WCW Monday Nitro Omnibus Thread

[SirSmUgly]

Nitro from 10/21/96 has the one of my favorite example I can think of where a botch enhanced the match. I've always loved Luger trying to rack Roadblock and failing twice before getting him. The crowd was so supportive of him and gave a really great pop when he finally kept Roadblock up for the rack. Love that match specifically for that reason. 

[lovchunky]

The 1996 Nitros from MGM/Disney were such an abomination. Some really good matches and the beginning of the nWo angle and it takes place in front of 1,000 "fans" who are clearly only there for the free t-shirts. Not to mention the people whose job it was to tell everbody who they should cheer/boo for clearly visible on camera.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

You know what annoyed the shit out of me so much? The entrance way area having like trees and bushes right in the middle. Just make the aisle shorter if you have to! At least it gave us the awesome NWO takeover where Rey got lawn darted etc. I also always liked the visual of Hall & Nash putting the sheets with N W O on them over that stupid WCW glitter logo

[lovchunky]

Just watched Mongo McMichael hit a second rope shoulder block, a sweet neckbreacker and a dropkick(!) on a July 96 Nitro. As soon as I thought that was good of him, he completely botches a back suplex/crotch spot on Sting.

[RandomAct]

Bumping this because they are progressively getting all of 1997 Nitro uploaded.

[cwoy2j]

Just watched Mongo McMichael hit a second rope shoulder block, a sweet neckbreacker and a dropkick(!) on a July 96 Nitro. As soon as I thought that was good of him, he completely botches a back suplex/crotch spot on Sting.

 

Mongo was truly an awful wrestler but he was a great heel. I was watching a Nitro right after he turned and the Horsemen were beating down someone and Joe Gomez ran in to make a save to avenge his earlier beating by the Horsemen. Needless to say, that didn't go well for him as Mongo hit him with the briefcase. The Horsemen held him up for Mongo and Mongo just kinda paint brushed him and smacked him around a bit in a very condescending manner. I thought that was a great heelish bit like he wasn't even worth the time to finish off, just smack him around a little bit and humiliate him. It also had Heenan yelling, "yeah, smack him around! That's right Mongo!" so that just added to the awesomeness.

 

I can't believe that it's 2015 and I wrote a whole paragraph on Mongo McMichaels.

[Pete]

 

Just watched Mongo McMichael hit a second rope shoulder block, a sweet neckbreacker and a dropkick(!) on a July 96 Nitro. As soon as I thought that was good of him, he completely botches a back suplex/crotch spot on Sting.

 

Mongo was truly an awful wrestler but he was a great heel. I was watching a Nitro right after he turned and the Horsemen were beating down someone and Joe Gomez ran in to make a save to avenge his earlier beating by the Horsemen. Needless to say, that didn't go well for him as Mongo hit him with the briefcase. The Horsemen held him up for Mongo and Mongo just kinda paint brushed him and smacked him around a bit in a very condescending manner. I thought that was a great heelish bit like he wasn't even worth the time to finish off, just smack him around a little bit and humiliate him. It also had Heenan yelling, "yeah, smack him around! That's right Mongo!" so that just added to the awesomeness.

 

I can't believe that it's 2015 and I wrote a whole paragraph on the greatness of Mongo McMichaels.

 

 

FTFY.

[SirSmUgly]

Mongo is the perfect example of a guy whose enthusiasm and effort overcome his inexperience and awkwardness for me, at least on my current re-watch with him. Plus, he is a high-level athlete, so every once in awhile, he does some cool shit. He's aces with me. 

[Hollywood Cibernetico]

Watching the first Nitro of 1997:

 

Bobby Eaton is still employed in a major wrestling company in 1997? Why?

 

I believe Glacier's entrance is the first time I ever heard commentators constantly talking about how 'cool' it is. Jim Ross describing The Undertaker's entrance or Vince babbling about Goldust entrance,  it always came down to the atmosphere and how it made you feel. Sure Kane, Taker, Goldust, and tons of others had/have 'cool' entrances, but that's something a fan would say in a casual conversation vs. a professional commentary describing the pageantry and emotion experienced throughout the arena during the entrance. Tony and the gang harping on this 'cool' entrance is such a bizarre trope and (perhaps) I am giving someone too much credit in thinking that it was done in a 'ha ha' sort of way. "Get it guys? His name is Glacier! Like the ice! He's entrance sure is cool! GET IT~!"

