Monday Nitro: The Mile High City is where all the action of Nitro takes place this week. There is some major stuff on tap including Lex Luger putting his career and title opportunity on the line against Randy Savage. The Arn and Flair tensions look to meet their boiling point as they face off in the main event.
As Schiavone, Heenan, and Mongo intro the show they are interrupted by Flair. He shouts some shit about Arn Anderson that I could barely make out but he's hyped and so am I.
Lex Luger vs "Macho Man" Randy Savage
We get a replay of last week and see the damage that The Giant caused Savage and Luger. Also again showing the hint at Luger attacking Savage when he was down but instead The Giant getting in his way causing Luger to attack The Giant instead. Lots of questions heading into this match but we should hopefully get the answer here. The two lock up and roll all around the ring as they jockey for position. They continue until they fall outside and on to the floor.
After a short commercial break, we come back and Savage is in the ring beckoning for Luger to join him. Luger slaps Macho Man and that pisses off Savage, he kicks Lex in the gut and sends him into the corner. Hitting him with a back elbow, Luger is sent to the outside once again. Savage tries to hit Luger with a suplex on the outside but Lex is able to reverse it into a neckbreaker. Press slam by Luger and he is very happy about it, I guess when you're shit you take what you can get.
Savage tries to foil Luger's attempt at a hip toss and reverse it into a backslide pin. After some struggle, it finally looks like Savage is gonna be able to get him but Luger gets his foot on the rope. After halting Savage's progress, Luger gets a backslide of his own for the two. They both run off the ropes and collide in the middle of the ring, causing them to fall to the mat in unison. Savage with a flying double ax handle to the outside which sends Luger crashing into the metal barricades. Continuing the work he did with the ax handle, Savage drops Luger throat first onto the guard rail.
Running knee to the back of Luger by Savage sends him into the turnbuckle. Quickly trying to Irish whip Luger, Savage gets it rever-oh no Savage reverses. Luger crashes into the corner alongside the referee. Savage up top and he hits the Elbow Drop and pins but the referee is still down. As Savage begins to wake the referee, The Giant makes his way down to the ring.
I love how every time he comes down to interrupt he has the same camera angle, literally the same one each time. Chokeslam by The Giant onto Savage before he makes a swift exit. Luger did not see The Giant come down and attack Savage so when he comes to, he lifts Savage up for the Torture Rack. Savage can't keep his arm up after three drops so Luger is declared the winner and keeps his job alongside his #1 Contendership. A lot of boos and I don't blame them. If I had the choice of no Luger or more Luger I know which one I'm picking.
Match Rating: 3/10
Eddie Guerrero vs Dean Malenko
This match is scheduled to be Malenko vs Eddie but Disco Inferno's music begins to play. He comes out but doesn't get too long before Guerrero's theme plays and he scares Disco away. Dean comes out and he's wearing this hot pink gear that looks so, killer. I have no idea how I've never seen it before. Guerrero pushes Malenko off but her rolls back into a kip-up to confront Eddie once again.
Malenko tries to monkey flip out of Guerrero's pin but Eddie gets to show off his agility now with a flip and landing on his feet. I can't put into words all the shit they did in that sequence but it was all great and crazy to think that it's all now just commonplace. People like to say how ahead of their time these guys were and it's very much true. You put this match on and see so much stuff you see now not only on the independent scene but on TV as well. Malenko and Eddie trade pinning combinations until Dean gets Eddie with a headlock with his legs but Eddie cartwheels out of it and into a clothesline. Hulk Hogan is in the building, Jimmy Hart pleads with him to leave because The Giant is in the building but Hogan doesn't care (brother). He said that he doesn't care if The Giant kills him, all his Hulkamaniacs will carry it on in his honor. Now back to the shit I actually care about, this match. Looking for a monkey flip, Eddie gets put on the top rope but is able to use his skill to send Malenko to the outside alongside himself. Eddie with a big splash on the outside to a standing Malenko. Eddie tries to capitalize on it by getting Dean back in the ring and going for his Frog Splash but Malenko is able to get the knees up. Malenko looks for an ankle pick but Eddie reverses and flips Malenko over onto his back and sits down for a leverage pin and the win. After the match ends, Malenko walks over to Eddie and says Eddie got lucky and he wants a rematch. Eddie agrees and says any place, any time.
Match Rating: 6/10
Mean Gene is in the ring to introduce the WCW Champion, Hulk Hogan. Hogan says that since The Giant is out here he must be in the back and that's where he's headed. As Hogan is circling the ring and slapping the hands of all the fans in the front row, someone dressed as an old woman throws white dust in his eyes and begins to attack him at ringside with a cane. The Zodiac and The Giant come down to the ring and it all starts to make sense as the old woman pulls off the headdress and reveals it to be Kevin Sullivan. The Giant rips the neck brace off Hogan and snaps his neck once again. Sullivan grabs clippers and begins to shave Hogan's mustache. The American Males come down to the ring only to get single-handedly decimated by The Giant. The Nasty Boys come running down and meet a similar fate.
