SlyGuy21
1st Match: Rey Mysterio vs Ultimo Dragon, WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The main problem with this show is that it's not in front of a wrestling audience, it's in front of a bunch of probably-drunk bikers. The reason this is a problem, is because their reactions to matches are almost nonexistent, also expect a lot of motorcycles being revved throughout the show. That being said though, this match could've been way better. Compared to the way WCW started their last PPV, this is nothing, but it has some good spots. Mysterio wins, to zero enthusiasm, it kind of felt like they were just going through the motions here. Maybe if they were in front of wrestling fans, the quality would've been higher. Rating: 3/5 2nd Match: Scott Norton vs Ice Train. So Fire and Ice broke up, OK, cool. This match is alright for 5 minutes, maybe they could've had something here if either of the guys were interesting, but they kind of feel like clones of the Steiners. It's watchable, but only really for it's length. Rating: 3/53rd Match: Madusa vs Bull Nakano. The crowd actually cheers this match, probably because it's got women in it and the crowd's drunk. Again, the match is OK, but only because it's 5 minutes long. I feel like a broken record now, thankfully, the show really picks up from here. Rating: 3/54th Match: Chris Benoit vs Dean Malenko. This match is fantastic. It goes into double overtime, it's almost 30 minutes, and it's Benoit and Malenko pulling out all the stops. Great technical skill on display here, what else would you expect from these two. The ending might be viewed by some as a cop out, but I thought it made sense. Benoit's in a submission hold, and Nancy reaches into the ring to try and drag him closer to the ropes. Malenko loses focus and breaks the hold, this allows Benoit to get a quick roll-up for the win. I guess interference played a role in Chris' win here, but I'll probably allow it on my "Match of the Year" list because it's so damn good. Rating: 4.5/5 5th Match: The Steiner Brothers vs Harlem Heat, WCW World Tag Team Championships. The crowd absolutely hates Harlem Heat here, maybe it's a racist thing, I don't know, but they really want the Steiners to win. The match is good, with both sides playing up the crowd and getting good heat and pops. So when the Steiners lose by Harlem Heat cheating, the crowd starts to hurl trash into the ring. Is this just a WCW thing now? Am I gonna have to watch out for water bottles flying in from off-screen like Austin's beers? I hope not. The crowd actually added a lot to this match, mostly because they hated the champs so much. Rating: 3.5/5 6th Match: Ric Flair vs Eddie Guerrero, WCW US Heavyweight Championship. Another great match here. Flair does a great job getting Eddie over, and Eddie comes close to winning on several occasions. Even though Eddie was so young here, you can really see the talent and potential he had to make it big. I know what did in WWE later in his career, but hopefully he gets some titles during his WCW run. He doesn't here, Flair wins by cheating, but he did a great job pushing a young talent. Rating: 4/5 7th Match: The Outsiders vs Sting and Lex Luger. So now the NWO has a "fourth man", hopefully this doesn't become a reoccurring thing either, but they were still trying to get the NWO over as a threat, so I guess it makes sense here. The match is good, Sting and Luger do well, and Hall and Nash are great as heels here. The match has a constant flow, and the crowd's into it, then Nick Patrick chop blocks Luger and gives the Outsiders a fast-count win. So I guess Nick Patrick's the heel ref that'll side with the NWO for their matches. That should be fun. Rating: 3.5/5 8th Match: Hollywood Hogan vs Big Show, WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The crowd is completely backwards here, there are kids who cheer everything Hogan does, even though he does everything to make them boo him. He stalls, he bails the ring after every move, he threatens to leave, he cheats, he argues with the crowd, and they still cheer him. I feel like I'm in Bizarro World here. The match isn't very good from a wrestling standpoint, but Hogan's heel tactics are pretty entertaining to me. They were really trying to make him the scum of the Earth here, the crowd was just stupid. Hogan hits Big Show with the belt, gets the win, and then spray paints the NWO logo on the belt, an iconic moment to be sure. An OK match to end the show, but mostly because of Hogan's tactics. Rating: 3/5 Final Rating: 7 out of 10. Another solid showing from WCW here. There are no bad matches, and it did a job of pushing talent and making the NWO stronger. The biggest fault is the crowd. Had this been in front of a wrestling audience, the crowd would've been white hot, and the rating probably would've been higher because of it. If you can tolerate the crowd, you should be able to get through the show.