 

Also, Glacier was really hammy. If he toned down the posing, his act wouldn't generate laughter from me.

[piranesi]

As an announcer, Mongo was great because his tone and most of his lines make him sound like he's a very large southern lady having the vapors most of the time.

 

But as fun as he is, then you get to a Starrcade and you get Heenan spending the whole PPV making fun of Dusty and it's soooo amazing.

[cwoy2j]

Mongo is the perfect example of a guy whose enthusiasm and effort overcome his inexperience and awkwardness for me, at least on my current re-watch with him. Plus, he is a high-level athlete, so every once in awhile, he does some cool shit. He's aces with me. 

 

Oh I agree. I respect guys like him who, even though they suck, you can tell they're trying their hardest and enjoying themselves. He never went out there and dogged it. If he was in there with a competent guy, he could put on a very watchable match and I always thought he was a hell of a promo. I always thought that if he and Kevin Greene had gone into wrestling instead of football and gotten proper training and lots of untelevised matches to hone their skills, they would've been great wrestlers. Mojo Rawley wishes he was half as good as Mean Lean Kevin Greene.

[cwoy2j]

Watching the first Nitro of 1997:

 

Bobby Eaton is still employed in a major wrestling company in 1997? Why?

 

I believe Glacier's entrance is the first time I ever heard commentators constantly talking about how 'cool' it is. Jim Ross describing The Undertaker's entrance or Vince babbling about Goldust entrance,  it always came down to the atmosphere and how it made you feel. Sure Kane, Taker, Goldust, and tons of others had/have 'cool' entrances, but that's something a fan would say in a casual conversation vs. a professional commentary describing the pageantry and emotion experienced throughout the arena during the entrance. Tony and the gang harping on this 'cool' entrance is such a bizarre trope and (perhaps) I am giving someone too much credit in thinking that it was done in a 'ha ha' sort of way. "Get it guys? His name is Glacier! Like the ice! He's entrance sure is cool! GET IT~!"

 

Also, Glacier was really hammy. If he toned down the posing, his act wouldn't generate laughter from me.

 

Because Bobby Eaton is awesome.

 

In his book, JJ Dillon talked about how he went to bat for Eaton and kept him employed for a few years. Eaton was gonna get let go at some point but JJ convinced the suits to keep him around to work and train people at the Power Plant. Eaton got fired at some point for failing to show up at the Power Plant.

 

Guys like Eaton are what WWE is missing nowadays. A very good worker with a name but someone that you can have a new guy or a pushed guy beat. Run matches with him on house shows to teach a new guy how to work. Every promotion needs guys like that in my opinion. You turn on the tv and go, "well it's (insert new guy/push guy here). Dunno if I wanna watch. Oh, he's fighting Bobby Eaton. I remember him. Might be cool." So you watch for 5 minutes and the new guy gets over by beating the guy you knew in a somewhat decent match.

[RandomAct]

WCW was great for that.  A good number of their mid-late 90's job guys were folks that had a decent name at one time.  Manny Fernandez, Pez Whatley, Eaton, the Armstrongs, and even the Rock n' Roll Express(for a brief spell) fall into that category.

[cwoy2j]

WCW was great for that.  A good number of their mid-late 90's job guys were folks that had a decent name at one time.  Manny Fernandez, Pez Whatley, Eaton, the Armstrongs, and even the Rock n' Roll Express(for a brief spell) fall into that category.

 

Exactly. Now that there are no real out and out jobbers, there's a need for guys like that. Guys who went up the card for a while but they job out in their later years to give a rub to a new guy. For a fan like me and what I presume is all of us here it wasn't like "oh, such and such beat Bobby Eaton and now he's awesome", it was more like, "hmmmm, this guy just beat a namebrand guy, so clearly we should watch out for him". It was a signal that the guy who won was someone they had plans for and you should pay attention to him.

[kafkonia]

 

WCW was great for that.  A good number of their mid-late 90's job guys were folks that had a decent name at one time.  Manny Fernandez, Pez Whatley, Eaton, the Armstrongs, and even the Rock n' Roll Express(for a brief spell) fall into that category.

