WCW Monday Nitro Review: First Ever Episode 20 Years Later
By Evan Gomes
wwe.com
WCW United States Championship Match
Sting (c) vs Ric Flair
Result: Sting defeats Ric Flair via DQ to retain the WCW United States Championship.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Right at the beginning of the match Lex Luger comes out to watch the match. This is his debut in WCW, jumping ship from WWF. Luger’s presence distracts both Sting and Flair. Eventually, Luger leaves ringside and the match actually starts. Flair struts and woo’s, and Sting woo’s right back at him. Sting hits some huge military press drops, and Flair takes a minute to go to the outside. Flair gets Sting with a thumb to the eye and gets some of his classic chops in. The two trade control back and forth, and Flair is in control as we go to a commercial break.
Back from the break and the Dirtiest Player in the Game is in control. Sting continues to hit big press slams (he hits a version of it six times during the match). Arn Anderson comes out from the back and watches the match. There is some more chain wrestling, but Sting is distracted by Arn Anderson. Flair manages to lock in the Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sting tries to turn it over, but Flair holds the ropes to keep his balance. Flair uses the ropes for longer than a five count and gets disqualified.
After the match, Arn comes into the ring and goes after Flair. The two of them brawl into the back.
Evan’s Notes: The first match I’ve seen of pre-black and white Sting. It was a well contested match, and seeing Flair in his prime as a slimy heel was great. The huge moment of Luger debuting on Nitro also added to the match, and set up the closing segment of the program later on. Flair + Sting = a great match in the ring.
Next: Miscellaneous Segments