The title of the DVD is misleading. Sure, some of the best moments/matches from WCW Monday Nitro are on this DVD, but really it’s just a History of Nitro DVD. The people on the cover are the ones you’ll see in every match, so if you don’t enjoy their work, you know what to do. I feel like this is all a part of Vince’s Anit-WCW lifestyle. He wanted this to represent what was wrong with WCW, while sprinkling in some of what was right. I believe Vince wants reviewers like myself to shoot this down, so people don’t buy this, and he won’t have to make another WCW product ever again. It’s is a bit of a double edged sword when you look at it this way. I just wish this was marketed as what it truly is. It’s just a chronological re-telling of the Rise and Fall of WCW, which is already a WWE DVD release, and this should be volume 2.
There are so many snubs on this DVD it’s crazy. Chris Jericho has one match, Eddie Guerrero has two, and Curt Henning, Chavo, Great Muta, Scott Norton, Huge Morrus, Norman Smiley, Perry Saturn, Raven, Bam Bam Bigelow, Mike Awesome, Vampiro, and many others (Glacier?) have none. Overall, I want there to be more releases from WCW’s back catalog, and since Vince already used most of the bad stuff, I’d say it could only get better. A lot of the entrances are clipped/removed, and so is a lot of the entrance music (even Goldberg’s). WWE didn’t want to pay licensing fees again, but since they won’t even do it for WrestleMania, why would they for WCW?
DDP is the perfect host for this set. I can’t believe they let him say that he thought WCW had a more talented roster than WWE.
Jushin Liger v Brian Pillman (***): Nobody moves around a ring quite like Jushin Liger. The crowd loses some steam when Pillman fails on a head scissors try. Liger’s surfboard pulls them back into it. Heenan and Mongo’s back and forth on commentary is top notch. This match has injury written all over it. The ending is blah, but Liger putting Pillman over was class.
WCW World Championship Match: Hulk Hogan(C) w/Jimmy Hart v Big Bubba Rogers (***): A brawl from the get go. Luckily Bubba (Bossman) is one of the better big man brawlers to ever wrestle. The ref pulling Hulk’s hair was heel. No wonder he turned on WCW (New, new, NEW WORLD ORDER). Hogan’s elbow drop spot still gets me. Bubba is smart. Instead of pinning Hogan straight after his finisher, and Hogan kicking out, he taunts for a few seconds to maintain the mystery. The memorable part of this match is supposed to be Lex Luger showing up to save Hogan, and the showdown between them (w/Macho Man and Sting), but it’s hardly even worth the mention I’ve given it.
Arn Anderson & Ric Flair v Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan (****): Flair’s first chop to Hogan is the hardest chop I’ve ever heard, and Hogan no sells the hand print on his chest. Arn can be just as funny as Flair sometimes. Flair going to the top rope for a bodyslam is too funny. He’s one of the very few wrestlers who has as many signature bump spots as he does offensive moves. Flair and Savage carry the majority of the action. It was nice of them to get the match finish in before the run-in. That’s the difference between this era, and the soon-to-be NWO era (and TNA/Impact).
WCW World Tag Championship Match: Sting and Lex Luger (C) v The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) (***): Road Warriors get the “LOD!” chant as the match begins. They were over everywhere, all the time. Luger takes the heel heat, and the match is done well (albeit quickly). Sucks LOD didn’t stick around long to see where this would have gone. I enjoyed their blue color scheme in this one.
Belfast Brawl: Belfast Bruiser (Fit Finley) v Steven Regal (**): One of the best uses of motor vehicles in wrestling history. WCW gave everyone a chance to shine at one point or another. Finley and Regal are two guys that could work any match to a quality rating. The commentators attempting to come up with puns was funny. This was a good example of a match that came of like a fight. The finish on the blue car was rough. Neither man really sells the beating.
Eddie Guerrero v Ric Flair (w/Woman & Elizabeth) (*****): I love the build up in this match. You’ll see few matches with a better chop battle than this one. Ric Flair’s actions outside the ring go further in creating heat than months of work from some guys on TV today. It’s funny to see Eddy already hanging with the best here, but still about a decade away from a world title. This is as good of a match as you’ll find from this era. Both guys make their pain seem so believable. This is one of the few times you’ll see Flair win via PINFALL while using the figure 4.
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