17 years ago today, Lex Luger battled Hollywood Hogan for the WCW Title on Nitro. Match is below. Over at PTBN is my full review of the show as well as the podcast review Scott and I had done a couple of years ago. Enjoy!
Vintage Vault Repost: WCW Monday Nitro 8/4/97
Vintage Vault Repost: WCW Monday Nitro 8/4/97
This was 17 years ago? Damn this makes me feel old.
ReplyDeleteThey should have given Luger more time after the hot shot.
Gotta love Tony acting like WWF's titles were meaningless. Man was that dude annoying.
ReplyDeleteEasily the greatest night in the history of our sport.
ReplyDeleteLuger would lose the title 6 days later and the Steiners got screwed as well. Needless to say, Scott's review was glorious
ReplyDeleteI believe this was the first 3 hour Nitro.
ReplyDeleteLuger winning the title was awesome. Hogan regaining the title five days later wasn't as awesome.
No reason to act like the competitions titles are really important.
ReplyDeleteLuger dropped the title 5 days later at Road Wild.
ReplyDeleteIf we were to make a list of "10 dumbest things Bischoff did wile running WCW", putting this match on free TV with no buildup and then having Hogan win the title back 5 days later has to be in the top 3. Why not have Luger win the title at Road Wild after, you know, getting people interested in buying the show, then have Hogan win it back after that? That would work I think, but what the fuck do I know, I never ran a promotion that lost $60 million in a year.
ReplyDeleteCommon mistake to make, I usually forget that Raod/Hog Wild was on Saturday night. IIRC Souled Out was on Saturday too.
ReplyDeleteDidn't they put Souled Out on Sunday starting in 1999?
ReplyDeleteYep, first three hour show. They wouldn't go full time three hours until 1998, this was a one time special for episode 100.
ReplyDeleteCrap that's right.
ReplyDeleteI´d agree if it was any other PPV than Road Wild, since that crowd would not had made that moment as special as the Nitro crowd did. Any other PPV, then yes.
ReplyDeleteIt's as mind boggling as Goldberg-Hogan being on free TV.
ReplyDeleteOnly 10?
ReplyDeleteCould have had Luger win the title at Road Wild then drop it at Fall Brawl.
The Nitro match did a huge number but the Road Wild buyrate was disappointing.
This still isn't on the Network? FAIL!
ReplyDelete/BitterFan
Still a great moment, even though Luger beating Hogan made little sense as they were building the "No one can beat the nWo until Sting comes back" for Starrcade.
Yeah but go back and watch WWE, they never did any of that this is the most prestigious title, most important night nonsense. "
ReplyDeleteMaybe. I took 1999 off, all 3 promotions were dumpster fires at that point. The Radicals and the amazing HHH/Foley feud brought me back.
ReplyDeleteRight, they usually just ignored everything else.
ReplyDeleteTony was just saying what he was told to say. One thing I notice a lot more now than I did back then was how badly Tony and Bobby were mailing it in.
ReplyDeletePretty awesome way to be brought back in..!
ReplyDeleteDidn't Luger have a world title reign in his contract?
ReplyDeleteI could imagine Uncle Eric in their ears from the back.
ReplyDeleteWell, that just says that the Sturgis PPV (FAGS!) was a fucking stupid idea to begin with. Remember how the crowd ruined that one Benoit match?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea, but it was still a ridiculous moment, regardless of contract status.
ReplyDeleteHe did? Damn. I was thinking maybe they wanted to a) honour Luger b) took a shot at WWF for not making Luger the champ vs Yoko in that same venue in 1993.
ReplyDeleteBooking and long term plans aside... this was an awesome moment. Luger was red hot all summer.
ReplyDeleteStill a fantastic moment
ReplyDeleteYes. I can live without ever watching any of those Road/Hog Wild events ever again. Just so wrong.
ReplyDeleteAny PPV where they brought in $0 in gate attendance revenue was a stupid fucking idea. The Road Wild shows, the Bashes ON THE Beach - all financial disasters!
ReplyDeleteAs with everything this time period, Hogan's Creative Control. He held the entire card hostage. Bischoff was probably lucky to get Hogan to give up the belt at all.
ReplyDeleteThe Bashes at least had a cooler venue to me, even though I agree with you on the rest.
ReplyDeleteGorilla called the WWF Champion "the greatest professional athlete in the world today." Little stuff like that is sorely missing.
ReplyDeleteJ.R. did his fair share of hyping the WWF title ("the most important title in the industry,")
No. That was too long ago.
ReplyDeleteThat was even worse, just because Bischoff should have learned when he fucked up the first time. Though that show did have the largest WCW crowd ever (42,000 or so, though have no idea how many were comped in, but being WCW I bet it was a lot) with NO buildup to that match at all, so it worked on one level.
ReplyDeleteI think Meltzer mentioned Luger had a world title reign written in his contract.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I blame Hogan more than anyone else for killing WCW (it was already all but dead when Russo got there, he just sped up the process), but had they not brought him in they probably would have shut down in the mid to late 90s. Weird.
ReplyDeleteI think aesthetically, they were both brilliant and looked cool. It's just surprising that it was OKed if anyone was asking about what kind of revenue they expected to bring in. When an entire column - attendance - is left blank, it should raise some questions.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, with all the talk about how much money WCW lost over the years, did anyone from AOL/Time Warner even check the financials for WCW, or were they wrapped up in a division that could handle the revenue hit? Did someone lump WCW in with the Braves or something?
Mr. Perfect and Stone Cold. Such simple ideas, really - and nobody could have pulled them off but the guys that played them. At least that's how it feels to me.
