WCW Monday Night Nitro - Monday, January 1st, 1996
- It's the start of a new year for WCW, 1996. 1995 could be considered somewhat of a success, getting a prime time television show on Monday Night, getting Benoit, Malenko and Guerrero... three really good wrestlers all within two months.
- However, WCW continues to center around a core of 4 to 6 people. Hogan, Savage, Sting, Luger, Flair and Giant. I think it's time to mix things up a little bit and get some fresh faces for once.
- WCW's last show was Starrcade which occurred on a Wednesday in 1995. Tonight will we see the response of Savage being screwed over? Will there be any mention whatsoever about WCW/Japan series? What will happen between the Sting/Luger romance drama?
- Will the Tag Team Champions, Harlem Heat, ever be on television?
- Will Arn Anderson get a fair shake? Finally become a World Champion?
- 1996 has a lot of questions, now we just have to wait for the answers.
- We are LIVE for one hour of Nitro from Atlanta, GA.
- We can also hear David Penzer getting the crowd pumped up... OOPS!
- The 3 Amigos hype up that Flair has won the World Title for the 12th Time. Flair will defend the title tonight against Hulk Hogan.
- Savage will battle Arn Anderson to start off the show!
- Of course we get the Sting/Luger hype.
- Arn Anderson Vs Randy Savage
- Arn with the early advantage with right hands and shoulders. Savage comes back with right hands and he sends Arn to the floor.
- Savage begins to stomp away on Anderson and he sends him into the ring steps.
- Eric Bischoff spoils the RAW Bowl stating that Smoking Gunns won... Thanks Eric!
- Arn is back in the ring and he delivers more left hands. Savage blocks a sunset slip with right hands.
- Atomic drop by Savage, Arn ducks a clothesline and Savage goes up top and hits a double axe handle... 2 count.
- Savage chokes Arn on the top rope and Arn gouges the eyes of Savage.
- Savage with a back elbow and he gets a near fall. Arn with a single arm DDT and Savage is hurting.
- Arn wrenches on Savage's arm on the top rope and connects with a hammerlock scoop slam.
- Savage rolls to the floor and Arn follows him. Savage sends Arn into the guard railing.
- Back in the ring, Arn gains control working on the arm of Savage with an arm bar of sorts.
- Arn begins to drop knees onto the arm, and also is untaping the arm of Savage.
- Arn goes to the outside and whips Savage's arm into the ring post and continues to club away on the arm.
- Savage comes back with right hands and Arn simply pulls him down. Savage with more right hands and Arn clubs away on Savage.
- Boot in the corner by Savage who misses a clothesline and Arn catches him with the DDT!!!
- Arn goes for the cover but Savage gets to the ropes for a 2 count...
- Arn is pushed into the referee, and Savage grabs an international object that Arn had dropped and hits Arn.
- Savage goes for the cover...1-2-3.
- Your Winner: Randy Savage via pinfall following a shot with an international object.
- Pillman and Benoit come out and argue with the referee.
- Replay of the match.
- Up next, Steven Regal goes head to head against Benoit!
- Commercials.
- Lord Steven Regal w/ Jeeves Vs Chris Benoit
- Eric again mentions that Smokin' Gunns won the RAW Bowl... Thank Eric! (Again)
- Takedown by Regal and he places Benoit into an arm bar. Benoit pops up and is met with a nice head butt, but Benoit gets right back up and Regal does that again.
- Benoit trips Regal and goes to work on his head again.
- They trade uppercuts and chops, Regal gets a neck vise and drops down onto Benoit.
- Several near falls. Benoit wrenches the arm of Regal and Regal rolls around and places Benoit into a modified STF.
- European uppercuts by Regal. Open hand strikes by Regal. Benoit goes behind Regal and connects with a German suplex.
- Benoit with some chops and delivers more right in the corner.
- Headlock by Regal, butterfly suplex and he gets several near falls.
- Benoit with a running clothesline. Benoit places Regal onto the top turnbuckle but Regal knocks Benoit off.
- Benoit comes back over and connects with an electric chair.
- Benoit goes up top and misses a flying head butt.
- Regal with several head butt and left hands. Benoit reverses a tombstone into one of his own and Regal rolls to the floor.
- Benoit misses a dive over the top and lands hard on the floor. Regal rolls him in and goes for the cover...1-2-3.
- Your Winner: Lord Steven Regal via pinfall after a botched dive onto the floor by Benoit.
- Gene is in the ring with Four Horsemen, other than Flair.
