The SmarK Rant for WWE Vault presents Best of WCW Saturday Night – May 1996

The SmarK Rant for the Best of WCW Saturday Night – May 1996

Originally written 05.11.26

The WCW Vault put this one up a few days ago and it happens to fall into my incredibly specific desire for an hour-long show covering a period of time I haven’t covered in depth but without having to review an entire episode of squashes. THAT’S WHY THESE GUYS RULE.

https://youtu.be/kGlRB3zzEZg?si=4vRRFT-_fSjGYBKu

So as you can probably guess, this is highlights of WCW Saturday Night, from May of 1996, shortly before the debut of the New World Order.

The Steiner Brothers v. The State Patrol

The State Patrol attacks AND THEY BE CLUBBERING ON SCOTT! But Scott backdrops both at the same time and Rick wallops them with Steinerlines to chase them to the floor. Back in the ring, Rick catches James Earl Wright with a powerslam while Marcus Bagwell joins us on commentary, which is something you never want to hear. Scott with the belly to belly on Buddy and Rick pounds on him with crossfaces while Tony and Dusty discuss Lex Luger being late for his World title match tonight, due to being at a charity golf tournament of some kind. Scott casually pulls out the STEINER SCREWDRIVER and pins Parker at 2:43. I feel like I need a heads up whenever that’s coming so I can prepare myself and make popcorn.

Alex Wright v. Billy Kidman

Kidman, skinny jobber at this point, is still a while away from his Flock run. They trade takedown attempts and Kidman goes after the arm with a hammerlock. Wright kips up and reverses while we get an update from Marcus Bagwell, who informs us that Lex Luger’s limo is up and running and he’ll definitely be here tonight. Wright gets his own armbar on the mat, but Kidman lands on his feet to escape a hiptoss and gets his own armbar while Dusty rambles about limo-zeens and cell-ular phones. Kidman stays on the arm, but Wright slams out of it while Dusty suggests that Ric Flair might need psychiatric help in his feud with Randy Savage. Dusty informs us that Wright just did a “say-vat” kick, but Tony corrects him that it’s a spin-wheel kick. Kidman with a bulldog out of the corner and he goes up with a shooting star press and Tony doesn’t even know what do with that. But then he misses a splash, RIGHT ON THE BELLY WELLY, and Wright comes back with a running elbow in the corner and finishes with the german suplex at 6:25. Pretty damn good for a WCWSN squash. **1/2

Marcus Bagwell joins us and it turns out that Lex Luger is NOT here for his shot at the Giant, due to his charity golf tournament situation, and that brings out brand new WCW World champion The Giant, who demands that Bagwell step up and wrestle if Lex isn’t gonna be here. Is he, in a word, yellow? Apparently not.

WCW World title: The Giant v. Marcus Bagwell

Bagwell decides to walk the walk and slugs away in the corner, but he tries a bodypress and just bounces off Giant’s chest harmlessly. And AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH THE CHOKESLAM finishes at 0:47. Well, he tried. And failed. And then Luger finally shows up after the match is done and Bagwell got his ass kicked in his place! That seems kind of sus, as the kids say. Watching this without context was a bit confusing, but then I remembered that Lex was basically a heel aligned with Jimmy Hart who was just pretending to be a babyface at this point, and then it made more sense.

Fire & Ice v. The Steiner Brothers

Off to the next week and this feels like a potential hoss fight. Scott immediately tosses Juice Train, but walks into a big boot and Train clobbers him with a clothesline and a splash for two. So Scott throws him with an overhead suplex. Over to Scott Norton, who rams into Rick, but Rick powerslams him and gets a sort of german suplex as Norton doesn’t really want to go up. And we get a DOUBLE FEATURE as Scott fights with Scott on the floor, but Norton brings him back in the ring for a powerbomb a whole mess of clotheslines. Scott Steiner hauls Scott Norton back to the floor and runs him into the railing, but Norton no-sells that, so Steiner suplexes him on the floor and Norton pops up from that as well. Finally the ref has had enough and stops the match at 2:40. Well they were sure beating the hell out of each other while it lasted. Apparently it’s a double countout, leading to Scott and Rick having a funny conversation about Rick forgetting that it’s a 10 count because 7 is his lucky number.

