[2000-03-13-WCW-Nitro] Lex Luger & Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan & Curt Hennig

[soup23]

In one of the more tragic things in a litany of tragic things for WCW, seeing the reaction that the Flair vs. Hogan Nitro match got and making them the focus of the tv going forward may be one of the worst. The promo we get here is full of history and not that bad per say. I think both Flair and Hogan have gotten better reactions than Terry Funk in 2000. However, it is such a stark contrast to what was on the other channel at the same time and looks like such a direct violation of this was the past, why not watch the now. The crowd that is there is full of nostalgia and Hogan doesn’t shy away from it saying Providence is Hogan country, etc. It really is conflicting to see. Even more amazing is watching it in 2017 retroactively on the precipice of a WrestleMania headlined by Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. WWE has fallen victim in current day to much of the same problems that are inhibiting WCW at this time. The difference is the lack of that other company in mainstream eyes to challenge that perception and create a new baseline. Anyway, this segment ends with Luger beating Hogan with the bat and Flair getting shots in with a strap which we have seen too much.

 

We cut to the main event and Stone Cold Hulk Hogan has hijacked the ambulance to come to the arena. Luger and Hennig have a two minute match and Hennig looks as much of a relic as anyone else out here. Total schmozz finish with Flair interfering and Hogan coming in with his strap. A tag title match is made for the main event. Hennig and Hogan together as a team is weird until Hogan reminds us they were in the N W O together. Oh yeah. Hogan’s thumbnail is so goofy looking as Tony hypes the match one more time. I actually liked the match here as it developed into a nice structure with the heat being worked over from Team Package. Finish was predictable bullshit with Elizabeth, Jimmy Hart and the bat getting involved. Ending comes with the lights going out, Vampiro inexplicitly getting inserted into the main event scene and Sting strolling down the ramp way to attack Luger. **1/2

[Loss]

Yeah, even just the names discussed and the faces shown -- if absolutely no other problems existed in WCW -- put the company in such a time warp. Hulk Hogan. Ric Flair. Lex Luger. Elizabeth. Curt Hennig. Jimmy Hart. With Flair rambling about the Four Horsemen and Double A and "the girls". And Hogan talking about "Hulkamania". And constant references to "15 years". Some of those names still had some things to contribute in the right environment, but none benefit from being surrounded exclusively by wrestlers from their own generation. Flair and Arn are great talkers, but they are really overplaying an angle that doesn't deserve it, and I don't think the fans of 2000 wrestling even care about or deserve Arn's sincere and heartfelt promo style, especially when WCW at this point just seemed to draw fans that saw that hey, the stars are in town.

 

The Luger-Hennig match in the middle of the show goes nowhere after Flair runs in quickly but Hogan makes a save to set up the tag main event. These guys got three segments in a two-hour show.

 

The funny thing about this is that the tag match is really good, with everyone looking especially spry, building heat nicely with everyone working hard. Luger looked the best he had looked in quite a while, Flair was fired up, Hogan as FIP worked well because he's so over and Hennig is a really good hot tag. Everyone in the ring seems motivated to have a good match, and they succeed in doing so. There is just the staleness that permeates everything that's a much bigger issue than how good or bad the matches are, or how good or bad the booking is, and new main eventer Vampiro is a pretty funny solution. So good match, yeah, but not really the kind of good WCW needed. ***1/4

[GSR]

Ric Flair is out at the start of Nitro and says that he told Lex Luger and Elizabeth he would produce Arn Anderson. He will say that he’s sorry for embarrassing them both and will become part of Team Package. He calls Arn out and says how the Horseman ran wrestling for 15 years. Now they are dead though! It’s all about Team Package, and he invites him to join the most glorious group of all! Arn says it would be real easy to walk that aisle and become part of Team Package, and anybody who is anybody would be honoured to do just that. He says how they made it right for each other these past 15 years, that the Four Horsemen was something made of men. They earned that right over time because they would go from town to town, dump their blood, and at the end of the night the people would know they’re the best wrestlers in the world. They didn’t do it by breaking arms or legs so they wouldn’t have to face that guy again, because that’s not what they were about. The notoriety, the money, the cars, yes they had it, but they did it the old fashioned way and earned it. What he’s trying to do with Lex Luger is ego driven. They’re headed on a course of destruction and he’s not going to be the guy that’s standing in the middle. He would rather separate their friendship than being that crutch that he’s always had to lean on when times got tough. In six days he’s got one of the toughest matches of his life against Hulk Hogan, and he would like the ‘Hulkster’ to come out because he’s got something to say to him. He tells Hogan that in six days they find out ‘who is the man’, and Hulk knows what he’s getting himself into. They both know how dangerous Ric Flair is, and if you put Lex Luger and Elizabeth in the corner you’ve got a long road ahead. He tells Hogan that he doesn’t have to worry about him in the match because he won’t be coming out of a corner and is taking himself out of the situation. He returns backstage and Flair can’t believe Arn turned his back on him. Hulk then slowly makes his way to ringside saying how he’ll put an end to the myth of Ric Flair once and for all. He says that by the sounds of it these people don’t want to wait until next week, and neither does he. The ‘Hulkster’ runs down the aisle and slides into the ring. The two of them have a short fight that Hogan is getting the better of until Lex Luger is out and nails him in his shoulder with the baseball bat. Flair whips him with the belt as a bunch of official try to put a stop to it. Team Package leave and Hogan is eventually helped from the ring whilst clutching his shoulder.

