WCW Monday Nitro
September 23, 1996
Birmingham, AL
BJCC

The current WCW champs were as follows:
WCW World Champion: Hollywood Hogan (8/10/1996)
WCW U.S. Champion: Ric Flair (7/7/1996)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: Harlem Heat (7/27/1996)
WCW World Television Champion: Lord Steven Regal (8/20/1996)
WCW World Cruiserweight Champion: Rey Mysterio (7/8/1996)

HOUR NUMBER ONE! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko.

Tony shows us an ad in the September 23 issue of the USA Today for tonight’s show with the nWo letters painted over WCW on the Monday Nitro logo with the caption that says, “While WCW is away, the nWo will play!” That’s cool, but WHAT IS UP WITH TONY’S CREEPY FINGER NAILS? Anyways, everybody who matters in WCW is gone to Japan while Randy Savage is left here all alone.

• Kevin Sullivan & Konnan (w/Jimmy Hart & Big Bubba) vs. Brad Armstrong & Juventud Guerrera
  

During the match, Konnan has to work the whole thing because Sullivan refuses to tag. Konnan hits Juvi with the 187 and nails Armstrong with a powerbomb. Now Sullivan wants the tag, as he comes over and DOUBLE STOMPS Armstrong for the 1-2-3. (2:37) Afterwards, Bubba and Sullivan beat down Konnan for his Dungeon of Doom initiation. Once they let up, Konnan’s fine with it and seems quite understanding for a guy who just got his brains kicked in by his “friends”. ½*

Flashback to last week where the nWo was watching Nitro from their limo and overheard Bischoff saying that everybody will gone to Japan next week except for Randy Savage.

Mike Tenay handles the interviews again this week. Randy Savage says he knows that the future of the entire WCW organization rests on his shoulders at Halloween Havoc, which will be very very very scary, but NOT FOR HIM! He has no fear, but Hogan should definitely be afraid of what he’s going to do to him. DIG IT! Anyways, the big question for tonight is whether Savage is going to get beat up, or is he going to beat up the WHOLE new World order? He said something about Elizabeth, but it didn’t make much sense.

• Chris Jericho vs. Mike Enos
  

Jericho nails Enos with a spinning heel kick to start, but then he heads to the apron and flies back in with a slingshot shoulderblock. Enos powers out of an armbar and drops Jericho’s throat on the top rope. He starts choking Jericho and catches him charging at him with a belly to belly suplex. To the floor, Enos clotheslines Jericho from the apron. In a REALLY cool spot, Enos turns the steps over on its side and gives Jericho a SUPLEX ACROSS THE STEPS! Back inside, Enos controls with backbreakers. Sound strategy, but Jericho fights out anyway. Jericho hits a butterfly suplex (probably shouldn’t have done that after a suplex onto steel steps) and nails Enos with a Missile Dropkick. Jericho tries a rana out of the corner, but Enos counters with a SUPER POWERBOMB! Excellent. Cover, 1-2-NO! Enos wants a powerslam, but Jericho flips Enos over into a pin situation for the random 1-2-3. (7:42) Even the crowd is like, “Oh…YAY!” Kudos to Mike Enos for a great match though. **

• Glacier vs. Pat Tanaka
  

I forgot Pat Tanaka has Goldberg’s music. Much like last week, it’s a quick little stunt show. Glacier wins with that reverse roundhouse kick. (1:11) For some reason, Larry Z thinks the new World order might want to buy Glacier for their group. HAHAHAHAH. ¼*

WCW Saturday Night! Watch it IF YOU WEEL! 6:05PM eastern! TBS! Brad Armstrong takes on Dean Malenko! Plus, Public Enemy battles High Voltage! Randy Savage will be there if he survives whatever may happen to him tonight against Big Bubba! Thank God Saturday Night is pre-taped! It’s the MUTHASHIP! PAY WINDAHS, CLUBBERIN AND PLUNDAH, BABY!

Greco-Roman wrestler Matt Ghaffari who won a silver medal in the ’96 Olympics is in attendance. Larry Z calls him a loser for only winning the silver medal…in the OLYMPICS.

• WCW World Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat (w/Sister Sherri & Col. Robert Parker) vs. Public Enemy
  

The Heat attack the Public Enemy to start. Grunge gets dumped, but saves Rocco with a flying clothesline. Both teams go back and forth before we go to some commercials. When we return, Booker misses the Jumping Leg Lariat and crotches himself. HOT TAG TO GRUNGE! He takes too much doing the cabbage patch dance and gets NAILED with a clothesline from Booker. Stevie Ray tags in and draws Rocco into the ring as Booker slams Grunge on their table. Back in, Grunge fights out of a chinlock, but gets nailed for real with the Jumping Leg Lariat courtesy of Booker T. Delayed cover only gets Booker a nearfall. Thanks to the split screen, we see the new World order’s limos drive up. Back in the ring, Grunge gives Booker a swinging neckbreaker and makes the tag to Rocco. DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER! On two black guys? Naturally it doesn’t work. Yeah, Alabama would have never bought it anyway. Stevie Ray side slams Rocco for the HARLEM HANGOVER, but Rocco moves out of the way. Grunge and Stevie Ray brawl to the floor. Rocco reaches at Stevie Ray through the ropes and gets pushed back on top of Booker for a pin attempt, but his foot is on the ropes. Uhh, looks like they screwed up the finish. Anyways, Booker’s small package rolls over into Rocco’s favor and he gets the 1-2-3. (8:44 shown) And we’ve got NEW WCW world tag team champs. Makes you wonder if the Heat didn’t want to drop the belts to the Outsiders at Halloween Havoc. Probably shouldn’t have, because they never did regain any momentum they had as the tag champs and Public Enemy never had any momentum in WCW to start with. *½

Take that, Paul E.

