WCW Thunder (June 24, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: June 24, 1998 

From Orlando, Florida; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall, and Bobby Heenan

Giant (and his cigarette) show up to start the show, throwing down a challenge to Sting and Kevin Nash to put the WCW World Tag Team title tonight. Unfortunately, per the announcers, Nash isn’t even in the building, so that’s probably not going to happen. Geography… how convenient

No Disqualification Match: Public Enemy v Raven and Sick Boy: Brawl to start, and man, Rocco Rock’s selling is something. He’s literally smiling as Boy works his arm. Rock manages to side suplex Boy, and he passes to Johnny Grunge for a tandem flapjack. Tag to Raven, but Grunge nails him with a (sloppy) swinging neckbreaker, and passes to Rock for a tandem vertical suplex. That draws Boy in, but the Enemy takes him out, and Grunge gets Raven in a sleeper. Raven drops into the corner to escape, and Boy throws a cheap shot to put Grunge down. Boy tags in, but telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a facebuster. That allows the tag to Rocco, and Roseanne Barr the door. Saturn shows up to put Raven through a table during the brawl, allowing the Enemy to hit Boy with a combo at 5:01. Oddly, this was the first Enemy match in a while to specifically waive the DQ rule, and it ended up being mostly a normal formula tag match instead of their usual garbage. And all the better for it! ½*

Eddie Guerrero v Hugh Morrus: Morrus with a bodyslam as they engage, but Eddie blocks a second one, and they criss cross - won by Morrus with a shoulderblock. Morrus with a series of punches, so Eddie dropkicks the knee, and puts the boots to the leg. Morrus goes to the eyes, and he tries a pop-up, but Eddie uses a rana to counter. Eddie stomps the leg again, and a slingshot somersault senton splash to the part follows. Guerrero grabs a toehold, but Hugh powers free, though the bad wheel prevents him from doing anything with the momentary advantage. Guerrero stays on the leg, but Hugh manages a press-slam, and he gets to the top for a flying elbowdrop, but Eddie dodges. Eddie with a vertical suplex to set up the flying frogsplash, but here comes Chavo Guerrero Jr to ‘cheer him on.’ That distraction allows Morrus to recover, and he catches Eddie with a powerslam on the dive, and Hugh adds a flying moonsault at 5:01. This was better than I expected, as they told a really good story, and Morrus did a great job selling the leg. * ¾ 

Sting is out, and is game to accept Giant’ challenge, but since Nash isn’t here, Lex Luger will stand in to defend. Yep, after weeks of intrigue leading to Sting selecting Kevin Nash as his partner to carry the tag title with, now it's just casually Lex

Backstage, Arn Anderson has a heart-to-heart with Chris Benoit about what the Horsemen meant to WCW

Stevie Ray v Sumo Fuji: Ray brutally stomps him down to start, and he drops Fuji across the top rope for shits. Ray with a forward piledriver at 2:28. Someone order the squash? DUD

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho v Ultimo Dragon: JJ Dillon interrupts Jericho’s pre-match spiel by informing him that he must defend the title against Dean Malenko at the Bash at the Beach. Kind of cutting Dragon off at the knees there, JJ. Feeling out process to start, and an extended criss cross ends in Dragon landing a backelbow. Dragon with a corner whip, and a headstand dropkick follows. Dragon with a snapmare into a chinlock, and a bootrake follows. Dragon with a bodyslam, but an attempt at another chinlock is blocked by Jericho with a jawbreaker. Chris dumps him across the top rope, and a bodyslam gets the champion two. Jericho lands a senton splash, and a bodyslam sets up the Lionsault, but Dragon pops up with a dropkick to block. Dragon with a springboard into the dragon sleeper, but Jericho quickly escapes. Dragon tries a charge, so Jericho backdrops him onto the apron, but misses a springboard bodypress. That puts Chris on the outside, and Dragon hits him with a springboard moonsault press into the aisle. Inside, a reversal sequence sees Chris hook a cradle for two, reversed by Dragon for two. Chris with a bridging German suplex for two, so he tries an electric chair, but Dragon uses a victory cradle - only for Jericho to counter to the Liontamer. Dragon is in the ropes, so Chris tries a powerbomb, but Dragon blocks, and unloads a series of strikes. Dragon unloads in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Jericho powerslams him for two. Chris tries a suplex, but Dragon counters to the dragon sleeper - only for Malenko to run in and attack Jericho for the DQ at 7:53. Well, Jericho did just dedicate his last move to Dean’s ‘dead daddy,’ you can’t blame him. Not to mention brilliant Dillon’s announcement that he’ll give Malenko a title shot before this defense is even over. Hell of a match here, though the finish hurt it, even if it made sense in booking terms. *** ¼ 

