WCW February 11th - March 18th 1996 Catch-Up

[jackknight]

Hashtag said:

So in an effort to go ahead and get caught up, I’m going to post a summary of the Nitro’s after Superbrawl leading to the next Clash of Champions on 3/21/96. Then I will post that card. Then another summary to get to Spring Stampede 4/28. Then I will post Spring Stampede. Then I will get a couple of fast track Nitro’s up to get on time. Sorry I haven’t done this sooner guys, shit’s crazy.
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BRAND NEW WCW Television Champion of the World, “Lionheart” Chris Jericho and his henchmen, the exciting young duo of fellow would be rockstars, Lenny Lane and Christian Cage, the Highlight Express have be causing waves on Nitro. In what can only be described as an incredible match Jericho wrestled the Television title away from his boyhood hero, Ricky Steamboat. The Western Renegades, Kendal Windham and Chris Youngblood, who is the younger brother of Ricky Steamboats former partner and best-friend Jay Youngblood, have not responded too kindly to sincerely disrespectful comments made by Jericho. One promo in particular lit a fire under Windham and Youngblood.

“While Chris Jericho is not one to blow his own horn, I must say TOOT TOOT, C’mon bay bay.” The Long-Island Loud Mouth is certainly proud of himself. He finally put “that old fossil” Ricky Steamboat out to pasture. Jericho insists that he did it for Steamboat’s own good, and did it “out of respect.” Jericho admits that Ricky Steamboat was his favorite wrestler growing up, and it “broke my heart” to see what a “shell” of an athlete he had become. “So I did the only humane thing, I took his title, and his pride. If I had left him any pride Steamboat would come back for another beating, another embarrassment, and out of respect, I saved him further embarrassment” Christian and Lenny are cheerleading, can be heard backing up each of Jericho’s claims, and make the mistake of getting between Jericho and the camera, he quickly reminds Christian, “your spot is right over here, behind the champ..”

Youngblood and Windham, who have been riding with Steamboat had heard all they could stand and hit the ring in an ill-timed decision. Youngblood and Windham took on Jericho, Lane, and Cage in different ways which led to….

THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON!!! During a singles bout between Youngblood and Jericho on Nitro. Steamboat got a measure of revenge as he lit up Jericho with his famous chops. Jericho tried to escape over the top rope, but Steamboat grabbed himself two handfuls of hair! A tug-of-war ensued that saw the Highlight Express finally pull their mentor away from the Dragon, but it cost Jericho two handfuls of hair!!

Holding the hair high above his head as if they were trophies, Steamboat got on the microphone and told Jericho that he has been over things with his old friend Magnum T.A., and the Renegades were not the only people who have found Jericho and the Reel’s actions disgusting as of late, which is why, at the Clash of Champions in Memphis it will be Ricky Steamboat, Kendal Windham, and Chris Youngblood vs. Chris Jericho, Lenny Lane, and Christian Cage in a 6 Man Elimination Tag Team Match. And if Steamboat’s team wins HE GETS TO CHOOSE THE STIPULATION for his title rematch against Jericho, if Jericho’s teams wins he gets to choose.



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Former World Tag Team Champion Rick Martel had an awful December and January. He was pinned at Starrcade, he was pinned in him and Eaton’s rematch, and then he was kicked out of the Stud Stable. Col. Robert Parker had severely underestimated Rick Martel’s resolve as he fully expected Martel to not return from the beating he sustained at the hands of Eaton, and Tony Anthony, but that did not stop Ricky Martel from getting a much needed victory over his former partner at Superbrawl.

And while that is great and all, that Rick got himself a big win, he has not rid himself of the vengeful Eaton and Parker, who added another THOROUGHBRED to the Stable at Superbrawl enlisting the services of Big Bubba Rogers. Anthony and Rogers, known as Southern Justice, are one of the most bruising teams in the entire sport, proving that with multiple big wins on Nitro’s following Superbrawl. Martel has made an excellent accounting for himself in singles action, even taking World Heavyweight Champion, Curt Hennig to the absolute limit in a losing effort in one of the best Nitro main events in recent memory. As has become customary The Stud Stable came after Martel once his match was over, but this time Martel was ready for the attack, and had some friends watching his back!















