WCW Monday Nitro: January 1, 1996
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00:00Hello, everybody, and
00:29welcome to the home of the world champion Atlanta Braves, and now the home of the number
00:46one wrestling program anywhere in the world, World Championship Wrestling, live, Nitro,
00:52TNT, and what a broadcast we have for you tonight. The WCW world title on the line. Bobby,
01:02Mongo, in case our fans have been vacationing the holiday season somewhere in a third world
01:07country where the news didn't get to them, the Nature Boy, Ric Flair, has made history and
01:12become the world heavyweight champion for the 12th time. Unprecedented, but tonight,
01:18he will put that title on the line against Hulk Hogan. That's right, baby, and these fans are
01:24pumped up because they know they're going to see something tonight. Mr. Hogan is off suspension as
01:29of today. He's going to be a house on fire, baby, and I'm looking forward to Mr. Flair's 12th
01:35world title to be one of the shortest reigns he's had. It's going to be over tonight. What do you
01:40think, Bobby? Well, I doubt if lightning can strike twice in the same place, and I'm talking
01:44about Hulk Hogan beating Ric Flair twice within a year, but I'll tell you this. The match,
01:49Randy Macho Man Savage has asked for Arn Anderson in the match. I thought, kick off the evening
01:54tonight. He's got it in his heart. He was job. He was beaten. He thinks that Arn Anderson's the
01:59reason Flair has the title. This is going to be a war. It's going to be a war, and that's the way
02:02we're going to kick things off here on Nitro. We've got a lot of big news coming your way throughout
02:07the broadcast. Also, what about Sting, Lex Luger? Last time we saw them at Starrcade,
02:12the closing moments of that matchup with these two guys. I mean, I'll tell you what,
02:15I don't think there's too much love lost between these two. Well, they're supposed to be very,
02:19very good friends, but it looked like a couple of weeks ago they stared at each other. There's
02:24heat there. All right, well, let's kick it off. Let's get down to the ring. 1996 Nitro coming
02:29your way. The birds going to fly tonight on WCW Monday Nitro Live from Atlanta, Georgia.
02:48Making his way to the ring, and this guy, I'll tell you what, the Nitro boy Ric Flair is wearing
02:53the WCW World Heavyweight Crown, but he can't be proud. Even a four horseman can't be proud,
02:59of the way Ric Flair won the World Heavyweight Title. Well, there was just blatant interference,
03:04and that's period, baby. That's all you can say about it. He came in the ring and interfered.
03:09There was no way Ric Flair should be the World Champion. Oh, let me tell you something,
03:12McNuggets. When you won the Super Bowl, I'm sure you were holding. I'm sure those people
03:17on your team cheap shot at somebody. You do what you have to do. That's simple. There's
03:21a difference between a cheap shot. I'll tell you what, the four horsemen came out of it like the
03:25cast of a bad Hell's Angels movie. Well, it's obvious he hit Flair with something. It's obvious
03:32he hit him. Well, you watch Savage. He's not going to be 100% mentally in that ring, because
03:38he's got a lot of animosity himself. Arn Anderson, the thinking wrestler, he's going to show you what
03:43it is to be on the mat. There, simple. Watch this. The Macho Man Randy Savage is in trouble in the
03:49opening moments of this contest. Arn Anderson wasting absolutely no time, jumps the gun,
03:54goes after the Macho Man. The Macho Man fires back with a front kick to the solar plexus,
03:58big right hand to the side of the head. Down goes Arn Anderson, and we are off,
04:01rocking, rolling, kicking, and punching our way into 1996. There you go. Slap him with those
04:08screamers off that jacket, baby. Look at Savage. He's not concerned with pinning the man or beating
04:13the man. He just wants to hurt Arn Anderson. Arn Anderson has taken, as he feels, millions and
04:18millions of dollars away from him, because he's no longer WCW Heavyweight Champion, and one of
04:23the horsemen, Ric Flair, is. Hey, congratulations to all the winners of the bowl games and scores
04:27we've got now. Penn State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Big Up South Florida, Colorado. Congratulations
04:32to those teams. And in the wall bowl, toilet bowl, whatever that's called, smoking guns won it.
04:38Forget about it. Stick right here. We are live. This is where the action is. We don't even want
04:42to get into talking about the Kitty Cat League over there. Look at this. This is what you're
04:47talking about, wrestling fans. When these two guys get together, they are consummate wrestlers.
04:51They will systematically take their opponent apart. I'll tell you something about Arn Anderson.
04:57Like you said, Mongo, he's going to find that arm in a minute on Savage, and he's
05:02going to go to work on it. Piece by piece, he's going to dismantle Macho Man. The Macho Man,
05:07Randy Savage, say what you will, this athlete had so many title defenses leading up to Starcade.
05:13He put his title on the line. He has put his well-being on the line, and he has suffered
05:18tremendously at the hands of athletes like, for example, the Giant. Nevertheless,
05:25the Macho Man, Randy Savage, now fighting his way in his match with Arn Anderson. The Macho Man,
05:31Randy Savage, lost that World Heavyweight Championship that meant so much to him
05:35at Starcade. That's it, Macho. That's it. There you go. And you were talking about all the title
05:42defenses he had, all the title defenses he gave everybody. He was never 100%. This man's not
05:47healthy yet. The epitome of a working champion. That's it, Macho. Keep working on him. Don't let
05:57him get up and discover you've got tape on that arm. He's got Arn Anderson reeling.
06:02And remember, whenever you see one horseman, there's always three others lurking around
06:06someplace. I know. I'm getting tired of all this interference. What's going on?
06:09Well, then do something about it. I might. Just one of these, and I might do it with
06:13your body in between us. Want me to hold your dog? Randy Savage. Randy Savage going after him
06:22with a big elbow. WCW. Often imitated, but hey guys, it can't be duplicated. Thank you very much.
06:33You see, like I said earlier, Savage is making no effort to try to outwrestle this man
06:37or try to out hurt the man or anything. He just wants to finish him off. There he goes.
06:43There he goes. I have said it so many times, Mongo, Arn Anderson knows more ways to break more bones
06:50than anybody in this sport. He is one very dangerous human being, and he is all over the
06:56Macho Man, Randy Savage, who is already in trouble. Look at him. If I've seen it once,
07:01I've seen it a thousand times with Mr. Arn Anderson wrestling. If he finds a weakness,
07:05he is going to work on that thing. And you're right about that, Mr. Heenan.
