SirEdger

Great edition of Prime Time Wrestling this week with Dr. D attacking Hogan in the parking lot. One would assume that the Nature Boy had something to do with that....Hogan & Savage both involved in huge main events in October! Dream match on Main Event III if you ask me!

Well, the 1983 Project is pretty much done for me as I put my focus mostly on Dawn of War going forward. Some family stuff that came up has forced me to make a choice and given the state of the 83 Project, as sad as it makes me, I decided to end my contribution for that project. And NWA: Era of Eras doesn't require me to follow a strict schedule so that's more easier to juggle with both Dawn of War and NWA: EofE.

Airing September 15th, 1995 - Hosted by Tony Schiavone & Larry Zbyszko Recap Match #1 Chris Adams beat WCW World Tag Team Champion "Dirty" Dick Slater with a Superkick after Sting & came to ringside to take care of Bunkhouse Buck, who was trying to interfere in the match. Postmatch, Sting grabbed Col. Robert Parker and put him in a Scorpion Death Lock while Adams took care of Slater! Match #2 Terry Funk beat Steve Corino with the Spinning Toe Hold. Tony Schiavone & Larry Zbyszko announce that Funk will take on The Giant at Fall Brawl in the World TV Championship Showcase Series -Up next, Rick Martel comes out to the ring for his scheduled match when all of a sudden, LORD STEVEN REGAL shows up with the World Television Championship. Regal is joined by Lee Marshall who asks his presence here. Regal claims that the rumors of him jumping ship to the newly-reformed NWA are false as WCW have never been truthful with him about his contract negotiations. Regal claims that he re-signed with WCW, contrary to what WCW management might say. Therefore, there is no reason for the World TV Championship Showcase Series as he's the rightful TV Champion. However, as long as Regal doesn't get his new contract, he's holding that title hostage and will not return it to World Championship Wrestling until this happens. Regal wants a fight with Rick Martel right now! Match #3 Rick Martel beat Lord Steven Regal with the Slingshot Splash. Postmatch, Regal took the TV title and hit Martel with it! Match #4 The debuting Unibomb (w/Al Snow) destroyed Chas Rollins in 45 seconds. Postmatch, Al Snow cuts a promo with Lee Marshall about how Unibomb will destroy Meng at Fall Brawl tomorrow night in their Showcase Series match! -Backstage, Mean Gene Okerlund is joined by Konnan, as we learned that Konnan will take on Ice Train tomorrow night in a World TV Championship Showcase Series Match at Fall Brawl. But tonight, Konnan takes on newcomer PJ Walker in singles action. Konnan says he cannot afford to look past Walker but he knows that tomorrow night is a huge night to make a statement and get his name in the TV title picture. He doesn't care if Lord Steven Regal is back or not because at Starrcade, he's walking out as the World TV Champion, no matter what. Match #5 Ice Train beat Johnny Grunge by submission with a Full Nelson Match #6 PJ Walker upsets Konnan after manager Jason Knight came out and hit Konnan with a kendo stick while referee Mickey Jay was checking on Walker. Postmatch, Walker seemed shocked and confused about Jason's interference, as Jason only smiled and walked away... Match #7 Vader & Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Fantastics after a Vader Bomb from Vader on Bobby Fulton To close the show, at the WCW Control Center, the full card was announced for Fall Brawl: MAIN EVENT WAR GAMES MATCH Team Hogan (Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger & the Road Warriors) vs Team Flair (Ric Flair, The Shark, Kensuke Sasaki & ???, w/Sensuous Sherri & Sonny Onoo) WCW UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP Sting (c) vs Dick Slater (w/Col. Rob Parker) WCW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater (w/Col. Rob Parker) vs Sting & Rick Martel WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWCASE SERIES MATCHES Diamond Dallas Page vs Ultimo Dragon (w/Sonny Onoo) Vader vs Jerry Sags Terry Funk vs The Giant Meng vs Unibomb Tommy Dreamer (w/Beulah McGillicutty) vs Zodiac (w/The Shark) Ice Train vs Konnan

Wow! Definitely didn't see King Mabel turning on Sir Mo but I think it makes for a much more formidable threatening duo in Mabel & Jarrett. There's a real possibility that we can see a new Intercontinental Champion at In Your House. Expect a swift response on Nitro :p

That promo where Azrael out-Ravens the man behind Raven is absolutely fantastic. Major kudos to you for character development. Strongest suit in your series.