- Pillman is upset that they are 0-for-2 tonight. Pillman calls out Benoit to get the job done.
- Benoit mentions that only way to beat him is by "sheer luck".
- Pillman calls out Arn for being beaten with a move that the Horsemen invented.
- Arn mentions that their job is to protect the World Title.
- Here comes the Dungeon of Doom, only for Giant to hold them back.
- Up next, Sting/Luger battle the Super Assassins.
- On Saturday Night, Arn/Pillman Vs American Males, Luger battles Cobra.
- The Super Assassins w/ Col. Robert Parker Vs Sting/Lex Luger
- Luger comes out to a warm reception. Separate entrances for Sting/Luger.
- Sgt. Craig Pittman comes over to the broadcast table and asks Mongo to be his manager.
- In the ring Luger is getting beat on the lower back but he comes back with a boot.
- Sting comes in and connects with a dropkick and right hands. Sting is being double teamed.
- Sting comes back with an atomic drop and running clotheslines, sending one of the Assassins over the top.
- Sting is dropped chest first onto the guard railing. Sting is in a modified bear hug but manages to get out only to be shoulder blocked down.
- Double shoulder block by the Assassins.
- Luger gets the tag in, but referee didn't see it.
- Nice cross body by the Assassins onto Sting. Sting kicks out at 2.
- Nice power bomb on Sting. One of the Assassins misses a top rope splash.
- Luger gets the tag and works away on one of the Assassins. Running clothesline in the corner and right hands.
- Luger catches one of the Assassins into the Torture Rack, and Sting puts the other into the Scorpion Death Lock... They both give up.
- Your Winners: Sting and Lex Luger via double submission.
- Gene is standing with Jimmy Hart and The Giant.
- Hart mentions about his time with Hogan on the road... Hart says he is going to be switching gears.
- Giant mentions how Hogan screwed him over on December 18th. This appears to be a Giant/Hogan feud, again.
- Commercials.
- For the WCW World Heavyweight Title: (champion) Ric Flair Vs Hulk Hogan
- Hogan comes out to a mixed reaction, again.
- Commercials.
- Hogan shoves Flair down and connects with a shoulder block. Hogan with another shoulder block.
- Hogan with the test of strength and gains the advantage. Flair with chops in the corner.
- Flair with right hands and then he drops Hogan down. Flair with more chops. Hogan now begins to no-sell those.
- Hogan with several right hands, and Flair comes back with a back elbow.
- Flair goes up top but Hogan catches him and slams him off. Running clothesline by Hogan and he clotheslines Flair over the top to the floor.
- Hogan no-sells a whip into the railing, and he clotheslines Flair down.
- Flair flip in the corner, and Hogan clotheslines Flair on the apron.
- Flair with a chop block onto the knee of Hogan. Flair with a knee drop onto the knee.
- Boots to the knee of Hogan. Flair begins to leap onto the knee of Hogan repeated times.
- Flair places Hogan into the Figure Four right in the middle of the ring.
- Hogan manages to roll over and Jimmy Hart comes running down.
- Hogan notices this and begins to yell at Hart. Flair comes back with a boot to the knee.
- Flair with a delayed vertical suplex. Hogan kicks out at 2 and begins to Hulk Up.
- Right hands by Hogan, big boot, and he connects with the Leg Drop Of Doom. Hogan grabs Hart on the apron and knocks him off.
- Arn comes in and hits Hogan with brass knuckles... Hogan no-sells. Hogan grabs the knuckles and shows the referee... referee calls for the bell.
- Giant comes in with a wooden stool, Savage comes in and grabs the chair.
- Zodiac is stopping the Giant and he is saying "No" repeated times.
- Your Winner: Hulk Hogan via disqualification.
- Eric rips then WWF by comparing them to the movie Legend, with unicorns and elves.
- Gene is in the ring with Savage and Hogan. Hogan says that he and Savage challenge Arn and Flair next week.
- Something about a "secret weapon", aka brass knuckles. Hogan wants Giant, I take it.
- Savage says it's gut check time. Hogan says they will even face all the Horsemen members.
- Eric confirms that Flair/Arn Vs Savage/Hogan will indeed happen next week.
- Mongo calls the WWF "contenders"... clever.
- End of Show.
- The Good: First two matches, and the Tag Team match wasn't that bad. Regal winning is also great. I'm a Regal mark.
- The Bad: Benoit losing two shows in a row.
- The Ugly: Absolutely no mention of the WCW/Japan feud at the PPV. Not even a mention that WCW won.