Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 37: Harlem Heat vs. The Steiner Brothers vs. Sting and Lex Luger (Nitro 6/24/96)

Again, I think this one was put on more for extra content surrounding the match (Historical content) than the match itself. This three way doesn’t have the luster of the earlier Three Way (Match # 24), but I remember the angle with the Outsiders coming down as a landmark moment in my teenage wrestling fandom. To the match.

I had completely forgotten how much fun a motivated Booker T could be to watch. Nothing scary technical, but a crisp worker who could sell. I’d forgotten about the Harlem Heat team, but Stevie Ray was never someone I thought much of. They send in a still worth Scott Steiner vs Booker, so the A players on each team work each other good stuff from that combo. Then we get the B teamers, Stevie Ray vs Rick. The Steiner suplexes always make me mark out, but otherwise I’m glad it’s kept short.

Booker does a “spin wheel kick” (Tony Schiav.) and sells it after crotching himself on the top rope. That was impressive. Otherwise the body of this match, where Sting sells, is dullsville slam-an-kick stuff. Lots od Stevie Ray offense before a commercial break. “We want Flair” chants when we come back into a Stevie Ray submission stall. It’s that dull a match.

Luger gets the hot tag and clears house in the most uninspired way possible. Maybe it’s just lack of crowd reaction to it, or the bumps looking robotic, but it fell flat and I blame the Total Package.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash make their way through the crowd! This is the part I remember. Cops come down the surround the ring, hands on their gun holsters. The Outsider have baseball bats. While all this is going on Harlem Heat wins the belts and no one cares. The finish is screwed up, but no one was watching anyway. The match was a throw away, but the angle is intense. 1 ¾ and 3/10.