WCW Thunder (July 17, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: July 17, 1998 (taped July 16)

From Oakland, California; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone Bobby Heenan, with Lee Marshall (first half) and Mike Tenay (second half)

After Nitro, Mike Tenay caught up with Kevin Nash in the locker room, who is all broken hearted that Scott Hall turned on him. Again

El Dandy v Konnan: Konnan knocks him down a few times, and a hiptoss works for him. A rolling clothesline finds the mark, and a backdrop follows. A cross corner whip works, but the charge in doesn’t, and Dandy slugs him down. Dandy with a chincrusher, and he goes to an abdominal stretch, but Konnan escapes, and delivers a sitout facebuster. Konnan with a cradle DDT, and the tequila sunrise finishes at 2:50. They were just going through the motions here. DUD

Ultimo Dragon v Lizmark Jr: Dragon grabs a side-headlock right away, so Lizmark forces a criss cross, but loses. Dragon with the headstand dropkick, and a series of kicks follow. Dragon tries a corner whip, but Lizmark blocks, and delivers a powerslam for two. Lizmark with a big chop, and a snap suplex gets him two. Lizmark goes to the mat with an abdominal stretch, and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets him two. Again, but Dragon blocks this time, and a reversal sequence sees Lizmark reverse a sunset cradle for two. Lizmark with another cradle for two, so Dragon tries a 2nd rope dropkick, but Lizmark catches him in a blockbuster for two. Lizmark with a springboard moonsault press, but Dragon throws a dropkick to block. Lizmark fires back with a Samoan drop for two, but the follow up gets countered to the Dragon sleeper at 4:10. Good action here. ** ½

Schiavone brings Diamond Dallas Page out, and he’s got issues, with, like, everybody right now. But he throws out a challenge to Curt Hennig as his target tonight. Just making friends everywhere he goes, this guy  

Public Enemy v Disco Inferno and Alex Wright: Johnny Grunge starts with Alex, and they posture. Grunge takes control with a bodyslam, but Wright goes to the eyes to shake him off, and he pounds Grunge into the heel corner. Tag to Disco, but Grunge fights him off with a tilt-a-whirl slam, and he passes to Rocco Rock for a combo. Rock with a bodyslam, so Wright distracts him, and Disco capitalizes with an attack. The heels work Rock over, but Disco misses a clothesline, and Grunge catches the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door. The Enemy get Alex on a table, but Tokyo Magnum comes in to save him, drawing a DQ at 4:50. This wasn’t terrible in the general sense, but there were a few exposing spots (Rock whipping Disco into the guardrail, and Grunge trying his table splash at the end) here that looked flat out terrible. ¼*

Schiavone brings Dean Malenko out, and Dean is still fuming at WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho over what he did to Rey Mysterio Jr. Might want to look in the mirror there, you gaslighting bastard. Also, he wants to have a chat with Arn Anderson tonight, and isn’t going to leave the building until he does

Jim Duggan v Roadblock: Slugfest to start, won by Duggan. A criss cross ends in Jim clotheslining him over the top, but Roadblock beats the count. Duggan corner whips him, but runs into an elbow on the charge, and Roadblock ropechokes him. Roadblock with an elbowdrop for two, and he goes to a chinlock from there. Duggan escapes, and knocks Roadblock to the outside, where Roadblock takes a smash into the rail. Back in, but Roadblock snaps his throat across the top on the way, and throws a clothesline. Roadblock tries a slingshot moonsault, but Duggan dodges, and hammers him into the corner for a ten-punch. Roadblock fights him off and goes back to the chinlock, but Jim fights free, and goes on the comeback trail - finishing with a kneedrop at 4:41. ¼*

Bret Hart is out to shout about stuff in general, in a segment only notable for some dude in the crowd absolutely sniping him with an egg at one point. And then Stu Hart comes out with a cat shit crusted spatula, and cooks an omelet on the turnbuckle

