WCW Thunder (November 5, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: November 5, 1998

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

World War 3 ad

Kanyon v Barry Horowitz: Kanyon attacks before the bell, or, at least I think. There’s so much smoke in the ring from the opening pyro that it looks like they’re wrestling in a cloud. Barry fights him off, and gets some turnbuckle smashes in, but gets poked in the eyes while trying a ten-punch. That allows Kanyon an inverted fireman cutter for two, and a rocker dropper is worth two. Kanyon takes him up to the middle for a Samoan drop, but Barry counters with a powerbomb down for two. Barry adds a pair of clotheslines, but Kanyon counters a third one with a reverse STO at 4:04. This was fine, though probably more competitive than it needed to be, if the purpose was getting Kanyon over. ¾*

Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell are out, and Scott is ready to take the entire Wolfpac out by himself, but he’ll settle for Lex Luger, tonight. This was a pretty pointless segment

Raven v Alex Wright: Raven attacks with Alex is cutting an anti-American promo, and Wright ends up on the outside. He pulls Raven out with him to brawl, and then back inside, unloads on him in the corner. Alex gets nailed while trying a cross corner charge, but manages a leg lariat. He looks for a Thesz press, but Raven dodges, and Alex wipes out in the ropes, as Lodi makes his way out to cheer Raven on. Disco Inferno shows up to attack Lodi, but Kanyon attacks him, and then goes after Wright. Alex manages to reverse a suplex from Kanyon on the floor, so Raven goes to the outside to attack, and they brawl out there again. Inside, Wright tries a superplex, but Raven blocks… and then just walks out of the match at 3:25. ¼*

Tony brings WCW Television Champion Chris Jericho out, who still thinks he has a 4-0 winning streak over Bill Goldberg

Booker T v Fit Finlay: Posturing to start, with Fit getting control. He pops Booker with a pair of uppercuts, and a snapmare allows Fit a chinlock. Booker fights free, and wins a criss cross with a jumping forearm for two. Booker with a savate kick for two, but a corner charge gets blocked, and Finlay throws a clothesline for two. Booker fights him off with a spinkick, and a side suplex leads to the Harlem sidekick. He wants to go up, but Fit railroads him into the corner before he can, and then delivers a rolling fireman carry slam. Cross corner whip, but Booker blocks the charge in, and hooks a sunset cradle at 4:12. Just kind of a match. It didn’t really break out. ½*

Konnan music video

Ernest Miller is out, making an open challenge. That draws Kaz Hayashi out, but instead of going after Miller, he attacks Sonny Onoo. Miller takes him out anyway, which draws Glacier out to answer the challenge (making his first appearance since June). But, instead of fighting Miller, Glacier offers him an alliance. Miller doesn’t really acknowledge it, and they just kind of leave it there for now

Norman Smiley v Horace: Horace beats him into the corner to start, and hits a cross corner clothesline, then an elbowdrop. Horace clotheslines him over the top, where the nWo get their shots in, and Horace deliver a vertical suplex for the pin at 1:39. This was not good. DUD

Eddie Guerrero v Rey Mysterio Jr: If Eddie wins this one, Rey must join the LWO. Guerrero offers him the opportunity to forfeit, but Rey refuses. A criss cross ends in Rey taking him down with a headscissors, and then adds an armdrag. Guerrero tries a backdrop over the top, but Rey skins the cat, and dumps Eddie. Back in, Guerrero tries offering a handshake, and Rey stupidly accepts… and then eats a short-clothesline. He should join the gang… he clearly doesn’t have the brainpower to make his own decisions. Rey fights him off in the corner, and lands a bronco buster, then a ten-punch. Eddie drops him on his bad knee to shake it off, and Guerrero adds a dropkick to the part. Guerrero with a slingshot somersault senton splash on the leg, and he grounds Mysterio in a grapevine. Eddie hangs him in a tree of woe for some abuse, but misses a baseball slide, crotching himself on the post in the process. Guerrero bails to regroup, but Rey is on him with a flying seated senton on the floor! Rey rolls him in for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a flying headscissor follows. The bad knee slows him down, however, and Guerrero clips the leg again. Guerrero puts him in a modified bow-and-arrow, as time expires at 6:19. That’s a very odd time limit. What were they pretending that was supposed to even be? *

WCW Television Title Match: Chris Jericho v Prince Iaukea: Posturing to start, with Prince dominating the champion. Chris fights him off, and goes to town in the corner, but a charge misses, and Prince unloads with right hands. Jericho catches him with a clothesline, and he hammers Prince into the corner, but a cross corner charge again gets blocked. That allows Prince a superkick, but Jericho wins a criss cross with a clothesline. Lionsault, but Prince blocks. That leads to a reversal sequence, ending in Prince countering the Liontamer with a cradle for two. Prince with a Samoan drop ahead of a springboard flying somersault senton for two, but Jericho counters a victory roll to the Liontamer at 5:25. ¾*

Scott Hall v Disco Inferno: Disco tries refusing to wrestle because the nWo are out there, but Giant forces him in. Why are they acting like Hall is the babyface? Hall with a cross corner clothesline, and a fallaway slam follows, ahead of an abdominal stretch. Hall with the crucifix powerbomb to end this complete squash at 2:18. DUD

Tony brings the Four Horsemen out, and Arn thinks it’s hilarious that it took half of the nWo just to beat Disco Inferno. Ha. Anyway, not much here, just the usual yapping about ‘tradition’ and ‘Eric Bischoff.’ They’ve been back for a while now, but still haven’t really found a firm direction or feud 

Lex Luger v Scott Steiner: Steiner beats up the referee before the match, accusing him of being the guy who cost him the tag title at Halloween Havoc. He tries to break the official’s leg, so Luger comes out to make the save, as the referee gets stretchered out. Scott fights Luger off, and hits a tiger bomb. Scott bootchokes him down, and we still don’t have a referee out there, so I’m not sure if this is even an official match. Lex tries slugging him, but Steiner quickly cuts him off. Luger finally fights him off, and makes an actual comeback. Lex hooks the torture rack, so another referee runs out, but Buff Bagwell attacks him. That draws Rick Steiner out to make the save, and I guess Luger wins by DQ at 5:20? -¼*

BUExperience: A very weak episode this time around.