Opening action is "Crippler" Chris Benoit (with Brian Pillman) taking on Alex Wright. Before Wright can even get his jacket off, Benoit nails him with a clothesline and some stomps. Snap suplex by Benoit followed by an elbow to the face. He slams Wright to the mat and hits a headbutt. He yanks the hair and slams Wright hard on the mat. Northern Lights Suplex by Benoit for a one count. He throws Wright out of the ring, allowing for Pillman to choke him with his shirt.
Benoit chops and strikes Wright in the corner. Wright moonsaults away from Benoit then hits a wheel kick. Cross Body off the top by By Wright who follows with a catapult that takes Benoit over the top rope. Baseball slide by Wright followed by a cross body off the top buckle. Wright chases after Pillman, then returns to the ring. Benoit returns as well, but Wright lays a few European uppercuts and a dropkick. Cover gets a two. He locks in a Boston Crab, transitioning into an STF. Benoit gets in a thumb to the eye, but Wright comes right back with a running elbow and a snap suplex. Cover only gets a two. Pillman trips Wright, but Wright comes back with a plancha. He returns to the ring, but Benoit is right there with some strikes. Wright recovers by ramming Benoit into the buckle and tries a slingshot, only to get hit with some knees to the gut. Both men reverse each other, but Benoi wins the battle with a dragon suplex for the three.
A really hot opener. Both men looked good and clean. Wright held his own against the odds of Benoit and Pillman. Compared to a lot of Nitro matches, this had just the right amount of time, and after a week of losses for the Horsemen last week, they needed a win and it's good to see that win come from Benoit.
Up next Lord Steven Regal is in action against Eddie Guerrero. Eddie works the arm early on until Regal grabs the ropes. Drop toe hold by Regal, but Eddie comes back with a hammerlock, transitioning into a cover for a one count. Regal begins the work on the wrist, but Eddie rolls out and turns it into an arm lock of his own. Regal escapes. Regal takes Eddie back down and lays in some punches. He continues to work the wrist and works some more punches. Eddie tries a spingboard, but Regal recovers and gets a knee to the midsection. Some good action in the ring. Too bad commentary is more focused on taking pot shots at WWF.
Headscissors by Eddie. He tries a dropkick, but Regal avoids. Regal takes Eddie down again, but Eddie turns it into a cover for two. Thumb to the eye by Regal. Eddie avoids an elbow and gets in some forearms and another bridging cover for two. Regal recovers with an elbow to the face and some knees to the head. Reverse suplex by Regal and a cover for two. Headbutt to the midsection and a European uppercut by Regal who throws Eddie off the ropes. He lands several forearms to the head and tries to pick up Eddie, who rolls him up for two. Hard elbow to the face by Regal who keeps trying to cover for two. Regal lands a few stiff punches. Eddie fights back, but Regal continues to land hard strikes. European uppercuts from Regal who tries a whip, but Eddie lands a dropkick. Regal comes right back with a hard whip to the buckle and some more elbows.
Regal continues to punch him down. Eddie manages a backslide for the win. Post-match, Regal continues to lays in a few shots before Eddie escapes. A good stiff technical match. Kinda slow in places, but in a good way. The focus not on flashy spots, but on how hard hitting and tough both men are. Plus a decent ending that sells Eddie's underdog abilities.
Mean Gene is with Sting and Lex Luger. He says that Sting has some questions for Luger, which perplexes Lex. That questrion from Sting is in regards to Luger grabbing Sting in the triangle match, allowing for Ric Flair to win via count out. Luger says that he injured his knee and he reached out to Sting to help him up. He says that Sting should give him a chance at Clash of the Champions to show what a good tag team they are. Sting reluctantly agrees.
Speaking of Sting, he's in action next against Diamond Dallas Page. Page opens by shoving his cigar in the face of Sting. He continues with some punches and stomps. Sting recovers by throwing Page into the ropes and dropkicking him out of the ring. Sting follows up with a plancha over the top rope. He brings Page back into the ring and leapfrogs, but doesn't get all the way over, landing awkwardly on Page. Page uses this opportunity to stomp down Sting and follow up with a back suplex. Spinning neckbreaker by Page who covers for a two count.
