WCW Nitro 12/16 - Take home show for Starrcade

[Captain Charisma]

 

Airing on TBS: The Superstation! 8:05 EST on 12/16/96 

Coming to you LIVE from Raleigh-Durham, NC 

Referees: Nick Patrick, Randy ‘Pee Wee’ Anderson, and Mickey Jay 

Interviewer: Mauro Ranallo 

Ringside Announcer: David Penzer 

Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko, and Dusty Rhodes 

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’S BOMBTRACK blasts as the camera pans across a raucous Reynolds Coliseum! 

Tony Schiavone, ‘The Living Legend’ Larry Zbyszko, and ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes welcome everyone to another exciting edition of WCW Monday Nitro. We are just 6 days away from the Pay Per View happening of 1996, the Grandaddy of them ALL, Starrcade: Homecoming live from the Greensboro Coliseum. Last week we announced the legends that would be returning home to Greensboro, and the six man team of Dick Slater, Bob Orton, and Buddy Landell will be in action on this very broadcast. Also, we finally get the war between Meng and Big Bubba Rogers after Col. Robert E. Lee Fuller turned his back on Rogers, Anthony, and Eaton. And in a huge main event as we prepare for Starrcade, STING GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH STEVIE RAY! Our colleague Mauro Ranallo will run down the entire Starrcade and Main Event cards.

But first we have to touch on last week’s epic main event. In what some are calling the US TV Match of the Year, Dean Malenko and Lance Storm picked right up where they left off back in September at the Showdown in Charlotte, WCW/ECW Supershow. Right now we want to take you back to last week and the final 5 minutes of that match up!

***VTR***

Storm sees his opportunity, he runs to the farside ropes, and flies SUICIDE DIVE! Both men are down, and the crowd is on their feet! Storm and Malenko barely make their way back inside the ring before the 10 count and are chopping away again. Malenko delivers a short back elbow to the nose of Storm, and now blood is beginning to trickle down, Malenko sets Storm on the top rope and goes behind him, he is setting him up for the brutal Super Gutbuster that won him the championship from Storm at Showdown! Storm blocks it! And again. Storm spins around the neck of Malenko, MALENKO BLOCKS THE HUNCANRANA, and both men take a NASTY FALL TO THE MAT! Neither man is moving. This doesn’t look good at all.  

Nick Patrick doesn’t even start his count, he calls for the bell, and motions to the back for help!!!? 

***END VTR***

Schiavone is happy to report that neither man was seriously injured, and that right now he wants to send it to Mauro Ranallo who is standing by with WCW Commissioner Magnum T.A. with a special announcement.

Maggie says that he could not be more pleased with Malenko and Storm’s performance last week, and that when he, JJ, and the Championship Committee introduced Generation Next back in the Spring, and decided to crown a true World Champion in the Cruiserweight Division, that was exactly the kind of action they were looking for. He is proud to announce that both men received “match of the night bonuses,” which will be a standard practice for each and every WCW show, live event or TV event, for the foreseeable future. It guarantees that the great fans of WCW will get more than they paid for.

With that in mind, Starrcade is shaping up to be the toughest bonus for the boys with so many great matches lined up. Magnum is proud to add one more match to the card. In a rematch from last week, Dean Malenko will defend the WCW Cruiserweight Championship of the World against Lance Storm once again, and this time it will be one fall to a finish; Pinfall, Submission, or Knockout THERE MUST BE A WINNER.
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Commercial Break
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Match 1
1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit
Referee: Mickey Jay
Dick Slater, Bob Orton, and Buddy Landel vs. Charlie Haas, Ace Steel, and Danny Inferno

The rugged veteran trio of Dick Slater, ‘Ace’ Cowboy Bob Orton, and Buddy Landell, proved there is still plenty tread left on the tires as they prepare to take on Manny Fernandez and the Fantastics at Starrcade as they used their savvy and ring awareness to overwhelm the inexperienced trio of Charlie Haas, Ace Steel, and Danny Inferno as Orton finished off Inferno with a massive superplex.
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After the contest we are sent to the back where ‘Gamesmaster’ Kevin Sullivan is with Terry ‘Bam Bam’ Gordy, ‘Captain’ Mike Rotundo, and Dr. Death Steve Williams. Sullivan says that he told the Lizard and paper champion that he had something for him and that at Starrcade his luck would run out. Sullivan wants everyone to take a look at exactly what he has assembled here. Four time All-American from the University of Oklahoma, and one of the baddest men on planet Earth. The only man to ever simultaneously serve as captain to both the Syracuse University Wrestling and Football teams. And this big, bad, romper stomper right here graduated valedictorian from the school of hard knocks and earned his first pay check beating up grown men at the age of 16! If you think the original Varsity Club were a bunch of hell raisers, wait until you see what they unleash on WCW.

