Background: In a random bout, Mr. J.L. (Jerry Lynn) got a WCW Cruiserweight title shot against Rey Mysterio Jr. on an episode of “Monday Nitro”.
Monday Nitro
Lakeland, FL
August 26, 1996
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Mr. J.L.
Stern collar & elbow tie up saw champion and challenger exchange holds. J. L.’s power advantage allowed him to grind that headlock. Picking up the pace was Mysterio, landing a dropkick that stunned his fellow masked man. As this was going on, footage backstage featuring the New World Order spray painting a Turner Broadcast video truck. When the focus returned to the action, J. L. was sitting on the floor; taking his time to regroup. Another cut to Hulk Hogan and crew led to a commercial break.
Coming back to the show, J. L. was using the top rope to add some torque to an abdominal stretch. The referee caught the illegal action, giving Mysterio not only the chance to break free via a hip toss, but also dropkick his opposition to the floor to execute a somersault plancha. Dean Malenko arrived on the scene, taking Rey’s focus off of J. L. J. L. suddenly dropped to the mat, begging Mysterio to show his amateur wrestling skills. And, once again, J. L. was outmatched on the mat. So a Pearl Harbor job was the next best option, clubbing the champion until he was primed for a pair of backbreakers to set up his Liger Bomb … that gave him a near fall!
Mysterio countered the second power bomb attempt, almost rolling the challenger up for a three count. J. L. got up quickly, cinching in a Boston crab. Hanging on with all of his might, Mysterio refused to submit even as J. L. converted his submission holds to prevent freedom. Once his grip loosened, J. L. slammed Mysterio before whipping him into the ropes. Sunset flip counter by Mysterio didn’t help him as well as he was caught and suplexed. As the second hour of “Nitro” kicked off (featuring random entrance pyro going off), Mysterio was slammed chest first into the turnbuckles. Ducking a clothesline was the champion, sending J. L. to the floor. Mysterio was looking for the baseball slid, but met nothing but steel be it the guardrails or the steel ring post. Kicking J. L. backwards after stopping an Irish whip into the steel ring steps, Mysterio propelled off the steps to hit a hurricarana on the floor. As if that wasn’t enough, Mysterio shoved his challenger back in, spiking J. L. on his head with a springboard hurricarana to pin another would-be champion .
Winner: Rey Mysterio Jr. (11:33)
Is It A Classic: Though it got a little sloppy at times (that last hurricarana was scary), this was the epitome of what the Cruiserweight division brought to wrestling during that era. It’s one of those hidden gems among a bunch of great bouts not talked about from the “Monday Night Wars”.
