January 19, 2009
Matt Peddycord

WCW Monday Nitro
September 11, 1995
Miami, FL
James L. Knight 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: Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater (7/22/1995)
WCW World Television Champion: The Renegade (6/18/1995)

COMIN’ TO GET YA! Glad they didn’t do that little sound byte in the intro anymore after this.

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

Since we’re not in a mall this week, we get see the new Nitro set that would stick around until April 1999!

After re-airing the Hogan/Luger confrontation from last week, Bischoff announces that Vader is AWOL and won’t be at Fall Brawl. Because of him leaving WCW, that puts Hogan’s team at a disadvantage since he was a part of that team as they go up against the Dungeon of Doom at Wargames. Confirmed by both men, there was a fight/argument between Vader and Orndorff that got Vader fired from WCW. Needless to say, Vader was pretty pissed over that decision since he still had some decent time left on his contract.

Alex Wright vs. Sabu
Bischoff says he first discovered Sabu at the New Japan Fukuoka Dome show on May 3 when he beat Koji Kanemoto for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title. Really? People seemed to think that these two could do some good stuff together. I can’t really imagine Wright being an extreme enough of a guy to want to do Sabu matches, but all the same here we go. Sabu hits a springboard legdrop on Wright while Heenan puts over Sabu as one insane character who’s the nephew of the Original Sheik. I doubt too many people down south know who that is. Sabu ranas Wright to the floor and keeps him on the floor with a baseball slide followed by a flip dive. On the floor, Sabu sets up a chair to run and dive on Wright up against the guardrail, but Wright moves and Sabu flies into the railing. Back inside, Wright missile dropkicks Sabu back out on the floor. This time Wright keeps Sabu on the floor with a baseball slide and hits him with a no-hands plancha! Wright stops Sabu up on top for a superplex! Sabu reverses a corner whip on Wright and delivers a springboard leg lariat. Wright back flips over Sabu out of the corner and gives him a German suplex for 1-2-NO! Wright heads up top, but gets crotched for a victory roll to the canvas for 1-2-3. (3:59) A lot of action packed into those four minutes. Another positive side to this was that Sabu didn’t screw up most of his offense. Afterwards, Sabu splashes Wright through a table and the decision gets reversed. **½

Gene Okerlund welcomes Ric Flair. Three fans in the audience hold up the letters WCW on three separate pieces of paper. Every now and then, the guy holding the first W will turn it sideways to say ECW. CLEVER~! Anyways, Flair missed AA while he was partying in South Beach. Flair brings up the memory of the Four Horsemen as the former Horsemen member Lex Luger shows up in full ring gear. No more American flag tights for that guy. He’s going all black. Flair recalls a time when Arn told him that Hogan has driven him crazy. Well look who’s here now. Lex Luger – 6 foot 5 - 275 pounds. 22 inch arms. 60 inch chest. Tonight, the Total Package takes control! Luger tells Flair that he’s not changed a bit and walks off. WOO!

WCW U.S. Heavyweight Champion Sting vs. VK Wallstreet
Last week, he was Michael Wallstreet. Now he’s VK Wallstreet as in Vincent Kennedy Wallstreet. Ya see what they did there?! During Sting’s entrance, Bischoff tells us this week’s Raw results. Bischoff ~ “Shawn Michaels beats the big guy [Psycho Sid] with a superkick.” Mongo ~ “Who cares about that. They called their show after a bunch of uncooked eggs?” Oh wow. I’m glad Bobby Heenan doesn’t join in on that. Unless he was to take the US strap, Wallstreet’s character is doomed to fail already. Sting levels Wallstreet with a pair of dropkicks so Wallstreet takes a powder. Back in, he shoves off a headlock and sends Sting flying to the floor. Wallstreet bashes Sting’s head on the apron, but takes a slingshot clothesline once he’s back in the ring. It turns into your standard Sting comeback as he blocks some turnbuckle smashes and returns the favor tenfold. Stinger Splash! Flying bodypress gets the 1-2-3. (4:15) Just as I thought, they would job him off in four minutes. *¼

WCW Saturday Night! 6:05 PM eastern time! The debut of Disco Inferno! Renegade defends the TV title against Maxx Muscle! Big Bubba Rogers takes on Dave Sullivan alongside Ralph the Rabbit! But wait, Bubba’s allergic to rabbit hair? Too bad. Plus, Brian Pillman battles Alex Wright! Watch it!

