WCW Bash at the Beach 1998 (Version II)

 

Original Airdate: July 12, 1998

From San Diego, California; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan

Opening Raven's Rules Match: Raven v Saturn: Saturn attacks with a baseball slide during the entrances, and he whips Raven into the guardrail a few times out there, with Raven taking some nice bumps. Inside, Saturn delivers a dropkick, and a drop-toehold follows. It looks like Lodi is dressed as Sign Guy from ECW, which is fitting. Saturn with a gutwrench suplex, and a bodyslam sets up a flying legdrop, but Raven dodges. That allows Raven a butterfly suplex, and he tries a suplex over the top and through a table, but Saturn crotches him to block. Saturn tries a springboard, but Raven ducks, and Saturn takes a spill over the top. Raven follows for a Russian legsweep into the rail, and he uses a leveraged pin for two on the way back in. Raven puts the boots to him, and a snap suplex follows. Sleeper, but Saturn manages a jawbreaker to escape, and delivers a suplex. Saturn brings a chair in to whack Raven with, and a springboard legdrop with the chair gets him two. Lodi and Riggs run in to assist, but Saturn takes them out with a double suplex. That allows him to turn his attention back to Raven, but Raven pulls the referee into the path of a corner kick. Saturn stays focused with a bulldog on the steps anyway, and he sandwiches Raven in a double table stack. Saturn climbs to the top and dives with a flying elbowdrop, but Kanyon pulls Raven out of harm's way. That didn’t look great, as Kanyon pulled Raven away too soon, leaving Saturn to dive when it was pretty clear that he would have noticed that Raven wasn’t there any longer. Kanyon then takes Raven inside for a reverse STO on a chair, but Riggs rolls Saturn in, and Lodi puts Raven on top… for two. Good thing, too, as the crowd was already booing the shit out of that finish as the referee was counting. Raven with a drop-toehold on a chair for two, but Saturn superkicks him for one, broken when Riggs saves. Saturn takes Riggs out, but it allows Raven to recover, and he drops Saturn with a DDT at 10:39. This was a fun brawl, though overbooked to some degree. A little too much chaos for an opener, too. * ¾ (Original rating: ½*)

Juventud Guerrera v Kidman: They fight to a stalemate over the initial lockup, leading to a slugfest, won by Kidman with a standing side-headlock. A reversal sequence ends in Guerrera throwing chops, and a criss cross sees Guerrera uses a headscissors takedown. Guerrera with a clothesline over the top, and he looks to add a dive, but Lodi pulls him out of the ring for a beating. Kidman looks to capitalize with a plancha, but ends up landing on Lodi, and Guerrera hits a dive onto both of them. Inside, a reversal sequence ends in Kidman delivering a wheelbarrow suplex for two, and he dumps Guerrera to the outside, following for a drop onto the rail. Kidman tries a dive, but misses, and Guerrera backdrops him on the floor. Guerrera with a sunset bomb on the floor, and he adds an elbowdrop. Guerrera takes him in for a rana off the top, but Kidman blocks, and uses a sitout spinebuster off the middle for two. Kidman grounds him in a chinlock, but Guerrera slugs free, so Kidman cross corner whips him to cut it off. Bodyslam, but Guerrera holds it into a cradle for two, so Kidman throws a nice dropkick to cut him off again. Backdrop, but Guerrera blocks. He tries a dropkick, but Kidman sidesteps, and Guerrera takes a bump to the outside off of it. Kidman looks for a dive, but Guerrera follows him to the top, and crotches him. Juvi uses a springboard rana off the top for two, and a bridging backdrop gets two. Guerrera with a cobra suplex for two, but a follow up gets countered with a bulldog for two. A pinfall reversal sequence ends in Guerrera delivering a scoop sitout brainbuster for two, but he’s tired, and Kidman catches him with a spinebuster. That allows Kidman to go up with a flying shooting star press, but Guerrera dodges, and kills him with a flying 450 splash at 9:54. This was a great match, with lots of action, and lots of engaging back-and-forth sequences. I was asleep at the wheel with my original rating. **** (Original rating: **)

