder, I’m zipping through these and my next in-depth review will be of the September 30 editions of Saturday Night and Superstars.



Johnny B. Badd def Brian Pillman

Sgt. Craig Pittman def Cobra

TV Title Match: DDP def The Renegade

Tag Team Title Match: Harlem Heat def Buckhouse Buck and Dick Slater

Arn Anderson def Ric Flair

War Games: Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, Lex Luger) def Dungeon of Doom (Kamala, Shark, Zodiac, Meng)

Results:

WCW Tag Team Title Match: American Males def Harlem Heat

Paul Orndorff def Johnny B. Badd

Ric Flair def Brian Pillman

Results:

WCW US Title Match: Sting def Lord Steven Regal

Johnny B. Badd def Chris Kanyon

Disco Inferno def Mike Khorey

Cobra def Sgt. Craig Pittman

Results:

Alex Wright def Disco Inferno

Kurasawa def Sgt. Craig Pittman

Taskmaster def Randy Savage via DQ

Meng def Lex Luger

Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan open the show, talking about The Giant and Hulk Hogan. They’re set for their monster truck battle at Halloween Havoc. But before the show can get started, Schiavone welcomes their newest broadcast partner, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes! Dusty comes out to a huge reaction from Center Stage. Heenan says Saturday Night is his show and orders Dusty to leave. He says if Dusty isn’t leaving, he’s leaving. Heenan leaves the show, so it will be Tony and Dusty. Heenan doesn’t really want to leave, though. He keeps coming back to demand an apology for him to stay. Heenan finally leaves. Good stuff here.

Dusty is talking about Johnny B. Badd vs Sting, says it’s Badd’s big opportunity. And then, his music plays, but there’s no Johnny B. Badd. But that won’t stop the MAN CALLED STANG! Sting makes his entrance, but he has no opponent.

Backstage, Gene Okerlund says this is very unlike Johnny B. Badd. But then, Brian Pillman walks up, says he took Johnny B. Badd to the limit at Fall Brawl. Pillman is laughing, claims the fans want to see him wrestle Sting. Gene doesn’t like it, says we need to get back to the ring for more action.



MATCH 1: MARK STARR VS ARN ANDERSON

During Arn’s entrance, Schiavone is emphasizing Nitro will be LIVE on Monday, from Denver, CO. Dusty is talking about the Giant taking out Lex Luger and Randy Savage. Arn Anderson will wrestle Ric Flair in a rematch from Fall Brawl.

We’ve got a competitive match in the early goings, as Starr is actually able to get some offense in. Anderson is working like a heel, taking a shortcut to take the advantage. More back and forth mat wrestling between the two. Anderson takes the momentum back, raking the face of Starr. The pace never picks up, and I would prefer just an enhancement style match. How am I supposed to take Arn seriously on Monday if he’s having so much trouble with Mark Starr? Arn picks up the win with a Spinebuster.

WINNER: ARN ANDERSON



This recording actually has commercials. So I’m enjoying the Spearmint gum, Raiders/Jets, Carrot Top on Cartoon Network, Twix, Midol, and Long John Silvers commercials.



Let’s see if Johnny B. Badd is ready for his match with Sting, now. The music starts, and still no Johnny B. Badd. But that’s still not going to stop the MAN CALLED STANG! Sting makes his way to ringside again. He really wants to give Johnny B. Badd his US title shot. Sting says he doesn’t want to win by forfeit, and he’ll talk to Commissioner Nick Bockwinkle if he has to.

Backstage, Gene Okerlund is now gaslighting Johnny B. Badd for no-showing Saturday Night. Pillman is now angry because he deserves the title shot and no one is giving it to him. Pillman says Johnny B. Badd doesn’t have the courage to show up and Gene says he’s way out of line. I love when “Mean” Gene sounds like a proper old lady.



“Mr. Wonederful” makes his way to ringside, oozing with confidence after bitch slapping Vader out of WCW. Apparently, Dusty Rhodes’s mother will be wrestling Monday on Nitro… Is this our first reference to Mama Rhodes?

MATCH 2: “MR. WONDERFUL” PAUL ORNDORFF VS BARRY HOUSTON

Unfortunately, Paul Orndorff lost THE BATTLE AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, because that’s exactly what’s affected his right arm. Not to make light of something like that, but it is ironic that’s how they built towards War Games at Fall Brawl.

