A Collective Review of WCW Hog Wild 1996 (Hollywood Hogan vs. The Giant) By Lance Augustine
Welcome back to the TJRWrestling WCW retro reviews where we have been breaking down each WCW Pay-Per-View during the “Monday Night War” era. I just covered WCW Bash at the Beach, which had one of the biggest moments in wrestling history when Hulk Hogan turned heel and formed the New World Order. The NWO would run wild, no pun intended, on WCW programming and it has been leading up to this show. Hog Wild was a concept that came from the mind of Eric Bischoff and it took place outdoors at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. This became a staple show up until 1999, with this being the inaugural edition of the show. Another note about these particular shows is that they took place on a Saturday, instead of the usual Sunday shows. You can check out all the previous reviews we have done here. How will they capitalize on one of the biggest storylines in history? Let’s find out!
WCW Hog Wild
August 10th, 1996
Sturgis, South Dakota
Tony Schiavone starts the show off with a voiceover talking about the setting of the event tonight. He mentions being in the Black Hills of South Dakota and how tonight will be different than anything anyone has seen before.
There is a live view from a helicopter that shows the setting in all of its glory. The announcers for tonight are Tony Schivone, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and they are all decked out in motorcycle gear. They talk about the main event tonight between The Giant and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan for the WCW Heavyweight Title before going down to the ring for the first match of the night.
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs. The Ultimate Dragon (w/Sonny Onoo)
Mike Tenay joins the broadcast desk as he normally did for the international matches in WCW. The entrances for the match were simulcast on TBS, but soon the match was only broadcast on PPV.
The match begins with Dragon going for a sidekick but Mysterio moving out of the way. Dragon locks on to the arm of Mysterio before Mysterio fights out and both men are back on their feet. Mysterio takes him down with a leg sweep and locks in an Indian Deathlock. Dragon fights his way out and rolls Mysterio up for a quick one count. Dragon maintains control with a chin lock and hits a scoop slam. Mysterio makes his way back to his feet and slides under Dragon, but is soon met with a Spinning Heel Kick that knocks Mysterio down to the mat. Both men make their way back to their feet and exchange some quick offense and impressive athletic back and forth. Dragon takes him down with a serious of kicks and hits a dropkick on Mysterio. He throws him into the corner and hits a handspring back elbow. Dragon hits a Running Powerbomb but doesn’t even bother to cover him. Dragon puts Mysterio in a modified Figure Four, but Mysterio fights and gets to the ropes for the break. Mysterio rolls out of the ring to regroup and as he comes back in he is put in a crucifix submission. Dragon slams him down to the mat and puts him in a surfboard stretch before Mysterio fights out and covers him for a near fall. Dragon works him into the corner and hits some chops. Mysterio reverses a whip into the other corner and hits a springboard dropkick. Dragon is outside of the ring and Mysterio hits a baseball slide. Dragon is in the dirt and Mysterio comes flying out with another springboard and takes Dragon out. That was impressive. Both men get back in the ring and Mysterio comes off the top with a Hurricanrana. Shoulder block by Mysterio and he comes off the ropes again, but Dragon catches him with a dropkick that sends him to the outside. Dragon comes out after him with a splash, but Mysterio is the first back to his feet. Back in the ring, Mysterio comes off the ropes, but Dragon catches him with a german suplex. He covers Mysterio and gets a close near fall. He picks Mysterio up for another Running Powerbomb, but Mysterio reveres it into a Hurricanrana. He throws Dragon into the corner and picks him up and goes for the Frankensteiner, but Dragon throws him off. Mysterio tries again off the second rope and connects this time. He covers Dragon and picks up the win at 11:35.
Winner and STILL WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Rey Mysterio Jr.
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a fun back and forth match. Mysterio’s match against Psychosis last month at Bash at the Beach was a better match, but this one wasn’t too shabby. Ultimate Dragon was on offense for most of it, and Mysterio was just 21 at the time which is unbelievable for how good he was and still is. They were pushing Mysterio hard here so retaining the title was a no brainer. Great start to the show.
Mean Gene makes his first appearance of the night and plugs the WCW hotline. He talks about the NWO introducing a new member and to call the number to find out more. He sends it back to the broadcast booth where Schiavone talks more about Sturgis and how many people they are expecting for the event tonight. It’s time for the next match.
Scott “Flash” Norton vs. Ice Train
These are former tag team partners that made up the team of Fire and Ice. They had a falling out on the Nitro’s that took place after Bash at the Beach which leads to them doing battle on this show.
They lock up to start the match with Norton hitting a series of chops. He knocks Ice Train down to the mat, but he gets back to his feet and both men exchange big blows. Norton takes Ice Train down with a shoulder block and stomps down on the injured shoulder. He tosses Ice Train to the outside and throws him into the ring post. He rolls him back in the ring and continues the beatdown in the corner. Ice Train gets back to his feet and slams Norton down to the mat. It doesn’t last long, though, and Norton continues to punish him with some more chops in the corner. He continues to stomp away on him and smashes his face into the mat. Ice Train fights back again and takes Norton down with some chops of his own. Norton thwarts the attack and takes Ice Train back down to the mat. Norton comes off the ropes and misses a clothesline and Ice Train hits a big power slam for a two count. HE knocks Norton down with a clothesline, but he gets back to his feet and takes Ice Train down with a shoulder breaker. He locks him in an armbar and the referee calls for the bell. The match went 5:05.
Winner: Scott “Flash” Norton
Match Rating: DUD
Collective Thoughts: That was a powerhouse type of match with both men hitting some physical offense. There wasn’t anything spectacular, or even good, about the match, but you shouldn’t have gone into it with high expectations. Norton was on offense for almost the entire match and eventually won by exploiting the injured shoulder of Ice Train. It was a weak match with a weak finish.
They go to a package with Ric Flair having a few words for the New World Order. He talks about how much it hurt him that the NWO took out his best friend, Arn Anderson. Flair says that he has decided that the New World Order and The Horsemen could survive together, but they had to go and draw a line in the sand. Flair says it’s on now and that it doesn’t matter how he feels about the other guys in WCW, it’s war now. Flair says The Horseman and The NWO are going to come to a head and it won’t be pretty.
There is a commercial for Hog Wild’s official merchandise. Jimmy Hart is the spokesman that is shilling the shirts.
Battle of the Bikes
Bull Nakano (w/ Sonny Onoo) vs. Madusa
Both women come out on motorcycles and it will be winner take all.
Nakano starts the match off quickly and takes Madusa out with a fist to the back. Madusa fights back but Nakano takes her down by the hair. She continues whipping Madusa all over the ring and starts to work on her in the ropes. The fans chant “U.S.A” at Nakano as she takes Madusa down to the mat again. Madusa no-sells the offense and gets back to her feet and takes Nakano down to the mat. Madusa goes to the well one too many times though, and Nakano catches her in a submission hold. Nakano hits a draping DDT and covers for a two count. She slaps Madusa in a chin lock and brings her back to her feet. She throws Madusa into the ropes, but she comes back with a Hurricanrana for a two count. Madusa hits a Spinning Heel Kick for another near fall. Madusa hits a Bridging German Suplex for a third near fall. Nakano makes her way back to her feet, but Madusa hits a Sunset Flip for a two count. Nakano comes back with a German SUplex for a two count. Onoo gets on the apron because he thinks Nakano should have won there. Onoo grabs a sledgehammer and is teasing hitting Madusa’s bike with it as the bell rings. The match went 5:00.
Winner: Madusa
Match Rating: 1/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: There wasn’t much to the match and Madusa no sold most of Nakano’s offense. This was a prime example of how WCW did not take their women’s division seriously, although not many companies did at the time. The match was sloppy with Nakano in control for most of it, but Madusa getting the win in one of the most confusing endings I can remember seeing. Both women’s shoulders were down, but Madusa got her’s up before the three. The bell didn’t ring, though, until well after the pinfall. It was bizarre.
After the match, Msadusa grabs the hammer and starts to destroy the bike that Onoo brought to the ring.
The Steiner Brothers are down answering fan questions on the online service for WCW.
Schiavone tries to throw to Mean Gene, but gets confused and just goes to the ring for the next match. Yikes.
Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit (w/Woman and Miss Elizabeth)
Jimmy Hart comes out to the ring with Malenko, but goes to the back shortly after.
Both men have a staredown in the ring before Benoit takes him down with a leg sweep and takes Malenko out with some shots to the head. He works him into the corner and hits some chops before hitting a knee to the midsection. Benoit hits a shot to the head, but Malenko reverses and hits some shots of his own. He picks Benoit up and drops him down with a delayed suplex. Malenko follows that up with a backbreaker and quick elbow drop for a two count. He puts Benoit in a chin lock, but Benoit fights out with some elbows. He takes Malenko down to the mat and slams his head into the corner turnbuckle. Heenan claims that there are “250,000 people here”. Quite the stretch, Brain. Benoit continues to work on Malenko and chops him in the corner. He sends Malenko into the ropes and hits a clothesline and scores a near fall. Both men exchange near falls until Malenko throws Benoit into the ropes and takes him down with an armbar. Benoit powers back to his feet and takes Malenko out with a suplex. Benoit hits a snap suplex and covers Malenko for a two count. He throws Malenko into the ropes and puts him in an abdominal stretch. Malenko fights out with a hip block, but Benoit is quick to remain on the offensive. Both men are back to their feet and exchange blows in the ring. Benoit comes off the ropes and hits a crossbody but it takes both men out. He throws Malenko into the corner before hitting another snap suplex. Benoit goes up top and hits a Diving Headbutt but only gets a two count. Benoit picks him up for a Tombstone Piledriver, but Malenko reverses it and hits one of his own. Malenko covers him three times but can’t pick up the win. Malenko throws him into the corner and goes for the Texas Cloverleaf, but Benoit rolls him up for a two count.
Malenko continues the assault and hits a splash that sends both men out of the ring. Benoit tries to send Malenko into the post, but he gets thrown into it himself. Malenko rolls him in the ring and climbs up to the top rope. Benoit makes his way back to his feet and meets Malenko up top and comes off the top with a Superplex for a two count. Benoit with a scoop slam for a two count. Malenko reverses course and hits a big German Suplex for a two count. Benoit is the first one back to his feet and hits a Short Arm Clothesline for a near fall. Malenko gets back to his feet and hits a dropkick that takes Benoit down to the mat. He picks Benoit up and hits a Belly to Belly Suplex. It doesn’t last long, and Benoit comes back with a Nothern Lights Suplex for a two count. He follows that up with a German Suplex for another near fall. Benoit hits a Scoop Slam and puts Malenko in a Boston Crab. He lets go of the hold and throws Malenko into the ropes and hits a clothesline. Malenko rolls out of the ring, but Benoit is right behind him with a splash to the outside. He rolls Malenko back in and rolls him up for another near fall. Benoit goes for another suplex, but Malenko rolls him up for a two count. There is an announcement that there are only three minutes left for the match. Malenko puts Benoit in a backslide but can’t pick up the win. Benoit is back to his feet, but Malenko rolls him up for a two count. Benoit is frustrated and hits a Powerbomb but Malenko kicks out at two. They have less than a minute left, and both men climb up top. Malenko hits a Superplex, but Benoit gets his foot on the rope. Malenko hits a powerbomb and covers him but the time runs out and the match ends in a time limit draw, but they let the match go into a five minute overtime. Benoit hits a suplex immediately but only gets a two count. Benoit grabs the legs and puts Malenko in The Texas Cloverleaf. Benoit drops the hold because Malenko wouldn’t give up and he gets an arm drag for his trouble. Malenko pulls himself up and Benoit charges in, but they knock each other down to the mat when they collide heads. Benoit continues working on the knee. Malenko fights his way back to his feet and rolls Benoit up but he only gets a two count before the time expires again. They start another overtime and Benoit takes Malenko out with a back body drop. Benoit hits a Tiger Suplex for a two count. He goes for a dropkick, but Malenko grabs the ropes and he comes up short. Malenko finally gets The Texas Cloverleaf on, but Woman distracts him. He gets in her face and Benoit rolls him up from behind to pick up the win in 26:55.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Match Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This match on a normal show would have been a show-stealer but in this setting, with this crowd, it was a questionable decision. The fans weren’t really invested in a lot of the match and it suffered from a lack of crowd heat. The double-overtime gimmick in the match was wonky and feel like if they cut some time off the match it would have benefited. Benoit was a master technician and really worked Malenko over while Malenko held his own as well and the shining parts about the match were that these two men were fantastic workers. With that being said, I did like the match a whole lot, but I just wished the setting was different.
WCW Tag Team Title Match
Harlem Heat (Booker T. and Stevie Ray)(c)(w/Col. Robert Parker and Sister Sherry) vs. The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner)
Harlem Heat has been a great heel team for most of 1996 up to this point. The Steiner Brothers always seemed to be big babyfaces for most of the 1990s.
The bikes start revving the engines and playing mind games with Harlem Heat. Scott and Booker are the first two in the match and Scott hits a Double Underhook Powerbomb to start. Stevie Ray hits the ring and gets taken out by both Steiner’s before they roll out of the ring to regroup. Booker gets back in the ring but is taken down by a shoulder block from Scott. Scott presses Booker over his head and slams him down. Scott works on Booker in the corner before hitting an arm drag that sends both members of Harlem Heat back out. Booker makes the tag to Stevie Ray and he hits a scoop slam on Scott. Scott recovers and hits a big suplex before tagging in Rick. He hits some clubbing blows to the head and throws him into the corner. Rick comes charging in but Stevie Ray gets the boot up. Rick recovers and takes him down with a clothesline. He makes the tag to Scott and Stevie makes the tag to Booker, who hits Scott with a sidewalk slam. Scott reverses an Irish whip and hits Booker with a Belly to Belly Suplex. Scott makes a tag, but Booker hits Rick with a thumb to the eye. He whips Rick into the ropes and Stevie Ray hits him in the head from behind. He gets in the ring and Harlem Heat double-teams on Rick. Booker throws Rick into the ropes and tries to leapfrog him, but Rick catches him and hits a Powerslam. He tags in Scott he takes it to Booker with some stiff offense. The Steiners exchange tags and isolate Booker to their corner. Booker reverses an Irish Whip into the ropes, and Stevie Ray pulls down the rope and sends Rick to the floor. Booker rolls Rick back in the ring and goes for a Harlem Side Kick, but Rick avoids it and Booker is sent to the apron. He crawls over to make a tag and Stevie Ray continues to take Rick out. He makes his way back to his feet, but is quickly taken out by the boot of Stevie Ray. He makes a tag to Booker who slaps a chin lock on Rick before hitting a scoop slam, an elbow, and a Harlem Side Kick. Harlem Heat continues to make tags in and out and both take turns wearing Rick down. Booker goes for a knee drop from the second rope, but Rick rolls out of the way. That gives Rick the chance to make the tag and Scott comes in like a house of fire. He hits Booker with a suplex and Stevie Ray with a clothesline. Parker gets up on the apron and throws powder in the eyes of Scott, but hits Booker as well. Parker hits Scott with his cane and Booker covers him to pick up the win in 17:53.
Winner(s) and STILL WCW Tag Team Champions: Harlem Heat
Match Rating: 2.75/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: Both of these teams were great, but this match wasn’t a showcase of all they could do. The crowd was super behind The Steiners, and at times throughout the match, there could have been a title change. The Steiners isolated Stevie Ray to their corner for a little bit, Harlem Heat worked well as a team also and kept Rick from tagging in Scott for a majority of the match. One thing I will say about the match though is that it was good tag team action on all ends, and even though I didn’t love the ending, it was the right move sticking with Harlem Heat to retain.
They show clips from people riding their motorcycles to Sturgis and get a few sound bites from some of them. Obviously, they are more worried about riding than they are about some wrestling show taking place there.
WCW United States Title Match
Ric Flair (c) (w/Woman and Miss Elizabeth) vs. Eddie Guerrero
Flair beat Konnan for the title last month at Bash at the Beach, and it is cool to see Flair working with some lesser-known guys at the time here.
Guerrero tries to show some sportsmanship to start the match, but Flair pushes him away. They lock up with Flair working him in the corner, but Guerrero quickly slips outs. The two slap each other in the face which causes Flair to slip out of the ring to regroup. He gets back in and they lock up again. Flair hits Guerrero with a belly to back suplex which has Guerrero favoring the right shoulder. Flair hits some chops as Guerrero gets back in the ring, but Guerrero reverses it and hits some of his own. Guerrero gets Flair in the corner and the two men have an exchange of chops again. Flair goes up top, but surprise, Guerrero tosses him off. The lighting gets super dim as the sun goes down in Sturgis, but it comes back. Flair is back to his feet and takes Guerrero down with a shot to the jaw. He tosses him into the corner and just peppers him with some chops, as well as some shots to the head. Guerrero gets a second wind and hits a dropkick that sends Flair to the outside once again. He cuts Flair off getting back in the ring and hits a back body drop. Flair is against the ropes and Guererro clotheslines him over the top. Flair gets back in and begs for forgiveness, but Guerrero takes him out with a scoop slam. Flair hits a chop block that takes Guerrero down. He throws him into the ropes, but Guerrero comes back with a crossbody that takes him down. Flair tries to come back, but Guerrero is too quick. He hits Flair with a drop toe hold and puts Flair in the Figure Four. Flair gets to the ropes, which forces Guerrero to break the hold. He hits Flair with head scissors and damn near picks up the win. The two exchange chops before Flair begs for mercy once again. Guerrero throws him into the corner, but Flair moves out of the way. Flair climbs up top again, but is thrown off. Guerrero hits a Sunset Flip and starts to pull Flair’s tights down. Guerrero with a thumb to the eyes and climbs up top for the Frogsplash and hits it, but does some damage to his own knee in the process. Flair hits him with a clothesline and puts him in the Figure Four. Flair grabs the ropes for leverage and Guerrero is counted down. The match went 14:14.
