WCW Monday Nitro
February 10, 1997
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Coliseum

The current WCW champs were as follows:
WCW World Champion: Hollywood Hogan (8/10/1996)
WCW U.S. Champion: Eddie Guerrero (12/29/1996)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders (10/27/1996)
WCW World Television Champion: Lord Steven Regal (8/20/1996)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Dean Malenko (1/21/1997)
WCW Women’s Champion: Akira Hokuto (12/29/1996)

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

• WCW U.S Champion Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
  

In a rare occasion, Malenko hops on the mic and calls out Syxx (because NOW he knows Syxx stole his Cruiserweight belt last week) for a wrestling lesson and a lesson in respect. All he has to do is show up. Larry Z finds that to be quite manly. Schiavone mentions Lex Luger being attacked with lead pipes last week by the Outsiders, but still has NO idea what his condition is. Seriously, how long does it take somebody to find this crap out? Meanwhile, Eddie and Dean are going through some vintage hold and counter hold. Eddie pulls off a satellite armdrag off Malenko’s shoulders, but Malenko comes back with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Another headscissors this time by Eddie, but he runs into a powerslam for two. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Eddie scores a nearfall. He grabs a chinlock, but Malenko gets up to his feet and drops Eddie with a back suplex. Out of nowhere, Malenko locks in an inside toehold (HOLLYWOOD & VINE!). Guerrero avoids a Texas Cloverleaf attempt and tries a wheelbarrow move, but Malenko stops that and takes Eddie over with a release German suplex. Cover, 1-2-NO! Uh oh, here comes Syxx wearing the Cruiserweight belt. He sneaks down to ringside and knocks ring announcer Dave Penzer away as he STEALS back the US title! Eddie spots Syxx trying to snatch his belt and stops the nearfall exchange in the ring to go after him. He prevents the belt from being taken again as Syxx jumps the rail and heads to the back, but then Eddie loses the match via countout. (4:57) Quite the frustrating ending for both guys. Five minutes with Malenko and Guerrero can be a better match than some have in their entire career. **½

Before we go to break, Diamond Dallas Page interrupts and brings a chair and a mic with him to the ring. He invites whatever anybody has planned to do to him, to come out here and do it to him now. So he sits and waits in the chair. Sting and Randy Savage RSVP immediately as the crowd erupts. All they do is screw with him and bang the baseball bat against the chair every now and then to cause DDP to freak out. We’ve seen all this before. They hand DDP the ball bat and turn their backs to him to see if he will swing for the fences. Of course, he doesn’t and they take their one ball bat and head back into the stands. Commercial time!

• Konnan vs. Bobby Eaton
  

Konnan hits a couple Rolling Lariats and delivers the 1-8-7 for the win at 1:22. ½*

• Lex Luger vs. Ron Powers
  

Lex has a cast on his left arm, but he’s TUFF ENUFF to still wrestle! Eric Bischoff runs out and gets in his way to tell him that he’s not medically clear to wrestle tonight. He’s just looking out for Luger’s best interests, people! Bischoff says he’s leaving the country in a little while and if he doesn’t get a doctor’s release form filled out by the time he leaves, Luger won’t be wrestling at Superbrawl either. BRILLIANT! Luger gets ROID pissed at Bischoff and goes off to grab his big new friend.

• The Giant vs. Ron Powers
  

Yeah, there’s nothing Bischoff can do to stop the Giant. He takes care of his Bruiser Brody lookalike with a great CHOKESLAM in no time at 1:47. ¼*

Mike Tenay meets the Giant in the ring for an interview. What’s going to happen if he has to go in against the Outsiders by himself? First of all, he’s the Giant. He’s not scared. Second of all, he knows Lex is going to be there, so he’s not worried at all. Lex comes back out to confirm that he WILL be the Giant’s partner at Superbrawl. These guys are solid as a rock.

After the break, we see the Outsiders and Big Bubba come out of a limo while Syxx videotapes the whole thing. Bubba says he wants to help take out DDP. Perhaps at Superbrawl? Hall says Bubba is the man for the job.

WCW Saturday Night! Watch it IF YOU WEEL! 6:05PM eastern time! TBS! This week, Eddie Guerrero defends the US title against Konnan! We finally see that rematch from last year’s UnCeNSoReD! Chris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett will also be appearing on the program. Not against each other, but they will definitely be there! Don’t miss out! It’s the MUTHASHIP! PAY WINDAHS, CLUBBERIN, AND PLUNDAH, BABY!