07:09I'll tell you about Arn Anderson. This man can break every bone in a chicken leg and never touch
07:14his skin. I'll tell you what, the Macho Man, Randy Savage, you saw Arn Anderson going for that
07:18hammerlock body slam. The Macho Man, Randy Savage, fortunately, had his wits about him,
07:22able to pull that arm from out behind him. Otherwise, he might be out of this sport permanently.
07:27And now the Macho Man, Randy Savage fires away, kicks out of midsection, takes Arn Anderson into the rail.
07:33Dig a couple of teeth out of that metal, Mr. Anderson. That was a sweet move, Mr. Heenan.
07:37That's how it feels outside the ring. But you just wait a minute. This Arn Anderson knows what
07:41he's doing. He's a thinking athlete. He's a thinking man's wrestler. He should be in the
07:45who's who. Arn Anderson now, he is not going for the pin. He is going for permanent injury here.
07:52This reminder coming up, Chris Benoit, Lord Steven Regal coming your way. You're also going
07:57to see Lex Luger, Instinct, a lot of controversy here as they take on the Super Assassins. And of
08:02course, the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair, defends against Hulk Hogan. Back off
08:10suspension. And I shudder to think if Hulk Hogan starts off 96 like he ended 95, he could be back
08:17on suspension real quick. And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Okay, there we go, catering to our
08:23fans again. We've got matches tonight. They should be on pay-per-view, but they're getting them free
08:29baby. Absolutely. WCW, the C stands for commitment to the fans, to the viewers at home.
08:36We give you the best each and every week and want to thank all of you for making 1995 the
08:42most successful year in WCW history. Look how we're starting off 96. What else is going to
08:48happen? Oh, look at this. He's going for the post. He's going for the post. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no.
08:54Not only is he going to break that arm, he's going to tear the tape off of it for him so the
08:59doctor don't have to do it. You know if Wade Boggs could swing a bat like Arn Anderson can move that
09:03arm, he'd win the batting title more often. Come on Arn. Unwrap that arm and shove all that gauze
09:10down his throat. The Macho Man Randy Savage and a receiving end of a chicken wing arm bar. The
09:13Macho Man, he's got to get, he's got to get up. He has got to mount an offense because right now
09:18this is all Arn Anderson's match. Mongo, he is in control. This is his style of game right here.
09:24He's wearing him down, just like I said, systematically. He was going to find that
09:28elbow sooner or later when he got the chance to get up on Macho and that's just what he's doing.
09:32He's working on this thing. He might get a submission hold if he hyperextends that thing.
09:37But I've never seen Savage give up. I've never heard the man quit. He's going to have to,
09:41like the old cliche goes, take off the arm and beat him with it. And you watch,
09:44Anderson will go for no other part. He is going for that arm.
09:49Well, he better start working on that head a little bit because you're not going to be able
09:52to pin Macho unless he's out of his senses. I don't care if his arm's hurting or not,
09:57but he's still a human being. He can only take so much. Get him off the hair, ref.
10:04The Macho Man Randy Savage still not able to mount much of an offense here and now fires away
10:15with the right hand. He's got some distance between himself and Arn Anderson. Arn Anderson
10:18backing up. He's in the corner. The Macho Man free now, but he's hurting. He is hurting.
10:24That was not a good move hitting with your sore arm, Macho. You know,
10:27Savage has even made that statement that he believes Arn Anderson hit him with a foreign
10:31object. And he believes it. There's no, there's no bones about it. He did it. It was obvious.
10:37Brass knuckles, a megaphone, you name it. They used it in that thing.
10:45Arn Anderson ducks under. Now you're going to know if Macho's a true champion or not.
10:54If he can get up from that. Just think about Arn Anderson. How many times has he held the title
10:59of a champion? He's in the rope. He's in the rope. Savage, a former world champion. I mean,
11:03just look at it. Luger, former world champion. Singh, former world champion. Hogan, former world
11:08champion. Flair, champion of the world. I mean, look at what we got right here on Nitro and it's
11:12just the beginning of the year. This is it. WCW, it doesn't get any bigger. It doesn't get any
11:18better. We are on a roll. And the Macho Man Randy Savage has got to get on a roll real quick.
11:26Randy Anderson down. And what is this? He's got into tights again, just like he had at Stargate.
11:34There you go. That's good for the goose. It's good for the gander, baby. At least he put him
11:40back when he was done. There you go. That's not right. That's not right. It was a polite thing
11:45to do. He put him back. Somebody needs to put a muzzle on that rabid dog. He's out of control,
11:54Pillman. He's really out of control. He is a loose, loose. And now Benoit joins. I'll tell
12:01you what. Oh, sure. A horseman was taken advantage of. I mean, they all have an interest here.
12:09Yeah. I'll tell you what. If Benoit and Pillman ever bite me, I'm going straight for rabies shots.
12:14I'll tell you what, though. Where's Flair? The gutless world heavyweight champion. The man who's
12:19walking around with his world title so proud. Where is he? He didn't want any part of him.
12:23He's preparing. The macho man. Take a look at this. Savage. If he'd have hit him with that,
12:28he'd have taken his head off. Arn Anderson knows what he's doing here. Slaps him in that DDT,
12:33but it doesn't work. Savage somehow gets to his feet. Arn Anderson adjusting his inner tights
12:38there. Yeah, he's giving me a break. Clear shot of it. The thing to protect his hand. But watch
12:43this. This is great. They're going to pick it up and use it on him. Savage takes advantage of it.
12:48That's the second best part. This is the best part. He put him back. Thank you very much,
12:51Arn Anderson. Hey, you don't know what he was using him for down there, my friend. I know
12:56exactly what Savage is up to. I know exactly what's going through Savage's mind. He is fighting fire
13:00with fire. You gotta love it. The macho man, Randy Savage. I don't think he wouldn't like to
13:07get his hands. Coming up next, Chris Benoit, Lord Steven Regal. Right here, live on Nitro.
13:16Welcome back. WCW Nitro. And we are live right here on TNT. Coming to you from Atlanta,
13:27GA. And this is where the biggest boys play. Make no mistake about it. It doesn't get any bigger.
