WCW Monday Night Nitro - Monday, 10/27/97

By Bill

Many of you may have read on the rumors pages about Eric Bischoff's supposed meeting with the WCW talent telling them to tone it down, i.e. no crotch chops, etc. Well, Jody Y. sent me an e-mail saying that Eric B. says "Shit!" loud and clear in the opening scene of the 10/20 Nitro when they find the nWo wrestlers laid out in the parking lot. I replayed my tape and he was absolutely right! You can hear it loud and clear. I didn't see anyone else (including myself) picking up on that. Kudos to Jody for catching that. So much for toning it down...
Also from Jody: By the way, if you were wondering the names of the Nitro Girls, I have them because they were in this month's issue of WCW Magazine. Here's the lowdown:
- Tayo: African American
- Chae: Asian American
- A.C. Jazz: Long blonde hair
- Fire: Long Auburn hair
- Spice: Short hair, overdone facial expressions (Jody's and my personal favorite)
- Kimberly: I think we all know her by now
You know, I just can't get away from pro wrestling. I spent a day working in Baltimore this week, and while I was there I walked by the Baltimore Arena and I saw a big LED sign advertising an upcoming WWF show. Now, I'm on a plane to Phoenix, and Batman and Robin is the movie. Lo and behold, Poison Ivy's sidekick, Bane, is played by Jeep Swenson, aka Jeep the Mercenary.
Co-winner of e-mail of the week, from Jeff E. hailing from Irvine, CA:
Just a comment on your Monday Nitro report. You missed one event in the Luger match for this week. If you watch it, when the match starts, you can see a guy in the audience is giving his girlfriend the rack. It has to be one of the funniest things I have seen in a while. She was up in the rack and he was bouncing up and down like Luger does.

Just watch when the match starts. The guy is slightly left of center in about row 5.

A definite highlight of the night for me :)

Jeff
Co-winner of e-mail of the week, from an anonymous reader:
Did you access this E-mail to read it or did everybody here access this E-Mail to see the N-W-O? That's what I thought!

Syxx sucks!
A reader sent me an e-mail with an article by Mark Madden from WCW Online which points out the striking similarities between the Sting/Crow gimmick and the Black Scorpion gimmick. It's worth going to the WCW site for a read.
According to one e-mail I got, some other Web sites picked up on the fact that it didn't seem like that was really Wrath jobbing to Bill Goldberg last week. However, I got an e-mail from someone else who says, ironically, that Mortis took part in an on-line chat session this week. Someone asked him pointblank whether that was really Wrath on Nitro. He said it was. I think he was toting the party line on that one, though.
Trivia Question: Besides their heritage, what do "Gentleman" Chris Adams and "Lord" Steven Regal have in common? Answer at the bottom.
A few more comments on Halloween Havoc:
- One of Mark Madden's articles before the event specifically noted that Hogan's title was on the line. However, from what I've read on other pages today, it was not and the announcers last night did not refer to Piper as the new champion.
- One of the other pages suggested that the guy who got beaten up at the end was a plant. It's an interesting theory, as he did climb the cage awfully fast. Also, it would explain why only one fake Sting entered the cage.
- While, as you can imagine, I am a complete Arn Anderson mark 4 Life, I really need to note a few wrestlers that were really going out of their way to appease the autograph and picture hungry fans: Rey Misterio Jr., Chris Jericho, Konnan, and Gene Okerlund. At times it was a mob scene, and these guys were gracious to everyone.
Say, if anyone taped the live broadcast of Halloween Havoc, could you watch the end again and try and see if the beating the "fan" at the end got was legit or whether the punches were being pulled. The followthrough on the punches should be obvious if they were real. Bottom line, if his face wasn't ten different colors as security was finally dragging him out, it was a work.