Earl Robert Eaton v. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie goes after the arm and dropkicks Eaton into an armbar, but Bobby pops him up into a backbreaker and that gets two. Eddie snaps off a rana and dropkicks him to set up the frog splash to finish at 1:49. Well that was disappointingly short. Afterwards, Eaton and Taylor give Bobby the gears for daring to lose, thus besmirching their good name.

VK Wallstreet v. Sting

Sting has a belt with him and to be honest I don’t remember what he held in May 1996. Whatever it is, it’s not on the line. Wallstreet tosses him and beats on him outside, and then slugs away in the ring, but Sting gets a sunset flip for two. VK with the abdominal stretch and rope assist. Thing I learned from the amazing Tom Green: The team of Big Bubba and Wallstreet as the Certified Public Assassins (CPAs) was just a thing that was planned, but never really happened. I always thought it was something that was off on the syndicated shows or something. Sting comes back and quickly finishes with the Scorpion Deathlock at 2:54.

Sting v. Meng

Onto the next week, and we helpfully learn that Sting is in fact half of the tag team champions with Lex at this point, although this week he doesn’t have the belt with him. Meng puts the boots to him while Barbarian hangs out at ringside. Barbarian tries to run in, but accidentally hits Meng with the big boot and Sting gets the pin at 1:18. Well not much to THAT one.

Jushin Liger v. Steve Doll

The hell is THIS? This poor crowd of plants has to act like seeing half of Well Dunn is the thrill of their lifetime. Liger is in his EVIL BLACK GEAR and I’m there for it. Liger hits him with a back elbow and follows with a suplex and senton, chasing Doll to the floor for some abuse from Sonny Onoo. Back in the ring, Doll comes back with a flying forearm for two and a snap suplex. Liger puts him on top and superplexes him, and then finishes with a flying splash at 2:00. This was the kind of crazy matchups you only saw on these shows.

Diamond Dallas Page v. Billy Kidman

Page is newly reinstated to WCW after his mysterious benefactor brought him back, and he hits Kidman with a backbreaker and goes to work on the arm. Kidman with a rollup for two and he tries the bulldog, but Page blocks with a faceplant and finishes with the Diamond Cutter at 1:47.

The Barbarian v. Hacksaw Duggan

Duggan immediately throws clotheslines to put Barbarian down, so Barbie bails to talk it over with Meng and get some advice. That advice? I don’t know, I don’t speak Tongan. Hope that helps. Back in the ring, Duggan tries a headbutt and that proves stupid, and they collide for a double down. Duggan is up first and tries to tape the fist, but Meng casually whacks him in the back of the neck to knock the tape out of his hands, and Barbarian charges and collides with his partner by accident. But then Duggan grabs the board and that’s a DQ at 3:29. Duggan is kind of an idiot.

The American Males v. The Steiner Brothers

Well this is kind of wild. This is the week after Slamboree and two days before the episode where Nitro goes to two hours and changes the business forever. Riggs gets a dropkick on Scott to start, but puts his head down and gets powerbombed. So it’s over to Bagwell, and he’s unable to suplex Rick but gets a monkey flip and dropkick. Bagwell to the top with a flying splash and that gets one. He goes up again and Rick catches him with a belly to belly on the way down and Scott runs him into the corner. Blind charge misses and it’s back to Riggs, who gets a double elbow for two. Everyone runs in and clotheslines are thrown all over the place, but Scott hits Riggs with the Frankensteiner and pins him at 3:10. This was fun!

Lord Steven Regal v. Sting

Regal stalls and refuses the lockup for a little bit, but Sting takes him down in a cradle for two and Regal pokes him in the eyes to take over. Regal beats on him with forearms in the corner and drops a knee on him, but Sting cradles him again for two. Sting with clotheslines to come back and he backdrops Regal out of the corner and hits him with a dropkick, but Regal tries his own cradle, and Sting reverses that for the pin at 3:23. Dusty notes that Regal calls that the English Muffin, but Sting overcame it.

YEAH BABY! MORE OF THIS! ALL OF THIS!