Now, Samu and his Coconut Twins want to stick their noses in Varsity Club business, well we will bite them right off! Samu goes way back with each member of the Varsity Club, he should know better, but now he has drug his poor godsons into the equation, and they’re gonna get hurt. Bad.
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Match 2
1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit
NON-TITLE
Referee: Randy Anderson
Diamond Dallas Page w/Kimberly vs. David Taylor

World Television Champion Diamond Dallas Page with Kimberly in his corner took on one half of the British Bruisers, David Taylor, in a hard hitting, back and forth encounter, that saw the Englishman really take it to Page. DDP showed a lot of fire in his belly and fought back, eventually catching Taylor, BANG! Diamond Cutter

After the contest, the Monster Meng alongside Col. Parker met his Starrcade opponent in the aisleway, and Page immediately concerned about Kimberly, protected her as best he could, finally lunging at Meng. Doug Dillinger, Wahoo McDaniels, and other WCW suits finally made it out the back to break up the fight, but not before DDP and Meng gave us a preview of the intensity we can expect at Starrcade!

WAIT JUST A MINUTE!


HERE COMES BUBBA!

Bubba and Meng are getting a head start on the action! They’re battling it out at ringside, FANS WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK!
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Commercial Break
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Match 3
1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit
Referee: Mickey Jay
Meng w/Col. Parker vs. Big Bubba Rogers

These two bulls, Meng and Big Bubba Rogers, and hammering it out in the center of the ring, Meng charges at Bubba, SIDEWALK SLAM from Rogers! 1…..2……. NO! Meng kicks out, and Rogers can’t believe it! The Tongan Torture Machine is right back to his feet, SUPERKICK! Down goes Bubba!
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HERE COMES BEAUTIFUL BOBBY! We haven’t seen him since Meng’s attack at the Clash of Champions, Eaton has PARKER BY THE LAPELS OF THE COAT! The fans are going bonkers, as Robert E. Lee Parker is about to get his, Meng kicks Eaton in the back of the head. Wait just a minute, who is THAT???!!!!
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THE WINDHAM’S!??!

This battle of the bulls is over, but Barry Windham and his brother Kendall are obviously member of the Stud Stable and along with Meng have Beautiful Bobby and Big Bubba in a bad bad way. Col. Parker is loving every moment of shot calling he gets to do.
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Here comes DDP with a steel chair in hand! The TV champ already wrestled a heckuva contest against David Taylor earlier, but has the equalizer with him. Barry, Kendall, and Parker head for higher ground, but the Tongan Torture Machine isn’t going anywhere. He lets out a primal scream and charges Page, BANG! DALLAS DENTED THE CHAIR! Meng shakes it off and delivers THE TONGAN SPIKE to the throat of Page!!! He dives down and applies the Tongan Death Grip, but Bubba and Bobby are back on their feet and laying in the punches on Meng, who finally lets go, and slithers over his fallen prey on his way to the Colonel.
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Commercial Break
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Match 4
1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit
Referee: Nick Patrick
Ohtani and Kanemoto w/Sonny Onoo vs. The Shooting Stars

Sonny Onoo lead’s in his Bushido fueled Ronin; Shinjiro Ohtani and ‘Kid Dynamite’ Koji Kanemoto. Waiting on them are Ace Darling and Billy Kidman. The Shooting Stars are a team on the rise and prove to be a stern test for the team from the Land of the Rising Sun. But the precision, efficiency, and diverse offense of Ohtani and Kanemoto were more than the youngsters could overcome, and Ohtani finished Darling off with a flying knee strike to temple from the middle rope.
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Mauro Ranallo is joined by Rey Mysterio, Jr., Christian Cage, and Lenny Lane, and the Highlight Express are very impressed with Ohtani and Kanemoto, and they know they have a tough test ahead of them at Starrcade. But that is what the competition in WCW will always be like, but they’re like totally prepared to take on the biggest and baddest. Like totally. Starrcade in Greensboro will be the perfect launching pad for the Highlights heading into 1997, where the sky is the limit! Totally. High-Five.

Rey says he is honored and humbled to be taking on the legendary Tiger Mask, to be selected for what is being called and International Dream Match is one of the biggest moments of his entire career. Rey says that his uncle took on both TM I and II many times, and that this match was bound to happen sooner or later. He couldn’t think of a better stage than a Starrcade.
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Mauro says Starrcade is certainly shaping up to be the Wrestling Pay Per View event of 1996, and that entire card has been finalized. Now we take a special look at Starrcade ’96: Homecoming!