Orndorff punishes Barry Houston in this match. Houston takes a nice throw through the ropes to the outside area. Orndorff gets him back into the ring and comes off the top rope with a double axe handle.

Tony Schiavone says “The man of 1,000 moves” Dean Malenko is coming soon to WCW. I’m very excited to watch his debut.

Orndorff hits the Pearl Harbor on Houston for the pinfall.

WINNER: “MR. WONDERFUL” PAUL ORNDORFF

Dusty Rhodes gives phenomenal play-by-play on the replay.



Now it’s time for MOVIES FOR GUYS WHO LIKE MOVIES on TBS: The Superstation! I vividly remember these ads from the tapes of Thunder and Nitro I had growing up. This week, it’s “The Perfect Weapon,” starring Jeff Speakmanm, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Professor Toru Tanaka. We also get a commercial for one of the greatest fighting games of all time, KILLER INSTINCT (it’s “better than Mortal Kombat!”), complete with the KILLER CUTS CD, which I had and love. I still have the songs on my Spotify playlist. The ‘90s were great.



In the Control Center, Gene Okerlund catches us up on Hulk Hogan’s war with the Dungeon of Doom. We’re shown footage from Fall Brawl when The Giant crushed Hogan’s motorcycle with his monster truck. Hogan is now in a neck brace, after The Giant attacked him inside War Games. The Giant is on a war path heading into Halloween Havoc.

The Taskmaster accepts Hulk Hogan’s monster truck challenge. I can’t wait for this one… it’s gonna be awful.



Ed O’Neil suggests calling 1-800-COLLECT. Wendy’s has a new Spicy Chicken Sandwich. OVALTINE IS GREAT, MORE OVALTINE, PLEASE! Strange days are coming… Strange Days hits theaters on October 13. If you have a car dent, use Bondo UV. Ed O’Neil is reminding us we should use 1-800-COLLECT.



Gene Okerlund is back in the HAVOC CONTROL CENTER, reminding us the next WCW PPV is coming on Sunday October 29. Halloween Havoc will be in Detroit, and Gene is making preparations to see his “very close, personal, long-time friend” Smokey Robinson. It’s the little things for me. I LOVE when Gene would say this. It just puts a smile on my face. He says they’ll shop around, but when he gets the bill, he’ll have tears of a clown. Gene is awesome.

Gene says “Let’s talk turkey.” After Fall Brawl, Hulk Hogan challenged The Giant to a “Machine vs Machine” match, but also a traditional match-up for the Heavyweight Title. Standing by is Jimmy Hart with the neckbraced Champion. He says the contract has been signed and he knows what he has to do. He’s getting himself a Bigfoot monster truck with a contract signed in blood. He’s going to chop The Giant down to size and will put him in his place. He says he’s already laid to rest one “big, nasty giant” in Detroit, and he’s going to do the same at Halloween Havoc. I forgot The Giant was being presented as the son of Andre. Did anyone ever actually believe that?

Gene says Lex Luger will face Kamala, and so will Randy Savage. Are both happening at Halloween Havoc? I’m not sure, this was a little confusing.

Gene asks which former WWF Superstar is chomping to get into the action at Halloween Havoc. For that story and more, call 1-900-909-9900!



We now get an ad for the greatest fighting game of all time (sorry, Killer Instinct), STREET FIGHTER: THE MOVIE: THE GAME!



And now we get a vignette for the greatest tag team of all time. The Two Dudes With Attitudes ain’t got nothing on the AMERICAN MALES. AMERICAN MALES. AMERICAN MALES. AMERICAN MALES. You’re welcome.

Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs are the new WCW Tag Team Champions and they’re in action next!

MATCH 3: AMERICAN MALES VS THE BARIO BROTHERS

I finally noticed the fans sitting on their hands around Center Stage. There is so much fan noise coming through the sound, and not one person is moving a muscle.

Regardless, I do enjoy the American Males. They have some good tandem offense, stereo planchas, and look to be having a good time in this match. They will defend their new titles against the Nasty Boys on a LIVE Monday Nitro in a couple days.

