83 Weeks - Nitro 11.18.96 Watchalong [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today Eric we’re talking about one of the most classic episodes in Monday Nitro history. The day you join the nWo. But before we get there we have a whole lot to unpack.

We’re gonna fire up the Peacock machine and go to Season 2, Episode 45. 3-2-1!

As everyone knows this episode of Nitro is highlighted by your heel turn. I want to break all of it down Eric. But to get it started you really should check out Halloween Havoc 1996 in the archives. Roddy Piper joins WCW in a surprise finish to the show, Raw’s moved to 8PM to help compete against WCW and we’re not even half way into the 83 week run, and Brian Pillman pulled a gun on Steve Austin in an angle on Raw. How chaotic is the wrestling business at this time?

What did you think of the gun angle as we recently covered it on Grilling JR and did you think the WWF was stooping to a new low with it?

This show opens hot with the Outsiders in the ring having already destroyed the Nasty Boys, High Voltage and Ciclope & Galaxy. This isn’t something that really happened during the Monday night TV era starting this way. Do you know where Sullivan got this idea from?

Nash & Hall take over the announcers desk and they begin picking on Tony Shiavone for his comments towards them. This is more of a heel edge than cool guy edge that Hall & Nash were doing and something they really needed wouldn’t you say?

Tony walks off so we’re left with Larry Zybysko and thank god Mike Tenay is here because Larry Z calling our next match by himself would’ve been quite interesting.

It’s the debut of the Chairman! La Parka! As he takes on Juventud Guerrera. It’s reported in the Observer the split from AAA to Promo Azteca and how all of the WCW wrestlers Konnan was booking were leaving for the new company. How aware of this situation are you and did anything change in the process for WCW?

Honestly did you ever see any of the luchadores ever being a top guy?

La Parka really has become a cult star as now L.A. Park. Have you seen any of his newer work?

They don’t do a lot of Lucha in this match as it’s worked more American style. Was this something stressed at the time?

It’s reported in the Observer that the match was only booked for 4:30 but ended up going 9:22 because they never got the signal to go home. Is that something that could’ve happened?

Sonny Onoo leads Ultimo Dragon to the ring for his match against Dean Malenko for the Cruiserweight title. Dragon coming out with all his belts is really a sight to see. Did anyone have any issue with that? Was there a directive to make sure he didn’t bring out the WWF Light Heavyweight title which he also held?

This only goes 4 minutes but man it’s a fun 4 minutes. In terms of timing out a show how difficult is it to try and get everything going and determining who gets what time? Did you leave that to Sullivan?

While all this is going on let’s talk about what’s going on in the office of WCW. There’s talk of a meeting between you & Curt Hennig who was recently featured on WWF TV about making a return. How did this all come to be and were there legal threats by Jerry McDevitt regarding contract tampering?

In what is going to be a train wreck by design and in execution the Amazing French Canadians … Jacques Rougeau and Pierre take on Marcus not yet Buff Bagwell and Scotty Riggs. These two teams are just not on the same page in terms of wrestling. Jacques slams Pierre onto Riggs but Riggs is sitting up and almost has his neck broken. We’re one week away from the American Males breaking up. When you talk to a tag team about breaking up and moving into a different direction how does those types of conversations go?

Did you see Buff being a top guy and to achieve that he had to be broken away from Riggs? Was there anything in Scotty?

Lex Luger vs. Hugh Morris is up next and man is Luger over. Luger is just beating big guys after big guys in recent weeks. Looking back should you had been setting Luger up for Hogan?

Luger gets the win and Sting arrives during Luger’s promo and hands him a base ball bat before leaving again. How hands on is Sting in all this reshaping of his character?

The nWo immediately bullies you at the beginning of the second hour into saying that Hogan is the biggest star and that Piper is afraid of him. Foreshadowing here huh Eric?

DDP is out with Gene and here’s where we get into the heart of some of the underlying story. You see Giant isn’t on the same page with the rest of the group. Nash says there’s a bigger plan and obviously they think they have DDP from their past relationship with him and also knowing later on you’re joining the nWo … and not really explained to the audience yet … how close you & Page are you would have to assume you would be able to bring him in. Is there a thought process to this or am I just reading too much into things?

How is it determined that DDP is the guy to stand up to the nWo?

Now we got our AdFreeShows brother in Jeff Jarrett taking on Bobby Eaton. It’s over in 2 minutes just like I like my Jarrett matches and Flair puts him over afterwards as well. We were just covering this on My World in the last two weeks so I’ll ask you Eric. Do you consider Jeff a Horseman?

Big Bubba vs. Jim Powers is next and it’s 4 minutes of our lives we won’t have back anytime soon. You though on the commentary are talking about the internet gossip regarding Roddy Piper. What did Roddy think of turning you heel?

Boss man slam gets the win while all that’s going on by the way.

Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero have one hell of a match here. When these two were in the ring it was just an amazing mesh of talent. What was so special about these two in the ring compared to some others?

Meltzer would give it *** ¾ and you really need to see this match as everything about it is great.

Alright Eric we’re here. Let’s play the angle and then we’ll break it down in full discussion.

When do you think you need to turn heel?

Who’s idea was it?

Was anybody against it?

Walk me through the timeline of how it all was put together. Did you know when Scott & Kevin came in and Hulk went with the group you were going to be with them?

Was there any Turner feedback regarding it in a positive or negative way? I understand it’s entertainment but were there any issues with Harvey Schiller for example regarding you being an executive and a heel TV character?

How did the promo idea come together with Roddy?

Was it’s like to be in the ring with a legend and to do a heavy angle like this?

Was there talk of anyone else in this role or was it always going to be you?

Looking back, do you think this is one of your best moments on TV?

There was some considerable talk online at the time that Piper was just kind of rambling along and it was hard to follow. Were you worried out there when he was just talking?

From the Observer: “It was simply that the NWO hour of Nitro will be the first hour because the theory at WCW, and we'll certainly find out if it's correct, is that people watch the shows now mainly for NWO. Judging from the reaction at the arenas, I'd guess it's a logical assumption. So they wanted to put NWO head-to-head with Raw. And Eric Bischoff wants to be on the air at the same time as Vince McMahon. It's that simple and there's nothing more to it than that. So when the NWO hour starts, which should be in a week or two, Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko will do that hour, and the second hour will have Tony Schiavone (who walked off the first hour this week after an argument with Zbyszko), Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay.

The Bischoff turn came when Roddy Piper made his Nitro debut. They had been hyping that Piper might be there the entire show, and then Bischoff (and in hindsight doing this was a disaster for the ratings), still playing babyface, said that Piper wouldn't be there and it was only a rumor. The only hint of a turn was Tenay in the first hour asking why Bischoff ever made the deal before the War Games PPV match to give the NWO a TV show if they won.”

OK Eric. Was that the reason and the plan?

The hindsight part of this from Meltzer is interesting as you do deny Piper being there which you had to do from a story point of view but probably didn’t help the ratings. Is that a fair criticism?

Meltzer reports in the Observer that your gimmick is based on the character Gordon Gekko. Is that what you modeled it after?

This show really doesn’t do much to promote World War 3 which is coming up on Sunday. Was that a miss with all this creative that the pay-per-view is hardly promoted?

What did you think of the show Eric?