 

After the adverts we see Hogan in the back with Jimmy Hart, Arn Anderson and some medics, with Hart telling him he needs to go to the hospital to get checked out.

 

Lex Luger vs Curt Hennig takes place, and prior to Curt making his way out we see an ambulance return to the arena which Hogan has commandeered. Jimmy Hart tells him they’re still in the ring and Hulk heads that way, not even remotely selling the shoulder any more mind! Flair interferes in the match for the DQ and starts whipping Hennig post-match. Hogan (with a belt of his own) comes jogging down the aisle (it’s taken him some time to get there!) and Team Package flee. The Hulkster then challenges them to a tag match later in the show ‘as Providence wants to see it go down!’

 

Hogan and Luger kick this one off and the ‘Hulkster’ quickly has him in trouble in the corner following an array of punches and chops. Flair walks down the apron to check what’s going and he gets nailed for good measure too. He tags in Hennig, knife edge chops, a whip to the corner but as he comes charging in Luger gets a boot up. The Naitch makes his first appearance into the match and he and Hennig continue where left off Monday night with Curt chopping the beejeezus out of him. Flair takes his bump over the turnbuckles and is met by a big boot from the ‘Hulkster’ on the apron (great stuff). Hogan clobbers him with a chair and Hennig with a suplex back into the ring. He lights Luger up with chops and a knee lift fells him. Irish whip from Hogan, he goes for a back drop but Lex sees it coming and kicks him in the chest. Flair gets caught going to the top turnbuckle (will he ever learn?) and Hogan cleans house on them both. A low blow stops Hulk in his tracks and Team Package go to work on him. Double lariat takes out both Hogan and Luger and referee Mickey Jay starts the ten count. Hogan’s able to get the hot tag to Hennig and he’s on fire. He might not be able to do much but chop, but boy does he do that well! Back drop on Flair and he’s singlehandedly taking care of Team Package. The match breaks down with all four men in the ring. Jay tries to get Hogan out of there, Perfect Plex on Flair and Lex nails him with the baseball bat that Elizabeth had given him. Jimmy Hart goes after Liz and Lex hits him with it too. Hogan’s back in, with Lex and Flair continuing to bump for him. He ducks under a double clothesline and comes back with one of his own dropping them both. He takes off his belt, however Mickey Jay grabs it and prevents him from using it. Hogan then shoves Jay down for the DQ. Liz with the bat to the back of Hogan’s knee and Flair uses Hogan’s own belt against him, whipping him across the back. Hart tries to help, then the lights in the arena go out. Vampiro and Sting are out to help Hogan and Vampiro chases Flair to the back while Sting takes care of Luger in the ring to a pumped crowd.

 

Where did this come from? This was a very pleasant surprise. A long interview segment to open the show, a couple of backstage skits, Luger/Hennig and then the tag match just six days before Uncensored? Well I was wrong in thinking they would coast their way through this! All four worked hard and were motivated (with Hogan standing out more than everyone else) in front of a hot crowd. Hennig was limited due to the cast, but seemed to take great delight in just chopping the skin off his opponent’s chests. I did wonder after the 2/23 match against Flair whether the reaction he received might lead to some sort of push for Vampiro. From his involvement at the end here, looks like they’re giving him a chance at least to sink or swim.

[Stiva]

And Nitro continues its slide into complete irrelevance. As Loss says, the tag match is actually really solid; everyone works hard, Luger and Elizabeth is a really solid act and Hennig looks like he has a ton left in the tank, even if the opposite was true. As much as they try to build heat around their top guys, WCW is dead. This is a really solid TV main event but Rock/Big Show is much more fresh, exciting and booked in a way that is actually interesting and that was just a repeat of a PPV match. God bless the old guard of WCW for trying but success had escaped from them and Vampiro was certainly not the guy to bring it back