WCW Monday Nitro Omnibus Thread

[cwoy2j]

Also, Arn Anderson is doing the Lord's work in some of these Horsemen vs. nWo promos...

 

"You tried to blind me with spray paint. You should used battery acid, because that's what I would've done..."

 

"I called ahead in Winston Salem and reserved a hospital room for myself, because I might need one after War Games..."

 

I loved the promo he did after Hall, Nash and Hogan attacked him in the back.

 

"You see we are the original and most vicious gang out there. You forgot the most important rule of gang fighting; they send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of theirs to the morgue!" I know he stole that line from Sean Connery in The Untouchables but it was awesome.

[JCM]

Watched a couple random ones from 95, and it seems Savage is trying to out bump Ziggler and Rollins.

[SirSmUgly]

Savage vs. Flair and later Hogan with Liz twisting the knife as much as possible was truly amazing. He would get his ass kicked all the time, but he just kept coming back for more. 

 

1995 Randy Savage is just exceptional. That's his last great period (along with early 1996), and it makes you wonder why Vince wouldn't at least use him to put over Bret Hart or Lex Luger in 1994 in a face-vs-face showdown. How you leave Savage off that shitty WM IX card, I don't know.

 

And I will never come off my assertion that Savage should have won the 1993 Royal Rumble instead of Yokozuna. 

 

Re: Sting and the newly-reformed Horsemen, I just love that by this time, Sting was clear that he knew better than to trust Flair and Arn, but he was just teaming with them for the kids, and when they eventually did turn on them, he would hunt them down relentlessly. 

 

You all will note that when Hogan goes away to shoot a movie or whatever, the Nitros go from "really good" to "amazing."

[Hollywood Cibernetico]

Watched a couple random ones from 95, and it seems Savage is trying to out bump Ziggler and Rollins.

 

Yeah. Savage was still crisp in the ring and had a ton of energy. Watching 1995 Randy Savage, it seems stupid that WWE/Savage parted ways a year earlier. In the grand scheme of things Vince was always forward thinking and The New Generation  (Nash, Hall, HBK, Taker, Hart) might have almost put WWE out of business, but it was a much needed transition into The Attitude Era when 4 of those guys were eventually  phased out (for various reasons) and Taker was repackaged into something more serious. I think Hogan, Savage, Luger, and some of the wrestlers jumping from WCW and WWF was for the best as Hogan, Savage, and Luger would have been stale as shit in WWE. It would be the equal (actually probably worse) of WWE keeping around Kane, Orton, Jericho, Lawler, and RVD well past their expiration dates.

 

Also, I NEVER wanted an auto play more than now. WWE needs to get on it. I WANT to binge watch Nitro and pick up right where I left off with no issue and without remembering the main screenshot (which I am currently doing). The cynical side of me thinks this feature hasn't been added because WWE knows there are some people who will queue up a show like Nitro during a LIVE RAW and completely miss the show either on purpose or by complete accident.

 

Disco continues to be 100% awesome. NOT BOOKED ON THE SHOW AND NOT EVEN SUPPOSE TO BE THERE. Disco managed to get over in less than 1 month with less than 30 minutes of combined TV time. Again, Nitro continues to do all the right stuff in the most simple way and its getting over. I know Disco is an annoying good who thinks he is a good dancer, I know Benoit is a journey man and is a big deal in Japan and is bringing his talents to WCW, I know Sting is serious and is a top level guy based off the quick dismantling of EarthQuake. The three things I mentioned all took less than 15 minutes of TV time. All of it comes off as important. All of it means something.

 

[Just Dave]

Anybody know the story behind them tagging Ricky Morton or Robert Gibson with random other tag team partners? Just seems odd. And DAMN if the first hour Nitros aren't just the randomest assortment of freaks, stiffs and geniuses I've ever seen...

[KidKash202]

I was never a big fan of WCW (only watched casually in 2000)

Well..............

[RandomAct]

It was touched on before, but these shows are such a breeze to watch.  Nothing feels like a chore, everything is super digestible.  I still love the buildup to the Horsemen reuniting after all these years.  It does seem like they just fucked with Sting for the hell of it, but of course that lead to Sting kicking Flair's ass for 2 months.

 

It has reopened my eyes to Sting, in a weird way.  It's not like he ever became obscure to me, but seeing him work just made me remember what a phenomenal babyface he was.  Johnny B. Badd should have never left.  Pittman vs Kurasawa was manly as fuck.

