WCW Spring Stampede 1998 (Version II)

Original Airdate: April 19, 1998

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

Opening Match: Saturn v Bill Goldberg: Hot crowd here. Saturn tries pounding at the bell, but Goldberg suplexes him a few times, and takes him down in a grapevine, so Kidman pulls Saturn out of the ring. Goldberg responds by press-dropping Kidman from into the ring onto Saturn on the outside, but Saturn manages to fight him off on the way back in. Saturn with a 2nd rope elbowdrop for one, and a cross corner backelbow finds the mark. Suplex, but Goldberg counters to a neckbreaker, and a press-powerslam follows. Kidman tries another distraction, allowing Saturn to snap Bill’s throat across the top, and Saturn uses a slingshot splash for two. Suplex and a superkick connect, and a high knee knocks Goldberg to the outside. Saturn dives from the apron with a dropkick, and he uses the steps out there, then hits him with a rana on the floor. Saturn tries a springboard out there, but slips off the ropes, and wipes out. They move on quickly, with Saturn hitting a flying spinheel kick for one on the way back in, and he grounds Goldberg in a fujiwara armbar. Goldberg fights to a vertical base, so Saturn suplexes him again, and goes to a cross-armbreaker. Goldberg powers free, so Saturn uses a drop-toehold into a front-facelock, but Goldberg powers out of that as well. Bill unloads in the corner, and a sidewalk slam follows, so Saturn throws a dropkick. Goldberg responds with a superkick, and a short-clothesline finds the mark, as does the spear. Jackhammer, but Saturn goes low to block. He looks to capitalize with a superplex, but Bill press-slams him off the top rope! That draws the Flock in, but Goldberg fights them all off, though Saturn is able to recover in the chaos. Rings of Saturn look to finish, but Goldberg powers to a vertical base, and into the Jackhammer at 8:09. Some noticeable sloppiness throughout, but this was Goldberg’s most complete match to date, with Saturn carrying him through a solid bit of storytelling. ** (Original rating: **)

Ultimo Dragon v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Feeling out process to start, dominated by Dragon. Dragon uses a snapmare into a roundhouse kick to the shoulderblades, and Dragon goes to a bow-and-arrow from there. He shifts to a stump puller, but Chavo counters to a muta-lock. Dragon makes the ropes, and a criss cross ends in Chavo uses a headscissors. Another one leads to a dropkick, and Guerrero puts the boots to him in the corner. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, but Dragon reverses, and shifts to a surfboard from there. Chavo escapes, so Dragon uses a drop-toehold into a magistral cradle for one, but Guerrero pops up with a clothesline for two. Backdrop, but Dragon lands on his feet, and uses a rana into a cradle for two - reversed by Guerrero for two. Chavo goes up, but gets crotched on the top turnbuckle. Dragon follows for a rana, but Chavo knocks him off, so Dragon suplexes him out of the ring instead. Dragon with a springboard moonsault press into the aisle, but Chavo fights him off, and delivers a dive of his own. Inside for a criss cross, resulting in a double knockout spot, and they stagger up to trade chops. Dragon gets the better of it with an enzuigiri, but a flying bodypress gets blocked when Chavo throws a dropkick. Dragon’s hurt, which Eddie Guerrero loves, and insists Chavo capitalize. Chavo is being a softy, however, and doesn’t want to move in for the kill. Eddie slaps him around in response, and Chavo hits Dragon with a dropkick. Suplex, but Dragon has recovered, and cradles for two. Chavo manages a brainbuster, but a tornado DDT gets countered with the Dragon Sleeper at 11:49. Took a little while to get off the ground, but really flew once it did. I also dug how they advanced the angle without making the match about the angle. ** ¾ (Original rating: *)