Instrumental Loop of Tool’s Schism plays as the Starrcade Line up scrolls up the screen 

MAIN EVENT 

15 MONTHS IN THE MAKING 

1 FALL 60 MINUTE TIME LIMIT 

FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP 

©Curt Hennig 

VS 

‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair 

1 Fall 60 Minute Time Limit 

FOR THE UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD 

©Rick and Scott Steiner 

VS 

The Eliminators w/Cyrus 

1 Fall 30 Minute Time Limit 

FOR THE UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHP 

©Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat 

VS 

‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams w/’Gamesmaster’ Kevin Sullivan 

GRUDGE MATCH 

1 Fall 30 Minute Time Lmit 

Harlem Heat 

VS 

Sting and Lex Luger 

1 FALL TO A FINISH THERE MUST BE A WINNER 

Pinfall, Submission, or KO 

FOR THE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD 

©’Lone Wolf’ Dean Malenko 

VS 

Lance Storm 

1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit 

FOR THE WORLD TELEVISION TITLE 

©Diamond Dallas Page w/Kimberly 

VS 

Meng w/Col. Robert E. Lee Parker 

INTERNATIONAL DREAM MATCH 

1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit 

Mexican Sensation Rey Mysterio, Jr. 

VS 

Japan’s Legendary Tiger Mask IV 

STARRCADE ’87 CHI-TOWN HEAT REMATCH 

1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit 

‘Russian Nightmare’ Nikita Koloff w/Uncle Ivan 

VS 

Terry Taylor 

!!!JUST SIGNED!!! 

Barry and Kendall Windham w/Col. Parker  

VS 

Beautiful Bobby and Big Bubba 

Iaukea and Rosey, Dem Aloha Boys team with their Godfather Samu 

VS 

Kevin Sullivan, Terry ‘Bam Bam’ Gordy, and ‘Captain’ Mike Rotundo 

WCW Main Event airing @ 6:05 EST on WTBS and leading right into the Pay Per View 

Shinjiro Ohtani and Kid Dynamite, The Ronin w/Sonny Onoo
VS
Christian Cage and Lenny Lane, the Highlight Express 

Homecoming: Return To Greensboro

‘Ace’ Cowboy Bob Orton, ‘Dirty’ Dick Slater, and the (other) ‘Nature Boy’ Buddy Landell
VS
‘Ragin Bull’ Manny Fernandez and The Fantastics 

Brad Armstrong with his Father, NWA Legend ‘Bullet’ Bob Armstrong
VS
Greg ‘the Hammer’ Valentine 

Lucha Libre Rules

Mikey Whipwreck teams with Ace Darling and Billy Kidman, the Shooting Stars
VS
Los Rudos Magnifico, Psychosis, La Parka, and Super Crazy 

Commercial Break
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Mauro Ranallo is standing by with the one and only Nature Boy Ric Flair, and with just six days between Naitch and his date with destiny, the wrestling world wants to know, just what is Ric Flair’s plan heading into Starrcade?

Well Mauro Ranallo, the Nature Boy might’ve been a bit excited last week, but I can’t help but be excited, this is the biggest stage that the greatest sport in the world has to offer. It’s Starrcade, back in Greensboro where it belongs. And Curt Hennig, the Nature Boy wants you to keep one thing in mind. When the chips are down and your sucking wind while the Naitch is WOOOOOOO’ing like there’s no tomorrow, do you have what it takes to reach down deep? Curt Hennig you better know before you walk that aisle if you have what it takes, cause Ric Flair does. And next Monday Night, when Nitro comes on the air in my hometown of Charlotte, WOO, North Carolina, I will once again be the World Heavyweight Champion.
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Match 5
1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit
Referee: Mickey Jay
The Eliminators w/Cyrus vs. The New Ravishing Bodies

Frankie Lancaster and the California Stud await their opponents in the ring as Alice in Chains “Rooster” brings out the man known as Cyrus and his Eliminators do exactly that to the rugged veteran duo. Saturn and Kronus look ready to meet the awesome Steiner Brothers as they take out Rod Price with Total Elimination.