13:35It doesn't get any better. Forget about that raw ball nonsense. Smoking guns,
13:39one of them was born to begin with. This is where the action is. What's going to happen
13:43when Hulk Hogan steps into the ring with the new World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair? You'll find
13:48out tonight. He is live on the main event. Atlanta may burn again. It's going to be hot.
13:54It is going to be hot. Look at these two guys. The Canadian Crippler against the man from Great
13:59Britain. This is going to be Canada succeeding from Great Britain, my friend. There ain't going
14:04to be a Commonwealth after this match is over. Well, this is going to be a great match because
14:08they're both mad wrestlers. They both have a tremendous knowledge of wrestling. They're both
14:12about the same age. Regal's a little taller, has a little more weight. I think Benoit's in
14:17a better condition and he's a horseman. Regal's also got a real bad knee. Watch out for that.
14:24And where's the Earl of Eaton? Chris Benoit. Horseman all the way.
14:31They call him the Canadian Crippler.
14:33And he is one tough individual. Poor horseman. You know, I love it when two evil schnooks get
14:44in the ring together and beat on each other. It's pure pleasure to watch. Yeah. You don't
14:48know what's going to happen here. This is WCW. You got Benoit. You got Regal. You got two guys
14:54that nobody likes. They don't like each other. It really doesn't matter. Oh yeah. Benoit going
15:00for the collar and elbow hookup. What are you saying over there, Bobby? You like him?
15:05Well, I like Benoit. I like Benoit and I also like his lordship. Nice takedown there. You know,
15:10you got a lot to say, Bobby. If your breath didn't stink so bad, maybe people would listen.
15:15Are you speaking to me? No, but don't. Regal in control, gets a one count. Benoit so strong
15:23in this position, able to make a big kip up and then a headbutt. Did you see him come up?
15:28Had three successive headbutts and Benoit is up and he is going after Lord Steven Regal.
15:36And Regal, I'll tell you what, you cannot underestimate Lord Steven Regal.
15:40This is a guy. Oh, there he is. He's talking about champions, Hammer and Hank Aaron.
15:46Here with us and I'll tell you what. 755 home runs, ladies and gentlemen. This is a man who,
15:53if he'd have listened to me, he'd have hit 800. Has made history.
15:57And he is, he is where, he is here with us tonight enjoying Nitro. And I'll tell you what,
16:03he knows where the big boy is playing. Like my friend Yuka would say, he's sitting in the
16:07front row. Must be in the front row.
16:13I was about to say Lord Steven Regal, he started wrestling at such a young age, 15 years old.
16:18From what I understand, he has wrestled in the tar pits in India. Not too many athletes can say
16:24that. Not too many would admit it, I think, if they could. Well, it shows you how he tried to
16:28perfect his craft. I mean, the man will wrestle any place, anywhere. He worked that hard to get
16:33where he is now, right here at WCW on Nitro. I don't think I've ever seen a chin lock
16:39perfected in quite that manner. That was kind of a reverse thing.
16:43Benoit now talking about reversing. Benoit reverses the advantage here.
16:48Now I've got to go with Benoit right here. And I'll tell you why, because Regal's been
16:52wrestling in tag matches lately, him and the Earl of Eaton. And I don't know if he's had that many
16:56single matches. Nice drop toehold takedown by Regal. And Regal now punishing Benoit.
17:02But Benoit is tough. He is double tough and he can take a pounding.
17:07And in case you just joined us. Yes, indeed, you have heard it correctly.
17:12Hulk Hogan is back. He is off suspension and he is going to be taking on the new
17:17World Heavyweight Champion for the title here tonight on Nitro.
17:23We are live and who knows what is going to happen. Everybody knows what's going to happen. Chaos,
17:30baby. Chaos. The most powerful form in the universe today. Chaos.
17:35Reversal there. Short clothesline attempt by Chris Benoit. Duck under.
17:39And back suplex. Up and over. And a perfect illustration of the power and the technique
17:46of Chris Benoit. I'll guarantee you Paul Orndorff is wincing after seeing that. After what Benoit
17:51and Flair and Anderson did to him. Piledriving him on a cement floor. He's still wearing a neck brace
17:55and you do not want to make Paul Orndorff mad. Yeah, from what I understand, Orndorff may be
18:00facing surgery because of that. Career ending it could be. Just a little surgery never hurt
18:05anybody. Be back in two weeks. Take it from somebody who's been there. What? Three dozen
18:11times? Oh, at least. Up and over. Butterfly suplex goes Benoit. Regal in position. One, two, and
18:21Benoit just too strong. This is just a guy you cannot keep down.
18:25One, two, and again. Benoit has got enough endurance, enough stamina.
18:33It's another guy you got to systematically take apart because if you let him up off the mat,
18:38he's going to beat you silly. And they haven't stopped. They've been going at each other
18:42head first since the bell rang. Lex Luger and Sting teaming up here tonight. Elbows
18:51to the face. And I'll tell you what, you're talking about opposites attracting Lex Luger
18:54and Sting. That's going to be bizarre, especially after what we saw at Starrcade.
18:58Will they get along? Big question mark. You have to get along.
19:04And these assassins, they're well over six feet, seven and eight.
19:07They're over 300 pounds and they're managed by the Colonel.
19:10They are dangerous indeed. But, you know, I saw the look in Sting's eyes at Starrcade.
19:15He was not too happy. Airborne. Holy smokes. He showed up on
19:22radar over at Hartsfield Airport here, downtown Atlanta with that.
19:28I think what about Sting and Luger? Sting needs to wake up and smell the roses. He's
19:32in there helping Luger. But do you see Luger coming in and backing him up at any time?
19:37I don't think so. Well, they're friends. I don't know what friendship ever got anybody except
19:41you have to buy cars and say hello. Oh, look at this, guys.
19:48Piledriver. The man who is perfected that move as of late. You're right. He's going to need some
19:54vertebrae surgery after this wrestling match. That's why he's been slammed on the back of his
19:59neck. I'll tell you, friends are like fish. After three days, they stink. Up over the top rope and
20:05nobody there. He gets nothing but concrete. Yeah, Bobby keeps talking about it. Those guys
20:11flying over the rope and going into the concrete week after week. Sometimes that don't pay off.
20:16No, it don't. The cripple may have crippled himself.
