WCW Saturday Night 4/13/1996

Written by: Bob Colling

World Championship Wrestling presents Saturday Night
Date: 4/13/1996
From: Birmingham, AL

Matches:
1.) WCW World Champion Ric Flair & The Giant defeated American Males
2.) Eddie Guerrero defeated Mr. J.L.
3.) Chris Benoit defeated Dave Sullivan
4.) The Belfast Bruiser defeated Lord Steven Regal by disqualification
5.) Col. Robert Parker defeated Madusa by disqualification
6.) Brad Armstrong defeated Dean Malenko
7.) Arn Anderson & Kevin Sullivan defeated Larry Santo & Rick Fargo
8.) Sting defeated Chris Kanyon
9.) The Nasty Boys & Steiner Brothers fought the Road Warriors & Public Enemy to a no contest

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Flair and Bagwell kickoff the tag team match to start the show. Flair backs Bagwell into a corner and does a strut. Flair gets decked in the corner by Bagwell and backs off. Flair delivers a chop and strikes in the corner to control Bagwell. Bagwell comes back with a backdrop followed by a clothesline over the top to the floor. Bagwell knocks Flair down to the mat upon his return. Riggs is tagged into the match to try his luck against Flair. Riggs shoulder blocks Flair and Bagwell tags back into the contest. Bagwell backdrops Flair again followed by a clothesline. Flair avoids a dropkick and Bagwell crashes to the mat. Flair goes for a figure four, but Bagwell counters with a rollup for a two count. Giant clotheslines Bagwell while on the apron. Giant legally tags into the match and kicks Bagwell in the ribs. Giant nails Bagwell with a clothesline. Giant drives Bagwell down to the mat with a backbreaker. Bagwell blocks a right hand from Flair and delivers several strikes. Bagwell misses another dropkick as Flair held the ropes. Bagwell dropkicks Flair, but can’t followup. Flair blocks a sunset flip attempt. Riggs gets the hot tag and dropkicks Flair, but misses another attempt. Flair tries for a suplex, but Riggs counters with a suplex. Giant enters and chokeslams Riggs despite not being tagged. Flair covers and wins the match. (*1/4. The crowd had some good energy for this, but the action was really average and basic. I thought the finish was funny with Giant just being fed up with the match still going on and chokeslamming Riggs to end it.)

2.) Mean Gene is with the WCW World Champion Ric Flair, The Giant, Woman, Elizabeth and Jimmy Hart for an interview. Flair cuts a promo puts over Elizabeth and the fire breathing Giant. Flair cuts a promo about Sting and Luger on Nitro for the tag titles. Giant chimes in and says they will be the new tag team champions. Jimmy Hart says there is a big surprise on Nitro. Flair kisses Elizabeth on the arm to taunt Randy Savage and suggests that Savage learn to love seeing that happen. Woman tells Gene that the champ will come out on top. Elizabeth just says “without a doubt.”

3.) We see highlights for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship tournament. Dean Malenko has suffered a loss already in the tournament against Mr. JL on Main Event before UnCensored.

4.) JL backs Guerrero into a corner, but cleanly backs away. Guerrero takes JL down to the mat, but JL quickly pops up to his feet. Guerrero hammerlocks JL before switching to an arm lock. JL counters to take Guerrero down to the mat. JL nails Guerrero with a kick to the head for a two count. JL slams Guerrero and heads to the top rope hitting a diving headbutt for a near fall. Guerrero plants JL with a brainbuster and a slingshot senton from the apron for a two count. JL connects with a kick to the head of Guerrero to gain control followed by a side slam. JL heads to the top rope hitting a head scissors. They begin to trade a few pin attempts until JL nails Guerrero with a spinning back elbow strike. JL plants Guerrero with a sit down powerbomb for a near fall. JL chops Guerrero in the corner followed by a kick to the face. JL dropkicks Guerrero in the corner. JL sits Guerrero on the top rope, but is shoved off. Guerrero hits a tornado DDT and holds on to rollover into an inside cradle for the win. (*1/2. I wish these two would get more time, but it was decent action for the short time they got.)

