OOOLD SCHOOOOL

[The Cum Doctor]

Meh. Am I alone in this thread ? I'm gonna continue my Nitro watching anyways, and I'll continue to post my stuff in here so long as I'm not ordered off or something, and I can't see why that would happen.

 

WCW Nitro 09/10/1995

 

Sting gets to the commentary booth and he has words about the Luger/Savage situation. He says that later tonight, he is going to solve the problem. Hmm.

 

Sting © vs. The Shark - WCW United States Championship

 

For anyone who isn't aware, and I can't imagine this being many people, The Shark is John Tenta. This match isn't really long enough to mean anything. Shark didn't look bad ... well, he actually looked awful when it comes to the ring attire. I thought that the Dungeon of Doom would have been doing something at ringside though. This whole thing seemed to be just to get Sting over, which is fair enough. Squash match.

 

We then look back to Hulk Hogan getting done in by the Dungeon of Doom and getting his hair cut. Cracking angle there.

 

Mr. JL vs. Sabu

 

It's an ECW invasion ! Oh, more gimmick news, as Jerry Lynn is the man under the Mr. JL mask. What a horrible mess of a match this is. It's just basically a bunch of moves glued together with no actual meaning. The fact most of Sabu's offense looks horrible only adds to the misery here. Not a good match at all.

 

Mean Gene is in the ring with Sting and Lex Luger. Sting says he needs Randy Savage out here. Savage gets paranoid in a big way, and as soon as I type that, Sting points it out. Sting wants a rematch at Halloween Havoc and Luger isn't happy with that. Luger accepts the match eventually though.

 

Disco Inferno comes out for a bit of a dance, even though he isn't due to wrestle. His music gets shut off so as Big Bubba can come out for his match, so he busts out a radio and puts his music on. HAHA !!! Brilliant ! The dancing continues.

 

Big Bubba vs. Road Warrior Hawk

 

This match is just a bruising big man brawl untill Disco Inferno comes down, and this causes Hawk to go after him and beat the shit out of him. Which then causes the referee to count him out. Booooooo. I was hoping that we would at least get something from these two guys here. Turned out to be a set up for something down the line, even if I'm not exactly sure what it is.

 

Mean Gene brings out Hulk Hogan. He's in the ring in all black and he says it's time to take care of business. Mean Gene says that The Giant has been barred from the arena. The Dungeon of Doom show up anyways. Oh, that's why they weren't here. Hogan goes back to find The Giant. That's the last we hear from that untill we come back from commercial and they are keeping Hogan and The Giant apart with the cops.

 

Arn Anderson vs. Ric Flair - Steel Cage Match

 

This time around, even Arn Anderson isn't interested in a wrestling match, as he goes right into brawling mode. Unlike the previous matches, this match kind of gets a bit dull as Flair decides to start struting and taunting much more than usual and it just doesn't work with this match. More strangeness at the end of this match as Anderson decides to use a foreign object to win and the commentators scream for a DQ. Can you get a DQ in a Cage Match ? Anyways, disappointing match.

 

Ric Flair grabs a headset and says he wants both Pillman and Anderson next week in a match.

 

OVERALL

*******

 

Absolutely nothing of real note on this show, apart from the announcement of the potential Luger vs. Savage match on the PPV. Waste of time here I'm afraid.

 

WCW Nitro 16/10/1995

 

The sound on this one is horrific, but I'm gonna work through it anyways.

 

We look back to WCW Pro and Ric Flair asking Sting to become his tag team partner. Sting agrees, and says that he will leave Ric Flair for dead if he swerves him.

 

Diamond Dallas Page © vs. Johnny B. Badd - WCW Television Championship

 

This is happening because Page cost Badd a title shot in the past because he gave Badd flat tyres. That man is dedicated to cowardice ! He decides to really add to this by hitting Badd in the back of the head with the belt and getting DQed before the match even starts. Oh come on ! The Diamond Doll wasn't happy with that, which I'm sure we're going to see followed up in the future.

 

Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero

 

Knowing my luck, they're gonna go to some backstage shenanigans during this match, since it looks like a belting technical match. This was a different sort of technical match from the Malenko one because of the aggression brought in by Chris Benoit, which didn't hinder the match in any way. Infact, this might have been even better than the match with Malenko. A super piece of action here.

