The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro – 11.10.97

The SmarK Rant for WCW Monday Nitro – 11.10.97

Originally written 09.25.25

Live from the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, TN. Another all time city record gate with 8000 people. I tried to check that week’s Observer for more information on the show but holy crap Dave was just going ON AND ON about the WWF PPV and he ran out of room in the issue! Talk about biased coverage.

HOUR #1! The hour that introduced Bret and Julie Hart!

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko & Mike Tenay

The New World Order joins us, waving Canadian flags to start the show. I guess something happened over on the Other Show the night before? Not sure what they’re getting at here. So Uncle Eric has TWO special announcements, first up the return of Kevin Nash, wheeled out by Syxx after knee surgery. Don’t quote me on this but I believe this would have been Syxx’s final appearance on WCW Nitro. So Big Kev drops references to “The Natural” and “Win Ben Stein’s Money” before challenging the Giant to face him at World War III. So Eric brags about his second special announcement, which is that he has used a billionaire’s money to sign BRET HART to the nWo, and also they take credit for Bret punching out Vince in Montreal, claiming that it was an nWo initiation. And then they all sing the Canadian national anthem to celebrate Bret, although obviously Curt Hennig’s solo is the highlight here.

So back from the break, all the idiot announcers immediately assume that everything Bischoff said was the truth and don’t offer any pushback on it, despite Bret not actually being there to confirm it. But they do want to stress that Bret ISN’T a quitter. And then Mean Gene has the RED HOT hotline news about Bret having a supposed physical confrontation with a rival promoter. Sounds made up to me.

Steven Regal & Dave Taylor v. Harlem Heat

Booker works the arm on an increasingly portly Regal before hitting him with a backdrop and superkick. Over to Taylor, but Stevie Ray slugs away in the corner while Tenay recaps a convoluted reversed decision finish between the teams on WCW Saturday Night. Stevie beats both Britishmen down and hits Regal with a sideslam, but Booker goes up and misses a flying kneedrop after spending an eternity up there. And then Taylor clips Stevie’s knee and pins him with a butterfly suplex at 3:00. This is apparently a “monumental upset” but Harlem Heat was the down slide anyway. ½*

LAST WEEK: Perry Saturn taps out Disco Inferno to win the WCW TV title in his debut.

Disco Inferno v. Chris Jericho

Jericho beats him down at the bell and beats on him with chops, but he misses a blind charge and Disco clotheslines the back to take over. Meanwhile Raven and his Flock join us at ringside while Larry wonders how they get the expensive ringside seats every week. Answer: Because Raven was secretly rich, as we later found out. Jericho with a backbreaker and he finishes with the Liontamer at 1:55. “Disco remains on a losing streak” notes Tenay. Yeah it’s called his life. ½*

Afterwards, Kidman throws a drink at Disco, doing what we’re all thinking, prompting the rest of the Flock to jump the rail and kick Disco’s ass. Scotty Riggs tries to make the one-eyed save, but Raven talks him out of it and he walks away, presumably to leave Disco to die by brutal 5 on 1 beating. Oh well.

The Barbarian v. Glacier

Tenay thinks that the World War III battle royal might affect his ability to use his martial arts. Oh yeah, clearly. Glacier throws the kicks until Barbarian beats him down with clubbing forearms. But then Jimmy Hart hits the ring after being missing for weeks, inspiring Barbarian to hit Glacier even harder and slingshot him into the ring for two. Barbarian with a bearhug, but Glacier reverses to a belly to belly suplex. Jimmy takes the ref, but Glacier hits him with his big kick, but then Barbarian hits Glacier with HIS big kick, and then Glacier hits Barbarian with his big kick and pins him at 3:40. But then Meng sneaks up behind Glacier, in as much as Meng can ever sneak up on anyone, ever, and puts him in the TONGAN DEATH GRIP to show him some real martial arts. DUD

Raven joins us with a very real and sincere apology for blinding Scotty Riggs, and then complains about his miserable childhood and talks about how all the freaks and outcasts have now joined him to seek vengeance on the world. And he unleashes vengeance in the most brutal and inhumane way possible: BRINGING BACK VAN HAMMER IN 1997, WITH A NIPPLE RING. What a monster.

Yuji Nagata v. Alex Wright

There are some wacky, fucked up combinations of matches on this crazy show. They quickly fight to the floor and Wright clotheslines Nagata out there, and comes back in via the top and gets crotched as a result. Nagata with a superplex, but Wright drops him on the top turnbuckle and goes up with a flying stomp before stopping for a dance. Nagata misses a running knee in the corner and Wright suplexes him for two, while we get a fight between Debra and Sonny Onoo outside. This somehow allows Nagata to finish with the Nagatalock at 3:20. This was OK for a random heel-heel match with no point, I guess. *

HOUR #2! The hour that convinced Bischoff to start dying his hair!