Eric Bischoff brings Scott Steiner out so they can talk shit about Rick Steiner. Did they just randomly remember he existed? Feels like that angle’s been on ice for a while. Scott also compares himself to Clark Gable here, which is a weird pick for 1998

Diamond Dallas Page calls in, challenging Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman to show up this Monday on Nitro

Jim Duggan v Barbarian: Barbarian slugs him into the ropes, but catches a backelbow on a criss cross, and Jim clotheslines him over the top. Barbarian beats the count, so Jim hammers him with axehandles, until Barbarian bails back to the outside. Back in, Jim tries a backdrop, but gets clobbered, and Barbarian unloads in the corner. Barbarian goes to a chinlock, but a flying headbutt drop misses, and Jim makes a comeback. Bobby is really obsessed with the size of Duggan’s hands this week. Both men collide for a double knockout, so Hugh Morrus passes Barbarian Duggan’s own 2x4, but Jim hits Barbarian with a three-point stance before he can use it. That allows Duggan a kneedrop at 3:53. Kind of had the potential to turn into a hoss fight, but didn’t really get there. ½*

Backstage, Jericho gets in Ultimo Dragon’s ear, trying to convince him that he was robbed, and should take revenge on Malenko

Steve McMichael and Chris Benoit v Disco Inferno and Alex Wright: Benoit and Wright start, and Alex side suplexes him, then puts the boots to the Crippler. Wright wastes time dancing, allowing Benoit to recover with a series of chops, so Disco runs in, but Benoit suplexes him out of the ring. Mongo comes into get rid of Wright as well, and the Horsemen stand in a clean house. The dust settles on Benoit and Disco, and Chris corner whips him to set up chops against the turnbuckles. Tag to Mongo to pound Disco down, and a tilt-a-whirl slam gets him two. The Horsemen work Disco over, and Chris goes for the crippler crossface, but Wright saves. That allows Disco to recover with an inverted atomic drop, and Alex tags in with a spinheel kick. Wright with a belly-to-belly suplex, and he unloads on Chris in the corner. The heels work Benoit over, until Disco misses a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop, and Benoit drops him with a German suplex to allow the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Steve hits Disco with a spinebuster, setting up a flying headbutt drop from Benoit, and the crossface finishes at 11:42. A very solid contest. * ¾ 

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Sting and Lex Luger v Giant and Brian Adams: Honestly, Sting/Luger is a better team than Sting/Nash anyway, and they should have just went with that to begin with. Everyone brawls at the bell, and the champs clean house. The dust settles on Sting and Giant, and Giant pounds him into the corner for a series of knees. Giant with a Russian legsweep, so Sting tries throwing hands, but Giant steamrolls him with a clothesline. Giant lands an elbowdrop, but a second one misses, so he tags out to Adams. Unfortunately for the challengers, Brian can’t cut off the tag to Lex in time, and Luger runs wild. Lex puts him in the torture rack, and Sting blocks Giant from interfering, allowing time for Brian to submit at 4:20. Not the best, but the main events during this era rarely were. Afterwards, nWo Hollywood run in, so the Wolfpac come out to respond, but without Nash, they’re outgunned, and get wrecked. ¼*

Bash at the Beach ad

BUExperience: An enjoyable episode, as they continue to focus on in-ring action over the more angle heavy Nitro. One gripe: their habit of going to commercial breaks during the better matches, rather than the crap.