Post by Leo on Jul 4, 2023 13:08:49 GMT -5
WCW Monday Nitro episode 28 for 07.03.23
Live from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina
Ring Announcer: Gary Michael Cappetta
Interviewer: SoCal Val
Referees: Tommy Young, Joey Marella and Aubrey Edwards
Nitro opens with Bret Hart in the ring. It’s good to be home in WCW and the crowd props. A bit of his debut is shown from the New Foundation vs. Miracle Workers match the night before at Clash of the Champions.
Before he can say much more, Hulk Hogan leads the nWo to the ring. This is the nWo’s house and nobody invited Bret Hart into it. Bret brings up how he never liked Hogan since he bugged out of the WWF in 1993 and refused to face him like a man for the world title. Hogan says that’s ancient history and like a lot of history, it’s probably mostly made up with the real truth lost to the sands of time, brother. The real truth is that when Hogan was in WWF, jack, he didn’t know Hart even existed.
The nWo jumps Bret, but Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart and Harts Afire (the debuting Bruce and Keith Hart) run out to make the save. In the aisle, Hogan says he’ll give Bret Hart something he’s waited his entire life for, but means nothing to Hogan so that’s why he’ll give it. The main event will be the Hitman vs. Hollywood, brother.
Segment Notes
* Hogan and Hart got great pops and probably would have gotten the same if the segment was just them.
* The Bruce and Keith Hart debut felt a bit wasted with getting lost in the run-in, but they were just brought in as a favor to Bret and to be cannon fodder for the nWo vs. Hart Foundation rivalry.
COMMERCIAL
“The Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman defeated Ron “The Truth” Killings by pinfall via bicycle kick at 9:19.
Segment Notes
*Footage is shown during the entrances of Killings betraying Blackman in the battle royale at Clash of the Champions.
*While Blackman is only wrestling sporadically, it’s thought important to make him look strong as the security chief.
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SoCal Val has Dusty Rhodes on the interview stage. Footage is shown from Clash of Champions of Magnum TA costing Rhodes his match against Hulk Hogan and then Rhodes costing Magnum his match against Eddie Guerrero. Rhodes says turnabout is fair play. Magnum comes out and says since both of them aren’t in the Elimination Chamber at Phoenix Rising, why don’t they have it out once and for all on the ppv. Rhodes says let's do it tonight. In fact, he knows his allies, Ronnie Garvin and Sam Houston, and Eddie Guerrero would like another piece of Magnum too, so go see who he can scrounge up in the back for an eight man tag.
Segment Notes
* The plan was always to slow burn the Rhodes vs. Magnum feud to Phoenix Rising and this is getting the feud back on track.
COMMERCIAL
Davey Boy Smith enters the Hart Family locker room. Bret tells him he’s not wanted there. Davey Boy says he’s got as much claim to the Hart Family legacy as anyone not named Hart. Harry Smith then emerges from the back of the room. Davey Boy is livid. Bret says he’d rather have Harry than Davey Boy anyday. Davey Boy calls his son a snot nosed punk who doesn’t respect his elders or his betters. Bret challenges Davey Boy and Harry to put their family feud to rest for good at Phoenix Rising. There’s a war coming with the nWo and the Hart Foundation needs to be as strong as possible.
Segment Notes
* The Davey Boy Smith vs. Harry Smith feud has been going on for awhile and it’s time to end it. However, what the ending will be is still to be decided prior to Phoenix Rising.
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Rhea Ripley defeated Ember Moon with Dr. of Style, Slick by pinfall via Riptide at 6:57. Kamille Kaine came out and watched the match, as Ripley had been doing with Kaine’s matches. Ripley jawed at Kaine post match that she won’t get in her head.
Segment Notes
*Viewers were shown footage of Kaine and Ripley brawling in the back at Clash of the Champions. A match between the two was originally planned for the ppv, but bumped for time.
*Management isn’t sure what to do with Ember Moon. A face turn and giving her to Slick hasn’t done much. However, Power Station, the former WCW World Tag Team Champions, haven’t done much since their face turn either.
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SoCal Val introduces a video shot last night after Clash of the Champions. A cameraman trailed Nick Aldis to the hotel Rick Martel and Mickie James were at to have it out with them.
We cut to the footage of Aldis kicking in a hotel door. James is in bed under the covers and tells Aldis to get out. He hears the shower running and barges into the bathroom, but it’s Spice of the Nitro Girls taking a shower behind frosted glass. She screams. Martel then comes in out of nowhere and attacks. He throws Aldis out of the room and onto a housekeeping cart. Martel shoves it into the elevator and sends it down. Martel invites the cameraman to come in and shoot round two of him, James and Spice.
Segment Notes
*This was shot earlier in the day on Sunday with permission of the hotel.
*Spice was used for this segment as she’s the Nitro Girl Hugh Hefner is highest on for Playboy. So, it was seeing how the fans would react to a nude tease of her.
*A Nitro Girl being involved was teased during Martel and James’ promo on the ppv.
COMMERCIAL
Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Black Mamba defeated The Southern Boys (Scott Armstrong and Tracy Smothers) by pinfall of Mamba on Armstrong via choke slam at 7:38.
Roberts cut a post match promo on how what happened at Clash of the Champions wasn’t a prediction that came true, but a statement of fact that finally came to pass. It’s true that Roberts has nothing in on the UWA Title Match between Curt Hennig and Chris Jericho at Phoenix Rising, but he doesn’t need to. The Snake is all about causing chao for its own sake. The Snake is always going to strike if it’s bored. And now with Black Mamba, Jake can strike twice as hard and twice as vicious.