ReplyDeleteNext we'll have someone who tries to change the format and tells us we aren't allowed to lie or debate anything.
ReplyDeleteI've got dibs on the post after that person. That way I can ask a question and then deduct 10 upvotes from Peyton_Drinking for backtalk.
Getting yelled at for debating things....sounds more like Andy PG :rimshot:
ReplyDeleteI had to think abt it for like 10 seconds.
ReplyDelete"is he trying to be funny and say Jesus Christ... Jim Cornette.... Fuck... Im slow as shit... John Cena"
Always felt a sense of comfort when watching Mean Gene. Maybe it's because he looked like a Grandpa.
ReplyDeleteThe Road Warriors
ReplyDeleteTurned a couple of average wrestlers with awesome physiques into one of the most decorated tag teams of all-time. Drew money everywhere they went, whether as heels or faces... influenced UW, Sting, Powers Of Pain, Demolition, and more.. and yes I know that the movie inspired them, but the gimmick's success inspired those wrestlers.
I'm going to call him Steven.
ReplyDeleteHOLY BALLS
ReplyDeleteIs he a jam up guy?
ReplyDeleteAs is your right. Do you also call Robert DeNiro, "Bobby?"
ReplyDeleteThis question of the day job has more turnover than.... I don't know it's got a lot of people doing it. Maybe that should be the question of the day.
ReplyDeleteSaw Guardians today. If Dave had wait until after it came out to return for his big push maybe people wouldn't have shit all over him. Also Chris Pratt. And also I don't care what color you paint her, Zoe Sandala can get it from me.
I'm gonna have to see this movie, aren't I? I've heard nothing but awesome things about it.
ReplyDeleteTensai is too big. They are already moving towards a smaller breed of superstar, and him standing beside many of them will make you think that you're watching an episode of Little People Big World.
ReplyDeleteI may go the theatre (theee-ATE-er) to see this Guardians movie. There's a talking raccoon space pirate, which is a big negative, but I'm hearing good things, and Marvel doesn't have a lot of misses.
ReplyDeleteHaven't noticed that, no.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm being too cute with the answer but I think I'd have to say Undertaker, if for nothing else but efficiency's sake. So little to that gimmick, and no offense to Mr. Calloway but just about any tall wrestler could've pulled it off because he really had very little- almost nothing, really- in the way of match quality until the second decade of his career.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm being too dismissive of Calloway's talents in saying any tall dude could've done it- he did nail it, after all- but think about how little he actually had to do for such a long time.
And he was a main eventer for 20 years with that character, with only a three-year interlude doing anything remotely different, without any drop at all in popularity from 1990 to 2014. Perhaps he never was a singular draw the way Hogan/Austin/Rock/etc. were, but he wasn't...not a draw either, if that double negative makes sense.
Pratt and Big Dave are pretty awesome in it.
ReplyDeleteUndertaker pretty much nailed the gimmick on his first try.
ReplyDeleteHe can sit at a commentators table and he'll be just fine.
ReplyDeleteJohn Cena. He rises above hate, beats the odds and of course because Cena wins.
ReplyDeleteRaven.
ReplyDeleteThings that make no sense are also the norm in wrestling
ReplyDeleteNot a great editor given that your post misspelled "Return" (unless you are copying the post's original title, as it currently has return spelled correctly).
ReplyDeleteDag gummit!
ReplyDeleteUh, I mean, I edit OTHER PEOPLE's stuff. Not my own! Yeah, that's the ticket...
A whole network of nothing but classic Nickelodeon would be awesome. You Can't Do That On Television, Double Dare, Mr. Wizard, Snick, etc.
ReplyDelete"Put that cigarette out!"
ReplyDeleteThat guy was at all of the ECW shows on the front row. I don't know who he is though.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder how Sign Guy Rick Eichelberger (sp) can afford to go to every Raw and ppv.
ReplyDeleteJust go see it.
ReplyDeleteAs is Copper.
ReplyDeleteHe gets a lot of praise and a lot of grief, but the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes is a great character. The son of a plumber came from nothing to achieve his American Dream and take on the forces of EEE-vil in the form of the Horsemen.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things about the character is he didn't always win like hogan/cena . . he won just often enough.
I did tear up at the end lol
ReplyDeleteWas going to post the same thing - comparing gimmicks to characters is like, well, comparing apples to oranges.
ReplyDeleteI mean, as a brief "description", I love the idea of a wrestling ballroom dancer, but you can't really compare it to Steve Austin, ya know? Of course, a good performer will add their own layers to the character beyond the obvious descriptor - Fandango speech pattern, Bo Dallas' goofy grin, Doink's body language, etc. Jake Roberts' GIMMICK is "guy obsessed with snakes", but as a character, he basically *was* a snake.
The reverse is also true - a guy like Val Venis or Godfather got over initially because of their gimmicks, but they both had the personality of a rock (not THE Rock), and couldn't succeed outside of those gimmicks. Same with "World's Largest Love Machine" Viscera; it was fun for a few weeks, but then we all remembered that he's Viscera.
So, all that said, I think it's hard to argue that someone like Taker wasn't the best "gimmick", while someone like Austin wasn't the best "character".
Greatest gimmick: Undertaker.
ReplyDeleteGreatest character : Ravishing Rick Rude
More importantly than that he's actually David Tennant *____*
ReplyDeleteGimmick: Undertaker
ReplyDeleteCharacter: Hogan/Flair
Evil Foreigner. Has the biggest lifespan of any gimmick or character.
ReplyDelete