Dark Matches:
- Wrath w/help from Vanddenburg over Hugh Morrus.
- Perry Saturn over JC Atlas.
Savage and Bischoff come out to open this week's three hour Nitro. Hogan challenges people from the crowd to come in and fight him. Hmmm, a work or not a work last night? More hype for Hogan's crappy movie. Bad clips from his movie. Hogan and some babe killing about fifty guys. You'd think bad guys would go to firearms training.
WCW World Cruiserweight Champion Rey Misterio, Jr. pinned "The Iceman" Dean Malenko with a small package on a reversal of a Texas Cloverleaf.
- There's that arm flick by Malenko on the way out again.
- Raven and his entourage show up during the match. Heenan: "Oddballs 'r us".
- Tenay mentions Sick Boy by name.
- Wow! Gutbuster from the top turnbuckle by Malenko!
Another installment of Tenay's feature on the Mexican Luchadores. Pretty cool.
Nitro Girls dressed up like the Village People. All except for my favorite, who was in a catsuit.
Glacier pinned "The Chairman of WCW" La Parka with a Chronic (sic) Kick.
- Before the match starts, the La Parka waves the Mexican Flag to cheers and then mocks Glacier's martial arts.
- La Parka takes it to Glacier for most of the match.
- Eventually Glacier turns the tables, well, chair, against La Parka.
- That sucked.
Scheme Gene introduces DDP. DDP comes out and accepts Hogan's challenge.
Scheme Gene introduces The Living Legend, Larry Z. Larry is fed up, and he has a one-way ticket to Larryland in his hand. A contract to wrestle Hall anytime, anywhere. Hall and Syxx appear. Hall sends his best to Kevin Nash who is recuperating in Phoenix. I haven't seen him. Then they replay the footage of Larry getting punked last night. Larry tries to goad Hall into the ring. Hall and Syxx back off and go back to the dressing room.
Nitro Girls. Yow!
"The Total Package" Lex Luger made Stevie Ray submit to the Human Torture Rack.
- I typed in the result of this match as soon as I heard Luger's music start.
- So, does Jacqueline ice those bad boys before she comes out?
- No surprises, here.
Another Raven promo. Whatever.
Eddie Guerrero pinned "Lionheart" Chris Jericho following a frog splash.
- Wow! I can't believe Jericho is wrestling tonight after the bad bump he took last night. In case you missed the pay-per-view, they replayed the incident three times in slow motion before the match.
- The guy from last night, Gedo, used to be a tag team partner of Jericho.
- Guerrero goes to work on the bad shoulder.
- Wow! Jericho gives Guerrero a release German Suplex that launches him ten feet in the air!
- The ending comes with Jericho suplexes Guerrero out of the ring from inside it. Guerrero landed on his feet outside the ring and Jericho sold his shoulder being out of the socket. One frog splash later, and it's over.
Nitro Girls. It's amazing how carefully I watch since the Nipple On Nitro.
"Crippler" Chris Benoit pinned Fit Findlay after a diving headbutt from the top turnbuckle.
- Hey, if anybody reading this was at Halloween Havoc last night, do you think Benoit was in the Wildcat Willie outfit?
- Benoit vs. Goldberg would be worthy of a main event for a pay-per-view.
- Hard hitting match between these two guys.
Okerlund interviewed Ric Flair. Flair was nuts! He's going to give himself a stroke one of these days.
Raven defeated Scotty Riggs in a no-DQ match when Scotty Riggs was single-leg-tripped facefirst into a metal chair and Riggs injured his eyeball and the referee ruled Riggs unable to continue.
- Tenay claims this is Raven's first match on Nitro. At first I through Tenay was wrong and beat Stevie Richards some time ago on Nitro. However, Creed let me know that match was on Clash of the Champions.
- Before the match, Richards announces Raven still hasn't signed with WCW and Raven will only wrestle if it is a no-DQ match.
- Raven offers to "set Riggs free" if he joins Raven's group. Riggs gives Raven the international symbol for "Up Yours".
- When Riggs was writhing in pain, Kidman came in to tell Raven to lay off and Raven kicked Kidman and pitched him out of the ring.
- Lots of talkin' for this one...very little wrestlin'
"Diamond" Dallas Page defeated "Hollywood" Hogan via DQ in a non-title match when a fake Sting interfered on Hogan's behalf.
- Michael Buffer does the introductions for this match.
- First ever meeting of these two in singles competion. Considering how often Hogan defends his title, that's not much of a surprise.
- By the way, it's being said that Hogan was the fake Sting that clobbered Page with the bat.