Ric Flair vs Arn Anderson
This starts a lot less tentatively than their encounter at Fall Brawl. Flair is not shying away from chops and punches this time. Arn begins to work the arm of Flair with stomps. Getting up and getting to the corner, Flair starts chopping away at the broad chest of Arn Anderson. Irish whipping Flair into the corner does Arn but Flair flips out onto the apron.
Anderson looks for something but Flair ducks and pulls the top rope, sending Arn to the outside. A kick to the gut and chops from Flair as they fight on the outside. Anderson pokes the eyes of Flair which gets him some breathing room, Flair rushes Arn but Anderson reverses with a back body drop on the outside. Irish whip off the ropes and Arn hits Flair with a high angle spinebuster, he is too fatigued to get to the pin immediately. After some time he finally is able to crawl and put his arm over the downed Flair but only a near fall.
Flair locks on a sleeper hold but Arn is able to escape and get Flair in one of his own. Flair slips out and pushes Arn chest first into the turnbuckle and into a back suplex. The Nature Boy locks in the Figure Four but Arn is too close to the ropes and grabs them. Flair keeps the hold on for a few seconds to further weaken the legs before breaking it. Flair looking for a dive to the outside but Arn able to get him with a shot to the gut as he was coming down. It seemed as if Arn was going for a piledriver on the outside but this time Flair reverses with a back body drop.
Flair has this nasty bump on his back from what I assume was the bumps on the outside but God does it look bad. Signaling for the DDT, Arn is stopped when Flair uses the leverage of the ropes to hold on. Hammering away with fists to the head of Arn, Flair sees an opening and won't let it slip. Launching Arn off the ropes, Flair ducks as he anticipated Arn to go over for a back body drop but Anderson drops an elbow on Flair's head instead. Arn comes off the top rope but gets sliced with a chop from Flair on the way down. Figure Four in the center of the ring and Arn gives up but as he does Pillman comes running down to the ring and hits Flair with a top rope splash. Arn and Pillman start the beat down on Flair. After the beatdown, it is announced next week Arn Anderson will face Ric Flair in a steel cage match.
Match Rating: 5/10
Overall Rating: 4.7/10
Monday Night RAW: This weeks show comes to us from Grand Rapids, Michigan. To start off the show we get a replay of last week's action when the Smoking Gunns regained the tag team championships from Owen Hart and Yokozuna. After that, we get right into the action as Razor Ramon makes his entrance.
Razor Ramon vs 1-2-3 Kid
We get replays from their last two encounters, each time 1-2-3 Kid has come out on top, one time via roll up and the other time via help from Dean Douglas. Will 1-2-3 Kid continue to be the thorn in Razor's side or will Ramon finally get sweet revenge? We'll find out tonight. They lock up as the bell rings, Razor using his strength advantage early tosses Kid to the outside with ease. Ramon sends Kid into the ropes and rushes in for a clothesline but 1-2-3 Kid sidesteps and begins with a flurry of kicks on the big man. Razor tries again to send Kid into the corner but Kid up and over and more kicks, including a Sayama kick. Off the ropes with his quickness is 1-2-3 Kid but as he goes for a crossbody, Razor catches him for a fallaway slam. Spinning heel kick by the Kid is blocked as Razor holds his leg but Kid uses his other leg to hit Razor and escape his grasp. Kid goes for the pin but he's close to the ropes and Razor uses his strength to push off and send Kid outside under the bottom rope. Dean Douglas is shown at ringside, scouting the match as it rolls on. Big spinning heel kick by the Kid sends Razor spinning to the mat but only gets a two. A duo of leg drops has 1-2-3 Kid feeling good, he asks Razor to get to his feet and tries for another spinning heel kick but Razor scouts it and ducks. Off the ropes, Razor Ramon fires off with a lariat and the win. After the match, Kid slaps Razor and they continue to fight. I guess we have another match? Razor puts Kid in an abdominal stretch as the ref checks on Kid. 1-2-3 Kid ever defiant in the face of danger as he gets up and continues to taunt Razor with slaps to the face. During the commercial break, Razor pinned the kid with a powerbomb after catching him off the top rope but the Kid still wouldn't leave. So another match? Back suplex off the top rope by Razor. Razor looks like he's gonna hit the Razor's Edge but instead opts for a small package and the win. Razor brings the Kid to his feet, The Kid raises Razor's hand but not for long as he goes for a roll-up and the ref counts a two count? I have no clue what the fuck is going on at this point. As 1-2-3 Kid pleads for Razor to hit the Razor's Edge, Ramon just smiles and shakes his hand before leaving the ring. I guess that was the match. I don't know how to properly rate this.
