Post by Leo on Feb 18, 2023 18:21:03 GMT -5
WCW Monday Nitro episode 15 for 02.20.23
Live from the J. Willard Marriott Center in Provo, Utah
Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Don Callis
Ring Announcer: Gary Michael Cappetta
Interviewer: SoCal Val
Referees: Tommy Young, Joey Marella and Aubrey Edwards
Footage is shown from earlier in the day of “Macho Man” Randy Savage arriving at the arena and being jumped in the parking lot by the Stud Stable. Security, led by Steve Blackman, drives them off.
We then cut live to “The Showoff” Dolph Ziggler in the ring. He challenged Savage on the last Thunder to a match because Savage should have never been added at the last minute to the Money in the Bank ladder match at Starrcade. He demands Savage face him right now or take the forfeit loss.
Savage comes out with his ribs heavily taped. He hasn’t been medically cleared to wrestle, but he has the perfect replacement. An old friend came to visit him and talk to Shane McMahon about joining WCW and the deal’s been done. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig comes out.
Hennig defeated Ziggler by pinfall via PerfectPlex at 14:21.
COMMERCIAL
SoCal Val has Curt Hennig on the interview stage. The only thing perfect about the Stud Stable is that they’re perfect idiots. They think they run WCW, well he and Savage go back to the Continental Championship Wrestling days. They were budget cuts under Andy Kaufman, but thankfully Shane McMahon’s pockets are as deep as Hennig’s talents. He looks at Paul Orndorff, Tom Magee and Del Wilkes and sees nothing but million dollar bodies and 10 cent brains. They might all be physical specimens, but they’re not perfect.
-----
Mickie James-Aldis defeated Rockin’ Robin by pinfall via MickDDT at 4:04. James pulls a rubber snake out of her tights that freaks Robin out, based on the snake pit match from Starrcade. This allows Mickie to get the drop on her. James advances in the Women’s Gulf Coast Title tournament.
COMMERCIAL
Davey Boy Smith is in the ring with his son, Harry. “A lot of people have said I’ve been too tough on my son these past few weeks. All I have to say to that is, he’s my kid, not yours. The key word in ‘tough love,’ is tough. I know he’s going to come out of this stronger and better. I’m not going to coddle him like Brian Pillman with his son. I picked Harry’s opponent tonight, not because I thought it was someone he could beat, but someone who I thought would beat his ass.”
Killer Kross with Maria Kanellis-Bennett defeated Harry Smith by pinfall at 7:00 via Doomsday Saito.
-----
SoCal Val has “Superstar” Billy Graham on the interview stage. Last week, he was granted a rematch with “The Italian Superman” Bruno Sammartino for the WCW Gulf Coast Title at SuperBrawl. He’s also being allowed to select the guest referee, because Tommy Young screwed him at Starrcade and everybody knows it. Now, most will think Graham will select someone who will be favorable to him. He wants someone who is going to call it fair and down the middle. Someone who knows what it means to be a champion in this industry and knows how important fair and impartial officiating is. His choice is the former UWA Men’s Champion Nick Aldis.
Aldis comes out and says he’s still healing from the brutal match at Starrcade he had with Shane McMahon that he won. While his body still needs time to heal, his mind is sharp, his eyes are clear and he’s more than happy to be the guest referee for this match. Graham is right, he knows how important good officiating is and he’s been hurt by bad referees, sure. But, with him wearing the striped shirt the best man will win without question.
COMMERCIAL
“Big Cat” Ernie Ladd and The Barbarian with “Number One” Paul Jones ends in a double count out at 8:09. The whole bout is a brawl until they tumble over the ropes to the floor and then fight off to the back.
-----
Col. Robert Fuller and the Stud Stable are on the interview stage. They wanted to send a message to Randy Savage. He said he can get to Paul Orndorff whenever he wants, well they can get to him whenever they want. Savage thinks he’s stronger now with Curt Hennig watching his back. Well, the Stud Stable is even stronger by recently adding the “The Expatriate” Del Wilkes. Wilkes yells at Steve Blackman for getting into his business at Starrcade in the match with Blue Demon Jr. Him and Tom Magee are going to get a two-for-one tonight as they’re going to take out Blackman and Magnum TA. Orndorff talks about having a target on your back means everyone’s gunning for you. He’s the biggest star and best wrestler in WCW and the title belt around his waist proves it. Magnum TA, Randy Savage, Curt Hennig, Hulk Hogan; they all want to be him, but they can’t be. Hennig claims he’s perfect, but he’s not wonderful.
COMMERCIAL
The New Foundation (Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart) defeated The Funk Brothers (Terry and Dory Jr.) by pinfall of Hart on Terry via Hart Attack Clothesline at 10:57. After the match, the Funks attack the Foundation and beat them down with their branding irons.