WCW Television Title No Time Limit Match: Booker T v Chris Benoit: Feeling out process to start, and Booker knocks him out of the ring with a shoulderblock. A spinkick misses on the way back in, allowing Chris to sweep the leg, and Benoit works the part. Booker manages to fight him off with a superkick, and Chris bails to the outside to break the momentum. Booker grabs a headlock once Benoit gets back in, but Chris escapes, and a reversal sequence ends in Booker delivering a clothesline for two. Booker holds an armbar from there, and plants a savate kick for two when Benoit tries escaping. Back to the hold, but Chris fights into the corner to force a break, and he unloads on the champ off the break. Cross corner whip, but Booker reverses, and drops Chris with a backbreaker for two. He goes back to the armbar to keep Chris grounded, but Benoit powers to a vertical base, and dumps Booker across the top rope. He dumps the champ to the outside, and unloads with chops as Booker climbs back inside. Chris with a snap suplex for two, and he goes to a chinlock, but Booker is still with it enough to dodge a dropkick. Booker looks for an axehandle, but Benoit counters with a drop-toehold, and delivers a side suplex. He climbs for a flying headbutt drop, but Booker gets a foot into the ropes at two. Benoit hooks the leg, but Booker gets a shoulder up at two. Chris looks for another suplex, but Booker reverses this time, so Chris throws a knife-edge chop for two. Chris with a snap suplex for two, and a backbreaker gets another two. Booker tries a clothesline, but Chris ducks, and grabs him in a three-alarm rolling German suplex. Corner whip leads to a side superplex for two, but it takes a lot out of Benoit as well, and Booker is able to hit a spinebuster. Booker keeps coming with a jumping forearm, followed by a flapjack. Axekick, but Benoit shoves the referee into harm’s way. That allows Chris to grab the crippler crossface, but there’s no referee, and anyway Booker has the ropes. They’re trying to get over that Booker was tapping out before he got the ropes, but it didn’t really come off that way. Chris goes to revive the official, but that allows Booker to pop off the Harlem sidekick at 14:10. This was a fun outing, and much better than the inconclusive TV matches they had to set it up. I thought the ending felt a little off, but it was solid wrestling otherwise. ** ¾ (Original rating: *)

Davey Boy Smith v Curt Hennig: Jim Neidhart and Rick Rude are handcuffed to each other at ringside to keep them out of this. Wouldn’t barring them from building be a better way to achieve that? Makes about as much sense as handcuffing a rapist to a stripper pole. Bulldog hammers him with right hands at the bell, and puts the boots to the fallen Hennig. Davey targets Curt’s bad knee (he’s wearing a massive, Steve Austin style brace tonight), and a headbutt gets him a two count. Back to the knee, as Neidhart randomly starts choking down a cop, which turns out to be Vincent in disguise. Rude gets free in the shuffle, and Hennig sends Davey into the turnbuckle for the pin at 4:46. This was really weak, but at least it was short. It’s hard to believe these are the same workers who were still having four-star level matches in the WWF not that long before. As I noted in my first review, this was sad. DUD (Original rating: -¼*)

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho v Prince Iaukea: They feel each other out to start, dominated by the challenger. Prince with a dropkick, and he grounds the champion in a side-headlock. Criss cross sees Prince dump him over the top, so Jericho tries skinning the cat, but Prince dropkicks him out, and dives from the apron with a somersault senton. Inside, Prince goes back to the headlock, but Chris fights free, and uses a drop-toehold to guillotine Prince across the bottom rope. That’s enough to turn the tide, as the announcers bring up the thin Denver air for about the billionth time tonight. I like when they point out stuff like that, but they’re just hammering on it to the point where it’s just annoying now. Chris with a hanging vertical suplex and a chinlock to wear Prince down, but a flying splash is blocked, and Prince makes a comeback. Springboard flying somersault senton gets the challenger two, but Jericho counters a victory roll into the Liontamer! Prince makes the ropes, so Chris throws a chop, and dives off the middle for a sunset flip - Prince reversing the cradle for two. Prince goes upstairs, but Chris follows for a superplex, only for both men to take a bump to the floor. Both guys stagger in, and a reversal sequence ends in Jericho going for the Liontamer again, but Prince hooking a cradle for two. Prince with a bridging northern lights suplex, but Chris is in the ropes at two. Jericho tries for a superplex, but Prince blocks, and dives with a flying sunset flip, but Jericho counters to the Liontamer at 9:55. This wasn’t great overall, but the third act was fantastic. ** ¼ (Original rating: *)

