WCW Thunder (February 12, 1998)

Original Airdate: February 12, 1998

From Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall, and Bobby Heenan

Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff join us to start, and they declare war on all of WCW. Isn’t that what they’ve been doing, like, this whole time? And, apparently, that starts with the bastion of WCW: Bret Hart. Yeah, the same Bret Hart who has only wrestled one match in the promotion thus far. That guy. But first, Hulk summons Randy Savage out, demanding an apology if Macho wants to be welcomed back into the family. So Randy gives him one. In the form of a right hand

Prince Iaukea v Kidman: Louie Spicolli sits in on commentary here, kicking Marshall to the curb. Kidman attacks before the bell, but Prince fights him off, and dumps Kidman over the top. Prince dives with a somersault senton from the apron, but Kidman reverses a whip into the apron, and throws a dropkick. Inside, another dropkick gets him two, but a corner charge ends badly, as we cut the the back, where Mortis asks Raven to join the Flock - complete with the ‘invisible camera man’ trope that would soon become commonplace. I think that may have been the first one, actually. But why did this segment need to happen in the middle of the match, though? Back in the ring, Kidman works a chinlock, but Prince escapes with a nice snap suplex. Kidman cuts him off with a chincrusher, but Prince wins a criss cross with a superkick. Prince with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, followed by a backdrop, but a corner whip gets reversed, and Kidman clotheslines him for two. Kidman with a flying bodypress, but Prince catches him in a powerslam for two, and then goes back up with a flying legdrop - only for Kidman to roll out of the way. Springboard bulldog sets up the flying shooting star press, and good night at 5:23. It was really annoying that we cut away to the Raven bullshit, because the match itself was solid. ** 

Meng v Hugh Morrus: Meng no-sells some stuff early on, but an avalanche gets his attention. Cross corner whip gets reversed, allowing Meng to unload with chops, and a headbutt rattles Morrus. Meng with an inverted atomic drop to set up a clothesline, and he chokes Morrus a spell. Bodyslam sets up a flying splash for two, so Hugh fires back with a (sloppy) spinheel kick, and makes a comeback. Bodyslam sets up the flying moonsault, but Jimmy Hart pulls Meng out of the way, and somehow Morrus fails to notice it - despite it happening about thirty seconds before the actual dive. Meng with a superkick and the death grip for the pin at 3:08, as the commentators announce that Spicolli will square off with Larry Zbyszko at SuperBrawl, and Louie leaves in a huff. ¼*

WCW United States Title Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Mortis: Page with a tilt-a-whirl slam right away, but Mortis blocks the Diamond Cutter, and then Page misses a corner charge, and hits the post. Mortis hammers him, and a vicious neckbreaker gets him two. Mortis argues the count, allowing Page a schoolboy for two, but Mortis cuts him off with a facebuster for two. Chinlock, but Page fights free, and makes a comeback. Inverted atomic drop and a clothesline connect, and the Cutter finishes at 3:45. A few cool moves, but it didn’t really flow together as a proper match. Afterwards, the Flock show up, and Raven hits Mortis’ limp body with a DDT. ½*

Steve McMichael v Jim Neidhart: Anvil comes flying in with a slingshot shoulderblock to kick start the match, and a clothesline knocks McMichael over the top. Jim follows with a whip into the steps out there, but a three-point stance on the way back in misses. That allows Steve a jumping shoulderblock, so he goes to grab the steps for some payback, but Davey Boy Smith cuts him off. That triggers a brawl between the two, and the referee throws the match out at 1:57. Not sure I understand the logic of that decision, seems like it should be a countout win for Neidhart, or a DQ win for McMichael (depending on the referee’s feeling), but why a no-contest? DUD

Chris Adams v Buff Bagwell: Boy, they had a lot of guys named ‘Chris’ on the roster, didn’t they? Bagwell dominates early on, complete with plenty of taunting. Adams manages a hiptoss and a bodyslam to turn it around, but Bagwell counters a piledriver with a backdrop. Slugfest goes Adams’ way, and a pair of clotheslines find their mark. Bodypress, but Bagwell sidesteps, and Adams wipes out in the ropes. That allows Buff a neckbreaker for two, and a bodyslam sets up a splash, but Adams lifts his knees to block. Chris comes back with a clothesline and a side suplex, then adds a vertical suplex for two. Buff goes to the eyes to buy time, but misses a clothesline, and Chris piledrives him for two. Vincent distracts him before he can continue, however, and the 2nd rope somersault neckbreaker gets Bagwell the pin at 4:36. *

