March 13, 2009
Mike Abitabile

Monday Nitro
The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan
8/4/97

This is the historic 100th episode of Monday Nitro and to celebrate, WCW will be on the air for three full hours and will deliver a World title match between Hollywood Hogan and Lex Luger. The Nitro Girls are out to dance as the show opens but they are interrupted by the nWo music.

Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff make their way down the aisle. Tony mentions we are less than one week away from Road Wild, where Hogan and Luger were scheduled to lock up for the title, and instead it got moved up to tonight. As they are on their way to the ring, Tony mentions that there is speculation that the Steiners have a bombshell to drop on the nWo tonight as well. When Hollywood (who is without his 5 o’clock shadow tonight) and Easy E get to the ring, Hogan flexes and talks about how much of a loser Lex Luger is. He’s not happy about having to defend the title tonight and he’s going to take his anger out on Luger. Hogan then says that once he’s done with Luger, they will keep it in the family and Scott Hall will get the title shot at Road Wild instead. Even if I was watching this live and didn’t know the results, nothing could make me believe that would ever happen.

Mortis vs. Curt Hennig
James Vandenberg comes out with Mortis. They lock up and break clean. They lock up again and break in the corner this time. A third lock up and Hennig goes behind then shoves Mortis away. Curt applies a headlock then takes Mortis down with a running dropkick. Vandenberg is up, so Hennig shoves him off the apron, but the distraction was enough for Mortis to take control. It’s short lived however as Hennig sends Mortis over the top rope with a knee lift. Curt follows him out them levels Vandenberg when he grabs Hennig. Both men go back in and Mortis takes control with a scoop slam. Curt moves out of the way of an elbow then hits his snap neckbreaker move. Mortis reverses an Irish whip into an inverted atomic drop and gets a two count. Hennig goes to the leg then applies the Hennig-Plex for the win out of nowhere.

As we come back from commercial, we see a bunch of guys in the front row holding a Monday Night Raw sign, but then they rip it to pieces! We then see a video vignette with clips of Sting over the past year, from his last days in colorful attire up until recently in the Crow attire, with his old Sting music playing in the back. Interesting.

United States Champion Jeff Jarrett and Dean Malenko vs. Hector Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Debra is out with her charges. The Guerreros were already in the ring and didn’t get an entrance. Dean starts with Chavo and shoves Eddie’s nephew down. Malenko goes to work on the arm but gets taken over with a head scissor then taken down with a dropkick. Hector and Jarrett tag in. They trade reversals until Jarrett takes control with closed fists. Hector fights back with a dropkick and an arm drag. Jarrett attacks from behind then lands a snap suplex and tags Dean back in. Malenko goes to work then tags Jarrett back quickly. He chokes Hector over the second rope then slams him. Dean tags right back in and hits a beautiful suplex, which gets two. Once again a quick tag back to Jarrett who tries a back drop but Hector turns it into a sunset flip for two. He gets another quick two with the backslide but Jarrett takes the leg out and goes for the figure four. Chavo comes in though and breaks it up. Jarrett then tags Dean Malenko in. He hits Hector with an electric chair drop then applies the Texas Cloverleaf to get the submission win.

Mean Gene is at ringside to again try and talk to Raven. Raven still won’t talk, so Stevie Richards comes out of nowhere to tell us he met with JJ Dillon and even Ted Turner himself to fix the contract offered to Raven. Raven spits in Stevie’s face then shoves him down. Raven goes for another punch, but Stevie blocks it and says he’s not going to get abused anymore.

The Giant vs. Lenny Lane, Scott D’Amore and Joey Maggs
Yes, this is Scott D’Amore of TNA Team Canada fame. Giant just destroys all three men at the same time as they don’t get any offense in. Giant hits an avalance in the corner on all three men, then hits the choke slam on each of them one by one. He then pins all three at the same time. After the match, Giant’s Road Wild opponent, Randy Savage, comes out to talk some trash. Savage says Giant wants none of him, so Giant goes to get him and the Macho Man bails.

Saturday Night is the Road Wild pre-game show this weekend (As Road Wild is on Saturday Night) with Curt Hennig, DDP, Alex Wright and Ric Flair. Don’t miss it!

Now they show a video dedicated to Lex Luger with many various images, including Hogan submitting to the Torture Rack.

