The Monday Nitro Workrate Report
A weekly look at what did and didn't work on Monday Nitro by Dean Rasmussen
Monday, September 22nd, 1997
What Worked
- REY MISTERIO Jr vs SILVERKING was pretty choice for a five minute deal.
The reverse El Samurai-Killer Hurricanrana whipped ass by Rey, as did the
springboardish corner spinkick by SilverKing. The Eddy angle fills me with
delight and excitement in that it will force me to order a PPV with the main
event featuring Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper! IN 1997! BOY! I hope Eddy/Rey is
half as good as I think it could be! Cheap cynicism aside, Rey vs Eddy is
gonna be freakin great, but SilverKing vs Rey or Eddy would be just as great
with right push and right time limit. They need to get Silver King in the
mix already- he's too good to be Man Who Makes the Cruiserweights Look Good.
Eddy vs Silver King in a REAL match would be amazing. Eddy vs Rey in a real
is gonna be amazing. AMAZING!
-ALEX WRIGHT vs DISCO INFERNO was the best match they've had in USWA in
years! Das WunderLawler has the Memphis stall down like a true
Elvis-worshipper. Austin Inferno worked real hard and Alex Wright is coming
on as of late as a heel who can work as he gets heat so I had no beef with
this match at all. It had good build to a finish, the seldom used Memphis
"I'm punching you back so I'm winning now" come back, and they both outwork
sack of shit Jeff Jarrett, so I was digging it. Of course, neither of these
guys should have the TV belt (I mean Regal to UD to Wright to DI to SCotty
Riggs to Mark Starr to Denny Brown), but it was a good match anyway. For
Memphis.
-HEY! KENDALL WINDHAM has NEVER been this good when he was pre-EX-CON. What
the FUDGE was up with that rolling kneebar?!? I freaked out. They must
allow Pancrase tapes in the Hoose-Gow these days. I guess Hugh Morris
hasn't signed yet or they are gonna feud, or something. If Goldberg does
other cool submission holds, I'll definately be stoked. I'm glad that he is
back making an honest living. Hugh Morris ain't good, by the way. The
dream is over.
-The VILLANO IV and V/PSICOSIS/LAPARKA vs JUVENTUD GUERRERA/LIZMARK
JR/CICLOPEELOWEEN/ ULTIMO DRAGON was ULTRA-FANTABULOUS. Juventud is such
the man. Golly! He ruled in this match. I loved the Mr Aguila plancha that
he did, though Juventud did it faster than the younger punk ever has.
Ciclope wasn't afraid to break his legs and crush his own skull in one fell
swoop- which you gotta love. He's not smooth but he is fearless. Lizmark
continued his Nitro Choke by blowing the FSTD- but hell! it's cooler to miss
a Flying Space Tiger Drop than to execute a perfect reverse chin lock. The
best part and the part that was cool on WCW's part was when they stuck to
one handheld for the entire finish starting at the highspot clump. Very
James Cameron-esque. The Villano Old-Style Tope was CHOICE!
-HEY! Hector Garza goes over Hall clean. You gotta love that. Maybe I
don't hate the nWo.
What Didn't Work
-AWWW CRAP. What's up with this Jaquelyn/DI angle? Didn't they realize
that Col Parker is gone and that this kind of Cornette angle smokes a hog to
the nth degree. Howabout a Nitro Girl Battle Royal instead. WOO-HOO! This
is gonna kill DI before he can go to Japan and learn how to really wrestle,
like Chavo Jr did.
-The Jarrett vs Hennig match was almost good for a second there. The fact
that everybody puts Jarrett's sorry ass over and he loses only by screwjob-
after FUCKING SCOTT HALL puts Garza over semiclean- makes me wish Shithead
Jarrett was back wrestling Billy Joe Travis in a Promotion that I don't get
on my TV.
-Steiners vs FoF (EGADS~! THOSE PANTS!) wasn't good wrestling, but the
Steiners put them over clean and if Rick Steiner is gonna hit a sloppy as
hell suplex and fuse another wrestlers vertebrae, it might as well be Meng,
I guess. WARNING: DO NOT PUT SCOTT STEINER NEAR OPEN FLAME.
-Hogan getting his ass kissed by Bischoff wasn't supposed to be ironic
(because I guess it isn't) so I guess that whole interview didn't work like
they wanted it to. Hogan looked kinda slick in the sleeveless Flair Robe,
actually. Talk about heat.
-Stevie Richards shouldn't be anywhere near Savage. I see WCW is still
keeping their perfect record of protecting young talent.
-Roddy Piper is so Clara Peller-esque these days, in the loks department.
Maybe Bea Arthur. Roddy Piper's big profound statement was a bunch of stale
jokes that makes Jerry Lawler's sound like Lenny Bruce, the pre-trial days.
"Zbysko will referee." Yep. There you have it- the PROFOUND STATEMENT.
Unless I'm wrong, I think that was Oscar Wilde's actual last words. "Either
these curtains go or I do. Zbysko will referee....."
THERE YOU HAVE IT!
DEAN!
