Nitro is back after taking a week off and is live from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In our week's absence, Lex Luger has won the WCW Television Title from the out-the-door Johnny B. Badd. As for tonight's show, the main event is the same main event we saw two weeks ago, but now it has lumberjacks and leather straps. That's different enough right? R-right? Hogan, Savage and Booty Man take on Taskmaster Arn Anderson and Ric Flair.
But opening action tonight is Hacksaw Jim Duggan taking on The Giant. Hacksaw sneak attacks the Giant and tries to pummel the big man, but the Giant no-sells. Giant throws Hacksaw out with ease. Duggan tries to dive off the apron, but Giant catches him with a bearhug and throws him spine-first into the steel post. Giant throws Duggan back in and locks in a bearhug.
But the bigger story is that Brian Pillman is in the crowd trying to jump the barricade, only to be thrown out. Hacksaw breaks free out of the bearhug by biting the nose of Giant. Giant regains control in the corner with more strikes. Irish whip and an elbow from Giant. Giant then tries for a running elbow in the corner, but Duggan escapes, causing the big man to crash. Running clothesline from Duggan sends Giant falling over the ropes. But Giant gets right back in and hits a blow to the back and a boot.
Another bearhug spot, but Duggan breaks free much quicker. Headbutt to the face by Duggan who ends up falling to the outside. Duggan starts to tape up his fist with some tame on the outside, then starts smashing Giant with it, eventually knocking down the big man. Jimmy Hart grabs the tape as Duggan throws him in. He headbutts Hart out of the ring, but ends up running into a chokeslam. Cover and a three for the Giant in a slow match. Far from a trainwreck, but decent enough for the length of time given.
Up next, it's the Road Warriors taking on... OH MY GOD IT'S THE STEINERS!!! Coming in to the ring on motorcycles and replacing the Nasty Boys who were the victims of an attack. Scott and Rick returning to WCW after a stint in ECW. Scott and Hawk start things off as Scott tries for a hiptoss, only for Hawk to counter with one of his own. Stiff chops from Hawk who tries another hiptoss, but gets caught in a belly to belly. Scott with a punphandle slam. He sets Hawk up top for a belly to belly, but Hawk gets in some headbutts and a diving clothesline.
Big boot by Hawk on Scott. Scott reverses a whip, but gets caught in a neckbreaker by Hawk. Underhook slam by Scott who then tags in Rick. Tag to Animal who gets Rick with a powerslam and a dropkick. Hard slam and a jumping elbow drop follows. Rick reverses a whip and hits two clotheslines that take Animal down, then follows with a release German suplex. Rick sets Animal on the buckle nad hits a belly to belly. Tag to Scott who whips Animal and hits a perfect overhead belly to belly suplex. Scott sets Animal in the tree of woe and chokes him. Tag to Rick who continues to rake the face.
Rick whips Animal to the corner, but Animal gets the boot up. Tag to Scott who goes right into the camel clutch. Hawk quickly boots Scott off. Tag to Rick who goes into a rear chinlock. Tag back to Scott who hits a dropkick. Cover, but Animal kicks out at two. Tag to Rick who clubs Animal in the face, then tags Scott back in. Animal ducks a whip, but both men collide into each other with clotheslines. Tag to Haw and a tag to Rick. Clotheslines by Hawk, followed by stiff shots. Powerslam to Rick. He then whips Animal into Rick who hits a clothesline.
Doomsday Device to Rick. Cover, but Scott makes the save. Scott throws animal to the guardrail, then sets things up for the Steiners' own take on the Doomsday Decide. Animal stops the attempt, while Hawk slams Scott. Flying shoulder by Scott to Hawk, followed by one from Animal to Scott. Both teams continue to brawl as Scott hits a frankensteiner, but Hawk stops a cover attempt. Animal exits the ring and grabs his shoulder pad. He nails Rick with it as Hawk covers for the win in a really good tag team brawl. Four of the stiffest in the business putting on a hard hitting clinic. Right team goes over as the Road Warriors are the ones needing momentum going into the Chicago Street Fight at Uncensored.
Mean Gene is in the ring with the Steiners. Scott is on the mic and say the Road Warriors way of winning tonight was a disgrace. He says if they have a problem, if it starts with them, it ends with them. On to their replacement for the Nasty Boys, they kind of dodge the question and continues to focus on the Road Warriors. Rick is unhappy with the cheap shot by Animal and says that this ain't the end. Kind of a rambling promo, and not in the good Scott Steiner way.