5.) A video package of Randy Savage talking about Ric Flair is shown. Savage admits that he’s gone completely crazy as a result of Flair’s behavior. Savage talks about Flair beating his father and now flaunting his ex-wife in front of him. Savage says that Elizabeth’s choice to go with Flair was a wrong decision because the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Savage promises that Flair is going to have some bad luck coming his way.

6.) Lee Marshall interviews Chris Benoit and Arn Anderson following Benoit’s quick victory. Anderson stops Marshall from putting over Benoit’s Japan’s tour. Anderson is happy Benoit is back in WCW and all their issues are behind them. Benoit asks Anderson if he’s a Horsemen or part of the Dungeon. Kevin Sullivan and Jimmy Hart enter the scene and tell Benoit that they were taking care of business while Benoit was out in Japan. Benoit wants to know if Sullivan walks the walk. Anderson keeps them apart. Benoit threatens Sullivan that if he lays his hands on him that he’ll be the last Horsemen he ever puts his hands on.

7.) Regal kicks Bruiser followed by an uppercut and a dropkick before sending Bruiser to the floor. Regal delivers a clothesline on the floor and sends Bruiser into the railing. Regal palm strikes Bruiser several times followed by a knee strike before they return to the ring. Bruiser begs off in the corner. Bruiser gets control with a nerve hold and an eye rake. Bruiser stomps on Regal’s hands followed by an elbow drop for a two count. Regal kicks free, but Bruiser takes Regal down to the mat. Bruiser keeps leg control on the mat. Bruiser nails Regal with a short arm clothesline. Regal keeps an arm bar on Bruiser, but doesn’t get a submission. Bruiser eye rakes Regal and takes Regal down to the mat. Bruiser almost wins with a pin attempt while keeping arm control. Bruiser keeps Regal on the mat with an arm bar. Bruiser elbows free from Regal and tosses Regal across the ring. Bruiser misses a spear and Regal takes Bruiser down to the mat. Regal keeps control with a few uppercuts, but Bruiser yanks Regal down to the mat by yanking on his arm. Bruiser slams Regal, but Regal dropkicks Bruiser off the middle rope to the floor. Bruiser delivers a shot as Regal comes off the apron. Bruiser drops Regal chest first over the guard railing. Bruiser rolls Regal back into the ring. Dave Taylor enters the ring and attacks Bruiser along with Earl Robert Eaton. Eaton accidentally decks Taylor and Bruiser leaves the ring. (**1/4. The finish likely means we’ll get another match, but I enjoyed the action and the style they went with. The action was hard hitting and competitive.)

8.) Madusa jumps onto Parker’s back to lock in a choke, but Parker slams he down and misses an elbow drop. Madusa rolls to the apron and hits a sunset flip into the ring for a near fall. Madusa takes Parker over with a hurricanrana. Madusa tosses Parker over the top to the floor and that means she’s been disqualified. (NR. There was no point to this and I’m assuming we’ll get another match.)

9.) Backstage, Mean Gene is with Hulk Hogan for an interview regarding WCW Nitro. Hogan will be wrestling Arn Anderson and Kevin Sullivan in a handicap match. Hogan says that his eyes have been opened and talks about thinking that he could save everyone when he entered WCW. Hogan thanks both men for making him believe he’s real and puts over training and eating vitamins. Hogan says they are all human beings and they have to learn from their mistakes. Hogan promises they will be the first two men to feel his wrath. Gene notes that the Booty Man was taken out of action just last week. Hogan realizes that he’s dealing with double jeopardy. Hogan puts over Kimberly for being there physically because she has a backbone. Hogan will decide which manager will pay for their final dues. Hogan will prove that he is the strongest force in WCW.