• Rick & Scott Steiner vs. High Voltage
  

There’s supposed to be a four-corners tag match at Superbrawl to find a new #1 contender to the WCW tag team belts. Before the match in a split-screen interview, Rick dares the other three teams to come to the Cow Palace because he’ll make you famous. Anyways, Scott throws RAGE around to start as we look over to see Harlem Heat, Public Enemy, and the Faces of Fear all hanging around the entrance ramp to let the Steiners know they are around, I suppose. This is just the Steiners running through their stuff. Rage tries a springboard flip dive onto Rick in the ring, but gets caught in mid-air for a powerbomb. STEINER BULLDOG puts Rage away as Scott covers for the win. (4:30) No big crazy eight man brawl this week? Alright then. ¾*

Out comes the nWo to take over the announce table. Bischoff wants to give former referee Randy Anderson a chance to speak his mind and plead his case after being fired two weeks ago. Out he comes with his wife and two kids. Boy, do they look SAD about their dad losing his job. After Randy Anderson asks for his job back, Bischoff asks Randy’s two kids if they would please tell their dad that he is STILL FIRED. HAHAHAHAHA. That is such awesome douchebaggery. Nah, he’s just kidding. To prove to the world that Bischoff does indeed have a heart, he makes a match for next week’s program. Randy Anderson VERSUS Nick Patrick. If he wins, he gets his job back. If he loses, he’s out of here for good. Against his wife’s better wishes because of his cancer and all that, Randy Anderson accepts the challenge. Kevin Nash reminds Randy Anderson that Nick Patrick is in fact UNDEFEATED! Oh man, this was just all-around bad TV, but I did have a good laugh at Eric’s punch line because Randy Anderson looks like such a simpleton.

Now onto bigger things, the Outsiders are taking on the Extreme again because they literally just wrestled them two weeks ago, yet there’s no mention of that happening.

• WCW World Tag Team Champions The Outsiders (w/Syxx) vs. The Extreme
  

Larry Z is called over to the announce table by Eric. In order to mock Luger and the Giant, Nash puts Devon Storm in a fireman’s carry position and calls what he does the Torture Rack while Scott gives Ace Darling the Chokeslam. (1:27) When does Scott Hall start doing the survey? I can’t remember. Afterwards, Hall and Nash get on the mic and start making TV-Y7 insults like dork and geek directed at Lex and the Giant. ¼*

HOUR NUMBER TWO! Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

• WCW World Television Champion Lord Steven Regal vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
  

This is the first we’ve seen of Rey Mysterio since January 6 when he was injured against Psychosis. Regal stalls for a good minute just jawing with the crowd while Rey stands back and watches. Once they start a wristlock exchange, Regal stops Rey with a backbreaker. Regal sticks with working the elbow, but that doesn’t prevent Rey from drilling him with a springboard dropkick. Regal refuses to be embarrassed by this little guy and starts stomping his face a bunch. Rey slings off a bowtie lock and dropkicks Regal to the floor only to take a neck snap on the top rope. Rey avoids a cobra clutch and hits Regal with a headscissors. They exchange some decent roll ups until the bell sounds for the time-limit draw. (6:56) Hmm, seems like SUCH an oddly specific time-limit to me. I believe there were plans to eventually make Rey the TV champ, but those fell through and the powers that be took a chance on somebody less deserving. Decent match, but it’s really hard to take Mysterio seriously against someone twice his size. **

It’s time to check in with that crazy weasel-joke enthusiast Lee Marshall who is On the Road with 1-800-COLLECT. This week, he’s calling from Tampa, Florida getting people psyched for next week’s Nitro. After telling everyone what restaurant he’s at, Heenan says that the only difference between

• Kevin Sullivan (w/Jacqueline & Jimmy Hart) vs. Maverick Wild
  

Oops, they screwed up the theme music. Maverick Wild looks like a Power Plant junkie. Sullivan gets in a few shots and then tosses Maverick Wild out to Jacqueline to be destroyed. The apex of the situation would have to be the slam she gives him. Tree of Woe is followed by the DOUBLE STOMP for the 1-2-3. (2:13) So much for Maverick Wild. Do we ever see him again? I don’t think so. ½*

In the aisleway, Mike Tenay grabs Kevin Sullivan, Jacqueline, and Jimmy Hart for an interview. When Sullivan felt like everything was over, Jacqueline reminded him of what his mentor Jim Barnett, his best friend Mark Lewin, and King Curtis would all tell him: do your job. He knows that Woman had picked up a few bad habits since she first lived with him, but he also knows that he’s all that tough. Jacqueline can take care of her. Tonight he says he’s not the Taskmaster, he’s just Kevin.

