20 Years of Nitro

It's the go-home show for SuperBrawl 7 and Tim, John, and Dave break down all the action! There's a shocking title change, a car crash, a legitimate billionaire, a promo from a prison, and someone named Fidel Cubano!

With RAW off the air thanks to a dog show Nitro attempts to cram in a billion angles and updates, hoping to capture fans that may normally watch WWF. Randy Anderson's family begs for his job back, The Outsiders take on a fearsome team from Stamford, Hollywood Hogan appears "via satellite" to respond to Roddy Piper, Syxx tries stealing another belt and much, much more!

Tim, Dave, and John record WorldWide immediately following AEW's All Out 2021. We talk about the first two hour RAW and what was promised vs. what was delivered, WWF and WCW's negotiations with Dennis Rodman, and when Curt Hennig may arrive in WCW. Then the guys spend the second half of the show talking about All Out match by match.

Tim and Dave return to break down the February 2nd 1997 Nitro along with occasional co-host John! An interesting Nitro features some bizarre matchups, some intriguing faction promos, an attack by the nWo, and an incredible final segment that continues the build towards SuperBrawl VII!!

Dave and Tim, reeling from a week of wrestling tragedies, discuss the week in wrestling that was Jan 27 through Feb 2, 1997. RAW is moving to two hours, Bret Hart has words for Hulk Hogan and WCW, plus Monday night ratings and WCW Saturday Night Ratings! Plus, Tim talks to independent wrestler Slade Mercer about the Australian wrestling scene, growing up in New Zealand as a WCW fan, wrestling in Japan and more!

Dave and Tim are joined by independent wrestler Billie Starkz as the attempt to put Souled Out behind them and begin the build towards February's SuperBrawl! Eric Bischoff deals with the fallout of Souled Out's tag title change and his displeasure with Randy Anderson. The WCW Executive Committee has a major announcement for Hulk Hogan, but first he has to deal with an increasingly irate Giant. Kevin Sullivan has a new weapon in his war against Chris Benoit, but what is this mysterious new woman's connection to Sullivan and his estranged wife? Arn Anderson and Mongo face off with the Amazing French Canadians in Arn's final match before retirement. All that and much more right here where the big boys play!

Dave, Tim, and New York City based indie referee Katy Vella try to stay sane as they are inundated with 3 hours of Eric Bischoff's rampaging id. Boring matches with no heat, half baked set dressing, a questionable opening vignette, an odd choice of locale, and an unnecessarily cruel beauty pageant are just some of the lowlights of one of the worst wrestling PPVs ever. Join us for this very special and extremely comprehensive dissection of nWo Souled Out 1997!!!

In a special bonus interview episode Tim talks to one of his favorite stars of the Nitro era, Ice Train (aka M.I. Smooth). We talk about Fire and Ice, working in Austria and Germany, whether he ever thought about trying to join the nWo, and what held him back in WCW.

On this week's WorldWide we look at the 1/20/97 RAW, analyze the Monday Night War ratings and Clash of the Champions 34 ratings, preview Souled Out with some more matches added on the 1/25 episode of WCW Saturday Night, and go through all the news from the Wrestling Observer and Pro Wrestling Torch. Then Tim sits down for a fun conversation with St. Louis based indie wrestler The Kenway! Plus we play Choose Your Quarantine House: WCW Edition!

Tim and Dave are joined by indie wrestler and current Wrestling with Wregret YouTube Champion Levi Shapiro to breakdown Clash of the Champions 34! Dean Malenko and Ultimo Dragon tear the house down, Eddie Guerrero and Alex Wright have to contend with the heel ref antics of Nick Patrick, and we discuss whether or not Masahiro Chono is anything like Zeus (Z-Gangsta). With only one more left to go, has the Clash concept run its course? Find out where the big boys play!!

Former WCW ring announcer and eponymous host of the podcast Sitting Ringside with David Penzer joins Tim for a wide ranging interview on his career in wrestling. Along the way Dave talks about breaking into the company, the start (and end) of Nitro, his friendship with Mark Curtis, his thoughts on Chris Benoit and Kevin Sullivan "working the boys", unique PPVs like Souled Out and Hog Wild and much, much more!!

Magnum CK joins Dave and Tim to talk about his new film "Magnum's Opus" and discuss the December 20th, 1997 Nitro. Randy Savage makes a return to WCW made memorable by Sting's remarkable descent from the rafters of the United Center! As a record setting live crowd watches, the Cruiserweight and Television titles are defended, Eric Bischoff sounds off on how cool he is, and Hulk Hogan describes some improbable airplane repair! All that plus much, much more right here where the big boys play!

