WCW Nitro 8/11/97
The Coliseum
Denver, CO
Hour One
Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay & Larry Zbyszko
- We open the show backstage as Doug Dellinger and a fleet of security has blocked the Giant from entering the arena. An officer hands Giant a paper and he reads it before crumpling it up and walking off as we hit the opening animation. Tony welcomes us to hour one and we are immediately joined by the Nitro Girls. We are just two days removed from Road Wild and the NWO is stronger and more lethal than ever as Hollywood Hogan has regained the World Championship from Lex Luger.
1) Outsiders vs. Bobby Starr & David Moore for the WCW Tag Team Championship
And speaking of the NWO, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Syxx are making their way out to the ring. Tony tells us that the Outsiders lost to the Steiners on Saturday night, but they retained the titles in a controversial finish. Tenay tells us that Nick Patrick disqualified the Outsiders which allowed them to keep the belts. The Wolfpac hits the ring and Syxx grabs the mic. He tells us they are still the champs and then hands the mic over to Hall. The NWO believes in giving the people what they want. They know that everybody here and watching at home is watching for one reason only: because of the NWO. The more things change, the more they stay the same. They went into Sturgis and told everyone the Outsiders are the best tag team on the planet. A lot of people say the Steiner Brothers are the best tag team, well somebody better tell DiBiase to tell the Einsteiners that if they were so good, they would be the champs. Nash grabs the mic and says he only has one thing left to say. The NWO, Hollywood and the Wolfpac are just too sweet. And now the Steiner Brothers music fires up…but two pasty out of shape jobbers come out instead. Tony identifies them as Bobby Starr and David Moore. Larry’s “who?” reaction is funny. Hall and Moore start things off and Hall quickly takes over with some chops in the corner. He follows with a clothesline and some right hands and then walks Moore over and helps him tag in Starr. Tony talks about Luger being screwed by a Fake Sting at Road Wild. Hall sits Starr on the top rope and takes him off with a back suplex. Hall tags in Nash and he shoves Moore to the floor. He pulls Starr in and drops him with the jackknife for the easy win. Outsiders d. Starr & Moore when Nash pins Starr with a jackknife at 1:27; Grade: 1/2*
- Syxx hops in the ring with the belts as Nash yells for more competition. Hall echoes those comments and they face the ramp, awaiting a challenge. And the challenge has arrived as the Steiners and DiBiase come through the crowd. They drill all three men with Steinerlines, knocking them out to the floor. DiBiase comes in the ring and the Steiners celebrate with the titles as we go to break.
- When we return, we head to the announce table as we find out Curt Hennig will take on Randy Savage here tonight. Tony runs down some other stars that will be here tonight as we head back to the ring.
2) Meng vs. Wrath
Meng is in the ring as Wrath and James Vandenberg head down the aisle. This should be an interesting power match between two horses. Meng meets him in the aisle and they start going at it. Meng fights him off and tosses him in the ring. Wrath catches him coming in but Meng drops him with a big savate kick. He clotheslines Wrath to the floor and then gets his hands on Vandenberg. That allows Wrath to yank Meng to the floor and they trade big blows. Wrath tosses Meng into the steel guardrail and then Wrath comes off the apron with a nice somersault body block. He sends Meng back in and heads up top but Meng crotches him. Meng follows with some chops and then heads up as well. Meng takes Wrath over with a superplex and gets two. He slugs away at Wrath with some rapid fire punches in the corner but eats a back elbow on a charge. Wrath comes off the second rope with a nice flying clothesline for two. Wrath follows with a nice jump kick to the face and gets another two. Meng fights him off and locks in the Tongan Death Grip. Wrath quickly falls to the mat and Meng picks up the pinfall win. Wow, I didn’t see that coming. Wrath was looking really good there before the abrupt ending. Meng d. Wrath with the Tongan Death Grip at 2:59; Grade: *
- As soon as the bell rings, Mortis charges down the aisle to try to break the hold. He is able to get Meng off but Barbarian heads down as well and all four men start pounding away on each other. Meng bails and Mortis drills Barbarian with a spin kick, sending him outside as well. Meng and Barbarian corner Vandenberg but he bails through the crowd as we go to break.
