We pick up where he last left off, and that is week #3 of the Monday Night War. And of course throw in ECW TV for a bonus, because well because I watched it. So things are starting to get going, Raw was very… blah last week… with Nitro not doing a lot to really wow me either. So let’s see how everyone fares this week.
WWF Monday Night RAW – 1.15.96
-We get the very first “viewer discretion is advised” clip to start RAW, complete with a shot of Sunny laying on a pool table and McMahon saying Sunny has “used her influence” on interim President Gorilla Monsoon.
-Marty Jannetty vs. Owen Hart kicking off RAW. Owen wins with a bridge.
-Ugh, Pettingill. I was hoping we’d keep having Jim Ross to hype the Rumble.
-Pettingill announces the debut of the FREE FOR ALL. I didn’t know this hadn’t happened before now.
-Two guys will face off during the free-for-all…the winner will get #30, and the loser #1.
-Austin comes to the ring, and they still have yet to call him by his name…but here’s his RAW debut.
-Sunny conducts what’s supposed to be a seductive promo while shooting pool. She only half-succeeds.
-Back to the ring, and Austin’s facing some jobber. Oh, it’s Matt Hardy.
-Austin hits the Stun Gun, and it looks like he’s using that as a setup move for the Million Dollar Dream now. Hardy loses.
-HBK video. Nothing to see here.
-The Smoking Gunns against…”The Spiders”. Who the fuck are these guys? Gunns win.
-McMahon in the ring to interview Goldust. This could be funny. Goldust challenges Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Title at the Royal Rumble.
-ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha….Goldust says to Vince, “Mr. Television Announcer, is that an extra microphone in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?” Vince puts on the most uncomfortable face ever, and Lawler laughs hysterically…as do I.
-WOW, Lawler…”Goldust is here, he may be queer, get used to it, he’s your next Intercontinental Champion!” ……..
-Yankem and the Undertaker here in the main event. BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER!
-Undertaker wins, not surprisingly.
-Hendrix interview Goldust backstage, and Razor attacks him, which was obviously going to happen. Big beatdown backstage.
WCW Monday Nitro – 1.15.96
-Awesome…this Nitro is in black and white. Did the NWO take over already?
-Ric Flair against Sting for the WCW Title. Talk about hot-shotting matches. Geez.
-Lex Luger’s music hits, and the color comes back! It’s like he’s got the power of the Undertaker!
-Luger’s facing Savage.
-Wow…Luger actually made Savage submit with the Torture Rack.
-Sullivan/Hugh Morris against Pillman and Anderson…The DOD music hits…and the entire DOD hits the ring, ALONG with the IV Horsemen trailing behind them. What? So of course we have to get Okerlund in there.
-Anderson bitches at Pillman for not dressing for a “business meeting”…yet doesn’t say anything to Flair, who’s in his robe.
-Sullivan and Anderson call a peace treaty, and Sullivan says the Horsemen can borrow the Giant at the Clash. Not really sure why.
-Sullivan praises each of the Horsemen, and then trashes Pillman. Pillman starts screaming at Sullivan, and Anderson slaps the SHIT out of Pillman, and says to keep his mouth shut.
-Pillman is LIVID, but isn’t saying a word.
-Christ, ALREADY??? Public Enemy. Sigh. Apparently they were supposed to debut last week and were snowed in in New York.
-I do like how ECW billed TPE from South Central L.A., and WCW is billing TPE from South Philly. They’re facing the American Males.
-TPE wins, and they hit the Drive-By on Bagwell through TWO tables. So WCW was ok with this, but not with Sabu? What?
-Sting/Flair for the WCW Title. Somehow, Hogan against a DOD scrub is the main event, and not this.
-I love how WCW is hyping that the Clash is free, and that “you don’t have to call someone to pay for it”. As if they don’t run 10 fucking PPVs a year right now.
-Luger runs down as Jimmy Hart is on the ring apron, and Luger yanks the megaphone away from Hart – and right into Sting’s face. So….by accident? Nobody knows for sure. Luger hits the ring to take out Flair, but Hogan/Savage hit the ring and send Luger/Flair flying.
-Hogan/Savage explain to Sting (and Mean Gene!) that Luger hit him, and Sting goes back to confront Luger. Hogan bitches at Savage because he has a title shot last week and Hogan still doesn’t have one. Savage tells him to back the fuck up.
-Apparently Savage/Hogan vs. Giant/Flair is the main event at the Clash.
-Hogan and Meng in the main event. Awful.
-Amazingly, Hogan wins clean. Not amazing because of Hogan, but because it’s a Nitro main event.
ECW – 1.16.96
-More House Party 96 footage.
-Joey Styles talks about Shane Douglas going to the WWF due to the lack of hardcore style, due to injuries to his back. He said Douglas is back in ECW, but it’s unclear if he can be in the ring.
-Rey Mysterio Jr. does an interview backstage in Spanish, and Dances with Dudley’s interrupts and cuts a bunch of jibberish. Rey Rey wants no part of it.
-They close with Dreamer and Beulah in a hotel room. Beulah says she wants to feel Dreamer’s pain, and Dreamer tells the cameraman “Go”. Awful.