 

Mean Gene is in the ring. He brings out The Taskmaster and The Giant, and this is only going to be a bad thing. Kevin Sullivan is absolutely dire on the microphone. I completely zoned out for a minute of his promo. The point of things is that the Hulkamaniacs will become the children of the Dungeon of Doom. He then introduces us to The Giant. He'll destroy Hogan and we're back with the commentary team.

 

Disco Inferno hits the ramp and gets dancing. I have to admit that this is getting pretty amusing. Right, there's a match to happen here.

 

Meng vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

 

Meng was the most agile guy in the match, which should tell you something about how good this match turns out. It's not very good.

 

Arn Anderson and Bryan Pillman vs. Sting and Ric Flair

 

Arn Anderson hasn't actually had an entrance to the ring on TV during this series of matches. That is the sort of treatment that you give to a jobber. Ric Flair just decides to extend his ass kicking of the last few weeks into the current scenario with severe chopping for both men. The booking of Flair during this period was absolutely awesome. The match was pretty decent, but I preferred it when Sting wasn't around.

 

We talk to Sting and Ric Flair at the end of the show. Sting is convinced that Ric Flair is on the straight and narrow and wants to be his tag team partner. Bobby Heenan can't believe it. He thinks Sting is a mug.

 

OVERALL

*******

 

This wasn't much in the way of major storyline development. The Giant/Hogan and Luger/Savage stuff went absolutely nowhere. Two really good matches in there though, so you can't complain.

[The Cum Doctor]

It's a triple shot this time around !

 

WCW Nitro 23/10/1995

 

Kurasawa vs. Randy Savage

 

This is the second time I've seen Savage curtain jerking. And he hasn't even main evented a show yet ! Obviously high in the pecking order for WCW. Was Kurasawa trying deliberately to suck all of the life out of this match ? Thankfully, the fans were not willing to give up on the match easily thanks to their love for Randy Savage. I have to admit that I love his "kick the ringpost" spot that he seems to like doing. Not as good, or as funny, as Lionheart punching a ringpost, but I'll take it. Poor match anyways.

 

The lights go out and some baldy podgy guy shouts some stuff. I can't hear what he's saying, but this is hilarious regardless.

 

Mean Gene has The Taskmaster and The Giant in front of a block of ice. The Taskmaster says that he brought an insurance policy in the block of ice. The Giant says that Hogan is running out of lives, and he says that he'll take his last life from him. Another nothing promo from these two guys. Apparently there's a yeti in that block of ice. Oh man, they aren't adding a yeti are they ? I can't remember if they did.

 

After the break, Hulk Hogan comes out to the ring. He's wearing the black again. He says he doesn't fear evil and he does not fear no man because he carries all of the Hulkamaniacs on his back. "Everyone knows what a man with black gloves and a black bandana is capable of doing." What the fuck ?!?! He says he'll beat everyone one at a time and refers to himself as "the bad guy" a couple of times. It was a decent enough promo actually, but it didn't really advance anything.

 

Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero and Mr. JL

 

Oh man, this is top quality stuff coming up. Alex Wright has apparently got an injured knee and will be replaced by JL for this match, but Wright comes out to offer moral support. I don't think this is going to end well for the babyface team. Whatever you want from tag team wrestling and cruiserweight action, you'll probably find it here. The match dulls down a bit and could have probably done with a couple of minues shaved off considering what they were going for, but this was a good match.

 

After the match, Diamond Dallas Page attacks Eddie Guerrero with the Diamond Cutter.

 

Harlem Heat vs. Sting and Lex Luger

 

During this match, we have a new similie for The Big Show's hand. "He has a hand like a car door.". Much more effective than a frying pan I bet. Anyways, this was a pretty boring tag team match as neither Sting or Luger looked anything close to interested, and the Heat weren't exactly excelling in control of the match.

 

After the match, The Giant comes out and Chokeslams Luger and Sting and The Taskmaster is out there with him. Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan hit the ring. Savage gets out and the two men brawl in the ring. The Taskmaster gets into the ring and that gets a ring invasion going. The two men eventually get split up. Someone breaks out of the block of ice and we don't even get to see who it was. Jesus christ.