On this week's WorldWide Edition we look at the RAW Results and Monday Night Wars' ratings from 1/13/97 and talk about the 1997 Royal Rumble. We've got all the news from the PW Torch and Wrestling Observer, including updates on ECW's attempts to mount a PPV, a fake fist fight between Kevin Sullivan and Chris Benoit, and a real one between Sean Waltman and the Nasty Boys! Plus we debut our new special quarantine segment "The Lee Marshall Memorial Indie Road Report" where we will talk to independent wrestlers about their WCW memories and how they are keeping busy without wrestling. This week's guest is Florida-based Dante Marquis Carter (@inquiswetrust) aka DMC who tells about growing up in a WCW household, the Nitro stars who first caught his eye, and the best anime to binge while quarantined! And if that weren't enough we've got a brand new segment theme song by Eastman Presser!

**This version replaces a previous version with echo problems in some sections** Tim and Dave are joined by independent wrestling star Darin Corbin to review the 1/13/97 Nitro! In one of Nitro's most famous moments a star is made when DDP looks to have joined the nWo! In one of Nitro's most infamous promotional mistakes the main event is used as a vehicle to promote TNT's 'New Adventures of Robin Hood'! Plus another great chapter in the Four Horsemen implosion angle, Eddie Guerrero vs Dean Malenko, High Voltage, Billy Kidman, Super Calo, and much, much more!!

On this WorldWide episode we break down the week in wrestling that was 1.6.97-1.12.97! Over on RAW Sean Michaels gets backstage heat by suggesting on commentary that Bret Hart's squeaky clean image isn't all that seems, in ECW a masked superstar looks and talks a lot like Rick Rude, in Mexico Vampire turns down a soap opera role to avoid tarnishing his babyface perception, plus ratings talk, the card rundown for Clash of the Champions and nWo Souled Out, plus much, much more!!

**Please note this version replaces a previously uploaded version where Dave's audio was missing** On the first Nitro of 1997 the nWo looks to make a show of force, but must deal with an angry Giant and his unlikely ally. The Four Horsemen continue to implode and Dave and Tim try to figure out why. Eddie Guerrero, Alex Wright, Rey Mysterio, and Psicosis all have good matches, Steven Regal and Jim Duggan don't, The Taskmaster hears of yet another video tape, and much, much more!!

The quarantine leads to a long and comprehensive WorldWide as Dave and Tim whine about corona, go through the RAW results and ratings the week of 12/30/96, discuss the news out of the Torch and Observer, play a guessing game with the 96 Observer awards, discuss the January 4th 1997 Tokyo Dome show, the debut of Shotgun Saturday Night, and much much more!!

The final Nitro of 1996 sees a varied card with brawling, mini luchadores, Japanese legends, Roddy Piper, andshocking developments within the nWo! Dave and Tim close out the first week of corona lockdown with this Nitro and its many, many matches. There's something for everyone including covid lectures you've already heard 500 times! Stay healthy, stay safe, and enjoy the show!

The match of the decade is finally here as Hollywood Hogan squares off against Rowdy Roddy Piper! Dean Malenko tries to keep the Cruiserweight title from being absorbed into Ultimo Dragon’s J-Crown, the US and Women’s title tournaments conclude, Lex Luger hands the nWo their first loss, and much, much more!!

Tim is solo this week as he runs down everything but Nitro in the last full week of 1996. We've got ratings, RAW Results, rumors about Starrcade plans, and major problems plaguing ECW's attempts to broadcast their first PPV! Plus you can hear Tim's rambling reaction to the 2020 Royal Rumble which he hasn't watched yet!

It's the go home show for Starrcade 96 and both Hollywood Hogan and Roddy Piper are in the house! DDP sits in on commentary to learn if he'll face Chris Benoit or Eddie Guerrero for the US title, Dean Malenko and Lord Steven Regal square off in a champion vs champion match, Fake Sting fucks around, and much, much more!!

We're back with all the news from wrestling from 12.16.96 through 12.22.96! UWFi is going out of business, ECW is having difficulty with their first PPV, and the WWF is preparing to launch Shotgun Saturday Night! We check out the 12.16.96 ratings war and talk about what happened on RAW that week, including a controversial segment with Jerry Lawler and Goldust. It's all here where the big boys play!

The road to Starrcade runs through Pensacola, Florida and "hometown" boy Hulk Hogan is in the house, but is Roddy Piper there to answer Hollywood's summons? Steven Regal and Psicosis thrash each other, the son of an all-time legend makes his inauspicious Nitro debut, and Tony Schiavone risks the wrath of the Taskmaster. By the end of the show the nWo has two new members and once more Sting leaves everybody guessing. Join us where the big boys play!

Dave and Tim sift through the wrestling week of 12/9 through 12/15 1996. ECW is preparing for their first PPV, WWF is planning to launch Shotgun Saturday Night, WCW is touring Germany, and more! There's some talk about ratings demographics and if they're a new phenomenon in the Wednesday Night Wars, WWF It's Time results, ratings analysis and I think you can hear Dave's cat once or twice!