WOW! What a show, with an absolute kickass main event between Austin & Pillman. I think what I loved most about your episode is the subtle stuff you put at the end of some segments (Austin dismissing Dusty's opening promo; Candido getting in the ear of Storm after Jericho's match; the Buddy Landell thing) that makes you want to come back for more. One would argue also that Dustin Rhodes will play a major part in the NWA going forward! :)

I'll say one thing and that's that you got Kevin Sullivan's promos down to a tee. Some great action again and I can't wait for Dory Funk vs Dusty Rhodes! Also, Windham vs Magnum in the Young Guns tournament is a showstealer for sure.

I think you're correct. That's how I remember it.

I had read a bit about Arman Hussein on the Kayfabe Memories section dedicated to World Class. He seemed to have been one of the top managers in the early 80s in World Class until Gary Hart came along.

I tend to incline with @KawadaSmile that a lot of this had to do with the booking of the 2015 Royal Rumble Match when Bryan was eliminated early and the fans realized that Vince had chosen to push Roman over Bryan. To me, it would've been almost any other guy than Roman and he would've gotten the same reaction; the fans wanted Bryan to win really bad. From that moment forward, Vince didn't give the audience any reason to believe that he wasn't pushing Roman at the expense of other top babyfaces. It's not even Roman's fault; he's doing his job and while his promos can be generic when poorly scripted, he virtually delivers in almost every big match he's in. It's now a case of Roman having the stigma of being Vince's favorite.

I get it. I knew that it'd be a possibility that the "main event" wouldn't satisfy most but I wanted the show to end with Lex Luger's promo. I'm off the belief that what matters most when you book a show is what takes place last in it, whether it's a match or a promo. I wanna take Dawn of War as an experimental lab so to speak to see what will stick and what won't for Nitro. Comments like this one aims me in the right direction so it's always appreciated

Not so much for the main event and upper midcard as it is for the midcard.

Thanks for making me realize that I had forgotten to make the change. Brody's booked in World Class on that day and I had booked Abdullah instead. The original plan was for Brody but World Class put the request in before me

September 12th, 1986 Orangeville, ON Guest Referee - Bruno Sammartino: NWA Canadian International Tag Team Champion Prince Alofa Fatu beat Dino Bravo in 20:19 -Antonio Inoki beat Gino Brito in 6:08 NWA Canadian International Heavyweight Champion: "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) beat Hiro Saito in 8:42 -Brian Adias & Gilles "The Fish" Poisson beat Mr. Wrestling II & Sunny War Cloud in 6:05 -One Man Gang (w/Floyd Creatchman) beat Pirata Morgan in 13:03 -Raymond Rougeau beat Jacques Rougeau in 6:32. Both brothers shook hands and hugged after the match. -"Nightmare" Danny Davis (w/Floyd Creatchman) beat Wild Bill Irwin in 24:20 -Rick Martel beat Abdullah the Butcher in 14:31

Still, it's gonna be interesting to see what the final card will look like compared to this.

Don't click if you don't want spoilers but the preliminary leaked script for Evolution looks like this. Obviously, it's highly likely it will change until then but there are some very interesting names and matchups in this one.

Several great title matches on that card. Love seeing Super Vader interjecting himself in the main event to play mind games with Sunshine. This makes Orton & Piper all the more dangerous.

I liked that this match pretty much came full circle (Henry turned heel and joined the Nation by turning on Shamrock during an episode of RAW in January) and Shamrock was able to exact revenge and advance in the King of the Ring tournament. Indeed, the best match of Mark Henry so far in WWF. Shamrock definitely at his peak at that time.