 

OVERALL

*******

 

Apart from the molten hot ending of the show, there really isn't much to see here. The tag team match with Benoit and co. is fine but not the blowaway stuff you'd expect, and there was also a distinct lack of Disco ! The ending was a brilliant go home for the PPV though.

 

WCW Nitro 30/10/1995

 

Halloween Havoc was the night before and apparently things happened which you won't believe. The Giant stole the WCW Title.

 

Sgt. Craig Pittman vs. Eddie Guerrero

 

Apparently it was supposed to be Savage against Pittman, but he got injured last night and Guerrero is going to take his place. This is going to be interesting since I have no idea how far down to his level that Pittman can actually drag Eddie. Pittman completely botches two moves within 30 seconds of the match starting. Jesus. This match is about as horrible an Eddie Guerrero match as you're ever likely to see. Infact, it might even be worth a look just to see Eddie in a match this bad.

 

The Shark vs. Scott Norton

 

This came as a result of some Dungeon of Doom miscommunication leading to The Shark costing Norton a match with Savage, which caused Norton to go absolutely batshit and attack The Shark last week. This is like a big man match on speed. This means that the match is at least entertaining as they keep the match moving constantly untill the crappy ending, which probably means that the fued between these guys continues.

 

The brawl continues after the match is done, and Norton is in control, but the referee splits them up and The Shark takes his chance to get the hell out of there.

 

Bobby Heenan is with Sonny Ono talking about the show.

 

Tony Schiavone is in the ring, and we see pictures of Ric Flair turning on Sting and getting the Horsemen together. The Three Horsemen are then brought to the ring. Ric Flair says that the three will soon be four, and says that the Horsemen are the best thing going today, whether we like it or not. He says that if Sting doesn't like it, The Horsemen will be in town next week ready to go to work. The fans HATE the Horsemen, making this fun.

 

Sabu vs. Disco Inferno

 

Poor Disco. After weeks of fun and games from this guy, it looks like he's going to be massacred. Disco Inferno actually gets in more offense than the usual Sabu opponent which makes me sorta happy, but it turns out to be just a squash match anyways. Much like earlier squash matches with Sabu, this isn't really worth watching.

 

Sabu brings a table out to the ringside area. SABU DOES A SLINGSHOT SENTON ONTO AN UNBREAKABLE TABLE !!! Disco Inferno gets out of there and Sabu goes nuts.

 

Lex Luger and Meng vs. The American Males

 

It turns out that Lex Luger and Jimmy Hart joined with The Taskmaster and the Dungeon of Doom. At least they finally paid off the Luger "will he won't he ?" thing. This was a pretty crappy main event. Especially when Scotty Riggs was in there. He had no place in a main event. Neither did Marcus Bagwell to be honest, but at least he looked decent when he was in the ring. Poor main event.

 

We then have a look at the footage of the main event of Halloween Havoc 1995. It started with Jimmy Hart knocking out the referee, and then turning on Hogan. Lex Luger and Randy Savage then hit the ring and Luger attacks Savage to make sure that he can't get up, and then some tadger in a mummy costume, who they are calling the Yeti, helps The Giant.

 

We come back to Tony Schiavone who is in the ring with Lex Luger, The Taskmaster, Jimmy Hart and The Giant. Hart says that HE was the evil in Hogan's backyard. The Giant says that he will defend the belt, and The Taskmaster basically says I told you so.

 

OVERALL

*******

 

Man these shows have been getting uneventful. This is another one for the "skip" column.

 

WCW Nitro 06/11/1995

 

The fans choose the main event.

 

Cobra vs. The Giant

 

The Giant forces the ring announcer to say that this is a title match even though The Giant only stole the belt. Cobra should be DQed on the basis of a horrific entrance theme anyways. This match turns out to be the quickest match on Nitro so far. The match is a chokeslam and three count long.

 

Sting wants the fans to pick Sting vs. Lex Luger.

