WCW Thunder (March 13, 1998)

Original Airdate: March 13, 1998 (taped March 12)

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall, and Bobby Heenan

Giant comes out to start, and despite still sporting a neckbrace, he challenges the entire nWo to a Handicap match tonight. That draws Randy Savage out to offer his approval of this plan, but he’s the guy who once tried to pin a guy in a battle royal, so maybe Giant shouldn’t look to him for sound strategy. Next, WCW World Champion Sting joins us, and again, it’s worth noting that while he’s technically the champion, he feels like he’s involved in the third least important program in the promotion. Possibly fourth, depending on how you feel about the Scott Steiner turn. Anyway, Sting will defend against Savage tonight

Raven's Rules Match: Raven v Brad Armstrong: Raven cuts a strong promo before the match, recapping Brad’s career disappointments, and offering him a spot in the Flock, where they ‘feel his pain.’ Armstrong considers it, but before he can make a decision, Raven drops him with a DDT to kick start the match, and gets the pin at 0:05. DUD

Tony brings WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho out, and he’s also making a challenge: put the title on the line tonight against his Uncensored challenger Dean Malenko. I know it’s going to end up with a lot of non-finishes and other bullshit, but this is shaping up to be quite the card

Jim Duggan v Kendall Windham: Slugfest to start, won but Duggan. He uses an atomic drop, but they mistime a hiptoss, and Windham just kind of goes down in a heap. Windham bails to regroup, and pulls Jim to the outside with him, but he gets reversed into the post out there. Jim bashes him into the guardrail out there, and takes it back inside, but gets clobbered while telegraphing a backdrop. That allows Windham a chop, but Jim starts no-selling, so Windham goes to the eyes. Bodyslam sets up a chinlock, but Jim fights to a vertical base, so Windham throws a knee. Into the corner for chops, but a cross corner whip backfires when Hacksaw rebounds with a clothesline. He adds a few more, and a bodyslam leads to a three-point stance and a kneedrop at 3:09. DUD

Johnny Grunge v Scott Steiner: Scott teases a handshake, and then takes a cheap shot. He shoulderblocks Grunge down, as Marshall reminds us that Johnny has been tag champion before. What a world we live in. Grunge with a clothesline, but Scott quickly fights him off with a suplex, and an Oklahoma stampede. Scott works a bearhug from there, but hits an elbow on a corner charge, and Grunge comes back with a swinging neckbreaker. Grunge with a series of turnbuckle smashes, but Scott goes low, and shoves him through his own table at ringside. Inside, the camel clutch finishes Grunge off at 5:02. Scott was doing every cheap heel tactic in the book here. He’d deliver more nuanced performances with time, but he was just so broad at this point. ¼*

Tony brings Eddie Guerrero out to answer for turning on Chavo Guerrero Jr this past Monday. Eddie clarifies that he didn’t ‘turn’ on him, he just kicked him to the curb, because he’s an embarrassment to the family. That draws Chavo out, but Eddie doesn’t back down - instead challenging him to get in the ring. With the stipulation that if Eddie wins, Chavo has to become his protege. But, if Chavo wins, he wants Eddie to ‘do things the Guerrero way.’ That… might not mean what Chavo hopes it does

Eddie Guerrero v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Chavo shoves him down for some stomping right away, and a whip into the ropes leads to a backdrop. Chavo unloads with chops, but Eddie fights him off with a snapmare, and he tosses him over the top - only for Chavo to skin the cat with a headscissors. That sends Eddie to the outside for Chavo to dive at, and a flying tornado DDT gets him two on the way back inside. German suplex, but Eddie uses a mulekick to block, and he drills him with a brainbuster to set up a flying frogsplash at 1:53. Way, way too short, but all action. *

WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Hall, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, and Eric Bischoff join us to accept Giant’s challenge for tonight

