Monday Warfare: RAW vs. NITRO – Episode 17 (4/15 & 4/22/96) Goodbye, Hulk Hogan!

Monday Warfare: RAW VS. NITRO Podcast

The Monday Night War keeps getting hotter!!!

In WCW News… Brian Pillman in a near-fatal car accident. Lethal Lottery Returns. Macho Man is insane! THREE Championships on the line when Tag Champs Sting & (TV Champ) Lex Luger battle WCW Champ Ric Flair & The Giant. And say goodbye to Hulk Hogan, at least for 3 months… as the Hulkster changes booking plans at the last minute, brother… What was originally supposed to be an injury angle for Hulk, turns into Hogan going over on the way out… Are you shocked?

Then over in the WWF, all things lead to IYH “Good Friends, Better Enemies”. Raw tries to one-up Nitro by going on at 8:57, so WCW goes on at 8:56... HOW PETTY! We get a look at a lot of the new blood in the WWF, the IC Title is vacated and once again occupied after two grueling battles between Goldust and Savio Vega, plus a TAJIRI SIGHTING in 1996!

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TIMESTAMPS below!

WCW NEWS (00:01:06)

• WCW brings back the Lethal Lottery & Battle Bowl
• The Road Warriors and Miss Elizabeth have contract disputes
• WCW cuts BAIT with SHARK
• Steve McMichael in training to WRESTLE
• Talk of Nitro going to TWO HOURS!
• Lanny Poffo… the new Gorgeous George?
• Brian Pillman’s near-fatal car crash that puts him in the ICU

WCW Monday Nitro 4/15/96 (00:14:18)

• Nitro kicks off at 8:56, one whole minute before Raw…. How petty
• In what will be Hulk Hogan’s final WCW appearance until Bash at the Beach, it’s Handicap Action when Hulk Hogan takes on both Arn Anderson & Kevin Sullivan
• The Hulkster gets 5 minutes with Jimmy Hart
• Hulkamania even no-sells the Giant’s Chokeslam on his way out of the company for 3 months. What a company guy.
• We discuss at length Hulk Hogan’s creative control, booking himself to destroy all of WCW all the way up to his 3-month exit from the company. In what was originally scheduled to be Hogan doing an injury angle on this show somehow turning into Hulk wiping out everyone in sight on his way back to Hollywood. HOT GARBAGE, Orange Goblin!
• STREET FIGHT: The Nasty Boys vs. Public Enemy
• “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Earl Robert Eaton. Eaton taunts the Macho Man by doing his best Ric Flair impersonation. YES, Bobby Eaton does a Ric Flair impression! Woo!
• The Macho Man continues to lose his mind over Ric Flair and finds himself in a pair of handcuffs
• WCW Tag Team Champions Sting & Lex Luger defend against “Nature Boy” Ric Flair & The Giant

WWF NEWS (00:47:03)

• Goldust suffers an MCL injury
• Billy Gunn on his way back from injury
• Sable’s relationship with Marc Mero
• Mr. Perfect working on a comeback to the ring
• Bam Bam Bigelow gets the shaft
• Jeff Jarrett returns from injury… but not for the WWF!
• Brian Christopher’s secret WWF contract

WWF Monday Night Raw 4/15/96 (00:52:20)

• Raw is given its new 8:57 timeslot
• “Wildman” Marc Mero takes on Leif Cassidy w/Marty Jannetty ringside
• Diesel calls in from Germany to talk Shawn Michaels & IYH
• “Stone Cold” Steve Austin battles Bart Gunn
• Vince McMahon interviews Jim Cornette & Vader. Corny makes veiled shoot comments about Vader’s next opponent Razor Ramon leaving for WCW
• THE SUNNY VIDEO! YES, PLEASE!
• Savio Vega initially defeats Goldust for the Intercontinental Title, before Tim White screws it all up.
• Gorilla Monsoon orders the IC Title be vacated, pending a rematch NEXT WEEK!
• The era of WHINY Bret Hart begins as he complains about being screwed out of the title at WrestleMania XII, and denounces the idea of ever leaving the WWF for WCW.

MORE BRIAN PILLMAN NEWS (01:16:38)

• Brian Pillman is released from the hospital but suffered many injuries, including a crushed ankle. We discuss Brian’s recovery and eventual move to the WWF.

WCW Monday Nitro 4/22/96 (01:20:08)

• It’s the first Nitro of the Post-Hogan era… albeit brief, I’ll still take it!
• The Public Enemy battle The American Males
• Eric Bischoff is back to giving away Raw Results!
• Bischoff says hello to Brian Pillman!
• Mean Gene draws Lethal Lottery matches with less than clever results.
• Eddy Guerrero squares off with Chris Benoit
• After learning that Randy Savage will be forced to team with Ric Flair at Slamboree, the Macho Man has strong words for WCW VP Rob Garner.
• “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan looks to knockout Meng
• In a match where “all titles are on the line” WCW Tag Team Champions Sting & Lex Luger (also the TV Champion) battle WCW Champion Ric Flair & The Giant. Eric Bischoff tries to sell convoluted rules to the match in order to steal the viewing audience away from Raw… But did it work???
• Ric Flair has some choice ford for the Giant, before being chased out of the arena

WWF Monday Night Raw 4/22/96 (01:50:53)

• It’s the go-home show to In Your House
• Goldust meets Savio Vega for the Vacant Intercontinental Championship
• We talk Stone Cold's interference in the IC Title match and why the same result last week that caused the title to be held up, was an acceptable finish this week? Yup, WWF with a rare miss in continuity.
• Vader unleashes the MOONSAULT on Fatu
• Highlights from Germany: Jake the Snake vs. Owen Hart with the British Bulldog interfering
• The Godwinns take on Tim Patterson and YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI!!!! Yes, THAT Tajiri!
• The Body Donnas outsmart and humiliate the Godwinns
• Mankind is back again this week. His victim this time out, Aldo Montoya.
• Just 6 days before their No Holds Barred contest, it’s a trip down memory lane as we’re treated to a video documenting the storied 3-year relationship between Shawn Michaels & Diesel.
• Diesel has last-minute choice words for HBK at IYH, and threatens to come after Vince McMahon!

And as always, we talk lead-in programming ratings, the weekly “War” ratings, including quarter-hour breakdowns from April 22nd, and if Bischoff’s false promises for his Nitro main event stole any of the WWF audience. Spoiler… IT DID… And you won’t believe how many people flipped the channel! Oh, that Uncle Eric!