 

The Taskmaster vs. Renegade

 

The Renegade is one of the most ridiculous gimmicks that WCW came up with. Well, infact, it's not even the most ridiculous gimmick of that MONTH for WCW, since they showed The Yeti earlier. He's not a horrible wrestler though and keeps this thing entertaining while he's in control, which is the majority of the match. Shame that he was the only one interested in putting out a decent match here.

 

Ric Flair is backstage, and he says that if Sting doesn't like him, he should do something about it.

 

Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero

 

No complaints about seeing this match again. I could watch these two guys wrestling every single week. The match was absolutely nowhere near as good as the match they had weeks before, and had a pretty crappy ending which is pretty poor considering that they usually spot the foot on the ropes. I can't believe that the refereeing would be that bad all of a sudden. Not a bad match though.

 

Sting is livid that Ric Flair used "the little Stingers" at the PPV.

 

Sting vs. Ric Flair

 

The fans have voted for this one ! No surprise really considering how badly Ric Flair screwed over Sting. Brilliantly booked main event, with Flair wrestling a completely different match than he had been doing in the weeks previous, in an almost desperate manner while Sting is the man on fire for a change. Good main event to the show, but I can't help but feel that we got too clean a match here between the two guys too soon after the big swerve.

 

Wrestlers try to get Sting to release the Scorpion Deathlock and he eventually does it. Luger comes down and tries to talk some sense into Sting, and he eventually does. Sting and Luger leave together. Hmmmm.

 

We're in the ring with The Taskmaster, The Giant and Jimmy Hart. Jimmy Hart confirms that The Giant won the title. A lawyer comes out and says that the WCW Title is vacated because of the way that the match was awarded to Giant, and that means World War 3 is for the title.

 

OVERALL

*******

 

This was a decent show from an angle standpoint. The action in the ring was decent as well, even if it was never amazing which is disappointing considering what two of the matches were.

[bAzTNM#1]

Wasn't there a Hogan - Arn Anderson match from around this time, that Anderson actually won?

Edited August 3, 2009 by bAzTNM

[NEWM]

Wasn't there a Hogan - Arn Anderson match from around this time, that Anderson actually won?

 

And, if I'm not mistaken, a match in which Hogan had Ric Flair in a figure four the when Arn ran to break it up, pinned Anderson with an inside cradle, all the while holding on to the figure four. That's some grade A career killing there.

 

[Kenny McBride]

Wasn't there a Hogan - Arn Anderson match from around this time, that Anderson actually won?

 

I think it's in a couple of weeks. If memory serves, Arn actually beat Hogan twice - perhaps even on consecutive weeks of TV.

 

I fucking love this stuff. I have quite a few of these Nitros on tape, and while Bischoff is a pain in the ass and Mongo is the world's worst commentator and a lot of stuff is just a giant clusterfuck, there's something about it all that makes it a ton of fun. The Sting/Luger saga is great, the Horsemen and Pillman stuff is great (I never once bought the Pillman "shooting" stuff, but the stuff where he starts fires with the Dungeon and Arn has to slap him down for it is fucking amazing TV), and then you've got the likes of Guerrero, Benoit, Alex Wright and others lighting up the undercards. Savage gets more and more airtime as the weeks go on, Haraga, don't worry.

[bAzTNM#1]

Wasn't there a Hogan - Arn Anderson match from around this time, that Anderson actually won?

I think it's in a couple of weeks. If memory serves, Arn actually beat Hogan twice - perhaps even on consecutive weeks of TV.

A quick Google check gives me 12/2/96 as the day of the first match.

Edited August 3, 2009 by bAzTNM

[The Cum Doctor]

The Sting/Luger saga is great

 

Everything from the Luger comeback onwards is brilliantly done, and has me almost glued every time to see what happens with it. The Sting/Luger stuff going on right now has me intrigued since I can't remember a single fucking thing that happened.

 

And, if I'm not mistaken, a match in which Hogan had Ric Flair in a figure four the when Arn ran to break it up, pinned Anderson with an inside cradle, all the while holding on to the figure four. That's some grade A career killing there.

 

 

I can't wait to see that.

 

I'm gonna dump the OVERALL stuff from the end of the recaps.

