WCW Saturday Night 2/24/1996

Written by: Bob Colling

World Championship Wrestling presents Saturday Night
Date: 2/24/1996
From: Atlanta, GA

Matches:
1.) WCW Television Champion Johnny B. Badd defeated Chris Benoit by disqualification
2.) One Man Gang defeated Pez Whatley
3.) WCW United States Champion Konnan defeated Steve Armstrong
4.) Diamond Dallas Page fought Sgt. Craig Pittman to a double count-out
5.) WCW Tag Team Champions Sting & Lex Luger defeated Public Enemy
6.) Road Warriors defeated The Gambler & Butch Long
7.) Scott Norton fought Ice Train to a draw
8.) Loch Ness defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Mean Gene is with WCW Television Champion Johnny B. Badd and Kimberly. Badd brags about winning the title, the money and freeing Kimberly. Kimberly disagrees with Badd a little bit. Kimberly feels a little bit of pity towards DDP. Kimberly is ready to move on with her life. Badd suggests that Kimberly zip it regarding her feelings for Page.

2.) Benoit gets the early advantage with a strike and right hands in the corner. Badd leapfrogs Benoit and they have a standoff. Benoit chops Badd in the corner followed by more strikes. Benoit drops Badd gut first over the top rope with a suplex. Benoit forearms Badd followed by a knee lift. Benoit takes Badd over with a snap suplex and continues with strikes before locking in a Gory Special. Badd nearly wins with a rollup. Benoit clotheslines Badd for a two count. Benoit plants Badd with a spinebuster and tries for a Boston Crab, but settles for a catapult into the corner. Badd counters a back suplex with a rollup for a near fall. Badd comes off the ropes with another rollup for a two count. Badd head scissors Benoit and delivers a knee lift. Badd goes to the top rope hitting an axe handle. Badd hits a top rope sunset flip on the referee and the referee calls for the bell. Benoit sends Badd to the floor and sends Badd into the ring post. (*1/2. The finish was rather silly, but the aftermath could lead to another match between the two. I think they could have a hell of a match on PPV.)

3.) Konnan controls Armstrong with a wrist lock, but Armstrong counters. Konnan hip tosses Armstrong and connects with a spin kick to send Armstrong to the floor. Konnan leaps off the apron to arm drag Armstrong on the floor. Konnan hits a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Armstrong has a head scissors on Konnan, but that doesn’t last long. Konnan puts an awkward arm lock on Armstrong. Konnan goes back to a spinning Indian death lock. Armstrong gets out of the hold and scoop slams Konnan followed by an elbow drop for a two count. Armstrong dropkicks Konnan, but Konnan delivers a few dropkicks and a DDT. Konnan gets a rollup out of the corner to win the match. (1/2*. That was not a good performance for Konnan as he had several awkward moments. I don’t know if Armstrong meshed well with this style or if Konnan was just sloppy tonight.)

4.) Pittman backs Page into the corner and slowly backs off. Page keeps wrist control on Pittman, but Pittman counters quickly. Page reaches the ropes to break a hammerlock. Page knee lifts Pittman and continues to control the match with several strikes and shoulder rams in the corner. Page takes Pittman over with a snap suplex. Page sends Pittman through the ropes to the floor. Pittman shoulder rams Page from the apron and delivers a headbutt to the midsection. Pittman controls Page on the mat with an arm bar. Pittman hip tosses Page and connects with a scoop slam for a two count. Page drops Pittman with a back elbow and a forearm shot for a two count. Pittman hammers away on Page and delivers a headbutt. Pittman clotheslines Page followed by a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Pittman misses a crossbody and hits the ropes chest first. Pittman backdrops Page on the floor, but Page decks Pittman with a clothesline. They end up being counted out. (*. I wasn’t expecting a double count-out here. The match was boring for the most part with nothing sticking out.)

5.) Mean Gene interviews WCW Tag Team Champions Lex Luger and Sting. Gene asks what it is going on between the champs. Luger says that it has never been better and claims every tag team is going to get a shot at the titles. Sting tells Luger that he’s not going to get out of hot water by calling him captain of the team. Sting doesn’t want to be the captain as they are on the same level. Sting wants Luger to stop flexing his pecs. Sting wants to get on the same page and Luger says that Sting gets him psyched up for wrestling.

6.) Sting and Rock kickoff the tag match. Rock kicks Sting in the corner and rams Sting into the corner face first a few times. Sting blocks being rammed in the corner and smashes Rock’s face onto the top turnbuckle several times. Luger decks Rock from the apron. Sting hip tosses Rock and does the same to Grunge. Luger enters with a clothesline and plays to the crowd. Sting is pulled to the floor and sent into the apron as Luger distracts the referee. Public Enemy collide on the floor. Sting rolls Grunge into the ring and tags in Luger. Luger hammers away on Grunge and hits a press slam. Luger decks Rock on the apron followed by a powerslam on Grunge. Luger signals for the Torture Rack, but Rock makes the save. Grunge works over Luger with shoulder rams in the corner and Rock decks Luger several times. Luger is decked by a double back elbow and choked by Grunge. Grunge rams Luger into the corner several times and tags in Rock. Rock knee lifts Luger into the corner. Rock elbows Luger in the corner and tags in Grunge. Grunge taunts Sting on the apron as Luger is choked by Rock.

