WCW Thunder (February 5, 1998)

Original Airdate: February 5, 1998

From Beaumont, Texas; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall, and Bobby Heenan

Hugh Morrus v La Parka: Posturing to start, until Morrus just barrels into him with a clothesline, then backelbows him for good measure. Morrus with a cross corner whip, but an avalanche runs into a boot, and Parka tries a charge, but Morrus is ready with a powerslam for two. Morrus with a big chop, and the avalanche finds the mark this time. Another cross corner whip, but Parka reverses, and delivers a spinheel kick. He tries his own cross corner whip, but Morrus blocks the charge with a 2nd rope backelbow, and the flying moonsault finishes at 2:41. Morrus was drawing a surprisingly strong crowd reaction this week, and he just kinda gobbled La Parka up. ¾*

Bill Goldberg video package

Bill Goldberg v Jim Powers: Goldberg with a takedown early, but Powers is in the ropes. Powers tries slugging, but loses that exchange. He tries a kneelift, but Goldberg no-sells, and spears him ahead of the Jackhammer at 1:03. Goldberg just had it, and there was no denying it. DUD

Juventud Guerrera v Kidman: Guerrera with a nice headscissors takedown right away, and a criss cross ends in Kidman drilling him with a facebuster to block another headscissors. Reversal sequence ends in Guerrera landing a springboard flying dropkick to send Kidman to the outside, and Guerrera goes upstairs with a flying headscissors on the floor! The setup was a little contrived, but it was a cool spot nonetheless. Guerrera with a springboard flying legdrop on the way in, but Kidman rolls out of the way, and corner whips him. Corner splash misses, allowing Guerrera a rana off the top for two, and a northern lights suplex is worth two. Scoop sitout brainbuster sets up a dive, so Lodi distracts him, allowing Kidman to recover with a bulldog. That allows Kidman to go up with a flying shooting star press at 4:35. Kidman has been looking mighty impressive in his last few showings. **

Mike Tenay brings WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page out to talk about his upcoming title defense against Chris Benoit tonight. Apparently, Chris can be a very dangerous guy sometimes. I don’t know, sounds kinda far fetched 

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Chavo Guerrero Jr, Super Calo, and Lizmark Jr v Silver King, Villano IV, and Villano V: Lizmark starts with IV, and he dominates. Lizmark with a springboard missile dropkick, but V tags in. V stupidly whips him right into his own home corner, however, and Calo tags in with a few dives. V clobbers him with a clothesline, but misses an avalanche, and Calo armdrags him out of the ring to set up a baseball slide. Chavo and King are in next, and Guerrero dominates. Chavo with a pair of dropkicks for two, but he gets DDT’d by IV. The heels dominate Chavo for a bit, but again fail to cut the ring in half, and Calo tags in. He gets triple teamed, so Lizmark gets back in, and has better luck. The announcers trying to call this with Tenay’s help is not pretty. Everyone comes in to start the dive fest, and Psychosis shows up to hit Chavo with a flying legdrop - allowing King to pin Guerrero at 4:29. The usual lucha spot fest. ¾*

The Steiner Brothers v Buff Bagwell and Konnan: Dusty Rhodes sits in on commentary for this one. The heels attack in the aisle, and beat the Brothers all the way into the ring, but the Steiners recover, and clean house. The dust settles on Rick Steiner with Konnan, and Rick slugs him down. Rick with a powerslam to set up an elbowdrop for two, so Bagwell takes a cheap shot, allowing Konnan a DDT. The nWo go to work on Rick, as Dusty has a ball getting to cut loose on commentary. More than usual. Buff lands on the knees while trying a splash, allowing the tag to Scott Steiner, and Roseanne Barr the door! A miscommunication results in a DQ, and the Brothers pick up a cheap win at 3:30 (3:50 total). I’m not really clear what caused the DQ there, and the goofball announcers are really no help. ¼*

