SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 30 years ago this week in the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter paper copy…
KELLER’S WCW NITRO REPORT
FEBRUARY 26, 1996
PHOENIX, ARIZ.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER (ISSUE #377)
(Live from Knoxville, Tenn.)
-Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan introduced the program…
(1) Sting defeated Big Bubba Rogers. During ring introductions, Bischoff told people with remote controls in hand the full results of the “World Whining Federations” Monday Night Raw. (I wish he’d cite his source for those results.) In reference to Diesel vs. Bob Holly, he said, “Oh, he’s still there.” Not sure if that was in reference to Bob Holly being a “nobody” or Diesel perhaps leaving the WWF. Heenan said Sting is lost without Luger. McMichael said Sting carries Luger…
-Gene Okerlund interviewed Lex Luger & Sting. The Road Warriors interrupted. The Warriors said they trusted Sting, but not Luger. Animal said Luger isn’t from the streets of Chicago like they are. (Of course, for the record, none of the three are actually from Chicago.) Luger agreed to a Chicago street fight without consulting Sting. Luger hilariously said, “What does that mean, anyway?” in reference to Chicago street fight rules. Luger’s character is as good as it’s ever been because there’s finally a self-deprecating, humorous, wry quality to his heel character now. I have no idea if or how they’re going to shift Luger from the street fight to the Hogan cage main event…
(2) Lex Luger defeated Renegade at 5:50. Renegade ran to the ring before his music started and did his best head shaking impression of Ultimate Warrior (sans shaking the ropes). The crowd looked at him like he was a goofball. Bischoff said, “Lex Luger, a former member of the so-called New Generation, crossed over to compete against the Big Boys.” At 5:08, with some momentum, Renegade went to the top rope. Jimmy Hart ran to ringside and shoved him off the top rope. Luger then put Renegade in the torture rack for the win. Luger celebrated his win with Jimmy Hart. When Sting showed up at ringside, Luger acted like he was shoving Hart out of the ring. Luger then told Sting he didn’t know what Hart was doing there and raised Renegade’s arm. Sting screamed at Luger and backed him against the ropes and told him to straighten out…
(3) The Road Warriors beat Harlem Heat at 7:37. Bischoff said that because the announcing desk had been a war zone recently, there was extra security around to prevent more chaos. At 6:45 Animal popped the crowd with a double clothesline on Heat. A minute later Booker T hit the Harlem Hangover legdrop. Animal kicked Booker as Booker was trying to get the ref’s attention and then Hawk covered him for the win…
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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(4) Hulk Hogan & Bootie Man & Randy Savage beat Kevin Sullivan & Ric Flair & Arn Anderson. (w/Elizabeth and Woman) when Hogan pinned Anderson at 12:04. A six-way brawl broke out at the start. Bischoff acknowledged that Bootie Man had been working covertly with the Dungeon of Doom. Bischoff then coughed and said that he’s heard it is a good thing to have spies in the enemy camp, insinuating that is the case in the WWF-WCW war. In the opening minute, Kimberly came to ringside.
At 4:15 Flair lost a test of strength with Bootie. Bischoff announced that Monday Nitro will be preempted next week due to a TNT mini-series which starts Sunday. At 6:25 Hogan tagged in against Flair and took him down with two running clotheslines. Arn and Sullivan attacked Hogan from behind, but Hogan sent both over the top rope with a clothesline. All of Hogan’s offense looked particularly weak in this match. At 8:45 Woman and Elizabeth grabbed Savage’s legs allowing the heels to go on offense. At 11:28 Savage hot-tagged Bootie Man who cleaned house on all three heels. Bootie swung all three heels into Hogan’s boot. Hogan then legdropped Arn for the win. After the match Elizabeth handcuffed Hogan to the corner ropes and the heels whipped him as the show went off the air…
Not much in the way of newsmaking angles or good wrestling. A below average Nitro…
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