September 10th, 1995 (Montgomery Civic Center, Montgomery, AL) (After the opening credits and a recap of last week’s show, we go to Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan at the broadcast table.) Eric Bischoff: AFTER A SUCCESSFUL PREMIERE EVENT, WE WELCOME YOU ONCE AGAIN TO WCW MONDAY NITRO AND WE ARE LIVE FROM MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA! Hello everyone, I’m Eric Bischoff and joining me tonight, as always, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Some major questions that need to be answered tonight. But none more intriguing than what will happen to Ric Flair’s team for War Games. As you know, last week, Sonny Onoo offered for Kensuke Sasaki to join Team Flair at War Games. Flair said that if Kensuke Sasaki can impress enough against The Giant last weekend on WCW Saturday Night, he would consider it. And while Sasaki didn’t get the W, it still was an impressive performance. Bobby Heenan: Like I said last week, Kensuke Sasaki is one of the top athletes in the world, one of the best of his generation. But going against The Giant was an impossible task. This man is dangerous. And he’s in the back pocket of the REAL World Heavyweight Champion. So I don’t know what will happen tonight, but I can assure you that Kensuke Sasaki would make a great addition to team Flair if Ric accepted. Eric Bischoff: Also, we need to come back on the events of last weekend on Saturday Night when the Stud Stable tried to injure Rick Martel the same way they did with Tatanka this summer. You saw the brutal Cheese Grater on a Pole Match in which whoever could grab the Cheese Grater could use it. Slater did a number on Tatanka once again and thankfully, Rick Martel was able to come to the rescue as you see here (Footage of the ending of WCW Saturday Night is shown with Martel coming to the aid of Tatanka against the Stud Stable) But I understand that our colleague Tony Schiavone is standing in the ring and we’re about to hear from Rick Martel. Tony Schiavone: Thank you very much, Eric. Ladies and gentlemen, you witnessed just like I did the vicious attack perpetrated by the Stud Stable against Tatanka and Rick Martel this weekend and Rick Martel has requested this time so ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rick Martel! (Rick Martel comes out to a nice ovation and joins Tony Schiavone. Martel sports a band-aid on his forehead, as a result of the attack from the Stud Stable.) Tony Schiavone: Now, Rick, first of all, I understand that you have an update on the condition of Tatanka after his match with Dick Slater on Saturday Night. Rick Martel: Well, unfortunately, Tatanka has been injured again at the hands of the Stud Stable and will be on the sidelines just for a short amount of time. And while Tatanka and I have a heated history of being rivals, we still have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. And I would’ve loved nothing more than having him by my side right now. But the truth of the matter is that it’s impossible at the moment and I can’t fight the Stud Stable alone. So I decided to find myself someone I can trust. And who better than the reigning United States Heavyweight Champion.....STING! (The crowd roars as Sting makes his way to the ring to join Rick Martel and Tony Schiavone. They high-five each other and Sting stands next to Martel.) Tony Schiavone: What an ally indeed. The Man Called Sting himself! Sting: AAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW! You know, Tony Schiavone, it’s a crying shame that I wasn’t in the arena when Rick was brutally attacked by the Stud Stable because trust me, I would’ve shoved that cheese grater down Dick Slater’s throat! Now, it seems like we have a major problem here because Col. Parker thinks that he runs this place and he can allow anything and everything to happen. Not on my watch, buddy! So, anyway, I had a few days to think about something and I believe that Rick will agree with me that we need to kill 2 birds with one stone. Rick, do you have something planned on Sunday? Rick Martel: Technically, not right now! Sting: Well, I know that I’ve got something planned on Sunday defending the US title against Dick Slater but I was thinking that MAAAAAYBE, MAYBE you and I could get ourselves some tag team gold. Like the WCW World Tag Team Championship! (crowd roars) Hey, look, I’m in great shape, I don’t mind pulling double