WCW Monday Nitro, Tampa, FL
A request! George Steinbrenner hooked WCW up with a Nitro gig from the Florida State Fair. “Unseasonably cold” in Tampa that day, Eric Bischoff says at the top of the show. Weather Underground tells me the midday high was about 59, and by the time this show went on air, it was just under 50 outside.
This is the first-ever one-on-one meeting between Hogan and Arn. This is the night after SuperBrawl VI, where Ric Flair beat Randy Savage for his 13th world title when Elizabeth Macho turned on her ex-husband, Hogan beat The Giant in a cage match main event, and Arn wound up caught up with Kevin Sullivan after the famous Pillman angle.
(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)
“You’re talking about tough, you’re talking about The Enforcer,” says Bischoff. “You’re talking about really tough, you’re talking about Hulk Hogan.” The commentary of the first two years Hogan was in WCW was absolutely nauseating.
Arn’s got Woman in his corner as he makes his entrance. Mongo believes Anderson has “some moxie, baby.” Mongo should be in the football Hall of Fame simply for always calling Kevin’s little group of dorks and losers “The Dungeon of the Doom.”
Hogan’s got an eyepatch on.
Hogan also worked two G1s (different names at the time) and won one of them while people had to fantasize about Danielson ever doing that, so really the comparison isn’t even close.
Bischoff runs down celebrities who, in addition to George Steinbrenner, have “been part of WCW”: Jim Belushi, Mike Ditka, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, George Foreman, Dennis Rodman. This does beat the WWF in 1994 spending months reminding you that busted wig wearing Burt Reynolds came to WrestleMania.
Arn starts with a side headlock into a hammerlock, then a shot to the back of Hulk’s big bald skull. But Hogan stops Anderson from ramming him into the corner and lands some shots, bites, lands more shots. Hogan no-sells a corner clothesline and drops Arn with two lazy clotheslines of his own. Hulk had a good clothesline in his day. 1996 was no longer his day in those terms.
Back rakes! “This is Hogan teaching Anderson a lesson.” Is that what it is, Eric?
Arn’s got the gold boots with the black trim here, to go with the black trunks with the gold lettering. Anderson suckers Hogan outside but Hulk blocks a piledriver and catapults Arn into the post.
Hogan takes the patch off and smacks Anderson’s shoulder into the post. Heenan reckons the ring mat is really dirty and Hogan is being stupid because he might get an infection. Back inside, Hogan chokes Anderson with some wrist tape while Woman accidentally distracts Nick Patrick by … talking. Nick Patrick is a dipshit.
Mongo: “It is a shame (Hogan’s) been a pox on your managing career your whole life, hadn’t he? That’s what you’re mad about!”
Heenan: “Well, there’s a lot of reasons, a lot of personal things I can’t go into, Mongo. I just don’t like the man. I never will.”
This is another of those situations where Heenan’s dislike of Hogan seems so sincere, so real, not a cartoon, over-the-top wrestling hatred, and it gives their entire on-screen relationship a weight that is rare. Bobby’s saying, like, “Yeah, the guy has dogged me and the people I’ve managed many times. But I also simply can’t stand him as a human being.”
Anderson is outstanding here. He’s getting in zero offense that even dents Hulk, and just doing his usual unreal job of selling every single thing. A lazy atomic drop sees Arn run himself into the corner and stagger woozy into a back suplay from Hulk, who drops two elbows and then rakes the eyes with the boot.
George Steinbrenner just loves it. He and Hogan are “good friends.” Hulk continues to completely control the entire match. Anderson can’t get an inch of room to breathe.
And THERE’S the proper Axe Bomber, Hulk put some stank on that one and Arn bumped like Arn. Hell yeah.
Bischoff, in a really good commentary move from him, has picked up on the fact that this isn’t your average Hogan match and that he is just completely, 100 percent taking Arn Anderson apart and giving him nothing. While Bischoff was not high on Anderson’s ability to be a top player, to put it kindly, he knows very well that it serves nobody other than Hogan for Hogan to be running him over like this, and he continues to stress Arn is tough, “can fight,” and is a dangerous man in the ring. The evidence as currently happening doesn’t say that, so Eric has to say it. It’s one thing if Bobby does, Bobby likes Arn and the Horsemen. Bischoff has to say it, because he doesn’t.
Hogan has to actually sell a moment about five minutes into a TV match, running into a back elbow when charging the corner. That came from Nick Patrick warning him about closed fists and Arn getting a second to regroup.
But when Arn goes up top, Hogan just gets up and drops him on the top rope, crotching Arn instead of slamming him off in a moment that looks like slight miscommunication but turns out fine.
FINALLY, Arn gets after Hogan’s eye, and now Flair and Elizabeth Macho are headed to the ring. Anderson has a real upper hand, slowing it down, and he hits the spinebuster!
The cover gets two and Hogan is Hulking Up, with Arn bug-eyed and and Looney Tunes’ing. Hogan with the rights, big foot, a Fargo strut that annoys Flair, and then a poorly-executed figure four. I debate internally whether or not if Gorilla Monsoon were on the call, he’d call out how much Hogan’s figure four sucks, or if he’d leave it alone because it’s Hogan. I think he’d say something, but more polite than he would if it were anyone else.
Anderson holds Nick Patrick while Flair comes in. Hogan cradles Flair up for a Visual Pin (this means nothing but dorks have spent a long time caring about it) before Patrick gets Flair out.
Woman on the apron and Hogan approaches to punch her or whatever, so she powders his eyes, Elizabeth passes a high heel boot off, Anderson cracks Hogan, and ARN ANDERSON PINS HULK HOGAN FOR THE THREE-COUNT.
Bischoff reacts like he’s a child who has seen a family pet be put down. Mongo decides that Elizabeth has now gone too far, reasoning that it’s one thing if she just causes Randy Savage to lose the world title, but to cause HULK HOGAN to lose a match? Too much, Elizabeth. You have truly crossed the line now. (Again, nauseating, and at the expense of anyone else’s perceived value, constantly.)
The bottom line is: Arn Anderson 1, Hulk Hogan 0.
(The match is memorable and fine, Hogan throws one good lariat and Arn Arns himself around the ring.)
Tape Machines Are Rolling 