Up next, it's Alex Wright taking on new WCW World Television champion Lex Luger. Luger won the championship twice actually over the past month. Defeating Johnny B. Badd on February 17th for a one day reign, and now as of March 6th, Luger defeated Badd again for the title, mainly since Badd is now on his way to the WWF. More on that at Wrestlemania 12. Now, because Luger is a double champion, and due to some legal mumbo jumbo due in part to Jimmy Hart, Sting will have to go into Uncensored's tag title Chicago Street Fight with the Road Warriors with a different partner.
Wright ducks a clothesline and hits a dropkick. Wright goes into the arm bar while Bischoff buries Johnny B. Badd on air. Luger hits a few elbows, but after some whips and dodges, Wright comes back with a shoulder block, a hurricanrana and a dropkick that sends Luger to the outside. Wright hits a running plancha to Luger. He returns to the ring and hits a big double ax handle. Cover only gets a two count. Luger pulls Wright into the buckle then hits a knee to the back that sends Wright outside.
Whip and a press slam by Luger who then flexes to the crowd. Wright counters a whip to the corner with a cross body. However, his second attempt is caught by Luger, who drops him face-first into the buckle. Luger starts shouting at Wright as he whips him hard into the corner and slaps him hard. Wright gets a boot out of the corner and blocks a punch with several of his own, followed with some European uppercuts. Back body drop by Wright, followed by a spin kick. Cover for two. Wright goes up and hits a missile dropkick. He goes for a moonsault, but Jimmy Hart grabs his leg, giving Luger enough time to hit a slam for the win in an okay enough match. Nothing amazing, but worked well to continue this supposed "shades of grey" Luger.
Main event time up next. A six-man double strap lumberjack match (that's a mouthful). Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Taskmaster vs Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and the Booty Man. Amon the lumberjacks at ringside include the Giant and Loch Ness. How they found a flannel shirt big enough for Loch Ness is beyond me. The faces run in early on and start brawling. Giant grabs Hogan as Flair chops him. When Hogan escapes, suddenly Loch Ness and Giant start brawling with each up up the entrance way.
Back in the ring, Hogan lashes Flair with the strap and starts choking him, while the other faces continue offense. A lot of chaos ensuing. Hogan no-sells Flair's chops and whips and punches the nature boy. Meanwhile outside, the lumberjacks start brawling with each other and Kimberly is at the entrance way with roses yet again. Savage chokes Arn while Flair gets clotheslined outside. Flair tries to run away, but Animal grabs him and takes him back to ringside whle the lumberjacks continue to fight each other.
Flair starts choking Hogan with the strap while Arn locks a figure four on Booty Man. The heels start attacking Hogan on the outside witht he stratps. Hogan, being Hogan, takes no damage, and beats down every single heel lumberjack. More brawling on the outside with the lumberjacks while Hogan chokes Flair some moreHe throws Flair into Sullivan with the strap, but Flair manages a thumb to the eye. Hogan continues to choke Flair some more then hits a boot and a leg drop to win this mess of a main event.
Post-match, Gene is in the ring with Sullivan, Arn and Flair. Sullivan tells us about the doomsday cage match at Uncensored. Four cages atop each other that Hogan and Savage have to survive. First cage is Arn, second cage is Sullivan and Luger, and the last cage is Flair. In other words, just like this match, it's overbooked garbage already. Arn says that nothing tonight vaguely resembled professional wrestling (ain't it the truth). He says that this feud won't be over "til death do us part". Flair screams about wanting Hogan and Savage, saying that he has what they want in Elizabeth. A manic end promo to end a manic episode of Nitro.
A very mixed bag edition of Nitro this week. The strongest highlight was easily the Steiners vs the Road Warriors. Having Scott and Rick back has already renewed a lot of interest for me with this blog. Giant vs Hacksaw was slow, but far from the mess I thought it would be, and Luger vs Wright felt like a bit of a sloppy squash, but was also far from offensive. The main event though, woof! Overbooked and beyond with straps and lumberjacks and no actual tag team work. Just another week where Hogan and his pals get to squash the heels and look strong. Remember last time when I said it feels like WCW is in a holding pattern? This did not help at all. Final rating for this middling show is a C.
WHO WON THE WAR WEEK #24: RAW
While Nitro was a "basics" edition this week, Raw did offer some interesting stuff as we get closer to Wrestlemania. I liked the Bret and Shawn segments, I liked Austin and Savio ending in a brawl, and Goldust/Piper was the right kind of uncomfortable. Even the Billionaire Ted stuff felt less intrusive this week. In the end, neither show was truly amazing this week, but if I had to choose, I think Raw just ekes it out for their 12th win.
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