WCW Pro 3/16/1996

World Championship Wrestling presents Pro
Date: 3/16/1996
From: Orlando, FL

Matches:
1.) Road Warriors defeated Southern Posse
2.) Sgt. Craig Pittman defeated Kurasawa
3.) Belfast Bruiser defeated Dave Sullivan
4.) WCW World Champion Ric Flair defeated Brad Armstrong
5.) WCW Television Champion Lex Luger defeated The Renegade

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Tony Schiavone is on commentary this week subbing in for Chris Cruise. I can’t say that Cruise is missed on commentary.

2.) Kurasawa attacks Pittman before the bell, but Pittman comes off the ropes with a headbutt to the midsection. Kurasawa yanks down on Pittman’s arm for control, but Pittman fights back with a clothesline for a two count. Pittman tosses Kurasawa to the mat by his arm. Pittman forearms Kurasawa, but Kurasawa delivers a few kicks against the ropes. Kurasawa plants Pittman with a slam. Kurasawa tries for a suplex, but Pittman counters with a belly to belly suplex. Kurasawa kicks Pittman in the corner leading to a near fall as the referee saw him use the ropes. Kurasawa grabs Teddy Long on the apron and Pittman delivers a headbutt ram leading to a pin for the win. (DUD. I honestly can’t believe I just wrote up that match. I need to being more strict on match coverage for these shows.)

3.) I’m honestly shocked that Dave Sullivan still has a pet rabbit. It didn’t take long, but Bruiser was able to win the match with an arm bar submission.

4.) Armstrong takes Flair down with a headlock and follows up with a shoulder block. Armstrong goes back to the headlock control on the mat. Armstrong hip tosses Flair followed by a few dropkicks leading to a near fall. Armstrong sends Flair upside down into the corner and punches Flair coming off the top. Armstrong hits the side Russian leg sweep, but Woman eye rakes Armstrong. That spot looked botched by Woman. Flair eye rakes Armstrong and delivers a chop to drop Armstrong to the mat. They trade chops in the corner with Armstrong firing off a few strikes to drop Flair to the mat. Armstrong is fired up and Flair backs off. Armstrong backdrops Flair coming out of the corner. Flair pulls Armstrong through the ropes to the floor. Woman eye rakes Armstrong on the floor while the referee is distracted by Flair. Flair stomps on Armstrong to keep the advantage. Armstrong chops Flair several times and jabs Flair several times. Flair flops down to the mat face first. Armstrong backdrops Flair and hits a dropkick. Armstrong leaps off the top missing a dropkick. Flair locks in the figure four and uses the ropes for leverage to win the match by submission. (*1/2. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Armstrong dominated the majority of the match and it’s matches like this that make me wonder how Flair keeps his aura sometimes. I get that the heat is Flair winning off of a mistake, but it’s basically a win from a mistake by Armstrong. It was more enjoyable than your usual enhancement stuff, but I’m not a fan of the champion looking this vulnerable against lower level talent.) After the match, Flair stomps on Armstrong a few times and struts with Woman on his arm.

5.) Luger shoves Renegade away on a lockup. Luger shoulder blocks Renegade, but he doesn’t budge. Luger takes Renegade over with a snap suplex. Renegade tries for a hip toss, but settles for a clothesline. Renegade back elbows Luger to the floor and Luger regroups. Luger works over Renegade with a few strikes and tries to ram Renegade into the corner, but fails. Renegade punches Luger several times and delivers a clothesline. Renegade misses a dropkick as Luger held the ropes. Luger punts Renegade in the ribs a few times. Renegade is knocked to the floor and Jimmy Hart kicks Renegade. Luger slams Renegade face first onto the apron. Luger elbows Renegade followed by another stomp to the chest. Renegade gets a sunset flip, but Luger kicks out and nails Renegade with a clothesline for a two count. Luger misses a splash in the corner and Renegade gets a two count. Renegade no sells being rammed into the corner, but Luger keeps control. Luger sends Renegade into the corner, but Renegade no sells. Luger eye rakes Renegade, but Renegade hits a handspring back elbow and a clothesline. Renegade backdrops Luger coming off the ropes followed by a powerslam. Jimmy Hart gets on the apron to distract Renegade. Luger knee lifts Renegade and locks in the Torture Rack to win the match. (*. Luger gave Renegade a decent amount of offense, but this was mostly a boring match with an obvious outcome. Did Renegade need to be protected with Hart being involved? No. But, in WCW it’s rare for a clean finish even on WCW Pro.)

Final Thoughts:
The only real positive on the show is that Chris Cruise was on vacation.

Thanks for reading.