duty on Sunday, especially if we can kick the Stud Stable’s asses. Now, Bunkhouse Buck, Dick Slater, if you’re the so-called studs you say you are, you’re gonna accept that challenge! We won’t be too hard to find, we’ll be in Raleigh, baby! AAAAOOOOOOOW! Rick Martel: You know what they say, Tony; revenge is a dish best served cold but I don’t mind when it’s a bit hotter! Tony Schiavone: Talk about a big challenge! Sting & Rick Martel vs The Stud Stable for the WCW World Tag Team Championship? What a huge announcement! Eric, Brain, back to you! Eric Bischoff: How about this, Brain? Sting and Rick Martel joining forces and challenging the Stud Stable for the World Tag Team titles at Fall Brawl? Bobby Heenan: See, this isn’t smart. The Stud Stable have strength-in-numbers. They also got Dirty White Boy and Meng, of all people. Sting and Martel will get slaughtered this Sunday. And I used to think Martel was a smart man. Now, I’m not so sure! He’ll regret this, I tell you. Eric Bischoff: Now, before we go to our first match, I understand that Mean Gene Okerlund has some breaking news backstage about the Ric Flair/Sonny Onoo summit. Gene, what do you got? (We cut to Mean Gene Okerlund standing in front of a door backstage) Mean Gene Okerlund: Thank you, gentlemen. As you can see, behind this door, Ric Flair and Sonny Onoo have been meeting throughout the entire day and it’s interesting to notice that with them, are Kensuke Sasaki and The Giant. Now, I can only assume that this is about War Games and things might have evolved in a positive manner for Sonny Onoo as --- (the door opens and out comes Ric Flair, Sonny Onoo, Kensuke Sasaki & The Giant) Wait a minute, here they are....Gentlemen, excuse me, Sonny Onoo, if you can, how did the meeting go? Sonny Onoo: Meeting went very well. Sonny very pleased with meeting. Sonny can officially say that Kensuke Sasaki is part of Ric Flair team for War Games this Sunday. Mean Gene Okerlund: So, Ric, I guess this completes your team for War Games and – Ric Flair: Not so fast, Gene. Actually, we’ve had a slight of change of plans. There will be a replacement in the team. The Giant has other plans. Mean Gene Okerlund: Wait a minute...what do you mean by that? The Giant: You see, Gene....beating up on Hulk Hogan is fun but I was thinking about – you know – showcasing my talent, if you know what I mean. Mean Gene Okerlund: No, I don’t know what you mean and quite frankly, it starts to scare me a bit. Sonny Onoo: Let’s say that Sonny made offer to Ric Flair that Ric Flair can not refuse. Mean Gene Okerlund: What kind of offer? Ric Flair: You’ll have to wait until Sunday, Gene. Just like everyone else. But I can promise you this; no one will see this coming! WOOOOOOOO! (The quartet leaves as Mean Gene Okerlund sends the show to a commercial break) ***COMMERCIAL BREAK*** Match #1 “The Total Package” Lex Luger vs “Too Sexy” Brian Christopher Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan hype what just happened in regards to Fall Brawl and War Games and they also talk about the debut of Brian Christopher and his family heritage. This prompted Bobby Heenan to make that joke on commentary: “You know if Brian Christopher is ashamed of his family name, he can borrow mine. He’ll definitely look smarter than his biological father rather than an overgrown teenager.” As for the match, Brian Christopher got a good headstart by jumping on Luger right from the sound of the bell. Christopher with a couple of dropkicks. Some crowd taunting as well in the process. However, Luger’s power was too much to overcome after Christopher attempted a top rope crossbody that Luger turned into a powerslam. After a series of flying clotheslines and back body drops, Luger puts Christopher into the Torture Rack and Christopher must submit! Winner: Lex Luger ***COMMERCIAL BREAK*** Match #2 The Fantastics vs The Triumvirat of Terror (Zodiac & The Shark) The broadcast mentions that The Shark is still gonna be part of Team Flair at War Games, while assuming that Zodiac will not be too far behind to lurk around on the show. The Fantastics’ undeniable chemistry plays in their favors early, using their quickness and agility and they’re doing a great job to keep Zodiac in the ring instead of bringing in The Shark. However, the tide turns when Bobby Fulton is sent crashing on the barricade after The Shark launches him from the ring apron – a rare