WCW Monday Nitro 9/9/96 Harlem Heat returns+Wargames is on!
Sept 10, 2013 8:14:09 GMT
Post by Captain Charisma on Sept 10, 2013 8:14:09 GMT
Airing LIVE on TBS: The Superstation @8:05 EST on 9/9/96 from the home of WCW in HOTLANTA
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’S BOMBTRACK blasts as the camera pans across the jam packed OMNI
Tony Schiavone, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, and The Living Legend Larry Zbyszko open up the broadcast discussing the MONUMENTAL joint pay-per-view venture that came to us last night, WCW/ECW Showdown in Charlotte! The guys address the 3 stage war that occurred between WCW’s franchise the Stinger and ECW’s resident madman and former WCW TV Champion Chris Benoit, and how after adding injury to insult after defeating Rick Martel, Sting came to his fellow WCW member’s aid, and what transpired next will live in Independence Arena folklore for ages…
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VTR:
Sting vs. Benoit
all HELL IS BREAKING LOOSE!!!! Sting and Chris Benoit have locked horns and these bulls are not backing down, “whoa man they is getting funky like a monkey live and in color wight here wight now!” Sting and Benoit have a handful of each other’s hair in their left hand, and are trading knuckles to the nose with their rights! “It looks like a Hockey fight,”
That sick bastard, Benoit has a demented grin, and a bloody lip to boot, lays Sting face first on the bottom part of the steps, and STOMPS HIS FACE! Oh my! Benoit now goes after the top part of the steps, he raises it high above his head, “OH MY GOD, Get somebody out here now, he is going to end Sting’s career right here,” panics Schiavone. Sting rolls off the steps just in the nick of time, but he is clearly wounded, and trying to create some space, but Benoit is stalking his prey. Benoit charges, Sting steps to the side, and hip tosses Benoit back first into the steel barricade. The Stinger starts cleaning off the Time Keeper’s table, “now wait a second here, this is way out of hand, where is security?!”
END VTR:
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International broadcast and wrestling journalist Mauro Ranallo is standing by in the WCW Fall Brawl control center with late breaking news. Mauro is ecstatic to report that Fall Brawl will once again be featuring WARGAMES: THE MATCH BEYOND, airing live and only on pay-per-view in 2 weeks from the brand new St. Pete Times Forum. While teams have not been finalized we can report that one team will feature STING and the Total Package LEX LUGER and they will go to war with the Heavyweight Champion of the World CURT HENNIG, SCOTT NORTON, and BUFF BAGWELL. Be sure and call Mauro on the WCW Hotline 1-900-909-9900 and tune in to all WCW programming for the latest breaking news, right now, let’s send it to David Penzer at ringside!
MATCH 1
Scorpio coming off a big victory on the WCW Main Event portion of the Supershow racks up another victory of WCW tv mainstay “Desperado” Joe Gomez, finishing off the big man with his trademark 450 Splash…
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Commercial Break
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We return from break to see pre-taped comments from the Worlds Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig following the chaotic Tag Team Rumble at last night’s WCW/ECW Showdown. Norton and Bagwell are packing up in the background and Curt says that he and his boys just finished one of the craziest fights of his entire life. A bunch of freaks in their Halloween costumes thought they had what it took, but nuh-uh, not even close. When you are the Perfect World Heavyweight Champion, and you surround yourself with the Perfect entourage, you expect Perfect results. NOW, one big fight leads to one more, WARGAMES, one year removed from teaming with Sting and Luger inside, now I have to lead my Perfect team against them, but that’s just fine. At some point we have to wonder, what it will take for the WCW roster to understand, no matter your game, no matter your stipulation, and no matter your name, you all come up short when compared to Curt Hennig…
Tony, Dusty, and Larry discuss the Champ’s words and can tell just how confident he is, which makes him twice as dangerous. Then they discuss the triumphant return to WCW last night by former World Tag Team Champions THE STEINER BROTHERS, who teamed up with Iaukea and Rosey, Dem Aloha Boys, to fend off Devastation Inc. and the Hughes Brothers in the 8-man survival tag team encounter. Larry and Dusty talk about how important it was for 2 young guys like Iaukea and Rosey who already have 1 great pro in their corner, to team with 2 guys who have seen and done it all. We’ll see em both in tag team action, starting right now!
