Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 42: Rick Steiner vs. Chris Benoit (Nitro 10/7/96)

Benoit is full heel here and really has his intensity boots on like usual. Much of the fun of the first several minutes of the match is Steiner either throwing suplexes and/or throwing Benoit a beating. A lot of big spots in ring that pop the crowd and are well contained, like the suplexes. They go to commercial and we come back to Benoit in control, with Steiner battling back from underneath. As strong and stiff a match as you’d expect.

WCW ruins it by having the camera cut away to Hogan/Giant limo arrivals, but that’s to be expected in this era. Benoit grabs a chin lock during the period anyway. This period is a little dull, but it helps set up the Benoit head butt. The near fall doesn’t get a pop. Steiner’s comeback, as silly as I think it is, DOES get a reaction.

Finish angers mean only in how dumb Rick Steiner is. He steals the briefcase Mongo is threatening Scott Steiner with, turns and K.O.s Benoit while Debra distracts the semi-heel ref Nick Patrick. Steiner then decides to throw the briefcase in the one area of eye sight where the ref is gonna see it, and Patrick has to pretend he didn’t see it. Steiner gets the pin on Benoit in a 10-12 minute match. Past the suplexes and clotheslines Steiner isn’t much for me, and Benoit was pretty good but not transcendent here. Enjoyable for what it was. 2 ½ and 5/10.