As it's Nitro Week on hookedonwrestling.co.uk, we have for the first time published a second episode in a week. And it's a humdinger!

Dean and Liam are joined by British wrestling media legend Findlay Martin to discuss the impact WCW's game-changing weekly show had not just on the industry as a whole, but on fans of various generations and Fin himself as a wrestling magazine editor at the time.

The man now writing for the brand-new Inside The Ropes Magazine recalls Nitro's biggest highs and lows from the perspective of having to cover it month after month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Monday August 31 to Sunday September 6 2020, hookedonwrestling.co.uk and Because WCW are celebrating 'Monday Nitro Week', to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the very first episode of the game-changing weekly TV show on September 4.

To mark the occasion, Dean and Liam present a very special interview conducted by 'The Twisted Genius' with his fellow devious manager, WCW legend Sonny Onoo!

The sunglasses-wearing, wide-grinning former international liaison and on-screen talent for World Championship Wrestling reflects back on the very beginnings of Nitro, his favourite talents to work with, being involved first-hand with the Monday Night Wars and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time, Because WCW has a podcast episode longer than the PPV it was covering. And considering which PPV this episode looks at, we're sure you'll agree it deserves the distinction of our biggest ep yet.

Dean and Liam bring in a 'third man' for one of WCW's most infamous and critically-successful efforts as Hooked On Wrestling original and former The Sun wrestling columnist Rob McNichol helps decipher the 'hostile takeover' main event that launched Eric Bischoff's vision into supernova. But whose side is he on!?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dean and Liam's run of early-1996 Nitros continues as they encounter an episode that, bizarrely, they both vaguely recalled watching on British cable TV back when it was fresh content.

So, will this hour of TV, headlined by Ric Flair defending the WCW World title against The Giant and also featuring Sting and Lex Luger defending the tag team titles against The American Males plus Randy Savage vs Fit Finlay, stand the test of time?

And more importantly, why the bloody hell are we stuck watching another Booty Man 'match'!?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many wrestling shows can 'boast' that their match of the night was an immediate countout that finished in a matter of seconds?

Welcome to the March 18, 1996 edition of Monday Nitro, where the tag team division continues to hurt the head and the eyes of everyone unfortunate enough to pick WCW over the WWF on this particular evening back in the day, and the star workers were an unfoldable chair found in most schools and community centres, and a foam Randy Savage hat.

Join Dean and Liam as they count the minutes until Hulk Hogan takes his pre-New World Order hiatus, and welcome late actor Jeep Swenson to the show shortly before someone has to tell WCW that it wasn't a good idea to name one of their wrestlers 'The Final Solution'.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As advertised on the previous episode, a Lumberjack Strap six-man tag main events the 27th Monday Nitro - and they made all of the lumberjacks dress in flannel!

Join Dean and Liam as they continue on the road to Uncensored 1996 with quite the enjoyable hour of television, even despite the hideously-confusing face-heel blurs. The Steiner Brothers return, Brian Pillman refuses to leave quietly and Ric Flair goes bonkers. Again.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WCW had plenty of pros to supplement the many, many cons, but PPV events from the company that are widely regarded as truly great are few and far between. Superbrawl III is one of those select few that many consider to be great.

So great, in fact, that friend of the podcast and BBC Sport broadcast journalist in the Humberside region Mike White insisted that we rewatch it for his special guest appearance.

Join Dean, Liam and Mike as they fondly recall the White Castle of Fear strap match between Big Van Vader and Sting, the falls-count-anywhere melee between Cactus Jack and Paul Orndorff and an overall product now free of the dated Bill Watts stench.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

World Championship Wrestling transitioned out of the NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions in 1990, and is there a more WCW way for the company's era of infamy to begin than the Black Scorpion storyline?

Ole Anderson followed up a brilliant 1989 by growling into a voice distorter to cap a massive squandering of the firm's momentum, shortly before he would be replaced as booker by Dusty Rhodes. 

Dean, Liam and special guest Carl 'Conroy' Stewart do their best not to say anything that breaches the podcast rules or bash their own heads into their laptops as they endure 14 matches including an obscure and pointless tag tournament, overly political match finishes and, of course, that main event.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Very few episodes of Monday Nitro so far on this Watchalong series have felt like chores to watch. The February 26, 1996 broadcast, unfortunately, was a massive chore to watch.

Nonetheless, Dean and Liam make it worthwhile with their audio accompaniment. Hell, just listen to the episode without watching Nitro on WWE Network, if you wish.

Deep fried Mars Bars, the difference between a Milky Way in Britain and in the United States and other such riveting conversations salvage an hour of wrestling that was worthwhile only to see more from Sting and Lex Luger's wacky tag title reign.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A question that has cropped up more than once in previous episodes of Because WCW is this: how did World Championship Wrestling manage so often to provide some all-time classic wrestling moments right next to some truly turgid excuses for entertainment?

Havoc 1997 may well be the pinnacle of their trademark marriage of the ridiculous and the sublime, as Rey Misterio Jr vs Eddie Guerrero in one of the greatest ever matches on North American soil and Ric Flair's gloriously-Wild West revenge on Curt Hennig are accompanied by the Mongo/Alex Wright/Goldberg farce and - yes - Age In The Cage.

British wrestling cornerstone and expert trainer Adam 'Muscles' Mansfield joins Dean and Liam to provide in-depth analysis of such things as Roddy Piper biting Hollywood Hogan's arse.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.