Public Enemy vs. High Voltage
PE has their table with them. Johnny Grunge starts out with Kaos. Grunge hits a swinging neckbreaker then tags in Rocco Rock. He chops Kaos then decides to clothesline Rage. Kaos capitalizes on Rocco’s error in judgment and takes control. Rage tags in and hits a top rope clothesline. Kaos tags back in and kicks Rock. High Voltage continues making quick tags until Rage stays in and goes up top. He tries for a leg drop but Rock gets the foot up and then tags Johnny. The PE double teams Rage and tries to put him through a table. Rocco tries to catapult onto the table but Kaos moves his partner out of the way and Rock goes though the table himself! Now it’s High Voltage’s turn to double team, with Rocco out of the picture. Grunge ducks a double team attempt though and rolls up Rage for the quick pin. After the match, High Voltage beats on Grunge with a piece of the table.

The Nitro Girls dance some more but are interrupted by Alex Wright, who dances with them. He meets Gene at the bottom of the ramp and speaks German. Okerlund yells at him then Alex mocks the fans and Chris Jericho. He challenges Jericho to a match at Road Wild then goes to the ring.

Cruiserweight Title Match: Champion Alex Wright vs. Scotty Riggs
Riggs runs in and Alex attacks him the dumps him to the floor. Wright follows him out with a double axe handle off the apron and they trade fists. Wright hits a suplex on the floor then tries to throw Riggs into the guard rail, but it’s reversed and Riggs sends him back in. Riggs hits a back elbow and a slam. Riggs goes up top but Alex hits the ropes, causing Riggs to crotch himself. Wright hits a knee drop off the top rope then dances. Both men come off the ropes and hit a body block at the same time. Riggs landed on top and gets a two. Scotty hits an enziguri and then a dropkick. He sets Alex up on the top rope but Wright head butts him off the top then hits a missile dropkick on Riggs for the win.

Hour number two is on the air. This is the hour that chased the competition away, according to Tony. Brain joins Tony and Mike as we go to Mean Gene in the aisle. Gene puts over the Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup win earlier this year and feels that might mean something for Lex Luger tonight in Detroit, then brings out the Total Package. Luger is confident and calls this his defining moment. Luger says Hogan may have made wrestling what it is today, but tonight he will make history and guarantees that he will win the title.

More Nitro Girl dancing as we return from break.

Booker T vs. Vincent
Stevie Ray accompanies his brother to the ring, but no one is with Vincent, as he is usually the person who seconds others to the ring when they wrestle. Book hits a scissor kick and a flying forearm to the face. Stevie then takes a shot at Vincent on the floor and throws him back in. Book hits a Harlem Sidekick for the quick win. Stevie tells Norton and Bagwell they are next at Road Wild. The Heat double team Vincent after the bell as Tony declares that the nWo has thrown Vincent to the wolves.

Back to Gene in the aisle again. He brings out DPP who says he’s no conceited, he’s convinced. He’s going to beat Hennig at Road Wild and he’s signed to fight Flair tonight. He likes Flair because they have a lot in common, but now that Flair is seemingly in bed with Hennig, they now have some issues. He respects Flair, but he will beat him. BANG!

Wrath vs. The Barbarian
James Vandenberg is back out with Wrath. Wrath clotheslines Barbarian and drops an elbow for two. He then sends him into the corner and follows in with another clothesline then hits a side suplex. Wrath goes upstairs and now hits a flying clothesline. Barbarian fights back and suplexes Wrath. On the floor, Barbarian throws Wrath into the guard rail. Back in and Barbarian lands a power slam and goes to the top rope. Wrath catches Barbarian coming off and hits the Death Penalty for the win. And now Meng makes his way to the ring and stares down Wrath. Wrath leaves before anything happens.

Mean Gene is in the ring and brings out the Steiner Brothers so they can make their bombshell announcement that will shake the nWo to its very foundation (I’m paraphrasing Tony there). Before they get to the ring, the Steiners look back at the entrance ramp and Ted Dibiase walks out and shakes their hands. Gene says Ted was with the nWo but we haven’t seen him in over two months. Dibiase says he backed up and looked at the big picture. He mentions his father died in the ring and says he lost track of the important things. Ted says he is done making bad choices and says he will prove himself to the Steiners and everyone else. Ted almost calls World Championship Wrestling the World Wrestling Federation, but Mean Gene helps him out, then the Outsiders come out. Hall doesn’t care if Dibiase is with the Steiners or not. Nash calls him pumpkin-head and says Dibiase must not know what the “4 Life” part meant. Dibiase says he knows more about the nWo than anyone else, and he’s going to tell it all to the Steiners.

Lee Marshall is On the Road with 1-800-Collect. He is in Denver, site of next week’s Nitro. One of the attractions in Denver is a museum dedicated to Buffalo Bill. They had a museum for Wimpy Weasel but no one ever visited. Brain tells Lee to climb Pikes Peak and jump off.

