WCW World War 3 1998 (Version II)

 

Original Airdate: November 22, 1998

From Auburn Hills, Michigan; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan

Opening Match: Wrath v Glacier: Tony is very excited about the configuration of the rings here. Very excited. Posturing to start, dominated by Wrath. To the outside, Wrath whips him into the guardrail, and they spill into the crowd for a quick brawl. Glacier manages to nail him on the way in, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Wrath blasts him with a clothesline. Wrath unloads in the corner, and a corner whip rattles the ring. Glacier goes to the eyes, but Wrath quickly shrugs it off, and delivers another clothesline for two. To the outside, Wrath chokes him with some cable, and throws some knees in the corner next. Wrath with a snapmare into a chinlock, but a corner splash misses, and Glacier savate kicks him. Glacier keeps coming with a superkick, but Wrath blocks the thumb spike, and delivers a pumphandle-slam at 8:22. The crowd was ready to pop big for Wrath throwing Glacier around, but this was way too long and slow to be effective. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Konnan v Stevie Ray: This feels like a Thunder match if there ever was one. Ray dominates early, but runs into a boot in the corner, and Konnan rolling clotheslines him. Konnan with a seated dropkick, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and gets nailed. Ray with a clothesline for two, and he dumps Konnan to the outside for Vincent to abuse. Though, he doesn’t actually attack him, he just gently helps him back into the ring. What a useless git. Stevie holds a chinlock, and uses a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, but Konnan dodges. That allows Konnan a sitout facebuster, so Vincent distracts him. That allows Ray to nail him, but a slapjack shot from Vincent hits the wrong man. That allows Konnan some mounted punches, but when the referee tries to stop him, Konnan shoves him away for the DQ at 6:45. Thunder match, Thunder finish. Afterwards, Booker T runs out to try and help his brother, but gets shoved away. -¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Saturn and Kaz Hayashi v Ernest Miller and Sonny Onoo: Kaz and Ernest start, and Miller offers him the deal where Ernest turns his back, and gives Kaz ten seconds to forfeit. Kaz responds by tagging out while Miller has his back turned, and Saturn runs him off. Back to Kaz, but he gets bodyslammed, and choked down. Over to Onoo to unload some kicks, but Kaz no-sells. Kaz decks him, so Sonny tags out, and Miller kicks him down. Tag to Saturn, and he nails Miller with a chop, then delivers a suplex. Saturn with a jumping backelbow, but Miller pounds him down, and puts the boots to him. Or, well, the ‘feet,’ in Miller’s case. Tag to Sonny, but he wants no part of Saturn. He tries tagging back out, but Miller tells him to go do it. So Onoo advances on Saturn, but gets caught in a LeBell lock, and Miller has to come in to save. All this somehow ends in Kaz getting worked over in the heel corner, but Saturn gets the hot tag. He runs wild, but eats a roundhouse kick from Miller, and Onoo falls on top for the pin at 8:04. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Juventud Guerrera v Billy Kidman: Guerrera is revealed as the newest member of the LWO during the entrances here. Some feeling out to start, and Guerrera draws first blood with a rocker dropper. Guerrera adds a headscissor takedown, but a charge goes badly when Kidman grabs him in a sitout spinebuster. Kidman with a modified front-powerslam to set up a slingshot legdrop for two, but Guerrera counters a knee with a schoolboy for two. Guerrera adds a spinebuster to set up an elbowdrop for two, and a snapmare sets up a chinlock. Kidman escapes, and clobbers him with a clothesline, but a reversal sequence in the corner ends in Guerrera snapping his throat across the top rope. Guerrera dives off the top, but Kidman blocks him with a dropkick for two, and dumps the champ to the outside for a plancha. He tries to take it back in, but Guerrera uses a headscissors off the apron to put Billy back on the floor. Inside, that gets Guerrera two, and a springboard missile dropkick sends Billy back to the outside. Guerrera dives after him with a springboard flying bodyblock, and he rolls Kidman in to hit with a slingshot legdrop for two. Kidman bails into another ring, so Guerrera goes after him with a double springboard missile dropkick for two. He blew the spot a little, slipping, and almost missing the move completely, but it looked okay. Kidman fights back with a side suplex for two, but a corner splash misses, and Guerrera gives him an inverted atomic drop. Guerrera goes up again, but Kidman crotches him to block the dive, and he uses a headscissors to send Juvi back into the original ring. Kidman with a flying bodypress for two, but a charge gets him backdroped into the third ring! Guerrera with a rana off the top for two, and a reversal sequence allows the champ a scoop sitout brainbuster. He’s spent, though, and no cover is made. Guerrera gets to the top for a dive, but misses. He manages a rana into a cradle for two anyway, and he tries a powerbomb, but Kidman counters into a facebuster for two. Kidman with a wheelbarrow suplex to set up a dive, but Guerrera crotches him on the top. That allows Guerrera to follow him to the top for a rana, but Rey Mysterio Jr (angry that Guerrera got this title shot over him) shows up to help Kidman block. That causes Guerrera to splat on the mat, and Billy dives with a flying shooting star press at 15:26. This was okay, but the match on the preceding Nitro was better, and some of the stuff with the bouncing between rings felt forced. ** ¼ (Original rating: *** ¼)