The Steiner Brothers
Rick and Scott, who went to WAR with Eaton and Martel last year over the World Tag Team Championship took a couple of weeks off after losing to Harlem Heat at Superbrawl, and didn’t like what they saw. Rick and Scott do not appreciate 3 on 1 chicken-shit attacks, and they certainly didn’t like hearing Parker run around talking about how great Southern Justice is. Anthony and Bubba might very well be tough guys, but you can’t be bully’s of the block when the Steiner Brothers are around.

WCW President JJ Dillon has signed for the 3/21 Clash from Memphis another six-man tag team match, this one contested under one fall, Rick Martel and The Steiner Bros. vs. The Stud Stable, Eaton, Anthony, and Rogers
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Speaking of tag team battles, The Nasty Boys and The Faces of Fear will not be happy until they have ripped each other limb from limb! After suffering defeat at the hands of Meng and the Barbarian, the Nasty Boys jumped right back into the saddle, attacking the duo during an interview Kevin Sullivan was having, leading to the Nasties evened the series with a big win on Nitro. Turnabout is fair play though as a couple of weeks later it was Meng and Barbarian with a locker room attack on Sags and Knobbs, leading to a wild double disqualification on Nitro.
With absolutely nothing settled between two of WCW’s top tag teams, the stage is set for an epic conclusion as The Nasty Boys meet The Faces of Fear at the Clash in a #1 Contenders Texas Tornado Tag Team Match.


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Super Pegasus has taken World Championship Wrestling by storm since his arrival earlier in the year. The masked man was able to survive an exceptional encounter with his former tag partner, the maniacal Hugh Morrus who is now under the tutelage of The Gamesmaster Kevin Sullivan. Sullivan has been unhappy with Morrus, demanding he get his retribution, or face the consequences. Pegasus has remained a step ahead able to keep from getting cornered or caught in bad situations anytime the Dungeon of Doom came after him. His cunning will be put to the test once again at the Clash though as he must face his former partner once again.

The difference this time though is there has been quite the change in demeanor for Hugh Morrus. He has been destroying people on Nitro, and the No Laughing Matter moonsault is certainly that, and might be one of the most devastating moves in the entire sport. While it is never safe to try and get inside the mind of the laughing man, it has certainly seemed more twisted and demented in the weeks following his loss at Superbrawl.


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The Unified Tag Team Champions of the World, Harlem Heat and their manager Sister Sherri have been on fire over the past few months, racking up big wins left and right. Including a huge win over the Steiners in a fantastic match at Superbrawl, and big wins on the following Nitros. In their interviews, it is easy to see that the dynamic duo’s ultimate goal is to go down in history as the very best tag team in the history of wrestling. Not the best black tag team, not the brother tag team, not the best WCW tag team. The best tag team of all time period. Sister Sherri, ever the shrewd business woman, has set her boys up with what will be the Main Event at Clash of Champions from Memphis, as her boys will go toe-to-toe with one of the greatest tag teams in New Japan Pro-Wrestling history! Harlem Heat defends the Unified World Tag Team Titles against former Judo Olympian, Hiroshi Hase, and the current International Heavyweight Champion, Masahiro Chono


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The Main Event of Superbrawl VI saw World Champion Curt Hennig cost Sting the United States title and his match against Lex Luger. Sting was upset with the entire situation. He had no idea why Curt attacked him, and even less idea why Lex would take that kind of victory. Luger quickly came out to tell Sting that he had in fact not seen what Hennig did, but that was hard for Sting to believe, he had watched the footage and Lex was clearly facing that direction. Luger says that while that might be true he had just taken the Scorpion Death Drop and was not thinking or seeing straight, the only thing he saw was Sting lying there and Lex pinned him. Lex is sorry that Curt attacked Sting, but he is not sorry to have back his United States championship that was stolen from him last year. That pissed Sting off so bad, he looked like he was about to come unglued on Luger, when World Champion Curt Hennig came to the ramp.

The champ says that he told Sting what kind of person Lex Luger was, and Sting refused to listen, and now he has seen it for himself, clearly. Curt cut a scathing promo, how dare Sting or Lex Luger put their hands on the Champ! He was checking on an injured referee and they had no business touching him, especially not when he was there as an official himself! Luger had heard enough of this however, and challenged Curt to come give him his World Title match right then and there! Before Curt could say anything, Sting got in Luger’s face, he could not believe that Lex would consider taking that match before giving Sting a rematch!

