Up next is the continuing saga between Scott "Flash" Norton and Sharkquake. Sharkquake attacks Norton from the rampway, which causes them to brawl around the ring. Norton gets thrown to the steps and is finally brought to the ring, where this match can begin. Bearhug into a belly to belly suplex by Sharkquake, who lands a big elbow drop. He throws Norton into the corner and lands a big splash. Norton begins to no-sell Sharkquake's strikes and dodges an attack in the corner, landing a big powerslam for the three count. A decent brawl to open Nitro, but a little too much no-selling for my tastes.
Meanus Geneus is with Sullivan and Jimmy Hart. Immediately I have to say "Again? This is the fourth week in a row!". Hart says that tonight is Sting's night as Hogan has nothing left right now. He talks about the upcoming Baywatch episode and tries to stir the pot by bringing up how Hogan gave a spot to Savage and not Sting. Sullivan talks the 60-man battle royal at World War 3, and it's retread that Hogan will fail and the Dungeon of Doom will win.
Disco Fever! Disco Fever! Disco Inferno is dancing on the entrance way and hocking his new Disco Fever CD. He gets easily accosted by Eddie Guerrero who is in action next against Ric Flair. However, Flair is in street clothes as it's apparent that he's not in the mood to wrestle tonight. He's so focused on Sting, that he'll let Brian Pillman have the honors of pounding Eddie instead. Arn and Benoit are gassing up the jet, so Brian will take care of Flair's light work.
Pillman slaps Eddie in the face and lands a back elbow and some hard chops. He throws Eddie to the corner, but eats an elbow, a headscissors and a dropkick instead. Eddie lands a back suplex. Eddie goes up, but Pillman catches hm with a dropkick. Pillman follows up by biting Eddie's face and choking him into the ropes. Eddie reverses a whip and rolls up Pillman for two. Facebuster by Pillman, but Eddie comes back with some super stiff chops. Pllman reverses a whip and lands a back body drop. Cover attempts only yield two counts.
Strike to the head and a suplex by Pillman, who covers, but only gets a two count. Both men exchange super stiff chops, but Pillman comes back with a thumb to the eye. Eddie escapes a chinlock, but gets caught with a powerslam by Pillman who covers for two. Eddie spears Pillman and lays strikes. Eddie tries to suplex Pillman over the ropes, but Pillman reverses, suplexing Eddie to the outside. Pillman dives off the buckle, but Eddie avoids, causing Flyin' Brian to get a mouth full of guardrail. Eddie comes back with a beautiful dive.
Pillman begs off Eddie, but Eddie tries to come back, landing a brainbuster. He calls for the frog splash, but Pillman gets up and hits the ropes, causing Eddie to crash and burn. He calls for the superplex, but Eddie shoves him down. Frog splash gets the win for Eddie in a great back and forth affair. Good to see Eddie being booked strongly as a resilient underdog. Perfect guy for the role at this point as he's been the consummate workhorse since we started with him.
Up next, it's Hawk taking on Big Bubba Boss Man. Another Pear Harbor open as Hawk sneak attacks Bubba. Big back body drop and a stiff clothesline by the Road Warrior. He grabs Bubba's legs and slams him down, knocking Bubba's gimmick out of his pocket. Hawk goes for a splash, but Bubba avoids. Stiff punches from Bubba who catches Hawk with a knee to the face and a clothesline. Bearhug is quickly broken by Hawk who catches him with some strikes, until he gets caught in a spinebuster from Bubba. Cover only gets a two.
Bubba drapes Hawk into the ropes, but Hawk comes back with a punch to the face. Bubba throws Hawk into the corner, but Hawk ends up colliding into him, knocking both men down. This feels like a drunk stumble at htis point. Bubba avoids a clying clothesline. He tapes his gimmick (a roll of quarters) and goes for a fist, but Hacksaw Jim Duggan trips him. Cover by Hawk for the three. The reason for Hacksaw's involvement is that both men will have a taped fist match at World War 3. Overall, a decent brawl, but just felt like Hawk and Bubba were stumbling around for the most part.
Up next, it's the main event of the evening. Hulk Hogan (still in black) against Sting (who is wearing red and yellow). Clearly some mind games from the Stinger. Randy Savage, arm in a sling due to the attack by Luger last week, calls for Hogan to come out from the ramp way. But Hogan, decked in a black Lone Ranger mask, sneaks up from behind on Sting. The bell rings and Sting is first to lay in some hard strikes and chops on Hogan. Hogan reverses a whip and stumbles into a whip, as the crowd boos and chants "Hogan Sucks". Music to my ears.
Hogan takes Sting to the corner and lays in some fists. Sting comes back with dropkicks that send Hogan over the top rope. Hogan drags him out and brawls with Sting around ringside, slamming him into the apron, smashing him into the barricade and landing a suplex to the outside. He brings Sting back in and hits a terrible fist strike. Sting comes back with a cross body for a two count. Both men lock in hammerlocks, but Hogan is the victor, taking him down. He goes for an arm bar, twisting the arm around his legs. Sting comes back with some wringers of his own and turns it around into an arm bar of his own, even getting in some grinding to the face.
Hogan turns from a full nelson into another headlock. He takes him down, but Sting tries to roll him up for two. Sting comes back, throwing Hogan into the corner. Stinger splash is turned into a bearhug by Hogan. Boot to the midsection from Hogan followed by an elbow
That did a lot of damage to that air.
Hogan lands a suplex and covers Sting for two. Sting reverses a whip and kicks Hogan's leg out of his leg. He begins the leg work, locking in a leg lock. He then locks in the Scorpion Death Lock. And Hogan, being a no-selling prick, just breaks free and starts hulking up. Punches, a big boot and a leg drop by Hogan, but Sting avoids the leg drop. Sting goes back for the lock and connects. Hogan, whining like a crybaby, grabs the referee and starts shouting "don't let him break my leg!" God I hate Hogan.
Since the mighty Hogan-Senpai can't lose clean, here come the Dungeon of Doom for the show ending shmoz. They pummel Hogan and Sting, but the faces (I guess Hogan is still technically a face) lay them out with ease. the Giant arrives and goes for a chokeslam, but Savage hits him with a chair, hurting his own arm. Giant no-sells and chokeslams him. Hogan and Sting grab the chair and slam it at the Giant, sending him to the outside. Sullivan and Hart head to the announce position yelling at Bischoff about Hogan and Sting as they make their leave.
This Nitro was kind of bland, honestly. Eddie and Pillman was a delight, but even that I felt could have been much more exciting than it was. Basic brawl affairs with Sharkquake and Norton, as well as Hawk and Bubba. I feel like we're just spinning our wheels with the Dungeon of Doom since the turn of Jimmy Hart and we've gotten the same promo from him every single week since. And of course the main event, which should have been at least decent, but then you realize this match involved Hulk Hogan and he remains a massive scumbag. Even the ending of the show feels like something we've seen a dozen times now. Overall, for a show with such a marquee main event, it felt really lacking. And thus this show gets a C-.
WHO WON THE WAR WEEK #11: RAW
Nitro spun its wheels this week while Raw came off hot of a solid event in Survivor Series 1995. Lots more felt like it happened on Raw with the concussion angle with Shawn Michaels along with Diesel explaining his actions for his recent heel turn. While Nitro just felt like a repeat episode this week instead of a hot go-home show for World War 3. Raw is catching up to Nitro with its fifth win so far. Will Nitro come back after our next review, the manic World War 3? Will I even be able to accurately call a match involving three rings and sixty men? Pray for me.
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