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 12, 1996
PHOENIX, ARIZ.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER (ISSUE #374)
Live from Tampa, Fla. Expo Center
-Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, and Bobby Heenan opened the program. They recapped SuperBrawl including the announcement of Elizabeth’s turn and Ric Flair’s title win. Bischoff narrated the SuperBrawl recap. “Pillman, he left the building. He’s history,” Bischoff said. He added, “We saw more of Ric Flair than we cared to.” During the recap, it was noticeable that there were no close-ups of the bloody wrestlers…
(1) Randy Savage pinned Hugh Morrus after a top rope elbow at 4:49. Bischoff announced that Nitro’s main event next week would be Flair defending against Savage. When Savage came to the ring, Bischoff made note of him being more serious and dressing more conservatively than usual. Savage wrestled an intense match. Hugh missed a moonsault headbutt and Savage returned with two top rope elbows for the win. Hugh rolled out of the ring before Savage could give him a post-match top rope elbow…
Gene Okerlund interviewed Steve Grissom regarding driving WCW’s car at the coming weekend’s Daytona race…
(2) Loch Ness (mgd. by Jimmy Hart) pinned Scotty Riggz at 1:10. Loch Ness is a 500-plus pounder who was brought in from Europe. He has wrestled for a couple decades under a variety of names, most notably Giant Haystacks. He dropped two elbows for the win. He is immobile and needs use of the ropes to get to his feet. Apparently since Hogan can’t get revenge on Yokozuna for pinning him before he left the WWF, Hogan has brought in someone of similar size to defeat…
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Okerlund interviewed Ric Flair, Elizabeth, and Woman. Woman and Liz rolled out a stretcher and Flair was under the covers. Flair was at his enthusiastic best. Elizabeth spoke the most lines of her career. “For seven years I had to walk behind Randy, sit in the corner and never open my mouth. Well, when I left, I took half of everything. Half the money, half the property. Well that was nothing. Last night I took it all.” She then lost her train of thought and paused. “I know that belt is the most important thing to Randy. He prides himself on living on the edge? Well, he’s over the edge and looking up at the Nature Boy.” Elizabeth did seem nervous, but genuinely happy to no longer be with Savage…
(3) Konnan pinned Devon Storm at 5:20 with a top rope powerbomb. Lots of nice, innovative highspots, but perfect example of doing highspots for the sake of doing highspots just to look good with no sense of realism. The timing in the match was poor with choppy pauses and no transitions. In fact, so many elaborate highspots were planned for early in the match by Storm that it seemed as contrived as any match on national TV in recent times. Konnan got over with the crowd because he comes off as a big guy who does moves no one’s seen. Now if they can be done in the context of a match with a storyline it will make for better TV. During the match they showed George Steinbrenner in the crowd…
(4) Arn Anderson (mgd. by Woman) pinned Hulk Hogan at 9:01. Hogan has become a “job junkie” with two jobs on national TV. A decent match for Hogan with some out of ring brawling. Elizabeth and Flair came to ringside late in the match. To antagonize Flair, Hogan figure-foured Anderson. Flair ran in. Hogan small packaged Flair while figure-fouring Arn. Elizabeth though threw powder into Hogan’s eyes leading to the pin. Flair went nuts, Arn bragged up the win, and the show closed with Hogan and Savage running them off and saying no more Mr. Nice Guy…
FINAL THOUGHTS: A below average Nitro. Elizabeth’s interview, Devon Storm’s highspot fest, and the Loch Ness debut weren’t good. Hogan doing the job and Flair’s energy level helped make the show worthwhile…
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