After the contest Cyrus says that he and his Eliminators are on a mission to revolutionize the wrestling business, and it all begins in six days at Starrcade when he brings his warriors out to play and they take the Unified Tag Team Championship of the World for Rick and Scott. Kronus laughs maniacally as he gives the crazy eye to the camera, Saturn says that we’ve all seen how well the Steiner brothers can throw suplexes, but what we will see at Starrcade is how well they can take getting dumped on their own stinkin’ heads. We’re ready to play Steiners, we’re ready to play.
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Match 6
1 Fall 20 Minute Time Limit
Referee: Randy Anderson
Samu w/Dem Aloha Boys vs. Mike Rotundo w/Kevin Sullivan and Terry Gordy

As if containing Samu and Mike Rotundo wasn’t a difficult enough assignment for newest WCW official Mickey Jay, Commissioner Magnum T.A. has decided to allow Iaukea, Rosey, Sullivan, and Gordy at ringside. Why? More like, why not? Rotundo and Samu show their familiarity as there is no feeling out process and these two vets go right after one another. It’s evenly matched inside the ring; the main difference is that Iaukea and Rosey are not as adept in the art of diversion as the Gamesmaster and Bam Bam are. As you’d expect this one finally broke out in a wild brawl on the floor and Mickey Jay counted both men out.

WCW officials Wahoo McDaniels and Doug Dillinger led security personnel to ringside and were finally able to restore some order, this six man encounter at Starrcade is sure to be a wild one!
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Commercial Break
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Stand by Match
1 Fall 10 Minute Time Limit
Referee: Mickey Jay
Mikey Whipwreck vs. Super Crazy

Mikey and the Insano Luchadore are certainly no strangers and they attempt to maximize their minutes here on Nitro. Each man displays some fancy offense and got the crowd rocking with several exciting exchanges. Crazy seemingly had things in hand as he prepared for his top rope moonsault, but Mikey took his feet out from under him and destroyed Crazy with a reverse hunacanrana from the top rope spiking the rudo head first with a brutal finish.
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WCW Heavyweight Champion of the World Curt Hennig is standing by and says that it’s finally here. The big one, 15 months in the making, Curt Hennig and Ric Flair go at it one more time in what will certainly go down as one of the biggest main events in WCW history. And I’m ready Nature Boy. I am at my peak, my physical prime, the most perfect champion in the history of professional wrestling. People want to know if the Champ is intimidated heading into so-called Flair country. Do I look intimidated? Was I intimidated when I sent you into exile at Halloween Havoc 95? Was I intimidated at War Games? No, I don’t think so. December 22nd will be exactly like every other day of my World Championship reign, ab-so-stinkin-lutely perfect! Now get that camera out of my damn face!
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MAIN EVENT
1 Fall with TV Time Remaining
Referee: Nick Patrick
Sting vs. Stevie Ray

 VS

After being attacked two weeks ago, the Stinger was all business here in this one and really took it to Big Brother Stevie Ray. A big boot to the gut, and the franchise player’s patent diving bulldog nearly wrapped this one up early, but Stevie powered out at two and then took to brawling. Ray began wrestling the match in a phone booth, mauling the Stinger and not giving him any space. In a serious feat of strength Stevie Ray hoisted Sting up in the Human Torture Rack and stretched the Stinger before dropping to his butt with a back breaker and picking up a two count.

But the ever resilient leader of all those little Stingers refused to be put away, and as his face paint began peeling away, Sting got his second wind and got back in this one. Rallying behind the support of the capacity crowd the Sting was able to plant Stevie Ray with the Scorpio Death Drop, and then delivered a top rope splash to pick an impressive victory and all the momentum heading into Starrcade.

After the contest BOOKER T. made his way out and jumped Sting during his celebration, dumping him to the floor, sending him into the steel steps, and the barricade around the ring. Booker rolled Sting back into the ring where Stevie Ray dropped a big elbow on the Stinger and held him down as Booker T. made his way to the top rope. Finally Sting’s partner the Total Package Lex Luger made the save by delivering a bionic forearm to Stevie Ray, shaking the ropes to drop Booker, and then letting him taste the bionic forearm and then checked on his partner.

The Stinger finally made it to his feet, and RAN DOWN THE AISLEWAY! With Luger in tow, they met Harlem Heat at the staging area and battled all over the set through the end of the credits. SEE YOU THIS SUNDAY IN GREENSBORO!!

[jackknight]

Good main event with a fun ending. Sting/Luger vs. Harlem Heat should be a good one. Really liking the idea of the Match of the Night bonus. Varsity Club and Eliminators promos were really good as was Perfects. In fact, I'd say it was ab-so-stinkin-lutlely perfect. lol. Best part of the show however was the explosion in the middle between DDP, Bubba, Eaton with Meng and the Windhams. There's a 6-man I'd like to see. Loving the way you're booking Meng. He feels like a monster, especially with that slithering over Page image. Good show.