Post by Leo on Jan 21, 2024 18:20:09 GMT -5
WCW Monday Nitro episode 52 for 01.22.24
Live from the Selland Arena in Fresno, California
Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Gary Michael Cappetta
Interviewer: SoCal Val
Referees: Tommy Young, Joey Marella and Charles Robinson
Gorilla Monsoon and Wade Barrett welcome everyone to the show. Tonight is a special edition of Nitro centered on Battle Bowl - The Lethal Lottery. The 10 tag teams are being selected at random from Tremendous Tussle entrants with some exceptions. The winners of the five tag team matches will go into a 10 man battle royal at the end of the night with the winner getting a WCW U.S. Title match against Nick Aldis at Saturday Night’s Special.
The exceptions are the three mystery entrants, Nick Aldis and Randy Savage and Kurt Angle who are facing off at Saturday Night’s Special with the winner getting 30 in the Tremendous Tussle and the loser having to be at number one.
(Leo’s Note: I randomly drew all the names to make the tag teams and match-ups, but I decided the winning teams and the winner of the battle royal.)
Tracy Smothers and Dr. Tom Prichard defeated Steve Armstrong and David Taylor by pinfall of Prichard on Armstrong via double team superkick at 8:59. Smothers and Prichard worked better together than Armstrong and Taylor and Smothers didn’t seem to mind going against his former tag team partner.
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“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan is on the interview stage with SoCal Val. “Hulkamania is going to run wild at the Tremendous Tussle, brother. Will Hobbs, jack, you may call yourself a powerhouse, but you smell like an outhouse and facing me, dude, will put you in the doghouse…”
Hogan is interrupted by Will Hobbs who comes up to the stage and just stares at him. They stare down. Hogan asks if Hobbs wants to say something to him, but he just shakes his head ‘no.’ “Well, I’ve got a message for you brother…” and Hogan goes to throw a right hand, but Hobbs blocks it and hits his own punch and they brawl off.
COMMERCIAL
Killer Kross and “Glorious” Robert Roode with Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Mickie James defeated “The Man with the Hands of Stone” Ronnie Garvin (still wearing an eyepatch) and Perry Saturn by pinfall of Roode on Saturn via Glorious DDT at 10:21. Commentary mentions the truce between the Stud Stable and the nWo and Kross and Roode wind up working pretty well together.
— — — — —
SoCal Val has Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart of the New Foundation on the interview stage. Owen talks down Bret for turning his back on his family again and how the only person that screwed Bret is Bret. Neidhart tells L.A. Knight that he’ll be just collateral damage in this family feud. The New Foundation just won the UWA Universal Tag Team Titles and they’re not going to give the belts up to a non-team so soon.
COMMERCIAL
“Flyin’” Brian Pillman and One Man Gang with “Number One” Paul Jones defeated “The Model” Rick Martel and “The Miracle” Mike Bennett with Asuka and Maria Kannelis-Bennett by pinfall of OMG on Bennett via 747 Splash at 11:33. Martel and Bennett work pretty well together and isolate Pillman, but he manages to make the hot tag to OMG who cleans house.
— — — — —
Hobbs and Hogan are still brawling in the back with security and backstage personnel trying to break them up. They destroy the catering area.
— — — — —
Dusty Rhodes and Steve Austin have a contract singing in the ring. They jaw at each other, Austin flips the table over and goes to attack Rhodes, but he cuts him off with a few punches and the flip, flop and fly. However, Col. Robert Fuller nails Rhodes in the back of the head with his loaded loafer. Austin takes a pen from the table, jabs it into Dusty’s head to draw blood and uses Dusty’s blood on the pen to sign the contract for the first blood match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title currently held by Rhodes.
COMMERCIAL
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho and “The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol with “Timeless” Toni Storm defeated Magnum TA and Booker T via pinfall of Jericho on Magnum via Judas Effect at 14:27. Along with the feud with Jericho, commentary mentions how Magnum recently had a 15-minute time limit draw on Thunder against Idol and how Magnum’s been having trouble getting wins within time limits. Anytime Booker T took control, Magnum would demand the tag and Booker would begrudgingly give it to him, but then the tide would turn. Again, as the clock ticks down Magnum starts to panic and he opens himself up for Jericho’s elbow smash finish.
— — — — —
Bret Hart and L.A. Knight are on the interview stage with SoCal Val. Bret has heard all the blatant rhetoric from Owen and Jim before and he’s tired of hearing it, just like all the fans are. He and Knight might not be a long established tag team, but they’re both better wrestlers on their own than Owen and Jim together times ten. Knight reiterates how the Hart Foundation is dust and the nWo is standing stronger than ever thanks to Bret Hart joining. Knight is never against adding more gold to the nWo and the UWA Universal Tag Team Titles would be the cherry on the sundae.
COMMERCIAL
“Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and The Barbarian defeated “Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman and Black Mamba via double cover on Blackman at 2:37. Jake Roberts comes out with Viper Pillman and tells him how Jake is letting Viper make his own decisions and there are differences between leaders and followers. He then yells at Black Mamba (Omos) to take out Blackman and walk out on him. Mamba chokeslams Blackman and then walks to the back with Roberts and Pillman. Hennig and Barbarian both cover Blackman.
— — — — —
Hogan and Hobbs are now fighting out in the parking lot. A van swings by and almost takes Hogan out, but he manages to get out of the way. It’s the nWo and Hobbs jumps in and they drive off with Hogan running after them and yelling.
— — — — —
Nitro Girls perform and there is a hype video for Tremendous Tussle, highlighting the men’s Tussle match.
COMMERCIAL
Randy Savage and Kurt Angle have their first face-to-face on the interview stage with SoCal Val. They will face off at Saturday Night’s Special 3 with the winner entering the Tremendous Tussle at 30 and the loser at one. Angle touts how he’s the defending Tussle winner. Savage mentions how he’s the Money in the Bank winner for 2023. Angle talks about Savage coming back from elbow injury after losing the WCW World Heavyweight Title against Steve Austin. Savage razzles Angle for the problems he had with Ultimate Warrior. They stare down to transition.
— — — — —
10 Man Battle Royal
Winner gets a WCW U.S. Title Shot at Saturday Night’s Special
Curt Hennig vs. The Barbarian vs. Chris Jericho vs. Austin Idol vs. Brian Pillman vs. One Man Gang vs. Killer Kross vs. Robert Roode vs. Dr. Tom Prichard vs. Tracy Smothers
*OMG eliminates Prichard and Smothers. Everyone else gangs up on OMG and pushes him out.
* Kross attacks Roode from behind and dumps him. Kross then turns around into a flying headscissors from Pillman to eliminate him. Kross and Roode argue some on the floor, but then just part ways.
* Barbarian tosses Pillman, but he skins the back in and gets Barbarian in a headscissors and flips him out, but Hennig slaps his hands and Pillman falls out too.
* Idol and Jericho team up on Hennig, but Curt fights out of the corner with some knee lifts and a running clothesline to Idol. He tries an atomic drop on Jericho, but he flips behind Hennig and shoves him into Idol, who stumbles out over the top rope. Jericho hits a Breakdown and goes up for a missile dropkick, but Hennig shakes the ropes and Jericho crotches himself and Hennig does a hell of a dropkick to knock Chris to the floor.
Winner: Curt Hennig by last eliminating Chris Jericho at 12:25. Hennig gets a WCW U.S. Title shot at Nick Aldis on Saturday Night’s Special 3.