20:28Benoit knocked himself out on the concrete. He was out. He didn't really beat Benoit. Benoit
20:34beat himself. But it's a win. He'll take it. But the attention and the ire. Let's take a look at
20:50it right here. Look at this. It looks like he's going for a piledriver here, but Benoit's kicking
20:55his feet. He switches the balance, switches the weight here. Now he's going to piledrive Regal.
21:00Regal's kicking his legs here, but he can't do it. He gets piledrived. But does Benoit have
21:05enough to cover him? No. He comes off that top rope, over the top rope, hits that floor very,
21:10very hard. May have put himself out. Regal throws him into the ring. He knows he's wounded. He knows
21:15he's hurt. He goes for the cover for the one, for the two, for the three. And there's your winner.
21:20His lordship, Steven Regal. All right. Let's go now to mean Gene Okerlund. Thank you very much,
21:27Eric, and Happy New Year, everybody. Maybe a little too much of the bubbly for Chris Benoit
21:32last evening. This was a great performance, but not good enough. Brian Pillman. What the hell
21:38are you guys thinking? Just five days after the symbol of excellence seized the reins of power
21:47and the world title, we're 0-2? Chris, you were handpicked. You're one of the chosen ones.
21:55You're here to win and dominate, not languish in mediocrity. A little dissension here in the ranks.
22:03Chris Benoit, you take a tongue lashing from one of your fellow four horsemen. Brian, the only way
22:11any wrestler can beat me is by sheer luck. That is the only thing Steve Regal had going for himself
22:20tonight. My record as a horseman more than proves myself. I've been pulling my weight, Brian.
22:29Yeah, Chris, you're holding your own when the stretch limo pulls up,
22:33dog paragons float, and we're surrounded by naked women. But that's only one half
22:40of our job description in AA. Getting beat by a move right out of the horseman playbook?
22:49What is this here? What about the hit list? Hogan, Savage, and the Dungeon of Misfit
22:57Joys. Art Anderson, we're running short on time. I really want to get your comments.
23:02Number one, Pillman, I'm not used to looking to the back of people's heads, but it goes like this.
23:07You understand you've been running around starting fires and starting wars that we don't need to
23:12fight. Our job is to protect that world title. Unless there's a pot of gold at the end of that
23:18rainbow, quit starting the fires. Orndorff, Paul Orndorff went too far. It should have never went
23:24that far. Now you want to jump off Sullivan and the Dungeon of Duke? What is there to achieve?
23:30There's nothing to achieve. We perish. We prosper together as a unit. You understand what I'm
23:35saying? Gentlemen, I'm sorry. I'm going to have to cut you short here, Brian Pillman.
23:39We are out of time. Still to come on Mike Rowe, Hulk Hogan, and Mike Blair.
23:44Uh-oh. Where are you guys going?
23:45Jerry. Jerry Hunter's trying to roll back Sullivan.
23:48He's got Zodiac with him. Here comes the J. Bring him on out, boys. Bring him on out.
23:54I know what's going on here. The Giants do not want the Dungeon of Doom to get involved with
23:58the Horsemen. They have their own agenda. They're not concerned with the Horsemen.
24:03What is this about? I think we better listen to Art Anderson, the voice of reason.
24:08All right. We'll be right back. Stay with us. Uh-oh.
24:12Coming up next, Sting, Lex Luger taking on the Super Assassins.
24:18We are live as live can get right here on Nitro.
24:23Coming up, WCW Saturday night. This week at 6.05 Eastern, the American Males step into the ring
24:29with Art Anderson in fly and ride. If that team can even keep it together. We'll find out.
24:34You got me. Lex Luger in action as he takes on the Cobra.
24:376.05 Eastern WCW Saturday night. The most watched wrestling program each and every weekend.
24:43Tune in. Keep up with everything that's going on. And I'll tell you, there's a lot going on here.
24:50Mongo, Bobby, I don't know what to make of it. Art Anderson is like the voice of reason.
24:55That's a little odd. I love it. I love it. The four Horsemen are getting a little snippy.
25:00There's dissension in the ranks. And you know what that means.
25:03It's going to go to hell in a handbasket, baby.
25:06You know, the Taskmaster has always been playing mind games with people.
25:09Now it appears that Tillman is playing mind games with the Horseman and the Dungeon of
25:13Doom. Could Sullivan be falling into his trap? This is going to get very, very interesting.
25:18Interesting indeed is the Super Assassins. And look at the beef coming out to the ring here.
25:23This is like some major heavyweight action here.
25:27That little old lady in the commercial, where's the beef?
25:29Well, it's right here on the WCW, baby.
25:32Yes, those are pretty big gentlemen coming to the ring, as in livestock.
25:37This is going to be very interesting indeed. Lex Luger and Sting teaming up.
25:43Just how solid is this friendship? And speaking of large, here come some large personas, baby.
25:53Look at him. It looks like they cut him out of granite.
25:56And he's harder than granite. He's in better shape than I've ever seen this man.
26:03And you notice Jimmy Hart will not be going to the ring with him. He has a working relationship
26:07with Lex Luger, but every time he teams with Sting, Jimmy, as a gentleman he is,
26:12will stand back and allow those two to be tag teamed against the other opponents.
26:17Speaking of Sting, where is he? He don't come out with his tag team partner.
26:20Good point.
26:22I don't know what's going to go on here, folks. You better watch.
26:26That's the first good point you've ever made.
26:33The Stinger! And I'll tell you what, this is what I mean. WCW is loaded
26:43with the biggest, the best, the most well-known and the most exciting athletes in this sport.
26:50Sting, certainly one of them.
26:53And Sting is on a roll. There's a lot of things going through Sting's mind.
26:58I'm not sure him and Luger are that close anymore.
27:01Now, Monko, you brought up a good point. Usually when a team is about to do battle,
27:05they stay together for days.
27:07Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
27:08They walk out to the ring together. They're there for each other. This time,
27:12we didn't see that.
27:13I think when we won that Super Bowl in 85, we were all together.
27:16Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
27:19What? Excuse us. Wait a minute. We've got to find a microphone for this.
27:23Is there something you need here? Could we get a microphone up here, please?
27:29There you go. What? What do we got going here, my friend?
27:32Excuse me for interrupting.
27:35I'd like to talk to this man here, Mr. Steve McMichaels.
27:39I have a plate, and I know you'd understand it.
27:43I have been making the transition from amateur to pro.
