WCW Nitro 11/18/1996

Written By: Matt Peddycord

WCW Monday Nitro
November 18, 1996
Florence, SC
Civic Center

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: The Outsiders (10/27/1996)
WCW World Television Champion: Lord Steven Regal (8/20/1996)
WCW World Cruiserweight Champion: Dean Malenko (10/27/1996)

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

Before there’s even an intro, we see the aftermath of an Outsiders beatdown with chairs in-hand as they interrupted a Nasties vs. High Voltage vs. Ciclope/Galaxy triangle match that occurred prior to the broadcast. They head over to Tony and Larry Z’s ringside announce table to tell them and everybody watching that the new World order can make you laugh (as they did for Tony Schiavone last week) and they can also be extremely deadly. Nash flicking Tony on the head is pretty hilarious though. WHO’S LAUGHING NOW, FAT BOY? After they leave, Meng and Barbarian are waiting to attack them backstage as they fight out of the building!

After a short break, Larry Z tries to calm Tony down and reminds him that they didn’t hurt him or anything, but he’s got five kids (wow!) and a wife. He doesn’t need to put up with this kind of abuse, so he leaves the broadcast for the rest of the show.

Juventud Guerrera vs. La Parka
Here is La Parka’s WCW debut. Mike Tenay comes out and joins Larry Z for the rest of the first hour. They do some kip-ups from chops to start. La Parka dumps out Juvi for a suicide dive. Back in, Juvi pushes La Parka off the top turnbuckle onto the top rope and then takes him down onto the mat with a springboard headscissors! Cover, 1-2-NO! Quebrada gets another two. Juvi sets up for another springboard, but La Parka dropkicks him in mid-air. Back to the floor, La Parka delivers the Eddie Guerrero stage dive. Back inside, La Parka delivers a powerbomb for two. Juvi escapes a surfboard and drills La Parka with a missile dropkick for two. La Parka misses a corner charge and takes a whole BUNCH of turnbuckle smashes. Another springboard headscissors out of the corner gets two for Juvi. Ugh, Guerrera delivers one ugly looking spinning hurracanrana for two. La Parka misses something off the top and takes a Tornado DDT for two. However, La Parka blocks the Dragonsteiner and nails Juvi with a CORKSCREW SENTON for the 1-2-3. (9:22) Great TV debut for La Parka with loads of neat nearfalls on him, but Juvi just didn’t have the weight advantage over the big luchadore. ***¼

Video package shown to hype Ultimo Dragon as he looks to defend his newly-won J-Crown (short-lived unification of EIGHT lightweight championships from promotions around the world) against Rey Mysterio Jr at World War 3. We see some clips of him vs. the Great Sasuke in the J-Crown tournament final back on August 5.

WCW World Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko vs. J-Crown Champion Ultimo Dragon (w/Sonny Oono)
OH SNAP. This should be good. Some nice mat stuff to start. Dragon hits the handspring back elbow, but Malenko immediately whips Dragon across for the corner clothesline. Some awesome counters lead to a nearfall sequence which leads to a Tiger Suplex from Dragon for two. They go to the floor for some guardrail action. Back in, Dragon elbows out of a back superplex, but misses the moonsault. Sonny Oono hops up on the apron once Malenko hooks on the TEXAS CLOVERLEAF. Malenko lets go of Dragon and flips Oono into the ring. Dragon goes to save his manager and takes a backdrop over the top to the floor. Oops, DQ! (4:02) Oh WCW and your inconsistencies over what is a toss over the top rope and what isn’t. Good for what it was and it’s got me looking forward to their match at Starrcade that nobody knows about yet. **½

WCW Saturday Night! Watch it IF YOU WEEL! 6:05PM eastern! TBS! The Faces of Fear takes on Ciclope & Galaxy! TV Champ Lord Steven Regal defends his belt against Dean Malenko! Both the Taskmaster and Chris Jericho will be in action! Arn Anderson faces Bunkhouse Buck! Jeff Jarrett battles Mike Enos! Also, a match from the new World order! Don’t miss out! It’s the MUTHASHIP! PAY WINDAHS, CLUBBERIN, AND PLUNDAH, BABY!

Recap to last week where Sherri took a swing at her former lover Col. Robert Parker.

Amazing French Canadians (w/Col. Robert Parker) vs. The American Males
Parker debuts his new French Foreign Legion look. The American Males clean house to start so they can chant “USA” together. Back in, Jacques shows off a little bit. Riggs and Bagwell collide to cause a little problem. Oulette nails Riggs from the apron into a jumping back elbow from Jacques. In comes Oulette, as Jacques slams him on top of Riggs. Maybe they aren’t as good a gimmick as the Quebecers, but they’re still fun to watch. I’m a fan. Double hotshot to Riggs, but heel miscommunication ensues. HOT TAG TO BAGWELL! He completely owns the AFC with backdrops and dropkicks! DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER! Jacques backflips to avoid another backdrop, but then Riggs knees Jacques into Bagwell and their heads collide. While the ref tries to get Riggs out of the ring, Oulette puts Jacques on top of Bagwell for the 1-2-3. (5:25) Fun little formula match to continue the problems between the American Males. *½

For all you total nerds out there who are always typing away at your computers and using that new fad called the world wide web that nobody uses except complete geeks who live in their parents basement and never even talked to a girl before, check out wcwwrestling.com! It’s cool if you’re a NERD!