Andy (@drewcifertweets) from The Road Home from Wrestling joins Tim and Dave to discuss the talkiest Nitro we've seen to date. This show features promos from Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, DDP, Kevin Sullivan, Arn Anderson, Woman, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Debra McMichael, Eric Bischoff, Mongo, Rick & Scott Steiner, and Sony Onoo! There's some wrestling to discuss, a bunch of problematic shit, a discussion about politics in wrestling and much, much more!!

On this week's WorldWide Edition Dave and Tim look at the happenings in WWF, ECW, NJPW, AJPW, All-Japan Women's and more!

This week Nitro throws up a bunch of short, inconsequential matches and a few promos as the build for Starrcade stalls out a bit. The nWo take over commentary to liven things up, a bleeding Stevan Regal causes a match to be shot from a unique angle, and the Four Horsemen argue about....something?

Dave and Tim cover everything in wrestling the week of 11/24/96. It's a pretty slow news week but we talk about the upcoming Royal Rumble, plans for Shotgun Saturday Night, the weekly Monday tv ratings, WCW Saturday Night results and more!

Dave and Tim are joined by the Proletariat Boar of Moldova for a Nitro that features an ultimatum by Eric Bischoff and the nWo that threatens to tear WCW apart, starting with the American Males. Meanwhile, the WCW Championship Committee has implemented a tournament to crown a new United States Heavyweight Champion and we have two first round match ups tonight! Sting! Jeff Jarrett! Alex Wright! Lee Marshall! And so much more!!

Tim and Dave give their thoughts on the surprising news that Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman have joined WWE as full time Executive Directors of RAW and Smackdown, respectively.

Tim and Dave cover the second annual WCW World War 3 event, providing live commentary to the 60 man, 3-ring, battle royal main event that will determine the next contender to Hollywood Hulk Hogan's WCW Championship. But before we get there we've got the J-Crown Title from Japan being defended, the WCW Cruiserweight and Tag Team Titles being defended, and we'll finally see Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper put pen to paper and sign the contract for their match at December's Starrcade!

Tim and Dave explore the week of wrestling that was 11-18-96 through 11-24-1996! ECW's infamous Mass Transit Incident takes place! El Hijo del Santo turns heel and shocks Mexico! Curt Henning gets some revenge on the WWE for ruining his Lloyd's of London payout! Plus our recap of RAW, coverage of the 11-18 RAW vs. Nitro ratings, and much, much more!!

Dave and Tim are joined by Joey Geko of the Sultans of Spandex Podcast for the go home show for World War 3 and many of the 60 WCW stars who will fight in the big 3 ring battle royal are looking to build momentum. However that all takes a backseat when "Rowdy" Roddy Piper makes his Nitro debut and uncovers a shocking secret that will permanently alter the balance between the nWo and WCW. Ric Flair makes his first appearance post-shoulder surgery, The Outsiders bully Tony Schiavone, a certain burly skeleton debuts on Nitro, and much, much more!!

In this week's WorldWide Edition we talk about wrestling from 11/11/96-11/17/1996. We've got the results of ECW's November to Remember and the WWF's Survivor Series. We'll play some music from the Crush Gals, recap an important angle from Saturday Night, and talk about what the nWo got up to at the 1996 Cable Ace Awards. Come join us where the big boys play!

With negotiations between WCW and Rowdy Roddy Piper still in limbo, a fan hops the barricade with a mysterious package that hints at Piper's true motivations. Sting makes his presence felt inside the ring for the first time in months. The Cruiserweight Division is busy with multiple opponents scouting each other at every turn. Jimmy Hart demands a title shot for the Faces of Fear. Plus Hollywood Hogan, The American Males, Juventud Guerrera, Chris Benoit, Lex Luger, and much, much more!!

Dave and Tim explore the wrestling week that was 11/4/1996-11/10/96. RAW has Brian Pillman Jr. waving a gun around, Konnan and AAA are having an acrimonious divorce, Curt Henning no-shows WWF events and more! They also talk a little bit about women main eventing WrestleMania for the first time and beg people to find a new joke to mock AEW.

The slow burn towards World War 3 continues this week as Eric Bischoff tries to make "the match of the decade" between Hollywood Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper. A women's championship is introduced and a tournament for this new title begins. Cracks are forming in the team of the American Males, Lex Luger tries again against Booker T, Sting lurks, a new Guerrero shows up, and much, much more!!

In our bonus companion episode to Nitro #59 we look at what else happened in wrestling the week of 10/28/96-11/3/96. We'll check in on the RAW results, examine the ratings, and talk about something that excites us about wrestling in the present. We also comb through the dirtsheets to talk about Raven crucifying The Sandman, AAA splitting with Konnan, RAW moving to a new time slot, and much, more! Plus the debut of Eastman Presser's amazing new theme song for our bonus episodes!!