Lex Luger and Rick Steiner v Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell: Bagwell comes out with a cast covered hand, trying to get out of the match, but JJ Dillon doesn’t buy it, and we’re on. Big brawl to start, with the babyfaces dominating. Rick powerslams and clotheslines Bagwell, but Scott attacks him from behind, allowing Bagwell to turn it around. The heels go to work on Rick, until Rick blocks a charge from Bagwell, and makes the hot tag to Lex. Luger runs wild on the heels, and looks to finish Bagwell with the torture rack, but Scott saves. The heels double up, but Rick chases Scott to the back, leaving Lex to polish off Buff with the rack at 5:58. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Psychosis v La Parka: Parka beats the spit out of him with chops to start (which is me being accurate, not cleaning up the word ‘shit,’ as Psychosis literally has saliva flying out his mouth with every blow), but Psychosis comes back with a headscissors takedown. Flying headscissors sends Parka to the outside, and Psychosis is on him with a dive. Baseball slide, but Parka dodges, and goes low on Psychosis as they head back into the ring. Parka tries a suplex, but Psychosis blocks, so Parka throws a clothesline for two instead. Parka dumps him over the top for a slingshot moonsault press on the outside, and he rolls Psychosis in to cover for two. Parka with a vertical suplex for two, so Psychosis tries a superplex, but Parka dumps him over the top again to block. He teases a dive, but Psychosis crotches him on the top, and sends him to the mat with a rana off the middle for two. Running dropkick knocks Parka to the outside, and Psychosis dives after him with a flying corkscrew senton on the floor. Psychosis with a flying splash on the way back in, but Parka rolls out of the way, and covers for two. Whiplash gets him another two, but Psychosis counters a powerbomb with a rana into a cradle for two. Parka fights him off, but wastes time showboating, and Psychosis dropkicks him. Psychosis adds a flying legdrop from there, and it scores the pin at 6:58. This was okay, but the finish felt really flat, and the crowd had no interest in anything they were doing. * ¾ (Original rating: ½*)

Baseball Bat on a Pole Match: Giant and Roddy Piper v Kevin Nash and Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Nash is still technically half of the tag champions at this point, though I can’t even remember the last time we’ve seen the belt on TV, let alone an actual defense. Piper immediately climbs for the bat (which is suspended way, way up there tonight), but Hogan stops him. That ends with Roddy in a tree of woe, as Hulk unloads some of the loosest, most phony looking shots you’ll ever see. Tag to Nash to double team Roddy, but Piper shows his usual never-say-die fire, and fights back. Hogan responds by using the weight belt, and he goes for the bat, but that allows Giant to tag in. Giant pulls him off and unloads, so Nash comes in, but Piper cuts him off with the weight belt. The heels bail, and the dust settles on Piper and Hogan. Hulk goes low to buy time for a tag to Kevin, and Nash wants him to tag Giant in. Roddy obliges, and they do a big staredown. Giant slugs him into the corner, and a cross corner clothesline rattles the ring. A second one is blocked with a boot, however, and Nash unloads in the corner. Clothesline knocks Giant down, but he pops back up, and both guys charge with a big boot at the same time for a double knockout. Both guys tag, and Piper runs wild, until the others comes in for a brawl - Roseanne Barr the door. Giant dropkicks Nash over the top as Roddy gets Hulk in the sleeper, but Hogan makes the ropes. Piper responds by grabbing the bat for the first time in the contest, but Hulk knocks it away before he can use it, and he pairs up with Nash to beat Roddy down int he corner. Disciple comes out during all this and passes Hogan a second bat, and he knocks Giant silly with it. He looks to do the same to Piper, but Roddy dodges, and Nash takes the shot. That allows Piper to steal the bat and tee off, but Disciple saves, and Hogan nails Piper with the bat for the pin at 13:23. This felt like everyone was on a different page. Piper wanted to work a brawl. Hogan wanted to work a comedy match. Giant and Nash were somewhere in the middle, which made their limited segments with only each other work well enough from a style standpoint, but they’re not great workers, so even that was only to a degree. The end result was a hot mess. Afterwards, things get even more confusing, as Hogan knocks Nash out with the bat, and leaves him for dead. -¼* (Original rating: DUD)

