25 Greatest Nitro Matches
In honor of a quarter century since Nitro premiered, here are the 25 greatest matches in the history of WCW’s flagship show.
In honor of a quarter century since Nitro premiered, here are the 25 greatest matches in the history of WCW’s flagship show.
25. Chris Benoit vs. Dean Malenko (January 12, 1998)
As expected, these dear friends put on a clinic. The Man of 1,000 Holds outwrestled the Canadian Crippler early on, forcing Benoit to rely on his explosive power, hitting some wince-worthy snap suplexes. They’re so fluid, performing counters and reversals I’ve never seen before. Ultimately, the game of human chess ends with the Crippler Crossface.
24. Sabu vs. Mr. JL (October 9, 1995)
A five-minute frenzy unlike anything seen on Monday nights at the time, setting the tone for the soon-to-come cruiserweight division. Sabu and Jerry Lynn flew all over the ring, building to an admittedly weak finish as Lynn submitted to the Camel Clutch.
23. Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero (October 16, 1995)
This was the first of their eight matches on Nitro, as well as Chris Benoit’s debut on the show. The Canadian Crippler needed to look dominate from the get-go, and there was nobody better to make him shine than his BFF. Listen to that gasp as Benoit splatters Eddie Guerrero with that snap powerbomb.
22. Hulk Hogan & Goldberg & Sting vs. Kevin Nash & Sid Vicious & Rick Steiner (August 9, 1999)
Talk about star power! Hulk Hogan returns to the red and yellow after three years as the biggest heel in WCW. Apparently, Hulkamania is alive and well, as the crowd is amped for the whole match, especially with a rejuvenated Hogan knocking skulls and tagging in Goldberg, who gets an even louder pop for dropping everyone in sight. After a couple of Stinger Splashes, the ref goes down and a steel chair gets inserted into the fracas. The Hulkster always wrestled dirty, anyway, so it made sense for him to whack Nash with the chair, allowing Sting to apply the Scorpion Deathlock for the victory.
21. Steiners & Ray Traylor vs. Buff Bagwell, Konnan & Scott Norton (January 5, 1998)
Welcome to the Scott Steiner highlight reel. The soon-to-be Big Poppa Pump showcased his incredible strength and tenacity by laying waste to the NWO. There’s a couple of funny spots, too, as Scotty interrupts Konnan’s “arribba la raza” with a Steinerline and his brother Rick copies Bagwell’s taunts. This is where the seeds are planted for the brothers’ split, as Rick goes up top for their finisher, but Scott nails Konnan with a Screwdriver instead.
20. Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero (July 14, 1997)
A beautiful story told in under five minutes: After being mocked and needled for weeks, Chavo released his frustration by outwrestling his Uncle Eddie, taking just a hair too long to ascend the turnbuckle, allowing the elder Guerrero to capitalize. That happened twice, as Eddie pulled his knees up during a frog splash, following up with a powerbomb and a frog splash of his own to defeat his nephew. They had great chemistry as you’d expect since they’ve been wrestling each other since childhood.
19. Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera (April 20, 1998)
Maximizing their minutes, these top-notch athletes kept the fans on their feet for an electric boogaloo. Juvi kept Jericho off balance and reeling, scoring two huge near falls with a spinning heel kick and his signature DDT. However, Juvi went to the well once too often, as Jericho blocked him, trapping him in an excruciating Lion Tamer until Juvi passed out.
18. Lord Steven Regal vs. Psychosis (December 16, 1996)
When the WWE Network launched and William Regal was asked if there’s any standout matches from his career he’d recommend, the cagey veteran chose this one. Probably because it’s a masterclass in selling, as Regal made you believe that Psicosis uncatchable, rocking the Englishman with a flurry of high-flying offense. Eventually, Regal caught him with a sick German suplex that actually took more out of Regal than Psicosis. Attempting a victory roll, Regal stopped the luchador in his tracks, locking him in the Regal Stretch for the submission.
17. Juventud Guerrera, Super Calo & Hector Garza vs. La Parka, Ciclope & Damian (May 26, 1997)
Don’t blink! Lucha libre at its finest, this six-man tag team sprint showcased the potential of the cruiserweight division and blew away the rest of the card. Hector Garza stood out in his WCW debut, picking up the win with a standing moonsault. But the craziest spot of the match was Super Calo exploding out of the ring with so much energy that he ended up in the second row.
16. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho (August 3, 1998)
As evidenced a decade later in WWE, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho are perfect dance partners. Mysterio can up the tempo as high as he wants because Jericho can keep up. Conversely, Mysterio is one of the few wrestlers smaller than Jericho, allowing the Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla to use his power. Each competitor busts out some new moves in this one, including a cool version of an octopus stretch. Unfortunately for Jericho, his arch nemesis Dean Malenko ends up costing him the match.
15. Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman vs. Raven & Perry Saturn (April 5, 1999)
A couple of Filthy Animals, Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman made quite a dynamic duo. Their imagination was on full display in this sugar rush, meshing well with another high flyer in Perry Saturn and a deceptively agile Raven. There are so many jaw-dropping spots in this one, the best being Saturn belly-to-belly suplexing Kidman from the ring to the floor. The storytelling is also logical, as even though there’s many devastating moves, partners are breaking up pins rather than the endless kickouts that pervade pro wrestling today.
14. Ric Flair vs. Eddie Guerrero (December 18, 1995)
Similar to his days as the traveling world champion, Flair raised Guerrero’s stock even in defeat. The future Latino Heat kept the Nature Boy off balance with his lucha moves and then rubbed it in his face with a strut of his own. All that high flying eventually caught up to him, as the Dirtiest Player in the Game hit the ropes, causing Guerrero to crash outside the ring and hurt his knee. Like a shark that smells blood, Flair feasted on Guerrero’s injury, locking him in the figure four until Guerrero passed out.
13. Kevin Sullivan vs. Arn Anderson (December 16, 1996)
In under four minutes, Arn Anderson and Kevin Sullivan tore each other apart in this fun brawl. Livid about Chris Benoit stealing his wife, the Taskmaster charged Benoit’s fellow Horseman in the aisle way. The slugfest continues into the crowd, and when they return to the ring, Anderson DDTs the referee by accident! No ref means anything goes, so the Dungeon of Doom storm the ring only to eat some DDTs. However, Sullivan capitalized on the distraction by whacking Anderson with a wooden chair to finally put him down.
12. Rey Mysterio vs. Dean Malenko (July 8, 1996)
Only one month into his WCW run, Rey Mysterio began carving his legacy by upsetting Dean Malenko and winning the Cruiserweight Championship. They had tremendous chemistry, as Malenko grounded the luchador and trapped him in some of his 1,000 holds before planting him with a brainbuster on the floor. Mysterio’s dazzling comeback was halted, as Malenko had him beat twice, but pulled his shoulder up to inflict more punishment. The third time costed him as Mysterio countered a tilt-a-whirl into a hurricanrana for the pin, earning a huge pop to boot.
11. Sting vs. Diamond Dallas Page (March 23, 1998)
Two fan favorites and allies battling for the richest prize – this is what pro wrestling is all about. They feel each other out early on, each trying their finisher to no avail. Eventually, they do hit their signature moves in this seesaw matchup, as the crowd oohs and aahs. DDP had Sting scouted, blocking a splash with his knees. As they get to their feet, DDP tries a Diamond Cutter, but Sting holds onto the ropes for leverage and reverses into the Scorpion Deathdrop for the win.
10. Outsiders vs. Steiners (January 12, 1998)
After months and months of buildup, the crowd was salivating over the two top teams finally clashing. It’s probably the Outsiders’ best match together, as they were pushed to the limit by the Tag Team Champions. There aren’t a lot of moves like fans crave today, but the match told a compelling story and feels like a fight. Nash and Hall proved that less is more, especially when what few things you do, you do very well.
9. Faces of Fear vs. Eddie Guerrero & Chris Jericho (February 24, 1997)
Guerrero and Jericho should have teamed up more because they had excellent chemistry. Meng and Barbarian pound away, thrashing the mere cruiserweights with some powerful double team moves. Jericho endures some ungodly abuse, even taking the Faces’ double splash off the top. When Guerrero finally gets the hot tag, Latino Heat bursts into the ring and the crowd goes wild. Just when it seems the Can-Mex Connection will pull off the upset, Malenko intervenes and Guerrero gets shoved off the top rope into Barbarian’s giant boot, knocking him out cold.
8. Sting vs. Ric Flair (November 6, 1995)
As voted on by the fans via the WCW Hotline, Sting got his revenge on Ric Flair for screwing him over yet again at Halloween Havoc. Feeding off the crowd’s energy, Sting absorbs everything his arch-rival dishes out, finally being wounded by his own momentum with a splash into the guard rail. The Dirtiest Player in the Game clocked Sting with a pair of brass knuckles, but even that couldn’t put away the Stinger. The Nature Boy ultimately tapped in the Scorpion Deathlock to end their last great battle together.
7. Lord Steven Regal vs. Belfast Bruiser (April 29, 1996)
Predating John Cena and Guerrero’s parking lot brawl by seven years, this was cinematic wrestling without the smoke and mirrors. Regal and Finlay beat the hell out of each other in a good, ol’ fashioned donnybrook. Windows were busted, bumpers were torn off, there was never a dull moment. Eric Bischoff instructing the cameraman to pan out added to the damage being done. Regal hitting a piledriver on top of a car was the perfect, logical ending.
6. Juventud Guerrera vs. Billy Kidman (November 16, 1998)
Believe it or not, Juventud Guerrera and Billy Kidman have wrestled each other more times on Nitro than any other combination. Each bout was better than the last, but this one takes the cake. Starting hot with catch-as-catch can, Kidman plants Juvi with his signature sitout spinebuster to slow the action and allow the crowd to catch their breath. Of course, the action picks right back up with Juvi’s sizzling chops and flying head scissors. Their previous matches come into play, as Kidman kicks out of a Juvi Driver and Juvi somehow kicks out of a Kidman bomb off the top rope. Eventually, Kidman went to the well one too many times, as Juvi prevented the Shooting Star Press and finished him off with the 450 splash. As the crowd celebrates the new Cruiserweight Champion, Kidman shakes his hand for a rare display of mutual respect.
5. Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit (October 4, 1999)
A masterpiece by two maestros in honor of Owen Hart, who plummeted to his death in that same Kemper Arena less than five months earlier. Adding to the gravitas, Harley Race appeared for the introductions. Easily Bret’s best match in WCW, The Hitman was motivated to make his family proud. Of course, Benoit was up to the task, and the Canadian technicians put on a clinic of expert selling, counters and psychology, building to a very satisfying (and real-looking) conclusion of a unique way to lock in the Sharpshooter for the submission.
4. Road Warriors vs. Steiners (March 11, 1996)
We got this dream match spur of the moment as the Steiners made their surprise return to WCW after three years away and immediately entered the ring to battle the Road Warriors. These four behemoths emptied their arsenals, dropping each other with a variety of suplexes and power moves before taking to the air for a couple of thrilling false finishes. The ending seemed to be leading to a feud, but sadly, Hawk and Animal fled to Japan shortly after this.
3. Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage (June 17, 1996)
Although they’d face each other on more occasions, this was really the blow off to their hot seven-month feud. Actually, the hostility dated back even farther in WCW, and you can’t forget their battle in WWE before that. Let’s just give credit where it’s due: Flair vs. Savage is one of the greatest rivalries ever, as evidenced by this hellacious brawl. Savage pounds Flair into the VIP dining table, hits a low blow and drops two flying elbows, even as Naitch’s harem try to shield him. Of course, the Four Horsemen make the save; Benoit eats a piledriver, but Mongo whacks Savage with the Halliburton, allowing Flair to make the cover. What made their rivalry so incredible is that as dirty, intense and maniacal as Flair could be, Savage could match him.
2. Sting vs. Diamond Dallas Page (April 29, 1999)
Thirteen months after their first Nitro classic, Sting and Diamond Dallas Page upped the ante. This time DDP was the cocky heel champion and Sting was the hungry challenger with the crowd fully behind him. The pace started slow as Sting sent DDP outside the ring a few times, but then they brawled up the ramp a la Attitude Era main events. With plenty of time to tell an old-school wrasslin’ story with modern moves, these two legends reminded fans why WCW was still worth watching. The finish was poetic as the arrogant Page didn’t learn from his mistake last time – Sting blocked the Diamond Cutter in the corner by hanging onto the ropes and then hit the Scorpion Deathdrop to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
1. Goldberg vs. Raven (April 20, 1998)
One of those instances of a crowd making a match. After months of hiding behind his Flock, Raven finally got stuck in the ring, just 24 hours after winning the United States Championship. His first challenger would be his last: the undefeated Goldberg. Wisely, Raven charged right away, only to get throttled. Goldberg whipped him into the guardrail, and Raven cringed in agony. Desperate for a breather, Raven blasted Goldberg’s ribs with a chair, sending him back in the ring for his signature drop toehold into the chair.
That wasn’t enough to keep Da Man down, as Goldberg simply absorbed the blows before hitting a spear, drawing a thunderous pop. Realizing their leader was in trouble, The Flock swarmed the ring. but Goldberg bulldozed them. Raven tried to flee through the crowd, but fans tossed him back over the rail. Another spear and jackhammer later, Goldberg won his first championship.
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