K-Dawg vs. Psychosis
Sonny Onoo is with Psychosis. K-Dawg is still taking out all the lucha libre stars before he gets to Rey Mysterio at Road Wild. He goes right after Psychosis and hits a rolling clothesline then a running dropkick while Psychosis was sitting. Psychosis fights back with an arm drag and a top rope spin kick then slams K-Dawg. Psychosis hits a really bad move off the top rope then gets caught in a K-Dawg elevated DDT then the Tequilia Sunrise. After Psychosis submits, Rey Mysterio comes to the ring on crutches. Tenay says this is bad considering Rey will be facing Konnan in five day and is obviously still hurt bad. Rey hobbles into the ring and goes face to face with K-Dawg. He kicks one of the crutches out and then Rey levels him with the other! Rey jumps around and shows he is fine! Rey helps Psychosis up then tells the camera he is ready for K-Dawg on Saturday night.

Glacier and Ernest Miller vs. Silver King and Damien
Glacier starts out with Silver King. They lock up and King goes to work on the arm. Glacier reverses it but King spins out and takes Glacier down. He’s right back up though and leg sweeps King. Glacier hits the ropes and Damien trips him up. Glacier responds with a kick to Damien’s head and a power slam on King for a two count. Miller tags in and gets attacked by Damien from behind. King and Damien double team Miller but he takes them both down with kicks then goes to work on the arm of Damien. Glacier tags back in and backdrops Damien to get a two count. Silver King comes in to break up the count so Glacier takes both men down with a double clothesline then tags in Miller. He takes both out with martial arts moves. He then hits his top rope spin kick on Damien to get the win.

The nWo music plays before we can go to break. Out comes Eric Bischoff again, much to the disgust of the announcers. Bischoff is angry about the fact that Larry fed him to the Giant last week, who then delivered a huge choke slam to Easy E. Bischoff asks JJ Dillon to come to the ring. JJ comes out and Bischoff tells him he wants him to deliver a message to The Giant for him. Bischoff says he’ll sue Giant if he ever lays a hand on him again. As for Larry, Bischoff tells JJ to let him know that he will kick his head off his shoulders if he lays a finger on him again. JJ says he doesn’t have to deliver any messages; he’s sure Larry heard him loud and clear. He laughs and leaves. We finally go to break.

Hour number three is on the air! The Nitro Girls are hanging around the announce table, much to the enjoyment of Tony, Iron Mike and Brain.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Ric Flair
Kim runs over from the announce table to the entrance ramp to bring out Page. During Flair’s entrance, Hennig comes out, shakes the Nature Boy’s hand, then goes into the back. That was probably telling. They lock up and Page takes Flair down with a shoulder block then slaps him! Flair kicks Page then brings him to the corner to chop him. Page fights out of it and backdrops the Nature Boy. Now Flair goes to the eyes and tries to back drop Page, but he reverses it into a sick sit-down power bomb! This brings Curt Hennig to the ring, and we go to break.

We’re back with Flair in control of DDP in the corner. Tony says Curt didn’t get involved in the match during the break. DDP fights back but Flair stops his momentum with a back elbow. Flair climbs to the top rope, and guess how that ended. Page hits a swinging neck breaker and calls for the Cutter, but Hennig distracts him which allows Flair to clip the leg of DDP. Flair drops a knee on the face of Page. Page is able to clothesline Flair, but Ric chops him then applies the figure four! Page gets to the ropes though so Flair has to break the hold. Tony reminds us Flair will face Syxx at Road Wild, and theorizes that Hennig might be here to watch Flair’s back in case Syxx shows up tonight. Flair goes to the apron and makes like he is going to suplex Page to the floor, but Page reverses it and suplexes Flair in then put the figure four on Flair! The referee accidentally gets poked in the eye and Hennig runs in. Page grabs him with a small package while he had the figure four on and had him in a pin! Referee Mark Curtis is back up and Page is in control. Flair goes up and over the top rope then runs to the opposite corner and gets clotheslined on his way back in. Page hits a pancake piledriver then calls for the Diamond Cutter. Curt Hennig runs in with something on his fist, causing a DQ. Page stops him, grabs the brass knuckles, throws them to the ref, then fights off both men! Flair and Hennig finally bail.

