This Week In The WCW
This Week In The WCW
WCW Monday Night Nitro - Monday, 03/31/97
- The show started with the nWo's arrival sans Hogan, Bischoff, Bagwell, DiBiase, or Hall. The announcers pointed out Hall's been AWOL two weeks in a row.
- "The Total Package" Lex Luger and The Giant def. Rick Fuller and Road Block when Giant pinned Road Block after a chokeslam.
- As Luger and Giant were coming to the ring, the label under their names said "World Tag Team Champions". I thought that maybe due to Scott Hall's personal problems that Luger and Giant had won the title at a house show. However, they didn't have the belts and the announcers didn't say anything so it must have been a mistake.
- Luger accidentally totally no-sold a shot from Fuller during the match.
- After the match, Luger racked Fuller for good measure. He needed a handful of hair to do it.
- This is the third time in a month that the Giant has chokeslammed and pinned Road Block to end a match.
- Harlem Heat did a run in after the match wearing street clothes.
- Okerlund interviewed Harlem Heat after the match. For the second week in a row, Stevie Ray spoke to Lex saying "..since you've been back to big time wrestling, and you know what I'm talking about..." That's a cut on the WWF.
- Toshie Vematsu (Gesundheit!) pinned Meiko Satomura following a splash from the top turnbuckle.
- This was the first round of a tournament to crown the first ever WCW Ladies Cruiserweight Champion (this is not an April Fools Joke). After the match, they said Toshie was now in the finals, so it seems there is only four women in the tournament.
- Normally, I keep these types of opinions to myself, but given the lack of interest the Women's Heavyweight Title has generated, is another women's belt really a good idea?
- Vematsu and Satomura were way too smiley on their way to the ring.
- Mike Tenay said that one of them is 20, the one 23. They both looked about 15.
- Psychosis pinned Villano IV following a guillotine leg drop off the top turnbuckle.
- During the match, Psychosis delivered a corkscrew moonsault from the top turnbuckle onto Villano IV on the arena floor. Very impressive.
- During the match, cameras cut to the back. Nash, Syxx, Norton, and Wallstreet have obvious dissension and they are talking about a lack of leadership.
- Flair is being interviewed by Okerlund. He starts to cut into Piper and Piper comes out. Then, in the second worst wrestling bit I've ever seen (second only to the tryouts for Piper's "family"), Piper and Flair agreed to stand together, I think. I was thinking maybe I missed something and I checked some of the other wrestling pages and none of them could figure out what this bit was either. I felt liked I'd just watch the movie Basic Instinct. Anyway, the bit ended with Flair bringing in a marginally attractive woman to dance with Piper. Man, it really sucked. Geez, compared to this, the WWF Gobbledygooker was a stroke of brilliance!
- Prince Iaukea pinned La Parka after La Parka hit Iaukea with a chair (not a typo, keep reading...)
- The ending came as La Parka had a chair in his hands and Iaukea came off the top turnbuckle and slammed into La Parka and the chair. The chair was against La Parka and Iaukea came off the top and slammed into it and La Parka took the fall. Now, I don't know a lot about physics but if you punch somebody who is wearing a suit of armor, it hurts you and not them!
- Early in the match, Iaukea took a very bad bump on a blown spot. Also during the match, Iaukea was seated in a chair outside the ring and La Parka connected with a suicide dive. Also, La Parka put the chair in the ring, ran to it and step onto the chair, sprung off the top rope, and connected again. As this was happening, the bell rang erroneously and created confusion.
- In a minor upset, "Lionheart" Chris Jericho pinned "Lord" Steven Regal with a roll up and a bridge.
- During the match, I think there was a fight in the crowd, as none of the crowd was paying attention to the match and a security guard ran by.
- After the match, Regal was angry. He gave Jericho a double underhook suplex from the top rope, a piledriver, and put him in the Regal Stretch. Renegade ran in but stopped just short of interfering and left the ring. (Boy, oh, boy, the coming heel turn of Renegade certainly has us all excited, doesn't it?) Joe Gomez, Billy Kidman, and a jobber with "Lane" on his trunks tried to make the save but Regal pitched all of the them. The beating was still going on when they cut to commercial.
- Cut to the back and Wallstreet is leaving the building all pissed off. Heenan and Tenay started talking about the demise of the nWo and Schiavone said something every fan in America was thinking, "Please, they know the cameras are there."
- Akira Hokuto pinned Debbie Combs with a Tiger Suplex and a bridge to retain the WCW Women's Heavyweight Title.
- Heenan on Debbie Combs: "Look at her hair. It looks like a lion's mane!"
- Okerlund interviewed Madusa and Hokuto jumped her. They had to be separated.
- Okay, Okerlund's job, which I'm sure he gets paid very well for, is to talk for all of half an hour a week. All he needs to know is professional wrestling. Well, Einstein Okerlund introduces Madusa as the "former ladies champion". Maybe I'm being too hard on him since it's so easy to confuse her in the huge group of one ladies champion that WCW has had.
- The Amazing French-Canadians def. Jeff Jarrett and Steve "Mongo" McMichael when Oullette pinned McMichael after Rougeau nailed him with the Haliburton.
- The finish was set up by a run in by Public Enemy.
- After the match, McMichael and Jarrett had words and McMichael accused Jarrett of nailing him with the Haliburton.
- "Crippler" Chris Benoit pinned "The Laughing Man" Hugh Morrus with a German Suplex.
- Jimmy Hart escorted Morrus to the ring for the first time in a long while.