Stevie Ray v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Eddie Guerrero shows up as the bell sounds, so Chavo dedicates the match to him - despite being scheduled to face Eddie right after this match. Chavo tries making Stevie laugh with his antics at the bell, and then finally asks for a handshake - immediately submitting when Stevie accepts it at 1:34. To stay fresh for Eddie. Not good as a match, but entertaining as an angle. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Hair v Hair Match: Eddie Guerrero v Chavo Guerrero Jr: Chavo wins a criss cross by biting his uncle, and Eddie bails, shocked. Chavo continues to frustrate Eddie by challenging him to a dance off, so Eddie grabs a chair, but Chavo steals it away. Chavo with a backdrop, so Eddie begs off - Chavo responding with another bite. It’s like a Bushwhackers match with actual workrate. The announcers are having a lot of fun tonight, and it’s wonderful to hear. Eddie manages a dropkick to the knee, and he unloads in the corner, then delivers a corner dropkick. Fantastic execution throughout there. Eddie with a suplex and a seated dropkick, and a slingshot somersault senton splash follows. To the outside, Eddie whips him into the rail, and Eddie puts him in a gory special on the way back in. Chavo won’t quit, so Eddie goes to a camel clutch next, then hammers him with shots on the ropes when Chavo still won’t quit. Chavo manages a headscissors and a monkey flip, then takes Eddie into the corner for some shots of his own. Cross corner whip, but Eddie reverses, so Chavo rebounds with a dive. It misses, but a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker doesn’t. Eddie manages to dump Chavo to the outside to buy time, and Eddie follows for a smash into the steps. Eddie pulls up the mats and tries a vertical suplex on the exposed concrete, but Chavo reverses. Inside, Chavo uses a bodyslam to set up a dive, but Eddie crotches him to block. Popular spot tonight. Eddie capitalizes with a vertical superplex, but it knocks him silly as well, and he’s slow to follow up - ending up missing a charge. Chavo with another bodyslam to set up a flying frogsplash, but Eddie gets his knees up to block. That allows Eddie a tornado DDT, and he goes for the scissors to cut some hair, despite not yet winning the match. By the time he goes for his own frogsplash, it misses, and Chavo delivers a tornado DDT. Chavo goes for the scissors, but Eddie is ready with a small package at 11:52. This was interesting, as the execution was really good throughout, the story was good, the angle was good… but somehow it felt flat. Not bad, just felt like less than the sum of its parts. Afterwards, Chavo shaves his own head, so eager to do so that Eddie loses all interest, and just slowly backs away. ** (Original rating: * ¾)

Disco Inferno v Konnan: Konnan with a hiptoss and an overhead armdrag to start, and he puts the boots to Disco to school him. Sunset flip, but Disco blocks - only to waste time dancing, and get cradled for two. Konnan with a sitout facebuster and a rolling clothesline, but Disco blocks the cradle DDT, and he dumps Konnan to the outside for Alex Wright to abuse. Lex Luger comes over to beat Wright up, but the damage is already done, so Kevin Nash evens things up by powerbombing Disco. That allows Konnan to get the tequila sunrise hooked at 2:14. This was a nothing, TV level match. But I guess the point was to get the popular Wolfpac guys out in front of the crowd, and it worked on that level, as the crowd was into it. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Kevin Greene v Giant: Greene sticks and moves, but ends up getting caught in a bearhug, and dropped with a spinebuster. Giant adds an elbowdrop, and he works Kevin over in slow, dull fashion. Greene manages to snap his throat across the top rope, but gets nailed with a headbutt, and ends up on the outside. Giant follows, but Greene fights him off, and catches Giant with a flying clothesline for two on the way back in. Greene clips the leg, and starts hammering on the part. Three-point stance, but Giant cuts him off with a chokeslam at 6:56. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

WCW Cruiserweight Title No Disqualification Match: Chris Jericho v Rey Mysterio Jr: So since Dean Malenko won’t get his title shot after putting hands on Jericho on Nitro, JJ Dillon has a surprise opponent for Jericho instead: the return of Rey! Rey worked a few tapings ahead of this, but this is his return to TV for the first time since Souled Out in January. Jericho tries charging before the bell, but misses, and Rey unloads in the corner. Rey with a cross corner whip and a backdrop, followed by a dropkick, and shots on the ropes. Rey sweeps the leg, and a springboard rocker dropper gets the challenger two. Chris bails, but Rey is on him with a headscissor into the rail. Inside, Jericho wins a criss cross by clipping the bad leg, and he goes right to work on the part. A corner splash misses, sending Chris to the outside, and the champion tries bailing up the aisle. Rey chases, and they ends up fighting on the beach entrance set. Rey dives off a lifeguard stand with a flying headscissors, and he throws a handful of sand into Jericho’s eyes. Rey with a flying bodypress on the way back in, but Chris rolls through for two. He takes Rey up with a powerslam off the top, and Jericho whacks the knee with a chair. Jericho tries a dive onto the knee, but Rey dodges, and uses the chair on the champion. Rey dropkicks the chair at him, and a facebuster leads to a springboard dive, but Chris catches him. Liontamer, but Rey is in the ropes before Jericho can get it on. Chris goes for the hold again, but Rey counters to a cradle for three at 6:01. That ending felt a little abrupt. Afterwards, Dean Malenko hits the ring, and chases Jericho to the back, kicking the shit out of him. * (Original rating: **)