He transitions into a chinlock, using the ropes when he can. Eventually Sting breaks free, only to be yanked back down with a hair pull takedown. Sting eventually breaks free for real and hits a facebuster on Page. He blocks a punch and lands several of his own. Inverse atomic drop and a dropkick followed by the Stinger Splash. He sweeps the leg and tries for the Scorpion Death Lock, but Page gets to the ropes. Page guillotines Sting on the top rope and hits a neckbreaker. Cover, but Sting kicks out. Sting gets Page in a small package for a two count. Poke to the eye by Page who whips Sting, who reverses, only to take an elbow by Page. Cover, but only a two for DDP. Page goes for a back suplex, but Sting evades and catches Page in a Scorpion Death Lock for the win. Another really good match with just the right amount of TV time. This has been an episode with great pacing so far, which seems Rare for an episode of Nitro.
It's main event time up next. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson of The Four Horsemen taking on Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Notable boos for Hogan (and maybe a bit for Savage as well). Savage and Flair seem to start, but Hulk is eager to get tagged in. He shoulder tackles Flair and mocks the Nature Boy. Flair locks in a hammerlock, but Hogan quickly reverses. Drop toe hold by Flair who tries a front facelock, only for Hogan to break free with a hammerlock of his own. Flair tries a test of strength, but it doesn't work. Neither does a chop, nor a thumb to the eye. Hogan lands a boot and clotheslines to both Arn and Flair, with some added body slams.
Tag to Arn who trie to work the arm, but Hogan reverses. Tag to Savage who lands and ax handle to the shoulder of Double A. Arm bar by Savage, but Arn takes him to the corner and lands a knee to the midsection. Arn tries a suplex to the outside, but Savage reverses, sending him into a boot from Hogan. Savage dives off the top with an ax handle. Back up to the top and another ax handle from Savage who covers, but Flair breaks the hold. Hogan chases Flair around and pulls down the trunks of Flair (too a cheering female contigent). Flair is the new legal man as he hits an elbow on Savage. He goes up, with means it's time for him to be thrown right off by Savage.
Savage locks in the figure four as Hogan grabs Arn and locks in one of his own. Flair gets a thumb to the eye on Savage and Arn comes in with a DDT. Cover, but Hogan breaks the hold. Flair then throws Savage through the ropes as he lands awkardly under the guardrail. Arn throws Savage at the rail and brings him back in as we go to break. We return with the abdominal stretch spot by Arn as Flair aids him. Flair and Arn continue to double team Savage as Flair comes in, peppering punches on the head of the Macho Man.
He takes Savage to the corner and lands some chops, followed by a hard whip to the buckle. Back suplex from Flair who covers, but Hogan breaks the count. Savage reverses a whip from Arn and locks in a sleeprer, but Arn takes him ot his corner so Flair can rake the face. With Savage thrown ouside, Flair uses the moment to throw Savage into the guardrail. Savage returns to the ring and eventually manages a backslide on Flair for two. Flair grabs the leg of Savage, drops it on his knee and tries a figure four, but Savage rolls him up for two. Small package by Savage for two. Savage blocks a right, but gets caught with a chop.
Arn comes back in and tries a DDT, but Savage avoids it. A knee by Flair sends Savage into Hogan. Flair tries a chop, but nothing again. Hogan lands a few punches and a back body drop. Clotheslines to both Arn and Flair, but Flair eventually catches him from behind. Hogan ducks a double clothesline and clotheslines the two of them out of the ring. Savage brings Arn back in as Arn lands a spinebuster... which Hogan sits up from... Again... Boot and a leg drop by Hogan for the win. Yuck.
The remaining Horsemen make it to ringside, but the Dungeon of Doom are quick to brawl with them. Giant enters the ring and attacks both Hogan and Savage. He picks Hogan up and lands a chokeslam to him. He lands one to Savage as well. Zodiac once again tells Giant to stop as we end Nitro with both Savage and Hogan laid out in the center of the ring.
A really good episode of Nitro this week from a wrestling standpoint. Far less focus on talking and general Hogan whining and moaning. Instead we got four matches with adequate amounts of time. Benoit vs Wright was good, as was Regal vs Guerrero and Sting vs Page. The main event was even good, mainly in part to how entertaining Ric Flair is. And we end with Hogan on his back for once and actually selling someone's move for once. That's a massive bonus. Overall, a solid A- is what this episode of Nitro gets.
WHO WON THE WAR WEEK #17: NITRO
Just when I thought Nitro was failing me, it finally delivers with a show I enjoyed from almost start to finish. Whereas over on Raw, we spent half the show on a match we already saw on pay per view, a ton of embarrassing crap involving the Billionaire Ted characters, two average matches and a sloppy Ahmed squash. Nitro continues to keep the pace with their ninth win.
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