WCW Spring Stampede 1998

From Denver, Colorado; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.


Opening Match: Goldberg v Saturn: To say the crowd is into Goldberg at this point would be an understatement, and he destroys Saturn with suplexes to their delight. Armbreaker, so Kidman tries to step in - only for Goldberg to press slam him onto Saturn. Saturn tries a superkick and a legsweep to set up a springboard legdrop, and a 2^nd rope elbowdrop follows for two. Saturn with a cross corner backelbow, but a suplex is countered with a swinging neckbreaker and a press slam. Another distraction from Kidman allows Saturn a slingshot splash and a t-bone suplex. A superkick and a high knee put Goldberg on the floor for a few shots with the steps, and Saturn gives him a rana off of the apron. He badly botches a springboard backelbow before bringing it back in with a flying spinheel kick for one. Saturn tries to ground him with a reverse armbreaker, but Goldberg powers up. Front-facelock, but Goldberg powers out of that too, and hits a sidewalk slam. Superkick and a short-clothesline set up the spear, but a low blow stops the Jackhammer. Saturn takes him to the top for a superplex, but Goldberg counters by actually press slamming him from the top, and that draws in the Flock. Goldberg destroys them, too, but the distraction gets him locked in the Rings of Saturn. He powers up to his feet though, and hits a sloppy Jackhammer for the pin at 8:10. Fun stuff here - Goldberg looking motivated, and Saturn giving his best (if sloppy) effort to carry him. **

Ultimo Dragon v Chavo Guerrero Jr: They trade go-behinds in the early going, and Chavo controls on the mat with a leglock. Dragon counters into a side-headlock and a shoulderblock, followed by the handstand dropkick. Dragon with a series of lightning kicks, and a snapmare sets up another kick to the back of the head. Dragon with a chinlock, which he quickly trades for a stump puller, but gets countered into a bridging STF. Dragon uses the ropes to break, but Chavo is right on him with a pair of headscissor takedowns and a dropkick into a chinlock of his own. Dragon counters into a reverse chinlock, which he shifts into a bow-and-arrow, and a magistral cradle for two. Chavo fires back with a lariat for two, but a trip to the top rope gets him knocked to the mat, and suplexed to the floor. Dragon follows with a springboard moonsault, but takes a baseball slide on the way back in, and Guerrero creams him with a corkscrew plancha. Back inside, they work a double-knockout spot to set up a chop-fest, and Dragon hits an enzuigiri. Flying bodypress, but Chavo counters with a dropkick on the way down - clipping Dragon in the balls, and refusing to capitalize until his nuts descend. That gets him slapped around by cousin Eddie Guerrero, and Dragon cradles him for two. Chavo tries to keep control with a brainbuster, but it's too late, and Dragon finishes him with the Dragon Sleeper at 11:42. I wasn't feeling this. It was technically fine, but it just felt dull and uninspired - as opposed to the opener, which was not as technically good, but much more exciting. *

No Time Limit WCW Television Title Match: Booker T v Chris Benoit: They have an intense battle over the lockup that goes to a technical stalemate - though dominated by Benoit. Booker tries a standing side-headlock, but Chris whips him into the ropes - only to take a shoulderblock. Benoit sells it marvelously, too - bumping to the floor off of it, and regrouping. Inside, Chris dodges a leg lariat, and sweeps the knee. He follows by driving the knee into the mat, but takes a spinning leg lariat, and ends up back on the floor. Booker tries a headlock as they head in, but Benoit gets uppity, so the champ levels him with a lariat for two. Armbar sets up a savate kick for two, and a backbreaker is worth two. Back to the armbar, but Benoit suplexes him into the ropes, and shoves him off the apron into the guardrail. Inside, Benoit targets the knee again - stomping it in the corner before hitting a snap suplex for two. Chinlock, and a side suplex set up the always impressive flying headbutt for a pair of two counts. Another snap suplex, but Booker reverses - though he can't follow-up, and gets blasting with a knife edge chop for two. Benoit goes back to the snap suplex successfully for two, and hits a backbreaker for two. Benoit with a three-alarm rolling German suplex, and then a brutal side superplex. Chris smacks his head on the mat on the way down though, and both men are left taking the referees count - Benoit managing to get an arm across Booker's chest for two. A dazed Booker fires back with a spinebuster, and a diving forearm out of the ropes sets up a flapjack. Axekick, but Benoit throws the referee into the flight path to block, and locks Booker in the Crippler Crossface. Unfortunately, there's no referee, and Benoit lets off to revive him - only to get blasted with the Harlem Sidekick as Booker retains at 14:11. Despite being the longest match of the night, it felt like it never quite got properly going. Not a bad effort, though. *