Bagwell goes for a big splash but gets a pair of knees to the “belly welly,” says Dusty Rhodes. Bagwell is nailed with a Doomsday Device, which was actually very nicely done. The Bario Brothers have the momentum, but the American Males come back with a Rock and Roll Express-like Double Dropkick for the win.

WINNERS: THE AMERICAN MALES



Sgt. Craig Pittman makes his way to ringside. Johnny B. Badd has still not shown up to the arena. No one knows what the story is, but we still have ANOTHER HOUR left in the show, wtf?? It was 30 minutes a week ago.

MATCH 4: SGT. CRAIG PITTMAN VS COBRA

We have another rematch from Fall Brawl. Sgt. Craig Pittman got the win at Fall Brawl after a sneak attack on Cobra. Last week on Saturday Night, Cobra gave Pittman a taste of his own medicine. So now, we’ve got to settle the score once and for all.

Dusty Rhodes says it will be a “slobber knocker,” which is funny, because I found in my research that the first time Jim Ross ever said this in WWF was at In Your House on September 24, earlier in the week. Was Dusty watching and decide to steal a cool line from good ol’ JR?

Pittman catches Cobra with a school boy for a quick pin.

WINNER: SGT. CRAIG PITTMAN



And now for a look at Dean Malenko. Malenko says he grew up in wrestling. Footage of Malenko in New Japan Pro Wrestling is shown, as he talks about his father, Boris. He dedicates the rest of his career to his father. Malenko says Japanese wrestling is the best wrestling style. WCW is where he needs to be for the best competition. Eddie Guerrero is his greatest opponent and he can’t wait for the WCW fans to see them go at it. A very weird presentation for Dean Malenko, as we’re so used to him being the silent, skilled “Iceman.”



Big Bubba makes his way to ringside for a match with “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

MATCH 5: BIG BUBBA VS “HACKSAW” JIM DUGGAN

Duggan actually does have the crowd making a little noise in this match. He’s got them screaming derogatory names about women and chanting for America. Big Bubba doesn’t like it and rips a few buttons off his own shirt to protest.

VK Wallstreet comes to the ring as Duggan picks up some momentum, and they get into a tug-of-war over the 2X4. After the distraction, Bubba nails Duggan with a roll of tape for the win. Yes, a roll of tape. Even Schiavone said it was a roll of tape. Wallstreet steals the 2X4, so I guess we’re getting a Jim Duggan/VK Wallstreet rivalry.

WINNER: BIG BUBBA



Gene Okerlund welcomes us back to Saturday Night, teasing more “major superstars” who want to join WCW, and if you want to find out more, you have to call the WCW Hotline!

Tommorow night (Sunday October 1, 1995) on WCW Main Event, Eddie Guerrero will face Jushin “Thunder” Liger. I might have to do some digging to see if I can find that, because it sounds awesome.



Eddie Jackie gets an entrance this week! Good for Eddie Jackie! The bad news is he’s scheduled to take on Diamond Dallas Page, with The Diamond Doll. Anyone with Kimberly in their corner is motivated and full of adrenaline, so I don’t like Eddie Jackie’s chances here.

MATCH 6: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE VS EDDIE JACKIE

The TV Champion is still trying to figure out his gimmick, or more specifically, which ones not to use anymore. He’s got the shades, the cigar, the gum, the rings, all of it. But again, he has Kimberly. He doesn’t need anything else.

Max Muscle is hanging out at ringside with Kimberly in DDP’s corner. There’s a distraction and Jackie pushes DDP into Max Muscle, almost gets a quick pin, but DDP stays in the match. Page hits the Diamond Cutter for a pinfall. The Diamond Doll holds up a big 10 for DDP as we get more play-by-play from Dusty during the replay.

WINNER: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE

“Mean” Gene is standing by with DDP, Kimberly, and Max Muscle. DDP says he’s the TV Champion, and now he’s the #1 Contender for the US Heavyweight Title as well. Max Muscle is asked if he agrees, and he’s not interested in talking. Gene is having a stressful night.



MATCH 7: RIC FLAIR VS FRANKIE LANCASTER

Ric Flair makes his way to ringside to face the legendary Frankie Lancaster. I actually have no idea who Lancaster is, but he definitely has the look of a wrestler. He’s tall, has a good tan, and looks cool in his yellow trunks with white/black boots. Put him next to Jon Moxley and tell me who looks like a pro wrestler.