[Hollywood Cibernetico]

It was touched on before, but these shows are such a breeze to watch.  Nothing feels like a chore, everything is super digestible.  I still love the buildup to the Horsemen reuniting after all these years.  It does seem like they just fucked with Sting for the hell of it, but of course that lead to Sting kicking Flair's ass for 2 months.

 

It has reopened my eyes to Sting, in a weird way.  It's not like he ever became obscure to me, but seeing him work just made me remember what a phenomenal babyface he was.  Johnny B. Badd should have never left.  Pittman vs Kurasawa was manly as fuck.

 

Yeah. An Emerald Fusion on the pavement in what many would consider (and for all purposes is) a throw away match. Every Nitro I've see thus far has everyone showing up with his or her working boots. No one is phoning it in. No one is just collecting a check. From top-to-bottom that roster is so amazing and fucking random.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

Dude you wanna talk about fucking random? February '96, I'm watching Konnan vs. DANGEROUS DEVON STORM.

[piranesi]

I'm just getting into this gold mine having missed all of this stuff originally and holy shit that first Nitro looks like a telethon.

 

I don't think, in my entire life, I've seen something that made me feel as good as Jushin Liger running out from in between a Yankee Candle Shop and a GadZooks!

 

WHY ISN"T THIS THE WORLD ALWAYS?????

[Greggulator]

I just got done watching the great Novak/Andy Murray match. I'll how long into this first Nitro I can go before I have to go to sleep.

I forgot this took place at the Mall of America. Face announcer Eric Bischoff is so weird. Steve McMichael can only exist in 1995. His hair and look was JUST starting to become truly insane right around then. I love they start the debut of their show that's an attempt to take down Vince McMahon with a JUSHIN LYGER and FLYIN' BRYAN match! That's just faith in two cruiserweights. Legitimately, this is one of the most important matches in history. That's not hyperbole -- this match HAS to look impressive to curious fans. It's a bit sloppy, to say the least, and it has a lot of "NOW IT'S MY TURN TO HIT A MOVE!" But it has to be watched in the context of 1995. This type of wrestling is nothing to us now but to me, when I was 17-years-old, it was REVOLUTIONARY.The only time we had access to this type of stuff was when they periodically brought Lyger in or if Waltman had his working boots on. I don't think I had ECW available to me quite yet, so Sabu wasn't in my life yet, and Eddie and Dean and Benoit certainly weren't.

 

But this match is great in terms of what it's supposed to do -- let people know that WCW is out there and presents a superior product than the kids stuff on Raw. You really couldn't ask for a better opening match. The success of Nitro and WCW obviously didn't hinge on that match. But you want to start strong and they couldn't have started better.

I really wish the WWE would put in a match at a shopping mall or parking lot or something just visually different than arenas. Just for a change-of-pace on the eyes and to shake up the presentation a bit.

[Greggulator]

Okay, no one's talked about PASTAMANIA yet? That was so ridiculously awful/great and WCW at its worst/best.

[piranesi]

Guys, this was my first actual PastaMania commercial and I...I don't know where to go now.

 

 

Also I just can't contain my ecstasy that a real and proper answer to "What were you doing at the first Nitro when Ric Flair wrestled Sting?" could be "I WAS BUYING SISTER, SISTER POGS AROUND THE CORNER!  NO ONE TOLD ME I THOUGHT IT WAS FLYIN' BRYAN STILL!!!"

[Zakk_Sabbath]

February 96: Belfast Bruiser vs. Brad Armstrong, fuck it why not? Both men have glorious mullets and Finlay is laying his shit in

[twiztor]

I really wish the WWE would put in a match at a shopping mall or parking lot or something just visually different than arenas. Just for a change-of-pace on the eyes and to shake up the presentation a bit.

i've been saying this for a while too.

i loved when WCW would do something different for a venue. Spring Break-Out Nitro, Hog/Road Wild, the Nitro mall debut. hell when WCW had Bash at the Beach on an actual beach! or even just the beach set that they used later. a different presentation like that feels SPECIAL. it's an easy way to create interest.

when every Raw has used the same set for the last decade, it's just not very exciting.

[Raziel]

I'm feeling really old watching the first Nitro and seeing all the stores in Mall of America that are out of business by now.

