[1997-06-09-WCW-Nitro] Hulk Hogan vs Lex Luger

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Hogan is interviewed by Bischoff before the match. He tells Luger if he wants a piece of Hogan, the first thing he should do is start working out! He says he's the match isn't happening. Of course, Luger doesn't accept that.

 

The Wolfpac is out as soon as the match starts. It's short, but Luger gets Hogan in the rack and Hogan submits! The NWO immediately attack Luger after the match is over, but they did what they needed to do to create interest in the Hogan vs Luger feud that will carry WCW through the summer. WCW doing fireworks for the start of hour number two regardless of what was going on in the ring, including an outside organization destroying their top babyface, always made them look SO bush league to me. This is the first time I've seen an NWO beatdown this year and wondered where everyone else was and why no one made a save.

 

Hogan and Bischoff finish this off by kicking back on the mat and accepting the Bash at the Beach challenge.

[Kevin Ridge]

Tenay makes it clear that Dillon and Executive Committee are going to make Hogan wrestle tonight but it’s non title. Really acting tough there. Luger’s comments before make even less sense.

 

I don’t like the white NWO tshirts Wolfpac is wearing. Luger fights them off and gets the Torture Rack for the submission. No celebration time for Luger as the NWO beat him up. Hogan hits a lot of leg drops on a downed Luger. A confident Bischoff and Hogan accept Luger’s challenge for tag match as the Bash.

[soup23]

Tons of NWO fans in attendance and Hogan eats it up. We get a few minutes of action showing Luger's dominance until the Wolfpac hit the scene. We then get the big beatdown on Luger as the 2nd hour pyro go off. Pretty good stuff and a way to kickstart the summer feud and bridge to Hogan vs. Sting.

[El-P]

They made a point of saying the Giant was in Germany several times, and DDP had been injured backsage, so I can understand no one showed up (including the Steiners who got into a big fight with Harlem Heat backstage). Serious heat here and builds interest for Luger vs Hogan. Kinda dragged a little bit at the end and Bischoff called Hogan "the giant" several times following what was an initial screw up I think.

[PeteF3]

Huge reactions all-around--Hogan gets a pop in his old WWF stamping grounds, but also gets trash thrown at him as per tradition. Sort of Hollywood Hogan-by-numbers here, but the action doesn't stop for the short time they have, and a pretty major result as Luger successfully racks Hogan and makes him submit. He's swarmed by the NWO afterward and we get a long beatdown out of 1996, but no spraypaint this time. Hype is on for Bash at the Beach and for Luger as a legitimate World title threat.

 

I didn't realize they were still doing the fireworks-at-the-second-hour bit. That was jarring as hell and so out of place.