- Page taking a beating. Hogan delivers a big belly to back on the floor. Also, Page's head bangs right into the camera lens.
- Hogan continues to work on the ribs. DDP is in pain even bouncing off the ropes.
- Hogan nails Page with a clothesline in the corner. Almost took his head off.
- Page mounts a comeback out of nowhere, but Page gets a big foot in the face.
- Hogan misses the LDOD. A fake Sting comes in and gets Diamond Cutterred and Hogan gets DQed.
- The entire nWo comes out for a mudhole stomp on DDP.
- Sign: "HBK is Nash's Boy"
- The real Sting comes to the ring. Scorpion Death Drop for Vincent and then Sting starts cleaning house of five nWo guys.
- A round of Scorpion Death Drops for the nWo, on the house!
Beginning of hour number three!
Disco Inferno and Undefeated Bill Goldberg went to a no-contest in a TV Title defense, I guess.
- Poor Disco. I can't believe they made him job to Jacqueline last night.
- Alex Wright attempted to Pearl Harbor Goldberg on his way to the ring. Goldberg jackhammered and clobbered him.
- Disco is laughing at the carnage. Uh-oh. Jackhammer for Disco. Mongo runs to the ring and Goldberg and Mongo have to be separated by the Keystone Cops.
- The bell never rang to start the match.
- I guess Debra gave Goldberg Mongo's Superbowl ring last night.
Hogan and Bischoff came to the ring all mad. *Yawn* Hawking his movie on TNT tomorrow night. Hogan says he'll sign a contract with Sting. I'm not sure where, as I was too busy eating.
The (Ein)Steiner Brothers defeated Public Enemy when Scott pinned Rocco Rock after a Steiner Bulldog to retain the WCW World Tag Team Titles.
- Okerlund interviews the Steiners. Scottie thanks the fans and pretty much gets booed. DiBiase takes the doughnut out of his mouth and talks. Something about an open contract for anyone who deserves a shot.
- Ohhh, I get it, the contract signing with Sting is tomorrow night, live, as an intro to Assault on Devil's Island. Obviously, they know Hogan's movie can't compete on its own with the Survivor Series retrospective.
- Announcers are completely ignoring the match and are instead talking about the contract signing.
- Cut to commercial, come back, and the World Tag Team titles are still on the line and the announcers are still ignoring the match and talking about the contract signing.
- Public Enemy is definitely playing the heels in this match.
- Scott takes a big beating and finally gots the hot tag to Rick.
WCW U.S. Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig defeated Booker T. via DQ when Ric Flair interfered.
- Another match with a major title on the line and the announcers completely ignoring the action, choosing instead to hype Hogan's movie. It's really annoying.
- Badly missed sunset flip by Booker T.
- Elizabeth powerwalks to the ring. Man, she is stacked!! I did not know that.
- Before Flair interfered, Macho Man interfered but the referee didn't see that due to Elizabeth's distraction(s).
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair defeated Randy "Macho Man" Savage via DQ when Curt Hennig interfered.
- Back from commercial and Flair attackes Savage in the aisle. He tosses Savage into the crowd and Flair starts clobbering Savage in the middle of the crowd. Flair eventually nails Nich Patrick with an elbow.
- Somebody wrote to tell me that as they guy into the crowd, somebody is holding a MiCasa sign in front of the camera and then they turn it around and it's a DDT Digest sign! If anyone has it on tape, and has one of those devices that can feed a VCR still into a JPG, I'd be extremely grateful if you could send me a JPG. (Drop me a line before you do...I'll need you to send it to a different e-mail address.)
- Wow, they stayed in the crowd for quite a while.
- So, Flair didn't get his nose fixed with the plastic surgery. Did he get a face lift?
- Savage grabs the wireless mic from Dave Penzer outside the ring and nails Flair with it.
- Flair is just ragtagging Savage outside the ring.
- Savage tries putting Elizabeth in front of himself as a shield. Flair grabs her and kisses her.
- Back up in the ring, Elizabeth goes up to the apron and pokes Flair in the eye.
- Back on the floor again. These guys are murderlizing each other.
- Savage's chest is beet red from the knife edges.
- Hennig finally interferes. Tenay says it is like walking into a buzzard's nest. Buzzard's nest?! I think he means buzzsaw or bees' nest.
- An elbowsmash from Savage from the top on Flair. Hennig returns the favor on Flair from last night on Flair.
- Fade to black.

