WCW Nitro 11/3/97
Corestates Spectrum
Philadelphia, PA
Hour One
Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay & Larry Zbyszko
- We open the show with a recap of the end of last week's show where Sting wiped out the NWO...Tony then tells us that the contract has been signed and Sting and Hogan will wrestle in December...we head inside the arena where Tony, Mike and Larry welcome us to the show...Tony says Assault ranked top four in cable movie history last Tuesday...lots of talk about the contract signing...we get clips of the movie as well as the contract signing that was interspersed between commercials during the movie
- Eddie Guerrero & Dean Malenko vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr & Lord Steven Regal...well, this is an odd little tag team match, but pretty cool to be honest...Tenay talks about the WW3 Battle Royal and how this is a preview of that...Tony talks about how the four men all seem separate, really pushing the WW3 concept...Tony says that the WW3 winner gets their title shot at Superbrawl...Larry wonders how bad the ring rust will be on Sting...Tenay says Sting will be at full strength...lots of good action here...Rey accidentally dropkicks Regal and Eddie follows that with a stiff powerbomb on Rey...Malenko tags himself in before Eddie can hit the frog splash...Dean gets the cloverleaf and makes Rey tap...nice match with a good story
- The Nitro Girls dance us back from break as Tony runs down tonight's card for us...more talk about Hogan and Sting...clips of the Hogan/Piper Havoc cage match and ensuing assault...Tony says Piper has a severe nerve injury in his face and will be out for a while and they have no idea when he will be back
- Dave Taylor vs. Fit Finlay...should be another stiff war with Finlay here this week...Larry talks about his issues with Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff stemming from Havoc...his challenge to Hall is still open...Raven and his flock head down to ringside...Tenay says there is a burgeoning toughman division in WCW now with guys like Benoit, Taylor and Finlay...Benoit has asked for a rematch with Finlay...Tony says Piper paid the ultimate price to get Hogan to end up caving to Sting...Finlay hits a tombstone for the win
- The announcers are talking when they get interrupted by Eric Bischoff on the phone...he talks about Hogan and Sting and says Hogan has issued many challenges to Sting in the past and is not afraid...he says he feels sorry for what happened to Piper but that he must have had brain damage to face Hogan in a cage...and then he brags about the success of Assault...he takes a dump on USA and Vince McMahon for disparaging Assault and trying to counter-program it with a Survivor Series Special but he was a miserable failure in that...he says there is an option for a series now as well...next week, the entire NWO, including Kevin Nash, will be in the house and they have a huge surprise for WCW...he tells Tony his diet isn't working and then hangs up
- Psychosis vs. Yuji Nagata...Tony is all bitter about Eric calling in...Sonny Onoo is out with his new charge against his old one...more talk about Starrcade...Tony says they will have ticket info for Starrcade very soon...Sonny mocks Psychosis with pesos, saying he has severance pay...Tenay says the pesos amounted to about thirteen bucks...he also says that Nagata has put Ultimo Dragon on the sidelines after using his armbar at Havoc...Tony says that despite what Bischoff says, Hogan never wanted to fight Sting and that it took the master plan of Piper, Page and Sting to push him into it...he thinks the NWO regrets it and that they will do what they can to make sure it doesn't happen...Onoo kicks Psychosis in the head and Nagata gets the submission win...strong push for Nagata going on here
- A new Raven vignette inside an empty classroom...talks about his sixth grade class, where he sat next to Teresa Hayes, and how he was bullied and picked on...he used to close his eyes and pretend he was somewhere different...he never cared or followed the rules starting then
- Disco Inferno (c) vs. Perry Saturn for the TV Title...this is Saturn's first Nitro match...Tony and Tenay say Raven needs to get out of the past and get over it...Disco is out first and then Saturn comes out from the crowd as sirens blare...Tenay says Disco hasn't had a single clean victory as champ...the ECW chants start immediately as Disco jumps Saturn...Tony wonders what the NWO's big surprise announcement will be next week...Tenay goes over Saturn's background and puts over his skill level...Tony says that Raven takes special interest in Saturn because he comes right to ringside to watch his matches...Saturn is totally dominating Disco here...as the crowd continues to chant ECW...Larry really putting Saturn over big...Disco is hanging in there even though Saturn is wrecking his arm...Saturn keeps looking at Raven for approval throughout the match...Disco gets a couple of shots in...Larry compares Raven and Saturn to Flair and Anderson regarding their roles...Saturn gets the Rings of Saturn and wins the TV title in a dominant showing...the Flock gets in the ring and celebrate...Raven throws Stevie out to the floor for being involved...Tony talks about how confusing this whole situation is
- Gene Okerlund is in the aisle and he brings out Ric Flair...big pop for Flair as usual...he talks about Havoc and his continuing issues with Curt Hennig...also calls out Hogan and the rest of the NWO...usual Flair stuff
Hour Two
Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay & Larry Zbyszko
- Tony announces that Starrcade will be at the new MCI Center in Washington DC and announces when tickets will be going on sale...this was so smart that they waited to announce the Hogan/Sting match until right before tickets went on sale...Tony calls for more Nitro Party tapes too