Curt Hennig v Davey Boy Smith: Corner men Rick Rude and Jim Neidhart are handcuffed to each other at ringside for this, and Davey wastes no time attacking Curt as the bell sounds - targeting Hennig's brace-covered knee. Hennig comes back with kneelifts (using the bad knee), but Bulldog sweeps him, and keeps stomping the leg. Rude tries to step in as Davey applies a leglock, but he's tied to a literal Anvil, so it doesn't go too well for him, sadly. Hennig comes back with more kicks and knees using the bad leg, but Bulldog unloads a series of turnbuckle smashes - Hennig not even bothering to oversell. Smith goes for the Sharpshooter, but Vincent runs down dressed as a police officer to unlock fellow nWo-er Rude. That allows Rick to run interference, and Hennig pins Smith after a simple turnbuckle smash at 4:48. Less a match, more an exhibition of how deteriorated and unmotivated both guys were at this point. To put this in perspective, I've seen these two have better dark matches with each other in the early 90s than this. This was sad. -¼*

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho v Prince Iaukea: They fight over a wristlock in the early going, and Iaukea takes control with a side-headlock. A criss cross ends in Jericho getting dropkicked to the floor, and the challenger follows him out with a somersault bodyblock off of the apron. Inside, Iaukea goes back to the mat-based side-headlock, but Jericho uses chops to break, and wins a second criss cross with a droptoe-hold into the ropes - Iaukea hitting the middle rope with his throat. Jericho with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he goes for a chinlock. Jericho with a bodyslam, but he takes too long going for a flying splash follow-up, and runs into the Prince's foot. Iaukea with a backdrop driver and a springboard somersault bodyblock gets two. Iaukea with a standing victory roll, but Chris counters into the Liontamer - only for Iaukea to grab the ropes before he can properly apply it. Chris still takes him down with a sunset flip off the 2^nd rope, but Iaukea cradles the legs for two. Iaukea goes up, but Chris follows, and both guys end up falling to the floor - Jericho taking a nice bump off of it. Inside, a slugfest goes Iaukea's way, and a victory roll gets him two. Iaukea with a Northern lights suplex into a bridge for two, but an impressive flying sunset flip gets countered into the Liontamer, and we're done at 9:55. Iaukea was a good year past relevancy at this point, and Jericho didn't seem in the mood to carry him. Just going through the motions here for the most part, though they certainly finished strong. *

Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell v Rick Steiner and Lex Luger: Bagwell tries to get out of fighting by coming out with a cast on his arm, but WCW Commissioner JJ Dillon has a doctor pull the Departed routine on him to prove he's fine. Well, that's the closest Marcus Bagwell will ever come to being compared to Leonardo DiCaprio, that's for sure. Anyway, that triggers a big brawl, and the nWo take control as they cut the ring in half on Rick Steiner. Buff ends up getting powerslammed to allow the tag to Luger, and he's a house of arson - finishing Bagwell with the Torture Rack as Rick chases brother Scott to the dressing rooms at 5:57. You'd think I glossed over a bunch of stuff there, but no. Total TV match here, and not a good one. DUD

Psychosis v La Parka: Parka wants to dance, but Psychosis is shy, so he slaps the shit out of him for being a douche. Psychosis responds in kind, and takes him down with a headscissors. A rana puts Parka on the floor, and he follows with a tope suicida, but Parka dodges a follow-up, and kicks him in the nuts on the way back in. Suplex, but Psychosis slips free - only to charge into a lariat for two. Back to the floor, Parka gives him a slingshot moonsault, and rolls him in for a snap suplex, but he misses a cross corner charge, and gets stungunned. Psychosis badly botches a springboard, but manages to take Parka off the top rope with a rana for two. A dropkick puts him back on the floor, and Psychosis makes up for the botch with a nice flying corkscrew bodyblock. Inside, Psychosis misses a flying splash, and takes a whiplash for two. Parka with a powerbomb, but Psychosis counters into a rana, then cradles him for two. Parka responds by randomly stopping to play to the crowd, but that brilliant bit of offense allows Psychosis a flying legdrop for the pin at 7:01. This match was unadvertised, and promoted mid-show as a 'bonus' match (looks like they were running fast), and it came off that way - thrown together and sloppy. They were just running through spots here - no real flow or psychology to speak of. ½*