- Join us on Superstation TBS for Saturday Night as Diamond Dallas Page, Curt Hennig, Alex Wright and Ric Flair will all pay a visit to the Mothership. In the aisle, Gene Okerlund welcomes the Steiners and DiBiase back out to chat a bit. Gene believes the Steiners got a raw deal. Rick says it was the time of his life. They fought the best team in wrestling and needed the referee to save them. Scott says the Outsiders were beaten men and that is why Nash pulled the ref out of the ring. The Steiners will take a step back and reload and then come back at the Outsiders. DiBiase says they didn’t come here to whine and cry, just to take care of business. They want to make a statement as the Outsiders were outclassed and outwrestled in Sturgis but they got themselves disqualified. DiBiase wants Nick Patrick to come out and explain what happened. DiBiase left the NWO on his own but Patrick was booted out and he wonders if Nick was trying to make amends. It looks like we may find out as Patrick heads out to join them. Nick understands the frustration but he let the match go as long as he could. They tried to get disqualified many times, but he let it go until they finally laid their hands on him and he did what any official would have done. He does believe that Randy Anderson deserves some criticism though. He wants to know what Anderson was looking at and wondering about when the NWO hit Lex Luger with a baseball bat and he counted three. Ted doesn’t care about that, he only cares about his commitment to the Steiners and he promised he would deliver the tag titles. DiBiase tells the Outsiders it’s coming and they won’t know where or when. We now head to the ring for our next bout.
3) Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho
Tony defends Randy Anderson’s actions in Sturgis based on his track record from the week before, when he let the match go and Luger won the belt. Tenay says all of WCW’s momentum came to a halt on Saturday and Larry thinks Nick did a nice job passing the buck just now. Chris Jericho makes his way out next and we are set for action. Jericho dodges a charging Eddie off the bell and then nails him with a dropkick. He press slams Eddie and stays on him with some chops. Eddie reverses a whip to the corner but eats a boot when he charges in. Jericho is able to hoist a leapfrogging Eddie into the air and hot shot him on the top rope. He follows with a spin wheel kick and Eddie bails to the floor to regroup. Eddie sneaks in on the other side of the ring but Jericho turns in time. Eddie begs off and then jabs a thumb to Jericho’s eye to gain control. He takes Jericho down with a drop toehold and follows with a low dropkick to the head. Eddie runs him into the corner and chops away. Jericho turns things around with a series of clotheslines in the corner. He tries for the Lionsault but Eddie gets the knees up. Eddie gets up but Jericho catches him with a snap powerslam for two. Jericho follows with a nice release German suplex for a near fall. Jericho pulls Eddie up and crushes him with a double underhook powerbomb. He goes for the Liontamer but Eddie fights it off. Jericho turns it into a giant swing instead but he ends up dizzying himself as well. Both men are slow to get up and Eddie actually tumbles to the floor as he can’t get his footing. Jericho flies outside with a plancha and then tosses Eddie back in. Tenay wonders if the thin Denver air is affecting their equilibrium after the swing. Jericho heads up top but Eddie hits the ropes to crotch Chris. Eddie heads up now and drills a nice frog splash for the hard fought win. That was a really good match despite the length. Eddie heads off as we take a break. Guerrero d. Jericho with a frog splash at 4:31; Grade: **
- When we return, the Nitro Girls are getting down by the entrance ramp. Alex Wright joins them and dances as well but the Girls quickly dissipate and leave him to dance solo. Gene is in the aisle and Alex walks over to speak with him. Gene says the crowd is not into his dancing tonight. Alex speaks in German and Gene tells him to speak English. Alex has told him that he only speaks to those that matter to him and not the ones that he couldn’t care less about. The losers out there are just jealous. Gene denies that and points to his dancing as a reason why. Alex says he is a fantastic wrestler, is great looking and is the Cruiserweight Champion! Gene has had enough and sends us back to the ring.