The main event has now been made official, as Johnny B. Badd still can’t be found. Flyin’ Brian will take his place and face Sting for the US Heavyweight Title.

Flair works on the leg of Lancaster in the middle of the ring, putting him into a single leg Boston crab. A big thumb to the eye, followed by a chop block. Flair sets Lancaster up for a Figure-4 and that’s all she wrote. Flair is ready to face Arn Anderson Monday on Nitro.

WINNER: RIC FLAIR



A hype video is shown for Eddie Guerrero. He says he’s also a second generation wrestler, like Dean Malenko. Footage of Eddie in AAA is shown, and he says wrestling in Mexico is a lot different from wrestling in the United States, but wrestling is a universal language. He’s ready for the competition in WCW.

I wish Eddie and Dean could’ve had a longer stint in ECW. We got some good stuff from them in WCW; the LWO was awesome and Dean Malenko was in my personal favorite version of the Four Horsemen. But they had some banger matches in ECW. Their farewell 2-out-of-3 falls match was so emotional, and maybe one of the best matches of their respective careers. I’m pumped for them to get started here in WCW and follow it.



I’m really wanting a Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s and a cold glass of Ovaltine right about now.



Back in the Control Center, Okerlund talks recaps how Lex Luger joined the Hulkamaniacs at War Games. The next night, Randy Savage and Luger had issues, which prompted a match. The Giant spoiled the fun when he attacked Luger and Savage, leaving them both laid out. There will be a rematch on Nitro, and if Luger loses, he says he will leave WCW.



MATCH 8: US HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – STING © VS FLYIN’ BRIAN

Pillman finally gets his title shot after what feels like a 6 month long telecast. He makes his way to the ring, looking confident. But can he beat THE MAN CALLED STANG? Sting is pumped that he finally has an opponent. He’s been ready for this match for over an hour now, and we’re about to get started after another sweet commercial for Killer Instinct. Cinder was always my go-to in this game. He had the best stage and theme song, too. Did you know the Bellamy Brothers had more #1 hits than any other duo in history? I didn’t either, but that’s what they said on their CD advertisement. I’m about to conduct an investigation, because I’m pretty sure that’s Todd Pettengill doing the read.

We’re back, and our main event is finally under way. I’m excited for this match. I’m always down for a Brian Pillman match, and Sting is one of my all-time favorites. We’re winding down the Surfer Sting era, so I’m going to be paying extra close attention to the subtle changes coming for Sting over the next several months. His transition to the Crow Sting character is my all-time favorite character arc.

We get some good back and forth action in the early goings of this one. Pillman is now wrestling like a heel. He thinks he’s outsmarting the Stinger, but Sting stays one step ahead. Pillman tries to retreat backstage, but the entrance tunnel is locked and there’s no way out. Back in the ring, Pillman leap frogs and fakes a knee injury when he lands. Sting is finally suckered in by Pillman, who takes advantage by attacking Sting’s knee. We get our second single-leg Boston crab of the night.

Schiavone is still upset that Pillman has taken the opportunity away from Johnny B. Badd, although no one knows where Johnny is.

Sting takes control back in the match with a big press slam on Pillman. Pillman tries a desperation cross body, but Sting catches him in a powerslam for the win. After the match, “Mean” Gene is backstage with THE MAN CALLED STANG, who is confronted by Ric Flair. Flair says Sting is the only man in the entire sport who he holds in the same esteem as him. Flair wants Sting to be his partner against Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman. Sting says he feels put down that Flair holds him in the same esteem, and he has no interest in being Flair’s partner. Flair says the partnership would change the course of history and asks him to reconsider. Sting says there’s no chance.

I thought Arn and Pillman were the heels, but Flair is definitely a heel too. Who cares.

WINNER AND STILL US HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: STING



After the commercial, Johnny B. Badd finally arrives and tells “Mean” Gene he had car trouble. It’s the worst day of his entire career, and he had a flat tire. DDP confronts Johnny B. Badd and says he’s stupid for missing his shot at the US Heavyweight Title. Max Muscle accidentally tells everyone that DDP slashed Johnny B. Badd’s tires, and we go off the air with a big punch from Johnny B. Badd. WE’RE OUT OF TIME!