 

I mean, Service Merchandise????

[Raziel]

I'm also really hoping that WWE paid out for the rights for Voodoo Chile when we get that far.

[southofheavy]

Man, Savage just countered a suplex on the outside by the Giant by clinging whatever body parts he could to the ropes. Damn, that was cool. 

[Hollywood Cibernetico]

How much of the WCW talent were on pay-per-appearance deals? Hogan, Sting, Savage, Jimmy Hart, Flair and Luger are the only ones who appear to constantly be featured. Granted its only an hour and WCW couldn't play out and hold off the 'big guns' for PPV. When Nitro launch in Sept of 1995, WCW only had 46 contracted wrestlers. So 7 of these guys are put in high positions and always featured and yet STILL WCW manages to use the remainder of its talent and make them all feel important in some way. Nowadays companies have 2 or 3 hours of TV and some guys won't even see the show for weeks if not months before getting the "Creative Has Nothing For You!" line.

The WCW roster for September 1995 was as follows: Earl Bobby Eaton, Sting,"Fly'in" Brian Pillman, "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, Johnny B. Badd,"Diamond" Dallas Page, Marcus Alexander Bagwell, "Mr. Wonderful" PaulOrndorff, Lord Steve Regal, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Stevie Ray, BookerT., Dave Sullivan, Brian Knobbs, Jerry Saggs, Mark Starr, The GuardianAngel, Kevin Sullivan, Bunkhouse Buck, Steve Armstrong, Meng, "DasWunderkind" Alex Wright, Hulk Hogan, Brutus "The Zodiak" Beefcake,"Hacksaw" Jim Duggin, "Jump'in" Joey Maggs, The Shark, "Dirty" DickSlaytor, Scott Armstrong, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Sgt. Craig "Pitbull"Pittman, The Renegade, Kamala the Uygandan Giant, Road Warrior Hawk,Kurosawa, Max Muscle, Disco Inferno, "Mr. JL" Jerry Lynn, V.K Wallstreet,Eddie Guerrero, "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, "The Man of 1000Holds" Dean Malenko, Scotty Riggs, "The Total Package" Lex Luger, Scott"Flash" Norton, The Giant, Sabu        TOTAL ROSTER: 46

[Brian Fowler]

I have no clue about the situation then, but a few years later, when the roster was more like 80 or 90 guys, they officially changed their policy to not bring talent in to Nitro who they weren't planning on using.  So, at least during the boom period, they were bringing in 75+ guys every week to be backstage for Nitro and paying them to be there.

[Hollywood Cibernetico]

I have no clue about the situation then, but a few years later, when the roster was more like 80 or 90 guys, they officially changed their policy to not bring talent in to Nitro who they weren't planning on using.  So, at least during the boom period, they were bringing in 75+ guys every week to be backstage for Nitro and paying them to be there.

 

Yeah. In two years WCW doubled its roster.

 

http://www.solie.org/wcw98.txt

 

 

Just change '98' to '96', '95', etc. to see other years.

[Greggulator]

Watching some random episode from 1995. Eric Bischoff is SO friggin' overbearing as an announcer. He's terrible. Macho Man is taking on Kurusawa, managed by Colonel Parker. Can we talk about Colonel Parker? I've become such a fan of his lately. Am I wrong for this?

[Assassin]

I don't know about any of you, but I was really hoping the fans were going to vote for Mr. JL vs The Shark in that fan voting edition of Nitro.

[A Guy Named Tracy]

I've been watching the series of matches that Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio had when Rey debuted in WCW. There were a few sloppy spots, but the matches still hold up well. One little touch about WCW title matches that I miss would be when the referee would hold the title belt and display it to the camera. It made the championship title feel important.

[southofheavy]

Hulk Hogan is a disingenuous piece of shit. 

 

"I'm your BEST FRIEND, Macho! I'm gonna fend off Arn, brother, because your my BEST FRIEND, then I'm gonna hold it over ya, brother, then celebrate in the ring, man, like I just won the goddamn belt myself, brother, and by the way, I want the first title shot, brother!" 

 

How did no one in the industry sit Hulk down and be like, "Dude, your character is kind of a sociopath and maybe even a narcissist, but definitely just a bad person altogether?"

 

He's the kind of 'friend' you cut out of your life once you shake off the chronic inebriation of your early 20's.