Luger blocks a backdrop by Grunge with a boot followed by a knee lift. Rock and Sting get tags with Sting cleaning house delivering several strikes. Sting rams Public Enemy into each other and all four men are in the ring brawling. Grunge sends Luger to the floor, but Sting hits a double clothesline. Grunge sends Luger into the ring post. Luger and Grunge brawl on the apron. Luger elbows Rock on the apron and Sting wins with a rollup. (*1/2. Public Enemy continue to not deliver good matches in a non-hardcore match. They continue to tease that Luger is doing cheap shot things to retain the titles and that’s going to irk the pure Sting to no end.)

7.) Lee Marshall met up with Diamond Dallas Page outside a venue. Page is annoyed by Marshall asking what it is like to not have the money anymore. Marshall wonders how DDP could be on a roll while his career has been on the decline. Page thinks he’s on the rise. Page doesn’t care about the fans for saying he didn’t win the money. He doesn’t care about Kimberly either. Page plugs his video 1-900-Diamond and insists he wants to just go home. Page walks to his car and it’s being repossessed. Page can’t believe it.

8.) We see footage from WCW Pro where Scott Norton wrestled Ice Train and they wrestled to a draw. They confront each other and end up shaking hands. They are having a rematch tonight.

9.) Train and Norton lockup with neither man getting a clear advantage. Norton backs Train into the corner and delivers a few elbow strikes. Norton headbutts Train, but Train hits a splash in the corner. Train delivers a running clothesline. Norton splashes Train in the corner. They have another standoff and Train wants a test of strength. Norton knee lifts Train a few times to gain control. Train breaks free to deck Norton with a clothesline and a few blows to the back. Train scoop slams Norton and delivers a sit down splash. Train hammers away on Norton in the corner, but misses a splash. Norton hits a back suplex. Norton controls Train with a neck vice. Norton connects with a neckbreaker for a two count. Norton keeps a sleeper hold on Train. Norton shoulder blocks Train after missing a clothesline. Train gets a second wind and drops Norton with a right hand. Train scoop slams Norton followed by a big splash, but doesn’t go for the cover. Train keeps Norton on the mat with a leg lock. They collide with double clotheslines in the middle of the ring. Neither man is able to get to their feet and the match is ruled a draw. (*1/2. It wasn’t a bad big man match by any means. I’m not a fan of two draws in one day, but whatever.)

10.) Mean Gene interviews Scott Norton who said that he told Ice Train the truth. Norton sees a lot of himself in Train. Norton suggested that they be tag partners and steamroll the competition. Norton felt Train’s power and knows what Train can do. Norton believes that they are a force to be reckoned with.

11.) Bagwell hammers away on Ness to start the match, but Ness doesn’t go down. Ness doesn’t budge on a shoulder block or clothesline attempt. Bagwell continues with strikes to stagger Ness in the corner. Bagwell dropkicks Ness, but Ness doesn’t move. Bagwell continues with several strikes in the corner but is tossed away by Ness. Ness connects with an elbow drop and wins the match. (DUD. Ness delivered one move and won the match. Bagwell must have been thrilled to be in this spot.)

12.) Mean Gene interviews Loch Ness and Jimmy Hart. Hart puts over Ness as a bigger and better surprise and tells Hogan that he’ll wrestle Ness sooner or later. Hart says that Hogan has nothing without him. Ness doesn’t care who is sent into the ring because he’ll beat them all. Hart finishes off saying that sooner or later it’s over for Hogan.

13.) Mean Gene interviews WCW World Champion Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan and Arn Anderson. Gene promotes the six man tag taking place tomorrow night on Nitro. Anderson brags about beating Hulk Hogan twice all on his own. Anderson knew he was good enough to beat Hogan this whole time. Anderson says that Hogan, Savage and Booty are all losers. Anderson says that they are not man enough to beat Ric Flair. Sullivan chimes in and says that he broke up the Four Horsemen and ran Pillman out of town. Sullivan puts over Flair as the greatest world champion. Flair hypes up that Anderson has defeated Hogan twice in a row. Flair sees Nitro as being the greatest night in the history of pro wrestling. Anderson brags that he has the largest arm in the world and not Hogan.

Final Thoughts:
A poor episode of Saturday Night this week with none of the matches delivering much quality. Badd/Benoit had potential, but wasn’t designed to be a great match. I guess they all can’t be winners.

Thanks for reading.