–Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan handle the usual studio duties for today’s broadcast. Heenan demands to find out who is going to be in the WarGames match at Fall Brawl.
–Heenan goes through the members of the Dungeon of Doom, speculating on who might appear at Fall Brawl.
–Heenan talks about how Colonel Robert Parker recently had an envelope with lots of kisses and perfume on it.
–Okerlund asks Heenan why Sergeant Craig Pittman does not like Cobra. Heenan does not have a clear answer.
–Johnny B. Badd (28-4-2) beats Sergeant Craig Pittman (28-2) via count out at 7:53:
Tony Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes call the action for this match, which took place at a WCW Pro taping in early July. One of the problems of Dreamland/the Tutti Frutti is that the announcers fail to distinguish it from a regular punch, so when Badd punches out of some Pittman arm work midway through the bout Dusty screams “Tutti Frutti! Tutti Frutti!” every time that Badd lands a blow. Badd brings the crowd to life with some high flying moves after Pittman works the arm for a long time but any goodwill is shattered when Morse Code rings out in the arena like it did on WCW Saturday Night. Pittman becomes distracted by the noise and gets counted out because 1830s technology is the WCW equivalent of the modern-day distraction roll up finish. That costs him a five-match winning streak while Badd’s win streak goes to six. Rating: ½*
The Last Word: The finish to the feature match is building up a Cobra-Sergeant Craig Pittman feud but the idea that someone as focused as Pittman would freak out over Morse Code is laughable. Pittman’s struggles against big name talent also continued in today’s main event as the the biggest name he has beaten in 1995 is Brad Armstrong.
Backstage News*: Morale was poor at the recent Worldwide tapings in Orlando as the matches started at ten in the morning and wrestlers did not know their matches until 9:45 a.m. Also, the Renegade injured Mark Starr at the tapings when they had a match for the television title.
*WCW will be using the Disney tapings in October for WCW Pro and Worldwide, thereby nixing doing the tapings for Pro in Georgia and Alabama as a cost cutting move.
*The Ric Flair-Marcus Bagwell match that aired on the July 29 Saturday Night drew a 2.3 rating, the best in ten weeks.
*Rumors of the card for the first Monday Nitro include Hulk Hogan facing Big Bubba Rogers, Ric Flair wrestling Sting, and Jushin Liger going against Brian Pillman.
*Hogan is telling people in WCW that he is willing to drop the title to Sting at Starrcade, but this rumor existed before last year’s Starrcade as well.
*Hogan’s music album is not the success WCW thought it might be, failing to crack the Billboard top 200 and sitting at number twelve on the Children’s charts.
*WCW is now doing mandatory drug testing at the Saturday Night tapings at Center Stage.
*In talent relations news, Mike Rotunda will be coming in from the WWF. Rotunda told the WWF he was retiring and was given a job as a road agent but is giving that up to return to the ring. WCW supposedly enticed him with the offer of teaming him with Big Bubba Rogers and making them tag team champions. WCW is also looking to bring in Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat after seeing their work as a tag team in All Japan. The WWF is also reportedly interested in Furnas and Kroffat. Sabu, Chris Benoit, and Dean Malenko have been signed after several weeks of negotiations. Eddy Guerrero is also expected to sign within the next week. WCW got an assist from New Japan in brokering the deals since all four were big stars in the company’s junior division and all four wanted to have a back up in case going to WCW turned into a disaster for their careers. Dealing with Guerrero and Malenko was especially difficult, as both rejected WCW’s initial offer of a three-month contract. Terry Taylor spent the week of August 7 railing against both men on the WCW Hotline, saying that Guerrero has never drawn and Malenko’s demand to have creative control over his programs was ridiculous. Scott Norton of New Japan will be introduced on the first Nitro and will be programmed against Randy Savage. Lord Alfred Hayes, forced into retirement by the WWF last month, came into WCW’s Atlanta office inquiring about a job. Finally, Sting is still angling to get Lex Luger hired. WCW is supposedly seriously considering making Luger an offer, but on the condition that he put over Hogan clean upon his arrival.
*Backstage news is courtesy of the August 14 and 21 editions of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer.
Up Next: WCW Pro for August 19!