4) Dean Malenko vs. Jeff Jarrett for the WCW United States Championship
The Iceman makes his way out for our next contest as the announcers talk a bit about Wright. Jarrett and Debra head out next as Tenay talks about how JJ suckered Malenko in at Road Wild and how he left him hanging in the tag team elimination match. Tony wonders what Jeff’s motivation was. JJ stalls on the floor until Dean turns his back. JJ slides in but Dean turns and drills him with a clothesline. He lands another and then slugs away at JJ. He kicks away at JJ and sends him to the floor with another right hand. JJ starts to walk away but Dean comes out after him. They brawl in the aisle until Dean tosses him back inside. Dean hits a pair of leg lariats and JJ bails again. He and Debra head back but Mongo emerges in the entrance way to block his exit. We take a quick break and when we return Dean and JJ are slugging it out on the floor. JJ uses Debra as a barrier and is able to land a cheap shot as well. He shoves Dean into the steps and slides him back into the ring. JJ lands a dropkick and follows with a back suplex. He takes Dean over with a suplex and then starts to work on the leg as Tony talks about Fall Brawl, which is coming next month. They talk about last year’s War Games being the start of Sting’s transformation. JJ misses a charge into the ropes and Dean fights him off with right hands. He ducks under a JJ float over in the corner and crushes him with a nice powerbomb. Dean locks in the cloverleaf but Eddie Guerrero hits the ring and takes him out to draw the DQ. Malenko d. Jarrett by disqualification when Guerrero interferes at 4:15; Grade: *1/2
- Eddie works Dean over and then JJ joins in on the beatdown. Eddie hammers away as JJ has Dean hooked. The beating continues until Mongo hits the ring and helps out. He crushes JJ with some clotheslines and Jarrett and Eddie bail as the crowd pops big time. Mongo extends his hand but Dean doesn’t trust him and drills him with a right hand. He works Mongo over and clotheslines him to the floor. Tony thinks Dean no longer trusts anyone after JJ screwed him over but Larry thinks he doesn’t need any more enemies. We quickly head over to Gene in the aisle as he brings out Curt Hennig and Ric Flair. Flair wants to clarify something off the bat. Just a minute ago, Flair saw Curt talking to Eric Bischoff backstage. Curt says he has business with Bischoff and shrugs it off. Flair says he has Benoit and Mongo and he has promised to deliver Curt Hennig. He puts Curt’s credentials over and he wants to know if Curt is in place as a Horseman. Curt said he is involved in the main event tonight and he isn’t saying if he is or isn’t a Horseman yet because he has a lot on his mind. Flair tells him to go out tonight and tear Savage up so he can show that he deserves to be a Horseman. Mongo stops by and throws up the four fingers. Flair says that the Horsemen will roll into the Clash and take Syxx and Konnan apart. Hennig agrees to be Flair’s partner at the Clash but that doesn’t mean he is a Horseman just yet. They will be partners at the Clash and he is in the main event tonight. Flair leads the way as they head off and we go to break.
Hour Two
Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay & Bobby Heenan
- When we return, the NWO music is blaring as Eric Bischoff is riding to the ring on a motorcycle. Scott Norton is behind him as he is scheduled for action next. Mike asks Bobby if he heard anything about the Giant and the piece of paper from earlier tonight. Bobby said it is a ghost town backstage and that all the doors are shut all around the building. Eric and Norton hit the ring and Easy E grabs the mic. It feels good to be back in Denver and he has some important business to take care of. He told Luger he would pay…but before he continues on, Bagwell, Hall, Vincent and Syxx head to the ring. Eric has a special surprise in a minute, but first he congratulates Hollywood Hogan on regaining the World Heavyweight Championship. The NWO has also regained the tag team titles and they are stronger than ever. Hogan is in Montreal making a movie right now, but they all get together and sing Happy Birthday to the Champ. Now onto other issues, Eric made it clear last week for JJ to give Giant a special message. And he believes the Giant got that message from Denver’s finest as was served with a restraining order. If he gets within 50 feet of Eric, he will go to jail. He tells Larry Z he may be next but he will talk more about him next week. Giant wants a piece of the NWO because he can’t stand what they have done to him. Buff saunters down the aisle, stopping to pose and smile. He spray paints a black line in the aisle, 50 feet from the ring, as Eric calls him out. Giant obliges and comes out but Larry is behind him and tells him to stay behind the line. JJ is also out and both men try to reason with Giant as they don’t want him to get arrested. Giant crosses the line and a hoard of cops come flying out to back him off. Doug Dellinger comes out to talk to the cops as they try to cuff Giant. Giant reviews his options and Larry tells him to back off. Giant does the chokeslam pose and yells at Eric before turning around and heading to the back. Scott Hall sneaks down the aisle and starts taunting Larry. They face off as we go to break.