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay & Bobby Heenan

Hollywood Hogan joins us, very offended that Sting would make a movie and break into “his” industry. So Hogan is so steamed that he challeges Sting TONIGHT IN THIS VERY RING. Also I should note that the movie, “The Real Reason Men Commit Crimes”, that features Sting, is apparently pretty damn good and was a surprisingly good debut role for Sting.

WCW World TV Title: Perry Saturn v. Chris Benoit

Saturn jumps him in the aisle and brings him in for a suplex that gets two. Apparently there’s been a lot of a talk of a new “Tough Man” division in WCW, with “no holds barred”, and these two are a big part of it. Pretty sure that went nowhere. Benoit beats on Saturn with chops, but he tries a sunset flip and Saturn blocks with a cradle in the corner and uses the ropes for the pin at 2:00. So Benoit keeps fighting but the ref calls for the bell as I guess the finish got messed up or something. And then the Flock comes in and stares down Benoit, but Fit Finlay attacks Benoit from behind and lays him out for funsies.

Ric Flair joins Mean Gene, woo, by god, talking about his upcoming match with Curt Hennig at World War III.

WCW Cruiserweight title: Rey Mysterio v. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie dropkicks him at the bell and hits him with a backbreaker, which gets two. Eddie misses a dropkick and Rey hits him with a monkey flip, but Eddie lands on his feet, so Rey gets a flying headscissors and then dropkicks him to the floor. Back in with a superplex from Eddie, which gets two. Rey drops the dime for two and follows with a quebrada for two. Eddie with a powerbomb, but Rey flips out of that and springboards into a DDT in a unique move. Rey tries another rana, but Eddie hotshots him and frog splashes him to win the title at 5:56. Not quite up to the level of Halloween Havoc, of course, but a pretty good quickie TV match. ***. This brings out Dean Malenko for a staredown, continuing our theme of Radicalz on Radicalz violence.

Randy Savage v. Ray Traylor

Ray slugs him down and they fight on the floor, and then head back in where Ray dropkicks him out to the floor again. Back in the ring, Ray with a big boot. Savage finally rakes the eyes to come back, but Ray hits him with a spinebuster for two. Ray goes up, but Elizabeth crotches him and Savage drops the big elbow for the pin at 3:42. 1/2* We get some more elbows and Liz delivers a can of spray paint and then decides to vandalize Ray’s chest by herself because she’s PROPER EVIL now. Oh, and then the decision gets reversed after the commercial break, for those of you betting on the match here in 2025.

WCW US title: Curt Hennig v. Diamond Dallas Page

Hennig gets a hiptoss right on the taped ribs, so Page works the arm and they exchange slaps until DDP gets a headlock. Tony worries about the injured ribs. Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll heal eventually. Page with a neckbreaker and he teases the Diamond Cutter, but Curt hits the floor and grabs his belt before taking a walk. Page chases him back in the ring, but Curt suckers him into the cheapshot in the corner to take over. Hennig works the ribs, to the surprise of no one, but Page slugs back until Hennig goes to the ribs again to cut him off. Page comes back, but Hennig grabs the belt and beats him down for the DQ at 7:00. It sure didn’t take Curt long to put it back into first gear in 1997. *1/2

Lex Luger v. Ric Flair

They do the usual Flair-Luger match to start as they exchange shots in the corners and then Ric clips the knee while Lex goes AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH repeatedly. Flair with the figure-four, but Lex escapes that, so Flair goes back to the knee again. They fight to the apron and Lex suplexes him back into the ring, but Flair nails him with more chops and Lex gets woken up and comes back with a press slam. Lex no-sells more chops and flexes menacingly to make the comeback, triggering a Flair Flip, but Lex catches him with a superplex and powerslam. And right on cue, Curt Hennig runs in for the DQ at 8:00. **1/2 And Flair brawls with him to the back, building up their match at the PPV.

And we finish with yet another nWo interview, as Hollywood Hogan declares that Sting is a coward for not showing up to answer his challenge. But then Sting rappels from the rafters and goes after Hulk, at which point the entire crew attacks from behind and lays him out. And Hogan drops legs on him while declaring himself to be a GOD. I’m sure that’ll work out great for him.

Man, they were handed probably the biggest audience they were gonna have coming off Survivor Series, with everyone tuning in to see what would happen with Bret Hart, and this mid-tier show of the usual 2 minute matches and bad finishes is what they went with? That’s certainly a choice. Like say what you will about Vince McMahon, but if he was handed a free shot at WCW on a silver platter like this, he would have put his boot on Bischoff’s throat and not let up. And even more ludicrous fucking around is still to come before the finding out starts in 1998.