Lizmark Jr v Konnan: Some posturing to start, and Konnan misses a corner charge, allowing Lizmark a dive. Lizmark with a charge, but Konnan drops him into the corner, and German suplexes him for two. Lizmark with a springboard moonsault press for two, but he gets caught in a cradle DDT, and the tequila sunrise finishes at 1:58. This was less than two minutes, and still managed to completely fall apart. Just really bad, with loose work, and lots of sloppiness. Another few minutes and this would have become a legit trainwreck. Afterwards, Konnan tries unmasking Lizmark, so Juventud Guerrera makes the save - only to get beat up himself. -½*

Tony brings Curt Hennig and Rick Rude out, and at least Schiavone puts over that he doesn’t like the assignment. I hate when they just bring this supposed rebel group out like they’re any other guys on the roster, so points to him for that. They cut a nothing promo on Bret Hart

Video package hyping the Diamond Dallas Page/Raven/Chris Benoit match for the US title at Uncensored

Perry Saturn v Disco Inferno: Tony’s pre-match hype for this one before the commercial break: “a John Travolta wannabe, when we come back.” How did this company ever go to number one? Saturn dominates him early on, as Lee tries making sense of his piercings. Saturn tries a 2nd rope splash, but Disco lifts his boot to block, and schoolboys for two. They trade off for a bit, again won by Saturn, this time with a superkick for two. Disco fires back with a spinebuster, and a swinging neckbreaker gets him two. Chincrusher follows, but Saturn drops him across the top rope (in very phony fashion), and the rings of Saturn finish at 3:59. *

Handicap Match: Giant v Scott Hall, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Curt Hennig, Scott Steiner, Scott Norton, Konnan, Brian Adams, and Vincent: I’m honestly surprised Hogan is working this one. Hall starts, but gets killed with a press-slam right away. And a doozy. Tag to Curt, and he gets to do a big oversell for a kneeling facebuster. Over to Konnan, he gets wrecked. Everyone else runs in, but Giant knocks them all down like bowling pins, and gives Konnan a powerbomb for the DQ at 1:30. This was more about the story than the ring work. Afterwards, as Giant is being led away in handcuffs, WCW World Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash shows up to throw a cup of coffee in his face. ¼*

Dean Malenko v Lenny Lane: Lane comes out dressed as Chris Jericho, and wearing Juventud Guerrera’s mask to disguise himself. He jumps Dean before the match, and dominates as they go inside. Lane with a hanging vertical suplex for two, but a corner charge misses, and Dean hits a leg lariat for two. Side suplex sets up the Texas cloverleaf, and Lenny submits at 2:07. So Dean thinks he’s won the title, but then he unmasks ‘Jericho,’ and discovers that it’s Lenny! And as Dean chews on that, the real Jericho shows up, clocking Malenko with the title belt, and putting him in the Liontamer. Good angle here, which would also lead to a good payoff later on. ½*

Lex Luger v Scott Norton: Norton attacks before the bell, and he crushes Lex with an avalanche right away. Norton dumps him to the outside for a trip into the rail, and he bashes his head into the apron for good measure. Inside, Norton delivers a jumping shoulderblock for two, and a 2nd rope clothesline is worth two. Criss cross allows Lex to land a clothesline, and he makes a comeback. Torture rack, but Scott Steiner runs in for the DQ at 1:52. Afterwards, Rick Steiner makes the save, with Scott running away from his brother again. DUD

WCW World Title Match: Sting v Randy Savage: Macho attacks before the bell to kick start the match, and he hammers on the champion. Sting responds in kind, and they slug it out, won by Savage. Randy unloads in the corner, but Sting fires back with an inverted atomic drop, and he drops Savage across the top rope. Scorpion deathlock looks to finish, but Scott Hall attacks for the DQ at 1:40. Afterwards, the nWo come out for the attack, so Sting locks Savage into a harness, and shoots up to the ceiling to escape. That sounds cooler than it looked, as it took them a long time to connect, leaving the heels just standing there and twiddling their thumbs like a bunch of chumps. DUD

BUExperience: This was another solid episode, and it felt like it had a lot more interesting occurrences than Nitro did. This was a much better go-home show for Uncensored, too.