Replay of the Piper-Hogan meeting from last week where Piper had his son Colt in the ring with him.

• Hugh Morrus vs. Alex Wright
  

Alex gets a little aggressive as he spin kicks Morrus out and drills him with a plancha. Back inside, Wright slips trying a missile dropkick and that ends the aggression pretty fast. Powerbomb by Morrus sets up NO LAUGHING MATTER for the 1-2-3. (2:27) A little sloppy, but it was probably more due to lack of time than skill thanks to Kevin Sullivan’s long interview. ¾*

• Chris Benoit & Steve McMichael (w/Woman & Debra) vs. Jeff Jarrett & Chavo Guerrero Jr.
  

Chavo delivers a few headscissors takedowns and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker stuns Benoit before tagging in Jarrett. They give Benoit the drop toehold/elbow drop combo to show off some team work. Jarrett whips Benoit HARD for the chest-first corner bump to set up a back suplex. From there, Mongo knees Jarrett from the apron to let him know he’s there. Tag to Mongo, he gives Jarrett a Running Powerslam for two. Back over to Benoit, who gets caught with a dropkick. Jarrett tags Chavo who is a HOUSE OF FIRE, but Jarrett gets knocked off the apron only to be consoled by Debra. She looks like she’s trying to stuff his tights with something, or his suspenders as Tenay puts it. While Jarrett is distracted by Debra, Mongo delivers the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER to finish off Chavo. (4:01) Mongo has got the MOVES~! *

After Jarrett and Chavo clear out, Ric Flair and Arn Anderson (HE’S BACK!) join the rest of the Horsemen in the ring. AA goes over the recent happenings in WCW with Sting and Randy Savage, the Outsiders attacking people, (which shows just how unimportant the Four Horsemen are right now) and Jeff Jarrett catching Debra’s eye. He says the last man who caught Debra’s eye once Mongo found out woke up about six weeks later with a flea collar around his neck and sandbags to hold up his feet wondering how many men did this to him. HA! Ric Flair says some things, but none of them are relevant to anything AA said. Benoit says he’s not concerned with Kevin Sullivan’s head games. Just bring it, bro. Now over to Mongo. Before he even mentions how Debra was all over Jeff Jarrett, he must remind Jacksonville how the Jags lost the AFC championship game to the Patriots. So in Mongo’s mind, making fun of Jaguars fans is more important than his wife being unfaithful to him. Did someone throw gum in Debra’s hair? Anyways, she reminds Mongo that she loves him and that she was so devastated after costing him a match against Jeff Jarrett last week, that she couldn’t even concentrate on shopping ALL week. Well, dang. Mongo finishes by saying that the only way Jarrett can beat him at Superbrawl is if an earthquake happens and the earth swallows Mongo up. Oh yeah, and Debra says something else too. Moving on.

It’s MAIN EVENT INTERVIEW time! Roddy Piper is here. Hollywood Hogan is at the nWo Studios in Hollywood, California. First of all, Hogan is a coward for not being in the arena tonight. Second of all, Piper tells Hogan that he has forced him to break a promise to his kid that he was done with wrestling and that makes him quite angry. Hogan responds by calling Piper a liar saying he showed his son Colton “doctored footage” of Starrcade. He also questions Piper’s integrity for attacking the highest ranking official in WCW and himself – the world champ – from behind last week. Hollywood says he doesn’t have time to be at every Nitro because he’s got multi-million dollar movie contracts to fulfill. Piper says he will get the job done at Superbrawl in San Francisco. Hogan responds saying that Piper belongs in a tree, because he’s a nut. WHAAAAAAT? Conversation over. Piper walks out and stands at the entrance ramp while the crowd chants his name.

AND WE OUT!

Here’s the updated card for Superbrawl VII on February 23!

• MAIN EVENT: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hogan vs. Roddy Piper
  
• WCW World Tag Team Champions Scott Hall & Kevin Nash vs. Lex Luger & The Giant
  
• Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan in a “San Francisco Death Match”
  
• Steve McMichael vs. Jeff Jarrett
  
• Rick & Scott Steiner vs. Public Enemy vs. Harlem Heat vs. The Faces of Fear
  
• Diamond Dallas Page vs. Big Bubba
  
• WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko vs. Syxx