 

WCW Nitro 13/11/1995

 

Backstage promo time, and Hulk Hogan looks like a right dick in a black robe and some sort of mask. He says The Dungeon of Doom are scared of Hogan. He says that Savage is going to bring the head of Meng on a silver platter. He doesn't know if Sting is on his side. He's obsessed with Meng and this silver platter.

 

Meng vs. Randy Savage

 

I was actually enjoying Meng in this match, and thinking that he looked totally badass in this match, but then he started to get as boring as sin and stayed in the corner chopping Savage for about three minutes. Took all of the momentum out of the match that he helped to build. The match was still decent though thanks to the intensity of both men.

 

The Shark hits the ring after the match to attack Savage. Lex Luger hits the ring as well. They attack the arm of Savage with a brutal attack.

 

Kensuke Sasaki vs. Chris Benoit

 

The fans don't take long to get into Sasaki thanks to the aggression and the snap that he adds to his moves. This match wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be though. It was far, far too short and as a result, it just felt like a bunch of moves glued together.

 

The commentators said that Chris Benoit is in the Horsemen during this match. Did I miss something here ?

 

Johnny B. Badd © vs. Eddie Guerrero - WCW Television Championship

 

This is a really good fast paced cruiserweight style match from these two guys. Johnny B Badd brought all of the high flying to this match while Eddie Guerrero was trying to keep the match on the ground and basically pin Badd whenever he got the oppertunity. Love when the two guys just start leathering each other and the referee has to split them and tell them that he'll end the match. The time limit draw means we're going to get more of this in the future, which I won't complain about since this was great.

 

After the match they continue brawling. They then shake hands out of respect for each other.

 

Mean Gene is in the ring with Jimmy Hart, The Taskmaster and The Giant. Hart says the only thing that bothers him is he doesn't know what he's going to do with the 500 Hulkamania jackets. HA ! The Taskmaster says that the title will go to The Giant, and it'd be stupid to bet against him. The Giant : "There can be only one !". Highlander ? I get his point and we head for commercials. Decent promo there actually when anyone other than The Taskmaster was talking.

 

Dean Malenko vs. Sting

 

Hey ! This should actually be a decent match ! Dean Malenko actually looks ridiculously small next to Sting here. Malenko is clearly aware of this and goes for the leg at the first possible oppertunity. Sting annoyingly forgets all about the leg injury the very second that he starts to make his comeback which is annoying, but this was a decent back and forth battle and Malenko was made to look pretty good in there.

 

Mean Gene is in the ring with Sting. Gene says that Hogan wants Sting one on one next week. He doesn't get Hogan coming and looking for him. He says he's looking forward to meeting Hogan to clear up everything. A basic promo to set up the main event for next week.

 

Show done.

 

WCW Nitro 20/11/1995

 

Scott Norton vs. The Shark

 

This match doesn't even reach the ring initially as they just beat the shit out of each other on the aisle and at ringside before getting into the ring. This time we actually get a winner though. With a Body Slam. What is this, an old Survivor Series match ? Regardless of this weird ending of such a heated fued at the moment, this was yet more fun from these two guys as they just want to kill each other at the moment.

 

The Shark is none too amused with that ending. I wouldn't be either. He just got pinned with a Body Slam.

 

We have Mean Gene with Jimmy Hart and The Taskmaster. Jimmy Hart tries to put a wedge between Sting and Hogan, as if it wasn't there already. The Taskmaster gets the microphone, and I die a little inside. I'll admit that he made me zone out again and I have no idea what he said.

 

Disco Inferno comes out for a dance before Eddie's music hits. I thought we weren't gonna see that again.

 

Bryan Pillman vs. Eddie Guerrero

 

It was supposed to be Ric Flair facing Eddie, but he says that he's gonna give Pillman this one. Eddie got the win in this one and it was an absolutely massive one for Eddie it has to be said. The match wasn't all that great though. I don't get why since I got some amusement from Pillman and Eddie brought the big offense. Something was missing here though.

 

Big Bubba vs. Road Warrior Hawk

 

Love it when Hawk ends up in a Bearhug and Hawk just gives a sort of "what is this ?" look and then goes on to beat the crap out of Bubba. This was a bit of a nothing match. Mongo : "Look at this action.". Yeah, I'm looking at it, and it's not very good. The ending is pretty stupid as well, but it builds to the Duggan/Bubba match that's going to happen. Thank god the build up for THAT hasn't been on Nitro. This match is one for skipping.

