WCW Thunder (July 8, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: July 8, 1998

From Birmingham, Alabama; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall, and Bobby Heenan

JJ Dillon announces that Bill Goldberg has accepted a challenge from Curt Hennig to defend the WCW World title at Bash at the Beach, and therefore the scheduled tag match with Goldberg and Kevin Greene against Hennig and Giant will be broken up into two separate matches. Also, the status of the WCW United States title still hasn’t been determined, but the championship committee will be meeting to discuss that soon

Schiavone brings Curt Hennig and Vincent out to discuss the title shot, and what, was Rick Rude out sick that day, or something? Oh, apparently, he’s ‘in Atlanta, talking to the nWo lawyers.’ You know, as one does. Nothing special here, but giving some hype to the newly announced match with only a few days to go before the big show is good booking

Public Enemy v Tokyo Magnum and Shimo Nobunaga: Rocco Rock comes prepared for COVID, bless him. The Enemy fight off an attack and clean house, the dust settling on Johnny Grunge and Magnum. Johnny drops him with a neckbreaker, so Nobunaga tags in, but takes a combo from the Enemy. The heels manage to get control on Rock, and Nobunaga hits a dive for two, but gets crotched on the top while trying a follow up. That brings Tokyo in, but Grunge cuts him off, and they put Nobunaga through a stack of tables for the pin at 2:51. Why did the Enemy get so much TV time during this period? Their act is lame, their matches are terrible. At least they never got close to the title picture. And at least this match was pretty harmless, much better than the seven or eight minutes they’ve usually been getting. Afterwards, Disco Inferno and Alex Wright run in to attack, and beat the Enemy down. Magnum wants to join in on their dancing, but they violently reject him. That’s not nice. DUD

Ernest Miller v Villano IV: Villano attacks before the bell, and tags Miller with a backelbow coming out of the ropes. Villano hammers him down in the corner, but Miller counters a backdrop with a sunset flip for two. Villano cuts him off and snaps Miller’s throat across the top rope, then drops a leg ahead of a chinlock. Clothesline, but Ernest ducks, and throws a kick. That allows Miller to go on the comeback trail, and Villano bails. He switches off with Villano V, and the fresh Villano hooks a small package on Miller for two to block a suplex. No matter, Miller shrugs him off, and uses a bodyslam ahead of a flying roundhouse kick at 3:15. Really basic stuff, but Miller was getting a good reaction here. ¼*

Schiavone brings Eddie Guerrero out to talk about the Hair v Hair match against Chavo Guerrero Jr for the Bash, and Eddie is fuming. He’s done trying to make Chavo a better man, now he’s going to humiliate him

Schiavone brings Diamond Dallas Page out, and he’s proud of Goldberg, which is a ‘shoot.’ Why is it a shoot? Even Eddie was congratulating him in the previous segment, it’s very much within kayfabe that the WCW guys would be happy that Hogan has been dethroned (again). Anyway, Page is scheduled to face Hennig tonight, but Curt has been trying to get out of the match, which is apparently what Rude is doing with the lawyers

Juventud Guerrera v Judo Suwa: Judo looks super grumpy, even for a heel. He measures Guerrera with an armdrag at the bell, but loses a reversal sequence, and ends up in a headlock. Judo escapes and wins a criss cross, but a blistering pounding in the corner gets reversed on him, and Guerrera uses a headscissors to send him to the outside. Guerrera is on him with a plancha, but he wastes time getting him back in, and Judo nails him. Judo with a bodyslam to set up a pump-splash for two, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Guerrera lands a missile dropkick, as Kidman shows up at ringside. Backdrop, but Judo blocks, triggering a reversal sequence that ends in Guerrera delivering a pancake tombstone. That’s enough to allow him the scoop sitout brainbuster at 3:32. This was too short to get properly going, but I liked what Suwa was bringing to the table here. Afterwards, Kidman leads the Flock in to attack Guerrera. * ½ 

Bash at the Beach ad

Bash at the Beach ad. Mock it if you will, but the show did huge numbers, so you can’t argue with the results

Schiavone brings Steve McMichael out, and Steve makes a plea to Arn Anderson to come back and reform the Horsemen 

Diamond Dallas Page/Karl Malone v Hollywood Hulk Hogan/Dennis Rodman feud review

Stevie Ray v Konnan: Stevie doesn’t appreciate Konnan’s spiel, and attacks before the bell, stomping him down in the corner. Stevie with a clothesline, and a punch gets him two. Well, no one said it was going to be a technical classic. Stevie with a slam to set up an elbowdrop, but Konnan dodges, and lands a rolling clothesline. He adds a sitout facebuster for two, and a dropkick knocks Stevie to the outside. Konnan follows, but walks into a big boot on the floor, and Stevie whacks him with a chair, but the referee calls the DQ over it at 2:04. Afterwards, Stevie continues the beat down, but Booker T comes out to stop him from going too far. DUD

Booker T/Bret Hart feud review. There was a feud?

