WCW Thunder (December 3, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: December 3, 1998 

From Memphis, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall, and Bobby Heenan

Video package retrospective on the career of Hulk Hogan, on the heels of his retirement announcement, and transition into presidential candidate

Scott Steiner is out, and he’s going to pay tribute to both Hollywood Hogan and Elvis by beating up Scott Hall tonight 

Eddie Guerrero v Ciclope: Eddie hammers him into the corner to start, and a leg lariat finds its mark. Eddie uses a bodyslam to set up a slingshot somersault senton splash, and a turnbuckle smash leaves Ciclope into the corner for some hammering. Cross corner whip, but Ciclope reverses, only to miss a corner dropkick. That allows Eddie to try a springboard, but Ciclope slides out of the ring to avoid it, and comes back in with a flying dropkick for two. Tilt-a-whirl, but Eddie blocks, and delivers a brainbuster. Eddie goes up for the flying frog splash, but then hops down, and asks for the match to be stopped at 2:41. Instead of finishing him off, Eddie wants to offer Ciclope a spot in the LWO, which Ciclope accepts. ½*

Giant v Renegade: Renegade kickstarts things, but Giant shrugs him off. Renegade tries going to the eyes, and he actually manages to hammer Giant into the corner, before Giant decides to chokeslam him at 1:03. I’m honestly disappointed that they never had Warrior squash Renegade during his brief run. Afterwards, Giant actually references it - telling us that Renegade is ‘the second imposter’ he finished off this week, noting that Diamond Dallas Page was the first, since he ‘thought he was the people’s champion.’ That’s a weird direction to go, almost like he’s putting over Rock. This draws DDP out with a chair, and he cleans house. DUD

Chavo Guerrero Jr v Mike Enos: Enos powers him around to start, but takes too long with a press-slam, allowing Chavo a sunset flip for two. A dropkick sends Mike to the outside, and Guerrero is on him with a baseball slide. He looks to add a plancha, but Enos catches him, and drops Chavo across the guardrail. Mike presses Guerrero back in, and follows with a clothesline, but pulls Chavo up at one. Big boot, but Chavo ducks, and lands a pop-up dropkick. Guerrero adds a bulldog, and a turnbuckle smash rattles things. Chavo muscles Mike to the top for a rana off, but Enos counters to a powerbomb. Enos with a powerslam off the middle, but he pulls him up at one again. Another powerslam, but Guerrero counters with a DDT for two, so Mike dumps him to the outside. Enos grabs Pepe, but that allows Guerrero to sneak up with a schoolboy for two. Enos throws a clothesline to cut him off, but a powerbomb gets countered to another sunset flip at 4:53. Both guys were game to have an actual match here. * ½ 

Rey Mysterio Jr v Villano V: Rey tries to speed around, but gets nailed with a chop. A criss cross allows Rey a monkey flip, and he adds a springboard dropkick to put Villano on the outside. Rey is on him with a somersault plancha, but a springboard flying bodypress on the way back in gets caught in a slam. Villano adds a kneedrop, and a hotshot follows. Villano with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a guillotine legdrop connects. Villano with a modified stump puller, and he Oklahoma stampedes him. Villano with a senton splash, and man, is he going to make a cover at some point here? Villano with a 2nd rope somersault senton splash, but Rey dodges. Villano stays on him with a corner whip, but an avalanche misses, and Rey hits a bronco buster. Villano tries a whiplash, but Rey counters to a bulldog, and a springboard flying rana finishes at 4:39. Good showing here. Afterwards, Tony catches up with Rey, but Eddie and the LWO don’t want to let him speak. * ½ 

Wrath v Chip Minton: Everyone talks about how Kevin Nash ruined Wrath by pinning him on TV, but honestly, he was still over, and still booked to do these squashes afterwards. What really hurt him is that they never really went anywhere with him, beyond looking strong on TV. That’s a good start, but it can’t be the whole deal. Wrath with the pumphandle-slam at 3:57. DUD

Steve McMichael and Chris Benoit v Raven and Kanyon: Raven is looking sad in the corner as the bell rings, and Benoit starts with Kanyon. A criss cross goes into a reversal sequence, won by Kanyon with a cradle for two. Benoit responds with a few blistering chops, and Kanyon wisely bails. Inside, Benoit grabs a wristlock, then shifts to a headlock when Kanyon tries to escape. He looks to tag Raven, but Raven has no interest, allowing Benoit to beat him into a neutral corner. Kanyon rakes the eyes, but again Raven refuses to tag, so Kanyon hammers Benoit in the corner, and delivers a Russian legsweep. Raven still won’t tag, but Steve does, and Mongo goes to town on Kanyon. A corner big boot misses, allowing Kanyon to slam him. Kanyon chews Raven out, but that allows Mongo to recover with a schoolboy for two, and he goes to a chinlock. Tag to Benoit for more chops, and he brutalizes Kanyon in the corner for boots as well. Chris with a clothesline, and now he stops to chew Raven out, but Raven isn’t engaging. Benoit with a snap suplex, and he passes to Steve for a hiptoss, as Kanyon begs for the tag, but Raven won’t acknowledge him. Benoit with a backbreaker for two, but the flying headbutt drop misses. Raven still won’t tag, and dude, stop asking him. He’s made it very clear that it isn’t happening. Finally, Benoit just puts Kanyon out of his misery with the crippler crossface at 6:06. Kind of long for the story being told, but watchable. *

Konnan music video

WCW Television Title Match: Konnan v Disco Inferno: Konnan knocks him around early on, but Disco manages a snapmare to set up an elbowdrop. Disco goes upstairs, but Konnan is up before he can dive, so Disco abandons it. That allows Konnan a DDT, and Disco bails. Inside, Disco manages a clothesline for two, and he works a chinlock, but a fistdrop misses. That allows Konnan a rolling clothesline, and a cradle DDT gets him two. A criss cross allows Disco a swinging neckbreaker, and a second one gets him two. They’re just spamming moves left and right here. Disco tries a jawbreaker, but Konnan blocks, and lands a sitout facebuster to set up the tequila sunrise at 5:22. ¼*

Scott Steiner v Scott Hall: We’ve got the nWo referee officiating this one for whatever reason. Hall knocks him around, and Steiner ends up on the outside in the first moments of the bout. The nWo referee hooks Hall’s leg, allowing Steiner to come back in with a clothesline, and he puts Hall in a tree of woe. Steiner with a ropechoke, and he hammers Hall down for a bootchoke in the corner. Steiner with a slam for two, and a tiger bomb gets another two. Sleeper, but Hall reverses, so Steiner side suplexes him. Hall wins a criss cross with a chokeslam, but the crooked referee slow counts him. Hall stays focused with a 2nd rope bulldog, but gets slow counted again. Hall keeps going with the crucifix powerbomb, but the referee helps him block. Hall responds by giving it to the referee instead, but that allows Steiner to recover with a clothesline, and he puts the camel clutch on, and we run out of airtime at 7:38 with no finish announced. ¼*

BUExperience: A pretty solid episode of Thunder.