27:47I was a five-time world champion as an amateur, and now I'm in the pros,
27:52and I need guidance, and I know you've had similar experiences in the gridiron,
27:58and I must say you were one of the best,
28:01and I'd like to ask you to guide me along the pitfall in this fight and be my manager.
28:10Pitfall, baby. I got my hands full just doing this job here,
28:14but let me give you a little advice, baby.
28:16You were in the core. You were a sergeant, for God's sakes.
28:19You know, a leader of men. Just go with that.
28:21I've seen you wrestle out here. You've got it going on.
28:24Just systematically, just like they taught you in the core,
28:27systematically take these guys out one at a time.
28:30You'll work your way to the top, baby. You don't need anybody else.
28:35I'm sorry. One more time.
28:37The pitfall coming out here, and I apologize for the interruption.
28:41The pitfall, once again, coming out looking for management,
28:44but we have got action in the ring, and I guess the search continues for the pitfall.
28:50In the meantime, you've got the super assassins out here,
28:53and they are right now manhandling the Stinger, and I'll tell you what.
28:59Stinger, Alex Luger are going to have a difficult time
29:02dealing with the power of these two monsters.
29:06Oh, I was talking to Pitbull. I thought Luger and Stinger
29:09would already have this match over with.
29:11No, it won't be that easy for them here,
29:13and especially if there isn't that cohesiveness that Luger and Sting need as a team,
29:20because if they're going to prevail here,
29:22they're going to have to look out for each other, think for each other,
29:25and stay one step ahead of these two monsters, the super assassins.
29:30They've got him stretched out like a deer in your field, Grayson.
29:34I'll tell you about the only people that are getting along with each other here at WCW.
29:38That is the Colonel, Colonel Parker and Sensuous Sherry,
29:43and I understand, Sister Sherry, this Saturday night on WCW Saturday night,
29:49I think the Colonel is going to pop the question.
29:51That's right. He's going to get down on one knee,
29:53pull out that 10-carat diamond, and I think he's going to ask for her hand
29:57and make her an honest woman.
29:58The mental image makes me sick.
30:00About as much diamond as what you've got on your neck tonight over at Cupid Zirconia.
30:04But think how beautiful the children will be.
30:06Oh, stop it.
30:08What an ugly pop-up.
30:09The Stinger now being double teamed by the super assassins,
30:12and they're coming after him with a close-line double.
30:14Shoulders take the Stinger off his feet.
30:16Stinger in trouble.
30:17He is in the center of the ring, able to make a kick out.
30:20Lex Luger didn't appear to me to be too anxious.
30:23Maybe I'm reading something in here, and I don't mean to do that, but-
30:27Sure you do.
30:28Lex Luger did not seem to be real anxious to get into it.
30:32He was coming through that rope, but it looked like he caught a cramp.
30:35Well, you're trying to imply to the humanoids out there
30:38that Luger's maybe taking the shortcut, the easy way up.
30:40Maybe he wants Stinger to do all the work of it.
30:42Look it, he's trying to make that tag.
30:44Still to come in the main event, Hulk Hogan challenges
30:48the new World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair, for the title.
30:51They got the tag, but the referee didn't see it.
30:55And the question is, which Hulk Hogan is going to show up tonight?
30:59The one that has basically lost his mind and,
31:02I mean, clean house of everybody, including the referee,
31:05which causes suspension, or is this Hulk Hogan,
31:08who is going to be focused on recapturing-
31:10Whoa!
31:11That's right.
31:12That's right.
31:13I'd hate for him to lose it again tonight and get suspended for another year,
31:17because that's going to be a little longer than January 1st happened this year.
31:20Notice the damage Luger has done by keeping the ref in the corner,
31:24giving the assassins the opportunity to just pound down on Sting.
31:27You've got to wonder here, what is the agenda of Lex Luger?
31:32So far, it's been a little difficult to read.
31:35Stinger has been in there a long time.
31:37And you know-
31:39Gosh, I hate to see that.
31:40Well, you know what, guys?
31:41I remember a match we did on Nitro,
31:44and Sting was going to come in and help Luger against-
31:46I don't know if he was coming in there to help Macho or Luger.
31:50They've all got their own agenda in this WCW, baby.
31:53And I'd sure like to see-
31:56I'd sure like to see Jimmy Hart in the corner with this man Luger.
31:59You know, Jimmy Hart will be with anybody.
32:01He'll manage the janitor.
32:02He don't care as long as somebody gets rid of Hulk Hogan.
32:05Jimmy's that kind of a guy.
32:07He's got to be with a champion.
32:08And he's got to get rid of Hulk Hogan.
32:09He's obsessed.
32:11If you're a true champion,
32:12you don't need somebody standing in your corner striking you.
32:14Let's see what happens here.
32:15The tag is made.
32:16And now, Lex Luger going after Super Assassin.
32:21And Lex Luger is in there fighting for his team.
32:24Make no mistake about it.
32:25Trying to manhandle that massive Super Assassin.
32:28And now he is going down low.
32:30He's going to work the body.
32:31You work the body, the head will fall.
32:34Something in the eyes.
32:36But Luger did not go in there nonchalantly.
32:37He went in there as a teammate.
32:39Irish whip, reversed.
32:41A collision is-
32:44Look at the power of this.
32:47Lex Luger, the total package.
32:50That man's well over 325 pounds.
32:53Demonstrating why.
32:54And Shane goes after the Scorpion Death Rock.
32:57You got it.
32:58You got it.
33:00Here we go.
33:01You've got a Scorpion Death Rock.
33:02And you've got one solid cohesive team
33:06taking control of the situation here on Nitro.
33:10They've surprised me.
33:11The two best submission holds in wrestling today.
33:14And you saw them both at the same time, fans.
33:17Are we going to see a slow-mo on this?
33:18I'd love to see the replay on this.
33:20No, I don't think so.
33:21We don't have time.
33:22I hate to say it, but this is one heck of a tag team.
33:25Listen to this crowd.
33:27They are going wild.
33:29And like I said, Sting and Luger look pretty tight here.
33:32Let's go now to Mean Gene Okerlund.
33:34Wow.
33:35Well, I thank you very much, Eric Bischoff, on Monday Nitro.
33:38It is going wild here in Atlanta.
33:40The site of the 1996 Olympics.