WCW President JJ Dillon joined the party and said that Sting’s rematch would have to wait because per the stipulations of their match at Superbrawl, Lex Luger’s next match would be against Curt Hennig for the World Heavyweight Title and it would be next week. Sting was pissed, and Luger barely noticed as he was flexing and pointing at Hennig.

The following week Lex Luger was preparing for his title match when he was attacked from behind in the locker room, only to be found by Sting! Lex was clearly in no condition to compete, so Sting stepped in and took the match. Sting was getting his revenge on Curt, and looked to be moments away from taking the World Heavyweight Championship, when his good buddy Luger came stumbling from the back, bandaged up, and his blonde hair full of dried blood. Luger was heading to the ring when

















Scott Norton?! came out and began to attack Luger. Sting jumped out of the ring, and chased Norton off only to lose the match by count-out! Lex Luger had inadvertently cost Sting the World Title! The following week Sting asked Luger what he was thinking when he came out, and Lex said he couldn’t believe that Sting had stolen his World Championship match. Sting was dumbfounded; he asked Luger if there was something he was accusing him of. Lex says it was awful convenient that Lex got jumped, and Sting got his shot at Hennig. Sting looked like he was ready to snap! He stopped himself from saying something, turned his back to Luger, and walked away muttering to himself.

Later that night World Champion Curt Hennig came out with Scott Norton, and said that he and Scotty had been friends for 20 years, and Norton was not going to stand by idly and watch Luger or Sting steal the World Title from him! Not to mention that Scott never got his rematch for the United States championship last year, even though he dominated Luger for months and Luger kept getting rematches, Norton was an afterthought, but…… Before he could say anything else


















DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE came flying out of the back and got himself some of Norton! These two have been at war for weeks, after Norton power-bombed DDP through the announce desk on Nitro, which led to their no-contest at Superbrawl where both men crashed through a table. DDP’s ribs were heavily taped, but Mr. Self High-Five was unafraid and had the upper hand for a moment, but that didn’t last, as Hennig and Norton put a good beating on DDP.

The following week JJ Dillon addressed the entire situation. DDP wants Norton. Norton wants Luger. Luger wants Hennig. Sting wants Hennig. He isn’t real sure what to do about the situation. But with the Clash rapidly approaching, a decision needed to be made. JJ announced that at the Clash of Champions Curt Hennig and Scott Norton would take on Lex Luger and a partner of his choosing. It was long afterward that Sting came out and asked Luger to make him his partner for the Clash, now that he has had a week to think about things Sting hopes that Lex realizes how stupid it was to think that Sting had anything to do with his attack. Luger came out and said that while he may’ve approached things wrong, he still wants Sting to look him in the eye and tell him it wasn’t him.

Sting is boiling at this point, but before he could say anything DDP came out with a microphone and says that he can appreciate where Sting is coming from, but that if anybody deserves to get some revenge it is him! He don’t know what Norton’s problem with him is, but DDP will solve that problem, and while DDP isn’t one for tag partners, he thinks that Lex could really benefit from having him there, because when push comes to shove, DDP will get his hands on Scott Norton, and he ain’t worried about Luger. Sting looked at Luger, and shrugged his shoulders, waiting for an answer. Lex grabbed the mic, and believed he had a great idea, "for the sake of fairness, how bout you two guys have a match, and the winner can be my partner."

Sting was once again incredulous; he grabbed the mic from Luger, “I got your answer right here Lexy” Sting gives Luger the double bird and walked away!



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3/21/96
LIVE from the Pyramid in Memphis, TN


Main Event for the Unified World Tag Team Titles
Harlem Heat w/Sister Sherri vs. Hiroshi Hase and International Heavyweight Champion Masa Chono
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World Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig and Scott Norton vs. U.S. Champ Lex Luger and ??
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PLUS!!!

Six Man Elimination Match
Winner decides the stip for Jericho/Steamboat II
Ricky Steamboat, Kendal Windham, and Mark Youngblood vs. Chris Jericho, Lenny Lane, and Christian Cage


Texas Tornado #1 Contender Match
The Nasty Boys vs. the Faces of Fear w/”Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan


“Beautiful” Bobby, Tony Anthony, and Big Bubba Rogers w/Col. Parker vs. Rick Martel and The Steiners


Super Pegasus vs. Hugh Morrus w/”Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan