September 1995 WCW: Nitro is Here!
Luger and Hogan's money dynamic, Arn and Flair's epic feud, and why Nitro was a home run! Full recap, thoughts, and match recommendations inside.
Continuing on from Part One where I went show by show through a huge month for WCW.
Recap
September 1995 was a historic month for World Championship Wrestling, marked by the launch of Nitro on September 4th from the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The show immediately distinguished itself from other WCW programming with its higher production values, iconic opening, fresh set design, and impressive graphics. The debut episode featured a stacked card, including name versus name matchups like Jushin Liger vs. Brian Pillman, Sting vs. Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bubba. The night also saw the shocking return of Lex Luger, alongside the arrivals of Scott Norton, Michael Wallstreet, and Sabu, adding to the excitement. A new commentary team was formed, featuring Chicago Bears legend Steve “Mongo” McMichael (and his dog) alongside Eric Bischoff and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The energy was palpable as WCW headed into Fall Brawl.
The main event of Fall Brawl was originally set to feature Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, and Vader taking on the Dungeon of Doom in a War Games match. However, Vader was fired following a backstage altercation with Paul Orndorff, paving the way for the newly returned Lex Luger to join the team. Luger made his intentions clear: he was there to fight the best, and that meant targeting Hogan and the World Heavyweight Title. The two agreed to face off in a blockbuster main event on the second episode of Nitro. However, the Dungeon of Doom interfered, causing a disqualification after both men appeared to have the match won. Notably, the Dungeon of Doom did not touch Luger, sparking mistrust among the team. Savage suspected Luger would betray them, while Sting vouched for his old friend. Hogan, as the deciding vote, chose to trust Sting and allowed Luger to remain on the team. Luger reiterated that he would help in the battle in exchange for a future title shot, creating compelling intrigue among the top stars.
Meanwhile, The Giant continued to target Hogan, even destroying Hogan’s prized Harley Davidson at Fall Brawl. In the War Games match, The Hulkamaniacs defeated the Dungeon of Doom when Hogan forced Zodiac to submit with a camel clutch. Hogan briefly got his hands on The Taskmaster, but this was merely a setup for The Giant to seriously injure Hogan’s neck. Hogan vowed revenge, promising to “lay The Giant to rest next to his father” in Michigan at Halloween Havoc. The two agreed to a Monster Truck Challenge and a World Title match.
After Fall Brawl, Randy Savage continued to express doubts about Luger, Jimmy Hart, and even Sting, predicting they would eventually join the Dungeon of Doom. Luger, in turn, suggested that Savage might be jealous or after Hogan’s title, setting up a match on the first Nitro in October. The stipulation was set: the winner would receive a World Title shot, while Luger would leave WCW if he lost.
In another major storyline, best friends Ric Flair and Arn Anderson met at Fall Brawl as Arn sought to prove he wasn’t Flair’s scapegoat for his recent struggles. The two had a hard-fought battle that showcased their equality, forcing Flair to rediscover his old self to keep up with Arn. However, it was Arn who outsmarted Flair when Flyin’ Brian interfered, costing Ric the match. The next night on Nitro, Flair defeated Pillman with ease as Pillman barely laid a finger on Ric. Flair then turned to his longtime rival Sting, asking him to be his partner to take on Arn and Pillman. Despite Flair’s persistence, Sting emphatically turned him down. Sting had his hands full, unsure of Luger’s intentions, and while he felt sympathy for Flair, their history made it impossible for him to trust the Nature Boy. Flair continued to make his case, even saving Sting from an attack by Arn and Pillman. As October approached, Flair persisted in his efforts, still needing a tag team partner for Halloween Havoc.
Other notable developments included Harlem Heat regaining the World Tag Team Titles from the Stud Stable at Fall Brawl after the Nasty Boys attacked Slater and Buck. Col. Robert Parker and Sister Sherri continued their romantic storyline, but Harlem Heat lost the titles the next night to the newly formed American Males (Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs) after Parker and Sherri caused a distraction. Diamond Dallas Page took a significant step forward by winning the World TV Title from The Renegade. DDP then entered a feud with Johnny B. Badd, flattening his tires to cost him a U.S. Title shot against Sting. Badd continued to shine with his more serious persona, scoring a big win over Flyin’ Brian at Fall Brawl and delivering a strong performance on Nitro. The hierarchy of the singles titles became clearer as DDP began pushing for a U.S. Title shot while holding the TV Championship.
Paul Orndorff rebranded himself as “Mr. Wonderful,” debuting a new entrance and theme song. Cobra and Sgt. Craig Pittman continued their feud, trading victories. Disco Inferno officially debuted with a series of “coming soon” videos, followed by a loss to Alex Wright on Nitro, though he garnered significant heat from the crowd. Kurasawa and Meng had several confrontations after Meng joined the Dungeon of Doom. Big Bubba and Jim Duggan continued their taped-fist feud, with VK Wallstreet intervening to assist Bubba. Last but certainly not least, Eddie Guerrero made his WCW debut on the Main Event pre-show before Fall Brawl, facing Alex Wright in a match that ended in a double countout. Guerrero looked impressive, signaling the start of a promising career in WCW.