- Back from commercial, Gene is in the ring and he brings Lex Luger out for a chat. Tony recaps the Road Wild title change again as Lex hits the ring. Gene says Lex has gone through a rollercoaster week. Lex says last week was the happiest moment of his career while Sturgis was a great disappointment. It only lasted a short while, though, because WCW hit a turning point last week. All of WCW came out as one to celebrate the title change last week. That cohesiveness has always been a strength of the NWO but it is now a foundation for WCW. Gene talks about the questionable officiating and asks Lex about it. Lex talks to Randy Anderson and they are cool because Randy did his job both last week and at Sturgis. He holds no animosity that he didn’t ring the bell. What the NWO saw last week was just the beginning because Hall, Nash, Macho and the rest need to know WCW is gaining momentum. He also has a special message for the birthday boy: and he rips his shirt off to show Hogan what is awaiting him. He racked Hogan three times and took his belt and Hogan will have to defend it again. Lex will be the World Champion again. Lex heads off as Gene directs us to watch the Nitro Girls get down in the aisle. The dance for a bit before we head back to the ring for our next bout.
5) Buff Bagwell vs. Diamond Dallas Page
The unparalleled NWO B-Team music fires up as Buff and Vincent head back to the ring. Page and Kimberly head out next as Page looks to take out another NWO member. The crowd is solidly behind Page here, natch. Buff takes control off a lockup and hiptosses Page before striking a pose. Tenay and Tony agree that Buff is one of the most improved stars in the sport. Page grabs a wristlock and works the arm for a moment before Buff bails to the floor. He jaws with some fans before heading back inside the ring. Page goes to an armbar but Buff turns it into a hammerlock. After a few reversals, Page crushes Buff with a clothesline. Buff battles back and hits a nice dropkick. He boots Page in the gut as Tony harps about NWO’s gang mentality at Road Wild. Buff whips Page in but put his head down and gets caught. Page goes for a powerbomb but Buff lands on his feet and nails Page with a swinging neckbreaker for two. Buff gets into a shoving match with Scott Dickinson and then misses an elbowdrop. Page comes back, firing away with right hands. Buff spins out of a Cutter attempt and gets a backslide for two. He puts Page down with a clothesline and then asks Dickinson to check the time of the match. Like an idiot, he does, and that allows Vincent to hop on the apron. Page reverses a whip and shoves Buff into Vincent and then drops him with the Diamond Cutter for the win. That was a good little TV match and both guys worked hard in their limited time. Page d. Bagwell with the Diamond Cutter at 4:04; Grade: *1/2
- Page celebrates a bit and we head to break.
- We are back and Lee Marshall joins us from Birmingham, AL courtesy 1-800-COLLECT. He is having a great rib dinner at a Nitro party and everyone there is excited for next week. Not only does he run down the many celebrities born in Birmingham, but he also gives us the history behind Tuxedo Junction. And…that is it. No weasel joke this week? For shame, Lee, for shame.