10.) Malenko controls Armstrong on the mat with an arm bar and gets a two count. Armstrong takes Malenko down with a headlock, but Malenko counters with a head scissors and they get to their feet. Armstrong shoves Malenko, but Armstrong arm drags Malenko to the floor. Armstrong puts a hammerlock on Malenko, but doesn’t get a submission. Malenko elbows Armstrong and rams Armstrong face first into the corner. Malenko heel kicks Armstrong for a near fall. Malenko delivers a knee drop and tries for a rollup, but Armstrong prevents his shoulders from going down to the mat and they do great camerawork to show that. Malenko elbows Armstrong and locks in an abdominal stretch while holding the ropes. Malenko sends Armstrong to the floor. Malenko rams Armstrong into the corner and avoids a splash. Malenko hits a top rope crossbody, but Armstrong rolls through for a near fall. Armstrong counters a hip toss with a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Armstrong backdrops Malenko. Armstrong misses a dropkick and Malenko almost wins with a rollup. Malenko tries for a vertical suplex, but Armstrong free. Armstrong counters a rollup and pops his shoulder up to pin Malenko. (**. A fine match albeit a little slow with the pace. I’d consider this a major upset for Armstrong to defeat Malenko. I liked the finish as they did the fake out pin done quite well. This was a solid tournament match.)

11.) Mean Gene interviews Kevin Sullivan and Arn Anderson following their victory. Anderson says he’s nobody stooge and that he’s his own man. Anderson hopes their issues are resolved. Sullivan tells Anderson they don’t have a problem but rather a destiny on Nitro. Sullivan recalls Anderson defeating Hogan two times this year. Sullivan says that Kimberly’s head is on the line if Hogan loses. Jimmy Hart says that he wouldn’t want to be Kimberly for anything in the world on Nitro.

12.) Lee Marshall interviews Sting following his victory. Marshall talks about the trust between Sting and Lex Luger. Sting cuts a promo about the tag title match against Ric Flair and the Giant on Nitro. Sting talks about Flair and Giant stabbing him in the back. Sting can play dirty, too. Sting knows that Luger can play dirty, too. Sting finishes off saying he specializes in Giant’s and Nature Boys.

13.) Scott and Rock kickoff the main event with Scott tossing Rock with a hip toss. Scott shoulder blocks Rock, but Rock comes back with a springboard moonsault. Scott hits a tilt a whirl slam on Rock. Scott press slams Rock to the mat. Sags tags in, but Rock tags out to Animal. Sags and Animal trade strikes until Sags nails Animal with a strike to the gut. Nasty Boys clothesline Animal and Knobbs is met with a shoulder block. Animal dropkicks Sags to the floor. Rock tags in and hammers away on Knobbs, but tags out to Hawk. Rick tags in and nails Hawk with a clothesline and spikes Hawk with a piledriver. Hawk no sells it and gut wrenches Rick to the mat. Rick takes Hawk down with right hands. Knobbs tags in and rams Hawk face first into the corner. Hawk misses a spear and hits the ring post. Hawk boots Knobbs in the corner and tags in Grunge. Public Enemy double team Knobbs in the corner. Sags delivers a headbutt to Grunge’s groin to gain control. Scott tags in as does Rock. Scott tosses Rock with a suplex. Rock elbows Rick followed by a scoop slam before hitting a middle rope headbutt. Rock heads to the top rope, but Rick hits an overhead suplex off the middle rope. Rock drop toe holds Scott and Grunge delivers a leg drop. Rock gets a two count on Scott with a fisherman suplex. Scott plants Rock with a double under hook powerbomb. Knobbs backdrops Rock and delivers a clothesline. Knobbs runs the ropes, but Grunge pulls the ropes down causing Knobbs to crash to the floor. Sags breaks the cover and tosses Rock to the floor. Sags spikes Grunge with a piledriver, but Rock shoves Knobbs off the top rope. Public Enemy and Nasty Boys brawl towards the backstage area. Road Warriors and Steiner Brothers start brawling in the ring and the referee throws the match out. (**. I liked the chaos feeling that the match had going on here. WCW tag division is loaded with talent and I wouldn’t mind seeing these four teams competing in tag matches on a regular basis.)

14.) Mean Gene conducts an interview with Randy Savage to close the program. Savage is pissed and he wants to kick Flair’s ass. Savage says he’s knocked out ten people backstage and he’ll knockout twenty more. Savage proceeds to leave the scene.

Final Thoughts:
There’s some decent action on the show, but nothing must-see. I thought the episode was good enough because they advanced some feuds and the two hour program flew by. Thus, this gets a thumbs up from me.

Thanks for reading.