MATCH 2
Dem Aloha Boys w/”Godfather” Samu in their corner took on the unpredictable and high speed duo of El Diablo and Gran Akuma, and seemed a bit rusty in the early going after a tough match last night. But the size and strength advantage in Rosey made the difference as he planted Akuma with the Super Samoan Driver before tagging in Iaukea who finished the masked demon off with the Superfly Splash…
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Commercial Break
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MATCH 3
The Steiner Brothers returned to Nitro in Atlanta to a thunderous reaction and met the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Billy Black and Bunkhouse Buck also making their return to Nitro, and weren't looking to roll over for the awesome Steiners. Black’s high risk offense; coupled with the veteran know how and nastiness of Buck gave Rick and Scott all they could handle. But a few Steinerlines can make a big difference in any match up and allowed the Steiners to hit the Super Bulldog tandem finish from the top on Black for the win…
Mauro Ranallo is standing by with the first ever, and now former Generation NeXt Champion Lance Storm. Lance says he won’t make any excuses, last night he accepted the challenge of Dean Malenko, competed in the toughest match-up of his entire career, and came up just a little bit short. There is no shame in losing to a man like the Lone Wolf, but Lance Storm will not rest until he has returned WCW property where it rightfully belongs. Tonight Lance takes on Rey Mysterio to determine who gets the first opportunity at Dean Malenko in 2 weeks at Fall Brawl, and Storm says that he and Rey are good friends, and he knows 2 things. First, Rey Mysterio is one of the most exciting and toughest wrestlers on the entire roster. And secondly, it will take everything Lance has to suck it up, and produce a victory tonight. His ribs are banged up, his knee is killing him, and he shows the camera an elbow that is swollen to twice its normal size, but Lance Storm won’t let any of that stop him from regaining his GenX championship!
MATCH 4
In yet another Nitro return, longtime WCW standout Brad Armstrong returns to action, but draws the former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion ‘Kid Dynamite’ Koji Kanemoto! Armstrong’s experience and weight advantage help him keep his fiery opponent grounded for the most part in the early going, even resulting in a near fall after his trademark Side Russian Leg Sweep, but the speed and striking of Kanemoto proved to be the difference as a roaring elbow smash turned the tide into Kid Dynamite’s favor, and an uber violent, running knee smash to the face of a kneeled Armstrong nearly took his head off and picked up a big win for Kanemoto…
WCW correspondent Kimberly is standing by with her man, the World Television Champion, Diamond Dallas Page who would like to give mad props to Tully Blanchard for giving him a helluva fight last night at the pay-per-view, and that all things considered DDP would like to consider himself one of the better TV Champs ever, and is well on his way to being the best. Now with all that being said, 1996 hasn’t been all lollipops and rainbows for Page. He spent about half the year in a war with that big ox, Scott Norton; hell his ribs still ain’t right. It was a war that never got its proper conclusion. Ya know, it’s funny that Page chose “war” to describe that, because it sounds as if Scott Norton will be joining his girlfriends Curty and Buffy in War in just 2 weeks at Fall Brawl, so Stinger, if you and Lex will have me, me and the Diamond Cutter are ready to go to war, and I promise that each and every one of our enemies will feel the BANG!
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Commercial Break
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The Nasties have joined Mauro Ranallo at his interview desk and they talk about picking up a hard fought victory over the ECW Tag Team Champions, Dustin Rhodes and Tommy Dreamer on TV last week. They go on to talk about the feud they had with them earlier in the year as well, and mention that they have been one of the most dominant teams in all of wrestling in 1996, and that a victory over them has to put the Nasty Boys right in line for a shot at the Unified Tag Team Championship of the World.
