WCW Monday Nitro September 4, 1995 Results and Review The First Ever Nitro

The first ever WCW Monday Nitro aired in 1995. September 4, 1995 to be exact, and it would mark the show that would compete against WWF’s Monday Night Raw for years, and at one point beating it. In this new series, I’m going to go back and watch every single Nitro and review them from the beginning to the end. This is on conjunction to the current WWE product, and PPV reviews that I’m doing at random moments, because I’m a glutton.

WCW Monday Nitro premiered from The Mall of America in Minnesota. This was a one hour show that shoved a lot of wrestling, or at least it felt like a lot of wrestling into an hour, and with a few surprises, wasn’t half bad. Here is how it went down.

WCW Monday Nitro September 4, 1995 Results

Flyin Brian defeated Jushin Thunder Liger
Sting defeated Ric Flair via DQ (United States Title Match)
Hulk Hogan defeated Big Bubba Rogers (WCW World Heavyweight Title Match)

WCW Monday Nitro September 4, 1995 Review

Flyin Brian defeated Jushin Thunder Liger

The opening match was really cool. WCW had put this match on PPV and the two had wrestled in Japan a few times by this point, but it was nice to see them put on a quick match. The internet said it was only 6 minutes long, but I felt like it was longer. Brian Pillman is great here, and Liger is always fun to watch. The two went back and forth before Pillman picked up the big win. Great opener, showcasing the great cruiserweight division, before it was called such.

Sting defeated Ric Flair via DQ (United States Title Match)

Sting and Ric Flair wrestled a really good match, but was interrupted twice. The first interruption was from Lex Luger, as he would appear 1 day after he appeared on WWF television! The announce team acted like they didn’t know what was going on, and Luger said he wanted a title shot. After he left, Arn Anderson showed up and eventually got involved, beating up Ric Flair and causing the DQ. The two would meet at Fall Brawl 1995, where Pillman would cost Flair the match.

Scott Norton came out and demanded a title shot. Mongo got in his face, and eventually Macho Man came out and challenged him for next week.

Hulk Hogan defeated Big Bubba Rogers (WCW World Heavyweight Title Match)

Hulk Hogan and Big Bubba Rogers put on an ok match, with Hogan getting the win with his usual moves of doom. Rogers is so agile for a big man, it’s always fascinating to see him wrestle. Hogan and Rogers are no strangers to one another as you may recall Rogers was The Big Boss Man in WWF where he feuded with Hogan for years.

That was it. In 1 hour, the WCW product showed some of their biggest names, and it was just getting started. I liked it. I will have to go back and watch the first ever Monday Night Raw, but for now, here’s this quick review of the first ever Nitro, which wasn’t half bad. It flew by, and the matches were ok at best. Flair and Sting are always fun to watch, even if the match broke down into chaos. Pillman, what a talent, sad to know he’s gone.

WCW Starrcade 1996 Results and Review

WCW Starrcade 1996

Here we go, another review that I can guarantee is better on VHS than on the WWE Network. Regardless, here is my take on the event as it was. Today, we’re talking about WCW Starrcade 1996, and all of the ups and downs that occurred.

The event took place on December 29, 1996. I tweeted at Eric Bischoff about this event, and he tweeted me back, because I mentioned how great the opening match was. The attendance on this show was 9,030 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. This was the last PPV event for the 1996 year, and over on the WWF side, they had a crappy In Your House. Now, let’s see how well this event came through, with a few notes of interest.

WCW Starrcade 1996 Results

Ultimo Dragon defated Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight and J-Crown Championship
Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa for the WCW Women’s Championship
Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.
Jeff Jarrett defeated Chris Benoit in a NO DQ Match
The Outsiders defeted The Faces of Fear in the WCW World Tag Team Championship match
Eddie Guerrero defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Title
Lex Luger defeated The Giant
Roddy Piper defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan

WCW Starrcade 1996 Review

Ultimo Dragon defeated Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight and J-Crown Championship

This match was a great example of how to turn on the heat in a Cruiserweight title match. Dragon was flying around the ring and Malenko was trying to stop him. Overall, he wasn’t able to get the Japanese and Lucha star to go down, and in the end, after around 20 minutes, this match was in the books with Dragon being the new champion.

Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa for the WCW Women’s Championship

Madusa was awesome, and didn’t get her dues, I think. Hokuto put on a show here, putting the boots to Madusa, and eventually getting the win. Madusa looked to be legit hurt in this match.

Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.

Talk about another classic, Jushin Thunder Liger and Rey Mysterio Jr. in their prime! This was a 15 minute match that was very much back and forth. There was a little confusion on the finish, but overall, this is an instant classic. This is a great example of how to throw down a cruiserweight match, just because. The crowd got into it with the escalation of moves.

Jeff Jarrett defeated Chris Benoit in a NO DQ Match

Not a great match. Didn’t really care for this one, but hey it was ok, I guess.

The Outsiders defeated The Faces of Fear in the WCW World Tag Team Championship match

The Outsiders put the boots to the Faces of Fear, and won this match in about 15 minutes. It wasn’t that good. Hall and Nash were not putting in a lot of work in these matches, and well it showed. There were a few moments of interest, but overall, this wasn’t a great showing for the tag titles.

Eddie Guerrero defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Title

You would think that these two guys would have more chemistry, but it wasn’t to be had, yet. This was a boring affair, with Eddie Guerrero getting the big win. I didn’t really think that these guys hit their stride until 1998, but hey, that’s just my two cents. \

Lex Luger defeated The Giant

No, Luger didn’t rack the Giant. This is the BIG SHOW, by the way, and he’s awesome. The Giant was awesome back then, and this match shows. Luger and Giant put on a good match, with Giant even getting a top rope move in. Great stuff from Luger, selling for Giant, and well, this was a fun match to watch.

Roddy Piper defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan

The crowd went nuts for this match. It’s what you would expect from two 40 something year old men. Overall, a good brawl, but after about 15 minutes, Hogan was put to sleep. This wasn’t for the title, but the crowd went ballistic when Piper won by submission.

Overall, WCW Starrcade 1996 wasn’t a great PPV, but it had some solid performances. The cruiserweight matches are well worth watching, and the last two matches are a lot of fun overall. Sting was in the rafters, and well, that ended WCW’s 1996. A good year if you ask me, and this PPV was better than a lot of the WWF stuff that was going on, although it would flip.

I recommend buying WCW Starrcade 1996 on VHS here, instead of the WWE Network, as the Network has butchered the music, and edited the fans signs, and more.