Saturn v Kanyon: Kanyon hammers on him, and hooks an abdominal cradle for two, then delivers a seated senton facebuster for two. Hiptoss, but Saturn counters to a suplex, and he takes Kanyon into the corner for some (very loose) kicks. Kanyon with a neckbreaker for two, as the announcers again put themselves over for how great WCW has been doing over the last couple of weeks. Kanyon goes to the mat with a chinlock, but Saturn escapes, so Kanyon clips him with a hotshot for two. Kanyon tries a superplex, but Saturn blocks, and dives with a somersault neckbreaker - only for Kanyon to catch him in a bridging suplex for two. Great spot there. Kanyon with a suplex to set up a slingshot elbowdrop for two, but Saturn counters a backdrop with a sunset flip for two. German suplex, but Kanyon blocks, and throws a dropkick for two. Kanyon with a corner whip, but Saturn dodges the charge, and cradles for two. Saturn with a superkick for two, but Kanyon catches him with a fireman’s facebuster. He tries for the reverse STO, but Saturn blocks, and suplexes him for two. Backdrop, but Kanyon blocks, and uses a fisherman neckbreaker for two. A reversal sequence from there ends in Saturn pulling off a death valley driver, and that’s the pin at 5:52. Had some rough spots, but quite good overall. ** ½ 

Eddie Guerrero v Psychosis: Eddie stalls a lot early, his mind still on Chavo Guerrero Jr. Psychosis wins a reversal sequence with a clothesline, and a pop-up flapjack wins a criss cross. Psychosis with a spinheel kick, so Guerrero bails, but Psychosis is on him with a flying bodypress on the floor. Eddie with a shoulderbreaker as they head back in, and a keylock leads to a cross-armbreaker. Eddie uses a turnbuckle smash ahead of a cross corner whip, but Psychosis blocks, and uses a flying corkscrew senton. He goes back up, but here comes Chavo with Pepe. Psychosis dives on him on the floor, but that allows Eddie to recover, and he drags Psychosis back in for a cross corner whip. Charge, but Psychosis blocks, and takes Eddie up for a rana off the top. Psychosis with a sitout gourdbuster, and he goes up, but Chavo knocks him off. That allows Eddie to go up with a flying frog splash at 6:12. Great workers, but too many angles at play to let them cut loose. And that’s fine, not everything has to be about workrate to be part of the show. * ¼ 

Scott Hall is out, and he’s tired of Nash’s crying, and dubs himself ‘Medium Sexy, the Nash Killer’

Ciclope v Scott Norton: This is Norton’s return for the first time since May, as he’d been off working in Japan. Ciclope tries slugging him, but Norton absorbs the shots, and clotheslines him. Norton with a nasty powerbomb at 0:35. Someone order the squash? DUD

Schiavone brings Stevie Ray out, and Stevie is still carting Booker T’s WCW Television title belt around, and he reiterates that he has the ‘power of attorney’ to do so. Stevie was becoming really entertaining during this period, getting to show some personality and humor that he never did before

Stevie Ray v Damien: Stevie hammers him down in the corner, and he delivers a backdrop. Stevie with a high knee, and a running powerslam, but a legdrop misses. That allows Damien a flying dropkick to set up a legdrop of his own, and a flying senton splash gets him two. Damien with a corner whip, but the charge in hits boot, and Stevie clotheslines him down. Stevie with a pancake pedigree at 2:33. DUD

nWo Hollywood is out to cut a promo on Diamond Dallas Page, and Curt Hennig gets a nasty line in about how DDP’s ‘diamond cutter’ symbol is just his way of showing ‘how big his old lady’s… mouth… is.’ This somehow draws Konnan out to yell at them, and he slaps Hennig, before leaving