The Nasty Boys also want to take a little stroll down memory lane. Wargames is right around the corner, and it was barely 3 years ago that the Nasty Boys were part of that carnage. They were the surprise partners of 2 men by the name of Dusty and Dustin Rhodes. And for anyone new to the wrestling business, their opponents on that night were the Stud Stable led by Col. Rob Parker. After all of that fighting with, beside, and against the Rhodes family the Nasties gotta admit that the Rhodes’ have earned their respect. On the other hand, Col. Rob Parker, Southern Justice, and Bobby Eaton haven’t earned the Nasties respect! So if Parker has the guts, why don’t he have his boys put the titles on the line against the Nasty Boys at Fall Brawl?
The American Dream likes the sound of that, and says that the Nasty Boys are much better friends than foes, and that Southern Justice had better worry less about this retired son of a plumber and more about making sure they don’t get Nasticized.
MATCH 5
The Nasty Boys met Luc Poirier and Jacko Victory; the Extraordinary Mercenaries in a wild and wooly brawl that saw the Mercs take the fight to the self-proclaimed #1 tag team contenders. But in the end the Nasties cohesion was able to overcome the brute force of their adversaries as Sags was able to put Poirier away with his devastating top rope elbow smash.
WCW Vice President Magnum T.A. has joined Mauro Ranallo at the interview desk and says that he still hasn’t completely recovered from the amazing show that was Showdown in Charlotte, but the show must go on, and we are just a couple short weeks away from FALL BRAWL featuring WARGAMES: THE MATCH BEYOND! Magnum goes on to say that the show will have even more International flavor as WCW remains dedicated to bring the best wrestling action in the world to its fans. Not only would the new GenX Division Champion Dean Malenko make his first title defense, but a man who was just signed to a full-time contract, ‘Kid Dynamite’ Koji Kanemoto will be in action, he was supposed to be taking on Rey Mysterio in another International Dream Match, but Rey might just be getting his shot at Dean Malenko now. Joining Kanemoto from the Land of the Rising Sun was one of the most exciting tag teams from Japan, Gran Naniwa and Super Delfin will be taking on the Highlight Express! And in an extra special treat, TIGER MASK IV will be joining us as well!
On top of that incredible action, the ink is still drying, but the Nasty Boys are indeed the #1 Contenders to the Unified World Tag Team Titles, and will be taking on Southern Justice at Fall Brawl…
Tony, Larry, and Dusty discuss the big announcements from Maggie May and how Fall Brawl is taking shape. The guys discuss the exciting Generation neXt Division and how impressive the new champion is. With Kid Dynamite, La Familia, the Michinoku Pro wrestlers all vying for shots, the GenX division is quickly becoming one of the hot topics here in WCW. Tony talks about how physical last night’s match with Malenko was. Dusty talks about how there is no way for Lance’s body to be healed less than 24 hours after taking on the shooter. Larry agrees with Dusty, but is more concerned with the mental toll taken on Lance. He’s been champion for months, was signing autographs, conducting a raffle, and hanging out with ECW’s Junkyard Dog as ambassadors so to speak, and woke up this morning about 15 lbs. lighter…
Dave Penzer: Ladies and gentlemen the following contest is scheduled for one fall, and is to determine the #1 Contender for the WCW Generation Next championship! When the bell rings your referee in charge of the action is WCW Senior Official, Mr. Nick Patrick. Introducing first from Tijuana, Mexico; he weighed in at 190 lbs., he is REY MYSTERIOOOO JUNIORRRR! And his opponent hails from Calgary… Alberta, Canada and weighed in at 229 lbs. He is the former Generation Next Champion, this is LAAANCE STOOOORM!
