January 31, 2009
Matt Peddycord

WCW Monday Nitro
October 16, 1995
Albany, NY
Civic Center

The current WCW champs were as follows:
WCW World Champion: Hulk Hogan (7/17/1994)
WCW U.S. Champion: Sting (6/18/1995)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The American Males (9/18/1995)
WCW World Television Champion: Diamond Dallas Page (9/17/1995)

Your hosts are Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan and that Emmy-award winning Steve “Mongo” McMichael.

Saturday morning on WCW Pro, Ric Flair asks Sting to be his partner. Now while this seems like a dumb idea on Sting’s part for even considering trusting the same man who has tried to end his career on several occasions, he goes along with it anyway and agrees to be Flair’s partner for tonight’s match. To be fair to Sting, he promises that if Flair swerves him in the least bit, he’s going to leave him for dead.

WCW World Television Champion Diamond Dallas Page (w/The Diamond Doll) vs. Johnny B. Badd
This show stops being a total sausage fest as our first super hot lady comes onto the program. It took us seven weeks to get her here! On his way to the ring, DDP shoves Wild Cat Willy down. That’s actually pretty funny. If you don’t know what or who Wild Cat Willy is, then I’d rather not explain it. Anyways, this was a neat little feud in that DDP cost Johnny B. Badd to have to forfeit his U.S. title match with Sting a couple of Saturday Nights ago by slicing his tires because he felt since he was the TV champ now, he deserved the U.S. title shot and not Johnny B. Dumb. Actually it was Maxx Muscle who screwed up the ruse by saying that Badd had four flat tires instead of eight. You see, Badd was the smart guy here to trick them into admitting that they caused him to miss his match, which leads me to my next question. If Sting helped train Johnny B. Badd according to WCW storylines, why isn’t he smarter when it comes to dealing with the heels like Badd is? Anyways, there’s no match. There’s a different kind of Badd Blaster going off tonight though as Badd gets blasted with the title belt before the bell even sounds. As the Diamond Doll looks on, she obviously doesn’t approve. DDP lays on top of Badd, counts to three for himself, and shoots off Badd’s confetti gun. Page was such a good sleazy heel.

Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero
Eddie finally stops having Juventud Guerrera’s music and gets the theme he would have until 1997 when he turns heel. This is Benoit’s return to WCW TV since I believe the summer of 1993. It’s also the start of many Benoit/Eddie matches that would take place over the next few weeks on several different WCW shows, which is never a bad thing. Also in case you’re wondering, this match is on Benoit’s DVD. By the way, Benoit has his blue Wild Pegasus tights on which is pretty cool. They have one amazing start to this match where they run the ropes with lots of cool flips. Benoit escapes a knucklelock on the mat with a headscissors. Guerrero gives him his receipt with a headscissors of his own and puts Benoit out on the floor. Eddie fake dives and then dives FOR REALZ off the top rope for another great highlight reel spot. Just beautiful. Benoit flips out of a suplex from the apron into a standing switch off a waistlock. That ends with Benoit giving Eddie a back suplex from inside the ring and out. Holy crap that’s dangerous. On the floor, Benoit eats the ringpost, but then quickly ducks a clothesline from Eddie to cause him to hurt his arm. Back in the ring, Eddie sells the arm like it’s legitimately hurt. Just for fun, Benoit gives him a hammerlock back suplex. From there, he dropkicks the bad arm and then gives Eddie a release hammerlock Northern lights suplex. Now THAT’s how you work over a hurt arm. Eddie counters a tilt-a-whirl with a lucha armdrag and continues with a springboard tornado DDT! He used his bad arm though, so the cover is delayed. Benoit catches Eddie with a short-arm clothesline and goes for another hammerlock back suplex, but Eddie flips out to escape. Benoit yells for Eddie to get up! Benoit wins a chop battle and starts bending Guerrero’s arm in ways it shouldn’t be bent. Eddie vertical leaps off a knucklelock onto the top rope for a NICE hurracanrana. Cover, 1-2-NO! Benoit’s in the ropes. Eddie’s a one-armed man, but still delivers a backdrop driver! Brainbuster leads up to a FROG SPLASH, but that hits knees. Benoit delivers one NECK-BREAKING POWERBOMB to Eddie for 1-2-NO! Benoit cannot believe he kicked out. He wants another powerbomb, but Eddie counters into a rollup. Eddie comes up and punches Benoit using his bad arm, which was a BAD idea. As Guerrero clutches his increasingly hurting arm, Benoit comes up behind him for a DRAGON SUPLEX for the 1-2-3! (8:39) Another Nitro classic with both men pulling out all the stops. As Mongo would say, “If you’re not impressed with these two, you got rocks in yo head!” ***¾

Bischoff announces that there’s a rumor about a possible cruiserweight title division in WCW, which is why guys like Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero are here. Now before you go and criticize and say to yourself, “You’re the vice president of WCW! Shouldn’t you know these types of things?” According to the fans, Bischoff was still just a commentator, similar to Vince.

Call the WCW Hotline tonight! $1.49 a minute! 1-900-909-9900! A WWF official has been canned! He’s speaking of Bill Watts. Plus, a WWF wrestler has gotten in a fight with a fan and came out on the short end of the stick. Well that’s not exactly true, but why let a good insult get in the way of the truth?