Rey Mysterio Jr v Juventud Guerrera: A reversal sequence to start, going to a stalemate. A criss cross ends in Rey using a headscissor takedown, but another reversal sequence ends in Guerrera throwing chops. Rey tries a springboard, but Guerrera is ready with a dropkick, followed by a slingshot legdrop for two. Guerrera with a vertical suplex for two, and he grounds Mysterio in a chinlock. Guerrera with an elbowdrop, but Rey manages a schoolboy for two, and another headscissor takedown follows. Rey with a lightning legdrop for two, and Mysterio with chops in the corner. Guerrera blocks him in the corner, and uses a springboard flying dropkick for two, but a corner charge is blocked. Rey goes up with a flying headscissor takedown, and then another headscissor, but a springboard moonsault press gets caught in a scoop sitout brainbuster for a dramatic two. Guerrera goes up for the flying 450 splash, but Rey knocks him off the top. Rey goes up, but Bret Hart runs out to attack both guys with a chair for the DQ at 7:25. They just were not clicking here, and the cheap finish didn’t help matters. And what was with Rey spamming headscissor takedowns? ¾*

Barbarian and Hugh Morrus v Marty Jannetty and Chris Adams: I don’t know why my brain singles him out, but Marty Jannetty in WCW is very weird to me. Hugh and Chris start, and Morrus knocks him around, but gets caught with a leg-feed enzuigiri. Tag to Marty, but he loses a criss cross, and Morrus hammers him into the corner. Cross corner whip, but Marty reverses, and throws a nice superkick. That draws Barbarian in, so Adams responds, and Roseanne Barr the door! Chris takes a bump to the outside, allowing Barbarian to big boot Jannetty for Morrus to hit with a flying moonsault at 2:46. Afterwards, Meng runs out to attack Barbarian, and Morrus gets caught in the crossfire. ¼*

Schiavone has Dean Malenko out again, and he still wants a word with Arn Anderson, by golly. Arn makes his way out, and he’s flanked by Steve McMichael. Hard to believe Arn wasn’t even 40 yet at this point. McMichael is older! So Dean makes a case, on behalf of Mongo and Chris Benoit, that Arn take the reigns, and reform the Horsemen. That sets off an impassioned speech from Anderson about how Horsemen are chosen, and what it takes to be a Horsemen, and it’s an amazing promo. Anyone who ever tells you that Arn Anderson wasn’t a great promo, point them here. Anyway, his last word on the subject: ‘if you have any humanity, just let it be. Just let it be.’ Terrific segment 

Scott Hall and Curt Hennig v Diamond Dallas Page and Konnan: Hennig and Page start, and immediately spill out of the ring. Inside, Page wins a criss cross with a swinging neckbreaker, but Curt dodges the Diamond Cutter, and tags out. Konnan wants in, and DDP passes it his way. Hall wins an exchange with a backdrop into a wristlock, but Konnan throws a short-clothesline to shake him off. Hall goes to the eyes, but Konnan fights him off with a sitout facebuster, and he and Page pinball Hall in their corner. Page hits Hall with a jawbreaker, and Konnan delivers a clothesline, then goes to a chinlock. Hall comes back with a fallaway slam ahead of a tag to Hennig, and Curt is in with a somersault necksnap on Konnan. Curt adds a kneelift, as the heels cut the ring in half on Konnan. Konnan fights Hall off long enough for the hot tag to DDP, and Roseanne Barr the door! Dallas runs wild, but gets overwhelmed, and put down by a clothesline from Hennig for two. Curt follows up with a standing dropkick, and a cross corner whip rebounds Page into a clothesline for two. Curt with a bodyslam for two, and they cut the ring in half on their new victim. Page reverses a sleeper on Hall and makes the hot tag, and Konnan runs wild. The heels immediately nail him with a cheap shot, so Page runs in to take out Hall with the cutter, but the damage is done, and Hennig pins Konnan with a bridging fisherman suplex at 12:59. Something of a rarity for the TV main events of this era, as they got plenty of time, and told a story, instead of just treading water for two minutes before the big run in finish. **

BUExperience: The usual strength of this show is that it’s much more succinct than Nitro. This episode was three hours, which kind of negated that. Still a strong episode, but just too long for TV.