WCW Thunder (October 29, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: October 29, 1998 (taped October 22)

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

Wrath v Van Hammer: Wrath dominates, but gets caught in a Russian legsweep, and Van covers for two. Wrath fights him off on the outside, and dives with a flying clothesline for two. Wrath with a pair of elbowdrops, but a third misses, and Van pounds him into the corner. Van with a cross corner clothesline, and he unloads a ten-punch from there. Van with a backelbow, followed by a powerslam for two. Backdrop, but Wrath counters with a matslam, and hits the pumphandle-slam for the pin at 3:09. ¼*

Fit Finlay v Alex Wright: A rematch from the pay per view… that was taped before the match at the pay per view. Some posturing to start, dominated by Finlay. Wright fights back with uppercuts, and he drops Fit front-first across the top rope. Fit hooks a takedown into a leglock, then into a standing figure four. Wright fights through the pain, refusing to submit, so Fit lets off, and starts pounding on the part. Backdrop, but Wright dodges, and uses a jumping forearm. Another, but Fit sidesteps, and Wright takes a bump to the outside. Fit goes to drag him in, but Wright snaps his throat across the top rope to block. That allows Wright a missile dropkick, but the referee gets bumped, and there’s no one there to count. That allows Fit to recover, and a tombstone finishes at 6:01. This didn’t work as well as the Halloween Havoc match. ½*

Disciple v Tuff Tom: Yes, we’re getting Disorderly Conduct singles matches. That’s what we’ve come to. Disciple dumps him over the top early, so Mean Mike tries to assist. Disciple fights them both off, but Tom manages to nail him as they head back in, and Mike gets some cheap shots in. A ropechoke gets Tom two, and a neckbreaker follows, but Disciple no sells. Disciple makes a comeback, and the jawbreaker finishes up at 1:58. ¼*

Dean Malenko v Eddie Guerrero: Posturing to start, and a criss cross is won by Dean with a bodyslam for two. Dean goes to a chinlock from there, but Guerrero escapes, and manages to put Malenko down. Guerrero takes him into the corner for a chop, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Dean follows in with a clothesline. Dean adds a vertical suplex for two, and he ground Guerrero in another chinlock. Eddie escapes with a side suplex, but Dean reverses him into the ropes, and uses a pop-up flapjack. Dean goes for the Texas cloverleaf, but Guerrero has the ropes before Malenko can get it on, and Eddie bails to break the momentum. Back in, Guerrero tries to sucker him, but Dean is on to him, and unloads in the corner. Dean with a backelbow for two, and he goes to another chinlock, but Guerrero gets to the ropes. A criss cross allows Eddie a leg lariat, and a slingshot somersault senton splash immediately follows. Guerrero with a bootrake from there, and a vertical suplex sets up a dive, but Malenko superplexes him off before he can deliver it. They spill to the outside, where Guerrero whips him into the guardrail, but a second one gets reversed on him. Dean tries a pop-up on the way back in, but Guerrero counters with a rana, and slaps on a gory special into a cradle for two. It triggers a pinfall reversal sequence, and Dean gets control by stomping Eddie down in the corner, so the LWO run in for the DQ at 10:22. This took a little while to get off the ground, but it was really good once it did… until the bad finish. Afterwards, the LWO attempt a beatdown, but the Horsemen save. ** ½ 

WCW Television Title Match: Chris Jericho v Disco Inferno: Disco demands that Jericho forfeit the title, and Chris… obliges?? But, after snapping the belt around Disco’s waist, Jericho attacks to kick start things. Chris dominates, but Disco manages to dump him to the outside, and Jericho regroups. Inside, Disco lands a backelbow for two, and he holds a headlock. Jericho forces a criss cross, and hits a hotshot to cut the challenger off, and get two. Jericho with a vertical suplex for two, and he works Disco over. Jericho gets blocked in the corner, allowing Disco a pair of turnbuckle smashes, but a charge in the corner gets blocked with a boot, getting the champion two. Jericho with a bodyslam to set up a flying splash, but Disco gets a boot up to block. That allows the challenger an inverted atomic drop to set up a clothesline for two, and a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop gets another two. Disco tries a piledriver, but takes too long dancing, and Jericho counters to a Boston crab at 5:33. I’m not sure why he didn’t use the Liontamer there. Maybe it was an issue with Disco being able to take it properly, or something, but either way, it was weird, and even the announcers noted it. * ¾ 

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Billy Kidman v Chavo Guerrero Jr: They feel each other out to start, and Kidman gets control of things. Kidman with a bodyslam to set up a slingshot legdrop, and a snapmare allows the champion to hook a chinlock. Chavo escapes, and wins an exchange in the corner with a leg lariat for two, and he uses a snapmare of his own into a chinlock. Kidman escapes, so Chavo grabs a bridging German suplex for two, and a slingshot splash gets him another two. Chavo with a cross corner whip, but the charge in gets blocked, and Kidman dives with a flying bodypress for two. Kidman misses a run into the corner, allowing Chavo a rollup for two, but Kidman shoots back with a sitout spinebuster for two. Good nearfall there. A reversal sequence ends in Chavo hitting a springboard bulldog for two, but he stops to mess around with Pepe, instead of getting the job done. Kidman recovers, but Chavo hits him. Chavo looks for a 2nd rope sunset flip, but Billy rolls through on the cradle to retain at 7:42. Another one with a goofy finish, where a serious one was needed. Afterwards, the LWO are out, telling Chavo he can have a spot in the group… but he’s going to have to earn it. * ¼ 

Ernest Miller v Villano V: Villano attacks while Miller has his back turned (as part of his forfeit offer), but Ernest fights him off with a superkick, and finishes him off with the flying roundhouse kick at 1:48. Afterwards, Sonny Onoo comes out to try and form a managerial relationship with Miller. DUD

Scott Hall v Steve Armstrong: Posturing to start, and Hall gets control. He goes to work in the corner, and then holds a stepover-toehold, before finishing with a pair of crucifix powerbombs at 3:26. This was just angle, with Hall using the two powerbombs as a message to Kevin Nash. DUD

Raven's Rules Match: Raven v Giant: Giant dominates, so Kanyon tries a distraction, and Raven manages to send the big man into the post. Raven gets hold of a chair to unload with, and he brings a table in, but Giant chokeslams him through it for the pin at 2:49. Whole lot of nothing here. DUD

BUExperience: Another leisurely two hours of wrestling, even if again not the most consequential. Especially since it was taped before the pay per view, leaving everything going on here firmly in neutral.