Segment Notes
* The Roberts and Mamba combo feels like a winner. Omos is given a new persona and mouthpiece. Roberts is given someone to take a bit off his plate and test the waters of being a manager.
COMMERCIAL
“Stunning” Steve Austin defeated Ricky Morton by pinfall via Stunner at 10:05.
Segment Notes
* Fast paced bout at the start that slowed down a bit when Austin took over. Morton sold great and this was about getting Austin more over after his win at Clash of the Champions to get into the Elimination Chamber.
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SoCal Val has Charlotte Flair on the interview stage. She runs down Jade Cargill as a paper champion who has never faced any real competition. Flair’s resume speaks for itself. She’s been in the UWA Universal Women’s Champion twice before and third time will be the charm at Phoenix Rising.
Segment Notes
*Footage is shown of Flair beating Thunder Rosa at the ppv and then getting jumped by Cargill after.
*Flair isn’t going face and it’s thought Flair will just be the default face with the WCW audience in the Cargill program.
COMMERCIAL
Taya Valkyrie defeated Molly Holly by pinfall via Road to Valhalla at 11:01. Taya does a post match beat down.
Segment Notes
* Footage was shown of Valkyrie walking out on Holly during their ppv pre-show match the night before. Monsoon got over how Taya and Tamina Snuka are vying to join the nWo.
* A brief squash was considered here, but a longer match was decided as a competitive bout would allow Valkyrie to showcase more of her abilities. The post match beat down isn’t viewed to hurt Holly much as she’s going to be working more in a backstage road agent capacity.
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SoCal Val has “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig on the interview stage. He hates to admit Jake Roberts was right, but Chris Jericho obviously couldn’t be trusted and left Hennig out in the cold to be defeated by Jake Robert and Black Mamba (Omos) last night. Jericho doesn’t care about WCW, he doesn’t care about the fans and he sure as hell doesn’t care about Curt Hennig. The fans boo and Hennig says he can say whatever he wants about Jericho, because like usual he’s not in the house. At Phoenix Rising, Curt Hennig will be the new UWA Universal Men’s Champion and Jericho can say whatever he wants about Hennig while he’s flying around the world as the new champion.
Segment Notes
*Footage is shown of the Jericho and Hennig vs. Roberts and Black Mamba match from Clash of the Champions.
*It’s thought Hennig can keep up the program with Jericho without him being there most of the time as UWA Champion. However, Shane McMahon is trying to get Jericho on more shows leading up to Phoenix Rising.
*It wasn’t lost on McMahon that Hennig got some face pops during this segment and it’s thought Jericho being gone so much is hurting his status with the WCW audience.
COMMERCIAL
Magnum TA, Paul Orndorff and the Garvin Brothers (Terry and Jimmy) defeated Dusty Rhodes, Ronnie Garvin, Sam Houston and Eddie Guerrero by pinfall of Orndorff on Houston via piledriver at 12:32. Rhodes and Magnum brawled off during the match. Orndorff tried a second piledriver on Houston after the match, but Ronnie stopped him and scared Orndorff off.
Segment Notes
*This match was basically to set up Ronnie Garvin vs. Paul Orndorff for Phoenix Rising. Garvin is a CCW original that those in the back feel deserves to be on the show and Orndorff needs something to do since the Savage feud is over.
*Magnum and Rhodes brawling off was to keep them out of the finish and Guerrero not being involved in the finish didn’t hurt him any.
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SoCal Val has the Ultimate Warrior on the interview stage. “Once more the Ultimate Warrior has re-returned to the WCW. Once more I will know the feel of gold around my waist and the sound of all the cheering of the Little Warriors in my ears. Once more I will taste the blood of my opponents and smell the agony of their defeat. For I am gifted with sight beyond sight and I can already see my impending victory at Phoenix Rising in the Elimination Chamber.”
Segment Notes
* Standard rambling Warrior promo just to remind the fans that he debuted at Clash of Champions and will be in the Phoenix Rising main event.
COMMERCIAL
SoCal Val has Randy Savage on the interview stage. “The Macho Man is a little beat up from last night, uh huh, yeah. Dropping the elbow off the lighting rig onto ‘Mr. Not-So-Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff, yeah. But if it’s one saying the Macho Man lives his whole life by it’s go big or go home, dig it. And at Phoenix Rising I go even bigger into that Elimination Chamber against five men I’ve already beat at one time or another. Inside the chamber I’ve got no champions advantage, but I do have all the Macho Maniacs chanting for me to retain and I will walk out bruised and bloodied, I know that, but also still the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Yeah!”
Segment Notes
*Savage deserved the night off, but still needed to cut a promo as world champion.
*Savage had feuds in the WWF with Hogan, Warrior and Rhodes. He faced Austin and Guerrero once each in WCW.
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“Hollywood” Hulk Hogan with Maria Kanellis-Bennett defeated Bret “The Hitman” Hart by pinfall via big boot and leg drop at 10:32. Hart has Hogan in the Sharpshooter, but Maria drags him toward the ropes. Referee Tommy Young catches her and admonishes her. But this allows Killer Kross to run out and brain Bret. Hogan escapes and finishes with the usual. The Hart Foundation run out, followed by the rest of the nWo and there’s a big brawl as we fade.
Segment Notes
*The match was just a way to get to the big brawl at the end.
*The plan going forward is to feud Bret Hart vs. Killer Kross since Hogan is in the elimination chamber and Kross has the WCW Wild Card Title.
*Hart was fine with doing the job because of the storytelling element.