Post by Leo on Jul 8, 2023 13:07:13 GMT -5
WCW Monday Nitro episode 29 for 07.10.23
Live from the Ellis T. Johnson Arena in Morehead, Kentucky
Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Gary Michael Cappetta
Interviewer: SoCal Val
Referees: Tommy Young, Joey Marella and Aubrey Edwards
The show starts out in the ring with the nWo and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan bragging about beating Bret Hart in the main event last week. He’s interrupted by WCW World Heavyweight Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
“If anybody should be kicking off WCW Nitro it should be the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, yeah, not the biggest zero in the nWo, uh huh, yeah. I remember a time when the Mega Powers were the biggest thing ever in the history of professional wrestling. And I’m sure you made the same promises to who is standing in this ring with you now as you made to the Macho Man then. You didn’t keep those promises then and I guarantee you won’t keep them now, uh huh, yeah.”
Hogan rebuts. “Nobody pulled your string, Macho Man. This is nWo time and you need to trot to the back and polish up that title nice and bright for when Hollywood takes it at Phoenix Rising in the Elimination Chamber, brother.”
Savage says “I’ll shine it up real nice for you, Hogan, and then I’ll stick it sideways up your keister where the sun doesn't shine, oh yeah!”
The nWo goes to attack, but Hogan calls them off. “Look, Macho, it doesn’t matter who enters the Elimination Chamber as world champion. The only thing promised is the world champ will be in the match with the title on the line. You’re in it and I’m in it. So, why don’t you put the title on the line against me tonight, right here in Morehead, Kentucky, brother.”
Shane McMahon emerges from the back. He says that’s a great idea and books the bout. Hogan looks smug about it. However, all members of the nWo are banned from ringside and if any show up, then Hogan loses his spot in the Elimination Chamber. Hogan is livid about that.
COMMERCIAL
“Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle wrestle to a 15 minute time limit draw. Angle has Guerrero in the ankle lock, but time runs out before he submits. Angle looks a bit miffed, but they shake hands after.
Segment Notes
* Both guys need to look strong heading into the Elimination Chamber, but having them against each other gives a hint as to who might be better going heel. McMahon is leaning toward Angle.
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Davey Boy Smith runs across Bret Hart in the back and makes fun of him for losing to Hulk Hogan last week. At least Hart was in the main event of Nitro, not wasting his time with Rick McGraw on Thunder. A win is a win and everyone knows Smith has Hart’s number. Hart challenges him to a bout later on tonight.
COMMERCIAL
Taya Valkyrie defeated Lady Frost by pinfall via Road to Vahalla at 7:34.
Segment Notes
* The loss was retribution for Frost’s unscripted strip tease on Thunder last week. Frost is bucking to be the Playboy centerfold as WCW is in talks with Playboy.
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Tamina Snuka then comes out and gets in Valkyrie’s face. They both want to join the nWo and Maria Kannelis-Bennett has made it clear there’s only one spot for a woman up for grabs. Snuka said let’s settle this in the ring at Phoenix Rising. Winner joins the nWo and the loser f*cks off. Valkyrie agrees. They shake hands, but Taya tries to pull Tamina into a clothesline. Tamina ducks it and pulls Valkyrie into a Samaon Drop, but she drops out of it to her feet. They face each other, nod their heads and back away from each other.
Segment Notes
* Since this was heel vs. heel. The crowd wasn’t too much into it.
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“Grizzled” Sam Houston finds Paul Orndorff in the back and challenges him to a match tonight. Orndorff laughs, didn’t Houston get enough of him and his piledriver last week. Houston has never backed down from any man and he seeks to avenge every loss. Orndorff tells Houston he avoided a neck brace last week. He won’t be as lucky this week.
COMMERCIAL
SoCal Val finds Maria in the back and asks her opinion on what we just saw. Everyone wants into the nWo, but only the elite can join. As the world champion likes to say, the cream rises to the top, so let’s see what happens at Phoenix Rising.
Segment Notes
* It was thought making the match to join the nWo wasn’t something Maria would do, but she needed to okay it.
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“Stunning” Steve Austin is in the ring. He runs down the crowd and the entire WCW locker room. He doesn’t give a damn who enters the Elimination Chamber as world champion, but he’s walking out as the champion no matter what. He challenges anybody from the back to come out and face him right now so he can show these mouth breathers in Morehead what a real wrestler looks like.
The Ultimate Warrior storms the ring, runs the ropes and we’re underway. Warrior blitzes Austin. Hits a couple flying shoulder tackles and then a gorilla press slam. Austin rolls to the floor and backs up the aisle while jarring at the Warrior. Warrior wins by count out at 1:43.
Warrior then cuts a promo in the ring. “No stunning one, no heated latino, no olympian from Olympus, no Macho Man and, definitely, no Hogan from Hollywood can beat the Ultimate Warrior. In the Chamber of Elimination, I will eliminate all who rival me. The Warrior gods have deemed it and it shall come to pass. Championship Wrestling of the World shall be ruled now and forever by the Ultimate Warrior.”
Segment Notes
* Promo, quick match, promo was a unique storytelling segment. This was another example of putting two of the Elimination Chamber competitors against each other, but not wanting either to go over the other and look bad.
