Written by: Bob Colling
World Championship Wrestling presents Pro
Date: 4/13/1997
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Chris Benoit defeated Mark Starr
2.) Dean Malenko defeated Rex King
3.) Ultimo Dragon defeated Pat Tanaka
4.) Steiner Brothers defeated Armstrong Brothers
5.) Steve McMichael defeated Alex Wright
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Scott Hudson and Larry Zbyszko are doing commentary this week and it appears that Chris Cruise is gone!
2.) Lee Marshall interviewed Public Enemy backstage. Rocco Rock reminds Marshall that they have been hit by a lot of stuff and it doesn’t stop them. Johnny Grunge says that Jeff Jarrett was going to show why the Horsemen were so much better than Public Enemy, but they aren’t buying it. Rocco suggests that Mongo go back to football with his bad knees. Marshall brings up the Outsiders and they want the tag titles back. The Outsiders are next on their list. Rocco notes that is Nash is on his knees they are the same size.
3.) Lee Marshall chats with Jeff Jarrett backstage, which apparently fans have requested according to Marshall. Marshall wants to know where Jarrett stands with the McMichaels. Jarrett thinks that Marshall is trying to stir things up. Jarrett tells us that Ric Flair knighted him to lead the Horsemen and he beat both Benoit and McMichael. Jarrett says that Debra sees talent in him and that’s all it is. Jarrett says the US Championship is on his mind and he knows there are many challengers. Jarrett promises that it would be Malenko’s final US title match if they were to square off.
4.) Scott Armstrong and Scott Steiner kickoff the tag match. Steiner backs Armstrong against the ropes and backs away cleanly. Armstrong eye rakes Steiner followed by a few strikes. Steiner comes back with a press slam. Steve enters and is decked by Rick with a clothesline sending the Armstrong’s to the floor. Steve legally enters the match as does Rick. Steve clubs Rick over the back with strikes but misses a forearm. Rick plants Steve with a powerslam and Steve bails to the floor to regroup with Scott. Steve returns to the ring and backs Rick into the corner. Scott holds Rick, but Steve decks Scott off the apron to the floor on accident. Steve checks on Scott to make sure he’s okay. Steve is rammed into Scott by Rick after Steve avoided hitting Scott with another right hand. Rick hip tosses Steve out of the corner causing Steve to bail to the floor once again. Rick is double teamed in the corner by the Armstrong Brothers.
Rick hits a double bulldog off the ropes. Scott cleans house with strikes and scoop slams both Scott and Steve. Scott plants Scott Armstrong with a tilt a whirl slam. Scott proceeds to murder Scott Armstrong with the Steiner Screwdriver to win the match. (**. Realistically, the action was quite basic and nothing all that memorable. But, I was 100% into what the Steiner Brothers were doing and any time you see the Steiner Screwdriver, it’s a good thing.)
5.) McMichael works over Wright’s arm in the early moments of the main event. Wright breaks free and gets a rollup for a near fall. Mongo stops Wright with a side slam. Mongo drives Wright down to the mat with a running powerslam. Mongo forearms Wright in the corner and delivers a running shoulder in the corner. Mongo shoulder blocks Wright, but Wright comes back with a hip toss and a dropkick. Wright uppercuts Mongo a few times to get control followed by another dropkick. Wright takes Mongo down with a back suplex followed by a heel kick. The referee has been distracted by Debra. Mongo hits Wright with the briefcase as Wright leaps off the top rope and Mongo is able to win the match. (1/2*. Mongo actually has an angle going for himself and Wright isn’t up to much at this point so it’s no surprise who won here. Mongo could have probably prevailed cleanly here and didn’t need a briefcase to get the job done.)
Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed the tag match on the show, but it was a weaker show compared to most weeks.
Thanks for reading.