Gene Okerlund calls out Kevin Sullivan and the Giant for an interview. Sullivan tells us about how evil he is. You know how Kevin is. He likes to drone on and on about it. Yes Kevin, we know you’re insane. Can we get to a match? Apparently after Detroit, the Hulkamaniacs will give up on Hogan and become children of the Dungeon of Doom. Okay, now that is crazy. What’s the Giant got to say about all this? He wants to push Hogan off the top of Cobo Hall during their Monster Truck Battle! Well that’s not a very nice thing to say at all. After the jaws of life pick Hogan’s lifeless body off the ground and they drag him into the ring, Giant’s going to strip Hogan of his belt. He’s like a prophet! Almost.

WCW Saturday Night! Watch it! 6:05PM eastern! TBS! Hacksaw Jim Duggan takes on VK Wallstreet! Alex Wright faces the Disco Inferno! Plus, Randy Savage battles a newcomer named Hugh Morrus. Hulk Hogan will be there! Don’t miss it! It’s the MUTHASHIP! PAY WINDAHS AND ALL THAT PLUNDAH, BABY!

Meng vs. Jim Duggan
Why is Meng wearing a black and gold Revolting Blob mask to the ring all of a sudden? Well one thing is for sure, Jim Duggan is SUPER over as we are probably hundred miles from his hometown of Glens Falls. As you might imagine, this is a brawl. Meng misses a corner charge and an elbow drop as Duggan starts to fight defensively. Meng tries a crossbody out of the corner and misses that too. Duggan punches back and hits a clothesline. Big slam by Duggan sets up the THREE POINT STANCE? Nope. He turns around and eats a superkick. Meng’s GOLDEN SPIKE gets the win. (1:53) Jahiufdhjkahjkdhjkah. That’s what you sound like, Meng. That’s what you always sound like. ½*

Hulk Hogan stands alongside his confidant and guarder of the WCW world title belt Jimmy Hart to cut a somewhat dark promo. It’s actually borderline desperate and pathetic. Hogan calls his fans Hulkamanioids for some reason. Not sure why it was necessary to change that up just because he’s heading into the “dark side”. It just makes me think of the Noid from the old Dominos commercials. Bring him back, Dominos! Pizza needs a familiar face again because I think Papa John is trying to make me gay! The man is quite attractive. Just kidding. Anyways, Hogan tries to convince me that his evil is indeed real. You know, kids at the malls used to wear all black too. Doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re evil, it could just mean that they have a desperate need for ATTENTION.

Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman vs. Ric Flair & Sting
Bischoff and Heenan try to push the idea that this is the first time Sting and Flair have teamed up together since 1990. I mean, it was the main event on the show where you made your WCW debut, Heenan. I guess he really has been loaded ever since and probably just forgot about it. Can’t really blame the man. This is going to rock and roll all night long! Just so you know. There’s no Sting to start, so Flair goes in alone. He’s down for it. This crowd is totally into everything Ric Flair. He chops, they scream. Flair gets cornered, but he fights them off. Pillman goes low to slow down Flair as we go to the floor. Arn gets chopped and Pillman is launched from the apron for his chest-first guardrail bump. WOO! Inside the ring, Flair continues with chops, but then ducks low off a whip. Flair grabs hold of a knee drop attempt and applies the FIGURE-FOUR! Pillman tries a flying splash and misses. Flair lets go of Arn and puts Pillman in the FIGURE-FOUR! Arn gouges Flair’s eyes and sends him in for the Flair Flip out to the apron where he runs into Pillman and knocks him to the floor with a chop. Flair comes back in and nails Arn with a flying double sledge. You KNOW he’s working babyface now! Things are looking for Flair until he runs into a boot from Pillman on the apron to set up a AA Spiiiiinebuster! HERE COMES STING! He wants a tag, but Pillman cuts Flair off. Pillman draws Sting in to double-team Flair and keep him in his corner. Flair and Pillman start to chop one another, but then Pillman whiffs on a dropkick. Flair starts crawling over to Sting and makes the MOLTEN HOT TAG! He goes absolutely insane on the heels and starts dishing out Stinger Splash after Stinger Splash! They block a double noggin knocker with knees and double-whip Sting into the corner. He explodes out with a clothesline for each of them. Arn takes a clothesline to the floor and then Pillman gets launched off the top onto the top rope to just totally ruin his night. With both men on the floor, ref Randy Anderson counts them out. (7:03) It’s simple swing set booking here, but it’s definitely working. Sting and Flair celebrate with their arms held high as Arn and Pillman can’t believe they lost like that. This was so much fun. ***

After the break, Gene Okerlund meets with Sting and Ric Flair in the ring. He questions Sting’s reluctance to tag up with Flair. Sting says that Flair earned his respect by taking AA and Pillman on by himself. Just like that, Sting’s convinced Flair’s a decent guy. Now he confirms that he will in fact be Flair’s partner at Halloween Havoc. Flair shows Sting some love and we are out!

Next week: Sting and Luger battle Harlem Heat! Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko will be here to take on Alex Wright and Eddie Guerrero! Hulk Hogan will make another appearance. It only makes sense considering he’s the champ!