April 23, 2009
Matt Peddycord
The Powerdriver Review

WCW Monday Nitro
February 26, 1996
Knoxville, TN
Civic Center

The current WCW champs were as follows:
WCW World Champion: Ric Flair (2/11/1996)
WCW U.S. Champion: Konnan (1/29/1996)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: Sting & Lex Luger (1/22/1996)
WCW World Television Champion: Johnny B. Badd (2/18/1996)

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

Sting vs. Big Bubba
During Bubba’s entrance, Bischoff gives away the results to the World “Whining” Federation’s programming. It’s real cute. Bubba’s totally cocky to start, so Sting slaps him across the face real good. Bubba comes back with a Bossman Straddle and then follows up with the slide into the uppercut. Sting escapes a headlock, but runs into a Spinebuster for two. Bubba avalanches Sting and takes him to the floor to brawl where a grandma in the front row almost jumps the rail to get at Bubba. Awesome! Back in, Sting stops Bubba with a piledriver. Why does Sting fall to his knees for a piledriver. Is his butt made of explosives or something? Bubba eats a boot in the corner, but then brings his knees up to block a pump splash. Sting trips Bubba up top and hits a flying bodypress for the three-count. (7:14) Better than you would expect. Bubba was ON tonight. **¼

After the break, Gene Okerlund talks with the WCW world tag team champs Sting and Luger. The Road Warriors interrupt and challenge for a Chicago Street Fight at UnCeNSoReD which takes places in…Tupelo, Mississippi. Alright then.

Lex Luger vs. The Renegade
RENEGADE IS BACK! And nobody cares. Lex gets knocked around to start and sent to the floor with shoulderblocks. Renegade continues to own Luger until he whiffs a crossbody and falls into the ropes. Renegade escapes a chinlock and starts to WARRIOR UP, but Luger stops him with a suplex. OR DOES HE? Renegade NO-SELLS and runs Luger down with a clothesline. Powerslam gets two. Renegade hits the Handspring Back Elbow in the corner. He goes up top for the FLYING SPLASH, but his old manager Jimmy Hart runs down and shoves him off to the floor. Luger apparently has no idea what just happened and puts Renegade back in the ring for the TORTURE RACK! That’s all she wrote. (5:47) Renegade seems to be improving a tad. *½

Afterwards, Sting catches Lex celebrating with Jimmy Hart and gets in his face about it, but Luger keeps saying that he has no idea why Jimmy is out there with him. Sting needs to give Luger the old Larry David staredown; then he’ll know the truth. To make up for what happened, Lex lifts Renegade’s arm as a show of sportsmanship. Sting just shakes his head and gives him a HUGE tongue lashing. That was pretty cool.

The Road Warriors vs. Harlem Heat
This is what they should have done at Superbrawl instead of having the champs wrestle twice: had these two fight it out for a shot at the belts since they both deserved matches. The champs should always have the advantage, but I guess hindsight is 20/20. Booker and Hawk work the first minute or two, culminating in a reverse neckbreaker by Hawk that causes Booker T to tag his brother. In comes Animal for LOD, Stevie Ray draws Animal into a knee during a tie-up battle and slams him. Animal comes back with a clothesline and tags Hawk. Booker catches Hawk coming off the ropes, allowing Stevie Ray to hit him with a powerbomb. Tag to Booker, he hits an Axe Kick for two. Stevie Ray comes in and grabs a front headlock. Hawk fights out, but runs into the ringpost. Jumping Side Kick by Booker connects, as does a double suplex by Harlem Heat for two. Double KO spot leads to a HOT TAG TO ANIMAL! He flips out of a double back suplex and double clotheslines the Heat. Stevie Ray and Animal fight to the floor while Booker sets up Hawk for the HARLEM HANGOVER! No ref though. He’s on the floor with Stevie Ray. As Booker leans over the top rope to yell at the ref, Animal comes by on the apron and kicks Booker in the head! Now the ref gets in the ring and counts 1-2-3. (7:54) Bischoff calls the Road Warriors the new #1 contenders to the tag titles, as if there was any doubt before. Not a bad match. **

Coming up next on TNT, it’s hardcore action when two martial arts experts try and rescue their daughter. It’s a back leg round kick right to the teeth in American Kickboxer II! Man, I wish bad movies like that still came on TNT.

Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, & The Booty Man vs. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, & Kevin Sullivan (w/Elizabeth & Woman)
Savage is wearing a yellow and red Mega-Power shirt to the ring, which has to be some kind of copyright violation if I know how Vince works. Booty Man dishes out the violence on the heels to start while cutting and strutting everywhere. Basically, this is to put over Booty Man. Kimberly comes out in a super sweet short skirt and holding a batch of flowers to get a look at the Booty Man, apparently. This week, Bischoff has all the 411 necessary on Booty Man. Turns out, Zodiac was a spy in the Dungeon of Doom for the Hulkster. IT WAS ALL A PLAN! Savage gets a tag to take on Flair. He gets stuck in the wrong side of town, but fight out. Flair kicks Savage in the gut and chops him in the corner. Savage slams Flair off the top, but gets nailed when he tries a flying double sledge. Hot tag to Hogan. As usual, Flair gets destroyed. Booty Man tags in for a double big boot to Flair. That gets two. Tag to Savage, Liz and Woman grab his leg as he comes off the ropes, allowing Sullivan and Arn to nail him from behind. Arn sends out Savage to be thrown into the guardrail by Flair. The heels keep Savage on their side of the ring until Savage and Sullivan knock each other down. Hot tag to Booty Man, nobody cares about this goof. He tags Hogan, who comes in and has Booty Man whip the heels in the corner one-by-one for Big Boots. Ridiculous. LEGDROP to Arn by Hogan gets a three-count and his win back just like that. (12:05) Afterwards, Flair knees Hogan into the corner so Liz can handcuff him in the ropes. It’s hard to miss Hogan helping her put the handcuffs on himself as the camera gets in REAL close. Looks like Flair whips Hogan with a leather strap to set up the next six-man tag on Nitro. Pretty terrible all around except for when Savage was in the ring. *½

No Nitro next week. TNT decided to show a two-night premiere of their movie Andersonville instead, so I’ll be doing RAW! Well, that’s enough for me. I’m out.