- The Dungeon of Doom did a run in after the match. Jacqueline, in high heels no less, splashed Benoit from the top turnbuckle. When she tried to do it a second time, Woman shook the ropes and Jacqueline fell off into a nutcracker on the top rope. Well, I guess it can't be called a nutcracker, but you get the idea...
- Flair ran in and cleaned house delivering low blows to everyone. Anderson stood at ringside. As the Dungeon of Doom was retreating, Anderson was in Sullivan's path. Sullivan said "Let me pass" and Arn stepped aside.
- In the post-match interview, Benoit sarcastically said to Anderson in reference to him letting Sullivan walk past, "You must be hurt". Then, in his usual ham-fisted interview, Benoit distanced himself from the Horseman.
- "Diamond" Dallas Page pinned Lance Ringo with a Diamond Cutter delivered from a fireman's carry.
- Lance Ringo came to the ring with a copy of Kimberly's centerfold.
- After the match, Macho Man and Liz appeared in the crowd. That generated a healthy "Macho sucks!" chant from the crowd.
- On Spring Stampede, Macho: "We're gonna see if DDP has any family jewels at all". Page on bringing Kimberly to the pay-per-view: "I'm bringing the lady, you bring the tramp!"
- The Steiner Brothers def. High Voltage when Scott pinned Rage after a Steiner Screwdriver Suplex (a tombstone piledriver delivered holding the man so high that his head is at your chest).
- Watching the Steiners come to the ring, it is painfully obvious Scott does not like the fans.
- At the end, Nash and Syxx took over the announcing booth. Nash did all the talking and he was in a bad mood.
- "Everyone's wondering where Scott Hall is. He's taking care of business more important than professional wrestling. If I have to, I'll take on the Steiners alone."
- "I'm pissed off. Hogan and everybody else are at a movie premiere while we're taking care of business here."
- "As long as I have breath in my body, I'll be fighting against WCW."
- Some of the rumors pages say Scott Hall will not be at Spring Stampede. Others say he will but he'll immediately go back to rehab (which assumes he's in rehab in the first place). Your guess is as good as mine.
WCW {Pro} Wrestling - Sunday, 03/30/97
- Glacier pinned Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker following a cryonic kick.
- Zbyszko referred to the nWo as "a bunch of packrats". That's an incorrect metaphor. A packrat hoards things. I think he confused them with a "ratpack".
- "The Laughing Man" Hugh Morrus pinned Jerry Flynn following a No Laughing Matter and a Last Laugh.
- Ice Train pinned Bunkhouse Buck with a train wreck.
- The announcers acted shocked when Bunkhouse Buck knocked down the cameraman on the way to the ring. They obviously haven't been paying attention for the last few months.
- "The Man of 1,000 Holds" Dean Malenko and "Lord" Steven Regal went to a TV time limit draw.
- The announcers said that Syxx is not defending his belt at Spring Stampede because he is ducking people. In reality, he has a legit shoulder injury.
- Does anyone else find it odd that the World Heavyweight Champion is not even appearing on a pay-per-view?
- Zbyszko referred to Dusty as "The Man of 1,000 Pounds".
- At one point, right before Malenko whipped Regal out of the corner and clotheslined him in the opposite corner, he leaned into Regal and you could clearly hear him say, "Clothesline".
WCW Saturday Night - Saturday, 03/29/97
- Harlem Heat def. Scott and Steve Armstrong via pinfall following a Harlem side kick.
- Stevie Ray is one big, bad man.
- In the post-match interview, Stevie Ray told the Giant he was "a big, overgrown Baby Huey".
- Greg "The Hammer" Valentine pinned Billy Kidman after a hammer (elbowsmash).
- An elbowsmash setting up a pinfall?! Who booked that finish?
- The (Ein)Steiner Brothers def. Bunkhouse Buck and "Mean" Mike Enos when Scott pinned Buck following a Steiner Bulldog.
- Yup, the cameraman wound up on his back again.
- Madusa pinned Peggy Lee Leather with a lame rollover.
- "Lionheart" Chris Jericho pinned Super Calo following a very impressive frankensteiner delivered when both men were standing on the top turnbuckle.
- Ultimate Dragon pinned Galaxy with a Tiger Suplex and a bridge.
- Prince Iaukea pinned "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton with a flying cross body block from the top turnbuckle.
- I realize WCW needs people to job to Iaukea to get him over, but give poor Bobby Eaton a break.
- "Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan (& Jacqueline) pinned Johnny Swinger following the Tree of Woe and a reverse Heimlich.
- In prerecorded comments, Sullivan said he didn't attack Arn Anderson in his hotel room.
- Dusty Rhodes had one of his most intelligent comments: "You know, everybody's makin' Arn Anderson out to be some sort of saint. Arn and the Horsemen have done much worse things to other people than what happened to him". Amen, brother.
- "The Man of 1,000 Holds" Dean Malenko pinned Scotty "Glorified Jobber" Riggs with an Oklahoma Roll.
- The angle of Eddie Guerrero being in cahoots in the nWo was pushed a little more.
- "Diamond" Dallas Page pinned Maxx following a Diamond Cutter.
- Isn't this like the third time these guys have fought each other on TV in the last month?
- If Maxx is in the Dungeon of Doom, why doesn't Jimmy Hart escort him to the ring? Hart escorted Sullivan.
- When DDP took off his shirt and threw it into the crowd, it was simultaneously caught by two women, each in excess of two hundred pounds and neither would let go. A tugging match started. Then the match started and the camera focused on the ring. It was a shame because the two women in the crowd were infinitely more interesting.