HOUR NUMBER TWO! Your hosts are Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay.

• Randy Savage vs. Greg Valentine
  

Valentine beats Savage in and out of the ring. Most importantly out of the ring, because Savage grabs a chair and beats Valentine back into the ring with it. He climbs to the top with his chair in hand and BLASTS Valentine from off the top rope. That will get you DQ’ed for sure. (2:58) And now the new World order hits the ring and does a HUGE number on Randy Savage. ½*

Elizabeth peaks out from behind the Nitro set, but then returns before anybody in the ring sees her. Once Savage has taken the Outsider’s Edge and the Jackknife Powerbomb, the Giant (wearing a dress shirt and black vest) gets on the mic and introduces Hollywood Hogan as ‘the greatest professional wrestler in the world’. Hogan comes out a HUGE chorus of boos. No one could mistake this for a mixed reaction. He gives Savage a couple Legdrops and then Nash beats him with a Slim Jim. Hilarious. After that, Hogan spray paints the bald spot on the top of his head black because the light is reflecting off his head and its blinding. Like he’s not wearing sunglasses indoors AND as though Hogan himself isn’t 80% bald. After that’s over, Hall and Nash hijack the announce table. Heenan and Tenay get the heck out of there, but Bischoff remains captive at the desk. Syxx, DiBiase, Giant, and Hogan all follow as they introduce the newest member of the now – the head of security: Vincent! Yes, its Virgil from the WWF. He stands over Bischoff for the duration of the show and makes sure he doesn’t go anywhere.

After a commercial break, the nWo debuts their race car which will be driven by Kyle Petty. Bischoff ~ “WHAT?”

• Jim Powers (w/Teddy Long) vs. M Wallstreet
  

Since the second hour of Nitro will be brought to you by the new World order, Giant will be your ring announcer. Before the match begins, Hall and Nash come down to beat up Jim Powers for no reason. Wallstreet leaves, ref Randy Anderson leaves, and Teddy Long is begging him to do something to stop this unnecessary beatdown. Out comes Nick Patrick to ref the match. He doesn’t care – he’ll do whatever. He’s still not saying he’s part of the new World order yet though. This match becomes Giant vs. Jim Powers. Giant CHOKESLAMS Powers in no time flat for the 1-2-3. No rating or anything.

Meanwhile in the back, Hollywood Hogan is writing “nWo” on the walls and singing “Hooray for Hollywood”. He runs into the Nasty Boys, thanks them for always having his back, and gives them his room key so they can meet up later to talk business.

For the rest of the night, Bischoff asks over and over again questions “what do you want?” and “will you just let me leave in peace?”

• Jim Duggan vs. Ron Studd
  

Hogan and Nash beat up Ron Studd in the aisleway so Syxx can have a match with Duggan. When Duggan gets out of hand and hits the THREE POINT STANCE, Giant pulls him out and gives him a CHOKESLAM on the floor. Then he rolls Duggan back in as Syxx jumps on top for the 1-2-3. (2:20) Back over to the announce table, Vincent slaps Bischoff on the back of the head. That’s GOT to get annoying. ¼*

• nWo Sting vs. Bo Ledoux
  

For a second there, I think Birmingham thought this really was the real Sting. Bischoff says he’s in Japan even though last week he told everybody he was a free agent. By the way, Bo Ledoux is supposedly some jobber the nWo hired, which makes this possibly your first official all-nWo match on TV. I love it when Bischoff says that anybody who thinks this is the real Sting is ridiculous, yet everybody in WCW bought it for the entire week leading up to Fall Brawl. Stinger Splash sets up the SCORPION DEATHLOCK with no trouble at all. (1:36) Yeahhhhh.

• High Voltage vs. The Amazing French Canadians
  

The Amazing French Canadians end their singing of their national anthem early as Hall and Nash head to the ring to squash High Voltage. DiBiase calls this the first match of the nWo tag team tournament. Literally, I think Hall and Nash emptied out their entire moveset on these two. JACKKNIFE POWERBOMB to Kaos gives the Outsiders the win. (8:10 shown) Yeah, complete and utter squash match. ½*

They replay the Randy Savage beating and just sit around talking and being themselves as we eventually run out of time. Ha, Bischoff still isn’t allowed to go anywhere. “Goodbye from Hollywood.”

Looks like some of Halloween Havoc’s matches on October 27 are already set.

– MAIN EVENT: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hogan vs. Randy Savage
– WCW U.S. Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs. The Giant (Flair tore his rotator cuff on this recent tour of Japan, so that match won’t be happening)
– WCW World Tag Team Champions Public Enemy vs. The Outsiders
– Lex Luger vs. Arn Anderson