Randy Savage vs. Scott Norton
Norton picked a fight with Mongo last week until Randy Savage ran down and made a challenge to Norton instead. Norton ANNIHILATES Savage to start. Once Savage ducks a clothesline, he takes over with a hiptoss and a clothesline to put Norton on the floor for the flying double ax handle! Back in, he tries another flying double ax handle, but he’s caught and squeezed like…Crest toothpaste? I don’t know. Norton starts hammering on the ribs. POWERBOMB! That gets two. He follows up with a backbreaker and then presses Savage up for a press slam. Powerslam gets another two count. Savage ducks another clothesline, but gets run over with a shoulderblock that puts him back on the floor. Norton lifts Savage back on the apron by his throat and then hangs Savage across the top rope and drops him for a DDT! Think Randy Orton. Norton heads up top, but Savage slam dunks him on the mat. Savage hits Norton with a running knee and takes him into the corner for a series of jabs. Enter Shark and Kamala. Savage throws Norton into them, causing Shark to knock Kamala back on the floor and Shark to collapse on Norton’s legs. Bischoff calls Shark, Avalanche. Dude, that is SOO last week. With Norton down and trapped, Savage climbs to the top and delivers the MACHO ELBOW! That’s all she wrote. (5:40) This would be the closest Norton would get to the main event in WCW. Retarded finish aside, this wasn’t too bad. The Dungeon of Doom are looking like absolute buffoons on Nitro. Kevin Sullivan, Zodiac, and Meng all show up after the bell as Savage clears out. Norton gets in Shark’s face for costing him the match. Nothing happens though. *½

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Lex Luger
At the time, you would think this was a big deal. Being a WWF guy nine days earlier, you might think they would give Luger the strap here to create more of a buzz for Nitro. We get a slow couple of tie-ups to start. Hogan shows us his other wrestling move he knows other than the armbar takedown and that’s a hammerlock into a drop toehold. He delivers a suplex, but this time its Luger who NO-SELLS! Luger gives Hogan a suplex of his own and now he NO-SELLS! Hogan escapes a headlock and goes to nail Luger, so he taps the brakes and heads to the floor. Hogan goes out and tosses Luger back in the ring. Luger runs the ropes right into a backdrop. Bischoff ~ “Let’s face it – Luger’s just not used to this caliber of action. You’ve got the world champion in the WWF who barely made it past mid-level status here in WCW.” Right after he says that, Luger avoids a corner charge and hits Hogan with a powerslam. That sets up the TORTURE RACK! Hogan’s arm drops once, twice, and then Luger lets him go and acts like he won the match. Uhh, no. Instead, he just covers Hogan for 1-2-NO! Its Hulk up time. YOUUUUUU! Three punches and a Big Boot set up the LEGDROP! In comes the Dungeon of Doom to end this match. (5:30) Everybody attacks Hogan and they leave Luger all to himself. Savage and Sting make the save. Hogan and Luger start shoving each other, but we got to go to a commercial break! *

Afterwards, Gene Okerlund’s in the ring with a mic. Hogan questions Luger about why the Dungeon of Doom didn’t start beating up Luger too. Savage wants to know too, but Sting trusts Luger. Since there’s no more Vader, Luger is the guy we need on their team for Wargames. Savage has the right idea – he would rather go four against three than have a guy on his team that he didn’t trust. See, that’s the problem of Sting’s character. He’ll trust anybody who says they’re good. Savage begins to question Sting and Jimmy Hart as to why they didn’t get attacked. Since the Dungeon of Doom is terrible at having any kind of effect on the good guys, the only way they would even have a chance at winning this match is to let them destroy themselves. Savage doesn’t care for Luger being on his team, but Hogan goes ahead and asks him if he wants to join up anyway. Luger accepts as long as Hogan gives him a rematch for the title one of these days.

Next week on Monday Nitro: Johnny B. Badd takes on Paul Orndorff! Plus, the winner of the Nasties/American Males match on the Main Event faces the Blue Bloods next week! Well alright then. We’ve got stuff to do! Oh yeah and don’t forget about Fall Brawl! Wait, what’s the card again?