33:43This town is absolutely heating up.
33:45And so is Monday Nitro.
33:46We've got some great venues we're going to be at in the weeks to come.
33:50I'm expecting the mouth of the south, Jimmy Hart, to show up along with the-
33:55Yes!
33:55The son of Andre the Giant, Jimmy-
33:59Jimmy Hart.
34:00The last time I saw an outfit like that, Guy Lombardo was a side man with the Spike Jones Band.
34:05You know, Mean Gene, are you really that short or are you standing in a hole?
34:10Stop it.
34:10Let me tell you something, baby.
34:13When I was flying around the world with the immortal Hulk Hogan,
34:16at least I realized one important thing.
34:18He said, Jimmy Hart, always keep your enemies close to you so you can always keep an eye on them.
34:23Shame on you, Hulk.
34:24You should have kept an eye on Jimmy Hart.
34:26And also, he said, always be able to switch gears anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
34:30And that's what Jimmy Hart's doing here in the WCW.
34:33I'm switching gears.
34:34One night, you might see me with Ric Flair.
34:36One night, you might see me with Kevin Sullivan in the Dungeon of Doom.
34:39Unlike tonight, I'm with a seven foot four, John.
34:41Because I'm always going to be around winners, baby.
34:45All right, Giant.
34:46I guess Hulk Hogan has taken over for Bobby Knight in the chair department, as you know.
34:51Hogan, time after time, you've heard me emotionally.
34:56Spiritually.
34:57And then when I had Randy Savage beat, you came in with a chair and hit me.
35:04And Hogan, your time is coming.
35:09Every dog has his day.
35:11My night is tonight.
35:13You will get yours like you never got it before.
35:18I don't know what he's saying, but I get the impression that this man,
35:23the Giant, is predicting a victory for WCW World Heavyweight Champion, The Nature Boy, Ric Flair.
35:30Coming up, that big match on Nitro.
35:32Stick around.
35:33Please, folks, don't go away.
35:35Tonight, to challenge The Nature Boy, Ric Flair, for the WCW World Heavyweight title.
35:44And it's live, coming up next.
35:48Promotional consideration paid for by the following.
35:51Very, very sleepy.
35:55Now, step out of it.
35:56And step it on, baby.
35:57Spicy Slim Jim.
35:58Oh, yeah.
36:01This reminder, The Clash of the Champions, coming your way Tuesday, January 23rd, 8.05,
36:07on TBS, live from the entertainment capital of the world, Viva Las Vegas.
36:14And I can't wait.
36:15You know, we're going to own that town again this year.
36:17Oh, I can't wait to stomp through them streets, baby.
36:20It is going to be a great time.
36:21But now, the one we've been waiting for.
36:24That's the new world heavyweight champion, The Nature Boy, Nitro, is for the WCW World
36:31Heavyweight Champion, The Nature Boy, Ric Flair, for the WCW World Heavyweight title.
36:31Let me tell you, baby, the little guy wore his stars and stripes tonight,
36:34because you're going to see the rocket's red glare and bombs bursting in air in this match.
36:41Thank you, Uncle Sam.
36:43Uncle, pay me to use.
36:45Come on, guy.
36:46He just heard from The Giant a little while ago.
36:51And I'm afraid we're going to see more than we bargained for here tonight.
36:57The big question is Hulk Hogan.
37:02What is he going to do?
37:03Which Hulk Hogan is going to show up tonight?
37:05The one that got suspended, or the one that needs to focus on becoming the new
37:10world heavyweight champion?
37:11And we're going to find out.
37:13Well, if Hogan snaps and does what he did before and gets suspended,
37:16it won't do him any good winning the title, because they'll strip him of it.
37:19He has to be geared.
37:20He has to know what he's got to do.
37:22He's got to go in there and try to beat that man.
37:24And that man you're looking at right there has won the world title 12 times.
37:28Name me an athlete or a team or a franchise who has done that.
37:32No one.
37:33That is impressive, my friend.
37:35It really is.
37:35It is impressive indeed.
37:37And the man himself, the man who rules the wrestling industry,
37:43now making his way to the ring, the immortal one, Hulk Hogan.
37:48And he is fired up.
37:50The question is how fired up.
37:53And this crowd, this crowd is going nuts.
37:55Well, there's no question about it now.
37:58You see red and yellow everywhere you look.
38:01He is indeed American made.
38:09And this could be the shot that is heard around the world.
38:14All right.
38:14We'll be back with a match right after this.
38:16Oh, I can't wait.
38:17Oh, man.
38:17This is going to be good.
38:18Yes, sir.
38:25All right.
38:25We are back and we are back live.
38:27And I'll tell you what.
38:29It took a long time to get Ric Flair into the ring.
38:32This is a very tentative World Heavyweight Champion,
38:34a man who really does not want to be in there with the immortal Hulk Hogan.
38:39He has been there before and he is here again.
38:42Hulk Hogan is primed.
38:43He is loaded for bear.
38:46You're right about that.
38:47I don't know if that was fear or respect, but he just now got in the ring.
38:52At least he did that.
38:54Hulk Hogan measuring the nature boy, Ric Flair.
38:57Ric Flair in the corner, hands up on the side, headlock on Hulk Hogan.
39:01The WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair, a man who came by that title
39:05and a not so proud man, a man who just took a vicious shoulder tackle.
39:11And I'll tell you what, Hogan is not taking Flair lightly.
39:15Flair is without a doubt the dirtiest player in the game.
39:19Is he ever.
39:20You know, 94, Hogan came into WCW, defeated Ric Flair for the championship.
39:25And then the retirement match, Flair had to retire.
39:28Hulk Hogan was instrumental in getting him back into WCW.
39:32And now he may have bitten off more than he can chew.
39:34And listen to this crowd.
39:35It is Hogan, Hogan, Hogan.
39:37He has got the support and he is essentially wrestling
39:41before a partisan Hulk Hogan crowd here.
39:44Because everywhere you look, it's red and yellow.
39:47And the nature boy, Ric Flair, chops away in the corner.
39:50Yeah, Flair might be dirty, my friend, Mr. Heaton,
39:53but if you think he's got a chance against Hulk Hogan,
39:56your reality check just bounced.
39:59Don't worry about my bank account.
40:00This is something everybody wanted to see.
40:02This is history here.
40:04Like, could Art Lombardi out-coach Rockne?