 

Exactly. Now that there are no real out and out jobbers, there's a need for guys like that. Guys who went up the card for a while but they job out in their later years to give a rub to a new guy. For a fan like me and what I presume is all of us here it wasn't like "oh, such and such beat Bobby Eaton and now he's awesome", it was more like, "hmmmm, this guy just beat a namebrand guy, so clearly we should watch out for him". It was a signal that the guy who won was someone they had plans for and you should pay attention to him.

 

That only works for a while, though. Eventually, the name brand guy becomes a jobber to the new viewers who only know him in that role. That's when the skill set and experience becomes more important, as even if most people watching him know him only as the guy who loses on Saturday Night, he can keep working with the newer talent and help them develop.

 

Nowadays, when someone who's a talented veteran gets used in this role, we bitch and moan about how they're being ill-used (Mark Henry; Goldust; Christian.) And when someone's a relatively young wrestler who's been shuffled into the role because a push didn't work out (Ryder; Sandow; Axel) we just see them as having had failed pushes.

[SirSmUgly]

So glad 1997 Nitros are mostly up. 

 

I know we talked about this a few pages back, but this Giant thing didn't work for me. Think it was cwoy2j who pointed out that Giant had to see through Hogan's lies and that precipitated the turn, but I still don't like it. I would have liked it better if Giant joined Sting's Army, though. 

 

RAW is smoking Nitro in the uppercard with Austin/Hart/HBK/Sid though. WWF's main event paired with WCW's undercard from this time would constitute the best shows ever. 

[SirSmUgly]

So, instead of calling Hogan a pussy, a no-go on TNT, The Giant calls Hogan a "four-legged feline." Coffee spit everywhere.

[cwoy2j]

So glad 1997 Nitros are mostly up. 

 

I know we talked about this a few pages back, but this Giant thing didn't work for me. Think it was cwoy2j who pointed out that Giant had to see through Hogan's lies and that precipitated the turn, but I still don't like it. I would have liked it better if Giant joined Sting's Army, though. 

 

RAW is smoking Nitro in the uppercard with Austin/Hart/HBK/Sid though. WWF's main event paired with WCW's undercard from this time would constitute the best shows ever. 

 

I would've had a bigger problem with Giant's first turn if he'd have stayed in the nWo for longer than 3 months. He quickly saw that Hogan was using him as a pawn and left when Hogan balked at giving him the title shot he won at WWIII. Can't really explain away all of the subsequent turns though. I don't even remember why he went back to nWo Hollywood. Wasn't it something like he still harbored resentment at Nash for dropping him on his head with the powerbomb so the fastest way to get a match with him was to join nWo Hollywood? I think that's how Schiavone tried to spin it once before he just gave up and threw it to a Nitro party segment with Lee Marshall.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

That sounds vaguely familiar, but I feel like Sting and Giant already had their title shot vs. the Outsiders booked for Slamboree '98 BEFORE Giant joined NWO Hollywood-- I may be wrong, but I'm looking forward to catching up once the 98 Nitros are up.

[twiztor]

That sounds vaguely familiar, but I feel like Sting and Giant already had their title shot vs. the Outsiders booked for Slamboree '98 BEFORE Giant joined NWO Hollywood-- I may be wrong, but I'm looking forward to catching up once the 98 Nitros are up.

this is correct. Giant turns on Sting in the buildup to the tag title match. i don't really remember it being explained why. and i just watched it a couple months ago.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

Watching the first Nitro of 1997:

 

Bobby Eaton is still employed in a major wrestling company in 1997? Why?

 

I believe Glacier's entrance is the first time I ever heard commentators constantly talking about how 'cool' it is. Jim Ross describing The Undertaker's entrance or Vince babbling about Goldust entrance,  it always came down to the atmosphere and how it made you feel. Sure Kane, Taker, Goldust, and tons of others had/have 'cool' entrances, but that's something a fan would say in a casual conversation vs. a professional commentary describing the pageantry and emotion experienced throughout the arena during the entrance. Tony and the gang harping on this 'cool' entrance is such a bizarre trope and (perhaps) I am giving someone too much credit in thinking that it was done in a 'ha ha' sort of way. "Get it guys? His name is Glacier! Like the ice! He's entrance sure is cool! GET IT~!"

