Nitro 12/24/1995 was a Year in Review featuring the best matches, and biggest happenings on the hottest action from Monday Nitro! It also featured analysis from Mauro Ranallo and Terry Taylor regarding Starrcade 95 and taped interviews with the winners and losers.
Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig appeared via satellite from Robbinsdale, MN and talked with Ranallo and Taylor who were in the Studio. Hennig said that he fought his toughest opponent, and climbed the tallest mountain of his entire career last night at Starrcade against the Great Muta. Curt says he knew that Keiji was one of the top handfuls of grapplers in all of professional wrestling, and that he was ready for that. Curt says that he really impressed HIMSELF being able to “turn the switch” right along with Keiji going from Mutoh to Muta. Flipping the switch from wrestling match to survival of the fittest, by any means neccissary as quickly as he had to do is one of the most difficult things he’s faced during his reign. He will be enjoying his few days off, and looks forward to seeing where his “journey to immortality” carries him next. What he is doing right now is what will be his legacy, and he will not rest until that legacy is “absolutely perfect.”
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Monday Nitro 12/31/95
Airing LIVE on TBS: The Superstation from the UTC Arena in Chattanooga, TN
Backstage Interviewers: Mauro Ranallo and Bob Caudle
Commentary Team: Tony Schiavone, Terry Taylor, and Dusty Rhodes
Match Results:1. World Television Champion Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat defeated Julio Dinero by pinfall.
2. Scott Norton defeated Silver Bullet by submission.
3. The “Long-Island Loud Mouth” Chris Jericho defeated Uno Technico in a stellar contest that saw Jericho display his aerial prowess, keeping up with, and out-dueling the Luchadore. The absolutely brutal “Liontamer” high-angled, modified boston crab once again got Jericho “to da pay windah.”
4. Hugh Morrus w/Kevin Sullivan defeated Kendal Windahm w/Chris Youngblood by pinfall.
5. In his WCW return Lex Luger w/Miss Elizabeth and US Heavyweight Champion Sting defeated Rick Martel w/Col. Rob Parker and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton by submission in the Main Event.
Following his opening match victory
Ricky Steamboat joined Bob Caudle for an interview and discussed the past couple of months and his feud with Big Bubba Rogers and how bad it bothers Ricky that Bubba think he was somehow disrespected or slighted by the Dragon. Steamboat was just saying how much he has always respected Big Bubba’s abilities when the man himself joins the party.
Bubba says that Steamboat had a good plan at Starrcade, he took his
“ass-whoopin’” and wouldn’t go quietly into the night. He let Bubba work himself tired, and then caught him by surprise, and that doesn’t sit well with Rogers. And the next time Bubba and Steamboat are in the same ring,
“I will put an ass-whoopin’ on ya that you can’t keep gettin’ up from!” AND BUBBA JABBED HIS NIGHTSTICK INTO RICKY’S THROAT!!!!!Wrestling journalist
Mauro Ranallo did a brilliant piece on
“The Lion Heart” Chris Jericho and his amazing first few years in professional wrestling. He has wrestled in the biggest events on planet earth, and in front of the biggest crowds. Jericho has held championship gold in every promotion he has been to, the piece even touched on Jericho’s much ballywhoed
“Inter-Promotional” title reign that had the wrestling world talking in 1995. Chris discuss how the 90s have brought about revolution all over the world, from music, to entertainment, to presidents and world leaders, the 90s is a generation of change, and
“Chris Jericho is the leader of that generation! Dazzling athletes who can compete at the highest levels while entertaining like nobody ever has before! YOU ARE WELCOME!” Jericho even goes on to name his modified Boston Crab “the Lion Tamer” and his running, springboard moonsault the “Lionsault.”
Diamond Dallas Page cut
Kevin Sullivan off at the pass after Hugh Morrus’ match, and finally had his hands on Sullivan in an even fight, but WCW Security broke up the fight.
President JJ Dillon was not pleased, and told Bob Caudle that he, Magnum, and the championship committee will have big news regarding the Clash of Champions coming up in a couple of weeks, and that something HAD to be done about the Steamboat/Bubba and DDP/Sullivan situations, someone was going to get seriously injured before all is said and done.