The following report was sent in by Ben Miller, who runs the USC Pro Wrestling Center

We arrived at the San Diego State campus, which is very nice, by the way, at around 3:15 p.m. (the event started at 4:30 p.m. p.s.t)
For the first half hour, my friend and I made signs on the hood of his car to take into the event. One of mine read "Shawn is the real Icon", and the other had "DDT Digest" on one side with "MiCasa" on the other.
Our original seats should have been on the floor in the twelveth row, three seats from the railing, but the idiots at the arena only set up nine rows in our section. Luckily, we were promptly moved to the third row, but seven seats from the railing
We spent almost the entire night standing. Our section was full of rowdy people, and it was great.
They did confiscate some signs at the door. We got in before they started doing this, but people who sat near us said anything wider than shoulder width was confiscated.
The dark matches were pretty good, and Perry Saturn sustained a small cut on the back of his head during his victory.
I had never seen Hogan in person, so this was a real treat for me. I was less than seven feet from the kid he was yelling at during his last entrance. Also, his match with DDP was far better than his match the night before, IMHO.
Sting's pop was unreal. When I went to the bathroom following his appearance, my ears were ringing.
We had perfect seats because he came down the aisle right by us. I patted him on the back as he walked by. I don't know if you could see me on the broadcast, but I wear glasses, I am really skinny, and I had on a green Hawaiian shirt.
Sting was getting absolutely mobbed. He could barely make it past his adoring fans. Also, when they went to comercial, Sting gave the Diamond Cutter to the crowd in a shameless attemp to get DDP even more over than he already is. DDP smiled.
I don't particularly like Sting or his angle, but I was going nuts when he came to the ring. The pop was infectious.
Raven's nest was three rows in front of us. One of the arena guys almost sat us in their seats when they realized they didn't make seats for our tickets, but then they said those seats were "reserved"
Stevie Richards can really work a crowd. During commercials, our section was chanting "Stevie is Gay" every time he stood up. Kidman also got plenty of abuse. A boatload of fans gave the crotch chop to Stevie. That's because he was doing Razor's schtick and crotch chops himself.
There are a ton of commercials during Nitro. Pinzer did an okay job of making go by quicker.
When the Nitro girls danced, the beat of their song was the same as Luke's "Take it off". Therefore, our section (which they were right behind) obliged witth a steady chant of "Take it off" during all their routines. I found this especially funny because the in the mark family behind us, the mom covered the little kid's ears while the dad stood up and ogled the girls.
Man, am I nice, when the Nitro girls passed out candy, I caught some with my sign and gave it to the kid behind me.
The DDT Digest sign made it on TV at the open of the show. I could see it on the monitor over Tony's shoulder. Check it out if you have a tape.
I still have not seen a tape of the event. My roommate couldn't tape it for me, and I live in L.A.
During the commercial before the Savage match, my friend held up his "Sunny fears Liz" sign. He loves Liz. She saw it, and then smiled at us. He almost died right there on the spot. Plastic surgery has turned that lady into quite the fox.
Hogan got great heel heat at the open, and Flair was getting huge pops throughout. I started laughing out loud when Flair came out for his match with Savage. I was on the rail, so I couldn't see the entrance way. Savage just walked by me, and all of a sudden, Flair comes rolling by my feet. He tripped while running out. I am not sure if the cameras caught that.
Wrestlers are not that tall. I am around 6' 3", and I was about as tall as Wrath. DDP is taller than expected, though. Noticably taller than Sting.
It was great when Savage and Flair were brawling in the crowd. I was six inched from them screaming "You're the man, Flair" or "C'mon Macho" at the top of my lungs. I almost got pushed right on top of them. They are two of my all time favorites, so it was a real treat.
It was at this time that I got in the DDT Digest sign right in front of the camera. I was even holding it in front of some people's faces on accident because of my long reach (68" wingspan)
This was my third live wrestling event ever, and by far the best. King of the Ring '96 had better matches, but I was sitting too far away. Great AMerican Bash '97 was fun, but the wrestling was sub-par. Everything I possibly could have wanted and more happened at this event. Hogan wrestled a solid match, Sitng showed and I got close enough to touch him, I came inches from Flair and Macho brawling, and I got both sides of that sign in plain view of everyone watching.
Anyone who ever goes to an event, I highly suggest getting floor seats, despite the cost and trouble of buying them on the first day. It made the evnt at least ten times more exciting. Easily worth the thirty four bucks and more. Havoc sucked hardcore, but this really made up for it.

Trivia Answer: As you probably know, Steve Regal supposedly had a "problem" with a flight attendant about two months ago (see previous reports if you have no idea what I'm talking about). In 1986, Chris Adams was convicted of a misdemeanor for headbutting an airline pilot during a flight and was sentenced to three months in prison. Maybe they should form a tag team called Airline Antagonists?
Whew! That's a lot of wrestling and a lot of writing in a span of 36 hours! See you next week. By the way, I'm way behind on answering my e-mail.

WCW Monday Night Nitro - Monday, 10/27/97

By Bill

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