positioning mistake from The Fantastics here. Zodiac and Shark taking turns working on Fulton’s injured back and he’s in dire straits until Zodiac, accidentally headbutts Shark, stunning both men a bit, allowing Fulton to make the hot tag and clean house. However, things don’t turn out too well as while the referee is distracted by Rogers and Shark outside, Gary Albright charges the ring and hits a powerslam on Fulton! Zodiac covers Fulton and scores the victory. When Gene Okerlund asked Albright why he did this, Albright simply answered “Because I can” and walked to the back. Winners: Zodiac & The Shark ***COMMERCIAL BREAK*** MAIN EVENT Rocco Rock (w/Johnny Grunge) vs Dutch Mantell A match that isn’t very long, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the broadcast. Dutch Mantell shows a nasty streak as the veteran gets the advantage early but Rocco Rock could match that nastiness move for move and after a timely distraction by Johnny Grunge, Rocco Rock hits the Drive-By on Dutch to score the victory. Winner: Rocco Rock Eric Bischoff: Alright, we’re now only 6 days away from Fall Brawl and we now know that The Giant will be replaced by Kensuke Sasaki for War Games. It makes you wonder what kind of plan Ric Flair & Sonny Onoo have for that match with that mystery member. Bobby Heenan: Right now, they got the psychological advantage given that they know something that Hogan’s team doesn’t know. So I can’t see again how Hogan can win. Eric Bischoff: So do you know something we don’t Brain? Bobby Heenan: Maybe! But I ain’t gonna tell anyone. Why would I? (Bischoff and Heenan’s banter is interrupted by Lex Luger, storming the set. Luger grabs Bobby Heenan’s headset and puts it on. He turns in front of the camera.) Lex Luger: Ric Flair, I don’t know what games you’re trying to play but we’ll make something perfectly clear; whatever you have in mind for War Games, myself, the WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan and the Road Warriors, we’re gonna be ready for you. You might think that you’ve got an edge on us because of that mystery partner of yours but you seem to forget that Hawk, Animal and I know you better than anyone else. And more importantly, we’ve been inside War Games. And we’ve been there against you. Hell, I’ve been inside War Games on YOUR team. So don’t act like you’ve got that much of an advantage on us because you know it’s wrong. The bottom line is this; you can bring in whoever you want to help you out but at Fall Brawl, this Sunday, Hogan, Hawk, Animal and I will be victorious. And when it will be all said and done, the last thing on your mind will be wrestling Hogan for the World Heavyweight title. Because we will break you and send you packing! And if The Giant changes his mind and wants to join in, he’s more than welcome. There’s never a bad time for the Torture Rack! (Luger leaves the set as Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan send off the viewers to conclude this edition of Monday Nitro.)

Yeah, that's what Kevin told me in private.

I've cancelled my booking of Brody and gave it to you, since you asked first last week and I didn't see it. You're good to go.

Nice first show for you to break the ice with World Class. Obviously, you can't go wrong with a Von Erich vs Freebird match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Big win for Warrior as well as he captures the North American Championship. Nice way to continue his meteoric rise in the world of professional wrestling. Good work!

Lutte trades the Rock N' Roll RPMs to WCCW for Bill & Scott Irwin.

It certainly played a role in a way, with the possibility that Bryan wouldn't re-sign with the company. But the holdback is probably more about the uncertainty of how long will Bryan's body hold up - always being a bad bump away from going back on the shelf - that's being the main factor in his booking now. But the more Bryan proves he can adapt his style to a safer one, the less WWE will be worried about it. Right now, he's in a great program with The Miz; the 2nd most important on Smackdown Live. He's not fighting for the title but it's as close as he can get right now.

Hadn't had the chance to comment yet but I'll say that so far, I'm already learning a lot about Southern wrestling. There are several titles I didn't know even existed in a regional fashion. Looking forward to see the evolution of that project of yours.