 

Sting vs. Hulk Hogan

 

Sting is wearing the red and yellow of Hulk Hogan. Hogan was going to attack from behind before Sting actually stopped him and noticed him. The fans are booing Hogan like hell as a result of his tactics. Hogan brought all sorts of heel stuff here and did it well, and this match might have a lot to do with why WCW knew that the Hogan heel turn would work if it was done right. Not a great match by any stretch, and a lot of missed stuff, but this is worth watching to see Hogan doing this stuff as a babyface.

 

The Dungeon of Doom hit the ring and everyone is brawling and the significant thing about this is that Sting is fighting back against the Dungeon. Savage stops a Double Chokeslam on Sting and Hogan. Savage eats the Chokeslam himself. Double chair shot sends The Giant over the top rope and to the floor.

 

Show done.

 

WCW World War 3 1995

 

WCW declares war ! Mean Gene is with Hogan, Sting and Luger. Hogan says the dark side of Hulk Hogan is gone. Everyone declares happy days. I thought this was supposed to be war ?!?! PUSSIES !!!

 

Johnny B. Badd © vs. Diamond Dallas Page - WCW Television Championship

 

The winner of this match gets the Diamond Doll. The Doll has shown signs that she would rather be with Badd and DDP is trying to win her over. Not gonna do much good if he loses here ! DDP called him "Johnny B Bozzo" before the match. Not the best of insults there. For the most part, this match was really good storytelling, but I reckon it could have done to lose a couple of minutes. The stuff with the Diamond Doll on the floor was also pretty good. Nice match.

 

Big Bubba vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan - Taped Fist Match

 

I don't get the point of making this a taped fist match. They didn't really sell the punches an awful lot, and the match was just like a normal match with the exception of added tape. They eventually get some taped fist stuff going after a while, but since they killed the credibility after a while, I couldn't get into it. It was weird to see the heel win a match in spite of interference. Big Bubba is clearly better than most !

 

Ric Flair is with Mean Gene. Once again, he goes on about The Horsemen being the best thing going today. He says that once again, The Nature Boy will rule WCW.

 

Cutie Suzuki and Mayumi Ozaki vs. Bull Nakano and Akira Hokuto

 

Expectations are high here. I have no idea why since I haven't seen most of these women, but I've heard good things about Hokuto and I do like what I seen from Nakano. Everything about Nakano here is brilliant. The match takes a while to get going, but boy oh boy does this get going. The opening minutes are unforgivably dull. This match also features the most horrible ( in a good way ) German Suplex I have ever seen. This starts horribly, but regardless of that, it's well worth a watch.

 

We're with Mean Gene, Lex Luger and Jimmy Hart. Hart says that Luger has everything. Luger says that he is the flagship of WCW, but he seems to be talking to the floor. Hmm.

 

Kensuke Sasaki © vs. Chris Benoit - WCW United States Championship

 

Could someone tell me how Sasaki managed to win the US Title and where he won it ? Benoit has lost the trunks which has the big star at the back of 'em. I expected much, much more from this match. The only interesting thing about it was Chris Benoit busting out some of the stuff that he would become known for, but hadn't yet pulled out of the bag at this point in WCW.

 

We have The Taskmaster, Jimmy Hart and The Giant with Mean Gene. The Taskmaster calls The Giant the uncrowned champion. The Giant goes fucking mental talking about Hogan. That's the most mental I've seen him to date.

 

We now have Randy Savage with Mean Gene, who is certainly earning his corn this evening. Mean Gene asks if Savage is jittery. "I'm always jittery.". Fair enough. Savage says that he's a million percent fit, which is better than one hundred percent, even though he has the bad arm from the attack of the Dungeon of Doom.

 

Lex Luger vs. Randy Savage

 

This is a fued that has been building and building and it's finally gonna explode in a BIG way here. I can't see this being the end of it, but I've been looking forward to it anyways. It says a lot for WCW's booking at this time that I was looking forward to a Luger match. This match is the very meaning of TV stuff. Having these two guys in a match which lasts 5 minutes and is only angle development and putting it on a PPV is absolutely criminal.