Thoughts
I liked the Nitro launch even more in context. It was a complete departure from how WCW had been presenting its television product, and it highlighted Kevin Sullivan’s strengths as a booker. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the top stars, with their constant interactions, was something that might have happened once in a taping cycle before. Now, it was happening every week. The pacing of the show felt electric from start to finish in a way WCW hadn’t achieved in years. To me, Nitro felt like a modernized take on territory wrestling, blending old-school storytelling with a fresh, fast-paced presentation. The launch was an absolute home run. Gene Okerlund played a central role in carrying the weight of the storylines, getting in the faces of the top stars, asking the hard-hitting questions fans wanted answered, and driving home the key narrative points. It’s no surprise that wrestlers with territory TV experience, like Randy Savage, Ric Flair, and Arn Anderson, excelled under this new format.
Hogan and Luger felt like a big-money feud waiting to happen. While they’d eventually clash for real with Hogan as a heel, their initial interactions here were far hotter than anything Hogan was doing with The Giant. All the stuff about Andre the Giant and the insinuation that Hogan “killed” him was just... beyond bad. It felt forced and unnecessary, dragging down what could have been a simple feud.
Based on Luger’s arrival and early involvement, him betraying Sting and eventually becoming the third man for the nWo seems like it would have been the second-best choice if Hogan had refused to turn heel. WCW had already laid the groundwork with the WWF-as-the-enemy narrative, and fans were thrilled to have Luger back. A betrayal from him would have stung deeply and felt organic. Luger just belonged in WCW, and his presence added a layer of authenticity to the product.
The Arn and Flair feud, with all its rich backstory, was fantastic. The evolution of Brian Pillman since his heel turn, has been great too. Even if it was short-lived, I always enjoy seeing babyface Flair in WCW.
On the flip side, the tag team division felt like it had been relegated to the backburner. The tag titles were essentially used as a prop for the Sherri/Parker storyline and as filler for the taped shows. The American Males winning the titles came off more like a token title change on Nitro rather than a meaningful shift in direction for the division.
Recommendations
Full credit to everyone out there who makes all of this accessible.
Randy Savage v Paul Orndorff (Sept. 2 Worldwide)
Eric Bischoff & Bobby Heenan hype Nitro at Mall of America (Sept. 3 Main Event)
Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Flyin' Brian (Sept. 4 Nitro #1)
Sting vs. Ric Flair (Sept. 4 Nitro #1)
Lex Luger and Hulk Hogan go face-to-face + interview (Sept. 4 Nitro #1)
Arn Anderson interview on his background with Ric Flair (Sept. 9 Worldwide)
Emotional Hulk Hogan video on Son of Andre (Sept. 9 Worldwide)
Erin Anderson interview (Sept. 9 Pro)
Sgt. Craig Pittman confronts Cobra (Sept. 9 Saturday Night)
Sting & Randy Savage v Blue Bloods + Vader’s final appearance (Sept. 9 Saturday Night)
Ric Flair in-ring interview (Sept. 11 Nitro #2)
Randy Savage vs. Scott Norton (Sept. 11 Nitro #2)
Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Sting, and Randy Savage closing segment (Sept. 11 Nitro #2)
Arn Anderson interview on Ric Flair (Sept. 16 Worldwide)
Ric Flair v Steve Armstrong (Sept. 16 Worldwide)
Jim Duggan taped first promo (Sept. 16 Pro)
Paul Orndorff meets with a psychic (Sept. 16 Pro)
Alex Wright v Brian Pillman (Sept. 16 Saturday Night)
Ric Flair interview on Arn (Sept. 17 Main Event)
Eddie Guerrero v Alex Wright (Sept. 17 Main Event)
Johnny B. Badd vs. Brian Pillman (Sept. 17 Fall Brawl)
Ric Flair interview (Sept. 17 Fall Brawl)
Cobra vs. Sgt. Craig Pittman (Sept. 17 Fall Brawl)
Arn Anderson interview (Sept. 17 Fall Brawl)
Hulkamaniacs interview (Sept. 17 Fall Brawl)
The Giant attacks Hulk Hogan (Sept. 17 Fall Brawl)
Harlem Heat v American Males (Sept. 18 Nitro #3)
Randy Savage interview + Lex Luger confrontation (Sept. 18 Nitro #3)
Ric Flair asks Sting to be his partner (Sept. 23 Pro)
Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman v Steve & Scott Armstrong (Sept. 23 Worldwide)
Insane Hulk Hogan promo (Sept. 25 Nitro #4)
Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman interview (Sept. 25 Nitro #4)
The Giant attacks Randy Savage (Sept. 25 Nitro #4)
Ric Flair tries to build trust with Sting (Sept. 30 Pro)
Dusty Rhodes replaces Bobby Heenan on Saturday Night (Sept. 30 Saturday Night)
The Giant promo (Sept. 30 Saturday Night)
Hulk Hogan promo (Sept. 30 Saturday Night)
Johnny B. Badd, Diamond Dallas Page, four flat tires (Sept. 30 Saturday Night)
Wrestler of the Month: Arn Anderson
Match of the Month: Arn Anderson vs. Ric Flair (Sept. 17 Fall Brawl) (1, 2, 3)
Promo of the Month: Arn Anderson interview on his background with Ric Flair (Sept. 9 Worldwide)