 

Also, Glacier was really hammy. If he toned down the posing, his act wouldn't generate laughter from me.

 

Did you know Glacier's family were cops? Long line of Georgia State Troopers. His father AND brother.  Wasn't sure if you heard.

 

 

Watching the first Nitro of 1997:

 

Bobby Eaton is still employed in a major wrestling company in 1997? Why?

 

I believe Glacier's entrance is the first time I ever heard commentators constantly talking about how 'cool' it is. Jim Ross describing The Undertaker's entrance or Vince babbling about Goldust entrance,  it always came down to the atmosphere and how it made you feel. Sure Kane, Taker, Goldust, and tons of others had/have 'cool' entrances, but that's something a fan would say in a casual conversation vs. a professional commentary describing the pageantry and emotion experienced throughout the arena during the entrance. Tony and the gang harping on this 'cool' entrance is such a bizarre trope and (perhaps) I am giving someone too much credit in thinking that it was done in a 'ha ha' sort of way. "Get it guys? His name is Glacier! Like the ice! He's entrance sure is cool! GET IT~!"

 

Also, Glacier was really hammy. If he toned down the posing, his act wouldn't generate laughter from me.

 

Because Bobby Eaton is awesome.

 

In his book, JJ Dillon talked about how he went to bat for Eaton and kept him employed for a few years. Eaton was gonna get let go at some point but JJ convinced the suits to keep him around to work and train people at the Power Plant. Eaton got fired at some point for failing to show up at the Power Plant.

 

Guys like Eaton are what WWE is missing nowadays. A very good worker with a name but someone that you can have a new guy or a pushed guy beat. Run matches with him on house shows to teach a new guy how to work. Every promotion needs guys like that in my opinion. You turn on the tv and go, "well it's (insert new guy/push guy here). Dunno if I wanna watch. Oh, he's fighting Bobby Eaton. I remember him. Might be cool." So you watch for 5 minutes and the new guy gets over by beating the guy you knew in a somewhat decent match.

 

 

 

One thing on this: I agree with you 100%, but the atmosphere in WWE is SO different now that when a guy gets put into that slot (lets say Zack Ryder for the sake of argument) everyone gets upset with the so-called de-push. In another thread many moons ago, I called for guys like Styles, Rhino, Joe, the Dudleyz, London & Kendrick, Haas & Benjamin, Trevor Murdoch, Val Venis, Carlito, Johnny Mundo and others to be brought in for these roles-- these are your modern day Eatons, Armstrongs, Horowitz, Barry Darsow, R&Rs Mike Enos, etc. Every single one is a former champ last decade, and brings the perfect amount of credibility to a match-- it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for one of them to pick up a win against a young guy on a B-show, or get slotted into the Royal Rumble, but they don't lose anything by doing jobs because theyve been out of the average WWE fan's consciousness for 5-7 or more years now.

[cwoy2j]

 

Watching the first Nitro of 1997:

 

Bobby Eaton is still employed in a major wrestling company in 1997? Why?

 

I believe Glacier's entrance is the first time I ever heard commentators constantly talking about how 'cool' it is. Jim Ross describing The Undertaker's entrance or Vince babbling about Goldust entrance,  it always came down to the atmosphere and how it made you feel. Sure Kane, Taker, Goldust, and tons of others had/have 'cool' entrances, but that's something a fan would say in a casual conversation vs. a professional commentary describing the pageantry and emotion experienced throughout the arena during the entrance. Tony and the gang harping on this 'cool' entrance is such a bizarre trope and (perhaps) I am giving someone too much credit in thinking that it was done in a 'ha ha' sort of way. "Get it guys? His name is Glacier! Like the ice! He's entrance sure is cool! GET IT~!"

 

Also, Glacier was really hammy. If he toned down the posing, his act wouldn't generate laughter from me.

 

Did you know Glacier's family were cops? Long line of Georgia State Troopers. His father AND brother.  Wasn't sure if you heard.

 

 

Watching the first Nitro of 1997:

 

Bobby Eaton is still employed in a major wrestling company in 1997? Why?

 

I believe Glacier's entrance is the first time I ever heard commentators constantly talking about how 'cool' it is. Jim Ross describing The Undertaker's entrance or Vince babbling about Goldust entrance,  it always came down to the atmosphere and how it made you feel. Sure Kane, Taker, Goldust, and tons of others had/have 'cool' entrances, but that's something a fan would say in a casual conversation vs. a professional commentary describing the pageantry and emotion experienced throughout the arena during the entrance. Tony and the gang harping on this 'cool' entrance is such a bizarre trope and (perhaps) I am giving someone too much credit in thinking that it was done in a 'ha ha' sort of way. "Get it guys? His name is Glacier! Like the ice! He's entrance sure is cool! GET IT~!"

 

Also, Glacier was really hammy. If he toned down the posing, his act wouldn't generate laughter from me.

 

Because Bobby Eaton is awesome.

 

In his book, JJ Dillon talked about how he went to bat for Eaton and kept him employed for a few years. Eaton was gonna get let go at some point but JJ convinced the suits to keep him around to work and train people at the Power Plant. Eaton got fired at some point for failing to show up at the Power Plant.

 

Guys like Eaton are what WWE is missing nowadays. A very good worker with a name but someone that you can have a new guy or a pushed guy beat. Run matches with him on house shows to teach a new guy how to work. Every promotion needs guys like that in my opinion. You turn on the tv and go, "well it's (insert new guy/push guy here). Dunno if I wanna watch. Oh, he's fighting Bobby Eaton. I remember him. Might be cool." So you watch for 5 minutes and the new guy gets over by beating the guy you knew in a somewhat decent match.

 

 

 

One thing on this: I agree with you 100%, but the atmosphere in WWE is SO different now that when a guy gets put into that slot (lets say Zack Ryder for the sake of argument) everyone gets upset with the so-called de-push. In another thread many moons ago, I called for guys like Styles, Rhino, Joe, the Dudleyz, London & Kendrick, Haas & Benjamin, Trevor Murdoch, Val Venis, Carlito, Johnny Mundo and others to be brought in for these roles-- these are your modern day Eatons, Armstrongs, Horowitz, Barry Darsow, R&Rs Mike Enos, etc. Every single one is a former champ last decade, and brings the perfect amount of credibility to a match-- it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for one of them to pick up a win against a young guy on a B-show, or get slotted into the Royal Rumble, but they don't lose anything by doing jobs because theyve been out of the average WWE fan's consciousness for 5-7 or more years now.

 

 

Agree with the bolded. It sucks but you're right in that if they brought back, say, a Johnny Mundo and he started dropping matches to Roman Reigns, Neville or Bray Wyatt, people would just bitch about him being de-pushed. Who knows, maybe that would be confined to so-called smart fans though. Maybe casual fans would have the frame of mind I talked about where if Mundo won a few low-level matches but lost to a guy like Neville, it wouldn't be, "Mundo is getting buried", it'd be "hey, Neville just beat John Morrison, a guy I remember who is above jobber/nobody/wimpy status. Watch out for Neville." To me, it's kind of like when I was a kid and heard that HBK beat Tito. Tito in my mind wasn't a top contender but he was still a name and a step above the jobbers and other rank and file guys. So when HBK beat him, I thought, "hmmm, well clearly he's going somewhere. He just beat Chico."

[Adam]

Here's a million dollar question.

 

I've watched all of 1996 and the first few weeks of 1997, is Debra REALLY that bad or is she a tremendous actress? I mean, it's.. wow. Whenever she's on the mic discussing Benoit and Woman, or her big smile looking right into the camera.

 

Which is it? I think I know..

[SirSmUgly]

Debra is fucking awful. I'm not quite sure she's supposed to be irritating in that way even though she's a heel.

 

Plus Woman's not around very often and when she is, it's ruined by her being with Benoit. Man, fuck. I need to go back to a few of those early 1996 Nitros with Woman and Liz together in the Four Horsemen to clean out the Debra stank she got on all my Horsemen watching. 

[RandomAct]

Woman with Flair and Arn was incredible.  With Benoit she was kinda just window dressing, besides the time that she and Jackie tore into each other.