 

Sting comes out and helps Randy Savage by talking to Lex Luger who gets up and leaves.

 

Ric Flair vs. Sting

 

This is one bigass grudge match. Flair turned on Sting, who said that if Flair did that, he'd leave him for dead. I've watched this one before, so thankfully, I know how disappointing this match is. I'm not sure if I'd call a Sting/Flair match disappointing anymore though, considering how painfully mediocre and average every match I've seen from them has been. I've not had the chance to see their acclaimed 45 minute match yet, but I've seen a good few other matches and none of them has been particularly good, and this one is the same.

 

Mean Gene is with Hulk Hogan again. How come Hogan gets TWO promos ? Hogan says that he's going to prove that Hulkamania is the greatest power in the universe.

 

World War 3 Match - WCW World Heavyweight Championship

 

60 men in 3 rings. I don't like battle royals at the best of times, so I can just imagine how much I'm going to despise this one. Every right gets their own commentators which is a nice touch. The fans are reacting like some major stuff is going on, but I can't for the life of me see a single thing that is going on during this match. The crazyness of the eliminations towards the end was terrific though. Another dodgy ending to a PPV main event is stupid. Had to expect it from WCW though.

[PowerButchi]

The commentators said that Chris Benoit is in the Horsemen during this match. Did I miss something here ?

 

He was announced as a member on the Episode of Saturday Night proceeding that Nitro. He joined in a promo.

 

 

And here's Kensuke Sasaki winning the US Title off Sting at a New Japan show on 13/11/95

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQEuLjtQiPc

 

Now, that makes no sense to me because Sting was on Nitro that date, unless it's some time difference thing, because I'm shit with those.

Edited August 3, 2009 by FrankSidebottom

[Devon Malcolm]

Kensuke Sasaki

[Gwailofilms]

I ripped the first three of those WCW DVDs, revealing a heap of stuff from 1991. I actually hoped it was from the following year, but there's plenty to like here. I'm in a hot Japanese hotel room and can't sleep, so I plugged the iPod into the TV and watched the matches that took my fancy.

 

In somewhat random order then:-

 

Big Van Vader squashes

Not the classic Vader squashes from the '92 and beyond, but still worthy. The big man is still using the horribly generic big splash as his fat boy finisher and has yet to relocate to Colorado from Parts Unknown. Things stepped up a notch in the Vader jobber massacre stakes once they started letting him use the powerbomb.

 

Jobber #1 is Rick Hard Rock. He "for some some unknown and not very intelligent reason" (direct quote from Jim Ross) decides to attack Mr. White in the aisle. He is booted, headbutted and clotheslined to the concrete, then rolled into the ring and wiped out in about a minute.

 

Jobber #2 is TC Carter, an African-American gentlemen in an eye-watering lime green outfit. Vader, dressed as ever in stylish black-and-red, takes offence to Carter's dress sense and obliterates him with HUGE chokeslam before the splash. Worryingly, Jim Ross mentions that Vader has challenged PN News to a "battle of the big splashes". Thankfully that match is the appropriately named Sir Not-Appearing-on-this-DVD.

 

Big Van Vader & Mr. Hughes vs. The Steiners

Ten minutes for four big bastards belting the shit out of each other. It's a bit of a clothesline-fest, but it's still good fun. Of note, Vader has gained 46lbs in billed weight since the prior squashes. Vader wasn't afraid to bump for a big guy, taking a whopper of a German suplex. Rick Steiner takes move of the match for a backdrop on Hughes where Dog-Face does 99% of the work. Ricky gets the pin over Hughes (who has the balls to kick out of a Steiner pin milliseconds after the "three") with a top rope bulldog.

 

The best match you'll ever see Curtis Hughes in.

 

Big Van Vader vs. Stan Hansen (WrestleWar '91)

More Vader fightin'. The US rematch from the, ahem, eye-popping Japanese original.

 

Vader's headgear is seriously cool. It's a shame he had to get shot of it in 1992. Vader is in full mask here as opposed to the strap thingy he would later wear.

 

EDIT: By "cool headgear", I mean the steam-billowing, Star Wars/samurai entrance thing, rather than his match masks.