Baseball Bat on a Pole Match: Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash v Roddy Piper and The Giant: WCW's brilliant ring crew has set the bat on a pole so tall (and wobbly) it seems like a suicide mission to try and retrieve it. So, of course, Roddy Piper goes right for it. He tries pulling himself up the insanely tall pole, but Hogan is there to pull him down into a tree of woe. Tag to Nash, but Piper keeps trying for the bat, so Nash literally carries him around the ring like a small child. Hogan tries turnbuckle smashes, but Piper no-sells, and unloads a series of rights. Hogan responds by whipping him with his weightlifting belt (you'd think after Hulk did that in literally every match he had during his heel run, the officials would get wise to it and stop allowing him to wear it - but no), and Giant comes in to spank Hogan. I mean that literally, folks. He actually puts him over his knee, and spanks his bottom. Thankfully, those spots are limited to the Divas these days, though unfortunately, this wasn’t even the most disgusting thing we’d see when it comes to Hogan’s ass – Hostamania the winner by a long shot. Hogan runs around ringside selling it, and tags Nash. He DEMANDS Giant tag in, and we have a seven-foot showdown at center ring. Giant controls with a cross corner clothesline, but quickly gets overwhelmed in a double-team and worked over. A double-big boot leaves both men down, and both tag. Hogan and Piper desperately try to recapture the 80s with a dramatic slugfest, and Roddy clotheslines him. Another clothesline triggers a four-way brawl (I'm assuming Nash and Giant ran in to stop the threat of anymore clotheslines), and Piper takes Hogan out with a sleeper. He and Giant both climb the pole together (yeah, that seems safe) to get the bat, but Hogan and Nash knock it away from them as the referee struggles to restore order. That brings the Disciple out with a second bat (pretty much negating the whole point of having it on a pole), and Hogan goes crazy with it - pinning Piper at 13:22. Way too long for what they were going for, and really, really stupid at points (a spanking was used as an offensive move - which was both offense, and offensive). DUD

WCW United States Title Raven's Rules Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Raven: Raven tries to jump him with the title belt at the bell, but Page dodges it, and unloads on him in the corner before hitting a side suplex. A forearm shot puts Raven on the floor for a plancha, but interference from the Flock allows Raven a short-clothesline. DDT, but Page railroads him into the corner to block, and goes for the Diamond Cutter - Raven bailing to the floor to avoid it. Page follows for a brawl up the aisle to the entrance set, and he hits Raven with a flying clothesline off of a stagecoach before whipping him through some fencing. Raven knocks him through a WCW Online booth (that doesn't have any computers, oddly), and whips him with a cowbell before taking it back to the ring. Inside, Raven hits him with a kitchen sink for two, and chokes him with a bull rope, but Page keeps coming. He gives Raven a droptoe-hold onto the sink for two, but the Flock get involved again, and Page gets whacked with a crutch to give Raven two. Suplex, but Page counters with an inside cradle for two. The Flock keeps coming though, and Page gets overwhelmed six-on-one - Raven hitting the DDT on the sink for the title at 11:54. A fun brawl, but nothing they weren't doing on a monthly basis at that point - the 'brawl to the entrance area and destroy the set' stuff quickly becoming cliché. ½*

Main Event: No Disqualification WCW World Title Match: Sting v Randy Savage: Savage jumps him before the bell, but a spill to the floor ends in Sting ramming him into the rail a few times. They brawl over to the entrance set (Seriously? If you're going to book that twice during the same show, at least spread it out a bit), and destroy whatever parts of the set haven't already been demolished by Page and Raven in the last match. Short on options, Sting uses a bale of hay to whack Randy with, and they go back to ringside - Sting missing a Stinger Splash against the rail. Inside, that gets Savage a rope-assisted two count. Clothesline gets two, but Sting backdrops out of a piledriver - only to get choked on the ropes before he can capitalize. Back to the floor for a bit more brawling, and inside, Randy tries a flying axehandle, but takes a gut-punch on the way down. That sets up the Stinger Splash, but the referee gets bumped as part of Savage's block, and Randy piledrives him. Sting no-sells, so Savage uses Elizabeth as a human shield to avoid another Splash. Flying Elbowdrop looks to finish, but Hollywood Hulk Hogan runs down, and shoves Savage off of the turnbuckle. Sting capitalizes with the Scorpion Deathdrop, but the referee is still down, and Kevin Nash shows up to Powerbomb Sting - Savage winning the WCW Title off of it at 10:10. Much like the Hennig/Smith match earlier, this was more a demonstration of how far both guys had fallen by 1998 than a main event worthy title match. The massive amounts of overbooking didn't help, either. DUD

BUExperience: This show depressed me. There are good shows, there are bad shows, and then there are depressing ones – this definitely falling into the last column. You’ve got a broken down Curt Hennig going to negative stars with Davey Boy Smith. You’ve got a terribly unmotivated undercard. You’ve got Hulk Hogan getting spanked. And finally, you’ve got a main event that would seem more at home at an Indy show between two guys riding their career into the sunset. DUD