Rick Steiner v Scott Steiner: nWo Hollywood attack Rick before the match, and lay him out. And, since no WCW official will agree to referee a match for Scott, the ‘official’ - that Scott brought with him - doesn’t say shit. Scott and Buff Bagwell beat on Rick at will, but Rick manages to fight him off. The referee objects, so Rick decks him, but that allows Scott to go low. Bill Goldberg randomly shows up to make the save, and he runs the heels off, before hitting the referee with a press-drop clear across the next ring. Damn. So, no real match, though the crowd loved seeing Goldberg, if nothing else.

Kevin Nash v Scott Hall: Well, in theory, as Eric Bischoff and the nWo decide Hall is no longer welcome in their social club, and kick him out via a beating. Nash makes the save, but they decide not to wrestle.For those keeping track, that’s two advertised matches that didn’t take place. In a row. But we got Konnan/Stevie Ray. We definitely got Konnan/Stevie Ray. 

WCW Television Title Match: Chris Jericho v Bobby Duncum Jr: Duncum powers him around early on, and a vertical suplex gets him one. Duncum goes to a chinlock, but Jericho escapes, so Duncum tags him with a big boot. Duncum dumps him to the outside, but loses control out there, and Chris dives with a missile dropkick for two on the way back in. Chris works a chinlock of his own, but Duncum escapes, and uses a shoulderbreaker for two. Duncum works the arm, but Jericho catches him with a springboard dropkick that puts the challenger on the outside. Chris goes after him out there, and brings the challenger in to hold in a bow-and-arrow. Duncum escapes, and throws a clothesline, but Jericho uses a dropkick to keep him at bay. Chris with chops in the corner, but Bobby turns the tables, and goes on the comeback trail. Jericho tries a 2nd rope sunset flip, but Bobby blocks, and drills him with a spinebuster for two. Chris fires back with the Lionsault for two, but Duncum shoots off a superplex for two. A reversal sequence ends in Duncum delivering a slam to set up a pump-elbowdrop for two, and he goes for a follow up, so Ralphus distracts him. That allows Jericho to blast Duncum with the title belt, and hook the leg at 13:19. This wasn’t very good, and the crowd slept through it. It also didn’t help that this was another one that failed to be as good as the Nitro match that set it up. ¾* (Original rating: * ½)