Hector Garza and Lizmark Jr. vs. Villano IV and Villano V
No entrances for anybody and the match starts as we return from break. Villano IV takes Hector down with a clothesline but Garza flips over and hits his own clothesline and a head scissor takedown. Lizmark tags in and hits a beautiful dropkick of his own on IV but misses one of V when he tags in. He does however take him over with a pair of arm drags then hits a back breaker on him. It gets a two count when IV breaks it up. He tags back in and the Villanos double team Lizmark. IV hits a leg drop and it gets two. Hector tags back in and misses a running splash in the corner. V tags back in again and they continue to double team Hector Garza. They send him to the floor and slam him hard against the guard rail, then the steel post. Back in the ring, Garza fights them both off and Lizmark comes in. He distracts IV, allowing Garza to come in from the top with an arm drag. Lizmark then hits V on the floor with a top rope plancha. IV gets back dropped by Garza over the top onto Lizmark and V then Garza hits his top rope corkscrew plancha on everyone! Lizmark crawls in with V. Lizmark goes for a pin but the Villanos switch places and pick up the pin and the win!

Mean Gene is in the ring and brings out JJ Dillon. He’s ready to make his offer to Sting. JJ says he understands why Sting was upset because of the distrust by everyone in WCW. But he realizes that Sting is behind WCW and wants him to come back and wrestle for them against the nWo. The only problem is, Sting won’t talk to them, so it’s hard to figure out what he wants. JJ has a contract for Sting. It’s signed by a free agent, it just needs Sting’s signature. And speak of the devil, Sting repels from the ceiling and enters the ring with his trusty bat. Dillon says he wasn’t there for the problems that Sting had with WCW last year and we are passed apologies. JJ says the contract is signed by Curt Hennig. Sting takes the contract and tears it up then walks away. JJ says he isn’t giving up and he is going to figure out what Sting wants.

WCW World Championship Match: Champion Hollywood Hogan vs. Lex Luger
There’s dead silence when Lex Luger comes to the ring (except for his entrance music) as I assume we are editing out Michael Buffer on 24/7. Ditto for Hogan, who oddly enough comes out alone. Nevertheless, Tony says we know many nWo members are here though, so Luger can’t let his guard down. Hogan looks weird in black tights with only his signature blond mustache and no 5 o’clock shadow. They lock up and Hogan goes behind. Luger reverses and Hogan gets the ropes. They lock up again and Luger shoves Hogan down then flexes for him. A third lockup and Hogan gets Lex in the corner then pushes him, which gets Lex agitated. Huge “Hogan Sucks!” chants break out. Hogan goes right after Lex with fists and kicks. He then chokes Lex with his boot in the corner then pounds away on him. Hollywood hits a clothesline then an elbow drop. Hogan picks him up then runs into the corner with a clothesline on Luger. He slams the Total Package then chokes him. He rams Lex’s head into the top turnbuckle multiple times but Luger reverses it and rams Hogan’s head into the turnbuckle! Luger follows up with kicks to the mid-section but Hogan goes to the eyes as we go to break.

We return with Luger breaking out of a Hogan bear hug. Hogan is able to suplex Lex though and gets a two count with the first pinfall attempt of the match. Hogan hits a side suplex on Luger and gets another two when Luger puts his foot on the bottom rope. Hogan begins to badmouth Lex and knocks him down with closed fists. He gets another two count on Lex then complains to referee Randy Anderson. Hollywood works over Lex in the corner and chokes him some more. Hogan hits the big boot then uncharacteristically goes for a pin, only getting a two count though. He then slams Lex and hits the leg drop! He goes for a pin but Lex Luger kicked out of the leg drop! Hogan goes for another one but Lex moves out of the way. He clotheslines Hogan! Hall is in, but Luger takes care of him! The same for Nash and Savage! Luger takes Hogan down with the bionic forearm! He’s calling for the rack! He’s got him in the Torture Rack and Hogan submits! We have a new World Champion! The place explodes and for once, I won’t mock the enthusiasm of the announcers. The entire WCW locker room empties out to celebrate in the ring with Lex Luger. Giant is front and center, celebrating with his friend.

Everyone heads towards the back as the announcers recap what we just saw. Tony thinks the tide has turned, between this and the defection of Ted Dibiase to WCW. We now go live to the celebration backstage. The champagne is flowing and the Giant uses paint thinner to remove the spray painted nWo letters on the title belt. Meanwhile, in the nWo locker room, Hogan is losing his mind. Everyone else stands around looking like they let him down. Savage calls it a fluke. Hogan says he’ll get his title back in Sturgis at Road Wild. He then kicks the cameraman out. As we head off the air, we see the submission one more time and the WCW boys still celebrating in the back.

Next week, we’ll see the fallout from Road Wild and if JJ Dillon can figure out what Sting wants.