 

They meet at the ropes and it's on on the ramp. Punches, kicks, clotheslines, knees, then back into the ring where Vader hits Hansen with a lariat out of the corner that sounds like a gun going off. A bit more thumping, then Vader, shockingly, grabs a wrestling hold. Not for long though, as they quickly spill back outside with Vader diving off the apron and some chairs get involved. Jim Ross shits his pants on commentary as these two "big men, bad men, ugly men, vicious men" (as Dusty Rhodes describes them) battle around him.

 

They bundle back into the ring and exchange blows from their knees as the ref Randy Anderson tries to split them up. Both guys grab him and chuck him out of the ring and "Pee Wee" calls it off; a double DQ. Our combatants care not as they carry on fighting. Vader comes off the top rope with a big clothesline, cementing himself as the crowd's favourite before they battle off up the ramp.

 

Classic clubberin'.

 

Steiner Bros. vs. Hiroshi Hase & Masa Chono (Clash of the Champions)

Before this gets underway, we're shown a clip of The Steiners downing Hase & Kensuke Sasaki for the IWGP World tag title in Tokyo. JR explains that Chono has been chosen by New Japan to replace Sasaki because of his outstanding singles run.

 

Fashion notes: there are three amazing mullets in this match and I want a Hase "Northern Lights" T-shirt.

 

The opening exchanges between Scott and Hase are like nothing this Knoxville crowd have ever seen before and they love it. A mixture of crisp amateur takedowns and high-speed rope running, capped off with Hase's enzuigiri-like "amazing Karate kick" (cheers, JR) to Scott's forehead, sending him outside.

 

A double tag out and Chono and Rick bring the beatings and the moustaches. Chono Yakuza Kicks Rick right in the head, breaking his headgear (which the big goof leaves on for the remainder of the match), but Steiner no-sells three more and comes back with a clothesline.

 

And so we proceed with the Japanese hitting smart double-teams and the Steiners countering with power and strikes. After the hot tag, Hase lines up for Scott's signature moves (double-underhook powerbomb, tilt-a-whirl slam) and, in what must have been a mainstream North American first, fires back with a sweet Dragon suplex, which Ross just loves.

 

The finish is a doozy: Rick is outside, Chono & Hase double clothesline Scott, then send him in for a second. He ducks and the Japanese hit the ropes to come back at him. Rick grabs Chono's foot from the floor, allowing Scott to hit a picture-perfect Frankensteiner on Hase for the three. All really slickly executed.

 

A really enjoyable match and worth tracking down.

Edited August 3, 2009 by gwailofilms

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I have to admit, as a innocent 10 year old, I loved the period where Hogan came into WCW and brought all his mates along for a payday. The Dungeon of Doom storyline remains a awfully entertaining period, that I quite enjoy watching back. Sullivan, Hogan, Savage and even the Giant are all so wonderfully hammy, that I cant help but get a laugh out of it even today. Also, I always thought that when it came to comedy, few did it better than Ric Flair. He's completely mental. Nitro, for better or worse, was something different in 1995.

 

I'd like to think that paragraph has opened the door for a few more of my fellow UKFFer's to open up and admit there love for the Dungeon of Doom.

[PowerButchi]

No.

 

Frank Andersson was my man in WCW at this point. Either him or Pitbull Pittman.

Edited August 4, 2009 by FrankSidebottom

[Gwailofilms]

No.

 

Frank Andersson was my man in WCW at this point. Either him or Pitbull Pittman.

I'm glad I'm not the only Craig Pittman fan. One of my favourite finishes is Disco Inferno submitting to Pittman's submission finisher (wakigatame? Jujigatame? I forget; some evil armlock) before Pitbull can put it on because he doesn't want a fucked up arm to ruin his dancing.

[Kenny McBride]

Wakigatame, a/k/a Fujiwara armbar.

 

I loved Pittman. Him Vs. Cobra was the most ricockulously awful feud, but the armbar and the Cobra Slam were cool as fuck.

[PowerButchi]

Jeff Farmer can achieve all he wants in New Japan and the nWo, as far as I'm concerned he still comes out to Morse Code and wants revenge for something that happened in Vietnam.