Backstage, Hennig is on the phone with Rude, trying to get the necessary paperwork to avoid having to wrestle DDP tonight

Raven’s Rules Match: Raven and Horace v Saturn and Kanyon: Horace and Saturn start, and Saturn out moves him, getting Horace in the corner for a series of kicks. Saturn with an armdrag and a wristlock, and he passes to Kanyon. Kanyon with a bodypress for two, and a neckbreaker follows, but he gets off course by stopping to brawl with Raven. Horace breaks it up with a tope, and he tags Raven on the way back in. Raven with a cross corner clothesline, and a kneelift sends Kanyon over the top. Raven follows for a Russian legsweep into the guardrail, and he rolls Kanyon in to cover for two. Tag to Horace for a bodyslam to set up a flying splash for two, and Horace works a mat-based side-headlock from there. Kanyon forces a criss cross, and catches Horace with a fireman facebuster, and Raven fails to cut off the tag. Saturn runs wild, and Roseanne Barr the door! Kanyon hits Horace with an electric facebuster, and the babyfaces try to put Raven through a table, but Lodi blinds Saturn with powder. That results in Saturn accidentally diving onto Kanyon, and Raven pins Kanyon off of it at 5:15. This was a pretty fun outing, with all four guys working hard. **

Raven/Saturn feud review

Steve McMichael v Rick Fuller: Rick with a few chops at the bell, but Mongo clips the leg a couple of times, and goes for the tombstone, but Fuller blocks. Rick unloads in the corner, and a cross corner whip sets up an avalanche, but Mongo dodges. McMichael with a hiptoss out of the corner, but a charge of his own ends badly, and Fuller lands a spinkick. Fuller adds a bodyslam to set up a legdrop for two, and a side suplex sets up a dive, but McMichael crotches him on the top, and delivers the tombstone at 2:25. This was better than I expected, with both guys working hard, and making up for what they lack in pure skill with energy and effort. *

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho v Ultimo Dragon: They measure each other to start, with Dragon dominating. A spinheel kick sends Jericho to the outsider, and Dragon in on him with a plancha. Inside, Dragon tries a suplex, but Chris reverses, and puts the boots to the challenger. Chris drops him across the top rope, and a backbreaker is held into a submission version. Jericho with chops, but Dragon lands on his feet to block a backdrop, and throws a series of kicks. Into the corner for chops, and a handspring backelbow, but Chris catches him in a bridging German suplex for two. Chris with a bodyslam to set up a dive, but Dragon crotches him before he can leap. Dragon follows up there for a rana, but Jericho blocks, and both guys end up falling to the mat. Dragon is up with a magistral cradle for two, but Chris fires back with a butterfly backbreaker for two. Dragon with a springboard moonsault press into the dragon sleeper, but Jericho blocks. Jericho tries a whiplash, but Dragon uses a cradle for two, and a rana into another cradle gets two. Backdrop, but Jericho blocks. Powerbomb, but Dragon blocks. Dragon tries a rana, but Jericho counters to the Liontamer at 6:00. They almost got derailed in the middle, but managed to get it back on track for a hot finish. ** ¼ 

Schiavone brings Kevin Greene out, and he’s ready for Giant one on one, no fear

Bash at the Beach ad

Diamond Dallas Page v Curt Hennig: Hennig comes out with a note to get out of the match, but it’s clearly a fake. And then he attacks Page anyway (with help from Vincent), and they do a beat down. Page fights it off with a Diamond Cutter on Vincent, but Curt bails, looking like he caught a stiff boot from Page there. Hennig wants to run away, but then Goldberg’s music hits, and the show just kind of ends at 1:26. Uh, okay. DUD

BUExperience: They did a great job with the final push for the pay per view here. A very solid show. 

That main event was some bullshit, though.