WCW United States Title Raven's Rules Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Raven: Sick Boy comes in right away to help Raven attack with the title belt, but it backfires. Page with a side suplex on the challenger, and a forearm knocks Raven to the outside. Boy tries helping him up, but Dallas dives with a plancha onto both, and dumps Boy into the first row. That buys Raven enough time to block him on the way into the ring, and Raven short-clotheslines him. DDT, but Page blocks, and delivers a swinging neckbreaker for two. Diamond Cutter, but Raven bails to the outside to avoid it, so Page chases for a brawl over to the entrance set. Raven takes a bump into a pile of hay, and Page does a dive off of a stagecoach out there. He whips Raven through some wooden fencing, and beats him with a trash can next. Page puts him through the internet broadcast table, but Raven shoves him through a piece of the set, and whacks him with a trashcan lid. Raven unloads with a cowbell, as Tony debates the differences between bulls and steers. Glad we’re staying on point. Raven chokes him with the bull rope, and he nails him with a kitchen sink for two on the way into the ring. Who is he, Elon Musk? Dallas fights off another bull rope choke with a drop-toehold into the sink, so Kidman tries diving in, but lands on Raven when Dallas dodges. Dallas covers for two, so Sick Boy returns, whacking Page with a crutch to give Raven two. Suplex, but Page counters with an inside cradle for two, so Hammer comes in with a flying clothesline, but ends up hitting Raven as well! Page covers for two, so Raven goes low, and calls Reese in. Reese has better luck, chokeslamming the champion, but it still only gets two. Raven grabs a stop sign, but Page reverses it into him, so the entire Flock runs in. Page fights them all off, but a random dude we’ve never seen before manages to get the best of the champ, and Raven DDTs him on the sink to win the title at 11:52. There was a little too much garbage brawling for my taste, but at least they were working the same type of match. That’s already a plus. ** (Original rating: ½*)

Main Event: WCW World Title No Disqualification Match: Sting v Randy Savage: Savage attacks as Sting climbs into the ring, and quickly dumps the champion over the top. Randy follows to feed him the guardrail, and he bootchokes the champ on the way back inside. Macho with a choke, but Sting fights him off, and slugs him down. He dumps Randy over the top, and he sends him into the rail for some payback. They brawl over to the entrance set so Randy can take some bumps, all of which feels a little hollow considering we just saw the exact same thing in the last match. It’s like both Page and Savage wanted a sequel to they’re Spring Stampede match from the year before, and didn’t bother coordinating. Back to ringside, the champ tries a Stinger Splash against the rail, but Macho dodges. That allows Randy to send him into the post, and he uses a leveraged pin for two on the way back in. A clothesline gets another two, but Sting counters a piledriver with a backdrop. He looks to add an elbowdrop, but Macho dodges, and ropechokes the champion for two. Sting chucks him over the top to buy time, and he follows for a vertical suplex on the floor. Miss Elizabeth helps Randy back into the ring, and Macho is begging off, suckering Sting into a low blow. Kind of perplexing that Sting isn’t going after Savage’s bad arm, which the announcers have spent half the evening talking about. Randy tries a flying axehandle, but Sting blocks. He tries the Stinger Splash, but Savage puts the referee into the path, and Macho capitalizes with a piledriver. Sting no-sells, so Liz comes in with a chair, but Sting no-sells that as well. He tries another Stinger Splash, but Macho moves Elizabeth into the path this time, and that allows him to nail Sting with the chair. That’s a nice bit to show how desperate Savage has become. Macho goes up for a flying elbowdrop, but Hollywood Hogan is back, and shoves him off the top. That allows Sting the Scorpion deathdrop, but there’s no referee to count the fall. That allows Kevin Nash to show up with a powerbomb on Sting, and Randy gets the pin at 10:38. Sting’s title reign was such a disappointment. First he wins the title but doesn’t win it. Then he finally actually wins it (after two months of legal maneuvering first), but immediately starts playing second fiddle to whatever’s going on with Hogan’s angles. Then he drops to to Savage here, just so Macho can drop it right back to Hogan the next night. Just a big nothing after a year of build. The match itself was actually better than I expected. Not good by any means, but also not a complete piece of trash. The overbooking at the end was not surprising, but unnecessary, and it drove me nuts that Sting never went after the bad arm once. * (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: I dug parts of this, but it’s really shocking how much the quality took a sharp dive whenever anything involving the nWo was on. Like, consistently. I’d still say this is worth a look overall, though.

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