Winner and STILL WCW United States Champion: Ric Flair
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a fun match that the crowd was very invested in. Guerrero was great here and wasn’t even in his prime yet. Flair did all the usual spots but really made Guerrero look better than he already did. Flair was a master entertainer and the fans were cheering him at some points in the match, even though he was a heel at the time. There were a lot of believable near falls, and the match was put together great.
The Giant and Jimmy Hart are joining Mean Gene for an interview. Hart says Hogan shouldn’t;t trip and fall tonight because no one will be there to pick him up. Gene asks The Giant how he feels going into tonight. The Giant says he was a big Hulk Hogan fan but he isn’t anymore and that he won’t forget the pain Hogan caused him. He says that tonight he will lay The Hulkster to rest.
The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) vs. Sting and Lex Luger
Last month at Bash at the Beach, these men went head to head and it turned out to be one of the biggest nights in the history of pro wrestling.
Luger and Hall start the match with Hall tossing the toothpick into Sting’s face. Hall starts working on the arm of Luger and throws him down with a toss across the ring. Hall hits some shoulder blocks and slaps Luger in the head. Hall and Luger exchange blows and Luger takes him over with a hip toss. Luger hits a scoop slam and Hall regroups to his corner and makes the tag to Nash, who comes in the ring and says that he wants Sting. He spits in the face of Sting, and Luger tags him into the match. Sting returns fire with some saliva, and Nash takes him down with a shot to the head. Sting comes back with a shot of his own and tries to slam Nash, but he overpowers Sting and knocks him to the mat. Both men exchange shots in the ring with Sting hitting a thumb to the eye and picks the big man up for a scoop slam. He knocks Hall off the apron and throws Nash into the corner, but Nash catches Sting trying to leap over him and hits him with some Snake Eyes. He tags Hall back in the match and he continues the assault on Sting. Nash is back in and hits Sting with some knees in the corner. Hall takes his chance to punch Sting and that sends Luger into the ring, but is intercepted by the referee. Nash with a clothesline and continues to taunt Luger in the corner. Hall makes the tag and catches Sting, who tried a crossbody, for a Fallaway Slam. He throws Sting into the corner and charges in with a clothesline that shook the ring. He tags Nash back in and he puts the foot to Sting’s neck in the corner. Hall takes him down with a clothesline from the outside, and Luger is anxious to get in the match. Sting fights back and hits Nash with some offense that takes him down to a knee. He tries to make the tag, but Nash puts him in a front face lock. He throws Sting into the ropes and both men collide with each other. Sting wobbles and falls right into Nash’s lower area. Nash makes a tag and Hall cuts Sting off before he gets to his corner. Nash tags back in and hits Sting with a big boot before tagging Hall back in. Hall goes for the Outsiders Edge, but Sting lifts him over his head. Sting makes the tag to Luger and he takes Hall out quickly. He knocks Nash off the apron before he can get in the match and Luger takes full control. Luger punches Hall in the corner and poses for the Torture Rack. Sting has Nash in the Scorpion Death Lock on the outside and Luger tries to pick Hall up for the rack, but he gets a thumb to the eye of the referee. Luger tries to get him up again, but Nick Patrick takes out the knee of Luger. Hall falls on him and Patrick makes the count to give The Outsiders the win in 14:36.
Winner(s): The Outsiders
Match Rating: 2.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a standard tag match that told an alright story. Hall and Nash took the fight to Sting for a lot of the match and kept Luger isolated to his side. They did all the standard stuff that they normally hit, and Sting was such a great babyface. When he did make the tag to Luger, he came in furious and took everyone out. Nick Patrick turning heel here was weird for the time because normally referee’s didn’t get involved in storylines. They had before this, but it had been awhile. This match didn’t blow me away, but wasn’t the worst thing on the show.
