T'was the Nitro on Christmas, our last stop before Starrcade 1995. Everyone's decked out in holiday garb. Even Pepe's got on a little Santa hat. Among the card tonight is Randy Savage defending his WCW title against Ric Flair. But opening action is Lex Luger taking on American Male member Scotty Riggs. This stemming from last week where Luger got the win on Marcus Bagwell.
Headlock and shoulder block by Luger to start off. Knee to the midsection followed by a couple elbows to the back. Riggs reverses a whip and hits some dropkicks and a forearm that sends Luger rolling to the outside. Luger comes back in and takes Riggs to the corner, landing a knee and some elbows. Luger rams Riggs into the buckle and whips him into another corner. Riggs avoids contact and locks an top wristlock to Luger, working the shoulder with some knees. He jumps over the rope, dropping Luger's arm over the rope.Riggs returns to the ring and continues to work the arm. Luger breaks free with a knee. Riggs avoids a back drop, gets in an arm drag takedown and continues the arm bar. Luger gets a knee to the gut. Riggs tries to hit a dropkick, but Luger avoids. Riggs ducks a clothesline and hits a cross body.
He tries for a suplex, but Luger reverses it, sending Riggs ribs first into the ropes followed by a clothesline. He brings Riggs back in with a suplex. Cover, but Riggs kicks out. Luger continues to punish the ribs and throws Riggs to the corner. Boots by Riggs help him escape the corner. Back body drop to Luger from Riggs. Inside cradle only gets a two. Riggs tries a dropkick off the top rope, but Luger avoids. Powerslam and the Rack gets the win for Luger, ending a far better match than last week's with Bagwell.
Mean Gene is with Sting. He continues to ask about Luger to which Sting (like myself) is sick of being asked about him. Sting says that Lex snapped for the wrong reasons, but maybe for the right reasons. He talks about the New Japan tournament and warns that the New Japan guys are on their territory and the USA will win. A messy kind of promo that is just a retread of what we've gotten for the last month.
Speaking of Sting, he' in action next against Big Bubba Boss Man. Punches and a shoulder block by Bubba early on, but Sting no sells. Bubba follows with an enziguri and a rib breaker. stiff punch to the jaw to Sting. Sting blocks a second attempt and rebuilds momentum with strikes and a facebuster. Bubba rolls out of the ring and tries to take a breather. But Sting just bulldogs him again into the mat. Bubba returns to the ring and works the arm with some elbows, only for Sting to wring the shoulder. Bubba gets in a poke to the eye and whips Sting to the corner, landing a splash and a hard fist.
After a cover attempt, Bubba locks in a chinlock. Sting breaks free and follows with a shoulder block. Bubba comes back with a boot and a shoulder block. Atomic drop by Bubba followed by a shoulder to the back. He throws Sting outside and continues to punch Sting, but Sting comes back with strikes of his own. Sting goes to the top rope, but another thumb to the eye. He grabs Sting, but Stings somehow turns it into a roll up for the three in a pretty good match that feels like it suffers from a rushed ending.
It's that time of the week again. Mean Gene with Luger and Jimmy Hart. Gene asks again about Luger and Sting, to which Lex says that there's nothing going on. He talks about being the uncrowned champion yet again and promises to win the title. He gets interrupted by Craig Pittman who is asking for Jimmy Hart to be his manager. Hart tells Pittman to take his shirt off, and compares bodies with Luger and says why would he ever manage him. "Here's a quarter, go call a few good men." says a jovial Jimmy Hart.
Dean Malenko is in action next against Mr. J.L. Dropkick by Malenko early on followed by a clothesline in the corner and a nice t-bone suplex. Cover, but J.L gets the two. Malenko follows with a flapjack. J.L reverses a suplex, and after some counters, rolls up Malenko for one. Headscissors by J.L sends Malenko to the outside. Flipping dive off the apron on to Malenko to the outside. J.L rams Malenko into the buckle and follows with a suplex over the ropes. Cover, but Malenko kicks out.
Chop by J.L followed by a whip to the corner. He tries a monkey flip, but Malenko blocks it. Back bridge by Malenko is turned into a sitout powerbomb. Cover, but Malenko gets the boot in. Malenko reverses a whip and alley-oops J.L throat-first into the ropes. J.L reverses a whip and gets to the top rope. However Malenko catches him and hits a gut buster off the second rope. Heel hold by Malenko gets the win in a great match, but once again a victim of being way too rushed.
