Friday, August 18, 2023

WCW Monday Nitro Review - June 10th, 1996

WCW Monday Nitro 
June 10th, 1996 
Wheeling, West Virginia 

WCW World Champion: The Giant (since 4/29/96)
WCW US Champion: Konnan (since 1/29/96)
WCW Tag Team Champions: Sting & Lex Luger (since 1/22/96)
WCW TV Champion: Lex Luger (since 3/6/96)
WCW Cruserweight Champion: Dean Malenko (since 5/18/96) 

Commentators - Tony Schiavone & Larry Zbyszko (Hour One) and Eric Bischoff & Bobby Heenan (Hour Two) (ugh)  



Tony & Larry show us a replay of the verbal showdown between Scott Hall and Sting that ended the broadcast last week. Hall promised a big surprise for Sting this week so I guess we will be finding out what that entails tonight. This is the final Nitro before The Great American Bash PPV. 

1) Booker T vs. Scott Steiner 

These two are normally in tag matches around this time, but tonight they’re going singles. This is short and inoffensive. A lot of power moves and trading kicks & suplexes. Booker dominates most of it only to lose in the end after about 5-6 minutes. The Steiner’s have a PPV match coming up against Fire & Ice so makes sense for Scott to get the win here. 

Match rating - **1/4

Back from commercial, Mean Gene is interviewing Scott Steiner. He gets interrupted by Debra. Debra hasn’t been able to sleep worrying about her husband’s well being at the PPV Sunday and she wants a meeting with Flair & Anderson to call off the match. Mean Gene says he will try to arrange it. 

2) “Diamond” Dallas Page vs. Jim Powers 

Bobby Heenan is YELLING the whole time during these entrances about that last segment. This is fun little match honestly and it’s done in less than 5 so I can’t complain. Dallas Page is a blast and he gets the win here in his Nitro debut. 

Match rating - **

Recap video about Chris Benoit and Kevin Sullivan. 

Backstage, Konnan hypes up his US Title defense followed by a video package on it.

3) Sting vs. Meng 

Awesome few minutes. Sting taps Meng out to the scorpion deathlock pretty quickly, but it was fun while it lasted and Sting had the crowd in his palm as always.

Match rating - **

4) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Dave Taylor

DAVE! He bumps around a lot for Duggan here and gets a few strikes & a crossbody of his own in before eating the pin as anticipated unfortunately. During the match, it’s announced that Luger & Sting challenge Flair & Anderson for the tag titles later tonight!!! Let’s fuckin go. 

Match rating - *1/2

Malenko/Mysterio hype package for Sunday. 

Backstage, Mean Gene is with Jimmy Hart & Big Bubba. Bubba faces John Tenta on Sunday and talks a load of shit about him. 

HOUR TWO BEGINS. Tony Schiavone throws it over to Eric Bischoff & Bobby Heenan to host the rest of the show. 

5) The Giant (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Scott Norton 

The Giant bullies Norton around and chokeslams his big ass on the concrete floor and rolls him back inside for the three count. After the bell, Lex Luger runs down and brawls with The Giant. The Giant tries to put him through a table, but Luger escapes and cuts a promo up at the announce booth about their upcoming match on Sunday. 

6) Billy Kidman vs. Lord Steven Regal (w/ Jeeves)

Ok bro Regal ain’t had to do Billiam like this. Dropped on his head, destroyed in less than a minute. God damn fucking right. Sting runs down and pops Regal in the mouth post match to get him back for the slap he gave him last week. 

THE NASTY BOYS ARE UP NEXT.

7) The Nasty Boys vs. Public Enemy 

This was sloppy and messy at points, but that’s what you expect from these two teams. It’s a fun TV brawl that doesn’t quite reach the level of good considering it’s a standard rules match and these teams excel when they can use plunder, but I honestly enjoyed it for what it was. Lots of walk and brawl stuff, but yeah. The Nasties use a trash can and get disqualified after about ten minutes.

Match rating - **1/4

Hulk Hogan video package airs along with a replay of Bobby Heenan announcing that he’s coaching Flair & Anderson at Great American Bash on Sunday. 

8) Ric Flair & Arn Anderson vs. Sting & Lex Luger 

“Lonely women make great lovers.” -Ric Flair

Flair is a god damn maniac. The big boys are here and they’re about to play, buddy. This is honestly great shit. Not out of this world at all, but it’s the shit I’m a sucker for at this stage of my wrestling fandom. Just simple TV tag wrestling with guys like Flair who bump phenomenally and make everything look crisp & real. You’ve got your larger than life heroes in Sting & Luger and the old school villains in Flair & Anderson, it’s just simple but it works and I could watch gentleman’s three boy tags like this every week, even when they end in DQ like this one did due to interference from The Giant. 

Match rating - ***

After the match, Scott Steiner blasts The Giant with a chair and the numbers run him off. Meanwhile, Scott Hall approaches Eric Bischoff at the announce table again. Bobby Heenan physically runs off when he shows up, even during the middle of a rant about how they outnumbered The Giant. Bischoff says he doesn’t want any problems, but wants to know where Hall’s BIG surprise is. Bischoff doesn’t realize it but Kevin Nash is behind him. Nash says this is where the big boys PLAY, but they aren’t here to play. They want their fight on Sunday, but clearly Bischoff hasn’t found anyone willing to fight. Eric says he will find someone by tomorrow morning and for them to show up to the Bash on Sunday and maybe they’ll get their fight. Nash says they love them in Baltimore, so they’ll be there and that the measuring stick has changed around here and we are lookin’ at it. Let’s fucking go. This sends us off the air as Nash shoves Bischoff onto the announce table and walks off. Eric motions for them to go off air. 

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