Lex Luger vs. Hugh Morrus
Another week, another TORTURE RACK! (4:22) Luger is on a roll! Surely he’s the guy who will win the 60-man battle royal at World War 3! After the match, Sting quietly interrupts Luger’s post-match interview with Gene Okerlund. He points his baseball bat at Luger and then shoves him back into the corner with it. What’s Sting going to do? He turns the bat around, gives it to Luger, and leaves through the crowd. Luger has nothing to say about what just happened. *

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

Flashback to last week’s Saturday Night: Tony Schiavone conducts a meeting between Nick Patrick, his lawyer, Teddy Long, and Chris Jericho. Teddy says something about Jericho being able to beat Nick Patrick with one arm tied behind his back any day of the week. The lawyer guy takes him up on that and we’ve got another match signed for World War 3!

Chris Jericho vs. Johnny Grunge
Seems like an odd match. Nick Patrick comes out to get a closer look at the match. Grunge ends the feeling out process with a back suplex. Jericho lands on his feet after Grunge moves away from a moonsault press, but gets nailed with a clothesline. We go to the floor as Jericho nails Grunge with a springboard dropkick off the apron. Grunge gets desperate and grabs a chair. He hotshots Jericho and sits him down in a chair for a running clothesline. Now Grunge slides in a table and sets Jericho up on it. Is he going to splash himself and the chair on top of Jericho? Nope. Jericho moves and hits a missile dropkick for the 1-2-3. (5:22) How is bringing a table and a chair in the ring not a DQ? Anyways, decent enough for somebody like Johnny Grunge who isn’t known to be a singles worker. ¾*

Hollywood Hogan, Ted DiBiase, Vincent, and Elizabeth all come over to take control of the announce table. Heenan gets the heck out of Dodge. Hogan gets on the mic and demands Bischoff to tell the world that he’s the bigger icon of wrestling than Piper, that he’s scared to death of Hogan, and that he’s a hundred times richer than Roddy Piper. Of course Bischoff says he disagrees but he’ll say whatever Hogan wants. That’s all Hogan wanted to hear.

Over to Gene Okerlund, he’s standing by with Diamond Dallas Page. He says he still refuses to be the eighth pick for the new World order. Hall, Nash, Giant, and Syxx stop by to tell DDP that he doesn’t get it. You don’t get it? He doesn’t get it.

Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay return to the announce position.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Bobby Eaton
Extremely short. Jarrett struts and we go to the floor for some guardrail stuff. Back in, Jarrett hits the Bossman straddle and gives Eaton a suplex for the FIGURE-FOUR. That gets the win. (2:19) Here comes Ric Flair. Of course he’s got his arm in a sling. Flair says that no matter what Benoit and Mongo may say, Flair gives Jarrett his full endorsement as a member of the Four Horsemen while he’s away. We see Sting watching on from the rafters. WOO! ½*

Big Bubba (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Jim Powers
During the match, Bischoff explains how he’s still unable to get Roddy Piper to sign for a match against Hogan. Bubba controls much of the match until Powers comes back like a good ’80s babyface. Turnbuckle smashes and the Knee Lift connects, but then he runs into a BUBBA SLAM for the 1-2-3. (3:54) Filler. ½*

Chris Benoit (w/Woman) vs. Eddie Guerrero
This is a return match from the night after Halloween Havoc when both men were so banged up and couldn’t compete at the usual fast-paced high-impact level. Guerrero slows Benoit down early with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Eddie lands on his feet out of a monkey flip, but charges into the CRIPPLER CROSSFACE! Luckily Eddie makes the ropes. Eddie comes back with a Hilo for two. Benoit comes back with a series of suplexes in order to keep Guerrero on the mat. He’s stretching Eddie like he’s back in Stu’s Dungeon! Commercial break. We return to see Eddie taking Benoit down with a headscissors. Benoit hangs Guerrero out to dry and gets a superplex. Delayed cover gets two. Eddie takes Benoit to the floor and Woman gets in the way to temporarily help her man. Back inside, Guerrero delivers a back suplex to set up for the FROG SPLASH, but Eddie rolls through when Benoit moves. Eddie goes for a hurracanrana, but Benoit rolls through that into a sunset flip for the 1-2-3! (9:23 shown) Nice finish. One of the best Nitro matches we’ve seen in MONTHS. ***½

Eric Bischoff is in the ring to tell the crowd that Roddy Piper still has not signed a contract to face Hollywood Hogan, but he’s going to do everything he can to make this- IS THAT BAGPIPES I HEAR? The crowd goes insane as Roddy Piper walks out the tunnel. Bischoff doesn’t look too happy to see him and Piper has got his FIGHTIN’ EYES going. He’s here to tell some truth because he’s never heard more lies in his life than when he was telling them. Piper calls Bischoff a liar and the crowd seems confused, but Bischoff looks 1000% guilty. Did you have a nice flight to Portland? Is the path to his ranch straight or crooked? He grabs Bischoff and calls him a “little piece of poop” as the Giant and the rest of the new World order grab Piper (except for Hogan who comes out when Piper has been stopped). Hogan embraces Bischoff and reminds everybody that Eric runs WCW and now he works for the nWo! Hogan continues to denigrate Piper by calling him a coward and how he was nobody before he fought Hogan. A bunch of policemen come down and have to restrain Piper while the nWo pose and watch Piper while they head to the back. Before we go, Piper says he’ll be at World War 3 with the contract for his match with Hogan in his teeth! No surrender! No retreat! Kiss his butt, Hogan.

AND WE OUT! Finally, a great episode of Nitro.

World War 3 goes down on November 24. Here’s the card as it looks right now.

MAIN EVENT: 60-Man Battle Royal – (Winner gets the next WCW World Title shot)
WCW World Tag Team Champions The Outsiders vs. The Nasty Boys vs. The Faces of Fear
The Giant vs. Jeff Jarrett
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko vs. Psychosis
Harlem Heat vs. The Amazing French Canadians – (If the Heat win, Sherri gets five minutes with Parker)
Chris Jericho vs. Nick Patrick (Jericho has to wrestle with one hand tied behind his back)
J-Crown Champion Ultimo Dragon vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.