Match Rating: 3/10
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Barry Horowitz
We get a rundown of the next In Your House show before we cut to the entrance of Barry Horowitz. They advertise a guilty or not hotline for OJ Simpson. Oh wrestling...why are you the way you are? Anyways the match finally starts, Horowitz and Helmsley lock up but Hunter quickly transitions it into an armbar. Takedown by Horowitz as he takes control of the waist and looks for something to subdue Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Striking in the corner from Hunter as he continues to weaken down Horowitz. Barry fires back with some forearms before Hunter launches him off the ropes. Reversing with a sunset flip powerbomb does Horowitz, he struggles and struggles but finally is able to get Hunter down. Hunter is able to fight out of it just in time as he kicks Horowitz in the head and fights out. Hunter works over Horowitz in the ropes, a lot of stomping on the face and grinding the elbow into the head. Doing it until the ref gets to a late point in the count and continuing again. Off the ropes, Horowitz manages to get Helmsley with a backslide for the two. Barry Horowitz off the ropes with speed as he hits a press and a pin on Helmsley but yet another near fall. Abdominal stretch into the roll-up by Horowitz and AGAIN only a two. Just like that, it's over as Hunter catches Horowitz with a pedigree.
Match Rating: 5/10
PG-13 vs Al Brown & Sonny Rogers
PG-13 was a team that the WWF brought over in their working relationship with the USWA and consisted of J.C Ice and Wolfie D. Their gimmick was basically white rappers and it is not good. They show a pre-recorded promo in which PG-13 talks about how they are gonna take down the Smoking Gunns. Sonny and Wolfie start the match off, Sonny drops the leg on the arm of Wolfie. J.C Ice gets tagged in as he and Wolfie do a dropkick/Russian leg sweep combo. Wolfie gets tagged back in and they hit a double back elbow on Sonny before Wolfie drops an elbow drop. Now J.C back in and PG-13 hit a modified version of the Hart Attack finish. Back elbow into a double foot stomp by J.C Ice gets him a two count. The commentators get confused about who is who on PG-13 and now I think I've been calling them the wrong names this entire time but, to be honest, I don't care enough to go back and check. Al Brown finally gets tagged in as Sonny finally gets some space to make a tag. Wolfie D gets caught with a few body slams before heading into the corner and hitting Brown with a back suplex. Double kick to the gut and double Bulldog by PG-13, then Wolfie D tags in J.C Ice and they Wolfie grabs J.C as they do some tilt-a-whirl thing and finally J.C lands on Brown for the 1-2-3.
Match Rating: 1/10
Bret Hart vs Jean-Pierre Lafitte
We get an ad with Doc Hendrix and some little girl modeling a Bret Hart T-Shirt. Where's my damn Jean-Pierre Lafitte shirt, you cowards? They exchange blows in the corner but Hart is not gonna win that game, as Lafitte gets the upper hand and pummels him to the ground. Strong whip in the corner by Lafitte, followed up by a clothesline. Hart tries to fight out of a headlock by Lafitte but is brought back down with a back elbow off the ropes. Bret finally finds a bit of a reprieve from the onslaught when he sidesteps Lafitte's splash and he falls to the outside. Hart hurries out after him and begins to fire away with punches until he is able to get him near the steps. Picking up Lafitte, Bret slams him down on top of the steel steps. Bret tries to use his speed but as he runs off the ropes, Lafitte grabs him and yeets him into the ropes. As Bret comes off the ropes Lafitte attempts a hip toss but Hart blocks it...or so he thinks, as he turns around Lafitte nails him with a lariat. Climbing to the top rope is Lafitte while Bret lays prone more than halfway across the ring. Flying high, Lafitte comes crashing down with a headbutt for a two count. Big splash in the corner by Lafitte as he begins to take control. Running off the ropes again is Hart, Lafitte ducks as he anticipates something else. Instead, Bret gets Lafitte with a small package for the two. Coming back from commercial as Jean-Pierre drops the leg down on Bret Hart. After slamming Bret to the mat, Lafitte climbs to the top rope and goes for a diving leg drop but Hart is able to get away in time. Bret tries to get in control but Lafitte is there at every turn. Hitting Bret with some sort of body press and then going for the pin only for Bret to push him off and send him rolling to the outside and onto the cameraman it seems. An atomic drop followed up by a clothesline by The Hitman as he tries to get on a roll late into this match. Sidewalk slam by Hart which sets Lafitte up for Bret's patented middle rope elbow smash. Lafitte up to the ropes once again, will this be it? Will this be the Cannonball? It's not, Bret gets to his feet and crotches Jean-Pierre before super-plexing him. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter and Lafitte gives up. After the match, Hart looks at Jerry Lawler who had been dissing him on commentary the entire match. They exchange words for a moment as Bret tries to walk to the back. Lawler gets more intense as he rips his jacket off and begins to yell over to Hart. Bret rushes over and starts to rain down punches on Lawler, sending him into the crowd as officials try to hold him back. As all this is happening, Isaac Yankem runs down to ringside and blindsided Bret Hart. It is announced that we will see Isaac Yankem vs Bret Hart in a steel cage match in a few week's time.
Match Rating: 5/10
Overall Rating: 3.5/10
Final Thoughts: Interesting week for both shows. I give WCW the edge this week for a solid main event and that awesome cruiserweight showcase. Also felt the stories being built over there interest me more than the Lawler/Yankem/Bret stuff. Although I do wonder where the 1-2-3 Kid and Razor stuff goes from here. As always let me know what you think and what you thought about both shows.
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