WCW Heavyweight Title Match
The Giant (c)(w/Jimmy Hart) vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan
Hogan tries to get in the ring, but The Giant cuts him off at the pass. Hart starts to taunt Hogan with the megaphone but Hogan walks away from the ring and up the aisle way. Hogan comes back and finally gets in the ring to start the match. The Giant goes to take him out, but Hogan moves out of the ways and rolls back outside of the ring. The lock-up and Hogan is taken down to the mat with a shoulder block. The Giant hits a suplex and Hogan rolls out of the ring again. Five minutes in and we have two moves. They have a test of strength in the ring and Hogan hits some boots to the midsection that takes The Giant down to his knees. The Giant makes his way back to his feet and starts to work the arm of Hogan. Hogan kicks his knee out and hits The Giant with some knees to the side while keeping his arm locked up. Hogan puts him in a Surfboard submission and pounds on his head. The Giant makes his way back to his feet, but Hogan takes him down again. The Giant gets back to his feet and hits a series of headbutts, that surprise, sends Hogan to the outside. He pulls The Giant out with him and pounds away on his head before tossing him into the ring post. He tries again but The Giant throws him into it instead. They get back in the ring and The Giant hits a backbreaker and covers him but Hogan gets the foot on the ropes. The Giant hits a scoop slam but misses an elbow drop. Hogan hits The Giant with some rights but The Giant “Hulks Up” and does the whole Hogan routine. The Giant with a big boot and signals for The Chokeslam. Scott Hall hits the ring but is taken out quickly. Nash grabs the megaphone as The Giant chokeslams Hall in the ring. He kicks Nash which makes him drop the megaphone. Hogan picks it up and hits The Giant with it to pick up the win and wins the title. The match, unbelievably, went 14:59.
Winner and NEW WCW Heavyweight Champion: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan
Match Rating: -1/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: My first negative rating since I started doing these shows. This match was pretty terrible. It went fifteen minutes and for about eight of them, Hogan was on the outside of the ring. They didn’t do very many moves in the match aside from a few slams and a test of strength. These two were capable of doing a whole lot better but it didn’t click here. Hogan winning the title wasn’t a big deal, but spray painting the title was wild at the time. The Heavyweight Title was the biggest belt in the company and for Hogan to deface it like that, was newsworthy. The match sucked, but the story they were telling fit the narrative they were going for. Hall and Nash assisting in the win wasn’t surprising either, and this started a long series of title reigns for Hogan in his new heel persona.
After the match, The NWO celebrates the title victory in the ring. Some guys bring out a cake for Hogan for his birthday. The Disciple, who was The Booty Man at the time and a classic Hogan stooge, is out with them joining the NWO as well. Hogan grabs the mic and says that The Booty Man is now a member of the NWO. The Booty Man takes the mic from Hogan and says that he is celebrating a Hogan victory tonight and that he wants to shake his hand. Hogan says they have been hanging for 20 years and he talks about Ric Flair being the next in line to fall when he faces him in a couple of weeks. Hogan says that he attacked WCW for a reason, and it had nothing to do with Arn Anderson. Hogan says that he has a surprise for everyone and all three members attack The Booty Man and take him out. I love it. Hogan says that if he does that to his best friend, what is he going to do to Flair. Hogan grabs the spray paint can and paints the NWO letters on the title belt. That was a classic look for a long time. They celebrate more in the ring as the announcers give some final thoughts and the show goes off the air.
Collective Thoughts: Classic move here by Hogan to really put the group over as dangerous. They played up the fact that Hogan and Booty Man had been friends for so long but he even attacked him in the end. I feel like this segment was better than the damn match was.
Overall Show Rating: 5.5 out of 10
The first thing I will say about this show is that while the setting was cool, the fans didn’t care about a lot of the matches. That is the up and down you have with a show like this. The matches were alright, although the main event was painful to watch. It’s hard to believe after watching a title match like that, that WCW would soon take the reins and be the leader in the ratings for a long period of time. The Benoit and Malenko match was probably the match of the night, but even that one suffered a little bit. Overall, the show was alright, but some of the matches were painful to get through. I don’t think this show did a good job capitalizing on the shock value of Bash at the Beach, but we do have War Games next which is always a good time. Meltzer didn’t like the show much and mentioned that it suffered from the same things that bothered me. This setting is not meant for wrestling.
What did you think of WCW Hog Wild 1996? Loved it? Hated it? Never seen it? Either way, keep the conversation going over @collectiveheel on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. Be kind to yourselves, and to each other. I will be back soon enough with some more Collective Thoughts.