WCW Television Title Match: Booker T v Bret Hart: Booker measures him a little to start, and manages a bodypress for two. A savate kick and a snapmare get the champion two, and a reversal sequence ends in Booker hiptossing Bret over the top. Nice bump from Bret there. Booker follows for a smash into the rail, but he wastes time celebrating with the fans, and Hart delivers a hotshot onto the rail. Hart with a pointed elbowdrop on the way back in, and a backelbow leads to a headbutt drop to the groin. Booker manages to fire back with a spinebuster into a somersault cradle for two, but Hart cuts him off by clotheslining the champion over the top. Hart follows to send Booker into the post, and he uses a backbreaker to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two on the way back in. Bret with a Russian legsweep for two, so Booker tries a cradle for two, and manages a spinkick before Hart can cut him off again. Booker lands an axekick and a flapjack, followed by a missile dropkick for two. Hart bails, so Booker tries a plancha, but Bret whacks him with a chair to block - the referee calling a DQ over it at 8:28. This was pretty paint-by-numbers stuff for these two, Bret in WCW depresses me. It’s hard to believe he’s less than a year removed from being one of the hottest heels in the business - if not the hottest. Afterwards, Hart wrecks his knee with a chair to continue the feud. * (Original rating: DUD)

WCW World Title Match: Bill Goldberg v Curt Hennig: Curt does a huge oversell off of a shoulderblock right away, and Goldberg uses a hiptoss. Hennig backs off, and tries going to a hold, then throws chops to corner the champion. Cross corner whip, but Goldberg reverses, and uses a takedown, sending Hennig bailing. Bill with another corner whip on the way back in, but the charge in hits a boot. That allows Curt to get to the top, but Goldberg grabs him with a press-powerslam before he can dive. Hennig sweeps the leg before Goldberg can follow up, however, and he works the part. Goldberg tries a kneebar, but Hennig is in the ropes immediately, and throws a clothesline as Bill pops up. Into the bridging fisherman suplex, but it only gets two, and Goldberg spears him. Jackhammer, and good night at 3:50. Not much of a match, but probably what it needed to be. The Goldberg act was still over huge as is, and didn’t need tweaking yet. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Main Event: Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone v Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman: Malone and Rodman start, and Rodman stalls him. Not much of note other than Karl dumping him out of the ring, and it’s over to Hogan. Karl gets him in a cobra clutch right away, and a bodyslam gets a big pop. Tag to DDP, but he wants Rodman, and the heels oblige. We’re six minutes into this, and it’s been all posturing thus far. And more of that to come, as that’s all Page and Rodman do for several more minutes. Tags all around, and Malone dominates Hogan with an overhead wristlock, so Rodman comes in with a cheap shot, and that’s enough to put the heels in control, some ten minutes into the bout. That should at least give this some direction and story. Don’t get me wrong, I get why they did a lot of posturing in the early going, and it’s good booking, but it didn’t need to last ten minutes. And they kind of lost the crowd by going too long with it. The heels cut the ring in half on Malone, but sadly, they’ve lost the crowd, and it’s an uphill battle now. And since Malone isn’t a regular worker, it’s all very basic stuff. Karl slips away from Hulk long enough for the hot tag to Page, and DDP runs wild, but gets nailed by Rodman on the ropes, and Hogan clotheslines him. Another heat segment on Page, and this one drags as well. Hulk misses the legdrop, allowing the hot tag to Karl, and the reaction is pretty muted. Karl runs wild, getting the crowd back into things. He hits Hulk with a big boot, and passes back to Page to drop Hollywood with the Diamond Cutter. Cover, but the referee is distracted with Rodman (who misses his mark). Karl hits Rodman with a cutter of his own, but Disciple sneaks in to attack Page, and he puts Hulk on top for the pin at 23:44. That whole ending sequence was a pretty big mess, and putting the heels over was a head scratcher. This whole thing was pretty bad, honestly. The issue was that you had a couple of non-wrestlers, but they booked it as a straight match, instead of using all kinds of smoke and mirrors like the WWF might have. Twenty four minutes without a bunch of smoke and mirrors is a lot for the level of workers involved - Hogan included at this stage in his career, really. -½* (Original rating: ¼*)

BUExperience: This was an entertaining show most of the way through, but the main event was such a disappointment (both in performance and booking) that it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Not a good look.

**