#1 Contender's 60-Man World War 3 Match: Winner gets a title shot at Starrcade. Participants: Chris Adams, Chris Benoit, Bobby Blaze, Ciclope, Damien, El Dandy, Barry Darsow, Disciple, Disco Inferno, Bobby Duncum Jr, Bobby Eaton, Mike Enos, Scott Hall, Hector Garza, Giant, Glacier, Juventud Guerrera, Chavo Guerrero Jr, Eddie Guerrero, Van Hammer, Kenny Kaos, Kaz Hayashi, Horace, Barry Horowitz, Prince Iaukea, Chris Jericho, Kanyon, Billy Kidman, Konnan, Lenny Lane, Lex Luger, Lizmark Jr, Lodi, Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, Ernest Miller, Chip Minton, Rey Mysterio Jr, Scott Norton, La Parka, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, Psychosis, Scott Putski, Stevie Ray, Renegade, Riggs, Saturn, Silver King, Norman Smiley, Scott Steiner, Super Calo, Johnny Swinger, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Tokyo Magnum, Villano V, Vincent, Kendall Windham, Wrath, and Alex Wright. It's the usual unfollowable battle royal, until we get down to Giant, Nash, Hall, Konnan, Benoit, Malenko, Wrath, Steiner, Booker, and Luger. Bam Bam Bigelow tries a run in, but it goes nowhere, and Goldberg runs out again to brawl with him on the floor as the match meanders on. We get down to Hall, Nash, and Luger - Lex and Kevin ganging up. Luger gets Scott in the torture rack, but Nash shows his true colors, and shoves them both out to win the thing at 23:28. This was the last of these, and I’m kind of amazed that they ran four of them, and Hulk Hogan didn’t win a single one. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Main Event: WCW United States Title Match: Diamond Dallas Page v Bret Hart: Page kick starts things by diving at Bret with a plancha, and he sends Hart into the guardrail next. Inside, Page keeps slugging at him, so Bret bails, but Dallas is on him, feeding him the rail and the apron before taking it inside. More punches knock Bret to the apron, and the Hitman manages to snap Page’s throat across the top rope to shake him off. Bret goes to work on the champion, but Dallas counters a suplex with a small package for two. Hart cuts him off, and takes it to the mat in a chinlock. Page escapes, and tries for the Diamond Cutter, but Hart slips away. Dallas chases him to the outside, but it goes badly when Hart sends him into the steps. Inside for an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline, and Hart delivers a Russian legsweep for two. Hart tries a tombstone, but Page reverses for two, and boy, that move looked great. Page tries a short-clothesline, but Hart ducks it, and beats the champion into the corner. Hart with a backbreaker to set up a legdrop for two, and a headbutt drop to the groin follows. Bret with uppercuts in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Page delivers a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Page adds a discus clothesline, and a pancake piledriver gets him two. Clothesline, but Hart ducks, and throws one of his own - sending both men over the top with it. Bret rolls in, but Page dives at him with a flying clothesline for two. Hart tries a sunset flip, but Page rolls through, into a sharpshooter! He can’t get it on right, though, and Hart gets the ropes anyway. “That was a darn good sharpshooter,” notes Tony. He’s killing his credibility by the day. Hart goes low as they get up from the break, and the Hitman works the leg for a while. To the outside, Page turns things around, and he even puts Bret in his own version of the ringpost figure four. Page grabs a chair, but the referee prevents him from using it, and Hart uses the reprieve to shove Dallas into the official. As Page recovers from that, Hart grabs a pair of knux, and knocks Dallas silly. That allows him to put the Sharpshooter on, and the bogus ‘referee’ Scott Steiner had with him earlier comes out to call for the bell at 18:17. And, for some reason, the time keeper actually goes with it. So the ‘referee’ awards Bret the title, but another actual official comes out to nix it. Well, at least they didn’t just go with it, in typical WCW fashion. So as all that is playing out, DDP recovers, and sneaks up on Bret with the Diamond Cutter to retain at 18:58. This was, sadly, pretty average for Bret Hart in 1998, but completely fucking despressing for a Bret Hart pay per view main event. ¾* (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: This was really bad, with a bunch of TV level matches and angles, and not one, but two major matches they didn’t even deliver. In terms of actually giving the paying customers their money’s worth, I don’t think it’s stating the case too strongly in saying this is one of the worst pay per views of all time.

DUD