-----
SoCal Val has WCW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair on the entrance stage. She beat Lady Frost in a tag match last week and she can’t wait for that Elsa wannabe to cash in her Money in the Bank contract so she can beat her again and send her back to obscurity. Kamille Kaine comes out. Kaine said what she and everybody else saw in the arena and watching at home was Flair taking a shortcut like she always does. She pinned Frost with her feet on the ropes and she pinned Kaine the same way at Starrcade. Charlotte says she’s a Flair, that’s just how they do a cover. It’s family tradition. What are you going to do about? Kaine looks like she’s going to turn and leave, but she nails Charlotte with a short distance spear that knocks her off the stage. Kaine says her family tradition is spearing b*tches out of their boots.
COMMERCIAL
“The Lone Horsewoman” Tessa Blanchard defeated Madua Micelli with Col. Robert Fuller by pinfall via Buzzsaw DDT at 12:05. Blanchard advances in the Women’s Gulf Coast Title tournament.
-----
The Miracle Workers are on the entrance stage with SoCal Val. Kevin Owen says “Hulk Hogan has barricaded himself in his dressing room and supposedly he’s got two guys back there with him. It’s probably the janitor and the delivery guy from DoorDash. Hogan has burned through every friendship he’s ever had in professional wrestling. This is the end of the road and I’m the final stop. Tell me Hogan, how does it feel when it comes crashing down and it hurts inside? How does it feel when you can’t run away and you can’t hide? You’ve got no friends, all you have is pride. Nobody is going to lend you a hand when I tan your hide?”
COMMERCIAL
The Stud Stable (“The Expatriate” Del Wilkes and “Mega Man” Tom Magee) with Col. Robert Fuller defeated “Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman and Magnum TA by pinfall of Wilkes on Blackman via Patriot Missile at 7:45. Fuller pulled Magnum off the ring apron and smashed him in the head with his shoe before putting the boots to him. This left Blackman alone to eat the loss.
-----
In the back the Dominators and the Powers of Fear are fighting. Shane McMahon leads security in, since Blackman was out in the ring wrestling. McMahon tells them to separate and calm down. He books a tornado six man for the WCW Trios Titles at SuperBrawl. If they want to tear each other up, then McMahon’s making money off of it.
COMMERCIAL
Kurt Angle is on the entrance stage with SoCal Val. He put his gold medal on the line last week and he admits Brian Pillman Jr. gave him a tougher time than a lot of people would have guessed. He just assumed Pillman was as big a loser as his dad and underestimated him.
Pillman Sr. then comes out. If you look at what he did last week with his son and what Davey Boy did this week with his son, you’ll see some big differences. Angle says the difference he sees is a man who coddles his son and one who wants his kid to become big, bad and tough. There’s no way any Pillman could win his gold medal from him.
Pillman understands how much that gold medal means to him. He’s won some great honors in his career as a wrestler and football player too. One that means the most is the Ed Block Courage Award given to him by his teammates when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Angle freaks out. The Ed Begley Jr. Thanks for Showing Up Award can’t compare to an Olympic gold medal won on a broken freakin’ neck. But, if it means that much to Pillman, then Angle wants to take it from him. He’ll put his gold medal up against his silly plaque or whatever it is at SuperBrawl. Pillman accepts.
-----
The Miracle Workers are in the ring. Hulk Hogan comes out to the entrance stage with a microphone. “Owen Kevins, you said I’ve got no friends, brother. You don’t need friends, when you’ve got family. When people talk about wrestling families, jack, they talk about the Rhodes, the Von Erichs, the Harts, the Guerreros - I don’t know who any of those people are, brother - but I know the Hogan family is the premier family in professional wrestling. Meet my tag team partners, my nephew, Horace Hogan, and my third cousin, Randy Hogan.”
Owens has a microphone. “Is this a game to you Hogan? Are we jokes to you Hogan? You bring these idiots to the ring against us, Hogan”
“Which Hogan are you talking to, brother?”
Owens is livid and he encourages his partners to charge their opponents on the floor. They fight until it moves into the ring.
“The Prizefighter” Kevin Owens and the Miracle Workers (Eli Drake and Mike Bennett) with Maria-Kannellis Bennett defeated “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan, Horace Hogan and Randy Hogan by pinfall of Owens on Randy via Stunner. At one point, Hulk drops to the floor and gets in Maria’s face. “What you going to do, brother, spray me with your hairspray?” Maria shrugs and sprays Hogan in the eyes, who sells it like napalm. This leaves the other Hogans alone and they get outclassed.