Raven’s Rules Match: Raven v Marty Jannetty: Marty attacks in the aisle, fighting off the Flock, and superkicking Raven on the floor. Inside, Jannetty hits a jumping backelbow for two, but loses a criss cross when Raven connects with a clothesline. To the outside, Raven hits an elbowdrop from the apron, and he brings a chair into play, bulldogging Jannetty onto it on the way back into the ring. Raven with a crippler crossface as a taunt to Chris Benoit, but Marty finds a small package for two, so Raven clobbers him again. Raven with a kneedrop, but a pump-splash gets blocked with a chair, and Jannetty dropkicks him to the outside. Marty follows for a whip into the steps out there, and a flying punch connects on the way back inside. Rocker dropper, but Raven counters with a DDT at 5:40. This didn’t have the same mojo as the match from the week before, but it was alright. ¾*

Giant/Kevin Nash video package

Saturn v Disco Inferno: They feel each other out to start, and Disco gets control with an armdrag into an armbar. Saturn fights free, so Disco forces a criss cross, but walks into an overhead suplex. Saturn pounds him into the corner, but Disco blocks a cross corner whip, so Saturn decides to just go back to pounding him some more, and then gets the whip on the second go. Third one gets blocked again, leading me to think that there was a miscommunication somewhere in there. And then it looked like they messed up whatever it was they were going for on the second try, too. They nearly try a third time, but think better of it, and Disco delivers an inverted atomic drop. 2nd rope axehandle, but Saturn blocks, and delivers a suplex for two. Falcon arrow sets up a flying legdrop, but Disco dodges, and hits the jawbreaker, but Kidman puts Saturn’s foot in the ropes at two. That allows Saturn to recover with a superkick for two (which I totally bought as the finish), but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Disco clotheslines him for two. Snapmare sets up a 2nd rope fistdrop, but Saturn rolls out of the way. He takes Disco upstairs for a side superplex, but Disco topples him for two. Both guys are wobbly, so Kidman tries shoving Saturn onto him, but Disco is on his belly, so no count. Saturn then gets the rings of saturn on from that position, and that’s enough for the submission at 9:04. The match had some clumsy sequences, and I’m not sure I dug how they were selling extreme fatigue in a contest that didn’t even clock in at ten minutes, but it wasn’t bad overall, and told a story. * ¼ 

Tenay brings Nick Patrick out to announce that he will be reinstated soon

Jim Neidhart v Louie Spicolli: Jim charges in and knocks Spicolli around, and a clothesline sends Louie over the top. Jim brings him in the hardway, so WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Hall tries getting involved, but Jim drills him as well. Jim with a nervehold to put it away, but Hall comes in for the DQ at 0:57. This wasn’t really a match. Afterwards, Davey Boy Smith comes out to prevent an nWo beatdown, but then Steve McMichael runs out to attack him. Bulldog and Anvil manage to fight him off, however, and they stand tall to end the segment. DUD

WCW United States Title Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Chris Benoit: They spill to the outside over the initial lockup, and give a clean break out there. Back in, Dallas grabs a wristlock, but Benoit chops his way out of it, so DDP drops him with a tilt-a-whirl slam. The pyro during the entrances has completely overwhelmed this building’s ventilation, leaving us in such a thick cloud of smoke that we can barely see what’s going on. Page with a stomachbreaker, but Benoit comes back with the crippler crossface, and Page needs the ropes to break. Reversal sequence leads to a criss cross, and Page wins it with a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Diamond Cutter, but Benoit blocks. Slugfest ends in Benoit side suplexing him for two, and apparently Page’s ever present ribtape during this period is for a problem with his kidneys. I’d never heard that, always thought it was a rib thing. Not that it matters, like, at all, but that’s the kind of silly detail I live for. Benoit with a snap suplex for two, but Page comes back with a DDT. That draws the Flock in to attack both downed guys, and we have a no contest at 6:04. They were going for an epic, and while this didn’t quite get there with the six minutes they had to work with, it was fine in the general sense. *

BUExperience: This show is what Nitro should be, with a two hour runtime, and very concise angles. It’s like Nitro with all the fat trimmed off, and more focus.