Final Thoughts:

This might have been the longest wrestling program I’ve ever seen in my life. It was not good. I’ve been watching the last month of their programming and still don’t know who the heels or babyfaces are, I’m confused about who has beef with who, and I unfortunately already know about some of the horrible booking we’re getting in the weeks to come. The saving grace of this program is the hype for Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko. I don’t care to ever see another Cobra match in my life. But I can’t get enough Eddie and Dean.

The highlights of the show for me were the commercials. Besides a Super Bowl, when was the last time anyone ever said that? I love commercials from the ‘90s. Something about them are just nostalgic and attractive. I love Twix, I love Wendy’s, I love Ovaltine, and I really freaking love Killer Instinct.

The runtime of Saturday Night seems to be very inconsistent. Sometimes it’s 30 minutes, and unfortunately, this one was 2 hours. I pray to the Heavens above I never have to endure another 2 hour edition of WCW Saturday Night.

So there you have it, the 30th anniversary of the September 30 edition of WCW Saturday Night.

Eric Bischoff, Steve “Mongo” McMichael (and his dog), and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan welcome us into our second month of WCW Monday Nitro. Before they can give a preview for the show, Ric Flair hijacks Bischoff’s headset and he is screaming at Arn Anderson, says he’s coming for him.

We get a recap of the issues between Lex Luger and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. One week ago, Savage wrestled The Taskmaster, but didn’t leave the ring before The Giant made his way down to Chokeslam him. Alex Wright tried to help Savage but was caught in mid-air by The Giant and squashed like a bug. After that, Luger came to ringside, took his sweet time, and didn’t attack the Dungeon of Doom until The Giant put his hands on him. Luger and Savage were left laying by the #1 Contender for the WCW Heavyweight Championship. You got all that?



MATCH 1: LEX LUGER VS RANDY “MACHO MAN” SAVAGE

So here’s the thing for me… I’ve never really been a big Lex Luger guy. As a kid, I never cared about babyface Luger. When he was in the Wolfpac, he was the one that really didn’t matter to me. I actually do like the Lex Express stuff, but I know it wasn’t the best stuff. He’s just always been one of those guys that I was “meh” about. I love seeing the progress he’s made in recent years with DDP, trying to walk again, and all that stuff. He seems like a genuinely great person. I just hate to say I’m not the biggest fan of his wrestling.

Savage on the other hand is awesome, to me. One of the first tapes I ever had as a kid was Wrestlemania 5, so I’ve been watching Savage almost since day 1. He was always intense. Far more intense than anyone else on this show. He absolutely always looks like he’s heading into a fight. He’s believable.

This match didn’t feel like “babyface vs babyface,” it felt like Lex Luger was a heel. He’s kind of been an asshole since he showed up on Nitro Episode 1. That being said… this was a good match. For him to not be the best wrestler in the business and notoriously spoken of as one of those guys who didn’t “love” the business, Luger held his own here. I’ve always heard Savage was one of those guys who liked to script a whole match out ahead of time, so I know that played a part here. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the performance and delivery of this one. Luger played his part well and did a great job.

There was a referee bump, followed by an Elbow from Savage, and then interference from The Giant. Savage takes another Chokeslam and Luger follows up with the Torture Rack. They keep teasing Luger joining the Dungeon of Doom. Can you even imagine Luger in the Dungeon of Doom? That’s a wild fantasy.

WINNER: LEX LUGER



Bischoff, Mongo, and Heenan are talking about what transpired in the opening match when Disco Inferno’s music hits on Nitro for the first time ever.

Disco Inferno is dancing on the Nitro stage for the first time. When I think of iconic visuals in wrestling history, I think of Hogan slamming Andre, Austin in the Sharpshooter, and DISCO DANCING ON THE NITRO SET. But then, Juventud Guerrera’s music cuts him off. Except, it’s actually Eddie Guerrero. I guess Juventud stole Eddie’s music a couple years later.



MATCH 2: EDDIE GUERRERO VS DEAN MALENKO

Highlights from WCW Main Event are shown as Eddie Guerrero took on Jushin “Thunder” Liger. Eddie nailed the Frog Splash, or as Tony Schiavone called it, “The Jacknife.”