- Scott Hall vs. Chris Jericho...the NWO music fires up and Scott Hall makes his way out, all by himself...Larry wants his match...Hall has a tag team title belt around his waist, confusing the announcers...Hall does the usual and it sounds pro-NWO...but some fans are chanting for Larry...he says Nash and Syxx aren't hurt and if you aren't a doctor, they will see you down there...down where...you know...Hall calls out Larry...says Larry is a decent announcer and on his best day as a wrestler, he couldn't touch the Wolfpac, oh and his best day was ten years ago...Hall says Larry can't even beat Bischoff...we get footage from Havoc when Eric kicked Larry in the head mixed with Eric celebrating like he won a match...Larry reiterates his challenge as Jericho heads out...more talk about WW3...Tenay talks about how hard it can be to secure a world title shot and this is a guaranteed one...Larry rooting on Jericho here...talk about Jericho's gutsy performance last week but wonders if he should be in the ring this week...Hall keeps jawing at Larry as he beats on Jericho...Jericho catches Hall off guard and gets a small package to upset Hall and win the match...Larry is overjoyed but Hall jumps Jericho after the bell and hits two Outsider Edges...he loads up a third one but Larry comes down to the ring with his contract...Larry wants him to sign but Hall starts to leave...Larry checks on Jericho and tries to bait Hall back in as he saunters away without signing...he says Hall is the biggest coward in the NWO and everyone knows it...Hall doesn't bite
- Tenay brings us the next part in his series on Lucha Libre...this one focuses on the variety of moves that originated and/or are used in Mexico...good lesson here for lucha novices
- Bobby joins the booth as Larry had only wanted to hang around to see Hall...Bobby talks about Starrcade and says Hogan's time is up and now he has to put up or shut up
- Battle Royal...this battle royal is comprised of the lucha stars of WCW...El Dandy is making his Nitro debut in this one...cool concept to play off the Tenay video pieces...this also a reason for them to talk about WW3 and the various strategies...during the match, Giant stalks down to the ring...he climbs in and wipes everyone out to basically end the match...I guess they just wanted to put Giant over as a player for WW3...Giant grabs a mic and says this is how you train for a battle royal...he calls out Nash and says he will throw him into the crowd at WW3
- The Nitro Girls are dancing and Tony is pimping Starrcade tickets again
- Alex Wright vs. Ric Flair...Das Wunderkind is out with Debra for our next match...Tony thinks Debra sees bigger things in Goldberg than Wright and Tenay says Goldberg is more like a hired gun for her while Wright is her associate...Flair is out next...more WW3 talk...Flair and Hennig will fight on the undercard at WW3 as well as competing in the battle royal...Flair is all over Wright early and also yaps at Debra as well...Tony thinks next week could be one of the biggest week in the history of the NWO/WCW war...he thinks the NWO wants Sting here next week so they can beat him down as a group and knock him out of Starrcade...they run through all the potential results to come out of WW3...Flair and Wright fight to the floor as the match has become more balanced...Wright starts to build some momentum as this has turned into a pretty solid match...Flair eventually takes over and gets the figure four to get the win...Flair flirts a bit with Debra as she checks on Wright
- Ray Traylor vs. Steve McMichael...Tony puts over Ray's toughness...this should be rather stiff...Tony says guys like this usually win battle royals...they stand toe to toe and hammer on each other...Tony talks about how this is a chance for guys to get a title shot they may never really get a shot at...Bobby says Goldberg could be a sleeper in the match...they talk about all the different styles of wrestlers involved...speaking of Goldberg, he shows up at ringside...he is wearing Mongo's Super Bowl ring that Debra gave him...Mongo is all distracted and that allows Traylor to hit a sidewalk slam to win the match
- Gene is in the ring and brings out Diamond Dallas Page...they talk about Havoc and last week as well...Page says he is living the dream and loving it...Page says that Havoc was the most watched PPV in history and his proud of that fact...Page talks about fighting Savage and Hogan on back to back nights despite injured ribs and how Hogan still couldn't beat him...they then talk about WW3...Page has the most heart and he wants the win more than anyone else
- The Nitro Girls are out as Tony runs down the upcoming live event schedule
- Public Enemy vs. Steiner Brothers (c) for the tag team titles in a Philadelphia Street Fight...more talk about Starrcade and next week's NWO announcement...DiBiase is with the Steiners as usual...they start brawling around ringside right away and even end up into the crowd...announcers talking about Hogan and Sting as the brawl continues...pretty good brawling as they use the Nitro set as well as some chairs and tables too...PE stacks up two tables and Grunge tries to put Rick through them, but DiBiase pulls him away and Grunge crashes through them allowing the Steiners to get the victory
- We get a video recap of last year's World War III battle royal
- Curt Hennig (c) vs. Lex Luger for the US Title...main event time so Michael Buffer is out to set the drama...both men head out and we are under way...more WW3 talk...Hennig really has been a workhorse each week...Tenay wonders if Flair will get involved here tonight as promised...another reminder for next week's big NWO announcement...Bobby thinks there will be a new member next week...Tony still says it would be a bad idea for Sting to come out when the whole NWO is in the house...Hennig is really controlling most of this match...Tenay wants to know if NWO will halt the WCW momentum next week...Lex hits the forearm and goes for the rack, but Hennig hooks the ropes and they tumble outside...Flair comes out now and attacks Hennig, drawing the DQ...Luger racks Hennig and Flair is attacking Hennig while he is in it and busts it up...I think they botched the finish there as Flair was supposed to cost Luger the match when he had Hennig in the rack, but they rang the bell too early during the brawl on the floor so it didn't have as much of an affect...either way the show ends as Luger is staring at Flair as Hennig escapes
Review Date: August 2011
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