SHOT OF NOSTALGIA #1.26: WCW 1996 | NOV 4th & NOV 11th WCW NITRO | WORLD WAR 3 GO HOME FALLS FLAT

In episode 26 ACEFIELD RETRO returns with MIKE BELCASTER to discuss two hearty episodes. We take on the NOV 4th & NOV 11th episodes of MONDAY NITRO. We are starting the build to WORLD WAR 3 1996 and we already have an idea of what the card will look like. Despite showing up at HALLOWEEN HAVOC, we have to wait another few weeks until RODDY PIPER arrives on NITRO. He will make an impact soon. For now, we have two nights of Nitro that are actually jam-packed with wrestling. We also get the reality of ever watching STING in the rafters. His face paint has evolved into something a bit more familiar. Stop me if this sounds familiar to you: we have a tournament starting to crown a Women's Championship. Further emphasis on Tony Khan's influence from the playbook of WCW Nitro. DEAN MALENKO defends his newly won CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.... against SCOTTY RIGGS? In the 2nd episode of NITRO, we get another FACE OF FEAR main event. As we know, the WORLD WAR 3 concept is a three-ring, 60-man battle royal similar to the Royal Rumble but done in a chaotic fashion. Let's see how WCW approaches this build in an attempt to construct a viable opponent for HULK HOGAN. REY MYSTERIO has an encounter with CICLOPE it is cool to see him on our screens. We see RIC FLAIR with Dr. James Andrews which can only mean one thing, SURGERY. As per usual, we do some diving into MeltzerMania's newsletter as it happened in real-time to bring in CONTEXT and help us travel completely back to 1996 to get an idea of what this event meant to WCW's drive to overtake WWF in the MONDAY NIGHT WARS. What was the rating like? Is there more drama to unpack?  As always, tip your bartenders & learn from the past!  Go to www.theturnbuckletavern.com & subscribe to the Patreon for only $2.99/month for all exclusive access to the shows & join the community. This episode originally aired on October 14, 2022 on our streaming platforms. We are releasing the back catalog for audio purposes! Enjoy!