Juventud Guerrera video package

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Jericho refuses to remove the title belt at the bell, and nearly risks a DQ over it. Chavo takes control once they get going, backdropping the champion, and hammering him in the corner. Charge misses, however, allowing Jericho a vertical suplex, and a butterfly suplex follows for two. Tilt-a-whirl, but Chavo counters with a headscissors takedown, and he snaps Jericho’s throat across the top rope. Chris tries bailing, but Chavo keeps him inside, and clotheslines the champion for two. Chavo tries another headscissors, but Jericho counters to the Liontamer this time for the quick win at 2:31. This never really got into gear. Afterwards, Chris won’t release the hold, so Juventud Guerrera runs in to make the save. Jericho beats him down, however, and he goes for the mask, but Guerrera fights him off, and Chris bails out. ¾*

Davey Boy Smith v Sick Boy: Davey dodges a clothesline to start, and hooks a drop-toehold, as Bischoff shows up to give Marshall the boot as well, so he can rant about a ‘conspiracy’ against him and the nWo. Boy fights Bulldog off with a springboard backelbow, then adds a springboard flying version for two. Mounted punches, as Bischoff speculates that Ken Starr is behind what is happening, offering the fact that They Live will air on TBS tonight as proof. Seems pretty airtight. Boy misses a corner splash, allowing Davey the running powerslam at 3:07. McMichael hits the ring as soon as the bell sounds, attacking Smith for another pull-apart brawl. ¼*

Raven's Rules Match: Raven v Chris Benoit: Raven attacks from behind in the aisle, and sends Benoit into the steps, then snapmares him on the floor to set up an elbowdrop from the apron. Raven brings a chair into the ring for a drop-toehold on the seat, and he wedges the chair in the corner for a corner whip, but Benoit reverses him into it. Chris whips him into it a second time before putting the boots to him, but Sick Boy helps Raven dodge a charge, and Benoit runs himself hard into the corner mounted chair. That allows Raven to try a German suplex, but Benoit reverses, and gives him a four-alarm rolling version. Time to finish, but that draws the Flock in for the DQ at 4:12. Some stiff stuff with the chair, but not much else. Afterwards, the Flock make with the beatdown, but DDP makes the save. ½*

Bill Goldberg v Glacier: Glacier tries the ol’ ‘attack before the bell’ trick, but Goldberg isn’t having it, and no-sells. Glacier tries a suplex, but gets countered with a neckbreaker, so he tries martial arts, but Bill shrugs that off as well. Spear, Jackhammer, 1:06. DUD

Ric Flair v Lex Luger: Lex with the press-slam right away, leaving Flair begging off in the corner, and he pokes Luger in the eyes when Lex advances. Chops, but Luger no-sells, so Ric goes down low to get his attention. Flair with a backelbow for two, but a trip to the top rope gets him slammed off, and a cross corner whip flips Flair to the apron. Luger hits him with a clothesline out there, but Ric snaps his throat across the top rope on the way back inside. Flair goes low again, but a cross corner whip backfires when Luger starts rebounding with clotheslines. Lex with a vertical superplex and a powerslam, but the referee gets bumped as Luger goes for the torture rack, and Ric clips the leg. Figure four looks to finish, but Lex manages a reversal, as the announcers act like he’s done the impossible, despite this happening in about 99.9% of Flair matches. Ric goes for the ropes, but before he can reach them, Randy Savage runs in on Luger for the DQ at 5:45. This was every single Flair/Luger match ever. Total paint-by-numbers stuff. Afterwards, the nWo run in on Savage, but Sting runs out to back up Flair and Luger, and we have a big brawl to close the show. ½*

BUExperience: This was a pretty dull, and totally skippable episode, with no real development, and nothing in the way of notable matches.