But here we go, it’s Eddie and Dean for the first time in WCW. Remember, this is fresh off their famous 2-out-of-3 falls farewell match in ECW. Chances are, the majority of this Nitro audience didn’t see that match, so they’re in for a treat, I’m sure.

They start things off hot, countering each other’s moves for the first couple minutes. They’re going at a high speed pace and getting applauded by the Denver crowd. But instead of staying with the action, the camera goes to the parking garage where Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart are arriving. Can’t we do this crap during a Cobra match or something? Jesus.

We finally go back to the match and Eddie and Dean are still going back and forth. I could just watch and appreciate their basic wrestling for hours. It’s so much better than modern day wrestling, where guys spend 30 minutes taking turns trading finishing moves.

Eddie launches into the aisle with a flying cross body on Dean, and almost misses him. Eddie crashes pretty hard on the concrete, but gets up pretty quickly. Back in the ring, Eddie nails a Brainbuster and goes for the Frog Spalsh, but Malenko gets the knees up. Eddie somehow flips Malenko inside out into a pinfall attempt, and he gets the win. Immediately after, Malenko challenges Guerrero to a rematch. Eddie promises to give it to him.

WINNER: EDDIE GUERRERO



“Mean” Gene Okerlund is in the ring, introducing the WCW Heavyweight Champion, Hulk Hogan. HE’S GOT THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUEEEE RUNNIN’ THROUGH HIS VEINSSSSS. Neckbrace Hogan makes his way to ringside with Jimmy Hart, who’s carrying the Big Gold.

Bless his heart, watching Hogan cut a promo with a stiff neck is hilarious. The crippled Hogan rips his shirt off and promises to head to the back and search for The Giant. As he circles ringside, an old woman throws something into the eyes of Hogan. She jumps the rail and continues the assault on Hogan. Zodiac and The Giant enter the ring to join the old lady, who takes the wig off to reveal herself to be The Taskmaster. The Giant rips the neck brace off Hogan and proceeds to snap his neck. And then, another one of the most iconic images in all of wrestling history… TASKMASTER SHAVES HOGAN’S MUSTACHE.

According to Hogan (grain of salt), this would be the last time his mustache was ever shaved off.

Several babyfaces come ringside to try to help the Hulkster, but they’re all taken out by The Giant. Say what you want, but The Giant was booked to look indestructible.



MATCH 3: RIC FLAIR VS ARN ANDERSON

I still haven’t figured out who the babyface or heel are in this match. That seems to be a theme lately in WCW. It’s like they’re trying to blur the lines with their writing. That always just feels weird to me in wrestling. You need to have clear-cut good guys in bad guys in entertainment, whether it’s movies, TV shows, or wrestling. It’s just hard to care if you don’t know who you’re supposed to cheer for.

The one thing this match has going for it is a personal issue between two long-time friends. They have heat with each other and they’re handling business in the ring. They had a good match at Fall Brawl that ended with interference from Flyin’ Brian. They wanted a grudge match and they got it.

Anderson is able to hit the Spinebuster on Flair but doesn’t get to go for the pin for about 20 seconds. That protects the finish and allows Flair to continue.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m always paying attention to details no one else probably care about. Flair hit the ropes and I heard a loud clanky noise, and I noticed the ropes are extremely loose here. The WCW ropes were almost always very tight.

Anderson goes for the DDT, but Flair grabs a rope and causes Anderson to take the bump alone. Flair takes over control of the match until he goes for a back body drop that’s telegraphed for Arn to club him in the back. Shortly thereafter, Flair gets a Figure-4 locked in, but Brian Pillman comes flying off the top onto Flair. The referee called for the bell before Pillman ever did anything, so I assumed it was a no contest. But Bischoff says Flair wins by DQ, so we’ll go with that.

Pillman and Anderson continue the onslaught on Flair. As they leave ringside, Pillman holds up the four fingers and Bischoff calls him a psycho.

WINNER: RIC FLAIR VIA DQ



We get a lot of talk about Nick Bockwinkle, but I’ve yet to see him on any of these shows. Is he actually with the company here? Or do they just mention him in a nonexistent position?

Next week on Nitro, Sting will take on the Shark. Sabu will take another newcomer named Mr. JL, and Big Bubba will take on Road Warrior Hawk!



And that’s that for the 30th anniversary of WCW Monday Nitro on 10/02/1995!