40:07Could Hank Aaron have hit off Maddox?
40:08Could Magic play against Larry Bird?
40:11Now Hogan against Ric Flair.
40:13I mean, it don't get any better than this.
40:15Or could Morton Downey Jr. out-talk you?
40:17But Pee Wee Herman, I'll play you on the line.
40:19Enough.
40:20The Nature Boy Ric Flair with an Irish whip attempt.
40:22Hulk Hogan able to put on the brace.
40:24Reverse Snipe Head Chop to the top of the chest.
40:26And it is all so far that Nature Boy Ric Flair
40:29has been able to muster in this contest.
40:31And Hogan is taking nothing from the Nature Boy.
40:36He's making a mistake trying to beat on Hogan's head
40:38with a brick mat.
40:39You can't faze a man when he gets in that zone.
40:42The Nature Boy Ric Flair making his way
40:44The Nature Boy Ric Flair making a mistake
40:46that other athletes and people in his sport
40:50have made in the past is underestimating the man
40:53because the man is professional wrestling.
40:56And the man is immortal.
40:58And he is taking it to the Nature Boy.
41:01Well, I just hope Hogan don't underestimate
41:03the other three horsemen
41:05because it would be uncharacteristic for them
41:07not to try to interfere in this match
41:09when Hogan gets him down.
41:14But one of the things that is
41:15we've seen about the Nature Boy Ric Flair
41:18and we've seen this in others
41:20is desperate people have a tendency
41:23to do desperate things.
41:25And when you get desperate,
41:26you get beat each and every time.
41:29And these are desperate times.
41:31I'll guarantee you that.
41:33You see Hogan pick him up off those ropes.
41:36Anything in the air that long
41:37ought to have a flat attendant on it.
41:40Absolutely.
41:41And those little package of peanuts.
41:43I'll tell you one thing about Hulk Hogan.
41:45If Flair's smart, he'll make Hogan make a mistake.
41:49Oh!
41:50He'll put Hogan in a position
41:51where he'll get suspended,
41:53where he'll lose his cool.
41:54Hogan's slowing things down.
41:55He's making Flair wrestle his match.
41:57But Hogan, you can make that man stamp,
41:59and you know it.
42:01These guys are beating
42:02those little snot bubbles out of each other.
42:04You know how you get hit, man.
42:05I won't, I won't.
42:06I won't describe that.
42:10The Nature Boy Ric Flair with a boot to the midsection.
42:13Irish whip and up and over the turnbuckle.
42:17And flat on his back he goes.
42:19And you know, we saw it on WCW Saturday night.
42:24If you look back at 1995,
42:26at least we forget that it was Hulk Hogan
42:29who was instrumental in getting
42:31the Nature Boy Ric Flair out of retirement
42:33and back into the ring.
42:37Ric here, he's a lot like Arn Anderson.
42:39He's gonna start working on that leg now.
42:41If he shows, if Hogan shows any weakness,
42:43he's gonna tear it up.
42:46Well, he's a horseman and that's his specialty.
42:48They take you apart piece by piece.
42:50This man's been doing it for a long time.
42:52You don't win the championships he has
42:54without knowing what you're doing in there.
42:56Hulk Hogan appears to be in a little bit of trouble here.
42:58It looks like that clip to the back of the knee
42:59is taking its toll on him.
43:01And now the Nature Boy Ric Flair smelling blood,
43:03if you will, going after that knee.
43:07And the dirtiest player in the game struts his stuff.
43:11But you can't waste your time with Hogan.
43:13Tear that knee up.
43:14Make him look with one leg bigger than the other.
43:19And again, you can hear the crowd chanting,
43:22Hogan, Hogan.
43:24They want their man to take care of business.
43:27They want to see the new World Heavyweight Champion
43:29be crowned here tonight.
43:31Because the way that cheap shot,
43:33cheap shot.
43:35Oh, he's got the figure four on him.
43:38The Nature Boy Ric Flair has got the figure four.
43:43And he's got him in the middle of the ring.
43:44He can't grab a rope on this one.
43:46You're right.
43:46He's got no place to go.
43:48Hogan, if you're smart, give up.
43:51You give up.
43:51You can't beat the man.
43:53Hulkamania's dead.
43:56Not out of your life.
43:57Listen to this crowd.
43:59You tell me.
44:00Go reverse it.
44:02He's got him rolled over.
44:04Now squeeze him.
44:06Squeeze the poison out of that man.
44:08Oh, wait a minute.
44:09The Magnet of the South.
44:11Jimmy Hart with that megaphone.
44:13Giving Ric Flair a little encouragement.
44:15No.
44:16Hogan's distracted by Jimmy Hart.
44:18Come on.
44:19He's the greatest of all time.
44:21Don't turn your back on him, Hogan.
44:23He's a champion.
44:26He's a parasite.
44:27He's a leech.
44:28All he wants is somebody to take Hogan down.
44:31He doesn't care who it is.
44:33If it's Lex Luger.
44:34If it's the Nature Boy, Ric Flair.
44:35If it's a Dungeon of Doom.
44:37The Giant.
44:38He does not care.
44:39He just wants.
44:39He's obsessed.
44:40He's sick.
44:42As obsessive as Hart is about running Hogan out of the business.
44:45Did you see Hulk jump up from that thing?
44:47I think he's just as obsessed about Jimmy Hart.
44:50And he should be, Mungo.
44:51He should watch Jimmy Hart every moment.
44:53His main concern right now is the 12-time heavyweight champion of the world, Ric Flair.
44:58Don't waste any time on a Nature Boy.
45:00Oh, he's got him quivering.
45:01Take him home.
45:02He's got him quivering.
45:03Come on, Nature Boy.
45:05Bring him to the mountain.
45:06The world title out of line.
45:07The Nature Boy, Ric Flair with a two-count.
45:09And the power of Hulk Hogan personified again.
45:13Oh, my gosh.
45:14And he is up.
45:15Get that adrenaline rush, baby.
45:17And nothing hurts.
45:18He hears the human noise.
45:19And it brings him alive.
45:21He is not happy right now.
45:23This is not the Hulk Hogan that the Nature Boy, Ric Flair wanted to see at this point
45:28in this contest.
45:29He can't let him on his feet.
45:32It's too late now.
45:33It's too late.
45:34He is up.
