WCW Thunder (September 17, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: September 17, 1998 (taped September 10)

From Lexington, Kentucky; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan, with Lee Marshall (first hour), and Mike Tenay (second hour)

Bobby Eaton v Wrath: Wrath pounds him into the corner, and he drops Eaton with a big chop. Wrath with a corner whip and a corner clothesline, and Wrath bootchokes him from there. Backdrop, but Bobby blocks, and gets some shots in, before getting clobbered with a bicycle kick. Bobby bails, but Wrath chases, and posts him. Wrath with a flying clothesline on the way back in, and a jumping shoulderblock follows, ahead of the pumphandle-powerslam at 2:38. ¼*

Ric Flair history video package

Halloween Havoc ad

Mike Enos v Lenny Lane: The announcers try to talk about the history of Hogan/Warrior, but end up just basically doing a PSA for how great WrestleMania VI was. This was so fervent that I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually juiced home video sales. Enos dominates, and a press-slam sets up a pair of elbowdrops, so Lenny bails. Lane manages to snap Mike’s throat across the top rope, allowing him a somersault plancha. Back in, Lane delivers a turnbuckle smash, and a cross corner whip rebounds Enos into a bulldog for two. Bodypress, but Enos catches him in a powerslam, and Mike adds a neckbreaker for two. Enos with an a helicopter facebuster at 4:28. ½*

Gene Okerlund brings Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell out, and they think another match with Rick Steiner at Halloween Havoc is bullshit, since Scott already mopped the ring with him at Fall Brawl

Ric Flair history video package, though different than the earlier one. These are just short bumpers, but nicely done

Steve Armstrong v Vincent: This is Vincent’s first match on TV since July. He takes Steve to the outside for a trip into the steps, and delivers a flying axehandle on the way back in. Vincent with an overhead armdrag (and a crisp looking one, at that), and he delivers a straddling ropechoke. Vincent with a single-arm DDT into a fujiwara armbar at 2:35. Afterwards, the creepy laughter from Nitro is head over the sound system again. ¼*

Fans react to the potential return of Flair

Ernest Miller v Rick Fuller: Miller offers him the same deal where he’ll turn his back and give Rick a chance to forfeit, but Fuller refuses. Miller responds by destroying him, and hitting the flying roundhouse kick at 3:03. DUD

Flair history video III

Norman Smiley v Curt Hennig: They feel each other out to start, and Curt gets control, working the leg. Smiley tries a backdrop, but Curt counters with a bridging fisherman suplex at 3:53. Four minutes of basically nothing, but they did their nothing well enough. ¼*

Flair history video IV

Kevin Nash and Konnan v Scott Hall and Stevie Ray: There’s a dude in the front row who may or may not be Fat Joe. Konnan and Stevie start, and Konnan takes him down for a seated dropkick. A charge in the corner hits a boot, allowing Ray a bodyslam, and he takes control. Tag to Hall, but his attempt at an abdominal stretch gets blocked. They square off for a while, until Konnan manages a takedown, and he holds Scott on the mat. Konnan with a schoolboy for two, and a small package gets another two, as this match just kind of putters along. Hall doing his ‘too drunk to wrestle’ gimmick is not a friend to workrate. Konnan with a backdrop ahead of a chinlock, and a sitout facebuster follows. Hall falls out of the ring, and as Stevie tries to deal with his drunk ass, Scott is counted out at 6:52. This was terrible. -½*

A look back at Curt Hennig turning on the Horsemen at Fall Brawl ‘97

Arm Wrestling Match: Arn Anderson v Buff Bagwell: This is scheduled as Anderson against Eric Bischoff, but Eric claims he never said he’d be the one to face Arn, and subs Bagwell in. If Arn wins, Ric Flair is reinstated. And, of course, it has to be left handed (Arn’s bad arm, that played into his retirement from in-ring competition), and Bagwell destroys him in seconds. Not the greatest segment, but hit the beats it needed to.

BUExperience: A completely forgettable and skippable episode, which makes sense, considering it was taped before Fall Brawl.