callanvass
(08.10.96)Live from Sturgis, South DakotaAttendance: 5,000Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes & Bobby HeenanCruiserweight ChampionshipRey Mysterio Jr. (C) Vs The Ultimo Dragon Mysterio wins with a frankensteiner from the top. What an awesome opener this was! It had everything you could imagine from these two. My only complaint is that The Ultimo Dragon not going for the pin on several occasions made him look really foolish. ****Scott Norton Vs Ice TrainNorton wins by submission with an arm hold. This was absolutely terrible in all aspects! It consisted of nothing but wear down holds, kicks, and punches. Neither wrestler was all that relevant anyways.*Madusa Vs Bull NakanoNakano hits a back suplex on Madusa, and Madusa gets her arm up to give Madusa the victory. This match was completely average. I've seen these two in action before, and they are capable of more than this. *3/4Dean Malenko Vs Chris Beniot (W/Woman & Miss Elizabeth)This match goes to DOUBLE overtime. After 30 minutes, Beniot wins with a roll-up. Holy sh***** what a match! These two literally wrestled for 30 minutes and wrestled their asses off. This match has EVERYTHING you could want. I'm sure there are people who will nitpick about the double overtime or how it went too long. If you're one of those people who nitpick, get your head examined! This is the true definition of a classic. It's why I love wrestling.*****Tag Team ChampionshipHarlem Heat (C) (W/Sister Sherri & Col. Rob Parker) Vs The Steiner BrothersHarlem Heat retains after interference from Sherri and Parker. Nothing was gonna be able to follow the match between Malenko and Beniot, I'll say that. However, this is simply an average match that has a really stupid ending as well. It made Harlem Heat look really weak. **United States ChampionshipRic Flair (C) (W/Miss Elizabeth & Woman) Vs Eddie GuerreroFlair pins Guerrero with the Figure Four. Yet another good match on this show! When it comes to quality wrestling on this PPV, I don't see how you could ask for much more than this. Flair and Guerrero alone is almost a lock for quality wrestling.***1/4The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall) Vs Sting & Lex LugerSting has Nash in the Scorpion Deathlock on the outside, and Luger has Hall in the Torture Rack. Referee, Nick Patrick chopblocks Luger and counts the three really fast to give The Outsiders the win. It's ironic that two of the worst matches on the card are gonna come from the main events. This was definitely mediocre and I know for a fact Hogan and The Giant won't do much better. This would start Nick Patrick's run as the corrupted referee.*1/2World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Giant (C) (W/Jimmy Hart) Vs Hulk HoganHogan wins after nailing The Giant in the head with the WCW belt. This is a really boring main event. Every match these two have had together has stunk. Hogan stalling to prevent cheers for him was smart, but they still cheered Hogan anyway, and it got tiresome after a while. Hogan slapped on way too many rest holds as well.*The Booty Man comes out with a birthday cake to help celebrate Hogan's birthday. Hulk Hogan and The Booty Man have been best friends for 22 years. Hogan talks about how Flair was incensed over The Outsiders attacking Arn Anderson. You should never mix business with friendship. Hogan attacks The Booty Man to send a message to The Four Horsemen. Hogan spray paints the belt with the letters N W O.7/10 overall.
amanwhorocks
1. WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Ultimate Dragon Vs. Champ-Rey Mysterio, Jr. - Freshy opener with some small mistakes. Mysterio retains. 8.5/10 2. Scott Norton Vs. Ice Train - Nothing special. Train had got injured arm, so he quickly gave up. 5.5/10 3. Bull Nakano Vs. Madusa - Nakano is great worker but massive "boring" chant occurred soon. 6/10 4. Dean Malenko Vs. Chris Benoit - One tough bout, they gave a life. Benoit finally won in over 20 minute match. 8.5/10 5. WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Steiner Brothers Vs. Champs-Harlem Heat Solid match, Harlem Heat retains. 7/10 6. U.S. Heavyweight Title Match: Eddie Guerrero Vs. Champ-Ric Flair - Another nicely watchable match, Flair retains like all the previous champs. 7/10 7. Kevin Nash/Scot Hall Vs. Sting/Lex Luger - Sting and Luger get screwed by ref Nick Patrick and lost. 6.5/10 8. WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Hulk Hogan Vs. Champ-Giant - Classic stiffy match. Hogan "new" champ. 5/10