It's the night after Halloween Havoc and the dust settles upon WCW and the surprise appearance of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Hollywood Hogan offers his response to the rowdy one and changes his tune significantly from the PPV. Elsewhere Dean Malenko defends his new cruiserweight championship, Lex Luger goes one on one with Booker T, and Mean Mike Enos shows why he may be one of the most undervalued men on the roster. Meanwhile in the rafters above the action a transformed Sting keeps an eye on the proceedings.

Haunted by Hollywood Hogan using the ghosts of his failed marriage Randy Savage looks to finally avenge his constant humiliations and capture Hogan's WCW title at Slim Jim's Halloween Havoc. The nWo has their eye on acquiring other belts though, as The Outsiders look to unseat The Harlem Heat and The Giant pretends to defend Ric Flair's US Title against Jeff Jarrett. All that, a cruiserweight title match, Mongo in action, and much, much more!

In the go home show for Slim Jim's Halloween Havoc WCW Heavyweight Champion "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan has one final surprise for the number one contender. Dean Malenko, Jeff Jarrett, Lex Luger, Harlem Heat, the Faces of Fear, Diamond Dallas Page, and Chris Jericho are all featured before their PPV matches, we meet newcomers Roadblock and Jimmy Graffiti, and OH YEAH, The Man Called Sting returns to WCW!!!

Tim and Dave recap and review the October 14th, 1996 episode of Monday Nitro! Miss Elizabeth has an impassioned plea for Randy Savage, Jeff Jarrett continues to make his presence felt, Jim Duggan and M. Wallstreet continue their unending feud, and much, much more!

As the build towards Halloween Havoc continues WCW puts forth a pretty lackluster edition of Nitro. Tim and Dave find joy where they can, be it a fun Rick Steiner/Chris Benoit match, some hilarious selling by Mongo, and a discussion of the flurry of activity that occurred this week in 1996 regarding Bret Hart's contract situation. We've also got DDP, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, and the debuting Jeff Jarrett!

Dave and Tim are joined by Minneapolis based pro wrestling referee Rob Page to dig into the 9/30/96 Nitro!! The nWo keep to themselves tonight though Eric Bischoff might be hot on their trail. Public Enemy defend their newly won WCW Tag Team Championships, Dean Malenko takes on Alex Wright, Eddie Guerrero returns to Nitro and Slim Jims wants to give you a "monster" truck as we continue the build for Halloween Havoc!

While many of the stars of WCW are in Japan the nWo takes the opportunity to strike! They debut a new member, a new race car, and essentially take over the entire second hour of the show. Glacier returns to the program, Juventud Guerrera and Brad Armstrong are a tag team for some reason and much, much more! We also tell the full story, cringeworthy moments and all, of our recent meet and greets with Hall, Nash, Waltman, Bischoff, and some additional legends! It's a pretty funny story, but if you want to skip straight to Nitro coverage you can find it at about 30 minutes in.

Tim sits down for a one on one interview with Guy Evans, the author of 'Nitro: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner's WCW' a riveting new book that explores WCW from 1995-2001. We talk about the writing process, what revelations surprised Guy, and how he built relationships with his sources. Be sure and check the book out at: www.wcwnitrobook.com

Tim reads the profile of WCW's hit new ninja, Glacier, straight from the October 1996 issue of WCW Magazine!

It's the fallout from Fall Brawl as Sting makes a stunning, if mysterious, announcement! Our blood also runs only mildly cold as the mysterious ninja known as Glacier turns out to be some dude named Ray. Elsewhere, Randy Savage looks to get into the zone as he begins to prepare for next month's WCW Championship match against Hulk Hogan. Plus we've got a couple of high-spot filled lucha matches, Chris Jericho, DDP, Ice Train, and more right here where the big boys play!

War Games has finally arrived! The nWo is feeling strong with the recent defection of the Giant as well as the apparent addition of the ultimate WCW guy, Sting, to their ranks. The Macho Man badly needs to build momentum going into his world title match next month, Harlem Heat defend their tag team titles against the Nasty Boys, Chris Jericho makes his PPV debut and much, much more!!

One week before Fall Brawl there's a dramatic and shocking defection from Team WCW to the nWo....or is there? Rey Mysterio is in action, The Nasties finally declare their allegiances, Rick Steiner is confused, and Tim debunks the story that Hall and Nash got extra money thanks to the Fake Razor and Fake Diesel storyline over in the WWF.

We close our celebration of Nitro's first year, and our examination of big league American wrestling of the period, by talking about WCW's standing in the market, our favorite stars, and what is working and what isn't. We also hand out awards for best match, promo, in ring performer, and more!