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The former champ has his ribs taped up and is walking gingerly on his knee. Rey is looking fresh as the morning dew but seems tentative to engage Lance. They shake hands and engage in some non descript grappling that Storm gets the best of, but Mysterio takes the advantage after a leg sweep and running splash. Can’t blame Mysterio for targeting Storm’s ribs with so much on the line here. Mysterio gets a near fall after a hunacanrana sends Storm crashing hard. Mysterio goes to the top, but misses the senton, and now Storm puts the pressure on his smaller challenger. Lance goes for the corkscrew Brainbuster, but can’t get Mysterio up, a knee lift drops Rey and Storm goes to the top, he dives off looking for the headbutt, but NOBODY’S HOME! Lance clutches his ribs in agony as Rey goes to the apron, he springboards off the top rope, SEATED SENTON, Rey hooks the leg, 1……..2………..3!!
Rey Mysterio has done it! He just pinned Lance Storm and will meet Dean Malenko at Fall Brawl! Rey celebrates momentarily, but has to check on his friend Lance Storm, who obviously suffered even more damage to his ribs. The ringside physicians come in to check on the former champion as we head to…
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Commercial Break
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We return from break and Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Larry Zbyszko rundown the happenings of tonight’s show. The assure the fans that while Lance Storm was in great pain, his rib cartilage injury did not turn into broken ribs, and the hope is that Lance will be ready to go by the time Fall Brawl gets here as he is now tentatively scheduled to meet ‘Kid Dynamite’ Koji Kanemoto. Dusty says that he is glad to know that Bubba and Anthony have their hands full at Fall Brawl against the Nasty Boys and issues a warning to Col. Parker saying that, the American Dream will have “boff” eyes locked on him. Zbyszko says he is eager for the main event, as Harlem Heat will be returning fresh and recharged, and not only did Ricky Steamboat have a war with Randy Savage last night, but Rick Martel took the beating of his life.
Penzer: Ladies and gentlemen, this is your main event of Nitro and is scheduled for one fall with tv time remaining. When the bell rings your referee in charge will be Randy Anderson. Introducing first, being led to the ring by Sister Sherri, weighing in at 515 lbs. they are the former Unified Tag Team Champions of the World, Booker T., Stevie Ray, HARLEM HEATTTTTT! And their opponents; now residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, he weighed in at 237 lbs. RICK MARTELLLL. And his partner, 232 lbs. and hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, he is the reigning WCW United States Champion, RICKY ‘THE DRAGON’ STEAAAAAAMBOOOOOOAT!
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As Larry pointed out, Booker and Stevie look fresh, crisp, and on point, while Martel and Steamboat are not only wearing the wounds of war, but are not able to get on the same page at all. Martel, several times, appeared to short arm the Dragon, not wanting into the ring. Booker and Stevie wisely kept the fresh man in the ring and the brothers from the mean streets of Harlem strutted their stuff. Martel did take the tag while Stevie Ray had his back to their corner, and Martel took it to the big man. One big counter powerslam was all it took for Rick to tweak his back, or something, and quickly look for the tag. Steamboat gave it everything he had but the power of Stevie, and the freshness, speed, and sharpness of Booker T. gave the US champ fits. As Steamboat made a counter to Book, Martel felt that twinge once again, as Ricky started toward their corner, Martel had his back to the action, and followed that up by hoping off the apron!
Booker capitalized and Harlem side kicked Steamboat in the back of the head, which sent the Dragon crashing face first into the top turnbuckle! Book catches him on the rebound with a backdrop suplex, he ascends to the top rope, HARLEM HANGOVER! He hooks the leg, and gets the 1….2……..3!
Booker T. has pinned the United States Champion! Harlem Heat and Sister Sherri celebrate in the ring and the Martel finally turns and seems as if he just didn’t make it in time. Awe shucks, as the Model nods his head, clutches at his back, and heads off up the ramp…
but I like the idea of Dean vs. the World, mixed with the World trying to regain WCW's honor, or whatever, but I have Japanese, Mexicans, Canadians, English, Samoan, and American possible challengers, and Dean Malenko could have a ***** match with any of them.