Unified WCW World Tag Team Champions Booker T., and Stevie Ray with their manager Sister Sherri were interviewed by
Mauro Ranallo and say that it is very sweet to be back on wrestling’s mountain top. Booker T. incessantly feels the need to point out how
“big a sucka” Ranallo is, especially when Ranallo asks about their opinions on future title bouts. Sherri says that Harlem Heat has proved to be the very best tag team in the world and is well on their way to being the greatest tag team of all time. They have beaten the Steiners every time they’ve been put up against them. They’ve beaten Eaton and Martel, and they will beat any
“beer bellied share croppers” that WCW puts in the ring with them according to Stevie Ray, much to the amusement of Booker T. who says he absolutely CAN dig THAT,
“suckaaaaa.”Bob Caudle interviewed the returning to action
Lex Luger, his manager the lovely Miss Elizabeth, and his on again best-y, the United States Champion Sting. Lex discusses how jealous he is of Sting, he is jealous that Sting was able to get his hands on that no good “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Which Sting gets a big laugh out of and says that is was great to put his
“hands around his snakely throat!” Sting goes on to say once again how sorry he is for not trusting Lex. Sting says he is sure the world is tired of hearing him apologize so he will let this be the last time,
“Lex, pal I should have trusted you more when it came to Hot Rod, and I will not make that mistake again!”Lex says he appreciates Sting’s words, but he does have one request, and feels like Sting
“does kinda owe him one,” Lex says that if Sting does trust him, then trust Lex when he says that he believes their friendship can withstand any wrestling match. And with that in mind, Lex says,
“I would like to challenge you one on one for the United States Championship that was stolen from me!” Sting says,
“that win, lose, or draw I believe our friendship could withstand a fist fight or two, and tell ya the truth, Package, you deserve the first crack at this title!” Lex and Sting shake hands.
Roddy Piper took Terry Taylor’s place in the booth during the Luger vs. Martel main event, and had plenty to say about Sting and their match at Starrcade. Piper also refused to discuss Lex Luger or a possible match against the Total Package in the future, all Piper would say is,
“I’ve already beaten Lexy, and I’ve moved on.” Piper did also promise that
“Lexy will not get a title shot before me!” as Nitro went off the air!
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Monday Nitro 1/7/1996
Airing LIVE on TBS: The Superstation from the McAllister Fieldhouse in Columbia, SC
Interviewers: Mauro Ranallo and Bob Caudle
Commentary Team: Tony Schiavone, Terry Taylor, and Dusty Rhodes
Match Results:1. Chris Jericho defeated Scott D’Amore by submission, finishing him with a brilliant, “ Lionsault” and transitioned immediately to the devastating Lion tamer high angle, modified Boston crab.
2. Kendal Windham and “Renegade Warrior” Chris Youngblood defeated The Texas Hangmen by pinfall
3. Unified World Tag Team Champion Booker T. w/Sister Sherri and Stevie Ray defeated Greg “the Hammer” Valentine by pinfall
4. The Kamikaze Kids, Christian Cage and Lenny Lane defeated Charlie Haas and Jimmy Powers
5. Marcus Bagwell defeated The Blacktop Bully by pinfall.
6. United States Champion Sting, Diamond Dallas Page, and Lex Luger w/Miss. Elizabeth and Kimberly defeated Hugh Morrus, and The Faces of Fear, Meng and Barbarian, w/”Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan by disqualification when Kevin Sullivan and Roddy Piper inserted themselves into the action. The Nasty Boys ran into the melee to even up the fight as Nitro went off the air.
WCW Vice President Magnum T.A. and
President JJ Dillon had major announcements about this Friday’s
Clash of the Champions. First Magnum announced that this Clash would feature Japanese talent, and that WCW has retained its working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling in the hopes of bringing some of the best talent in the world to the best fans in the World, and that is just what they will be doing this Friday night in the Omni.
Three Japanese wrestling legends will be appearing at the Clash, all of these men have American wrestling experience, and will be familiar to any WCW fan. First is
JUSHIN “THUNDER” LYGER!! Mauro Ranallo talks over a few of Lyger’s highlights. Magnum goes on to say that many hardcore wrestling fans, and fans of Mauro’s work will know that in 1995 one of the very best wrestling matches to occur was
Lyger against this newly signed WCW talent, “Lionheart” Chris Jericho! Magnum says that Promoters all over the entire world have been trying to book this rematch, but fans will only see it in WCW, and
“we are all excited about that one!”Also appearing will be the team of former
IWGP Heavyweight Champion and WCW World Championship Contender Tatsumi “The Dragon” Fujinami teams with former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight and Tag Team Champion, 1984 Olympic Judo medalist, Hiroshi Hase. And as some longtime fans will know, Hiroshi Hase and various partners have had an outstanding rivalry with the Steiner Brothers, and this rivalry has seen various partners cycle through, and has seen some of the best tag team wrestling matches of the last quarter century. Well
Hase feels that he has the partner that will gain him that coveted victory of the Steiner’s and Rick and Scott have accepted that challenge! And the winners of that International Dream Tag Team Match-Up will get a shot at Harlem Heat’s Unified World Tag Team Titles!
JJ Dillon thanks Magnum for those big announcements, and says that this Clash of Champions has a fitting name to it, and it will not be the first wrestling event titled
“The Last Battle of Atlanta,” but it certainly might be the most appropriate. The WCW board that Magnum and JJ sit on has decided that something has to be done about two ongoing, bitter disputes in World Championship Wrestling. And after careful consideration, and numerous discussions with various colleagues, “we have decided that Ricky Steamboat will defend the World TV Title against Big Bubba Rogers one final time, and Diamond Dallas Page will face Kevin Sullivan one final time,
BOTH MATCHES WILL BE HELD INSIDE A STEEL CAGE!” JJ goes on to say that these matches will be one fall to a finish, can only end by pinfall, submission, or referee’s stoppage, steel cages are designed to settle grudges, and by golly that is what we will do this Friday Night!
Col. Robert Parker and his “Stud Stable,”
“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and Rick Martel joined
Bob Caudle. Col. Parker says that he has been highly disappointed with the recent performances of Ricky Martel, who was pinned at Starrcade, and was also defeated last week by Lex Luger, and that losing is unacceptable in the Stud Stable, but Ricky has a chance to redeem himself as next week on Nitro after the Clash, Eaton and Martel get their return match against Harlem Heat for the Unified Tag Team Championships of the World, and that Martel better not let him down!
Scott Norton was interviewed briefly by
Mauro Ranallo and says that we all got a good taste of what “Flash” Norton is all about when he sent Johnny B. Badd packing at Starrcade. And that as a former US Champion,
“DOMINANT U.S. Champion at that!,” Norton feels disrespected by not having more “victims lined up.” No match tonight, no match at the Clash, WCW officials
“had better tighten up, they won’t like the things I do when I have to entertain myself!”Don’t forget to tune in LIVE 8:05 Eastern Time
From the historic Omni in Atlanta, Georgia
“THE LAST BATTLE OF ATLANTA”In a Steel Cage for the World Television Title
One Fall to a Finish, there must be a winner
ONE LAST TIME!
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat defends against Big Bubba Rogers.
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ALSO INSIDE A STEEL CAGE
ONE LAST TIME
ONE FALL to a FINISH
“Diamond” Dallas Page w/Kimberly by his side takes on the “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullian.
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INTERNATIONAL DREAM MATCH #2Rick and Scott Steiner go to battle once more with Hiroshi Hase and his latest partner, former Heavyweight and Jr. Heavyweight Champion of the World Tatsumi ‘Dragon’ Fujinami
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INTERNATIONAL DREAM MATCH #1“Lionheart” Chris Jericho will meet Japanese sensation, Jushin ‘Thunder’ Lyger
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!!!PLUS!!!
ONE FALL GRUDGE MATCH
5 MONTHS IN THE MAKING
“Total Package” Lex Luger will finally meet the man who put him out of action and stole his United States Title, “Rowdy” Roddy PiperALSO: The Nasty Boys make their WCW in-ring return.....Super Pegasus makes his WCW in-ring debut.....Hugh Morrus goes one on one with hard hitting veteran Greg ‘the Hammer’ Valentine!!