6) Mortis vs. Ultimate Dragon for the WCW Television Championship
Back in the arena, Mortis and James Vandenberg are heading out as Tenay runs down upcoming ticket sales. Mortis’ music was a whole bowl of awesome. Dragon is out next and Tony is heaping praise on him for being a great champion. Both men attempt some kicks off the bell before locking up. Mortis lands a couple shots in the corner but Dragon comes back with a dropkick out of handstand on the top turnbuckle. He kicks away at Mortis but Mortis catches him with a back elbow. Mortis chokes Dragon and then kicks away in the corner. Mortis misses a charge in the corner and Dragon sits him on the top rope. Dragon heads up but Vandenberg hooks his leg to stop him. Mortis tries for a superplex but Dragon blocks it and drops him with a super gourdbuster. Dragon floats over but Mortis stops him and gets a Northern lights suplex for two. Mortis hits him with a rocker dropper for another near fall. He goes for the Flatliner, but Dragon slips loose and powerbombs him out of the corner. He clamps on the Dragon sleeper and Mortis has to tap. I really wish some of these matches got more time as this one could have developed into something really good. Dragon d. Mortis with the Dragon Sleeper at 3:09; Grade: *
- After a quick replay, Gene is in the ring with JJ Dillon to rap for a moment. JJ talks about last week’s chat with Sting but he ended up disappointed. Looking back, the NWO won some serious concessions at War Games last year. We see Sting walking the rafters as the crowd starts to buzz. Prior to War Games, the NWO were scheduled to fulfill numerous contractual WCW sanctioned obligations. And, according to JJ, some of those obligations are still open. See, I loved WCW for always pointing out these little things that added some legitimacy to the angles. JJ asks Sting to come forward because he has a brand new contract for him. The crowd erupts as Sting rappels down and Tenay confirms that this is the legit Sting. He makes his way through the crowd and hits the ring. He stares at JJ as JJ talks about how his office was flooded with calls and letters offering suggestions about the situation. He has a valid contract that needs Sting’s signature, time and place. If he signs it, he gets a match with Syxx. Sting takes the contract and tears it up in Dillon’s face. Sting glares at JJ, looking insulted and starts to walk away. Gene asks Sting what he wants and Sting looks to the crowd as they chant for “Hogan”. Gene keeps asking as Sting points to the crowd. JJ and Gene look out to the crowd as we go to break. Man that was a great moment as the crowd just exploded.
7) Randy Savage vs. Curt Hennig
We are back from break and Randy Savage and Elizabeth are heading out to the ring. Hennig is out next and it is officially main event time. Tenay wonders how the conversation between Hennig and Bischoff went earlier tonight. Randy Anderson calls for the bell and we are good to go. Hennig grabs a side headlock and puts Savage down with a shoulderblock. Savage recovers and drills Hennig with a hard clothesline. They brawl out to the floor where Savage uses Liz as a barrier. Hennig charges, Liz ducks and Savage eats a clothesline as we go to break. When we return, they are still brawling in the aisle. Hennig lays in some chops and chokes Savage against the rail. He tosses Savage into the ring and then punts him in the gut. He lands another stiff kick and follows with a neck snap. Savage is up but Hennig lands a kneelift. Savage fires back and he is able to kick Hennig’s leg out of his leg, sending him spiraling down. Hennig uses Savage’s tights and yanks him out to the floor. As Hennig regroups, Page hits the ring and starts hammering away to draw the bell. Hennig d. Savage by disqualification; Grade: *
- Page hammers away at Hennig but Savage saves him and helps beat down Page. Now Scott Hall comes out and he joins in the assault as Hennig takes off. Hall drops him with a fallaway slam and Savage heads up top. He comes crashing off with a textbook big elbow. He heads up top again and drops another vicious elbow. Luger comes flying out and Hall and Savage bail. Lex tends to Page as Hall and Savage celebrate with Liz. We head back to the announce table where Tony talks about WCW’s cohesion being the key to taking out the NWO. They recap the Sting segment and talk about the fans chanting for Hogan. Tony pimps the Road Wild encore and we are out!
MVP: Eddie Guerrero
Runner Up: Wrath
Non MVP: Lex Luger
Runner Up: Giant
Review Date: August 2009
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