45:35He is about to give the world heavyweight champion a lesson.
45:41Listen to this crowd.
45:43Irish whip.
45:46Perfectly executed.
45:48Jack, the world champion, drops the big leg.
45:52And we have got a new world champion in the ring.
45:56Got him.
45:57There's Arne Anderson.
45:58Arne Anderson's in the ring.
45:59No.
46:00What's he got in his hand?
46:01And he's got it in his hand.
46:02He's got it.
46:02He's got it.
46:03Oh, no.
46:05Yes, sir.
46:05Yes, sir.
46:06He's got him.
46:07What?
46:07No.
46:08What?
46:08I can't believe what Hogan just did.
46:12Hogan now.
46:13Oh, he blocks it.
46:14He blocks it.
46:15And he goes after Anderson.
46:17Now he's got him out and showing the rip.
46:19There we go.
46:19He planted him.
46:20He planted him.
46:21No way.
46:22Oh.
46:23Now take them all apart.
46:26Take them all apart, Hogan.
46:29He's got Hulk Hogan.
46:30He's got the four horsemen at his mercy.
46:34Suspend them.
46:35They are at his mercy.
46:38He's got four dogs at bay is what he's got.
46:40This is like a shooting gallery for Hulk Hogan.
46:42Turn around, Hogan.
46:46Look at his friend Macho.
46:48There you go.
46:50Hogan has an illegal object in his hand.
46:53More people got headaches in that ring than Gene Oakwood had this morning.
46:57Stop him, somebody.
46:58Stop him.
46:59Now on their feet, there is not a soul sitting in this arena.
47:05And look at this.
47:09The Taskmaster is sending the giant to-
47:10Look at this.
47:11Jordi has struck him.
47:13Jordi has struck him.
47:14No, no, no, no, no.
47:15You can't even see that man open his mouth.
47:17He's saying, run.
47:18He's stopping the giant.
47:20He's saying, run.
47:21I heard it.
47:23No, no, no.
47:25Yes, he will.
47:26No, no.
47:28Hurt.
47:29Hey.
47:31Hurt.
47:33He can't believe a man speaks more than two words.
47:36Oh, man.
47:36We got to make some sense of this.
47:38We'll be back right after this.
47:39Oh, 9-11.
47:40Oh, my gosh.
47:419-11, baby.
47:46Let's go now to Mean Gene Oakerlin.
47:49All right.
47:50Thank you very much, gentlemen.
47:51Macho Man, Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan.
47:53What I said, this was wilder than my New Year's Eve party last night.
47:57Close, but no cigar holster.
47:58Well, you know something, brother?
48:00It seems like me and the Macho Man, his business has become my business,
48:05and my business has become his business.
48:08And the way things are right now, brother, with Ric Flair, with your belt, my belt,
48:13and Arn Anderson as the enforcer backing him up, I say, if they've got any guts,
48:18Flair and the Enforcer AA, how about let's get it on next Monday, Nitro Brothers.
48:25Wait a minute.
48:26Ric Flair, Arn Anderson is a tag team to beat the two of you.
48:29What about it, Macho?
48:30We got some unfinished business.
48:32Me with Arn Anderson and you with the Nature Boy.
48:35Crisscross whatever works.
48:37Nitro next Monday, if you've got gut one in your body, you'll accept the challenge,
48:43because we're about to trip the light fantastic, and we got secret weapons.
48:47You never even thought about.
48:50Macho Man, don't tell the brothers about our secret weapons, but monkey see, brother,
48:58monkey do.
48:59And next time you get in our way, we might have a pair of nuts ourselves, brother.
49:04But you know something, Macho Man?
49:06Fee, fie, foe, fum, that big, nasty, stinky one.
49:12The only way I can get through to him is to get rid of Flair and Arn Anderson
49:17before I can chop the beanstalk down.
49:19So if they've got guts, Macho Man, you and I are going to go to infinity and
49:24beyond next Monday night when we tear them apart, brother.
49:27Forever and a day.
49:30Problems, problems, how are we going to solve them?
49:33One at a time.
49:34Next Monday is not going to be just a manic Monday.
49:38If they've got the guts.
49:39Gut check, gut check, Nature Boy.
49:42Let's do it.
49:43That sounds to me like we're going to have a match next Monday night here on Nitro.
49:48Well, you know, as far as I'm concerned, the four blind mice of Benoit Pillman,
49:54Flair and Arn Anderson, if they don't have enough guts by themselves,
49:58we'll take on all four of those little Shetland ponies, brother.
50:02What are they going to do, Macho Man?
50:04When we destroy them, brother, what you going to do?
50:07All right, gentlemen, I thank you very much.
50:09We have got action.
50:10Hey, hey, hey, not me, please.
50:12Eric Bischoff, Mongo, Eva the Weasel.
50:15Gentlemen, happy new year.
50:17It has been a great one.
50:20All right, thanks.
50:21You know, and I'm being told we have got members of the executive committee here tonight.
50:25Hogan, Savage wanted it.
50:27They got it.
50:28It is confirmed and it's coming your way next week right here on Nitro.
50:33Hogan, Savage, Flair, Anderson.
50:35And hey, we're live.
50:37We're number one.
50:38Numbers, talks, everything else, walks.
50:41You know what I mean?
50:42We got more stars than there are in the heavens in the WCW, baby.
50:46And if you want to watch some pretenders, tune into that other channel.
50:49But we got the contenders here, baby.
50:51Well, we've got the kind of conviction you like to talk about.
50:54You know what I mean?
50:55It's very simple.
50:56It's not going to be Flair and Anderson against Hogan and Savage.
51:00It's going to be Savage and Hogan against the four horsemen.
51:04That will happen.
51:05It doesn't matter.
51:06It doesn't matter.
51:07It does too matter.
51:08The wild card in this one is the giant.
51:10You heard Hogan talking about it.
51:12They know about it.
51:13I got it.
51:14Make Jimmy Hart special referee, a fair man.
51:16Make him an appetizer.
51:17We'll be back next week.
51:19And we'll be live right here on Nitro.
51:22The best wrestling action each and every Monday.
51:26And for Steve Mungo, McMichael, Pepe, Bobby the Brain, I'm Eric Bischoff.
51:31We will see you next week here on Nitro.
51:34Thank you, Diamond Dallas.
51:35Thank you very much.