Mean Gene interviews Ric Flair before the title match tonight. Flair begins his promo, but gets interrupted by Jimmy Hart, who tries to apologize for Kevin Sullivan's interruption last week. He says he owes Flair one for saving his wife after Savage attacked him. He offers to come to ringside with Flair for this match, which stinks of some kind of trap.
Speaking of that match, it's main event time. Ric Flair challenges Randy Savage for the WCW title. We don't have to worry about Hogan-sempai since he's been suspended from WCW for the remainder of 1995. Oh thank heaven. But don't worry, he's here in spirit.
As in his name is still on the frigging belt!
Savage takes Flair to the corner and spits at him (I think. there is some liquid shot). Flair takes him down and tries a knee drop, but to no avail. Savage takes the leg of Flair and begins to bash it into the buckle. He then locks in a rather ugly figure four, already playing mind games with Flair's own moveset. Hart pulls the ropes to Flair, helping him break the hold. The ref keeps Savage off Flair in the corner briefly, but Savage goes back at him, going for the ten punches, only to get hit with an inverse atomic drop. Figure four attempt is cradled by Savage for two.
Savage hits some punches in the corner, but Flair gets in a cheap shot. He throws Savage to the outside, allowing for Jimmy Hart to get in some stomps. We go to break as Flair works on Savage on the outside. We return with Savage being thrown into the guardrail. Flair returns to the ring as Savage grabs a chair from the audience. The ref forces him to let go of it. Flair guillotines Savage on the rope and finally brings him back in. Elbow to the face by Flair, as Jimmy Hart chokes him with what looks to be some sort of handkerchief.
Flair works on the arm of Savage, while using the ropes for leverage. Savage ducks an elbow and hits a clothesline. Slow cover only gets a two. Savage grabs Flair and gets in a backslide for two. Savage hits a body blow to the midsection, and wins in a short exchange of blows. Cover only gets a two. Flair begs off Savage, but Savage takes Flair to the corner. Flair gets in a low blow while Hart distracts the ref. Vertical suplex by Flair who slowly covers for two. Flair peppers in some strikes to the face as we go to another break.
We return with Flair landing some chops to Savage. Savage tries to fight back, blocking all of Flair's offense and no-selling chops. He lands some punches and a back body drop. Savage throws Flair into the corner which leads to a patented Flair flip bump, sending him outside. Ax handle off the top by Savage barely nails Flair, but he lands hard into the guardrail. Shoulder block by Flair, but Savage turns things around with a sleeper hold. Flair grabs the leg and drops it over his knee. Savage sells the damage from the offense as Flair drags him to the rope, dropping his weight on the leg. Flair locks in the figure four leg lock, using the ropes for leverage and punching the knee of Savage. Savage grabs the ropes, forcing the break.
Flair goes to the top, but Savage throws him off and hits a clothesline. Thumb to the eye by Flair who follows up with a sleeper. Savage escapes, sending Flair mouth-first into the buckle. Flair getrs up first, but Savage cradles him for two. Piledriver attempt is reversed into a back drop by Savage who covers for two. Savage goes to the top and lands an ax handle. Cover, but Flair kicks out at two. Hart distracts Savage, but gets hit in the face. Savage then starts pounding Flair.
What a surprise! Lex Luger arrives and attacks Savage. Savage throws Luger to the corner and chokes Luger. Sting runs to the ring, seemingly to help Luger, but Flair interrupts. Sting gets control with a stinger splash and a press slam. Luger and Flair retreat as Sting and Savage begin to slap one another.They're at each other's faces as Nitro comes to an end.
A pretty solid edition of Nitro that does a good job as a go-home to Starrcade. Luger and Riggs was decent at best, Sting and Bubba was a rushed brawl that was also decent, Malenko and J.L needed more time but was excellent, and the main event was a good simple title match that once again fell victim to schmoz booking by the end with run-ins and nonsense. But hey, at least there was no whining and crying from Hulk Hogan, which earns any show massive bonus points. Final rating for this Nitro is a B-. Next up, it's WCW vs New Japan Pro Wrestling and a triangle match with the winner facing Randy Savage for the title. It's Starrcade 1995. Mercifully our final stop in 1995.
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