COMMERCIAL
“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff defeated “Grizzled” Sam Houston by pinfall via piledriver at 8:19. He lines up a second one post match, but Ronnie Garvin runs out and scares him off.
Garvin gets a microphone and tells Orndroff to try that on him. You win a match, okay, but you don’t beat a man when he’s down. Orndorff laughs at Garvin as he backs up the aisle.
Segment Notes
* Orndorff vs. Garvin is being set up for Phoenix Rising.
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SoCal Val has Harts Afire (Bruce and Keith Hart) on the interview stage. They didn’t get to say much in their debut last week. Bruce says Bret asked them to come and they did. Family always has each other’s back and the nWo is just a fake family and a gang of bullies. Keith said they never tolerated bullies growing up in Canada and if one Hart was challenged, all the Harts would come out.
Eli Drake and Mike Bennett come out and tell Bruce and Keith they must have missed them debuting last week, standing in Bret’s giant shadow. Look at who’s talking, Bruce retorts, Hogan’s lackeys. Did he give you a break from polishing his boots and fetching him sandwiches? Drake says we can jaw or we can wrestle, which is it? There’s been a delay with Bruce’s WCW physical, so he’s not cleared to wrestle yet. But, Keith is.
Segment Notes
The tag match is being saved for Phoenix Rising, hence Bruce saying he hasn’t been cleared to wrestle yet.
COMMERCIAL
Keith Hart defeated “The Miracle” Mike Bennett by pinfall via rolling fireman’s carry into a bridging pin at 8:30. Drake is livid at ringside and Bruce congratulates his brother. Drake tells Bruce to make sure he’s cleared by next week, because it’s going to be the two of them and it won’t be a repeat of this week.
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SoCal Val has U.S. Champion Rick Martel and Mickie James on the interview stage. James can’t keep her hands off of Martel and is kissing and licking on him while he tries to talk. Nick Aldis needs to take a good luck at what a woman in love really looks like. The Model is a walking aphrodisiac to any woman and it just so happens that Aldis’ woman is the main mama that can’t get enough of him. Nobody has seen Aldis since he interrupted their menage-trois last week. If he’s smart, nobody will ever see him again.
The Shane-O-Tron then comes to life and we see an extreme closeup of Nick Aldis. What he saw last week in the hotel room was a very hard thing for him to see. Over the past week, he’s thought long and hard about his relationship with James. He remembers the old saying if you love someone, set them free. If they come back, set them on fire. James and Martel can have each other, because he’s moved on. He’s also learned something else, know who’s in the shower before you enter the bathroom. The camera then zooms out and we see Aldis is in a hotel room and he opens the bathroom door to reveal Chae and Tygress of the Nitro Girls wearing nothing but towels. As they drop them, Aldis puts his hand over the camera lens and says that’s enough.
Martel seems impressed, but James is freaking out and screaming at the screen.
Segment Notes
*Nude tease from Chae and Tygress is again gauging how the fans might react to a Nitro Girls Playboy spread.
*Making Nick Aldis a sad sack, jilted lover didn’t seem in character. Him going the same way James did and she not being able to handle it felt more in character. It also circumvents expectations some. Aldis goes from trying to win James back to getting over her.
COMMERCIAL
Davey Boy Smith defeated Bret “The Hitman” Hart by pinfall via running power slam and a handful of tights at 10:50. Killer Kross walks out to distract Hart, allowing Smith to nail Hart from behind and gain the victory.
Maria Kannelis-Bennett comes out with a microphone and tells Hart that he could have come into WCW and had a great and happy career, but he decided to go after the nWo in his first seconds in the promotion. If he wants to be in their business, fine, they’ll be in his. And the WCW Wild Card Champion will be a wild card against Hart from here on out.
Segment Notes
Kross vs. Hart is being built for Phoenix Rising.
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A pre-taped promo from FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) has them running down Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart for their match at Phoenix Rising. The most dominant ever UWA World Tag Team Champions aren’t going to lose to a lukewarm, reboot of a great tag team. Because when it’s all said and done the initials FTR will be synonymous with the initials GOAT. And not the kind of goat Jim Neidhart looks like with that stupid goatee. Although Owen could use some facial hair, he looks about 12.
COMMERCIAL
In a pre-taped promo, Jade Cargill runs down Charlotte Flair for their match at Phoenix Rising. Flair might be the baddest b*tch in WCW, but that’s like being the leper with the nicest d*ck. Flair doesn’t know what bad is until she steps into the ring with the UWA Universal Women’s Champion. Then she’ll wish she didn’t know. Try to lock her in the figure eight? Cargill will break her leg. Try to hit her with the Natural Selection? Cargill will snap her neck. Flair won’t leave Phoenix Rising as the champion, but she will leave Jaded.
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“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Title ends in a no contest at 11:21. Hogan pulls referee Tommy Young in the way of a Savage charge. Hogan brains Savage and goes outside for a steel chair, but Ultimate Warrior runs out and takes it away from him. Hogan and Warrior staredown. Then Steven Austin runs out and attacks the Warrior from behind. Savage recovers and they all brawl. Young throws the match out as he revives.
Shane McMahon comes out to get order and he books Savage and Warrior vs. Hogan and Austin for next week.