WCW Pro 4/6/1996

World Championship Wrestling presents Pro
Date: 4/6/1996
From: Orlando, FL

Matches:
1.) Jim Duggan & Sgt. Craig Pittman defeated The Barrio Brothers
2.) Scott Norton defeated One Man Gang
3.) Public Enemy defeated Men At Work
4.) Shark defeated Pez Whatley
5.) Ice Train defeated WCW Television Champion Lex Luger by disqualification, Luger retains the title

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Duggan and Pittman win their match rather easily. Pittman delivers a headbutt to the midsection, Duggan with a clothesline and knee drop for the finish. I don’t see this team challenging for any tag titles, but on the lower level shows they could be a fine duo.

2.) Gang backs Norton into a corner to start the match, but Norton delivers a few strikes and rams Gang into the corner face first. Norton knocks Gang off his feet with a clothesline. Gang blocks a backdrop with a kick and clubs Norton over the head to gain the advantage. Gang shoulder rams Norton several times in the corner. Norton fights back with right hands, but an eye rake stops his momentum. Gang chokes Norton over the top rope. Norton drops Gang to the mat with a strike. Norton chokes Gang over the top rope in the corner. Gang eye rakes Norton and delivers several blows in the corner. Norton powerslams Gang out of the corner for the clean win. (*1/2. I’m giving this a bigger rating than expected because I love that Norton won the match cleanly. I was shocked Norton handily pinned Gang. I love it.)

3.) Backstage, Mean Gene interviews Disco Inferno. Inferno has a CD with him and says he’s an accomplished wrestler and dancer. Inferno plugs the CD and tells Gene he’s a crossover celebrity. Inferno claims that he can sing, too. The CD costs $49.95. Inferno reveals he’s going to sing at all the towns he goes to. Inferno proceeds to sing horribly to end the segment.

4.) Train knocks Luger down in the corner, and Luger is frustrated by that. Luger gets a headlock on Train, but Train sends Luger into the ropes and they collide with neither man budging. Train runs the ropes and shoulder blocks Luger a couple of times. Luger bails to the floor to regroup. Luger knee lifts Train followed by an elbow strike and right hand to stagger Train. Luger runs the ropes, but is met with a powerslam for a two count. Train keeps control with a wrist lock and yanks down on Luger’s arm a few times. Train leg drops Luger on the arm to keep control on the mat. Luger knee lifts Train and delivers a kick to the chest. Train drop toe holds Luger and focuses on the left knee, but Luger reaches the ropes quickly. Train takes Luger down to the mat with an arm bar. Luger begs off as Train sends Luger into the corner and delivers a big splash. Train misses another splash in the corner. Luger knee lifts Train and stomps Train to the floor. Hart kicks Train on the floor a few times while the referee is distracted. Luger rams Train face first into the corner and chokes Train over the top rope for a few moments. Luger elbow drops Train several times to keep Train on the mat for a two count. Train tries to fight back, but Luger puts a bearhug on Train. Luger drives Train down to the mat with a backbreaker. Luger goes for the cover, but Train kicks out at two. Luger delivers a back suplex, but Train pops back up and Luger begs off again. Train hammers away on Luger to drop the champ several times. Train backdrops Luger coming off the ropes. Train clotheslines Luger a few times. Jimmy Hart hits Train with a megaphone to cause a disqualification. After the match, Scott Norton runs into the ring and makes the save. Luger is sent to the floor with a double clothesline. (*1/2. I actually don’t mind Train being protected here. The match wasn’t great, but Train had a couple of solid moments in the ring. Luger did give him quite a bit in the match. I wonder if there are plans to maybe have Train get a little push with the protection here.)

Final Thoughts:
Nothing really stands out on the show, but it was an easy watch for me. I’ll consider it an average episode of WCW Pro.

Thanks for reading.